Chapter 174
Chapter 174
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 174
Chapter Title: Turning Point (1)
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Trace the pulsating flow.
Crunch!
The passage leading to the second floor shattered, and Ju Gonghyeok's body plummeted down.
The place where he had faced off against the King Maker.
The monitors and holograms welcomed Ju Gonghyeok once more.
"Reunion. What brings you here so suddenly, Earthling Ju Gonghyeok."
"Out of my way."
He swept aside the hazy holograms blocking his path and stood before the monitor.
Crack—
He yanked the massive monitor free with his hand and hurled it into the air.
Sparks flew from the severed wires and circuits.
Ridiculously, smaller monitors sat beneath it.
He jammed his fingers into the edges of the monitors and ripped them out.
Whirr—
The sound of motors spinning.
With a thud, a machine blocked Ju Gonghyeok's path.
"Warning. Further approach to this area is strictly prohibited."
A body encased in sturdy armor.
A sharp triangular head and efficient reverse-jointed legs.
An overwhelming mass pressing against his skin.
At least 200 tons—a combat dreadnought.
Likely one of the King Maker's few remaining fighters.
"Hoo."
Low kick.
The ostrich-like reverse-jointed leg exploded.
The hulking dreadnought lost its balance and collapsed.
Ju Gonghyeok's current stats placed him just below the Four Heavenly Kings.
Unless they brought a Machine God-tier or top-tier Titan, nothing here could match him.
He turned to the fighters now surrounding him.
"You all wanna die here? Or get out of my way."
"Danger. No transaction conditions met."
If Ju Gonghyeok set his mind to it, no one in the King Maker could stop him.
Realizing they couldn't anyway, the Machine Godkin stepped aside.
Ju Gonghyeok pulled the white hammer, Hontar, from his inventory.
He swung it down with all his might.
Boom—!
The mechanical debris blocking his path scattered in chaos.
In this second-floor space where physical laws were thin and even dust barely rose.
Through the hole punched by Hontar, something incongruous came into view.
"A well?"
A modest stone well.
But unlike the warped space around it, the well stood out starkly.
In this world of abstraction, only the well was rendered like a still life—distinct and real.
The pulsation came from inside that well.
Ju Gonghyeok checked the sensations of his prosthetic body.
'It's reacting a bit slower or faster than expected in places. Time for some maintenance.'
[Summoning Avatar 『Creation Machine God Vulcanus (SSS)』.]
A sleek, platinum-colored machine god rubbed its eyes sleepily.
= What the hell. Why are the things attached to your arms so ugly and filthy.
"You made them."
= I did? Liar. I would never make something this sloppy...
Ju Gonghyeok showed it his prosthetic right arm, 'Vulcanus's Right Arm.'
= ...It's real?
"What, you think it's fake?"
= Hmm, why did past me make such garbage with my eyes wide open.
Vulcanus's hand transformed, sprouting a plasma cutter, drill, driver, and more.
[『Creation Machine God Vulcanus (SSS)』 Secondary Ability 「Reconstruction」.]
[『Creation Machine God Vulcanus (SSS)』 Fourth Ability 「Divine Machine Crafting」 activated.]
- Item rank converted to Divine Machine (SSS).
- Prosthetic integration rate rises to 96%.
- Central nervous system generates prosthetic-related implant chip.
- Reflex synchronization complete.
- All prosthetics gain 'Vulcanus-style' title; performance and functions reconstructed.
His originally dingy right arm, the new left arm, and both legs now traced waste-free platinum curves.
He tested the joints of his newly rebuilt body.
"Gonna take time to handle it better than a real arm."
Still, way better than before, when he'd had a knife stuck in his knee and limped around like a cripple.
As Ju Gonghyeok loosened up, a hologram appeared.
"Advice. Earthling Ju Gonghyeok. Before entering Babel's deepest core, I have something to tell you."
"What is it."
