Chapter 189
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 189
Chapter Title: Cycles of the Demonic Trial
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The soul-rending agony dragged on like an eternity before finally passing.
I could see the familiar translucent window floating before my eyes.
The Tower's Challenger is deemed to be on the verge of death or in a brain-dead, indeterminate state. Would you like to use the 'True Ultimate Salvation Lv.1' skill?
'No.'
A brief spike of excruciating pain hit me, then vanished again.
The familiar translucent window displayed different text.
6th floor trial failed: 'Achieve Fame Value 100'.
Pay 100 points to revive on 6th floor 'Martial King Heavenly Demon - Infinite Coin Version'?
'Yeah.'
I revived.
"This can't be! Another miracle like this! Your heart clearly stopped...?!"
"Haa... fuck..."
Through special drug injection procedure by skilled physicians, your body has forcibly evolved and awakened, causing potential to explosively rise.
If it weren't for these system messages, I would've smashed that doctor's fucking face while he blabbered on about miracles.
"Hey. Do the Demonic Trial again."
"Hm? No, you want to do more?"
"Yeah."
"This is unbelievable... You mean you want to go again? You've already succeeded twice, which guarantees you a certain level of success in life. Depending on your efforts, you could rise at least to squad leader or division commander level, not just a regular warrior. And yet you're challenging for a third time? Don't you value your life?"
"Shut up and prepare."
"...Challenging three times in a row is something even the division leaders, elders, and sect master haven't done except once... Alright. We'll prepare right away."
"But anesthetize me. That's the most important part."
"But anesthesia lowers the survival rate..."
"Shut the fuck up and anesthetize me. I don't care if the survival rate drops to 10% or 1%. Anesthetize me. You saw me come back to life just now, right? My constitution is unique. Anesthesia actually boosts my survival rate. Anesthetize me. Got it? It's my body, so do it my way."
"...Hmm... Alright. Normally I'd flat-out refuse, but after seeing you die and revive twice, it's hard to argue. Fine. We'll anesthetize you and proceed."
At my firm insistence, they applied local anesthesia and started the procedure.
"Hey. Don't you have general anesthesia? The kind where you just fall asleep. Wake up after a nap and the surgery's done. If not, I'll get it for you. Loosen these restraints a bit."
"Is that what you wanted? You should've said so earlier. It's too late now."
"Fuck... These primitive savages in ancient China... Shit."
"Actually, that weak-ass sleeping anesthetic is something the righteous sects use. Like the Sichuan Tang Clan bastards. We in the Divine Cult don't need such coward's herbs as a rule, so we don't stock them..."
"......"
Maybe it wasn't primitive ancient China's fault. These Demonic Cult fuckers were just weird.
"Guhhh! Is this even anesthesia? It still fucking hurts like hell?!"
"Hmm... If we add more here, you might lose all sensation of the surgery."
"You fucking bastard! Why the hell would a patient feel the surgery?! You goddamn retard!"
"Hey now, watch your mouth. Your language has been foul since earlier. I'm way higher in seniority than you, you know."
"Agh... fuck! Hit me with more anesthesia, damn it!"
"Tsk tsk. Fine. We'll give you plenty, as you wish. Don't regret dying on the third try after succeeding twice."
If I could've moved my hands, I would've flipped them off those doctor fuckers.
Thanks to the anesthesia, I endured the numbed pain and got through the Demonic Trial.
But even numbed, it hurt.
A dull but massive pain crashed over me like a deep ache, though it was bearable enough.
"Fuck, it still hurts. Hey, doc. Pump more anesthesia."
"Heh heh, this is the limit... You want even more?"
"If I say do it, do it. Too much talk, fuck."
The anesthesia was a success.
It hurt a bit less, at least.
But I still died all the same.
Skipping past the system asking if I wanted to use the salvation skill brought up the death message again.
6th floor trial failed: 'Achieve Fame Value 100'.
Pay 100 points to revive on 6th floor 'Martial King Heavenly Demon - Infinite Coin Version'?
'Yeah.'
Reviving again, the doctors called it another miracle.
Through special drug injection procedure by skilled physicians, your body has forcibly evolved and awakened, causing potential to explosively rise.
"General anesthesia. Repeat the Demonic Trial."
"No, with your potential now, you could easily grow to division leader level or higher depending on effort. Why try again? Are you aiming for elder or even heavenly level?"
"Cut the chatter. General anesthesia and do it."
After succeeding the third Demonic Trial, the doctors' attitudes toward me shifted.
They must've gauged my future potential and realized I'd reach their level soon.
At my request, they administered general anesthesia and proceeded with the 'Demonic Trial'.
The initially reluctant doctors followed without complaint once their experimental curiosity kicked in.
Mad scientists, the lot of them.
And so, aside from occasionally waking from pain, I breezed through the Demonic Trials far more comfortably than the first time.
The Tower's Challenger is deemed to be on the verge of death or in a brain-dead, indeterminate state. Would you like to use the 'True Ultimate Salvation Lv.1' skill?
As I drifted off to sleep for a quick nap, this message popped up.
'No.'
6th floor trial failed: 'Achieve Fame Value 100'.
Pay 100 points to revive on 6th floor 'Martial King Heavenly Demon - Infinite Coin Version'?
'Yeah.'
Saying yes to revival snapped me out of the anesthesia, eyes opening.
The doctor fuckers called it a miracle again.
Through special drug injection procedure by skilled physicians, your body has forcibly evolved and awakened, causing potential to explosively rise.
We kept going like this.
And after succeeding the fifth time...
"""We pay respects to the Little Heaven of the Divine Cult!"""
The attitudes of the doctors overseeing the Demonic Trial had flipped 180 degrees from the start.
They treated me like an absolute VVVIP patient.
This was probably like the treatment presidents or chaebol chairmen get in real-world hospitals.
"Hey. Just talk like before."
"How could we dare speak casually to one who will soon become a Little Heaven? Please withdraw such words."
Probably because I'd already secured the Little Heavenly Demon position.
Normally, each attempt was a 1-in-5 gamble with death.
Passing five times meant beating 1-in-3125 odds.
That was definitely enough to hand over the Little Heavenly Demon seat, successor to the Heavenly Demon.
"Shut up and keep doing the Demonic Trial."
'The game setting said efficiency drops after five Demonic Trials. But I need to test it myself to see how much.'
And after five more Demonic Trials...
I understood why efficiency was said to drop after the fifth.
Up to five, the survivor level rose by 1 each time.
But after five, it didn't.
No rise at 6, 7, 8, or 9. Only after the 10th attempt did it go up.
"Took 10 tries to hit Lv. 6? Efficiency really goes to shit as it climbs..."
The leveling efficiency had worsened.
But it was still an easy way to gain survivor levels, so I kept going.
The levels didn't rise immediately, but I felt myself getting stronger with each Demonic Trial.
"Hah... Ten. Ten successes... Please accept my loyalty. From now on, you are my new liege."
"Then keep doing the Demonic Trial on me. And don't tell anyone else I passed it 10 times. Say exactly five. Got it?"
"""Yes, my lord!"""
All the physicians overseeing the Demonic Trial prostrated themselves and pledged loyalty.
How did I look in their eyes?
Like someone truly chosen by heaven, succeeding the Demonic Trial ten times over?