Chapter 456: Solitude (3)
Translator: Ares
Editor Group: Liber Reverie
Ruuuuuuumble!
"Huhk! You're crazy!"
People had dumbfounded expressions after seeing Hansoo plunge inside. If that were to happen, what should they do? Follow him inside? Even if they didn't want to, they couldn't enter, to begin with, since the white surface that swallowed Hansoo was now fully recovered and closed. Now, there was only a smooth white surface amidst the blue light.
Seeing the blue-colored white surface, Dell Marcus took a deep breath as he raised his weapon.
"Hey! What are you going to do?!"
"Kyahahahahahaha!"
Before Hosang was able to stop him, Dell Marcus let out a large scream and delivered a blow with all of his strength toward the huge structure in front of them.
Boooooooooooooooooom!
The powerful blow literally ripped through the air as it crashed down onto the surface like thunder.
Though the distance was about 2km away, the blow, which gave off such intense force implying that it would never be intercepted, struck the white surface directly in less than a second.
Soon, a large roar was heard.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
"Woah…"
'… When did this bastard get so strong?'
There were dirt and branches flying all around.
Hosang, who was watching from the side, looked in awe at the huge sandstorm that was created from a simple shockwave.
He knew that Dell Marcus was strong, but for him to possess such power…
'Well, I did become quite strong as well.'
Grip.
He grasped on his fist and felt the overwhelming power stream through his body.
He felt that he had become much stronger in this span of less than a week than he did in the last 6 months prior.
It wasn't easy to follow Eres while fighting and hunting, but the difference was this vast.
It was a hell of a training.
He was forcefully carried around and fought like crazy in life-or-death scenarios. He had to utilize all of his skills, experience, and his proficiency in his weapons to survive in these intense crises. Not only that, he obtained a lot of crystals from killing the beasts to reward his efforts.
As long as he stayed alive, there was no way he wouldn't get stronger.
Hosang frowned after seeing Dell Marcus in the sandstorm.
'… There's not even a dent.'
The terrifying blow that was struck down by Dell Marcus did not even dent the white metal surface as the blue light that swirled above it perfectly blocked his attack. If Dell Marcus's attack with that much force was blocked, it was meaningless for them to attack in unison.
It was a shield that boasted absolute defense, causing the Transcendents to swallow back in envy. It was a scene that helped them realize that they had no choice to start. Now, there was nothing for them to do with the guy who had entered the ship.
All they could do was wait or decide on what their next course of action would be.
'Damn it…'
Seeing the blue light become stronger, the Transcendents turned their heads toward a specific direction.
They looked at the man who had created this present situation; the one who had given Hansoo a new skill and induced him to go inside.
"Who are you? What are you thinking?" Hosang asked Sangjin. It was then…
"Huhuk… Huk."
Crash!
Sangjin kneeled down and let out rough groans. It wasn't because his body was a total mess, but it was because his body was recovering at an astonishing rate.
5-Star.
It was a strength that was more than enough to destroy the planet Angkara in the lower zone. However, that current strength was the problem itself.
Beat! Beat!
His heartbeats became rougher. No, in fact, it was Neropa's soul that was divided into him by the Neropa Emperor that was becoming bigger. He had done all he could to suppress the strength of this soul. It normally didn't go on a rampage like this, but there was only one reason he could think of why it suddenly began to fluctuate.
"Groan…"
'As expected… That structure.'
Sangjin kneeled down and drooled as he looked at the huge white structure in which the blue light was becoming brighter.
——————-
"Is this… the Red Jade? The one that we had seen below?" Eres muttered subconsciously.
When they arrived at the space, Clementine had walked over to a certain area and raised his hand over something, causing the whole area to brighten.
Once the place lit up, she realized that they were at the control unit of this huge place.
The blue light began to spiral all across the place, and what changed foremost was below them.
The floor of the space, which used to boast a heavy dense material, suddenly became transparent.
Eres couldn't help but be surprised to see what was happening as they looked under their feet. Something familiar caught their eyes.
Eres gulped as she saw the sight of dozens of red beads that were shining under their feet. They were smaller than the ones that were shining on the planet Angkara but didn't look like they would lose out in power alone against them.
Dozens of red beads were currently spiraling below them.
Even while admitting that this structure was massive, it was still an unbelievable sight.
In the first place, those giant red beads had enough supply to charge a planet's core and was able to store dozens of them. It would have taken up as much space for one red jade like how one did for the planet Angkara.
However, this structure in calculation from the curvature on the outside was by no means as huge as that planet.
'I still haven't received my answer from Clementine.'
Since her question wasn't answered, her curiosity grew more.
Eres looked at Clementine as if she was urging him to answer.
She had the right to know.
However, it was another existence that passionately responded to Eres's stare.
Jijiiiiiiiiiiiiiiik!
A translucent hologram began to form in the air before them.
It soon identified their shapes and adapted into a common human form.
There was pride in the hologram's face, who smiled while pointing at the 18 Red Jades that were circulating in a dark space similar to outer space.
It was as if the person was boasting a carefully crafted work of art.
Seeing this hologram, Eres frowned.
Though he couldn't feel a killing intent, he was an unpleasant fellow.
Seeing this, the hologram paused momentarily before having an enlightened expression.
"…"
Eres narrowed her brows while looking at the guy, who was making wild guesses.
The hologram smiled and continued.
The hologram, who finished speaking, walked around and smiled.
———–
Ruuuuuuuumble!
Hansoo, who was fighting furiously inside, felt something suddenly and frowned.
The level of energy remained unchanged, but the flow of energy was different.
The energy that was constantly flowing under established rules so far had at some point began to flow with a different purpose.
There was only one reason why such a scenario was occurring.
'… It has awoken.'
In fact, he didn't know what exactly happened to Noah here on out since they had failed in awakening Noah in his previous life.
The only attempt to awaken Noah was blighted by Clementine.
Though he lost his head to him in the end, it had been quite a while since the control room was destroyed by him.
They might have been able to fix the control room if they had enough time, but they didn't have time to spare since the Beasts of the Abyss attacked them relentlessly. In the end, they gave up Noah and chose to dive deeper into the Abyss naked.
They fought endlessly and continued to do so like what he was doing right now.
Booooooooooooooooooooooom!
Hansoo struck down his Mjolnir onto the beast that tried to bite him.
Boooooooooooooooom!
Kyaaaaaaaaaaaak!
He was fighting endlessly, again and again.
The beasts that were trapped inside were full of rage as they all focused on expressing their pent-up anger to him.
He was cut and blown away.
In return, he also made sure to return the favor as he destroyed them, and amidst the process, he became stronger.
Craaaaack!
The seed that had settled within him was growing quickly.
Hansoo, who was able to feel the seed's growth, began to concentrate. If he were to make a mistake, he would really die.
Whatever they did, it didn't matter. Just like how he couldn't afford to care about them, it seemed that they didn't bother to think about him as well.
This was evidenced by the huge flow of energy, which immediately faltered temporarily before resuming its normal stream.
After being somewhat rattled momentarily, he quickly recovered and began to fight relentlessly.
Ruuuuumble.
'Wait… a bit longer.'
—————-
With Eres behind him, Clementine asked Noah, "Are all the features available?"
At those words, Noah, to be precise the hologram that named itself Noah, shook his head with excitement.
From Noah's words, everyone looked below.
Like Noah had said, there was only one active Red Jade out of the 18.
As Eres and Keldian both narrowed their brows, Clementine, who was standing in front, smiled and said, "Then, can you float?"
Clementine laughed from Noah's words.
"First… go up. I want to show these friends of mine something."
< As you request.>
Soon…
Kureeeeeeeeeeeeeeung
The huge white structure that was Noah began to tremble in its entirety.
Chapter 457: Solitude (4)
Translator: Ares
Editor Group: Liber Reverie
"Huuuuuuh?"
The people were shocked to see something large rising.
It was a white thing the size of a mansion covered in blue light.
There were still hundreds of kilometers north of their current location. It wasn't that short of a distance for these superhumans, but that didn't mean that it was a distance easy to traverse either.
What had initially caught their eyes was the blue light, but now their eyes were fixated on the overwhelming size of the structure with its beautiful white surface curves.
That was how grand the object was.
One of the Transcendents that had seen this subconsciously uttered out a word.
"Moon…?"
To be honest, it was much smaller than a moon and there was no way a moon would be buried under the ground, but there wasn't another word that could explain the scene that unfolded before his eyes.
It was a round white sphere with a sparkling cold blue that radiated sadness.
The long battle had prolonged the day into the night, and the blue light that was sprinkled by the object was as if it was protecting them.
It was overwhelming and unrealistic that those who were quarrelling among themselves were left in a speechless daze.
Caron Belphegor who had insisted on heading to the north loudly shouted.
"We need to immediately head north!"
"…?"
From Caron's cry, everyone had doubtful expressions as to what they just heard.
Seeing the crowd mumbling among themselves, Caron shouted once more.
"Everyone should know on their way up to the elevator that this is the last zone!"
Everyone nodded their heads. It was true that the last floor that the elevator ascended to was this place, the Seventh Zone. There were no more floors that they could up. Everyone thought that since this was the end, it would be the zone where they would restart their lives. Whether they dislike or like the place, they had to survive.
Belphegor seeing their expressions continued.
