Chapter 74: Master of Hellfire (1)
In the dark underground chamber, crimson flames burned within the Furnace of Life.
Black mana flowed steadily from the flame that contained Lyle Umkaba’s soul.
While manipulating the mummies with his mana, he closely observed the situation aboveground through their eyes.
Several hunters who had just finished a raid were visible, but one among them stood out like a gem among stones.
‘That woman… is Shin Soo-jeong.’
Through the mummies’ vision, Lyle identified the 1st-grade hunter.
The Guild Master of Korea’s top guild, the strongest Korean hunter who had surpassed the once-declining Yoon Soo-ho—Shin Soo-jeong.
Of course, after Yoon Soo-ho regained his senses and reached Zero-grade, he had reclaimed the title of strongest.
But she was still growing stronger every day.
‘Shin Soo-jeong would make an excellent base for a new body.’
Lyle continued channeling black mana upward, endlessly reviving the mummies.
Since his black mana was practically inexhaustible, as long as no one came looking for him, this battle would continue forever.
Shin Soo-jeong would surely realize that fact.
He deliberately let faint traces of black mana leak out—making it easy for her to follow.
She might suspect a trap, but she would have no choice but to come anyway.
Sure enough.
Shin Soo-jeong, accompanied by one man, approached the hidden tomb entrance by following the trail of black mana.
‘Dealing with her personally would be too bothersome… Better send a loyal hound instead.’
***
Tssss—
Jin-young and Jacob stepped out of the portal onto the Creep-covered ground.
In the distance, beyond the contaminated zone, stretched an utterly barren desert.
Even without the Creep, this looked like a region where humans could hardly survive.
Jin-young manipulated his watch to check their current location.
It appeared to be in the central desert region of Egypt.
“It was an honor to assist the partner of the Great One.”
The variant bowed his head as he spoke.
Even in his complete demonic form, he maintained perfect rationality.
Though the tentacles had imprinted on his mind, keeping his sanity intact as a demon was another matter entirely.
When Jin-young had first encountered him in the North Korean contaminated zone, the variant hadn’t behaved like a typical mindless demon either.
Jin-young knew from Jacob that he had been created through the Godfather’s modifications, but he had never asked the variant directly.
“The Godfather did this to you, huh? Were you originally just a normal hunter?”
At Jin-young’s question, the variant nodded.
“Yes. Most of my past memories were erased during the modification. But I vividly remember dying in a contaminated zone.”
“So the Godfather saved you at death’s door and then remodeled you.”
The variant frowned, as if recalling the moment of modification.
“It was a horrific experience. While the Creep was invading my body and mind, the Godfather severed my arm and reattached it, split open my abdomen and rummaged through my organs, even cracked open my skull.”
“Sounds exactly like the kind of thing those insane black mages would do.”
Jin-young recalled the black mages he had seen in Renard.
Especially the mad ones who worshipped demons.
They had tried to carry out a deranged plan: kill every living thing in the world, turn them into undead, and offer them to demons.
They had even created grotesque creatures and organized them into legions.
But Jin-young had discovered them and wiped them out completely.
“I became this half-demon, half-human variant and lived as the Godfather’s brainwashed puppet.”
“Do you want revenge?”
“On the Godfather? If I could, I would do it in a heartbeat.”
The variant now harbored pure hatred toward the Godfather.
For someone originally from GODS—like Jacob or Dmitri—this was unusual.
The tentacles provided the answer to Jin-young’s unspoken question.
『The variant was unusually easy to imprint upon. During the imprinting process, I twisted the Godfather’s brainwashing. I turned obedience into hatred.』
Unlike Jacob or Dmitri—who had followed the Godfather of their own volition—the variant could be reshaped this way.
Of course, even those two no longer served the Godfather.
“Enough about the Godfather. Do you know anything about the prophet Lyle?”
Jin-young shifted his focus from the unreachable Godfather to the one he was currently tracking—Lyle.
The residual psionic energy he had left in Lyle’s soul vessel felt quite close now.
Less than 500 kilometers east from their current position.
“Lyle is lazy. It’s a side effect of the special power the Godfather bestowed upon him. The prophets dress it up as a virtue befitting great Awakened, but that’s all it is.”
“You don’t know about his abilities?”
“Resurrection and hellfire are the most well-known. As long as the hidden ‘Furnace of Life’ isn’t destroyed, he can revive infinitely.”
That Furnace of Life was exactly what Jin-young was searching for.
The vessel containing the soul.
It seemed to serve the same role as the life vessel that lich-like black mages hid away.
“He wouldn’t have hidden it carelessly. Are GODS guarding it?”
