Chapter 278
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 278
Chapter Title: Nameless Shadow B
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You have entered the 2nd floor.
Unlike the 1st floor, the 2nd floor was crawling with shadow soldiers.
From those wielding swords to ones holding spears, daggers, bows, and crossbows, they patrolled with a variety of weapons.
Intruder!
Seize him!
Spotting Jeong Hoon, they signaled to each other and soon swarmed toward him as their target.
First, find the corpse.
It was the first quest given.
So, the corpse of Nameless Shadow A had to be somewhere in this place.
That way, the quest could proceed without a hitch.
Jeong Hoon stepped into Heavenly Demon Supremacy Step and unleashed his fist technique.
The energy of the Heavenly Demon Fist Technique gathered in his fist.
Pow!
Just like at the castle gate, Jeong Hoon aimed for the head of the one in front.
They all wore helmets, so a strike to the head would disrupt their balance, allowing him to target vital points and finish them in one go.
The Heavenly Demon Fist Technique had an option to nullify defense, so no matter how high their defense was, they couldnt block it.
Flash!
Pew-pew-pew!
But a volley of arrows rained down, forcing Jeong Hoon to retreat.
Cant dodge them all.
Using Light Barrier.
Jeong Hoon deployed the Light Barrier to protect himself.
Crunch! Crackle!
Arrows embedded themselves, rapidly damaging the Light Barrier, but this would buy him enough time.
Jeong Hoon stepped into Heavenly Demon Supremacy Step again and swung his fist.
His target was the helmet of the sword-wielding shadow rampaging in front.
Pow!
Urk!
The hit landed on the helmet, making the shadow stagger.
Jeong Hoon reached out and yanked off the helmet.
Beneath it was a head as dark as pitch-black shadow.
Begone.
Crunch!
Jeong Hoon drove his fist straight into the shadows throat, shattering it.
Gahk!
The shadow knight perished on the spot.
Jeong Hoon then stepped into Heavenly Demon Supremacy Step and stripped the helmet from a spear-wielding one.
It was a shadow head, just the same.
You bastard!
The shadow swung its spear.
So what?
Unlike before, Jeong Hoon grabbed the shadows throat.
He yanked it toward him with force, using it as a shield.
Pew-pew-pew-pew!
Gaaah!
In that instant, countless arrows lodged into the shadows back.
It couldnt hold out and went limp.
Dead.
The Light Barrier wont last much longer.
Hed have to use these guys as shields to push forward.
Jeong Hoon hurled the shadow knight at the others.
As he did, he stepped into Heavenly Demon Supremacy Step and struck the solar plexus of a spear-wielding shadow knight with his elbow.
Gahk!
Despite the armor, the impact was severe, sending it tumbling back with a groan.
The three shadows behind it collided and lost their footing.
Jeong Hoon didnt miss the opening, closing in and swinging his fists.
Urk!
Guh!
Their high defense meant nothing as a single punch sent them reeling.
Jeong Hoon targeted their vital points, subduing them swiftly.
He then grabbed another as a shield and took cover.
Pew-pew-pew-pew!
A barrage of arrows struck the shadow.
Not easy.
Jeong Hoon held the shadow and scanned the surroundings while stepping into Heavenly Demon Supremacy Step.
The space was too confined to take them all out.
Even if he did, these shadows would respawn.
To proceed to the 3rd floor, you must defeat the boss monster.
Normal monsters cannot be completely eradicated. Defeating the boss monster will make them all vanish.
Thats right.
The main objective on the 2nd floor was to take down the boss monster.
These shadows would keep respawning until the boss was defeated.
No need to waste energy hereprioritize searching for the boss monster and Nameless Shadow As corpse on the 1st floor.
Jeong Hoon quickly moved to a nearby warehouse.
The door was firmly shut, but it gave way easily to his monstrous strength.
There were no monsters inside.
Kill him!
Block him so he cant hide!
Pew-pew-pew-pew!
Arrows buried into the shadow Jeong Hoon held.
Heres a gift.
Jeong Hoon tossed the arrow-riddled shadow at them and ducked into the warehouse.
He shut the door tight, and after a brief moment, the noise died down.
Attacks stop when I take cover.
He had a rough idea of how to tackle this now.
Jeong Hoon took a moment to catch his breath and stepped further inside.
It was far too spacious to call it a mere warehouse.
And right there, huddled in a crouch, was a shadow NPC that looked about ten years old.
An exclamation mark?
Jeong Hoons eyes widened.
An exclamation mark was blinking above the NPCs head.
NPC Information
-Nickname: Nameless Shadow B
-Level: 330
-Job: None
Just like the one on the 1st floor, a shadow stripped of its role.
As Jeong Hoon approached, the child shadow flinched and curled up tighter.
You have completed the quest.
You may proceed to the next quest.
Corpse retrieval would have to wait.
Ultimate Path (2): Nameless Shadow B
-Restriction: Reach the 2nd floor of the Shadow Castle shrouded in doom
-Reward: ??
-Description: You are currently searching for the corpse of Nameless Shadow A. Help Nameless Shadow B, who knows his traces, to obtain a hint.
It wouldnt be that easy, apparently.
Jeong Hoon accepted the quest right away.
Wh-who are you?
