Chapter 205

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 205

"Cough!"

"Gah!"

The second task took less than 5 minutes.

And the following third task was no different.

The Devil's Whisper.

The task was to avoid being tempted by the whispers and escape the labyrinth created by Baal.

If the first and second tasks tested strength, the final third task tested mental fortitude and judgment.

[Devil's Deal activated.]

[The difficulty of the task has increased.]

As before, the difficulty of the task increased, and the labyrinth was incredibly complex.

Strange sounds filled the air, his vision blurred, and his head spun so intensely that he felt as if he would collapse at any moment.

'It's designed to prevent me from finding the exit.'

He even lost his sense of direction.

However, Jeong-Hoon had the title Demon Slayer.

With Gaze of Purification, he could discern the path through the labyrinth.

Thanks to this, he reached the destination in less than two hours, and his body quickly returned to normal.

[You have cleared Baal's Dungeon for the first time!]

[15,000 points awarded.]

[You have gained 2,500,000,000 experience points!]

[Level Up!]

[All stats +1]

[Bonus stat +1]

[You have acquired Legendary Enhancement Stone x5.]

[You have acquired Legendary Enhancement Stone x5.]

<Kekeke, it's been a while since I've had this much fun.>

Despite losing the wager, Baal showed no signs of disappointment.

Instead, he was looking at Jeong-Hoon with amusement.

'Someone like Baal wouldn't be affected by a small wager like this.'

He was a Demon King-grade Transcendent, not just an Apostle-grade.

This wager was mere entertainment for him.

"Then, shall we discuss the reward?"

When Jeong-Hoon mentioned the reward, Baal's eye curved like a crescent moon.

The winner of this wager was Jeong-Hoon.

As promised, Jeong-Hoon's life was safe.

Furthermore, the penalty imposed on Earth was also removed.

However, due to the Avatars, the conditions of the wager had been expanded.

<Hmm, what kind of reward do you desire?>

Baal hadn't thought about a specific reward.

He never dreamed that he would lose this wager.

"Ultimate Energy."

Jeong-Hoon answered without hesitation.

<Ultimate Energy...?>

Baal's amused eye trembled for the first time.

"Yes."

When New World became reality and he defeated Rakandra, he first received 0.7% of Ultimate Energy.

It was a very small amount, but this Ultimate Energy was what allowed one to transcend beyond the celestial realm.

'A realm that no one has ever reached.'

Before his return, no one had ever reached this realm.

Therefore, no one knew what this realm was like.

It was only assumed to be a level where one could overwhelm Apostle-grade Transcendents.

In the first place, very few had even set foot in the celestial realm.

If things continued this way, it wouldn't be much different from before his return.

'If I reach that realm, no one will be able to hinder me.'

Currently, the obstacles were, as always, the Transcendents.

Especially the Apostle-grade Transcendents who had contracted with Avatars.

They would hinder his attempts to end the game by presenting various quests, just like they did with Sa Jae-Hyeok.

So he couldn't be complacent with his current position.

<How curious. A human seeking Ultimate Energy.>

"Baal, you would be capable of that, wouldn't you?"

NPC Ling Ling.

Ling Ling could provide Celestial Energy, but not Ultimate Energy.

It was simply not within her domain.

However, Baal was a Demon King-grade Transcendent.

This meant he could hand over Ultimate Energy.

<Is there nothing else you desire?>

Baal hesitated slightly.

"That's not fair. If I had lost, would you have shown mercy?"

<...>

Baal remained silent.

Because Jeong-Hoon's words were completely accurate.

If Jeong-Hoon had lost, he would have ruthlessly stolen his soul.

"So hand it over."

Jeong-Hoon smirked.

<...Sigh, 3%. I cannot offer more than that.>

"Alright."

3%.

It was by no means a small amount.

Of course, he wanted to receive around 10%, but judging by Baal's attitude, it seemed unlikely he would get more.

<Very well.>

[You have acquired 3% Ultimate Energy.]

