Chapter 102
Chapter 102
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 102
Chapter Title: Entering Hell
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[You have entered the Seventh Round.]
[Gates leading to the 'Burning Holy War' open in Meconia and the ruined village.]
[The global server is activated.]
[Welcome to Hell, everyone.]
[Player 'Kim Cheonjae' has been assigned to the south of Hell.]
As soon as I stepped through the gate, a scorching heat enveloped me.
If Meconia's sky had looked red like flames, this place was the opposite—hellfire rising from the ground beneath my feet.
The unquenchable flames before my eyes proclaimed that this was Hell.
"There it is."
[Burning World Tree]
Aside from the fact that it was burning, it looked exactly like the World Tree situated between the Elf Helm and the Dwarf Gorge.
My face felt hot.
It was so tall that I had to crane my neck from bottom to top for a long time. It pierced through the clouds, and I couldn't see the end.
Judging by the World Tree's position at the 3 o'clock direction from where I stood, I must have come through the southern gate as the starting point.
'The south... that means... he's here.'
I murmured quietly while gazing at the burning World Tree.
"Finally, the Seventh Round."
A little further ahead, I spotted a narrow bridge.
Lava poured down like waterfalls on both sides.
Yet below it was filled only with darkness.
I kicked a rock fragment over the edge to test the depth, but no sound of it hitting the ground came back.
From below, I could hear the cries of various monsters.
Pretending not to hear them, I walked along the path.
One misstep, and I'd plummet into the bottomless cliff below.
In the game, falling down here was treated as instant death.
It was a trap you couldn't easily escape from, so I had to be extra careful.
"The smell of sulfur...."
It was a scent I'd only ever smelled at hot springs.
I proceeded along the path with utmost caution.
[You have entered the 'Hell Bridge.']
[The path to the end of the bridge is guarded by demons. Be careful.]
About halfway across the bridge, I saw a Hell Imp and a Triple Beholder waiting for me.
Dozens—no, hundreds of Hell Imps.
"Make way."
As I gripped my scythe tightly, they backed off.
They instinctively knew they were no match.
With the Imps clearing the path, the Triple Beholder began walking toward me.
Goblin faces on the left and right.
A giant monster with an elephant face in the center.
It trumpeted 'Pooooh!' with its elephant trunk as it approached me.
"How did a human get here?"
It was strong.
No doubt too much for me to handle alone.
I replied with a calm expression.
"Do I look human to you?"
"Then what? You gonna claim you're a demon?"
"No, I could be an angel."
"...... Angels can't come here."
"Why not?"
"Because Titan, the leader of our Giant clan, guards the entrance to Hell."
As expected, they converse within the framework set by the system.
That means our entire group can reach the destination safely.
We can pass through the Hell road without fighting.
I pointed my finger at myself.
"Can humans come?"
"Humans can enter with Titan's permission."
"...... Have any other humans come here besides me?"
"I have no obligation to answer that."
I hardened my expression and nodded.
"You're right. No reason for you to be nice to me."
"So why are you here? If it's not a good reason, I'll eat you."
"Me? Why?"
"Because you're human."
Such a matter-of-fact answer. Eat humans because they're human.
If that's the case, why ask why I'm here instead of acting on it from the start?
"Do I have to tell you my reason?"
"If you don't want to die."
"...... I came all this way to fulfill your boss's request. You planning to turn me away at the door?"
"Boss.... You mean Titan?"
"Yeah."
The Triple Beholder tilted its head.
"Titan's request?"
I subtly measured the distance between us.
At this range, my scythe could reach its vital spots, but I couldn't get a clean angle to finish it off for sure.
I pointed my index finger at the Beholder.
"Titan was looking for you. Humans are swarming Meconia right now, hunting Giants."
"......"
"He's short on manpower, so he asked me to bring some from Hell."
The Triple Beholder's three heads stared at me simultaneously.
Six eyeballs watching me—it was incredibly intimidating.
It already had an unpleasant expression, and that gaze made it even worse.
The Triple Beholder shook its head from bottom to top, scanning my appearance, then asked back.
"He asked you to bring me?"
"Yeah. He said to pass it on to the strongest-looking Giant."
"Humans invade, and he sends a human to relay the message to me?"
"...... Yeah. I'm old friends with your boss. You know? The human who joined hands with Hell's king, Lucifer."
It tilted its head again. It couldn't tell if my words were true or false.
Of course, I was confidently making up nonsense, so it had to be confused.
And story-wise, there's no human allied with Lucifer. Defeating him is every player's wish.
After a long moment of thought, the Triple Beholder answered me.
"Titan asked you to bring us?"
"Yeah."
"Just to catch a few humans?"
"No, there are angels in Meconia right now too."
At the word 'angels,' the Beholder's eyes widened.
[The 'Triple Beholder' becomes excited by your words.]
"What...? Angels?!"
