Dungeon Predator (WN)

Kang Oh stood up.

[You have been revived.]

[HP and MP have been fully restored.]

[For 10 minutes, your abilities increase by 20%, and damage taken is reduced by 50%.]

[Cooldown: 30 days.]

Kang Oh stared at Mayanes Krishan and bit his lip.

'She got me good.'

Everything was starting to make sense now. Now he understood why Diabol hadn't shown up when they were saving people, why he'd cursed at Krishan when he had first arrived, and why the ground had sunk! It was all part of her plan!

Kang Oh took a look around. Sephiro lay motionless on the ground.

'What about Eder?' He couldn't find his body. 'What happened to him?'

However, Eder was the least of his worries right now. After all, Mayanes Krishan was right in front of him!

'What do I do now?'

Since they hadn't rescued any of her prisoners, Krishan's power was at its peak. He'd barely won against a severely weakened Diabol, so there was no way he could beat her.

'I can't use Gluttony either.'

He'd already used Gluttony against Diabol, so he couldn't use it again.

'Running away is my best option, but...'

Easier said than done. This was the ashen wasteland. In other words, this was her domain. To make matters worse, return scrolls wouldn't work here.

Kang Oh was between a rock in a hard place. Then…

"Are you... immortal?" Krishan asked.

'This is it!'

It was as if the heavens themselves had given him a chance.

"That... is correct." He was about to speak impolitely, but he'd have to humor her for now. 'I'm immortal, so just leave me alone!' Kang Oh inwardly begged.

"Hmm, give me your sword. Then I'll let you go." Krishan pointed at Ubist.

"I cannot do that," Kang Oh said. 'Do you know what Ubist is!? I'll never let you have it.'

"Give it to me." Her eyes were filled with killing intent.

"No... thank you. I'm immortal, so you won't be able to steal it from me anyway," Kang Oh said strongly, masking the anxiety he felt. 'C'mon, just leave already!'

"We'll just have to find out, now won't we?" She smiled icily.

'I'm screwed. What do I do? What can I do!?'

He had no way of beating her. The only thing he had left was Devil Trigger.

'Wait, Devil Trigger?' Kang Oh thought back to the first time he fought Valan. 'Back then, I definitely... used Devil Trigger using two separate demon swords.'

Valan had subdued him before he could complete his transformation. Then, he chastised him, warning him not to use powers beyond his reach.

He still couldn't handle a dual Devil Trigger. However, he couldn't think of anything else.

'Screw it!' Kang Oh pulled out Demon Sword Blood from his inventory.

Kaishan extended her hand.

Whir.

Energy began gathering in her hand.

"Go for broke!" Kang Oh crossed his blades in the air.

Devil Trigger!

Kang Oh's body was covered by energy as red as blood, and jet-black darkness like the dead of night.

[Warning: Ubist's power is going out of control.]

[Warning: Blood's power is going out of control.]

[Warning: You cannot handle their combined power.]

The demon swords' power flowed through his hands.

Kang Oh gritted his teeth and did his damndest to keep the overflowing power in check, but nothing worked. The mixture of red and black energy obscured his vision. From the outside, it looked like he'd transformed into a black, red-striped egg.

[Warning: Your body has been used to summon Ubist and Blood.]

[Warning: You have lost control of your character.]

Then...

"Die!" Krishan unleashed a destructive wave at Kang Oh.

Boom!

The egg cracked and…

Split!

It completely shattered.

Spurt!

Darkness, which was surrounded by red energy, shot up into the sky like gushing lava.

A short while later...

The darkness coalesced into a single being.

It was huge, with a sharp face, red eyes, a jet-black tail that shone like the night sky, a body made up of darkness, and sharp teeth and claws!

Grr.

It looked the same as it did when he saw Valan's life story; this was the King of Demonic Beasts and Abyss Predator, Ubist. However, its body was covered in red stripes, and giant bat wings protruded from its back.

Had Ubist and Blood fused together?

Whatever the case, one thing was certain… Kang Oh had awakened an uncontrollable beast, and it was extremely hungry!

Kuhaaaaaah!

Ubist's roar echoed throughout the land.

* * *

The Mayanes were so arrogant that they sought to replace the gods. Krishan was no different in this regard. That's why she was in such a foul mood.

"You stupid mutt."

She didn't like the fact that Ubist was looking down at her, so she began gathering energy in her hand once more.

Hammer of Arrogance!

A green blast of energy came flying at Ubist. However, Ubist merely devoured the blast!

Kyaa!

'Not enough!', Ubist seemed to say. It then opened its mouth and attempted to consume her whole. However, Krishan avoided its attack and flew into the air.

"Hmph. Let me show you divine power!" Krishan raised Diabol's source into the sky. It and her own source resonated, bestowing upon her even greater power.