The child shadow asked cautiously.
Human.
Jeong Hoon answered curtly.
I-I know that.
Then why ask?
N-No, its just weird for a human to come here.
So whats your reason for being here alone?
I cant leave this place.
You cant leave?
Yeah They said I was useless and abandoned me here.
He got what this one wanted.
Escape from this place.
If I help you, can you get out?
At Jeong Hoons question, the child shadow jumped to its feet.
You can help me?!
Yeah. Problem is, I dont know how.
Thats okay! I know the way!
With that, the child shadow held out a map.
It was a highly detailed map of the 2nd floor area.
A map?
I cant leave here. So Im asking yougo to the reception room on the 2nd floor. The boss should be there. Search that place for me.
So the boss monster was in the reception room.
Having grasped the layout, Jeong Hoon nodded.
Got it.
Not a tough request.
He had to take down the boss to go up to the 3rd floor anyway.
If my body happens to be there, please bring it back.
Reception Room
The reception room was on the opposite side of the warehouse.
Hed have to break through all the shadows outside.
Jeong Hoon used the same method to reach the reception room.
Unlike the outside, the reception room was brightly lit with abundant lighting.
Lv.750 Shadow Count
Unlike the other shadow soldiers, this one was adorned with lavish accessories.
That was the 2nd floor boss.
An intruder after so long.
Like an NPC, the Shadow Count spoke directly into Jeong Hoons mind.
No corpse here.
The main body the child shadow had asked him to find.
But there was nothing resembling a corpse in the reception room.
Meaning the child shadows body wasnt here.
Oh? Ignoring me for something else when Im right here. Are you mad?
The Shadow Count waved its hand once.
The floor turned black, and shadows in the shape of hands burst forth.
The Shadow Count uses Shadow Bind.
Shadow Bind.
In that moment, Jeong Hoons body froze solid.
Jeong Hoon looked down at the floor.
Its grabbing the shadow.
What was caught in the Shadow Bind was none other than Jeong Hoons own shadow.
The attack was just beginning.
The Shadow Count uses Shadow Slash.
This time, the hand-shaped shadows formed blades and moved to slash Jeong Hoons shadow.
So thats its ability.
Definitely a different combat style from the shadows outside.
Black Field activates.
All stats are boosted by 1.8x.
Due to Black Field, all stats of monsters invading the territory drop by 15.
Jeong Hoon activated Black Field immediately.
With Black Field active, his body was freed.
That explains all the lighting in the reception room.
If he hadnt used Holy Orb of Glory to illuminate his vision, he wouldnt have known about the lights, his view still blocked.
Hed have died without even realizing how the ability worked.
Meaning, if my shadow disappears, it cant touch me.
Black Field had just blackened the floor.
His shadow, cast by the lights, vanished as a result.
Thats how he broke free of the bind.
At the same time, Jeong Hoons stats surged 1.8x in an instant.
Far surpassing the Shadow Count, who was level 750.
Regaining his freedom, Jeong Hoon stepped into Heavenly Demon Supremacy Step.
The distance closed in a flash, and the Shadow Count recoiled in horror.
This is absurd!
Jeong Hoon channeled the energy of his 8-star Heavenly Demon Fist Technique into his fist and struck.
Pow!
The punch landed squarely on the Shadow Counts face.
Gahk!
It let out a groan.
Jeong Hoon followed with a brutal elbow to the staggering foes solar plexus.
Guh?!
Two strikes, and the Shadow Count crumpled to the floor.
Clutching its stomach and trembling.
Jeong Hoon drew Leviathan and smashed the back of its head, ending it.
You have defeated the boss.
All monsters on the 2nd floor vanish.
You are qualified to ascend to the 3rd floor.
The fight ended anticlimactically.
The dead Shadow Count dissolved, leaving only the necklace it had worn.
Whats this?
Jeong Hoon picked up the necklace.
His eyes widened slightly as he examined it.
No way, is this?
Inside the necklace was a tiny figure smaller than a fingernail.
Thinking this might be the child shadows body, Jeong Hoon hurried back to the warehouse.
Sure enough, an exclamation mark blinked above the child shadows head.
You have completed the quest.
Return the corpse to Nameless Shadow B.
Jeong Hoon handed the necklace to the child shadow.
I-It was really there?!
Yeah.
Thank goodness It was nearby after all.
The child shadow caressed the necklace like a precious treasure.
Do you know where any other corpses are?
Hed helped, so now it was time for the hint.
3rd floor. I sense the same energy there.
Energy?
Yes. The energy from the corpses. I can detect it.
Jeong Hoon nodded.
Now he understood why Nameless Shadow B could give hints.
Right. So you can leave now?
Its detection ability would be useful later.
But the child shadow couldnt fulfill his expectations.
I plan to shatter this and vanish.
Vanish?
Yes. Thats how I can leave this place.
With that, the child shadow set the necklace on the floor and stomped on it.
Crunch.
The necklace shattered surprisingly easily.
What breaks so easily?
Its because the body and shadow touched. Thank you so much.
As the necklace broke, the child shadow faded and vanished.
Left alone, Jeong Hoon quietly turned away.
Time to go.
His business on the 2nd floor was done.
Now, up to the 3rd floor to search for the corpse the child shadow mentioned.