“As far as I know, no one in GODS knows the location—only Lyle himself. So it’s unlikely any GODS hunters are there. However, I heard he has one pet.”
“A pet?”
“There are rumors he tamed a monster from a contaminated zone, or that it’s a summoned beast.”
“Well, we’ll find out when we get there.”
Jin-young shrugged it off nonchalantly and released his psionic energy.
Whatever it was, if it got in the way, he’d just tear it apart.
KRRRTS—
Psionic energy coiled around his body, lifting him into the air.
SHWAAAAAK—
He shot eastward at high speed.
***
Rumble—
A deep, resonant roar echoed from somewhere far below.
Shin Soo-jeong and Im Jae-ho descended the stairs leading underground, never letting their guard down.
An artifact floating above Im Jae-ho’s head emitted pure white light, brightly illuminating every corner.
The staircase was narrow—barely wide enough for one person—and descended so deeply that its end couldn’t be seen.
“To build a hideout in a place like this… Could it be one of GODS’s high-ranking members?”
Im Jae-ho muttered.
“Probably. In the worst case… it might even be a prophet.”
Shin Soo-jeong felt the thick concentration of black mana and knew for certain that their opponent was no ordinary foe.
Walking straight into the lair of such an enemy was dangerous, but she didn’t hesitate.
Since the day she began her life as a hunter, she had never once chosen the safe or comfortable path.
She had faced death countless times, yet the goddess of luck had always smiled upon her.
Of course, she didn’t rely on luck alone and act recklessly.
She possessed the skill to seize the fortune that came her way.
Tssss—
The deeper they descended, the more intensely the demonic energy prickled against her skin.
It felt almost like walking into the depths of a contaminated zone.
Fwaat—
She released more compressed mana, reinforcing the barrier enveloping her body.
The translucent membrane took on a deeper, richer blue hue.
After descending the stairs for some time, they reached a vast underground chamber.
Im Jae-ho raised his artifact higher and increased its brightness to illuminate the dim space.
Shaaaa—
The surroundings came into clearer view.
The walls were covered entirely in Egyptian-style murals.
Treasures lay scattered carelessly across the floor.
Shin Soo-jeong spared the treasures not even a glance before launching herself forward.
RUMBLE—
The ground beneath her feet collapsed in an instant, opening a massive pit.
Im Jae-ho quickly leaped back, scanning for any other threats in the vicinity.
—Grrrrrr…
A beastly growl rose from the hole below.
Shin Soo-jeong sensed an ominous surge of demonic energy erupting upward.
A chill ran down her spine.
It felt exactly like standing before a boss monster in a 1st-grade dungeon.
Whirr—
She spun her long spear once in her hand, regripping it firmly.
She poured every ounce of mana she could muster into the weapon.
Tssss—
The spear’s appearance began to change.
The metal shaft grew even more solid, and the blade sharpened to the point that a mere graze would draw blood.
Shin Soo-jeong’s other ability: ‘All Things Enhancement.’
For a certain duration, the performance of any equipment she targeted would dramatically increase.
As her mastery of the skill grew, the enhancement duration lengthened.
She could strengthen weapons and items like this, but true to its name—“All Things”—the targets were virtually limitless.
She could enhance the bodies of Awakened (including herself), and even monsters.
Fighting strengthened monsters granted more experience points, and if she killed them before the enhancement wore off, she could obtain higher-quality manastones as materials.
Shuuuu…
Blue smoke rose from Shin Soo-jeong’s body as she enhanced herself as well.
“Jae-ho, go back up and contact the Egyptian Association for backup.”
“You’re going to fight it alone?”
“If neither of us wants to die pointlessly, there’s no other choice.”
At her resolute words, Im Jae-ho nodded.
He knew he couldn’t change his Master’s mind—so the best he could do was bring help as quickly as possible.
Taat—
The moment Im Jae-ho turned back toward the stairs—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—
Another section of the floor collapsed, and an unidentified enemy shot upward like a cannonball.
At a glance, it resembled a jackal—but its size was slightly larger than a Siberian tiger.
Its entire body was covered in pitch-black fur.
“Jackal?”
Im Jae-ho, blocked from retreating, furrowed his brow.
KRRRTS—
An overwhelming torrent of demonic energy poured from the jackal.
“…!”
Even as a 2nd-grade hunter, Im Jae-ho felt completely overwhelmed—his entire body freezing under the pressure.
SHWAAAA—
The jackal charged toward him, spewing dark crimson flames from its body.
Shsss—
A blue-clad puppet materialized in front of Im Jae-ho and deployed a barrier.
KUWAAAAAK!
The jackal’s dark crimson flames slammed into the blue shield.
Crackle—crackle—
In an instant, spiderweb-like cracks spread across the barrier.
