Chapter 271
Chapter 271
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 271
Chapter Title: Hallasan
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His breath caught in his throat.
Thud!
Alon shot up from his seat, hurriedly putting distance between them.
An instinctive action, not something he planned.
It was thanks to the lesson his body had learned in the Abyss: sit still, and you'd lose your life.
But his vision was blurry.
He'd barely managed to regain consciousness after his oxygen supply was cut off.
'What the hell was that just now?'
He hadn't seen it.
Or more precisely, Han Min-oh's movements were under his control.
But the moment they collided...
'It was like it got reflected...'
It felt as if their combined attack powers had slammed into his solar plexus.
Had he somehow learned a reflection skill?
Strength, stamina—every stat was in his favor.
That much was certain.
Han Min-oh's attack power, defense, level—every numerical value was lower than his.
No reflection skill could exceed its user's limits.
"You... what's your level?"
"38."
"You're lying."
Alon's level was 51.
An unbridgeable gap.
Especially after his Class Up, his abilities had surged to a level incomparable to before.
And this guy had blocked his attack?
The only conclusion was that he was hiding his real level.
"Iron Fortress."
Iron Fortress
Halves all physical damage for 10 seconds
Shiiiing!
Semitransparent steel began swirling around him.
A defensive skill that halved all physical damage for 10 seconds.
It reduced movement speed and had a long cooldown, but its defensive effect was top-tier.
"Strength Enhancement."
Strength Enhancement
Maximizes Strength stat for 10 seconds
Crack!
His muscles pumped wildly.
This was the ultimate support skill that boosted his Strength stat to the max for 10 seconds.
And on top of that...
"Anomaly Guard."
Anomaly Guard (Ancient Grade or lower)
Blocks one skill activation
He'd prepared for every contingency, ready to block any single skill below Ancient grade.
Han Min-oh hadn't moved a single step the whole time.
Whatever his confidence was based on, that arrogance would lead to his death.
Alon squeezed out every ounce of power he had and swung again at maximum speed.
'This time for sure...!'
Even if he blocked it, it wouldn't matter.
He watched Han Min-oh's every move closely.
Once more, Han Min-oh raised his sword to block Alon's devastating club strike.
'Idiot!'
Boooom!
An explosive shockwave swept the area like a bomb going off.
And at the same time...
Krunch!
The steel wall shattered.
Bam!
Alon's body launched skyward.
Only as he flew through the air did Alon realize.
'Counter...!'
The technique Han Min-oh had used was called Counter.
A perfect counter that struck back harder the stronger the opponent's attack.
But Alon couldn't think any further.
All his ribs had shattered, and he lost consciousness.
"...You've trained him well."
Minister Park Sang-min, who had arrived late, looked at the scene before him and spoke to Lee Hyuk-soo.
Han Min-oh, a disciple who had just joined him, had put on an overwhelming performance against Alon, who was nearing the world top 100.
Lee Hyuk-soo replied nonchalantly.
"Han Min-oh has good 'eyes.' Better than mine, even."
It was a shocking statement.
Lee Hyuk-soo's 'eyes' were at the pinnacle of the world.
He could spot an opponent's weaknesses just by looking.
"Good eyes... the most blessed talent there is."
Minister Park Sang-min's mouth curved into a grin from ear to ear.
This would dispel any doubts about the month's blank period.
Not Lee himself, but his disciple had taken down Alon in two hits.
Using Counter, no less.
'The only downside is that it's his only skill. But that one Counter is flawless.'
Lee Hyuk-soo chuckled inwardly.
All he'd taught Han Min-oh so far was that single Counter.
He'd tried teaching swordsmanship diligently, but Han Min-oh was weak in real combat.
Probably because his fundamental temperament was completely different from his brother's.
But with Counter, it was different.
He executed the technique of turning an enemy's force against them with flawless perfection.
Judging it effective against aggressive foes in the Abyss, he'd focused training solely on Counter.
The results were astonishing.
He hadn't even told Minister Park Sang-min yet, but...
'Han Min-oh has contracted with a special ancient being.'
Lee Hyuk-soo himself had gained his unique shadow technique through a contract with an ancient being.
Han Min-oh had contracted too, but saw no major changes.
Except for one thing.
His Counter's grade had become Hidden.
That's why he couldn't tell anyone.
Counter was everything to Han Min-oh.
Minister Park Sang-min, smiling broadly, asked as if something had just occurred to him.
"By the way, you said you want the blockade on Hallasan lifted?"
"Yes, Minister. I want to climb Hallasan."
"...Are you aware of the situation there?"
"I've heard it's become hell."
"Correct. A 'black hole' appeared out of nowhere... We think it's an 'Abyss entrance,' but inexplicable phenomena are occurring around it."
"It's because a high-grade Creator, not a regular one, created this Abyss."
