Chapter 320
Chapter 320
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 320
Chapter Title: Transcender (1)
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He opened his closed eyes, and a strange ceiling came into view. It wasn't the place where the Heavenly God's arrangement had kept him asleep. Just an ordinary cave.
Rokan soon realized why he was here.
“Awake?”
It was Kirito. While Rokan had been unconscious, he'd been flung out of the spatial rift and Kirito had carried him to safety.
Around him were the werewolves, still looking utterly exhausted.
“Ugh... how long was I out?”
“An hour or two?”
Fortunately, not much time had passed.
They couldn't have gotten too far from the mine, which could be dangerous, but the werewolves were fast, and with no survivors left in the mine, it should be fine.
Gmoltan would be focused on the war with the Celestial Clan for now, after all.
“Good.”
After taking a moment to compose himself, Rokan focused on checking their current location and the werewolves' condition.
He pulled out the ingredients he'd stocked in his inventory and concentrated on feeding them well to help them regain their strength.
“What about Sharlock?”
“No idea. We all scattered.”
With a bit of breathing room, he asked about freeing the vampires, his next goal, but got nothing.
Unlike the werewolves who'd been enslaved, Sharlock and all his subordinates were still missing.
“I see.”
“So, what's your plan now? Challenge Gmoltan again?”
“Challenge...”
Seeing him stabilized, Kirito now posed the question.
Would Kirito step up to help if he said he was going to fight? Their tribe was already on the brink of annihilation.
Rokan peered into Kirito's eyes and changed his mind.
He didn't look scared, but using them right now seemed like too much of a stretch.
“Yeah. I'll go alone this time.”
“Alone? But...”
Even as a Visitor who could revive after death, it looked like pitting an egg against a rock, and Kirito's face filled with worry.
His concern was valid—even if Rokan somehow reached Grand Master right now, taking on Gmoltan's army single-handedly would be reckless.
But Rokan grinned. He knew what worried him, but Rokan had countermeasures too.
“Recover your strength in the meantime. I'll have work for you later.”
“...Understood.”
Rokan's resolve was firm, so Kirito couldn't argue further. Besides, their tribe's power was at an all-time low.
He'd managed some growth by fleeing and ambushing pursuers in turn, but the rest of the tribe was weakened in both numbers and condition. Stepping up to help Rokan now would just burden him.
With their meeting concluded, Rokan set off immediately.
He needed to hurry to hit his targeted timing perfectly.
“Then, see you later.”
After getting a brief on where Kirito and the werewolves were headed, Rokan used the Heavenly Rune Book to head to the Demon Clan's territory first, then gathered intel.
‘They'll clash soon.’
As expected, the Celestial Clan and Gmoltan's forces were gathering at the border region.
Skirmishes were breaking out everywhere, and interest in the vanished Rokan had largely faded.
So, Rokan fanned the flames of their conflict even more.
He started spreading false info through information brokers again.
[The Celestial Clan infiltrated Gmoltan's territory and massacred everyone!]
[Gmoltan's heir was slain by the Celestial Clan!]
Framing his own planned actions as the Celestial Clan's doing.
And he leaked one more piece of info discreetly.
“Whew, now if I just play my cards right.”
With the groundwork laid, Rokan assessed their positions and speed while checking himself over.
The Soul Collector's authority was destroyed, so Transcendent Awakening was no longer available. But he'd absorbed the blood of the Heavenly God and Demon God, and greatly strengthened the Demon God's Fang Belt.
“The blood's effects... not sure yet.”
But he wasn't feeling much from the blood absorption.
All his stats had surged, and his divinity and darkness resistance had skyrocketed, but for swallowing two god-rank bloods, that was a failure.
So Rokan judged there was something else latent he hadn't discovered yet.
Thus, he checked what he could first.
[Demon God's Fang Belt][God]
A belt made by the Demon God himself from one of his own fangs.
It seems like it could chew and swallow anything.
-Defense: 6,666
-Durability: Indestructible
-Strength +666
-Vitality +666
-[Predation Growth] Available
-Additional Defense +6,666
-All Stats +300
-Movement Speed +20%
-[Evil Spirit Domination] Available
-[Demonization] Available
“Hm?”
The options had generally improved across the board. But something caught his eye. The new [Demonization] skill. What was this?
[Demonization]
Temporarily transform your body into a spirit body made of demonic energy.
You can pass through anything and condense and emit powerful demonic energy.
-Reuse Cooldown: 1 Day
“Demonization...”
A bit ambiguous. It seemed like a strengthening skill similar to Gale Incarnation, but did it even mean anything to him? He didn't have demonic energy right now.
‘Better than nothing.’
He wanted to test Demonization right away, but with a full-day cooldown, he held off.
Then he headed out to spectate the rare war between Celestial and Demon Clans in the heavens.
[Value Proof: King of Violence][Quest]
You who possess the qualifications of a Transcender, prove your worth.