"Come, my children!"

Creation!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Gyaaahk! Gyaa! Gyaa!

Monster birds filled the sky; each one was a different shape, size, and color.

Tree monsters, vine monsters, tentacle monsters, etc… Countless plant-types monsters had appeared on the ground.

There were so many of them! There had to be several hundred of them.

"Kill that beast!" Krishan ordered.

Countless monster birds swooped down on Ubist.

The mobile plant-type monsters approached Ubist, while the immobile monsters attacked with their tentacles, vines, and toxic powder/spores.

Kuhaaaahk!

Ubist roared. 'Cmon!'

It stretched out its bat wings, which transformed into dozens of tentacles. The red tentacles flew into the air, stabbing the monster birds and sucking their blood.

Gulp! Gulp!

The tentacles sucked them dry, causing them to dry up like mummies and fall to the floor.

The Abyss Predator, Ubist, attacked the incoming monsters with its front legs and tail. Its claws ripped through the monsters, and its tail flung them away. Ubist also devoured any monster in its path.

However, Krishan's creations didn't just sit there and die. The monster birds stuck to Ubist's wings and body, and attacked it with their talons and beaks. Roots or vines would shoot out of the ground, wrapping around Ubist's ankles, and toxic powder/spores began to cover its body.

Kuha!

Ubist opened its mouth wide. It unleashed a fan-shaped wave of darkness, which swept through everything in its path!

Its Everlasting Darkness was far more powerful than Kang Oh's, and had more range to boot!

Gyaa!

Countless monster birds and plant monsters were caught in the sea of darkness and perished. But firing darkness at its opponents wasn't Ubist's only skill.

Hueup!

Ubist took a deep breath and began sucking the expelled darkness back in. It also sucked in the monsters that had gotten caught in its Everlasting Darkness!

In an instant, dozens of monsters had become its food. However, there were still several monsters left, and Krishan decided to enter the fray.

"Let's end this." She summoned dozens of shining orbs above her head.

Photon Bomb!

The light spheres fell from the sky and rammed into Ubist's body.

Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!

Kuhaaaa!

The spheres exploded with blinding light, as if a flash bang had gone off. A loud 'bam' accompanied Ubist's pained cry.

Krishan summoned even more Photon Bombs and shot them at Ubist.

Bam! Bam, bam, bam!

The explosions just kept coming! Ubist fell to the floor, unable to withstand the vicious assault.

* * *

Kang Oh was trapped in a dark room. There was a monitor inside that showed him everything that was happening to Ubist. He was somewhere inside Ubist's body.

He watched how things played out, as there was nothing else he could do. After all, Ubist had taken control of his body.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Ubist fell to the floor, overwhelmed by Krishan's bombardment.

"What are you doing, you stupid mutt!" Kang Oh yelled in a fit of rage.

Ubist's combat ability was extremely high. Moreover, it'd gained Blood's wings too!

However, it was only moving according to its instincts; its desire to fill its stomach. Thus, it wasn't able to show even a fraction of its true power.

"Ah, if only I was able to control him..." Kang Oh said regretfully.

Then...

"Help."

He heard someone's voice. It was familiar...

"Tasha?"

"Yeah, it's me." A young girl, with red hair and a cold face, appeared before him. "You have to help me."

"Help you with what?"

"The enemy's last attack really shocked Ubist. This is our one and only chance to regain control. If you don't take this chance, then we'll be completely consumed by him," Tasha said desperately.

Ubist was so powerful that it consumed Blood's power too. This was their chance to regain control.

"How?" Kang Oh asked.

"You have to open that door."

"Door?"

"Over there." Tasha pointed at a giant double door. "If we open that door, then we can take back control."

"Ok."

There was absolutely no reason to refuse. Kang Oh immediately glued himself to the door. Tasha stood beside him.

"Push!"

"Uhahp!"

The two pushed as hard as they could.

Creak, creak, creak.

The door slowly opened.

"Keep going!" Tasha yelled.

"Urgh!" Kang Oh pushed with every he had.

Ubist was hit by another one of Krishan's attacks. Then, the room shook like an earthquake; perhaps it was duplicating the shock that Ubist was experiencing.

"Now!" Tasha yelled.

"Uhaaaaa!" Kang Oh screamed and forcefully pushed.

Creak!

Thud!

The door finally opened, and the once dark room was illuminated.

[You have regained control of your character.]

Kang Oh felt weird. It was as though he could see, hear, and feel through Ubist. At the same time, he felt like he could control Ubist's body too.

"Good job. Now turn off Devil Trigger!" Tasha said.

"Tasha."

"What are you doing? Turn it off. If you don't, then we'll both be absorbed by Ubist," Tasha said angrily.

"This... How long do you think we'll last?"

