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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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Mana coiled around both arms, spinning, leaving red afterimages. Compressing it into a small, dense sphere, I casually extended my arm. But the sphere floating in the air wasn’t light at all. That was only natural.
The density of the sphere was the result of combining all the internal energy from my middle and lower dantian. I had concentrated all my current power into a single sphere.
Rumble—!
The red energy, the mana that filled the surroundings, began to be drawn into the red sphere now rotating in the air. It wasn’t just my Blood Sky Dance; the Doppelgangers’ Blood Sky Dances were also swept in.
There was a reason why Blood Sky Dance was classified as the first form of the Ten Thousand Blood Demon Realm.
‘Blood Sky Dance is the foundation for unleashing the power of the other forms within the Ten Thousand Blood Demon Realm.’
It was a preparatory move. It was natural for the surrounding energy to be absorbed into the red sphere I had created.
“…?!”
The Doppelgangers, sensing an instinctive threat from the rapidly expanding sphere, frantically searched for a countermeasure. But it was a futile struggle. They had only copied the ‘Lee Seong-joon’ they had initially encountered.
‘They don’t know about the current me.’
As confirmed through the battle, the Doppelgangers couldn’t react to his changed attack patterns and newly developed techniques. In other words, the technique he was about to unleash was beyond their ability to withstand.
“Let’s end this.”
I looked at the massive sphere, which had absorbed all the surrounding energy, with satisfaction and slowly clenched my outstretched palm.
Rumble—!
With an earth-shattering roar, the red sphere covering the sky pulsed, emitting a seductive red light. The energy spread out, painting the world in a color deeper than the sunset. The destructive power of the Blood Demon, the Asura, the source of the red light, pressed down on the world.
Thud—!
There was no escape. No resistance. All they could do was bow their heads in worship.
Kaboom—!
The imposing pillars surrounding the temple crumbled, losing their shape. No, the pillars were just the beginning.
Rumble—!
The ground beneath the temple, unable to withstand the overwhelming power, collapsed.
The only one who remained standing, head held high, was Lee Seong-joon. At the center of the crumbling, red world, he murmured with an indifferent expression,
“Ten Thousand Blood Demon Realm, Second Form, Asura Manifestation.”
The Asura manifested on Earth, its overwhelming power shattering the world.
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At the center of a massive crater, the only living being was Lee Seong-joon. To be precise, nothing else remained. The enormous temple and the Doppelgangers had vanished without a trace.
He had achieved victory.
But he couldn’t revel in his joy.
‘…I’m a little dizzy.’
Having used excessive blood to recover his internal energy, his vision swam, and his body grew cold. He shook his head, trying to regain his focus.
“Haa…”
He took a slow, deep breath to recover his internal energy and stabilize his body. It was then that a cheerful sound rang out.
Ding—!
> Defeated S+-rank boss monsters, Doppelgangers.
> Analyzing contribution for reward distribution.
> User ‘Lee Seong-joon‘ has acquired 100% contribution.
> Reward rank increased due to meeting special conditions!
> First solo clear in dimension ‘Earth.’ Reward rank further increased due to meeting special conditions!
> Reward rank exceeds the maximum obtainable from this Treasure Gate!
> Part of the reward will be converted to experience points.
> Experience points rapidly increasing!
> Congratulations! Your level has increased to 90 after meeting the required experience points.
> You have solo cleared a Treasure Gate.
> Acquired title, ‘Monopolizer‘.
A smile spread across Lee Seong-joon’s face as he looked at the scrolling green hologram window.
‘…More than I expected.’
The rewards were worthy of the name Treasure Gate.
‘I didn’t expect… to reach level 90 in one go.’
After the 3rd class change, at level 80, the amount of experience points required increased significantly, so leveling up usually required tremendous time and effort. Even SSS-rank hunters, among the strongest, needed at least two months.
Even for someone with an unprecedented growth rate like himself, it would have taken considerable effort and time.
‘Good.’
It was a satisfying growth, but the level-up was only part of the reward.
> Title: Monopolizer
> All stats (Strength, Agility, Stamina, Mana) increase by +10.
