Demon King
Chapter 96 The Rebellion [5]

‘Is the entire Red Blood clan in this temple? Did they all just endure with their mana strength all this time? That would be ridiculous. ‘

Daishinjeon is a vast and strange building, built to fit the body of a spider but not according to the human body. Thus, the corridors and ceilings are functionally indistinguishable as spiders will have no problem walking anywhere throughout the temple. It is only natural that they have a section meant just for them.

[Kiaahh!]

[You have gained 41 experiences.]

[You have received 49 gold.]

[You have obtained Red Blood Tissue.]

I wonder what kind of power other high-level entities will have, and now in fighting this giant spider, I can get some answers. They definitely had more abilities once, but after losing their intelligence and becoming monsters, their strength was now focused on their net. Spider Nets are powerful magical attacks that can ignore the laws of physics and change its properties at will. It was very similar to where Jinma was in many ways, but in the end it sacrificed the range of which apps Jinma had for sheer power. I was wondering how I could use it myself.

“Mati.” After my evolution, I now have to control the balance between using Reaper and restoring my mana to Predation, which I have not been able to use until now, without pause. It worked, though, bit by bit, the energy I spread created a gap between the spiders.

[Dol-hhh!]

Reaper is a fighting, stealth, and movement skill, as well as a skill related to all actions in killing enemies. Unlike Jinma mana, it was my skill that was born through hard work and achievements. It was a special skill born from all the strength I had gained since starting out as a goblin. Moreover, it was a skill that helped me in gaining an edge over dozens of high-level enemies, something that would not be possible with just mana and Jinma Predation.

[Reaper to Lv2. You have gained a deeper understanding of death and have learned how to avoid it more easily.]

It felt less like I was leveling up and more like I had taken steps to complete myself. Raising the skill level increases the strength of all the skills associated with it and my characteristics that make up its essence.

[Raise level!]

I would be lying if I said I wasn't happy to finally level up, but the psychological pressure that had weighed on me since I evolved still didn't subside as I went deeper into the temple. Monsters from the Red Blood clan kept popping up and swarming around me, seemingly endless in number.

[Well!]

‘This space is too wide.’ The fight reminded me of the haunting masses that would happen in the dungeon. Daishinjeon was as vast as the place before, and spiders continued to arrive just like the undead had.

[Raise level!]

I kept swinging my sword, no longer thinking about when this battle would end. One distorted thought was enough for a deadly blow to pass through. Instead, I focused on expanding my sensory range to secure a safe place to move with the Ubiquitous and avoid spider webs.

[You have 58 experiences.]

[You have received 51 gold.]

[You have obtained Red Blood Tissue.]

[You have obtained the Red Blood Shell.]

Amidst this frantic fight, I suddenly felt calm as I tore the stomach of another spider. There were no more enemies within my range of detection, and as I raised my head to look around, I noticed the temple had suddenly changed. Since all the spiders have been killed then change happens. The wide passageway began to narrow, bit by bit, and something outside of it approached me. What was waiting for me was a huge statue.

This must be the magic they prepared in response to their deaths. Maybe that's their last wish to the person holding the Web Key. If man obtains it, this temple will remain closed forever. Or maybe they have a plan I don't know about. As I thought about this, the distance between myself and the statue gradually decreased. I don't even have to go forward; it comes to me.

A temple is a place dedicated to the worship of a god or the like. According to the words of the giant spider, the Red Blood clan was a race with high intelligence and strong magical abilities. Inevitably I wonder what kind of existence they might have admired in the past. I was curious, but it didn't completely dispel my suspicions. I had learned to be alert and was looking for a statue as it approached me. Watching over the statue, I decided to check how my status had improved after fighting for more than two days.

[Destiny]

[Belken Lv8]

[New Magic – 78, Soul Magic – 126, Luck – ???]

[Skill-Predated Lv1, Reaper Lv2, Lunatic Trickster Lv1, Ubiquitous Lv2, Domination Lv1, Blackmine Lv1, Belkena Spell Lv2]

I am at level 8. If it had been my progress from before, I would have laughed, but now I have been reborn as a Belkena. My new magic increased by 52, and my soul magic rose by 87. It seems like a small number, but I know how much power is now flowing from my body. Pulling out of my contemplation, I saw the statue had stopped. It was a huge red statue, right in the middle of the road in front of me.

‘Made from what?’ I approached him with the question, examined him more closely. It was made of some kind of stone that emitted a delicate light, and I wondered how expensive it would be. His face was unrecognizable, and his body was not very large. He was wearing some sort of thin robe, holding a large sword in one hand, and some sort of hook in the other. ‘Surprisingly, there are no special features. Shouldn't a god have a personality of his own? ‘

The light from the statue grew stronger, and I heard a voice.

[Thank you for coming here, great.]

