Chapter 360
Chapter 360
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 360
>Chapter Title: Absorbing the Darkness
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Shinrip nodded after hearing Kang Seol's request and pondering for a moment.
"Very well. This will be an experience in itself. Pack your things. We won't be returning to our lodgings for a while."
"Yes."
Kang Seol finished his business and trudged away.
"How about that? I was right, wasn't I?"
"...His aura has definitely changed. Before, he seemed like a bird with broken wings, unable to fly... Now it's like those wings have been forcibly reattached. Even with two months given, that alone doesn't explain his current aura...."
"Heh... Well, good things are good, right? Maybe he's figured out some method of his own. We can see what it is during this hunt. Doesn't seem like he's hiding it much anyway."
Nod...
Shinrip agreed with Shinhyeon and moved to pack his gear.
In the meantime, Kang Seol busied himself sorting through his items in the annex.
He paused.
'Finally....'
During those two months, Kang Seol had engaged in two main activities.
The first was dissecting nightbeast corpses to understand and internalize their structure. This could be seen as something you could glance at once and move on from.
Though Shinhyeon had emphasized understanding them, there wasn't anything particularly hidden in what was visible.
'At least until last week....'
Surprisingly, there was a secret.
'Nightbeasts... can move without souls.'
It was a secret he'd uncovered through repeated dissections and all sorts of bizarre experiments.
'Do Shinrip and Shinhyeon know this secret?'
They had been doing this for ages and recognized its importance. The chances were high they knew. But whether they took it seriously was a different matter entirely.
'Their power isn't the same as mine.'
To Kang Seol, this secret had come as quite a shock.
Just a week after learning it, he'd tasted a new realm. Not a human realm, of course, but one in shadow summoning.
'As the saying goes, the thirsty dig a well... I finally found a way.'
Shinhyeon's words weren't an exaggeration: anyone who handled shadows stepping into the pitch-black labyrinth would die, every single time.
Personal traits meant physical enhancement wasn't something achievable in a short time, and the summoning arts he'd boasted about and poured all his resources into were useless here.
It was like taking a fancy smartphone to a remote valley with no signal—utterly frustrating.
Kang Seol dissected nightbeast corpses without fail, every single day. Before their forms collapsed after dissection, he'd climb inside and use them like coffins, or even put pieces in his mouth.
Viewers wondered every time why he was still alive, given the unspeakable antics he pulled.
And eventually, those actions led to a breakthrough.
'Why can't I use my shadows, but these nightbeasts can move?'
That question arose.
That's why he'd dug into the differences between them.
Essence.
Their essences were different.
They resembled each other—sticky and pitch-black—but Kang Seol's power was precisely 'shadow,' while what made up the nightbeasts was 'darkness.'
He wasn't sure if its attribute was exactly darkness, but for conceptual clarity, he'd define it that way.
No point insisting water and oil are the same just because you mash them together—your mouth would only get sore.
Anyway, the reason he was joining this hunt was to advance this theory further. Kang Seol was convinced the key to conquering the labyrinth lay here.
'And....'
The power from the nightbeasts he'd absorbed while processing corpses.
It had greatly amplified his shadow power.
From shadow summoning, his main ability, to others—they'd all risen at least one level, making them excellent sources of proficiency.
Even the supplementary shadow abilities he'd left untouched, deeming them wasteful for ability points, had now been generated.
'It's like following the ability tree to the letter... without even spending points.'
To Kang Seol, this place was no different from a gold mine.
Gold nuggets everywhere you walked, tripping over gold if you fell. But relying on that alone had limits for growth, so he needed to delve deeper into that first secret.
He finished packing.
It was surprisingly sparse once sorted.
"Hey."
As he sat on a rock in the garden, Bitan spoke up.
"I've got something to say."
"Hm?"
"Yaksha... it's the same as before."
"What?"
"I mean Yaksha... no matter how much I lick it, it doesn't get smaller. What do I do? Is it Bitan's fault?"
Bitan had a habit of devouring weapons or souls alike, like a mythical starfish. It could even steal their power.