"Yeah, angels. This guy named Michael suddenly showed up and is taking down all the Giants in Meconia."
"Mi.... Michael.... For real? That guy's supposed to be sealed by Lucifer—"
"It's true. Why would I come all the way here to lie to you?"
The Beholder stared into my eyes for a long time before replying.
"Thanks for letting me know. Then I'll lead my troops to Meconia."
"Troops?"
"Yeah. The Imp unit Lucifer himself bestowed upon me."
Dozens of Imps clustered around the Beholder. The flames spewing from their mouths gave a sense of their power.
That level of fire breath was about equivalent to a 2-circle mage's fireball.
'Lucky.'
Even on Hell difficulty, low-level monsters haven't gotten much stronger.
"Cool, an Imp unit."
"You think so? Well.... Wanna come back to Meconia with us?"
I waved my hand.
"Nah. I need to find other demons and bring them too."
"Other demons?"
"Yeah. To deal with the angels, don't we need more? Titan asked for help personally—I can't just bring low-rank grunts."
"I guess...."
"You go ahead. You don't want to keep Titan waiting, right?"
The Triple Beholder stroked its chin with a pleased smile.
"You told me first?"
"Yeah."
"...... Got it. Then I'll leave spreading the word to you. Thanks."
'I'm the thankful one.'
Passing the Hell road without a fight.
[The 'Triple Beholder' heads to Meconia with the Hell Imps.]
* * * * *
I sent off the Triple Beholder without a confrontation. No need for an unnecessary battle.
Even if I fought, I probably wouldn't lose, but I didn't want to waste stamina.
I had many enemies ahead.
I left the path leading to the World Tree and began walking across the burning land.
In search of the hidden village in the Seventh Round.
The uneven ground made it feel like climbing a treacherous mountain the whole way, leaving me breathless.
"Hoo."
Not even in the mood for a cigarette.
It was like entering the hottest room in a sauna—the searing heat seemed to invade my lungs.
As I got farther from the initial gate, Imps started appearing less frequently, one by one.
Now the real game begins, so the numbers of weak demons dwindle.
"...... Hey."
I called out to a lone Imp.
"Keeek?"
Shhk-.
Thud.
The Imp's body hit the ground.
Its health bar was still over half full. I swung my scythe wide, shattering its body to pieces.
[System Message]
▶Skeleton Summon (Mana Cost: 2)
Using the Imp's bones as a medium, I summoned one Skeleton Soldier.
The bones gleamed like steel.
They were completely different in strength from before. Bones that seemed like they'd snap under a kick now looked as sturdy as construction site rebar.
[Summon List]
-ⓁPark Gyuhwan (Soldier) 1/1: Idle
-Gawain (Tiger) 1/1: Idle
-Vulcanus (Patsy) 1/1: Eating
-Skeleton (Steel) 1/1: Idle
I looked at the Skeleton Soldier with a satisfied expression.
Steel attribute—advantageous against demons.
"Let's go."
Now walking with the Skeleton Soldier. Along the way to the destination, I hunted Imps, adding one or two Steel Skeleton Soldiers each time.
By the time I arrived at the 'Burning Village,' their number had exceeded forty.
I'd formed an entire company of skull soldiers.
"Open the gate."
Inside the village, inextinguishable flames rose here and there, just like the Ox Demon King's castle in Journey to the West.
The soldiers inside heard my shout and pushed the gate open from within.
Creak-. Creeeeak-.
As the gate opened, red-skinned demon soldiers faced me.
They looked at me with dumbfounded expressions.
"...... What are you?"
They were demons with appearances very similar to humans. Except for the single horn protruding from their foreheads.
"I'm Kim Cheonjae."
"Kim Cheonjae?"
"Yeah. I'm here to see the Lord of the Castle."
"...... The Lord?"
The demon soldier shrugged as if it was absurd.
"Wait a sec. You smell human."
"Human, yeah."
"What?!"
"I came here on Titan's request. No time—call the Lord as quick as possible."
The demon soldier raised the tip of his trident, aiming at me.
"No way. A puny human dares?! Do you even know who the Lord here is?"
I clamped my mouth shut and nodded.
"Leviathan, one of Hell's Seven Kings, right?"
At my answer, the demon soldiers looked flustered.
'Leviathan' was an existence in Hell whose name no one could utter lightly, and the system was set up so that merely mentioning it reached his ears.
"You really know Leviathan?"
"Of course."
"How the hell would a punk like you?"
"...... If you knew, would I have come? Quit yapping and open the gate."
The two demon soldiers huddled together, pondering. I pressed them before they could finish thinking.
"If you're not opening, I'm outta here?"
"...... What was your reason for coming again?"
"Said I came to relay a message on Titan's request."
"Why'd Titan ask you? He's got plenty of strong Giant soldiers."
I grinned shamelessly.
"Because I'm the strongest."