The Return of the Legendary All-Master

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 313

[Wow… Is Honey1 a monster or what?]

How do you even hunt a Level 1,100 enemy? Even if it's a good strategy, are we really supposed to fight that?

└ For real lol, I can't even imagine trying.

└ James Marcus's party actually succeeded in taking it down… That's insane.

└ Ah, seriously, I wish Honey1 would join my party and clear Darvis for me. ㅠㅠ

└ If that happened, I wouldn't ask for anything else.

The Ultimate Knight subjugation video.

However, aside from James Marcus's party, no one else dared to challenge the Ultimate Knight.

If this were a game where you had multiple lives, that would be one thing.

But in reality, you only have one life.

That monster boasts a ridiculous Level 1,100. If you mess up even a little while fighting it, you die instantly.

That's why no one had the courage to attempt the Ultimate Knight subjugation.

[By the way, did you hear about the event?]

I went to an NPC to exchange points, and they mentioned something about an event.

└ Huh? I thought that was a joke, but is this real??

└ Whoa, it's legit. Isn't this the first event since the world changed?

└ Hope they’re not planning something crazy in the name of an event.

└ There's a high chance of that happening…

Before the event even began, some players noticed the hints through NPC interactions.

They posted about it in the community, and soon, most players became aware of the event.

[Doesn't this new event scream "survival" to you?]

If you read the description, it sounds a lot like the Guild War event. Feels like it'll turn into a survival game.

└ Oh, sharp observation. I thought the same thing lol

└ If it's a survival event… joining would be a death sentence, right?

└ For real, survival events mean you have to kill someone.

└ Wow… I’m definitely not participating.

The Guild War event.

Since it closely resembled a survival format, many believed this new event would follow suit.

Then, a post appeared on HoneyTube.

[This is HoneyTube.]

It's been a while. Did you all enjoy the Ultimate Knight subjugation video?

Anyway, I was thinking about doing a live stream since it’s been a while.

I’m sure most of you have heard that the event will start via NPC interactions.

Yes, so I'll be covering that event during my live stream.

I'll let you know the exact schedule once the event starts.

Oh, and just because the event has started, don't join recklessly.

You only have one life. Please don’t gamble with it.

* * *

"It's up now."

Jeong-hoon confirmed the post before finally turning off his computer.

The internet was still functioning for now.

Later on, as the world faced destruction, even the internet would go down, marking the regression of civilization.

Those who had naturally relied on the internet for information now had to gather it by moving around in person. Naturally, with information flowing slower, responses were delayed, and as a result, there were quite a few casualties.

That's how crucial information was.

"Now then, should I upgrade Leviathan?"

Before that, he added shadow options to Mukho and Anima.

However, unlike the Shadow King's gear, the resulting options weren't particularly impressive.

Mukho received a special resistance option.

Anima gained an option that increased skill damage using a bow by 1.2 times.

'Not bad.'

Jeong-hoon nodded as he took out a Stabilized Legendary Engraving Stone.

Leviathan was still at the Unique grade.

[You have selected the upgrade material.]

[Would you like to attempt the upgrade?]

[Once attempted, it cannot be reverted. Please decide carefully.]

'Proceed.'

[Proceeding with the upgrade...][Upgrade successful.]

He successfully upgraded Leviathan to Legendary.

With this, his sword, dagger, spear, and bow had all reached Legendary or higher.

Although everything except the sword had reached the Ultimate grade, Leviathan had now stepped into the Legendary tier.

Next, it was time to push Leviathan to Celestial grade.

Hadn't he saved a Stabilized Shadow Celestial Engraving Stone precisely for this moment?

On top of that, he still had one Ultimate Star remaining.

Jeong-hoon decided to invest both in Leviathan.

Of course, he couldn’t use the Ultimate Star right away, but he could fully utilize the Celestial Engraving Stone.

He first retrieved the Legendary Enhancement Stone he'd bought from an NPC and began the upgrade process.

* * *

The 5th Advancement Quest was on a whole different level of difficulty compared to previous ones.

