Chapter 26
Chapter 26
Thump.
The Heart of the Apocalypse Demonic Dragon beat again.
Sang-hyeok felt his will pass through the heart and reach the entire legion.
As if responding, hundreds of legion soldiers lowered their stances at once.
He instinctively understood how to move them.
He only had to put his will into a command.
Sang-hyeok looked at the legion and spoke.
"Stop."
Clank.
The legion soldiers in the front row dropped their weapons.
Then hundreds of swords and spears clattered to the ground one after another.
Clang.
Clatter.
Crash!
The moment the last weapon fell.
Hundreds of demonic legion soldiers knelt on one knee before Sang-hyeok in unison.
Ironblood Spear stood frozen, still holding his red spear.
Shirogane also lowered her twin swords and stared at the kneeling legion.
Keep Spells Short barely managed to speak.
"Those things... they're following Impossible One's orders."
「You have fulfilled the hidden complete-conquest condition.」
[Battlefield Command Stone completely destroyed]
[Masterless Legion fully subjugated]
Shirogane turned to look at Sang-hyeok.
Her eyes were wide with surprise, and a hint of awe had already entered them.
"You kited hundreds of them by yourself and even destroyed the Command Stone, and now you've subjugated the entire legion."
Shirogane caught her breath in disbelief.
"Seeing it firsthand, I understand why everyone pays attention to Impossible One."
Keep Spells Short also nodded, looking dazed.
"If I hadn't been in the same party, I wouldn't have believed it either."
Ironblood Spear slowly lowered his red spear and let out a hollow laugh.
"Ha. They say the world is wide, but I've never seen anyone as remarkable as you."
He looked back and forth between the spot where the Command Stone had been, now left with only black sand, and the kneeling legion.
"Now that the Command Stone is gone, do they see you as their new leader?"
"At least for now."
The red light remaining in the legion soldiers' eyes completely subsided.
[All demonic legion soldiers have ceased combat actions.]
[The battlefield Command Stone has been lost, so the basic clear condition is achieved early.]
Rumble.
The entire barracks shook violently one last time, then fell still.
A moment later, white light descended from the ceiling.
「Settling the results of the Floor 15 Restricted Cooperative Battlefield <Masterless Legion>.」
[Command Strongholds Captured: 4/4]
[Battlefield Command Stone: lost]
[Demonic legion soldiers: all combat halted]
[Party member deaths: 0]
「<Masterless Legion> has been completely conquered for the first time.」
[Conquest Rating: SSS]
Each of the four saw their own achievements appear before their eyes.
[Battlefield contribution: 1st place]
[Affiliated Nation: South Korea]
[Public Name: Undisclosed]
[Key achievements]
- Lured the demonic legion alone
- Destroyed the battlefield Command Stone alone
- Halted the Masterless Legion's combat
「First complete-conquest achievement points will be awarded to the affiliated nation of the 1st-place battlefield contributor.」
[Republic of Korea Achievement Points +1,000]
「Additional rewards will be granted to all cooperative members who participated in the complete conquest.」
Shirogane checked her reward window and her eyes widened.
"Rewards that weren't in the basic conquest came in too."
She fully sheathed her twin swords and bowed her head to Sang-hyeok.
"Thank you, Impossible One. Thanks to you, I received a complete-conquest reward for the first time."
Keep Spells Short also checked his reward list several more times.
"I've run this battlefield many times too, but this is the first time I've seen rewards like these. Thank you very much."
Ironblood Spear closed his reward window and looked at Sang-hyeok.
His broad smile faded, and his face turned serious.
He bowed deeply to Sang-hyeok.
"You were incredible, Impossible One. I will remember fighting alongside you today for a long time."
Sang-hyeok smiled faintly inside the Black Mask and nodded.
Then a new notification appeared only for Sang-hyeok.
「Core contribution reward for the complete conquest will be granted.」
[You have acquired 1 Authority Factor.]
[Authority Factors held: 1 → 2]
[Until next Authority candidate check: 1]
One more now.
If he gathered just one more Authority Factor, he would be able to check the new Authority candidate that would be born from the Heart of the Apocalypse Demonic Dragon.
Thump.
Deep in his chest, the Heart of the Apocalypse Demonic Dragon beat again.
The kneeling legion soldiers trembled at the same time.
「<Heart of the Apocalypse Demonic Dragon> nurtures the seed of a new Authority.」
[Seed of Authority: Lesser Demonic Creature Subjugation]
[Current confirmed range: masterless lesser demonic creatures]
[It has not yet bloomed into a formal Authority.]
[When all Authority Factors are gathered, a new Authority candidate will be generated from this seed.]
When the Command Stone vanished, the masterless legion sought a stronger ruler.
And Sang-hyeok, who possessed the <Heart of the Apocalypse Demonic Dragon>, was right there.
It had been possible because he had faced masterless lesser demonic creatures within the battlefield.
It did not mean he could now command demonic legions anywhere at will.
Instead, this subjugation remained in his heart as a seed that would grow into a new Authority.
The <Heart of the Apocalypse Demonic Dragon> was not simply a Trait for handling mana and nurturing Authorities.