"What do you mean?"

"How long do you think we'll stay in control?"

"I dunno. A few minutes at best?"

"Then... give me some time," Kang Oh said earnestly.

"Why?"

"The enemy's too strong, so I'm going to take her down in this form."

"Mm."

"Please!"

"Haa, fine. But when I tell you your time's up, you have to turn off Devil Trigger. If you don't, then it's over for us."

Kang Oh nodded his head.

Then...!

He began controlling Ubist.

* * *

Having taken several of Krishan's attacks, Ubist's body had fallen to the floor. But its wings, which had transformed into tentacles, were putting up quite a fight!

"It's over!" Krishan raised her arms into the air, creating a giant green spear.

Spear of Arrogance!

She swung her arm, causing the spear to fly right at Ubist.

But then...!

Darkness shot up from the ground and engulfed Ubist.

Abyss Transfer!

Ubist's body disappeared.

Bam!

Spear of Arrogance struck the ground instead.

A short while later...

Ubist reappeared amidst the darkness.

"Attack!" Krishan yelled. Her creations, the monster birds, glued themselves to Ubist.

Kuhaaah!

Ubist roared. Dozens of blood spears formed around it.

Aim, fire!

The blood spears tore through the birds, causing them to plummet to the ground. Ubist didn't stop there. It horizontally swung its front leg.

Abyss Claw!

Not only did the gigantic jet-black aura kill several creatures at once, but it even came for Krishan too.

"Hmph!" Krishan unleashed a Photon Bomb.

Bam, bam, bam!

Once the Photon Bomb exploded, the Abyss Claw dissipated.

Meanwhile, Ubist drained the blood of 10 of Krishan's creatures using its tentacles.

"Just give it a rest already and die!" Krishan shot dozens of Photon Bombs at Ubist.

However...!

Ubist zigzagged around, avoiding all the Photon Bombs!

"What?" Krishan looked slightly taken aback. In no time at all, the jet-black beast had reappeared right in front of her.

She brought her hands together, and then launched a green blast at Ubist.

Hammer of Arrogance!

Ubist opened its mouth and consumed the blast.

"Grr!" Krishan gritted her teeth. Then, countless Photon Bombs appeared nearby.

Ubist responded immediately.

Everlasting Darkness!

Spurt!

A gigantic stream of darkness shot out of its mouth.

The radiant Photon Bombs and Everlasting Darkness, the deep darkness that threatened to consume all, mixed together.

Light and darkness clashed!

Boom!

The two blasts, unable to permit the existence of the other, resulted in a massive explosion.

Then...

Ubist pierced through the explosion. Obviously, its body wasn't in the best of shape. It'd taken a ton of damage from the blast, and it was riddled with wounds.

In exchange... it had gained the opportunity to launch a perfect surprise attack.

Krishan belatedly pulled her body back, allowing Ubist to bite into her.

"Gyaahk!" Krishan let out a shrill cry. It was only natural. After all, Ubist had consumed her left wing and left arm in a single go!

Ubist opened its mouth in order to finish off its prey! Luckily, Krishan had gotten a hold of herself just fast enough, and responded before the attack hit.

Whir!

She created an ultra-large Photon Bomb and smashed it into Ubist's face.

Boom!

As a result, both Ubist and Krishan were sent flying through the air.

* * *

"You have to stop! If you don't stop here and we lose control, then we're both dead!" Tasha said urgently.

"Just a little bit more! I can finish her off!" Kang Oh, who was controlling Ubist with his eyes closed, said.

"No! We don't have time. Turn off Devil Trigger now!" Tasha said anxiously.

However, Kang Oh ignored her advice and made Ubist attack Krishan again.

"Stop him!" Krishan yelled. Her creations swarmed Ubist, holding it back.

Kuhaa!

Ubist plowed right through them. Seeing that, Krishan's eyes shook. She was afraid of that jet-black beast!

'I don't want to die!'

Ultimately, she pulled out Diabol's source.

Crack!

The source in her hand, as well as the one within her chest, resonated. Then, the space ripped apart, as if a zipper had been pulled down. It was a door that would allow her to escape Despia!

"You haven't seen the last of me!" she said, trying to keep what remained of her pride intact, and then jumped through the tear in space.

At the same time, Ubist consumed it!

However...

"Damn, I lost her." Kang Oh sighed while controlling Ubist. He'd just barely lost her.

Poof! Poof! Poof! Poof!

Was it because their creator had left Despia? Her creations began to disappear.

Then, the door that Kang Oh and Tasha had opened began to close.

"What are you doing!? Deactivate Devil Trigger!" Tasha yelled desperately.

"Mm." Kang Oh immediately did as she asked. The darkness that comprised Ubist's body dissipated, and the red-haired girl began to fade. "Thanks," Kang Oh said.

