Chapter 164
Lee Seongjun pressed his hand to his forehead at the flood of incoming messages.
"Here we go again."
Perhaps because he hadn't particularly tried to hide his phone number?
Baek Mujin, who had easily obtained his contact information, was constantly reaching out.
'I knew he was obsessed with martial arts, but this is beyond what I expected.'
A few days ago, Lee Seongjun had gotten a clear read on Baek Mujin from their brief conversation at the military demarcation line.
Because of that, he had somewhat anticipated what effects his words would have.
However, this was excessive.
Almost every day, Baek Mujin was sending dozens of messages and photos.
With a brief wry smile, Lee Seongjun carefully checked the messages Baek Mujin had sent.
'Well, I suppose... it's not bad for me.'
Although it was a bit annoying, the effects of the public safety management that Baek Mujin had voluntarily started were excellent.
In fact, since Baek Mujin began his activities, the threat of monsters and the number of villains had drastically decreased, reducing the need to worry about Paju.
Thanks to this, he was able to focus solely on the Infinity Guild's relocation to Paju and the settlement of issues related to the subjugation of the spirit wraiths, handling them quickly.
Naturally, the rewards for this were also substantial.
'1 trillion won...'
It was no longer just billions.
With the sale of magic stones and the compensation provided by the government, the amount had reached a staggering trillion won.
It was an amount he couldn't have even dreamed of in the past, but Lee Seongjun maintained a somewhat calm expression.
This was because Lee Seongjun had enjoyed unimaginable wealth and glory in the Thousand Continent.
To exaggerate a bit, he could have created seas of gold and silver treasures.
Of course, this didn't mean he felt nothing at all.
Inwardly, he felt considerable satisfaction.
'With this... I won't have to worry about money for a while.'
He had relieved himself of what could be considered the biggest concern in a capitalist society.
However, what was most satisfying was that the wealth he had accumulated so far was only a part of it.
As mentioned earlier, the guild relocation to Paju was complete, meaning the Infinity Guild had firmly established itself.
This meant it would continue to generate steady income in the future.
And in a capitalist society, money can indeed be power.
It would clearly demonstrate the authority and prestige of Lee Seongjun and the Infinity Guild.
Just the passage of time would achieve the original purpose of establishing the guild.
Of course, this didn't mean he planned to sit back and do nothing.
'It wasn't just intuition.'
The current state of Earth could be considered very unstable.
It was an existential threat.
Indeed, from the Master Lich, Retar, to the corrupted Spirit Emperor, Eclipse.
The appearance of two monsters with apocalyptic power had occurred in just 15 days, barely two weeks.
'If I want to protect the life I can share with my family... I can't be deceived by false peace and become complacent with reality.'
Reminding himself of his goal, Lee Seongjun immediately called up a green hologram window.
[Achievement - Master of Elements]
Greatly increases the natural recovery rate of inner force (blood energy).
The ability to increase blood energy recovery speed from the new achievement, Master of Elements, was quite an excellent ability.
'...A great increase, huh.'
In the past, it might have felt somewhat meaningful.
However, having consistently used the Force system, he could be certain.
'At least double the original, maybe... it could show even more than that.'
The Indestructible Bone, which had dramatically increased the durability and regeneration of the body earlier, also used the word 'greatly'.
'Some of the frustration will be relieved.'
From an objective standpoint, he could be said to possess a massive amount of inner force and blood energy, but Lee Seongjun, who had no limitations on inner force as a demon god, couldn't help but feel considerable frustration.
In fact, during battles, he often couldn't properly utilize the martial arts he wanted due to blood energy constraints.
No, even in the recent Black Gate and Eclipse battles, if it weren't for the blood shed by the hunters, he would have experienced significant frustration.
However, with the ability of the Master of Elements, he could now prevent such situations in advance.
Moreover, the true value of the Master of Elements wasn't just limited to the increase in blood energy recovery speed written in the text.
'I didn't think... simultaneous application would be possible.'
Unlike titles that could only be applied one at a time, achievements could be applied simultaneously.
This meant he could use both the existing End of Death and the newly acquired Master of Elements achievements.
In other words, he could gain benefits without any loss in status.
This alone was a truly satisfying outcome, but the most pleasing reward from this war was something else.
[Status]
Name: Lee Seongjun
Occupation: Sacred Oil Artist
Title: Conqueror
Achievements: End of Death, Master of Elements
Level: 188
Strength: 89 (+58), Agility: 88 (+59), Vitality: 89 (+58)
Blood Energy: 116 (+46)
Bonus Points: 20
A deep smile curved Lee Seongjun's lips as he gazed at the status window floating in the air.
'20 levels from one battle... excellent.'
He had risen a full 20 levels, from 168 to 188.
Just as the slope becomes steeper as you approach the peak, the experience needed for growth increases exponentially as levels rise.