Kang Seol had hoped that by having Bitan consume Yaksha, it would manifest the ability to steal the opponent's swordsmanship, symbolized by Yaksha.
'Can't it absorb singularities?'
He pulled Yaksha from his inventory. It seemed slightly smaller, but the difference was so minute it might be an illusion.
Kang Seol stared at Bitan and asked.
"Can't swallow it?"
"......"
Bitan stuck out its mouth, looking sulky.
It had probably already determined it couldn't and told him so.
"Nothing we can do. I'll look into it."
"Okay!"
Night fell.
Growl...
Thud...
Roooar...
Nightbeasts that had been dormant appeared from somewhere and prowled the forest.
"Stick close. Some of them have faint presences mixed in."
"Yes."
Kang Seol followed behind Shinrip and Shinhyeon, who scanned their surroundings meticulously as they walked.
'...Hm?'
He felt a gaze from somewhere.
Over the distance of more than ten trees, intense malice prickled.
Sure enough, a massive nightbeast's form faintly entered his view.
"Right ahead...."
"I know. Your eyes have adjusted, I see."
"...Yes."
Thud... Thud... Thud...
Raaaaargh-!
The nightbeast charged with a roar.
Killing intent prickled like static.
And its soul, even more dangerous.
'Strong soul.'
No need to deliberate—it would've been a tough opponent in the past.
Finally, it snapped trees and leaped like it was flying.
Poised to devour him in one bite.
"Hup...."
In that instant, a single line appeared.
Along with Shinrip's motion connecting heaven and earth.
"Urp!"
[Shinrip uses Gahap: Strong Cleave.]
[Quickly draws the sword from its sheath to deal massive damage to a single target.]
[An unavoidable attack.]
[Applies 50% fixed damage to large foes.]
Fwoooooooosh-!
The nightbeast split in half.
'Haha....'
Clunk...
The bisected nightbeast twitched.
The soul inside had already dissipated.
"Burn it."
- So damn cool!
- Does Shinrip have a stream?
- Can't believe I missed this till now... This is what a swordsman is ㅠㅠ
- Eye-cleansing ㅋㅋㅋ No one's uploaded anything at that level yet?
- That level would one-shot Snowman too ㅋㅋㅋ
- Winter over in a flash ㅋㅋ
- ???: Summon... Gah... Cheater!
- How about learning swordsmanship, even if it passes between your legs?
- Gentleman, great minds think alike.
Kang Seol slowly approached the remains.
"What are you doing? Hurry and burn it. Big ones like this scatter into the labyrinth's darkness quickly."
"I'm not burning it."
"...What?"
Whooooosh...
Kang Seol closed his eyes and absorbed the massive remains.
[Ongoing: Shadows resonate with the sticky darkness.]
[Absorbing shadows.]
[Shadow space permanently increases by 50.]
[Darkness's blessing descends.]
[Shadow-related ability proficiencies rise.]
......
Shinhyeon tilted his head at the sight of the darkness being absorbed.
"Heh... Would you look at that? So that's what you've been up to for two months?"
"Yes."
"No issues?"
"None."
"What do you think, brother?"
Shinrip pointed at the other half with his hand.
"If you're doing it, finish it."
"Understood."
While Kang Seol absorbed the other remains, Shinhyeon approached Shinrip.
"That guy's got unique ideas; I knew it from the start...."
"To think he can suck in the labyrinth's darkness... So that's why he wanted to join the hunt."
"What do you make of it? At first, I thought some clueless thunderbolt kid wandered in, oblivious to the labyrinth's dangers...."
"My thoughts have shifted a bit too."
"Heh heh... Looks like we've saved the one the labyrinth will hate most...."
"Getting stronger by sucking in the labyrinth itself... How far do you think he can go?"
While Shinrip and Shinhyeon talked, Kang Seol approached.
"It's done."
"Good. You said you had something to confirm—did it pan out?"
"I confirmed it."
"Alright, then. We'll start clearing the area, so follow at your pace. Don't forget to clean up the remains."
