Chapter 271
Chapter 271
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 271
Chapter Title: Return (5)
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[You have successfully broken through the 2nd stage of the Mana stat.]
[The maximum value for the Mana stat that can be raised with coins has increased from 80 to 90.]
[You have successfully broken through the 1st stage of the Stamina stat.]
[The maximum value for the Stamina stat that can be raised with coins has increased from 70 to 80.]
[...Ugh, I'm drained.]
Having drawn the magic circle twice, Besial slumped over, completely spent.
[I'm supposed to use coins to recover my strength after drawing the magic circle, but you don't give me any. This isn't even for passion; you just make me work for free all the time... Grumble, grumble.]
"I can hear everything."
[Huh? Y-You heard me? Haha. Hahaha.]
He muttered it on purpose, yet he's playing dumb.
I've only used the stick so far, so maybe it's time for the carrot.
"Here. 1,000 coins."
[Huh?]
"What are you doing? Not taking it?"
[Oh, no. Are you really giving me this?]
"If you don't take it now, I'm taking it back."
[No, sir! I'll gladly take it, sir!]
Besial immediately snatched the coins with a bright smile.
[Don't you go back on your word later!]
"I won't. Don't worry about it."
Besial chuckled and disappeared into his subspace.
He moved just as I expected.
There was something I needed to check, and it would be inconvenient to have other eyes around.
After that, I scraped together my remaining coins and raised my Mana stat to 90.
[Mana 80 -> 90]
[A storage slot for 'Army of Darkness' has been expanded.]
The corners of my mouth lifted slightly.
My Mana stat had finally reached the 90s.
I was ready to summon my third commander-grade entity.
'It's not possible right away.'
Because of the unexpected variable that was the Dragon of the End, I had to spend more coins than anticipated on restoring my stats. As a result, I didn't have many left.
In fact, I was practically broke after that last expenditure.
That was why I couldn't raise my Stamina, even after going through the trouble of breaking its limit.
I opened my status window for the first time in a while.
[Character Information]
Name: Kim Se-hyeon
Gender: Male (26)
Strength: 80(+20)(+6%) Stamina: 70(+25)(+4%) Agility: 90(+10)(+22%) Mana: 80(+20)(+9%)
Unique Abilities: Main Player (EX), God Slayer (神殺者) (EX)
Traits: One Who Started from the End (S), Accustomed to Battle (A), Wind and Moon (B), Lord of Darkness (S), Disaster Eater (S), Diamond Body (S), Master of the End (S+)
Skills: Extreme Eye (S), Void Step (S)
My lips twisted.
It was surprising enough to have two unique abilities, but both of them were EX-rank.
Since Besial, with his administrator authority, hadn't noticed 'Main Player', he probably didn't know about God Slayer either.
And the same likely went for the other angels and demons.
But what about the gods?
Did they, the creators of the system, truly know that I possessed such power?
"Seven traits and two skills... Are all the slots full?"
Void Step, thanks to 'Speciality', didn't count toward the combined total of eight traits and skills.
I could still acquire up to five more skills due to the effect of Speciality.
The problem was with the traits.
'There are still some I need to get.'
I've acquired too many things that weren't part of the plan.
Their performance was good enough to make up for it, but with only one slot left...
...it wasn't a welcome situation when there was something I absolutely had to obtain.
'The saving grace is that Wind and Moon is granted by equipment, so it'll disappear if I unequip the item.'
The 'Purified Hwarang's Bracelet' that grants the Wind and Moon trait is an item that raises all stats by a whole 3 points.
I couldn't give it up so easily.
"Kyuu."
Lasty, who had been tucked inside my clothes, poked his head out.
When I offered a finger, he adorably rubbed his head against it.
'I can just give it to Min-woo or Min-ah.'
Jo Min-ah's growth seems to have stagnated a bit, but Jo Min-woo has been growing rapidly since he learned to wield the Blue Flames.
They might not be the 'Witch' and 'Flame Demon' I remembered, but it wouldn't be long before they were strong enough that I could entrust them with a fight without much worry.
***
"Crow-nim! When did you get here?"
"It's been a while. You don't call me Master anymore?"
"You told me not to call you that the moment I became the guild master."
"Such a cold disciple."
"N-No, it's not like that, Master."
"It's a joke, kid."
The Crow let out a short laugh.
Seong Woo-hyeon's face flushed slightly, realizing he'd been teased.
'So the welcome guest was my master.'
The very founder of the Jamryong Guild and a legendary figure with renowned disciples all over the world.
However, after stepping down as guild master several years ago to wander the world, even Seong Woo-hyeon hadn't seen his face once.
That's why Seong Woo-hyeon felt a rare sense of excitement.
"What brings you back?"
"I heard something big was happening and went to America, but by the time I arrived, it was almost over. Then I met a player named Kim Se-hyeon and ended up traveling with him."
Seong Woo-hyeon nodded, muttering, "As expected."
He had heard some rumors about the Crow's activities.
That he wasn't just wandering, but traveling around solving major incidents.
"What do you think of this player, Kim Se-hyeon?"
"That's a sudden question."
Why would the Crow suddenly ask such a thing?
After a moment's thought, Seong Woo-hyeon recalled that he had come to the residence with Kim Se-hyeon.
"He's an incredible player. In a short time, he's caught up to everything we've achieved. No, it would be fair to say he's surpassed it. I'm not sure I could win even if I fought him with everything I have."
