Chapter 234

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 234

[Do you want to open the Mysterious Box (Sin)?]

The Mysterious Box (Sin).

What kind of item would be inside?

‘I’ll open it.’

With a tense expression, Jeong-hoon inserted the key into the slot.

He turned it slowly to the right, feeling it fit perfectly into the lock.

As the lock disengaged, light burst from the box, filling the room.

[You have obtained the Evolution Stone (Seven Deadly Sins).]

The light faded, revealing a single black gemstone gleaming brilliantly within the box.

“What’s this?”

Jeong-hoon picked up the Evolution Stone.

At that moment, Sloth, who had hidden in its shell in exhaustion, poked its head out again.

“Squirm.”

“You want this?”

“Squirm.”

Sloth nodded enthusiastically.

[Evolution Stone (Seven Deadly Sins)]

- Type: Consumable

- Grade: ??

- Upgrades a Seven Deadly Sins creature by one stage.

- Note: Only usable if the creature’s grade is Unique or higher.

It became clear why Sloth desired this gemstone.

‘One stage upgrade?’

Would that mean Unique could evolve to Legendary?

The thought gave him a bit of hesitation.

Upgrading from Unique to Legendary could naturally be achieved through absorbing enough stats.

‘It’d be far more efficient to use this when Sloth reaches Legendary rather than now.’

However, Sloth seemed eager to consume it immediately, crawling up Jeong-hoon’s arm toward the gemstone.

“Let’s save it for later.”

“Squirm.”

Sloth, however, ignored him completely.

“...Fine, I guess it’s okay.” Sёarch* The nôᴠel Fire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Seeing Sloth insist so much, there had to be a reason.

Jeong-hoon handed the gemstone to Sloth, who promptly began to absorb its energy.

[Seven Deadly Sins creature is upgrading by one stage.]

Dark energy rose from Sloth’s body, enveloping it entirely.

“What is...?”

Jeong-hoon’s eyes widened.

This wasn’t merely an increase in grade.

Sloth’s form was slowly transforming.

The shell that once gave it the appearance of a snail began to shrink as arms and legs emerged, followed by a pair of wings.

The body reformed to shape a head, and as the dark energy faded, Sloth’s transformation was complete.

[It looks truly grotesque.]

‘Honestly, it was a bit cuter before.’

As Mukho and Anima pointed out, its previous form had been much more endearing.

As the dark energy enveloped it, Jeong-hoon wondered if it might transform into a fairy—but true to its nature as a creature of the Seven Deadly Sins, it became a demon instead.

“Ugh, I thought I’d suffocate in there,” it even spoke.

---

[Seven Deadly Sins Creature]

- Type: Sloth, Gluttony

- Level: ?? (Grows by absorbing stats)

- Grade: Legendary

[Detailed Stats]

- Strength: 208

- Agility: 205

- Stamina: 204

- Defense: 207

- Wisdom: 205

- Magic: 206

- Mental Strength: 204

---

Its grade had upgraded to Legendary, and its stats had soared past 200 in an instant.

And now there was something new.

‘Gluttony.’

Originally, it had only Sloth, but the Evolution Stone had added a new sin.

‘I thought I’d have to acquire each one individually.’

He’d obtained Sloth through a box containing one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Naturally, he’d assumed the remaining sins would be similarly sealed in their own boxes.

But that assumption had proven false.

‘So, this Seven Deadly Sins creature was meant to be a single entity.’

In other words, the box hadn’t just sealed away individual sins but the creature itself.

Though Jeong-hoon didn’t know why the transcendent being at a Demon King level had kept this box, he realized that once all sins were unlocked, this creature would be whole.

“So, it’s still a long way from complete, then.”

“Right. But thanks to you finding that Evolution Stone, I’ve regained a bit of my power.”

“Really?”

“Yup! I can even talk now.”

Jeong-hoon nodded, now finding it odd to keep calling it Sloth.

He seated the Seven Deadly Sins demon before him.

“Alright, now that you can talk, I have a few questions for you.”

“Sure. Ask away.”

