Novel23 Chapter 532
Chapter 532
A system notice.
At the same time, the true second special quest occurred, and the Shadow Lord released Su-ho from his bindings.
Freed from the bindings, Su-ho immediately checked the contents of the second special quest.
[ Special Quest ]
Category: Quest
# A special quest manifested for Player An Su-ho.
# This is a linked quest, and if you fail during execution, it will automatically end.
# Quest rewards are granted by accumulating the result values, and if you fail along the way, no rewards will be given.
# You have accomplished the first quest.
# The second special quest is to receive complete recognition from Shadow Lord Umbrada.
The second special quest had been unlocked.
Its content was to receive Umbrada’s complete recognition.
In a way, it was only natural.
Maybe that was why a stunned, incredulous laugh slipped out.
'How long do you think the system has been waiting for this moment.'
Everything had already been decided, and it had even seen straight through my behavioral psychology.
And even so, you just didn’t want to show me the contents of the second special quest.
Because you were going to enjoy watching my reaction.
Su-ho spoke as he closed the quest window.
“So what do I do now?”
- Defeat me.
“Me? You? You’re a Constellation.”
- Yes. I am a Constellation. So for now, I cannot step out personally. But I can produce an avatar equivalent to that.
That was when—
Whoooooosh!
A fierce wind blew.
At the same time, the distance between Su-ho and Umbrada widened in an instant, and Umbrada devoured the Demon King’s corpse as the darkness consumed it, then dragged it into the dark.
[ A boss monster has appeared. ]
A system notice appeared, and from within the darkness that had swallowed it, a black silhouette burst out.
It was a pitch-black silhouette with only its eyes rippling in blue light, reminiscent of Umbrada from just before.
- Avatar of Shadow Lord Umbrada Lv.???
A nameplate appeared.
I see.
That was the mountain I had to climb.
He felt a bit tense.
No matter how it was only an avatar, this was the first time he was fighting a Constellation directly.
'Then I have to go all out from the start, too.'
All or nothing.
Of course, there had never really been a time it wasn’t all or nothing, but this time, in particular, he couldn’t afford to yield.
'To participate in the Independence Game, I have to become a Constellation, and to receive Constellation qualifications, I have to become guardian-deity level. And to do that, I need to get through the special quest in front of me first.'
If anything failed, if anything slipped, my world and I were finished.
Honestly, he didn’t know if he loved his world.
The reason he’d decided he had to bring the gates to an end in the first place was because his entire family had died because of the goddamn system and the gates.
So until right before he’d been betrayed by his comrades before the regression, he felt like he’d fought with revenge as his driving force.
After the regression, it was the same.
He’d regressed dramatically because of the system, but either way, that point in time still wasn’t before his family died.
In that sense, it wasn’t like he was in a hurry to get it over with because he wanted some early retirement or a peaceful old age.
He’d just thought that if he ended every last one of these goddamn gates, the knot inside him would finally come undone.
That was all.
A vague goal.
But just now, he’d gained a proper goal.
A clear and detailed goal.
Winning the Independence Game.
And along with the complete independence of his world, a regression of time to before the system’s appearance.
Which meant he could meet his dead family again.
That was enough.
He’d become the pinnacle of his world and built up enormous wealth and fame, but those things had never mattered all that much to him.
But his dead family returning was a different kind of story.
It meant he could regain something that he could never have no matter how hard he worked.
Of course, even now, there were classes like necromancers who could resurrect the dead.
But that was only raising the dead body—it didn’t return their memories or their warmth, all of it.
'What meaning would there be in resurrecting the people ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) I loved as slaughtering weapons.'
But victory in the Independence Game would return everything.
That was reason enough.
With his resolve set, Su-ho began his preparations.
[ Summoning Hercules’s Lion-Head Helm. ]
[ Summoning Hercules’s Club. ]
[ Blood Armor is activated. ]
[ Blessing is activated. ]
[ Paladin is activated. ]
[ Divine Aura is activated. ]
[ Mana Detection is activated. ]
[ Endurance is activated. ]
[ Enhancement is activated. ]
[ The Wildsmith’s Eye is activated. ]
[ Sword Aura is activated. ]
Kugugugugugugu!!
Skill effects surged and raged.
This much preparation was enough for the first stage.
Umbrada spoke.
- Please show me results beyond my expectations.
Buuuuung—
As soon as Umbrada finished speaking, Umbrada’s avatar rose into the air.
At the same time, its own preparations began.
[ Avatar of Shadow Lord Umbrada activates Shadow Land. ]
As the avatar’s skill activated, pitch-black darkness poured out like waves from it, dyeing the surroundings completely.
It was darkness, and it was shadow.
[ Avatar of Shadow Lord Umbrada summons shadow soldiers. ]
Next came shadow soldiers.
Along with the system notice, pitch-black shadow soldiers wielding different weapons rose up in front of Su-ho.
'He said he was a shadowmancer, right?'
The feel of the word sounded similar to necromancer, and somehow it seemed like the combat style would be similar, too.
If so, it would be extremely tricky.
There was no opponent more annoying and difficult than a well-grown necromancer.
Before he shot forward, Su-ho snapped his fingers.
[ Vivara’s Spell is activated. ]
[ Eclipse is activated. ]
[ You receive sunlight and moonlight. ]
[ The Sun and Moon Rune responds. ]
[ The power of the Sun and Moon is activated. ]
[ You receive the blessing of the Sun and Moon. ]
[ All stats increase by 2%. ]
[ All recovery increases by 2%. ]
[ Fire attribute is activated. ]
[ Light attribute is activated. ]
[ Ice attribute is activated. ]
[ Dark attribute is activated. ]
Now that an area skill like Shadow Land had been activated, he needed to secure as similar an advantage as possible, too.
