Chapter 146

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 146

[You have eliminated the enhanced Black King Tigers.]

[You can proceed to the next area.]

All monsters had been eliminated.

Hurriedly passing through the portal to the next area, he arrived in front of the building where his mother worked.

Kugoong.

But the building was already half-destroyed by a monster attack.

[Lv.300 Hydra]

A gigantic level 300 hydra was wreaking havoc on people, having torn down the building.

It was a monster resembling a wyvern, with three heads that looked exactly like a dragon.

"[Oh, you have three of the same thing!]”

‘Huh? What nonsense. Are you saying I look that ugly?’

“[No matter how I look at it, you look exactly the same.]”

‘Tsk, how can you judge something without eyes.’

“[Hey, you’re insulting me here?]”

‘I’m just stating a fact. How is that an insult? It’s strange.’

“Alright, be quiet.”

Jeong-Hoon silenced them and glared at the hydra.

“Damn it! Level 300 is too much!”

“It’s impossible! I’m only level 140!”

“Where’s the army? When is the army coming?”

Sadly, when the monster that had destroyed the building where his mother worked was causing havoc, there was no user there who could take on the hydra.

[Eliminate the hydra.]

[If you fail, the test will automatically end.] seaʀᴄh thё NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

‘Damn it.’

Jeong-Hoon picked up Anima, drew his bow, and aimed at the hydra’s neck.

Fsssh!

As he released the drawn bowstring, an arrow shot out and pierced the middle neck of the hydra.

“Kuwoorrrr!”

[The hydra is using its breath attack.]

The remaining left and right necks let out screams and breathed fire.

The breath enveloped the city, turning the surroundings into a chaotic scene in an instant.

“Aaah!”

“Aaaah!”

The screams of people echoed.

Even though it was just a fake world created based on memories, why did it feel so real?

Jeong-Hoon bit his lip because of it.

‘If only a barrier had been erected at this time.’

Barrier creation.

This was an ability that only high-ranking mages among those with the mage class could perform.

If such a barrier had been created, it would have been possible to protect a certain area from monster attacks.

Jeong-Hoon had tried tirelessly to create such a barrier in his previous life, but he had ultimately failed.

For now, the priority was to quickly eliminate the hydra before further damage occurred.

[Activating Blackfield.]

[All abilities are boosted by 1.2 times.]

[Due to the influence of the Blackfield, all abilities of monsters that invade the area will decrease by 3%.]

He activated the Blackfield, increasing all his abilities by 1.2 times.

"I won't use the Stat Amplification Ring."

"I'm saving it for any additional tests that might come up later."

Jeong-Hoon drew his bow again, aiming at the right head.

Fsssh!

The arrow shot out and pierced the right head of the hydra between the eyes.

[Passive: Black Flame activated.]

A 1% chance had activated, and black flames erupted from that head.

"Kyaaaaaak!"

The beast screamed in agony from the heat of the black flames.

Seizing the opportunity, Jeong-Hoon drew his bow again and aimed at the same spot, firing another arrow.

Fsssh!

The arrow flew like a beam of light and pierced the same spot.

"Kyaaaak!"

The beast continued to scream.

[The hydra is using its breath attack.]

At that moment, the hydra's remaining left head breathed fire at Jeong-hoon.

Jeong-Hoon rolled to the side and used his movement technique to put distance between them.

[The hydra is using its gaze.]

The hydra's eyes glowed green as it glared at Jeong-hoon.

[Movement speed decreased by 30%.]

It had inflicted a debuff, reducing his movement speed.

[Using Intermediate Healing.]

[Debuff removed.]

Jeong-Hoon quickly removed the debuff using Intermediate Healing.

And he drew his bow again and fired an arrow.

This time, he aimed at the left head.

The arrow shot out and pierced the left head of the beast.

"Kyaaaak!"

With that, all the heads had been pierced with arrows.

The hydra thrashed violently, its body turning completely red.

[The hydra is preparing a magic storm.]

The beast was about to use a magic storm.

If it used a magic storm that swept across the area, everything around here would disappear without a trace.

If that happened, he would repeat the past again.

Jeong-Hoon drew his bow.

'I'll aim for the heart, its vital point.'

The only way to subdue the hydra's magic storm once it was cast was to destroy the heart in its core.

However, if he couldn't pierce the heart in one shot, the magic storm would erupt.

'Carefully.'

The beast's heart was located in the same place as a dragon's.

He released the drawn bowstring, and the arrow flew in a parabola.

Fsssh!

The flying arrow pierced the heart of the hydra, which was preparing to unleash the magic storm.

"Kyaaaak!"

The beast's reddened body exploded.

Since the heart that was gathering magic had been pierced, the magic dissipated, and the body couldn't withstand it and shattered into pieces.

However, unlike in a game, the hydra didn't simply vanish. Its flesh and blood splattered everywhere, creating a disgusting scene.

"Ugh, ugh!"

"What's that smell?"

"Damn... It's so gross... What the hell is going on?"

People were nauseated and frowned at the horrifying sight they had never experienced even in New World.

[You have eliminated the hydra.]

[You can enter the next area.]

Jeong-hoon entered the building through the portal at the entrance.

The building was half-destroyed by the hydra and was barely holding its shape.

"Mom!"

Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind.

"[Oh? It's the master.]"

'Master? That's a fake.'

A materialized clone of Jeong-hoon was running into the building in a panic.

He quickly passed Jeong-hoon and ran up the stairs.

"...I'll go up."

