The Heavenly Demon Destroys the Tower - Chapter 25
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Episode 25
“……The True Secret Incantation of Heavenly Demon Divine Art?”
[Yes. The true secrets of Heavenly Demon Divine Art are passed down only to the direct descendants of the Heavenly Demon and the Divine Maiden of the Divine Church. If you master it, you’ll take a true step forward in the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.]
He’d asked without much hope, since she seemed to know nothing at all.
But when Lee Gang-han heard the Divine Maiden’s ghost suddenly offer to teach him the true incantation, he blinked.
It sounded promising—a way to advance the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
“But how would I understand it? I only ever obtained the Skill through the System.”
Lee Gang-han’s knowledge of Chinese characters was only average for a Korean, nothing more.
So even if she really taught him the martial secret incantation,
it was questionable whether he could grasp it at all.
After all, when he used Heavenly Demon Divine Art now, it was only because the Skill activated automatically.
[You really don’t know anything? But the energy of Heavenly Demon Divine Art has completely settled into your body.]
“I just activate the Heavenly Demon Divine Art Skill. I have zero clue how martial arts actually work.”
[Hmm…… Well, let me teach you the incantation first. If you still don’t understand afterward, I’ll stick with you one-on-one and teach you directly, so don’t worry.]
“The Divine Maiden knows how to use Heavenly Demon Divine Art?”
[To some extent, yes.]
How on earth did the Divine Maiden—the religious symbol of the Divine Church—
know how to use Heavenly Demon Divine Art?
Lee Gang-han looked at her with suspicious eyes.
“You’re not actually a Heavenly Demon or something, are you? How do you know all this?”
[Oh, please. How could the Divine Maiden be a Heavenly Demon! I’m bound to this tower with the role of passing Heavenly Demon Divine Art to the next Heavenly Demon, so I learned it that way.]
“Is that so?”
[Yes. I wish I were the Heavenly Demon myself, truly.]
And with that, the Divine Maiden stopped joking around.
[Well then, let me recite the incantation for you…….]
She began to recite the secret incantation of Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
[In the beginning, Righteous, Evil, and Demonic were not yet distinguished…….]
The true incantation of Heavenly Demon Divine Art began grandly from the very origin of all things.
‘What on earth is she saying?’
Even though the Divine Maiden explained it in Korean, none of it made sense to Lee Gang-han.
He’d lived his whole life with nothing to do with martial arts,
so there was no way he could understand talk of Qi and Demonic power and the like.
Then.
[You are acquiring the True Secret Incantation of Heavenly Demon Divine Art…….]
Ding.
A new message appeared before Lee Gang-han’s eyes.
‘Me?’
He was just listening to words he couldn’t understand at all.
And the System said he was acquiring it?
Was the System actually compensating for him automatically just by listening?
‘This Tower System…… it’s incredible.’
After Lee Gang-han had listened to the incantation for a long time,
[You have heard the True Secret of Heavenly Demon Divine Art.]
[The growth potential of your Heavenly Demon Body rises to EX grade.]
[You may now train Heavenly Demon Divine Art to its absolute limits.]
A series of system messages appeared.
‘EX grade?’
Surprised, Lee Gang-han opened his status window.
The special trait grade of Heavenly Demon Body, which had previously ranged from D to SSS,
Special Trait: Heavenly Demon Body (Grade: D~EX)
had now changed to D~EX.
‘Since it says I can train Heavenly Demon Divine Art to its absolute limits, it seems they’ve greatly expanded my growth potential.’
Benefits like this from just hearing the true incantation—
it was certainly nice.
But strictly speaking, he wasn’t actually stronger right now; it was just that his future growth potential had increased.
‘Well, I got these benefits just from hearing a secret I didn’t understand at all. That’s worth a thank you.’
The Divine Maiden’s ghost.
At first, he’d thought she was just some useless spirit who didn’t know anything.
But she was actually quite helpful—boosting future potential just by reciting the incantation, all without fuss.
As Lee Gang-han was raising his opinion of the Divine Maiden,
[“Your Heavenly Demon Body will not disappear even if you die outside the First Tower.”]
[“However, if you die, your current grade will drop by one level.”]
[“If you die when your Heavenly Demon Body is at grade F, the Heavenly Demon Body will disappear.”]
Ding.
Lee Gang-han frowned at the message that followed.
‘What…? So the Heavenly Demon Body was supposed to disappear if I died in the first place?’
The reason the world had underestimated Lee Gang-han.
It was because the Heavenly Demon Body’s grade showed as E.
Seeing such a low grade, everyone had been certain the ability was temporary.
But then.
The reality was somewhat different from what people assumed.
Still, there was definitely a penalty that came with the low grade.
An ability that disappeared when you died.
‘I almost got myself killed falling in the Sky Treasure Vault.’
