Chapter 129The Transcendents were seven god-like entities who existed at the far edges of the Core and the Deep Realm.

    Initially, they were adventurers exploring the Core like anyone else. However, unlike the others, they displayed exceptional prowess, breaking through the layers of the Core and ultimately settling and adapting in the Deep Realm.

    Unlike other adventurers, the Transcendents, blessed with the Blessing of the Deep Realm, could utilize the highest-grade Status Windows from every floor. They were calamities beyond what any normal adventurer could contend with.

    Moreover, the Transcendents were exempt from the rule that restricted adventurers from returning to the previous floor, allowing them to roam freely within the Core. Boredom often drove them to massacre adventurers.

    “Guh!” an adventurer groaned.

    Ranked seventh among the Transcendents, Tang Gak, the Poison King, laughed wickedly at the adventurer’s miserable state. From within his robes, he drew multiple daggers and flung them at the adventurers. The rain of daggers poured down from every direction.

    This was Ten Thousand Flowers in Rain—the pinnacle hidden technique of the Sichuan Tang Clan, passed down exclusively to the clan masters.

    “Why... why are you doing this?” An adventurer gasped for breath and raised his head to face Tang Gak, even as blood gushed from his stomach wound.

    Already, twenty percent of the adventurers on the third floor of the Core had fallen to Tang Gak.

    “What do you gain... from this slaughter?”

    Tang Gak grinned at the dying adventurer’s question, his smile more sinister than ever.

    ***

    A clear, melodic automated voice echoed as Do-Jun opened his SpacePad and started recording his surroundings.

    [Welcome to the Fissure Management System.]

    A massive floating island drifted in the sky.

    “Master, I smell blood,” Karsiel said.

    The dried-up grass around them had lost its vitality. Karsiel scanned the area, visibly tense. Acknowledging the danger, Do-Jun nodded and strode forward.

    “By the way, you grow horns whenever we enter the Core,” he remarked.

    Karsiel, in her polymorphed form, now had curled horns resembling those of a ram, something she didn’t have on Earth. The horns radiated immense magical power, likely connected to the fact that dragons originally came from the Core.

    “P-please don’t stare so intently—it’s embarrassing,” Karsiel requested with a stammer.

    Do-Jun smirked and activated the Core forum, learning that anonymous adventurers referred to this place as the Sky Island. What stood out was that the further one ventured toward the center of the island, the lower the terrain descended.

    Another key point mentioned in the forum was about a towering stone statue resembling a Joseon-era constable, which guarded a swaying suspension bridge that led downward.

    “Halt, adventurer,” the statue said, blocking their path. “To cross this bridge, you must prove your worth.”

    Do-Jun recalled the information he had seen on the forum. To gain passage from the gatekeeper, one needed at least ten percent mastery of the yellow Status Window. Additionally, the Sky Island was divided into two concentric circular sections, and to reach the central island, adventurers had to complete a trial.

    It seemed the Core had measures in place to protect new arrivals from being slaughtered by veteran adventurers.

    Do-Jun’s bracelet transformed into a small snake, screeching as its scales turned black.

    [Status Window Snake (The One Who Swallowed Ouroboros)]

    Category: Creature / System

    Currently Available Status Window: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Navy, Purple, Black

    Special Effect 1: 100% mastery in all Status Windows except Black

    Special Effect 2: Black Status Window can be used on any floor

    Special Effect 3: (Locked)

    A dark qi surged from Do-Jun’s body as the ground beneath his feet quaked violently. The guard stumbled backward, gripping his spear to steady himself.

    “You... what are you?” the guard stammered, his voice trembling.

    ***

    Rumble!

    The atmosphere grew heavy, and the Sky Island shook violently as if it were struck by an earthquake. Adventurers lost their balance, staggering momentarily. Then, as quickly as it started, the island returned to stillness. Birds flying in the sky dipped low, scattering in fear.

    The source of the qi was at the island’s edge.

    In the distance, a massive creature appeared—a colossal being with light brown scales, immense wings that seemed to blot out the sky, and two horns atop its head.

    The sight of this creature threw the adventurers into chaos.

    “W-what the hell is that?”

    “No way... that’s a...”

    A dragon, the legendary creature that adventurers had once dismissed as a mere myth, was now before them. Dragons were the dominant species of the past, having once ruled the Deep Realm as the mightiest monsters.

    “What are you even saying? Why would a dragon show up here?”

    “But... the forum said it was just a legend.”

    Grinding his teeth, an adventurer muttered, “First the Transcendent, and now a dragon?”

    He shouldn’t have left the second floor. The adventurers, fleeing from the Transcendent, were now stuck in an impossible situation.

    Whoosh!

    The dragon passed overhead, its enormous wings momentarily plunging the surroundings into darkness, like a total solar eclipse.

    “What the fuck is going on...?”

    ***

    Tang Gak halted his steps and turned his gaze skyward, where a massive flying monster traversed the heavens. The oppressive energy he had felt earlier must have come from that creature.

    Tang Gak closed his eyes and calmed his trembling body.

    Once, there existed a being who made Solomon’s seventy-two demons, countless kings and Monarchs, and the god-like Transcendents all kneel before him. This was Izaas the Dragon Lord, the one who ruled from the deepest depths of the Deep Realm.

    His only appearance was during the Great War, where he unified the world with his unmatched power, earning the title Overlord before he vanished into legend. And with him, the dragon species disappeared altogether.

    “To think I’d see one here...”

    Focusing his mana to enhance his vision, Tang Gak identified the dragon from the engraved number “9” on its forehead.

    That must be Karsiel the Ninth Dragon.

    Karsiel pierced through thick clouds, flying to the center of the Sky Island. On the dragon’s head stood a figure.

