Chapter 97

Chapter 97
## Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: The Resurrection of Baal

Snap!

Thump!

《You have pulverized ‘Cursed Celestial Stone (20)’.》

《Your proficiency in Swordsmanship has attained level 27.》

《Various constellations of Baekseongjeon are displaying diverse states of shock.》

《Newly appeared constellations of Baekseongjeon are submitting Apostle Contracts with enhanced terms.》

《You have declined the ‘Hidden Quest Reward (3)’.》

《Aim for a superior proficiency rank!》

《Pulverize ‘Cursed Celestial Stone (21)’.》

After shattering the twentieth Celestial Stone, my skill in Swordsmanship had finally reached the level 27 mark.

Progression speed takes a massive hit once you pass certain milestones because the experience requirements become astronomical; it is only logical that the climb becomes steeper the further you go.

“27…!”

I let out a brief, triumphant shout.

Setting my initial goal at level 23 made hitting 27 feel completely surreal.

This was a result that far exceeded anything one could hope to find at the Mountain of the Adepts.

However, a significant number of Cursed Celestial Stones were still waiting to be dealt with.

‘What is the deal with these Apostle Contracts? Why are they being so persistent?’

At some point during this process, the fresh batch of constellations had started flooding me with contract proposals.

The original terms were mediocre—just a tiny ‘Fragment of the Golden Rule’ and a single decent ability—so I hadn’t given them a second thought. Now, they were sweetening the pot, desperate for me to sign.

Even with the upgrades, it wasn’t enough to sway me.

‘A Fragment of the Golden Rule lasting roughly 100 hours plus a Mythic-grade ability. In exchange, they want a 10% cut of every fragment I collect?’

A typical player would probably be dancing in the streets over an offer like that.

But I wasn’t typical.

I had already gathered more than a thousand hours worth of fragments on my own.

Looking at my projected future income, signing that would be a financial disaster.

There was zero incentive to agree to a losing proposition.

‘These new entities are taking a different tack than the old guard. They’re likely spamming these offers to other players as well.’

It felt like a high-stakes investment plan.

If these agreements became common, we might see the rise of factions centered entirely around specific constellations.

Regardless, I wasn’t interested.

If a heavy hitter like the Constellation of Adventure or the Constellation of Luck had stepped up, I might have spent a few seconds pretending to consider it just to be polite.

‘As far as I’m concerned, they are just delivery vehicles for better rewards.’

Actually, the extra attention worked in my favor.

Through trial and error, I had developed a decent understanding of how the reward mechanics for these entities functioned.

If they chose to ignore me, that was fine—but once they committed to watching, me breaking through certain records forced their hands to improve the payouts.

Every single constellation within Baekseongjeon currently had their eyes glued to my performance.

This meant that regardless of their personal feelings, they were systematically obligated to pay out based on what I achieved.

“Break them all, caw! Don’t let a single one stand, caw!”

Thud.

Having made it to the peak, Raktusha dropped the unconscious spear user onto the dirt.

More than a hundred adepts circled him immediately, their bodies stiff with defensive posturing.

“That spearman had some backbone. Even with our power levels equalized, I didn’t think he’d manage to nick my skin.”

Raktusha ran a finger over the minor cut on his face.

The ‘Whirlwind Dance’ the spearman utilized had been a genuine display of skill.

If the man had been a bit more experienced, it might have actually been a challenge.

That potential was the only reason he was still breathing.

Ultimately, the man had provided a moment of ‘entertainment.’

“Swordmaster Raktusha! This is as far as you go!”

the most senior adept shouted, stepping forward with his blade drawn.

Raktusha let out a mocking grin.

“And if I decide to keep walking? Do you honestly think you can block my path?”

“We will!”

“Show me, then.”

“Initiate the 108 Heavenly Spirit Formation!”

The 108 Heavenly Spirit Formation.

This was the pinnacle of collaborative combat techniques mastered by the residents of the Mountain of the Adepts.

To even dream of ruling this mountain, the opening test involved surviving inside this formation for at least 30 seconds.

Standing in the epicenter generated a crushing, spiritual weight that made even standing on your own two feet feel like an impossible task.

Not even those who had reached Transcendence were expected to fight their way out of it.

But Raktusha, standing right in the eye of the storm, merely rolled his shoulders.

“I can only hope you lot are more amusing than that spear user was.”

All 108 adepts were now collapsed across the terrain.

“A demon…!”

The fallen warriors stared up at Raktusha with pure terror in their eyes.