The Infinite Tower had always preached that resurrection was possible, so there was no need to fear death.
Following that philosophy, he’d been recklessly running around the Sky Treasure Vault, and if he’d taken a fatal fall then,
he might have foolishly lost the Heavenly Demon Body.
‘But from what I’ve seen climbing this tower, there are quite a few maps where you start after dying.’
Not just the tutorial boss.
Starting at a high floor and dying to an overwhelming enemy that you can’t handle,
then climbing back from the first floor—cases like that weren’t uncommon.
From now on, if he ran into towers like that,
he’d have to find a way to survive and push forward, or else the grade of his Heavenly Demon Body would keep dropping.
“Well, learning the True Secret Incantation was worth it. I never would’ve known otherwise……”
[“Is something the matter?”]
“I just found out that dying causes problems with the Heavenly Demon Body.”
[“Ah. Right. A Heavenly Demon who has been defeated is no longer a Heavenly Demon, after all.”]
The Divine Maiden’s ghost spoke with casual indifference.
For her, this seemed to be common knowledge.
[“Still, you’re truly impressive. To understand and apply the True Secret Incantation of Heavenly Demon Divine Art so immediately.”]
“I didn’t understand it at all. The System just did it for me.”
[“Huh…? Is that so? But if your comprehension were zero, the System wouldn’t be able to support you…”]
The Divine Maiden’s ghost tilted her head in confusion,
[“Well, what matters is that it worked! Besides, what would I know about the System anyway?”]
and quickly gave up trying to understand.
“Anyway, thanks. Now that I know about the Heavenly Demon Body, I’ll take back what I said about you not knowing anything.”
[“Really, that comment hurt me. How could you ask me questions I don’t know the answer to and then call me ignorant?”]
“Come on. I never called you ignorant. So…are you leaving now?”
[“Huh?”]
“You were here to teach me the True Secret Incantation, weren’t you?”
At Lee Gang-han’s question, the Divine Maiden’s ghost shook her head vigorously.
[“No! I don’t want to leave! Please just let me stay and guide you!”]
“Guide me?”
[“Yes! That’s actually my role.”]
Guide him.
From what he’d seen earlier, she didn’t seem to know much.
‘But I might as well hear what she has to say.’
The First Tower and Heavenly Demon Valley.
He knew absolutely nothing about these places.
He needed to gather whatever information he could.
“Fine. Guide me then.”
Once Lee Gang-han gave his permission,
[“Thank you so much!”]
the Divine Maiden’s ghost bowed deeply,
[“Then first…let me tell you why the Heavenly Demon was chosen!”]
and launched into a proper explanation.
* * *
“Why was the Heavenly Demon chosen?”
[“Aren’t you curious why you became the Heavenly Demon in the first place?”]
“Well, I suppose I was curious about that.”
Heavenly Demon Valley, where a thousand people had competed.
Lee Gang-han had already passed the trial.
Yet he couldn’t help wondering why he’d been summoned here in the first place.
And his ten years suffering from Sleeping Sickness
seemed to have some connection to this valley.
[That reason is precisely to conquer this First Tower.]
“The First Tower…? What is this place? Don’t tell me this tower is the source of the Infinite Tower that appeared ten years ago?”
[I don’t know all the details myself. My information is restricted. But your suspicion seems reasonable, doesn’t it? Given that it’s called the First one.]
To Lee Gang-han’s question, the Divine Maiden’s ghost admitted uncertainty,
yet allowed that such a guess was plausible.
“So if I clear this place, does the Infinite Tower crisis on Earth end?”
[That’s quite likely. However…]
The Divine Maiden’s finger swept downward.
She pointed at the ground below them.
[Beneath this First Tower, there are extraordinarily powerful beings waiting…! Even for the Heavenly Demon, thorough preparation is necessary before descending.]
“Descending?”
[Yes. This is the topmost level.]
“Interesting. In the Infinite Tower, I always climbed upward. So here we go down instead.”
The First Tower was different in every way.
Lee Gang-han nodded.
The Divine Maiden’s ghost then pointed to the portals arranged all around them, one by one.
[After passing the Heavenly Demon Valley trial, four types of training halls have been prepared for you—Strength, Agility, Endurance, and Mana. There, you can raise your Stats beyond human limits, up to 13.]
Since 10 was the level of a national-champion athlete,
gaining three more points here would far exceed human capability.
But.
“13… I could only reach 10. How do I know if I’ve climbed to 13?”
[A guide like me can take precise measurements. Would it be all right if I touched your body for a moment?]
“Sure.”
Lee Gang-han agreed readily.
The Divine Maiden’s ghost placed her hand on his arm.
Then.
A chill ran across his skin.
His forearm tingled with an eerie sensation,
and a chime sounded.
His detailed Stat Values appeared before Lee Gang-han’s eyes.
