F-Rank Secretly Becomes Stronger - Chapter 34

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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34

“All the books here are related to artifacts?”

“Yeah, take your time looking around.”

Unlike his worries about whether she might not keep her promise, Mephisto kindly showed him the section containing information about artifacts.

However, the artifact section she introduced him to was far from what could be called kind.

“If I take my time looking around, it’ll easily take 10 years.”

It wasn’t an exaggeration.

The section literally looked wider than a playground.

Just when he thought it might take even longer than going to the Training Room and back.

Mephisto leaned her face closer and asked.

“If you give me a hint, I could find it for you right away.”

“…No thanks.”

“You know that the more you hide it, the more you’re just stimulating my curiosity, right?”

Her lips curled up slightly as she chuckled.

Looking at her, he fell into thought for a moment.

‘Would it be okay if I just give a very small hint?’

As long as she doesn’t figure out the exact identity, it shouldn’t be a big problem.

In the first place, searching through this entire library alone was practically impossible.

In the end, it was a situation where he needed help.

Juhyeok reluctantly offered a filtered hint.

“An artifact related to space.”

“Space?”

She reacted to the keyword ‘space’.

“Teleportation? Or sealing?”

“Well, I’m not sure about that either.”

Should entering the Training Room be called teleportation?

Or should it be considered being sealed until certain conditions are met?

It was simply a mysterious place where no matter how much time passed, you didn’t age, didn’t feel hunger, didn’t get wounded, yet still felt pain.

However, saying that much would be too big of a hint.

“Space, huh… Well, that does narrow it down quite a bit.”

When Mephisto gestured lightly, the books began to move.

Several books flew out from the bookshelf on their own and landed on the table.

“There aren’t many demons skilled enough to create space-related artifacts.”

The candidates were reduced to what looked like only about 5.

They were somewhat thick, but it was much better than having to examine all the other books.

“Thanks. I’ll finish quickly thanks to you.”

“Don’t mention it. Take your time and enjoy.”

Mephisto said this while gesturing exaggeratedly.

Leaving behind her theatrical reactions, he calmly examined the books.

An artifact that seals people in a small space.

An artifact that throws humans to random coordinates.

As he diligently searched through them, occasionally frowning at artifacts too cruel to look at with open eyes.

[Artifact for Weapon Manufacturing.]

He found a notable artifact entry.

[This artifact teleports the subject to a space where time does not flow.]

[Purpose: To increase the combat power of test subjects with low potential.]

[Characteristic: Confirmed for disposal during experimentation as the test subject’s mental strength cannot endure it.]

‘This is it.’

He got the feeling as soon as he saw it.

A space where time doesn’t flow.

The goal of increasing combat power for subjects with low potential.

It matched perfectly with the Training Room characteristics engraved on his body.

‘I need to read everything first.’

If he stopped at this part, Mephisto might find out what artifact he was looking for.

Juhyeok diligently examined artifacts that seemed completely unrelated, and when he finished thoroughly reading the last volume, he stood up from his seat and said.

“Garitos.”

“Hm?”

“Where is the demon called Garitos.”

The name of the demon who created an artifact similar to the Training Room.

To be precise, he had made it but then discarded it.

For now, it had the highest connection to the Training Room.

“…Ah~ I see.”

It seemed to be a familiar name as she quickly nodded after hearing it.

She made a somewhat reluctant expression.

“Garitos, so it was that guy.”

“Do you know him well?”

“Of course I know him well, there are few demons who don’t know his name to begin with.”

She took out a cigar from her pocket and lightly lit it.

Perhaps because she was a demon, unlike the method of only holding smoke in the mouth, Mephisto inhaled deeply into her lungs before exhaling.

Due to her beautiful appearance, even that action looked elegant.

“He’s a demon obsessed only with artifact manufacturing. He locks himself in his room every day making strange items and lives hidden away gloomily by himself.”

“Then he should be easy to find.”

Fortunately, he wasn’t the type who moved around here and there.

When Juhyeok asked as if he would go find him right away, contrary to his expectations, a negative opinion came out.

“No, with your current level you absolutely can’t go.”

“What?”

“If you can’t even beat Cerberus, there’s no way you could break through that guy’s mansion security.”

She inhaled the smoke deeply again and added.

“By human standards, at least S-rank, and honestly even that level would have trouble getting in.”

“Is the security that tight?”

“He makes so many different things… if you enter carelessly, you’ll quickly become food for his test subjects.”

A brutal warning.

It was something one could laugh at as a joke, but seeing her make a truly disgusted expression made it seem more sincere.

“There wouldn’t be any crazy bastard in the world who would walk there on his own feet…”

She trailed off and then slowly met his gaze again.

A hint of mischief began to settle there.

“For some reason, I think that crazy bastard is right in front of me?”

Her seductive voice.

She exhaled cigar smoke in the opposite direction from me while showing an enchanting smile.

