Chapter 249
Chapter 249
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 249
Chapter Title: I've Come to End This Fight
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Yuri stepped into the blood tunnel but halted abruptly, standing stock-still without advancing further.
No sooner had he done so than the door slammed shut behind him, as if to block any retreat.
Thud-!
The heavy sound echoed from the rear—enough to make anyone glance back—but Yuri paid it no mind, his gaze fixed solely ahead.
*This is unexpected.*
It had been pitch black before he entered, but once the door closed, luminous stones appeared on the ceiling, illuminating the passage.
Yuri carefully scanned the area ahead.
Smooth, cleanly finished floor, walls, and ceiling.
Nothing out of the ordinary on the surface.
Yet his nose twitched incessantly.
*This smell...*
A dangerous aura seeped from what appeared to be an ordinary passage.
And then there was the faint oily scent that had been teasing his nose for a while now.
It was so subtle that even concentrating made it hard to detect, but Yuri couldn't miss the smell he'd encountered most frequently lately.
*No way, this is...*
His eyes gleamed as if he'd caught on to something, and he slowly advanced.
After about ten steps.
Click-.
A faint vibration and eerie sound transmitted through his toes.
And then.
Shhk-!
A silver flash streaked toward him.
Seeing it, he smirked, realizing his hunch was correct.
*As expected.*
The familiar atmosphere and oily smell had tipped him off.
Just as he'd predicted, the first floor's gateway was a mechanism trap.
Clang-!
Yuri effortlessly dodged the silver blade and licked his lips.
*Let's see just how spicy these Hell traps are.*
With that, his body blurred, and he charged straight ahead.
Yuri moved as a black afterimage.
Traps of every kind sprang up along his path, flying at him from all directions.
Whoosh whoosh-!
The onslaught was diverse, swift, and incredibly menacing.
But thanks to the Movement Technique manifested through the Harmony Divine Beast, Yuri experienced time's flow differently from others, allowing him to leisurely observe the traps.
He noted their numbers and types.
Not stopping there, he scrutinized their construction methods and operating principles in detail.
Even though he could have just passed through, he deliberately triggered others as he went.
Yet his speed matched that of an average Black Sword Soldier sprinting on flat ground.
Kwang- Kagang!
Silver trajectories whirled through the narrow passage.
But none touched the black afterimage.
Whoosh-.
Dodging an iron ball aimed at his nape, Yuri's eyes sparkled.
*Pretty spicy, I'd say.*
The first gateway of Hell: mechanism traps.
It was roughly on par with the difficulty of the Red Cave—the 7-star mechanism trap—from the mechanism breakthrough quest where Yuri had set a new record in his first year.
That infamous trap, which had claimed countless Cradle riders, now appeared as Hell difficulty's opening trial.
If anything, it was even more vicious than the 7-star one.
The trapped section was considerably longer.
*When does this end?*
A 7-star trap could be cleared in 50 meters.
But this Hell gateway showed no end in sight, even after he'd covered at least 100 meters.
*Others are gonna struggle with this.*
Of course, since it wasn't timed, careful dismantling would eventually get anyone through.
It would just take quite a while.
Not for Yuri, though.
*Think I've seen enough.*
He had a good grasp of the mechanisms now—no need to drag it out.
Crackle-.
Thin strands of lightning raced up his legs.
Bang-!
A sharp sonic boom rang out as his figure vanished.
Yuri reappeared dozens of meters ahead in an instant.
Crackle!
Lightning flashed again, and a belated trap sliced harmlessly through empty air.
This repeated several times.
Straight corridors, winding ones—all part of the trap section.
Yuri blitzed through hundreds of meters in moments, dashing across the first floor.
Finally.
"Oh?"
Two passages appeared before him.
Confirming no more traps, Yuri stopped and read the signpost.
<Exit> || [2nd Floor]
*Left for the reward and done, huh.*
He glanced once at "Exit" and never looked again.
Without hesitation, he entered the path to the second floor and vanished.
One second after Yuri left.
Groan-.
A belated trap activated, its sound echoing through the passage and lingering in empty air.
The time from Yuri entering Hell's first gateway to reaching the second floor entrance: just over four minutes.
* * *
Three minutes and five seconds after Yuri entered the second floor.
Step step-.
Footsteps echoed as one person appeared on Hell difficulty's third floor.
Naturally, it was Yuri, having passed the second floor gateway.
Like the first, it was mechanism traps—but more dangerous, with a longer section.
Yuri cleared it faster than the first floor.
He'd taken time to scout the first, but not the second.
Even proceeding cautiously, it took only about three minutes.
*Not bad.*
He'd braced for custom tweaks since the quest targeted him.
But surprisingly?
Hell difficulty lived up to its name only in title; the first two floors were straightforward.
Of course, straightforward for him—others would fare differently.
Arriving lightly at the third floor entrance, Yuri smirked at the pitch-black passage.
"They turned off the lights entirely?"
The ominous vibe and familiar oily smell signaled more traps ahead.
Naturally harder than the second floor—and he'd have to dodge them in darkness.
"Hmm..."
Yuri didn't advance immediately, stroking his chin.
"Ah?"
Then, as if struck by a good idea.
Grinning, he drew his sword and summoned his demon sword.
In an instant, golden light infused his blade.
