Chapter 195: The First Universe Quest (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 195: The First Universe Quest (5)
[Ho?]
A flicker of interest crossed Vibraham’s face.
[You are certainly strong. You could likely handle hundreds of Black Beings on your own. But you are not yet at a level where you can face all of them at once.]
“Keep watching. You’ll see soon enough.”
[……I find myself looking forward to it. I see now why they chose you. Very well, I shall observe.]
Vibraham chuckled.
[I cannot assist you directly. Most of my power is anchored elsewhere. I can only provide the Guardian Barrier. Dealing with those things is up to you.]
“I’m aware.”
Kang Jun-hyeok turned back to the players and spoke.
“High-rank players, follow me.”
Roughly two hundred players followed Kang Jun-hyeok toward the outskirts of the city.
“I’m going to have the barrier weakened to let some of them in. About a hundred or so. Try facing them with your own strength.”
“Hmm….”
“Understood.”
Ariana Brian gathered her demonic energy, her expression tense. At Kang Jun-hyeok’s nod to Vibraham, the barrier opened, and a swarm of Black Beings rushed inside.
“Everyone, attack!”
Clang! Screech!
Boom!
A fierce battle erupted between the players and the Black Beings.
Yoo Jin-ha stepped forward and swung his sword. It was a strike that displayed a truly profound level of mastery. His proficiency had transcended B-rank and was on the verge of reaching A-rank. Indeed, the Black Beings could not react in time and were slashed by his blade.
However, they did not fall. Despite the deep gashes across its body, a Black Being lunged forward. Yoo Jin-ha’s eyes widened.
‘They’re tough!’
K-boom!
As a fist slammed into Yoo Jin-ha’s sword, he was pushed back several meters.
‘And they’re strong!’
It wasn’t easy to handle even one of them.
This wasn’t just the case for Yoo Jin-ha. Other players were also struggling to take down the charging Black Beings, resulting in a grueling stalemate.
“Ngh!”
Ariana unleashed her demonic energy. Her black magic wove together like a spiderweb, ensnaring a Black Being. She tightened her grip, attempting to crush it.
Thump! Thump! Thud!
The Black Being thrashed its entire body in a frenzy. A powerful shockwave buffeted Ariana. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fist, finally managing to crush the creature.
“Huff, huff!”
“Gasp.”
The two hundred high-rank players barely managed to defeat the hundred Black Beings. Their faces, now battered and bruised, were filled with shock.
They were strong.
And the real problem was their numbers. They had only defeated a hundred, yet outside the barrier, an uncountable horde still remained.
If not for the barrier, they would have been swept away without being able to mount a proper defense.
“……Are we supposed to keep fighting things like this?”
Someone’s voice gave words to the collective sentiment. It was a moment when a sense of profound despair and helplessness threatened to overwhelm them.
“Hmph. Is that all they are?”
Tuvalt snorted and stepped outside the Guardian Barrier. Thousands of Black Beings lunged toward him simultaneously. Ariana screamed.
“Tuvalt! What are you—!”
“Watch, Ariana. This is the power of your king.”
Tuvalt lightly snapped his fingers. Demonic energy surged, forming a massive suit of armor that encased his body.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Hundreds of Black Beings struck the armor at once. However, not a single crack appeared. Tuvalt stomped his foot with confidence.
Slash!
Blades of energy rose and swept through the surroundings. In an instant, five Black Beings were sliced apart and fell.
Tuvalt marched forward, throwing a punch. The head of the Black Being he struck exploded. With a wide sweep of his hand, a sword manifested and drew a lethal line through the air.
Shred!
The Black Beings collapsed.
The eyes of the players inside the barrier widened.
The enemies they had struggled to face one-on-one were being slaughtered by Tuvalt without even being able to mount a decent counterattack.
Tuvalt was a powerhouse of the Second Rank.
The Black Beings were, at best, at the bottom tier of the First Rank. There was an insurmountable gap between the two. Above all, Tuvalt’s power was optimized for dealing with lower-ranked enemies.
He could recover the demonic energy he spent.
This meant that within the limits of his total capacity, he could wield nearly infinite power. The moment he protected himself with his armor, the Black Beings couldn't even damage him.
Swish.
He poured out demonic energy to sweep away the Black Beings, recovered the spent energy, and poured it out again. He wore a satisfied smile, basking in the gazes of shock and awe directed at him.
He was strong.
He possessed power incomparable to even the highest-ranking players.
‘……Even though I lost to that guy, Kang Jun-hyeok.’
He couldn't deny that fact. But in his mind, that was only because he hadn't been able to react to Kang Jun-hyeok’s strange powers. If they fought again, the result would be different. Just as he was thinking that—
“Not bad.”
Kang Jun-hyeok also stepped outside the barrier. The Black Beings swarmed toward him. Kang Jun-hyeok sneered and raised a finger.
“Cockroaches.”
[Enhancement: Glory of the Lost God]
Then, a light erupted.
It was divinity in its purest form—an overwhelming power that seemed to sear the very fabric of the world.
Though the power didn't harm the players, they had to shield their eyes from the intense radiance. A moment later, when the light faded and they opened their eyes, their jaws dropped.
The space around Kang Jun-hyeok was empty.
Dozens of Black Beings had been completely annihilated by the heat. Tuvalt’s eyes looked as if they were about to pop out of his head.
“Wh-what?!”
Countless Black Beings still remained. Kang Jun-hyeok gathered his internal energy and gripped his sword tightly.
Flash!
In an instant, the Black Beings were swept away. He lowered his stance and put strength into his legs.