"But, are you going to just stay here and watch that suspicious object float? Whether we go investigate or destroy it, are we going to let those things float above our heads without any response?"
"Hmm…"
The people nodded since he was correct. Surely, there was no reason to fixate on the issue of the object floating unless this was the last place they would spend their lives in since they would just train themselves before ascending to the next zone. However, this time, the story was different. The elevator had signalled that this was the last zone, and if this issue wasn't resolved, they would be swept with discomfort as they live on.
No, it would be a relief if it was just discomfort, but what if that object was something dangerous.
What if it were to activate and instantly wipe out all the creatures in every direction? Then, they would have to pay the full price of negligence with their own lives.
At that moment, there was a cry of disapproval from another side.
"So? Are we going to leave this place and depart? If we leave, then what do we do with the others before?!"
It was truly difficult to ascend up to this place. If the other Transcendents had not been holding the formations in place, they would have been killed by the monster army they had seen earlier. They had defeated them and pushed them back, but it didn't mean that they had completely overwhelmed their opponents. They were just readjusting and replenishing their armies. They would have pushed on if they had judged that they could completely defeat them. However, the monsters had retreated despite knowing that there were still more people ascending from the elevator. There was meaning to that. It meant that if they all united and reorganized their divisions and numbers, they had confidence that they could win again. However, if they were to take their forces and head north, then it was obvious that the others that were currently ascending would be engaged in tougher battles than before. No, it could be said that they could be cut down and slaughtered.
AT the cry of such a man, Belphegor frowned for a moment before muttering internally.
'What do you know.'
Experience had told him so far that there was a supernatural power in each zone.
The first zone had the World Tree, and from zones 2-6, all of them had such cases as well. There was someone that had controlled all of mankind and had enough strength leftover, the one that was extremely famous who had that kind of power in his hands.
'Kang Hansoo.'
He was the true ruler of mankind, who possessed all of the Transcendental weapons in all six zones.
He hadn't personally ruled or controlled them, but no one could escape his influence.
People grew stronger as he had ordered, and was controlled by his orders henceforth.
Rules have risen, and people were not able to act of their own free will. Of course, there was no way to deny that it allowed them to reduce internal conflict and grow rapidly. However, Belphegor could not be satisfied with this much. He wanted to vent his strength to his heart's content, and become a presence that was in the top 0.01% of humans.
But, what was this situation?
At this rate, they would become mere spare parts to the system that was created by him. They would grow as he had ordered, and be forced to fight if he wanted.
He could never be content with such a rule. He wanted to enjoy the right of authority, make his own subordinates and men, and reign like a king. He wanted to take whatever he wanted, and keep all the women he willed.
Until now, it was impossible since Hansoo's strength was too enormous for them to dare resist no matter how much they struggled.
However, it was different now.
That strength had appeared before their eyes. There was no room for doubt. That object would be the ultimate power to control this area.
'That… if I could control that thing.'
Belphegor tightly gripped his fits.
The one that was able to laugh last was the final victor.
Even if Hansoo was the one that had devoured the previous six zones, he would become the final king by occupying this zone.
And… there was still an opportunity for himself
If Hansoo had already occupied that power, there was no way that sphere would have stopped working until now.
Hansoo would definitely have wiped out the alien species or used it to control them. Something should have already been done. The fact that no actions were taken place, it meant that he hadn't succeeded yet.
Belphegor shouted once more.
"I have no intentions of letting that thing stay above my head. I need to know what that is! I'm going to go investigate so you guys stay here!"
Belphegor shouted loudly as the surroundings began to shake.
"…haha."
The hologram created by Noah was able to show the full appearance of the large moon-like ship to everyone.
Keldian gulped as he watched the towering white body. He knew that it was enormous when he first saw the hull. However, he didn't expect such a large object to float in the sky.
At Noah's words, Keldian frowned.
He recollected Noah's words previously.
'There are conditions to fully awakening these functions.'
Curious of the conditions needed to awaken, he asked Noah.
"You've said that there are conditions, so what are they?"
Noah shrugged from his remark.
The hologram who made a pretty sly expression looked down towards the Red Jade and spoke.
""Yes."
Noah laughed from Keldian's nod.
"You mean…"
"It's simple. Increasing the number of registrants solves everything.>
Noah smiled as he saw Keldian narrowing his eyes looking at the large populations of people over at the elevator.
——————-
Ruuuuuuuuuumble!
Countless beasts from all sides swarmed onto Hansoo.
Dragon-like creatures swirled all around Hansoo while hundreds of millions of cockroach-like beasts gnawed mercilessly into his armor to dig out his skin and whatever existed beneath.
Booooooooooooom!
Melting everything around him with fire, he could hear a voice of frustration.
<… I've seen a lot of crazy guys, but I've never met someone as crazy as you.>
It was the voice of the demon, Barmamunt, that had reappeared after a long while. It couldn't be helped since if this guy was to make a single mistake, he would die all for nothing.
It hadn't even seen him in despair yet, so it would be quite problematic for him to die, so much so that he was somewhat regretting giving this man power.
The reason why he had taken away his memories in exchange for their strength was largely due to wanting him to create chaos and disaster. They had wanted to see him destroy what he was protecting.
However, this idiot was using that power to crawl towards his death as if he was jumping on a chance to finally die like a lunatic.
They were flabbergasted to see him crawl into higher areas of danger the more strength he garnered.
They didn't even like the seed he had received from below.
It was a skill focused on self-sacrifice. With that kind of skill, his soul would be shattered and scattered. If it was a skill that destroyed one's soul, it was certain that they would disappear regardless of their contract.
It would mean that an unimaginable strength would burst out. However, that was his position since there was nothing beneficial for them.
What would be the point of using a doll without a soul.
The demons were roaring, which caused Hansoo to smile.
"It's up to me to decide what to do with the power I was given. Shut up.>
If he were to choose one of the few pleasures from this damned world, it would be the distorted faces of those demons.
"If I die, try saving someone else."
From those words, Barmamunt including the rest all groaned and gnashed their teeth.
If it was so simple, they wouldn't even be speaking.
Transcendent?
The rest were all fake. They were like weeds born through the cracks of the Abyss and the Underword.
It was too special to let waste of a soul where only one true Transcendence was born in each world.
Where do they get the opportunity to make the sacrifice of another admirable soul contract elsewhere?
However, that guy knew this and yet… he was like this.'
Deep underground, Barmamunt muttered.
Chapter 458: Solitude (5)
Translator: Ares
Editor Group: Liber Reverie
Roooooooooooooar!
"Hmm…."
Belphegor gulped as he saw the huge ball floating in the air.
Seeing this from up close, he could feel a different level of pressure than before. It wasn't just a matter of size. Of course, there was a sense of pressure seeing how it covered the entire sky, but he wouldn't have come here, to begin with, if he was afraid.
They were the ones that could break the mountain if needed.
Even if a star of this size were to float in the air, they were confident of splitting it down in the middle given time if this was a normal, moon-like star like before. However, that blue light that was surrounding the white sphere was like a calm, overwhelming burden weighed on their shoulders. Seeing the energy flowing through the surface of the white sphere like a river was like a premonition that this could never be stopped by the power of humans.
John Stone, who was next to him, spat out.
"Why? Are you afraid to enter after coming here?"
"… I'm not sure what you're talking about. By the way, you were saying this and that to come here and remain here."
John Stone frowned from Belphegor's remark.
'You bastard. That's because the situation keeps changing.'
How could he come up with consistent opinions and orders when the situation kept changing. At first, they had thought about going up since they wanted to help out Hansoo.
However, currently, they weren't in a position to back him up.
Rather than worrying about the loss of contact with Hansoo, they needed to be more aware of preserving their power in the near future and confront the armies that would come toward them.
They had sent the vanguard out, but they could not find any traces of them whether they had flown into the sky or were buried in the ground.
'This is truly crazy. Where the hell did all those guys go?'
John Stone was not happy with the faction splitting that was happening in the midst of all this. It was already an extent to send a scouting party ahead, but for a bunch of guys to swarm to this location?
Looking around, he immediately knew there were tens of thousands of people full of ambition here. They were the determined ones that took the initiative to find out the secrets of this newly emerging object. It was truly a farfetched hope that these guys would use their power morally for the right cause if they were to attain it.
No, there was a higher probability that they would do it for the opposite. These were the ones that had taken the risk of this white object to get their hands on the potential new power, and they didn't look like those that would risk themselves for others. He had to do what he could to stop these blockheads to stop them, which was why he had followed them.
"Damn… It would be nice if these guys were freaked out and ran away for their lives after seeing something incredibly dangerous inside," John Stone muttered, looking at the white sphere floating in the sky.
That possibility wasn't out of the question.
Through his conversation with Kiriel, he had heard the story broadly of the path that Hansoo took.
The dangers that he faced were unbelievable.
Upon hearing the obstacles he traversed and what he did, John Stone had no choice but to admit completely that the guy was truly a madman even if he was crazy himself.
Before he had lost his memory and after, he was crazy regardless. No, it could be said that he was more humane after losing his memories.
If he was in his right mind or even had a speck of wanting to live, he would not have crawled into such dangerous places and did what he did.
"I hope these guys run away fully depleted of spirit," John Stone took a long deep breath and muttered, seeing Belphegor and the other warriors ready to jump in.