Currently, the number of people on Earth who had completed the 5th Advancement could be counted on one hand.

Jeong-hoon himself had yet to complete it.

With the event and broadcast preparations finished, and Leviathan upgraded to Celestial, it was time to complete his 5th Advancement before everything began.

'For the current master, this should be a piece of cake.'

'I agree. With that level of skill, it would be strange not to finish the 5th Advancement easily.'

Mukho and Anima were certain Jeong-hoon would complete his 5th Advancement in no time.

“Well... if a grind-heavy quest appears, that could change things.”

A grind-heavy quest — one that requires sheer time investment regardless of skill.

Having reached the Celestial Realm, Jeong-hoon’s 4th Advancement had been guided by Harphael, the Guide of the Heavens, rather than the Authority of the Blue Flame.

So this time, wouldn’t the 5th Advancement be overseen by Hariel, the Ultimate Guide?

[Advancement Quest: Realm (1/2)]

- Requirement: Level 401 or higher, 4th Advancement Martial Artist

- Reward: Unlocks ‘Advancement Quest: Realm (2/2)’

- Description: You have met the qualifications. It is time to awaken the power that has been dormant within you.

His prediction was spot on.

"You're here?"

As soon as Jeong-hoon began his 5th Class Advancement, his body was forcibly transported to the Hall of Ultimacy.

Standing before him was Hariel, the one who had granted him the ultimate power.

"It's been a while."

"...Doesn't feel like it's been that long."

"Is that so?"

"More importantly, what happened during that time?"

Hariel's eyes trembled slightly.

When they first met, Jeong-hoon had already seemed beyond human limits, but now his strength had grown to an entirely different level.

At this point, wouldn't he be able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with a Sovereign?

'This doesn't make sense... How is he only Level 795?'

Especially that overwhelming amount of mana.

The power he held was something one could barely achieve after surpassing Level 2,000.

Yet he had attained it without even reaching Level 1,000.

And to top it off, he hadn't even completed the 5th Class Advancement yet.

'If he surpasses Level 1,000 from here... he'll be unbelievable.'

Hariel swallowed dryly.

"There’s no time. Let's start the 5th Advancement quest right away."

"...Alright."

Even the thought of interfering never crossed his mind.

How could anyone stop someone with such overwhelming power?

Hariel obediently snapped his fingers.

* * *

5th Class Advancement.

Having reached the pinnacle of power, its difficulty was beyond imagination.

However, for Jeong-hoon — who was on the verge of reaching Level 800 and had all his stats exceeding 2,000 — it was nothing.

The first stage, like in the 4th Advancement, involved defeating a Transcendent's clone. Jeong-hoon handled it without even using buffs.

The final second stage was a qualification test to assess his potential.

And with Jeong-hoon’s absurdly heightened abilities, he passed the test in less than 10 seconds, completing the quest with ease.

"I knew it was inevitable, but I didn’t expect it to be this fast."

Hariel clicked his tongue in disbelief.

It was no wonder — completing both stages of the quest had taken only 30 minutes.

To clear the 5th Advancement this quickly, not the 1st or 2nd but the 5th, was unheard of.

[You have completed the quest.]

[You have reached a new realm.]

[You have advanced to Martial Emperor (5th Advancement).]

[All stats increased by 200.]

[All skill damage increased by 20%.]

[Achievement unlocked! You have completed 'The Realm.' Achievement points +200,000.]

[The maximum rune limit has increased to '12'.]

[Ultimate: You have achieved the 5th Advancement. You have gained the qualifications to access 'Divine Power.']

5th Class Advancement complete.

All stats increased by 200, and skill damage increased by a whopping 20%.

It was a bit disappointing that the stat increase wasn't percentage-based, but there was something far more important.

[The grade of 'Steadfast Will' has increased to 'Ultimate.']

[The grade of skills acquired through 'Steadfast Will' has been adjusted.]

The grade of Steadfast Will had risen from Celestial to Ultimate.