It was known that from level 180 onwards, just before the 5th class advancement, it took an average of 6 months to gain a single level.
Moreover, even this benchmark was based on Renato Richter, a member of the Guardians.
'It would have taken me at least 3 months too.'
This wasn't self-deprecation.
The reason for the slowed growth wasn't due to hunting speed or methods, so it couldn't be helped.
'There aren't many gates where you can gain experience.'
After level 180, almost no experience could be gained from monsters below a certain rank, S-rank.
This meant you had to hunt S-rank or higher monsters.
However, from the perspective of ordinary hunters and citizens, S-rank monsters were like disasters.
The government wouldn't just leave them be.
They had no choice but to close such gates unconditionally.
Given that hunting grounds where one could actually gain experience were extremely limited, it was fair to say that leveling up was practically impossible.
Therefore, this level up was like saving years of time even from Lee Seongjun's perspective, truly explosive growth.
However, if it was just about leveling up, he wouldn't have rated it higher than the Master of Elements.
'If I use all the status I have... I can cross the barrier.'
This meant he was ready to reach the legendary realm for martial artists, the Life and Death Realm.
Of course, it wasn't a complete method of breaking through the barrier.
The barrier to be broken to advance to the Life and Death Realm was thick and formidable.
'...It will require some strain.'
It would have been impossible without the experience and knowledge of a demon god.
In other words, it was entirely possible for Lee Seongjun, who had been hailed as a demon god.
'There's no reason to postpone it.'
No, it shouldn't be postponed.
'...The previous threats might just be the beginning.'
His instincts, which could be called intuition, kept sending warnings.
Some might dismiss it as mere sensation.
But Lee Seongjun knew that his senses were quite sharp and accurate.
He had saved his life many times with their help, from being an ordinary martial artist in the Thousand Continent to becoming a demon god.
'I need to prepare as much as possible.'
He wanted to enter his inner world, his mental realm, right now and advance to the Life and Death Realm.
But that wouldn't do.
'The defenses are insufficient.'
Since he would be forcibly crossing the barrier, it would take a considerable amount of time.
During that time, he would be completely immersed in his mental realm, leaving him utterly defenseless against external attacks.
He needed to ensure absolute safety.
It wasn't that he didn't trust the barrier Jazan had set up.
But when it came to safety, even excessive caution wasn't enough.
'I'll gather guardians to protect me while I cross the barrier.'
Having quickly organized his thoughts, Lee Seongjun immediately grasped his smartphone.
* * *
Kumamoto City, Japan.
Sudden darkness descended upon the street that should have been the most vibrant in Kumamoto City, the heart of the Kyushu region.
The darkness that covered the city's sky was so vast and dense that everything from cars on the road to people walking on the street stopped moving and just stared at the sky.
And as if by agreement, everyone wore dazed expressions.
"Oh God."
"Good heavens..."
The gate that had appeared in the sky was of a size that defied common sense.
This wasn't a simple metaphor.
The jet-black gate, seeming to contain darkness itself, was covering the entire city.
Although there had been no official measurement and announcement from the government and Hunter Association, they could instinctively tell.
From the beginning, there was only one type of gate of this size.
"Black Gate...! It's a Black Gate!"
Following China and Korea, Japan too had been visited by a massive calamity.
Naturally, deep shadows fell over the faces of the people who had been in a daze.
At the same time, shouts began to erupt from various places.
"R-Run away!"
"We need to escape!"
Beep! Beep!
The sound of car horns echoed through the once quiet city, and screams began to burst from the citizens' mouths one after another.
Thus, the once peaceful city was engulfed in great chaos.
* * *
Wi Jigang, Yoon Minsu, Park Seonwoo, and finally Baek Mujin, who was lurking in the distance and wandering around the house.
The power of the hunters gathered at Lee Seongjun's house in Yongsan The Hill represented over 80% of Korea's current combat strength.
To be precise, it was a powerful force that wouldn't be lacking anywhere in the world.
"With this, minimum safety should be guaranteed, and I've contacted all family members, so..."
It was fair to say that there were no more factors that could interfere or disrupt his concentration.
With a satisfied smile, Lee Seongjun used all 20 of his bonus points.
Ding-!
[Status 'Strength, Vitality' increases by (+7).]
[Status 'Agility' increases by (+6).]
Having finished his final preparations, Lee Seongjun immediately sat down cross-legged.
"Shall we start in earnest?"
With his eyes closed tightly, he slowly began to operate the Blood Shadow Demon God Technique. The massive amount of blood energy at the peak of the Manifestation Realm spread throughout his body through the blood channels.
Boom-!
With a thunderous sound, the surging blood energy filled the area, and Lee Seongjun's body slowly began to float in the air.
However, Lee Seongjun himself couldn't feel this sensation.
This was because he was pouring all his mental power and concentration into guiding his consciousness deep into his inner world.