Chapter 282: Chapter 282

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 282

[Shadow Option Appraisal Gem]

- Type: Consumable

- Grade: Celestial

- A gem that allows the setting of shadow options.

- Can only be used on shadow equipment or equipment capable of setting shadow options.

The gems were stored in a large pouch.

At first, Jeong-hoon wondered what this was, but now he understood how to use it.

Jeong-hoon took out one gem.

[Five gems are required to appraise a shadow option.]

Five?

That’s quite a lot for a single appraisal.

Fortunately, there were 50 gems, allowing for 10 attempts.

Jeong-hoon consumed five gems to appraise a shadow option.

[You have successfully appraised a shadow option.]

[You can create one clone. However, projecting yourself is not possible.]

This was the first shadow option.

‘It’s identical to the option the Shadow King used.’

The Shadow King had projected and copied Jeong-hoon, then summoned a large number of clones accordingly.

Although this dagger could only create one clone, it still seemed quite useful if used in the right situation.

Jeong-hoon immediately proceeded to appraise the next option.

[You have successfully appraised a shadow option.]

[Absorb the designated target’s shadow. Cooldown: 120 hours]

Shadow absorption?

What happens when you absorb a shadow?

Jeong-hoon tilted his head in curiosity.

[Try absorbing it immediately!]

It seemed Mukho was also curious, urging him to test it.

“Alright. I’ll test it later.”

There weren’t any suitable monsters to experiment on at the moment, so he decided to pass for now.

Jeong-hoon put the dagger away and pulled out a spear.

This spear was a reward for subjugating the Shadow King.

‘I’m confident in spearmanship too.’

Before his regression, spearmanship was the skill Jeong-hoon was most proficient at after swordsmanship.

He had poured nearly as much time into training it as he had into swordsmanship.

‘Hun, instead of a martial artist, why not walk the path of a Spear Master?’

These were the words of Liu Xiaolong, who had observed Jeong-hoon’s training.

In fact, through one-on-one sparring with Liu Xiaolong, Jeong-hoon had worked to address his deficiencies.

‘Why would I?’

‘No, your talent in spearmanship is extraordinary! It’s beyond belief.’

Initially, Liu Xiaolong didn’t think much of Jeong-hoon, but his incredible growth changed Liu’s opinion.

Afterward, Liu actively sparred with Jeong-hoon, generously passing on his own techniques and expertise.

Jeong-hoon was grateful for that, but he didn’t want to limit himself to spearmanship.

‘I don’t want to.’

'What a waste.’

Liu Xiaolong clicked his tongue.

However, Jeong-hoon never focused solely on spearmanship.

Initially, he chose the path of a martial artist because it was a profession capable of growth without relying on weapons. Later, he grew by mastering all types of weaponry.

[Would you like to use the Shadow Appraisal Gem on the Shadow King’s Spear?]

‘Use it.’

[Using the Shadow Appraisal Gem.]

[The Shadow King’s Spear regains its original power.]

With this, the spear was now fully unlocked.

===

[Shadow King’s Spear]

- Type: Spear

- Grade: Ultimate

- Attack Power: ??? (Adjusted to twice the wielder’s level)

- Critical Rate: 30%

- Durability: 100%

- Special Ability (1): Absorb the designated target’s attack to activate one of the spear’s five abilities.

- Special Ability (2): Passive: Bleeding triggers with a 10% chance. (Bleeding damage: 50%)

- Special Ability (3): Passive: Healing Seal triggers with a 10% chance. (Healing Seal debuff duration: Random, 1–30 seconds.)

- Shadow Option (1): Configurable

- Shadow Option (2): Configurable

“It has the same stats as the dagger.”

Is it because both are equipment of the Shadow King?

Regardless, just like the dagger, this spear’s abilities were to Jeong-hoon’s liking.

‘This will be useful for wiping out large groups of enemies.’

There were no limitations on targets.

This meant that whether the enemies numbered a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand, both the Bleeding and Healing Seal effects would apply to all of them.

If the dagger was advantageous in one-on-one battles, the spear would shine against large numbers of foes.

It was now time to configure the shadow options.

[You have successfully appraised a shadow option.]

[You can now use Active: Shadow Bright Moon. Cooldown: 15 seconds]

Shadow Bright Moon?

Curious, Jeong-hoon held the spear, activated the skill, and swung it broadly.

When Shadow Bright Moon was triggered, a black afterimage trailed the spear, accompanied by small flashes of light.

The visual effect exuded an ethereal atmosphere, but within it lay an unmistakable sharpness capable of cutting through anything.

===

[Shadow Bright Moon]

- Type: Active

- Grade: Ultimate

- Description: A shadow darkened by swallowing the bright moon.

- Effect: A spear strike dealing 500% damage, capable of attacking up to 18 enemies simultaneously.

- Special Effect: Ignores 20% of the enemy's defense.

- Debuff: Temporarily applies Blindness for 1.5 seconds.

- Cooldown: 15 seconds

===

‘This is insane.’

With only a 15-second cooldown, the damage output of the spear strike was absurd.

For comparison, the ultimate arrow skill boasted 1,300% damage but came with a 300-second cooldown. While the spear’s 500% damage might not match that, the ability to attack up to 18 enemies simultaneously more than made up for it.

Additionally, the 20% defense ignore effect and the temporary 1.5-second blindness made it even more devastating.

A 15-second cooldown meant frequent use, solidifying its status as a worthy Ultimate-grade active skill.

‘I wish the dagger had an active skill like this.’

For a moment, Jeong-hoon considered resetting the dagger’s options. However, since he hadn’t fully tested its performance yet, he decided not to rush the decision.

