CHAPTER 126. Doing Something Insane

Just because We DON'T TALK DOESN'T mean I don't, think about you

ANDE

I'm just TRYING TO DISTANCE MYSELF

on things I KNOW I CAN'T HAVE

.......

Looking at them, Jin beamed with pride. He focused all his might on his clenched right fist. 'It feels great to see your power grow. When I came to this world, I was a pathetic little weakling. Yet now I stand here, and soon I will have the power to end worlds.

 But still, it's far from my end goal. In fact, I don't even know where or when my end goal is. After all, I want to achieve true infinity ♾, something the human mind can't even comprehend.'

"M-mm??"

Belatedly, Vulcan discovered Jin and ran at him. Unfortunately, Jin saw that coming from far away, and others did the same. When he gave the signal, fireballs shot out from the Shadow Mages' hands.

*wooosh-*

*wooooooosh-*

*BANG!*

The fireball exploded near the mobs around Volcan, signaling the start of the battle.

*Ding~!*

*The Overlord of the Lower Floors, Volkhan of Avarice, has noticed an intruder!*

*Volkhan's Bodyguard has noticed...*

*Volkhan's Bodyguard has noticed...*

*ring, ring, ring!*

The warning tones came repeatedly, one after another. With the warning, Volkhan and the bodyguards turned their gazes toward Jin.

'Alright…'

*Ting.*

Jin just stood there, not doing anything, as the huge cube was slowly coming towards him. Unfortunately, it wasn't fast enough for Vulcan, as a hand came at absurd speed, completely stopping the cube as it was held. Shockwaves were sent from it as all momentum was lost.

Even when the huge cube was near his nose, Jin still had a relaxed look. The hand that stopped the cube belonged to Guardian, standing in all his glory. Even though the cube was the size of a house in his hands, it still looked like a toothpick.

As Vulcan stared at the huge armored titan with despair in his eyes, it was too late. A Katana appeared in Jin's hand as he took a stance and prepared himself. With a deep breath, he gripped the hilt of the Katana. 

"Enhance," "Penetrate," "Sharpen," "Weapon Enhance." The entire Katana shone with a brilliant light. "Sprint," "Haste," "Flash Step."

*Ting.*

With one more breath, he disappeared, and in the next flash, he was standing on the other side of Vulcan, sheathing his Katana back in its scabbard in a Vergil-style motion. As Guardian let go of the huge cube and just as Vulcan was about to turn around...

*Ding~.*

*Ting.*

*Swiiiick!!*

But as he did the action of moving a single muscle, he was sliced into hundreds of pieces.

"THUD!! THUD!! THUD!! Bam Bam Bam Bam Bam."

All the pieces of the now-dead Vulcan started to fall like it was raining, and blood was splattered everywhere.

It was a rain, a rain of guts and blood. He had chopped Vulcan into pieces so fast that Vulcan didn't even realize he was dead yet. The poor demon died without even getting the chance to use his boosted stats. But even if he did, Jin's stats were so overwhelming that he could still one-punch the demon. Even though blood and gore rained everywhere, Jin stood there like a boss, not a single drop of blood falling on him.

Iron's huge shield was above his head like an umbrella, protecting him from above, while Igris stood in front of him. With his sword, Igris sliced through everything that came his way, trying not to dirty his lord's clothes.

"Mmmm, so this is how it feels. I have to say, it's amazing," Jin said, even though Vulcan was chopped into hundreds of pieces. Unfortunately, life drain wouldn't work in that situation.

"The speed boost feels amazing, especially when my own speed is supersonic. Adding the effect of Flash Step was a good idea to create that skill.

*Ding~*

[Flash Step (Lv. 1) Passive]

Mana Cost: 2000/170/S

AOE: None

Cool Down: 2 Hours

Damage: None

Effect: Gives a 200% speed boost while also allowing the player to walk on air by compressing the player's mana below his feet.

But it puts extreme resistance on the player's body.

It's a nice skill. With two more speed boosts, I not only become a blur but also so fast that I sliced Vulcan so fast he didn't even notice it.

Now I understand why people get addicted to speed. Seeing the world not just slow down but remain still while you could do anything is an amazing feeling. I sliced him into more than 300 pieces in less than a second.

When I can swing my sword that fast, it makes killing, mowing lawns, or chopping meat for cooking, or even giving haircuts seem easy.

I did the thing where I chopped him to pieces so fast he didn't even realize he was dead yet. At one point, the world froze in place for about two and a half seconds as I kept moving, indicating a speed 2000 times faster than the average human.

Here's the revised version of the text:

Which does not sound like a lot if you do the math. The average human running speed is around 13 Km/h. Now I was 2000 times faster than that, which is around 19500 Km/h. This is, by the numbers, 15.792031 times the speed of sound.

 Yes, when I sliced Vulcan, my speed was approximately 16 times the speed of sound, with a 2000 times speed increase in real-time. This also means I can travel around the whole planet in two hours, and I can now run on water quite easily.

While Jin was celebrating his speed, he forgot to look at his army, who were collecting the chopped pieces of Vulcan, each weighing over hundreds of kilos. After some time of celebration, Jin looked at the system window. Only then did the messages he was waiting for pop up.

