EP4. The Cursed Dungeon
BOOM!
As Igrito collapsed, a cloud of dust billowed up.
And behind it, the staircase Jae-jun had descended reappeared.
It's finally over.
The piles of corpses stacked inside the cavern silently testified to Jae-jun's ordeal.
First things first, let's check the items.
This was no ordinary monster at a glance, so he secretly hoped for something special.
Especially since it even had a name like Igrito.
Haa.
But when am I gonna finish looting this thing?
The body was just too damn big.
There was no way he could hack it all up to search every inch.
Wait.
...
Guess there's no choice.
Jae-jun drew the Frost Blade again and climbed atop Igrito.
Then, from head to toe, he sliced it to ribbons with Dismember.
The flames that had blazed across its body after death were gone, and the bones weren't as tough as its skull, so there were no real issues.
Slash!
Slash!
There it is!
A fairly large magical core was embedded near the heart.
The Lowest-Grade Magical Core (B-Rank) has moved to your inventory.
B-Rank!
Jae-jun's eyes went wide.
He opened his inventory right away to confirm—it really was a B-Rank magical core.
A typical B-Rank went for around 100 million won on the market, so this was basically striking it rich.
Insane.
A grin spread across Jae-jun's face.
No item drops, but he wasn't disappointed at all.
The fatigue from all his hard work vanished in an instant.
Now for the real reward. The quest said to check the box inside the dungeon.
Jae-jun looked around the dungeon.
The box mentioned in the quest window sat against the wall.
It was twice the size of a random box, decked out with flashy gold decorations.
Just looking at it screamed "good loot inside."
Jae-jun reached out toward the box.
Would you like to open the box?
Open it!
Ding!
Igrito's Cloak has moved to your inventory.
Lucifer's Earring has moved to your inventory.
Lucifer's Ring has moved to your inventory.
Lucifer's Necklace has moved to your inventory.
Would you like to absorb Lucifer's Soul Fragment x1?
Whoa.
Jae-jun could barely keep up with the barrage of notification sounds.
He'd expected good rewards, but this was way beyond imagination.
Inventory!
Thrilled, Jae-jun opened his inventory.
He decided to check the items first.
Igrito's Cloak had edges that looked like they were perpetually aflame.
Grade: B-Rank (Legendary)
Luck +58
Special Ability: None
The cloak of Igrito, who hated fighting and cared deeply about appearances. Wearing it boosts luck.
It felt like a legendary item dumped all its points into looks.
This thing...
"Gworok, summon!"
"Gwoooorok!"
Gworok was summoned from subspace and appeared before Jae-jun.
It knelt on one knee, striking a dignified pose, but that flappy thing dangling around was an eyesore.
"Put this on."
Jae-jun tossed Igrito's Cloak to Gworok.
A legendary cloak, but he felt zero attachment to it.
Gworok clutched the cloak to its chest, gazing at Jae-jun with deep emotion.
As it draped it over itself...
Somehow, it gave off a vibe.
Like something you'd see in front of an elementary school.
"Barbaric Man?"
"Gwoooorok!"
"...Sorry. Go back in."
Jae-jun shook his head and unsummoned Gworok.
Next up was the Lucifer accessory set.
Grade: A-Rank (Legendary)
Agility +67
Special Ability: None
An item of the sealed Lucifer, its power greatly diminished. Set item: Wear with Lucifer's Necklace and Earring to unlock set effect.
Grade: A-Rank (Legendary)
Stamina +67
Special Ability: None
An item of the sealed Lucifer, its power greatly diminished. Set item: Wear with Lucifer's Ring and Earring to unlock set effect.
Grade: A-Rank (Legendary)
Strength +68
Special Ability: None
An item of the sealed Lucifer, its power greatly diminished. Set item: Wear with Lucifer's Necklace and Ring to unlock set effect.
The other Demon Kings' rings were all S-Rank legendaries, but Lucifer's were A-Rank due to the seal.
And no special abilities either.
A shame.
Still, equipping all three unlocked the set effect, so Jae-jun put them all on.
Feeling his stats rise, he smiled in satisfaction.
Lucifer's Accessories Set Effect: Legion Summon skill created.
Legion Summon?
Grade: S-Rank
The skill of a demon world's legion commander who leads armies. Summons soldiers under the user's command. Requires a core of equivalent grade for initial summon.
Soldiers under my command?
The Legion Summon skill was hard to grasp from the description alone.
