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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Chapter 44: Main Quest (4)
[Aurelia warns that if you awaken the nature of Chaos at your current level, your body will self-destruct, and she strongly advises against it.]
[Pollux says that if you don’t want to become a pawn of Chaos, you should not unlock the nature of Chaos.]
Finally, the communication from my two guardian deities connected.
Both of them were strongly discouraging me.
I wasn’t particularly eager to unlock the nature of Chaos either.
Would it give me three status windows if I did?
That’s a bit tempting... but still, something about it feels off.
Like the Death Knight King Ampellion, who essentially sacrificed himself as if urging me to quickly suppress him and consume him.
It was astonishing how accurately he calculated the damage to be exactly 51.1%.
Judging by their intentions, it felt like things wouldn’t end well.
Apparently, my stats had increased dramatically.
Let’s check that out first.
When I looked at the message window, my jaw dropped.
[Strength has increased by 6.]
[Agility has increased by 3.]
[Mana has increased by 6.]
What?
Six?
A total of 15...
This is something you’d normally need to level up 30 times to achieve, right?
This is insane.
Absolutely insane.
How could defeating just one entity increase my stats so much?
Even though it was stated that I absorbed only a fragment of a fragment, the results were this extraordinary.
If he was referred to as a demigod, he must have been at least an A-grade being...
And my level had risen to 60.
Wow.
Amazing.
Even if it was a boss monster or a demigod, isn’t this a bit over the top?
[Pollux says that the power of a demigod is on a completely different level.]
[Aurelia mentions that Ampellion opened the Gate of the Dead simply to quickly exhaust his power and hasten his death. She calls it a miracle that you managed to survive at all.]
So, they were able to observe?
Anyway, he opened the Gate of the Dead with such dramatic flair, all just to die quickly.
If he had truly exerted his full strength, I probably wouldn’t have lasted a minute before dying and being sent back to Earth.
The gap between A-grade and C-grade was truly in another dimension.
Honestly, I had started feeling a bit confident from growing stronger, but that guy completely doused my confidence with cold water.
“Jiho, are you okay?”
“Are you alright?”
The two beauties, who had been watching me stand silently, shook me.
On either side of me, one Western beauty and one Eastern beauty clung to my arms.
Is this what they call being surrounded by flowers?
“Oh... yes, I’m fine. The enemy was the Death Knight King Ampellion.”
At those words, Kang Shia gasped in shock.
“What? Isn’t that the final boss?”
But when Diana heard that name, her eyes went blank, and she let go of my arm.
“A Death Knight... A Death Knight... I can’t believe a Death Knight is this strong...”
Something felt off, so I glanced around, only to see that even the elves and dwarves had vacant expressions.
It was as if they couldn’t process what they were hearing.
They seemed to understand the term "Death Knight," but they couldn’t retain the name "Ampellion."
“Ah. It might be better not to mention that boss’s name.”
Kang Shia whispered while cautiously looking around.
I nodded in agreement.
When fighting entities of Chaos, they had maintained their awareness, but upon hearing Ampellion’s name, everyone seemed to lose their senses.
It suddenly felt like a horror story had emerged in the middle of this fantasy siege.
The unfocused eyes were unnerving.
“What exactly happened?”
“He suddenly started fighting me and then killed himself. It felt like he wanted to die.”
“Wanted to die? I can’t understand that at all.”
It was tricky to explain soul absorption, so I just nodded at her comment.
“I feel the same way. I have no idea why this happened.”
“Regardless, his presence was overwhelming. Even more terrifying than when I saw a dragon’s breath.”
True.
His presence was far stronger than when dragons gathered to unleash their flames.
If the Death Knight King had fully unleashed his swordsmanship, the fortress walls would have crumbled instantly, and the stronghold would have fallen within a day.
If the Gate of the Dead had been fully opened, everyone except me would likely have been annihilated.
I would have died too if Ampellion had swung his sword.
Could Earthlings really hope to subdue something like that?
Doubts started to creep in.
Sigh...
I thought following the gods of Order’s instructions would prevent Earth’s destruction.
But things were starting to feel increasingly tangled.
“My head’s a mess. Let’s call it a day.”
I waved my hand, and the group dispersed.
Watching them leave, I had this thought:
Even if 2,000 D-grade warriors fought the Death Knight King, would they stand a chance?
It seemed like a single swing of his sword would send at least 50 bodies flying.
Then what about C-grade warriors?
Even with 2,000 of them, they would likely be swept away all the same.
Did they really expect us to beat something like this?
Is it because the difficulty is too high?
Maybe I should go to a lower-level area like Eshtar.
I mulled over these thoughts as I returned to my lodging.
The rewards were still pending.
When I fell asleep, I found myself standing in a world above the clouds, much like when I had visited the Hall of the Gods.
A dream?
I looked around, but all I could see was the cloudy expanse.
Only flickering lights were visible, with nothing else catching my eye.
[Awakened one, Kim Jiho.]
Suddenly, a dignified female voice echoed from the heavens.
Was the sound coming from beyond the sky?
I looked around, but no one was there.
[I am the deity Athena.]
The deity Athena?
Should I consider it an honor that a deity of her rank is speaking to me directly?
She must not be showing herself because the gap between us is so vast...
[You are correct. If even an avatar were to manifest, a hero-tier individual like you wouldn’t be able to endure.]
A soft golden light descended from the heavens above the heavens.
[The Lord of Death, the Supreme Commander, is a meticulous being. He has finally realized your presence. For him to abandon Ampellion like that just to confirm your existence—though an enemy, he is certainly bold.]
