NOVEL NEXT Chapter 194
Chapter 194
“…I’m back.”
Lee Si-hyun blinked a few times as he sat in the office.
Checking the clock, he realized only about 5 minutes had passed.
It seemed that time flowed differently here.
“Where….”
Si-hyun straightened up and opened his status screen first.
Before doing anything else, it felt necessary to check that.
[Legendary Guard]
Seeing the word ‘Legendary’ appear first, Si-hyun finally looked relieved.
How much he had suffered to see just this phrase.
Letting out a refreshing breath, Si-hyun checked the next details.
[Legendary Guard]
Name: Po-ahim
Gender: Male
Occupation: Guard (Main), Executioner (Sub).
Fame: Very Famous
1) Iron-Blooded Guard – Po-ahim is….
2) Fanatical Executioner – A born Guard….
[Stats]
Strength 9999+ (SSSS)
Agility 9999+ (SSSS)
Wisdom 479 (C)
Stamina 9999+ (SSSS)
Mental Power 9999+ (SSSS)
Magic Power 101 (D)
[Resistance]
Physical Resistance 99.99% (MAX)
Magic Resistance 99.99% (MAX)
Poison Resistance 99.99% (MAX)
Flame Resistance 99.99% (MAX)
“Whoa… What is this?”
As he read halfway down, Si-hyun’s eyes widened in disbelief at the changed stats.
Strength, agility, stamina, and mental power were all a whopping 9999.
To be precise, 9999+.
This was a way to express power beyond what could be numbered.
Just looking at the stats, Po-ahim was perfection regarding anything related to the body, a monster with extraordinary mental power too.
Moreover, with all resistances at 99.99%…
This was a body with no weaknesses.
Unless facing an extremely rare few capable of launching attacks strong enough to chew through such resistance, he likely had nothing to fear.
Finally, Si-hyun took a look at the skill screen.
[Skills]
Passive: Insight of the Experienced Guard, Executioner’s Cold-bloodedness, Extreme Body
Active: Restraint Technique, Guard Baton Technique, Executioner’s Gaze, Prisoner’s Mark, Prison Castle Summon
“Wait?”
A curious expression crossed Si-hyun’s face as he confirmed something.
Hearing Po-ahim’s explanation, he had assumed that Extreme Body was the last hidden skill labeled as ‘???’.
But instead, Extreme Body was in the passive section, while the slot for the active skill that had a question mark was replaced with Prison Castle Summon.
Si-hyun tilted his head in confusion.
However, thinking it through, it seemed appropriate that Extreme Body was indeed a passive skill.
If the body trained to the extreme only activated under conditions like an active skill, that would be odd.
So then, what about this Prison Castle Summon?
Curiosity piqued, Si-hyun opened the detailed description of Prison Castle Summon.
[Prison Castle Summon]
Magic Consumption: 0 (Cooltime 8,760 hours)
– Summons the Prison Castle from the Reiter Continent to your current location.
– All material and human resources within the Prison Castle are under your control and management.
– To summon, the Lord’s Sigil is absolutely necessary.
“Cooltime is… 8,760 hours?”
The description of the skill was something, but the most striking part was the ridiculous cooltime.
8,760 hours—divided by 24—that’s a whole year!
The cooltime is one year.
Is it really that powerful of a skill…?
I can’t know for sure without trying it, but summoning something large enough to be called a castle is undoubtedly a colossal technique.
I’m curious about how the Prison Castle actually looks and about the material and human resources inside it.
However, I certainly didn’t want to try a skill with a one-year cooltime.
What if I couldn’t use it when I really needed it?
There was also the problem of what could happen.
What if the Prison Castle suddenly emerged from the ground or fell from the sky?
If that happened in a major city, it would surely lead to a disastrous situation.
Si-hyun decided to just forget about it for now.
After all, gaining one more trump card couldn’t be bad.
His eyes moved to the last line.
‘The Lord’s Sigil is absolutely necessary.’
Receiving the special guard baton that was the Lord’s Sigil from Po-ahim had happened just moments ago.
So it was only natural that the skill had been inactive until now.
Si-hyun thought this as he checked the Extreme Body skill next.
[Extreme Body]
– The ultimate state of near-invincibility achieved through mastering the limits of one’s body at the risk of one’s life in the Eternal Forest to overcome the inability to accumulate magic energy.
