Chapter 250 – Tutorial 57th floor (9)
It had turned into something that was known as the source.
The people began to lose their consciousness.
While the people connected through the link became unconscious, their feelings and emotions passing into me also waned.
The source absorbed the power until the people lost consciousness, but stopped before killing him.
Some people seemed to have died, either because they were killed in an accident or due to their weak vitality.
Even though this was good, it was questionable whether the survivors would be able to maintain a normal life.
Only some would be able to roam around with a sane mind while they had memories of facing the fear and emptiness after their powers got engulfed.
It was soon clear why the source didn’t take people’s lives.
He probably didn’t want to waste his strength in absorbing the energy left behind.
Interesting.
It had intelligence.
Despite being able to make decisions, it had little qualms about devouring people’s lifeforce.
The source had now begun to concentrate what remained of its powers.
Its feelings rushed through the link I had with the entity.
It was rejoicing.
Celebrating the situation’s turnaround like this.
For having grasped this opportunity.
Lastly, for having a very coveted prey in front of him.
The source turned towards me with obvious provocation, as if it was saying – It’s your turn now, get ready to die.
Did it know that I could sense its feelings?
It was unlikely.
All the sources I had previously met were as dumb as birds yet clever in unexpected ways.
I couldn’t judge hastily.
Now the only remaining intelligent beings on this planet were me and the source.
It was also uncertain whether that source could be called intelligent.
[You’re not really intelligent either …]
Oh shut up.
Don’t focus on trivial facts.
The source’s link that was previously spread across the planet was now focused on one person.
The pressure on me had increased compared to before.
I dragged out the time by enduring it.
Through this link, we could sense emotions, judgments, and memories of the other party, and at the same time, we were aware that it was a two-way end.
As the link became stronger and thicker, my power was being absorbed faster, but at the same time, I could also gain an insight about the source.
Memories and facts began to escape from both of our consciousness, drifting through the link.
The memories I had when I was a normal human.
My understanding and the concept of dealing with the superpowers were invaluable information that could not be recklessly exchanged for anything.
In addition to that, the knowledge I had as a human being.
Knowledge of a world that was aware of the existence of the tutorial and vaccine.
It was highly likely that the source would come to know about that now.
Last but not least, the new facts that I learned from the source.
I had to find out what kind of future one could weave with the ability to absorb people’s power similar to a source.
It was akin to fishing.
I tried hard not to lose my power, but occasionally gave it some.
I acted as though I was about to lose my will.
So that it would become more anxious and make a stronger connection with me for the sake of getting more information out of me.
I felt like a fish that had caught the fisherman.
At the same time, I had to hide my intentions deep in my consciousness so that the source wouldn’t notice them.
Thanks to the gods who read my consciousness all the time, I was able to fool the source without any difficulty because I had become proficient.
After a long time of pushing forward and pulling back, I was able to look deeply into the consciousness of the source.
Memories of the origin of human days started pouring into my mind.
Such information was like a part of a novel, regarded only as text.
The source did not seem to regard itself as a human being.
Next, I could sense the emotions of the source.
There was no such thing as a stable future for it, even with this ability, all that existed in it was endless greed.
It had both high intelligence and human memories, but it showed behavior similar to the other sources because of its uncontrollable greed.
I could perceive its principles coinciding with all the other sources I had seen.
Satisfied with the constant stream of information, the source cut off the link at once.
I was confused, but soon I could see what had happened.
Just as I had gotten insight about the source, the source had grasped the thoughts that had been hidden deep in my consciousness in the midst of engulfing my power.
The source started to fly up quickly, screaming.
Was it planning to run away?
Interesting.
I thought, looking at the back of the escaping source.
Even after being eaten up by greed, there remained a minimal instinct in it for survival.
Was its life that important?
Its struggles seemed meaningless to me.
The source was running away at a rapid pace, but it was already too late.
If there was a tempting prey, that too, easily obtainable, any hunter smart enough would have doubted it.
And hunters who aren’t alert were usually bitten to death by the prey.
“Ahbooboo.”
When I opened my palm and called Ahbooboo, he flew to my hand.
Usually, the sword was not much because of Ahbooboo’s excessive performance, but it had become a useful weapon more than anything else especially when mana flow was irregular.
[God of Light is excited!]
[God of Light encourages everyone to watch together.]
The enthusiastic response of the God of Light was interesting.
Smiling at the response, I prepared myself.
I think the first time I used this art was on the 35th floor.
It hadn’t been used a lot since then.
I usually preferred to use explosions.
I asked Ahbbooboo if he was ready.
After setting a right time, I used Light Sword: Pierce, at the source flying up there.