The faraway entrance was well over a few dozen kilometers high in distance.
Even if it were them, they had to leap for quite a while to be able to enter.
The moment the others were preparing their whole bodies to jump off the ground…
Booooooooooooooooooooooom!
"Huh!"
"What the hell?!"
The sudden blue light frightened the warriors. The blue light was currently shining above them from the ground that they were standing at like the spotlight given to the actors in a movie theater.
They looked on at the eerie light that looked to capture them. When a few of them began to falter back…
Papapapapapa!
The light in the air quickly began to dance and change its form as the blue light intertwined with each other, creating hundreds and thousands of plates out of that blue light.
All of them were about 1meter in thickness as they began to line up from the sky toward the ground like stairs as if it were guiding them toward the entrance.
Both Belphegor and John Stone gulped after seeing this. Of course, it didn't mean that they couldn't enter without this. The important part was something else. There was someone else inside that was looking at them. That inviting, bright, extended staircase was proof. It was made playfully, but the power of light that was condensed was beyond imagination. If the person inside didn't want them inside and had attacked them instead, it wouldn't be strange at all, but the fact that the stairs were made was clear that it was an invitation.
While the people hesitated from the sudden response, Belphegor ventured toward the staircase.
'Damn… I already started this.'
He didn't know what was inside, but if he thought there was someone dangerous in there who had the will to kill them, there was no reason to invite them. In other words, it wouldn't have been strange to attack them. Therefore, there wasn't a real reason for them to refuse this invitation. He still hadn't got what he wanted.
Thump. Thump. Thump!
Although there were many steps, each of them had a wide gap of several meters as Belphegor jumped on the stairs as if he was walking. The other Transcendents, who saw this, gulped before soon soaring after Belphegor with similar thoughts.
'… Damn. It's not like I can't go in.'
John Stone, frowning, sighed before following the footsteps of the men inside the giant white object.
————————–
"You want to let them all in?"
Eres nodded from Keldian's word.
"I told you. The ark is wide, and if we want to use all of its features, we need to increase the number of registrants."
Noah laughed from the remark.
Eres exhaled, seeing Noah.
Eres always thought that there were causes and reasons for every result. From her point of view, there were reasons why this large white object was made, why it needed this much power, and why engineers had built Noah. There must be a reason for everything, and her intuition told her that the reason for all she had mentioned above was not particularly in their favor. In the first place, for those reasons to exist, there needed to be a common cause, which meant that there was an opponent for why Noah needed such great power.
"In order to prepare for that scenario, we need to build up our strength," Eres muttered.
If Noah was designed to have 18 Red Jades, it meant that there was definitely a time where Noah had to use all of them.
In case that was to happen, they had to increase the number of users which was in line with her ideology which respected the potential of humans and save as many as possible.
However, she wasn't a fool. There was nothing more foolish than blindly trusting people in this world.
Eres looked at Keldian and Clementine before speaking, "Then… All of you agree to bring these people in and watch them without registering, right?"
For now, they would watch them to see what intentions and thoughts they had to enter the ark and the motivations that led them there. They didn't know anything, so it was best to examine for now.
After they make room in the ark for them and observing their actions, they would decide whether they would let them stay or not.
Keldian nodded from her words along with Clementine.
'Clementine, I don't know why you asked that question earlier… But I will be right again this time.'
If she were given the power to take someone to the New World, she would take as many as possible since they would be her friends and colleagues that would protect each others' backs.
In this damned world… The only thing that could be trusted was humans.
'Isn't it?'
Eres bitterly smiled, seeing Clementine with a mysterious smile.
That confident smile always gave ease and stability to others, but when opinions differed like this, it made people nervous.
She thought that Clementine might be right again this time, but Eres shook her head.
'No.'
If she couldn't even trust humans, then she could really only despair.
It would truly be too scary to be left alone in this large world with no one to believe in.
'Whew. Alright. I believe you.'
So far, he had been right. Therefore, it was enough to prove going forth that he was right in the future. Taking a deep breath, Eres prepared to meet the Adventurers that had climbed up the stairs and were walking through the hallway.
—————
Booooooooooooooom!
The demons kept talking inside Hansoo.
Though they were quarantined inside, they were able to get some idea of the situation outside through Mormat's power, the Master of Authority.
The flies that were wholly swept all over the place earlier had not fully recovered. They wanted to see what was going on around Noah.
Although it was not possible to see inside Noah from far away, being able to look around Noah was a great help.
"Do… what you want."
Hansoo ignored the words of the demons and began to lash out with his shield against the beasts in the room.
Boooooooooooooooo!
The bright red aura that surrounded his shield made the wolf-like beasts running toward him into a paste.
The red-jade like light that looked like blood continued to shine brightly a slightly red fungus color different from the Pandemic Blade.
The demons watching from the inside frowned.
'You crazy Administrator… To give a madman a weird skill like that…'
Barmamunt gritted his teeth as he watched Hansoo, who was swimming in bright red colors on top of black and gold.
Chapter 459: Heaven (1)
Translator: Ares
Editor Group: Liber Reverie
Ruuuumble!
Belphegor had an uncomfortable expression while looking at the long, black hallway.
'Why is it like this? I feel like I entered a prison.'
The hallway looked like a pathway to the execution chamber as most of his powers and skills were restricted as if it was telling him not to resist.
However, Belphegor soon shook his head.
'If they were trying to kill me, there's no reason to be so complicated.'
Earlier, when he was climbing the stairs, he realized that the vast waves of energy came from the entrance. With this large object, they could kill him whenever they want to.
Swallowing back, Belphegor walked with certainty toward the far visible light.
If he walked straight, he would arrive. There was still some distance left, but an estimate of 20 minutes at most would all it would take for them to arrive.
'Let's go.'
At that moment…
Ruuuuuuuuuuuumble!
"Huh?! What?!"
The sudden trembles began to shake the dark corridor.
Soon, the walls of the hallway turned into small black cubes before changing their shapes like a broken graphic screen.
It wasn't just the walls as strange noises began to resound from the cloud-like black cubes for reassembling and creating a new path.
It wasn't a straight path like before, but a hallway that headed for somewhere else. The explanation might be long, but the change was instantaneous.
Less than a second later, the hallway that led to the distant light had disappeared, and in its place, a slightly curved path that was to the south arose.
Seeing how this carefully assembled hallway had suddenly appeared, Belphegor hesitated.
"If you're not going, get out of my way man."
John Stone stepped forward, pushing Belphegor to the side.
'Bastard. He's scared.'
If they were trying to do something strange, they wouldn't go in such a roundabout way.
It would have been easier to crunch the hallway from earlier and kill them. It was but a short moment, but he definitely felt the ominous, creepy energy that was in each black cube.
Although those cubes' purpose was merely used for changing appearance, what he had felt from before could have been a staircase to hell.
'And… It seems that the light had become subtly brighter.'
The end of the hallway was brighter than before. John Stone walked toward it as if it was a location that was welcoming his arrival.
Picking up his speed, he soon arrived to the bright light which leaked out and covered John Stone's entire body. Walking out of the hallway, John Stone groaned subconsciously.
"Mhm…"
"Hey, big guy. Stop blocking the road and step aside. What is it?"
Since John Stone's body was very big, the people behind him could not see a single thing. Belphegor, who was following just behind John Stone, pushed him aside and walked out.
At that moment…
"Mhm…"
Belphegor uttered the same groan as John Stone. The same went for the warriors who began arriving behind Belphegor and John Stone.
"Wow…"
"What is this?"
There was a huge, luscious beach with the sand shining brightly that was scattered on top. There were the sunshine and the cool, fresh breeze that was around them, and the benches and trees that were in the streets as well.
It wasn't just that.
"Wow! Over here! There's a ball!"
"Throw it this way!"
There were countless numbers of people filling the beach. There were hundreds of buildings and white houses standing tall on the beach.
'What is this? Is this a hallucination?'
John Stone and Belphegor both faltered back.
"This… is Florida," A warrior, who followed from behind, said with a bewildered expression.
————-
"…"
Form Noah's words, Eres swallowed back. It wasn't just nice. Before she was dragged into this hell, it was the place where she had spent her life at. It was Florida. For every intersection, there was a building. Although her memory of the place had somewhat faded over the course of the last 20 years, she still remembered clearly what it looked like and what it had.
The scene that reflected from the scene perfectly filled the gaps in Eres's memory of Florida. It was literally the city that she lived in more than 20 years ago, and it looked exactly the same. Her eyes quivered as she looked at the faces of the people over in the screen.
'… Even my friends.'
Her friends that were dragged into the Abyss and had died were definitely alive at the time. They had gathered at the beach in order to celebrate her birthday party, and the words 'happiest moment in my life' could not be more fitting than this.
This was definitely the brightest point of her life, and its reproducibility of that scene was horrifyingly accurate.
Eres clenched her teeth before looking at Noah and asked, "How did you do that…?"
Noah laughed loudly in amusement.
Ark.
It was an ark that was built with great technological prowess.
There was only one purpose.
It was to make residents as happy as possible from the harsh environment that could reappear whenever forever.
The grand energy from the Red Jades with the combination of the liquid energy
It wasn't even a job to create a replica of an environment when it had a hallway that could destroy Transcendents.
Of course, it would be a little far-fetched for it to be a joke since it was quite big, but with a bit of effort, it wasn't much.
