Han Dae Sung Returned From Hell - Chapter 63
#63
063
The tomb garden was a maze blocked on all sides by walls of thornbush.
Like the River of the Dead, it is a maze where expedient methods such as < flight > will never work and you can only get out of it by confronting it with orthodoxy.
Only by escaping this maze could one arrive at the old castle, ‘Labyrinth,’ where the Ghost King was stationed.
‘It would be nice if the flesh didn’t rot before we even arrived.’
It was the moment when Daeseong got off the raft and set foot at the entrance to the tomb garden.
[Quest has arrived.]
—–
Field Implementation Quest-2 (In Progress)
‘134p Ghost King’s Territory’
Difficulty: Unknown
Contents: Escape the maze of the Tomb Garden.
Time limit: Until vitality is exhausted.
Goal: Escape the maze
Reward 1: Achievement points + 10000pt
Embodiment: Demon King’s Territory + 33%
—–
[The energy of death in the tomb garden eats away at the target’s vitality.]
[Exit the labyrinth before all your life is depleted.]
[There is a ‘Maze keeper’ at each point of the labyrinth. Defeat the Maze Keeper to obtain items and restore vitality.]
Except for the quest window, the same message I saw in the past came to mind.
At the same time, Daesung could feel the energy gradually leaking out of his body.
The land of the dead, which did not like the living to begin with, was eating away at his vitality.
It was doubtful whether he would be able to escape even if he had normal physical strength, and there was a time limit that put his life at stake.
‘First of all, it moves.’
There was nothing that could be done right away.
At that time, Daeseong’s vitality repeatedly fell to the point where it was at a critical point, and his skin and bones dried up and he was barely able to escape from the maze when he was almost half dead.
And even though he had escaped the maze at that time, he did not remember the route to the exit in detail.
‘I just randomly walked wherever my feet took me, and before I knew it, I was at the exit.’
It was purely luck.
Just like he did back then, Daesung went through the maze as he felt the way he felt.
Before I could even take a few steps, a crossroads with several branches appeared.
That wasn’t all.
Choose one of the crossroads and see if it is a more normal path.
Kkugu Soup-
It was common for walls of thorn bushes to break in or vine stems to become tangled, blocking otherwise clear paths.
‘Does not matter.’
However, Daesung did not feel empty or impatient.
Even at this moment, the skin, whose vitality is being eaten away, is increasingly decaying.
‘…Because the primary goal is not to escape the maze.’
There was something I had to do first before escaping the maze.
Facing a blocked road, Daesung turned his direction without hesitation and took his leisurely steps.
And he was able to find out.
Oh my…
A huge skeleton soldier blocking the path to the next path.
It was Maze Keeper.
“okay. “I was looking for you.”
Puzzle-!
At the same time that Daeseong rolled up the corners of his mouth, the Balarkic Thunder Spear held in his right hand let out a fierce cry.
Oh wow!
The Maze Keeper ran with a trembling sound, not paying attention to the roaring lightning.
For a skeleton soldier, his body was large, and the blade that slashed from top to bottom exuded a ferocious lethal force.
Puzzle-!
However, the movement was slow, the range of the attack was short, and above all, this side held a spear that could give them an overwhelming advantage if they maintained a sufficient distance.
The blade of the spear wrapped in lightning shot forward and immediately pierced the heart-like brand of the skeleton soldier who had already died once.
The skeleton soldier, whose lifeline had been severed, fell helplessly on the spot.
‘They are just obstructionists who can do nothing but block the road anyway. ‘It’s not difficult to deal with them one by one.’
You might be in a near-dead state, physically and mentally worn out after wandering through a maze for a long period of time.
If they are in normal condition and don’t let their guard down, they are strangely weaklings who will lose.
More than anything.
“where….”
As the system message just announced, if you were to explore the maze for a long time, encountering the Maze Keeper was a welcome event.
Drop-
Daesung fumbled for the white bones of the skeleton soldier scattered on the floor.
Somewhere in their bones were small beads that restored vitality.
‘It doesn’t always come out, but…’
Of course, that too was a blessing in disguise.
It’s all a matter of probability.
If you’re lucky, you may find an orb that restores your vitality, but if you’re unlucky, you may encounter a trap that increases the speed of exhaustion.
It’s fortunate that there is at least a way to tell them apart.
‘Red recovers. Purple is a trap. And black meant instant death.’
At that time, Daeseong discovered the efficacy of red before he discovered black, so he did not die instantly.
And even if he had discovered black first, he wouldn’t have even tried it because it was such an ominous color.
at that time.
Drop-
After rummaging through the bones for a long time, I felt the texture of the beads in my hand.
