Chapter 16

Chapter 16.

 

That one line pierced straight through his mind.

And in that instant, Lee Ha-kyung realized it.

‘That thing… is connected to the original.’

Otherwise, there would have been no reason for it to say something like that.

Somehow or other, it would probably be able to pass the news along.

That was not a good situation.

It meant the Abyss Ruler would be that much more cautious.

But Lee Ha-kyung did not regret it.

Back down after seeing that hateful bastard with his own eyes?

A quiet sense of defeat would have haunted him for a long time.

A wave of nausea suddenly rose in his throat.

“Urk! Gghhh!”

He coughed up another mouthful of dead blood.

A pained groan escaped him.

It was the aftereffect of taking in transcendently powerful abyss energy.

Kin-Eater was not a skill that selectively stole only the power he wanted.

And on top of that, he had used Soul-Sever twice in that state.

And both times, he had pushed it beyond his limits.

Lee Ha-kyung collapsed flat on the ground.

‘Damn it, I pushed too hard after all.’

The truth was, he had known it was dangerous.

He had only forced it because he had no other choice.

Quietly, he closed his eyes.

If he was lucky, he would stay alive until the Tyrant’s Bracelet activated.

At this point, all he could do was leave it to fate.

But right then—

[Dungeon Boss, Abyss Ruler’s Remnant Defeated]

[Reward granted: ‘Restoration Veil’]

[Restoration Veil Activated]

[Resets artifacts currently on cooldown]

A choice appeared before Lee Ha-kyung’s eyes.

What it wanted him to do was simple enough.

He immediately reached for the Tyrant’s Bracelet.

[Tyrant’s Bracelet Activated]

[Your body is recovering rapidly]

SSSSSS—

Lee Ha-kyung’s failing body recovered in an instant.

It was not quite on the level of the Abyss Ruler’s Authority of Regression, but it was still impressively fast.

He let out a long breath.

“Whew….”

It was pure luck.

The boss reward had saved his life.

A translucent cloak settled over Lee Ha-kyung’s shoulders.

Once its effect had run its course, the Restoration Veil disappeared.

That did not mean it was gone for good.

It was simply the kind of artifact that remained hidden most of the time.

Lee Ha-kyung smiled in satisfaction.

‘I did not get one of the Abyss Ruler’s Authorities, but this is not bad either.’

That thing had left this place of its own accord.

If it had possessed any artifact containing an Authority, it would obviously have taken it along.

A moment later, Lee Ha-kyung focused on Soul Brand.

[‘Soul Brand’ detects traces of a fragment]

[The signal has grown clearer]

His eyes were drawn to the sandy hill where the Abyss Ruler had been standing.

Lee Ha-kyung began digging into it.

Soon, something caught sharply against the tip of his tool.

Clang!

A black crystal revealed itself.

A smile spread across Lee Ha-kyung’s lips.

“Found it!”

He split the crystal open at once.

[Ultimate Abyss Fragment opened]

[A massive quantity of abyss energy is transferred]

[Ultimate Abyss Key progress: 2/3]

SSSSSSSS!

A gray-white energy, clearer than ever before, came rushing into him.

As though he had been waiting for it, Lee Ha-kyung spread both arms wide.

He closed his eyes

and savored the abyss energy sinking into his body.

It felt as though tremendous power were piercing through every inch of him.

After enduring the dull pain for a while, the raging force gradually settled down.

When Lee Ha-kyung opened his eyes, a blue gleam stretched sharply from them.

‘I got stronger again.’

He tried unfolding Abyss Refinement.

The gray-white blade stopped at three meters.

But it was obvious that it was different from before.

As its smooth surface finished forming, flames surged up once more.

Lee Ha-kyung understood at once why this was happening.

‘It is not just excess power. This is a more refined flame.’

The realm of Mana Refinement was divided into three stages.

The first was a form that rippled like fire.

The next was the shape of a perfect weapon.

The third stage was newly kindled flame.

Lee Ha-kyung immediately called up his awakened status.

He wanted to confirm his Refinement Rank with his own eyes.