It was able to sprout trees and make sand from the empty spaces. Through the distortion and crumpling of the space, it was able to artificially create the sun and seawater.
Wind? Waves?
With the energy of the Red Jades, it was too simple.
The fish, people, and pets that were in the set?
These were materials that could make anything, and as long as one had the memories with it, it could recreate it with the energy in hand.
Of course, it needed all three of the materials, energy, and design to make this happen.
It was able to create a killing robot that could wipe out a country, so how could it not make something as simple as this?
Of course, it was hard to make a perfect human being, but it was nothing like making a seemingly unpleasant resemblance to that of a human either.
All these technologies were used for the happiness of the residents.
They could make anything they want whether it was food, items and even people.
If they wanted a private space, they could set up their own private spaces that matched their desires since there was so much space anyways. Although the capacity for space expansion was lacking at the moment due to the lack of energy, it could simply expand the interior of Noah immensely using the Red Jades directly if needed.
Then?
It could build a kingdom for each one.
A giant territory with countless citizens as well as beautiful and handsome slaves.
This was a space where all materials and energy were used to satisfy a single pleasure.
This was essentially the height of pleasure.
The screen that Noah had shown in the air displayed the Adventurers and the Transcendents walking around the residential areas. Eres frowned from Noah's words. ————— Booooooooooooooom! Ruuuuuuumble! <… You wretched bastard.> Seeing Hansoo rampage and destroy everything from all directions, the demons muttered. The red light that surrounded Hansoo was becoming intensely stronger as it started to look like blood. This meant that the guy was constantly getting stronger. Of course, the crisis around him was not over yet as the beasts' attacks remained strong, and their numbers remained finite as well. No, it could be said that the situation had become more dangerous. Although he had become stronger, from fighting for so long, his body was filled with large wounds. However, if he were to try and leave, he would have left already. Was it comforting to think that the guy that was fighting viciously was becoming stronger or no? 'If it looks like he will die, he will probably leave.' Bang! Barmamunt muttered deep in the basement, seeing the guy pushing the beasts back. However, there were some that still hadn't given up. It was Dopidos, the Demon of Indolence, Greed, and Desire. He was constantly frustrated at the sight of Hansoo fighting through his five senses. It couldn't be helped since its least favorite thing was to busily move in such a dangerous place like this. The pleasure that Dopidos reveled in was seeing humans be devoured by pleasure and power, so it was no wonder that it was displeased. Hansoo did not retort to Dopidos' words. 'Pleasure… Not bad.' However, there was a precondition. There had to be an environment where he was relaxed enough to soak himself in the water. Even if he were to think like this… What if there was an enemy hidden that was targeting him? All the pleasure that he took would have to be repaid with his own life. While he was resting, his opponents would constantly move. 'I'm… almost done.' Crack! The seed was growing without hesitation within his body. Catching up with its pace were the other six seeds that were becoming stronger as well. Among them, the seed of the Pandemic Blade was also there. "By the way, what are those guys doing?" Hansoo mumbled as he recalled the men with Pandemic Blade in their bodies. ——————– Ruuuuumble. Seeing Sangjin destroy the ground and running, Hosang sprinted while breathing heavily. "Hey! Let's go together!" 'You might be a 5-Star Transcendent… But we're all 4-Stars, so how can we keep up?!' If the guy had not borne wounds, they wouldn't have been able to catch up at all. 'Damn bastard… Since he's so strong, I can't even catch up. Seeing him flung his body forward without hesitation, Hosang shouted to the back of his head. "But where are we going?! Aren't we going inside?!" There was a giant, white body floating in the sky. At first, everyone including Hosang thought Sangjin would ask them to enter there. However, the direction which the hurt person was flying toward was the south. As a result, Hosang and the rest were all following him south back to the way they had come up from. "By the way… There are quite a lot of people. I wonder if all of them will try and go in," The white moon that was rising in the sky, and the elevator that they had passed by caused Hosang to mutter. There was already an overflowing number. At first, he had wondered how so many had survived, but every time he looked back and saw the white sphere, that thought vanished. No matter how hard he thought, he couldn't imagine all of the people being able to enter the large, white object. It was then… "We're here." "Huh?" Sangjin, who was fiercely running, stopped, causing Hosang to automatically stop as well. 'What is he looking at?' Hosang was curious why Sangjin was looking far below the clouds. He followed suit and looked down as well. Then, Hosang gulped back. "… What is this?" There was a steep cliff that was perched beneath their feet from the vast jungle that started to the point where the cliff had ended. However, that wasn't the point. Cruuuuuuuuuuuumble! Boooom! The jungle was set on fire. In between, he could see the huge number of armies that they had seen previously. It was the large numbers of the Queen's army that had opposed the Desire Return earlier. Although their numbers decreased because of the loss of troops against their battle previously, not sure what method they had employed, but their numbers were even greater. If they were to attack them, no matter how strong they were, it was certain that they would be swept away. It was a situation where running away wouldn't be strange. However, Hosang and the other Transcendents didn't run away since there was no reason to. 'They're… all dead?' Cruuuumble. The Transcendents couldn't help but groan and gasp, seeing the Queen's army all dead and become corpses. Chapter 460: Heaven (2) Translator: Ares Editor Group: Liber Reverie "Why are you delaying?" Clementine chuckled from what Eres had said. "Eres, you still haven't finished your bet with me yet. What would you do if they are weird people? I wonder what they will do." Eres paused momentarily before shaking her head. "There's no reason to fight because of them." Even if they didn't fight, all their pleasures and desires were fulfilled. Though they have not yet given them the right to register, as Noah had said, this place can literally offer everything they want without restriction. That was why there was no reason for them to fight. Clementine chuckled once more. "How long do you think we will wander around this world?" Eres flinched from his remark. 'I wonder how long…' To be honest, it would be great if this was the last stop. She wanted nothing more than having no further threats with Noah's ark being the last. However, would that be possible? Right now, she had no clue for what reasons this unidentified white ship was built for, and even Noah wasn't aware as well. '…whew.' She hoped this would be the end. However, she had an ominous feeling that this place would only be the start. Clementine continued to speak to Eres. "We don't know how long we will be in this realm. Of course, it would take longer if we were to stay with those people. But, can you believe that? Do you think we can spend decades with them together inside here? If you think so, register them right away." Eres couldn't forget what he said since he was right. The forces over there were strong enough to create heaven or hell. The materials and energy that flowed in Florida could quickly turn into a mass-murdering weapon more frightening than anything else. The moment these people were to be registered, these functions would be available. It didn't look like there was anything different from here. The authors and the people all had equal rights. It wasn't like Eres believed in the goodness of humans. She just believed that with proper control and enough resolutions, humans could work together instead of engaging in conflicts to find solutions. So far, Eres had the power to enable that proper control. If they combined the strengths of Kangtae, Kelvin and Clementine, that was possible until now. However, what if they got a hold of this enormous power. Then, they would truly be beyond their control. "I agree that there should be a lot of people. However, I don't agree that everyone should be here. Let's observe for now what kind of people they are. We don't even know what faction they are in. WE have to hide our existence to observe them properly. Faction. Keldian sighed heavily. 'That is certainly unusual.' If they had risen separately and grew from below their jurisdiction in the first place, it wouldn't have even taken much effort to discover what and who they were since they wouldn't be much different from themselves. They would be moderately selfish and violent. If it was dangerous, they could abandon their comrades as well for their own safety. For them, they had the confidence that they could control those forces. However, they were completely different. They all had the same armor with the same formality. In addition, they had similar auras radiating that unknown power. Though they looked to be somewhat split, they were not hostile against one another. This meant one thing. They were completely unified from the lower zones. 'Who in the world would be able to do this?' This meant that the person had unified all of mankind. Keldian didn't understand how such a feat was possible. No, it was hard for humans to ascend up the Colored Seven Zones, to begin with. They had to worry about survival and adapt to their environments, but they were all unified. Did this mean that they had resolved all of the problems in the lower zones and found solutions for all of the disasters below? From his point of view, that was impossible. 