Chapter 144: 30th Floor. Desert of Death (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 144: 30th Floor. Desert of Death (3)
[Glory of the Lost God. It is a power beyond measure.]
Eldiria murmured in awe.
[To incinerate the world with pure divinity... This is not a power a mere believer should possess.]
The tribesmen realized this as well. As the intense divine radiance illuminated the desolate world, their skepticism vanished. Pure worship and fervent faith began to flow toward Kang Jun-hyeok.
The tribesmen no longer doubted him.
However, the Tribe Chief still could not bring himself to fully accept Kang Jun-hyeok. Approaching him quietly, Jun-hyeok asked, “For what reason do you still doubt me?”
“……We have survived here by our own strength. Now, a being claiming to be a god appears and says he will lead us. Do you truly think I can simply accept that?”
His eyes burned with stubborn conviction.
It’s not disbelief; it’s human will.
This was the most troublesome type of person to deal with.
In that case, a different approach was necessary. Kang Jun-hyeok let out a thin smile.
“As you said, I will lead you. The result will be beneficial for your people. However, if you continue to refuse… I’m afraid my benevolence may turn into something far less pleasant.”
The Tribe Chief flinched.
What would happen to them if a being like Kang Jun-hyeok showed hostility instead of favor?
Only then did he consider the terrifying possibility. After a long moment of agonizing thought, the Tribe Chief slowly knelt and bowed his head. Jun-hyeok placed a hand on the man’s head.
“A wise decision.”
The established leader of the tribe—the Chief himself—had acknowledged Jun-hyeok and assumed a posture of submission.
There was nothing left to make the people feel uneasy. Pure adoration was directed toward him. To the gathered masses, Kang Jun-hyeok made a grand declaration.
“I shall establish my kingdom here. I will conquer the desert and reach out toward the rest of the world. My name shall be etched into history, and you are its first citizens.”
“Woooooah!”
“Lord Lucator! Lord Lucator!”
[Divine Power +1]
[Proficiency in Glory of the Lost God has increased slightly.]
Kang Jun-hyeok smirked.
“There are many other abandoned children besides yourselves in this wasteland. Lead the way. I shall grant salvation to them all.”
The people’s eyes widened at his words.
“Are you saying you will lead the other tribes as well?”
“Is there a problem?”
“No! Not at all!”
The desert tribes usually excluded and fought one another. The deep-seated animosity between them was significant, but their worship of Kang Jun-hyeok easily suppressed those old grudges.
“Follow me.”
“Yes, Lord!”
Kang Jun-hyeok moved across the desert, leading his growing flock.
When they arrived at the next tribe, the opposing side drew their weapons in a panic, thinking they were under attack. Jun-hyeok stepped forward and spoke calmly.
“I am the avatar of Lucator, descended to lead you. Bow your heads and follow me.”
“Don’t make me laugh!”
“Where did this lowlife come from, spouting such nonsense?!”
Naturally, they didn’t listen. They retorted with fierce rejection.
Just as he had with the first tribe, Kang Jun-hyeok used his divinity and skills to perform miracles.
He made plants sprout from the barren sand and used his powers to fulfill the people’s desperate desires. The original tribesmen who followed him bowed in awe.
Human emotions were contagious. Seeing such absolute devotion, the new tribe began to waver and eventually followed suit. To seal the deal, he dealt with the giant desert scorpions that had occupied their oasis.
[Glory of the Lost God.]
An intense radiance descended upon the world, incinerating the scorpions into nothingness.
Finally, even they showed feelings of worship toward Kang Jun-hyeok.
Jun-hyeok led them and moved across the desert once more.
As the size of the group grew, the magnitude of their collective emotion increased, making the task that much easier. It didn’t even take two days to find the next tribe and receive their adoration. In just ten days, Kang Jun-hyeok had visited every tribe in the desert and succeeded in uniting them.
[Divine Power +2]
[Proficiency in Glory of the Lost God has increased.]
[Proficiency in Persuasion has increased.]
[Proficiency in Acting has increased.]
Kang Jun-hyeok headed toward the largest oasis in the center of the desert.
“I shall build my kingdom here.”
[Ground Leveling.]
Rumble!
The desert floor flattened out instantly. The people gasped in admiration.
“Establish the foundation upon which you will live your lives and advance toward the world. Build my kingdom.”
“Yes!”
“As Lord Lucator commands!”
The people moved quickly. They cut nearby rocks to build walls and dug into the sand to solidify the foundation. Kang Jun-hyeok watched them leisurely.
Once this kingdom was built, the quest for the 30th Floor would be over.
This was the floor with the lowest completion rate. Even in his past life, he hadn't been able to resolve their deep-seated disbelief.
But this time, he had succeeded in perfectly deceiving them using his various stats and skills.
Even now, words were rapidly filling the Scripture of the Lost God. It was a near-perfect clear.
One of the Tribe Chiefs working on the royal castle let out a hearty laugh.
“Looking back now, I don’t even know why we fought so much.”
The desert tribes had held deep grudges against one another. It was a level of animosity where they would draw weapons the moment they saw each other, making harmony seem impossible. Another Tribe Chief replied.
“It was probably because of the myths passed down through generations. Hearing those stories since childhood, it was inevitable to feel hostility toward others.”
“Stories?”
Kang Jun-hyeok, who had been watching silently, approached them. He signaled the Tribe Chief, who was trying to bow in reverence, to stay at ease and asked, “What myths are you referring to?”
“It is nothing much, Lord.”
