Chapter 107
A giant steel shutter door was down on one side of the multipurpose hall of Research Sector 9, larger than a sports stadium. Two groups glared warily at each other before the shutter door, which they assumed led to the boss room.
“Hoot! What a sorry state you’re in, Krypta! Where are you taking your remnants?” the owl birdfolk Saurix asked, mocking the Honor Knights whose number was reduced to the three-hundreds.
“Damn owl! What deplorable trick have you pulled?!” Krypta shouted.
He wondered, How has he conserved so many of his forces?
The birdfolk group of Clan Gliders numbered in the nine-hundreds, almost the same as when they first entered the dungeon. It was thanks to the angel Seriel, who disguised himself as a birdfolk to enter the dungeon, breaking the agreement.
“Hoot! No tricks. Isn’t it only natural that the birdfolk, an intermediate race, are above the inferior undead?”
“Bullshit!” Krypta clenched his greatsword and gritted his teeth.
At this rate, they’ll take the closing rights from us, along with my long-cherished wish!
Krypta’s red eyes under his black helmet blazed furiously. He held his greatsword erect. Geometrical signs were densely engraved on its spine, and a horned demon was sculpted on its guard.
[Demonic Sword Fatum (Item)
Rank: A(99)
Description: The destructive demonic sword of the demon Taizet. It forcibly takes the wielder’s power and converts it into Demon Force. Once there is no more power to take, Taizet’s judgment will arrive.]
Skills: (2)]
Demonic Sword Fatum was an item that the archdemon Taizet, eighteenth in the demon ranking, bestowed upon Krypta. If he accomplished this mission, the demonic sword would become his.
If we’re behind on forces, I just have to kill enough of them to make it equal!
As Krypta was about to be controlled by the demonic sword’s madness, a heavy sound echoed from the steel shutter door. It slowly rose, revealing a long corridor.
Saurix and Krypta remained silent as they stared at the corridor beyond the fully open shutter door. Anyone could see it was a suspicious invitation, but they were forced to accept it since they were beside their competitor.
***
Seong-Hwi and the others sprinted through the Closed Research Sector’s corridor. Not a single Chaos was in sight, and the countless rooms and amenities were empty.
“Urgh... I don’t feel good about this.”
“There’s nothing here, but... I’m getting anxious for some reason.”
The team members expressed complaints. They had all been on the boundary between life and death before, and their sixth sense was screaming at them that this place was dangerous. However, their other senses weren’t detecting anything. It was nothing but emptiness.
Just then, Seong-Hwi’s Night Stalker bullet lost its strength and fell to the ground.
“W-what just happened? Does that mean the owner of the test subjects is in here? I don’t see or feel anyone or anything,” Frank said as he looked around.
They were in the middle of a corridor with several rooms on each side. Green signs were hung next to each room; they were all laboratories.
Doctor C.Y.’s Laboratory
Doctor K.I.Y.’s Laboratory
Doctor S.G.’s Laboratory
...
“Hey, Commander. What’s going on—”
“Someone canceled my skill,” Seong-Hwi interjected.
“What?”
“Something is here! Assume a 3-3-3 quadrangular formation!”
The team members quickly assumed the formation as per Seong-Hwi’s order. A quadrangular formation had an even distribution of members on all sides, making switches between advancing and retreating easy.
They focused their attention on all directions in silence, using their senses to the maximum. However, all they could sense was their breathing.
“The hell? Nothing’s—”
Just then, Enrique’s cam drone exploded.
“Over there!” Enrique shouted as he pointed at the end of the dark corridor.
A colossal pressure instantly filled the corridor. It was so violent that they could barely stay conscious. It was like suddenly being dragged into the deep sea, unable to move from the water pressure, or someone strangling them and restricting blood flow to their brain.
[You are exposed to an aura of unfathomably higher caliber.]
[Applying Debuff: Fear.]
[Applying Debuff: Powerlessness.]
[Applying Debuff: Panic.]
...
“Guh... Urgh!”
“Kurgh! Argh!”
“Ah! Ahhh!”
Akasha Messages endlessly appeared before the team members as they collapsed one by one in order of lowest to highest caliber.
“Gurgh! Who’s... there?!”
“God... Dammit!”
“Urgh!”
Only three remained standing: Seong-Hwi, Leo, and Yuri.
“Grrrk! Kurgh!” Yuri also collapsed, vomiting blood.
Only Seong-Hwi and Leo remained, trembling as they endured the colossal pressure.
Who is it? What kind of monster is hiding in here?! He shouted inwardly, gritting his teeth as he forced his brain to think. An unfathomably higher caliber? All my basic stats are of intermediate caliber, and my Destiny Force is of superior caliber! That can only mean it’s... an absurdly powerful monster!
He was certain that no matter what he did, he couldn’t defeat the enemy emitting such a powerful aura.
