Monopolizing Skills to the 666th Floor - Chapter 17

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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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Skill Devouring to the 666th Floor Episode 017

17. Orb of Darkness

How do I summon it?

With just this item, it’s possible.

[Orb of Darkness (D)]

―Category: Consumable

―Effect: Allows one-time use of the Dimensional Shop.

―Usage Restriction: Apostles who have cleared Floor 25 or higher

―Description: An orb flowing with dark energy. Opens the Dimensional Shop when used. The item disappears after using the shop.

The Orb of Darkness, an item first obtainable on Floor 25.

It’s a special item that grants access to the Dimensional Shop, known as the system’s treasure vault.

‘To think I’m already getting what others only obtain on Floor 160. Joshua was right after all.’

The first to obtain this was Joshua in my previous life.

Back then, with his outstanding skills, he defeated 100 Dark Rollers.

I heard before my regression that this special privilege appeared when he even took down a Giant Dark Roller.

‘To think I’d gain the right to use a shop system in the Labyrinth world where items are precious.’

What better privilege could there be?

Of course, my purpose isn’t just the shop.

What’s important is the fact that I can summon a Specter.

‘Should I finish the mission first?’

I spent time defeating the approaching Dark Rollers.

Then.

[The time limit has passed and the mission has ended.]

[You have survived for 1 hour.]

[You have cleared Labyrinth Underground 25th Floor!]

[A ‘Very Weak Essence of Penetration’ is awarded as the Floor 25 standard clear reward.]

After the stat reward came the first clear reward.

[A ‘Random Orb Fragment 1/4’ is awarded as the Floor 25 first clear reward.]

‘Oh! I’m lucky?’

I knew it would drop from defeating a Giant Dark Roller.

But I didn’t expect it to come as a first clear reward too.

After getting one on Floor 24, I received another consecutively.

‘This means I’ve already collected 3 of them?’

If I collect just one more, all the fragments will be complete.

I should be able to get it by Floor 30 at the latest.

‘I’ve cleared the mission… now should I try summoning the Specter?’

I took out the black orb from my inventory.

When I mentally recited the activation phrase to use it, black smoke poured out.

It was an effect mimicking dark magic.

To me, who can distinguish real dark magic, it’s rather amusing.

Kwaaa!

The swirling black smoke soon transformed into a single form.

[Remarkable. To think there’s already a human who has used the Orb of Darkness.]

The Death God floating in mid-air, the Specter, looked down arrogantly.

[I am Luster, the faithful subordinate of Lord Amon, the God of Destruction. Are you the one who summoned me?]

“That’s correct, Lord Luster.”

I bowed my head and acted with a respectful attitude.

To get what I want, I must deceive even demons.

[Impressive. It’s only been a few days since the Labyrinth opened on Earth, yet you’ve already cleared Floor 25. Moreover, you defeated a Giant Dark Roller? I commend you!]

“Thank you, Lord Luster.”

I bowed my head with an expression of overwhelming gratitude.

Not missing that sight, Luster spins his scythe around, seemingly pleased.

[Truly a well-mannered human. I, Luster, prefer courteous humans over those who act arrogantly without knowing their place.]

“Thank you for the praise, Lord Luster.”

[By the way, you’ve read the item description, haven’t you?]

“Yes.”

[Since you’ve summoned me, you can use the Dimensional Shop. But only once. Will you use the access right now?]

“What kind of items are in the Dimensional Shop?”

[You can find that out when you use the shop.]

“How do I purchase items from the shop?”

[If he also says he’ll use the shop, I’ll let you know.]

He’s forcing me to use the items.

He has no choice.

‘I need to use the shop quickly so he won’t have to be summoned anymore.’

Being called out whenever humans want to sell shop items?

For a Specter, it’s a blow to his pride.

Though he’s doing it because Amon ordered him to, he must think he’s been given an annoying role.

So he’d want to make me use the pass quickly.

‘Joshua said he was tempted by these words and used the shop immediately. He regrets not using it as late as possible.’

From the 26th floor onwards, you can earn Credits, the shop’s currency.

This is what Joshua regrets.

It would have been better to collect more Credits before using the shop.

‘But I don’t plan to use it late. There’s an item I absolutely must buy now.’

However, I won’t buy it right away.

