Chapter 72: Shin Soo-jeong (1)
Tssssss…
In a place filled entirely with darkness—an abyss-like void—a dark crimson orb appeared.
It was the sphere that Jin-young had created by compressing Lyle’s tidal wave of hellfire.
The hellfire orb swiftly cut through the dark depths of the abyss and soon came to a stop in front of a golden scale.
The scale emanated a chilling demonic energy—the Black Knight’s scale.
Standing beside it was a variant whose body was half-covered in Creep, together with Jacob Harrison.
“What the hell is that?”
Jacob tilted his head, staring at the suddenly appearing hellfire orb.
“Hmm. Looks like the Sloth Prophet’s mess, all compressed into a neat little ball.”
At the variant’s blunt phrasing, Jacob furrowed his brow.
“The Sloth Prophet—you mean that old South African fighter? I’ve heard the name plenty of times.”
“Yeah. He’s the one who wields black flames commonly called ‘hellfire.’ Among the prophets, he’s one of the hardest to actually meet. I’m curious about what’s happening outside.”
While the two were conversing—
Ziiing—
The variant winced, narrowing one eye at the ringing sensation in his ears, like tinnitus.
『Listen.』
A heavy, resonant voice followed.
His eyes snapped wide open.
“Ah… O Great One… I am listening.”
This was the first time he had heard the voice since entering the subspace, so a mix of tension, anxiety, and anticipation swirled within him.
『From this moment, I will use this hellfire to unlock the scale’s ability.』
The scale was a special artifact that only the Black Knight could wield.
Even if Jin-young applied pressure with psychokinesis, it would only damage the scale—it couldn’t force the ability open.
The tentacles had been searching for a way, neutralizing the scale’s demonic energy within subspace, but they hadn’t found a clear solution yet.
Then, the hellfire had appeared in subspace.
“Ooh… Considering the properties contained in hellfire, this should definitely be possible.”
The variant’s eyes sparkled as he muttered to himself.
The prophet’s hellfire wasn’t simply named that because it was hellishly hot and dark.
From what he knew, it was deeply connected to a dimension literally called “hell.”
『Your task is to control the demonic energy within the scale so it doesn’t run rampant.』
“Leave it to me, O Great One…”
Among the hunters residing in subspace, the variant was the only one who possessed intact black mana.
Moreover, his nature was the closest to that of a disaster—making him the most suitable candidate by far.
At that moment, Jacob spoke in a low voice.
“…I’m jealous.”
He looked at the variant—who was communicating alone with the Great One—and felt a mix of envy and jealousy.
Even though Jacob had been the first resident of subspace, it had taken him a long time to establish direct communication with the Great One.
The variant, perhaps thanks to his unique abilities, seemed to have progressed quite quickly.
『I will accelerate time.』
Shuuut—
The compressed hellfire orb shot rapidly toward the golden scale.
The tentacles and subspace itself had grown by absorbing the prophets, GODS hunters, the Devil’s Flower, the Black Knight, and more.
Now they had reached the level where they could manipulate the flow of time within subspace.
For the moment, it was limited to accelerating time up to roughly three times faster than reality, but the potential for growth remained limitless.
『Beginning.』
The instant the hellfire orb made contact with the Black Knight’s scale—
TSHWAAAAAK—
The latent black flames surged violently, and heat and demonic energy began to mix chaotically.
“…!”
The variant immediately released black mana, suppressing the demonic energy erupting from the scale.
Though he had been remodeled to mimic the power of a disaster, his human limits were still clear.
If he had attempted something like this outside subspace, the Black Knight’s demonic energy would have crushed him, melting his body or shattering his mind.
But here—in subspace protected by the Great One—
It was a vast sea of black mana, so abundant that the variant never had to worry about running out.
KUWAAAAAK!
With the variant’s support, the hellfire completely enveloped the scale.
The scale’s demonic energy, which had resisted to the very end, finally quieted—as though surrendering.
Tssss…
Soon, red sparks crackled across the golden scale.
KRRRTS—CHWAAAAAK!
Like gigantic claws tearing through subspace, a rough rift ripped open in the fabric of space.
Beyond the red portal’s border lay a desolate wasteland.
Under a reddish sky like a perpetual sunset, grotesquely shaped monsters wandered across dead earth.
Jacob and the variant stared blankly at the scenery beyond the portal.
