I Entered an Academy in a Ruined Game

Chapter 285 : Transcendence (4)

Su-hyeon's consciousness, shocked by Belphegor's words, wavered.

'You know me?'

[That's right.]

'...How do you?'

[There is nothing I don't know.]

[Jeong Su-hyeon, traveler from a dull parallel world.]

[Do you think you know all the secrets of the stars?]

Belphegor's voice calmly revealed the truth.

[Even through hundreds of lifetimes, you still haven't reached that truth.]

'...Are you so arrogant even knowing this world is merely a game world?'

[Stop with the half-baked provocations. Both this world and your world exist.]

'Then.'

Su-hyeon's consciousness asked.

'Why did you leave me alone when you knew everything? You could have killed me anytime if you wanted.'

[You seem quite curious. The incomprehensible is always frightening.]

'Answer me. Belphegor, what's your goal? Transcendence?'

[I.]

Belphegor's voice answered.

[Have already transcended.]

'.......'

To a speechless Su-hyeon, his voice continued.

[Once you've crossed into this world, you have only one life. In other words, this is your last challenge, and if I stop it, this place will finally become completely my world.]

'.......'

After a long silence, Su-hyeon spoke again.

'The being who brought me to this world said they concluded the experiment on the planet Earth as a failure.'

[Yes. But they must have told you they decided to give you one last chance.]

'You know everything.'

[Yes. And that it was a lie, too.]

'...!'

[Like me, the being who brought you is also a transcendent. But they knew well they couldn't destroy me with their own power.]

'So they turned to the outside world?'

[You catch on quickly. That's right. They conducted tests through what you call a game, a virtual space.]

[It was no different from magic in your world. Quite interesting.]

[It was quite an entertaining spectacle to watch countless parallel world branches multiply infinitely, searching for a scenario where I could be defeated.]

'A spectacle.'

Su-hyeon's consciousness said dejectedly.

'So all those desperate struggles amounted to just that level for you.'

[That's right. Except for you.]

'What do you mean?'

[There was no one as persistent as you. Even after failing hundreds of times, you didn't know how to give up. I too was often surprised by how you would come at me with sharp moves somehow, without despair.]

[But in the end, you couldn't kill me.]

The boss he had been trying to defeat through hundreds of game runs had actually been watching all those gamers' attempts?

That was a truth Su-hyeon had never even thought of.

[There's a famous saying in your world.]

[When you gaze into the abyss.]

'...The abyss also gazes into you.'

[Mortal. I am the one who lurks beneath the abyss of the underworld, and the one who governs all death and destruction.]

[How praiseworthy is the effort of a mortal struggling to defeat me.]

[And how futile it is.]

'.......'

When Su-hyeon had no particular reaction to his words, Belphegor brought up another topic.

[The shock seems quite great.]

[Haven't you ever wondered why things didn't happen as you wanted in this run?]

'...Are you saying that was your doing too?'

[That's right. Hwang Won-jae, my faithful servant, was a clever human.]

[His actions sometimes outpaced you and hit blind spots you hadn't thought of.]

[In the end, you couldn't paint the picture you wanted.]

[How do you think that was possible?]

[Was it really just because of his cunning?]

'No way.'

[Yes. I gave him wisdom.]

'...So that's it.'

Su-hyeon didn't doubt Belphegor's words.

[Even so, your achievements were remarkable. But they weren't enough.]

[My early descent is proof of that.]

'Let me ask one thing.'

'Are you saying that I, Hwang Won-jae, Seong Ji-cheol, Lee Cheong-myeong, and Lee Ho-seung... we were all just pieces on a chessboard?'

[That's right, mortal.]

'...I see. But listening to you go on and on, it's really starting to grate on my ears.'

Su-hyeon's consciousness said tersely.

'Why do you keep calling me mortal? Do you think you won't perish? I'll make sure you perish.'

[Hahaha.]

It was laughter that conveyed no emotion.

Was it ridicule, or the joy of playing along?

[Even just words are pleasant to hear. But first, try to survive and return from that hellish pain.]

[Our next encounter will come after that.]

[And that will be the last.]

'Fine.'

Su-hyeon's consciousness answered.

'I will definitely kill you then.'

[Mortal.]

[A resolution that couldn't be realized after hundreds of attempts is no resolution at all.]

'Right. This isn't a resolution.'