-Completion Conditions
1. Subjugate beings Lv300 or below: 1,000,000 / 1,000,000 (Complete)
2. Subjugate beings Lv300+: 100,000 / 100,000 (Complete)
3. Subjugate beings Lv350+: 10,000 / 10,000
4. Subjugate beings Lv400+: 7 / 10
-Completion Rewards: +1 Level, Promotion to Grand Master
It was almost there.
Rokan checked the remaining quest conditions and eagerly awaited the great battle.
Just three more Lv400+ beings left.
He'd racked up more than expected on the way to Green Dragon Samalian's lair, so he didn't need to intervene in their fight, but sneaking around didn't suit Rokan's style.
Since their relationship was beyond repair anyway, why not make a proper show of it? Remind them who he was. Who they'd dared to cross.
“Go! Show those vile scum the power of the Heavenly God!”
“Cowards hiding in the back peeling pumpkin seeds. Etch it into their minds who a mere high priest is daring to challenge!”
Soon after, the great battle began.
At Gmoltan and the high priest's shouts, both armies clashed head-on.
The Celestial Clan's buffs shone dazzlingly, while the Demon Clan's curses descended like dusk.
One side unleashed bombardments of holy magic, the other charged like tanks.
A desperate battle began, each side flaunting their power in their own way.
“As expected, this is the prime spot.”
From beyond a hill with a perfect view, Rokan set up camp. He munched on specially popped popcorn and slurped his drink.
Weren't fires and fights the best shows?
And among fights, scrubs battling was fiercer and more fun than masters'.
It'd take time for the elites to clash, but watching masters and high masters trade blows was plenty entertaining.
“Oh?”
As Rokan observed the battle, his eyes narrowed. He spotted certain figures struggling valiantly between the Celestial Clan and demonic beasts.
Users.
Whether seizing an opportunity or triggered by a quest, as expected, BerDan and his guildmates were in the Celestial camp, while another guild raged on the opposite side.
Their numbers looked to be around a hundred.
“They're already here in droves.”
Even if pioneer players from each country dumped high-master gear from the Heavenly Realm on the ground, this was impressively fast.
But no familiar faces. At least, no Korean users that Rokan knew of. Probably because he hadn't released items.
It was also the result of top rankers like Ragnarok falling.
No regrets or disappointment, though. Koreans would find a way even in worse conditions, and soon more would ascend.
From experience, in a place where first-mover advantage meant little, arriving early wouldn't let any nation dominate.
‘They'll come soon.’
Plus, he'd recently dumped some items for quests—not much, but it would speed up Korean users' ascent.
“Let's see what they've got.”
In this extreme situation, BerDan or anyone would have to bring their all.
They didn't even know Rokan was watching, but their every detail would be dissected by him.
“Oh, that one's decent.”
“How'd that trash get to the heavens? Useless!”
“That skill's worth noting.”
Rokan spectated for a good while, munching popcorn.
All wielding master skills, they were quite analyzable.
After some time, with the grunts' stalemate dragging on, the elites from each side stepped up.
Gmoltan's massive demonic beasts.
And pure Celestials, the Heavenly God's priests, high priests, and holy knights flew toward the front.
“Now it really starts.”
Everything before was just a prelude or warmup. This was the true battle.
These elites could sweep away all the earlier dead in moments.
Unless you were an outlier like Rokan, could hundreds of high masters even handle one Grand Master? Even that was doubtful.
Thus, surviving users who'd been eyeing things slyly retreated to the rear.
Planning to snipe from range and stay alive.
Whether it'd work was another story.
“Time for me to prep too.”
Rokan swallowed his last popcorn and stood.
Getting closer risked detection by Gmoltan or others, but he didn't care. No plans to approach yet.
He'd move when both sides were exhausted.
Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwang!
A clash between Lv400 Grand Masters. The terrain shifted, shockwaves sweeping dozens away like nothing.
Those foolishly near them got caught in the aftermath and died, leaving only fellow Lv400+ or ranged casters able to intervene.
“Kill them quickly!”
Chwaak! Chwaak!
Gmoltan's whip lashed viciously—not at enemies, but allies.
As a beast tamer, each crack on their backs empowered his massive demonic beasts further.
Their numbers had dwindled, but if he'd done this from the start without dropping guard, could Rokan have survived? Hard to say.
The strengthened beasts ravaged the Celestial lines, who barely held using numerical superiority.
But no one knew how long the Celestials could endure, or how long the beasts could stay buffed.
One thing was certain: when the balance tipped, the tide would turn dramatically.
“Perfect.”
Right then, Rokan moved.
Pulling every power including Gale Incarnation, he leaped through space.
“Blink.”
A movement skill that let him teleport anywhere in his line of sight.
With eyes piercing all creation, seeing far as near, Rokan targeted the backs of the Celestial elites fully committed to blocking the massive beasts.