[You have killed the Sovereign of the Lower Floors, the Avaricious Vulcan.]

[You have earned 157,500 experience points.]

[The souls of demons trapped inside Vulcan's stomach have been released.]

[You have acquired (72) Souls of Demons.]

Jin relaxedly walked out from the thick, ash-grey dust clouds that had settled down and took a look around him. He was thinking of assisting the Shadow Soldiers right away, but even they seemed to be getting close to finishing up, as well. They were hunting down the last few remaining demons on this floor.

"Kiiechk!!"

"Khekeck!!"

"Kheeck!"

As the shadow soldiers hacked away with their swords, the number of Vulcan's underlings and demons rapidly decreased.

'Status.'

*ring~*

Name: Sung Jinwoo

Level: 112 (78.68%)

Class: Monarch of Shadows

Subclass:

Title: Limit Breaker, Demon Slayer, Lord of Death, Exterminator

Harbinger of Doom: The player's presence is associated with foreboding signs of death and calamity.

Necrotic Executor: One who enacts death's will, striking down foes with relentless efficiency.

Demonbane: Awarded for the relentless pursuit and defeat of numerous demon hordes, instilling fear among the demonkind.

Abyssal Hunter: Acknowledged as a relentless tracker and slayer of demons from the depths of the abyss, the title commands respect even among the most powerful demons.

Hellbringer: Infamous for bringing the fires of hell to demon hordes, this title signifies the player's proficiency in combating the forces of darkness. (...?? more)

HP: 35935/35935 R: 22.3% (2024.93) per Minute

MP: 65478/65478 R: 33.87% (8057.41) per Minute

???: 992 R: 5% (35) per Minute

Fatigue: 20

Stats

Strength: 295

Constitution: 262

Agility: 260

Intelligence: 395

Sense: 261

(Available stat points: 45)

Physical Damage Reduction: 46%

Passive Skills

Death Walker (Lv 1): Wherever the player goes, death follows him.

Death's Embrace (Lv 1): The player's connection to the realm of death grants resistance to necrotic and dark-based skills and effects.

Eternal Grasp (Lv 1): The player's touch drains the life force from opponents, weakening them over time when struck in close combat.

Malefic Aura (Lv 1): A palpable aura of evil exudes from the player, causing discomfort and unease among those nearby.

Demonic Insight (Lv 1): Through repeated encounters with demons, the player has gained an innate understanding of their weaknesses and abilities, allowing for more effective strategies.

Abyssal Resilience (Lv 1): Having faced the darkness head-on, the player's resistance against demonic spells and curses has greatly increased.

Sinister Affliction (Lv 1): Strikes from the player's attacks carry a corrupting energy that can weaken or even taint the souls of demons, leaving them vulnerable.

Active Skills

Decay (Lv. 1)

Light Rain (Lv. 1)

Holy Smite (Lv. 1)

True Dark (Lv. 1)

Demonfire Torrent (Lv. 1): Summons a torrent of dark flames that specifically target demons, inflicting intense burning damage and sowing chaos among their ranks.

Banish the Infernal (Lv. 1): Channels the power of the abyss to cast out and weaken demons, potentially forcing weaker ones to flee and making stronger ones easier to defeat.

Abyssal Grasp (Lv. 1): Extends ethereal tendrils infused with demonic energy to immobilize and drain strength from demons, replenishing the player's own vitality.

Voidstep (Lv. 1): Temporarily melds into the shadows, allowing the character to navigate the demonic realms undetected and strike at unsuspecting foes.

Corrupting Cacophony (Lv. 1): Releases a piercing scream that disrupts the cohesion of demon groups, inducing confusion and causing them to attack each other.

Abyssal Eruption (Lv. 1): Unleashes a surge of dark energy that ruptures the earth, causing hellish spikes to impale and damage demons within its area of effect.

Here's the revised version of the text:

Doombringer's Ascension (Lv 1): By defeating a significant number of demons, the player's prowess and reputation have reached new heights, causing fear even among the most powerful demonic entities.

I studied my Status Window. This was all great, where I got most of the skills through the system by constantly hunting demons. It's my current status, much grander than before, even greater than OG Jin around the time he was climbing the tower. His stats weren't even around 200, and I am not far from that 300 goal. In fact, I can reach that if I use the available stat points that I have.

But I am keeping them unless they could be very useful in difficult circumstances, even if the chance of something like that happening in this world is nearly 0. But still, it's always ensuring that I do have secret weapons.

My stats are extremely pleasing to look at. I watch my status for self-satisfaction rather than to actually view my abilities. I have remembered every single one of my abilities, including magical spells. I mean, how am I to perform them if I didn't remember them? And it's not like I can forget anything.

Thus, it was more of personal satisfaction that I felt from seeing my status. I gained 50 stat points after the last time I used "Life Drain," which got randomly divided between my stat sheet. While some of them I created myself, all were great skills and titles. And since I am leveling up quite quickly, both my HP and MP are full.

And they haven't taken any damage since I came here. It's farfetched to say that I will soon be able to reach level 150. If my math is right, I would be around level 125 when I clear this tower.

