Chapter 111
Chapter 111
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 111
Chapter Title: Guardian Demon
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"This is it."
A massive door stood before Yun Hayoung and me. This had to be the entrance to the boss room.
I wondered what boss would appear. Considering the dungeon's difficulty level, it was bound to be a pretty strong boss monster.
"Ready?"
"Yeah."
"Alright, let's go."
Creak.
I opened the door.
[You have entered the boss room of 'Demon Subjugation Hall 5th Entrance.']
[Strong demonic energy clouds your mind.]
"Ugh."
The moment we entered, a mental magic spell hit us.
In the distance, I spotted a gigantic demon-shaped monster. Two massive horns protruded from its forehead, and it had black wings.
It looked over 4 meters tall.
—GRRRRRRR!
"What the hell, it's huge?"
The thing glared at us.
At the same time, an intense pressure bore down on my entire body.
Instinctively, I knew.
This guy is dangerous. Way stronger than I thought.
['Guardian Demon' is watching you.]
The boss monster's name seemed to be Guardian Demon.
It swung its fist toward us.
I immediately reinforced my body, shoved Yun Hayoung aside, and dodged the attack.
—GRRROAR!
The Guardian Demon pressed its assault without pause. I dumped a mana elixir into my mouth and fired light attribute spheres straight at its arm.
Boom!
The attack landed decently, and it clutched its arm in agony. But that only lasted a moment. It glared at us again and swung its fist.
KABOOM—!
Its fist slammed into the ground, unleashing a massive explosion.
I barely dodged it. Grazing that would mean instant death.
"Haa!"
That's when Yun Hayoung unleashed her magic from the side. A massive magic arrow infused with demon-exterminating power began forming above her hand.
Given the opponent, she was pouring even more power into it.
In that case, I had to buy her time.
I kept firing light attribute spheres at it, drawing its attention.
It didn't seem all that intelligent, because it lost interest in Yun Hayoung and targeted me instead.
—GRRROOAR!
Its red eyes gleamed. It flapped its wings and rose into the air. Its body looked heavy, but it flew incredibly well.
Soon, a black sphere formed above its hand.
"No way... a monster using magic too?"
It thrust its hand toward me and fired the black sphere.
I poured everything I had into running and evaded the attack.
KABOOOOOM—!
The floor crumbled, the ceiling shook, and chunks of rock rained down.
Insane destructive power. In terms of raw force, at least A-Rank. No, close to S-Rank.
"Urk!"
It formed another black sphere.
This time, not just one. Three in total.
"...This is insane."
No dodging this. Even if I could, the massive shockwave would collapse the dungeon ceiling and bury me.
That's when it happened. I sensed an alien surge of mana. It shot straight toward the Guardian Demon's head.
It was Yun Hayoung's demon-exterminating arrow.
—GRRRO?
The arrow struck its forehead dead-on. The arrow's light gradually expanded, then detonated in a huge explosion.
KABOOM!
A fierce gust and dust cloud rose. I narrowed my eyes and checked the monster's status.
The Guardian Demon's head was completely gone. Its body tilted slowly as if drained of strength, then crashed to the floor with a thunderous boom.
['A-Rank Demon Monster Subjugation Contribution' achievement unlocked.]
[Acquired 3,000 points as reward.]
['Demon Slayer' achievement unlocked.]
[Acquired 3,000 points as reward.]
[Successfully defeated an A-Rank demon-type monster using light attribute.]
[Light Attribute Control proficiency greatly increases!]
[Nature's Blessing effect grants additional proficiency.]
[Light Attribute Control grade has risen!]
Countless message windows floated before my eyes.
I stared blankly at them, my gaze fixing on the bottom one.
...Light Attribute Control grade has risen?
［Light Attribute Control］［Grade: 1(0%)］
［Passive Effects］
►Attribute Proficiency
Proficiency rises when using light attribute mana.
Higher grades increase light attribute mana power.
The boss raid was over. Yun Hayoung and I sat on the floor catching our breath.
I was checking out my newly upgraded Light Attribute Control.
Its grade had risen to 1.
That meant I could now handle light attributes without the 'Legacy of the Formless Spirit.'
I took off the ring and tried manifesting light attributes.
A light attribute sphere formed above my hand.
'Jackpot.'
Not only had I gained light attributes, but a trait too, so its power would grow further as proficiency increased.
The downside was higher mana consumption than neutral attributes, but time would fix that.
So, what attribute should I acquire next?
Time to think seriously.
Personally, lightning or ice appealed to me.
Lightning excels in 1v1s with raw power, and ice shines in utility.
"Hmm."
As I pondered, Yun Hayoung spoke up beside me.
"I never imagined we'd clear the entire dungeon today."
"Yeah."
I hadn't expected it either.
I never thought Yun Hayoung's demon-exterminating power would grow this strong in just a month.
"But that final boss was pretty dangerous, right?"
"Yeah. If we'd challenged it a month or two ago, we'd have failed for sure."
Dungeons where the original story didn't reflect the true difficulty really need caution. I felt it again this time.
"But pulling off that massive demon-exterminating power at the end was a great call. Your skills are improving by leaps and bounds."
"Hehe."
"Good work."
"No, you worked harder, Sunwoo. You drew its attention."
Yun Hayoung smiled happily. I chuckled along with her, then looked away.
"Shall we check the rewards?"
We headed to the room with the rewards.
Opening the door revealed a massive treasure chest.
I walked over slowly and opened it.