Testing it in the dark, he tilted his head, then activated full resonance.
Wooong-.
The cool golden holy sword glowed in the darkness.
Seeing it, Yuri's face fell in disappointment.
"Aw, man, this won't work."
The light from the demon and holy swords didn't spread—it just hovered around the blade.
Useless beyond point-blank range.
His attempt to use them as torches failed.
"Then..."
Yuri swung the holy sword, smashing the nearby wall.
Boom-!
Not a cut, but destruction.
The gray wall shattered into dozens, hundreds of stone fragments, clattering down.
Yuri scooped them into his pocket.
"Let's go."
Fearless, he hurled himself into the darkness.
His first leap.
Boom-!
The floor exploded from the impact, propelling his body over 20 meters in a single bound.
Gliding through unseen darkness, Yuri stayed vigilant on all sides.
If the first two floors were lightning-fast, this was like drifting through clouds.
As momentum waned and he neared the ground.
He pulled a stone from his pocket, stepped on it lightly, and leaped into the air again.
This was how he'd set his unbreakable 7-star record before.
But now his movements were far lighter, freer.
Higher realm meant greater Cloud Step proficiency.
Clatter-.
The stone he stepped on flew back over ten meters and fell harmlessly.
Luckily, it didn't trigger anything; Yuri soared through the air, covering 400 meters in a flash.
Just as he kicked off another stone.
"...?!'
Sensing danger, Yuri twisted midair desperately.
Slash-.
A transparent silver thread grazed just above his forehead.
Had he not noticed, his head would've come off—a chilling near-miss that chilled his spine.
But the peril didn't end there.
Screech-.
From the twist, he crashed to the ground, sliding along it.
Immediately, holes opened in the ceiling, flooding light.
Luminous stones, hidden until now, suddenly appeared.
Yuri, eyes adjusted to dark, temporarily lost vision—inevitable.
And then.
Shh shh shhk-!
Sharp energies flew at him from all sides.
*This is...?!
The traps linked seamlessly, as if anticipating his exact moves.
Only then did Yuri realize whose handiwork this was.
*Ah, that crazy old geezer! Using this on me!*
This dark-light-silver thread trap was one he and Seyoung had devised to catch Yohan.
Precisely, his idea, refined by Seyoung.
And Seyoung had used it wholesale against him.
Absurd, to Yuri.
The silver lining: as co-creator and researcher, he knew the principles better than anyone.
*I won't fall for my own... Wait?*
He tried dodging with his known methods casually.
Then his spine went ice-cold.
Face hardening, he whipped his sword to guard ahead.
Kagagang-.
Traps ricocheted off instantly.
*Tch, as expected!*
Yuri realized the mechanisms operated differently from what he knew and clicked his tongue.
Bang-! Clang-!
After batting away the barrage, he stood firm, waiting for his sight to return.
Moments later.
Sight restored, Yuri bellowed at the scattered trap debris.
"Goddamn it, I knew it, you insane old coot!"
Seyoung knew he'd made these traps.
And that vicious geezer would've tweaked them to exploit his overconfidence—Yuri's gut screamed it.
His instinct was spot-on.
*Damn perverted old man!*
Cursing inwardly, Yuri grew serious.
*The first two floors weren't that geezer's work. But...*
If this entire third floor was Seyoung's?
*Can't take this lightly.*
Seyoung's trap-making had skyrocketed installing them in the Demon King's Castle.
Especially lethality.
*All that time eating and researching with me—to catch Yohan!*
But scarier still: unlike before, Seyoung knew exactly what Yuri was.
He'd tailored traps to Yuri's habits and patterns.
Yuri gritted his teeth.
*Busy as hell lately, didn't show his face...*
So that's what he'd been up to?
Swallowing his anger, Yuri straightened, eyes blazing.
*Playing dirty, huh?*
If Seyoung had studied him, Yuri had studied Seyoung too.
And his skills hadn't stagnated installing castle traps.
"Come on, let's see who wins."
This was a pride showdown between him and Seyoung.
Yuri glared into the darkness as if Seyoung stood there, then charged ahead fiercely.
Yuri glared into the darkness as if Seyoung stood there, then charged ahead fiercely.
Unlike the first two floors, the third resounded with constant trap activations.
Boom! Crunch-! Kwang!
How much time passed?
The relentless sounds suddenly cut off.
"Whaaaat the fuuuuuck?!"
A startled yell echoed from somewhere in the corridor.
An omen of disaster.
And soon...
Kwaaaaaang-!
A massive explosion rocked the passage, heat surging along the walls as the entire tower shuddered violently.
* * *
Normal difficulty, first floor.
The sixty-nine 50th Cohort members who'd boldly chosen normal mode struggled desperately against the arrow barrage.
Ordinary arrows alone wouldn't have been an issue.
The problem: they balanced precariously atop swaying wooden pillars dozens of meters high.
Clang-!
"Urk!"
One 50th Cohort member barely deflected an arrow while fighting for balance.
But right then.
Rumble rumble groan-.
The tower shook violently, pillars bucking wildly.
The aftershocks hit those atop them hard.
"Ugh, urk!"
"Wh-what?!"
"Uwaaaah! Save meeee!"
Unexpected calamity filled Normal difficulty's first floor with roars and screams.