Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Shedding Mortality
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[You sure you won't regret this?]
These were Chaos's words after hearing Hae-jin's decision just moments ago.
Hae-jin nodded in response.
"Yeah. If it means getting stronger, I have to endure it."
[Good. Then I'll grant you the power of Chaos.]
In the end, Hae-jin decided to accept power from Chaos, bearing the risk of death.
There was one regret about it.
"If only I could regress a few more times."
Then, this risk wouldn't even be a risk at all.
That's why he'd hesitated about refusing it.
He already had the foundation to grow stronger than the original Joo-hyuk.
So, he wondered if he even needed Chaos's power.
But Hae-jin thought.
"If I can't overcome even this, can I perfectly succeed with the final chance Joo-hyuk sacrificed himself to give me?"
He still remembered.
That moment in the final Trials' Arena.
The Heavenly God and the Demon God.
They were overwhelmingly powerful.
They'd wiped everyone out early on because their attacks didn't land due to their invincibility, but even without that initial phase, victory wouldn't have been guaranteed.
That's why Hae-jin believed it was right to take any power that could make him stronger.
That was the reason he chose to accept Chaos's power.
Above all, he hadn't just inherited Joo-hyuk's job—he'd received everything he had.
Joo-hyuk's long experience as a regressor told him.
This was possible.
As always, Hae-jin trusted the judgment of the leader he followed.
"Then I'll hand it over right now—the power of Chaos."
[Very well.]
The moment Chaos said he would transfer his power, a golden energy began descending from him.
Hae-jin had thought that since it was 'Chaos' and the surrounding space was dyed so black, its energy would manifest as black.
Surprisingly, its power was the same golden hue as his eyes.
The power of Chaos slowly descended, seeping into Hae-jin's chest.
That was when it happened.
Pababak-!
"Urk!"
Hae-jin convulsed violently, just like in those zombie transformation scenes from movies.
Veins bulged across his convulsing body.
He gritted his teeth, stifling his agonized screams.
Even before regressing, he'd endured plenty of pain like this.
Some trials simply required bearing raw agony.
Moreover, Hae-jin had realized something after countless trials.
Physical pain was better.
"Better than watching a teammate suffer or enduring mental torment—this much, I can take."
That didn't mean there was no pain.
Honestly, this was among the worst physical pains he'd ever felt, before or after regressing.
But he endured it with his mental fortitude.
Why?
Because he couldn't die.
There was Joo-hyuk's sacrifice, but Hae-jin's life wasn't just his own.
His survival meant the lives of the teammates he had to lead forward.
So.
"I can't die."
He would endure no matter what.
He wouldn't die.
That's what Hae-jin resolved.
That was when it happened.
"Kuhuk!"
A sudden, explosive scream from Hae-jin.
Something black gushed from his mouth.
Black sweat poured from his entire body.
Then, his agonized expression turned blank, and cracks began spiderwebbing across his face.
Seeing this, Chaos chuckled.
[Looks like it worked.]
It worked.
Meaning Hae-jin had successfully accepted Chaos's power.
The cracks spread across Hae-jin's skin.
Like shattered pottery, pieces of skin flaked off here and there.
His already pale skin became even whiter and more resilient.
He could feel his body growing more toned.
As his transformed body settled, Hae-jin opened his eyes.
"What is this..."
Hae-jin examined his body from all angles.
Then, suddenly, he pinched his nose.
"Ugh, what’s that smell...!"
Curious about his state at first, then reeling from the stench, Hae-jin pinched his nose shut.
Chaos explained to him.
[Congratulations, human. You've been reborn by accepting my power.]
"Reborn?"
[They call it 'Shedding Mortality' in the martial world. But we can just say you've obtained a far stronger vessel.]
"Shedding Mortality..."
The term Chaos mentioned appeared before Hae-jin's eyes.
Right after absorbing Chaos's power amid the agony, a system window popped up once the pain subsided.
[Title acquired! 'Shedding Mortality'!]
It was a new title gained from accepting Chaos's power.
Seeing it, Hae-jin thought.
"If it were a title I already had, I wouldn't get it again, right?"
He'd clearly inherited everything from Joo-hyuk.
That included over 300 titles.
Joo-hyuk had always monopolized everything.
But the new 'Shedding Mortality' title didn't trigger a duplicate message.
Hae-jin knew plenty from his pre-regression trials.
If you tried acquiring a title you already had, this system message appeared.
[System! You cannot acquire additional copies of titles you already possess.]