As a result, all the skills acquired through Steadfast Will increased from Legendary to Celestial.

[You can explore 'Truth.']

[Exploration time is 10 minutes.]

Truth Exploration.

This was an opportunity given to all users who completed their 5th advancement.

By utilizing this chance, one could acquire a powerful skill, and in his previous life, Jeong-hoon had obtained 'Asura' here.

It was a special ability attached to his current relic, 'Immortal Bond: Oath of Battle.'

Similar to a Berserker, but distinctly different, it was a passive skill.

When receiving or dealing a certain amount of damage, the passive skill would activate, manifesting phantom arms that could wield multiple weapons simultaneously — an overpowered skill.

'Getting Asura again would be the best option.'

It was a skill perfectly suited for Jeong-hoon even now.

Since he had obtained it once before his regression, he was confident he could acquire it again.

[Would you like to explore the Truth?]

[Once you enter, re-entry is not possible.]

Jeong-hoon planned to obtain the skill right away.

'Enter.'

Without hesitation, he confirmed his decision, and his body was immediately engulfed in a massive light and swallowed whole.

After Jeong-hoon disappeared, Hariel silently stared at the spot where he had vanished.

How much time had passed?

Above Hariel, a crack appeared, revealing familiar red eyes.

It was Baal.

Meeting those eyes, Hariel once again prostrated himself as he had before.

"I greet the great Sovereign of the Demon Realm."

<What happened to him?>

"Him? Are you referring to the human who claimed the Ultimate Power?"

<Yes.>

Hariel reported in detail how the human had arrived and completed his 5th advancement.

"He’s probably gone to acquire a skill."

Being engulfed in light meant he had departed to explore the Truth.

<Is that so? Then this is perfect.>

"Excuse me...? What do you mean by 'perfect'...?"

<Interfere.>

"By 'interfere'... do you mean prevent the human from acquiring a skill?"

When the human had claimed the Ultimate Power, Baal had interfered back then as well, drastically increasing the difficulty.

Yet the human had smashed through every obstacle and reached the Ultimate.

'That guy’s a monster.'

Even with Hariel's power, any manipulation could only result in shallow interference — barely enough to hinder him from gaining a skill.

Moreover, tampering with unauthorized powers would come with severe repercussions.

To be honest, he didn’t want to face the consequences.

<It’s not interference. I’m telling you to open the path.>

But Baal said something unexpected.

“A p-path?”

<Yes. Give him the opportunity to go deeper.>

“...Why are you trying to empower a human?”

Hariel couldn’t understand.

The path.

That path was only permitted to those who had completed their 6th advancement after the 5th.

So why was Baal trying to empower a human who had just finished his 5th advancement?

<It’s a test.>

“A test?”

<When he completed his 5th advancement, he surpassed me.>

“Wh-what?! Is that true?!”

Hariel’s face twisted in shock.

What had Baal just said?

A mere creation had surpassed the Sovereign of the Demon Realm?

<Yes. If he uses all his abilities to their fullest, he would gain a slight advantage over me.>

“I... I see…”

Hariel barely managed to respond in a trembling voice.

He knew the human was a monster, but he never imagined he had surpassed the Demon Realm’s Sovereign.

It was a huge relief that they hadn’t interfered during the 5th advancement quest.

Wait...

That made things even more confusing.

They should be trying to stop him from gaining more power, not helping him.

<It’s exactly as I said — a test. Give him a choice. If he chooses the deeper path, reduce his time limit to 5 minutes and add a penalty clause — if he fails to gain anything, he won’t be able to revisit afterward.>

“Hmm… Will the human really choose that path?”

<He will. He’s desperate to change his fate no matter what.>

“B-but…”

<The Master has taken an interest.>

“...!”

Hariel’s pupils widened to the point they seemed ready to pop out.

He immediately realized whom Baal meant by ‘The Master.’

<If you understand, then begin.>

“Y-yes, understood…”

Opening the path by force would come with consequences.

But he had no choice.

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]