Chapter 288: 288
Chapter 288 – Island (5)
Team: HH, thursdays, Yahiko (5/12)
Yeon-woo left the iron tower a day later .
It was to get used to the Divine Blessings and to go through his fight with Benteke .
Yeon-woo was awake the entire night going over the fight using Time Difference . He was looking for a way to defeat Benteke .
‘In the last fight… . . anyone would say it was definitely my loss . ’
Actually, most people would’ve said that it was a tie . Nemesis and Nike considered it a tie as well, but as someone who actually fought in the battle, Yeon-woo knew that it was his loss .
It was only a tie because he had improvised and used an irregularity . Yeon-woo fell completely short in terms of skills .
Yeon-woo didn’t like that .
‘At least as much as Benteke… . . ’
Yeon-woo had promised Nemesis that he wouldn’t be drunk on excitement and do something stupid . He was thinking the same thing now . He wasn’t going to waste the weapons he had .
However, he was still regretful about one thing .
The battle with Benteke .
He wanted to end the unfinished fight with his own hands .
He still remembered the glee of a beast clashing with another, two monsters colliding . Thinking of back then, he felt his fingers tingle . He wanted to see the end of it .
Of course, this time, he was planning on fighting and using all his cards if he was losing .
The Divine Blessing that Benteke had was tempting .
Also, in that process, he wanted to see the limits of his power without anyone’s help .
‘Although, Nemesis will shout at me again if he finds out . ’
Yeon-woo adjusted the connection so Nemesis wouldn’t be able to read his thoughts and began to review again .
In that process, he could see Benteke’s strengths and weaknesses .
‘Strong but uncompromising . ’
Benteke’s advantages could be described in one word .
Strength . Benteke was too strong . There was nothing hiding, blocking, or changing the power he emitted .
He just broke and destroyed things with brute force . Yeon-woo felt like he understood why Benteke was called the Ruler King all this time .
He didn’t budge or surrender .
However, if you were too firm, it meant that you would break apart irrevocably once you fell . There was no way a master like Benteke didn’t know that, so he was probably trying to become strong enough to the point that he couldn’t be broken at all .
‘Then, I only need to find a way to break him . ’
Yeon-woo repeated many simulations over and over again to find the answer . His broadened consciousness after absorbing the Summer Queen allowed him to calculate more, so he was able to experience many things . He gained a lot in that process .
He also discovered variables .
‘Poseidon’s followers’ apostles from the quest . I’ll have to be careful of them too . ’
There had been distance between them, so he couldn’t tell, but there was someone who had blocked Duke Ardbad while protecting Benteke . Behind him, there were players who were as powerful as him .
They were all players with holy power .
It was clear they were apostles of Orion, Antaeus, and Charybdis – Poseidon’s children .
They were probably the other Poseidon’s “apostles” mentioned in the hidden quest .
Since they were related to Poseidon by blood, they were definitely strong as well .
‘Orion was a hunter so powerful he was called a giant, and Antaeus was as much of a brute as Heracles . Charybdis was a monster who swallowed an ocean . ’
Antaeus and Charybdis weren’t as well known, but they were children of Poseidon and Gaia .
Since they were both gods created by a higher god and a founding god of Olympus, they might’ve even been more powerful than Poseidon .
‘It’s filled with monsters related to the sea . ’
He realized how Triton was able to control such a large amount of forces in that short amount of time .
If they had four apostles, there was no way they would be a minor clan .
Also, it was clear that Triton still had many things they were hiding .
He had to stand against them alone .
It wouldn’t be easy .
「Hoarder! You, how can you……!」
It took him quite a while to realize he was dead . It had been so sudden, and he hadn’t imagined that Yeon-woo would hurt him somehow .
No, it was impossible that someone would hurt someone who saved their life .
He was a knight who protected the Emperor and an honorable sword-wielder . He couldn’t believe Yeon-woo’s actions because of his beliefs as a knight .
