NOVPUB
Chapter 243
At the center of the white expanse, Baran’s massive body collapsed, his head severed.
The Breath of Destruction had destroyed the head entirely, and the soul of the King of Demons began to broil and froth up, wrapped in the dark red flames.
From the flames, steam began to rise. Along with it, Baran’s energy floated in the air like bubbles before flowing into Suho’s body.
The result was astonishing.
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
[...]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
[...]
“Wh-what the hell?!” Suho exclaimed, stunned.
He had never leveled up so quickly in his life. He could feel his strength increasing in real time throughout his entire body.
It wasn’t just his overall level that was rising. After the levels, there came another series of notifications.
[Skill: The level of “Dark Flame Storm” has increased.]
[Skill: The level of “Giant’s Armor” has increased.]
[Skill: The level of “Fighting” has increased.]
[Skill: The level of “Pain Tolerance” has increased.]
[Skill: The level of “Dual Sword Mastery” has increased.]
It was nothing short of astounding.
As Suho marveled at what was happening, Antares smirked, his expression twisted with amusement. “What else did you expect? What Baran tried to do to you is now happening to him.”
Baran had intended to consume Suho, absorbing his soul and every nutrient within it. Instead, he had become the prey. 𝚗ovp𝚞b.𝚌om
“Baran began as a Resident of the Rift before becoming the King of Demons. All the nutrients in his soul are flowing right into you,” Antares continued.
Under the usual circumstances, it would have been impossible for a mere human to absorb the power of a Monarch, a being born from the primordial darkness. However, Kandiaru’s leveling system, designed to allow weak humans to accept the “power of death,” made the impossible possible. Since the system was built to handle even the power of the Monarch of Shadows, there was no reason it couldn’t absorb the power of the Monarch of White Flames, who was a much lesser being.
“Tsk. That brings back a terrible memory,” Antares grumbled.
If not for the leveling system, Sung Jinwoo—the second Monarch of Shadows—would never have been born, and Antares would never have suffered the humiliation of defeat.
As the memory of that horrible day resurfaced, the tiny dragon glared at Suho, whose face bore an uncanny resemblance to his father’s.
It was infuriating. All the Monarchs were dead, and the war had ended with the Shadow Monarch’s victory.
But then Antares grinned and chuckled softly.
“Well, it doesn’t matter anymore.”
Right, none of it matters now.
When had he ever cared about the other Monarchs? He was the strongest and the first to be born of the primordial darkness. This meant he had experienced countless victories and defeats throughout the endless war between the Rulers and Monarchs, a war that had raged since the beginning of time.
Death? Defeat? What do those things matter? The war will never truly end.
As the first Monarch, Antares had fought the longest and most fiercely at the center of that eternal, brutal war. To him, victory and defeat were meaningless. Death itself wasn’t something to be feared. There was only one thing he was truly frightened of—being unable to ever fight again.
Hellish flames burned brightly in Antares’ eyes as he snickered.
“I don’t care who wins, as long as I get to fight.”
He had been king of all dragons, the embodiment of terror and destruction. The fact that death had prevented him from ever returning to the blood-soaked battlefield had been his only regret, but now that regret was gone.
“Now that I have been resurrected, I can fight once more.”
Antares’ grin widened as he looked at Suho.
“So are you done with all that leveling nonsense?”
“Yes,” Suho responded, nodding.
Antares could see the status window as clearly as Suho could.
[Level: 122]
“Tsk.”
The dragon clicked his tongue, clearly unimpressed.
“You’ve gotten quite a bit stronger, but you’re still pitifully weak. You are nothing compared to your father.”
Truly insignificant.
The King of Demons had died and Suho had absorbed his soul in its entirety—yet he had achieved such little growth.
“It must be because Kandiaru used part of Baran’s spiritual body to create a replica for your father’s growth,” Antares said. “I suppose defeating him would never have been so easy if that weren’t the case.” From his perspective, that was the only explanation.
Antares had been Jinwoo’s enemy for decades, and he knew the man’s power better than anyone. As such, it was natural that he would not feel content with Suho no matter how much growth the young hunter achieved.
Suho, however, understood. Despite Antares’ seemingly harsh evaluation, the words actually hid a considerable amount of praise.
He grinned. “Still, that means I pass, yes?”
“Well... A promise is a promise.”
Antares waved his hand dismissively, clearly annoyed.
Ding!
[Job change quest: You have met the completion requirements of “The Trial of the King of Dragons 3.”]
[You’ve received rewards for completing the quest.]
