Monopolizing Skills to the 666th Floor - Chapter 2

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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 002

2. The Beginning of Disaster

Buzz! Buzz!

The phone in my pocket vibrates.

[Safety Alert Message]

[Multiple sinkholes occurring throughout the nation!]

The sinkholes weren’t just happening in Korea.

Thousands of holes were created simultaneously across the entire world.

[Breaking News! Mysterious sinkholes appearing around the world.]

[Casualties from sinkholes impossible to estimate…]

[Disaster occurring alongside the Super Blue Blood Moon.]

[The whole world turns red and sinkholes too? Is this the influence of the Super Blue Blood Moon?]

I accessed the internet and read the articles.

Rather than being influenced by the Super Blue Blood Moon, they timed the opening for this moment.

Amon, the god of destruction, did.

‘That pathetic ghost bastard should appear soon.’

As soon as I finished speaking, a black figure appeared above the blood-stained sky.

It was a specter called a guide.

[Can you hear my voice clearly? Greetings, people of Earth. I am Luster, the faithful servant of Lord Amon, the god of destruction.]

‘He sure loves his servants. That thing that looks like a flying bag.’

A specter that’s merely a guide doesn’t even qualify as a servant.

With just a handful of mana, it wouldn’t be difficult to deal with.

‘I was scared when I first saw it too.’

How could one not be afraid of a specter in the form of a grim reaper flying through the sky?

Moreover, even when speaking from afar, its voice sounds like it’s whispering right in your ear.

‘Anyone who isn’t an idiot can tell this isn’t a show.’

Thousands of creatures like that are now appearing one by one at each sinkhole, explaining simultaneously.

About the current situation.

[You’re curious why sinkholes appeared all over Earth, aren’t you? The sinkholes are passages leading to the Labyrinth! No matter which sinkhole you enter, they all lead to the Labyrinth!]

A labyrinth that exists from Underground 1st Floor to the 666th Floor.

If you reach the Deepest Floor, you can meet Amon, the god of destruction.

[You must now enter the sinkholes and conquer the Labyrinth. From Underground 1st Floor to the 666th Floor! So you can relieve the great Lord Amon’s boredom!]

Relieve his boredom?

He’s doing all this for such a trivial reason?

While I harbor resentment now, I didn’t think much of it before my regression.

Back then, I had the mindset that I didn’t care what happened to the world.

‘I actually thought it would be better if it all collapsed. I had no will to keep living anyway.’

That’s how severe my depression was before the regression.

Though those feelings disappeared as I continued conquering the floors.

[Conquer each floor of the Labyrinth in order! If even one person succeeds in conquering a floor, the next floor will open!]

The specter waved the Death God’s Scythe.

Then a message suddenly appeared before my eyes.

[Time remaining until destruction: 30 days 00 hours 00 minutes 00 seconds]

[You see the time that just appeared, right? It’s a countdown announcing Earth’s destruction. If you fail to conquer the 1st Floor within 30 days, the sinkholes spread across the world will pierce through Earth’s core. The end will come to Earth.]

The end?

It’s not particularly frightening.

What’s there to fear about an end I’ve already experienced once?

[I can hear the sounds of trembling from fear all the way here. Don’t worry. Each time you break through a floor, 10 days will be added to the remaining time. If you conquer diligently, you can buy more time!]

Time?

There’s no point in buying it.

In the end, they won’t even reach the final floors and will die.

Everyone except me.

‘Killing Amon is humanity’s only path to survival.’

For that, I need power.

Overwhelming power that no one can approach.

[Don’t worry too much. Do you think we would cause such trouble without giving you any power? We’ll give it to you. The power to transcend human limits and become mighty.]

Acting generous when he’s not even the one giving it.

[There are divine beings called Transcendent Spirits. Soon they will contact you. To find their apostles.]

Calling them divine beings here means they’re not actually gods.

In other words, they’re worthless bastards.

[If you’re chosen by a Transcendent Spirit and become an apostle, you can possess power that transcends humanity. You’ll be able to handle mana and use skills. Then conquering the Labyrinth will become much easier, won’t it?]

What people are most curious about here?

It would naturally be how to receive the choice of a transcendent spirit.

How to be chosen and gain power that transcends humanity.

That’s the blind spot, but when you know the truth, it’s nothing special.

‘They just choose humans who catch their eye.’

In other words, you need to be lucky.

The criteria for transcendent spirits choosing apostles is simple.

Whether they match their taste, look strong, seem to have good personality, etc.

They send messages to humans who interest them, giving them a chance to become apostles.

‘Though I don’t even want such an opportunity.’

Even if they seem kind on the surface, transcendent spirits are all Amon’s minions.

It just means they help Amon by assisting in participation in his game.

In such circumstances, there’s no way they’d look favorably upon me.

‘I want to beat them all to death.’

[Well then, I’ll end the explanation here and return. Please receive the choice of a transcendent spirit and bring joy to Lord Amon.]

As the Specter disappeared.

Tick!

[Time remaining until destruction: 29 days 23 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds]

Time began to flow.

[You can now enter the Labyrinth.]

The red world returned to normal.

But the world inside the internet was in chaos.