Also, he had been admiring Yeon-woo’s courage and will to fight Benteke .
When Yeon-woo smirked and took off his mask… . .
「Ah, ahh!」
Duke Ardbad trembled from the betrayal . Like how all people who had seen Yeon-woo’s face reacted, he seemed shocked as well . He even screamed, saying that it wasn’t possible .
「You! You……!」
At the same time, Duke Ardbad realized that they had all been played by Yeon-woo .
From when Viscount Lao was swept away in the Demons’ Forest to here . How the Walpurgisnacht had fallen, and the Summer Queen had died .
And the enmity between the White Dragon and the Blood Land that would spring from his death .
All these had been the product of one person . And it was someone they thought they had killed… . . !
Duke Ardbad couldn’t speak .
“Swallow him . ”
However, as if he didn’t care about Duke Ardbad’s reaction, Yeon-woo looked at Hanryeong, who had been quietly waiting for Yeon-woo’s orders, and nodded .
「You dare! Who do you think I am?! Let go! Take your dirty hand off of me, I said!」
Duke Ardbad squirmed to get away from the shadows rising from the ground . However, they became tentacles tightening around his hands and feet, and they completely took him apart and began to swallow him .
「Let……!」
Crunch, crunch—
The monsters swallowed all of Duke Ardbad as if they were devouring a tasty meal . All the energy that came from it was absorbed by Hanryeong .
Checheche—
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A dark fog blew towards Hanryeong . It wrapped around him, and he began to change .
[Hanryeong’s (Death Knight) level is rising, and he is no longer confined by his former limits . ]
[The evolution is beginning . ]
[Warning! Until the evolution is finished, please make sure there is nothing bothering you . If the evolution fails, all the levels earned may disappear at once . ]
Hanryeong’s level when he was alive was high, and he had the potential to become stronger anytime as long as his body could match it .
He was able to surpass his limits by absorbing Duke Ardbad’s soul, and he began to evolve into a Death Noble .
“It would be nice if there were more people like this . ”
Yeon-woo muttered looking at Hanryeong, who was struggling to evolve . For him, it was better to have one more stronger person .
Shanon snorted, his arms crossed . It was a while since he left the shadows .
「How greedy . But this won’t work anymore . Unless they’re fools . 」
Yeon-woo silently nodded his head . He knew it too .
The only reason why he had caught Duke Ardbad was because of the timing, not his skills .
The Duke was weak after fighting for a while, and he had been focused on the fight with Waltz, so he didn’t expect any attacks from the outside .
It was also thanks to Hanryeong, who knew to attack at that time .
The Saber God was still the Saber God, no matter how low his level was, he definitely wasn’t weaker than Duke Ardbad .
But now, these tricks wouldn’t work anymore .
Now that they knew that attacks through shadows were possible, they would prepare for it as well .
It was a shame for Yeon-woo, but overall, it wasn’t something he would lose anything from, so he wasn’t concerned about it too much and quickly got over it .
‘I can just think of another way . ’
Around the time when he was done organizing his thoughts,
Hwak!
Hanryeong finally appeared . Light shined through the cracks and settled down again .
There was a Death Noble wearing darkness where the light left . Inferno Sight was blazing under his helm .
Step, step—
Hanryeong kneeled and bowed his head towards Yeon-woo .
「Respects towards my master…… . 」
It was a loyalty pledge for his owner who had allowed him to walk a new path .
When Yeon-woo was done with everything and came back outside onto the island, Heidi ran towards him frantically . The players who were enjoying their breaks all stood up, tense .
“Later tonight, we’ll set sail . ”
However, everyone just looked at each other in silence, and no one answered .
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Concern filled their faces .
Just then, Heidi stepped up carefully . She was most definitely the leader who represented them and spoke for them .
“Isn’t it too early? If we leave now… . . ”
“If you’re worried about seeing Triton and the Spring Queen again, you can stay here . The choice is yours anyway . ”
Yeon-woo turned around . They had no reason to be loyal to him . He was planning on leaving them on the island if they wanted to . Although he didn’t know if they would survive there .
