***
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Through the portal opened by Karlein, Seong Jihan found himself facing hundreds of Blue Blood Demons standing on a black hill with resolute determination.
‘So these are the Blue Blood Demons.’
The creatures with two heads and four arms each, covered in blue skin, seemed like two people fused into one body.
They were only slightly larger than humans, and while their race’s combat rating was evaluated as mid to low-tier, their appearance didn’t seem particularly strong.
However,
[Intruder…!]
[Capture him!]
Flash!
As intense blue light erupted from the eyes of hundreds of Blue Blood Demons, Seong Jihan began to feel his body constrained by a strange force.
‘Is this the Blue Blood Demons’ possession?’
As it turns out, the compatibility between Seong Jihan’s body and the possession was favorable, and he felt his control waning.
-Uh…
-Why is Seong Jihan just standing there?
-What’s happening? Is he possessed?
-Should’ve gone to the civilian area after what that skull said lol
Seong Jihan just stood there in front of the enemy, causing viewers to worry.
Yet, ‘Possession can be controlled with Martial Soul.’
To Seong Jihan’s relief, the Martial Soul, which allowed him full control over his body, functioned without issue even during possession.
‘I could sweep them away immediately but…’
His goal in this game was not to annihilate the enemy blindly but rather to find the source of the Blue Blood Demons. Deciding to play along and appear possessed, he observed the situation.
[Do we have him?]
[Umm…!]
[We’re not sure!]
[It seems… like it worked.]
Meanwhile,
The Blue Blood Demons sweating profusely weren’t sure if they had successfully possessed Seong Jihan.
While his movements had stopped and the powers of possession seemed to have worked, his responses were oddly stiff compared to when they possessed other races.
[Try controlling that one!]
Following the lead Blue Blood Demon’s command, their eyes flashed.
Boom!
Several of their eyes erupted in pain, but…
‘This won’t work.’
When Seong Jihan temporarily relaxed his control using Martial Soul, his movements became erratic.
[It worked! Prepare to confront the invader!]
[Alright… Let’s make him clash with the other invaders!]
Possessing the enemy and making them fight each other was the basic tactic of the Blue Blood Demons.
‘Guess I’ll have to draw my sword again.’
Hearing the translated speech of the Blue Blood Demons via BattleNet, Seong Jihan planned to end this charade and wipe them out.
[Wait! Hold! Don’t proceed.]
Before he could act, the lead demon waved its hand, signaling to stop.
[The gods command us to bring him to the sanctum.]
[Him?]
[Will he not be dangerous…?]
[He’s already succumbed to possession once; he’s a ‘prime candidate.’ In the sanctum, possession will be much stronger, so it’s irrelevant.]
[Understood.]
Flash!
As strong light emitted from the Blue Blood Demons’ eyes once more…
Boom! Boom!
Several eyes exploded once again.
Despite Seong Jihan making no effort to resist, they found it arduous to employ their powers. Continuous sacrifices were made amidst their struggles.
[Tremendous resistance…!]
[This player is a dangerous being.]
[Shouldn’t we just kill him now?]
[No. That’s why we must take him to the sanctuary. Control him quickly!]
Heeding the chief’s urgency, the Blue Blood Demons resumed using their powers.
Thump! Thump!
Surrendering himself to their power, Seong Jihan began to move slowly.
After about ten steps…
Boom! Boom!
The sound of exploding eyeballs from behind caused the demon chief to furrow its brow.
How powerful must this guy be if simply making him walk is so difficult?
[This won’t do. Open a portal right before him. Send him to the sanctum at once!]
[Understood.]
At the chief’s command…
Whirring!
A blue portal materialized before Seong Jihan.
‘The sanctum…’
Seong Jihan thought about the Epic Quest about finding the origin of the Blue Blood Demons.
He was clueless about where to start, but now it seemed they were inadvertently paving the way for him.
‘I’ll have to investigate.’
Stepping into the portal beyond, the Blue Blood Demons’ sanctum unveiled itself.
* * *
Wriggle! Wriggle!
Within the sanctum of the Blue Blood Demons,
From the perspective of humans, it was grotesque to call it a sacred place.
-Ew…
-What is this?
-Eyeballs everywhere?
-Going to get ommetaphobia from this ㅡㅡ;
Eyeballs plastered the ceilings, walls, and floors.
Crack!
As Seong Jihan stepped, the eyeballs on the floor burst under his weight, but…
Swoosh…
New eyeballs swiftly replaced the burst ones and continued watching him.
[A portal opened… is it an offering?]
A voice echoed from every direction, carrying a strange force that made listeners feel hazy.
‘Not just possession, but they have other tricks too.’
Naturally, to Seong Jihan who possessed Martial Soul, all this had little effect.
He quietly watched what tricks they were up to.
Ssssh…
And from between the eyeballs, blue tentacles began to rise.
They wrapped around Seong Jihan’s body, and then…
Zzing…!
Began to compress him from all sides.
Caught in possession and wrapped in tentacles, it looked as though Seong Jihan was thoroughly restrained.
-No,can this end quickly?
-An ending straight out of a tentacle drama…
-Seriously, it’s nothing but tentacles now ㅡㅡ;
-He asked to send him to the strongest resistance area earlier, but this result is disappointing…
-Until now, he seemed to be acting, but was it real?
Initially, viewers debated whether Seong Jihan was just pretending to be possessed or not.
But as the blue tentacles began to wrap him helplessly, the sentiment shifted towards it not being an act.
-Shouldn’t he call that black skull for help by now?
-But how would he call for help? He’s possessed.
-Ah… right.
-Are we finally going to see Seong Jihan not rank first in a game?
-First place? He’s at the bottom now. lol
Unable to summon help due to possession, viewers gloomily predicted Seong Jihan’s end.
