Chapter 403
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 403
Chapter Title: Virtue Box Trials
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Gabriel recalled his conversation with the archangels.
Before meeting Jeong Hoon, he had gathered all the archangels in one place.
Gabriel, why did you call us here?
Michael spoke first.
Id like everyone except Michael to hand over their Virtue Boxes to me.
Why?
I plan to complete all the village quests at once.
Complete?
New World had passed from the demon realm to the divine realms authority.
As such, they could control quests and NPCs too.
Adjusting the quests was Gabriels role.
Why bring that up all of a sudden? Wasnt your plan to overhaul every village quest under the pretext of recovery?
Uriel voiced his doubts.
Ive already surveyed the entire New World. Just as expected, in the final zone called Muran, theyve hidden their device.
Muran?
Yeah. A city you can only reach after surpassing level 2,000 by New World standards.
But that city held no NPCs or monsters whatsoever.
A city in name only.
A massive core towered there like a tree, and even after losing authority, the demon realm was watching everything through that core.
Destroy it?
No, it failed.
Gabriel had personally tried to remove the core but failed.
Even with New Worlds authority in hand, he couldnt approach it due to lacking authority over the core.
So thats why youre trying to speed things up.
Exactly. I was going to overhaul the quests to find their puppet strings, but thats no longer necessary.
Hmm Is it really okay to send a human to the demon realm this quickly? He hasnt even drawn the holy sword.
The holy sword hadnt been drawn.
At Michaels words, the room stirred.
Gabriel clapped his hands as if hed anticipated it, drawing everyones attention back.
Thats why I plan to push him hard.
Push him?
The archangels eyes widened round at Gabriels subsequent words.
Trial.
It was to unseal all six Virtue Boxes within the time limit.
Its urgent, alright.
To unseal the Virtue Boxes within the time limit, no less?
They must really want him to head to the demon realm as soon as possible.
My answers the same as before.
Think freely Very well, think of it that way.
.
Gabriel fell silent.
It had struck right at the core.
So what happens if I exceed the time limit?
The unsealed Virtue Boxes will return to the archangels. Itll take a long time to open them again, wont it?
Then your plan falls apart too.
.
For a fleeting instant, Gabriels face stiffened.
Jeong Hoon smirked and reached out toward the box on the left.
Of course, Ill open them all within the time limit.
I hope you do.
With those words, Gabriel snapped his fingers.
He vanished, and a six-hour timer appeared before them.
One hour per box, huh.
Considering the time it took for Humility, that was quite generous.
When hed acquired the first Humility, chains had burst from the box to devour him, but hed subdued them easily with the Creator and unsealed it.
It hadnt even taken five full minutes.
Six hours means one of them takes that long?
Master, lets consume the Spirit Pill. That seems best.
Anima was right this time.
He had to unseal six Virtue Boxes within six hours.
The Creator might suffice, but with unknown trials ahead, it was best to consume the Spirit Pill from Michael.
Jeong Hoon pulled the carefully stored Spirit Pill from his inventory.
???
-???
A Spirit Pill whose information couldnt be read.
Jeong Hoon popped it into his mouth and swallowed.
Changes immediately swept through his body.
The Creator is transforming?
Unlike mana, it had been a red energy.
That energy began shifting to pure white as it flowed through his veins across his entire body.
The flowing energy raced straight to his brain.
Crackle
In that instant, lightning crashed down in his head.
There was no painhis mind cleared, and his vision sharpened crystal clear.
Awakening spirit power.
The message appeared simultaneously.
Spirit power?
Jeong Hoon cocked his head.
What was spirit power?
Checking his status revealed no new additions.
A power that cant be quantified in numbers
He tried concentrating the spirit power permeating his body into his right hand.
But the embedded spirit power wouldnt budge an inch.
Cant control it?
Jeong Hoon stared at his right fist in bewilderment, clenching and unclenching it.
How was he supposed to use this power?
Master?
What are you doing?
Unaware of it themselves, Mukho and Anima scrutinized Jeong Hoons expression, trying to grasp the situation.
Cant control it.
Control?
Yeah. After consuming the Spirit Pill, the Creator converted to spirit power. The problem is, this spirit power wont obey my will.
This is bad Then how do we open those?
The Creator had transformed into spirit power.
Was it safe to open a Virtue Box without being able to control that spirit power?
Jeong Hoons thinking diverged slightly.
Maybe its because I havent ascended to demigod yet.
You can fool the boxs eyes.
Michael had said as much explicitly.
In other words, simply possessing this spirit power would make gaining the Virtues recognition far easier.
??? Box
M-Master You sure its okay?
Maybe we should think on it a little longer?
Jeong Hoon shook his head.
No time. Gabriel pulling that means somethings wrong on their end.
He had to acquire all the Virtues here somehow.