Name: Lee Ha-kyung

Refinement Rank: Stage 3

Skills: Wall-Walking Steps (A), Soul-Sever (S), Abyss Refinement (S), Kin-Eater (S), Soul Brand (EX), Distortion (Authority)

Artifacts: Reactive Magic Armor, Cloak of Command, Tyrant’s Bracelet, Restoration Veil, Ultimate Abyss Key (2/3)

He had reached a considerable level, and yet it still felt lacking.

Five years ago, more than half of Axis Prime’s elites had already been at Stage 3.

‘I still have a long way to go.’

Lee Ha-kyung got to his feet and left the dungeon.

The moment he did, Ultimate Abyss began to collapse.

RUMBLE—!

The stone door, which had looked so grand, faded away with almost pathetic speed.

***

After returning home, Lee Ha-kyung did not go outside for quite some time.

He had absorbed far too much abyss energy.

Only after organizing himself through training and meditation

was he able to return to a normal routine.

Today, too, he had prepared thoroughly.

‘From now on, I will only be going into The Void, so I need to be even more careful.’

Beep beep beep!

Just then, his phone rang.

When he looked at the screen, he saw the name Great Sage.

Lee Ha-kyung answered right away.

“Hello?”

—Hello, Mr. Ha-kyung.

“Yes, it is good to hear from you.”

—I had a feeling that by now, you would have met the requirements to enter The Void. That is why I called.

The Great Sage knew his situation well.

That did not mean it seemed like they had someone following him.

Thanks to Soul Brand, Lee Ha-kyung’s senses had grown tremendously sharp.

If someone had been tailing him, he would have noticed immediately.

He let out a silent, incredulous laugh.

‘They really are good at reading between the lines.’

Even though the other person had guessed his recent movements exactly, Lee Ha-kyung did not waver.

Anyone could have inferred that much.

He continued in an even tone.

“I do have the qualifications now. So what exactly is your proposal?”

—It is an Incomprehensible-rank dungeon discovered in The Void. However, the party limit is five people.

“So you want me to join as a guest member.”

—Yes, and you do not need to worry about the team’s skill level. I plan to fill it with our very best.

Dungeons in The Void were on a higher level than those in the upper Abyss.

Since this one was small, it probably would not rival an Extreme-rank dungeon.

Even so, it was a very appealing offer.

But Lee Ha-kyung gave a meaningful smile.

“There is just one thing, Great Sage.”

—Yes?

“My rates are a little expensive these days.”

—Haha! Of course I know that. Are you not the awakened one drawing the most attention lately? You even have a nickname now.

“A nickname?”

—I see it mentioned from time to time in the community. In any case, I will make sure your fee is worth it.

“I am not interested in that. Priority purchase rights should be enough for now.”

—Hmm….

The Great Sage trailed off.

They could hardly help it.

This was an Incomprehensible-rank dungeon in The Void.

It might produce an extremely valuable artifact.

Handing that over would be a little painful.

And it was not as though the Great Sage were short on money.

But Lee Ha-kyung was certain.

‘This will not be easy for them to refuse.’

There were probably strong awakened ones among those who worked as guest members.

But it would be hard to find someone as versatile as Lee Ha-kyung.

At last, the Great Sage finished thinking it over.

—I am willing to concede daggers and longswords.

“I have no interest in weapons I cannot use anyway. But that range is too narrow. You can keep the armor, but at least include accessories.”

—Whew! All right. I expected this, but you really are not easy to negotiate with.

“I am just thorough when it comes to valuing things.”

—I will send you the schedule separately.

“Then I will see you then.”

Lee Ha-kyung ended the call with a satisfied look.

This had turned into a pretty good deal.

Then, suddenly, he picked his phone back up.

He was too curious about the nickname the Great Sage had mentioned.

Lee Ha-kyung searched the awakened community.

A completely unexpected phrase popped up.

“Immortal Demon King is a little… over the top, is it not?”

It was probably a nickname people had given him because of the Tyrant’s Bracelet.

If that was what people wanted to call him, there was not much he could do to stop it.

Lee Ha-kyung could only shake his head.

***

A few days later.

At the entrance to The Void,

Lee Ha-kyung met four awakened ones.

It was the Great Sage’s raid team.

The Great Sage looked very different than usual.

A cleric’s robe, a long staff,

and a circlet instead of the usual white fedora.