Jeong-hoon continued using the Shadow Option Appraisal Gem.

[You have successfully appraised a shadow option.]

[Absorbs the shadow of a designated target. Cooldown: 120 hours]

The second option was identical to the second option on the dagger.

‘Alright. This is good enough.’

Now, it was time to claim the ultimate power.

Jeong-hoon turned and walked toward the portal leading to the exit.

* * *

“Taking quite some time, isn’t it?”

Baal reappeared, his gaze fixed on the portal Jeong-hoon had entered.

His crescent moon-shaped eyes reflected amusement—after all, if Jeong-hoon failed, Baal would proceed with their contract.

“Don’t worry yourself over it,” Harphael said with a soft smile.

Inside that portal awaited the Shadow King.

Gwen, a transcendent of Demon King-level strength, was inside.

Gwen’s level exceeded hers by more than 300, and his aura was overwhelmingly superior.

To fully clear Path of the Ultimate (2), one had to utterly crush the Shadow King, an impossible feat for a human.

It was obvious Jeong-hoon would fail.

‘A mere whelp at level 500. There’s no way he’ll succeed.’

However, Baal’s thoughts differed slightly.

“He might succeed.”

“What? That’s impossible... No matter how extraordinary a human is, defeating Gwen is beyond reason.”

“How many times have I been blindsided after confidently declaring something impossible?”

Harphael felt a pang of discomfort.

She might have been weaker compared to other beings of her kind, but as far as humans were concerned, she was an entity far beyond their reach.

For her to judge humans harshly was natural.

But Baal criticized her judgment as flawed.

‘What could that human possibly be?’

Her discomfort gave way to curiosity.

If the Lord spoke this way, then the human must have something special.

And it wasn’t long before Harphael’s assumptions were shattered.

The human emerged from the portal.

Perfectly unharmed.

“...What?”

Harphael stared at the human with a dumbfounded expression. Meanwhile, the human smirked and walked toward her.

“I succeeded.”

***

A glowing exclamation mark appeared above Harphael’s head, signaling a completed quest.

[You have completed the quest.]

[You are now qualified to challenge the Ultimate Power.]

If Path of the Ultimate (1) had been an episode, then Path of the Ultimate (2) was a dungeon where one had to prove their worth. Now that the qualification had been earned, the challenge for the Ultimate Power could begin.

“This doesn’t make sense… This isn’t supposed to happen…”

Harphael, still in shock, kept muttering to herself with the same vacant expression.

“Baal, more importantly, why are you even here?” Jeong-hoon asked, turning his gaze toward Baal.

“That sounds to me like you’re saying you deliberately interfered to make the dungeon much harder.”

Caught off guard, Baal pressed his lips together tightly.

“Ah, so that’s why the dungeon’s difficulty was so high.”

“Are you planning to meddle with the difficulty again in the future?”

Baal admitted honestly.

If Jeong-hoon had failed in Path of the Ultimate (2), things would have been much simpler. Never did he expect Jeong-hoon to succeed so spectacularly.

Though Baal had considered the possibility, this human was proving to be monstrous beyond imagination.

“Then let me make myself clear. Don’t mess with the difficulty anymore.”

Baal smirked. Jeong-hoon should have established that condition before the wager. Now that the bet was underway, Baal had no obligation to comply.

However, Jeong-hoon’s expression didn’t waver as he calmly replied, “Why? Are you afraid you’ll lose this time, too?”

Jeong-hoon chuckled softly at Baal’s candid admission.

“For a so-called Lord, you’re surprisingly cowardly.”

Baal scowled, his pride clearly wounded.

“Am I wrong? If you weren’t scared, you wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to manipulate things.”

Once again, Baal fell silent. The sheer accuracy of Jeong-hoon’s words left him dizzy, unable to come up with a rebuttal.

“But you’re mistaken about one thing,” Jeong-hoon added.

Baal's eyes trembled slightly.

“Our wager was based on whether I would claim the Ultimate Power, correct?”

“Did we agree that interference would be allowed in the process?”

There had been no explicit prohibition against interference, but equally, no agreement permitting it either.

After a brief moment of deliberation, Baal responded.

“Then you should simply observe and do nothing. That’s the basic principle, isn’t it?”

“You’ve essentially tainted a sacred wager.”

“If you interfere even once more, I swear I’ll never engage in a wager with you again.”

Jeong-hoon played his trump card.

Baal loved wagers. He especially relished betting against Jeong-hoon. For Baal, who lived for the thrill of such games, Jeong-hoon’s threat of abstaining from future wagers was a severe blow.

After some internal conflict, Baal conceded.

He reasoned that if he meddled with the difficulty now and Jeong-hoon still succeeded, it would mean no chance for future wagers. It was more advantageous to simply observe for now.

“What? You’re saying you won’t tamper with the difficulty anymore...?”

It was Harphael who asked in shock.

She had raised the difficulty to its absolute maximum under Baal’s subtle pressure. Although Jeong-hoon clearing Path of the Ultimate (2) had been unexpected, she still believed she could prevent him from obtaining the Ultimate Power.

After all, trials with much higher difficulty levels remained.

But if she couldn’t adjust the difficulty further, everything would change.

Somehow, the Shadow King had been outplayed. If the trials reverted to their original difficulty, it wouldn’t be impossible for that human to claim the Ultimate Power.

“Add one more reward.”

At that moment, Jeong-hoon interrupted.

“Yes. If you add another reward, I’ll allow you to adjust the difficulty.”

At his words, Baal’s eyes gleamed.

Jeong-hoon gave a sly smile and revealed the idea he had prepared.

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!