Chapter 127: Hunting

“You’re awake.”

Suddenly, I heard a voice beside me. Quickly turning my head, I saw the Overlord beside me, chewing on a fruit.

“…That startled me.”

“It’s useless to say that without your expression changing. Anyway, congratulations. You’ve become quite impressive.”

The Overlord looked at me with a newly serious expression.

“Just a while ago, you were on the edge of the middle ranks. Now, you’re halfway to the upper rank, or rather, should this only be considered half of the upper rank?”

The Overlord gave me an incredulous look.

“It’s absurd. I thought it would take 5 years for you to shed your shell and reach a transcendental rank, but your speed is beyond my expectations.”

Beside me, Celestial looked at me with an interested expression.

“Everyone, quiet down. Our Seo-ha has just woken up.”

“Our Seo-ha? Isn’t that name a bit much for a student? It’s not like you’re dreaming of a forbidden love between a principal and a student.”

“Regardless, he’s my student.”

Seo Ye-bin looked at me, her hair shining like gold, her purple eyes sparkling.

“Well, anyway, well done. I was half in doubt when you said you gave him a necklace related to the ‘star’.”

The Overlord’s eyes turned towards me.

“He had the capacity to not summon the ‘star’ against The Brigade of Eternal Heaven. Hmm, really, don’t you want to become my disciple?”

“Don’t extend your strange hands to someone else’s student.”

“Are you worried? Well, you haven’t been much help in her growth.”

“I respect the free will of my student. I’ve provided countless supports.”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

The Emperor and the Overlord argued over me. I smiled awkwardly and said,

“I already have a master.”

“…Right. I’d like to see that great master of yours sometime.”

-If you come back to your true self, you’ll be nothing more than a handful!

‘Really?’

-…You seem to be worth a handful, after all.

Black Heaven glanced at me with narrowed eyes.

“But what happened with the Hundred Temple?”

“Many gods died. I did my best, but it still felt somewhat lacking.”

“Tsk. It’s disheartening to see the power of our greatest ally country diminished.”

“It’s not entirely negative. This incident will prompt them to intervene more actively.”

“Those with significant influence?”

“Yes.”

With Seo Ye-bin’s words, a cluster of light materialized in front of me.

I observed the cluster of light with a tension I hadn’t realized I possessed. The disparity in class was immense.

‘Even if I were to strike it, there would be no impact…’

Dividing ‘rank’ didn’t only refer to stages.

It encompassed hierarchy as well as boundaries.

In the upper class, power was not effectively wielded, and in the highest class, power was somewhat utilized.

However, things shifted slightly when one became a transcendental being.

Beings who were not transcendental could not harm a transcendental being because the rank they have accumulated shielded them from the attacks of others.

It’s a truly asymmetric power dynamic.

Even nuclear weapons proved ineffective against them.

“Hello.”

A light greeting, as if from a neighbor.

His appearance was casual.

He seemed slightly older than me, wearing a black leather jacket over a tank top, and leather pants, as if dressed for a night out.

The man, the God of Struggle, appeared just like that.

“You’re the one? The hot topic among the transcendental beings right now.”

“Is that the rumor going around?”

“Well, it’s quite rare for the Emperor, the Overlord, and the Celestial to act together. And we’ve been keeping a close eye on you too. Ah, but that’s not the important part.”

The God of Struggle said this and then bowed to me.

“Thank you. Without you, this situation would have become unimaginably worse. The Hundred Temple would have been reduced to less than half its size, and more transcendental beings would have perished as well.”

“That’s too generous of a thank you.”

“No, you’re at a level where receiving such gratitude is entirely appropriate.”

The God of Struggle said this and then continued.

“You humans like rewards, right? Is there anything you want?”

“Our Hundred Temple has journeyed through thousands of worlds. Don’t worry. Although we faced a significant loss this time, our treasures have actually grown. And I’m here on behalf of the Hundred Temple. If there’s anything you desire, just say it.”

Gods who have achieved divinity are on a level akin to transcendental beings. They have traversed countless worlds.

There might be relics filled with endless mysteries, or a mysterious elixir that can grant an ordinary person the power of the middle class with just one dose, or a weapon that enables the middle class to defeat the upper class.

‘…Mostly things I don’t need?’

There was one thing I had in mind from the beginning.

Now, Black Heaven had grown too much, and it’s uncertain if it could be obtained, but the mystery was unnecessary.

Elixirs that enhanced spiritual abilities were extremely rare, and now their effect would be negligible.

A weapon that allowed the middle rank to kill the upper rank? I’ve been defeating upper-ranked beings even when I was in the middle rank, and I already possessed two of the Four Seasons swords, similar weapons. There’s also Black Heaven.

