Chapter 292
Chapter 292
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 292
Chapter Title: The Demon God's Arrangement (1)
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Berserk. And the ability of the master skill Storm Incarnation, derived from Berserk, becoming 1.5 times stronger wasn't merely about amplifying its power.
An increase in duration, along with reductions in cooldown and aftereffects.
Rokan's expression turned subtle as he confirmed it.
"So that's why."
He had sensed something while hunting the Flame Titan.
Even with his stats doubled by the effect of Unyielding Will, the enemy's physical abilities under Berserk had been overwhelming, and its duration had far exceeded thirty minutes.
Thanks to the sleep powder, he'd taken no damage, but without it—focusing solely on time-reversal time-lag attacks—he might have been in real trouble.
It was chilling to think back on.
"Well, it worked out, so all good."
But Rokan wasn't the type to dwell on the past, so long as he hadn't taken a loss.
In that sense, the Flame Titan hunt had been a mess in process but great in results, leaving him satisfied.
'So there's a blind spot like this...'
Still, he made a note for reflection. Among the Grand Master privileges Gao Khan had mentioned was the ability to acquire skills from other classes.
Monsters had somewhat limited skills, but users? They'd probably cram every acquirable skill into their arsenal, whether they used them or not.
What if Berserk was one of them?
Sure, skills learned that way came with restrictions, but even a crude imitation would erode the comparative edge he'd held so far. Countermeasures were needed.
"Huu, then before the mobs respawn, let's head down... Eh?"
Lost in his thoughts, Rokan refocused and pulled out the Celestial Rune Book—right then, a strange reverberation hit him.
Resonance? No. This was closer to a howl.
Like the subtle tremor of a beast growling at an intruder in its domain.
He couldn't explain it, but Rokan pinpointed the cause instantly.
*Celestial God's Starlight Gauntlet.*
The faint arm tremor he'd felt wasn't his own.
He'd chalked it up to the intense battle with a powerful foe, but now he was certain it wasn't.
"No way the Celestial God's Arrangement is here, so then?"
Demon God's Arrangement.
Something the clingy Demon God had set up was definitely here.
"Not a good time right now..."
But rushing over wasn't viable. The Storm Incarnation aftereffects lingered.
*Should I swing by the village first?*
He mulled it over, but whatever the presumed Demon God's Arrangement was, it allowed no such delay.
Ruuuumble.
"Eh, no way?"
It wasn't the gauntlet—the entire volcano began shaking violently.
"Damn it!"
No mistake. This was the precursor to a volcanic eruption.
Why this timing of all times?
*The Titan dying? Or shoving those monsters into the lava earlier?*
No time for hesitation. If the volcano truly erupted like this, who knew when he'd return.
No choice left.
"Where?!"
His only navigation was the bracelet's tremor.
Spinning in a circle and honing in on the sensation in his arm, Rokan quickly locked onto the direction and charged ahead.
All the while, the volcano shuddered fiercely.
"Unicorn, summon!"
*Neigh!*
He summoned and mounted the unicorn outright.
Partially to boost his movement speed, but with the aftereffects still in play, he also intended to leverage the unicorn's combat prowess.
*Pop!*
Any fire eggs or flame ghosts blocking his path burst into harmless sparks on contact, letting Rokan focus solely on the arm's guidance.
"That way!"
Mixing in some mobility skills let the unicorn rampage like it owned the place.
Just as magic countered divinity, divinity countered magic.
When opposites clashed, the stronger one dominated—it was only natural.
*Crackle!*
Upon entering a certain point, the unicorn's divinity reacted with some potent magic.
Irregular explosions erupted as the two forces vied to devour each other.
"Rider of Legends, Full-Body Charge!"
The unicorn strained under the pressure, but Rokan pushed through. A reaction this intense meant he'd found the right spot.
Buffing the unicorn and accelerating, he tore through the semitransparent black barrier.
*Boom! Neigh!*
"Reverse summon!"
A massive explosion.
Rokan reverse-summoned the unicorn amid its agonized cry. He couldn't lose it to something like this.
Instead, his unrecovered body absorbed the blast.
"Urk."
His HP plummeted.
Even after the unicorn tanked most of it, the incoming damage was no joke.
He gritted his teeth against destructive force that made him think he might actually die.
"...Is it over?"
But that was the end of it. His stats were down from aftereffects, yet he had immense HP to begin with.
The HP drain, like water from a leaky jar, halted just under 30%, and Rokan spotted a door materializing where none had been.
"Here?"
It might be a trap. Demons loved pranks like this.
*A Demon God might play differently, though.*
Still, recovery first.
The moment Rokan reached for a potion, another anomaly struck.
*Boom rumble explode pop bang pop boom!*
The real volcanic eruption. The prior clash might have accelerated it.
"Crazy."
And he was deep in the volcano's heart.
A small cave inside the crater.
The first spot lava would flood when it overflowed.
*Sizzle.*
Scorching heat rolled in with the lava surging like a tidal wave.