“Pierce through.”
A thin line of light stretched out with a roaring sound, tearing the atmosphere, and the force of its launch pushed the surrounding clouds far beyond the horizon.
The streams of light, brightening the cloudless night sky like day, were penetrating through the source.
From far away, its screams could be heard.
This art had the power to pierce anything, but this was the reason why it was not used often.
The limited range of attack had reduced the ability to kill.
So I had to use one more attack.
“Explosive. Zit Pop.”
The straight series of light began to vibrate.
The vibrations were strong, even for me.
I quickly drew mana and used my skills to prepare for impact.
Even the fist-sized Zit Pop had the power to turn the surrounding area into a mud slush.
The power of the Zit Pop, which used these long streaks of light across the sky as its main form, was hard to measure.
I was driving myself to the brink of death, but I was still excited by the power of the Zit Pop.
I prepared my defense with anticipation, and at the moment of getting struck by the impact of the Zit Pop, I was cheering in my heart.
[God of Light cheers]
The ray of light, which had been thin, expanded greatly to fill the sky.
It was as if a new sun had risen in the sky.
The pressure created by the explosion was immense.
That’s when a huge tear appeared in the space.
It was torn apart and transcendent power came out of it.
It was an astounding sight.
[The planet has been vaccinated.]
[Tutorial: Hell Difficulty, you cleared the 57th-floor.]
[God of Light screams]
[Voting begins]
[For: 1 Against: 98]
[The proposal has been voted down.]
[The God of Light asks for a vote again.]
[The God of Sky refuses someone.]
[The God of Chaos mocks someone.]
[The God of Life is annoyed with someone.]
[The God of Light is upset.]
* * * * * *
[It has been confirmed that a new source was created by the phenomenon that occurred on the planet Aharabi. As a researcher, you have succeeded in investigating the world and anomalies of the planet Aharabi, witnessing the creation of the source, and suppressing it.
[You’ve cleared the 57th floor of Hell’s Difficulty Level.]
[All situational anomalies and injuries will be recovered.]
[Automatically moved to the waiting room.]
The next moment, I stood inside the dragon’s cave, where I could hear the sound of the waterfall.
The neat interior in the cave made me feel worse.
This was my second time being in this newly-decorated cave.
The most important and exciting moment was when the stage got cleared.
It was only recently when I realized how good it was to be able to decide when to voluntarily leave the stage through the portals.
[God of Light agrees.]
The God of Light seems to have gotten carried away by several gods, but I don’t know if it’s okay.
I’ve heard that nothing is more useless than worrying about others, but I was still worried about a god.
It was such a stupid idea.
[You aren’t dead?]
After a long time, the dragon’s voice came out through the crystal ball.
“Yes. I’m still alive, you damn lizard.”
It dares to ask such a question!
God damn it.
It’s good that I’m still alive.
“You’re the one who’s supposed to pick the right stage, and you’re sending me to a stage where death is the final condition? Huh? Do I look like a pushover to you? Aren’t you being too gutsy?”
I vented my irritation on the dragon.
Damn it. Why was it hiding behind this crystal ball?
[Oh. Didn’t you want to go to a stage where you could learn about the source? And even if you died once, you had a chance to become a soul, get resuscitated when you cleared the stage. Besides, you didn’t even die.]
When the dragon put forward a reasonable fact, I had nothing to say.
[And I thought this stage would have been very helpful to you.]
“Well … yeah. I admit that’s true.”
I acknowledged the dragon and sat on a chair.
After releasing a deep sigh, I felt more tired.
[Why are you so down?]
What do you mean?
The stage ended in the middle of the explosion.
Explosions were not the only wonderful point.
The light that spread as the shock of the explosion went everywhere, the sound of the blast, and the… Anyway, the aftereffect was important.
[God of Light nods his head fervently.]
* * * * * *
After feeling reenergized, I started talking with the dragon again.
The dragon was a little offended by what I had said before.
It was only after I took some time to cheer up the dragon that I could mention what I wanted to talk about.
Naturally, I wanted to ask the dragon about the source.
The source was similar to the divine power.
There was even a rumor that the source was a great help in gaining power, so all the more reason to delve into this matter.
While talking about this and that, I heard an amazing story from the dragon.
“Is there a god who has divine power along with their powers obtained by faith?”
[Yes.]
It was a shocking fact.
There was a god who had not just destroyed the source and absorbed the power but also gained his own power through faith.
I recollected the names of the gods I knew.
Who could that god possibly be?
There was a god who fit this category more than anyone else.
“God of adventure?”
Tutorial 57th Floor (9) End