Inside was a small box and a bracelet made of red stone.
［Box Sealed with Demon Power (???)］
Type: Box
Description: Sealed.
［Anti-Demon Stone Bracelet (B)］
Type: Bracelet
Description: Bracelet made of anti-demon stone (降魔石).
［Passive Effects］
►Anti-Demon Aura
You are less noticeable to demons and demonkin.
Deals 10% additional damage to demons and demonkin.
Durability: B
Fitting for a demon-themed dungeon, the rewards were demon-related.
A box and a bracelet. The box was sealed, and the seal looked tough—would take quite some time to break.
"A box and a bracelet? Wonder what they do."
Yun Hayoung muttered, unable to check the item's abilities.
"The box is sealed, so we'll know once we open it. The bracelet's made of anti-demon stone."
"Anti-demon stone?"
She tilted her head at my words.
"You should take the bracelet."
Anti-Demon Stone Bracelet.
It had the unique option of being less noticeable to demons and demonkin.
Right now, with Yun Hayoung's demon-exterminating power making her a target for demons, this might be the best reward possible.
This item would definitely help her survival.
"Is it okay for me to take it? You found the dungeon, Sunwoo."
"No problem. You need it. This bracelet reduces attention from demons."
Her eyes widened in surprise.
"Really? It has that effect too? Amazing."
She seemed to take my word at face value, gazing at the bracelet with wonder.
Her trust in me was always off the charts. Even Han Seyeon probably wasn't this level.
"In exchange, I'll take the box. We'll find out what's inside once I open it."
"Yeah. You should take it, Sunwoo."
I smiled lightly and nodded.
"Now, give me your arm."
She extended her arm.
I took her wrist and put on the anti-demon stone bracelet.
The red gem flashed faintly. Proof the effect had applied properly.
Yun Hayoung stared at the bracelet for a while, then beamed at me.
"The bracelet's pretty."
Back home, I was working on unsealing the box I'd acquired. After about 10 minutes, I paused and set it down.
"...The seal's tougher than I thought."
Unlike barriers, dispelling sealing spells is pretty hard.
The Outsider's benefits excel at dispelling mana-related things, but they're not omnipotent.
Of course, seals made by human power can be easily undone with the Outsider's benefits.
The problem was that this box's seal came from a magic tool.
Seals from sealing magic tools are designed to react to a 'key,' so forcing them open—even with Outsider benefits—is extremely difficult.
"Hmm."
Without the key, a seal removal kit would make it easier, but kits are expensive, and buying one with points felt wasteful.
In the end, my only option was to do it manually.
It'd take quite some time, though.
"About three days?"
If I spent four hours a day on it whenever I had time, it'd take around three days.
I'd chip away at it in spare moments.
I set the box aside. Unsealing was important, but I had other things to do.
I looked at the ring on my finger, 'Legacy of the Formless Spirit.'
It currently held light attributes. But since I'd fully mastered light today, it was time to load a new one.
What to choose?
If I could load demon-exterminating power into it, no contest, but that's a trait, not an attribute.
Plus, traits cost a whopping 800,000 points.
With hidden villains in this world beyond just demons and demonkin, buying demon-exterminating power felt... a bit, no, very wasteful.
"Hmm."
New traits worth getting? Ice or lightning still top the list.
Comparing their strengths: offense versus stability.
"Offense and stability..."
Honestly, pure strengths considered, lightning suits my current situation better.
Safety plays don't work against the world's hidden powerhouses.
Stability only shines when you're clearly superior.
But picking lightning outright gave me some qualms.
Namely, its drawbacks.
Lightning attributes pack huge destructive power but guzzle mana. They're also hard to shape stably, risking self-electrocution from your own spells.
That's why lightning requires more attribute adaptation training than others.
Once adapted to lightning, you won't shock yourself.
Come to think of it, I had Lightning Resistance from Evolution's Adaptation.
[Lightning Resistance (D)]
Category: Trait
Description: Your body gains strong resistance to electricity.
［Passive Effects］
►Electric Human
Mana +1.
Lightning resistance +10%.
"Hmm."
10% lightning resistance.
Not much for handling lightning attributes. But if I used it right, maybe I could master lightning quickly.
Traits from evolution and adaptation can grow.
Self-inflicted lightning torture might ramp up my resistance faster than expected.
"...Let's try it."
I'd done self-harm for adaptation traits before.
No reason not to now.
Of course, paralysis poison was just a stab, sleep it off. Lightning poison was way worse, so I needed resolve.
Gulp.
"Alright, let's do it."
Meanwhile, Yoo A-yeon paused tracking Jaun and visited the Special Task Force headquarters for the first time in ages.
She had about five years of experience there, but since starting Dawn's Blade activities, contact had been minimal—two years since her last visit.
"Not much has changed despite the long time away."
Yoo A-yeon said, looking around. Kim Deok-hyun chuckled.
"What change in just two years?"
"Two years is plenty long. Just two years ago, there was no wireless mana charging kit."
"...Don't nitpick. You're giving me a headache."
"Anyway, what about Teresa?"
Kim Deok-hyun crossed his arms at her question.
"Hand her over to the International Magic Tribunal per the law. She's a Class 6 criminal, so the outcome's obvious. And you know—they're bound by blood oaths. Can't extract anything useful from them."
"...I know. Just curious about future plans."
"It's Association business, so stop prying. No obligation to explain to an outsider like you. And just so we're clear, I don't like you."