The players all sighed . If they stayed, the trial would expire because of the time limit . They didn’t want to let that happen .
There was nothing they could do but follow him .
They hoped this time, the path the Hoarder was walking would be tranquil and smooth .
At the frantic movements of the old Cannibal Monster Humans, the sails spread apart . A breeze started to blow, and the Ghost Ship left the island .
Around the time when they left the fog—
Kwang! Kwakwang!
Kwakwakwa—
A large explosion and ball of fire came from within the island . The fire that swallowed everything destroyed what was in its path .
A huge earthquake followed, like a volcano had exploded .
All the players on deck looked towards the bow of the ship .
However, Yeon-woo, the receiver of the gazes, didn’t pay any attention to the island . He was just looking at the sea path, focusing on Ceto’s holy artifact .
The players sweated upon seeing him again . They were grateful towards Heidi .
Actually, a few of them had considered whether they should stay on the island . It was an island that had all necessary facilities, and they believed they could survive . However, Heidi had stopped them and convinced people all night to go with her .
If they had refused?
They would’ve been swept away by the fire along with the rest of the island . The backs of their necks felt cold .
Thankfully, they weren’t bothered while crossing the River of Souls this time .
They didn’t see Triton, the Fantasy Regiment, or Waltz . They didn’t even see a single pirate .
It was strange that they could cross the river so comfortably .
So they were still on their guards, wary of any surprise attacks, and after a few days had passed… . .
[All trials have been completed . This is the 29th floor, the ‘Land of Souls . ’]
The Ghost Ship finally arrived on the land of the 29th floor .
“W, We’re here!”
“The 29th floor! It’s the 29th floor!”
They jumped up and down, happy that their seafaring life was over .
Yeon-woo waited until the ship entered the port, and he lightly jumped down when the shore of the river was nearer .
Heidi dashed over to the edge and looked down .
“A, Are you leaving?”
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Yeon-woo looked up . Heidi was looking at him with a concerned face .
He silently nodded . Their contract was only valid until they passed the 28th floor anyway . They would figure out the rest .
Heidi knew that, so she couldn’t stop him . No, she didn’t even have a reason to .
She had saved him . She did everything she could so she could have a light conscience . Rather, she was in the position where she could request something from him . Right now, it was wiser to put some distance between them since he was surrounded by all sorts of dangers .
Even while knowing that, Heidi felt like she should stop Yeon-woo .
It might’ve been the sixth sense of a woman or the instinct of a fairy . If not that, it might’ve just been because she wanted to .
“Later . ”
And when Yeon-woo spoke up, Heidi listened carefully to catch every single word he said .
“If you want, come find me . ”
“If I want… . . ?”
Yeon-woo’s words were like a puzzle to Heidi . However, Yeon-woo just turned around and began to walk slowly into the horizon .
Heidi looked at his back for a long time .
‘If she didn’t have so much luggage, I’d have scouted her, but I’ll give it some time . ’
Yeon-woo grinned, stepped on the stage of the 29th floor . Heidi was like a diamond in the rough he found while climbing the floors again . A diamond that was starting to shine .
He wanted to take her for himself at once, but because there were too many people who depended on her, it would be hard to do that .
Still, it wasn’t enough to give up on her completely, so he made a promise for the future .
He was planning to go look for her again when she became a jewel or have her find him instead .
And just like that, Yeon-woo pushed the Ghost Ship behind him and focused on his steps . With his wide-open Draconic Eyes, he could see Triton’s location .
A Monster Portent inside Benteke’s shadow was showing him the way .
Trudge, trudge—
[All trials have been completed . ]
[Would you like to register your name in the hall of fame?]
[You have rejected registration . ]
[However, your accomplishments will be left in the history of the Tower, and you can change your registration status anytime . ]
[This is the 30th floor, the gate of ‘Site of Souls . ’]
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