Daesung immediately took out his arm and checked the color of the bead.
“This….”
Black color.
It was an orb of instant death.
As soon as you put it in your mouth and swallow it down your throat, your vitality decreases to 0 and you become a dead spirit.
It was the worst item that went completely against the structure of the field where you had to survive for even a little longer to escape the labyrinth.
“I can’t believe black beads came out from the beginning.”
Daeseong said to himself and glared at the black bead in his hand.
And the corners of his mouth.
It was up.
“You’re lucky.”
Without hesitation, he put the black bead overflowing with black air into his mouth and swallowed it.
Immediate effect took place.
[The black bead devours all of the target’s vitality.]
[Vitality becomes 0.]
[The target dies.]
His head was spinning before he could even read the text of the system message.
At the same time, the five senses disappeared and the entire body, including the limbs, began to rot and become dull.
moment of death.
As the indescribable moment approaches, where the clear soul becomes polluted with dull colors.
‘This is it.’
Daesung was clearly smiling even at the moment he was reduced to death.
Originally, even in hell, beings who lost their lives had to fall into the world of nothingness called Pandemonium.
But it was different here.
In this tomb garden, which is the territory of the Demon King who is closer to death than any other demon in hell and who deals with life and death most skillfully, even if you die, you do not immediately fall into Pandemonium.
“Whoa-”
A cold sigh flowed from Daesung’s mouth, whose vitality had reached zero.
His current appearance was very similar to the command soldier he dealt with through soul reduction in reality.
A zombie-like appearance with ink covered in rotten skin.
It was a demonization.
‘I guess all the souls who died here belong to the ghost king.’
At least dying on this earth did not mean death, but becoming a slave to the Demon King.
Intentionally reducing vitality to 0 and becoming a ghost would have been an extreme measure that Daesung of the past would never have chosen.
‘Anyway, once I complete this quest, I can return to reality.’
In other words, there was no need to worry or prepare for what would happen after leaving the Demon King’s domain.
An extreme drug prescription that you only have one chance to use.
However, the fact that it could only be used once meant that it was also more effective.
Jeopuk-
He became a zombie and approached Maze Keeper, dripping with fluid.
And he chanted.
“Possession.”
[Confirmed that the target is a shell with no soul remaining.]
[The souls of the currently online dead are moved to ‘Maze Keeper No. 32.’]
In fact, it was a task that could be done because the dead body was actually a dead person buried in a shell.
After the message passed, there was a short period of darkness.
And soon Daesung realized that he was now lying on the floor.
It was the moment when the possession of the skeleton soldier Maze Keeper No. 32 was successful.
Drop-
Daesung struggled to get up, making the sound of bones colliding.
‘All Maze Keepers who guard the maze share consciousness and location with other keepers.’
This was to ensure smooth work performance.
Daesung calmly concentrated his consciousness and looked back at the locations of the other keepers stored somewhere in the memory of the now possessed No. 32.
And soon he was able to find it.
‘No. 59.’
The location of Maze Keeper No. 59, which is waiting closest to the exit of the maze.
Now there was only one thing left to do.
‘Now that we know where he is, all that remains is for him to walk steadily.’
It felt like an arrow leading to the location of No. 59 was fluttering before my eyes.
Drop-
Daesung slowly moved his feet, thinking that it was difficult for his body to adapt.
***
dump-!
Thankfully, the system came to mind just as I was able to defeat No. 59, who was waiting right in front of the exit.
[The quest has been completed and the implementation work is making progress!]
[10000 points of merit points have been awarded!]
[Current implementation rate: Ghost King’s Territory 66%]
However, Daesung, who was in the guise of number 32, did not even pay attention to the system message.
Jeopuk-
As he escaped the maze, the energy of death, colder than the sharp wind, rushed like a wave.
“Your ability to act is worth praising.”
[Quest has arrived.]
“Even coming out to meet you like this.”
Daesung saw him escape from the tomb garden and set foot in the land of the dead.
He saw the sight of countless commanding soldiers lined up so that it filled his field of vision.
As if I was waiting for him.
The dead, wearing their iron armor and clutching their weapons, spewed out a cold, lifeless chill from their mouths.
Army of the Dead.
And the king leading the army was spewing out deep murderous intent even among these countless ghosts.
A skeleton knight wearing a crown of thorns.
King of the Dead.
15 Lords of Hell.
Daesung quietly spoke the name of that ugly yet supreme man.
“Ghost King.”
—–
Field Implementation Quest-3 (In Progress)
‘134p Ghost King’s Territory’
Difficulty: Unknown
Content: Face the legions of the dead and defeat the Demon King.
Time limit: None.
