Chapter 1002 – 1002. Ascension To The Light
Bae Woon lifted the least mangled corpse from among the black-clad figures. Only the head remained. It had no hair, the skin was bumpy, and it lacked a mouth, nose, eyes, and ears. The only thing that made it resemble a human was the shape of its head.
“…Is it a monster?”
The one who asked the question was, ironically, the only monster among the remaining nine. He was pretending to be human, but no one here was unaware that he was a monster.
“It’s a Netherworld being. Those who sold their souls to the Netherworld and escaped reincarnation. They may look similar to monsters, but they are distinctly different.”
Bae Woon tossed the head into the air. Then, his white spear split the head in half. A black brain plopped onto the floor. The cross-section revealed the dark brain.
“Three Netherworld beings are eliminated. Therefore, only the remaining nine have the right to challenge the 20th floor trial. Is there anyone who wishes to give up?”
“……”
Having come this far, no one was willing to give up. The conquest of the Manmu Tower was just around the corner.
Then, one person raised their hand. It was the monster ronin who had asked the question earlier.
“You said they were Netherworld beings. Why did you kill them only now?”
“These beings were not Netherworld beings until ten days ago. They were merely sorcerers who used some of the Netherworld’s power. However, they eventually sold their souls to the Netherworld and became Netherworld beings.”
“…Why do they make contracts with the Netherworld? Is escaping reincarnation that good?”
“That varies from Netherworld being to Netherworld being. There are several benefits to becoming a Netherworld being. To name a few, the limit of lifespan disappears, and they can attain a higher rank. These are just minor perks.”
“Lifespan disappears… that’s….”
“Enough. Find out more later. What you need to do now is the 20th floor trial. There are no quitters, right? Follow me.”
We followed Bae Woon. It was a square space. All sides were blocked by walls. The size was about that of a school auditorium.
‘These aren’t ordinary walls. Did they reinforce them with sorcery?’
It was a sufficient space to engage in battle.
“The 20th floor trial will take place here. We’ll start one by one. The rest will wait outside. You can observe the situation inside from outside. The first challenger is….”
Bae Woon raised a finger. The finger pointed to Jeongbin.
“Amitabha….”
Jeongbin quietly muttered. He wasn’t flustered at all. Even when Bae Woon spoke about the Netherworld and Netherworld beings, he remained calm.
“Jeongbin, the apostate monk of the Shaolin Temple. You must have already known about the Netherworld and its beings.”
“That is correct. I was taught that they are beings that must not be tolerated.”
Of course. The beings of the Netherworld reject the concept of reincarnation, which is the foundation of Buddhism.
“I heard that the Netherworld was originally the one who supported and led reincarnation, but at some point, they began to change.”
“I don’t know the details either. All I know is that they oppose His Majesty the Emperor’s will.”
Bae Woon and the rest of us went outside, leaving Jeongbin alone.
Bae Woon looked at one of the walls. A video appeared on one wall, showing the situation inside. Jeongbin was calmly chanting Buddhist scriptures with his hands clasped together.
Bae Woon, with his arms crossed, opened his mouth.
“Begin.”
He wasn’t talking to us. He was giving an order to someone, somewhere.
A bizarre magic circle was drawn on the floor of the space where Jeongbin was, and the front distorted, revealing a being.
It was a warrior monk with two heads and four arms. The warrior monk’s face was as hideous as a monster.
“…It’s an Asura. It was summoned under the influence of the Gourmet Monk. It was expected.”
We watched the video intently.
Jeongbin was not flustered by the appearance of the Asura. Jeongbin took a stance. Golden light emanated from his skin, and his eyes shone brightly.
“Namo Amitabha…. Asura! Sleep here!”
Jeongbin’s palm strike hit the Asura’s abdomen. The Asura took two steps back and grinned.
“This is not a very pleasing space… but the fact that I can kill this damned monk is pleasing enough.”
The Asura and Jeongbin clashed.
Everyone held their breath and watched the battle. Jeongbin and the Asura were evenly matched. And it was so fierce that even a slight mistake could cost someone their life.