But what is shocking is that the new energy I possess is increasing just by me staying in this place. It's slow but increasing, and I am 99% sure it will increase if I use Drain Life on demons.

So I can only think of things that count in hell and demons: the Demonic energy, a form of energy that comes from hell and is used by demons and devils.

'Anyway, I have plenty of Mana, so much so that not even the Demon King would be able to put a scratch on it, even if he cuts my shadows as many times as he wants. So, even if I let my shadows do all the work, I won't feel a thing.

As long as there is sufficient Mana, shadow soldiers will be exactly like immortals. Now, that is the true power of an undead army. Leaving the mop-up of the remnants to his trusty soldiers, Jin turned around to collect the loot.

"Hmm."

Is this feeling similar to unwrapping a gift? Seeing that dead body of Vulcan, a smile automatically formed on his lips, even though he knew what was there. But deep inside him, there was always hope that maybe there is something new, something unexpected.

'I wonder if there is something new this time?'

He could spy several lights sparkling on the body, just like before. Jin extended his hand towards the lights. Then, item acquisition messages popped up in his view.

Ding~!

[You have discovered 'Item: Demon Sovereign's Earrings.' Will you take it?]

[You have discovered 'Item: Bead of Avarice.' Will you take it?]

[You have discovered 'Item: Vulcan's Horns' x2. Will you take them?]

[You have discovered 'Material Item: Fragment of the World Tree.' Will you take it?]

Rarity: S

Type: Accessory

Endurance +20, Stamina +20

When worn together with 'Demon Sovereign's Necklace' and 'Demon Sovereign's Ring', set bonuses will be unlocked.

Set bonus effect 1: (locked)

Set bonus effect 2: (locked)

Sigh...

"Nothing new," Jin said with a sigh while looking at the items.

'It's good, especially with hidden set bonuses.'

If only its additional Stat boosts were concerned, then it was not that different from the 'Gatekeeper's Necklace' in terms of usefulness. But these 'Demon Sovereign's Earrings' had hidden set bonus effects as well. Even if those set bonuses were ignored, the item itself was still quite brilliant. Both his Endurance and Stamina got a boost of 20 points, which was considerable.

'Every level up gives me 5 Stat points, so....'

He'd need to level up 8 times to get that many Stat points, in other words. It was nice. Feeling genuinely pleased now, Jin picked the earrings up.

[Will you equip 'Item: Demon Sovereign's Earrings'?]

'Equip.'

Just like with other items, the earrings disappeared from view, but their options still activated with no problem. A satisfied smile formed on Jin's face after confirming the rise in his Stats. So, the accessory set of a demon sovereign, then.

'Other accessories are on the demon bosses. Jin knew where he had to look; those items were equipped on other bosses inside the Demon's Castle. He knew what kind of set bonuses would be unlocked once he got the other two. They were nice. He had found only one part of the set, but there was nothing he could do about his anticipation soaring higher.

However, Jin's smile didn't last for long. He had found something that would make him more OP than any equipment he had.

[Item: Bead of Avarice]

Rarity: S

Type: Magic Tool

Bead created by solidifying superior demon Vulcan's blood. Will strengthen all magical effects and cause greater damage.

Effect 'Appetite for Destruction': x2 magic damage

It was a spherical red object the size of a billiard ball. Jin held the Bead of Avarice in his hand. There was no change to his stats. He pulled up the skill information on the only thing he had that might qualify as magic, but there were no changes. The limits on the number of shadows remained the same.

Again, Jin tightly grasped the 'Bead of Avarice.' But, there was no change to his Stats.

He then summoned and checked the Class-related skill windows, but he saw no change to the number of shadows he could extract nor the number that could be stored.

'As expected, nothing has changed.'

Jin's head tilted this way and that. An increase of 100% in magic damage. That kind of performance was quite incredible, indeed.

But to which instances does this damage apply? Originally, tools that boosted magic cost an arm and a leg, so only a few mage-type Hunters could afford to use them. Even then, Jin had never heard of an item that could double the power of magic among all those uber-expensive artifacts.

If there were, then there would have been utter chaos, with headlines and special reports and whatnot. So, there was no way he would be unaware of one until now.

However, this 'Bead of Avarice' could supposedly double the amount of magic damage. Then to which instances does this damage apply?

Jin licked his lips as simulations ran wild in his mind.

If this item that doubled magic damage but did nothing else would not have any effect on anything. Both his 'shadow extraction' and 'shadow storage' had nothing to do with damaging something. 

Tsk.'

Jin formed a thoughtful expression and lightly tossed the Bead of Avarice up and down in the air. Meanwhile, his soldiers arrived near him one by one, taking down not only Vulcan's remaining underlings but every demon on this floor. The first one to arrive was Igris.

In the right hand, three; and another three in the left. With five heads in his sword, he carried a total of eleven demon heads and placed them before Jin.

"….."

"..."

<....>

Jin looked at Igris kneeling before him and scratched the side of his head. "Uhm, hey man, can't you stop doing that?" Of course, Igris and his gravely-lowered head didn't reply.