“How about it? Do you want to find it badly enough to make a contract with a demon?”

“….”

At least S-rank.

Could he really reach that level with just the Training Room?

Looking objectively at the talent he possessed, it was hard to see it as possible in a short time.

Above all, S-rank was truly the realm of talent, not effort.

S-rank was a stage that those with talent could barely step into only after putting in blood-sweating effort.

Of course, Juhyeok had repeated soul-draining efforts that would be embarrassing to compare to blood-sweating effort.

But reaching S-rank with that alone was unreasonable.

“Forget it. I’ll find it with my own power.”

Even so, he had no intention of making a contract with a demon.

Even if someone held a knife to his throat and asked, a contract with a demon was out of the question.

Knowing the end of humans who contracted with demons as proven by history, he intended not to fall for any temptation.

“I’m going back now, so open a gate for me.”

“Hmm…”

Even at his request to open a gate, she crossed her arms without any reaction.

Mephisto thought deeply and looked at Juhyeok’s face.

“Do you happen to know about Dream Herb?”

“I don’t know, just open a gate for me.”

“Dream Herb is an herb that even demons consider taboo to cultivate, and it’s an herb that’s nearly impossible to obtain.”

He pretended not to hear to avoid falling for unnecessary temptation, but she continued speaking.

“Someone once carelessly meddled with it and Hell nearly reached the brink of destruction, so we’ve been tacitly prohibiting it ever since.”

She probably won’t open the gate until this topic is finished.

Juhyeok, who roughly guessed this, asked in a tone that wasn’t particularly curious.

“Does your body explode if you eat it?”

“No, you become ridiculously strong. If an ordinary imp eats it, it becomes strong enough to kill most A-rank humans.”

Truly an herb that explodes one’s potential.

However, if that was all there was to it, it wouldn’t have been taboo.

Mephisto soon explained the reason.

“Instead, it destroys the mind of whoever consumes it, turning them into a psycho who destroys everything.”

Mental destruction.

Dream Herb explodes the potential of whoever consumes it, but takes away everything else in return.

“Everyone in the world looks like an enemy, and you become a monster that screams ear-piercingly while tearing at friends’ throats and devouring their flesh.”

She looked at me and said with a bright smile.

“I have one.”

“You said it can’t be cultivated.”

“It can’t be cultivated, but we each possess one or two.”

After answering brazenly, her hand moved lightly in the library.

Her delicate hand disappeared into empty air, then emerged not long after holding a weed with a color that looked dignified at first glance.

“How is it? Don’t you feel just by looking at it that you shouldn’t eat this thing?”

“That’s right. So why are you showing me this?”

“Don’t you roughly get the idea?”

Her lips curved up in a wide grin again.

She approached Juhyeok closely and whispered.

“Let’s make a bet.”

She placed the bright red Dream Herb in front of Juhyeok’s eyes and said.

“If you eat it and lose your mind to become a monster, you’ll die by my hand right here.”

She lightly traced along his neckline.

Despite the chilling sensation, he looked straight into her eyes instead.

“If your mental strength is strong enough to overcome the Dream Herb, you’ll become strong enough to easily defeat our Jinky without any risk.”

An herb powerful enough to defeat even Cerberus.

Yes, aside from the mental collapse, it was a perfect opportunity for Juhyeok.

“How about it?”

“….”

A brief silence flowed at the new bet proposal.

Juhyeok deliberately made his pronunciation more clear.

“There’s not a single lie in the explanation you just gave?”

“I swear on my name. There’s not a single lie in my explanation about Dream Herb.”

An answer delivered just as clearly as Juhyeok had done.

Anguish began.

Faith in himself.

Could he really maintain his sanity even after eating a poisonous herb that grows in Hell?

Though he was confident in his mental strength above anyone else, he couldn’t help but hesitate.

He slowly brought his hand to the herb.

The moment he picked up the rough-looking herb to examine it more closely.

[Unidentified entity detected.]

[If this entity is consumed, Training Room upgrade will be immediately available!]

“….”

A message he had seen somewhere before greeted him.

Juhyeok looked at the message for a moment and asked Mephisto.

“This herb, does it contain mana inside?”

“Of course. All plants that grow in Hell contain it.”

He stroked the Dream Herb while listening to her words.

‘All humans who eat magic stones transform into monsters.’

However, Juhyeok remained perfectly fine even months after consuming magic stones.

Probably because of the Training Room, he still hadn’t mutated.

‘Even if the effects obtainable from Dream Herb completely disappear, at least I won’t go insane.’

An attempt with absolutely no risk.

For Juhyeok, there was no reason to refuse this bet.

“I accept the bet.”

As he accepted the bet, he grabbed the bright red herb.

Seeing Mephisto’s slightly flustered face, not having expected him to accept so quickly, he answered.

“I’ll enjoy this.”

With those words, Juhyeok roughly chewed and swallowed the Dream Herb.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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