Chapter 286
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 286
Chapter Title: Reaching the Ultimate
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Instant death activated.
It was possible only because Jeong Hoon's stats surpassed those of the puppet.
Brrr
The puppet shuddered violently before vanishing completely.
It didn't even have time to summon the Seven Deadly Sins.
Regrettable, but for now, focus on the fact that the trial was cleared.
Using God's Healing.
Jeong Hoon activated God's Healing to recover his body.
"Hoo... That was tough."
Jeong Hoon slumped down for a moment.
Master! Are you okay?!
'Are you alright!'
Jeong Hoon nodded wearily.
"Yeah. Looks like I didn't die, fortunately."
Wow... I never expected instant death to proc right there.
'If it hadn't, we would've really been in danger.'
The Ghost Sword's damage was beyond imagination.
Thanks to the defense from his armor, including Mokho, and his own raw defense, he avoided being bisected, but he lost so much blood that he was on the verge of shock.
If instant death hadn't triggered, it really would've been dangerous.
"Let's rest a bit, then go."
Over two months of nonstop material gathering, followed by facing the Transcendent's puppet under those ridiculous conditions.
'It wasn't Demon King level. Closer to Lord level.'
The Shadow King he'd fought before.
The puppet completely outclassed it.
Having to fight something like that while meeting those absurd conditions had pushed him to his mental limits.
Jeong Hoon repeatedly used God's Healing as he rested.
Thirty minutes had passed since Jeong Hoon entered the portal.
This is weird. Why's it taking so long to come out?
Baal tilted his head.
Special conditions.
One of them was to subjugate it within 30 minutes.
Yet, 30 minutes had passed, and Jeong Hoon still hadn't returned.
"It's strange... The odds of that human passing are zero."
Hariel's face, once full of leisure, was now etched with anxiety.
After 30 minutes, it was automatic failure.
He should be forcibly ejected from the portal, so why wasn't the human coming out?
No way he actually subjugated it, right?
"Absolutely not! It's a puppet projecting Perlis, who reached Lord level with pure physical prowess!"
For a human to defeat Perlis's puppet was impossible.
Especially with four hellish conditions attached.
Then how do you explain this situation?
Killing intent laced Baal's voice.
Hariel prostrated herself flat before his fury.
"I'm sorry. Please wait just a bit longer. The human will definitely fail."
Do you think I'm doing this because I want an apology?
"Th-that's..."
Why isn't the human coming out! You're not saying he died in there, are you?
"......"
Hariel fell silent.
The odds of the human passing the trial were zero.
Yet, with 30 minutes passed and no return, it meant he'd lost his life inside.
Didn't you say you'd adjust it?
Baal was angrier than ever.
He was only here because of his contract with Jeong Hoon.
For a mere guide to kill the human he'd chosen? If Jeong Hoon returned as a cold corpse, he'd tear Hariel to shreds.
"......"
Hariel turned pale and trembled.
She'd cranked the difficulty to max, but never expected him to die like this.
And then it happened.
The portal rippled, and Jeong Hoon popped out.
......You're back?
Baal's eyes shifted from Hariel to Jeong Hoon.
Jeong Hoon had returned perfectly fine.
'S-survived...'
Hariel nearly collapsed.
Baal's killing intent was so vicious... she never wanted to feel it again.
But wait.
Returning well after 30 minutes... no way?
"Subjugated it."
Hariel's eyes widened like she'd seen a ghost at his casual declaration of success.
"Lies...!"
Defeated Perlis's puppet?
While fulfilling all those hellish conditions?
"Check for yourself."
Hariel hurriedly inspected the portal.
Confirming Jeong Hoon's words were true, she was overcome with shock.
"No way... This can't be..."
"Baal, looks like I'm winning this bet after all?"
Jeong Hoon grinned at Baal.
......How did you subjugate it?
"Luck. Without the Shadow King's shortsword, it would've been tough."
It was true.
Without the Shadow King's shortsword and properly using its shadow options inside, subjugating the puppet would've been impossible.
......You're one impressive bastard.
Baal clicked his tongue.
He hadn't thought he'd die, but to succeed so cleanly?
"Alright, so what's the final stage?"
No time for chit-chat.
Gathering materials had taken ages, and dealing with the puppet plus resting had burned more time.
Hurry and finish the last trial to claim the ultimate power.
"......There isn't one."
"Pardon?"
"There isn't... I pulled stage 3 into stage 2 and went all-in..."
That was right.
Hariel hadn't just maxed the difficulty.
She'd eliminated stage 3 and poured its level into stage 2 to project Perlis.
Otherwise, it would've been a much weaker Transcendent puppet.
"So I definitely win?"
......Guide, is that true?
Baal's voice trembled with rage.
"I-I'm sorry..."
Hariel prostrated herself, looking years older in an instant.
"No need to apologize. You were just doing your job."
"......Thank you."
Touched by Jeong Hoon's defense, Hariel teared up and expressed her gratitude.
Damn...
"So, time to hand over the reward?"
The three Ultimate Stars.
With them, he could upgrade Mokho and Anima straight to Ultimate, bypassing Celestial.