Rather, there’s something I want to get from the Specter.

I’m going to demand something more valuable than shop items.

[Will you use it or not? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get Labyrinth items.]

“Luster, sir. Rather than that, could you please do me a different favor?”

The word ‘favor’ seemed unexpected, as Luster’s spinning scythe stopped.

[A favor? What kind of favor?]

“It’s a really earnest request, if you could grant it…”

[Stop being annoying and tell me quickly.]

After building suspense, I spoke with a more serious expression than ever before.

“I want to meet Lord Amon.”

Luster didn’t say anything for a while.

Anyone watching would think time had stopped.

[You want to meet Lord Amon… What exactly do you mean? You want to face Lord Amon quickly?]

“That’s not it. I am…”

I made a statement that would shock the Three Gods if they heard it.

“I am a follower of Lord Amon.”

[What?]

Following Amon, the God of Destruction?

It was hard to believe such words came from a human’s mouth.

Even the Specter knew that Amon was humanity’s greatest enemy.

[You follow Lord Amon? The being who seeks to destroy the Earth where you lived?]

“That’s right.”

The Specter who had descended to the ground.

Swish—

Pointed his scythe at my throat.

[Stop talking nonsense. If you’re joking, I’ll cut your throat off.]

“I-It’s not a joke. I admire Lord Amon. He possesses the strongest power of anyone, doesn’t he? If not, why would I have named the Hall of Fame after Amon?”

[Hall of Fame?]

Luster looked at me with the Death God’s eyes.

The Three Gods, being outsiders, couldn’t see it, but as a Guide, he would be able to.

My records registered in the Hall of Fame.

[It’s true? 1st Floor, 10th Floor, 20th Floor. You’ve set records on all of them. Overwhelmingly so. And you named all the Hall of Fame entries…]

Luster’s eyes flashed.

[Amon?]

“That’s right. I named them out of my devotion to Lord Amon. Haha.”

I deliberately smiled brightly.

At that moment.

Swish—

The hand pointing the scythe tightened with force.

Luster’s expression became more menacing than ever.

[How dare a mere human impersonate Lord Amon. Do you want to die?]

“Huh? No, no, it’s not impersonation, it’s out of desire to be like him…”

[Shut up, human!]

Luster became agitated.

He raised the scythe high like executing a death row inmate.

[How dare you use Lord Amon’s name so presumptuously. This deserves immediate execution. Pay the price right now.]

“Ah, ah…”

I acted flustered, but my heart was calm as could be.

After all, I knew he couldn’t kill me.

‘Guides can only guide. They don’t have the authority to kill Apostles.’

Even before my regression, I had never heard of Specters attacking humans.

Joshua had also said that despite all their talk, they were actually weaker than even Dark Slimes.

‘A handful of mana is enough to easily deal with a Specter.’

With my 10-stack shield in place, there was no way the Specter’s scythe could cut my skin.

In this situation, I was actually the one holding back.

‘Though I heard there’s one thing to be careful about.’

They can’t touch Apostles, but they can lead them into traps.

This guy would definitely try to push me into such a trap.

[Huu… I want to kill you right now, but I’ll hold back. Lord Amon will make the judgment.]

“What do you mean by that…?”

[I’ll give you a chance to meet Lord Amon. He will decide whether to dispose of you or not.]

I raised the corners of my mouth.

As expected, he was planning to lead me into a trap.

[What’s so amusing? Human?]

“I’m happy because you’re giving me the honor of meeting Lord Amon.”

[Crazy human. Not knowing your place and mentioning Lord Amon… Ha!]

The angry Specter opened a space.

A dark portal rippled before my eyes.

[Fine, good. I’ll grant your wish right away. If you enter here, you can meet Lord Amon. Huhu.]

The Specter let out an unpleasant laugh as he guided me toward the portal.

‘It’s so obvious. I can see exactly what you’re thinking by telling me to enter.’

By provoking his anger, I had successfully led him to this.

To open the Bottomless Pit, a space only Specters could summon.

‘I need to obtain it in the Bottomless Pit. The S-Rank Skill that can overcome Skill Copy’s weakness.’

With a smile, I pushed my body into the portal.

The Three Gods were flustered by Lee Tae Seong’s actions.

