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Chapter 250
Chapter 250
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
Chapter 250
"What… what are you?"
Alessandro jumped up in fright.
A massive, writhing crimson eye peeked through a distortion in the air.
Even a mere glance brought a chilling fear that sent cold sweat down his back.
<Heh, so this is what humans are like.>
It muttered softly, scanning Alessandro from head to toe.
"What the hell are you?!"
Alessandro shouted angrily.
<Me? Let’s say I’m an entity capable of granting you power.>
"Power…?"
<Didn’t you just say it? You’d give anything for someone to kill them for you.>
That was right.
He had just said that moments ago.
Alessandro wiped the tears from his eyes and asked,
"So, you’re saying you can give me the power to kill them?"
<Correct.>
The crimson eye curved into the shape of a crescent moon.
"…"
<Why hesitate? In your current state, there’s no way you can exact revenge.>
It was true.
Everything it said was true, but how could he trust such a being and ask for power?
"There… there must be a price, right?"
<A perceptive human. Yes, there’s a price.>
"What is it?"
<Your soul.>
"My soul…?"
Alessandro Bryden’s eyes wavered.
He never imagined it would demand his soul as the price.
<Of course, if you succeed in your revenge, the terms will change.>
"What…?"
<If you achieve revenge, I’ll rescind my claim on your soul.>
If he succeeded in his revenge?
Then what would remain for this crimson eye?
"…Why are you making such an offer?"
Alessandro tried to read its intent through its gaze.
But every time their eyes met, an icy chill overwhelmed him, forcing him to look away.
<Do I need a reason?>
"…"
<If you refuse, there won’t be another opportunity.>
"What exactly do you mean by power?"
<Whatever you desire.>
"My stats! Can you restore my stats?!"
<Of course. Not only restore them but even enhance them.>
Alessandro’s eyes widened significantly.
Not only could his stats be restored, but they could also be enhanced?
For a mage, magic power was everything.
Magic power represented the total amount of mana, and casting high-circle spells required a significant amount of it.
In other words, the higher the magic power, the greater the variety of spells one could wield in combat.
"If… if I succeed in my revenge, it’s true you’ll rescind your claim on my soul, right?!"
<Indeed. I promise you power beyond comparison to what you have now. But only if you succeed in your revenge. Should you fail, your soul will be mine.>
It was a gamble.
If he succeeded, he would gain everything. If he failed, he would suffer eternal torment, even in death.
Alessandro’s eyes gleamed with madness.
"I… will…!"
***
[Great Cavern: Entering the Sealed Titan Golem Ursus.]
The first to arrive at the Great Cavern was Jeong-hoon.
Soon after, rankers began appearing one by one.
‘There are quite a few of them.’
Jeong-hoon’s lips curled slightly.
Amid the rankers, he noticed some familiar faces.
‘Sophia.’
The French Dark Mage.
Sophia Stephanie Agaret.
Though she always had a cold demeanor, she had once helped Jeong-hoon in learning magic.
While Alessandro Bryden had always treated Jeong-hoon with disdain, Sophia had not.
In fact, Jeong-hoon had been able to learn the 1st-circle spell Magic Missile thanks to her assistance.
Of course, that was all in the past now.
‘Impressive. Even in that state, you’re still struggling to survive.’
Sophia, a master of debuffs, had once strangled Jeong-hoon by applying over 20 debuffs simultaneously.
Perhaps that was why Jeong-hoon’s fists clenched involuntarily.
But she wasn’t the only one.
The Spear Master Liu Xiaolong, who had cut Jeong-hoon’s body to shreds with the Flame Demon’s Spear.
The Assassin of the Abyss, Rick Boyd, who had done the same using Verdan’s Fang.
Louis Verdant, who had risen to the position of High Priest just like Amelie.
Even Paul Raymond, who had served as a flawless sniper at the rearguard.
There were many.
Among them was Jeong Chang-ho, another betrayer. Though his presence was far less imposing compared to the others, the fact that he had sided with the traitors was reason enough for Jeong-hoon to mark him as a target.
‘Looking at it like this, there are quite a lot of traitors.’