Su-hyeon's consciousness, burning with intense will, declared to the king of all demons.

'This is an oath.'

❀⋆｡°✿☆❀✿°｡⋆❀

In the twisted flow of time.

Even as Su-hyeon's consciousness, drifting in unconsciousness, realized the truth about the world and himself and strengthened his resolve.

Still, using the Dragon Heart's mana as fuel, Su-hyeon's body continued to be reconstructed and destroyed.

Body Transformation and Bone Replacement.

Remaking the shell of the body, and repeatedly discarding the destroyed shell.

In this way, the shell kept getting stronger.

Stronger.

Firmer.

More flexible.

Faster.

...More suitable.

Su-hyeon's power, after countless Body Transformations and Bone Replacements, was being reconstructed into a body that far surpassed his own limits.

'There's no meaning in counting how many times it's been.'

Su-hyeon's consciousness, returned from unconsciousness, was contemplating his own body being destroyed and reconstructed.

Wisdom.

Power.

Even will.

Su-hyeon's body, with everything renewed, had surpassed 'Dragon Spear' Ju Taeyang, who had tasted a fragment of transcendence.

Finally, it was completely breaking free from the limits of the human species.

'I am rising to a new dimension I didn't know about.'

Su-hyeon's consciousness quietly realized his own transcendence.

And so a year passed.

Jeong Su-hyeon, summer of his 19th year.

The man who had become a transcendent, able to reject even his own fate after surpassing the limits of his species, returned to the destroyed world.

❀⋆｡°✿☆❀✿°｡⋆❀

A white hand protruded from the abandoned earth.

"Phew."

Covered in dirt, Su-hyeon crawled out and looked around as he dusted himself off with his hands.

Ruins.

The explosion had been so powerful that most buildings had only their frames left or had completely collapsed.

Due to the severe radiation, no living creatures could be seen.

Even corpses were nowhere to be found.

There was no way Malek's body or Commander Ju Taeyang's remains would be there.

Even the Moonless Sword that Su-hyeon had wielded for so long had disappeared without a trace in the absurd ultra-high temperature explosion.

But now was not the time to dwell on what was lost.

"...How much time has passed?"

That much he couldn't know.

"First, to the west."

Su-hyeon, who determined his direction by looking at the distant coastline, muttered as he looked down at his naked body.

'I should find some clothes too.'

Despite not having received nutrition for a long time.

Su-hyeon, who had gained a body perfect both functionally and aesthetically, walked the destroyed world naked.

❀⋆｡°✿☆❀✿°｡⋆❀

Though it was a dim world without sunlight, he could feel that evening was approaching.

'I should find a place to camp after walking a bit more.'

The dimness wasn't just in day and night.

'The sense of season is ambiguous too. I can't tell if it's spring or summer.'

Most plants were also withered, unable to receive enough light.

'The road conditions are terrible. Floods, earthquakes, drought. Have they been destroyed by all kinds of disasters?'

Nevertheless, Su-hyeon had no choice but to follow the road for now.

'I can start to hear sounds.'

Su-hyeon thought.

Beyond the faint sound of wind, the sounds made by life could be faintly heard from a distance.

Growl!

Baa-aah.

Demonic beasts weren't visible; instead, wild animals that had absorbed some magical energy came into Su-hyeon's view.

Cats, wildcats, wild dogs, raccoons.

Goats and cows that had escaped from human pens and gone wild.

They were freely pursuing their own survival in a land without humans.

"...Yes. Strictly speaking."

The man who had completely shed his boyhood and become a shining young man, Jeong Su-hyeon, said.

"This isn't the end of the world."

It was just that the dominant species of the world had changed from humans to demons.

"...Hmm."

After walking for some time.

Su-hyeon's spiritual sense first detected their presence, and then his eyes, much clearer than a telescope, witnessed their actual forms.

"Demons?"

Whether to hunt humans, or for some other reason.

A group of demons sauntering and heading somewhere was visible.

Shak!

As Su-hyeon's foot stepped on the ground, the distance of nearly 6km was instantly reduced.

"Huh?"

"What, it's a human!"

"To think there's still a human wandering alone?"

Human, squid, dog, horse, spider, earthworm, crow.

Demons created by randomly mixing the faces, limbs, and organs of various creatures without any rules murmured as they saw Su-hyeon.

"Must be a crazy human. Why are you going around naked?"

"Kuu, his body is a work of art though?"