Then, after a while, the Asura began to be pushed back. I immediately realized that it was because of Shaolin’s martial arts. Jeongbin’s martial arts had an advantage over the Asura in terms of compatibility.
“It’s over.”
Bae Woon muttered.
Jeongbin’s Vajra Palm struck the Asura’s head. One of the Asura’s heads flew off. One head still remained. Jeongbin did not stop and continued to pummel the Asura’s body with his Vajra Palm. The Asura couldn’t withstand it and exploded, dying.
“Gourmet Monk Jeongbin. Passed.”
Perhaps he heard Bae Woon’s words. Jeongbin bowed his head with his hands clasped together.
•••
Bae Woon continued to call out people. The second person who entered died, unable to defeat the Netherworld being. The third barely won. The fourth was Hwangbo Gahye’s turn.
Hwangbo Gahye’s opponent was a naked female monster. A woman with six breasts. The nipples were pitch black. Hwangbo Gahye frowned at the woman.
“Why was such a filthy monster summoned for me?”
“Hehehehe. It’s because you’re a filthy bitch!!”
The female monster rushed at Hwangbo Gahye, spraying black breast milk. The hem of Hwangbo Gahye’s clothes that touched the breast milk melted instantly. Hwangbo Gahye gritted her teeth and swung her fist, which was burning red.
I briefly looked around. The men, except for Bae Woon and Jeongbin, were gaping at the female monster. Their faces were lost in lust. If you looked at their crotches, you could see something standing erect.
‘Is it a mental attack? It’s affecting them even from outside.’
Fortunately, it seemed that it didn’t affect Hwangbo Gahye, who was a woman.
Hwangbo Gahye beat the female monster to death and passed the 20th floor trial.
Seong Jigone challenged on the sixth turn.
The monster that appeared before him was a familiar face.
“Oh, Father?”
Seong Godan.
My and Seong Jigone’s father in this world. The head of the Meteor Sword Sect. The guy I killed.
“You unfilial son. If you had stopped Seong Yujin, I wouldn’t have died. You ungrateful bastard!”
“A-Are you really Father?”
Seong Jigone blinked his eyes. His face was full of confusion.
“Can’t you even recognize your own father now? You were the most talented of my sons, but you were also the most foolish. I don’t need a son like you.”
“Are you really my father, not a monster pretending to be my father?!”
“Do you still not understand, you fool. I also know that you are sleeping with my wives!”
Seong Godan shouted with hatred and swung his sword.
Meteor Sword Technique.
The Meteor Sword Sect’s sword technique unfolded from his sword.
“Crazy. Is that really Seong Godan?”
I muttered without realizing it. Bae Woon’s eyes glanced at me.
“The Netherworld is another name for hell. Hell is the world of the dead. It’s common for the dead to reject reincarnation and become beings of the Netherworld.”
So, that was the real Seong Godan.
“But know this. That is not a human. It’s just a monster wearing a human mask. …It seems your brother has already recognized that thing as his father. He’ll lose.”
Bae Woon had almost confirmed Seong Jigone’s defeat. But I didn’t think so.
“No. Seong Jigone will win.”
“…Can’t you tell by that foolish-looking face? There’s no hope.”
“I know Seong Jigone better than General Bae Woon. It’s true that Seong Jigone would have lost a few years ago. But.”
Seong Jigone had grown. He admired the chivalrous spirit but didn’t turn a blind eye to reality. A clumsy and awkward attitude? He might have been really awkward in the past. But not now.
‘That’s all an act.’
His mind was probably working at full speed right now.
‘An act to seduce old women. They say that you have to be a little clumsy to get close to old women quickly.’
So, you shouldn’t be fooled by that clumsy appearance.
Seong Jigone hesitated at Seong Godan’s attack. Seong Godan smiled broadly at his overwhelming skill.
“I am your father! Ahem! Are you going to point your sword at your father? You are not the unfilial Seong Yujin! Seong Jigone! My good son!”
“F-Father…!”
“Yes! I am your father! Jigone, come here! Let’s be together! Let’s become Netherworld beings together and escape reincarnation and enjoy eternal life! Let’s be together, my son!”