'The Shadow King's spear and shortsword. Truly Ultimate-worthy.'
If Mokho and Anima reached Ultimate, what level would they show?
He was already looking forward to it.
Heh, hand 'em over.
'Devil brat, that's why you don't make bets lightly.'
Mokho and Anima mocked Baal.
Unable to hear them, Baal obediently gave Jeong Hoon the three Ultimate Stars.
......Fine. A promise is a promise.
As Baal finished speaking, three shards radiating intense light entered Jeong Hoon's inventory.
Ultimate Star
-A powerful force containing ultimate power.
-Can upgrade Celestial (full strength) gear. (100 success rate)
An Ultimate Star boasting a whopping 100 success rate.
'Need to go full strength.'
Jeong Hoon nodded.
His inventory was packed with reinforced gear.
Unusable as-is, but extracting them would yield matching reinforcement stones.
"Alright. See you next bet."
......Can't you stick around a bit longer?
"Why? Wanna watch me gain power?"
Yeah.
Baal admitted bluntly.
"Do what you want."
No reason to hide it, so Jeong Hoon allowed it.
"......Shall I grant the power right away?"
Hariel asked cautiously.
"Yes. Let's do it."
As Jeong Hoon nodded, an exclamation mark blinked above Hariel's head.
Quest completed.
Completing the quest brought a beam of light from the sky, enveloping Jeong Hoon in an instant.
Knowing this was the ultimate power awakening, Jeong Hoon calmly surrendered to the light.
Accepting new power.
Reaching the ultimate.
His heart pounded.
Muhwang's rank rises from Celestial to Ultimate.
Insane.
The ultimate realm he'd never touched before regression.
Now, he'd stepped into it.
Skill: Celestial Aura evolves to Ultimate Aura.
Skill: Formless Fist evolves to True Formless Fist.
Skill: Tenkongbo () evolves to True Tenkongbo ().
Skill: Heavenly Body () evolves to True Heavenly Body ().
Unyielding Will's max rank is unlocked. (Celestial - Ultimate)
All skills acquired via Unyielding Will are upgraded.
Title: One Who Transcends Humanity's rank rises one step. (Title level remains 10.)
He'd done it.
Gaining ultimate power had elevated him to another dimension.
Ultimate Aura
-Type: Active
-Rank: Ultimate
-An aura usable only by users who have reached the ultimate realm.
-Using aura increases all attack and defense by 40. (Stackable)
-Reduces all enemies' attack and defense within 500m radius by 20. (Stackable)
-Provides designated allies with 15 attack and 15 defense buffs. (Non-stackable)
-Increases all debuff resistance by 50. (Stackable)
Jackpot.
Just one rank up in aura doubled the stats.
And that wasn't all.
One Who Transcends Humanity Lv.10
-Type: Unique Evolution Title
-Rank: Ultimate
-Automatically operates natural mana, recovering mana periodically.
-Can permanently erase dungeons. (Higher rank dungeons cannot be erased.)
-Resists Transcendent influence to a certain degree. (Resistance set based on Transcendent's level.)
The One Who Transcends Humanity title had also evolved to Ultimate.
'At this level, I could take down that puppet in seconds.'
An Ultimate title.
Now he could face even Lord-level foes on equal footing.
'Could I take on Baal?'
Jeong Hoon glanced at the red eyes watching him.
Baal was a Demon Realm Lord.
Not easy, but now he might land a few hits.
Heh, aiming to surpass me?
Sharp as ever in these moments.
Jeong Hoon shook his head.
"As if."
They say a puppy doesn't fear the tiger.
"How do you know that proverb?"
Watching humans, I picked up a few.
"Yeah?"
Anyway, you won't surpass me. Don't get cocky.
Really?
Jeong Hoon's lip twitched.
"Why the hell no contact..."
Jang Ha-jin let out an irritated sigh.
Over a month and a half had passed since acquiring the opportunity.
Yet he still hadn't left Darvis.
Because there was no word from Jeong Hoon.
"Hyung-nim, you don't think something happened to Hoon hyung-nim, right?"
"Hey, don't jinx it. No ominous talk."
"But... how else do you explain the sudden radio silence?"
Jang Ha-jin shut his mouth at Han Deok-gu's words.
'Wait for my contact.'
Jeong Hoon had gone silent after that.
So, waiting patiently for Jeong Hoon was the best course now.
"Deok-gu? Can you quiet down a bit?"
Beside him sat Jeong Hoon's mother, Lee Na-yeon, waiting.
She was smiling, but her eyes weren't.
Han Deok-gu flinched at her gaze and nodded awkwardly.
"Ah... Sorry."
Lee Na-yeon finally relaxed her expression and waved it off.
"It's fine."
She was terribly worried about her son too.
But she acted nonchalant because she trusted Jeong Hoon.
'He told me not to worry...'
Still, as time dragged on, that trust wavered.
Lee Na-yeon stared piercingly at her smartphone with worried eyes.
And then.
Bzzz
The smartphone vibrated with a message.
The sender was none other than Jeong Hoon.
Lee Na-yeon's face brightened instantly.