Chapter 507
Huge, heavy, and alien power.
It slowly sank inside Taesan, changing into something that belonged to him. Seeing him absorb the power without issue, Baal let out a faint laugh.
[Even though this is a concept no being of this world should be able to accept, you absorb it as if it were originally yours.]
“Is this advanced Black Magic?”
[That’s the name given to it. Are you satisfied?]
“…Quite.”
He had understood its scale and level while acquiring the skill. That was why Taesan couldn’t help but question it.
“This level of power is considered advanced?”
[It can’t even be compared to Zervand’s magic, can it?]
Baal asked with a smile.
Taesan couldn’t deny it.
He possessed high-level spells: Great Collapse and Teleport. Both were powerful.
But the advanced Black Magic surpassed even those.
They shared the same rank on paper, yet the difference was clear.
[To begin with, advanced Black Magic never actually existed. That name was just what the system used to categorize my power within this world’s concept structure. Comparing Zervand’s created magic to something rooted in my essence is a bit unreasonable.]
“Thank you.”
At this level, it would clearly aid his future battles. But it also raised a question.
“There’s nothing beyond advanced?”
[There is. It certainly exists. But that belongs to our fundamental essence. It is not something that can be given to another, so you don’t need to worry.]
Baal smiled faintly.
[More importantly, you’ll eventually reach that realm on your own.]
“…Thank you.”
[Now then, we should head back. Staying here too long is dangerous.]
Baal clenched his fist, preparing to cross space. Just then, Taesan remembered something and asked:
“One question. May I?”
[What is it?]
“Why did you betray them?”
Baal had originally been an existence akin to an Old God.
Yet he betrayed the Old Gods and sided with the transcendents.
There had to be a reason. Baal answered leisurely.
[Nothing grand. Just a simple, deeply personal reason.]
“Personal?”
[Even beings like me can’t control our emotions at will.]
With that quiet statement, the world shifted.
Tak.
Taesan landed on solid ground. He felt the firm surface beneath his feet.
They had arrived in the Demon Realm.
The moment they arrived, the air split open and a girl appeared.
[Taesan.]
“Demon God.”
Taesan offered a respectful greeting. She studied him briefly, then looked relieved.
[You seem unharmed.]
[That’s a bit hurtful. Do you distrust me that much, Demon God?]
[How could I trust you? I wanted to go myself. I just couldn’t interfere because it was your business.]
The Demon God gave Taesan a satisfied smile.
[Good work, Taesan. Thanks to you, we finally erased something that always irritated us.]
[If it weren’t for me, none of this would’ve worked, you know. You could praise me too.]
[Shut up.]
She grumbled, though she did glance at Baal.
[Still… thanks. It wouldn’t have been possible without your cooperation. I’ll say at least that much.]
[How grateful.]
Baal smiled as if dealing with a fussy child.
Taesan had sensed it earlier—Baal held affection toward the Demon God.
And it was something close to how a parent treated a child.
‘…She did say the Demon God was artificially created.’
To free themselves from the old Demon God, the demons had forced a young child into becoming the new vessel. That child became Lucifer.
If so, what had Baal done when Lucifer was created?
[Then I’ll take my leave.]
Baal clapped his hands, opening space.
[The rest of the conversation is up to you two. We’ll meet again.]
Baal returned to his domain. The Demon God slowly descended to the ground.
[So? How was it?]
“I was quite surprised.”
The quest itself had no major surprises. From the moment he first met the demons at the gathering, he had expected things wouldn’t end peacefully. But the truth he learned afterward had given him much to think about.
“How long will the seal last?”
[That, I don’t know. It’s weakening rapidly… but it’s still something all of us created together. It might last a long time. Or break tomorrow. I figured you should know.]
Her cat-like eyes rested on Taesan.
[The Old Gods are still targeting you.]
“For breaking their seal? If it’s weakening already, then they shouldn’t need me.”
[I thought so too, but strangely… they’re still moving with you as their goal.]
Taesan’s eyes sank. The Demon God reassured him.
[Don’t worry. We’ve already defeated them once. The losers are no longer something to fear.]
She changed her expression and clapped.
[Anyway, congratulations. You acquired all demonic domains, right? How does it feel?]
“It’s strange. Hard to describe.”
[It’s yours now. Black Magic may cause some confusion since it vanished from the system, but Baal and I will fix that. There’ll be losses, but… nothing unmanageable.]
The Demon God smiled.
[Organize the power you acquired. Honestly, I’ve never seen domains gather like that. I’m curious how it’ll change. In any case, this quest is now complete.]
[Quest Clear.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
[You have obtained the Fragment of Light Dyed in Black.]
[You have obtained ???.]
Taesan’s body was pulled back into the labyrinth. The Demon God watched him depart with slight regret.
[I wish we could talk longer… but there’s much to do. We’ll talk again. Taesan.]
And Taesan returned to the labyrinth. Its familiar walls greeted him.
The 93rd floor was now over.
Taesan sat down.
—
[W-what the—]
Freed at last, Bardray and Akasha panicked.
[What happened?]
Taesan explained everything he had seen. When they heard it, both Bardray and Akasha were speechless.
[…That’s real?]
“I saw it myself.”
[Uh… hmm.]
Bardray couldn’t calm down. After flailing mentally for a while, he let out a long sigh.
[…I wish I hadn’t heard it.]
His voice carried a hint of resentment toward Taesan.
