Chapter 617
Chapter 617
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 617
Chapter Title: God's Atlantis
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We cleared the dungeon and handed its information over to the Hero Association. Details on the newly appeared monsters inside and the murals.
The Hero Association accepted the info we'd provided with a cautious demeanor, without making a big fuss.
It might have been a monumental discovery and special experience for Han Ha-rin and me, but to the Association, our intel was just business as usual. New dungeons were cleared by the dozens worldwide every day, and fresh information kept pouring in from them nonstop.
Still, we got our reward from the Association for the info. The rest is on them.
Far more important to me was the B-rank Hunter promotion exam coming up in three weeks. I felt confident, but exams for C-rank and above were never a walk in the park. The B-rank success rate hovered around a measly 20%.
In the end, specs are what matter most in promotion exams. You can't climb past C-rank without awakening mana, and B-rank demands power on par with actual B-rank Hunters.
The B-rank exam mainly involved clearing a dungeon alongside other applicants. Pull any troll moves, lack prior knowledge, or fumble team coordination, and you'd fail without mercy.
One flop means no retakes for three months, so a little prep wouldn't hurt.
And three weeks later.
I passed the exam and became a B-rank Hunter.
???
Entering the world of God's Atlantis, I checked my status window.
As a member of A-Plan, I'd cleared zones and leveled up my stats through training. Of course, I hadn't done it manually—I'd maxed out the auto-progress feature.
Nice.
The moment I arrived in this world, I could feel it. This version of me was way stronger than my real-world self. This body could rival an A-rank Hunter at minimum.
Switching to the Heavenly Demon status would push it even higher.
Thinking of the Heavenly Demon brought up the bug in the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
The Heavenly Star System in the [Radiant Ascension Path] world had flagged an error in the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
There’s no way a mistake slipped into the incantations by accident.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Art wasn't created by a human—it was crafted by a god.
Not just any god, but one of the absolute top tiers, ranked by sheer power alone.
Martial arts lose their full effect if even a single phrase in the incantation is off. Especially the Heavenly Demon Divine Art—more intricate than any complex machine. The King of the Demon Heavens wouldn't make a slip-up.
No matter how I turned it over in my mind, it wasn't a mistake. It was deliberate, fed to me on purpose.
The problem is I have no clue why.
The Heavenly Star-fixed version was more efficient, sure, but that was it. The demonic nature gone? No way. It's the Heavenly Demon Divine Art for a reason—a flubbed phrase wouldn't erase its essence.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Art runs on demonic qi. Strip out the demon part, and it's trash.
No use racking my brain; it was all speculation.
Time to test the Heavenly Demon Divine Art myself. The King of the Demon Heavens is watching me right now—he'll react to something.
King of the Demon Heavens. If you tampered with the Heavenly Demon Divine Art just to kill me... I won't let it slide.
I wouldn't just take a punch lying down—I'd hit back twice as hard. That was me.
No matter what it takes.
I recited the Heavenly Star-corrected incantations for the Heavenly Demon Divine Art and began circulating my qi. The moment the circulation succeeded, a system alert popped up.
'Heavenly Demon Sovereign'title granted.
All stats +5.
...What?
I furrowed my brow. Not just because of the unexpected alerts—new ways to use the Heavenly Demon Divine Art were flooding into my mind.
Not forms or techniques. Something alien, inexplicable by martial moves. Closer to magic or sorcery.
At least it's not harmful to me.
"What the hell is going on? Fill me in. Give me an explanation."
I addressed the System and the King of the Demon Heavens directly. Per the rules, they couldn't share info with exiles or continentals. But this was an exception—I'd already claimed my reward. All I wanted was the story behind it.
"So you did tamper with part of the incantations on purpose. Planted a trap or something?"
My words dripped with hostility and killing intent, and the King of the Demon Heavens' message flashed back urgently.
"The Lord of the Firmament handed over thunderbolts like it was nothing."
"...Fair enough."
I couldn't argue with the King of the Demon Heavens there. The Lord of the Firmament outranked him.
