Apostles Unleashed in Sloth's Dream Realm
Apostles who descend into the present world cannot escape the system's restrictions.
It was a natural measure.
If upper beings on the level of constellations descended fully into this world, it would turn everything to ruins.
The System always pursued balance, flowing under fixed laws.
Thus, lifting those restrictions was something that rarely happened.
That made the apostles' ultimate skills all the more special.
They were one of the few means capable of releasing those restrictions.
Releases the first stage of restrictions for all allies within range.
Darkness spread from Lucifer's fingertips, blanketing the temple.
Whoosh.
Within the darkness, the auras of his comrades began to blaze like fierce flames.
Gabriel's holy power flickered as pure white flames. The Blue Dragon's blue energy rose steadily as well. A faint smile played on the Blue Dragon's lips.
"So this is what it feels like to have restrictions lifted. It's like shedding sandbags strapped to my body."
Even in the deep shadows, the enemies appeared more vivid than before. The puppets' outlines stood out sharply.
Snap.
A single blue line shot out in a straight trajectory. The puppet struck at the nape shattered into pieces along with its armor, scattering apart.
The Blue Dragon landed lightly behind it.
The puppet that had given them trouble was dispatched in one blow.
Crunch!
Gabriel struck the side of another charging puppet. Holy power exploded from its waist like a burst.
Lucifer, airborne, extended his finger. A high-pressure beam of demonic magic pierced the puppet.
Boom!
The robed puppets hurriedly swung their staves, but it was futile. The black magic pierced even their spells. The shattered puppets rained down.
Seven puppets.
Vessels containing the souls of proud warriors and renowned mages—they crumbled pathetically.
Even as elite-grade monsters, they were feeble compared to apostles with restrictions released.
Shh.
The puppets disintegrated, their souls freed. The hazy souls floating up were sucked straight into Joo Kanghyeok's lantern.
Souls long bound, torn, and faded.
This was the moment eternal rest was granted to them.
Bright light welled up from the soul lantern. Joo Kanghyeok grasped the fragment that appeared before him.
A voice filled with anger came from Sloth, whose soul had been taken. Yet it only sent the voice, refusing to show itself fully.
Thud.
Lucifer landed on the floor and stood to Mumyeong's right. Gabriel stepped to his left, with the Blue Dragon following behind.
"Let's go, Master."
The spread darkness receded.
Crackle, fizz!
But the ultimate skill wasn't over yet. The faint black halo rising behind Lucifer proved it, glowing steadily.
Elite Magical Beast Slain: 7 / 7
You have cleared the First Trial.
Screech!
The firmly sealed door of the trial began to open.
Lucifer raised his spear toward the front.
"Seven Deadly Sins, just you wait. I'll smash you to pieces."
Lucifer's chilling voice echoed through the temple.
Lucifer's ultimate skill had a duration of about 30 minutes.
More than enough time to conquer the Apocalypse Temple.
Rumble!
The three apostles charged forward unstoppable.
Joo Kanghyeok didn't need to do anything.
He simply advanced through the temple's interior, eyes scanning the surroundings.
The Second Trial has been conquered.
The plant-type monsters blocking the second trial were incinerated wholesale.
The Third Trial has been conquered.
The golems awaiting in the third trial were no match either. They crumbled into dust.
Finally, the corridor leading to the Seven Deadly Sins' chamber appeared.
It had taken just 5 minutes to reach here.
Pure travel time only.
The corridor to the boss room was thick with purple energy.
This was the final trial before facing the Seven Deadly Sins.
Joo Kanghyeok halted before the door to the corridor. Thick fog blanketed the way ahead.
Lucifer tested by releasing black magic, but the fog filling the interior didn't dissipate.
- The Dream Realm of Sloth. The final gateway to slay Sloth. Survival here decides success or failure.
Sa Choiheon had said that.
'A place where you fall asleep upon entry.'
The moment you step into that fog, you plunge into deep slumber. Similar to the sleep fog used by the ma-in minions.
But a higher law governed inside.
The instant you enter, an irresistible force takes hold.
This was the trial every hunter conquering the Apocalypse Temple had to face.
'Entering here puts even the Seven Deadly Sin Sloth to sleep.'
But two Seven Deadly Sins had descended now.
Sloth and Envy.
If I fall asleep, Envy will reveal itself.
Yet they couldn't avoid advancing.
They had to pass this to confront the Seven Deadly Sins.
For the Sins, it was defense. For me and the apostles, a siege.
"I'll leave the rear to you."
I turned and said.
The Blue Dragon and Gabriel looked at me. Confidence gleamed in their eyes, restrictions lifted.