“Father… I….”
Seong Jigone’s strength waned. Seong Godan smiled with joy. He raised his sword high. And Seong Godan’s head flew off.
Seong Jigone had taken advantage of the moment when the guy was careless and cut off his head in one go.
Thud.
Seong Godan’s head rolled on the floor. Surprisingly, Seong Godan did not die and became enraged.
“You bastard! How dare you deceive your father, who is like the sky!”
“Father. I like this world better. I saw the women of hell earlier, and they were disgustingly ugly. What’s the point of having six breasts? They’re not even attractive.”
“I’ll kill you, I’ll kill you!! Seong Jigone!!”
Seong Godan’s body, which was left without a head, changed into a gruesome form with a crackling sound.
Whirr!
The chains that flew from Seong Jigone’s sleeve increased to five and grabbed Seong Godan’s body.
“Father. It’s perfect timing. There’s something I want to show you.”
Seong Jigone took out a pouch from his pocket. He sprinkled the contents of the pouch on Seong Godan. It was hair. Short hairs fell on Seong Godan’s head.
“W-What is it?!”
“Pubic hair. The pubic hair of your wives…. Our mothers’ pubic hair. Your wives were really delicious. Ah, I still visit them from time to time and eat their pussies. The mothers also say that my dick is more delicious than yours.”
“Y-You, Seong Jigone!! You unfilial bastard!! Die!! Dieeee!!”
Seong Godan stuck out his tongue. It stretched out like a frog’s, aiming for Seong Jigone’s neck. Seong Jigone was not careless. He cut off Seong Godan’s tongue and crushed his head.
“You die. I’ll take good care of your wives!”
Seong Jigone swung his sword and slashed Seong Godan’s body, which was bound by chains. It was over. Seong Godan did not move.
I turned my gaze to the side.
Bae Woon was gaping in surprise. After a while, he noticed my gaze, coughed, and regained his composure.
“Ahem, ahem. I thought he was a normal guy, but he was a madman. …Anyway. That unwavering mental strength is commendable. Seong Jigone, passed.”
•••
The last, ninth turn, was mine. Three people had died before my turn, but there was no way I wouldn’t pass such a simple trial.
Thump, thump, thump.
An incomprehensible magic circle was drawn on the floor, and the space in front of me distorted.
What came out of the space was Oh Jimu.
Oh Jimu, who was floating in the air as if swimming in the sea, without arms and legs. As soon as he saw me, he tore his mouth and smiled. Not a metaphor, he literally tore his mouth to smile.
“Nice to meet you, Seong Yujin! I sold my soul to kill you!”
“Is that the price for selling your soul? Must have been a cheap soul.”
There were fish heads on Oh Jimu’s arms and legs. The piranha-like fish had very sharp teeth. Oh Jimu had fins on his back. Every time the fins wriggled, he flew in the air.
“I’ll kill you and take Hwangbo Gahye to the Nether…”
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
Lightning struck Oh Jimu from the ceiling. Oh Jimu frowned. He trembled in pain but moved through the air unharmed. I rushed towards him.
‘Acceleration, Instant.’
Yeongcheon Style (影天流) Lightning Flash (雷光).
A guy who was already dead. I didn’t even want to talk to him.
“Hwangbo Gahye is already my woman.”
The sword strike drew a line on his body. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.
Oh Jimu couldn’t even scream and fell to the floor as a lump of meat.
‘This is too easy… Ugh?!’
Suddenly, my neck felt cold. I sensed that there was something on the ceiling.
“A death messenger! Damn it! Why isn’t the door opening?! The barrier is reversed?”
He was hanging upside down on the ceiling.
A blue-skinned man in black clothes and a black hat was hanging upside down on the ceiling. He looked at me with lifeless eyes and wrote something in the ledger he was holding.
“Sinner with the power of the stars. Die here.”
The guy who muttered in a sinister voice turned the ledger to show me.
成儒眞.
My name was written in three characters.
Thump!
My heart stopped beating.
[Death Resistance has been activated. You will not die for the next 15 seconds.]
