Chapter 40
Chapter 40
Chapter 40 An ordinary human.
'It's delicious. This.'
The monsters in the tower seemed to be treated as different entities from the tutorial monsters, so I could fully obtain their potential.
Normally, just killing this many monsters would be overwhelming, and absorbing all their potential would be impossible, but Myriad Fierce Beast made it possible.
New potential expands my vessel. It's natural that the larger the vessel, the more it can contain.
The height of buildings you can construct also varies greatly depending on how large and sturdy you make the first floor, doesn't it?
Predation was laying a solid foundation that would firmly support me no matter how much I stacked up.
Since all the traits I could obtain from monsters had already been integrated into Myriad Fierce Beast, I didn't acquire any new traits, but I could feel my spirit and flesh growing fat.
The dignity of my existence swelled, and the monsters' submission became even stronger. Even those who had harbored resentment toward my harsh commands now obeyed thoroughly without showing any such signs.
After tasting one monster of each type existing on the 3rd floor and realizing that eating the same type wouldn't trigger Predation, I gave an order.
"Hey. You guys. Now all of you come at me together. I'll kill you whether you attack or not, so if you want to live, fight for your lives."
Since there was nothing more to gain from Predation, I meant for them to at least provide me with real combat experience.
It was to become familiar with what I had built up through training while naturally integrating what I had gained through Predation.
Thus began the monsters' desperate struggle against me. They writhed to survive.
And the power of those who charged not to die, but solely to live, was beyond imagination.
It felt different from the bland tutorial monsters. These guys were giving their all.
Thanks to that, they became very good opponents. The potential that had merely existed like lumps naturally melted into my body.
I further optimized Baal's combat methods and habits that I had learned through repetitive mastery while beating down monsters.
[The level of Advanced All-Mastery increases.]
That was the path leading to improved skill. My existence became richer and began to shine.
[All beings in Pantheon and Pandemonium are enthusiastic watching you.]
Perhaps because I added spectacle to a trial that could have ended boringly, those distinguished ones are also enthusiastic.
'Watch to your heart's content. And desire me more.'
I will extract as much as possible from the gods who desire me and use it to save Earth.
The things given by those who decided to massacre Earthlings would ironically become the power to protect Earthlings.
For that purpose, I could willingly become a clown for them.
I intend to make them reluctant to attack Earthlings because of the single existence called Han Yeong-min.
'I'll become their deterrent.'
I will clearly show them what kind of person I am and what happens when they mess with me.
With one punch, a goblin's head gets crushed, and the orc behind it gets its abdomen pierced.
With one kick, a troll's body gets shattered beyond regeneration, and the rat man behind it scatters without maintaining its form.
Even while receiving a triple penalty, I was still me. Rather, receiving penalties now was more suitable for showing who I am.
I erase bad habits and leave only the essential things in my body. What I show in that process proves my skill. I had to remind them of Baal.
If they could see even a fragment of Baal, the gods' nightmare, in me, they would desire me even more.
How pleasant would it be if they could have a human who reminds them of Baal under their command, if they could make him an apostle?
They couldn't defeat Baal, but if they could just have me, who seems to have been carefully raised by her, they would surely gain tremendous satisfaction.
Since I'm even a regressor, if they obtained information about the future from me, they could stay several moves ahead of other transcendents, which also raises my value.
'But don't these fellows still not know that I'm an All-Master?'
I hadn't yet shown in front of their avatars the fact that I could be useful in all fields like metallurgy, alchemy, tailoring, pill refinement, acupuncture, medicine, etc.
Since I had deliberately put the Demon God Lotus Armor in my inventory for training, many probably didn't even know of the existence of a Legendary-grade artifact.
That means there are still several more chances to further increase my value.
[The level of Advanced All-Mastery increases.]
By the time I had almost completely integrated through real combat experience what I had practiced alone in the waiting room, All-Mastery, which had become difficult to build proficiency after reaching the advanced level, grew once more.
This happened right after I defeated all the monsters.
[Remaining time: 0 hours 30 minutes]
There were 30 minutes left, and no new monsters appeared.
'Is this the end?'
Just as I thought that even the endlessly appearing monsters had an end, the atmosphere changed.
SHIVER.
My intuition, which had now surpassed maturity and was approaching the extreme of Harmony, rang an alarm.
"Hmm...?"
The feeling was ominous.
The wind was unnaturally sticky. The air had been mixed with blood and flesh until just now, but there was something that made breathing even more suffocating than that disgust.
The suffocation was the same, but the reason was different.
[You succeed in defeating all monsters.]
[A special entity appears.]
The corpses I had left behind since there was no point in devouring them anymore merged into one. As each corpse connected like rags, the power felt from within grew stronger.
[Some gods in Pantheon begin to show interest.]
[Some Demon Kings in Pandemonium quietly smile.]
To be honest, if I intervened now and burned those corpses with hellfire, I could prevent them from getting stronger, though I couldn't do anything about what had already merged.
It would have been possible to drastically lower the trial's difficulty.