"Leave it to me."
"We'll protect you no matter what, Master."
I could fully trust these two.
"Let's go, Lucifer."
"Yes."
I stepped into the fog with Lucifer.
Irresistible drowsiness poured down.
Eyelids grew heavy, breaths slowed. Numbness enveloped my body, vision blurring.
One of humanity's great urges—sleep—began to dominate.
Still, I managed a few steps thanks to my supreme mental fortitude.
Sway. My body tilted, the floor rushing up.
The moment consciousness faded.
Flash!
I opened my eyes in a dream.
Dream Realm of Sloth
Joo Kanghyeok lay in the center of a vast plain. A beautiful paradise blooming with flowers everywhere the eye could see.
"Master. Are you alright?"
Turning his head, Lucifer—who had risen first—extended a hand. He took it and stood.
Fresh wind blew under the blue sky.
An endless garden of flowers.
But the message floating above was ominous.
Survive for 30 minutes.
Time Remaining: 00:29:41
This was the message hunters received upon reaching the final trial.
Not hunting or slaying—survival.
And just over 30 minutes at that.
The hunters meant to conquer the Apocalypse Temple were all top-rankers of supreme skill.
30 minutes of survival for them? It seemed laughable at first glance.
But Joo Kanghyeok knew better. Sa Choiheon had warned him beforehand.
Survival.
Those two words carried no lightness.
Surviving the Dream Realm of Sloth itself was an immense trial.
Sloth of the Seven Deadly Sins suddenly appeared in the air. The opposite of his previous thorough concealment.
A middle-aged man with hollow eyes.
His attire was neat, like a medieval noble. Sloth adjusted his necktie and looked down at Mumyeong.
"······."
His voice carried overwhelming presence. Even Joo Kanghyeok struggled to look straight up at him.
Sloth remained leisurely even before Mumyeong. Possible only because this was a clone, not his main body.
Creating clones wasn't even Sloth's authority. Clone generation was Pride's specialty—a different power altogether.
Yet Sloth deployed a clone effortlessly.
There was one reason he could.
This was the world of dreams.
A virtual space born of Sloth's authority.
Sloth's lips twisted grotesquely. Raising his hand, countless puppets crawled up from the earth.
Faceless mannequins like wooden puppets. One kicked off the ground and leaped.
Bang!
Lucifer's spear clashed with the puppet's arm. A fierce shockwave erupted. Flowers across the plain shook in unison.
"Urk?! What the···."
Lucifer's eyes widened as he blocked the attack.
An ordinary puppet, yet impossibly strong.
His hand gripping the spear trembled.
Sloth snapped his fingers. Black wings sprouted from the puppet facing Lucifer.
Skin covered the faceless form, black hair cascading down. It was unmistakably Lucifer.
Not just appearance.
Boom!
A massive explosion of black magic shook the ground.
Sloth's lips curled.
The puppet widened the distance, firing multiple magic beams from its fingertips. Lucifer raised his spear and countered with his own beams.
But in the Dream Realm of Sloth, the victor was predetermined.
"Guh···!"
Lucifer was flung back. Even with ultimate skill active, he couldn't match it. His dedicated weapon and released restriction fell away futilely.
Countless black magic beams rained from the air. Boom boom! Explosions rolled Lucifer across the ground.
Sloth mocked.
Lucifer stabbed his spear into the ground and struggled to rise. Looking up, countless puppets surrounded him.
Each one a powerhouse rivaling Lucifer.
At least in the Dream Realm of Sloth.
Even with his dedicated weapon, even with one restriction released—he couldn't win.
"What kind of ridiculous cheat is this···."
But enduring 30 minutes would clear the final trial and dispel the Dream Realm. That was the only answer.
Hummm.
Red magic gathered in Sloth's hand.
Rumble···.
The immense magic flow began crushing the area.
"Get out of the way, you bastards. Master!"
Lucifer swung his spear to protect his master, but the puppets wouldn't allow it. Their fierce assaults poured down.
Mumyeong remained silent.
His expression hidden in the robe was unreadable, but Sloth was convinced.
If he could eliminate them, he would have by now.
He wasn't choosing not to—it was that he couldn't.
Mumyeong, slayer of the Seven Deadly Sin Pride.
His power was beyond what any individual should possess.
That provoked caution from the Seven Deadly Sins and awakened fear in the ma-in.
Yet at its core, he was human.
A hunter bound by the System.
What bound Mumyeong so tightly was unknown.
Too little information to deduce.
But one thing was clear.