The second form of the Divine Art of the Master of All Weapons: World-Shaking Wind Descent.
K-k-k-k-k-ring!
A storm of blades erupted, once again tearing dozens of Black Beings to shreds. Tuvalt stammered.
“You, you… you had that kind of power…?”
“I told you. I said I’d beat you without using internal energy, magic, divine power, or psychic abilities. Did you think I was joking?”
[Pixie’s Mana Box]
The Mana Box manifested and emitted a brilliant light. Holes were cleanly punched through the bodies of the Black Beings within range. Tuvalt gasped.
The Mana Box Kang Jun-hyeok had created contained a high-level magic formula. It was so complex that even he couldn't fully comprehend it.
Splatter!
The Black Beings were sliced into pieces.
‘As expected, they’re weak.’
The strength of a Black Being was roughly at the bottom of the First Rank.
However, they lacked any special abilities and relied entirely on physical prowess. Furthermore, their intelligence was quite low, so they only knew how to push forward blindly.
With strength like Kang Jun-hyeok’s, handling several hundred of them wasn't difficult.
The problem was that their numbers reached a million.
Kang Jun-hyeok sheathed his sword.
“The test is over. Come back. Or stay out here by yourself if you want.”
“D-don’t give me orders!”
Tuvalt hurriedly followed behind Kang Jun-hyeok. The watching players were struck with awe.
“My…… God.”
“To have that kind of power.”
The players from Volanta realized it immediately. Kang Jun-hyeok’s power was far superior to that of their leader.
Perfect Player.
They finally felt the true weight and meaning behind that title.
The players from Earth were much the same. They, too, had rarely seen Kang Jun-hyeok’s full power.
Everyone looked at him with reverence, and Vibraham was no different.
[I knew you were strong, but this is beyond my imagination. Pure divinity? Where on earth did you obtain that? And the martial arts of the Master of All Weapons? I never imagined he would teach his techniques to another.]
He muttered in an intrigued voice.
[With you, it might actually be possible to wipe them all out. Provided you have enough time, that is.]
Unfortunately, the First Universe Quest had a time limit of one month.
No matter how strong Kang Jun-hyeok was, he couldn't eliminate a million enemies in just one month. Kang Jun-hyeok replied casually.
“You don’t need to worry about that. I won’t be doing this alone.”
[Hmm?]
“It’s been a while. Maybe I should do my job as a leader.”
He muttered as he looked at the players inside the city.
* * *
It wasn't just high-rank players here.
There were also low and mid-rank players.
Combining the players from Volanta and Earth, there were roughly two hundred thousand. It was not a small number.
And they had assumed there would be nothing for them to do.
Because the Black Beings were simply too strong.
What could they do against enemies that even the top-tier players struggled with? Since they were protected by the Guardian Barrier, they didn't feel a great sense of crisis. Just as they were about to idly watch the battle, Kang Jun-hyeok’s voice rang out.
“Players, form ranks.”
“Huh?”
“Ah, yes!”
Kang Jun-hyeok had become the leader by winning the duel. Since he held the right to command all players, they couldn't refuse. Kang Jun-hyeok continued to issue orders.
“Players with Health over 300, Defense over 50, and Attack over 40 will form the first group. Next, those with Health over 200, Defense over 30, and Attack over 30 will form the second group.”
He categorized the players based on their stats and had them gather. In an instant, the two hundred thousand players were organized into tight formations.
“Now, Lord Vibraham. If you would.”
[Understood.]
The Guardian Barrier opened, letting in a few Black Beings.
The players gripped their weapons, their faces pale with fear.
Clang!
A powerful force struck a player. The person at the front of the formation staggered, nearly falling. In that moment, the person behind them braced them with their strength.
“Fire arrows!”
“Launch your spells!”
While the front line held, the players in the rear unleashed a barrage of attacks. A moment later, the Black Beings couldn't withstand the assault and collapsed. The players panted, catching their breath.
“Casualties?”
“None?”
“What? We can actually fight them!”
A player doesn't die as long as their Health doesn't hit zero.
As long as they could withstand a single attack from a Black Being, they could simply rotate to the back. Furthermore, since Health continuously regenerated within the Guardian Barrier, the risk to their lives was minimal.
They could be of help too. The players gained confidence. They began to face the Black Beings entering in small groups and started taking them down without much trouble.
Kang Jun-hyeok watched the scene from a distance.
He was the final survivor.
In the process of reaching that point, he had commanded countless players as a leader. That experience hadn't gone anywhere. He knew exactly how to utilize them effectively.
“……I’ll admit it. Your ability as a leader is superior.”
It was a result even Tuvalt had to acknowledge. However, he did not bend his will.
“But as an individual, I am superior. I may be behind now, but one day, I will become stronger than you.”
It was a declaration full of confidence.
Kang Jun-hyeok scoffed at him.
“Do you really think you’re that special? You aren’t a Player. You’re a black mage. Let me make a prediction. You are going to hit your limit here, over and over again.”
“Nonsense.”
Tuvalt ignored Kang Jun-hyeok’s words.
He stepped outside the barrier and donned his armor. The Black Beings swarmed and struck him, but not a single crack appeared on his armor.
‘I’m going to hit my limit?’
Look.
Even before this many enemies, he didn't waver in the slightest. Just as he was mocking Kang Jun-hyeok’s words—
“……Hmm?”
The behavior of the Black Beings changed. Instead of rushing toward Tuvalt, they began to gather among themselves. They writhed and compressed, hundreds of them merging together to form a single, massive shape.