Chapter 281. Yaksha (1)
In the underground prison of the Heavenly Demon Cult, there were not only prisoners who had committed serious crimes.
Various troublesome monsters from the martial world were also waiting in the prison for the day they would see the light again.
A pair of yellow pupils gleamed from within the iron bars.
“Grrr…”
It was at least a mid-sized monster over 5 meters tall.
‘Since this is the martial world, should I call it a “yokai”?’
Its size and the magical power it possessed were unusual.
“Hold on.”
Jinhyuk extended his hand towards Chaehong and the prisoners approaching him.
“If you come any closer, I might accidentally open this door. How about it? Wouldn’t it be quite fun if I did?”
The monster inside was clearly extraordinary, which was why it had been confined all this time.
Of course, if such a monster got out, it would certainly cause trouble for them.
However…
“Heh heh. Go ahead, do as you wish.”
Chaehong even put away the spear he had been pointing, as if saying he didn’t care.
He was so confident, as if he had everything under control.
Indeed, in front of the monster’s cell, there was a green talisman with complex patterns attached.
“…They’ve cast a spell.”
And a very high-level spell at that.
“It’s a type of spell that cannot be cut even with sword energy. Do you think we would leave such a dangerous element unaddressed?”
Usually, spells in the martial world were composed of one attribute.
Spells with two mixed attributes were only within the reach of elders from various sects.
However, the spell used here…
Wood (木), Water (水), Earth (土).
It was a great spell composed of three attributes.
It must have been sealed directly by the fourth-ranked member of the Heavenly Demon Cult, the Evil Spirit Commander.
“Three attributes… it’s certainly a sturdy type.”
Jinhyuk brought his finger close to the talisman.
In the entire Heavenly Demon Cult, or even throughout the martial world, there was no one who could surpass the Evil Spirit Commander in dealing with zombies and spells.
Yes, that was true…
The problem is, there is no such thing as a perfect spell.
[Activating 1-star barrier ‘Ring of Attributes’!]
[Activating Lv15 ‘Primordial Flame’!]
The Fire (火) attribute intruded into the magical circuit linking the three attributes.
It precisely eroded 3.3% of the energy of each attribute and settled in between them.
Then…
[The sealing power of the spell weakens!]
Crack! Crack!
Small cracks began to form in the iron bars.
“H-How can you break the Evil Spirit Commander’s spell…?”
Chaehong’s facial expression changed drastically.
It was natural.
An outsider who had just entered the Heavenly Demon Cult was breaking a spell that the Cult’s top member had painstakingly crafted over many years.
Even if the Heavenly Demon himself came, it would be impossible.
“This spell is effective in preventing something from coming out from the inside, but breaking it from the outside is surprisingly simple. The three attributes are already barely holding together, so adding the Fire attribute makes it impossible to sustain.”
Jinhyuk poked the iron bars with his finger.
Crunch!
Snap!
The iron bars shattered with a loud noise.
“Grrr!”
The monster inside pushed its head close to the bars.
It instinctively sensed that the bars would not last much longer.
“No, don’t! If you open that…”
Chaehong’s voice grew urgent.
“What happens if I open it? Will it become troublesome? Or will everyone here die?”
Such threats should be used in context.
“I’m already in a troublesome situation. There are so many people openly trying to kill me, adding a bit more chaos won’t change much.”
Adding a bit more heat to a dish that’s already burning hot won’t make a difference.
“If we’re going to fall, let’s all fall together.”
Turn the world into a hell.
And the one who survives in that hell will be the true winner…
That is the new rule of this game.
Click!
The door that sealed the monster opened.
“Graaa!”
A black shadow jumped out from inside the bars.
Crash! Crash! Crash!
“Aaaaah!”
“Screeeech!”
A gigantic fox-shaped monster rampaged through the prisoners.
Its speed was beyond imagination, despite its massive size.
The prisoners were all skilled, but the fox targeted only the injured ones.
At that moment…
Wham!
A red spear aimed for the fox’s head.
“Grr…”
Feeling threatened, the fox took a defensive stance for the first time.
“This creature just needs to be distracted from the front. I’ll handle that role, and the rest of you attack from the sides!”
Chaehong clenched his teeth.
Still, it was manageable.
Dokgo Ryong was observing the situation, so he would send the Naeryeongdan and other masters through a secret passage.
If they could hold on a bit longer, they could subdue this fox monster.
‘It’s inevitable that Am Hwang will find out about this, but it doesn’t matter. There’s not much time left before the grand plan begins anyway.’
But at that moment…
Click!
“Wow. This zoo is quite impressive. It’s got all kinds of monsters. Is this a turtle?”
Another door opened.
“You crazy bastard! Why are you opening that too?”
Chaehong, who never lost his composure, couldn’t help but curse this time.
He was barely maintaining balance as it was, and instead of helping, Jinhyuk was adding more chaos.
“Oh. Was I not supposed to open this? My bad, my bad. In that case… I’ll release another one. That guy over there looks like he really wants to get out…”
Jinhyuk approached another cell.
“Woof! Woof!”
A two-headed dog with sharp teeth drooled menacingly.
It resembled Cerberus, the watchdog of hell.