Just then, footsteps echoed from the end of the dark corridor. A young man appeared from the darkness. His black, silky hair reached his waist, and he was abnormally pale. Although his left eye was black and his right eye was green, what stood out the most were the two curved horns like those of a sheep growing from his temples.
“A demon!” Seong-Hwi mumbled, gritting his teeth.
Why is there a demon in here? Did he break the agreement with the angels to explore the dungeon?
“Hmmm... Does that mean it’s impossible to create a fundamentally new race? In that case...” the demon mumbled with a book in his right hand as he walked down the corridor.
The closer he got to Seong-Hwi and Leo, the worse it became for them to endure the pressure. Their intestines contorted, the blood vessels around their eyes burst, and their entire body trembled uncontrollably.
The demon, not taking his eyes off the book, paid no mind to Seong-Hwi and the others and grabbed the door handle of the room labeled Doctor S.G.’s Laboratory.
“Hm?” The demon took his eyes off the book and stared at Seong-Hwi and the others as if he had only just noticed them. “What are worms doing in here?”
He slowly extended his empty left hand toward Seong-Hwi and the others.
We’re going to die! Seong-Hwi shouted inwardly.
He could tell that the demon had decided to kill everyone here, and it would be done with a simple wave of his hand.
We have to run!
That was the only answer; there was no other way. However, someone came to a completely different answer than Seong-Hwi.
“Huy gaga! Huy yo!” Leo cried as he trembled intensely, stepping forward as he bled from his nose and mouth. He turned to Seong-Hwi, his eyes filled with conviction, and said, “I will... stop him! Just once! That’s it! I won’t be able to handle... anything more! You... must go! Go to the Maasai village and tell them what happened here!”
Leo took another step and shouted, “I am Le-Yeyo, a Maasai warrior! I have never once retreated a single step from my enemies!”
He put all his strength into his legs to charge at the demon. No, he thought he was running, but it was slower than normal walking. Despite that, he did not stop because he was the party’s stopper with only one role.
“I WILL STOP HIM!”
“NO! LEO—!”
Seong-Hwi’s eyes widened as he stared at Leo’s back. His charge to his death overlapped with another moment in Seong-Hwi’s memory.
“Your loud voice is hurting my ears, creature.”
“Kurgh!”
Leo had been the first to die among Seong-Hwi’s Calasanz comrades when the Third Lord, Regnator, invaded the Capital. He was a Maasai warrior who did not know of retreating. On the other hand, Seong-Hwi was only thinking about running away.
Seong-Hwi gritted his teeth and thought, Nothing... has changed!
He had grown stronger quickly. He had become an intermediate caliber Double-A human and acquired infinite potential through the Wings of Evolution. His future would undoubtedly be radiant. However, there was no point if he was nothing but a coward right now.
Nothing had changed about him since his youth. He was the same little brat who hid in a library because he was scared of the world that had abandoned him. He consoled himself, only thinking about the future despite living in the present.
“AHHH—!” Seong-Hwi roared as five wings sprouted from his back.
[Operating Wings of Evolution.]
[Five Wings.]
[Converting Destiny Force to Draconic Mana.]
The wings flashed with a golden light and were enveloped with an inverted ginkgo pattern resembling dragon scales.
I can move!
The power of all his stats was amplified, especially his Magic stat; his mana capacity more than doubled with the help of Draconic Mana. Seong-Hwi scattered the Tarot Deck of Destiny as if throwing it in the air.
[Activating Unique Skill: Borrowing Destiny.]
[Chok Chun-Gyong the Unfortunate Martial God]
[Activating Unique Skill: Symbol Embodiment.]
[Sword of Koksan.]
[Rose Wreath of Strength, one of the symbols of No.8 Strength]
[Urim and Thummim, one of the symbols of No.7 The Chariot]
[Catastrophic Thunder, one of the symbols of No.16 The Tower]
[Activating Skill: Rust of Ruin.]
[Activating Exclusive Skill: Chok’s National Sword Technique.]
...
The Wings of Evolution flapped, and Seong-Hwi sped forward with a sonic boom.
“I’M FIRST THIS TIME, LEO! DON’T YOU FUCKING CUT IN LINE!”
It was the first time Seong-Hwi had not made rational calculations or a plan for the future. The only thing on his mind was to clash, regardless of whether it would end in his demise.
“STRAIGHT THRUST!!!”
Seong-Hwi thrust the Sword of Koksan, enveloped in various skills, at the demon’s extended hand.
This should be enough to make him take at least one step back!
However, the demon blocked the Sword of Koksan with his abnormally pale index finger without even moving.
“SO WHAT?! THAT’S NOWHERE FUCKING ENOUGH TO MAKE ME GIVE UP!”
He had his fair share of irrationality and powerlessness in his past life and learned to surpass them. Humans were beyond weak, and some walls couldn’t be climbed through effort. People wondered how such walls could be surpassed, but it was simple.