Crack… shatter…
It couldn’t hold for long before crumbling into powder and scattering.
At that exact moment, Shin Soo-jeong lunged forward.
She thrust her spear straight toward the jackal’s body.
SHWAAANG!
But even the razor-sharp, enhanced spear blade was repelled by the jackal’s impossibly tough hide.
Shin Soo-jeong drew the jackal’s attention, buying time for Im Jae-ho to escape.
Dodging the beast’s snapping jaws, she once again poured mana into the spear, reinforcing it further.
In theory, her enhancement stacks could continue indefinitely.
As long as her mana held out.
Tssss—
Blue mana coiled around the spear, sparking violently.
Taat—
She leaped backward and hurled the spear toward the jackal.
SHWOOOO—THUNK!
The enhanced spear pierced the jackal’s hide, but that was all.
The blade didn’t even sink in fully.
SHWAAK—
The spear pulled itself free from the shallow wound and flew back into Shin Soo-jeong’s hand.
A benefit of the enhancement improving its functions.
“Grrrrr…”
The jackal glared at her and let out a low growl.
KUWAAAAAK—
It charged again, flames erupting from its body.
Taat—KRRRTS!
Shin Soo-jeong and the jackal exchanged blows in a furious exchange.
KWA-KWA-KWA-BOOM!
The jackal was caught in the mana explosion from one of Shin Soo-jeong’s summoned puppets.
SHWAAK—
Yet it burst through the blue smoke, completely unscathed.
Even an attack powerful enough to wound a 1st-grade boss monster had done nothing.
KWA-KWA-KWA—
The jackal moved like lightning, toying with her.
In this underground space saturated with demonic energy, the beast was practically in its own playground.
Meanwhile, Shin Soo-jeong’s mana was steadily draining from repeated use of abilities and skills.
She had only just finished a raid not long ago—her recovery was far from complete.
SLASH—
The jackal’s claw grazed her arm; even her enhanced clothing tore, and blood welled from the cut.
Managing her stamina and mana carefully, landing a meaningful hit on the jackal proved extremely difficult.
But she didn’t mind.
Her goal wasn’t to defeat the jackal—it was to hold out until Im Jae-ho brought reinforcements.
SLASH—PSSSH…
As time passed, more and more wounds accumulated on her body.
Then she realized something.
She wasn’t simply enduring the jackal.
The jackal was deliberately holding back from killing her.
Wondering what its purpose could be—
『You’re holding out quite well… Indeed, you’re worthy of becoming my new vessel…』
A grotesque voice drifted in through the black mana permeating the air.
“A prophet.”
Shin Soo-jeong bit her lip hard.
If it was truly a prophet—one of those monsters who surpassed even 1st-grade—
No matter how thoroughly prepared she was, victory wouldn’t come easily.
The talk of a “new vessel” made it clear: the enemy intended to seize her body.
『Resistance is meaningless… Offer your flesh willingly… Do so, and in the new world that will soon arrive, at least your soul will remain…』
That was when it happened.
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE—
The entire underground chamber shook violently as the ceiling began to collapse.
It seemed the intent was to trap her completely by bringing the whole place down.
CRASH—
Even the only escape route—the staircase—was buried under tons of rubble.
Shin Soo-jeong poured every last drop of mana into herself, stacking enhancements on her body.
If she had to die fighting, so be it—that was her only option now.
『Suddenly… what the…』
Yet strangely, it was the prophet who sounded panicked.
The next instant—
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!
The ceiling was ripped away entirely.
The falling debris was pulverized into fine dust and vanished without a trace.
Through the wide-open hole, a man slowly descended.
Shin Soo-jeong instinctively tensed at the sight of the man in the black suit.
Friend or foe—she couldn’t tell yet.
“Awoooo!”
The jackal roared at the newcomer and charged, spewing dark crimson flames.
BOOM!
Before it could even reach him, the jackal’s body split apart in midair, spraying blood in all directions as it burst into hundreds of bloody chunks.
A creature that had shrugged off her enhanced spear and mana explosions fell so pathetically.
Finally, their eyes met.
“Aren’t you struggling too much against a mere mutt? Looks like I need to hurry up and make you Zero-grade.”
“……”
Shin Soo-jeong couldn’t tell if what she was seeing was reality or illusion.
The man casually turned his gaze away and tore apart a thick wall without even touching it.
KWA-KWA-KWANG—
Beyond the collapsed wall lay another space.
He spoke toward the pitch-black darkness where nothing could be seen.
“You dare try to steal my future reinforcement shuttle?”
_____________________________________________
TL Note:
Want 44 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! ❤️
_____________________________________________