Chapter 250
Countless skills embroidering the empty air.
It was as if the sky was collapsing.
No matter how hard he looked, he couldn't see an escape route.
However, even in a situation that could be aptly described as being surrounded, Seonghyun's confident smile did not disappear.
After training with Helena.
He had not acquired any new skills upon reaching level 200.
With a message saying the conditions were not yet met, it only said he could obtain it once the conditions were fulfilled, so it could be said he had not properly obtained anything.
However, Seonghyun felt his growth more than ever before.
The times he had acquired memories and experiences by obtaining the souls of various knights.
It was true that he had become stronger because of that.
But it was the first time that the soul called 'Seonghyun' had been filled by accumulating his own experiences, which was during his training with Helena.
The talent of a warlock that Helena had spoken of since they first met.
That seed had begun to germinate.
“Hoo.”
Countless skills densely filled the space above.
As Seonghyun exhaled through them, the surroundings were instantly dyed in darkness.
Once a Monarch-type skill undergoes an awakening, the user can directly control what it governs, just like Seonghyun's Lord of Darkness.
He could control darkness with just imagination and will.
A concept he knew even before training with Helena.
So what was the enlightenment he gained after training with Helena?
If he could control darkness, he needed to contemplate what darkness was.
What is darkness?
The act of establishing a concept.
That's why he now dyed the entire area in darkness.
Darkness gradually spreads, dominating the area until there is light.
The darkness that Seonghyun had just spread was like that.
It instantly seized control of the surroundings, dyeing them in darkness.
However, because Seonghyun's mana was still insufficient, he could not take away all the light.
But that alone was enough.
‘What is this…?’
‘What's the situation?’
‘Is it a skill?’
‘It suddenly got dark.’
As the surroundings darkened, those attacking Seonghyun.
Were overcome with anxiety.
Since ancient times, all living things have feared the dark.
For reasons unknown, they have repeatedly evolved to overcome the darkness out of fear of the unseen.
But ignoring that evolution, Seonghyun, who wielded the darkness, stretched out his hand.
Another concept of darkness that Seonghyun had established revealed itself to the world. Find the newest release on N0veI.Fiɾe.net Kwa---jic!
Darkness sucks in everything.
And swallows it.
A concept of darkness inspired by black holes.
That was why the countless skills that filled the air vanished in an instant.
The skills disappeared while a dozen or so people were rushing in.
Those in the front trembled in bewilderment, and the eyes of those providing cover from the rear also trembled slightly.
With a single gesture from Seonghyun, all the skills vanished.
It was not a normal occurrence.
Everyone could not help but be bewildered.
To be able to eliminate skills like that despite a considerable level difference.
That thought took root in their minds.
Of course, it wasn't without its drawbacks.
‘A considerable amount of mana has been consumed.’
Mana that should have been plentiful.
But because he had pushed himself a little to get rid of the skills, a significant amount had been consumed.
Should he replenish his mana?
No way.
The mana was already faithfully contained within the darkness.
The concept of absorption that Seonghyun had just used had swallowed all of their skills and absorbed them whole.
And here, another concept of darkness emerged.
The absorbed skills.
All those skills, stained with darkness, emerged from the darkness and rushed towards the owners who had fired them.
“W-what is that...”
“D-dodge!!!”
“Block it!!!”
Another concept of darkness, called corruption or corrosion.
Using that, Seonghyun returned the skills instead.
Skills that were further enhanced by the power of darkness.
They tried to block their own skills flying at them.
But some of them were hit and knocked away.
Because the skills, enhanced by the power of darkness, were no longer the skills they knew.
Seonghyun, having landed that one blow, recovered some mana and once again moved the darkness.
He simply stood in place and commanded the darkness.
“Here it comes!”
The tide of battle had already been swept away by the returned skills.
And the battle lines had long since been shattered.
In this situation, each person had to come to their senses and survive.
It was a situation where they could no longer hope for tactics or coordinated attacks.
Excluding those who had been knocked away by the returned skills, about 8 people came to their senses and prepared for Seonghyun's attack.
Seonghyun sensed this and raised the darkness.
The most basic method of utilizing darkness.
A technique of giving shape to darkness and attacking with it was unleashed.
From the darkness that had already dyed and dominated the surroundings, blades and awls shot out.
Those running in the front reacted as soon as they saw them and quickly dodged.
“Ugh.”
“Damn it.”
However, even if they tried to dodge as soon as they saw them, there were too many.
Some were cut by thorns or blades and took damage, but they still charged forward.
When they got reasonably close, they tried to use teleportation skills to close the distance to Seonghyun, but.
Zzzzzzing---.
Due to the teleportation delay, even that was difficult to break through.
At the point when their movements momentarily stopped.
A thorn of darkness that shot up at that moment pierced a user.
Puuuuk-!
The sound of something sharp piercing flesh rang out, and for a moment, the user saw a message they had never seen before.
[You are being corroded by the power of darkness.]
[You become corrupted and lose control for 10 seconds.]
‘What… is this?’
He tried to utter those words.
But he couldn't even move his lips.
A situation like an unpleasant nightmare where his mind was intact, but he couldn't move his body at all.
In that situation, he wanted to quickly approach his comrades and shout at them to get away, but he couldn't even do that.
As soon as he approached his comrade, he swung his own weapon and attacked them.
And it wasn't just that one user.