Jeong Hoon reached toward the box.
Just like before, the box swung wide open, and acrid smoke shot straight at him.
Testing qualifications.
Eliminate negative emotions.
Failure to do so will trap you in the box, leading to eternal slumber.
With the message, his vision blackened.
Jeong Hoon staggered and dropped to one knee.
Master!
Snap out of it! You cant lose consciousness here!
Mukho and Anima cried out urgently.
Negative emotions
Jeong Hoon mulled over the message and closed his eyes.
When he regained his senses, a luminous figure flickered before him.
The figure shifted into human form and slowly walked toward Jeong Hoon.
Who?
Will you undergo the trial?
It had prompted him to eliminate negative emotions before he lost consciousness.
Jeong Hoon shook his head.
Not yet.
Two chances remain. The next question comes in five minutes.
What if I exhaust all chances?
Failure. And you will never awaken.
Ah, got it.
Now he understood why it mentioned being trapped in the box unto eternal slumber.
Failing the trial meant he could never escape.
Master What do we do?
Damn it, why are we dragged along when its Masters trial?
Mukho gazed at Jeong Hoon with anxious eyes, demanding an answer, while Anima clutched her throbbing head in misery.
Unbelievable. Whose side are they even on?
Jeong Hoon focused on the spirit power embedded throughout his body.
It was said to help fool the eyes.
In that case, hed accept the trial without resistance.
Dragging it out wouldnt change anything.
Hed been practicing emptying all emotions anyway, and the next question arrived.
Will you undergo the trial?
I will.
Very well. Let us begin.
At those words, a massive scale materialized before Jeong Hoon.
Ah, gonna weigh me on the scale?
Jeong Hoon caught on quickly and stepped onto it.
The scale wobbled faintly before coming to a stop.
Huh? It didnt sink at all?
What?
Mukho and Anima tilted their heads.
Even with Jeong Hoon aboard, the scale showed no change.
Passed.
The scale vanished, replaced by a portal ahead.
So thats how it works.
Was it thanks to the spirit power enveloping his body?
Just like with Humility, he passed effortlessly.
Jeong Hoon stepped through the portal and emerged outside.
His closed eyes opened, and he could rise to his feet.
Back.
You have received the recognition of the Virtue God.
You may unseal the box.
And the message that appeared.
By passing the trial, hed earned the Virtue Gods recognition.
Will you unseal the Seven Virtues Box?
Once selected, the choice is absolutely irreversible. Proceed with caution.
The first of the six boxes.
What would emerge?
Unseal.
The box unsealed, spilling pure white light as something shot into Jeong Hoons chest.
Having been through it once before, Jeong Hoon calmly checked the results.
Acquired Temperance.
The acquired Virtue is imprinted on your soul.
Acquired Primordial Fragment x1.
Temperance?
The virtue of restraining and self-controlling desires.
He could see why it tested negative emotions.
If Humility concealed his level, what role would Temperance play?
No immediate changes occurred, so hed have to discover it through daily life.
Master, the timer!
At Mukhos words, Jeong Hoons gaze shifted to the timer.
He frowned upon checking the time.
3 hours 52 minutes?
The six-hour timer had already whittled down by over two hours.
Even being generous, barely twenty minutes shouldve passedwhy had more than two hours elapsed?
No time to ponder.
Jeong Hoon hurriedly unsealed the next box.
Testing qualifications.
Hardship descends. Endure and persevere.
Failure will imprison you, subjecting you to 10,000 days of torment.
Ten thousand days in prison upon failure?
Persevering is one thing but times the issue.
Jeong Hoon glanced at the timer.
Acquiring Temperance had just consumed two hours.
With less than four hours left, enduring a hardship could mean he wouldnt touch the remaining four.
Ah, shouldve picked the one next to it.
Master, no time to hesitate. Secure this one at least, and get the other four later?
Anima had a point, but Jeong Hoon thought differently.
No. When am I gonna get the other four? Im getting them all here.
Any way to do it?
By enduring.
Jeong Hoon widened his eyes.
Agonizing pain wracked his entire body, blurring his vision.
Just like with Temperance, losing consciousness here would shift his mind elsewhere, forcing him to spend a vast amount of time there.
With time flow distorted, he gripped his consciousness tight and endured.
Acquired Patience.
The acquired Virtue is imprinted on your soul.
Acquired Primordial Fragment x2.
Thirty minutes of enduring without losing consciousness.
The full-body agony faded, and he succeeded in gaining the Virtues recognition, acquiring Patience.
The timer showed just under three hours and twenty minutes remaining.
As expected, it ends quick if you dont lose consciousness.
Four remained.
Hed claim them all within three hours and twenty minutes, ascend to demigod, head to the demon realm, and bring everything to an end.
Steeling himself, Jeong Hoon unsealed the box beside it.
Testing qualifications.