I Became a Mythical Hunter After Killing the Golden Goblin - Chapter 199
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 199. The Path to the Bottomless Pit (2)
〚STAGE 3-47: You have entered the Desert of Pouring Sun!〛
〚A Main Quest has been assigned…!〛
〚A penalty has been imposed based on your rank!〛
〚The Main Quest assignment has been cancelled!〛
〚Please proceed to a zone befitting your rank!〛
〚STAGE 4-51: You have entered the Darkness of Flowing Tears!〛
〚A Main Quest has been assigned…!〛
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〚STAGE 99-12: You have entered the Forest of Black Thorns!〛
〚A Main Quest has been assigned…!〛
〚A penalty has been imposed based on your rank!〛
〚The Main Quest assignment has been cancelled!〛
〚Please proceed to a zone befitting your rank!〛
“Ugh! How tedious!”
From the 2nd Zone to the 99th Zone—after nearly a week of flying, I folded my wings with a grumble. Thanks to the petty laws governing the Abyss, tricks like spatial displacement were utterly beyond reach.
More precisely, I couldn’t use any skill to travel to zones I hadn’t conquered as a player.
For instance, if I were already a player who had set foot in the Middle Realm, I could use spatial displacement to reach anywhere in the Lower Realm. But here in the Abyss, I was nothing more than a newbie who had just entered Stage 1.
〚If you possessed the ability of a star or moon, it would be possible.〛
Yes, it was possible—but regrettably, I lacked any spatial displacement ability of that caliber. Well, I could use all abilities up to the Legendary rank, but that still wasn’t enough.
All I could do was apply movement speed buffs. Even with those, I had traversed a distance that should have taken two to three weeks in just one week.
In any case, after all that grueling effort, I finally reached the edge of the Lower Realm.
Stage 100. According to Akasha, the Quest here wouldn’t be cancelled. I wasn’t particularly worried, though. A mere Quest testing qualification to enter the Middle Realm shouldn’t be difficult.
I gazed at the boundary ahead and stepped forward without hesitation.
〚STAGE 100-0: You have entered the River of Flowing Stars.〛
〚A Main Quest has been assigned!〛
〚This is a Quest that cannot be penalized!〛
The world inverted, and a new realm entirely different from the black forest where I had stood moments before came into view. It was a river.
A stream beginning from those towering mountain peaks, flowing beautifully while cradling brilliant stars—the riverside where starlight danced upon the waters.
Standing upon the flowing water, I took in its beauty and examined the Quest.
〚Main Quest: The River Against Heaven
Rank: Hero
Grade: F- ~ EX+
Description: This is a place that tests the great step from the Lower Realm to the Middle Realm. This place cradles the starlight of countless players who have advanced to the Middle Realm. Claim your position by achieving victory against the starlight.〛
Restriction: You may challenge this only 3 times per player.
Objective: Achieve victory against the starlight (0/?)
Upon Victory: Rewards distributed proportionally to the number of wins
Upon Defeat: One opportunity deducted〛
“Ugh, I thought it would be something impressive.”
So in the end, they’re asking me to do the same infinite sparring matches I did at the Heavenly Demon Flying Pavilion? At least back there, facing the Celestial Demons—absolute beings—there was something to learn. Here, I’m merely confronting the projections of those who were Lower Realm players.
My frown deepened at the tedium of it all, but the System quickly corrected my thinking.
〚At the very least, those starlight beings positioned near the summit will be on par with Shin Ju-ha or slightly weaker. And to face them with that mindset, you would lose all hundred times if you challenged a hundred times.〛
My frown deepened further. Wait, didn’t you say this place only tests Lower Realm players?
〚Why do you assume that Shin Ju-ha is the only one who built the rank of divinity before entering the Abyss?〛
That’s… true. Have I become too arrogant?
〚Of course, irregulars like Shin Ju-ha who have built the rank of a supreme divine king are rare indeed. But they do exist. Reach that far. There will be starlight beings from whom you can gain much simply by facing them.〛
Now I was curious. Who could they possibly be?
〚In the early days when the Abyss first emerged and stretched into countless dimensions, those who were divine from the beginning also entered and progressed, passing through this place. That’s why those positioned at the starting point here are typically recorded as eternal stars above due to such special circumstances.〛
“Let me ask just one thing. What kind of being is that which exists at the very summit?”
Akasha hesitated before answering my question. The being seemed to be deliberating whether to tell me, but ultimately revealed the truth.
〚An irregular. Not a divine being, yet more remarkable than any god. Merely a lowly creature once—an animal—but now a God of Battle possessing power that even the Concept Divine Seat fears to face. That’s the extent of the hint. Go meet them yourself.〛
More bewildering still, yet I had heard something astounding. Power that even the Concept Divine Seat fears? How could that be?
The Concept Divine Seat exists on an entirely different tier—like the difference between one and two dimensions. It shouldn’t be possible to oppose it… or could it?
〚That’s precisely why they’re an irregular. To be precise, they’re a peculiar case—one who could become a Concept Divine Seat but refuses to, stubbornly resisting. They’re so willful and troublesome that even the administrative departments assign them the highest level of surveillance.〛
“That much?”
I watched as a starlight rose from the river, turning toward me with murderous intent blazing in its eyes.
What kind of being could it be? I’m curious. This curiosity is driving me mad.
“I want to meet them soon.”
—Die! Despair before me and give up! This is the end of your path forward.
I sweep my hand. That alone suffices. The concept of the heavens aids me. A power I once couldn’t even fathom its purpose now moves with clarity.
