[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
Chapter 20
The path between the blade-filled cliffs.
Baekya advanced, his hardened body shattering every blade in his path.
Clang!
Another blade shattered and fell.
'Talking about judgnt and all that nonsense.'
The gap narrowed further.
The walls were rough and abrasive, as if he had entered a car wash with glass sandpaper instead of bristles.
'A demon who ca to collect human suffering and despair.'
Baekya pushed his body into the tight space without hesitation.
'I refuse this gore story. I won't even give it a second of playback.'
Scrape!
The glass-shard-filled walls couldn't penetrate Baekya's white skin; instead, they were smoothly shaved away like mashed potatoes.
This was Baekya, who had climbed to the 20th floor alone, burning the Tower's rules with Law of Light.
The finale story of a re low-level Gate like this— in the past, he wouldn't have even bothered reading it before incinerating it.
The notification window frantically displayed ssages, seemingly flustered.
【Notice from the Valley of Bankruptcy】
【Using skills or other ans to circumvent the challenges will not be considered as completing the Road to Judgnt!】
【Release Hardening!】
Baekya waved the ssage away from his vision as if shooing a fly.
Finally, thick blades erged from the narrow gap.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Several blades blocked the path between the cliffs like iron bars.
'Should I break them?'
It wasn't ant to inflict pain; it was ant to completely block the path.
Another sadistic notification appeared.
【If you remain in one place for more than 60 seconds, the Road to Judgnt process will end, and the second subject of judgnt will be summoned.】
【59】
【58】
'Damn it. Ti...'
'Should I use the Law of Light? No. My mana is already low from fighting the rock golem. I need to conserve it until at least I reach the core.'
Baekya glanced back briefly.
At this distance, Wolha probably couldn't see him clearly.
He looked up at the blood-red sky visible through the cracks.
Its intentions were obvious.
'You want us to play along with your story, don't you? You want us to fight amongst ourselves, to struggle and fail on this path, and to despair.'
But Baekya had never once played along with such obvious intentions.
He was the Sun of Humanity.
The Pinnacle of the Era.
The Chosen One.
The one who had reached the peak of this world.
'I decide how I ascend. I decide what story I’ll write. Anyti, anywhere!'
Ignoring the notification, he used a skill.
【Form of Fire】
Baekya's body flickered, transforming into flas.
He ticulously controlled his mana, maintaining a human form.
Even from behind, it was impossible to tell that he was using Form of Fire.
'If Wolha finds out about it, he’d never let it go.'
Sizzle.
Baekya moved forward with his feet not even touching the ground.
'Let's go.'
Clunk!
The blades, both the ones blocking the path and the countless others beyond, raked against him, but they only left white scars on his burning form.
The more notifications popped up, the more certain he beca that this thod was working.
【Deactivate your skill!】
The distant other side was now visible.
The gap between the cliffs was too narrow to pass through, even without the blades.
'I knew it. Well, at least there is another side.'
Within the space beyond the fence of spear-like blades, he saw...
["You."]
["What have you done?"]
["You ruined everything!"]
A demon with four blade-adorned arms and red skin pointed at Baekya.
【The Lesser Demon of Pain (B-) shows strong hostility towards you.】
Baekya scoffed at the demon and passed through the final gap between the spear-like blades.
"I ruined everything? That's impossible."
His fiery body was covered in white scars from the blades.
["I'll kill you a hundred tis over… I'll make you wander this hell forever…"]
"I fight for my country and my dreams. So I'll always be right, and you'll always be wrong."
The androgynous demon swung all four of its blades at once.
Slash!
Instead of dodging, Baekya used a skill.
【Explosive Recovery】
BOOM!
The power of Explosive Recovery was proportional to the number and severity of his wounds.
And Baekya's entire body was horribly mangled.
【Titles: Demon Slayer, Fla of Destruction, Bringer of Dawn... are activated.】
Thanks to various titles and traits he possessed, the already powerful skill amplified several tis over.
FWOOSH!
Fierce flas erupted from the countless wounds all over his body.
The Demon of Pain's eyes widened in shock.
["Wait...!"]
BOOM!
