Chapter 55

[Translator - Kiteretsu][Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 55

A whopping 8%.

In fact, the reason Ling Ling accepted the bet was because she was certain of her victory.

'Since he dispelled the debuff with divine power, the task should be easy.'

Moreover, he easily bypassed the boss using the Brainwashing skill.

It wasn't a clear victory through his own skills, but rather through using a cheat.

Of course, even that should be considered commendable.

Originally, this final round was focused on survival, not tasks.

That's why she considered allocating 2% of Heavenly Energy instead of 1%.

But the stranger wasn't satisfied with 2% and proposed a new bet.

He bet a whopping 8% of Heavenly Energy.

'Foolish guy.'

Ling Ling accepted the bet without hesitation.

To break that arrogant nose of his.

Lv. 180 Desolate Dark Street was only a 30-level difference, but the level of difficulty was like heaven and earth.

She added conditions like no debuff removal, additional boss, and skill restrictions.

Heavenly Energy wasn't a reward given out easily, so the conditions were very strict.

Nevertheless, the stranger readily agreed.

'His arrogance from obtaining a legendary grade ends here.'

Ling Ling scoffed and sent the stranger to a theme dungeon that realistically reproduced the Desolate Dark Street.

And two hours later, Jeong-Hoon returned to the settlement area.

"I cleared it."

"What did you say...?"

* * *

[Lv. 180 Desolate Dark Street]

He entered the Desolate Dark Street again, with its level increased by 30.

His vision was blocked, and the surroundings were pitch black.

Despite the deadly debuff, Jeong-Hoon leisurely took out his bow from his inventory.

It was the Dragon Anima Bone Bow.

"Where are we? We're surrounded by gloomy fellows."

As he held the bow, Anima floated around Jeong-Hoon in the form of a lizard.

Anima wasn't affected by the status condition, so Anima could see the surroundings clearly.

"It's a dungeon. We have to kill all those guys."

Jeong-Hoon replied briefly and pulled the bowstring.

Even though he couldn't see, his other senses were fine.

So he focused on those senses even more.

Thud.

Several footsteps could be heard with his sensitive hearing.

Jeong-Hoon released the drawn bowstring towards that direction.

Whoosh!

"Keuk!"

The arrow flew in an arc and accurately pierced the vital point of a Dark Knight.

They were the same guys he had dealt with twice before.

Their physique, the armor they wore, and the weapons they held.

The result was possible because he had memorized everything.

Also, the arrow he was using now wasn't an ordinary arrow.

It was an arrow made of divine power, which he had used when hunting the Priest (Evil).

The Dark Knights were also incompatible with divine power, so a single hit caused them serious damage.

"Impressive skill. How can you regain your balance so quickly?"

Anima, who was watching from the side, couldn't help but admire him.

"If you experience life-or-death crises often enough, you naturally get faster."

It is said that humans exhibit superhuman strength when their desire to live reaches its peak.

And Jeong-Hoon had displayed such superhuman strength countless times.

"...You look barely out of your youth, but you talk like an old man."

During Animas time as a dragon, he had met all sorts of masters from around the world.

Humans who had achieved incredibly high levels of achievement in their short lives of less than 100 years.

He sensed a similar aura from those humans and Jeong-Hoon in front of him.

It was truly a mysterious thing.

Jeong-Hoon's face still had a youthful air to it.

"Anyway, we don't have time to chat."

Jeong-Hoon pulled the bowstring again.

He focused on his other senses except for his blocked vision.

[Martial Artist's exclusive skill, 'Steadfast Will' activates.]

[Skill, 'Keen Senses (Rare)' acquired.]

And his Steadfast Will reacted.

His vision was blocked due to a debuff.

But he could still read messages.

A holographic message appeared in the pitch-black darkness.

'The acquisition speed is fast.'

The corners of Jeong-Hoon's mouth lifted.

Keen Senses was a skill that played an important role in later developing into Extrasensory Perception.

Although he couldn't upgrade it to Extrasensory Perception because he acquired it late, it was one of the skills that helped him survive until the end.

Whoosh!

The arrow was shot once again, accurately piercing the vital point of a Dark knight.

[Martial Artist's exclusive skill, 'Steadfast Will' activates.]