If not for the distinctive outfit, Lee Ha-kyung might not have recognized them.

Their faces looked completely different from before.

The Great Sage gave an awkward smile and said,

“It is a little embarrassing. This outfit draws attention for no reason.”

“It is fine. As long as the equipment performs well, that is all that matters.”

“Ha ha! That is true. Well then, shall we?”

“Yes.”

As they descended into The Void,

The Great Sage introduced the group to Lee Ha-kyung.

The lineup was simple.

One tanker and two ranged damage dealers.

Every one of them gave off an unusual presence.

Still, the way they looked at Lee Ha-kyung was a little sharp.

‘Are they questioning my abilities?’

Apparently, they were not thrilled about him being recruited.

That was only natural.

The Great Sage was the only one who had actually seen Lee Ha-kyung’s abilities,

and because of that, he had even secured the perk of priority purchase rights.

Of course, no matter how much the team members whispered,

Lee Ha-kyung did not care in the slightest.

‘They will acknowledge me once I prove it.’

Once they saw what he could do, they would have no choice.

It had only been a few days since his last visit, but The Void looked nothing like he remembered.

Apparently, it was remade even faster than the Abyss.

Ultimate Abyss, where only the remnant had remained—

it had definitely been near here, but now there was not even a trace of it.

Lee Ha-kyung gave a faint, private smile.

‘Maybe fate really does exist. To think Ultimate Abyss would be there the exact moment I entered The Void.’

The Void was much darker and more dangerous than the Abyss.

Even so, the Great Sage found the way with ease.

It was almost as though they knew the area by heart.

At last, the Great Sage pointed to the far side of a cliff.

“It is over there. But it looks like we will have to take a long way around.”

In a straight line, it was roughly a hundred meters.

Too far to jump in one go.

They would either have to climb down somewhere gentler and come back up,

or find a narrow ravine.

Lee Ha-kyung silently started to move.

But right then,

a sharp sensation ran down his spine.

‘This is…?’

It felt similar to the sensation Soul Brand gave him when it detected the traces of a fragment.

But it was subtly different.

Almost like a terrifying danger was rushing toward him.

Lee Ha-kyung moved on instinct.

He grabbed the Great Sage by the hood.

Snatch!

“Wha—?”

A startled cry burst out at once.

Naturally so.

It looked as though he had suddenly attacked an ally.

Among the Great Sage’s party, the tanker shouted furiously.

“You rotten bastard! I knew this was coming!”

He came charging in with his shield raised, clearly ready to strike.

Lee Ha-kyung, on the other hand, calmly drew his karambit.

FWOOSH—

He lightly brought forth Abyss Refinement,

Then, without the slightest hesitation, slammed the tanker aside.

KWA-CHANG!

“Ghk!”

Judging by the force of it, the impact had been brutal. The man went skidding backward.

The ranged damage dealers immediately took aim at Lee Ha-kyung.

But they never got the chance to launch an attack.

Something enormous came crashing down.

KWAKWAKWAKWAKWANG!

A black pillar-like mass smashed into the cliff.

A violent shockwave tore through the group and shook their entire bodies.

Even in the middle of that chaos, Lee Ha-kyung planted his feet firmly on the ground.

“We are going. Hold on tight.”

“Yes!”

“Hyah!”

With a short shout, he shoved the Great Sage upward with all his strength.

Even an awakened one in a healer role still possessed enhanced physical ability.

The Great Sage’s body shot more than ten meters into the air,

then landed on terrain that looked stable enough not to collapse.

Lee Ha-kyung let out a sigh of relief.

‘That takes care of the Great Sage. As for the others….’

He immediately searched for the remaining team members.

Beyond the collapsed wreckage, he caught sight of faint silhouettes.

Apparently, the timing of his shove had been just right.

‘They are alive. Thank God.’

If they had taken that monstrous attack directly, there would have been nothing left of them.

At once, Lee Ha-kyung spread Abyss Refinement through his hand.

He was planning to form abyss energy into something like a rope and pull the team members up— just as he had done when he saved the awakened ones from Black Water.

But then the message that appeared before him made him stop cold.

[You have encountered Obsidian Titan, Field Boss of The Void]