The explosion filled the space between the cliffs.
【"That was a decent finish. Explosive endings are always reliable. The more grueso the setting, the more satisfying it is."】
【Your Constellation, 'Sunny,' gives you a high-five.】
【You have defeated the Lesser Demon of Pain (B-).】
【You have acquired the Demon's (B-) Spirit Core.】
【You have been granted the traits 'Painless' and 'Indomitable Will.' You will no longer flinch from pain.】
【Finale Story: Valley of Bankruptcy, The Road to Judgnt has ended.】
【You have been rewarded with a Certificate of Pardon (Masterpiece). The Certificate of Pardon nullifies Condition-type status effects.】
【You have used 'Form of Fire' with exceptional control. 'Form of Fire' has now evolved into 'Fla Dance.' You can now maintain a clear human form even while transford into flas.】
【Explosive Recovery used 10,000 tis! You have been awarded 1,000,000 Achievent Points. The power of Explosive Recovery has increased by 250%.】
Reward notifications filled one side of his vision.
Baekya first secured the Certificate of Pardon, which nullified Condition-type status effects.
It was a docunt written on high-quality paper with gold-infused ink and stamped with a red seal.
【I, Luciella, guarantee to all who possess this Certificate of Pardon (Masterpiece) the freedom to escape from any condition.】
'This will be useful until I regain my strength.'
He placed the demon's Spirit Core, along with the Certificate of Pardon, into his subspace ring.
He could incinerate it with Law of Light to absorb its mana, or he could use it for various other purposes.
He didn't pay much attention to the traits 'Painless' and 'Indomitable Will,' or the new skill 'Fla Dance.'
After all, this was Baekya, who had stood at the pinnacle of pyromancy and obtained Law of Light after trying everything imaginable.
'If I act on my will, that itself becos a skill.'
That's how Baekya sorted through his rewards.
Finally, he looked at the core of the crack dungeon, embedded halfway up the cliff.
A crimson orb lodged in a rock wall that looked like flesh with bulging veins.
From the beginning, he had endured all this hardship to incinerate that core with Law of Light and absorb its mana.
Now, for the sake of the injured, he had to burn it with Law of Light.
He had to make sure that their injuries disappeared as if they had never happened in the first place.
* * *
The Hunter from the Sun and Moon Divine Guild and the official from the Gate Managent Departnt in Korea (GMDK) arrived at the scene an hour later.
Unfortunately, the rift had opened right in the middle of the highway, paralyzing traffic in the area.
They had been delayed while arranging for a helicopter.
'This is bad.'
'It's a Judgnt-type story, who knows how many casualties there might be.'
The Divine Guild’s Hunter, clad in a pristine white robe adorned with a white sun and a black moon, and the GMDK Hunter, wearing a combat uniform with the GMDK insignia, jumped out of the helicopter without even bothering with ropes.
There had been reports of a few Awakened being pulled into the Gate, but statistically speaking, they were most likely just porter-level Awakened.
It would be fortunate enough if they didn't cause more trouble than they were worth.
Such issues were very common with low-ranked Awakened in Gates.
They are looked down upon in the Awakened society, but to ordinary people, they are still superhuman.
The Divine Guild and GMDK Hunters braced themselves for the sight of bloodied victims.
"They're here!"
"They’ve arrived?"
However, the scene on the overpass was completely different from what they had expected.
On the shoulder of the road, won and children were huddled together under blankets.
"Thank goodness."
"Did that person leave? I wanted to express my gratitude."
"I think he looked like soone famous."
So n had parked their cars close to the side of the road and were even taking it upon themselves to control traffic with tripods and safety cones.
There was no laughter, given the ordeal they had just experienced, but everyone's faces showed deep relief.
The GMDK official asked the taxi driver, who had just moved his doorless taxi to the side,
"Wasn't there a Gate Break?"
"Yes, there was."
"But how..."
"The Awakened person I was driving was around C-Rank. At first, I thought I was going to die, but then he just stepped up and..."
The two Hunters listened intently to the taxi driver's story.
'It isn’t a joke, is it?'
'It was a dangerous situation.'
It was an incredibly dangerous dungeon, considering that a normal clear was impossible from the start.
