Chapter 216
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 216
Chapter Title: Demon of the Royal Palace
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Palace Manor Barony Underground Shelter.
The blocked underground had been turned into a shelter entirely due to the penalty.
No reaction, huh.
Jeong Hoon fiddled with the Merhens Guardian hanging from his ear.
But the guardian hadnt shown even the slightest reaction all the way to the shelter.
If it had reacted, he would have headed there instead of the shelter.
Kell! Hamel! Youre here!
The guards in the shelter were pacing anxiously, waiting for Kell and Hamel.
Yeah! We almost died for real, but barely made it out alive.
Kell listed off the monsters hed encountered on the way to the shelter.
They gasped in shock each time a monsters name came up.
No way, then how the hell did you survive?
The monsters he mentioned were high-level ones that didnt appear in Palace Manor Barony.
So his story couldve sounded like bragging, but since penalties brought events beyond common sense, it didnt come off that way.
Get thisyou wont believe it. Hamel took them all down!
Hamel?
No way, thats ridiculous.
But they soon became convinced it was all bluster.
Hamel was the weakest among the guards.
His skills were far below those of the cowardly Kell.
How could such a Hamel have hunted high-level monsters?
Im telling you, its true!
Yeah, yeah, sure. Now get in here! Its your turn to stand watch.
The moment Kell and Hamel arrived, the guards handed over duties as if theyd been waiting and retreated into the shelter.
Damn why doesnt that jerk believe me?
Because youre spouting nonsense.
Jeong Hoon snorted.
To them, his level appeared as 75.
Thats why no one believed Kell.
No, then what did I see? And doesnt the gear youre wearing look suspicious?
Shut up and get to your post.
Kell had noticed Jeong Hoons outfit was different from the usual Hamel, but the others hadnt.
Originally, Kell and the Hamel Jeong Hoon possessed were supposed to die right there together.
So it seemed like a minor glitch had occurred.
This was a common phenomenon in episodes before his regression, so he let it slide.
This is weird Are you really Hamel?
Who else would I be?
Even as they stood watch, Kell muttered to himself.
Rumble.
Then, the ground shook with consecutive earth-shattering roars.
A meteor.
Penalties came in incredibly diverse forms.
One of them was meteor impacts.
Of course, they were small enough not to cause instant annihilation, but the damage was beyond imagination.
W-what is it!
Kell stuck close to Jeong Hoon with a bewildered expression.
Looks like a meteor hit.
A m-meteor?
Yeah.
At that moment, an exclamation mark blinked over Kells head.
You have completed the quest.
Episode Dungeon clear progress reaches 20.
You can now undertake the next quest.
Moving to the shelter with Kell and witnessing the penalty to some extent must have been the mid-quest clear condition.
A question mark blinked over Kells head again.
Episode Quest: Saving Merhen Kingdom (2)
-Restriction: Complete Saving Merhen Kingdom (1) quest
-Reward: ??
-Description: Head to the kingdom capital.
As Jeong Hoon accepted the quest, a roar far more powerful than before echoed out.
At the same time, his body felt scorching hot.
A meteor must have fallen nearby.
We didnt get wiped outthats pure luck.
But this place wasnt safe either.
The recent fall wasnt just a regular meteor; a vicious heat engulfed the shelter.
Ugh!
Kell, on watch, reacted first.
He looked like hed collapse any second.
The people who had entered the shelter also emerged.
Ugh, its so hot!
Aaah!
Im gonna die!
They frantically tried to flee the shelter.
You cant leave.
Jeong Hoon blocked their path.
What?!
Move! Were dying here!
Regardless, they tried to shove past him.
Of course, it was impossible for them to budge Jeong Hoon.
R-rock? Why wont you budge?
You bald bastard! Get out of the way!
Leaving here would make even holding out impossible.
The surface was already a sea of fire by now.
Jeong Hoon channeled holy power to envelop the shelter.
Martial Artist exclusive skill, Unyielding Will activates.
You have acquired the skill Light Barrier (Unique).
Unyielding Will reacted, granting a new skill.
Oh? Even this?
A barrier of holy power.
Being inside it allowed enduring any environment.
Of course, it required a mighty holy power capable of withstanding that environment, but for Jeong Hoons current holy power, this was nothing.
As the barrier blocked the scorching heat in the shelter, those writhing in agony began to feel relief.
Huh?
What? Its suddenly cool now?
Their frantic struggles finally subsided.
The outside is dangerous, so please go back in.
Ah, yes
Sorry.
With the pain gone, they meekly nodded and turned back.
Wow what was that just now?
Kell stood beside him, in awe.
What?
Your body glowed gold, and all the pain vanished!
This was another glitch.
No one else noticed Jeong Hoon using holy power, but only Kell saw it.
Its holy power.
Holy power? Isnt that only for temple folks?
Temple.
Even in Merhen Kingdom, it was only in the capital.
Opportunities to see holy power were rare, but Kell had been badly injured a few years ago and healed by a priest, so he recognized it.