The floor where his mother worked was the fourth floor.

Since a hydra had crashed through the ceiling created above the building, there would have been no time to evacuate.

The second and third floors were filled with injured and dead people.

Jeong-hoon's expression hardened.

And when he reached the fourth floor.

He could see his cloned self and his mother.

"...Mom! Mom! Wake up!"

He was slowly shaking his mother who was trapped under the building's debris.

But his mother didn't move at all.

Jeong-hoon used his movement technique to approach her and easily lifted the debris that was pressing down on his mother.

"Oh...?"

The clone finally noticed him and looked up at Jeong-hoon with teary eyes.

"Get out of the way. You're in the way."

Jeong-hoon quickly checked his mother's condition.

Her lower body was completely crushed when the ceiling collapsed, and her condition was critical.

'Damn it, even my healing won't be enough for this.'

All the bones in her lower body were shattered, and her muscles were completely torn.

To completely heal such an injury, he would need at least high-level healing.

However, even with intermediate healing, it was possible to treat her enough to keep her alive.

'Thank goodness... Thank goodness...'

[Using Intermediate Healing.]

[Using Intermediate Healing.]

Jeong-hoon poured Intermediate Healing onto his mother without sparing it.

"[Master... Are you crying?]”

'…How clueless.'

Anima scolded Mukho for being so insensitive, and they both shut their mouths.

Tears were streaming down Jeong-hoon's cheeks.

The memory of finding his mother as a cold corpse in a completely destroyed building in his previous life was too vivid.

Overlapping with that memory, he was relieved to know that he wouldn't have to repeat the same nightmare.

"He, healing...? Are you really using healing right now?"

Chapter 146 (Continued)

The clone asked in a trembling voice.

Having occasionally visited New World at Ha-Jin's insistence before his regression,

he immediately recognized the healing ability.

"Yes."

"...Then what about Mom?"

"Don't worry, she'll be fine."

"...Thank goodness. Ugh."

The clone burst into tears with a relieved expression.

[1st Test Completed.]

* * *

The screen changed, and the interior of an unfamiliar training ground came into view.

"Where is this?"

"It's been a long time."

An elderly man in his late 80s stood in front of him.

A well-trained body that didn't match his age.

A height of over 2 meters.

How could he forget him?

"Fist King...?"

Jeong-hoon's eyes widened.

The Fist King had given him the power of the Martial Emperor and then disappeared.

And now, the Fist King had reappeared.

How was this possible?

"There's no need to be so surprised. When I granted you the power of the Martial Emperor, I also embedded a part of my consciousness within you."

"...I see."

Jeong-hoon wiped away his tears with his sleeve and nodded.

"I'm sorry. I wonder if I didn't hurt you too much."

Nak Jin-Cheon smiled wryly.

The Martial Emperor was a profession that drew out the will of nothingness to its extreme, allowing for limitless power.

Therefore, it pushed one's mental strength to its limit, touching on unconscious traumas.

[Overcoming trauma.]

This was the purpose of the first test.

And Jeong-hoon had clearly succeeded in that test.

"Yes. If things were like before... I would have resented you for the rest of my life."

A faint glint of killing intent appeared in Jeong-hoon's eyes.

"Haha... Just hearing that scares me."

Nak Jin-Cheon shuddered as if he were chilled to the bone.

"So, what's the second test?"

"Before that."

Nak Jin-Cheon snapped his fingers.

The screen changed again.

Jeong-hoon and Nak Jin-Cheon were standing outside the building where his mother worked.

"Quickly transfer the injured!"

"I don't know how, but I have the power I cultivated in New World. If you know any healers, contact them quickly!"

Quite some time had passed, and firefighters had arrived to transport the injured.

Due to the large number of injured and the shortage of firefighters, one or two people had to carry all the injured.

The situation was dire.

However, they didn't know.

That this was just the beginning.

And among the injured was his mother.

“Mom, are you okay…?”

The clone was tightly holding his mother’s hand, and his mother nodded as if she had regained consciousness.

“Why did you come here… it’s dangerous…”

“I was studying… then I got a message. That you had an accident…”

The fall detection alert on her watch.

When his mother was trapped under the debris, her watch sent a fall detection alert message to Jeong-hoon.

That’s why he could quickly rush to his mother’s company from the library.

At that moment, the screen switched back to the training ground.

“I thought it would be good for you to see how things have changed.”

Nak Jin-Cheon smiled wryly.

“…Is that so?”

“You seemed happy earlier, but you don’t seem so happy now.”

Even though he knew it was a fake, Jeong-hoon couldn’t be completely happy.

His mother had been saved, but she would be paralyzed from the waist down for the rest of her life.

In this hellish world.

That's why he was determined to destroy this hell with his own hands.

“Let’s start quickly. The second test.”

“Alright, let’s begin.”

Nak Jin-Cheon snapped his fingers.

And then, a clone was created in front of Jeong-hoon.

[Lv.250 Clone S]

Unlike the clone he had faced before, this was a perfect replica of Jeong-hoon.

Unlike the current Jeong-hoon, his face was full of minor scars.

“That is…”

It must be my past self.

Thinking back to the time when he reached level 250, it was accurate.

Did he extract this memory and create it?

Jeong-hoon looked at Nak Jin-Cheon.

“This is the final test. If you pass, I’ll remove your limit.”

The Fist King crossed his arms and disappeared.

[2nd Test Begins.]

[Eliminate Lv.250 Clone S.]

This was the final test.

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]