bookpower Chapter 278
Chapter 278
[translator - kiteretsu][proofreader - kyros]
chapter 278
[you have entered the second floor.]
unlike the first floor, the second floor was teeming with shadow soldiers.
they carried various weapons, including swords, spears, daggers, bows, and crossbows, and roamed about.
"intruder!"
"capture him!"
the moment they spotted jeong-hoon, they signaled each other and quickly grouped together, designating jeong-hoon as their target.
‘let’s find the corpse first.’
this was the first quest given.
the corpse of the nameless shadow a must be somewhere in this area.
only then could the quest proceed without any setbacks.
jeong-hoon stepped into the heavenly demon lord's dominion stance and began to execute martial arts techniques.
the energy of heavenly demon lord's fist arts enveloped his fist.
puhk!
as he had done at the castle gate, jeong-hoon aimed for the heads of the enemies in front of him.
since they were all wearing helmets, the strategy was to disrupt their balance with a headshot and then swiftly target their vital points to finish them off.
the heavenly demon lord's fist arts had an ability to nullify defense, so no matter how high their defensive capabilities were, they couldn’t withstand it.
paat!
fwishuuk!
however, as a rain of arrows descended, jeong-hoon retreated backward.
‘i can’t avoid all of them.’
[using the barrier of light.]
jeong-hoon deployed the barrier of light to shield himself.
kwa-jik! kwa-ji-jik!
the arrows struck, rapidly damaging the barrier, but it was sufficient for the moment.
jeong-hoon once again stepped into the heavenly demon lord's dominion stance and swung his fist.
his target was the helmet of a sword-wielding enemy in front of him.
puhk!
“guh!”
the punch connected with the helmet, causing the enemy to stagger.
jeong-hoon immediately reached out and removed the helmet.
as the helmet came off, a jet-black shadowy head was revealed.
“disappear.”
kwa-jik!
jeong-hoon delivered a punch directly to the shadow’s throat, crushing it.
“gah!”
the shadow knight died instantly.
jeong-hoon then moved toward a spear-wielding enemy, stepping into the heavenly demon lord's dominion stance again, and removed its helmet.
just as before, a shadowy head was revealed.
“you bastard!”
the enemy swung its spear in retaliation.
“so what?”
unlike before, jeong-hoon grabbed the enemy by its neck.
jeong-hoon applied force and pulled, using the enemy as a shield.
pababababak!
“kuaaaagh!”
at that moment, countless arrows lodged into the enemy’s back.
unable to withstand it, the enemy slumped down, lifeless.
‘the barrier of light won’t hold much longer.’
if so, there was no choice but to use these enemies as shields to push forward.
jeong-hoon hurled the shadow knight toward the others.
simultaneously, he stepped into the heavenly demon lord's dominion stance and struck the chest of a spear-wielding shadow knight with his elbow.
“gah!”
despite wearing armor, the impact seemed significant as the enemy groaned and was knocked back.
three shadows standing behind it collided with the staggering figure, losing their balance.
jeong-hoon seized the opportunity and closed the distance, swinging his fist at them.
“gugh!”
“urk!”
their supposedly high defense proved meaningless as they wavered with a single punch.
jeong-hoon swiftly targeted their vital points, subduing them with precision.
he then grabbed another enemy to use as a shield.
pabababababak!
a hail of arrows struck the shadow he was holding.
“this isn’t easy.”
carrying the pierced shadow, jeong-hoon stepped into the heavenly demon lord's dominion stance and began
[guh?!]
two strikes were all it took to make the shadow count collapse.
clutching its stomach, the shadow count trembled uncontrollably.
jeong-hoon drew leviathan and finished it off with a strike to the back of its head.
[you have defeated the boss.]
[all monsters on the second floor have been annihilated.]
[you are now eligible to ascend to the third floor.]
the battle ended rather anticlimactically.
the shadow count’s body disintegrated upon death, leaving behind only a necklace it had been wearing.
‘what’s this?’
jeong-hoon picked up the necklace.
upon inspecting it, his eyes widened slightly.
‘could it be?’
inside the necklace was a figure smaller than a fingernail—a tiny person.
jeong-hoon thought this might be the corpse the young shadow had mentioned. he hurried back to the storage area.
as expected, an exclamation mark blinked above the young shadow’s head in the storage area.
[you have completed the quest.]
[return the corpse to nameless shadow b.]
jeong-hoon handed the necklace to the young shadow.
[it… it really was here?!]
“yeah.”
[thank goodness… so it really was nearby.]
the young shadow caressed the necklace as if it were a cherished treasure.
“do you know where the other corpses are?”
having helped it, jeong-hoon expected a hint in return.
[the third floor. i can sense the same energy on the third floor.]
“energy?”
[yes. the energy emitted by the corpses. i’m able to detect it.]
jeong-hoon nodded, now understanding why nameless shadow b could provide hints.
“then, can you escape now?”
its sensing ability could be useful later on.
however, the young shadow couldn’t fulfill jeong-hoon’s expectations.
[i plan to destroy this and disappear.]
“disappear?”
[yes. that’s the only way i can leave this place.]
the young shadow said this, placing the necklace on the ground and crushing it with its foot.
crunch.
the necklace shattered surprisingly easily.
“why did it break so easily?”
[because the body and the shadow came into contact. thank you so much.]
as the necklace broke, the young shadow began to fade and eventually disappeared entirely.
left alone, jeong-hoon quietly turned around.
“…time to move on.”
his task on the second floor was done.
now, it was time to ascend to the third floor and search for the corpse the young shadow had spoken of.
[translator - kiteretsu]
[proofreader - kyros]