“That… couldn’t possibly be…”
“Hell.”
The variant’s body froze completely—unable to move—as the hell he had only ever heard about unfolded right before his eyes.
“Definitely not what I imagined.”
Jacob muttered under his breath.
It was completely different from the common religious concepts of hell.
No humans writhing in eternal pits of fire.
No souls drifting through a world made solely of ice.
Nothing born from human imagination appeared at all.
While gazing at hell, Jacob continued in a low voice.
“But it really does feel like hell.”
A barren wasteland where not even a single blade of grass grew.
Countless monsters roamed across it in numbers too vast to count.
Like an enormous swarm of pitch-black ants forming a single massive colony.
Among them were a few that exuded overwhelming presence even from across the dimensional divide.
Especially the one the size of a mountain, made entirely of dark crimson lava—its strength was impossible to gauge.
‘One swing of those arms and an entire city would vanish.’
There might even be monsters here stronger than the Black Knight himself.
This could very well be the true hell.
And though it was too far to see clearly, black flames burned atop a distant mountain peak.
Likely the source—the origin—of hellfire.
The variant had no idea why such a thing existed.
“But how do you even know about this place called hell?”
At Jacob’s question, the variant shook his head.
“I don’t. I only heard the concept from the Godfather. This is the first time I’m actually seeing it.”
“I see.”
Tssss—
In the meantime, the torn rift in space began to close again, severing the connection to hell.
Yet the reddish aura still flowed steadily from the scale.
『The Gates of Hell have been fused with the subspace storage and the simplified portal.』
***
“……”
With both eyes closed, Jin-young delicately and precisely controlled his psionic energy.
He was searching for the invisible thread connecting the prophet Lyle’s physical body to his soul, hidden far away.
He had already figured out why Lyle could resurrect endlessly without Creep—and without feeling any pain.
Black magic: soul separation and undead transformation.
Among Renard’s black mages, only those who had reached the level of grand sorcerer could use this forbidden spell.
Those who attained immortality through it were commonly called “liches.”
Of course, Lyle’s ability wasn’t exactly the same as a lich’s.
But the principle was likely similar.
‘Found it.’
Jin-young quickly located the connection line between the vessel containing the soul and the empty shell of a body.
After that, it wasn’t difficult.
He channeled psionic energy along the thread.
Shssssss—
Tracing where the other end led was only a matter of time.
TSUP!
In an instant, his energy reached the end of the connection.
From what he could sense, the destination felt like a gloomy underground chamber.
Moreover, the distance was far beyond Korea, so pinpointing the exact surroundings was impossible for now.
But that wasn’t a problem.
The psionic energy traveling along the thread would remain there for the time being.
‘If I reverse-trace the energy, I can locate his soul precisely.’
That was when it happened.
『The Gates of Hell have been fused with the subspace storage and the simplified portal.』
The tentacles had finished unlocking the scale’s power and assimilating its ability.
Jin-young recalled the brief conversation he’d had with Jacob before the assembly began, when he had taken him out of subspace for a moment.
The scale could open the “Gates of Hell.”
And that hell was nothing like what people imagined.
Curiosity had just begun to stir when Lyle’s voice echoed in his ears.
『They will wander hell for eternity.』
Until now, he hadn’t understood a word of the babbling.
But when the message was carried through mana, the meaning came through naturally.
“Hell, huh? How about you experience it first.”
Jin-young activated the Gates of Hell in the same way he usually opened simplified portals.
Immediately, he felt the black mana stored in subspace surge within his body.
SHWAAAAAAA—
Opening the Gates of Hell required an enormous amount of black mana.
KRRRTS—
A red portal tore open in front of Lyle.
Unlike the usual black portals he used, this one was distinctly different.
KUWAAAAAK!
Hellfire-like heat blasted out from beyond the portal.
『This is… what the…』
Tentacles shot out, wrapped around the bewildered Lyle, and dragged him straight into hell.1
‘Can you interfere with other dimensions too?’
At Jin-young’s question, the tentacles responded immediately.
『The Gates of Hell were able to merge with the simplified portal, which is why I could interfere. Beyond that dimension, my influence does not reach. That place is still an unknown realm.』
Through the Gates of Hell, the tentacles could only serve as a bridge between hell and reality.