Then…
Wriggle! Wriggle!
[No, Was it the player executing the annihilation? With a race rated lowest… Yet, to partake in the apocalypse, the gift must be extraordinary.]
Voices reading Seong Jihan’s data emerged from the eyeballs.
[Yes. The lower the grade, the better. Let’s select you as one of the offerings…]
Crack!
Eyeballs swarmed from all directions, burying Seong Jihan.
Or so they tried.
“It’s time to end this charade.”
Before Seong Jihan even voiced his thoughts…
“Wha…?”
Whoooosh!
The tentacles coiling Seong Jihan ignited in unison, a phoenix spear wrapped in crimson lightning was now held in his hand.
-Oh!
-We always trusted you!
-Obviously, Seong Jihan couldn’t possibly be possessed!
-Lol, we were just talking about calling the skull for help and then the quick turn of opinions.
-You did the same thing earlier, didn’t you? Haha!
Viewers shifted from uncertainty to cheering for Seong Jihan, who is, after all, the invincible.
He gently spun the phoenix spear,
“I considered waiting to see what they’d do…”
Thunk!
His target: the eyeballs sprinkled all around.
“I didn’t know you guys would try to stuff the eyes all over my body.”
Seong Jihan obliterated every eyeball.
Though he pretended to be possessed, he never intended to endure having eyeballs enter his body.
Moreover…
‘The Sword Rain stirred.’
The fourth Annihilation technique, Ice Heaven Sword Rain with its search capability.
Especially the Sword Rain, which detected errors in BattleNet here.
Ever since receiving the Epic Quest to find the origin of the Blue Blood Demons, and upon feeling movement in the Ice Heaven Sword Rain he carried inside, he ceased the act.
“Was he not possessed?”
Then…
Wriggle! Wriggle!
From the sanctum Seong Jihan just decimated, more eyeballs began to reappear.
[Indeed, the apostle of apocalypse, not as simple as it seems.]
Pop! Pop! Pop!
The gathered eyeballs collided violently and merged into one vast eyeball.
[But even if the power of possession doesn’t work… I will seize control of you and escape this world.]
Flash!
A command far more intense than any before shone from the Blue Blood Demon talents.
Seong Jihan felt his body flinch slightly.
Had he not owned the Martial Soul, he would have been completely overpowered.
Nonetheless, even the giant eyeball’s power was no match for the restraining power of Martial Soul.
“You thought it would work?”
Seong Jihan thrust his spear toward the eyeball.
Fundamental Divine Arts, Fusion of Divine thunder and phoenix: Crimson Thunder cannon
Crackling!
A massive crimson thunderbolt pierced through the eyeball.
The crimson lightning didn’t stop there, instead swept across the entire sanctum.
The eyeballs which continuously regenerated until then could not withstand the force of the Crimson Thunder Cannon and ceased to revive.
[How…With a low-grade race body, how can you show such power?]
“You say I’m mid-to-low-grade but Why are you guys so weak? Can’t do anything but possess, huh?”
[…Close this sanctum.]
Immediately hit by Seong Jihan, the enemy decided to close the sanctum.
Whoosh…
Affected by the Crimson Thunder Cannon and with little remaining eyeballs, the energy of the santrum began to weaken.
‘Quick judgment.’
Seong Jihan mused with a hint of regret.
If only the enemy clashed a bit more, it would have made it easier to discover the origin of the Blue Blood Demons.
As soon as the eyes realized they couldn’t overpower him, they gave up and scattered.
‘Clearing this Epic Quest won’t be easy.’
If it were just about combating the enemy, it’d be simple. But searching for clues about the origin without any hints was challenging.
And the reward was too good to pass up on the quest.
‘I should track the energy of this sanctum…’
Seong Jihan scanned his surroundings.
Once the omnipresent eyeballs were burnt away, an immense underground space made of blue soil was revealed.
With paths stretched in all directions, it was unclear which way to go.
‘The energy similar to that of this sanctuary is strongest in the north…’
As the sanctum closed, the energy of the Blue Blood Demons dwindled rapidly.
Only someone of Seong Jihan’s caliber could track such faint dispersal.
He could follow it based on his senses, but…
‘The Sword Rain is pointing the opposite way.’
Contrary to Seong Jihan’s senses,
Ice Heaven Sword Rain detected the weakest energy to the south.
‘Let’s follow the direction indicated by Sword Rain this time.’
Whoosh!
Seong Jihan drew Eclipse.
Fundamental Divine Arts: Annihilation God’s Secret, Ice Heaven Sword Rain
The cold aura emanated from the frozen Eclipse, causing the entire sanctum to freeze. Then, a water sword emerged and flew southward.
“Let’s go.”
Mounting the Sword Rain,
Whoosh!
The water sword surged through the underground towards the south.
A vast flood of swords filled the underground like an enormous deluge.
[What is that?]
[Stop it!]
[Don’t let it reach the sanctum!]
The Blue Blood Demons tried to obstruct the water sword, but…
Ssssh…
They were unable to resist its overflow and got swept away.
Though Ice Heaven Sword Rain was indeed for search purposes,
as part of the Annihilation technique, its martial arts power was formidable.
Nevertheless…
‘I can’t see how they reached the Silver League. Was it only by the help of possessing abilities?’
Watching the Blue Blood Demons helplessly defeated by Ice Heaven Sword Rain, Seong Jihan mused.
Ssssh…
The forcefully reaching water swords began to slow down.
Eventually, after sweeping away Blue Blood Demons…
“What is that…? A tree?”
Eventually, at his final destination, Seong Jihan discovered something unexpected: a massive tree adorned with countless eyes, hanging upside down.
***
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