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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 271
The Second Cataclysm.
Jeong-hoon lost his life immediately after the second Cataclysm.
Because he was stabbed in the back.
Even so, the reason he knows about the subsequent Cataclysms is because there are conditions for Cataclysm to be triggered.
‘First, 20 years must have passed since the initial manifestation.’
And the second condition is when the episode completion rate reaches 99%.
When the episode reaches 99%, three Cataclysms are forcibly unleashed. If all three Cataclysms are prevented, the episode that completes the remaining 100% can be undertaken.
Jeong-hoon knew this, and therefore believed that if he could stop all three Cataclysms, he could finish the game.
However, according to James, the second Cataclysm is said to be impossible to clear.
If he went in alone, he would fail with 100% certainty.
In that case, using others could increase the chances of clearing it.
They may be traitors, but their skills are undeniable.
“Are you saying we should stop the Cataclysm together…?”
James’s eyes trembled as he asked.
“You don’t die here; you die after entering.”
“…I see.”
“It’s the same for you. If you stay here, Texas will be erased. Eventually, the entire Earth will disappear.”
Jeong-hoon was right.
Closing that dungeon was the only way to stop the second Cataclysm and temporarily restore peace.
“All right. I’ll go in, so stop it now.”
Amelie Reina spoke.
She had realized that Jeong-hoon pressuring James and threatening them was all to get them to enter the dungeon.
Remaining time: 117 hours.
‘I have to stop the Cataclysm within this time.’
If the second Cataclysm is stopped, the reward would be unimaginable.
That reward could help overturn the fate that the mysterious crystal orb had foretold.
“Hun, as I said, the second Cataclysm… no one has ever stopped it, not even once. The difficulty is that high.”
James Marcus repeatedly warned that entering the dungeon would lead to annihilation.
“Go in.”
Of course, Jeong-hoon had no intention of listening to him.
It was a dungeon that needed to be cleared anyway.
If he couldn’t stand against this Cataclysm, how could he face what lay beyond it?
“…All right.”
James Marcus nodded reluctantly.
Even though he had personally ended Jeong-hoon’s life to force the regression, he had always avoided the second Cataclysm out of fear.
‘If I’m going to atone, I have to do it right.’
Then Alessandro Bryden urgently grabbed him.
“Wait! Are you really planning to close that now?”
“Yes.”
“Hey, James, if what you’re saying is true, we’ll be wiped out!”
The Second Cataclysm.
A Cataclysm that is absolutely impossible to stop.
Because of this, many regions had been swept away, and James could only watch helplessly.
But he couldn’t stand by any longer.
“Alessandro, this is our only chance.”
“Our only chance?”
James Marcus nodded.
‘When Hun came back, that was the opportunity.’
It was hard to believe, but Jeong-hoon was alive.
That meant Jeong-hoon had returned through a parallel world and, for some reason, appeared here.
Whatever the case, there was only one choice left for them.
To enter that dungeon.
If left alone, the Cataclysm would continue until the Earth itself was obliterated.
‘Hun has grown immeasurably stronger compared to the last time I saw him.’
Just witnessing how he overwhelmed James was proof enough.
Jeong-hoon was once known by the alias All Master, but he never had the strength to confront all of them simultaneously.
Even if his combat strength was at 100%, a coordinated attack would have easily defeated him.
But the current Jeong-hoon had grown so much that victory was no longer guaranteed, even with a total offensive.
With Jeong-hoon joining them, perhaps James’s prediction of annihilation could be avoided.
“I told you, I’ve regressed,” Jeong-hoon said.
He began explaining the strategy for the dungeon.
Going in unprepared would lead to total annihilation.
“Speak,” Jeong-hoon demanded, asking about the dungeon strategy.
Rather than wasting time on revenge, understanding the dungeon’s mechanics was the smarter choice.
After all, strength was necessary to twist this cursed fate.
James nodded and began to speak.
“The enemy’s special ability is reflection. During certain periods, it enters an invincible state and can forcibly return triple the damage it received to a designated target at will.”
Even worse, this special ability could be used consecutively, meaning surviving one instance didn’t mark the end.
James Marcus had fought carefully, mindful of this special ability, but in the end, he fell victim to the reflection and lost his life.
“This isn’t an opponent we can overpower with brute force, is it?”
