Chapter 243

[Gifted has been deactivated.]

…

[Passion has been activated. (Level Two)]

[The probability of trait and item activation has significantly increased.]

…

[Forerunner has been deactivated.]

…

[Passion has been activated. (Level Three)]

[Physical Resistance and Magic Resistance have been significantly enhanced.]

…

[Passion has been activated. (Level Four)]

[Cooldown times have been slightly reduced.]

Everything around me was dead.

[Warning: Your physical deterioration has reached level 10. You are in the worst condition.]

The System was sending me obvious warnings about my poor state while I was stepping on corpses to climb up the mountain of bodies.

[Warning: The root of death continues to affect you.]

[Warning: Remove the Baclan brown poison.]

[Warning: Your phobia toward Mother Nature is making you weak.]

The sun beaming down on me felt as hot as lava. I wondered if those who had been trapped in my tripled-up flames were destroyed by heat like this. Nevertheless, the sky was as clear as a calm ocean and seemed to laugh at me.

Hwaaaaak-!

An enemy created a gust of wind, pushing me away.

"Ugh.”

Every time I rolled over the bodies, more blood came rushing into my nose and mouth. I couldn’t even tell if it was the enemy’s or my own blood at this point. I tried grabbing something and it turned out to be a Baclan’s crushed head. Then, a huge shadow canopied the sky and covered the ground.

"Wooh! Wooh wooh!”

It wasn’t until I squinted that I was able to see an outrageous Wyvern Rider barreling toward me. There was nothing else left behind; this monster was the last one in the area. My whole body felt heavy, hot and in terrible pain. I hadn’t caught fire, but it felt like my blood vessels were filled with lava.

Whoosh-

The wind pressure crashed into me first, then the ax from the Baclan fell. I couldn’t avoid it, so I immediately thought to at least protect my heart.

[Strongman has been activated.]

[Warning: Your activation ability has been significantly reduced due to the effects of the root of death.]

If Strongman had been activated to its full potential, one of the Wyvern Rider’s arms would have been squashed, but I could barely manage to flick the ax away this time. Then, the monster kicked my chest more violently.

Crack!

I heard something in me snap.

Cough.

More than half of the blood I vomited out flowed back into my mouth. I couldn’t even clear my eyes now, and the image of the Wyvern Rider trampling on my chest became blurry again. However, the clogged blood that had fallen back into my esophagus suffocated me more than the pressure on my heart. Aside from being short of breath, my esophagus seemed to be burning as my blood was extremely hot.

My entire body was out of control, and I no longer had the energy to stop my limbs from twitching randomly. I slowly lost my sight, and all I could see in the end was darkness. It was a familiar sensation, and this was the moment I had been waiting for.

A new realm, the new world of SS-class, was waiting for me.

[The Man Who Overcomes Adversity has been activated.]

[The Man Who Overcomes Adversity (Trait)

Effect: The moment you are unable to fight, all of your skills and capability levels are boosted by one rank. In addition, you will feel no pain and will be healed greatly until the duration ends.

Class: A (5)

Duration: 2 hourooldown time: 5 days]

***

The Baclan who was stepping on me instantly noticed that my presence had changed. The monster was summoning all of its strength to its feet as it contorted its face, but it fell down as soon as I raised my upper body.

Bang- Crush!

I immediately destroyed its head by stamping it. Nothing else was in front of me. All the Wyvern Riders, who had dyed the sky black, and the Baclans who had joined the battle late were all gone. The rest were around Yeon-Hee and Seong-Il. Even the sorcerers were there as they had lost their escort team and were convinced that I would die soon.

"Fuck. Fuck!!!”

I heard Seong-Il scream in the distance, and Yeon-Hee was also short of breath. I jumped over the bodies of Baclans and wyverns. I passed by the devastated area where the over three-hour battle had occurred, then crossed the empty meadow. Soon, I was able to begin to see Yeon-Hee’s collection of dead foes. While I was fighting against the high-class monsters, the low-class Baclans had been all concentrated there. There were ten times more than the number I had killed. Although they were engaged in battle, there were more Baclans waiting in the back.

I decided to be a hammer and demolish everything stuck there. Just as how the Eight Evils and the Eight Virtues had no choice but to collaborate when Doom Caso freaked us out, the Baclan King would come out here.

Yes, I had to become Doom Caso for the Baclans.

***

The thunderstorm that S-class Odin’s Wrath had caused was still roaming the earth and sending sparks of lightning between the bodies. Seong-Il couldn’t stand up, and Yeon-Hee was sitting on the stomach of a corpse and looking at me. They were both far away from the flashing lightning bolts. She looked to be in good shape despite the chaotic fight. I saw her hunger for victory.

"Will the king… come?”