If it couldn’t be climbed over, one simply needed to break it. They needed to smash into the wall again and again, even if it broke every bone in their body, ripped off all their skin, and tore every muscle fiber. A wall drenched in blood was bound to break, like an autumn leaf falling from a tree.
[Activating Unique Skill: Symbol Embodiment.]
[White Snake of Equivalent Exchange, one of the symbols of No.1 The Magician]
[Inverted Cross, one of the symbols of No.12 The Hanged Man]
The White Snake of Equivalent Exchange amplified Seong-Hwi’s Magic stat in exchange for all his other basic stats, and he embodied the Inverted Cross, a symbol of the Major Card, No.12 The Hanged Man, showing a man hung upside down on a cross.
An inverted cross symbol was engraved on Seong-Hwi’s forehead. The Wings of Evolution were distorted, resembling flames emitting from a rocket nozzle. Seong-Hwi let go of the Sword of Koksan and flew even closer to the demon.
“HAAAH—!”
An enormous amount of mana gathered around his right fist, and he swung it at the demon’s face. The demon was about to leisurely block the fist aimed at his left cheek with his free left hand, but the impact went to his right cheek instead.
[Inverted Cross: Direction Reversal.]
The Inverted Cross symbolized reversal. Seong-Hwi had reversed left and right at the perfect moment to mess with his enemy’s timing, allowing him to deal a blow to the demon.
The demon turned his head forward. His lip was slightly torn, red blood pooling on it.
He smiled and said, “My mistake. You’re a human, not a worm.”
“WIPE THAT FUCKING GRIN OFF YOUR FACE!” Seong-Hwi shouted as he swung his left fist at the demon’s solar plexus this time.
However, the same trick did not work twice. Seong-Hwi was smashed into the wall before he had realized it.
“K-kurgh! Damn... it... all...”
He fell to the ground like a slab of meat. The rebound from his doping skills caused his body to convulse intensely.
The demon closed his book and walked toward Seong-Hwi, saying, “How exciting. You have some interesting wings. And I’ve never felt this kind of fascinating power. I also felt it converting to Draconic Mana.”
“U-urgh! You shall... not pass!” Leo, who had been taking one step at a time, reached the demon at last to block his path.
His effort amounted to nothing. It was a useless act that had an obvious result.
“This is why I can never stop observing humans. There are so many who stand against evolution,” the demon said with a smile.
A prey’s only choice of action before a predator was to run away. However, two of them had stood against that choice.
“You shall... not pass!”
“Step aside, human. I’ve changed my mind. I will not harm any of you.”
“You shall... not... pass!”
“I am simply interested in that human.”
“You... shall not...”
Leo continued to repeat the same words, his eyes completely white. He had long since lost consciousness.
“My, my,” the demon said as he touched Leo’s shield.
Leo collapsed immediately.
“How foolish, but that’s what makes your race so lovable.” The demon extended his hand toward Leo. A black aura seeped into Leo, healing his broken body. “Now, then... I wonder what you are? I wish to understand you.”
He approached the collapsed Seong-Hwi and placed his hand on Seong-Hwi’s head.
[Activating Skill: Memory Tracking.]
“Urgh... Guh...” Seong-Hwi groaned as his memories flowed into the demon in reverse chronological order.
“Your name is Cheon Seong-Hwi. Oh? How do you know there is an Elixir in this dungeon? Hmmm... Wings of Evolution. Quite an interesting item you’ve created. But something is missing. There are gaps in your memory,” the demon wondered as he kept his skill active.
Seong-Hwi’s memories soon flew past the day he committed his first murder, and were approaching the day he returned to the past—his twenty-sixth Christmas Eve. Just then, there was static.
“Hm?”
[Canceling Memory Tracking.]
An unknown power canceled the demon’s skill. He looked down at his right hand and saw it was scorched black. It was as if it had been hit with a powerful curse.
The demon stared at his hand for a while and let out a genuine laugh. “Hahahahaha! AHAHAHAHA! A lock? One that not even I can break?”
He looked down at the bloody Seong-Hwi. He extended his hand toward him, and the black aura, which had healed Leo, also entered Seong-Hwi to heal his injuries.
“You are the first human since Lee Kang-San who has piqued my interest to this extent!”
The demon swiped his lip with his left index finger to take a drop of blood gathered on the lip.
“You may take pride in being one of the few who have managed to wound Curiositas.”
The demon was Curiositas, third in the world ranking, the Second Fiend, the Supreme Demon God with an insatiable curiosity and pursuit for knowledge so strong that he would do anything to satisfy it.
“I will be watching you, Cheon Seong-Hwi. And take this. It is my reward to you for wounding me.”
The blood on his index finger turned black and trickled into Seong-Hwi’s mouth.
Curiositas, voice shaking with excitement, mumbled, “I wonder what you are? I wonder what you will become? Ahhh, I’m curious! So curious! I wish to understand and feel everything about you!”
***
The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding.
Leonardo da Vinci