Strength: 17.5
Agility: 17.1
Endurance: 17.4
Mana: 7
She’d said the limit was 13.
Yet his Stat window showed Strength, Agility, and Endurance all in the 17s.
[Wh—? All three of you exceeded 17…?]
The Divine Maiden’s ghost stared at the numbers, her eyes widening in shock.
[No, how did it reach 17? Even accounting for how many times you died, how did you exceed the limit by four points…?]
“I… reached 17? I’m healthier than most, but not to that degree.”
[…Above 13 is a threshold the human body cannot possibly reach. In reality, your flesh likely cannot fully manifest the value of 17.]
The Divine Maiden’s eyes gleamed with realization.
[But once you became a Player and obtained the Heavenly Demon Body, you would have been able to express this strength, wouldn’t you?]
“Now that you mention it… I thought I’d simply grown stronger from the Heavenly Demon Body.”
[Regardless, it’s truly astounding. 17… what method of cultivation did you use?]
“Hmm. Good question.”
The training hall where 13 was supposed to be the limit.
Yet if all three of his Stats had exceeded 17,
he couldn’t even imagine what he’d done inside.
“Let’s go in and see.”
[…Will you be all right?]
“Why?”
[The 999+ deaths shown are merely notation. You actually died far more than that in there. I wonder if it’s safe for you to return to that place…]
“No. That’s exactly why I need to go in while my mind is clear.”
The visions the Divine Maiden’s ghost had shown him earlier.
The Lee Gang-han in that other world, absent and half-conscious, had gone to the Strength Training Hall only to die again and again.
If he’d been dying like that since ten years ago,
then calling it 999 deaths was no exaggeration.
It meant he’d perished thousands of times over.
‘I need to find out what happened to him in there—what he endured to die so many times.’
With that resolve, Lee Gang-han made up his mind to enter.
[Heavenly Demon… could I go with you? I haven’t been allowed in until now.]
The Divine Maiden’s spirit offered the suggestion.
“All right. Let’s go together. First, let’s test our strength.”
Whoosh.
Lee Gang-han stepped into the Strength Training Hall to the north.
The Divine Maiden’s spirit glided up onto his shoulder.
Then they entered the portal.
[You have entered the Strength Training Hall.]
Inside a space barely the size of a studio apartment,
Lee Gang-han stood bewildered.
‘We’re supposed to train strength… here?’
On all sides but the ceiling, earthen walls hemmed him in completely.
Nothing else surrounded him.
How was he supposed to build strength in this place?
As Lee Gang-han stood puzzled,
[Training ‘Strength’.]
[Difficulty Setting – Impossible]
Suddenly the difficulty flashed up as ‘Impossible.’
Rumble, rumble, rumble…!
A massive boulder crashed down from above.
Surely this couldn’t be—
‘They want me to catch and hold up that enormous falling boulder?’
It was a brutally crude method of training.
Lee Gang-han furrowed his brow,
“Heavenly Demon Divine Art….”
He tried to activate the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
With the difficulty set to impossible
and given that he’d died here repeatedly while unconscious before,
he judged that his current strength alone wouldn’t withstand the impact.
But just as he was about to use the Skill,
[Don’t use Skills…!!!]
Suddenly,
from one side of the wall,
came a woman’s scream.
“What…? Divine Maiden….”
[It’s not me! What— what’s this? There’s another spirit here?]
The Divine Maiden was even more startled than he was.
Certainly, the voice had a different pitch from hers.
But this voice—
‘Where have I heard this before…?’
As Lee Gang-han listened to the high-pitched shriek,
something like déjà vu crept over him.
[Please! Don’t use Skills! You just have to die, Gang-han!]
The woman inside the wall
was urging Lee Gang-han not to use the Heavenly Demon Divine Art and simply to die.
She spoke his name as she did it.
And the moment Lee Gang-han heard his name called,
“That can’t be….”
His eyes widened for the first time.
When he’d first heard the scream, he didn’t know,
but this voice calling him Gang-han
was unmistakably
a voice from his memory.
And—
Gang-han! I’m doing this for you!!!
His name was called once more.
“…Could it be… Mother?”
Lee Gang-han recognized at once whose voice this matched.
The Heavenly Demon Shatters the Tower (Serialization)
Author │ Yeom Bi
Publisher │ Kim Ju-hyung
Published by │ J Plus Media Co., Ltd.
Marketing │ Han Jae-hyuk
Address │ 204, 288 Digital-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul (Guro-dong, Daelung Post Tower 1st)
Email │ [email protected]
Website │ www.jayplemedia.com
© Yeom Bi 2025
※ This work has been published by J Plus Media Co., Ltd. in accordance with a contract with the copyright holder, and no content may be used in any form or by any means without permission from the company and author.
Violation of this will result in criminal and civil legal liability.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————