"Hehe. It would be delicious to tear apart and eat."

"Delicious my ass. It would be dry with only protein."

Among demons, many individuals enjoyed cannibalism.

'Mostly just trash.'

But there was one individual who exuded a strong presence among them.

'A strong demon.'

The power felt was roughly S-rank level.

It was similar to 'Rusty Sword' Ha Jin-su, but the fact that he led such a low-grade army despite having such power showed that his status wasn't high.

"Hey human, if you come out obediently, I won't eat you painfully."

"Kil-kil-kil!"

"Kye-kye-kye-kyeok!"

Ignoring the low-grade laughter, Su-hyeon walked toward the demons.

"Hm? Is his ears eaten?"

"Isn't he just an idiot?"

"Then his brain fluid wouldn't taste good."

'I can't measure my own power.'

Eye Power, Mana Shield, Clear as a Mirror...

All skills could now be used as naturally as breathing without conscious thought.

"Why are you standing there stupidly, human!"

Something like a harpoon shot from a demon's body flew faster than a bullet, but.

'Slow.'

As Su-hyeon wished, his eyes pulled and stretched time, making him see the world in slow motion.

Tachypsychia Mode.

But now it was a power that had forgotten its own name.

Swoosh!

Moreover, Su-hyeon, who easily evaded attacks coming from all directions by employing not only superhuman eyes but also superhuman intuition, took a step forward.

If he wished, he could freely go 50cm forward or 50m forward with one step.

"Insane!"

"What is this...?"

Crash!

Su-hyeon, who crushed a demon with his fist, picked up the sword he was holding and examined it.

"It's blunt. I can't even swing something like this."

Woong.

The demon's sword, infused with sword energy, trembled.

"Useless object."

Slash!

As Su-hyeon's arm casually swept through the air, a cutting attack that split the space severed the waists of four demons.

Shit!

In return, Su-hyeon threw away the sword whose hilt and blade had separated.

Instead, light appeared in his fist.

It was fist energy with greater hardness and efficiency than Hardening Shield.

"Hmm."

The fist energy soon changed into the form of an invisible sword.

All mana under the sky was his tool and part of him.

If he wished, it would always serve his will, turning into shields, sword energy, or stepping stones to leap through the air.

"...He's strong."

"There's still such a strong human left in a place like this?"

"What are you all cringing for! Surround him and kill him!"

Swish!

All kinds of magical energy flew in.

But.

Whoosh.

Su-hyeon dispelled them by waving his hand as if shooing away flies.

And then he swung his invisible sword to cut through the demons' bodies.

Crash!

Su-hyeon shattered the demons' bodies with just light jabs and kicks.

"Uughk!"

"Kaeeeeee!"

His feet, which naturally followed the optimal path, and his organically functioning body created the next attack seamlessly.

Crash!

The result was the inevitable death of the enemy.

His body moved as he thought, and even when he didn't think, it moved to make the best choices.

Techniques forgot their forms and patterns, mixing together toward the best point.

Transcending the realm of Non-Self again.

Even in a state of extreme immersion, he could now judge with his self.

'I realized that Non-Self is self.'

In a moment as if time had stopped.

Only he was free from that absolute law.

Thus, when the brief battle ended.

Over a hundred demons had all been annihilated by Su-hyeon's hand.

In the past, it would have been a force that an entire Execution Force unit would have to risk their lives to fight.

"...Lord Belphegor."

Only one Captain-level demon remained.

"...I can't believe it."

The stunned demon muttered.

"Whether you believe it or not, what does it matter?"

Su-hyeon, surrounded by radiance, asked.

"Your neck will fall here anyway."

"Damn it."

A gloomy expression appeared on the demon's face.

'Now I understand. Perhaps his identity is...'

The young human whose life or death had been ambiguous.

Yet a man whose name everyone in Nastrond knew.

"Jeong Su-hyeon."

"Yes. I am Jeong Su-hyeon."

"...Frighteningly strong."

The demon recalled the presence of the Great Overlord he served.

'...What exactly is this? This endlessness, this immeasurability?'

Could this human really be stronger than a Great Overlord...?

Slash!

The demon's question ended there.

Su-hyeon, who cleanly incinerated the demon's head that had risen into the air spewing blue blood by flicking a mana bullet at it, looked up at the sky.

"Well then, shall we go?"

The power to change everything was in his hands.