Goal: Defeat the Demon King
Reward 1: Achievement points + 30000pt
Embodiment: Demon King’s Territory+34%
—–
This large territory itself was like the ghost king’s predecessor.
He could see everything that happened here as clearly as if he was looking down from above.
‘This guy must have sensed me the moment I left the torture room and prepared to raise an army.’
Daesung’s hand holding the bakdo used by No. 32 went into strength.
Gaaagh-!
Gaaagh-!
Then, like wild beasts that found a piece of meat, the command soldiers let out a roar, dripping with fluid.
[You are not a ghost.]
A heavy male voice.
A magnificent echo rang out as if the darkness covering the ground had opened its mouth and spoke.
It was the voice of the ghost king.
‘Is it possible to hear the voice of the ghost king because I myself have become a commander?’
In short, only the dead can hear the voices of the dead.
Although he had been a sword-to-sword enemy for a long time in the past, this moment was the first time I heard his voice.
[The soul inside that shell… What are you?]
“You will find out soon.”
[Arrogant guy. The price of arbitrarily harvesting the souls of the dead in my territory will never be small.]
Sze-
The moment the Ghost King’s right hand rose.
Gaaaaaagh-!!
The dead, who were standing tall like stone statues, cried out fiercely and rushed towards Daeseong.
Daesung’s hand, which was clutching the bakdo, gained even more strength.
‘Fighting with this body is crazy.’
Let alone greatness in this world.
At this time, the body of a hybrid demon beast was so bad that it could not be compared to the great castle of the time.
It was impossible to win the battle against the Demon King’s legions without Balark’s thunderbolt or his armor, relying only on a worn-out sword.
‘It’s gambling.’
However, since he had already assumed that this situation would come, he chose the option of making himself a commander.
Nowadays, we cannot enjoy the luxury of time as we did back then, and we have to see the outcome right away.
He had no choice but to gamble.
‘Whether I succeed or not is up to me.’
Gaaagh-!
At the forefront was a large demon beast twice the size of No. 32, swinging a mace and charging at him.
The ground rumbled every time the soldiers of the dead, including him, advanced.
But Daesung did not move until the end.
He calmly calmed his emotions, caught his breath, concentrated all his attention on his hand holding the sword, and measured the distance to the large commanding demon beast in the lead.
And now!
‘You must not stray.’
He quickly bent his back and waved his right arm, and the bakdo left his hand.
Throwing.
Wedge-!
The bakdo left his hand and split the air with a blast.
yet.
Pak-!
Wow…?!
Park Do’s sword blade, which flew as fast as a bullet and maintained an accurate straight trajectory, got stuck in the middle of the big body’s vital area.
In fact, it was a ‘stigmatized’ area that could be said to be the real heart of the dead person.
thud-!
At the same time, the large spirit demon collapsed in vain like a doll whose strings had been cut.
“Possession.”
[The soul of the currently connected deceased is transferred to ‘Gedrak’s Spirit.’]
Ding-!
A bell rang as the soul disappeared from one body and a new soul seeped into a new shell.
The moment when the command soldiers stopped when they saw No. 32 suddenly fall.
[Possession! He is now possessed…!]
The Ghost King shouted urgently.
But before the dead could even understand the meaning of what the monarch said.
Wow!
The huge mace swung diagonally and swept away the dead.
A sudden, devastating surprise attack from a short distance away.
“It’s better than that body.”
It was a blow swung by Daeseong, who succeeded in possessing Gedrak, the large command soldier who was in the lead.
It is only natural to place a strong soldier at the forefront.
And Daesung dominated that guy’s body.
It was a moment when a new wind blew in an unfavorable war situation.
[It’s Gedrak! He is now possessed by Gedrak!]
The Demon King’s shout, full of embarrassment, continued.
Only then did the command soldier, who had finished understanding the situation, pounce on Gedrak, or rather, Daeseong like a swarm of bees.
but.
Huh-!
In front of the indiscriminate barrage of mace, they are swept away like fallen leaves in the wind.
A mace with overwhelming mobility that explodes from its thick legs and is as light as a piece of paper, but has the destructive power to turn the ground upside down every time it is swung.
“It’s not a bad body.”
Daesung, who was running wild like a runaway tank and completely destroying the enemies, muttered that.
Every time he moved forward in waves and caused chaos, the battle line collapsed and the dead were crushed into scraps and flew into the sky.
It was an instant.
‘If this is enough…’
Closing the distance sufficiently from the Demon King is.
The purple eyes of the demon king, who was sitting on a black horse with rotten flesh, were shining fiercely.
[this guy…!]
“Almost gone. wait a moment.”
Daeseong’s body was full of sword wounds as he trampled on the army and came close to the ghost king.