“Are all seven sins yours?”

“The seven sins? Yeah, they’re mine. I was split into seven and sealed that way.”

“Really?”

“Yep. Everything in the Seven Deadly Sins Box and what came out of the Mysterious Box—it’s all me.”

“Why were you sealed?”

“I don’t know.”

“…You don’t know?”

“Yeah. Most of my memories were erased along with the seal. I don’t even remember who split me into seven and sealed me.”

From the look in the demon’s eyes, it didn’t seem to be lying.

‘Ah, that’s really frustrating.’

Now that it could talk, Jeong-hoon wanted to ask it about the game and transcendent beings. There were countless other questions he was dying to ask as well. But if it didn’t even know who had sealed it, he wouldn’t be getting much useful information.

[What a completely useless creature!]

‘That’s a bit harsh.’

[No, it’s true! “Oh, I don’t remember a single thing~” Seriously, if it’s going to start talking, why raise my expectations like that?]

‘Hey now.’

[I’m just voicing your thoughts. It’s not what I think.]

Jeong-hoon couldn’t say anything, because he felt the exact same way as Mukho.

“Then, if I collect the remaining five sins, will you regain your memory?”

He asked with a glimmer of hope—and received a positive response.

“I think so!”

“‘Think so’? So, it’s not certain?”

“Yeah. Until I used the Evolution Stone, I didn’t remember anything. I just had this instinct to consume whatever I could.”

“Ah, so using the Evolution Stone helped you recover part of your memory?”

“Exactly!”

So, to get more clues, he’d need to collect the remaining five sins.

“It might actually be faster to complete an episode.”

After all, how was Jeong-hoon supposed to find all the parts of a Seven Deadly Sins creature he’d never encountered before? The thought was frustrating.

“No way! Look, parts of my power were sealed, right? Which means I can sense that power too.”

“Really? So you can track them?”

“Bingo!”

Alright, then. Adding the search for the remaining sins to the plan was a must.

“So, where are the other sins?”

The creature pointed upward.

“They’re not on Earth. They’re up there.”

“Other transcendents have them, then?”

“Looks like it.”

“So, if one of them gets close, we’ll know?”

“Yep.”

“Perfect.”

That meant getting closer to these transcendents would be his first priority. A gleam appeared in Jeong-hoon’s eyes.

***

To get near a transcendent, he’d need to enter a dungeon. That’s where Apostle-level transcendents would gather. Although he’d ignored it before, countless transcendents had sent him calls.

It was happening again. With each dungeon venture and every accomplishment, the calls would pour in. But so far, there had been no response from the Seven Deadly Sins creature.

‘Well, there are only five of them.’

In contrast, the Apostle-level transcendents numbered over ten thousand. And focusing solely on Apostle-level entities wouldn’t suffice either.

The reason was simple: the first time Jeong-hoon had obtained a Seven Deadly Sins creature, it was from the Demon King-class Mandora. This meant he had to consider even the creatures above the Apostle level, making the odds very slim.

Just then, a familiar slit opened in front of Jeong-hoon, and familiar eyes appeared.

<The time has come.>

It was Baal.

“Looks like you found the next dungeon?”

<Yes. However, I decided eight would be a bit much. So I’m thinking of narrowing it down to just one dungeon this time. What do you think?>

"From eight down to one?"

<Yes. I don't think it’s a bad deal for you either.>

Jeong-hoon’s lips twisted into a grin.

“You didn’t happen to make this dungeon yourself, did you?”

<…….>

Baal was silent, as if Jeong-hoon had hit the mark.

“So, that’s why you needed time to ‘find’ one, wasn’t it?”

<As expected, you’re one sharp human.>

“Got to be, don’t I?”

Baal wouldn’t make an offer that seemed beneficial to Jeong-hoon unless he had crafted a dungeon nearly impossible to clear.

‘It’s him!’

The Seven Deadly Sins creature reacted, prompting Jeong-hoon to send Fenrir and Michael back to continue searching. He had set it up so the creature would notify him when it sensed a reaction.