Yeah. Wonder how I can use it.
What Youre seriously weird. Youre not Hamel, are you?
Nope.
Youre not?
Anyway, Im counting on you here. I need to head to the capital.
What? Hey!
Jeong Hoon hurried to the capital.
Monsters filled the path ahead, with not a single human shadow in sight.
Whoa this is brutal.
The environment has become uninhabitable for humans.
Indeed.
The roar that erupted right after accepting the quest wasnt limited to Palace Manor Barony.
The surface had become a complete inferno, with monsters roaming freely unharmed.
When I first arrived, I thought it was fine but it crumbled in an instant.
It flowed differently from Earth.
Unlike Earth, which decayed gradually due to penalties, this dimension had everything built up explode at once.
Jeong Hoon spurred his speed.
He arrived at Merhen Kingdoms capital.
Unlike before entering the dungeon, the capital was hell itself.
No living souls left, huh.
Just in case, he headed to the palace.
There, Kaiserck V and a few knights were holding position.
Dead?
Looks like it.
But they were already dead.
The stench of rotting corpses filled the air, proving quite some time had passed.
Jeong Hoon approached Kaiserck V, slumped on the throne with his head drooped.
An exclamation mark blinked over his head.
You have completed the quest.
Episode Dungeon clear progress reaches 50.
You can now undertake the next quest.
Next quest.
Episode Quest: Saving Merhen Kingdom (3)
-Restriction: Complete Saving Merhen Kingdom (2) quest
-Reward: ??
-Description: Slay the demon that has seized the palace.
Slay the demon occupying this palace.
As Jeong Hoon accepted the quest, another roar echoed.
Whoosh
Flames engulfed the palace.
Using Light Barrier.
Jeong Hoon quickly enveloped the palace in Light Barrier.
Oh? Someone capable of that still remains.
A demon slowly revealed itself from the ceiling.
Lv.??? Demon Barremond
Jeong Hoon drew Anima and nocked an arrow at it.
Ultimate Arrow.
The Ultimate Arrow shot toward it.
!
The demon flinched in surprise and deployed a barrier.
Crash!
But Jeong Hoons arrow shattered the barrier in an instant and pierced its shoulder blade precisely.
Gaaah!
Jeong Hoon smirked at the sight.
No dragging this out. Lets end it quick.
First, bring it down to the ground.
Using Celestial Aura.
As he activated Celestial Aura, the demons eyes widened in shock.
W-what?! How do you have that power?!
Jeong Hoon answered by thrusting his left fist toward the ceiling.
Myeongwangs energy dwelled in his fist.
Using Formless Fist.
Formless Fist.
Originally dismissed as trash at range, it had overcome that flaw upon reaching Celestial grade.
Now, it could strike targets within 300 meters.
Gah!
Impact feedback hit as the demons waist bent in half.
Jeong Hoon set Anima aside and kept thrusting his fist.
Thud! Thud!
But Barremond was tenacious.
It grew accustomed to Formless Fist bit by bit and began dodging ever so slightly.
Not bad.
Leisure filled Jeong Hoons face.
Its level was one thing, but he had a title.
Demon Slayer.
Even without this title, he had plenty of ways to counter it.
But nothing beat it for hunting demons.
Demon Barremond uses Death Gaze.
Then, Barremond unleashed its ability.
Its pupils turned black, glaring at Jeong Hoon with full force.
But Jeong Hoon continued his fist strikes unfazed.
Thud! Thud!
W-what is this!
Barremond panicked.
That ability was an instant-kill.
Activation required the target to meet its gaze for 2 seconds or more.
It had snuffed out everyone in the palace with it.
But what was this?
The human before it was fine despite locking eyes.
T-the gap in power is too vast? From a mere human?
Its only flaw: it didnt work against vastly superior foes.
Meaning this human was far stronger than it.
Why? Surprised a stronger one showed up?
Jeong Hoon smirked.
Y-you damned human!
Shut up and die.
Demon Barremond attempts to use Ring of Malice
Barremond froze mid-activation.
Gah!
Thud! Thud!
It could no longer endure the relentless blows.
Barremond plummeted to the ground.
Its over.
Jeong Hoon drew Leviathan and raised it high.
Barremond sneered up at him.
Heh No matter how you struggle, you cant stop the ruin.
Wanna bet?
Of course. No matter what you do, nothing changes!
Barremonds words cut off.
Jeong Hoon slammed Leviathan down, severing its breath in one blow.
It will change. Ill make sure of it.
Jeong Hoon glared down coldly and spat the words.
He turned and approached Kaiserck V.
An exclamation mark blinked over his head.
You have completed the quest.
Episode Dungeon clear progress reaches 80.
You can now undertake the next quest.
Progress at 80.
Proof he was nearing the end.
Then, the Merhens Guardian in Jeong Hoons ear began resonating strongly.
Whats this?
As Jeong Hoon fiddled with the guardian in his ear, his vision went black.