Virus King [Translation]

Novak was overflowing with pride—immense pride!

There's nothing quite like the satisfaction of achieving a hard-earned victory after an intense struggle. It was the ultimate sense of accomplishment, defeating a true god with divine power, even while Novak himself was still mortal!

"Yes, right here—time to meet your end!" 

Novak grinned as he spoke to Baphomet, who now gasped for breath, barely able to stand.

Baphomet, caught in the throes of asthmatic weakness, nodded in resignation. According to him, the entire 279th floor of the Abyss was his personal arena. Here, he could resurrect endlessly, and with each rebirth, he only grew stronger.

But Novak had thought of a loophole, a place beyond Baphomet's control. It wasn't in his divine kingdom, nor was it something Baphomet could manipulate.

It was a massive area resembling a dark, deep-purple lake—a place where everything could be devoured. This was the Well of the Abyss, located on the 279th floor, a central point that connected the entire Abyss. 

Even if Baphomet ruled over this floor, Novak was certain he couldn't control the Well itself. And indeed, it turned out to be true.

After devising this plan, Novak led Baphomet into the Well—exploiting the god's weakened state from the depression effect and his own natural exhaustion.

The Well was hidden away, in a secret corner of the Abyss. Because it was so well concealed, it became the key to Baphomet's defeat.

Armed with this knowledge, even without using his evolution points, Novak was able to disable Baphomet, tossing him into the Well of the Abyss and finally severing his life force.

Remember that! 

Novak smirked, his eyes glinting with triumph. Gods? 

Nothing more than that! 

Too easy! 

The smug smile on Novak's lips widened uncontrollably. Baphomet, a true god who wielded divine authority, had turned out to be easier to defeat than some of the lesser demon lords he'd encountered.

Of course, Novak conveniently ignored the fact that he had been brutally killed eight times before finally discovering the solution. Without figuring out Baphomet's weakness, he'd never have made it through this level.

But now, the effects of the depression ability, combined with the flu's mental weakening, made him feel invincible!

"If the other gods have such loopholes to exploit, I'll clear the rest of the levels easily!" Novak thought.

As the dark Abyss stretched deeper below him, he pressed forward.

Meanwhile, back on the 279th floor of the Abyss...

The seemingly endless expanse teemed with purgatory minotaurs, demon beasts with heads of other creatures, and all manner of fiendish beings. 

At the center of it all, the massive form of Baphomet sat in disbelief, his confusion plain for all to see.

"How!? How did that human defeat me?" Baphomet bellowed, thumping his chest with frustration. "Why did I lose my will to fight? What's more important than a battle? How could this happen!?"

He slammed his fists down, the blow reverberating through the arena. Baphomet had fallen into deep self-doubt.

"No! I need to fight again—find someone to fight!"

As Novak reflected on his victory, he couldn't help but smile. After Baphomet's fall, the other Abyss lords on the remaining levels awaited him.

But these lords were mere phantoms, wielding only their professional abilities. Novak had defeated their kind countless times before.

Now, with his newly awakened depression ability, dealing with them became far easier.

With minor differences, each encounter unfolded similarly—smoothly, efficiently, and without a single death.

And that success carried him all the way to this point.

The 350th floor of the Abyss.

Abyss Lord: Snake Demon, World Devourer, Winifred—350!

The moment Novak saw the title, he already knew that this massive Hydra, like Baphomet before, was a god. A true god!

As the colossal Hydra appeared, distant whispers began to echo through the Abyss:

"Boss, the Will of the Abyss wants us to kill this human. Who's going to do it?"

"Get lost! Don't bother me with trivial matters..."

"Brother, what about you?!"

"Hoo…hoo…"

"Fine, Second brother, go back to sleep. Third Brother, are you up for it? I heard you've been practicing a new forbidden spell—'Wrath of Thunder'—wanna try it?"

"Are you an idiot? The Will of the Abyss has sealed our skills, our realm, and even our professional abilities. What do you expect me to do, fool?"

"Old man, watch your mouth. It's fine to curse at others, but Ninth is one of us! If you insult him, you insult all of us! Read more, the source of wisdom will guide you..."

"Read more, my foot! I've been wanting to separate from you stinking fools for ages..."

"So, who's making a move?! Second Brother, any thoughts?"

"Pointless!"

"And Fourth Brother?"

"I just want to read! The Will of the Abyss has split our mental energies, so now I can read multiple books at once!"

"Fifth Brother, Sixth Brother, stop fighting already! Water and fire are opposites—"

'Thud…'

"Ninth, just look at this world, it's like a beautiful painting. Why bother with fighting? If no one else wants to step up, maybe you should."

"But...but..."

"But what?"

"But this human is so handsome! He matches my ideal image of what humans should be. I don't want to kill him!"

"Ninth, humans are not like us. Do you even know about reproductive isolation? Besides, we're all one and the same..."

Novak's face twitched in disbelief.

Before him stood the gargantuan Hydra.

In legends, Hydras were mythical beings, but even in the Secret Realms Novak had explored before, he'd never seen anything quite like this.

The Hydra before him was unlike any he had encountered. 

The central, dark-colored head had its eyes closed, resting peacefully. To its left, the second head gazed upward, deep in thought, as though pondering life itself.

The third head on the right sparked with electric energy, shaking violently as it cursed at the others.

The fourth head, meanwhile, had a snake tongue delicately holding several books, flipping through the pages with intense concentration.

The fifth and sixth heads were tangled together, biting and wrestling with each other across the middle heads.

The seventh head appeared utterly intoxicated, as if it were a wandering bard from some ancient legend, lost in its own artistic reverie.

As for the eighth head, it lay on the ground as if dead, snoring loudly, completely absorbed in a deep slumber.

And finally, the ninth head, located at the corner, had its eyes locked on Novak. Unlike the others, its small, soft, almost cartoonish features made it seem oddly cute as it gazed at him with a coy expression.

Novak had always been confident in his charm. But never in his wildest dreams did he expect to encounter a Hydra—no, one of the Hydra's heads—giving him such a look!

Where had things gone so awry?

Was this bizarre Hydra really a true god?

And could these nine heads combined even form a single normal entity?