Chapter 172: Seoul (7)
The wind enveloped the entire body of the monster.
The monster charged, seemingly unfazed. Taesan dodged the swinging forelegs, continuing to spread the wind.
This wasn’t a spirit skill meant for attacking.
Unlike magic, spirit skills expanded one’s senses.
Taesan was using it to gather information about the monster.
Information about the monster’s entire body flowed to Taesan through the wind.
That’s how he found out what he couldn’t see before.
There were seams all over the monster’s body.
They were so small they were invisible to the naked eye, but the monster’s body was covered in these seams.
‘Is it because it’s made up of many creatures merged together?’
The jet-black mantis was formed by dozens, if not hundreds, of monsters merging. Yet, its size wasn’t much different from the monsters before they merged. This was because they had forcibly condensed together.
It seemed that seams had formed in the process.
Taesan continued to think.
The monster’s movements were clumsy, likely because it had been forcibly given this power, and it seemed like it might collapse at any moment. The barrier protecting the joints wouldn’t be able to hold for long.
And the only way to deliver a strong shock to the monster now was to target these seams.
But the seams were too small to be targeted with the naked eye. The monster had weakened, unable to bear the power it received, but it wasn’t weak enough to be easily attacked with a sword or magic.
He couldn’t target the seams with a sword or magic.
Nor could he use dark magic.
Therefore.
[You have activated Small Flame.]
The spreading wind carried flames.
Taesan charged at the monster. As the monster’s foreleg came down to split Taesan’s head, Taesan raised his sword.
Clang!
Two legs clashed against Taesan’s sword. While they struggled for dominance, Taesan placed his free hand on the monster’s seam.
Whoosh.
The wind carrying flames flowed from his fingertips. It surged through the seams, burning the monster from within.
The monster’s body shuddered.
[You have dealt 504 damage to Monster 999.]
Thanks to his Apostolic Transformation, the power of the spirit skill was also enhanced.
Having identified the weak point, Taesan moved. Dodging attacks, he pressed his hand against the monster’s body and released the flaming wind through the seams.
The monster shuddered and resisted in pain. Because he had to make direct contact with the monster’s body, he couldn’t dodge all the attacks.
But it didn’t matter.
[Your first attack negation has been activated.]
He placed his hand back on the monster’s body. The flames spread through the seams, invading the monster’s insides.
The monster’s body shuddered again, and in that moment, the barrier protecting the joint of the monster’s foreleg wavered.
Taesan didn’t miss the opportunity. He quickly moved his sword and drove it into the joint. With a cracking sound, the sword pierced between the joints.
He then grabbed the end of the foreleg and pulled. Ignoring the monster’s struggle, he tightened his grip even more.
Crack!
[You have dealt 2045 damage to Monster 999.]
The monster’s leg was torn off. The monster twisted its body in agony.
Taesan shoved his hand into the wound where black liquid flowed. He then spread flames directly inside the monster’s body.
Insect-type monsters had hard exoskeletons but also had weak joints and vulnerable insides. This monster was no exception, struggling frantically.
The pain overwhelmed the monster, making the barriers protecting its joints waver.
From then on, it was up to Taesan.
Taesan drove his sword into the other foreleg joint and pulled it out.
Crack.
The remaining foreleg was torn off as well.
With no means of attack left, there was no reason to fear the monster.
Taesan broke the remaining legs one by one. Before long, the monster was writhing on the ground, unable to stand.
Taesan drove his sword into the monster’s mouth. The struggling monster’s body stiffened for a moment.
He channeled the flames through the sword, burning the monster’s entire body. Thousands of damage points appeared in rapid succession, and soon the monster went limp.
[You have defeated Monster 999.]
[You have perfectly identified the opponent’s essence and weak points and achieved victory. You have learned the special skill “Essence Identification.”]
[Your Spirit Rank Increase has been activated. ??? proficiency increased by 1%.]
[Your Spirit Rank Increase has been activated. You have learned the special passive skill “Twisted Spirit Adjustment.”]
Taesan pulled out his sword.
There was no joy in the victory, as the monster was created to delay him.
He had spent more time than he anticipated and didn’t know what had happened to the people.
As Taesan was about to close the system window and rush to the people:
The space split open, and darkness poured out.
Taesan halted.
A vast darkness took form on the ground.
[Hello?]
A young girl appeared.
“Hello.”
The Demon God, Lucifer.
Her appearance wasn’t surprising. She had mentioned during their previous encounter that the next time would be her turn.
The Demon God gave Taesan a look full of affection.
[You’ve done a great job again, Kang Taesan.]
“Sorry, but I have something to do first.”
People were still fighting the monsters. He needed to handle that before talking to her.
Taesan prepared to move.
[No need for that.]
The Demon God muttered and clapped her hands.
With the sound of the clap, darkness spread.
People fighting the monsters instinctively froze.
“W-What?”
Like a shadow engulfing the remaining light, the vast darkness spread across the world.
And the monsters consumed by the darkness vanished without a trace.
People, who suddenly lost their enemies, stared blankly at the sky. The Demon God smiled.
[I’ve taken care of everything. No need to go anywhere.]
“Is this okay?”
The Demon God had directly removed the monsters. Considering that Rakiratath had only descended after all quests were completed, this was abnormal.
[It’s fine. They used tricks too.]
The Demon God twisted her lips.