‘It’s only that, after all.’

A power imbued with divine force, distinct from the mystery.

“Could you grant me the power of struggle?”

“Struggle, huh.”

The God of Struggle smiled awkwardly.

“That’s quite a troublesome request.”

“Is it not possible?”

“No, I have my pride. I can’t say one thing and do another.”

The God of Struggle placed a finger on my forehead.

“You already have one engraving. Thus, if you receive my engraving, you can only have one other.”

A tremendous light emanated from the God of Struggle.

Holy and divine. Yet, it felt like a power that endlessly fuels the fighting spirit.

[You have received the power of struggle from the God of Struggle.]

[You have acquired the special stat struggle.]

‘This time I really gained a lot.’

In terms of power, I felt at least twice as strong.

“But, you know, do you have any interest in becoming my apostle?”

“Apostle?”

“Yes, apostle.”

An apostle was literally one who inherited the power of a god.

It’s akin to being a god’s agent, practically the face of the god.

There were various benefits to becoming an apostle.

First off, you could have almost god-like power in America, and since it’s more convenient for a god if their apostle was strong, they’d support you in various ways.

‘The God of Struggle is generous by nature, so he’ll support me a lot.’

However, I shook my head.

“Sorry, but I have no such intention right now.”

“Is that so?”

The God of Struggle looked at me for a moment.

“Well, if that’s your opinion, there’s nothing to be done.”

Struggle said this and stepped back with a look of disappointment.

“Is there anything else you want?”

“Having obtained the power of struggle?”

“It has various meanings. But for now, you can take it as a gesture that I want to be on good terms with you.”

Struggle chuckled as he said this.

“Ah, and you have been granted special permission. There will be no problem if you return to Korea immediately.”

“What about the Mines?”

“The Mines, huh.”

Struggle’s expression changed from a friendly neighborhood brother to a cold, frosty demeanor.

“Since they’ve messed with us, we’ll have to teach them what kind of price to pay. It would be wise not to come to America for a while.”

Struggle said this.

“Anyway, we are thankful to you. We’ll give you a separate gift later.”

“Okay. Send it to China-52.”

“52? Has it increased again? China seems to be increasing these days. Celestial and the Emperor were in Korea, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll send it soon. We’re busier than we thought right now.”

With that, Struggle left.

“What are you going to do? The Emperor and I will return.”

“What about Lord Celestial?”

“Celestial will stay here. The Emperor needs to recover the stars.”

“…”

“Don’t make such a face. The stars can be recovered quickly. They just need a bit of coaxing.”

“Shall I help too?”

“…If you would help, I would be glad.”

Seo Ye-bin smiled slightly as she said this.

“Do you know how much of an age difference there is between you? A whopping over 50 years… cough!”

The first star that appeared from somewhere shut the Overlord’s mouth.

And our party returned to Korea.

I breathed.

The Black Flame Spirit Star was a huge vessel. A great vessel filled with origin, flame, and the Seal of Absorption.

‘Did I make it too big?’

I infused it with the Energy of Defying Heaven. However, it only filled up to the extent of putting a scoop in the ocean.

I gathered the Energy of Defying Heaven in my hand, using it.

A forbidden flame appeared. A side effect of creating the Black Flame Spirit Star.

A forbidden and high-purity black flame. It had the force of attraction, drawing in the power around it.

However, the purity was so high that the power that could be used was actually reduced.

‘The key is to fill the Black Flame Spirit Star.’

The fastest way to fill it was to obtain the legacy of the Heavenly Demon.

‘The legacy of the Heavenly Demon is hard to find.’

As the dimensions overlapped, worlds began to mix.

The legacies originally arranged by the Heavenly Demon might have been contaminated by others or, like in America, fallen into someone else’s hands.

‘I should leave this to the Electronic Witch.’

I relayed this task to the Electronic Witch via my phone.

-It’s a tool that can use your power. Got it, I’ll look for it as best as I can. If something that unique exists, it should be found quickly.

“Thanks, I’m counting on you.”

I clenched my fist. A different kind of power was surging through me.

‘Maybe it’s time to start moving.’

There were no Mines near Seoul.

More precisely, there were no high-level Mines except for those excluded because I, wearing a mask, have eradicated them.

I put on the mask and wore the coat given to me by Ershil.

After returning to Korea, I checked my condition. After some thought, I realized I was now in a position to confront those I hadn’t dared to touch before.

‘Tonight, it’s time to go hunting.’

I sent a message to Seolhwa Ryeon.