Shinrip took the lead.
Shinhyeon, left behind, patted Kang Seol's shoulder.
"Now that you're out here, you can't just sightsee, right?"
"Pardon?"
"You can handle small ones yourself."
"...Yes."
Truth be told, Kang Seol had hoped for that inwardly.
Because the doubt he'd wanted to test had yielded a negative result.
'Even if Shinrip and Shinhyeon kill them, I don't get the darkness.'
In the end, he had to gather it himself to progress to the next stage.
In that situation, even small, safe specimens—the offer to hunt them personally sounded sweet.
"Of course, small ones only. Mid-sized ones risk injury, even if you win. So, I'll leave the small ones around to you. Don't get too excited."
Crackle...
Flaaash-!
Shinhyeon vanished in an instant.
Fast enough to look like he'd been struck by lightning and evaporated.
Kang Seol walked in the direction Shinrip and Shinhyeon had gone.
Soon, nightbeast corpses appeared here and there.
Even if they'd culled numbers quite a bit, these were the ones that swarmed at night.
Whooooosh...
Whoooosh...
Kang Seol absorbed the labyrinth's byproducts at rapid speed, like a vacuum cleaner.
Growl...
A nightbeast appeared behind Kang Seol.
Clearly the weakest specimen.
Flash-!
Kang Seol didn't hesitate, severing its limbs.
[Using ominous energy.]
[When applied to a weapon, sharpness maxes out, and attacks deal additional corruption damage.]
Slaaash-!
Slash-!
One of the auxiliary abilities gained from absorbing nightbeasts over two months.
He'd acquired many more, diversifying his attack options considerably.
Kang Seol severed limbs without touching the neck, immobilizing it.
This was another test.
Whooooosh...
Kreeee-!
[Gathering darkness.]
[Darkness accumulates a tiny bit.]
[Ongoing: Shadows resonate with the sticky darkness.]
[Absorbing shadows.]
[Shadow space permanently increases by 30.]
[Darkness's blessing descends.]
[Shadow-related ability proficiencies rise.]
[Insight! Awakening a new ability.]
[Ongoing: Awakening Shadow Affinity.]
......
Absorbing a living nightbeast.
Surprisingly, it worked.
Though the process was tricky.
'It burdens me?'
He couldn't use it recklessly on mid-sized or larger.
'And even direct absorption credits the darkness.'
It recognized the absorption process itself as a hunt.
As Kang Seol pondered various thoughts alone, the surrounding air suddenly felt heavier.
'...Hm?'
Whiiish...
[Beldre uses Vicious Killer.]
[Sounds generated here do not carry far.]
[First-strike additional damage increases.]
......
"...What is this?"
Flash-!
Flash-!
Two figures appeared a short distance from Kang Seol. He recognized them.
"...Those masks."
The five conquerors who had entered the labyrinth before the federation.
Two of them, the masked ones.
"You're still alive. I'll ask."
The other one spoke, not the first.
A brazen tone.
'Why are they still here?'
If they were alive, they should've moved to the next stage. Yet they were fine and hadn't attempted it.
Why? The question lingered.
If they'd shown overwhelming strength, he'd assume some scheme, but they weren't that strong.
Their power didn't feel overwhelmingly great. Still, superior to transfers.
'These guys... not transfers?'
All labyrinth visitors so far had been transfers, so he'd assumed.
If not, they were those who'd built strength before transferring.
'Even so... the pitch-black labyrinth isn't easy. How...?'
Kang Seol focused on their masks.
A quick look suggested the masks let them pierce this darkness.
One mystery solved.
'Nightbeasts only active at night, so....'
If they could see, survival was trivial.
"Have you made contact with the Hand of God?"
"...Hand of God?"
"Answer."
Kang Seol frowned at the absurd question.
Gods lounged smugly in the heavens; no way their hands had fallen here.
Thus, "Hand of God" was likely symbolic.
What divine relic warranted such a grandiose name?
'No, wait... Could it be?'
Kang Seol thought he knew what they were seeking.