Paul Layman, the commander, nodded as if he understood.
“That’s right.”
“What’s its rank?”
“Demon King-tier. It’s equivalent to a Sovereign-tier being.”
A Demon King-tier comparable to a Sovereign-tier.
At James’s words, everyone’s faces darkened.
While Apostle-tier enemies were manageable, a Demon King-tier was overwhelmingly difficult to handle.
And this wasn’t just any Demon King-tier—it was on par with a Sovereign-tier.
It was clear why James Marcus had been forced to regress repeatedly.
“If only we had managed to complete the Ultimate Energy to 100%, things might have been different...”
Ultimate Energy, 100%.
To gather all that energy would grant the right to claim ultimate power.
James Marcus had tirelessly worked toward acquiring the Ultimate Energy, but reaching 100% before the second Cataclysm was impossible.
In fact, he hadn’t even managed to reach 10%.
[“Huh? But master already reached 100%!”]
‘Indeed. If master attains the pinnacle and then prevents that Cataclysm, it should work.’
No, that wasn’t an option.
There were only 117 hours left.
Achieving ultimate power within that time frame might be impossible.
Nor could they choose to claim ultimate power and then use the pocket watch to reset.
‘The Ultimate Energy was never meant to reach 100% in the first place.’
The only reason it had been filled to 100% was thanks to a gamble with Baal.
Gathering the energy and claiming the power were fundamentally different.
Since fate couldn’t be changed, claiming ultimate power had likely been impossible.
‘Even acquiring celestial power required defeating a Demon King-tier avatar.’
The Ultimate Power would be exponentially harder to obtain.
Jeong-hoon felt a sense of powerlessness against a Sovereign-tier opponent.
Claiming ultimate power in his current state was out of reach.
Thus, he planned to grow stronger by preventing Cataclysm and eventually claim that power.
Little did he know the difficulty of the second Cataclysm would be this overwhelming.
Regardless, once inside the dungeon, the entire domain would become the enemy’s territory.
“We don’t have the luxury of staying out…”
His muttering silenced the room.
James Marcus’s repeated regressions meant that their counterparts in parallel worlds had met their demise every single time.
Surely, James had shared the strategy each time, emphasizing it as thoroughly as he was now.
Just like this moment.
“It’s doable,” Jeong-hoon said, breaking the heavy silence.
He had faced Demon King-tier transcendent beings both before and after his regression.
Notably, in the Path to the Ultimate quest, he had confronted Bulang, a Demon King-tier transcendent under the Heavenly Demon Cult.
Bulang, who was nearly Sovereign-tier, had been so powerful that Jeong-hoon barely managed to last ten minutes against him. His strength was on a completely different level compared to Apostle-tier enemies.
Truthfully, saying “it’s doable” was a lie, but Jeong-hoon’s calm demeanor caused even the betrayers’ eyes to tremble slightly.
“Is that really true?!”
James Marcus grabbed Jeong-hoon’s hand, desperation in his voice.
“Let go.”
Jeong-hoon’s cold tone prompted James to release him immediately.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. That’s why we’ll study the strategy thoroughly and head in right away.”
“O-okay.”
Hope flickered in James Marcus’s eyes.
He began to explain the strategy in detail, sharing everything he had painstakingly gathered through his repeated regressions.
The Demon King-tier transcendent was a monster born from endless cycles of defeat and study.
Darkhan—a transcendent dragon.
***
[Second Cataclysm: Would you like to enter Darkhan?]
The Second Cataclysm.
The party led by James Marcus accepted the entry prompt.
Following them, Jeong-hoon stepped into the dungeon.
Upon entry, they were greeted by a vast cavern and an enormous dragon.
“Ho, humans are foolish enough to enter my domain?”
The transcendent dragon.
Darkhan.
Its vertically slit pupils scanned the intruders, its gaze alone enough to overwhelm them.
Every hair on their bodies stood on end from the tension, and their limbs trembled uncontrollably.
‘Judging by its aura, it’s above Bulang.’
Even so, compared to Mist, whom he had recently faced, Darkhan seemed manageable.
To Jeong-hoon, Darkhan wasn’t a Sovereign-tier being.
It was merely a high-ranking transcendent within the Demon King tier.
A true Sovereign was on an entirely different level.
“Be careful! It’s about to start!”