– Strength, agility, mental power, and stamina are raised to their maximum levels.
– Physical, magic, and flame resistances are raised to their maximum levels.
– Poison resistance increased to 70%.
“…No joking.”
As expected, the current insane levels were thanks to Extreme Body.
Moreover, it seemed that because Hyris had fed him the Fruit of the World Tree, his poison resistance had also hit its maximum.
His only weakness had been fortified as well.
However, the phrase “near-invincibility” seemed worth remembering.
It was, after all, near, not perfect.
While Po-ahim was invincible, the wording accurately described him as nearly invincible.
If he acted complacently and carelessly against a foe of total leader-level prowess, he could be taken out in one hit.
Being mindful of his attitude was essential.
Well, at least he likely wouldn’t have to go around getting beat up anymore.
If he had obtained such powers earlier, he wouldn’t have had to endure countless life-threatening struggles.
But considering it, it might have been precisely because of all that hardship that he had gained this power.
His becoming Po-ahim’s official heir and obtaining these abilities significantly stemmed from him diligently performing the duties of a correctional officer.
It was likely that his dedication despite having awakened moved Po-ahim’s heart.
But if he’d started obtaining such remarkable powers from the get-go, he might have rushed off to be an S-Class Awakened Being instead of sticking to being a correctional officer.
If that had happened, there was no assurance that Po-ahim wouldn’t have taken away those powers again due to disappointment.
Lifting his head to check the clock, Si-hyun cracked a smile and stood up.
On the first day of his promotion and having completely obtained Po-ahim’s abilities…
He felt that today would allow him to work in the best mood ever.
◈ ◈ ◈
The place was thick with the smell of indulgence.
All kinds of food and drink were piled on the tables.
On one side, musicians tirelessly played lively music.
Beautiful women clad in scanty attire served the guests with utmost care.
Creeeak.
The moment he entered, the atmosphere in the place dramatically shifted.
An instant silence fell.
Then laughter erupted from all around.
“Haha! Hey, is that a rotten stench I smell?”
“Heh heh, of course, a fool like him attracts the stink.”
“That guy really doesn’t know how embarrassing he is.”
“Hmph, what a disgrace to his clan.”
The gray-haired man sat quietly in an empty chair, as though he couldn’t hear the scornful jeers.
The place where his right arm should have been was eerily empty, and his left eye bore a deep scar devoid of a pupil.
It was unmistakably the man who had barely escaped death at the hands of Hyris in the Ganghwa Island Special Detention Center.
“Drink.”
The one-armed man muttered shortly.
At his words, a serving woman rushed to bring him a drink.
However, a man at the next table stopped her.
“Don’t give that idiot a drink.”
“B-but…”
“Even a worthless slave should have enough sense to read the mood, right?”
“….”
Caught in the middle, the serving woman looked terrified, unsure of what to do.
She was just a mere slave.
If she made a mistake in front of those present, her life could be snuffed out in an instant.
And the same went for that one-armed man.
BANG!
The one-armed man slammed his hand on the table angrily, then stood up.
He then took long strides toward the serving woman.
“Do you think you can dare ignore me, you wretched girl?”
“T-that wasn’t…!”
Raising a hand dismissively, the man didn’t listen to her words.
SLAAP!
“Ahhh!”
He slapped her hard, and she screamed as she fell.
Not stopping there, he kicked the fallen woman.
BAM! THUD! THUD!
“Ahhh!”
The woman writhed in agony, her screams echoing.
It was merciless violence.
And yet, those around merely watched as if it were a delightful spectacle.
“Stupid human! Stupid human!”
The man poured out his wrath, seemingly harboring much resentment toward the human woman.
The surrounding jeers grew even louder, watching him.
A demon ridiculed for being humiliated by a human.
The reason for the laughter directed at the man.
Humans were a race akin to the lowest cattle, even worse than goblins or kobolds.
Yet here was a chosen race, a demon, who had become a cripple fleeing after losing his right arm and left eye to such a wretched being, making him an object of derision.
It was a lamentable humiliation that shouldn’t have existed.
Until now, no demon had ever been defeated by a human, not even one.
Not a single one.
Moreover, rather than exacting revenge on the human who wronged him, the man cowered like a little creature, holed up in his castle.
