Solo Max-Level Newbie
chapter-235

Solo Max Level Newbie Chapter 235: The Descendant of Guntapher, ‘Antrad’ (2)

The multiple strong magic ritual.

The pillars of light erupting from the ground signify the emergence of new demons.

Kukukukuku!

As the ground cracked, the heavens began to break apart.

One by one, the red pillars between the clouds flickered in and out of existence.

Beyond the forests and mountains…

…hundreds of kilometers away, various demons were awakening.

‘Antrad’ from the Scorching Hell.

‘Magdra’ from the Frozen Soul Hell.

‘Velmariel’ from the Toxic Hell.

‘Chelkerim’ from the Endless Hell.

The familiar demonic energy transmitted from afar was of the unforgettable kind.

‘Four of them, including Antrad who’s manifested here…right?’

Jinhyuk’s eyes narrowed.

It was within his expectations that the demons would gather relics to summon Antrad, but he hadn’t predicted the others as well.

This was ostensibly impossible within the system’s structure.

No…

There was one way, in fact.

But it represented the very last possibility he wanted to consider.

Assuming the worst, Jinhyuk shook his head.

‘What I need to focus on now is dealing with the demons that have manifested.’

The problem was…

a method to block the other demons apart from Antrad…

Someone else out there would have to step in.

And it would have to be someone with remarkable skills.

It didn’t take long for him to come up with a plan.

[White Snake.]

Jinhyuk called out through his telepathy to an ally not far from the stronghold.

A close aide of the Dark Emperor, and also a top-ranked player who had promised to act as his hands and feet for the time being.

If White Snake and the Shadow Corps took up the job, they could handle this situation.

[I was wondering why you weren’t calling for us with the castle in flames. And you finally call.]

White Snake’s voice returned, seemingly having waited.

Indeed, if upper-tier demons were appearing, it would be strange not to notice.

[If you’re informed, then we can speak quickly.]

[I’m sorry to say, but even if we all rushed in, it would be no use against that one. Personally, I’d advise against you fighting that thing too. Running would be my recommendation.]

[I’ll deal with this one myself. I have another favor to ask of you.]

[The demons emerging from the other light pillars, right? It’s the same story. There’s nothing we can do. They’re like natural disasters beyond our control.]

[I’m not asking you to do anything about them. Instead, explain the situation to those who can and ask for their help.]

[Someone who can…who might that be?]

[The master.]

Chelkerim from the Endless Hell who has appeared in the martial arts world.

To block him, Jinhyuk would need the help of the Dark Emperor.

[That’s a heavy favor to ask. Even if the Dark Emperor has taken a liking to you, do you think he’d help with something like this?]

[Well, if it’s the master, I think he’d do that much for his cute disciple.]

The love the Dark Emperor showed for his disciples was special, as Jinhyuk remembered from the time when they climbed the Tower of Ordeals together.

Cruel to his enemies, yet incredibly generous to those he deemed allies.

That was the Dark Emperor as Jinhyuk remembered him.

[…Fine. I may have agreed to act as your servant, but don’t you regret it later.]

[And one more thing.]

[Hm?]

[I have a comrade in the Sacred Kingdom. Her name is Teresa. Ask her to take care of Magdra who has appeared near the Sacred Kingdom.]

[Teresa… Understood. I’ll pass the message along.]

There wasn’t a clear solution for the last one, Velmariel.

Jinhyuk could only hope that the Empire and the martial arts alliance would move quickly.

Just as Jinhyuk retracted his telepathy,

“Have all your plans fallen to ash, leaving you out of your mind? Why are you standing there, unable to move?”

“Ah. Sorry. I got distracted for a bit, wondering how to take all of you down.”

“Not frozen solid in the mouth, I see. Good. There’s more fun in slicing down prey that’s still kicking.”

Antrad slowly reached his hand towards the void.

Crack-crack!

A fissure formed in the space, and a massive sword from beyond the dimensions began to reveal itself.

[Antrad summons the Lv30 ‘Blazing Sword’.]

All the moisture in the air vanished.

Burning.

An unimaginable heat surged towards the skin.

It was as if hell itself had been summoned to the physical world.

This was the might of the upper-tier demon kin.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Jinhyuk’s heart pounded rapidly.

Not from fear.

Rather, he was overwhelmed with anticipation at how well he would be able to fight a foe twice his level when he wasn’t even level 100 yet.

‘Yes, this is what the Tower of Trials should be.’

There’s no fun in an easy difficulty. There’s no sense of accomplishment with perfection that lacks variability.

Through the tough and strenuous path…

And obtaining the rewards at the end.

That’s the reason to see the summit of this world.

Jinhyuk reassessed the information he had gained through ‘Eyes of Gluttony’.

[Antrad]

Race: Demon

Age: 5583

Level: 165

Strength: 126 Agility: 115 Vitality: 382 Magic Power: 177 Mastery of Fire: 224

Unique Ability: Will of Fire

Skills: ‘Boundary of Demon World’ Lv35, ‘Hellfire’ Lv2, ‘Unbreakable Bones’ Lv22, ‘Sanctuary of the Dead’ Lv22, ‘Blazing Sword’ Lv30, ‘End of Times’ Lv19

Description: Antrad has been a strong vanguard in the wars of the Demon World. With his high basic vitality and defense, accompanied by incredible offense, a normal player wouldn’t be able to scratch him.