[Skill, 'Soul Arrow (Rare)' acquired.]

And the newly acquired Soul Arrow.

'Is it because I repeatedly hunted dark-type monsters?'

Unlike in his previous life, this was the first time he had obtained divine power, so he was ignorant about the acquisition conditions.

Soul Arrow wasn't simply an arrow made of divine power.

It was a completely different kind of skill.

Unlike the arrow made of divine power, it couldn't damage monsters, but instead, it temporarily incapacitated them.

It could be said to be a similar skill to Soul Blade, which James Marcus, who had betrayed Jeong-Hoon, had used from his early days until level 150.

"Keuk!"

"Human! Can you see us?!"

The Dark Knights, who had been cautiously approaching, shouted urgently.

The first time could be a coincidence, but the second time couldn't be.

"Attack!"

The Dark Knights rushed towards Jeong-Hoon all at once.

[Senses become sharper.]

Keen Senses was an active skill, not a passive one.

When used once, all senses were heightened for 60 seconds.

However, once used, it couldn't be used again for 60 minutes.

Jeong-Hoon slung Anima over his shoulder and then activated Blackfield.

[Blackfield activated.]

As he activated the skill, the ground around Jeong-Hoon turned black.

[All stats have increased by 1.2 times.]

A fraudulent ability that increased all stats by 1.2 times despite being only rare grade.

At the same time, the Dark Knights' stats decreased.

[All stats of monsters entering the area are reduced by 3% due to the effect of Blackfield.]

"My strength suddenly...?"

"What the... Keuk!"

The knights couldn't finish their sentences.

Jeong-Hoon, using the Underworld King's Fist, started to strike the nearby knights.

The hearing of his ears, the smell of his nose, the sense of touch that could feel the thick dark energy flowing from them, and the superhuman senses, a hidden option of the newly acquired Keen Senses.

Of course, it was only a very slight 0.0001% level of sensation, but that was enough for Jeong-Hoon.

"Keuk!"

Jeong-Hoon's fists struck the Dark knights.

Of course, due to the extreme level difference and the sheer number of monsters, Jeong-Hoon's body started to get scratched as time passed.

"Hey! Are you okay?!"

Anima, who was watching the battle, shouted urgently.

'I'm fine.'

[Using Lesser Healing.]

Unlike in his previous life, Jeong-Hoon could heal himself.

The minor scratches disappeared cleanly with a single Lesser Healing.

Jeong-Hoon once again unleashed the Underworld King's Fist and wiped out the Dark knights.

"Keuk!"

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Only after dealing with the knights at a distance with Anima did Jeong-Hoon take a slightly deep breath.

This theme dungeon originally didn't have a boss monster, but instead, each monster had the power of a sub-boss.

The Desolate Dark Street that appeared in the event was a level 150 dungeon, but all the monsters' stats were greatly reduced to around 130-140, so it was easy to hunt them.

However, dealing with level 180 Dark knights wasn't easy.

"Hmm, there's still one left."

Anima muttered with a serious face.

The theme dungeon should have been over, but NPC Ling Ling had added a Guardian of Darkness to the Desolate Dark Street.

So he had to hunt down that Guardian of Darkness to finish the dungeon.

Jeong-Hoon moved forward, relying on his other senses except for sight.

"Hey, you there."

At that moment, a familiar voice was heard.

Jeong-Hoon doubted his ears.

'Did Isaac come back?'

Despite being sent out, Isaac was still wandering around the Desolate Dark Street.

'It seems you can't leave just because you've completed the task.'

Somehow, he felt a little sorry for Isaac.

To think that he couldn't leave even if he wanted to.

But a different answer came from Isaac than he expected.

"I came to help!"

"What?"

"When I left the street, I was alone in a white room..."

Isaac vividly recounted what had happened.

The place he arrived at through the portal was a white room.

The NPC Ling Ling appeared in that room and made a proposal.

Jeong-Hoon would re-enter the Desolate Dark Street, and Isaac would gain freedom if he opened the door and left.

However, instead of choosing to open the door and leave, Isaac insisted on helping Jeong-Hoon directly.

So Ling Ling summoned Isaac back to the street.

"Huh..."

Jeong-Hoon couldn't even laugh at the absurdity of the story.