No matter how strong the body I was currently in, it was impossible to get through the torrent of such a large army without getting even a single injury.
Or rather, it would be better to say that it is a limit.
Gad Rock’s skin was in tatters after being stabbed and cut by his spear blade.
[After cutting off his head, I will take out the soul inside and rip it to shreds!]
The black horse let out a strange cry and the ghost king finally began to reveal his weapon.
The monarch’s anger shook the entire territory, and black lightning roared in a sky full of dark clouds.
And to Daeseong’s ears, all of this sounded like a fanfare heralding his victory.
‘This guy’s weapon.’
At first glance, it did not have the shape of an ordinary greatsword with a handle and a blade.
Rather, it was closer to a ‘lump’.
A form in which the face shells of the dead, dripping with ooze, are lumped together and mixed together like mud.
The ghost king’s masterpiece created by exchanging the souls of 50,000 ghosts.
Sword of sin.
‘The sword itself was already a living thing.’
However, it is an abomination that is neither dead nor alive, with no intact soul, caught in an ambiguous gap.
The reason Daeseong tried to close the distance between himself and the ghost king was not because the ghost king himself had a purpose.
Rather, that sword.
‘I am possessed by that.’
And now that the distance to the target has been shortened to that required for possession.
There was no time to worry about whether it would work or not.
“Possession.”
The moment when Daesung’s eyes were fixed on the Sin Sword with tenacity and precision, like a hawk that has found its prey.
[The condition of the person attempting possession is very unstable.]
[Confirmation that the subject still has soul remnants left.]
[If the remnants of the soul fail to possess the remaining spirits, the soul itself will disappear!]
[Do you want to try possession?]
This is the worst move that can lead you straight into pandemonium if you do it wrong.
It was an adventure that could not be compared to the time when he attempted to become a demon by reducing his own vitality to 0.
If you fail in this adventure, there really is no ‘next time’.
“okay.”
However, Daesung attempted possession without any sign of hesitation.
This is because I was confident that it would succeed.
Pot-!
His spirit that permeated Gedrak dwelled in the sword of sin in the ghost king’s hand.
That moment.
Kiiik-!
Argh-!
Ahhh-!
The screams of tens of millions of dead people who were sacrificed to create the Sword of Sin rang out.
He looked in a trance.
The sight of the dead screaming and mixing together in a mess in the blood-red world of spirit consciousness.
‘Is that what the remnants of the soul look like?’
It was a sight that provoked discomfort.
If we were not careful, Daesung would end up in that cave and face the same fate as them.
‘It’s already too late to turn back.’
Since I had committed myself to the only option, it was foolish to hesitate.
Daeseong made up his mind and led his spirit into the torrent of the dead.
OK.
[The soul of the Absolute removes all remnants of the soul!]
As soon as the system sent out such words, the dead people who had been decorated everywhere immediately turned to ashes and crumbled.
Looking at the world of Sin Sword’s consciousness that became clean in less than a second
Daesung smiled contentedly.
‘I was convinced.’
[The soul of the currently online dead person is transferred to the ‘Ghost King’s Sin Sword.’]
Crackling-!
That moment.
[what…!]
The Ghost King discovered that the Sin Sword held in his right hand was shaking.
And that phenomenon was not of his own volition.
[This guy. no way!]
Crackling-
The sword of sin clutched in his right hand slowly got closer to the ghost king’s face.
[Possession of the sword…!]
The Ghost King felt clearly.
The flow of the soul in the sword is suddenly changing, and something big is filling the gap.
And the spirit of the guy holding the Sin Sword is so strong.
[What is this guy…!]
They said it was big.
15 weeks…or maybe.
So much so that it surpasses the stronghold of the demon god, the absolute being of this dimension.
[This guy, this guy…!]
The sword of sin imbued with the soul of the Absolute moved towards the face of the Demon King like a magnet drawn by magnetic force.
The Ghost King not only had his right hand gripping the handle of the Sin Sword, but he also mobilized his left hand to resist and resist its power with all his might.
Crackling-
[This can’t be like this-]
However, the sword of death, which had already escaped the Demon King’s control, raised its tip and attempted to take the man’s life.
Now the Demon King is holding the Sin Sword.
The guy could clearly hear Daesung’s short words embedded in the sword with his own ears.
“It could be like this.”
The moment when an eerie voice rang out that made even the monarch who rules death feel a moment of fear.
Quaaaaaaaaaaa!
The sword of sin pierced the ghost king’s neck.
[The quest has been completed and the implementation work is making progress!]
[30000 points of merit points have been awarded!]
[Current realization rate: Ghost King’s Territory 100%]
[Implementation work completed!]