Specifically, because he had rejected their invitation.

[I didn’t expect him to refuse our proposal… This is quite bewildering.]

[We went through the trouble of using our divine power to create the Eternal Room, and he rejects it? Damn it!]

[How absurd. Does that guy even want to talk with us?]

They had opened a dialogue to ask if he was a regressor, only to be coldly rejected.

It was bewildering for the Three Gods.

[Maybe he’s a regressor and knows something, so he rejected it.]

[That human isn’t a regressor, I tell you. Would we have made him regress if we knew about that personality of his?]

[We need to ask to know the details, but he’s blocking communication like this…]

The Three Gods were also frustrated.

Because they couldn’t resolve their doubts.

[That aside, his skills are incredible. To clear Floor 25 so easily.]

[Ahem… He certainly fights well. He’s also good at utilizing Skill Copy.]

[Whether he’s a regressor or not, he’s still a human we need to secure.]

Lee Tae Seong not only cleared Floor 25 smoothly but even hunted the Giant Dark Roller.

All three gods couldn’t help but admire his performance.

But that was only for a moment.

[Hmm?]

[What?]

[Why is a Specter suddenly appearing?]

A Specter summoned by an item called the Orb of Darkness.

Since Amon’s subordinate had appeared, it wasn’t a pleasant situation.

Still, up to this point it was fine.

The Three Gods had also read the item’s description just moments ago.

They understood it was a summoning to use the Dimensional Shop.

But then…

[What did he say?]

[Ha.]

[…?]

The Three Gods, who had been eavesdropping on the conversation, couldn’t help but be flustered.

[So Lee Tae Seong was Amon’s follower. Hah…]

[I told you, didn’t I? That bastard was trouble.]

[Are you saying he’s been using Amon’s name in the Hall of Fame all this time? This is absolutely outrageous.]

All Three Gods let out sighs of dismay at Lee Tae Seong’s betrayal.

[What do we do now?]

[What else? We need to cut that human loose.]

[We can’t just revoke an Apostle’s authority on our own whim.]

[Then let’s at least block our sponsorship from now on!]

[Wait a moment. Shouldn’t we observe how the situation unfolds?]

[But right now, he can’t even talk to Amon, let alone meet him. How is that Death God going to let him meet Amon?]

[Obviously it’s a fake to mess with him. I didn’t like him anyway, so this works out perfectly for that human bastard.]

The Three Gods decided to watch Lee Tae Seong as he went to meet Amon.

Flash—

But immediately after entering the Bottomless Pit, which allows no one’s gaze.

[Hm?]

[Tch!]

[Oh no…]

The Three Gods’ surveillance was cut off.

[You have entered the Labyrinth’s sanctuary, the Bottomless Pit.]

The Bottomless Pit.

The deep place of the Labyrinth I entered using the Guide’s authority.

This place alone is beyond the reach of the Three Gods’ eyes.

Naturally, I can’t meet Amon either.

‘How could I meet someone who’s on the 666th Floor already?’

I knew from the beginning.

That it was a trap to lure me into the Bottomless Pit.

But that guy would never know, even if he died and came back to life.

What I wanted was exactly this place, the Bottomless Pit.

‘If I clear the Bottomless Pit’s secret dungeon, I can choose an S-Rank Skill.’

Among the S-Rank Skills, there’s one that can eliminate the penalty of Skill Copy.

That’s exactly what I’m aiming for.

For this reason, I needed to impersonate Amon and provoke the Specter’s anger.

‘And so I was lured into this trap. But for me, it’s a field of opportunity.’

Unaware of this, Luster grins wickedly.

[Human. I just had a conversation with Lord Amon.]

“What? When…”

[He said this: How dare a mere human impersonate me without knowing their place. Rot and decay in the Bottomless Pit for thousands upon thousands of years!]

“What does that…”

[Try living here until you die. Kyahahat!]

With those words, the Specter disappeared.

It abandoned me and left.

In this place with nothing but darkness, the Bottomless Pit.

Normally, this would be a situation to panic over.

“Kukuk.”

But I was calmer than anyone.

In fact, I found myself laughing.

Because a golden opportunity to obtain an S-Rank Skill had come my way.

“Shall I try clearing it? The Bottomless Pit’s Hidden Dungeon.”

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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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