‘Well, well, Baal has one of the sins?’

Jeong-hoon’s eyes gleamed.

<It seems you’re interested?>

Baal’s crescent-shaped eyes curved.

“Yes. But I’d like to amend one of the rewards.”

<The reward? Sorry, but I won’t raise your Ultimate Energy any higher.>

“Leave the Ultimate Energy as it is. I want to change the Legendary item to something else.”

<Hmm. And what might that be?>

“One of the sins.”

At the mention of the sins, Baal’s amused gaze hardened.

<How did you know?>

“I already have one.”

<Keh… To think you actually obtained that creature. You’re definitely not an ordinary human.>

“So, will you make the change?”

<And if I refuse?>

“Then I have no reason to enter your dungeon.”

It was a gamble. If Baal didn’t agree, Jeong-hoon wouldn’t be able to obtain the sin Baal held.

‘No matter.’

Even if he couldn’t obtain it now, he could still search for the others. He didn’t need the creature to be complete; recovering some of its memories would be enough.

<…….>

Baal stared at Jeong-hoon, but there wasn’t a hint of impatience in his expression. This meant Jeong-hoon wasn’t desperate for the exchange, and he had no regrets if Baal declined.

"How are you going to handle this?"

<...Fine. I accept.>

The gamble paid off.

‘That bastard must be really eager for my soul.’

There was no other reason for Baal to agree to change the reward.

"Call. So, where's the dungeon I need to clear?"

<...I will give you a ticket. Use it to go through.>

As Baal finished speaking, a ticket fluttered in front of Jeong-hoon.

[Express Round-Trip Ticket]

- Can be used to teleport instantly to a set coordinate.

"Do I just start right away?"

<Yes. There's no preparation time.>

Jeong-hoon had modified the conditions of the wager and changed the reward. Baal wasn’t showing any mercy this time.

"Nice."

With a grin, Jeong-hoon tore the ticket in half.

---

[The call cannot be connected, followed by a beeping tone…]

"What’s going on? Why can't I reach him?"

Ha-Jin stared at his smartphone, puzzled.

He had sent a message, but the number one still hadn’t disappeared.

"Is he busy, maybe?"

In front of him, Kim Bong-Goo was sipping on an iced chocolate drink.

"Seems like it."

"Can he really afford to take this much time off?"

It had been quite a while since Jeong-hoon had granted a break, yet there was still no word from him.

Because of this, Ha-Jin had already made a few trips to respond to requests from Ho-Yeong. They were also members of Ho-Yeong's guild, after all.

"Do you think something happened?"

It was unusual for Jeong-hoon to be unreachable for this long.

Kim Bong-Goo, seeing Ha-Jin’s worried expression, let out a small laugh.

"Don’t worry. There’s no way anything serious has happened."

That’s who Jeong-hoon was. He had shown overwhelming strength since their gaming days and, even after reality had merged with the game, he had remained calm, contributing immensely to stabilizing everything.

If something had happened to him, it would be like the world was ending.

"You trust him a bit too much, don't you?"

Ha-Jin, who also relied heavily on Jeong-hoon, said this with a slight hint of concern.

"Don’t worry! I’d stake my sister’s life on it—he’s safe. He must just be busy with something."

"Why would you stake your sister’s life on it…"

---

The coordinates set by the ticket led Jeong-hoon to the depths of a cave.

"Where am I?"

There was no portal in sight.

Jeong-hoon slowly walked forward, and the intense heat engulfed him.

The source of the heat was none other than magma.

‘Under a volcano, huh.’

Had the stats from New World not transferred over, the heat would have been enough to melt his body by now. The gases entering through his respiratory system were also chaotic.

[Activating the Light Barrier.]

As Jeong-hoon activated the light barrier, he began to move again, but just then, a slit appeared, revealing Baal’s eyes.

<How is it? Isn’t it nice and warm?>

"...Where’s the portal? I don’t see it."

<Heh, it’s not here yet. I’m about to create it now.>

At that moment, a portal slowly began to form in front of Jeong-hoon.

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]