[What is the identity of the simultaneously occurring sinkholes?]

[What exactly was that message that appeared just now?]

[We must conquer the Labyrinth to prevent Earth’s destruction!]

[30 days given. A common assignment given to humanity.]

[It’s not a dream. Witness accounts and videos from everywhere are proof.]

Videos of the Specter were continuously uploaded to ViewTube, proving it wasn’t a dream.

Various communities and news article comment sections were also in chaos.

└What’s this article? Is the apocalypse really coming?

└I woke up and everything was chaos. Did this really happen?

└The reporters are on drugs and playing pranks together, right? Right?

└It’s not even April Fool’s Day, why is everyone acting like this?

└It’s real. They say if we can’t conquer the Labyrinth, we’re all dead.

└Seems real. I saw the message pop up earlier. It was counting down time…

└A sinkhole opened next to my house and I witnessed it firsthand, this is real… Our country is screwed now…

└It’s not just our country. The whole world is screwed.

└Specter? I just went to ViewTube and watched it, when you zoom in it looks scary as hell.

└To prevent the apocalypse, we need to conquer the Labyrinth as soon as possible.

└But how do you get chosen by a transcendent spirit?

└I don’t know either?

└Do you guys really believe this? Path-etic.

└You’re talking nonsense while sleeping and collapsed. It’s viral marketing, idiots.

└I don’t know what kind of viral it is, but the scale is killer.

Anyone who directly saw the Specter and heard its voice couldn’t help but believe.

But many people were sleeping at this time, so understanding the situation was slow.

‘They’ll find out soon enough. That it’s neither viral nor anything else.’

Regardless, I walked forward.

A pitch-black pit like an abyss came into view.

Just one step forward would mean immediate fall.

Even so.

Whoosh!

I threw my body without fear.

Down into that sinkhole.

[You have entered Underground 1st Floor of the Labyrinth.]

《Type: Annihilation》

《Conditions: None》

《Mission: Eliminate 100 Dark Slimes.》

[You cannot exit until the mission is conquered.]

Having passed through the endless abyss, I found myself in a new environment.

‘Gloomy Forest. The habitat of Dark Slimes.’

In the past, I entered quite late, but this time I entered a bit early.

‘This is my first time entering as an ordinary person.’

You don’t necessarily have to become an apostle to enter the Labyrinth.

Even ordinary people can conquer the Labyrinth.

Though it would be difficult to receive help from skills or items.

‘Being an ordinary person doesn’t mean you can’t conquer it.’

After walking a bit, I can see a black jelly bouncing around.

It’s a Dark Slime.

Before facing it, I dug up some dirt from under a tree.

Thud! Thud!

With both hands full of dirt, I approached the Dark Slime.

It saw me and changed direction toward me.

‘Dark Slimes may look like that, but they’re tricky to deal with.’

They’re squishy so punches and blades don’t work well, and if you touch them, they stick to you and suck your bodily fluids.

Anyone facing them for the first time would be flustered.

A monster that can only be caught with skills.

However.

‘If you know the method, there’s nothing easier than this guy.’

I sprinkled dirt over the Dark Slime’s head.

“Eat up.”

Patter.

The Dark Slime that absorbed the dirt soon hardened.

And then.

Crack!

I stepped on it and it shattered into pieces.

[Dark Slime Defeated 1/100]

‘As expected, it has the same characteristics as before.’

Dark Slimes have the property of hardening when they absorb something.

Shining light on them works the same way, but dirt is more effective.

‘Of course, there’s something else they prefer.’

If you know their weakness like this, even an ordinary person could catch them.

‘If an ordinary person conquers the Labyrinth? That would be enough to draw attention from above.’

Sure enough, an offer came in.

[The transcendent ‘Assassin in the Shadows’ has offered you to become their apostle.]

[Will you become the Assassin in the Shadows’ apostle? Y/N]

I immediately touched the N part of the message.

‘I have no intention of becoming a transcendent’s apostle. What I want is the Three Gods.’

Even before my regression, I didn’t accept the offer.

I didn’t know much about apostles, and I simply had no will to live.

I was someone who thought it wouldn’t be so bad if the world ended like this.

In such circumstances, would I have paid attention to becoming an apostle?

‘Rather than struggling to conquer the Labyrinth and protect the world, it was more comfortable to just watch.’

Honestly, I was also afraid.

I didn’t know what would happen if I became an apostle.

So I rejected every message that came in.

Just because I was scared of everything.

Now I know how the system works so I’m not afraid, but back then I was.

I was a timid, fearful man with no courage.

‘But that actually worked in my favor.’

After rejecting all the offers, I eventually got the opportunity to receive an offer from the Three Gods.

My rejection of the transcendents’ offers had piqued their interest.

‘The Three Gods were also looking for their apostle. To create a force to oppose Amon’s Faction.’

This time too, I need to receive the Three Gods’ offer and become strong.

But.

‘It’s too late to wait while rejecting offers like back then.’

I need to conquer more exceptionally than anyone else to catch the Three Gods’ attention.

That’s why I came in.

If I conquer as an ordinary person, I’ll definitely make an impression.

“Shall I try conquering as fast as possible?”

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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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