Chapter 253
5.
Before the Spine of a Myriad Soldiers and the Stomach of Decay were destroyed.
That is, before Seonghyun's broadcast suddenly ended.
Seonghyun was feeling a bit bored.
Because no one had come to the path leading to the Corrupted Heart yet.
So much so that.
‘Did I catch them too quickly?’
He even thought that he might have defeated the enemies too fast.
Of course.
-Wow, what's that new skill???
-The darkness-related skill is so cool;;;;
-What, did he change his class to a darkness-related one?
-Come to think of it, don't most of his summons have darkness around them?
-Oh? Now that you mention it???
He was alleviating the boredom by communicating with the viewers.
But that didn't fully satisfy him.
There wasn't much he could say about his class.
“You can think of it as a warlock rather than just being related to darkness.”
He didn't know about other things, but Rapid had told him to keep quiet about his class as much as possible.
So he intended not to say much.
As he was communicating about various other things.
A system message appeared.
[The path to the 『Corrupted Heart』 is now open.]
The message that the Spine of a Myriad Soldiers and the Stomach of Decay had been destroyed.
He thought he could finally get to work now that the path was open.
‘Good.’
The viewers were just as excited and typed in the chat.
-Kuh, he's the first one in!!!
-His strategy was really amazing;;;
-I looked at the other places, and he sent his familiars to get contribution points from there too;;;
-His brain is amazing...
The chat was flooded with messages acknowledging Seonghyun.
However, Seonghyun, who was now about to enter the Corrupted Heart, didn't pay much attention.
He was more excited about the fact that he could have a new battle than the broadcast, and the moment he was about to enter.
Something popped up.
[Conditions met.]
[1st place in contribution within 『Apophis's Interior』(Completed)]
[『Overlord』 3rd Class Advancement (Completed)]
[『Overlord』 Story Quest 『Helena's Diary 1』(Completed)]
[3 or more Monarch-type skills among 『Overlord』 exclusive skills (Completed)]
This is popping up all of a sudden?
Judging by the viewers' reactions.
It seemed to be a message visible only to Seonghyun.
So, as Seonghyun was contemplating how to react.
[Having met the conditions, you will be moved not to the 『Corrupted Heart』, but to the hidden stage, 『Apophis's Heart』.]
[All external connections will be severed.]
“Huh?”
With that single word, everything, including the broadcast, was cut off.
At the same time, he felt himself being teleported somewhere.
He was moved to a place completely surrounded by darkness.
It wasn't a particularly bright place before either.
But at least there was enough light to identify the surroundings.
This place didn't even have that.
‘Is this what Over Palace prepared?’
A hidden stage that could only be entered by having the highest contribution.
Hidden stages are good, but coming in so suddenly like this.
He felt a strong sense of bewilderment.
Anyway, as he tried to look around, he felt that several things had disappeared.
The broadcast chat that Seonghyun could see was gone, and the 'On Air' indicator had also disappeared.
Just in case, he tried to turn on the video recording.
As if the recording itself wasn't blocked, the recording indicator appeared.
‘Thankfully, the recording works.’
Since it was disconnected by the system.
If he gave this to Rapid later to upload as a video, it would probably get a lot of views.
Anyway, that's enough about external matters.
For now, shouldn't he figure out what kind of place this hidden stage is?
The Heart of Apophis.
If so.
‘Does that mean the Corrupted Heart isn't Apophis's real heart?’
That's probably what it means, right?
Seonghyun organized his thoughts and then looked around, molding the darkness.
At that, all the darkness spread around became Seonghyun's possession.
And every place Seonghyun's gaze fell upon began to be seen clearly and in detail.
“Hmm.”
From what he could see, it was the same as the 『Interior of Apophis』.
Except for the lack of light.
The light pink walls and floor, which resembled internal organs.
He didn't feel a great sense of strangeness looking at the slightly squirming walls and floor.
However.
If there was one difference from before.
Thump-!
Thud--!
Thump--!
Thud---!
The floor and walls were trembling slightly.
And Seonghyun could fully recognize the feeling of that trembling vibration.
‘The sound of a heartbeat.’
As the thumping sound of a heart echoed and reached Seonghyun, he definitely felt something was strange.
If the vibration of a heartbeat could be felt here.
Why hadn't he felt it until now?
Wasn't he right in front of the Corrupted Heart?
‘Does this mean this is the real inside of Apophis's body?’
And that place was just something in the shape of Apophis?
He didn't fully understand.
But he accepted it to some extent.
A hidden stage.
This place is the real inside of Apophis's body.
Seonghyun thought that far and then started walking down the long-looking passage.
‘A place I can do on my own.’
Then I'll have to leave the Corrupted Heart to the other team members.
With that casual thought, Seonghyun took a step.
What could be at the end of this passage?
With a face full of curiosity.
6.
Since the Gland of Corrosion and the Corrupted Heart were quite far apart.
Helena had not yet reached the Corrupted Heart.
Unlike the other familiars, it was taking her quite a long time to travel.
And as she was heading towards the Corrupted Heart, Helena could feel it in that moment.
Seonghyun had disappeared.
Thwip—!
While flying through the air with Fiora.
Her movement suddenly stopped.
Fiora, too, had transformed into the shape of a swift bird, then returned to her original form, landing on the ground and digging a long furrow as she came to a halt.
Chwaaaaaaa---!
She tilted her head at the suddenly stopped Helena.
Helena looked at Fiora and said.
“Hmm, Seonghyun has disappeared?”
-Hueh? W-where could he have gone?
The sudden disappearance of Seonghyun's presence.
But even when she tried to search, she couldn't feel it.