[You have reached 1% of Ultimate Power. 100,000 achievement points awarded.]

With this, his total Ultimate Energy was 3.7%.

'Amazing. Before my return, James Marcus only managed to gather 7.1% throughout his entire life.'

He had instantly achieved 3.7%, which was more than half of James Marcus's total.

At this rate, reaching Ultimate Power might not be impossible.

<Tsk, this is quite a loss.>

Baal muttered softly.

"What are you talking about after giving a measly 3%?"

<...Do you not know its value? It would have been far better to ask for items of Legendary grade or higher.>

"That's why you should be careful with wagers."

<Kekeke, human. What is your name?>

Baal's eye curved like a crescent moon.

"Win the wager. Then I'll tell you."

<This is no ordinary wager.>

"A trade is also possible."

<A trade?>

"The reason why Transcendents are intervening in this game."

He was purely curious.

Even after his return, the reason remained unclear.

Why were they complicit in the destruction of dimensions?

<Kekeke, unfortunately, we'll have to postpone that trade for later.>

However, Baal did not accept the trade.

'So it's more than just simple amusement.'

It was a shame, but he would be satisfied for now.

He had achieved the most important goal of removing the penalty.

<Ah, but how about a wager instead?>

"A wager?"

<Indeed. If you successfully close 10 dungeons designated by me among those that will open in the future, I will provide you with 4% Ultimate Energy and an item of Legendary grade or higher. How about it?>

The wager Baal proposed was exceptional.

A whopping 4% Ultimate Energy and an item of Legendary grade or higher.

Legendary grade or higher meant he could even aim for Celestial grade.

However, Jeong-Hoon didn't readily accept.

"What's the time limit?"

No matter how great the reward, if the time limit was short, it would be a wager he couldn't win.

<Half a year in Earth time.>

"Half a year..."

<Kekeke, what do you think? Not bad, right?>

Jeong-Hoon pondered for a moment.

10 dungeons opening within half a year.

If he remembered correctly, those dungeons were all notoriously difficult.

Even for skilled players, clearing them within half a year was 99% impossible.

'What should I do?'

They weren't dungeons with separate penalties, so there was no need to accept the wager.

However, the reward was too tempting to give up.

A whole 4% of Ultimate Energy.

If he won the wager against Baal, he would immediately surpass the amount of energy James Marcus had accumulated before his return.

"I need conditions."

<Conditions?>

"First, do not directly intervene in the dungeons. Second, ensure that the Transcendents do not interfere."

<Do not intervene?>

Baal's crimson eye narrowed.

Jeong-Hoon chuckled.

"Yes. Who knows what kind of tricks you'll pull in the wager this time?"

<I did nothing of the sort.>

"You didn't. But the Transcendents under you intervened, didn't they?"

<That's...>

"If you promise those two things, I'll accept the wager."

<...>

Baal remained silent for a long time.

As Jeong-Hoon waited for his answer, he added,

"It will be quite the spectacle if you accept."

At his confident words, Baal's eye slowly curved into a smile.

<Very well. I accept. However, if you fail to clear it, your soul is mine.>

"Deal."

Jeong-Hoon nodded.

This wouldn't be much different from the dungeons that opened before his return.

<Then consider the wager established.>

Thus began another Devil's Deal between Jeong-Hoon and Baal.

* * *

[The Abnormal Dungeon has been cleared.]

[As the dungeon disappears, its location will be set to private.]

[Rewards will be given for clearing the dungeon.]

[For one month, there will be no penalty for clearing dungeons.]

The message was broadcast to the entire world's population.

"Cleared?"

"...It was cleared before it was even made public?"

It was unbelievable.

The message announcing the appearance of the Abnormal Dungeon had been sent 5 hours ago.

This meant that someone had found it and cleared it within those 5 hours.

"Who in the world could it be...?"

Yeo Min-Ji asked with a dumbfounded expression.

It was just 1 hour before the location was to be revealed.

