Chapter 184
Chapter 184
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 184
Chapter Title: Transcender (6)
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'Hot stuff.'
The sight of the golems lined up in perfect formation was nothing short of spectacular.
There couldn't be many demon lords who commanded a force this size.
Golems were typically used to guard castles.
This was a clear sign of how seriously Aheta had taken the defenses of this 'laboratory.'
But right now, those thoughts took a backseat to the message floating before his eyes.
Messages so scorching they went beyond hot and straight into blazing.
'Golem Crafting Technique, huh.'
Golems could only be created by those with the 'Golem Crafter' class.
It was a rare class to begin with, so only a select few possessed it.
Yet here he was, acquiring 'Golem Crafting Technique' without the related class.
This was far from ordinary.
More unusual than a swordsman casting magic.
Honestly, he'd never even heard of such a thing.
Crafting something required that level of specialized knowledge.
The 'Crafter' class was reserved for those with exceptional dexterity and a true artisan's spirit.
Not to mention Golem Crafter?
'It's top-tier among Crafter classes.'
Classes had their own hierarchies.
Especially when it came to 'crafting'—the distinctions were stark.
Blacksmiths who forged equipment, sculptors who animated statues from materials, even specialized artisans or jewelers—they all paled in comparison to Golem Crafters.
And he'd pulled off the crafting technique without the class itself.
Probably thanks to repairing all nine hundred of these high-grade golems.
'Well... no one else has ever had an experience like this besides me.'
He couldn't help but chuckle.
Aheta was like a giving tree.
Even in death, he'd left behind gifts.
"Whoa...... This is insane. I've never seen so many golems gathered in one place."
Dagon, who had been watching, gaped in awe.
The third night had ended, yet here he was, wondering what the man was up to.
He never dreamed he'd repair the broken golems and win their loyalty.
Especially since these golems possessed egos.
Normal golems could barely execute a handful of key commands from their user.
They were good for little more than guarding something.
Or tagging along in small numbers, responding to real-time orders.
'Nine hundred golems that handle their own tasks! It's a full-fledged golem legion.'
Tempting.
The value of those golems.
Sell them, and demons would line up to buy.
They'd be a blockbuster at the Abyss's official auction.
Behold. The majestic scene.
Nine hundred massive golems knelt on one knee in solemn unison.
As if swearing a knight's oath.
And moreover...
'Dragon God Sepiro's blood, linked to the mana cores. That blood is supercharging the golems' cores. Their self-repair capabilities have surged.'
It was a miracle.
Normal mana cores had fixed limits set at creation.
But when contractor Sepiro's blood enveloped the cores, something extraordinary happened.
The inherent mana refined itself, and the quality skyrocketed.
And that wasn't all.
Regeneration skyrocketed too.
'Sepiro possesses powerful regeneration magic. And it's tied to his blood.'
Magic dwelled within his blood itself.
Super Regeneration, to be precise.
Dagon stroked his chin.
The contractor had nearly died from excessive blood loss.
Perhaps Super Regeneration hadn't kicked in properly due to the overuse.
His blood, infused with Super Regeneration, had enhanced the golems' abilities?
But calling this phenomenon merely the work of 'Super Regeneration' felt off—too many inconsistencies.
There was something more in his blood.
Dagon quietly nicked his own finger.
'......The intense mana interference scatters all the mana in my blood.'
And that wasn't the end.
As the wound formed, the mana interference began infiltrating his entire body through the blood.
Dagon hurriedly stanched the wound and assessed the situation.
'Even a tiny cut disrupts my entire body's mana flow. The golems breaking down while damaged must stem from the same issue.'
But Park Chan-woo was the exception.
His blood brimmed with mana, restoring the golems' cores.
The interference didn't infiltrate his body from the wound.
No—it couldn't.
Because of that powerful blood.
But wasn't it strange?
That body was undeniably human.
A human body crafted by Dragon God Sepiro in the dimensional playground.
But what if it wasn't just a playground?
What if he was seriously masquerading as human?
'No way... Did Sepiro transplant his actual heart?'
......Then it all made sense.
This explained every phenomenon in an instant.
Because a dragon's heart was special.
And among them, Dragon God Sepiro's was unparalleled.
Rumor had it he possessed twelve hearts, each a 'Ultimate Magic' of the 15th rank.