James Marcus shouted a warning.
At that moment, Darkhan exhaled flames—not directly at them but onto the surroundings.
The flames burned brightly, forming a massive ring.
[Debuffs applied: All stats reduced by 20%.]
[Debuffs applied: Safeguard disabled.]
[Debuffs applied: Random skill seal activated.]
The flames weren’t just to trap them.
The moment the ring ignited, a devastating set of three debuffs took effect.
‘A 20% stat reduction and a skill seal.’
The debuffs were nothing short of crippling.
Jeong-hoon immediately tried to activate Holy Orb of Glory.
[Skill sealed: Holy Orb of Glory cannot be used.]
Holy Orb of Glory, a skill that consumed 20% of his mana to purify everything, was sealed at the worst possible time.
‘Even Safeguard is unusable.’
With Safeguard disabled, his plan to cleanse the debuffs with Holy Orb of Glory had failed.
In other words, they were forced to fight Darkhan with the penalties in place.
“Damn it, my crucial skills are sealed!”
“Just as James said,” another party member muttered.
“Alright, stick to the plan we prepared!”
Having carefully listened to James Marcus’s strategies, the group didn’t panic and began executing their respective roles.
However, to Darkhan, their efforts were nothing more than a child’s playful antics.
The dragon yawned, then lazily beckoned them with a flick of its claw, signaling for them to come closer at their peril.
"Attack!"
James Marcus charged forward, wielding a shield and sword.
Following him, the martial artist Maximus Perion and Spear Master Liu Xiaolong joined the assault.
Meanwhile, Dark Lord Kaneda Shun summoned a legion of shadow knights, encircling Darkhan.
"Step back."
In the midst of this, Poisoner Min Jin-ho raised his hand.
A deadly venomous liquid poured down onto Darkhan's head.
As the venom coated him, a gunshot echoed.
Paul Raymond had aimed his sniper rifle precisely at Darkhan’s head and pulled the trigger.
"Full assault!"
Alessandro Bryden unleashed his magic, and everyone followed, using their respective skills to attack Darkhan.
However, Jeong-hoon didn’t move, simply observing Darkhan.
‘That bastard is holding back.’
Jeong-hoon noticed Darkhan’s nonchalant demeanor.
"Pointless."
As if confirming Jeong-hoon’s suspicion, Darkhan murmured softly and entered an invincible state, absorbing all incoming attacks.
It was reminiscent of the ability Bulang had displayed at the Heavenly Demon Cult.
However, while Bulang reflected damage at twice the magnitude, Darkhan’s ability amplified it to threefold.
"Alessandro!"
When James called Alessandro's name, Alessandro immediately deployed Absolute Barrier around Darkhan.
This barrier was on a completely different level than the one Alessandro from the parallel world had once used.
Having reached celestial heights, Alessandro’s power was unparalleled.
"Foolish tricks!"
Darkhan roared, causing Absolute Barrier to sustain 32% damage.
The debuffs hampering their performance were a major setback.
Despite this, Alessandro calmly deployed multiple layers of Absolute Barrier.
The earlier spells had been a foundation for this layered defense.
However, the first barrier was quickly destroyed.
The subsequent barriers also began to crack.
Crash!
Ultimately, Absolute Barrier was completely shattered.
Darkhan, as if waiting for this moment, targeted everyone present to reflect the absorbed attacks.
James, aware of Darkhan’s habit of raising his hand when using reflection, shouted urgently.
"Now, Hwa-rang!"
"Got it."
It was Lee Hwa-rang’s turn.
He loosed a prepared Annihilation Arrow at Darkhan.
"Enhance."
Iwase Haruto cast an attack-enhancing buff on Lee Hwa-rang, greatly amplifying the arrow’s size.
Darkhan, when attempting reflection, wasn’t in an invincible state nor capable of absorbing attacks.
This was their chance to deal significant damage.
"Pathetic."
However, Darkhan seemed to anticipate this, absorbing even the arrow.
"What?!"
James Marcus's eyes widened in shock.
Throughout countless regressions, exploiting this exact weakness had always worked.
Yet this time, it didn’t.
"I’d like to play longer, but it seems that won’t be possible."
Darkhan finally activated his reflection.
In an instant, the designated targets' bodies exploded simultaneously.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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