They had finished their preparations for departure long ago and were waiting for the announcement.

"I don't know."

Yeo Sunwoo shook his head.

At the same time, he felt a bit relieved.

The Abnormal Dungeon.

They were facing a situation where they had to conquer a dungeon with little information.

They could fail, and even if they succeeded, someone who entered with them could lose their life.

He didn't even want to imagine it, but in the worst-case scenario, he could have lost his daughter.

'Who could it be?'

Who could possibly possess such skill?

One person came to mind.

"It couldn't be Mr. Hoon, could it...?"

Yeo Min-Ji mentioned Jeong-Hoon, as if she had the same thought.

"I thought of that too, but I'm not sure."

However, he couldn't be certain it was Jeong-Hoon.

No matter how amazing he was, it was nearly impossible to find and close a dungeon in such a short time.

* * *

One month without penalties.

Relieved, the users focused on normal dungeons once again.

Clearing dungeons was essential for earning points.

"Uaagh!"

"Min-Gyu! Damn it!"

Of course, even normal dungeons weren't safe.

People continued to lose their lives due to mistakes.

[Must bring a healer when entering.]

- I heard a friend of a friend died in a dungeon... You'll probably hear stories like this often, so you definitely need to hire a healer.

└ This is true... When we were in the capsules, dying just meant logging out, but now it's real death...

└ That's why I'm going to start going to church. I'm going to heaven.

└ Are you crazy? Try to think of a way to survive.

└ Healers have become super rare lol. Ha, I should have been a healer.

└ For real, healers are the nobility now.

└ If you're choosing a class, definitely go for Priest.

└ You have to choose Magician and then switch to Priest, and there's a separate tip post about how to do that, so read it carefully.

With the realization of New World, the atmosphere had changed completely.

While classes with flashy skills and powerful damage were the most popular before, now healers who could heal injuries had become the most sought-after.

It was inevitable, as everyone only had one life.

To preserve that life, a healer's healing was essential.

'Yes, healers are necessary.'

Returning home after clearing the dungeon, Jeong-Hoon immediately started reading the posts on World Com.

Unlike before his return, there was no penalty imposed.

So it was necessary to keep track of how the situation was unfolding.

Although World Com was also in a state of chaos after the realization, it had calmed down to some extent, and tips related to New World began to pour in.

The number of views for each tip post exceeded 100,000, as those who hadn't played New World before were visiting the site to gain information.

'But beginners shouldn't all flock to the healer class.'

However, it would be problematic if people chose the healer class just by reading these tips.

While all classes needed to be evenly distributed, it was better to choose a class that could participate in combat for faster growth.

The Priest class focused on support rather than growth, making it quite difficult for beginners.

How could they grow with only weak combat skills and healing?

Since receiving help from high-level players was also restricted, it was far more beneficial to choose a combat-oriented class than a Priest when considering the future.

'Actually, many people flocked to the healer class, but they couldn't grow properly and died en masse.'

They could have survived if they had chosen other classes and focused on growth.

Knowing the future, Jeong-Hoon hurriedly started writing a post.

To encourage as many people as possible to choose other classes. Sёarch* The Novёlƒire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Also, enhancement requests had increased significantly compared to before.

There were already many requests, but now there were even more.

'It's a matter of life and death, so everyone is going crazy trying to enhance their equipment.'

The biggest reason was supply.

In the past, there was a shortage of enhancement stones, but now they could be obtained in large quantities using points.

[Master Enhancer]

- Normal (Fully Enhanced) 3,112/10,000

- Rare (Fully Enhanced) 2,303/10,000

- Epic (Fully Enhanced) 1,734/10,000

- Unique (Fully Enhanced) 72/1,000

- Legendary (Fully Enhanced) 1/100

He still had a long way to go before acquiring Master Enhancer, but considering it was the early stage of the realization, it was a remarkably fast pace.

As the supply gradually increased, the time required would shorten.

Jeong-Hoon quickly began processing the incoming requests.

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]