[Trying to cross the line with such tactics. They must really dislike you.]
“So it was.”
The merging of the monsters.
And the immense power within the monster that even it couldn’t handle.
It was clearly not a normal flow of events. It felt like a determined effort to kill everyone if they couldn’t kill Taesan.
[You overcame it wonderfully. I’m very satisfied.]
The Demon God extended her hand. Darkness began to spread from her.
[So, you deserve a reward.]
Darkness enveloped the world.
In the suddenly darkened world, people held their breath. Some raised their weapons again, thinking monsters had reappeared, and others screamed.
[Divine Power Manifestation.]
[Blessing Descends.]
“Huh?”
The Demon God smiled at Taesan.
[You should be proud. I’ve never given this blessing to so many people, let alone to a non-demon human.]
[You have received the Divine Blessing “Lamb in the Darkness.”]
[And here’s a bonus for you.]
Darkness enveloped Taesan’s body.
[You have learned the basic dark magic “Seir’s Black Wind.”]
[You have learned the beginner dark magic “Marbas’s Black Wave.”]
[You have learned the beginner dark magic “Leraje’s Domain Detection.”]
[You have received the title “Saint of the Demon God’s Second Seat.”]
[Your Magi has increased by 100.]
One basic dark magic, two beginner dark magics, a title, and 100 Magi. Taesan bowed his head.
“Thank you.”
[No need to thank me. It’s the rightful reward for our deal.]
The Demon God chuckled.
[Now, it’ll be even harder for them to kill you. What will they stake and bear? The more they struggle, the stronger you’ll become.]
She seemed incredibly pleased.
[I wonder what that guy’s face looks like now. Just thinking about it is delightful.]
There was a deeper emotion than just the pleasure of thwarting the higher beings.
[Now, let’s move on from the reward. You have something to ask me, right?]
“Yes.”
Taesan nodded.
The separated labyrinth and the Guide of Sin within it.
The gods surely knew the answers to that.
As Taesan was about to ask, the Demon God’s body wavered. It seemed a great force was expelling her from this place.
[So, this is it.]
The Demon God clicked her tongue.
[They crossed the line, but they throw a fit when I do it. Such selfish beings. Don’t you think so?]
Grumbling, the Demon God began to retreat into the darkness.
[Sorry, but you’ll have to ask another one of us for the details.]
“I understand.”
It wasn’t urgent, so Taesan nodded.
There was a god waiting for him in the labyrinth.
[Oh, one last thing.]
As she was leaving, she spoke again.
[The Guide of Sin will target you again.]
Taesan nodded. Given his strength, he would soon be advancing to the 40th floor. It was expected they would make another move.
The Demon God had a somewhat ambiguous expression.
[Sorry, but I can’t intervene as deeply next time. That guy is a pitiful child of mine. According to the labyrinth’s laws, the victor takes everything.]
It was a cryptic statement.
Without further explanation, she retreated into the darkness.
[I’ll be waiting for our next meeting. Let’s talk more leisurely then.]
With those words, she disappeared.
The darkness that enveloped the world faded, and light returned.
Taesan headed towards the people.
Kim Hwiyeon approached with a pale face.
“T-Taesan, that power just now…”
She instinctively felt it. The being that descended just now was similar to the transcendent one she had seen before.
A being that could engulf the entire world in darkness.
She understood it was a being that could destroy the Earth in an instant if it wanted.
“At least, it’s not hostile to us. Don’t worry.”
Taesan reassured her and looked at the people.
There were injured ones. Some were suffering in pain, but there didn’t seem to be many deaths.
“It looks like they held out well.”
“Yes.”
Kim Hwiyeon, having calmed down, nodded.
“People fought without panicking. We managed to hold out without much trouble… though it would have been dangerous if the fight lasted any longer.”
It was really close. She was almost exhausted.
But they had won.
[Special Quest Successful.]
[Returning to the labyrinth in two days.]
People checked the damage.
Out of the 85,000, 20,000 died.
65,000 survived.
It was a significant loss, but they accepted it calmly. Mourning the dead, they buried them and prepared to move forward again.
“I wonder how the other regions are…”
“They’re probably alive. The darkness wiped out all the monsters at the end.”
The darkness that killed the monsters.
It spread across the entire world, not just Seoul.
At that moment, all the monsters on Earth likely vanished.
“That was a god of the labyrinth, right?”
Kim Hwiyeon had heard about the beings that descended on Earth. She was told they created the labyrinth and opposed the beings invading Earth.
“Yes, this time it was the Demon God.”
“Wow.”
Kim Hwiyeon shook her head. It was overwhelming to have such beings keep appearing.
“At least they’re not our enemies. If there’s someone trying to kill us, there should be someone helping us.”
She wasn’t the only one not looking gloomy. All the survivors had similar expressions.
The reason was simple. The skill bestowed by the Demon God directly impacted their survival.
Lamb in the Darkness.
Its effect was simple.
Everyone had gained Magi.
“I never imagined we’d gain such power…”
“Me neither.”
Taesan had a complicated expression. He hadn’t expected the Demon God to bestow Magi on humanity. She usually didn’t value non-demons.
And he hadn’t expected her to grant him such authority.
“What does she want from me?”
[Title: Saint of the Demon God’s Second Seat]
[Seat granted to those recognized by the Demon God. You have great influence over humans with Magi, and you will receive additional rewards as they grow stronger.]