Chapter 314
“Huuu.”
“You’ve worked hard, noona.”
“You too, Jung-geun.”
Finally, the rough arrangements were complete. Kim Hwiyeon slumped onto the table. Even in her Hard Mode run, having reached the late 40th floors, the sheer volume of work had left her feeling drained.
But now, the overall tasks were done. All that remained was to rest until it was time to return to the labyrinth. She was about to collapse into the sleep she’d been postponing when it happened.
‘Whiiing!’
A massive shockwave struck them. Kim Hwiyeon froze mid-motion as she tried to rise.
“What?”
“Wait.”
Geum Jung-geun’s face also hardened instantly. The two stumbled outside in a hurry.
“What is that?”
When they looked up at the sky, they were horrified.
Above, the sky were opening.
The force emanating from the tear was absolute, an unadulterated concentration of pure power that defied comprehension.
Everyone who felt the wave froze. For those like Lee Taeyeon and Kang Jun-hyuk, who were in Solo mode, the shock hit even harder.
“What… is that?”
“A god? What is happening?”
There had been instances of gods descending before. But the sensation this time was different—more savage, more alien.
As they gawked blankly at the sky, it struck.
‘RUMBLE!’
Suddenly, an immense force hammered down upon the earth. The collision twisted space, sending people screaming and collapsing.
Simultaneously, a deafening roar erupted from the sky. The cry was that of a beast longing for life, desperate to protect what was its own. Everyone clutched their ears. Lee Taeyeon and Kang Jun-hyuk gripped their heads in pain.
“Ugh.”
Lee Taeyeon covered her mouth. Even though they weren’t the target, the disorienting sensation was overwhelming.
‘WHAM!’
The roaring entity was seemingly pushed back, and the sky’s tear began to close.
And then, the transformation began.
‘[OOOOOOO!]’
A thunderous cry shook the world. A twisted and distorted existence began to swell, engulfing the sky.
“What is that now?!”
Kim Hwiyeon screamed. She thought everything was finally over. The sudden turn of events was beyond her comprehension.
Thankfully, the system window provided an explanation.
[Special Quest Initiated]
[Defeat the Monster.]
“A special quest?”
“It’s not over yet?”
As the murmurs spread, the crowd came to a conclusion.
“We need to defeat ‘that’?”
At someone’s mutter, everyone turned to stare at the warped creature in the sky.
A monster so utterly disfigured that its form was unrecognizable.
“Ah…”
Those who looked at the creature clutched their heads, nauseated. Many gagged and stumbled backward.
[Confusion Check in Progress…]
[Madness Check in Progress…]
[Mental Collapse Check in Progress…]
“AAAAHHHH!”
“Urgh!”
People screamed in agony, clutching their heads. Some had already failed the checks and began rampaging wildly. Kim Hwiyeon gritted her teeth.
“Don’t look at it!”
Just looking at it was enough to threaten their sanity.
But it didn’t end there. From the sky, black energy began to ooze down like molten lava.
They didn’t know exactly what it was, but instinctively, they understood.
If it touched them, they would no longer be human.
“Get back!”
Kim Hwiyeon shouted urgently.
“What the hell is this?”
In the chaos, they started to flee from the descending energy.
Looking down below, Taesan summoned his spirits.
[You have summoned the Spirit King of Wind, Minerva.]
[You have summoned the multi-colored High Spirit, Varkaza.]
“[Master, what is that?]”
“Wait, isn’t that the True Dragon we saw before? Why is it no longer a being of this world?”
“Because ‘they’ interfered.”
Taesan gave a brief explanation to the startled pair as they appeared.
“Keep an eye on the energy below.”
Minerva and Varkaza quickly assessed the black energy. They both nodded.
“Understood.”
[As you command, Master.]
Minerva’s body vanished and reappeared before the people. The panicked crowd, retreating from the black energy, widened their eyes in shock.
Minerva swung her arm. A gale exploded forth, cleanly dispersing the black energy.
“Whoa!”
“Lady Minerva!”
The people cheered in awe.
But Minerva frowned.
It was heavy.
Even for her, as the Spirit King, dealing with the energy consumed a considerable amount of power. Kim Hwiyeon cautiously approached her.
“Lady Minerva, that monster…”
“I don’t know.”
The creature was unlike any she had ever seen.
“Can something like that even exist in this world?”
Such a thought crossed her mind.
‘BOOM!’