He hadn’t just endured the pressure of their ultimate formation alone; he had systematically dismantled every single one of them.

Their spirits couldn’t hold up against that overwhelming sword pressure.

Even Transcendents were known to fear the 108 Heavenly Spirit Formation.

Did that imply Raktusha was something far beyond a standard Transcendent?

“How tedious.”

Raktusha walked past them with a slow stride and eventually reached the very peak.

A massive stone barrier stood there.

The surface was littered with the marks of ancient blades.

“Aria, if someone manages to scar this stone, they pass the second challenge, correct?”

“……”

Aria gave him nothing but a silent, icy stare from where she stood.

This wall only reacted to the purity of one’s proficiency.

Only a person with world-class weapon mastery could hope to leave a physical indentation.

Raktusha examined the marks with a curious eye.

“The one at the center? The Sword Sage? It looks like it’s been there forever.”

There was a profound sword gouge right in the middle of the stone.

It had been carved by the mountain’s legendary first ruler, the figure known as the ‘Sword Sage.’

History remembered him as the most powerful warrior to ever walk these slopes.

Raktusha traced the line of the old scar.

“Aria, daughter of the White King. Do you want to hear a joke?”

“……”

“The White King has absolutely no plans to rescue you. He spent forever waiting at the base, but nobody showed up. Not even his secret elite units.”

Raktusha had taken his time climbing up on purpose.

It was partly for his own setup, but mostly because he wanted to intercept and destroy the White King’s shadow guards when they inevitably came for Aria.

But no matter how long he lingered, not a single ghost-operative—not even a scout—had made an appearance.

The lack of action was boring.

He had been looking forward to slaughtering those legendary shadow units himself.

“They must be terrified. They likely saw their own corpses in their visions.”

Raktusha let out a low, dark laugh.

The White King was famous for his ability to detect personal danger.

He could practically see the threads of the future.

So, how do you trap a man like that?

Taking his child was just one tactic in a larger game.

The fact that the White King hadn’t dispatched his elite forces despite such an obvious provocation meant he valued his own survival over his daughter’s life.

“The moment the White King turned his back on you, your existence ceased to have any value.”

Whether she lived or died didn’t change anything now.

Raktusha considered his options for a second, then gripped his massive blade.

“Tell you what, if my mark turns out to be shallower than the ‘Sword Sage’s,’ I’ll let you live.”

Vrrrring—!!

A violent, hungry sword aura erupted from the heavy blade.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Raktusha slashed.

Crank!

The stone wall trembled to its foundations, and right next to the Sword Sage’s legacy, Raktusha’s mark appeared.

He smiled at the result.

“Looks like mine went deeper.”

Raktusha’s indentation was visibly deeper than that of the Sword Sage.

There wasn’t a more profound mark on the entire wall.

This was physical proof that no one more powerful than him had ever set foot here.

Aria’s pupils flickered with a hint of shock at the sight.

Worse than the Sage!

It was undeniable evidence that Swordmaster Raktusha’s power was the genuine article.

It wasn’t a fluke or a shortcut; it was the result of a level of mastery that eclipsed the legends of old.

“Daughter of the White King, the girl praised as a once-in-a-century prodigy. Give me some real sport.”

The fight had been a foregone conclusion.

Raktusha was an unreachable peak.

His martial skill was the real deal, and even when he handicapped himself to her level, she couldn’t bridge the gap.

To put it bluntly, she was being played with.

Raktusha treated Aria like a toy for his own amusement.

She had spent her life dedicated to the sword, refusing to be a simple brute like the White King—she had been swept up in her own natural genius, it was true.

“You have some skill, but it’s incomplete. You aren’t worthy of my fortress.”

But all that effort was worthless in front of Raktusha.

He hoisted his greatsword into the air.

He was going to execute her, exactly as he said.

“Huh?”

Just as he was about to end the life of the defeated Aria.

Raktusha paused, tilting his head in confusion.

Thump!

Ruuuuumble!

The entire mountain began to vibrate with terrifying force.

The shocks intensified by the second.

Roooar!

Crash! Crash! Crash!

A massive tremor tore through the mountain’s structure.

And from the widening fissures, a colossal presence started to push its way out.

Something gigantic and soul-crushing.

Raktusha narrowed his eyes at the phenomenon.

“…What in the world is that?”

《You have pulverized ‘Cursed Celestial Stone (100)’.》

《The ‘Temple’s Seal’ is beginning to disintegrate.》

《The ‘Four Evils’ is waking up!》

“……?”