    “An adventurer?” Tang Gak’s expression hardened as he recalled the final lines of a book he once read in the Deep Realm, titled “The Supreme Heavenly Demon.”

    “Descending from the heavens in the Celestial Dragon Chariot, the Heavenly Demon was born to bring about the world’s end.”

    ***

    Having polymorphed back into her human form, Karsiel stood next to Do-Jun as he descended to the ground and looked at the entrance leading down to the fourth floor.

    He reached out and touched the two curled horns protruding from Karsiel’s head. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    “Master?” she asked in confusion.

    “Yong-Yong and you both... hm,” Do-Jun remarked, deep in thought.

    It seemed that dragons, as a species, lost much of their strength on Earth. Karsiel was noticeably at least five times stronger than usual.

    “What’s the matter?” Karsiel asked.

    “Nothing. Let’s head home.”

    Their intention was just to get an overall look at the third floor. He glanced at his wristwatch and noted it was already past 6 AM on Earth. He figured it was about time to head home and prepare for work.

    “You must be tired from tagging along all night,” Do-Jun said to Karsiel.

    “I’m fine. If anything, I was the one who asked to come with when you had planned to go alone.”

    Karsiel sensed an unnaturally powerful presence. Her gaze shifted toward a man, an adventurer, standing about two kilometers away, watching them intently. She went on high alert, sensing his strength to be comparable to hers.

    “Master...”

    He was coming.

    ***

    A sharp dagger hurtled toward Do-Jun, who dodged it with a simple twist of his body.

    A man emerged from the bushes moments later, saying, “You dodged that? You’re no ordinary man, I see.”

    He was dressed in an elaborate martial robe, trimmed with gold at the cuffs, and a brownish-gray cloak.

    Do-Jun recognized the outfit immediately and commented, “A member of the Sichuan Tang Clan.”

    The man’s composed expression shifted. The Sichuan Tang Clan was where Tang Gak had belonged before arriving in the Core as a clan leader.

    He retorted, “How do you know that?”

    “Why wouldn’t I?” Do-Jun replied cryptically.

    Tang Gak swallowed nervously, his right hand dangling at his side. Thick, sticky venom dripped from his fingertips, splattering onto the ground and vaporizing into the air. The surrounding area quickly grew murky, and the leaves on the trees began to wither and fall.

    This was the Acid of Thousand Deaths, once a source of terror in the Central Plains. It was one of the deadliest poisons—lethal upon mere contact with the air containing it. It didn’t discriminate between the weak and the strong. Even elite warriors would claw at their throats in agony before succumbing to death.

    “Master!” Sensing the danger, Karsiel deployed her magic to create a barrier around Do-Jun.

    However, Do-Jun waved her off as if to say it wasn’t necessary. He then moved toward Tang Gak, his movements slow and deliberate.

    The purple mist thickened, enveloping the area until visibility was almost entirely obscured. Karsiel’s barrier shielded her from the poison, but Do-Jun had disappeared into the toxic haze.

    He melted away, huh? Tang Gak assumed.

    In the Central Plains, the Acid of Thousand Deaths could only cripple internal organs or paralyze nerves. However, in the Core, where Tang Gak acquired the powers of the Status Window, his poison arts had evolved to an unprecedented level. Now, the acid could even dissolve non-living matter.

    But suddenly, a hand shot out from the mist and grabbed Tang Gak by the throat with a crushing grip. The toxic mist began to dissipate, revealing Do-Jun’s calm and composed face.

    Smiling faintly, Do-Jun said, “If only you hadn’t thrown a dagger...”

    Tang Gak choked under Do-Jun’s grip. Do-Jun applied a little pressure, and Tang Gak’s face turned pale, foam bubbling from his mouth.

    “I might have spared you,” Do-Jun said, then released his grip, letting Tang Gak collapse to the ground, coughing violently.

    Tang Gak summoned all his energy and leaped toward the entrance to the second floor after realizing that he would never win.

    Am I dreaming? Tang Gak clenched his teeth so hard they felt like they might break.

    In the Core, he was among the top thirty in strength. Yet, the man he had just faced was on a completely different level. His power couldn’t be measured by simply calling him “strong.”

    Who the hell is this guy?!

    Tang Gak was sure that this was the adventurer rumored to have defeated Tarantuloso, a figure that had caused a stir on the Core forum.

    Fuck, fuck, fuuuuck!

    Tang Gak, who once ruled over the Core with the title of Transcendent and struck fear into adventurers’ hearts, was now running for his life.

    Why do I have to run, fuck!

    The man shouldn’t be able to chase him up to the second floor. Tang Gak glanced back, realizing that Do-Jun hadn’t moved an inch.

    What’s going on?

    If he wanted to give chase, he should have already done so. The entrance to the second floor was just steps away.

    Tang Gak smirked, throwing himself toward the shimmering portal. Or at least, he tried to.

    Slash!

    However, he failed because his body was split apart.

    ***

    The qi sword in Do-Jun’s hand dissipated like a mirage.

    “Let’s head home.” He pulled out the Core talisman.

    “Master...”

    “Yeah?”

    “W-what was that just now?”

    Initially, Karsiel couldn’t understand why Do-Jun hadn’t chased after Tang Gak, but she shivered as she recalled the events from moments ago. She saw a formless qi sword appear in Do-Jun’s hand, which swung through the air.

    Then, Tang Gak’s body was cleaved apart.

    “That’s just cheating, at this point...” she muttered, her body trembling.

    Now Karsiel fully understood: Do-Jun wasn’t just strong. He was overwhelming, beyond comprehension.

    “Karsiel.”

    “Y-yes, Master!”

    Do-Jun patted her head with a smile.

    “What should we have for breakfast?”