Chapter 500 - Common Enemy (6)
‘Skeleton King Tablet!’ Yeon-woo managed to figure out why the giants’ spirits suddenly diverged from their scripted responses.
On the fortieth floor, Yeon-woo had given the Skeleton King Tablet to Boo as a means of awakening his previous identity as Faust. The Tablet must have catalyzed with the spirits, causing an unexpected reaction. There were no details about the lore of the Skeleton King. His younger brother had also researched the Skeleton King’s background and only found unverifiable information, such as how an undead creature had been raised from the corpse of the last giant king or how the Skeleton King had originally been a soldier deployed by the otherworld gods.
Yeon-woo felt that it would be difficult to dig out more information about the Skeleton King than what his brother had already found, so he hadn’t given it much thought when he tossed the Tablet over to Boo. ‘But why is it causing a reaction now? How come this didn’t happen when Jeong-woo was here?’
Yeon-woo’s younger brother had made the Skeleton King Tablet earlier than he did. Furthermore, considering that Jeong-woo had broken through the sixtieth floor long before Yeon-woo had even entered the Tower, it was difficult for Yeon-woo to understand why things had changed. He pondered what he might have unknowingly included from his brother’s path.
『Give it up...!』 The spirits continued their demands, and the Great Warrior’s spirit transformed into a gigantic undead being. Its muscles and skin were intricately entangled like vines over its hard bones, and it had a bizarre appearance that mixed characteristics of the Skeleton King with those of a giant ghoul.
The spirit looked straight at Yeon-woo and grabbed the hilt of a large sword, pulling it out of the giant’s sword tomb slowly. There was an earthquake, and the hill where the sword tomb was located began to collapse. Once the Great Warrior drew the giant sword out completely, its tip reached the sky and a magical field spread out from it in concentric circles.
[A magic field infused with the magic of the ‘Crawling Chaos’ is spreading throughout the ‘Legions of the Great Old Warriors’]
[The ‘Legions of the Great Old Warriors’ have been afflicted with ‘Infection’.]
[‘Old Warrior 1’ is mutating.]
[‘Old Warrior 2’ is mutating.]
...
[‘Infected great demon legion’ has appeared.]
Like the Great Warrior, all of the other spirits on the floor transformed into a new form of the undead. Perhaps because they had obtained a new body rather than a spirit form, their ferocity had grown more intense.
Boom! Boom! Boom! The air seemed to boil, and the heaven and earth shook.As the legion’s desire for combat mixed in the air, Yeon-woo felt his skin sting. A mighty force that was not inferior to that of gods and demons raged like a storm, reminding him of the ancient warriors who once proved their worth by commanding and conquering entire universes and dimensions!
[Vimalacitra smiles quietly while reminiscing about the past.]
[Cernunnos smirks.]
[All gods of death show strong contempt for those who defy death and trying to rise once again.]
[All the demons of death have sharp gazes after observing the appearance of their old foes.]
[Most gods watching the situation are terrified.]
[Most demons watching the situation are rubbing their chins and wondering how they can take advantage of their old foes.]
Many of the gods and demons of the ninety-eighth floor expressed their thoughts and concerns, although the godly societies had the most intense reactions. Just as dragons did not have a good relationship with the demons, the gods had always been in conflict with the giants.
[The Hidden Quest (Legion of the Great Old Warriors) has been updated according to the new changes.]
[A Scenario Quest (King’s Proof) has been created.]
‘Scenario quest?’ Yeon-woo’s eyes widened slightly at the phrase he’d never seen before despite undertaking a lot of hidden and sudden quests. Using Time Difference, he quickly looked through his brother’s journal for any clues, but Yeon-Woo could not find anything related about scenario quests. ‘What is this?’
While Yeon-woo was asking himself these questions, a new window opened up.
[Scenario Quest / Proof of the King I]
[Description: In ancient times, there were giants, who have since disappeared. They proved their self-worth through their courage, but the changing tides of time caught up with them. As the years passed, all their traditions and knowledge disappeared. Even those who remembered them or commemorated their existences in tales and lore all disappeared.