But no such message came for 'Shedding Mortality'.
Meaning it was a title even Joo-hyuk didn't have.
Hae-jin felt a twinge of pride.
"To get a title even the leader couldn't..."
For Hae-jin, who never dreamed of surpassing Joo-hyuk, this was exhilarating.
He'd only thought succeeding by following Joo-hyuk's guidance would be enough.
But Hae-jin could start from a superior position to Joo-hyuk's origin.
Boosting stats with the Rune of Massacre, then inheriting everything via the exchanged Rune of Regression.
Of course, a superior start wasn't always better.
"Anyway, it cost a regression chance."
For stability, slowly building experience through personal regressions with the Rune of Regression might have been wiser.
But what was done was done.
"Give it my all in the present."
Anyway, Hae-jin checked the title even Joo-hyuk lacked.
To do that, he opened his status window.
"Status window."
Calling up his status, Hae-jin's eyes widened.
Curses spilled from his lips.
"What the hell!"
Hae-jin freaked out before even reading the 'Shedding Mortality' description.
He had no choice.
His current status window read:
[Status Window]
Name: Park Hae-jin
Nickname: Park Hae-jin
Titles: 325
Job: Lord of Chaos
Level: 40
Stats:
- Strength: 1,406,208 (36 + 1,333,332 + 72,840)
- Agility: 1,418,134 (42 + 1,333,332 + 84,760)
- Intelligence: 1,418,056 (126 + 1,333,332 + 84,560)
- Vitality: 1,410,146 (34 + 1,333,332 + 76,780)
- Charm: 1,427,864 (32 + 1,333,332 + 94,500)
- Skills: 127
- Runes: 16
- Bonus Stats: None.
All his stats had doubled.
Base stats, equipment stats, title stats—everything.
Hae-jin had started with absurd numbers from inheriting Joo-hyuk's everything, and now they ballooned further. He couldn't believe it.
No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than he opened his title window.
Scrolling through the 300+ list, he found Shedding Mortality.
He checked its details.
Description: Those who surpass all limits reshape their bodies to match that realm.
Effect: All stats x2.
"...?!"
Hae-jin was floored by the Shedding Mortality details.
The description and effect were incredibly simple.
Yet the effect was insane.
All stats doubled?
He'd seen similar effects before.
Options like "All stats x2" existed.
But they paled compared to this true "All stats x2" from Shedding Mortality.
Typical "all stats" only applied to level-up points.
They ignored equipment or title stats.
But Shedding Mortality's "all stats x2" doubled everything—personal stats, gear, titles.
It was just broken.
Seeing Hae-jin's shock, Chaos spoke in a satisfied tone.
[How is it? Satisfied?]
"Yeah, not bad."
[Not bad, he says.]
Chaos sounded incredulous.
To him, Hae-jin said something even more outrageous.
"So, what's next?"
[What?]
Chaos reacted with bewilderment.
He had to.
The power he'd just given was immense—a god's power.
To the baffled Chaos, Hae-jin pressed.
"I'm asking if there's more."
[Wow, this guy's insane? Taking Chaos's power twice over and asking for more?]
"Isn't that obvious? Normally, besides the job change, you get gear as a reward too."
The Tower of Job Change did give job-synergistic gear on higher floors.
But that was just layer-by-layer rewards up to the 35th top floor for god-tier jobs.
So, after reaching the top and getting 'Lord of Chaos,' no gear was provided.
Hae-jin knew that.
Still, if there was more to squeeze out, he had to try.
Seeing Hae-jin's casual haggling, Chaos said.
[You've got plenty of gear already. Why beg for more? That's all god-tier stuff. You're wrapped head to toe in the best—greedy much?]
To Chaos, who pointed out his top gear made more pointless, Hae-jin replied.
"Well, yeah, but there's that saying—more is always better?"
[More is always better?]
"Da-da-ik-seon. The more, the better. You know Shedding Mortality but not that?"
[...This shameless bastard.]
"You get me. So, really nothing more?"
[Nope, kid. And after giving you my power, I'll vanish soon. Just handle my revenge for me.]
Chaos, telling him to handle his revenge.
And soon enough, he really vanished.
Having given his power to Hae-jin, he no longer had the strength to maintain his presence here.
To Chaos's final words about avenging him against the Heavenly God and Demon God, Hae-jin replied.
"Don't worry about that. I have scores to settle with them too."
They were the ones who killed his leader Joo-hyuk, his teammates, and him.
This time, Hae-jin would kill them.