I'll figure it out when I use it later.
And finally, the last item in his inventory: Lucifer's Soul Fragment x1.
Ding!
Would you like to absorb Lucifer's Soul Fragment x1?
Whew.
This was a Demon King's soul fragment, after all.
Who wouldn't be nervous absorbing it?
Feeling his heart pound, Jae-jun said yes.
Ding!
Absorbed Lucifer's Soul Fragment x1.
Part of Lucifer's Authority added.
Existing skill similar to added Authority detected.
Ragna Blast removed from skill list. Demon World Conflagration added.
Assignable vassal slots increased due to added Authority.
Assignable Vassals: 1/5
All stats increased by 100 due to added Authority.
A flurry of notification sounds rang out.
And that was it.
No horns sprouting from his head or body mutations from absorbing a Demon King's soul.
Not that the rewards were bad.
Vassal slots up to 5, plus a flat +100 to all stats.
And the Ragna Blast he'd never been thrilled about was replaced by Demon World Conflagration, one of Lucifer's Authorities.
Just the name screamed power.
Status window.
Name: Choi Jae-jun
Level: 194
Title: One Who Transcends Rank
HP: 2300 | MP: MAX (Unmeasurable)
Fatigue: 78
Assignable Points: 55
Passive Skills: Mana Force (S-Rank) / Counter Passive (B-Rank) / Shield: Reflect (B-Rank)
Active Skills: Dismember (B-Rank) / Acceleration: Blink (B-Rank)
Authorities: Demon World Conflagration (S-Rank) / Legion Summon (S-Rank)
His stats had piled up again, pushing several to A-Rank.
But what really caught Jae-jun's eye was Demon World Conflagration.
An S-Rank fire skill, no less.
Grade: S-Rank
The flames of the demon world ignited by mana. This fire will not extinguish until the caster wills it or mana runs dry.
The description alone told him how powerful it was.
Let's give it a try.
'Demon World Conflagration!'
Demon World Conflagration cast.
Power scales with mana consumption per second.
Go big or go home!
Jae-jun poured mana into both hands and thrust them toward the ceiling.
Kwaaaaaah—
Pure white flames erupted, blanketing the dungeon.
The surroundings were swept by waves of fire, like it'd been bombed with white phosphorus.
Amazing!
Jae-jun's eyes widened.
Drip! Drip!
Stalactites melted in the unquenchable blaze, dripping as glowing red lava.
Roooar!
Fueled by Jae-jun's mana, the flames grew hotter, unrelenting.
More stalactites melted, flowing across the floor.
Watching it all, Jae-jun's lips curled into a grin.
Exactly the skill I wanted.
When Jae-jun cut off the mana supply, the flames vanished like an illusion.
While he was at it, Jae-jun used Mana Force to upgrade all his B-Rank skills to A-Rank.
Passive Skills: Mana Force (S-Rank) / Counter Passive (A-Rank) / Body Reinforcement (A-Rank)
Active Skills: Shadow Slash (A-Rank) / Acceleration: Blink (A-Rank)
Authorities: Demon World Conflagration (S-Rank) / Legion Summon (S-Rank)
A few skills evolved upon hitting A-Rank.
Shield: Reflect became Body Reinforcement, ditching the shield entirely for tougher skin and durability.
Hmm.
Touching his skin felt like hard rubber.
Tougher than the shield?
Jae-jun jabbed his palm with the Frost Blade.
Surprisingly, no wound—not even a scratch. The blade just bounced off like rubber.
Weird.
Dismember had become Shadow Slash.
Grade: A-Rank
Attacks partially ignore enemy armor and defense, inflicting critical hits.
Acceleration: Blink ramped up mana cost massively but ditched the cooldown, giving Jae-jun infinite blinks.
Plus Acceleration's speed doubled.
Acceleration!
Whoosh!
His body shot out of the cave entrance far faster than when he'd entered.
Outside, the faint dawn light was breaking.
Half a day in that cave, huh.
Ding!
Hestia's first growth phase is complete.
Hestia can now be summoned.
Right on cue, Hestia's first growth phase ended.
Wonder how she's changed.
Curious as hell, but Jae-jun held back and headed for Seoul.
Summoning her here might draw unwanted eyes.
Unlike the trip in, Jae-jun bolted using Blink and Acceleration.
Swoooosh—
Several times faster than by car.
—Author's Note—
Thank you.