Chapter 398
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 398
Chapter Title: The Apostle Descends
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The children feared Lucas, but Aru and Hugo were different.
The two followed Lucas devotedly, because unlike the other children, he cherished them greatly.
Teacher!
We had fun playing with the kids again today! I even stopped Sena and Jel from fighting!
As expected, Aru and Hugo are the best-behaved.
Aru and Hugo beamed at Lucass praise.
Hehe.
The two knew that Teacher Lucas was a bit no, very strange.
Hed scream at night or mutter incomprehensible words that terrified the children, and hed harshly punish things hed normally overlook.
Thats why the children who once followed him started avoiding him.
Yet Aru and Hugo stuck by him because even when they made mistakes, hed warmly embrace them or pat their heads and let it slide generously.
It also made them feel smug, sensing they received special treatment unlike the other kids.
Aru, Hugowill you help Teacher solve his worries?
Yes!
Of course!
Thinking they could be his strength, they followed him down to the basement.
Two doors stood open in the basement, and Lucas placed Aru and Hugo into separate rooms.
Clang!
As they entered, the double doors slammed shut.
In that instant, their vision blurred and their stomachs churned.
Ugh Teacher I feel so sick
They called out to Lucas in feeble voices, but no response came from outside.
Children, please fulfill Teachers wish.
Leaving those words, Lucas began the ritual.
As the ritual progressed, Aru and Hugo lost consciousness, and a black figure descended upon them.
And now.
That black figure burst out and stood before Jeong Hoon.
Hey. Lucas.
Jeong Hoon showed no sign of panic.
Lucas, trembling at his call, cautiously lifted his head.
Y-You called for me?
You think thats Tenebris?
Jeong Hoon pointed at the black figure with his finger.
Ah, the ritual isnt fully complete yet
Tch.
The ritual Lucas mentioned was the demon descending by using the children as hosts.
For now, it hadnt fully possessed them, so it couldnt take proper form.
Apostle-level.
He hadnt expected demons to linger even after the Divine Realm seized authority.
Unknown Existence says: Who are you?
If hed been even a little later, it would have descended perfectly.
Jeong Hoon drew Titan.
A holy sword would have made purification easier, but he wasnt so weak as to borrow its power.
Chatty for an apostle.
Unknown Existence asks: Do you know of us?
I know plenty. I even know the Demon King pulling your strings and the Lords above him.
Was that all?
Demon King, Lords, even Jecheon.
He already had a record of choking the life out of them several times.
To such a Jeong Hoon, this puny apostle was nothing.
Unknown Existence proposes a deal.
A deal?
Unknown Existence says it finds you intriguing. It promises great power if you help them escape this place.
No need.
Was it because of the Seven Virtues?
Even these apostle-level beings couldnt gauge his power.
What if I refuse?
Unknown Existence says it regrets having to kill you. But if you refuse, it must.
Funny guy. A mere apostle dares threaten me.
Unknown Existence calls you arrogant.
Whether Im arrogant or not, youll find out when you try.
Among the Seven Virtues Jeong Hoon acquired was Humility.
The opposite concept: arrogance.
Amusingly, Jeong Hoon felt not a shred of arrogance.
What need was there to boast in the face of such overwhelming disparity?
If anything, this feeling bordered on insolence.
Unknown Existence says its truly a shame. It promises to overlook your last remark if you accept the deal now.
Then let me ask one thing.
Unknown Existence asks: What do you want to know?
Youre Transcendents. When materialization happened, you approached users under the guise of contracts to destroy Earth, right?
Unknown Existence is shocked. It begins wondering about your true identity.
Jeong Hoon smirked and added.
Anyway, after the Divine Realm stole authority, you couldnt escape, your link to the Demon Realm was cut You must be desperate.
Unknown Existence falls silent.
Why did the Divine Realm leave you behind?
The Divine Realm seized authority from the Demon Realm yet left apostles intact.
It even guided Jeong Hoon to face one via a quest.
With two Primordial Fragments on the line.
That meant there was some gain for Jeong Hoon in confronting an apostle.
What could it be?
Perhaps they knew something?
Unknown Existence asks: Are you a Divine Realm puppet in league with them?
League or not, think what you want. Just know you die if you dont answer.
Jeong Hoon slashed Titan from above downward.
The sword pressure alone split the black figure in half.
The figure teetered on the brink of annihilation.
Unknown Existence is shocked. It urgently asks: How can a level 320 cut me?
So answer. Want total oblivion?
Unknown Existence says it doesnt know. It just wants to return to the Demon Realm.
I see.
Hed hoped for something, but it was just small fry after all.
Jeong Hoon swung mercilessly, slashing the figure repeatedly.