Right now, Mumyeong couldn't wield his power.
Look—his apostle in peril, and he merely watches.
Hummm!
A crimson orb finally formed in Sloth's palm.
'Surviving the Dream Realm of Sloth isn't hard. The System still works inside.'
Sa Choiheon had explained and even handed over an item.
'Use this. Evacuate to sub-space and buy time. The Dream Realm weakens there.'
An item that would shock Sloth. Even in the Dream Realm, the inventory remained intact.
Sa Choiheon's necklace was still there.
Using it would easily clear the final trial.
But Joo Kanghyeok didn't.
He simply focused ahead.
'The faint energy··· it's thickening.'
It started after Lucifer activated his ultimate.
- Releases the first stage of restrictions for all allies within range.
Joo Kanghyeok began seeing death energy.
An energy visible only when activating the ultimate's special ability. Now faintly perceptible.
'Did the restriction release affect me too?'
All allies within range.
That included Joo Kanghyeok.
Just a vague guess.
No way to confirm.
Anyway, Joo Kanghyeok tried manipulating the death energy. It wasn't easy at first.
The barely visible energy scattered immediately.
But with each attempt, it grew denser.
Upon entering the Dream Realm, the death energy sharpened. Control became much easier. Joo Kanghyeok directed it toward the puppets and Sloth.
'Puppets are inanimate···.'
Even directing death energy at them, it slid off like water.
But Joo Kanghyeok tried again.
'If I can overlay the death energy···.'
But time didn't allow it.
The crimson orb in Sloth's grasp seemed ready to fire any second.
'Tch, just a bit more and···.'
Only then did Joo Kanghyeok raise his head.
'Sloth.'
Ways to block it abounded.
Instant Death would avert the immediate crisis. But it would consume the reset token.
He could use Limit Breaker to release Lucifer's next restriction. Two stages released, Lucifer would be truly powerful.
Joo Kanghyeok chose neither.
Nor did he consider fleeing with the Necklace of Segmentation.
He simply took one step forward, fixing his gaze on Sloth.
Death energy enveloped Sloth.
On a living being like Sloth, it draped easily.
Instant Death here would instantly kill the clone.
But he didn't need his unique skill.
'Monsters in dreams···.'
No levels visible on the puppets or Sloth's clone.
Where levels should show.
'No levels.'
No level meant treated as 0.
Like the cockroach in his old room.
Thus, taking down the Sloth before him was simple.
Joo Kanghyeok quietly opened his mouth.
"Die."
Whoosh!
Sloth's clone exploded into fragments. The magic orb it gathered slowly fell to the ground.
"Urk, Master!"
Lucifer, blocked by puppets, unable to return.
Joo Kanghyeok used the feather from his pocket.
Black Apostle Summon
Space warped instantly, Lucifer teleporting straight to Joo Kanghyeok.
Sloth's red magic orb touched the ground.
A massive explosion erupted.
Rumble!
Lucifer raised his spear to offset the blast.
His robe and hair whipped wildly in the shockwave, but no damage was taken.
With Sloth's admiration, the encircling puppets began converging.
Joo Kanghyeok gripped the Necklace of Segmentation, observing the puppets.
Just a little more. A bit longer.
And in that instant.
Shh.
Death energy overlaid onto a puppet.
"Got it."
Finally.
It felt like a nagging tooth pulled—pure relief.
A faint smile touched Joo Kanghyeok's lips.
Lucifer stared at him in bewilderment.
"Got it? What do you mean···."
After that, it was easy.
Just spread the overlaid death energy around.
Hummm.
Death energy blanketed the puppets at Joo Kanghyeok's will. Like a plague, it clung firmly to them.
The puppets gathered around Joo Kanghyeok.
No levels on them.
Illusions born in the Dream Realm.
But Instant Death targeted living beings only.
It didn't work on inanimate puppets.
Yet Joo Kanghyeok could feel it.
The death energy rampant on the puppets.
Then.
Perhaps possible.
At last, Joo Kanghyeok's lips moved.
"—."
The two syllables proclaiming death echoed softly.
For a moment, silence fell over the Dream Realm. The creaking puppets halted en masse.
The instant that fleeting time passed.
Rumble!
The puppets encircling Mumyeong began shattering simultaneously. Fragments sprayed as they met their end. Pieces rained down like a storm.
Patter patter.
That death was no different from a living being's.
"···Master?"
Lucifer's pupils shook, witnessing the scene. Instant Death for living targets had activated on the inanimate. He couldn't comprehend the principle.
But one thing was certain.
In this moment.
Mumyeong had transcended the System's restrictions.