'But... why should I do that?'
This is a hidden piece for me, who achieved an originally impossible feat. Why should I throw away the opportunity to fight stronger opponents myself?
-The tower gives rewards worthy of trials.
I recall Yoo So-eun's words.
THUMP. THUMP.
My heart races wildly.
The power felt from the opponent exceeded all bounds.
This isn't just a hidden boss. It might be a trap disguised as a reward.
But despite that, the thought that came to me was... just one.
'This should be interesting...?'
Looking at an opponent who has hundreds of times more energy than me, this is what I felt. I am, indeed, not normal.
[Remaining time: 0 hours 28 minutes]
At the point when 2 minutes had passed, a human-shaped arm crawled out from the pile of corpses.
Muscles connected like fibers rather than flesh, and a head with eyes on the front, sides, and back, having no blind spots.
It had been a long time since seeing a perfect body that seemed crafted by god, like the angel. No, that form was definitely resembling me.
The energy that had merely been abundant compressed to fit the body size. Even more terrible and intense energy spread around.
Of course, even after compression, it still had more than 10 times the total amount of energy I had. The power gap was clear.
Is it really alive? No, new life was blooming from an existence that should have been dead.
It wasn't simply a rag made by combining corpses. It was a monster standing at the pinnacle of life forms, created by extracting only the advantages from all the monsters' corpses.
An anti-Han Yeong-min decisive battle weapon created by the single grudge to kill the one who deceived and massacred them.
The creature's eyes seemed to say I was a deceiver, a slaughterer, a traitor.
"Kill...you...!"
"You can speak...?"
I confirmed that it had the form of a mouth, but I didn't know it even had vocal organs.
It has compressed all emotions into killing intent toward me alone. Such an existence would give its all to kill me, making it an even better opponent.
I assume the basic stance of Transcendence Limitless Path, which contains Baal's combat methods even more densely.
Then the monster created by combining monsters killed by Transcendence Limitless Path also assumed the same stance as me.
"Oh... are you copying me now?"
I don't know if it's simply because I'm the one who killed them, or if it sensed the fragment of Baal contained within.
"You... strong. Cannot win easily."
The creature seemed convinced this was the best way to face me. Learning about me and becoming stronger.
"Come quickly. You'll disappear in 27 minutes, so shouldn't you kill me before then?"
I provoke it by wiggling my finger.
I don't know if it understood my words, but it seemed to realize that time wasn't on its side.
Even copying my footwork, with each step it took, its posture became increasingly refined.
It was learning everything about me and becoming stronger in real-time to surpass me.
It was in the same state as me watching Baal.
'Master. Did you feel like this too?'
Having an opponent become stronger with me as the goal, to surpass me, delivered a new pleasure I had never felt before.
Though I had raised my disciples Baek Ran and Baek Ryeon, they tried to follow me, not surpass me.
But the monster before my eyes was absorbing everything about me at an abnormal speed with the single obsession to kill me.
THWACK!
Its fist struck me. It didn't have Mana of Domination, but the movement itself was close to perfect.
And the fist containing energy compressed yet still 10 times more than mine didn't yield to my Mana of Domination at all.
It made up for lacking details with overwhelming physical superiority. If I hadn't properly countered it, parts of my body would have been torn away just from the impact's aftermath.
"But that's not how you do it. You do it like this."
I delivered the movement it had displayed more perfectly and more intensely to its face.
It tried to block using the same stance as me, but how could that be easy? I also learned this while getting beaten tremendously by Baal.
It succeeded in dispersing some damage with its hands, but unlike me, it suffered a major injury with its face caved in. The skill difference was clear.
Perhaps because genes from trolls and monsters with strong regeneration were mixed in, its recovery was fast, but it wasn't a minor injury that could heal in an instant.
However, as if it knew no pain, it swung its fist again. A fist that had become more precise and stronger by applying what it learned from me.
Throwing a punch from that stance was practically impossible, but it wasn't human. Its arm bent grotesquely, exerting even stronger power from an unstable posture.
CRACK.
Perhaps because the pure physical difference was several times over, even though I blocked it properly, some bones in my hand were shattered.
"Ke...KEKEK..."
Its mouth tears disgustingly as it blooms into laughter. Is it so happy to have inflicted injury on me for the first time?
"You look happy, so that's good."
While its grotesquely bent arm regenerated, I also used Immortality to restore my hand bones.
Rather, my hand bones healed much faster than its arm bones. With Myriad Fierce Beast's body combined with Demon God Baal's recovery method, my recovery speed was unparalleled.
The smile disappeared from its lips, and emotions of disbelief and incredulity crossed its face.
In its common sense, it would be impossible for humans to regenerate wounds this quickly.
It's a face like looking at an incomprehensible existence.
"Mon...monster...!"
"Who's calling who a monster? You should... come again, right?"
I think I saw a hint of fear flash across its face, but it must be my imagination.
'Why would such a monster be afraid of me?'
I'm just an ordinary human, after all. Mm-hmm.