The concept of the heavens, evolved and refined after consuming the power of Pride and Solomon.
The arrogant heavens show no mercy to lowly creatures. One of the many abilities this power possesses is a form of execution—as if it cannot bear to watch insignificant beings of lesser rank and strength crawl upward.
With a single surge of the heavens’ mana, the starlight decomposed entirely, vanishing without form.
Grandiose skills? Remarkable unique abilities? Special runes—none of it was necessary.
Unparalleled—from the lower reaches of the river through the middle course to the upper reaches. I advanced without obstruction.
The stars of the lower reaches were so pitiful I could kill them with mere breathing, the stars of the middle course were scarcely different, and only upon reaching the upper reaches did they warrant moving my fists.
As I drew near the mountain’s summit, at last the stars of those called divine revealed themselves.
Overbalance. As if marking the boundary between ordinary players and irregulars, the difficulty surged overwhelmingly in an instant.
As if this was where it truly began, the being blocking my path was unmistakably a projection of a divine being possessing tremendous rank.
—Ho, a challenger after such a long time. To summon me from the start, your power must be quite incomprehensible. Pleased to make your acquaintance. I am called Jang Sam-bong, an immortal of some standing. Might I have the honor of knowing your name?
Certainly, being a divine being, he grasped what I possessed, if not perfectly, at least in broad strokes.
I too observed the star that had appeared. Strong. At minimum, a high-tier Divine Seat. And judging by the martial robes he wore and his nearly perfect physical balance, he was one who had mastered martial arts.
The corner of my mouth rose slightly, and for the first time since entering this place, I answered his question.
“I am called Shin Ju-ha.”
—Since my defeat is assured, I hope you understand that I cannot test you carelessly, bound as I am by the laws of the Abyss.
“By all means.”
I drew my blade—a legendary-grade sword forged from Man-byeon, not the Infinite Divine Demon Sword whose functions had temporarily ceased upon reaching the threshold of evolution through accumulated recent experience.
Watching my form, Jang Sam-bong burst into wild, ecstatic laughter unbefitting an immortal sage, as though delighted, and charged forward.
His sword flew gracefully toward me, clashing with my blade. In that same instant, a transformation occurred—my power spiraled completely beyond control while his sword grew exponentially heavier.
Anticipating his next move through the authority inscribed within my body, I sidestepped the sudden shift in power, and a colossal sword mark carved itself into the ground where I had stood.
-Hehehehe. Truly, instinct as primal as a beast’s. To evade that—it borders on precognition. I thought to end this in a single strike.
Before his words could finish, a massive Tai Chi manifested behind Jang Sam-bong, only to shatter and crumble instantly under the weight of my power.
-Hehe. Even the authority of Tai Chi cannot withstand such overwhelming force. Truly arrogant and dominating power indeed.
Leaving the chattering Jang Sam-bong behind, my eyes gleamed. That ability just now—I coveted it intensely. A power that seemed like martial arts yet wasn’t.
“What exactly is that?”
-The Tai Chi Divine Sword. The supreme martial art of the Taoism Sect I established. A swordsmanship that steals the enemy’s power and adds it to my own.
“If it were merely a sword technique, I couldn’t possibly fail to comprehend it.”
-Hehehehe. A monster even in talent. But regrettably, Tai Chi martial arts require inheritance. Without embracing the authority of Tai Chi itself, it cannot be learned. The reason our Taoism Sect ranks among the supreme sects of the Central Plains is precisely because of this inheritance.
“Unfortunate. It’s a technique I desire greatly.”
I hastily asked Akasha if I could use that authority, but unfortunately, it was impossible.
〚Authority: Tai Chi is a primordial-grade power. You cannot yet use it.〛
I smacked my lips and gazed at Jang Sam-bong, asking.
“Would you refuse if I asked you to teach me?”
-Hehehehe. Noble one, are you thinking of extracting the liver of a flea? Well, if you were to register with the Taoism Sect, I would gladly teach you.
“That much I can certainly do.”
-Hehehehe. You may become bound by the Taoism Sect’s discipline. Still, the power of Tai Chi could become a crucial move for you. It could harmonize all those chaotically mixed things within you through Tai Chi’s power.
My eyes blazed. The heavens—could I harmonize even a portion of the countless abilities the heavens contained?!
“Then I desire the inheritance even more?”
-Hehehehe. A swift decision. Very well. If you make but one solemn vow, I shall impart the complete transmission.
“Anything. If it’s something I can do.”
-Should you ever visit the Celestial Murim in the future, would you be willing to step forward and aid our Taoism Sect should we require assistance?
Merely that much.
“Gladly. If it’s only that much, there’s no need for a vow. It’s simple enough.”
-Huhuhu. It will not be simple. You shall regret this vow in time. Your very life may be endangered.
“How can you be so confident when you’re merely a fragment?”
-Hahahaha! Tai Chi is a magnificent power. Though I became a fragment through the Abyss’s authority, Tai Chi resonates with Tai Chi. Each time I awaken after eons, I can perceive all of the Taoism Sect.
“It matters not. I swear I shall aid you.”
-Excellent. Should you break the vow made before Tai Chi, the great law itself—Tai Chi—will strip everything from you in return.
I feared nothing. I had no intention of breaking my promise, and besides, there was no way a mere authority could reclaim the power of concepts.
Thus I paused. Time was abundant, and to grow stronger, I could afford to pause as long as necessary.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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