The Tribe Chief began his explanation.
A single myth had been passed down among the desert tribes.
It claimed that one of the tribes existing here was a servant of a monster hidden deep within the desert. It said they were always looking for an opportunity to enslave the rest of the tribes.
And finally, if they were to enslave all existence, the monster hidden in the desert would reveal itself and devour everything.
Such was the myth passed down through the tribes.
“It is merely an old tale. Now that Lord Lucator has descended in person, there is no longer any need to worry about it.”
The Tribe Chief spoke as if it were trivial. However, Kang Jun-hyeok’s expression became grave.
A myth passed down to every being in the desert.
It was highly likely to have some significance. Jun-hyeok analyzed the contents of the myth.
A monster deep within the desert.
And a servant of the monster hidden among humans.
This was a warning.
Then, what was the warning for?
After some thought, the answer emerged.
A warning to prevent people from gathering.
By making them doubt and oppose other tribes, it ensured they would never gather in one place. That was the true purpose of the myth.
It meant there was a reason why people should not gather.
Along with that realization, the earth shook. The desert floor began to heave as if a massive earthquake had struck. The people lowered their stances in a panic.
“An earthquake?”
“Wh-what’s happening?!”
Quickly expanding his senses, Kang Jun-hyeok knew.
This wasn't an earthquake.
Something was approaching.
BOOM!
Finally, bursting through the sand, it revealed itself.
“……Ah.”
The people’s mouths hung open in terror.
It was a scorpion.
But its size was on a completely different dimension compared to any other. While other scorpions were at most the size of a beast, the creature that appeared now was as massive as a sand dune. It possessed a carapace where black and white mingled like polished gemstones.
Kang Jun-hyeok realized it instantly.
This was the monster of the desert from the myth. Eldiria murmured as if intrigued.
[It is a Duneshade. To think such a thing was settled here.]
Rumble!
The scorpion slowly approached them. The people’s faces turned pale at the sight of a monster that humans could not hope to resist. Just as they were about to flee without even thinking of drawing their weapons, Kang Jun-hyeok moved.
[Rift Movement.]
Appearing above the scorpion’s head, he flicked his hand.
[Glory of the Lost God.]
Flash!
An intense light illuminated the world. The people erupted in cheers.
“Oooooh!”
“Lord Lucator!”
They did not doubt for a second that the light would incinerate the scorpion’s body and erase it from existence.
But soon, their expressions froze.
Even though the light had vanished, the scorpion’s body was perfectly fine. Its carapace was stained red, perhaps from the heat, but that was all.
The scorpion moved its legs. With a bone-shattering crack, Kang Jun-hyeok’s body was slammed into the earth.
KABOOM!
The sand became a tidal wave, sweeping over the surroundings.
“……Ah.”
“Uh…”
The god they believed in and served had been suppressed by the desert monster.
A chilling silence fell. Just as they were about to flee with screams of terror, Kang Jun-hyeok emerged from the sand.
[Single Point Penetration.]
CLANG!
A powerful impact echoed. The scorpion’s body, struck by the spear, staggered and was pushed back. Seeing Jun-hyeok without a single scratch, the people cheered again.
“Oooooh!”
“O God! We believed in you!”
They shouted as if they had already won, but Kang Jun-hyeok was scowling.
It didn’t pierce?
He had taken advantage of its opening to accurately strike its weak point, the belly, yet he hadn't even left a scratch. Its durability was beyond imagination.
The scorpion, having retreated, glared at Kang Jun-hyeok.
After a brief standoff, the scorpion slowly backed away into the dunes. The people gathered around in a frantic fuss.
“Lord Lucator! That… what on earth was that?!”
“It must be the desert monster from your myths. It is a creature I trampled and dealt with when I first sent you down to this world. It seems it was hiding, waiting for the moment of my descent.”
[How shameless. It revealed itself because you gathered the people, did it not?]
The Master of All Weapons murmured. Lightly ignoring the comment, Kang Jun-hyeok declared:
“Wait here. This time, I shall truly annihilate that monster and bring you peace.”
“Ohhh….”
“Lord Lucator! We shall wait for you!”
After calming the people, Kang Jun-hyeok set off alone. As he followed the monster’s tracks, Eldiria and the Master of All Weapons spoke.
[A Duneshade. One of the monsters that rules the desert. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen one.]
A giant scorpion with black and white colors. Its name was Duneshade.
[Usually, it sleeps deep within the desert. When living beings gather in one place beyond a certain number, it raids that location, devours them all, and then hides again. It is a being that waits for life to gather once more. The myth passed down to these people was a warning against that thing.]
It was a creature of the Monster Class, like the Kraken. It was famous even on a galactic scale, and Jun-hyeok had seen it a few times in his past life. He clicked his tongue.
“I thought this would be easy, but there’s something like that at the very end.”
[Judging by its size, it’s a long-lived adult. It’s at the bottom tier of the Monster Class, a low-grade existence, but it is still a monster.]
The Master of All Weapons spoke as if this were a good thing.
[This is a good opportunity. A Player’s strength is often difficult to judge. If you can defeat that, one could say you are finally capable of pulling your own weight.]
“Your standard for ‘pulling one’s weight’ is way too strict.”
But as the Master of All Weapons said, it was a good opportunity. If he was going for a Perfect Clear anyway, wouldn't it be better to defeat a powerful enemy?
Tracking the signs, Kang Jun-hyeok kicked off the ground.
[Rift Movement.]
His body vanished as if sucked into a crack in space.