[Would you like to accept the rewards?] (Y/N)
“Accept rewards!” Suho said immediately.
Something strange happened. As Suho watched, his inventory suddenly opened on its own, and a certain item quietly resting inside—Jarvier’s Soulstone—emerged.
[Item: Jarvier’s Soulstone]
[Acquisition Difficulty: ??
Type: Gem
A gem made by compressing a demonic spirit.]
“F-Father?” Suho asked, his eyes widening.
But this time, he was disappointed.
“Think of it as insurance. Keep it in your inventory.”
Jinwoo’s apparition had placed various magical devices on Jarvier’s soul just in case Suho encountered Antares.
This time, instead of summoning Jinwoo’s apparition, the soulstone unleashed something entirely different. A burst of powerful energy whirled outward, condensing rapidly, and two dark blades came into view.
“What...”
Suho reached for them, mesmerized.
His main weapons, the Vulcan’s Horns, were destroyed in the battle against Baran. These new blades had arrived at the perfect moment, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that his father had planned for such an incident.
“Goddamn that lunatic!” Antares snarled. When he realized the identity of the weapons, his eyes blazed with annoyance.
[Item: Kamish’s Wrath (Damaged)]
[Acquisition Difficulty: ??
Type: Dagger
Attack Power +1,500 (-1,000)
The greatest dagger in existence, crafted by a master from the sharpest fang of the dragon Kamish.
It is sharper than any weapon and highly sensitive to mana. It has the potential to become far more powerful depending on the competency of its user. However, countless battles have dulled the blade.]
The description went on.
These daggers were made from one of Kamish’s fangs, and they were the main weapons Jinwoo had wielded during his long battle with Antares. The dragon felt as though Jinwoo’s apparition was waving at him mockingly from some distant part of the universe.
“Kamish? So that means Ragna is...?”
Suho glanced at Antares to confirm, but the Monarch could only grind his teeth harder.
“Goddamn him! How long does he intend to mock me?”
Regardless, Suho couldn’t help but be astonished at the stats of the items in his hands.
This makes no sense. It’s out of this world! Fifteen hundred in pure attack power?
The base attack power, with no added stats, was 1,500. That number had sadly been cut down to five hundred due to the dullness of the blades, but it was better than nothing.
Suho brought up the information on his Vulcan’s Horns, the weapons he had been carrying thus far. Baran had smashed the blades, leaving only the hilts, but he could still see the stats.
[Item: Vulcan’s Horn (Damaged)]
[Acquisition Difficulty: ??
Type: Sword
Attack Power +40 (-40)
It’s a sword made from the horn of the greedy demon Vulcan. Vulcan’s power imbues it with the ability to inflict greater damage.
It has been completely destroyed and can no longer be used as a weapon.
- Effect “Destructive Desire”: Increases physical damage by 300%
- Effect “Demon Devourer”: As it feeds on demon souls, Vulcan’s power grows stronger.]
Suho gulped.
It would be embarrassing to even compare the weapons. Forty attack power, along with an additional effect that tripled the damage, was still only one hundred and twenty. In addition, the effect only increased physical damage.
But Kamish’s Wraths, as dulled as they were, still had an attack power of five hundred each. A comparison simply was not possible.
It wasn’t just the attack power that was impressive.
What about their mana sensitivity? Suho wondered.
In order to find out, he immediately sent his mana flowing into the daggers.
They vibrated as though greeting their new master. At the same time, a crimson aura began to burn fiercely along the blades, flowing from Suho’s hands.
Since they’re made from Kamish’s fang... they’re reacting to the Heart of the King of Dragons.
It wasn’t just an aura that infused the daggers. Their heaviness, which had been evident a moment ago, was suddenly gone as if they had never weighed anything. They were lighter than feathers.
“Wow...”
It appeared that even the weight of the daggers could be adjusted as the user pleased.
Suho’s heartbeat began to speed up as he gripped the weapons. He wanted to fight with these daggers, to test them out—though he wasn’t sure if the desire was coming from the weapons or from himself.
The system responded to that desire with a couple of dings.
[Skill: “Dual Sword Mastery” has been upgraded to skill: “Advanced Dagger Mastery.”]
[Skill: “Critical Attack - Level 1” has been acquired.]
“Huh?”
Suho was puzzled. His skills had changed on their own, as though they were suggesting he move on to using these new daggers.
He almost felt as if his father was speaking to him, and he grinned.
“I never really liked daggers. But daggers this good...”
Watching him, Antares gritted his teeth and growled, “Damn you two!”