Yeon-Hee asked, then wiped her face with one hand. Lots of blood dripped out of her hand.

Drip. Drip.

[The Man Who Overcomes Adversity Duration: 1 hour 31 minutes 12 seconds]

[The battle has been paused.]

[Passion (Level Five) Duration: 0 hours 59 minutes 51 seconds]

If more Baclan units were coming to fight instead of the king, then we would have to spend the rest of the time escaping from this area. Also, we would have to change the plan, relying on guerilla warfare tactics instead. We would likely have to use Yeon-Hee’s returning stone to provoke the king by damaging the Baclans with hit-and-run missions.

I first supported Seong-Il up and laid him down where he could lie comfortably. He looked miserable as he had barely managed to keep one arm and one leg intact. When Yeon-Hee approached us while saying that her healing skill would be recharged after another ten minutes passed, Seong-Il could finally look up at me with unfocused eyes.

"I got… trait… Fist Destroyer… The fight… is now more doable. Huff. Huff. Shit

However, all he could do was swear as his body refused to listen to his commands. Instead of standing, he ended up sitting down. Then, he looked far ahead and said, “Is that the king?”

A large-scale corps that was arranged in a formation had appeared from the side. Seong-Il was asking about the largest monster in the center. It was even more gigantic than the one that had emerged during the Act One, Stage One wave. Its appearance was clearly different from the Baclans, who were two-legged with cow heads. Therefore, the huge and hideous monster was quite noticeable.

Its six hands were holding large rocks as if it was carrying a mountain. I knew the traits of that monster well. When the magic of the sorcerers reinforced those rocks, they would turn into explosives and fly at us.

It was an S-class monster that only appeared in gate battles, not in the dungeons. I didn’t need to answer Seong-Il’s question because each section of the unit had one. Therefore, they were obviously not kings as there could be only one king.

Wooh! Wooh! Wooh-

The surrounding area was filled with Baclans’ roar again. The composition of the soldiers varied, but I didn’t care because I had no intention of fighting every single one of them. If the king didn’t show up at the end of my calculated time, we would destroy the rear side of their formation and run away.

[The Man Who Overcomes Adversity Duration: 1 hour 3 minutes 9 seconds]

[Passion (Level Five) Duration: 0 hours 31 minutes 48 seconds]

Tik Tok. Tik Tok.

As time went by, I could feel their tense atmosphere with my transcended Sense. They were breathing heavily, magic energy surrounded their entire bodies, and the mana stones inside them were more concentrated with power than usual. They must have prepared, thinking there was no retreat from the battlefield.

‘The king is not coming out? Are they trying to kill us without the king?’

I focused my Sense towards the rear side of the Baclans, and the corps were cluttered across the top of the mountain, where Lee Soo-Ah and Shin Kyung-Ah were left behind. There was no newly added unit, but they also had the same tense atmosphere as the other group.

I realized they were preparing to greet the king instead of coming to fight us. My instincts were right as two powerful spirits soon flew toward us.

"It’s coming. If the combat quest pops up, never get involved under any circumstances,” I warned.

It was likely that this would become a combat quest like it did in the past. Seong-Il nodded silently, then I looked up at the sky after hearing an affirmative response from Yeon-Hee. The two spirits became combined into one when I was able to see them with my eyes. I concentrated my Sense, then zoomed into the king and its ride.

[Baclan King (Species)

The king of his kind and the greatest among the millions of Baclan warriors. He is also the chief priest who leads the worshipers of Doom Arukuda, so the power of Doom Arukuda always stays in him.

Class: ?

Total Physical Defense: 210000 / 210000

Total Magic Defense: 300000 / 300000]

[The Dragon that Crosses the Prairihe dragon that was born on the prairie has sworn obedience to the Baclan King.

Class: otal Physical Defense: 135000 / 135000

Total Magic Defense: 120000 / 120000]

At that moment.

[Hidden quest ‘Proof’ has begun.]

Yes! The deciding match was finally about to start, but the title of the quest was different from what I had expected.

[Proof (Hidden Quest)

The Baclan King has been waiting for an opponent like you. He has proven himself and has gotten the opportunity to go further.

Mission: Exterminate the Baclan King.

Reward: Linked quest ‘Birth of Doom Man (1)’

* If you fail, the Baclan King will win the same opportunity and become Doom Baclan.]

[Doom Arukuda watches with interest.]

[It’s amazing! Almighty Doom Kaos watches with great interest.]

This had never happened in the past. Even the strongest Awakened in my previous life, the First Evil and the First Virtue, likely would have never seen notifications such as these from the System. Doom Arukuda and Doom Kaos were watching with interest… But from where and how? Doom Baclan and Doom Man? Those were the weirdest names that I had ever seen.

Something must have changed to a great extent. Or… things were going too fast.