‘Valdebich’, the last king of the giants and the Great Warrior, made a contract with an otherworld god to bring back the golden age of the giants. He became the ‘Skeleton King’, but even then, he was eventually forgotten.
However, the longing that ‘Valdebich’ possessed during his life remained even after his death. He longed for someone else to succeed him. Thus ‘Valdebich’ and the legion of giants under his command left numerous sword tombs on the sixtieth floor that contained their thoughts and spirit bodies, testing and observing players for many years.
The aspirations of the giants were very simple. They wanted to find someone who would stand atop the entire universe and all its dimensions! The giants longed to step on their foes, regardless of who they were, and obtain the highest peak in the universe.
However, in the end, they failed, and so they hoped that someone might inherit their strength and perspective to carry on their aspirations. They wished for the birth of a new king.
You have appeared with the tablet that ‘Valdebich’ cherished, awakening and angering all the giants’ spirits on the floor. However, they have been tormented by sleep for too long and swam through an endless nightmare.
Liberate them all from their ongoing nightmares, which were created by the influence of the ‘Crawling Chaos’, and pass their test to acquire the title of ‘Great Warrior’. If you succeed, you will obtain Valdebich’s high-level recognition.]
[Conditions:
Owner of the Skeleton King Tablet
Holder of the Hidden Guest (The Legion of the Great Old Warriors)
Possessor of skill and achievements favored by the giants]
[Time limit: - ]
[Reward:
1. Title ‘Great War Soldier’
2. Entrance to the hidden stage ‘Land of the Fallen Giant’
3. Skeleton King’s Sword
4. Token that symbolizes your position as the ‘First King’
5. Progression into the chain quest: ‘Proof of the King II’]
‘I can...inherit the power of the giants...?’ Yeon-woo looked at the contents of the scenario quest, his eyes wide in disbelief. The contents were so unbelievable that anyone who knew even just a little about the giant race and their lands would have gone mad with excitement. In addition, the quest description provided the definitive reason for the giant race’s extinction.
However, something else that caught Yeon-woo’s eyes: inheriting the power of the giants and the power of the king who had reached the pinnacle of their race. This was by no means something anyone could just overlook. In fact, an ordinary human would be incredibly fortunate just to achieve the Dragon Body awakening, but it was bordering on the absurd to gain the Factors of three races.
However, if one considered the last dragon king, Kalatus, who had given his power to Jeong-woo and Yeon-woo, it was certainly possible for miracles like this to happen. Not only had Kalatus handled the treasure trove of knowledge left behind by past dragons because of his superior skills and abilities, he also refined and developed the most outstanding qualities of the dragons that Yeon-woo had inherited.
Besides, the qualities and talents of a king of any race reflected outstanding and overpowering skill. The quest screen stated that Yeon-woo could inherit the qualities of the last king of the giants, the Skeleton King. It was an opportunity Yeon-woo would not miss, especially since he needed the Giant Factors.
At the same time, Yeon-woo realized that the Crawling Chaos truly did have its hands in every corner of the Tower, reaching wider and deeper than Yeon-woo had ever suspected.
***
[6th dragon body awakening]
[Power fully unlocked]
Crack! Yeon-woo opened up all of his power. As he loosened his restrictions, the power of the Throne of Death swirled in every direction and cleared away the hostility of the infected spirits, who were acting as if they would swallow up Yeon-woo at any moment.
Thud! Yeon-woo saw the infected great demon legion taking a few steps back as they struggled against his power. For a brief moment, embarrassment crossed their faces before turning into anger at being pushed back by a mere human.
『Ku-Oh!』
『Roar!』
They roared and swung their giant swords at Yeon-woo together. Despite their monstrous heights, which ranged from several meters to dozens of meters, their movements were nimble. Yeon-woo increased his magical powers as he tightened his grip around the Magic Bayonet. As his Dragon Heart and Philosopher Stone resonated with it, the Magic Bayonet trembled as if it would break at any moment.
With a simple move, black and red flames rose like sparks over the blade, reaching high up to the sky. The flames condensed together and made thunderbolts.