"High-grade Creator. Do you have any guesses?"
"Personally, I think it's Demon King level or higher."
"...The 'New Master of the Night' was a Demon King too. Quite the coincidence."
The fourth night was approaching.
The Demon King of Calamity had become the new master of the night, but had it created a Creator Abyss in Korea before the night even began?
The Created Abyss on Hallasan was on another scale entirely.
Far beyond any of the countless ones that had appeared before.
But humanity still didn't know about 'Demon Kings.'
Creators... beyond even the 'Demon Lords' that ruled them.
"...The Moon's Lord Aheta wasn't a Demon King either."
The strongest Creator they'd faced was Aheta.
The demon that had tormented humanity from the first to third nights.
But humanity knew even that mighty Aheta wasn't a Demon King.
The Death Legion led by Anubis and the countless undead still lingered in terror.
And now, something above that had created an Abyss in Korea...
Minister Park Sang-min shook his head.
"It's too dangerous."
He couldn't allow it.
Lee Hyuk-soo was Korea's treasure. A gem they couldn't afford to lose.
If he died, the entire nation would shake.
"Minister, if we leave it alone, it might spiral out of control."
But Lee Hyuk-soo's resolve was firm.
Minister Park Sang-min bit his lip.
Lee Hyuk-soo wasn't a man who acted on mere 'feelings.'
When he was this determined, there was always a reason.
"...I can't send you alone."
"I'll take Han Min-oh."
"Take them too."
"...The foreign Awakeners?"
As Minister Park Sang-min's gaze lingered on the foreign Awakeners, Lee Hyuk-soo looked back with eyes questioning his sincerity.
Minister Park Sang-min nodded with a stern expression.
"Let me set the board once."
Sending just Lee Hyuk-soo and Han Min-oh was too risky.
But today, the world's top powerhouses were gathered here.
With them, the danger would drop significantly.
If a Demon King was involved, Korea couldn't bear the risk alone.
If it was true, it was a global threat.
They should face it together.
'Do as you wish. I'll take responsibility.'
If things went wrong, he could shoulder the blame entirely.
For Korea's survival, Lee Hyuk-soo was far more essential.
In an instant, over a hundred top powerhouses assembled.
The official reason was 'observing the anomalous Abyss on Hallasan,' but their real target was Lee Hyuk-soo, not the Abyss.
Accompanying him to Hallasan to gauge his 'true nature' was the Awakeners' true goal.
'Just over a month ago, Han Min-oh was barely more than a civilian weakling.'
'If he really made him strong enough to beat Alon, over level 50, in a month...'
'Lee Hyuk-soo definitely has a massive secret.'
'The disappearance of multiple Abysses in Korea is tied to him too.'
'We need to see if he can still lead the world's vanguard.'
Lee Hyuk-soo held all the keys.
Minister Park Sang-min was just his mouthpiece.
Most Awakeners and world governments thought the same.
The core was 'Lee Hyuk-soo.'
The month's blank period nagged at them, but hadn't his disciple proven it?
A disciple couldn't surpass the master, so Lee Hyuk-soo's power must be even greater.
If he was still strong, they needed to figure out what he'd been up to.
And now he was suddenly heading to 'Hallasan.'
'There must be something there!'
They couldn't miss this golden opportunity.
Observing him would reveal why Korea kept having 'unexpected' events.
That's why they'd all jumped on the plan to head to Hallasan.
The top-tier Awakeners boarded military helicopters and took off.
"Black mist everywhere."
"Can't see a thing."
"Fitting to call it 'hell.'"
"Ha. Cowards. We're not even entering the Abyss—just scouting around. What's the big deal?"
Those who arrived near Hallasan chimed in.
The entire mountain was shrouded in thick black fog.
Part of the anomalies.
Unable to scout the interior, a lockdown had been issued.
A few who returned from the mountain had foamed at the mouth, repeating 'hell.'
"Hell, my ass."
"I've seen worse hells."
"This is child's play."
"No monsters spawn outside Abysses anyway."
Most Awakeners scoffed.
The Abysses, demons, and monsters they'd faced all evoked hell.
But this was Earth, not inside an Abyss.
Korea, currently the safest nation.
A world where you just had to watch for Incarnations.
But...
Up to that point, they had no idea.
How horrific the hell on Hallasan truly was.
They learned soon after starting the ascent.
Grrr!
Kuooo!
"Wait. Monsters outside the Abyss?"
"What? How?"
The Awakeners were thrown into chaos by the alien sounds around them.
Monsters had never appeared outside Abysses before.
Lee Hyuk-soo, encountering one soon after, scowled.
"...Half-human, half-demon."
Incarnations turned monstrous.
And their numbers—at least dozens visible.
Meaning...
'...At minimum, thousands of half-human half-demons are on this Hallasan.'