Chapter 240
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 240
Chapter Title: Infiltrating the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult
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The scale of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was beyond imagination.
Jeong Hoon had completed the first quest through Ki Tae-hyuk, and the second was to blend into this Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and join the regular cultists.
Ultimate Path (1): Regular Cultist
-Restriction: Successfully infiltrate the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult
-Reward: ??
-Description: Join the group of regular cultists and slay the invading monsters.
Monsters.
The fact that it existed as a special dungeon meant this dimension had also fallen to ruin.
"But what brings you to this humble place?"
The place where Jeong Hoon was staying was the facility for low-rank cultists.
He didn't know why it had started here, but beginning from inside made the infiltration go smoothly.
However, this place wasn't safe either.
Boom!
A massive roar echoed as the ground shook.
"D-Demonic beasts! It seems they've appeared!"
Ki Tae-hyuk's face turned pale as he trembled.
'Demonic beaststhey must mean monsters.'
Fenrir had referred to the Seven Deadly Sins as demonic beasts, but the Seven Deadly Sins and monsters were distinctly different.
These people simply called monsters demonic beasts.
In any case, this place was suffering from monsters too.
"You stay inside."
"W-We wait...?"
"Then? You planning to go subjugate the demonic beasts?"
"O-Of course we have to join in!"
Low-rank cultists were the kind of people who might be used as meat shields if things went south.
"That's an order."
"Understood!"
At Jeong Hoon's words, Ki Tae-hyuk entered the room without a second thought.
Left alone, Jeong Hoon unfurled his Sky-Piercing Steps and left the spot.
The cultists were hunting monsters.
'I should blend in with them.'
Jeong Hoon used a disguise potion to alter his appearance and level, then clumsily deployed the Myeongwang Fist Technique as he naturally joined the believers.
Given the atmosphere, no one suspected him.
Even the fist technique they wielded.
It was crude, but their fists carried a faint trace of Myeongwang's aura.
'Amazing. For these Heavenly Demon Divine Cult members to have an aura so similar to Myeongwang's.'
Could the Heavenly Demon be connected to Myeongwang somehow?
"Hey! Who the hell are you!"
As all sorts of speculations swirled in his mind, a man approached Jeong Hoon.
Whether it was because he'd completed the quest through Ki Tae-hyuk or shown the same fist technique, there was no wariness in the man's eyes.
He was probably just scolding him for joining late.
NPC Information
-Nickname: Seok Cheol-un
-Level: 150
-Job: Regular Cultist
He was a regular cultist, ranked above low-rank ones.
He exuded a presence clearly different from regular cultists, and his level was 150.
"Regular cultist, Hoon."
"I'm not asking your name! Where the hell have you been that you're joining so late?"
And those clashing with the monsters weren't low-rank cultiststhey were all regular cultists.
Unlike the low-rank ones staying at the facility, regular cultists were trained to confront monsters at any moment, so he was furious at the late joiner.
"Sorry. I had to take a massive dump."
"Hoo, make sure it doesn't happen again."
It was an absurd excuse, but fortunately, it worked.
Was it because he was in the middle of a quest?
Seok Cheol-un didn't scold him further and turned away.
Rumble.
The ground shook once more.
That meant monsters were emerging from the portal.
"Demonic beasts incoming! Battle stations!"
"Damn it, what's with today!"
At Seok Cheol-un's command, the regular cultists who had been resting prepared for battle again.
Jeong Hoon did the same.
Since there was no quest completion notification yet, he figured it would only finish after properly defeating these monsters.
An exclamation mark blinked above Seok Cheol-un's head two days after Jeong Hoon joined.
Over those two days of endless monster waves, Jeong Hoon intuited that this dimension didn't have much time left.
'This is serious.'
The cultists' conditions were poor after the continuous battles.
"Damn it, if only the Cult Leader were here right now..."
The Cult Leader, master of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
The Heavenly Demon.
Heaven above heaven.
The Absolute One.
All terms referred to one man.
And he was currently absent from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
'It's been over ten years since the Cult Leader vanished.'
After the Cult Leader suddenly disappeared, the Vice Cult Leader had taken over leading the cult.
But with the relentless monster assaults, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's power waned day by day.
They'd even built the facility to manage new recruits because of it.
Train them just enough to be useful, then throw them to the front lines.
'Too many dungeons around.'
And they were all penalty-afflicted dungeons swarming the area.
They'd piled up because they couldn't clear them.
When the Cult Leader resided in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, it wasn't this bad, so many said the cult would still pierce the heavens if he were here.
"It's quiet now. Everyone, take a break."
"Yes."
An exclamation mark blinked above Seok Cheol-un's head.
Quest completed.
You can now undertake the next quest.
Quest completed.
No reward after all that.
Jeong Hoon checked the question mark blinking above Seok Cheol-un's head.
Ultimate Path (1): Heavenly Demon Dokgo Jun
-Restriction: Slay 50,000 monsters
-Reward: ??
-Description: Find Heavenly Demon Dokgo Jun. (Dokgo Jun's location is revealed.)
Slay 50,000 monsters.
That explained why it took over two days.
The next quest was to find Cult Leader Dokgo Jun.
'Dokgo Jun?'
Jeong Hoon furrowed his brow.
It was a far too familiar name.
Heavenly Demon Dokgo Jun.
An orphan who caught the eye of the previous Cult Leader Dokgo Myeong, was adopted, and ascended to the Heavenly Demon's throne in his early forties.
Now, he was in dire straits.
"Impressive. To still be alive after all that."