"Then how does he compare to me?"
"Even so, I think it's a bit of a stretch to compare him to you, Master."
Hearing the answer, the Crow gave a gentle smile.
"He's probably even more exceptional than you think. Yes, perhaps... it won't be long before he surpasses the likes of me."
Seong Woo-hyeon couldn't help but let out a dry laugh.
An exaggeration.
Seong Woo-hyeon, who had watched and learned from his side when he was still in Korea, knew better than anyone just how strong the Crow was.
It wasn't for nothing that he held the title of humanity's strongest.
'It's still vivid in my mind.'
Back when the concept of an S-rank demonic beast was still vague.
The sheer majesty of him single-handedly and instantly taking down the S-rank beast that had appeared in the middle of Seoul—a beast that all the top-ranking players at the time couldn't handle even when they attacked together.
A shiver ran down Seong Woo-hyeon's spine.
A player who had surpassed S-rank—an M-rank player.
That alone proved that the Crow was the strongest.
"Does it sound like a joke?"
"...To be honest, yes. He's an excellent player, but I think it's too soon to say something like that. There are, at most, only three players who can be put on the same level as you, Master. You said so yourself."
"Trying to flatter me, are you? Your brown-nosing has improved."
"It's not flattery."
As Seong Woo-hyeon grumbled, the Crow turned his head.
"It's about time for a new generation to take over."
How many years had it been since he'd awakened as a player?
And how much had changed?
After briefly pondering such things, the Crow finally met Seong Woo-hyeon's gaze again.
"I can be sure of one thing. The next generation will be led by none other than him."
***
It was a dream.
But I knew at once that it wasn't just a simple dream.
"Yo. Long time no see."
The Vessel of Negation, one of the demon lords.
Because Belial was standing before me with a slight smirk.
There might be times when I'd need Belial's help, but getting too involved with him wasn't a good idea.
I massaged my facial muscles to keep my displeasure from showing.
"I didn't expect you to be the one to call me."
"I was watching this recent affair with great interest."
At some point, Belial had picked up a glass and was drinking something.
"Are you talking about the primeval demonic beast?"
"That hybrid knockoff of an otherworldly being isn't all that interesting."
Belial let out a derisive snort.
The Outer Gods.
The primeval demonic beast was a fragment of what are commonly called the Outer Gods.
But it made sense that he wasn't interested.
'The Outer Gods are observers of all things.'
The primeval beast's appearance and rampage on Earth was nothing more than a coincidence.
Even in EOA, the Outer Gods did practically nothing.
As a god-level being himself, there was no way Belial wouldn't have noticed that aspect of the Outer Gods.
Even so, for him to scoff at a primeval beast that could become a transcendent being by absorbing enough power...
I guess his military might really is among the top of the demon lords.
"You tamed the Dragon of the End."
"It just sort of happened."
"Do you remember what I said last time?"
What he said last time?
I searched my faint memories.
I think he said something right before I left after our talk...
"...That you'd give me a gift if you took a liking to me?"
"So you do remember."
Belial nodded in satisfaction.
When I think of a gift from a lord-class demon, the only things that come to mind are high-risk, high-return items like 'demonic swords'.
Come to think of it, in the route where the twins become enemies, Jo Min-woo was wielding Laevateinn.
Could Belial be interested in the twins as well?
"At first, I thought about sharing this power with you..."
*Fwoosh!*
Hellfire.
The highest form of fire, the eternal flames of hell, bloomed in Belial's hand.
'If I got it, I could probably push through to Chapter 40 with Hellfire alone.'
It's just that broken of a trait.
In that it can't be extinguished no matter what, it surpasses the Black Flame.
An E-rank player with Hellfire could single-handedly defeat an S-rank demonic beast, provided they somehow managed to set it ablaze.
That is, if the player themself isn't taken out first.
"Your power has grown even stronger. If I were to give you the power of Hellfire now, it would clash with what you have and do more harm than good."
"..."
"Disappointed?"
"It would obviously be a lie to say I'm not, but..."
The Eternal Devourer.
Certainly, my Black Flame had also grown stronger than before.
I could clearly feel it when I fought the primeval demonic beast.
'If I can strengthen something else instead, that would be better.'
Since he passed on Hellfire, a power of flames, what remained was darkness.
But there wasn't really anything suitable to strengthen darkness itself.
"But then, I thought of something even more interesting."
Belial's red eyes stared at me as if to pierce right through me.
"Do you happen to know of the existence of a 'Queen'?"
"...A Queen?"
"It seems you don't. Listen closely. Soldier-grade, Knight-grade, Commander-grade. Those are the only three you know, but above the Commander-grade entities, one special entity exists. That is the Queen. In other words."
Feeling a chill, I looked around to find a deep darkness had settled all around us.
From within the darkness, the Commander-grade entities I knew began to appear one by one, until finally, something that was only a silhouette appeared before me like a shadow.
"An entity far more powerful than the Commanders before it."
I swallowed a dry gulp.
Even a Commander-grade possessed power on par with a quasi-disaster.
Alpha alone had all stats at 90.
Of course, it was true that Alpha was one of the top three strongest among the Commander-grade entities.
And an entity stronger than such a Commander.
The stats that came to mind naturally crossed into a new threshold.
'A superhuman.'
A being who had broken past 100 in a stat.
He was implying that I could have a being under my command who was comparable to, or perhaps even stronger than, the Crow, the one hailed as humanity's strongest.