Chapter 477: Twilight and Dawn (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 477: Twilight and Dawn (3)
I pushed aside the message that appeared the moment I opened my eyes and focused on the two people staring at me, their faces etched with worry.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“Student Do-jin, are you okay?”
I peered past their shoulders to look outside.
It was broad daylight.
I must have been rearranging my bones and muscles so violently that half a day had gone by.
“What on earth happened?”
“Were you attacked? You were covered in wounds…”
They bombarded me with questions.
This was rather embarrassing.
Did they mean they had watched the entire process of my body’s transformation from the outside?
“Ugh… You saw me in a sorry state.”
While researching the secret art, I had once filmed the process of my body breaking down and recovering.
It was not a pretty sight.
My body would break on its own, then return to normal… then suddenly bend in ways it shouldn't before snapping back.
It was the kind of thing that was painful just to watch.
I quickly spoke up to soothe the two, who were sick with worry.
“There was an attack last night, but I’ve already taken care of it, so you don’t have to worry. As for my body… just think of it as part of the process of gaining a little enlightenment.”
The two of them relaxed at the word “enlightenment.”
Then, Shin Yu-jeong’s eyes turned cold.
“What kind of enlightenment is so damn chaotic? If that happened twice, either the person going through it or the person watching would die.”
“Hehe… Just a rather intense enlightenment?”
When I grinned sheepishly, she grinned back.
“Aish… Fine, as long as it’s nothing serious. I guess it’s something to celebrate since you gained enlightenment. Though I thought I was going to die just watching.”
Her words had a bite to them.
Not a thick bone, just a thin fish bone you could easily chew and swallow.
“Aigoo, were you that worried?”
I opened my arms and stepped forward to comfort her, but Yu-jeong recoiled in horror.
She pinched her nose shut and gestured for me to stay away with her other hand.
“You smell horrible right now!”
“Ah.”
I quickly lifted my arm and sniffed.
A pungent… no, a foul smell that could clear even the stuffiest nose assaulted my senses.
A rotten smell so bad it would make even the most passionate newlywed couple violently push each other away.
It was a natural phenomenon that occurred during the Metamorphosis process.
As the body realigned itself, it expelled all unnecessary waste.
“…I’ll go wash up.”
I immediately turned and entered the bathroom, turning on the shower.
Kssshk!
Swoooosh—
As I scrubbed myself under the powerful stream of water, I recalled the message from before.
“A sub-trait…”
Strange.
I’d undergone Metamorphosis several times before, but I’d never gained a sub-trait.
Puzzled, I opened my status window.
[Status Window]
Name: Kim Do-jin
Sex: Male
Age: 22
Height/Weight: 186CM / 87.9KG
[Strength: 99] [Stamina: 99] [Agility: 99] [Mana: 102]
Trait: Apostle of Greed
Sub-trait: Gluttony (貪食)
Sub-trait: Stigma of Greed
Sub-trait: Domain of the Ruler
Sub-trait: Body of Ultimate Effort (勞極之體)
[Mutual Non-aggression (2022.06.09.~2025.12.31)]
[Disclosure Prohibition (2022.06.09.~2025.12.31.)]
“…Oh.”
A lot had clearly changed.
I was a little taller, and my weight had increased slightly due to the added muscle mass.
But those were just minor benefits.
The real changes were below that.
All my stats except Mana had reached 99.
“Well, look at this.”
Explosive growth.
This was a level of stat increase that could never be achieved just by remodeling an already complete body.
The answer to this mystery likely lay with the newly acquired trait, ‘Body of Ultimate Effort.’
“Let’s see.”
I tapped the trait section to view the details.
[Body of Ultimate Effort (勞極之體)]
-The ultimate physique, achieved through the efforts of a single human without any external aid.
-All stats will reach the human limit.
-Physical efficiency is increased.
-Senses become extremely sharp in special situations.
-Future growth depends solely on the user’s capabilities.
“So that’s what it meant, Body of Ultimate Effort.”
A physique perfected when effort (勞力) reaches its absolute limit.
The name itself made me choke up.
It was as if it were telling me, ‘The path you have walked so far was not wrong.’
“I really like the last part, too.”
That future growth also depended solely on my capabilities.
That meant, depending on what I do, I could either stop here or climb even higher.
I understood why such an explanation was necessary.
The realm I had reached was a unique domain that no one had ever reached, nor could they.
Therefore, it was bound to be more influenced by factors I generated myself than by external ones.
As I scrubbed my body, humming with a pleasant smile…
Sssssst
A strange sensation brushed against my skin.
“…What was that?”
I felt a bizarre sensation from a place far away from here.
A very sinister, gloomy, and dark feeling.
Malice.
Some being was emitting an intensely powerful malice.
And it was directed at this entire world.
“Something seems to have happened…”
This wasn't a level of emotion a mere human could emit.
It was something more complex, more enormous.
As I felt the malice gradually spreading across the world, I became certain.
Something had definitely happened.
And it was no ordinary event.
That meant there was a high probability that I had been notified as well.
“…This is no time for a leisurely shower.”