A Transcendent gazed down at him with flapping wings and crimson eyes.
It was Byullang, a Demon King-grade Transcendent unlike the riffraff.
"Shut your mouth!"
Dokgo Jun struggled to his feet.
But his body was wrecked from the battle with it, and some strange curse made his demonic arts dissipate repeatedly instead of circulating.
To revive the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, he'd entrusted everything to the Vice Cult Leader and entered secluded training.
Using the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon passed down to him, he'd successfully created the ultimate fist technique.
But laughably, it didn't work on this foe.
"Pathetic. Did you think a mere creation could become a god?"
Byullang sneered outwardly but was inwardly impressed.
A very powerful opponent.
If he'd sent Apostle-grade underlings, they'd have been countered.
He could feel why the Sovereign had mobilized a Demon King-grade like himself.
Especially the martial art it used.
Had they not intervened, it surely would have reigned as an Absolute One.
'I see why they ordered to prioritize eliminating this one.'
The Heavenly Demon.
He'd heard it was a group of humans playing at being gods, but seeing that fearsome martial prowess made their devotion understandable.
"What's wrong with that?"
Dokgo Jun grinned.
It had already been ten years since he began his seclusion.
He couldn't fall to something like this.
"How do you plan to continue in that state?"
"Quit the chit-chat."
Dokgo Jun assumed a stance.
Byullang's lips curled slightly.
"You're too valuable to kill. You'd make a perfect pawn for That One."
"Go!"
Dokgo Jun closed in with Supremacy of the Heavenly Demon.
Then he unleashed a punch.
A new divine fist he'd innovated using Heavenly Demon Heaven-Shatterer passed down from the previous Cult Leader.
As the fist neared, the surrounding air tore, and a powerful shockwave engulfed it.
"I told you it won't work."
Byullang swung the scythe he held.
A red-patterned card appeared before him, spinning.
The card completely absorbed the shockwave, and at the same time, Dokgo Jun's waist bent in half.
Forced reflection ability.
An absurd power that unconditionally returned incoming damage doubled.
It even ignored defense, so no matter how skilled Dokgo Jun was, to Byullang he was just another creation.
"Urk!"
Dokgo Jun vomited blood but thrust out another punch.
Even Heavenly Demon Divine Body was useless.
He'd never heard of such an ability.
"You'd be perfect as a pawn. If you want to survive even a little longer, that is."
Byullang grinned.
Dokgo Jun glared at it with bloodshot eyes.
"You bastard! Who dares call me a pawn!"
Whoosh!
At that moment, an arrow flew in from somewhere.
"An interloper."
Byullang frowned and swung his scythe.
Several green cards emerged, spinning and devouring the arrow.
It was an arrow laden with considerable power, sharpening Byullang's aura further.
It had absorbed the arrow's power entirely.
"Hoo, absorbed the arrow?"
And a certain young man was slowly walking toward them.
'As expected, the Heavenly Demon was that Dokgo Jun.'
The enigmatic old man he'd met in Origin Village.
The spirit residing in the dojo had passed down the Myeongwang Fist Technique to his successor.
To think that one was the Heavenly Demon.
'He was being played like a pawn.'
The Transcendent before Dokgo Jun.
Not even Apostle-gradea Demon King-grade.
For a Demon King-grade to manifest meant they'd accepted a substantial penalty.
They'd judged Dokgo Jun must be eliminated to destroy this dimension.
'From the situation, it seems the Transcendent targeted Dokgo Jun right when I accepted the quest.'
Then, the core of this quest would be to aid Dokgo Jun and stop the Transcendent.
'Can I manage it?'
An exclamation mark blinked above Dokgo Jun's head.
Quest completed.
He completed the quest and opened the next one.
Ultimate Path (1): Transcendent
-Restriction: Encounter with Dokgo Jun
-Reward: ??
-Description: Help Heavenly Demon Dokgo Jun survive for 10 minutes. (Countdown starts upon acceptance.)
Not slaying the Transcendent, but assisting Dokgo Jun's survival.
'Just 10 minutes.'
Meaning the foe was at least Demon King-grade.
An existence beyond Jeong Hoon's current level.
The moment Jeong Hoon accepted the quest, he unfurled Sky-Piercing Steps.
Activating Holy Orb of Glory.
Using Supreme Healing.
Then, he targeted Dokgo Jun and activated Holy Orb of Glory.
He also healed the injuries with Supreme Healing.
"Hoo."
Byullang watched the scene with an intrigued expression.
Not interfering meant that much confidence.
"Wh-Who are you?"
Dokgo Jun asked in a trembling voice.
"A newly initiated cultist."
"Is that so? How did you know I was here? Even the Vice Cult Leader doesn't know."
"I have good instincts."
"You're lying."
Dokgo Jun chuckled.
How he knew this place, perfectly healed his wrecked body.
No regular cultist could act so adeptly in this situation.
"Yes. I'm lying."
Jeong Hoon grinned.
"...Whatever. Just help me out."
"I was planning to anyway."
Myeongwang's aura gathered on Jeong Hoon's fist.
The quest condition was Dokgo Jun's survival for 10 minutes.
Better to confront it directly rather than push him forward.
Transcended Human Lv.1
-Type: Unique Evolution Title
-Grade: Celestial
-Automatically manipulates natural mana, recovering mana periodically.
-Can permanently dispel dungeons. (Higher-grade dungeons cannot be dispelled.)
-Partially immune to Transcendent influence.
A title obtained upon ascending to the celestial realm.
With the option of partial immunity to Transcendent influence, he could hold out to some extent.