> Experience points gained from solo monster hunting increase by 50%.
> All stats increased by 10, double the effect of the Low-rank, Survivor title he was currently using. It was equivalent to gaining 20 levels, further enhancing his already exceptional physical abilities.
‘At this level…’
He could unleash the most powerful techniques of the Indestructible Iron Body External Qi Technique. But the Monopolizer title didn’t just increase stats.
‘50% experience point increase.’
Although it came with the condition of solo hunting, it was practically meaningless for Lee Seong-joon, who always hunted alone. It was as if he had been given wings. A smile naturally appeared on his lips.
‘Excellent.’
The level-up and the newly acquired Monopolizer title were a considerable gain, but the true reward from a Treasure Gate was something else.
Ding—!
> User ‘Lee Seong-joon’ will be given the highest reward from the S-rank Treasure Gate!
> Acquired SSS-rank skill, Metamorphose.
He had heard of skills being given as rewards from Treasure Gates, but never an SSS-rank skill. Lee Seong-joon calmed his racing heart and checked the information on Metamorphose.
『SSS-rank, Metamorphose (Lv1)』
> Can summon and control a person from user ‘Lee Seong-joon’s’ memories.
> The summoned being’s stats are 30% of the user’s. Currently, only one entity can be summoned.
This is a growth-type skill that levels up with proficiency.
A wide smile spread across Lee Seong-joon’s face as he looked at the green hologram window.
‘SSS-rank!’
The ability to summon and control a being with 30% of his stats was by far the best skill he had acquired from the system. But what was most satisfying was that the visible effect of Metamorphose wasn’t all there was to it.
‘A growth-type skill…’
Growth-type skills had first become known 25 years ago, through Liu Haoyan, an SS-rank hunter from China. It was a game-changing discovery that overturned the common understanding of skills and was even headline news in world-renowned media outlets.
Anyone who had even briefly researched information on hunters would know about it.
‘A skill that levels up with proficiency, as indicated in the system window.’
Of course, simply leveling up wouldn’t have been such a big deal.
‘When it levels up, the skill’s effects or abilities drastically increase.’
Liu Haoyan, whose growth had plateaued, had reached SSS-rank in just three years after acquiring a growth-type skill.
‘What was truly amazing was that his growth didn’t stop there.’
Liu Haoyan, continuing his growth, was currently a world-renowned ranker and one of China’s representative hunters. The Metamorphose skill he had just acquired also held such potential for growth. It was an excellent skill, worthy of its SSS-rank.
‘Especially for me, it’s even more valuable.’
As the Blood Demon and Demon God, he had met and fought countless martial artists. He had a vast number of individuals in his memories. In other words, he could utilize Metamorphose with maximum efficiency.
‘There are limitations now due to my current stats…’
But it was a problem that would naturally be resolved as he continued to grow rapidly at his current pace.
‘The scale of the reward is truly different.’
He was extremely satisfied with the rewards from the Treasure Gate. Each one was more than excellent.
Thump! Thump!
Exhilaration made his heart race, but he shook his head.
‘It’s not over yet.’
Ding—!
Reward distribution complete.
> A portal to dimension ‘Earth’ has been generated.
Seeing the red rift that appeared before him, Lee Seong-joon fell into thought.
‘I can’t just leave like this.’
Of course, there wouldn’t be any major problems if he left normally. But it would create unnecessary noise and hinder his current goal.
‘The path I must walk is the path of an Emperor, the path of a ruler.’
He had to possess an untouchable authority and dignity, recognizable even by the foolish and arrogant. To do that, he had to build prestige around the name ‘Lee Seong-joon.’ He had to exude an overwhelming majesty.
Tap. Tap.
Lee Seong-joon lightly adjusted his clothes and looked at the red rift.
‘It’s been a while.’
Perhaps because he had occasionally done this in the past, when he ruled the Thousand Continents, to maintain his reign? It felt a bit awkward, but the majesty he exuded was impeccable.
‘Shall we… begin?’
His eyes hardened, and he took a step forward.
Thud.
The moment his foot crossed the red rift, his vision momentarily distorted, and the scenery before him changed.
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