I hastily finished my shower. When I came out, Shin Yu-jeong, who had been waiting in the room, held out her smartphone.
“Hey, things are crazy so I couldn't tell you yet, but all hell has broken loose.”
“What’s going on?”
“A Dungeon Break occurred in Gwanghwamun. And without any warning signs.”
“……!”
A Dungeon Break.
It literally meant a dungeon had been destroyed, causing the beings inside to pour out.
The cause was an overload due to an increase in the monster population inside the dungeon.
It was an accident that should only happen in undiscovered dungeons or due to negligent management… but for it to happen without any warning, in the middle of Gwanghwamun…
“What about the damage?”
“None yet. Only one boss monster came out of the rift, and for some reason, it’s just been growling and not moving.”
“…A boss monster?”
I asked, and she answered.
“You’ll know it. Cerberus.”
“……”
I knew it well.
Greece’s one and only headache, the monster of myth.
“A monster that should be in Greece suddenly appeared in Gwanghwamun…?”
What was this?
This unsettling feeling.
Just as I was scrunching my face in frustration at the sensation that was almost, but not quite, within my grasp…
“Anyway, because of that, a summons has been issued and everyone’s in an uproar.”
“…I must have been called too, then?”
“Yeah, you were. You weren’t answering your phone, so Ji-an unnie came looking for you.”
“Ms. Ji-an did?”
“Yeah. She said she came at the request of the Association President, but after seeing your state, she said she’d stall for time somehow and left.”
“……”
I could picture the scene.
If a summons had been issued, that old geezer must be leading the charge.
He probably spouted all sorts of nonsense about me lacking patriotism or being a freeloader because I wasn't there.
Did she try to stop it, knowing I’d be in trouble if that talk leaked to the public?
“…I have to go.”
I immediately turned, flung open the closet, and pulled out the suit, now perfectly mended from the scars of the last battle. I was about to grab my car keys when…
Viiiing—
A message arrived.
《Yoon Ji-an: I have a car waiting outside.》
“…Hah.”
I put the car keys back down and headed straight out of the building.
There, I saw a sleek black sedan parked, with Yoon Ji-an standing beside it.
“Ms. Ji-an.”
As I said her name, a faint smile bloomed on her stern face.
“…I’m so glad you’re safe.”
I could feel it.
The hardships and mental anguish she must have gone through in that short time.
It was obvious she’d been pressured from all sides.
I gave her shoulder a light pat.
“You’ve worked hard. It must have been tough, right?”
“No, not at all.”
Shaking her head, she opened the rear passenger door for me and continued.
“Please, get in. Given the circumstances, I’ll explain the details on the way.”
“Alright.”
I accepted her courtesy and got into the back seat.
She immediately walked around to the driver’s seat, started the engine, and pressed the accelerator.
Then, the explanation began.
“The current situation is not good.”
The key points of what had been discussed in the meeting room drilled into my ears.
In the end, the most crucial point was one thing.
“Hunter Son Si-woo’s withdrawal seems to be the biggest problem.”
The absence of the national hero, Son Si-woo.
The moment I heard that, my mind was thrown into chaos.
He was under a curse, she’d said.
Such a fitting reason and excuse.
The problem was that the person who made that excuse wasn't Son Si-woo himself, but Han Ju-hee.
“…Why?”
The fact that she used a curse as an excuse meant that, circumstantially, she knew the secret.
That his body was permanently damaged, severely limiting his power output.
“How…”
How did she know that?
Did he tell her?
Or had she known for a long time…
“…No, that can’t be it.”
That was impossible.
In any case, for whatever reason, she had realized there was something wrong with Son Si-woo’s body.
And she must have used that excuse to cover for it.
“Hoo.”
My mind kept returning to Han Ju-hee.
That woman, who had grown so cold, had bowed her head to defend her husband?
When did she find out?
Surely she hadn't realized our bodies had been swapped, right?
I was sinking deep into thought.
I forced myself to shake my head, trying to erase it all.
This wasn’t the time to think about that.
There was an enemy that needed to be dealt with right now.
To force myself to remember that, I asked her.
“So… what’s the plan for the attack squad composition?”
“I heard they plan to form it around Hunter Namgung Hyeok. And they’re thinking of requesting support from other countries…”
“Hmm, support.”
Right.
We needed support.
If Cerberus were to go on a rampage and destroy the Republic of Korea, it wouldn't just be one country’s problem anymore.
“…Though that won’t happen.”
We sped through the empty roads, cleared by the evacuation order, and arrived at the Blue House.
We bypassed the complex procedures and pushed straight through to the front of the meeting room.
I’d heard what she said.
—“…I’m sorry. I told a little lie to buy some time.”
—"A lie?"
—"That you, Mr. Do-jin, would resolve this crisis…”
—"Oh, my."
She’d told such a bold lie. That honest woman.
As I placed my hand on the door, I could feel the gloomy atmosphere seep through my palm.
They all look so miserable.
The first thing to do before a battle is to boost your allies’ morale.
And one more thing.
To make the lie she told for me a reality.
I threw the door open with force, a deep smile spreading across my lips as I asked the helpless figures inside.
“May I form the attack squad?”