It also held the stature of a ruler before whom weak demonic creatures instinctively bowed their heads.
This time, it had only briefly revealed itself after the Command Stone disappeared.
But if the seed of Authority formally bloomed, it could become another power that would shake battlefields.
One Authority Factor remained.
Once he obtained that, he would be able to see what Authority this seed would grow into.
「Battlefield settlement has ended.」
[Battlefield-limited temporary command authority has ended.]
Flash.
The kneeling legion soldiers scattered into white light, starting from the front row.
When the last legion soldier disappeared, a new notice appeared.
[You have completed the Floor 15 Restricted Cooperative Battlefield.]
[The restriction on Solo Climb Floor 15 has been lifted.]
* * *
Less than ten minutes had passed since the battlefield ended.
A new entry appeared on the Floor 15 public record board.
[Floor 15 Restricted Cooperative Battlefield]
[Battlefield: <Masterless Legion>]
[Achieved Record: First Complete Conquest]
[Battlefield Command Stone: lost]
[Demonic legion soldiers: all combat halted]
[Conquest Rating: SSS]
[Battlefield contribution: 1st place]
[Affiliated Nation: South Korea]
[Public Name: Undisclosed]
Players who spotted the record immediately captured their screens.
[Korea/Lv.42] Soju in Rice Soup : First complete conquest of the Floor 15 Cooperative Battlefield just dropped. Whoa.
[Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Protection Squad : Command Stone lost? Wasn't the best record still at 71% durability?
[Japan/Lv.55] Tsukikage : Right. Until now, there wasn't even a record of getting its durability below 70%.
[Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Protection Squad : As expected of Impossible One. Whoa. You even deleted the Command Stone they said couldn't be broken without five people. What even are you?!
[China/Lv.68] Beijing Swordsman : Hm. A Cooperative Battlefield is fought by four people together. You can't simply conclude that one Undisclosed player did it alone.
As Newbie Protection Squad's praise continued, Beijing Swordsman immediately pushed back.
That was when Keep Spells Short revealed his participation record.
It was verification showing the same battlefield and the complete-conquest bonus rewards.
[Korea/Lv.15] Keep Spells Short : I was in the same party.
[Korea/Lv.15] Keep Spells Short : The three of us attacked for thirty seconds and barely shaved off 2%.
[Korea/Lv.15] Keep Spells Short : The one who erased the remaining 98% was Impossible One alone.
The chat window went quiet for a moment.
The next moment, questions erupted as if they had been waiting.
[Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Protection Squad : What kind of Authority erases 98% alone? What weapon did they use? Was it a sword after all??
[Korea/Lv.42] Soju in Rice Soup : So is Impossible One a man or a woman? Did you hear their voice?
[Korea/Lv.37] Tower Climbing Starts Tomorrow : What does Impossible One's face look like? Handsome?
[Japan/Lv.55] Tsukikage : How did they cause the legion to stop fighting?
Amid the flood of questions, Keep Spells Short's reply belatedly appeared.
[Korea/Lv.15] Keep Spells Short : Uh...
[Korea/Lv.15] Keep Spells Short : It's a bit difficult for me to talk about their Authority or personal details.
[Korea/Lv.15] Keep Spells Short : Then I'll be going now.
Keep Spells Short vanished from the chat window just like that.
[Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Protection Squad : No, where are you going! Come back, Keep Spells Short!
[Korea/Lv.42] Soju in Rice Soup : His answers are really as short as his ID lol
[Korea/Lv.37] Tower Climbing Starts Tomorrow : Hey, I still have a whole bundle of questions left!
Only futile shouts remained in the chat window.
The only thing that had become certain was the fact that Impossible One alone had erased the Command Stone's remaining 98% durability.
What Authority had been used, who was beneath the Black Mask, and why the legion soldiers had all stopped at once—none of it was revealed.
The first eyewitness account only deepened the curiosity surrounding Impossible One.
[Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Protection Squad : Impossible One is Lv.15 now, right? Hurry up and hit Lv.20. You'll enter the Channel League, won't you?
[Korea/Lv.42] Soju in Rice Soup : If it's Impossible One's first public match, I'm definitely watching.
[Korea/Lv.37] Tower Climbing Starts Tomorrow : Where do I turn on spectator alerts? I'm waiting from today.
[Japan/Lv.55] Tsukikage : At their current climbing speed, we won't have to wait long.
[China/Lv.68] Beijing Swordsman : The Channel League is a stage where you face players, not monsters. Whether they'll hold up there remains to be seen.
[Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Protection Squad : That's exactly why I'm saying hurry up and come out lol
The conquest process remained a mystery.
Instead, the players' attention turned toward the Channel League, where Impossible One's combat would be revealed for the first time.
* * *
The next day.
Sang-hyeok stood before the door leading to Personal Floor 15.
Sang-hyeok's Solo Climb record was currently 14 consecutive SSS ratings.
[Current consecutive record: 14]
[All-Time Record: 20]
If he finished Floor 15 with an SSS rating as well, the record would become 15 consecutive.
Five floors remained to stand level with Limitless's record, and six floors to surpass it.