'This would be impossible even if you returned back in time.' Humans showed a completely different side depending on whether they were unified or working independently depending on who had created the group and the purposes the group or faction has. What if the people there had extremely dangerous ideas like fanatics? It would be suicidal to distribute Noah's authority to them. Seeing those people, Clementine smiled. "So, let us wait and see while we adjust their desires and wants moderately. Then, they would be able to witness their various appearances. At that remark, Keldian frowned before nodding. — Ruuuuuuuuumble! Bang! The demons tiredly looked on at Hansoo who was surrounded by bodies. This lunatic had truly made it. There were only piles of corpses lying around. The entire room were full of corpses on top of corpses. This lunatic had managed to pull through trapped inside the room of 981 species. The reward of that fight was converting it to his strength. The seed that had settled inside his body, However, for the time being, it will be a little difficult for it to operate since the guy was almost half dead by now. This was why they had said he was a sick bastard. He had fought to the point where he had holes all throughout his bodies with all of his muscles to the extent of them being cut off. Despite all of this, he continued to fight. If his seed related to body regeneration had emerged, then it would be different, but the growth of seeds that were aimed for pure destruction would definitely not help the user's body recover greatly. Of course, his recovery was still accelerating, but it would take a while before the Immortal Soul, the seed that is in his body, allow him to fully recover. TheImmortal Soul began to suck up the bodies around him by melting the corpses and convert them into materials aimed to accelerate his recovery. Kureeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! After seeing that Hansoo's body began to recover quickly, the demons let out a sigh of relief since the death of this madman had somehow been prevented. Not only that, his beautiful soul was still fine. Now, all they had to do is watch him go out and destroy everything. The moment the demons were about to scatter… Mormat with an excited expression shouted as he used his White Moon Army to observe outside. — A private space was created next to the control room. "Whew." Taehee who was finally alone with Clementine looked a bit relieved. Outside, she had to always be aware of Eres so it wasn't easy to talk. 'By the way, I wonder how Clementine had woken this up?' Though they pretended to wake Noah up, in reality, it was Clementine that had done it. With an intrigued expression, Taehee shrugged her shoulders before beginning to speak. She had to finish her report. "Things are progressing well outside." 'I'm not sure where that guy had gone but he's quite a hassle…' Taehee shook her head and muttered, recollecting about Hansoo. As long as their plan progressed, it wasn't something that one guy could easily block. 'To be honest, I really don't know what he's thinking.' Everything would be over if they killed everyone inside Noah. This was a job that they had done along the way as well. She could not understand why they had to front an innocent act. I'm sure this is being done for a reason. It has been close to 22 years since she had begun following Clementine, and her faith had always been rewarded. It was quite unbelievable to think she was complaining about why she couldn't understand since it happened more than once. As if he was trying to console her, Clementine smiled before having a satisfied expression. "You did a great job. Good job, everyone. It's almost done. Taehee, slightly relieved by Clementine's words, smiled politely. "It's nothing really. But…" Seeing Taehee slightly leaking some words, Clementine asked again. "Ask me if you're curious. What is it?" Clementine asked, seeing the somewhat hesitant Taehee. "… Magnus had made his final report before he died. This time, he had not seen the ring from the guy." It wasn't just Magnus, but after the 4th zone, everyone that had fought him had said the same thing. Ever since the battle against Metiron and his elites in the Yellow Zone, it seemed that the ring had disappeared. He couldn't explain how surprised he was when he first saw the ring. It was the symbol of Clementine himself. Nurmaha's Ring. It was a rare Artifact that could only be obtained in the Tutorial. Other than Clementine, he had not seen anyone else obtain it which was why he was so surprised when he had seen it. "Did he lose it? Or is that that the ring has other functions?" If he was hiding it before using it as a hidden card, they needed to prepare for it. This was how strong the Nurmaha's Ring was. Normally, the Artifact was treated a level below once the first few Transcendent walls were overcome. However, Nurmaha strangely maintained its power which was why she had asked Clementine. Other than Clementine, there was no one else that had the ring, including those closest to him. 'I wonder why he's not telling me.' Taehee had a somewhat sad expression, but Clementine's attitude remained unchanged. Clementine shook his head and replied. "I don't know. However, there's no way he has not used it. I heard that he had nearly died a couple of times so maybe he had used it at those times." Taehee nodded at his response. That's what she thought which was why she had asked. "Then, I will finish it." Soon… Chiiiiik! In the room where Taehee disappeared, Clementine laid absentmindedly looking at his fingers. In fact, he was looking at the shining ring on his finger. Possibly this being his last break, he wanted to rest, but he was also curious. 'If he had it, there's no way Noah would be this quiet. Did it truly disappear?' There were only two possibilities. It's either been erased… or it has dug in. Woooooooong. Clementine who was spinning the ring muttered softly to Noah. Chapter 461: Heaven (3) Translator: Ares Editor Group: Liber Reverie "Whew… This is awesome." One of the warriors that had followed Belphegor, Simon, lied down on the beach and mumbled while looking up at the sky. The people that lived here had told them this while they were wondering what was happening. They realized that the creatures made here were robots not long after. Some suspicious ones soon caught and tortured the fish, revealing their inner appearances. Of course, since they need to be cautious, they hadn't scattered yet and had agreed to gather at one side. The lives that they had lived so far were too rough for them to leave everything down just because it was a heaven prepared for them. However, at least it was clear that they could live a much more comfortable life than before. Grab. "Wow, this feels real," Simon muttered while he was fondling the butt of a woman lying down in her swimsuit beside him. As if she was asleep, the woman did not show a response as her beauty was overwhelming than any other woman he had seen on television. It wasn't just one or two women but there were dozens of them playing around in the vicinity. They acted cutely and even playfully teased them. 'With this… Is there a reason to fight each other?' Simon scratched his head as he looked up into the sky. There needed to be a reason for them to fight to begin with. It wasn't like they were crazed to kill. To begin with, guys like Kang Hansoo had gone up initially and had destroyed all of them. The rest that was left was greedy and ambitious but not without reason. Though it was clear that the reason why they had followed Belphegor was because they wanted something as well, there were others like him that were chasing a better environment to live in. There was no need to cut people and see the blood of his own and his opponent when his back was warm and his belly was full. There were people that wanted to live a hard life like Belphegor, so he could rest for a while. Simon, who laid on his back, looked up into the sky once more, extending his legs. 'Something's a little uncomfortable…' His body couldn't be any more comfortable, but something was nudging him inside. It was then… '… A presence?' Far away, Simon leaped onto his feet after he felt a presence from the hallway that he had entered from. Simon quickly dug out the sword that was buried in the sand next to him and gripped it. Since he was the one closest to the entrance, he was able to see everyone. Ever since he had settled there, not one person had left outside. In other words, whoever was entering the place they were in was another person. Simon's muscles in his body began to tense up as a storm began to swirl around him. A normal person would immediately lose consciousness from the aura that was radiated by him. 'Wait. If I do this… Will these people not faint?' Remembering the countless beauties that were prepared for them, Simon glanced to his side. However, Simon soon frowned. As if nothing was happening, the women were flaunting around. "Oh my. What's wrong?" "Have some more fun. You've had a hard time. Tell me more of your stories." As soon as Simon saw this, Simon realized what was nudging him inside. 'They are not afraid at all.' Different from the alien species that they had fought so far, they were different from other humans. They had power which was why they were always cautious and wary of those that could potentially hinder their paths. However, these women were accepting them too comfortably. There was only one scenario why this was happening. They didn't care what they would do in this unknown location. So, they had tried their best as well to adapt from their warm welcome, at this point, he felt very uneasy. 'Sh*t. I should leave. Come to think of it… When has the world ever been so kind to us?' The sweetness of this place was slowly beginning to get on his nerves. It was as if he was being devoured. "Go away, you girls." 'Of course. What nonsense is rest in this fate.' Tightly gripping his sword, Simon swung it around as he pushed the women clinging to him far away. Whoooooosh. Someone walked out from the entrance. The moment he saw that… "… Who are you?" It was a woman he had seen for the first time with a large man. Behind them was an intelligent-looking man. There were only three, but Simon held his sword even tighter. The moment he saw them, he knew. '… Monsters.' He could not even guess just how much power they had from their bodies. It was infinite. He had reached the 4-Star Transcendence himself that was why he was tasked with defending the entrance since he was recognized for his strength. However, the moment he saw them, he realized that he could not handle any one of those three people. No, if one of them had stepped forward, it was certain that he would not last even for a minute. Simon began to earnestly fluctuate his aura around his whole body before breathing in to warn everybody. At that moment… "Uhhhhhk…" "It would be complicated if you make a fuss." Grab! 'What the hell? When did he?!' Simon was shocked to see the man clutching his neck. He didn't even see his movements. He was absolutely certain that he was beside the woman. However, in a blink of an eye, the man was beside him. 'Uhhhhhhk….' Grip. When Simon had an expression that he was losing consciousness as the hand tightened on his neck, a voice of salvation was heard. "Kangtae. Stop it." "Huh… Was I too harsh? He is pretty strong though." Drop! Simon, who was floating in the air, dropped to the ground. "Huhuk…" Eres, with a solemn expression, walked over to him. "I'm sorry for the sudden use of violence. However… There's a reason why we can't make a ruckus." "…?" "We would like to talk with your boss." Before Clementine returned, they had to quickly finish the conversation. What thoughts they had to ascend, and what their objective was. Clementine wanted to observe them, but something was unclear. Why was it that they should not contact them and just observe? The attitude that Clementine spoke to these people… was not an attitude toward the same human beings. It was as if he was speaking to inferior creatures. "Clementine, for the very first time, I don't trust you," Eres muttered, recollecting Clementine who was away for a while. —————————— Noah shrugged his shoulders as it watched Eres suddenly storm into the residence. 'Well… I did as I was told.' He did as he was told. He hid the contents of Eres and other images that needed to be properly edited and hidden while giving adequate stimulation to the living creatures within the living space. Following up, it was to show Eres and her group how they behaved without filtering. But, he didn't remember hearing an order of this sudden rush inside. 