Only after it fully vanished did his flurry of strikes subside.
I thought thered be a reward, but no.
Even after the figure disappeared, no reward message appeared.
No level or stats recovery either.
Oh my god
Lucas, hiding in the corner and watching, couldnt hide his shock.
To erase that overwhelming black figure in an instant.
What was this outsiders identity?
Now its your turn.
The outsider approached Lucas, sword in hand.
I-I did everything you asked!
Whatre you talking about? You were the medium for that ritual.
Lucas had gone mad because he made himself the medium for the ritual.
In simple terms, hed served as an intermediate host in reviving the demon through Aru and Hugo.
Unless he was fully purged, more victims could emerge.
Ill stop! I mustve lost my mind! To think I believed that was Tenebris Gahk!
Lucass words cut off.
Titan had pierced his chest.
NPC killed.
Lucass role has been removed.
How could I trust a guy who already sacrificed his life for the ritual?
Jeong Hoon shook the blood from Titan and moved to rescue the children in the room.
But the room reeked of decay.
.
Jeong Hoon silently approached the fallen child.
Master this.
Theyve been dead for a while.
As Mukho and Anima said, the childs body was decomposing.
Likely died during the rituals start.
Sigh. So thats why two Primordial Fragments were on the line.
A fragment glimmered beside the child.
Aru and Hugo.
Rescuing the two was the quests core.
Jeong Hoon stood and called for Roel upstairs.
This is.
Roels face hardened upon seeing the body.
They died during the ritual.
Oh.
Just 6 or 7 years old.
Roel prayed with a sorrowful expression.
Id like to pray for their souls too. Ill fetch the holy water.
Got it.
Oh, and do you know where the trapped apostle-level demons are?
Sorry, angels like us dont know.
Then the Archangel does?
Yes, probably.
Understood.
With that, Jeong Hoon left the nursery.
Master, theyll still be grateful.
Yeah. Without you, theyd have just been used up in that state.
Despite Mukho and Animas comfort, Jeong Hoons expression remained grim.
NPCs or not, from Ross to these childrenlives lost.
In the original New World, would they all be alive?
What angered him more was that even regressing, hed still choose to open the Divine Realm.
His mothers safety came first, no matter what.
Ill wipe out the seeds.
Seeds?
Yeah. If theyre trapped, their numbers must be beyond imagination.
Surely theyd approached others besides Lucas.
Hed find their lair and exterminate them.
For that, he needed the next Virtue Box soon.
With a plan set, Jeong Hoon grasped the Primordial Fragment.
Level partially restored.
Stats partially restored.
Acquired 0.07 Divine Energy.
Acquired 0.08 Divine Energy.
Acquired 0.1 Divine Energy.
As his strength returned, Divine Energy steadily accumulated.
Quest completed.
Can now proceed to the Mythical City Arandis.
Having swiftly finished the Atlas quest to 80, Jeong Hoon opened the path to Arandis.
The process was simple.
At 80, the path opened automatically.
It changed so that hitting 80 lets you go automatically.
With quests overall more complex, they simplified path-opening.
Before heading to Arandis, Jeong Hoon visited Hoyoungs Atlas branch.
Hed contacted them ahead, so Ha-jin and Deok-gu waited in the break room.
Hed messaged his mother, Sun-woo, and Min-ji too, but theyd be late due to work.
Hoon, youre here?
Hyung-nim!
The two were steadily growing under Jeong Hoons guidance.
I called you today because I have something for you before heading to Arandis.
Arandis?
Youre leaving Atlas already?
They tilted their heads.
They acknowledged Jeong Hoon as extraordinary, but his level was 400 now.
Level 400 was prime time to grind in Atlas.
Nothing left for me in Atlas.
Whoa really?
Anyway, I called you for a quest.
A quest?
Take it.
Jeong Hoon handed them notebooks.
They listed Tenebris revival details and NPC names.
Roel had found the devotee list while searching Lucass room.
Whats all this?
In each village, specific NPCs are using people as hosts to awaken demons under the guise of reviving Tenebris.
Whoa.
So I want you two to step in and stop them.
Us?
Yeah. Youve gotten a lot stronger with those extra opportunities.
All thanks to you.
Ha-jin and Deok-gu were mid-to-late 400s.
They were hot commodities in New World.
Storming ahead daily, naturally.
They were so mobbed by users they could barely play.
Youll probably get Primordial Fragments from completing those quests.
Really?
Their eyes widened at Primordial Fragment.
Having seen its wonders once, who wouldnt be excited for more?
Itll be tough, so be careful.
Imperfect Transcendents to purge.
Not easy, but savable in-game, and success meant explosive growth.
Worth trying.