All demons mocked him for that.
“Enough.”
Someone spoke from behind the man.
“What?”
Turning around furiously, he saw who had spoken and fell silent.
The speaker was a woman with long, fiery red hair cascading down to her waist.
She was the Flame Demon King, Igni.
And one of the strongest of the Demon Kings.
“Taking your anger out on the wrong target now, aren’t you?”
“….”
“If you have guts, at least pretend to seek revenge for your dignity.”
Igni’s voice was cold as she delivered her words.
With a stiff face, the man fell silent for a moment.
Clenching his fists, he shook with rage.
Then he scowled and raised his voice.
“Damnit! I DO want revenge! I want to tear that bitch apart with my own hands! Right here and now, I mean it!”
Even as he spoke, the man’s face reddened with boiling anger.
Igni looked at him as if urging him on.
“But… but fk! I’m not confident! That’s why I’m throwing this tantrum! That woman is strong! Really strong! I swear, she is! It’s real! I’m not lying!”
The excited man screamed with raw conviction, but the surrounding crowd’s empathy was zero.
In fact, they all erupted into laughter.
“Pffft!”
“Hahaha!”
“Kuhek… What? A human is strong? A human? Hahaha!”
Biting his lip in the face of the ridicule pouring onto him, the man trembled with rage.
Then his face suddenly became resolute.
And with a toss, he kneeled down.
“Please help me, Igni!”
“…Get up. You look pathetic.”
“Please, Igni!”
Igni frowned disdainfully, but the man clung on, ignoring her.
The other demons watched in amusement as things took an exciting turn.
“I’m ashamed, but I don’t think I can repay this humiliation with my own strength. So please help me! Take as much land from my kingdom as you want! As long as I can repay this humiliation, I don’t care about that!”
“….”
Igni fell silent, contemplating at his desperate pleas.
Though she didn’t have much relationship with the man, one thing was clear.
He was a man with overwhelming pride.
Which meant he was in a situation severe enough to break even that pride to beg.
Igni felt a slight spark of interest in him.
Yet it wasn’t enough to make her move.
By nature, demons were disinclined to leave the demon realm, overflowing with magic energy.
They felt their bodies were in their perfect form when they were in the demon realm.
Thus, it was often the weak demon kings with insufficient territory in the demon realm who would venture to conquer other worlds.
The lands with thin magic energy were utterly worthless compared to the lands of the demon realm.
Yet they had no choice but to embark on expeditions due to the barren and poor land.
The strength of such weak demon kings was surely enough to conquer other worlds.
Even an underwhelming demon king was a member of the chosen race and holder of powerful strength.
There was no race that could stand against that powerful strength in this world.
That had been the truth until now and would likely continue to be.
Just a lonely doomed demon made a splash in the dirt.
Regardless, it was undeniable that she felt a flicker of interest.
“Where is that place?”
Igni inquired.
“Earth,” the man answered.
“So you went to the far-off place I’ve never even heard of and came back a laughingstock.”
Someone mocked him.
That statement suggested that the demons were not the ones who initiated the gates that had occurred on Earth so far.
“Jin.”
Igni called for the Wind Demon King, Jin.
“What is it, sister?”
A short-haired man with blue hair raised his hand and stood.
“Go with Renchik.”
At her command, the one-armed man’s face brightened.
“Me? Why me?”
Jin replied incredulously.
“Don’t make me repeat myself.”
Igni cut off his retort sharply.
“But sister, wait….”
“Just go.”
“….”
“In exchange, the territory will be yours.”
“Why on earth would I want to take that tiny piece of land….”
Jin grumbled.
He may not have been on the level of Igni, but he was still a powerful being.
It would be beneath him to sweat and go conquer another world.
That was the right and perhaps duty of the weak.
However, with his sister Igni putting it forth like that, it became tricky to refuse.
He wanted to honor her pride above all else, as he knew her character better than anyone else.
“Go.”
“I get it, I get it.”
Jin replied resignedly.
Soon enough, his annoyed gaze fell upon Renchik.
“Tsk. Let’s go, idiot.”
He clucked his tongue, cursing at Renchik.
It was a humiliating situation, but Renchik swallowed his discomfort.
For now, he could bear such humiliation.
“Finally….”
He would have his chance for revenge.
That was all he needed.