Of course, he still didn’t have a proper area skill.
So as a consolation, he laid down Vivara’s Spell and raised Eclipse.
And then, when both sides finished all preparations—
“Oooooooo!!”
A thick, ringing battle shout.
It came from the shadow soldiers’ mouths.
With that sound, they charged at Su-ho, each gripping their weapons.
But the dozen or so shadow soldiers that had been summoned kept being newly summoned from the original summoning point the closer they got to Su-ho.
“What is this, a factory?”
Su-ho’s sword swung.
Slash!
He didn’t use a swordsmanship skill.
And even so, the shadow soldiers’ waists were chopped clean through like cutting radishes.
Kakang! Kagagang!
Amid the scattered weapons of the shadow soldiers, Su-ho danced like the wind.
The sparks from clashing weapons made Su-ho’s sword dance look even more dazzling, and the strikes he drove in through the gaps made contact with the pitch-black bodies and detonated fire and ice, light and darkness, pouring out damage beyond imagination.
The shadow soldiers continued to pour out as if the gates of hell had opened.
It was fine.
He didn’t care at all.
This wasn’t a place for some grand objective like clearing a raid in the shortest time—it was a place to receive the recognition of a desperate Constellation.
'A place where I need to show as much as I can.......'
But looked at the other way, it was also a place where he could see everything Umbrada had.
No—he intended to see as much as possible.
Because as the one who was going to receive Umbrada’s power, it would help him as much as possible.
Watching Su-ho’s sword dance, Umbrada’s avatar began the next step.
[ Avatar of Shadow Lord Umbrada uses Shadow Enhancement. ]
As the next step, Shadow Enhancement activated.
Then the bodies of the shadow soldiers battering Su-ho grew even larger, and the force with which they struck Su-ho became even fiercer.
The skill name was simple, but its content was not.
Su-ho kept dancing his sword.
He didn’t use any other skills.
But—
Puhhhng!!
Kwaaaang!!
Kuuuuung!!
For some reason, the enhanced shadow soldiers didn’t push him back even a little—instead, they were shoved back while taking even heavier damage than before, or their entire bodies burst apart.
Watching, Umbrada narrowed his eyes.
Not the avatar—Umbrada himself was hiding in the shadows a step away, watching.
Su-ho spoke.
“You’re wondering why they’re not pushing me back, aren’t you?”
He couldn’t feel Umbrada’s gaze.
Naturally, there was no answer, either.
But even so, Su-ho shouted as if he were explaining to Umbrada, not the avatar.
“Don’t overthink it. Earlier I was just hitting lightly, and now I’m putting more force into it.”
Puhhhng!!
Kwaaaang!!
Kuuuuung!!
Explosions bursting one after another.
As if to prove his words, Su-ho filled the battlefield with even louder booms.
Umbrada’s eyes narrowed.
As the booms grew louder, the avatar raised its hand.
[ Avatar of Shadow Lord Umbrada uses Spirit Pressure. ]
'Spirit Pressure?'
In that moment—
Kuuuuung!!
It felt like his entire body was being crushed.
Did Spirit Pressure mean the pressure of shadows?
That was the answer.
As Spirit Pressure activated, Su-ho’s body became extremely heavy, as if gravity itself had increased.
'So that’s how it works?'
A body that had turned stiff and sluggish.
It reminded him of the Mariana Trench Gate.
Su-ho immediately stomped the ground.
[ Saint Dome is activated. ]
As a holy veil formed, he could break free of the crushing Spirit Pressure.
But Saint Dome’s duration didn’t look like it would be very long.
“Hoo.”
Looking at the shadow soldiers pushed out beyond Saint Dome, Su-ho brushed his hair back.
The shadow soldiers were still popping out in the distance like a factory stamping them out.
First a numbers rush, then enhancement, then a curse.
What was next?
Crack!
With the shadow soldiers pounding on it, Saint Dome began to fracture.
Whatever came next, he felt it was time to pick up the pace.
Su-ho drew his sword back to his waist.
Then he swung with all his strength and triggered it.
[ Sky Cleave is activated. ]
[ Enhancement is applied. ]
[ Sky Cleave’s power becomes even stronger. ]
Slash!!
A sword strike spread in all directions.
It carried four attributes, and at the same time it was saturated with true demonic energy.
As a result—
[ You have slain a shadow soldier of Shadow Lord Umbrada’s avatar. ]
[ You have slain a shadow soldier of Shadow Lord Umbrada’s avatar. ]
[ You have slain a shadow soldier of Shadow Lord Umbrada’s avatar. ]
[ You have slain a shadow soldier of Shadow Lord Umbrada’s avatar. ]
......
Countless notices pouring down.
In a single blow, he had cut down all of those shadow soldiers.
Pah-gang!
Around then, Saint Dome shattered as well.
The Spirit Pressure that flooded in through the broken Saint Dome pressed down on Su-ho, but Su-ho didn’t care in the slightest, curling his lips upward.
“This isn’t some rookie initiation test, so how about we start the real game already?”
A light provocation.
At the challenger’s spirited taunt, Umbrada let out a short laugh.
- Let’s.
There was no reason to refuse a provocation after taking it.
As soon as he accepted the challenge, Umbrada’s avatar raised its hand.
[ Avatar of Shadow Lord Umbrada summons the shadow divine beast—Black Shadow Dragon. ]
Kugugugugugugu!!
Acceptance of the challenge.
And the price was the deployment of the most powerful shadow divine beast among Umbrada’s divine beasts.