No time to leisurely chug potions.
"Bell of Truth, summon!"
He gulped one down quick, tossed the bottle, and even amid chaos summoned the Bell of Truth to query if the door was a trap.
[Truth.]
*Clunk!*
Confirmed, he yanked the door open violently, slipped inside, and barricaded it tight against the lava.
[One recognized by potent magic.]
"......!"
Moments later, a voice echoed from somewhere—just like with the Celestial God's Arrangement.
Though he'd guessed wrong again.
[Prove your malice.]
*Flash.*
His vision shifted. The dim void brightened.
"A village?"
What appeared was a gloomy village bathed in bright moonlight.
"Kyaaack!"
"Ughh heh heh..."
"This is..."
The situation was dire.
A zombie-ravaged village.
Most residents were dead or zombified and gone, with only women and children herded to the central square, awaiting death.
*'Prove your malice,' it said.*
So, save them? No.
Instead of diving into the scenario, Rokan recalled the Demon God's voice.
Malice, malice...
His eyes gleamed as understanding dawned.
"Aura Bombardment!"
*Boom rumble explode!*
He began sweeping away the zombies. A High Master might struggle in his current state, but mere zombies? No chance.
[Hungry Zombie][Lv 30]
Pathetic weaklings that'd keel over from breathing alone—Rokan cleared them effortlessly.
"Th-thank..."
*Thwack!*
Then he butchered the huddled women and children in the square.
*'All the men dead, but women and kids surviving in the open square? No basements or hidden rooms.'*
Massacre.
That was Rokan's choice.
*Hiss...*
With every being slain, black smoke billowed from the dead women and children.
It coalesced in midair, forming letters.
[Saw your malice well.]
[Now prove your mind reading.]
"What's this now?"
The scene reset to the start.
But soon, something layered onto his body.
[Abnormal status: Exposed to Silence.]
[Abnormal status: Exposed to Blindness.]
[Abnormal status: Exposed to Deafness.]
[Abnormal status: Exposed to Pain.]
[Abnormal status: Exposed to Fatigue.]
[Abnormal status: Exposed to Delirium—]
Everything vanished in an instant. He couldn't see, hear, or speak, his whole body weighed a thousand tons.
[Move to the destination within the time limit.]
[Time limit: 9 minutes 59 seconds]
Deprived of bodily freedom and wracked with pain, yet ordered to reach the goal on time.
[Blessing of the Earth recovers all abnormal statuses.]
A flash of dismay hit him, but only briefly. As a Demon God's curse, he'd merely sampled it—the Blessing of the Earth swiftly cleared everything.
"Heh heh heh."
Having grasped the situation, Rokan chuckled slyly.
Even by his standards, Unyielding Will and Blessing of the Earth were broken.
To think they'd dispel a Demon God's curse.
He advanced without a care.
*Recovery's not working, though.*
One drawback: the thick magic permeating the space rendered potions useless.
Natural regen functioned, but external recovery? Zilch.
'A bit risky.'
If a combat trial popped up in this state, he'd have to fight with penalties.
Ideally, he'd warp to the destination, burn the full timer, then enter—but with no marker, that was impossible.
Rokan proceeded cautiously, step by step.
*'All those curses stacked? He'd be crawling. This should suffice.'*
Moments later, he passed the second trial.
[Impressive mind reading!]
[Now, the final trial. Endure it!]
"......!"
*Whoosh.*
The next onslaught was the polar opposite of before.
"Holy power?"
Why would a Demon God douse him in holy power? Baffling—but he quickly realized.
In the Demon God's scheme, only demon-aligned beings would reach here.
They'd have taken damage proportional to the holy power's intensity.
"Ahh, nice."
For Rokan, it felt refreshing, like slipping into a hot bath.
A sunny stroll, his body disinfected throughout. His depleted HP refilled, all cooldowns and aftereffects reset.
[Excellent! Now inherit my will—crush those filthy, hypocritical scum!]
*Ruuuumble.*
With the Demon God's final words, an altar rose, much like the Celestial God's Arrangement.
"Clone, summon."
He'd done this before, but Rokan stayed wary.
No harm in caution.
*Pop!*
And his instincts proved right this time.
The moment the clone approached the altar and touched the item, black lightning crashed from above, exploding it.
A nasty prank right when he thought it was over.
"Nice catch."
*Whish. Thud.*
But Rokan secured the Demon God's Arrangement regardless. Instead of carrying it over, the clone had hurled it straight to him.
In that instant, the space-filling magic vanished.
The last traces sucked into the Demon God's Arrangement.
*Whoooo...*
A gate materialized.
"Yep. Pass."
But Rokan didn't step on it.
Who knew what trick the Demon God had rigged, and if it linked straight outside, he'd melt in lava instantly.
Instead, he pulled out the Celestial Rune Book.
Spatial travel restrictions lifted with the magic gone—he could go anywhere desired.
Back to the demon castle.
There, with pounding heart, Rokan checked the item's info.