Copy Condition: For a player who’s just started to meddle in the middle floors of the tower to beat Antrad is an impossible task.

Survive Antrad’s frontal assault. If you do, you’ll be able to copy one of his unique abilities or skills.

(Time Required: 30m / If the distance from the target exceeds 100m, it’s considered a failure.)

The gap felt too wide.

So, the system offered survival as the condition instead of annihilation.

Of course, even that isn’t easy.

Especially when faced with Antrad who wielded the Blazing Sword within a confined 100m space.

‘Every attack must be perfectly dodged or mitigated through skills, otherwise, it’s instant death.’

At first glance, it might seem easy, but it’s actually among the most difficult of copy conditions presented thus far.

But, with high risk comes high return.

‘It’s imperative to seize the chance to copy abilities of the upper tier.’

It should be obvious.

The abilities Antrad possessed held value incomparable to players or residents.

Jinhyuk steadied himself.

Wooong!

Walls made of glacial formations and four-star barriers adorned with ancient runes unfurled layer upon layer.

And in that moment.

“How brazen! To think you can block my attack with that ice dust!?”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Flames collided head-on with the ice shields.

Due to the intense heat, the surrounding grass turned to ash, and even the roaming demons were caught up in the inferno.

＊＊＊

Hissss!

Blistering heat surged from the ground.

A mere swing of the sword had left a scar on the earth that seemed eternal.

Yet within the storm, the icy barriers managed to hold their shape.

They were almost shattered, but barely intact.

“Are you… alright?”

Chun Yuseong, standing next to Jinhyuk, spoke up.

“Fairly well. But you don’t look so hot.”

Smoke rose off his body in wisps.

Apparently, even his sword shield couldn’t absorb the full impact.

“Be grateful that we’re still alive. But now that the gathering of demon stones has been anticipated, how do you plan to proceed?”

Their only trump card was exposed before they could even use it.

Utilizing the insufficient demon stones now would hardly summon a higher demon capable of facing Antrad.

However…

Antrad overlooked one thing.

Insufficient demon stones could be compensated for with abundant demon energy.

[Unique ability ‘Grave of Swords’ activates!]

A different sort of energy, far purer and denser than blood demon energy, erupted from the tips of Jinhyuk’s fingers.

‘It’s good that I’ve only used blood demon energy as a decoy instead of the Grave of Swords, in case he caught on.’

Hold back a third of your power.

Who knew that advice would be so handy?

Thus, the back-up plan began to shine, exploiting the opponent’s complacency.

Crack!

Crack!

The surfaces of the demon stones cracked simultaneously, releasing black smoke into the air.

‘The demon energy isn’t abundant, but hopefully it brings forth something worth using…’

Jinhyuk swallowed dryly, praying intently.

Then a moment later,

“Kieeeeek!”

A shrill scream erupted from underneath the ground.

…It was a hit.

A giant insect, stretching 10 meters, revealed itself.

The Tunnelling Spider.

Known as the ‘Glutton’, this janitor of the demon world only lived to devour.

Through the billowing smoke, the spider threw itself at Antrad, who was blocking its path.

Boom!

Although Antrad swung his sword, the spider countered with its sharp claws.

“How on earth…!?”

Flames of fury flickered in Antrad’s eyes.

A higher demon that shouldn’t be summonable by the amount of demon stones.

Such a bothersome creature appearing unexpectedly naturally left him flustered.

But before he had time to make sense of it, the spider’s assault continued.

Sssssk!

Green fluid seeped through Antrad’s ribs, scorching the ground.

Highly acidic venom.

With its outer shell so thick, not even flames could easily halt it.

“Kieeeeek!”

“Damn insect! Daring to show your fangs to me! Engrossed in your prey, you must have lost your mind to fear.”

Antrad roared roughly.

The sheer size of the two monsters radiated an intimidating pressure as they wielded weapons, intent on ending each other’s lives.

＊＊＊

Jinhyuk used the brief respite provided by the Tunnelling Spider to quickly restore his magic power and stamina.

[You have used ‘Genuine Taiqing Flower Groom Heart Method’ Lv5.]

[‘Shallow Breathing’ Lv6 activates.]

The two support skills allowed magic power to flow throughout his veins.

“Hoo… Good.”

Collecting his breath and healing his wounds, he readied himself to move again.

“Thank goodness we made it through. Now we can escape while that spider causes chaos.”

“No, we’re not running.”

“What?”

Chun Yuseong frowned at Jinhyuk’s words.

“Don’t tell me you plan to fight? That monster?”

“The opportunity to face an upper demon doesn’t come often.”

Sure, running around to buy time would be enough to accomplish the copying.

But.

That’s not the point of all this effort.

A reward only attainable by hunting Antrad.

If Jinhyuk could do the impossible, as even the system doubted…

It would lay the cornerstone for overwhelming growth.

“I can’t believe you. To risk your life just for a reward. Even for someone like you, a veteran, it’s too much.”

It was a valid point.

It would indeed be impossible alone.

“Yuseong, do you know?”

For the first time, Jinhyuk called Chun Yuseong by his name.

The only player he’d trust to have at his back.

And simultaneously, a warrior capable of cleaving through Antrad’s flames to sever his bones with a single strike.

That person…

“If it’s the two of us, we can cut that thing down.”

…was one of a kind.