I recalled what Ampellion had done earlier.
At first, he wasn’t certain.
But after I killed the ghost and absorbed its soul, he became convinced and began preparing for his own destruction.
The reason he died… was likely to have his soul absorbed and to link the essence of chaos.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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It didn’t seem to have resulted in complete annihilation, but it must have been a significant blow, considering Athena described it as abandonment.
[Your thoughts are correct. I will protect your mind, but the Supreme Commander will find ways to approach you. Do not be swayed by the enemy’s words and remain resolute.]
[The hidden effect of the A-rank skill “Magic Encyclopedia,” Athena’s Mental Protection, is activated.]
Is simply maintaining my mental fortitude insufficient?
For her to directly invoke Athena’s Mental Protection—that’s fortunate.
I didn’t know the Magic Encyclopedia had such a hidden effect…
For now, I’ll accept whatever is offered.
[The reward we prepared for subduing Ampellion has been put on hold. We’ll observe the situation further and grant divine rewards in due time. Please be patient.]
“Understood.”
It’s disappointing, but what can I do?
Complaining wouldn’t change anything.
Surely, it’s not because they didn’t actually prepare any rewards.
[...Be cautious of the Supreme Commander.]
Athena paused briefly before giving her final warning.
The world above the clouds gradually darkened.
The sensation of my body slackening was brief.
Before I knew it, I was back in my bed.
“Hoo…”
Still, gaining Athena’s Mental Protection left me feeling reassured.
When the system window prompted me with the question of whether to accept the essence of chaos, I firmly clicked “No” and resumed the siege battle.
The enemy’s attacks were growing increasingly intense.
Although airborne monsters hadn’t appeared, the castle was now being invaded by a variety of monsters in addition to ogres.
Among them, the most troublesome was the Giant Wyrm.
A massive creature over 10 meters long that resembled a mix between a worm and a snake.
After the defeat of the Death Knight King Ampellion, it reappeared, burrowing through the inner parts of the castle and emerging unpredictably.
It was too powerful to be completely stopped by earth spirits, and detecting its emergence was the best we could do.
“Kyaaaahk!”
The Giant Worm burst through the ground, splitting the earth as its snake-like mouth opened wide, spewing out statues melting inside it.
“Take it down!”
The melee fighters, who had been the least active so far, teamed up with the elven spiritists to subdue the Giant Wyrm.
I assisted from afar, only stepping in occasionally to help those in danger without taking the lead in attacks.
After my encounter with Ampellion, I felt the need to develop the awakened individuals from Earth unless the situation was dire.
Of course, they weren’t yielding much experience, either.
Once I hit level 60, experience points barely increased.
“Hahaha! Die!”
Leading the cavalry, Lee Jinseong displayed astonishing skill.
While others struggled to fight on horseback and mostly used their mounts as transportation, he was different.
He fought in perfect harmony with his horse, impressing even the surrounding warriors, who cheered, “As expected of the commander!”—and rightly so.
“Level up!”
“This place is heaven!”
The newly arrived awakened individuals, despite not receiving the Apostle Commander’s buffs, fought against waves of monsters, shouting with joy.
The fort provided solid backup, monsters appeared endlessly, and the high-level enemies offered plenty of experience points.
In Eshtar, guilds would fight over dungeon ownership, and there weren’t many monsters in each dungeon, so experience gain was limited.
Here, however, it was entirely different, and they were ecstatic.
They had no idea about the battle where the Dragon’s Breath was unleashed last time…
“It’s been ten days now.”
“Should we return for now?”
“Yes. Everyone’s excited about their experience gains, but they’re also exhausted.”
Following Kang Shia’s advice, we decided to return.
Everyone agreed to take a three-day break before rejoining the battlefield.
The battles weren’t particularly grueling this time, so we didn’t need a week-long interval.
Besides, most people were eager to get back to the action rather than stay on Earth for too long.
Back home, I dusted off my old strategy guidebook.
Even though it covered neutral factions, its content about chaotic enemies was worth referencing.
How did they tackle it?
While there had been no information before, additional content was now available since I reached C-rank.
[Before the Black Dragon completes the summoning circle for chaos, use the fallen Diana. Diana, who exploded with the Spirit of Wrath, is capable of holding her own against the summoning Black Dragon. Also, preemptively persuade the orc hero Grosh to stage a rebellion.]
Ah, so the strategy involved betraying the Black Dragon before it could complete the summoning circle?
[Of course, the summoning won’t fail entirely. However, it will result in an incomplete summoning, and the Death Knight King Ampellion will only manifest with strength up to B-rank. That level can be handled by a group of awakened individuals, and if Diana survives until then, have her subdue him. This part is straightforward. The real problem lies with the enemies appearing in other regions.]
Ugh, damn it.
They really milked Diana dry, didn’t they?
They just cheesed the strategy.
How enviable…
But honestly, this feels wrong.
There’s supposed to be a procedure for these things.
Summonings should happen through summoning circles, not suddenly skipping the process and ambushing us like last time.
Even if Kevrian is land dominated by chaos…
[Pollux says the Supreme Commander definitely overextended himself. He is paying the price for it.]
Paying the price?
With what?
[Aurelia suggests visiting the Association if you’re curious.]
With nothing else pressing, I headed to the Association.
The alien races on the upper floors, now familiar with my face, were rushing toward me in shock.
Leading the group was the elf, Alena.
“Awakened Jiho Kim!”
“Yes? What’s going on this time?”
“I should be the one asking! What did you do? The difficulty of Kevrian’s planet…”
“What about the difficulty?”
“It’s been reduced to Normal! From Very Difficult!”
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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