'If you were so concerned… You should have kept your seat.' Noah smiled softly, recalling Clementine who had been away for a while. Of course, Clementine thought it would be fine to be absent in this short gap. However, how could reality flow as it pleased? The conclusion was already made. No, it could be that it might become more interesting. 'Everyone's busy. So busy.' Noah smiled while observing the countless organisms running around within the ark. It saw Clementine outside the ark meeting someone and being handed something. In the inner corner of the ark, it saw Belphegor busily being engaged in something, checking every single nook and cranny. While, in the residence place, Eres and John Stone were meeting and talking about the truth that Clementine so wanted to hide. 'What's most entertaining… is here.' The residence space and the species conservation room. Noah looked inside the species conservation room. To be exact, it was looking at the unidentified cocoon. 'It looks like it will hatch now.' Noah whistled. ———————— "… You want us to believe that now?" Keldian's eyes trembled, who maintained a calm attitude, at John Stone's words. John Stone looked frustrated by the way they behaved. "Yeah, I'm serious. If I ever catch that son of a b*tch, I'll break his legs…" Of course, he didn't think he could do anything to Clementine. However, that was how heated up he was. How could a man look pretty when he was trying to destroy mankind as a whole. 'By the way, what's wrong with these guys' faces. Aren't they in the same faction as Clementine?' John Stone shrugged his shoulders. He just answered honestly of how they had lived. There was a bastard named Clementine who created such a mess that caused all of them to nearly die before barely breaking through and climbing up. The people here seemed strong and could survive from the grasp and hands of Clementine. That was why he was trying to convince them so that they could be of great help. But while he continued to tell the story, their expressions became strange. They showed expressions of a child as if they had just realized the secrets of their unknown births. At that moment… Above the residence room, a strong wave erupted. It was a wave full of anger and killing intent as well as shock. "…!" John Stone and Eres both jumped up from their seats at the intense eruption of a new life and anger. ———————– "…" Watching the screen that displayed the residence room, Clementine grabbed something hard in his hand. From the moment Eres and John Stone met to the point where everything about him was confided between them, all of them were shown in Noah's live documentary. "Why… could you not wait any longer? I just… wanted to show you guys." Graaaaab! Clementine's face began to distort viciously. ————————– Ruuuuuuuuuumble! "I wanted to sleep more, but they won't let me rest so easily." Hansoo, who came out of the cocoon, grinned at the strange ripples that were sent across Noah. Chapter 462: Heaven (4) Translator: Ares Editor Group: Liber Reverie Ruuuuuuumble! Hansoo, who came out of the cocoon, took a long breath and exhaled, feeling the excess power rushing through his body. '… Great. Truly great.' The power was unparalleled to what he had felt before. Besides, it was different from the time when he overcame the wall. It wasn't the feeling of taking a step forward. No, a better explanation would be that he felt like he was one step closer to somewhere. That was why he felt disappointed. 'If I could take that next step….' 7-Star. It wasn't like he had simply jumped into a 6-Star Transcendent. It meant that his Trait had been developed and all his seven seeds had been cultivated. In addition, he had completed all of his traits that symbolized transcendence. There was no doubt that something else would unfold. 'Well, only the shell is left.' Hansoo shook his head to shake away his disappointment. The Spirit Exploding Seed was in his heart. To awaken this seed meant that he would explode his soul. This meant that he would not be able to exist as himself. 'The demons could control me… And I could become a puppet. I really have no idea what would happen.' Hansoo shrugged his shoulders. His existence would have already disappeared from this world by then. Of course, it wasn't a situation that he wanted, so he preferred that this wouldn't happen. 'It's time for me to go. Hmm… The hammer is a bit loud.' Hansoo, who briefly looked at Mjolnir, latched it around his waist and began to focus on his fingertips. The moment he concentrated…. Roooooooooooooooooooar The waves of aura enveloped his whole heart and body before driving toward his fingertips. When the black-gold energy was mixing crazily with the blood-red energy… Woooooooooooooooooooosh A large light began to form on the tips of Hansoo's fingers. He climbed above the mountain of corpses in the white space before arriving at the wall. Then, he brought his fingernails to the blue-colored wall of Noah. Ruuuuuuuuuuumble! The walls that the beasts raged crazily to escape before began to be pierced before him like tofu as Hansoo slowly began to walk through the open path. The walls tried desperately to recover the damages from the internal structure by flooding the place with blue light, but it was simply not enough. Ruuuuumble. Rumble! At some point… As if he was walking through clouds, he walked through the white wall with the energy in his fingers constantly piercing through the wall and appeared in the hallway. It was the same white hallway that Eres' group, as well as John Stone and Belphegor, had passed through. Inside the hallway, he could see a blackened corridor and a huge wave of air coming from beyond. 'Well, it's not easy living in this world.' Hansoo chuckled before quickly moving inside toward the border of white and black. Roaaaaaaaaaaaaar! The towering aura that was being erupted from above caused Eres to be startled. 'Unbelievable. Was Clementine this strong?' She knew that Clementine was strong. However, she thought he would definitely be a stage lower than Hansoo. Unlike Kangtae who focused on his physical skills and Keldian who carefully managed his own modifications to enhance his own skills with the crystals, Clementine didn't seem to be very interested in them. There were so many things to be done, so crystals were always at a shortage, and since they were in the upper echelon, he didn't need to be greedy about the crystal allocation. If he had emphasized a bit more, he definitely would have been allocated more crystals than Kangtake. However, the aura that just erupted was beyond her imagination. It was so much that even Kangtae had a flabbergasted look. "Wow… It seems that this old man is right?! This is a sly bastard." If he had this much power, they could have easily overcome the crises that they had faced. There would have been fewer people that died and got hurt. However, didn't this mean that he was hiding his strength until now? It was only natural that Kangtae's gaze was distorted along with Keldian and Eres. 'Clementine… Why on earth?' Eres who gnashed her teeth briefly shouted to John Stonem "All of you. Quickly bring all of the warriors scattered over here." "All?" Eres nodded from his remark. "Yes. Immediately." Though the reason was constantly urging her that Clementine would never antagonize them, the aura that burst above was too threatening to be seen as such. "But… it's not like it's impossible to win," Eres muttered. Clementine's mentality might be unimaginably wicked than she imagined; however, they were not easy opponents as well. Kangtae was incomparably strong, and Keldian was an elite that could handle Taehee. Though they might be slightly inferior to them, they were still 5-Star Transcendents. 'First, we will oppress them… and then ask for the whole story.' The truth that John Stone had spoken to them was truly shocking. However, no matter how much she thought about it, it didn't feel false of all the things that Clementine had shown to them. Rather than that… Clementine had fought so devotedly for them. This was why she needed to ask the person who had caused this situation. "Everyone gather! There's no time to play around!" Boooooooooom! John Stone's loud shout caused all the warriors in every corner of the reproduced residence of Florida to gather around John Stone. They realized that the situation had heightened to the point where they couldn't easily rest here. Eres spoke to Keldian, seeing these warriors, "Let's hurry and go up." They had to quickly go and meet Clementine. It would be great if they could avoid conflict, but if the worst situation was to come, they need to prepare for it. Seeing Eres raising her fighting spirit and equipping herself, Keldian nodded. It was then… A voice could be heard from the black hallway. "There's no need for that. I've already come down." The moment they heard his voice, Eres sighed. "Clementine…" Seeing Clementine and Taehee both come down from the control center, Eres narrowed her eyes. 'Even Taehee… It won't be easy.' The moment she saw Taehee standing behind Clementine, she could see how things were going to progress. Seeing how she wasn't startled at all, it seemed like she had shared the same purpose with him for a long time. Then, Keldian, who was standing next to Eres, spoke calmly, "I haven't seen your angry face in a long time. Seeing that, it seems like what he said was correct." Keldian pointed to John Stone behind him. There was only one reason why he was suddenly infuriated. The truth that he wanted to hide had been discovered. From his words, Clementine, with a somewhat calm face, opened his mouth. "Just a bit… Why didn't you wait just a bit longer?" He just needed a bit more time. Then, things would have gone according to his plan. He would have been able to control those close to him through his Trait without force, and they could have remained comrades until the end without knowing his secrets. However, when he had briefly left in that period of time, everything was ruined. Keldian briefly replied to Clementine, "You should have shown an appearance worthy of us waiting." "Yes. Why are you so urgent lately? It's like there's a hole in your actions." As if he was still having a hard time believing what Clementine did, Kangtae asked him with a worried expression. From Keldian and Kantae's words, Clementine smirked. 'I see.' Yes. It wasn't that they didn't trust him, but they had directly moved since he had failed to instill trust in them to fill the hole of the empty truth. The cause for this was himself. To be exact, he had no choice but to rush himself. 'Kang Hansoo.' His progress was so much faster than he had expected, so he had to continue to accelerate his plan. Without any time to proceed methodically, he had to move actively. In the end, he was complacent. He hadn't expected to meet such a weird guy like him. However, Eres and the others were more meticulous than he thought and didn't hesitate to act. That was all. Clementine whose anger had somewhat subsided looked at Eres and spoke, "Even if I asked you to trust me and wait a little longer… You wouldn't have listened, right?" Eres nodded. "I'm not sure what you're thinking… but stop and tell us what you have been doing?" It was Clementine. It wasn't just some random person, but it was Clementine that was plotting. She didn't know what his plan was, but he had chosen to plow down the human race for his own ends and had even hidden these from them. Whatever it was, he had to be stopped for now. She would judge once she had heard the whole story. Clementine laughed bitterly from Eres's words. "Sadly, there's no time for that." There was only one way left for him. It was to light the bomb. Then… Boooooooom! Kantae's figure disappeared, and in an instant, he appeared in front of Clementine. However, it wasn't Clementine that moved. "Get out of the way!" "How dare…!" Ruuuuumble! Taehee snorted as she blocked the huge sword from Kangtae's hands. How dare he interrupt Clementine?! Jijiiiiiik! Chiiing! While Kangtae and Taehee collided, huge shockwaves all over the place smashed the ground. From these energy waves, John Stone frowned. Hundreds of thousands of spheres began to rise into the air from the man named Keldian. At the same time, a colorful white light burst around the woman's body. 