Hundreds of people could have been trapped in that hell forever, suffering endlessly.
It was nothing short of a miracle.
"Would it be possible to get his contact information?" the GMDK official asked the taxi driver.
The taxi driver turned to him, puzzled.
"Excuse ? His contact information, why...?"
"The governnt would like to give him a reward."
"Ah."
A mont later, the Divine Guild’s Hunter also spoke up.
"The Sun and Moon Divine Guild would also like to offer him a reward."
The two Hunters looked at each other, raising their eyebrows.
'It's a governnt reward. No ulterior motives!'
'I know you'll try to scout him while saying that. Don't even think about exploiting his patriotism for cheap labor!'
The taxi driver simply smiled.
"He already gave a large sum of money as compensation for breaking my taxi door when he escaped, so hearing this puts my mind at ease."
That day's events even made it onto the news.
[Seoul Overpass Gate Resolved by an Unknown 'Good Samaritan']
Naturally, it also beca a hot topic on the Awakened community, 'Chatter of the Stars.'
[So, does anyone know who it was?]
[If they solo cleared that, they should be at least C to B- Rank.]
[I heard they might even be a porter?]
[ㄴ Why the hell do these guys always have to downplay Awakened who were porters?]
[ㄴ Who cares about their background? They walked that blade-filled path, enduring the pain.]
[And in the end, they even destroyed the Gate's core cleanly, healing everyone's injuries. They could have made a fortune selling that core, they must be a really good person.]
The sentint leaned towards praising the hero.
The direction shifted slightly when a notable user, with a High-Ranker verification mark next to their ID, appeared.
Anonymous (A) [Their injuries disappeared?]
[Whoa! An A-Rank, hyungnim?]
[It's a Ranker!]
[Welco!]
[Yes! I was on the support team and saw it myself. I even interviewed people.]
Anonymous (A) [That doesn't usually happen, does it?]
[Huh?]
Anonymous (A) [The only way everyone's injuries disappear when a Gate closes is through Baekya-nim's Law of Light. He's been so active that it's beco a common knowledge in Korea, but people are misunderstanding.]
[I'm sorry! I don't understand.]
Anonymous (A) [Really strong curses sotis dissipate on their own when the dium or caster disappears. But most of them remain. If the knife that cut breaks, my wound doesn't just disappear, now does it?]
[???]
[Am I the only one freaking out right now?]
Anonymous (A) [Well, maybe that Gate was special.]
Anonymous (A) [Or maybe that Hunter awakened a similar ability to his.]
* * *
Baekya and Wolha's house.
In the room.
I sat at my desk, lost in thought.
I ssed up.
I was in the middle of reading a heated thread on 'Chatter of the Stars.'
I just did what I always do, out of habit.
For soone like who can absorb mana with Law of Light, it was more beneficial to absorb the rift's core than to sell it.
"Maybe he's actually still alive?"
"It would be aweso if the whole death thing was just a hilarious prank."
"Maybe that's why the GMDK hasn't made an announcent yet, that would be epic."
I read a few comnts aloud in a low voice before turning off my smartphone screen.
"..."
Anyway, I have no regrets.
If I hadn't used Law of Light, countless people would have been seriously injured or killed.
I'd do it again if the sa situation arose.
But I also realized that I need to be more cautious from now on.
Those self-proclaid... Yeah, those self-proclaid regressors didn't care that I had saved the Earth and my country countless tis.
They killed once.
Knock, knock.
There was a knock on the door.
"Bro. Here. I wore it well."
Wolha handed the crystal coat.
I expected him to ask where I got it.
But Wolha simply said,
"Thank you."
He looked at with those sincere eyes, filled with the belief that I would tell him everything soday.
"I was just being a good older brother for once. Get so rest, you must be tired. It's damn hard to co ho everyday."
Wolha left, taking the crystal coat with him.
Ding.
I checked the new text ssage on my phone.
It was from the Sun and Moon Divine Guild.
Reward or compensation, I'll take it.
Tomorrow, I can finally launder the cash in my inventory.
From now on, I'll be grilling steak every day.
[Translator - Hestia
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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