A single drop of his blood held world-shattering mana, incomparable to any elixir.
Sepiro stored all his mana in his hearts, and the blood pulsing from them wielded absolute power.
Legends even told of a single drop falling on barren wasteland, birthing an endless forest.
Thus, in the Abyss, the being with the most extraordinary 'blood' was surely Dragon God Sepiro.
Gulp!
'My choice was right!'
Dagon felt glad he'd fetched the Waters of Akham's Life.
"Hm......"
Then Park Chan-woo let out a small grunt.
Even as the nine hundred golems pledged loyalty and everything fell perfectly into place.
As if he'd spotted something unsatisfactory.
"Is something wrong?"
"Nah, nothing major."
Park Chan-woo shook his head at Dagon's question.
'The level-up wasn't as explosive as I'd hoped.'
He'd leveled up plenty.
More than the eight levels from Aheta's bankruptcy bonus.
But when he'd repaired the first Dark Guardian and gotten 10%, he'd built high expectations.
10% per golem.
Nine hundred meant 9,000% by simple math.
Ninety levels.
'Gained 10 levels, down to minus 63.'
But in reality, just 10 levels.
Of course, he understood.
'The higher the level, the more EXP required. And repeated actions yield diminishing returns.'
There were many ways to gain EXP in the Abyss.
Hunting, quests, training, or special events like this.
The issue was 'repetition.'
EXP came from new experiences that expanded limits.
Repeatedly hunting the same monsters, grinding the same training, or looping the same Abyss drastically cut gains.
Repairing golems nine hundred times? Naturally, the EXP curve flattened.
'Still, not bad at all.'
Ten levels in just three days.
Insane growth by any measure, incomparable to before.
He was nearly halfway to the summit already.
With his deadline looming, reaching level 1 seemed feasible now—not bad.
Park Chan-woo walked slowly to stand before the 'door'.
A massive door.
Inside lay the 'Transcender's item'.
He pointed at the 'door' and said,
"I'm going to force this 'door' open. Mind giving me a hand, everyone?"
Rumble rumble rumble!
The world shook.
So powerful, the entire Eternal Land trembled.
"...Incredible physical force."
"It's definitely from Aheta's lab."
"But isn't it on the complete opposite side?"
Ataraxia drew sharp glares from the witches.
They'd gone in circles, ending up on the far side.
Ataraxia shook his head.
"We can't be sure it's an earthquake from the lab."
"No, it is."
"The 'Eternal Land' is empty now. Nothing left to cause ripples like this."
"Only Aheta's hidden 'lab' fits."
Ataraxia sighed inwardly.
'So this is as far as it goes.'
The witches' resolve was ironclad.
Any more stalling would arouse heavy suspicion.
Even he knew the epicenter was surely the lab.
But it was baffling.
What shook the Eternal Land now was 'pure physical force'.
What on earth were they doing in that lab to unleash such raw power?
...Anyway, with discovery inevitable, he couldn't drag it out.
Head to the lab first, then find other ways to help.
"...Got it. Let's go check it out."
Rumble!
With a deafening roar that threatened to burst eardrums, the 'door' crumbled.
And then.
Ding!
Park Chan-woo stepped through the wreckage without hesitation.
Dagon and the golems watched him from the other side.
"Guard the lab. I'll be right back."
"Are you sure you'll be okay alone?"
Dagon asked worriedly, but he nodded.
"No one else can enter anyway."
Countless barriers and traps hummed inside.
Any other being would trigger them instantly.
"...Understood."
Still, Dagon looked uneasy.
No telling what experiments Aheta had running inside.
Park Chan-woo shrugged and pressed onward.
Then he grimaced almost immediately.
'......Bio-experiments, huh.'
Bodies of all races littered the place.
Mummified orcs chained to walls, werewolves with cracked skulls, organs in jars.
Charred meat lumps, beasts dead with runes carved into their flesh.
Gruesome bio-experiments at a level hard to stomach.
'All this to complete the Transcender's item?'
What the hell was this Transcender's item?
Park Chan-woo swallowed hard and followed the map to the lab's core.
And when he finally arrived.
"What the...?"
His pupils dilated wildly at the object in the center.
That thing radiating intense mana interference—it had to be the Transcender's item.
But it was nothing like he'd imagined.
Because.
"......A book?"
......What lay there was a single book.