Following them, James Marcus and Amelie Reina appeared.
Even with only a portion of the betrayers gathered, there were already seven of them.
But now was not the time to focus on them.
At the center of the Great Cavern stood a massive golem.
That was the Sealed Titan Golem, Ursus.
A barrier surrounded Ursus, and to defeat the Titan Golem, breaking the barrier was the first priority.
“Before regression, they couldn’t even manage to break the barrier.”
It was almost laughable. Even with the world's top rankers gathered, they had failed to breach the barrier.
As a result, the forced penalties escalated to the highest level, leading to a drastic decline in the global population.
This incident was the very reason Jeong-hoon had lost his home and been forced to wander.
Thus, he was even more determined to take down Ursus this time.
“Ladies and gentlemen! Step right up!”
It was then that an NPC appeared in front of Ursus.
===
[NPC Information]
Nickname: Rangrang
Level: 999
Class: Event NPC
===
The figure was Rangrang, an event NPC.
“An event, of all things.”
Jeong-hoon shot a sharp glare at Rangrang before averting his gaze.
“I’m Rangrang, your assistant for the Titan Golem Ursus Event!” the NPC announced cheerfully, his booming voice echoing through the cavern.
“What?”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“How did this penalty turn into an event?”
The surrounding rankers’ reactions were cold, unsurprisingly.
However, Rangrang seemed unfazed, clapping his hands with a sly grin.
“Now, before we officially begin the event, please wait 20 minutes! It seems not everyone has arrived yet!”
At that moment, black thorns coiled around the legs of all the rankers, including Jeong-hoon, immobilizing them.
“…….”
“It seems he can manipulate the environment,” someone muttered.
While initially taken aback, the rankers quickly regained their composure, as expected of their experience.
Each of them had a level exceeding 400, signifying an immense amount of combat experience. Something like this wouldn’t shake them easily.
“They’re still coming in,” Rangrang remarked.
As he said, more high-level players continued to enter the Great Cavern.
Among them was Alessandro Bryden.
Jeong-hoon’s eye twitched slightly.
“Alessandro? Why is he here?”
Using the Seven Deadly Sins, Jeong-hoon had drained Alessandro of all his stats.
Although Alessandro’s level had exceeded 500, in reality, his power had declined to that of a magician in their 20s or 30s.
Jeong-hoon had expected Alessandro to keep a low profile, but here he was, boldly stepping into the Great Cavern.
Worse yet, their eyes met, and Alessandro’s gaze was ablaze with fury.
It was as if he was ready to kill Jeong-hoon on the spot, his bloodlust palpable.
And the overwhelming magical energy emanating from his body.
“Someone must have interfered.”
Jeong-hoon was certain that Alessandro had become an avatar of some higher being.
There was no other explanation for such an abrupt change.
Who could have intervened?
“Not someone at the Apostle level.”
Apostles were only capable of forming contracts within dungeon boundaries. Moreover, their powers weren’t sufficient to restore Alessandro’s abilities.
This meant the involvement of a being at least on the level of a Demon King.
“Interesting.”
Jeong-hoon had intended for Alessandro to live a life of prolonged suffering, yet here he was, seemingly begging to be killed sooner.
Additionally, if Alessandro’s stats had been restored, it meant Jeong-hoon could drain them once again using the Seven Deadly Sins.
“Alessandro!”
At that moment, James Marcus called out Alessandro’s name.
Alessandro, who had been glaring at Jeong-hoon, turned his eyes toward James.
His gaze, however, was no less filled with murderous intent.
“James, I’ll deal with you later.”
With that, Alessandro smirked, the corner of his mouth curling upward.
“Alessandro…”
James couldn’t finish his sentence, overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of Alessandro’s fury.
“You’re no different.”
This time, Alessandro fixed his glare on Amelie Reina, who was standing beside James.
“What a pathetic excuse for a human being.”
Amelie met his gaze with cold, unwavering eyes, her words cutting.
“Now, now! It seems the time has come to announce the event details!”
After the 20 minutes had elapsed, Rangrang clapped his hands.
The thorns binding everyone disappeared, freeing them to move.