"Hmph. If we'd have gotten absorbed by Ubist, then... I would've killed you. Nothing would've stopped me from finding you." She looked at him fiercely and then completely disappeared.

"Hoo, how did I manage to survive that?" Kang Oh sighed in relief. It was truly a difficult fight, and he'd only managed to get out of it alive through sheer luck.

'Anyhow...'

Kang Oh read the system messages he'd missed.

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

...

[You have leveled up.]

Everything that Ubist had killed had become experience for him. Because of that, he had leveled up a ton. He managed to gain twelve levels in such a short period of time.

With this, Kang Oh had past level 350. He was level 351 now! He supposed it was worth not giving up till the end.

Then... a green, pale ghost suddenly popped out of the ground. It was Eder.

"Mr. Kang Oh!"

"Eder! You survived!"

"Yes. When Krishan attacked, I ejected my soul from the Lich's body and hid within the ground."

As expected of Eder! He wasn't called 'He Who Defies Death' for no reason. He was like a cockroach; he survived everything.

"What about the Lich's body?"

"It was completely destroyed."

"Mm. So that's why I couldn't see your body."

"Yes. Anyway, good work."

"Tch. We lost Maya's source and we lost Krishan. How disappointing." Kang Oh clicked his tongue.

"We'll have to consult with the goddess on how to proceed," Eder said.

Kang Oh nodded his head.

"Let's return to the Temple of Death."

The two crossed the River of Despair and returned to Latnia City.

"Mr. Kang Oh, Mr. Eder!" Sephiro had been waiting for them.

Gyaa!

Waryong was safe. Before he'd died, Sephiro had used 'Emergency Escape' to place Waryong into his inventory.

"What happened? What happened to the woman who killed me?" Sephiro asked.

Kang Oh briefly explained what happened after he'd died.

"So that's why we're going to report to the goddess and see what our options are," Kang Oh said.

"I'll come with you." Sephiro followed them.

The three of them headed for the Church of Death.

* * *

Kang Oh and Sephiro kneeled and bowed their heads. Even Eder, who was a green ghost, did the same.

Deborah's silhouette appeared beyond the purple veil. She had possessed her statue.

"Raise your heads." Her resplendent voice echoed through the room.

Kang Oh's party did as she asked.

"Goddess, I have something to report," Kang Oh said politely.

"I saw what happened."

"I see."

"You did well in killing Diabol. However, losing Maya's source and Krishan is... not good."

"What do we do now?"

"Follow Krishan, and kill her as soon as possible. A Mayanes with two or three sources is too dangerous to leave out in the world."

"Understood. But I'm not sure where to find her," Kang Oh said. 'So please help us.'

"Cyndia will help you."

"Thank you. This man is called Sephiro. Could you please bestow your great task unto him as well?" Kang Oh bowed his head.

"Alright."

[Goddess's Quest 1 has changed to 'Goddess's Quest 2: Kill Krishan'.]

Kang Oh stared at Sephiro. He was beaming, so he must've gotten the quest that he had wanted so badly.

"Eder," Deborah said.

"Yes, Supreme One," Eder replied politely.

They could see Deborah waving her hand from beyond the veil. Then, bright light rose from the floor, and something appeared in its place.

It was... Surprisingly, it was the frozen tube that contained Eder's original body. The same one that Eder had been keeping in his private safe!

"You will be needing your original strength for the events that lie ahead."

"T-Then?" Eder's voice shook.

"I will remove your curse."

"Thank you very much!" Eder slammed his head against the ground. However, he was a ghost, so his head just passed through the floor.

"Don't be so happy. If you fail my mission, you will be cursed once more." Her icy voice rang out.

"I will not fail."

"You must not."

With this, their conversation ended. The purple veil was lifted, and the goddess statue turned back to normal.

[You have completed the quest, Transport Eder's Body.]

[Receive your reward from Eder.]

Kang Oh read the system message and smirked. Deborah had pretty much completed Eder's quest for him.

"I have a favor to ask," Eder said.

"What?"

"Please take my body out of the tube."

Sephiro and Kang Oh removed Eder's body from the ice-cold tube and placed it on the floor.

"Aah." Eder looked down at his body, sporting a face filled with emotion, and then slowly entered it.

A short while later…

The once pale face slowly regained its color, fingers wriggled around, and quivering eyelids opened.

Clear, moist eyes! Overcome by emotion, he began to cry.

"I'm... alive!"

The Legendary Healer, Eder!

His long journey to regain his original body had finally ended. Of course, nothing had ended. This was just the beginning.

"I have to get even stronger, and make even more money." Kang Oh grinned.

Become the greatest player in Arth and become filthy rich! His journey to achieve these two goals had only just begun.