And then, the clash of forces began anew in the sky. Minerva gazed up at the sky and quietly murmured.
“Win, Master.”
‘[OOOOOOO!]’
The monster, no longer a True Dragon, roared.
Its mangled and distorted arm swung down toward Taesan.
Taesan stomped his foot, narrowly dodging the attack.
‘BOOM!’
The strike shattered the heavens. Baekdu Mountain began to stir. Intense heat rose through the fissured ground.
As the smoke began to rise from the awakening volcano, Taesan spoke.
“Stop.”
‘Creak!’
At his command, the volcano ceased its activity.
The smoke halted, and the intense heat threatening to pierce through the ground subsided.
‘[OOOOOOO!]’
The monster charged at Taesan.
[The opponent is an undefeatable foe.]
[You have activated Apostle Transformation [Darkness and Chaos].]
[You have activated King’s Vessel.]
One by one, skills related to combat were activated. The mindless monster went berserk. The destruction was all-encompassing, and the mountains began to crumble.
‘CRACK!’
Taesan blocked the monster’s attack.
But the force overwhelmed him, sending his body hurtling backward. The monster moved its broken body. Its speed was so great that it was impossible to follow with the naked eye.
Relying on his instincts, Taesan swung his sword.
‘CLANG!’
Once again, Taesan’s body was thrown across the ground.
The monster slammed its body into the ground, launching itself as if to crush Taesan with its massive frame.
[You have activated Random Blink.]
Taesan’s body teleported directly above the monster. He struck down with his sword, utilizing every skill for precision, acceleration, and maximum damage.
‘KAANG!’
[Dealt 1,233 damage to the warped entity that is no longer life.]
But the sword didn’t penetrate. Instead, it ricocheted as if striking an impenetrable steel wall. The monster trembled violently, thrashing around. Taesan activated Air Leap to evade its erratic attacks.
[OOOOOOO!]
The monster roared and leaped.
‘It’s fast.’
Its movements were too rapid to track with the eyes alone; Taesan had to rely on his instincts and will.
‘It’s strong.’
Even in raw stats, it far surpassed Taesan. Every clash left him struggling, his body forced backward as he defended.
‘And it’s tough.’
Despite possessing absolute judgment, Taesan couldn’t overcome the creature’s defense. It wasn’t just a matter of durability; the creature’s very existence was a tier above his own.
[OOOOOOO!]
With a deafening roar, the monster’s body swelled, growing as large as a small hill. Its grotesque, distorted form lashed out violently.
[You have activated Amon’s Jet-Black Spike.]
A black spike materialized in Taesan’s hand. He hurled it at the rampaging monster, aiming to obliterate it.
‘BOOM!’
The explosion erupted, but the force sent Taesan flying instead.
[Your First Absolute Attack Nullification has been activated.]
“…Ha.”
Taesan let out a hollow laugh. His attack nullification skill was consumed just from a direct clash of raw power.
‘This strength…’
It was akin to the level of the monsters he had defeated at the peak of his previous life.
“This won’t be easy.”
The monster leaped again, its overwhelming force crashing toward Taesan, enough to collapse the mountain range.
Meanwhile, the black energy continued to approach, causing the fleeing people to cry out in terror. Minerva, grimacing, unleashed powerful gusts of wind, scattering the energy.
But the energy continued to draw closer.
“Tsk.”
Minerva clicked her tongue. Though she was the Spirit King, her current summoned state limited her full power. While she was holding back the spreading energy, her limits were fast approaching.
‘At this rate, I’ll be forced into reverse summoning.’
Minerva glanced at the crowd before making a decision.
“I’ll push it back with all my remaining strength once. When I do, run.”
“W-what?”
Resolving herself, Minerva began to gather her remaining energy, even if it meant risking reverse summoning.
Just as she prepared to unleash it—
[That won’t be necessary.]
A calm voice echoed. A towering presence descended before her.
Minerva’s eyes widened in shock.
“…Father?”
[The Spirit God, Beatrice, has descended.]
Without a physical form, a shimmering spirit presence appeared on Earth. The Spirit God’s aura radiated outward. Though it was but a fraction of his true power, the natural force completely enveloped Baekdu Mountain.
The black energy pounded against this natural barrier, but it did not waver.
[Troublesome pests meddling caused some delays.]
Beatrice glanced indifferently at the fractured heavens.
[They’ve crossed an unusual boundary, allowing us to intervene as well.]