At first glance, hell looked like a wasteland teeming with monsters, but Jin-young planned to investigate the details later.
“Now then… shall we go find your soul?”
Jin-young turned to look at the coalition hunters.
The grand conference hall had been reduced to utter ruin from the recent battle.
The ceiling and walls were collapsed, chairs and tables burned to ash.
“Can’t continue the assembly anymore. This place was built not long ago too. Tch.”
Jin-young spoke casually, clicking his tongue. But the other hunters remained completely silent.
More precisely—they didn’t know what to say.
“……”
The coalition hunters gazed at Jin-young with a wide array of expressions and eyes.
Their emotions were undoubtedly complex, but they could be summed up in one word.
Awe.
For now, fear outweighed respect, but it was awe nonetheless.
Of course, Jin-young didn’t care what the hunters thought of him.
“Soo-ho, I have to track down the lich, so you’ll have to wrap things up here.”
After a long silence, Yoon Soo-ho finally spoke.
“…Is there even anything left to wrap up?”
“Disaster on-call extermination service. Ask if anyone’s interested. A disaster-grade dungeon is about to open soon anyway—throw that bait out and plenty of people will bite.”
“Hmm…”
Yoon Soo-ho suddenly remembered that most of the assembly’s agenda had revolved around Jin-young’s conditions for handling disasters.
He had momentarily forgotten amid Lyle the prophet’s sudden appearance and the ensuing battle.
Tssss—
Having finished speaking, Jin-young opened a portal. Before stepping through, he added one last thing.
“Anyone who skipped today’s assembly pays double the call-out fee.”
***
Huuuuurgle—
Crimson flames surged violently above the brazier for a moment.
The flame burning in the Furnace of Life was none other than Lyle’s soul.
‘The connection to my body has been severed.’
The reason for his fury was simple: his physical body had been stolen.
Worse, it had been dragged into another dimension—communication was impossible, and he might never reclaim it in his lifetime.
Of course, finding a new body would allow him to resurrect without issue.
As long as no one destroyed the Furnace, the flame of his soul would burn forever, and his body could revive infinitely.
‘Annoying…’
But the moment he completed the Godfather’s mission, a wave of lethargy crashed over him, making everything feel unbearably bothersome.
Not only had he been forced into an unplanned battle, but he had also pushed his power to the limit to morph into a phoenix—doubling his exhaustion.
The one silver lining was that he had successfully delivered the Godfather’s message.
Perhaps because of that, Lyle felt even less inclined to move.
Yet at the same time, a powerful urge insisted he had to act.
It was because of the “False Prophet” whose image was now deeply etched into his mind.
‘Something’s off.’
Just before his body was dragged into another dimension,
The False Prophet had spoken as though he already knew Lyle’s secrets.
The separation of soul from body.
And the existence of a connection between the two.
‘Even with the most exceptional mana sensitivity, finding that connection thread should be impossible.’
Lyle told himself that, but the ominous premonition refused to be dismissed so easily.
Moving was far too bothersome, but for survival, he had no choice.
SHWAAAA—
The flames in the brazier flared dramatically, and black mana instantly flooded the dark chamber.
Hwaruk—
The lanterns hanging on the walls ignited, brightly illuminating the surroundings.
The entire space was enclosed in stone walls.
Piles of gold and treasures lay scattered haphazardly across the floor.
And along the walls stood rows upon rows of stone coffins.
Drrrrrr—
Under the influence of black mana, every coffin slid open at once.
“Grrrrrr…”
Mummies wrapped head to toe in bandages awakened one after another.
Undead revived by Lyle’s power.
Shuuuu…
Lyle spread his black mana widely beyond the underground tomb.
He was searching for any usable new bodies in the vicinity.
Then—
‘Hunters. Mostly 2nd to 3rd grade…’
He sensed the mana of a group that seemed to have just finished a raid.
Not the best material, but he couldn’t afford to be picky if he wanted to escape this place.
At that moment.
‘This is… the power of a completed 1st-grade.’
_____________________________________________
TL Note:
Want 43 extra chapters ahead + 9 chapters/week? Join My Patreon for early access:
Link: https://www.patreon.com/cw/Vritratls
For this novel specifically, check the collection under “Transcendent Psychic Regressor (TPR)”
Also all my other translated novels additional chapters are available on Premium Tier.
Appreciate all the support! ❤️
_____________________________________________