The Lord of the Firmament—Zeus—was a chief god, representative of an entire mythology. One of Atlantis's supreme deities.
His SS-rank thunderbolts were an insane sponsorship on their own.
Skills generally outvalue items. From the King's perspective... yeah, it tracks.
Without the downgrade, the System never would've approved handing me the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
Guess I'll let this one slide. Making a stink over it would sour things with the King, and I can't afford that yet. So much more I can squeeze out of him.
I closed my eyes and circulated the Heavenly Demon Divine Art again. Now at SSS rank, it flowed smoother than before.
I considered ignoring it but spoke up.
"Got an enlightenment mid-sex."
"Hey, System. You ever fucked?"
"From that tone, I'm guessing no. Sex is truth. Enlightenment hitting you out of nowhere while chasing truth? Big deal."
The System dropped the interrogation after that. It knew I wouldn't give a straight answer.
I closed my eyes again and focused on the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
When I opened them next, Elena sat across from me on the sofa. She was quietly popping grapes one by one. The bare vines on the table suggested she was on her third bunch already.
"You could've said something when you got here."
"You were clearly in mana training. Why would I interrupt?"
Disturbing someone mid-mana circulation or yelling to break their focus was attempted murder. A burst or backlash could cause internal injuries at best—or cripple or kill you outright.
"No manners. Staring while I train and eating my grapes. Perks of being a duke?"
"Fair point. If this weren't my office, I'd be on my knees begging forgiveness right now."
Long story short, it was my bad. I'd barged into her office and started circulating the Heavenly Demon Divine Art on a whim.
I knew it was reckless. But it also meant Elena and I were close enough for that.
Though I'm not thrilled it's emotional distance, not physical.
Even if it had been someone else, no big deal. The art wasn't something outsiders could read from the outside, and with Complete Recovery, interruptions weren't fatal.
"The Decennial Festival starts in three months."
Elena swallowed a grape and cut to the chase.
The Decennial Festival.
A massive event held every ten years in the capital of the Yustria Empire.
A celebration giving thanks for the past decade and praying for peace in the next.
This one carried extra weight—it was the first in Atlantis.
"Didn't see that coming. You, interested in the Decennial?"
Elena had zero enthusiasm for it in the original story; she'd skipped it. Held in the capital, it would've just spotlighted her rivals in the imperial family with no real gains for her.
"Not the festival itself. I'd love to blow it off."
"So blow it off."
"Too much heat from my recent moves. Stay quiet now, and the fools'll think I'm soft and run wild. No time for that nonsense when I'm swamped. Plus, the imperial family and the empire's five dukes are pressuring me to show up."
"It's not like you'll drop dead going to the capital."
At worst, you'd catch flak from the emperor or other dukes.
Her arch-nemesis the crown prince couldn't touch her. Dukes held power even the emperor couldn't ignore in Yustria. They weren't called the empire's pillars for nothing.
"Before the festival, there's something you need to do for me."
"As long as it's not ridiculous."
"And I'd like to bring the A-Plan Legion this time."
"What? Why?"
"Supporting legions and cozying up is the hot trend among imperial nobles. Can't have me falling behind. I've sponsored A-Plan from the start—qualifies, right?"
Cozying up, my ass. Everyone knew nobles used legions to extend influence.
"...A-Plan Legion's nowhere near your level."
"I know they're surging in popularity. You and the legion master's rep is enough to grace my name."
I mulled it over and nodded vaguely.
Nothing bad for A-Plan Legion. Some jealousy from rivals, sure, but manageable now.
"Talk details with the A-Plan Legion master. I'm not him."
"That's the plan."
"So, what's my job?"
"Deliver a letter to one of the empire's five dukes."
"Errand run? Easy."
"Might not be that easy."
"Reward?"
"What do you want?"
"Heard there's a ball at the Decennial. Wanna be your partner."
"...Obvious ploy. But fine—you've done me favors. Deal."
Before standing, I asked Elena,
"Elena. How much do you trust me?"
"About 60%."
I grinned.
She probably trusted me more than anyone else in this world.