Helena, not pleased with the situation, slightly crumpled her beautiful face, folded the parasol she always carried, and tapped the ground with it like a cane.
The parasol lightly touched the ground.
At that moment.
Tuk.
That small vibration spread out, and an ashen energy of the abyss spread in all directions.
As the unfathomably deep energy of the abyss spread in all directions.
Helena was able to grasp everything she could feel within a fairly wide range.
From the shattered Gland of Corrosion, to the collapsing Spine of a Myriad Soldiers, and even the sight of all the heads of the Stomach of Decay falling off.
She could grasp everything.
And the traces of a fierce battle in front of the Corrupted Heart where she was heading.
But Seonghyun was nowhere to be found.
“Hmm, this is troublesome.”
-Y-you can't find him?
“Yeah, it seems so.”
She had a rough idea of where Seonghyun might have disappeared to.
But she couldn't be sure.
So Helena didn't give a definite answer.
And at her response, Fiora became restless.
Helena smiled slightly and stroked Fiora's head.
‘If Seonghyun has disappeared, it's highly likely my cute disciple has prepared something.’
Apophis itself was a gift box that her disciple had prepared for Seonghyun.
She was certain.
If so, what was the important thing for Helena to do here?
Simple.
Right now, Seonghyun is number one in contribution points.
Helena didn't know about such system-related things.
But she knew that it was important for Seonghyun to be active here overall.
And she was well aware that her actions, as Seonghyun's familiar, would also add to his achievements.
Then, what Helena had to do was simple.
“Let's go by ourselves, Fiora.”
-Hueh!? W-what about the Lord...?
If it were the old Fiora, she would have died for Helena's words.
But Fiora, still anxious, asked about Seonghyun's well-being first.
Far from being disappointed, Helena stroked Fiora as if she was proud, as if that was how it should be.
She was a ghost of the past.
She had been revived like this by Seonghyun's power.
But she considered even that to be Seonghyun's.
So, like Fiora, Helena thought only of Seonghyun.
“Seonghyun will be fine. We have to do our part. That's the best way to help Seonghyun.”
-Ah! O-okay!
“Then, shall we go catch the Corrupted Heart?”
At Helena's words, Fiora turned back into a bird, and likewise, Helena opened her parasol and floated up into the air.
But unlike her light and buoyant ascent.
Helena's speed was considerably fast, and she was able to reach the Corrupted Heart before anyone else.
And unlike Seonghyun.
Helena looked at the place, gave a strange smile, and muttered.
“A heart that doesn't beat...”
-Th-that's right!?
Fiora also realized it from Helena's words and tilted her head in confusion.
It was the path to the heart, but she couldn't feel any heartbeat at all.
As the two of them headed towards the Corrupted Heart with that thought.
Monsters slowly began to reveal themselves.
Beastmen in the shape of snakes, made of black blood.
With a shaaak sound, they flicked their tongues, revealing weapons made of blood and venomous fangs, threatening Helena and Fiora.
As if they would never let them reach the heart.
They were monsters with a glimpse of resolute will.
However, Fiora and Helena, as if it were nothing, launched an attack on them.
Heavenly energy blooming in the air formed a spear, and the energy of the abyss shot up from the ground to capture them.
The heavenly spears were eventually fired at them, and they all pierced towards the hearts.
At the same time, Fiora's eyes blazed, and she fired her own energy.
It was nothing compared to a dragon's breath.
But as a wave of considerable power was fired.
The bodies of those with spears in their hearts turned to dust and disappeared.
Having defeated the monsters in one go, Helena and Fiora quickly headed towards the Corrupted Heart. Googlᴇ search NovєlFіre.net Faster than anyone else.
7.
A path covered in darkness.
Seonghyun walked along it without a word.
How long had he walked the path?
The further he walked down the passage, the louder the heartbeat became.
Thump---!
Thuuump---!
It even felt as if his own heart was beating furiously.
A friend once told him that if you go to a club and listen to loud music right in front of the speakers, you can hear your own heartbeat more clearly.
Was it a similar feeling to that?
He even had the illusion that he was hearing his own heartbeat.
And as Seonghyun continued straight ahead.
He could see a place like a rather wide open space.
The place was surrounded by walls, a floor, and a ceiling that looked like flesh, and thick blood vessels were spread out in all directions.
To be precise, they were spreading out from the center.
Throughout the whole body.
And at the end of those blood vessels.
Thump--thump.
Thuuump--thump.
Thuuuump---thump!
There was a heart, beating furiously.
A heart even larger than Seonghyun.
Would it be like this if one saw a whale's heart beating in person?
No, it looked much larger than that.
Seonghyun, feeling that he had now reached the real heart, looked around.
He thought a battle would soon take place here.
And that thought became reality.
Thump--thump!
A particularly strong beat of the heart.
At the same time, something shot out from the heart.
A pure white snake that, at first glance, looked like a parasite.
At first, it was a small snake, but from the moment it shot out of the heart, it gradually grew larger.
And eventually, it became large enough to fill the entire clearing.
Then, the moment it grew large, it opened its mouth towards the heart it had come from.
Gulp--.
And swallowed it whole.
Then.
[The hidden stage, 『Apophis's Heart』, is about to begin.]
As Seonghyun saw the message and prepared for battle.
A strange thought occurred to him.
‘Is that Apophis?’
Anyone would see it as the main body of Apophis.
But it was called the God of the Black Serpents, so shouldn't it not be pure white?
As Seonghyun was having that thought.
At that moment, he saw something else strange.
A translucent, teal-colored, another pure white snake on top of the giant white snake's head.
-Shaaak?
“...?”
It was the ghost of a snake.