"Approximately 670m from this entrance. A very powerful guardian of female form, semi-spiritual, semi-organic nature exists."
The hologram recited the info stiffly.
"Deepest core prevents visual recording, so data is limited. However, this guardian has destroyed 3 Titan-class and 27 Dreadnought-class units to date. Exact combat power unknown, but please exercise caution."
The Machine Godkin must have tried entering the well to reach the Babel system themselves.
Something inside the well had blocked every intrusion attempt by the Machine Godkin.
"Noted."
With a curt reply, Ju Gonghyeok entered the well.
The well's diameter was about 9m.
Wide enough for several adults.
Ju Gonghyeok clung to the wall and descended slowly.
He could unfurl angelic wings and float, but that kind of power drew attention easily.
Nathaniel shuddered at the well's darkness.
= I've really never been to a place like this.
"Me neither."
Since it was uncharted territory, Ju Gonghyeok descended cautiously.
"Hm."
A slightly sticky black mark on the well wall.
Bloodstain.
"Only 400m down."
Whose blood?
No telling.
No traces of Machine Godkin remains or lubricant, yet this random bloodstain.
Given it wasn't dry, it must have been made just hours ago.
"GM. Any reactions around?"
[Response % overl&oaded[email protected]. Overwhelmi%ng info# from well bel#@#ow % surging?.]
"Nathaniel. Scared?"
= ...A little?
Nathaniel's voice came through, but the GM message was noisy.
Ju Gonghyeok felt a heavy air squeezing his whole body too.
This place was different from anywhere else in Babel.
Unlike any spot he'd been before.
'Without GM, gotta judge with my head.'
Ju Gonghyeok descended the well calmly.
The deeper he went, the thicker the bloodstains.
Finally, at 600m.
A massive hole gaped in the well wall.
A leg jutted out from the shattered wall debris.
'Classic—took one hit and got smashed into the wall, big guy.'
[?Re?spon?se? imposs?ible?]
GM's message was now total gibberish.
He drew Cluesti's weapon, the Scythe of Swiftness, and approached the broken wall.
Ju Gonghyeok rubbed the blood smeared thickly on the wall.
Blood splattered copiously from above—it was this guy's.
The protruding leg showed tattered martial robes and callus-hardened bare feet.
"Huh."
The bare skin was sky blue.
Ju Gonghyeok knew one monster in Babel with sky-blue skin.
He kicked the debris aside, revealing a delicately beautiful face and wild long hair.
Including her face, collarbone, and breasts peeking from the loose robes—all sky blue.
'Why the hell are you here.'
Nathaniel peeked over Ju Gonghyeok's shoulder.
= Who is she?
"Someone who showed up in Babel while you were gone. Super, super, super famous woman."
= Famous enough to replace the Demon King while I was away?
"Not the Demon King. One rank below."
= One rank below?
Nathaniel tilted her head, chin in hand, then stiffened.
= You mean this woman is one of the Four Heavenly Kings!?
Intense angelic ripple.
Hildegart's eyelids snapped open.
Slash—
It sliced half his palm—a hand blade.
Reflex attack from external stimulus.
Hildegart's lemon-yellow eyes fixed on Ju Gonghyeok.
"You're..."
"Hi~ Hild. First time meeting, right?"
Ju Gonghyeok grinned, but the tip of his nose split open slightly.
A powerful roundhouse from the leg buried in stone.
Blood sprayed across Ju Gonghyeok's face simultaneously.
Hildegart spun two full turns in midair after the kick and landed, her body already ragged.
= S-sorry. What kind of woman is she?
"Four Heavenly King. Hildegart of Foresight. Demon King's top one-on-one specialist."
Demon King's top one-on-one specialist.
Her authority: short-term prediction. Up to 100 moves ahead in combat.
Naturally, fewer variables and enemies favored her.
Among the Four, matchups were rock-paper-scissors, but she was the sole one Cluesti of Swiftness couldn't beat in a duel.