“Oh, and just so you know, any unnecessary actions will result in immediate expulsion.”
Rangrang’s eyes turned toward Alessandro, issuing a clear warning.
Alessandro had been preparing to cast a spell the moment his movements were freed.
“Tch.”
Left with no choice, Alessandro canceled his magic.
At last, Rangrang began to hover slowly in the air, pointing toward Ursus.
“Now then, let me explain the event! Before you stands the Titan Golem, Ursus, bound in its seal!”
The Titan Golem Ursus.
Its arms and legs were restrained by enormous chains, and its head hung low, utterly motionless.
“When the event begins, Urs’s seal will be lifted! Your task is to destroy Ursus within the time limit and reduce its vitality to zero!”
The objective was straightforward: defeat Ursus.
However, the process would undoubtedly be anything but simple.
Just then, a ranker raised a hand—a face Jeong-hoon recognized.
It was none other than the Spear Master, Liu Xiaolong.
“Hey, you called this an event, right?”
“Yes, it’s an event.”
“Then there must be some sort of prize involved?”
Rangrang smirked and nodded.
“Correct! Let me explain the rewards now!”
As soon as he finished speaking, a message appeared before everyone, including Jeong-hoon.
[Rewards based on Contribution!]
[1st Place: Legendary ~ Celestial Tier Item Box (Random) – 50/50 chance]
[2nd Place: Legendary Tier Item Box (Random)]
...
The lower the rank, the lower the grade of the reward box.
First place, however, was particularly enticing—a box with a chance to contain a Celestial-tier item. And not just any chance—a 50/50 probability.
“Celestial?”
“There’s a tier above Legendary...?”
The existence of the Celestial tier had not been revealed until now.
The rankers stared at the message in shock, their eyes wide with disbelief.
“Now, are you all ready to defeat Ursus?!”
“Not yet.”
Jeong-hoon raised his hand, cutting through the moment.
Rangrang tilted his head and looked at him quizzically.
“Are you having trouble understanding? What’s so difficult to grasp?”
“I just have a question.”
Jeong-hoon smiled faintly, locking eyes with Rangrang.
“Go ahead, ask.”
“That barrier—it disappears the moment the event starts, right?”
“...”
Rangrang remained silent.
Or perhaps, he couldn’t answer.
After all, he was an NPC dispatched under the orders of a transcendent being.
This meant he had been instructed to ensure the dungeon could not be cleared.
“Why aren’t you answering?”
“Ahem, you must destroy the barrier before you can defeat Ursus.”
“Then another question: can the barrier be destroyed with physical or magical attacks?”
“...”
Again, there was no response.
As I expected.
If the barrier had been something even a gathering of top-ranked players couldn’t break, it must mean there was no conventional way to destroy it.
“If attacks don’t work, then is there another method?”
“...”
“Judging by your silence, there really isn’t a way to break the barrier, is there?”
“Ahem. You’re more perceptive than you appear, human.”
Rangrang coughed awkwardly, forcing a strained smile.
The plan to entice the participants with rewards and hasten the event’s start had backfired entirely.
“So, the whole idea was to make sure we couldn’t defeat it, huh?”
At Jeong-hoon’s words, the rankers glared at Rangrang.
“You were trying to push the penalty to the highest level, no matter what.”
“Hey! Are you kidding us right now?!”
As the atmosphere grew hostile, Rangrang clapped his hands.
Once again, black thorns sprang forth, binding their movements.
“Now, now, calm down, everyone. I’m just the event assistant here. My only duty is to announce the guidelines for defeating Ursus, nothing more.”
“What?”
“The announcement is complete, so I’ll be taking my leave now! The event will begin as soon as I disappear. The time limit is a generous 12 hours! Good luck!”
With those words, Rangrang vanished.
At the same time, the binding black thorns dissolved, and a glowing timer appeared in the air: 12:00.
So that’s how you want to play it, huh?
Jeong-hoon smirked as he stared at the spot where Rangrang had disappeared.
The intention was clear—to ensure failure. But surrendering wasn’t an option Jeong-hoon would ever consider.
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]