Four Evils.

What is going on?

The notification popped up the second the 100th Cursed Celestial Stone shattered.

The temple’s containment was failing, and the Four Evils was being unleashed.

‘Were these Celestial Stones actually containment anchors this whole time?’

They weren’t set up for my benefit; they were there to cage the Four Evils.

But wasn’t it true that the Four Evils had been defeated ages ago?

‘This building wasn’t designed for containment—it’s a resurrection chamber.’

Look at all the Baal effigies throughout the temple.

They weren’t carved to ‘trap’ something ‘wicked’—it was obvious to any observer that they were crafted to ‘worship’ it.

A cult dedicated to the Four Evils had built this place to facilitate its return.

Or maybe it was Baal’s own design.

Either way, this was not what I expected.

《The seal’s liberation is not yet finished.》

《The seal’s liberation is not yet finished.》

《The seal’s liberation is not yet finished.》

The warnings wouldn’t stop flashing.

I had cleared 100 stones, but there were still about 20 Cursed Celestial Stones sitting inside the structure.

‘If I break the rest, does it finish the revival?’

Common sense told me to stop right now.

Bringing back one of the Four Evils?

If even a fraction of the myths were true, it would be a total nightmare.

Since I couldn’t command the thing anyway, leaving the revival unfinished might be the only way to avert a global catastrophe.

‘But my level is right on the edge.’

The problem was my proficiency gain.

Shredding those last 20 stones could very well push me to the next rank.

Besides, I wasn’t entirely certain that destroying them would actually trigger a full resurrection.

‘I think I have to break them.’

The Celestial Stones were packed with an incredible amount of proficiency experience that Baal had hoarded.

Leaving all that behind just because it was bait felt wrong—it was way too much value to ignore.

It was more likely that the returning Four Evils had set it aside for its own use.

‘Nobody in this world except me can actually process the experience stored in these rocks.’

Even if someone else broke them, they’d hit a ceiling.

How many people even have a class that allows them to reach a maximum level of 30?

Look at it from a different angle.

What if the leftover experience is actually feeding the Four Evils’ rebirth?

Bait and fuel at the same time?

‘The outer layers of the remaining Cursed Celestial Stones are starting to flake off. The energy is bleeding into the Four Evils.’

As if answering my theory, the final 20 stones began to transform.

The surfaces were peeling and cracking, and the escaping proficiency energy was being sucked toward the center of the revival.

Rumble! Ruuuumble!

The temple began to moan.

The ceiling was coming down.

I was out of time.

I had to decide.

To strike or to walk away.

My thoughts were moving at light speed.

The nine-tailed fox Black Night had deployed over a hundred agents onto the Mountain of the Adepts.

She was maintaining direct mental control over seven of them using her specialized tail abilities.

However, they were stuck at the bottom.

‘Curse that Raktusha! He decided to take the peak by himself?’

Swordmaster Raktusha had begun his conquest of the mountain as a solo act.

His personal army was only there to serve as a blockade, stopping anyone else from going up or coming down.

Everyone was trapped in a stalemate.

‘This makes it impossible for me to locate the White King’s child or Phantom!’

The goal was to snatch her while everyone was distracted by Raktusha’s full-scale invasion.

She even wanted to test the person she suspected was Phantom.

But now, the path upward was sealed.

She had promised big things to her superior—coming back empty-handed would be a major blow to her reputation.

Black Night bit her lip in frustration.

Rumble!

Ruuuumble!

Suddenly, it happened.

The mountain began to shake with a violent intensity, literally splitting apart.

“W-What is happening?”

“The mountain is…!”

The people trapped on the slopes began to panic, looking for an explanation.

This was far too powerful to be a simple geologic event.

“Look up there…!”

“Gah! W-What is that thing?!”

Within moments, they were all staring at the peak in absolute dread.

Black Night forced her puppets to look toward the summit as well.

“…What… on earth… is that?”

She couldn’t find the words.

It was understandable.

An enormous, terrifying beast from a forgotten age.

Even Black Night, who had encountered countless monsters, had never seen a creature like this.

Nor had she ever felt an aura so saturated with pure malice.

A gargantuan monster with the head of a black goat, a predatory body, and three massive tails exploded out from the heart of the mountain!

《Somewhere in the world, the Four Evils ‘Baal’ is being reborn.》

《The Four Evils ‘Baal’ is starting to consume the surrounding reality.》

《You must stop the Four Evils ‘Baal’. If left unchecked, every nearby city will be overrun and destroyed.》