She calmly checked her body, closed her eyes, and let out a deep sigh.
"I lost. Do what you want."
"What's with the sudden lewd talk."
Ju Gonghyeok played it cool, but he was just as baffled by the situation.
From the circumstances, the Machine Godkin woman's guardian was Hildegart.
Who had left Hildegart in near-death state?
Why the sudden surrender?
No clues.
"Let's talk."
Ju Gonghyeok deliberately materialized his Avatar GM.
A cape with a doodle face, bowler hat—Avatar 『Game Master』 appeared.
She flinched in reaction.
"An Avatar... You're an Earth human, then."
"Yes. Goddess of the 『Rebels』."
Ju Gonghyeok placed one hand on his navel and bowed politely.
Four demons had stood with the Demon King at Babel's inception.
The Demon King granted them the title 'Four Heavenly Kings.'
Since then, only Cluesti and Heydrich remained by the Demon King's side.
The other two had died to enemies.
Their replacements: one a young demon, Vinecliff; the other a former demon contractor who rose from the bottom, 'Goddess of Fate, Hild.'
In other words, like Count Guard Sand, she was an outsider from a destroyed dimension.
Hildegart relaxed at the mention of 『Rebels』.
"Not an enemy, then."
With a pop, Je-cheon Daeseong and Asura King appeared behind Ju Gonghyeok.
Mihu King wagged its tail pretending nonchalance, while Asura King pressed its six palms together in prayer.
Je-cheon Daeseong and Asura King—resistance gods not absorbed by Babel, survivors of the 『Rebels』 thanks to Hildegart's aid.
Hildegart was co-leader of the 『Rebels』.
A true betrayer planted in the Demon King's heart.
"Old Father's comic shops are serving us well on every floor."
"No greetings needed. Old Father did more than me."
She plopped down and assumed lotus position for recovery.
Ju Gonghyeok glanced at the well outside the wall.
"So this is where you were hiding."
"Indeed."
Three Heavenly Kings oversaw three races.
Only unassigned Hildegart appeared in the final battle.
Her veiled movements—she'd always been here.
"Demon King's orders?"
"Words of the untrusted. Suspicious dead weight gets exiled to quiet spots."
"Isn't being here important?"
In lotus position, she cracked one eye open slyly.
"Very. This is Babel system's core. But as the core, if the owner—the Demon King—doesn't die, it's meaningless. Stationing me here implies that even in the worst case, my betrayal wouldn't matter."
"Hm."
Same as what the Machine Godkin had said before.
To seize Babel's authority, the Demon King's death was essential.
"Then, finally..."
Nodding, Ju Gonghyeok raised the biggest remaining question.
"The bloodstains in the well go from bottom to top. Meaning no external intruder came down to fight you, Lady Hild. Something from below the well fought you."
"Precisely."
She straightened her twisted internals, stanched her wounds, then rose from lotus.
"So, who beat you? Who could drive one-on-one specialist, Four Heavenly King Hildegart, to the brink of death."
Dragon God, Machine God, Demon King, Four Heavenly Kings.
A Machine God, maybe—but could a Dragon God smash Hildegart this badly right now? Doubtful.
Demon King couldn't appear in lower layers due to the angel contract, and among Four Kings, she wouldn't lose.
Above all, none of the suspects had reason to show up here.
'What the hell's been going on in this place I've never seen before.'
This perspective was completely new.
Pure curiosity gripped Ju Gonghyeok.
Hildegart straightened her loose robes.
"Rather, that's what I want to ask."
Her lemon-yellow eyes narrowed like a cat's, black pupils sharpening with suspicion and hostility.
"Since someone identical to you burst from the well and left me like this."
"......"
Ju Gonghyeok pondered briefly, then asked again.
"Identical... You mean another Earthling like me?"
"Ha, not just any Earthling."
She scoffed in disbelief.
"Someone who looks exactly like you emerged from the well and butchered me."