[Sword Thunder]
Compressing the Meteor Sword Art to its extreme, Yeon-woo wielded the power that had been tempered by the Original Flame. Boom! All the great demons nearby were swept away. Broken sword fragments bounced into the air, and severed limbs scattered all over the ground. The entire battlefield was splattered with blood. However, Yeon-woo’s strike did not reach far enough.
Senior warriors raised giant swords and forcefully deflected Yeon-woo’s strike. The sonic waves scattered sword fragments in all directions, instantly flattening all the hills on the stage. Yeon-woo clucked his tongue. He had used a portion of his sword energy, but they had countered his attack so easily. It seemed that each spirit had power comparable to that of a god.
And beyond them was the Great Warrior, the Great Demon of Chaos. ‘Is it reasonable to expect that the Great Demon of Chaos is on the same level as the King of the Demonic Sea?’ Yeon-woo would not have found it strange if Allforone suddenly opened a door in the sky and came down to impose restrictions.
Yeon-woo clucked his tongue once more. It seemed that entering the hidden stage would not be as easy as he’d thought. The warriors swung their gigantic swords at the same time and tore space into pieces. A collective sword wind with compressed magic power flew into the sky and poured down on Yeon-woo’s head like rain.
Yeon-woo raised his magic power to its maximum, thinking that it was pointless to hold back. He once again swung the Magic Bayonet down. A much larger sword energy exploded into the ground. The strike contained so much power and force that it could not be compared to what Yeon-woo had displayed just a moment before.
A crater several kilometers in diameter appeared where his lightning strike hit. Light and heat pulsated as a cloud of dust spread out in all directions. This time around, none of the great demon warriors had avoided injury. Nothing was left. Yeon-woo’s strike didn’t even allow spirits to refuse death, and they were all completely incinerated.
Even if they tried to endure, Yeon-woo continued swinging his Magic Bayonet, pouring out more and more of his sword energy. The infected spirits had no way to resist. They didn’t even have a chance to breathe when a huge, dark-red lightning bolt came down from the sky and struck the ground. There was no way to avoid it.
The stage was destroyed and could no longer be used. The only word that sprang into Yeon-woo’s mind at the sight was “annihilation”. He hadn’t even moved a single step.
[The godly society <Deva> is astonished over your god-like ability.]
[The godly society <Asgard> screams at your unbelievable skill.]
...
[The demonic society <L’Infernal> is seriously considering the alliance proposal.]
...
[Most gods are silent.]
[Most demons are silent.]
The gods and demons that had been loudly expressing their astonishment fell silent. Yeon-woo did not hide his actions from the gazes of the heavenly world, unlike when he’d fought the Demonism.
[‘Infected Old Warrior 32’ has been added to your Soul Collection!]
[‘Infected Old Warrior 2,107’ has been added to your Soul Collection!]
A group of shadows quickly spread throughout the battlefield and collected the remnants of the spirits and their souls, sucking them into the Soul Collection one after another. These might not have been the souls of the giants, but even collecting their thoughts in spirit form was a tremendous harvest. Besides, the souls of the giants who could even fight against gods could not be contained by a mere mortal.
These spirit remnants would be of great help in strengthening Yeon-woo’s familiars. Dis Pluto, who had not yet recovered their strength, would also benefit greatly. Or perhaps... ‘Maybe I should form a new corps.’ Yeon-woo’s eyes gleamed strangely.
[‘Infected Old Warrior 1,994’ has been added to your Soul Collection!]
Now that the torso of the Great Demon of Chaos had been torn apart, only the Great Warrior’s spirit remained. Rip!
『N-no...!』 The Great Warrior’s right arm, still holding the giant sword, was severed off cleanly. It hovered in the air for a moment, and Yeon-woo could see the Great Warrior’s eyes slightly tremble.
[Hades’ Spirit Eating Sword]
Yeon-woo spread his left hand open and tried to absorb all that was left of the Great Warrior’s spirit. It was a golden opportunity to possess the Factors of the giant race.