However, if he missed SSS even once before then, the record he had built so far would end.
'This time too, I'll get SSS without any mistakes.'
When he placed his hand on the door, an entry notice appeared.
「Entering Solo Climb Floor 15.」
Flash!
When the light cleared, a wide circular stone chamber appeared.
In the chamber, a hundred human-sized stone statues stood in identical poses.
「The Floor 15 Solo Trial is beginning.」
[Trial name: <Fleeing Heart>]
[Time limit: 3 minutes]
[Objective]
- Remove the red heart's protection.
- Destroy the red heart once its protection is removed.
[Trial rules]
- The red heart hides inside one of the 100 stone statues.
- Each time the heart is found, it moves to another statue.
- If you find it 10 times in a row, the red heart's protection is removed.
- If you touch the wrong statue, all 100 statues awaken.
- If you defeat all the awakened statues, the red heart's protection is forcibly removed.
[Evaluation Criteria]
- Consecutive successful heartbeats
- Number of attacks used to defeat awakened statues
- Number of hits taken
- Conquest time
There were two ways to receive the highest rating.
The first was to find the statue hiding the heart ten times in a row without a single mistake.
But the sound the heart made echoed throughout the entire chamber, and picking out only the correct answers among outwardly identical statues was nearly impossible.
There was also a method after failing the tracking.
The plan was to wipe out all 100 statues with a single attack the moment they awakened.
In the process, he had to avoid being hit even once and then destroy the heart to receive SSS.
It was also difficult for a player who was only Lv.15 to possess both that kind of range and power at the same time.
That was why <Fleeing Heart> was considered one of the most difficult trials for earning SSS among the lower-floor Solo Trials.
But.
For Sang-hyeok, it was actually close to the easiest trial.
'This will be easy.'
Ding!
When the bell rang, the dull sound of a beating heart came from somewhere among the hundred statues.
The sound spread in all directions along the round walls, making it hard to gauge the direction.
All the outwardly visible statues were identical.
Sang-hyeok focused mana into his eyes.
'<Demonic Dragon’s Eye>.'
The edges of Sang-hyeok's irises darkened, and his red pupils narrowed vertically.
In his grayed-out vision, only the red heart hidden in the chest of the statue at the far left stood out clearly.
He didn't even need to search.
To Sang-hyeok, the answer was plainly visible.
Whoosh!
Sang-hyeok darted between the statues and pressed his hand to the chest.
[Heart track success: 1/10]
The heart burrowed beneath the floor, leaving a red afterglow.
The heart that moved to the statue on the opposite side also could not evade the <Demonic Dragon’s Eye>.
[Heart track success: 2/10]
[Heart track success: 3/10]
Each time the heart was discovered, it fled to a farther statue.
Sang-hyeok darted between the statues, and when the path was blocked, he stepped on shoulders and heads to leap over them.
[Heart track success: 6/10]
[Heart track success: 9/10]
The final heart burrowed into the statue behind the spot where Sang-hyeok had first stood.
Sang-hyeok pushed off the floor with his right foot and reversed direction in an instant.
Whoosh!
His palm touched the final statue's chest.
[Heart track success: 10/10]
The statue's chest split open to the sides, revealing the red heart.
[The red heart's protection has been removed.]
'<Erasure>.'
Hiss!
Black energy seeped into the center of the red heart.
The moment that energy covered the entire heart.
Fsssssh!!
The red light went out and the heart collapsed into black sand.
In the end, not a single one of the hundred statues awakened.
「You have completed the Floor 15 Solo Trial <Fleeing Heart>.」
[Consecutive heart track successes: 10]
[Wrong statues touched: 0]
[Awakened statues: 0/100]
[Attacks used to defeat statues: 0]
[Times Hit: 0]
[Conquest time: 00:27]
[Conquest Rating: SSS]
「Your level has increased.」
[Lv.15 → Lv.16]
「<Flawless Climb> consecutive record updated.」
[Solo Climb SSS Rating: 15 Consecutive]
「The first cumulative privilege has been unlocked.」
[Cumulative privilege: <Hidden Objective Reveal>]
[Effect]
- Hidden objectives in Solo Trials will now be displayed.
- Achieving hidden objectives will grant separate rewards.
It was a very useful privilege.
From now on, hidden objectives would be revealed in every Solo Trial, and if he achieved them as well, he could receive additional rewards.
Sang-hyeok immediately opened the information for the next floor.
[Floor 16 Solo Trial: <Twisted Waterway>]
[Basic Objective]
- Close the three floodgates.
- Block the incoming water and reach the exit.
Below the basic objectives, new black text appeared.
It was information shown by the <Hidden Objective Reveal> he had just unlocked.
[Hidden Objective]
- Open the exit without closing a single floodgate.
[Hidden objective additional reward: hidden]
Normally, it was a trial where you closed the three floodgates to block the water and headed for the exit.
But to achieve the hidden objective, he had to push straight through the pouring water and open the exit.
The newly revealed hidden objective and the undisclosed additional reward.
Sang-hyeok looked at the two entries and smirked.
"One more thing to collect."