Why did he come back after being sent out?

Even if his level was lowered due to the event, gaining freedom was unchanged.

Since it was a dungeon created for the event, it would be abandoned as a theme dungeon after the event ended and his level returned to 180.

Having escaped once, there was no reason for Isaac to remain in the dungeon anymore.

Even if the Desolate Dark Street was designated for the next event, the task to rescue Isaac wouldn't appear again.

But why would he go through the trouble again?

"I'll help you with all my might, so let's get out together!"

"...Then why didn't you help me earlier?"

Why was he acting like a Monday morning quarterback after leaving the boss behind?

"I just got here?"

Isaac tilted his head.

At that moment, a new holographic message appeared in his pitch-black vision.

[Time limit: 20 minutes]

[Help NPC Isaac escape once again.]

[Upon completion, Heavenly Energy reward will be increased fivefold.]

[Do you accept?]

Ah, so that's why they sent Isaac back to the street?

What a brutal quest.

But it wasn't easy to refuse the reward, which had jumped from fourfold to fivefold.

Jeong-Hoon accepted the task without hesitation.

"Let's go."

Jeong-Hoon and Isaac headed towards the exit portal in the sewer again.

And in front of the portal, the Guardian of Darkness was waiting.

[Lv. 200 Guardian of Darkness]

The Guardian's level was a whopping 200.

It was a boss 99 levels higher than Jeong-Hoon.

"I'll provide cover, so use the skill you showed me earlier!"

Isaac charged at the Guardian of Darkness without waiting for Jeong-Hoon's reply.

'I can't use Brainwashing anymore.'

According to Ling Ling's bet, he couldn't use Brainwashing.

Clang!

"What kind of power is this...?"

Isaac, unaware of this fact, clashed swords with the Guardian of Darkness and had a bewildered look on his face.

Before, their strength was similar, but now the difference in power was too obvious.

His palms tingled as if he had struck a giant rock.

"How pathetic!"

The Guardian of Darkness sneered and put more force into the twin swords he was holding against Isaac's.

Isaac started to get pushed back noticeably.

"Keuhk!"

"I'll finish you quickly!"

[Guardian of Darkness uses 'Status Condition: Morale Decrease'.]

[Ability failed.]

But unlike before, the ability failed.

A look of bewilderment flashed across the Guardian's face.

At the same time, its gaze turned downward.

A small, glowing arrow was embedded in its chest.

[Soul Arrow]

The enemy hit by the arrow would have their abilities temporarily sealed.

'The sealing time is 5 seconds.'

After 5 seconds, the Guardian would be able to use its abilities again.

He had to finish it within that time.

Jeong-Hoon pulled the bowstring again.

[Blackfield activated.]

Blackfield was also activated.

He then released the drawn bowstring and shot the arrow.

The arrow, shot with superhuman senses, accurately pierced the Guardian's right eye.

One of the areas that couldn't be strengthened no matter how much you trained.

"Kuaaak!"

The Guardian screamed and twisted its body as its eye was pierced.

Jeong-Hoon quickly pulled the bowstring again and released it.

This time, it pierced the Guardian's neck.

"Keuuk! Human!"

However, due to its high level, it didn't die even after being hit in two vital points.

"You damn bastard!"

At that moment, Isaac plunged his sword deep into the Guardian's side.

"Damn you all!"

The Guardian's struggles reached their peak.

Whoosh!

Then, arrows were shot in succession, all hitting vital points.

Only after about 8 arrows were embedded did the Guardian collapse and go limp.

[Level up!]

[All stats increased by +1.]

[Bonus stat +1 granted.]

As the Guardian died, Jeong-Hoon's level became 102.

It wasn't easy to see the level-up message after passing level 100.

It seemed like he had been on the verge of level 102 after drinking the potions.

"Phew, thank you. Thanks to you, I can sleep soundly."

Isaac grinned.

In front of him, the portal was shimmering.

"I'm the one who's grateful."

Thanks to Isaac, he was able to subdue the Guardian more quickly.

And he won the bet with Ling Ling fair and square.

Now it was time to return to the settlement area and collect his reward.

'Shall we go back then?'

Jeong-Hoon and Isaac passed through the portal.

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]