'What the hell?' John Stone became speechless. Among the hundreds to thousands of spheres, each one looked like a different type with a different skill while there was that unidentifiable light that amplified her power several times. He had never seen this. 'I had wondered, but they… are truly monsters.' Though their opponent was strong, it didn't look like they would lose either. While John Stone was exclaiming, Eres clenched her teeth and shouted, "Clementine, stop now! You can't beat us!" Clementine smiled softly from her remark. "This is why I liked you." Then, she looked at what Keldian was holding in his hand. The plan had gone awry because he had gone to receive this. Then, shouldn't the person who caused this to happen revert it back to its original state? Keldian, who saw this, was startled. 'Crystals…!' It wasn't just a measly amount either. There were hundreds of millions of them ground together. 'Where did he get that much from?' "No!" Boboboooooooooooom! While Keldian was pouring his skills out from shock… "Our relationship will be restored… back to normal." The muttering Clementine gulped down the crystals in his hand. Chapter 463: Mad Demon (1) Translator: Ares Editor Group: Liber Reverie Ruuuuuuuuuuumble! The large explosion surprised Keldian. 'Unbelievable… Impossible! For there to be such a large amount!' It was a mass heap of crystals that would allow him to overcome the barrier at a moment's glance. However, John Stone gnashed his teeth after catching on to something. 'Could it be…' The alien species outside looked as if they were being controlled. There were thousands to millions of humans fighting against the overwhelming numbers of these beasts. What if the man had converted all of those beasts into crystals? It wouldn't have been difficult. 'If he was able to command them to fight, then it would be easy to order the beasts to suicide.' No, it was rather weird that he had only gathered that many crystals. 'There… might be more.' However, John Stone realized that this was not important. Ruuuumble! "Hmm." Clementine shook his head, feeling the strength flow through his body. It wasn't that he didn't like the power, but he was discontent with how he was forced to ingest this much power. Normally, it should have not been necessary for him to use this strength. 'Well… It's not bad.' It was just that he needed this strength to forcefully settle matters, which was what he was discontent with. Clementine gripped his fist and muttered as the overwhelming strength flowed through his veins, causing his whole body to be filled with energy, giving Clementine a new sense of superiority. No matter what was in his way, it was a strength that made him feel like he could resolve any hindrances. Now, he was able to use this power to deal with the current situation. Grip! Clementine, with his gripped fists, looked around and looked at the tense eyes of Kangtae and Keldian. "Yes. It's not too late," Clementine muttered. It wasn't too late. There was still trust in their eyes. It was just that they were suffering from his current appearance to the one that he had displayed in the last 20 years. At that moment… Ruuuuuuuuuuuumble! A small explosion was heard in the distance as the sound of something being crushed and smashed resonated. He had already activated the security system of Noah to defend against intruders from those outside. "So he's coming," Clementine mumbled, looking deep into the hallway. — Booooooooooooooooooom! The black hallway of light, which had welcomed Belphegor and the other Adventurers, was fluctuating violently as the black fluids swirled like waves before rushing to repel the intruder with its icy energy. Hansoo grinned as he blocked the black waves that poured onto his shield. 'It seems he's not happy to see me.' However, it wasn't bad on his part. If they really had the leeway to oppose him, they would not have bothered to utilize such a trick. Jijik! Thunder began to shoot out from Mjolnir while Hansoo swung down the hammer hard at the waves in front of him. Booooooooooooooooooom! The huge lightning cloud that came out from the hammer dived straight into the black waves as the Exinium cubes, which could shapeshift into structures that could injure humans, was unable to cope with the powerful blows of lightning before melting away. Ruuuuumble! He burned the waves with his thunder, and the mana that shot out from the center of his body prevented the aftershocks by forming a barrier around his body. In the meantime, there were a few wounds that appeared from his body, but it wasn't enough to slow him down. 'He's over there.' He pushed straight toward the place where the mana was resonating at. There was no one else other than Clementine that could emanate such mana. If he went there, he was sure that Clementine would be at that place. 'It has been a very long time.' Boooooooooooooooom! Hansoo smiled while muttering to himself, smashing away the black waves with his shield in front. To see the face of the man that had bothered him for so long, it felt refreshing for Hansoo thinking how this fiasco had reached its finale. He wouldn't be this excited, seeing his long-awaited lover. Booooooooooom! Hansoo, who was withstanding the waves, began to raise his speed toward the light-lit entrance far away. After some time, he jumped inside the light after burning the black waves relentlessly before looking around. It was the state of Florida that depicted its beauty. It was a place that any Adventurers would dream of going to for vacation. Unfortunately, there was nothing that Hansoo wanted there. "Huh. Look at this. Why are you alone??" Hansoo chuckled, seeing the person in front. The aura that surrounded the person was definitely that of a 6-Star. However, it was not Clementine that was waiting for him but someone else. At that remark, Taehee, who was holding a halberd, chuckled as well. "That man is busy. Isn't it my job to play around with a guy like you?" Taehee Bang. She was one of the owners of the Seven Soul Shards. It was the main attribute that allowed Clementine to rule over all the zones. Hansoo laughed from Taehee's words. 'Well… He sure has a talent in breaking people's hearts.' It was truly difficult to see his face. If he could, he would want to ignore the woman in front and rush out, but it looked as if that was not an option. Taehee had another nickname. For Clementine, it was critical for him to control and rule over the lower areas, and it was his main strategy to utilize the Seven Soul Shards to accomplish that. Of course, the owner had to be stronger than anyone and have the mentality to tackle difficult issues. That was why Clementine had passed on all the most valuable possessions he had acquired and given them to Taehee. She had no special characteristics in combat, but she possessed all the skills that Clementine valued. She was Clementine's most trusted aide, as well as his strongest. That kind of subordinate had ingested crystals and had become a 6-Star. 'I'll… see you in a little while.' Hansoo, who recollected of Clementine, began to raise all of his mana while looking at Taehee. The moment Hansoo instilled his mana and concentration into his armor, hammer, and shield including his entire body… Whoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooosh! Taehee, who was spinning her halberd, suddenly disappeared before appearing above Hansoo. Hansoo raised his hammer high to block the blade of the halberd. Booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooom! A large black explosion burst out with Hansoo and Taehee being in the center of that explosion. Soon… Ruuuuuuuuuumble! The residential spaces in Florida began to be crushed and smashed from the collision of the two Transcendents. — Ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuumble! 'What the hell?!' Eres had an incredulous look. She had confirmed that Taehee had become a 6-Star. Other than Clementine, there should be no one that would be able to confront her, but for there to be a battle… At that moment, a man passed through her mind. 'Don't tell me… it's the man that John Stone had mentioned?' Kang Hansoo. It was the man that had subjugated all six zones below and had provided human beings a place. It was the same man who had provided humanity that was nearing extinction with hope. As if Clementine guessed what Eres was thinking, he smiled and spoke, "Yes. It's that guy. How amazing." He had come and destroyed all of his plans that he had so carefully designed and crafted in the last 20 years, including his ongoing plan. He was constantly moving to destroy his plans, and he needed to fully complete his mission before fighting him. "There are already so many hindrances to account for," Clementine mumbled, alternating glances at the ring in his hand and Noah. However, it couldn't be helped. Though he had wanted his plan to proceed without difficulties, now that it had come to this, he needed to finish this through sheer force like how Eres and her friends were being directly led somewhere. "… Clementine. Kill if you're going to kill, and spare if you're going to spare. Stop joking around. You didn't spare us since you needed spectators for your deeds?" Keldian, who was tied up in chains, gave a cold look. Anger. It wasn't that he was fearful of death since he had overcome dozens of crises like that, nor was it because the comrades he had trusted had backstabbed them. He had already considered that possibility. Humans were bound to have secrets even if they spent years together, and though he had believed him for nearly 25 years, it was only a matter of minutes before someone could backstab another at the end. What really infuriated him was the ray of hope and belief that he had for Clementine. The circumstances were now clear and transparent. Clementine had deceived them and was now playing with them. It wasn't that he was angry because he was overwhelmed in power, but rather how he was unable to give up that last strand of hope and belief for him. Clementine smiled, seeing Keldian. "Surely not. I'm someone that does not like to joke." The moment he ended his sentence… The translucent capsules that surrounded the people including Clementine released before they descended somewhere. 