All who had allowed a direct hit were the same.
Two of the four who were trying to approach.
And three of the four who were waiting in the rear.
The corrupted ones unleashed their weapons and skills on their comrades.
Seonghyun watched this and snapped his fingers.
Tak!
The moment the users returned from their corruption, they came to their senses and apologized to those they had attacked.
“S-sorry!”
“S-suddenly my body…”
“Damn it, what kind of skill does the Demon King have…”
But could they fully receive that apology?
They weren't even in the same guild in the first place, were they?
Their alliance was formed to keep the rapidly growing Seonghyun in check.
In other words, it was an alliance with a very shallow relationship, united only by a common enemy.
So, they were competitors until just a moment ago; could they really accept that apology?
No way.
In their heads, they thought, 'Ah, I was hit by Seonghyun's skill,' and yet.
They were seized by the thought that 'that guy might attack me again at any moment.'
That single line of thought.
Granting them that made the battle flow in an interesting way.
-…Wow.
-…Shudder.
-He really is a Demon King…….
-Vicious.
-Where'd the sweet guy who was answering all the questions just a moment ago go???
-I got goosebumps... when it comes to battle, he's truly the Demon King himself…….
The viewers were getting goosebumps as well.
Let's look at this whole situation objectively.
The build-up of Seonghyun's use of skills was considerable from the start.
And more people than expected noticed it.
Why?
Because while their eyes were covered by darkness to cause confusion, the viewers could see everything, even that.
-Since he eliminated the skills at the beginning, from the alliance's perspective, the bombardment was meaningless, so they went for cover and charge, but then he returned those skills, making them hesitate on what to do next;;;
-The fact that's not the end of it is even more legendary;;;
-After that, he created a crack in the alliance's link.
-He controlled the enemy to attack their allies.
-Also, if you look closely, the targets he made them attack were from different guilds.
-So distrust is forming;;;
-Wow, he's really meticulous.
They were seeing all of Seonghyun's intentions.
And it was all shown so clearly.
From the viewers' perspective, they couldn't help but feel a thrill.
Meticulous and also vicious.
He had the power to calculate and execute everything in that short moment.
Therefore, the alliance was not just facing Seonghyun.
They began to be slightly wary of the different guilds among themselves as well.
In a situation where it wasn't enough to face Seonghyun with all their might, they were also being wary of each other?
Their eyes were already covered.
He made it so their ears and mouths were covered too.
And Seonghyun, after creating that entire stage, once again molded the darkness.
He couldn't eliminate all the light here.
But it wasn't so difficult to cover each person's vision individually.
Applying one of Helena's sword techniques of darkness, he took away everyone's sight.
Then, those who could not see were overcome with fear and attacked their surroundings, and in the end, their attacks, far from reaching Seonghyun, resulted in a situation where they harmed each other.
Seonghyun, who was calmly watching from the farthest point, looked on quietly and nodded as if finding it useful.
“Hoo, the effects of the training are very good.”
As he said that and smiled slightly.
The viewers couldn't say anything.
A being you should never make an enemy of.
That was the moment that was etched into the viewers' minds.
And then, someone left a chat.
-Doesn't the Demon King have a lot of skills besides darkness...?
-…Ah?
-He annihilated that alliance just by using darkness, without even using those other skills...?
-There were top-ranking guilds there too…….
-What in the world…….
Seonghyun, who left a tremendous impression, was satisfied as he thought of other ways to use his skills, regardless of what the viewers were saying.
'If I acquire the conditions in this event, I can awaken one of my Monarch skills as a reward for level 200, right?'
The Lord of Terror and the Lord of Blood.
Which of the two would awaken first?
Seonghyun thought with an expectant face.
2.
While Seonghyun was leaving an overwhelming impression on the broadcast.
The backup team was quietly heading towards the Stomach of Decay.
However, it wasn't long before someone's frivolous voice was heard.
“Hoo, to be honest, it's a bit of a shame. I wanted to see Seonghyun-nim's performance in person.”
““……””
It was a frivolous remark.
But no one in the backup team here denied it.
As they had grown thanks to the tips they had received from Seonghyun before.
They wanted to see more of Seonghyun's various aspects.
But it couldn't be helped.
They were the backup team, after all.
That's why, to be of help to Seonghyun in any way.
They were moving as a team.
Was that why?
“They've already caught on.”
At Reaper's words, the team leader, Luna, nodded.
It was a matter of course, but not all of the alliance had headed for Seonghyun.
A few of them had split off to keep the Rapid Guild and the backup team in check.
It was true that most of their forces had gone to Seonghyun.
But it was also natural that they had to keep the backup team here in check.
Watching the other team that was following them, Reaper asked.
“I will go and reduce their numbers a bit.”
“...I'll leave it to you.”
“Huhu, I too wish to join the Rapid Guild. Even if it wasn't for my master's request, I would have stepped up. Well then.”
Reaper spoke frivolously and then disappeared.
And behind him, the number of followers began to decrease one by one.
‘His skill alone is...’
As Luna was running with that thought.
Reaper, who had returned before she knew it, tilted his head and asked.
“I hope you weren't thinking anything rude.”
His senses are also unnecessarily sharp.
Anyway, as they were running like that.
Before long, an organ began to come into view.
A place like a huge swamp where digestive fluids were bubbling and steaming.
They had arrived at the Stomach of Decay.