“Not that dog. Stop!”
“There are no bad dogs in this world.”
“What nonsense is that!”
With Chaehong’s desperate cry, another door was opened.
＊＊＊
“Oh my goodness…”
“W-What is this…”
When Dokgo Ryong, the Naeryeongdan leader, and the martial masters arrived at the Mugan Hell…
The situation had already reached its worst point.
Many prisoners were either dead or had escaped. Chaehong was fighting three monsters with all his might.
Urgent reports poured in from those surveying the area.
“It seems three monsters escaped through the second passage!”
“The same for the third passage. We are trying to prevent them from going outside, but at this rate, the entire cult will learn about this.”
The secret passages created to easily cultivate ‘Goblin Fire’ had turned into escape routes for the monsters.
In the end…
The plan to handle things quietly had completely failed.
“We’ll handle the monsters first. Naeryeongdan, follow me!”
“Yes, sir!”
The martial artists of the Naeryeongdan moved to assist Chaehong.
Finally, there was a brief moment to catch their breath.
“Chaehong! Where is that wretched man?!”
Dokgo Ryong’s veins bulged in his neck.
He wanted to run and melt that brat alive.
“He… that guy went inside the prison.”
“Inside? You mean to the upper goblin?”
“The upper goblin is already dead. He went further inside… much further in!”
The deepest part.
At those words, Dokgo Ryong’s heart sank.
In the deepest part of the prison, the most important monster was sealed.
Gathering ‘Goblin Fire’ and sealing monsters here were all to use that one monster for their grand plan.
‘I must… stop him.’
If he had the skill to break the Evil Spirit Commander’s spell…
The final seal was not safe.
That must not be broken.
Before they had even fully refined the Goblin Fire, if that monster were released, it would lead to an irreparable disaster.
＊＊＊
While the monsters rampaged, Jinhyuk dealt with the upper goblin and entered the deepest part of the prison.
As soon as he entered…
All the clues fit together like clockwork.
One of the greatest incidents the Heavenly Demon Cult experienced during their ten-year seclusion, ‘Night of the Yaksha.’
And the named monster at the center of that incident, Yaksha (夜叉).
The being before him now was the culprit.
‘They were planning to brainwash the Yaksha using Goblin Fire to use against the Heavenly Demon and my master.’
A chill ran down his spine.
His whole body shivered.
‘Such a monster would make it possible.’
Jinhyuk swallowed dryly.
Indeed, this was why the system called it a linked quest.
He had experienced various types of linked quests before, but this was the first one in the martial world.
Back then, there was no variable like ‘Goblin Fire.’
The biggest change would be…
‘Alice.’
By rescuing Alice from the corridor, an early connection with the vampire families was established.
They must have handed the upper goblin’s Goblin Fire to the Left Guardian.
As the clues gathered, a massive picture began to form.
How well he utilized this would determine the outcome of this situation.
‘Good.’
Jinhyuk calmed his breath and walked into the darkness.
Flare!
[Activating Lv15 ‘Primordial Flame’!]
As head-sized flames appeared in the air, the surroundings brightened enough to see clearly.
A massive pillar reached from the floor to the ceiling.
And a humanoid monster was bound to that pillar.
Its sharp red hair resembled that of a goblin.
Jinhyuk used ‘Eyes of Gluttony.’
Name: Yaksha (夜叉)
Gender: Male
Age: ?? years
Level: ???
Strength ??? Agility ??? Stamina ??? Magic 0 Internal Power ???
Unique Ability: Godly Strength and Madness (怪力亂神)
Skills: Lv?? ‘Phantom Illusion (魑魅魍魎)’, Lv?? ‘Indomitable Spirit’, Lv?? ‘Mountain Sword (太山劍)’
Due to the low level of ‘Eyes of Gluttony,’ not all of the target’s skills can be identified.
[Detailed Description: A monster steeped in madness, who will not compromise with anyone or join hands with anyone. Following its instincts alone, it scorns and kills everything. This is ‘Yaksha,’ one of the most powerful named bosses in the middle levels.]
[Copy Condition: The survival of the Heavenly Demon is a prerequisite for suppressing the beings of the 50th floor. However, Yaksha is one of the few weapons capable of killing the Heavenly Demon. If you can kill Yaksha before it harms the Heavenly Demon, you can copy one of its unique abilities or skills.]
The copy condition appeared.
And following that…
Ding!
[Due to the influence of the Hidden Quest, the failure penalty has been activated.]
[For any reason, if the Heavenly Demon dies, one of them will manifest on the lower floors of the tower. (Manifestation time limit: 30 minutes)]
As expected…
The Hidden Quest was related to those on the 50th floor.
Yaksha’s existence itself was the first quest.
‘The reward of the quest is important, but I must acquire his abilities as well.’
Godly Strength and Madness.
A close-combat unique ability befitting the name ‘Yaksha.’
Imagining the powerful synergy it would create with the Dark Heavenly Demon Art made Jinhyuk’s heart race.
To obtain it…
‘Even if I must bring down the moon, I must succeed.’
These tasks could not afford failure.
The first step…
[Yaksha’s seal has been broken.]
…had finally begun.