'This is…' It was a space different from the control center. Eres frowned at the place where only white space existed. Suddenly, something began to appear before them with a thud. Seeing the figure, Eres frowned. '… Noah?' However, it wasn't a hologram. When everyone frowned at the masculine, physical figure that appeared before them, Noah smiled and opened his mouth. "If you had received the authority of control, we wouldn't have had any problems. Simple registration would give me little control." That was right. What was only possible at the operation center was registration. In order to be recognized as Noah's true master, one needed to complete the recognition process in a place deeper inside Noah. Clementine frowned. "I have come now so that's enough. Let's start." "Finally." Noah raised his right hand toward Clementine as if it was asking for a handshake. Clementine also extended his right hand. The moment his right hand with Nurmaha's ring touched Noah's hand, there were wild vibrations everywhere. — Boooooooooooooom! Hansoo smiled after seeing Taehee bounced off him. "It's good to take it slowly…" But, if she were to drag the fight out so openly, it was ambiguous to wait either. Hansoo who was looking at Taehee spoke briefly, "Tell Clementine to reassemble your corpse later." At the same time… Ruuuuuumble! Hansoo's eyes began to turn red. Mad Demon. In order to overcome that wall, he had to abandon everything and cut everything off that bound with him. Beginning with his conscience, he needed to let everything go. It was a skill that would transcend once all lifeforms were killed in a single flash. A red aura began to surround Hansoo's body. Chapter 464: Mad Demon (2) Translator: Ares Editor Group: Liber Reverie Ruuuuuuuumble! 'What the heck… What's going on?!' Belphegor gritted his teeth, seeing the chaotic residential area. While he was trying to get some information out of this place, the sudden intrusion had put him on alert, not to mention that a large amount of energy exploding out. Belphegor was still a 4-Star, but he instinctively knew that the airwaves were created from those one wall above them. The residential area that ranged from hundreds of kilometers on all sides was engulfed by a gale of gusts. All of the water of beautiful Florida evaporated from the torrent of energy, and the sun, which was bathing its sunlight onto the city from the sky, was exploded by the flash of lightning. Earthquakes trembled incessantly from the ground as all the well-made buildings were smashed. These structures were not made from dirt or concrete but of some unusual material. But, all of these materials were being crushed by the aftershocks of the battle. This was at least a 6-Star. He didn't know if it was higher or lower since there was such a large gap already between them. But, there was one important thing. The place where they believed to be heaven had transformed into such a mess where they had to risk their lives to survive once more. Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing. Boooooooooooom! "Ahhhhhhk!" "Oh, shit!" A huge flash of light from far away brushed past their sides before melting the whole ground, causing Belphegor and his men to scream nearly being swept away by the aftermath. One of the subordinates screamed at Belphegor. "Belphegor! What are we going to do?! At this rate, everyone will die!" They were worse off than shrimp battling against a whale since they could flee into the sea. Though it looked like a spacious place, it was too small to escape the aftershocks of the fight between those two monsters. At this rate, the damages on all sides would worsen, and they would be no less different than being entrapped bugs in a microwave. 'What the sh*t… Since they're fighting by the entrance, we can't even run away!' As the subordinate was looking at Belphegor while gnashing his teeth… "…?" A black hole appeared before their eyes. Just a while ago, the red light had penetrated the deep space of the earth. However, it was somewhat different to call it a simple hole. "…" Belphegor, who contemplated momentarily, gnashed his teeth and shouted to his surroundings. "We'll run toward there!" Soon… Booooooooooooooooom! Booom! In the pouring lights, Belphegor and his men began to rush unhesitatingly into the black hole. ————– The moment Clementine and Noah shook hands… Ruuuumble! "Access… Complete. Starting Authentication." Noah's face, who had always maintained a playful attitude, was now expressionless. The moment Noah had uttered a machine-like voice, his body began to melt like water before changing. At the same time… Rumble! In the white space, dozens to hundreds of chains popped out and began to connect to the fingertips of Clementine. At the sight, Keldian frowned. "You… How did you do this?" This huge structure was giving him special treatment. It was clear that they had proceeded in registering together at the operation center. But this huge structure, Noah, was not concerned about them and was working solely with Clementine. Clementine smiled and raised his hand from Keldian's remark. It was Nurmaha's ring to be exact where the hundreds to thousands of white chains dangled from. "You know what this ring is, don't you?" Eres and the others frowned at the remark. How could they not know? Nurmaha's Ring. It was basically his sigil item. It was a precious item that Gangtae and Keldian always coveted, shouting that if they were able to go back to the past, they would get that first. The nullification of Mana. Slow. Bleeding. Lifesteal. Mana Absorption. Five Sense Paralysis. Null Magic Resistance. Null Physical Resistance. One additional feature was added per zone, and eight additional effects were imposed on the user in the Violet Zone. With each attack, the opponent's mana would be struck and with its defense ignored, the opponents' offense would enter disarray. With mana and physical strength robbed with inclusion to the paralysis of five senses and the slow magic, it was the ring that made Clementine a war weapon in the early months where Runes were important. Even after the walls of Transcendence had appeared, that fact did not change. Usually, after the Transcendent walls were opened, the previous weapons would become less powerful, but the ring that Clementine equipped grew more powerful and stronger, boasting efficiency incomparable to any other weapon. When Eres and the others all frowned similarly, Clementine smiled, laughing at John Stone who was also captured. "You would know well that there are special items in each zone." It was a sudden change of subject, but John Stone nodded subconsciously to his question. He had fought with Kiriel and conversed with her a lot before, and he was able to derive one possible estimation from it. At first, he thought it was a lie. Starting from the World Tree, Physical enhancement, Civilization of the natives and the Spirits up to the Dragon God Armor and the Red Jades, each of the seven zones that they came up from was so disparate, yet the strength that was given to mankind had all something in common. The environment, race, power, and culture were all different. That was why despite them boasting of their Transcendent power and rising from the bottom up, John Stone did not doubt that all of those powers had something in common. But, as they had gathered as one and ascended together to fight against obstacles, John Stone began to become uneasy. The probability was lower for a random monkey monster to pop out compared to if the materials and beasts were all made and released for a specific purpose. Therefore, he began to have suspicions while looking at Noah. Maybe… everything had started from Noah. Clementine, who looked satisfied with John Stone's reaction, smiled while looking at his friends around him. "That friend seems to roughly know. This is a legacy left by a race." It was a great race—the legacy of Neropa. No, to be exact, they were a superior race in which the savior of the Neropa left its last legacy behind. The Last Treasure, Noah. "Therefore, the Savior that had left his belongings in the Seven Zones ended up completing his mission, but failed to save his own race in the end." This was why the Seven Zones were left unattended. Later on, as if God had found it interesting, he took it to his own game board without anyone knowing and scattered it across the seven dimensions. In order to make it more interesting and fun, God gathered the legacies of the Neropa and separated them into seven colored zones so that the people that come across these would have the strength to work harder in creating chaos. From Clementine's words, Keldian stopped gritting his teeth and spoke, "So? You mean that God gave you the privilege since you were favorable, that his gift will eventually fall into your hands?" Clementine smiled and shook his head at his remark. "We need to see to the end." "…" Clementine, who silenced Keldian, looked around and opened his mouth. "If it's all over the seven zones… It wouldn't be weird if there was another one scattered in the Tutorial Zone?" Clementine laughed as he spun the ring at his fingertips. ————————— Ruuuuumble! 'Ahhhk…!' Red eyes. It was a body moving without consciousness. Looking at Hansoo's relentless blows, Taehee felt as if her bones were going to break. 'Crazy bastard… Your body will be ruined as well!' Each skill that came out from her body was out of the ordinary. Whether it was the Magic of the Five Kings to the Temple of Heaven, they were all elite, prestigious skills that were being shot out. Yet, all those skills were being cut down without hesitation from the red light that was created from burning his blood. Booooooooooooooooom! The demons clicked their tongues at the sight of Hansoo, who was focused solely on striking Taehee without saying a word. The demons mumbled, recalling the description of a certain guy. The area that they occupied in the Abyss was extremely vast. Aside from the Dragon Tribe, there were only a few that had more territory than them. However, the territory and strength of subordinates were not a measure of strength. There were certainly some powerful elites that made the Abyss tremble in small numbers. The rumors of those guys were absolute. There were two important factors in the Abyss. Either find a weak fellow and eat to build your strength or avoid the strong ones who were trying to eat themselves. Therefore, even with how vast the Abyss was, there was a character that was widely rumored. In order for everyone to avoid him, it was a must for them to memorize his appearance and characteristics. Mad Demon. Despite being a human, he was the only one that was permitted to have the title of Mad Demon. It was a name that wasn't exaggerated. He releases all limiters and sacrifices his own body to gain strength. Soul money. It was a strength that burned blood to spew out great power. Of course, the pain would not be small to boil one's own blood. One could literally use one's own blood to crush his or her opponent. While in use, in order to block the pain, it would block its own consciousness from interfering, so there was no way to stop it. There was only one option to stop this mode. It was the destruction of the opponent that was targeted before one loses consciousness. It was so disgusting that even the Demons couldn't help but avoid him as well. 'The Administrator generosity is truly big. Does God really give out all of these?' Well, with how they find the world boring, they too found enjoyment, seeing others fight to the death, which was why they agreed with these current state of affairs, but this was quite generous. 'Is he trying to raise the stakes? Oh my.' Clicking his tongue, Barmamunt looked at Hansoo. 'Well. It's almost over.' Ruuuuumble! "Uhkkk…!" The intense pain and shock that came from her arm that she used to block his attack caused Taehee to vomit blood. She wasn't aware whether or not Clementine knew the opponent was this strong or not. However, one fact was clear. "If we had fought together, we could have won… Don't tell me you used me as a sacrificial piece?" Taehee murmured, recalling Clementine who went up.