[The scale is too big. Just imagining it makes my mind collapse.]
“Is it that bad?”
[Of course! We’re talking about something that affects the entire universe!]
[It’s extremely… dangerous. Even I feel dizzy thinking about it.]
“Is that so.”
Bardray said incredulously:
[How are you so calm? The universe could vanish without anyone noticing!]
“At this point, there’s no reason to be shocked.”
He had known about the conflict between transcendents and Old Gods from the beginning. He himself had once been the key to releasing the Old Gods. Surprising, yes—but not frightening.
All he could do was prepare for the possibility.
And for that, he needed to become stronger. Taesan checked his rewards.
[Fragment of Light Dyed in Black]
[A fragment of something extremely dark yet brilliantly shining. It contains contradictory power.]
The 93rd-floor reward was a material. Dark above all, yet glowing brightly.
And the ??? reward was similar.
[You have used ???.]
[You have obtained the Fragment of Radiant Darkness.]
[Fragment of Radiant Darkness]
[A fragment of a domain that shines brilliantly yet is darker than anything, devouring all. It contains contradictory power.]
Although it was darkness, it did not absorb light; it shone brightly enough to distinguish objects.
Taesan had seen this in Baal’s domain.
It was part of his domain.
“They even give this as a reward.”
Its scale was exceptionally high. Even for Taesan now, it was a meaningful material.
How to use it? He pondered briefly and then contemplated the new thing he had gained.
Vast and immense—the aggregation of all evil remaining in the universe.
How he used it was entirely up to him. He could channel it into Black Magic, or create something else entirely.
And then a possibility crossed his mind.
Demons were similar to Old Gods.
If so, their domains could also be dyed black by him. He had already confirmed that.
Then perhaps he could push the concept even further—cross a boundary.
It was only a possibility, but not impossible. Taesan organized his thoughts and opened his skill window.
[Advanced Black Magic: Baal’s Broken Fragment]
[Mana Cost: 30000]
[Base Magi Cost: 5000]
[Proficiency: 1%]
[Summons a fragment of what was broken during Baal’s betrayal of his own essence.]
“…Wow.”
The cost made him laugh.
Mana cost: 30000—six times Great Collapse. Base magi cost: 5000.
Taesan originally couldn’t even exceed 3000 magi. Normally this would be unusable, but things had changed drastically after absorbing the demons.
Even so, it was not something he could use lightly.
He couldn’t judge the exact effect from the description alone. Mana and magi drained all at once.
[You have activated Baal’s Broken Fragment.]
Woooong.
A jet-black jewel appeared above his hand.
But nothing happened. It remained quietly in his palm, affecting nothing.
It was so still that Bardray was unsettled.
[…How do you even use that?]
Taesan stared at the jewel.
A shimmering fragment, like cracked obsidian.
[You have activated Perfect Reconnaissance.]
[You have activated Essence Identification.]
[What Baal possessed at the moment of his birth.]
[One of the fundamental things he had before discarding it.]
[Not something a being of this universe can accept.]
Countless pieces of information flashed through his mind.
And Taesan found what he needed.
[A channel that amplifies and dyes power.]
‘A channel?’
This jewel was a conduit for power.
If so—
Taesan touched the jewel with his fingertip.
[You have activated Frost Arrow.]
Crackle.
He didn’t know how strong the amplification would be, but since this was advanced Black Magic, it wouldn’t be small. So he tested with a beginner-level spell.
Frost Arrow touched the jewel.
Then it began turning black.
Crack!
The air sank. Black, dense frost massively amplified and spread in all directions.
[Uh?]
Bardray panicked. Frost Arrow swelled, trying to engulf the labyrinth.
Crack—
Cracks formed in the labyrinth floor and walls.
[Again?]
Balbabamba appeared late, trying to block the spreading black frost with his authority.
Crackle-crackle-crackle!
But it was useless.
The black frost froze everything. This was not beginner-level magic anymore.
Taesan quickly swung his boundary line to suppress it—
“…You got something interesting again.”
The Magician’s voice echoed. Simultaneously, the space began to compress.
Crunch-crunch-crunch-crunch!
The invading black frost shrank as if trapped in a box. The frost that filled the room was soon compressed into a small cube.
The Magician appeared, picking up the box.
“Hm.”
He examined the inside, his expression shifting subtly.
“Baal’s discarded piece, huh. So it ended up with you.”
“You know it?”
“I fought him once. Hard not to recognize it.”
The Magician opened a portal and stored the box away.
“It’s a very dangerous power. Be careful with it.”
“I will.”
“Alright, you can go. Balbabamba.”
[Damn it. Seriously. Damn it all.]
Balbabamba barely held back his emotions and left. The Magician grinned.
“So? How was it? You must’ve learned a lot.”
“I just do what I need to do.”
Taesan replied calmly. Nothing had changed. His objective was still the same: save Earth and drive out the invading Old Gods.
The Magician nodded in satisfaction.
“That’s enough for you.”
“Did you sense something strange and come here? My apologies.”
“That’s true, but… doesn’t matter. I had a reason to come anyway.”
The Magician was visibly excited.
A possibility crossed Taesan’s mind.
“Don’t tell me—”
“You figured it out. Yes.”
The Magician extended his hand.
A white gem rested on his palm.
“It was troublesome, but it’s finished.”
Using a scale of Ouroboros—the item Taesan had commissioned.
It was now complete