“...” I don't know if it's aimed at me or someone else, or even a conscious voice or some sort of magical recording, so I decided to shut up.

‘What does it mean to kill all the remaining spiders? It makes me stronger, so I'm grateful if that's the case. ‘

[I am sending the key to the great so that you can finish what those who have lost power cannot finish.]

The light from the statue only increased as I focused on the sound I could hear, restraining the judgment for now.

[He who returns to Elyos will only grow stronger. To seize the king, he had to kill everyone but himself.]

‘Elyos? What does she mean fairy? Whatdoes thatmean? ‘ The size of the statue began to shrink because it was now completely engulfed in light.

[The Great Fusion was meant to be the end, but the great ones have made it a fresh start. So, we'll stand with him.]

The statue, which was originally large enough to reach the ceiling, has shrunk in size to the size of my fist. No, it's not a statue anymore. It was being rebuilt according to which of the higher level entities were left in this temple. I feel some potential from him. If I ate it, it would definitely make me stronger, but the potential I felt from it would be lost.

[The desire of our people to prosper is sure to come.]

The light slowly faded with the sound, leaving a red crystal in the place of the statue. It was beautiful, with a spider web pattern etched into it. I remembered something I had collected in my inventory and went to get it out. Before I could, I felt spiders approaching me from all angles.

[I think a little differently.]

I grabbed the crystal and jumped forward with Ubiquitous. However, a sharp object like a scythe fell to where I jumped. It was the foot of a giant spider.

[This is not the beginning, but obedience and defeat. You, who have lost all your strength and memory, are no longer a great person.]

“You...” I blocked the attack with my great sword. I have killed all the spiders inside the temple and even claimed the statue that had just turned into a crystal. Therefore, nothing can stop me from using my Domination skill. But, in front of me was a giant spider who agreed to be my subordinate, and my Dominance skill was useless against him, which meant that right now, he refused to be my subordinate. Listening to his words, it seemed like it was not the only lie he had said.

“Do you know me from the beginning?”

[There's only one person who can get the key, so I know you as soon as I see it. You are the one served by our clan, the one who failed miserably and lost his power. That's you.]

Indeed, I have been completely fooled by this person. However, it did not bother me too much, as I had planned on entering the temple from the very beginning.

[You can't beat them, it'll just happen again. And the bigger the fight, the greater the underground suffering. I won't let you go.]

I can feel which flow is amazing. He was honest when he said the Red Blood clan had high-level magic. Before I knew it, countless blades of wind rushed towards me, streams of lightning crackled from him and licked my face as I dodged with Ubiquitous. Even though I had used the Reaper, he knew where I was going.

[Stealth you won't make it on me. Your powers have not escaped the lower levels; do you really think they can deceive a higher level entity? How depressing.]

Thinking about it, he said it was a great stealth skill when I used it to enter the temple. I thought it was just a simple admiration, but it wasn't. He looked straight at me then, and I should have noticed it sooner. The entire temple was now shaking from nowhere; spider webs filled the space where I could move. It was Ubiquitous's weakness; I couldn't move to a place that already had something there. What is even more impressive is that this one spider managed to cut me off when dozens of them failed to do so before.

[Do you really think you defeated the strongest of our clan?]

He did not stop his attack even while talking to me. The explosion was heard because the spider web he was using still had the same properties as the others when it hit which one was mine.

[I'm sorry for those who left everything to you. Had I been able to open the door to the temple, they would not have suffered such humiliation. You must redeem your life!]

Those elements attacked me, being summoned by this spider at a speed that I could not completely avoid with Ubiquitous. I must admit that I am facing a higher level entity right now. I kept the crystal containing the core of the Red Blood clan in my inventory, decided it would be safer there for now, and let my Jinma Wing spread widely. As he said, I have not been able to use the power of a higher entity. The feeling became more and more intact as the Reaper leveled up was too accurate. But even though he could see it, he did not fully understand it.

I should thank him for teaching me how to fight as a proper high-level entity. I increased the Predation energy and put it on my wings as different types of magic collided with me and damaged my body. However, the Predation energy began to eat away at the powerful mana, swallowing it, and digesting it to repair my body. I thought it was impossible to eat the mana of others, but it was not. It was no different than everything I had eaten. I can't gobble it all up, because the Predation level is still relatively low.

[To think great abilities have fallen so far!]

I made full use of Ubiquitous to move forward. It wasn't just me jumping into space; it was my ability to be by his side and survive there. He quickly retorted with his own strength, death swelled around me. I pulled the Reaper around me, remembering its ability to help me avoid death.

[Your stealth story won't work!]

Several spider legs flew towards me, but I stepped forward and raised my sword. It cut off the legs and cobwebs, removing them entirely as it continued to pierce through the body of the giant spider.

[What?!]

The spider's legs slowly began to erode, as did its web. I raised my great sword and pierced his eyes.

“I don't use stealth skills.”