“Father, you could descend into another world?”
Minerva was astonished. Spirits were not a concept that existed on Earth, and this realm was beyond the reach of Beatrice’s influence.
Beatrice replied calmly.
[This is a neutral domain. It exists at the boundary, touched by both them and us. A unique, alien place where such intervention is possible.]
“Oh… oh…”
The people who saw Beatrice hesitated before bowing awkwardly.
Though they lacked the capability to comprehend Beatrice’s power, an overwhelming sense of reverence surged within them.
Beatrice turned his gaze toward the people, his eyes briefly settling on Lee Taeyeon. Then, he spoke.
[The one you should worship is not me. Direct your prayers to him.]
“Ah…”
Only then did the people recall who was fighting against the monster.
One by one, they knelt, clasping their hands together in prayer.
“Lord Taesan…”
“Please…”
Until now, their faith in Taesan was like any other devotion to the strong—a respect for power.
But this was different.
The black energy, instinctively horrifying.
The monstrous being that threatened to shatter their minds just by existing.
The battle that seemed to tear apart Baekdu Mountain itself.
It was a sight so surreal that it broke the rules of the world. Even those accustomed to extraordinary circumstances found it alien.
Amid the extreme chaos, they began to believe that Taesan was their sole savior.
This pure and untainted faith flowed toward Taesan in the sky.
Beatrice quietly observed this.
[Fascinating.]
Faith was the power of belief.
The collective devotion of hundreds or thousands of humans was beyond what any mortal could endure.
While there were beings who gained divinity through faith, most were not human to begin with—they had been born with some divine essence.
Yet, Taesan, despite being human, accepted this faith flawlessly, without a shred of loss.
The Spirit God Beatrice, who had existed since the concept of spirits first emerged, had seen stronger gods, but few older than himself.
Even so, he had never witnessed a case like Taesan’s.
[Show me, mortal. The power you possess.]
—
[OOOOOOO!]
The monster roared, thrashing its body wildly. The ground shattered and crumbled under its rage.
Taesan swung his sword to block, but the force left him unable to fully defend.
‘KAANG!’
[Your Third Absolute Attack Nullification has been activated.]
“Tch.”
Taesan clicked his tongue. All his attack nullifications had been used up.
Still, it wasn’t all for nothing. He had figured out how to defeat the monster.
[You have activated Frost Arrow.]
An icy arrow shot forward. The monster could easily dodge it, but instead of evading, it charged directly at Taesan. The arrow collided with the monster.
‘A monster that ignores defense while charging.’
It was as if the monster believed Taesan’s attacks were incapable of harming it. It made no effort to defend against any of his attacks.
The mindless frenzy of the monster made its patterns predictable. If he focused solely on evasion, he could avoid its attacks.
But there was another issue.
[Dealt 1,320 damage to the warped entity that is no longer life.]
The sheer power of the monster was overwhelming. Even when Taesan landed his attacks, the damage was minimal.
His strength wasn’t enough. Yet, Taesan kept moving.
If strength wasn’t enough, the solution was to strike more.
As he prepared to charge at the monster, a massive force descended. Taesan hesitated, and the monster, too, seemed to sense the intense energy and stopped mid-charge.
Taesan turned his gaze. A being of immense power had descended next to Minerva.
“A Spirit God?”
The entity radiated its energy, forming a barrier around them. The creeping black energy was completely blocked.
The ancient gods had crossed the line by interfering with the True Dragon. Taesan had anticipated divine intervention.
It worked to his advantage. Now, he could focus solely on his battle.
The panic and confusion that had consumed the fleeing people turned into deeper faith.
Taesan could feel it growing.
[Your mastery of Divine Power has increased by 2%.]
A surge in divine energy.
[OOOOOO!]
The monster charged at Taesan. This time, he didn’t dodge. Instead, he used the monster’s momentum to drive his sword into its body.
[Dealt 2,431 damage to the warped entity that is no longer life.]
[You took 44,353 damage.]
His health plummeted to below half in an instant.
Taesan wrapped his body in divine power. His depleted health, mana, and Magi were instantly restored.
However, the divine power was rapidly consumed.
But divine power was drawn from the faith of the people.
Now, millions of people were pouring their unwavering belief into Taesan, offering everything they had.
The depleted divine power replenished in an instant. Within seconds, it was fully restored.
[Your mastery of Divine Power has increased by 1%.]
