How A Mythical Holy Knight Lives As A Villain (Novel) - Chapter 6
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Chapter 6
The ground and environment he was standing on changed in an instant.
[You have entered the Demon Realm for the first time.]
[Unique achievement acquired: First to Step into the Demon Realm.]
[All abilities slightly increased.]
[Large amount of Karma Points acquired.]
Simultaneously, blade-like energies began to assault Go Johan.
The black thread, which had been just one of many colorful threads before coming here.
Swoosh!
Was now entangled everywhere.
Moreover, it began attacking, seemingly trying to invade and stain the threads that made up Go Johan.
This was a situation he had experienced countless times before.
These black threads.
‘Demonic energy.’
It was the demons’ magical energy.
In Travania too, lands violated by demons were filled with these black threads, this demonic energy.
These corrupted and tainted everything around them.
Snap.
Just as Go Johan was about to cut them off as if it were natural.
[Black Knight job special effect activated.]
[One Tainted by Darkness]
Something surprising happened.
Strangely, the virus-like force that had been attacking Go Johan began intertwining with the threads that made up his being and settling in.
[All abilities increased.]
Typically, demonic energy would erode one’s original power just by beginning to infiltrate.
But now Go Johan felt the forces constituting him becoming stronger.
This must surely be grace.
[Faith has increased.]
Then finally.
“Ugh, urgh! Urgh!”
He remembered Lee Jae-kyung, who was howling like a beast.
Go Johan reached out his hand and cut off the black threads heading toward him.
Thunk!
He could see vitality returning to Lee Jae-kyung’s dying complexion.
At the same time, golden currents were emanating from Lee Jae-kyung’s body.
He was experiencing what Go Johan had gone through.
-First-time reward.
When a player performs an action, if it’s both first and meaningful, the system provides a corresponding reward.
Be it job, skill, ability, anything the system can grant.
In the past, it was said that first-generation players monopolized these first-time rewards, allowing them to reign supreme even now.
Lee Jae-kyung must have received those benefits that are now almost impossible to obtain.
“……”
But his face, barely managing to sit up, was deathly pale.
“I told you,” Go Johan said to Lee Jae-kyung.
“…How.”
This Black Gate was the first gate Go Johan had entered.
The reason was that he hadn’t felt the need to enter gates, and because of the gazes of others, including Shin Sukyung.
In contrast, Lee Jae-kyung was different.
Having gone through countless life-and-death situations and conquered hundreds of gates.
“How can a place like this… exist?”
He was literally overwhelmed by the Black Gate.
“This is…”
“Hell,” Go Johan said clearly.
Although it was his first time stepping on demon realm soil too, he had experienced similar things several times.
“……”
After staying silent for a while, Lee Jae-kyung got up.
Even at this moment, the goosebumps all over his body showed no signs of subsiding.
Just like when Lee Jae-kyung first entered a gate in the past, his instincts were screaming at him to run away.
But just as he didn’t run away then, which led to who he is now.
Slap.
He hit his own cheek with his palm to regain his senses.
“I showed an unsightly appearance.”
Though Lee Jae-kyung spoke as if berating himself for being inadequate, Go Johan felt differently.
“Follow me well.”
Even in Travania, it was rare to find someone who showed such composure when entering demon realm territory.
*
*
*
“I’ve been curious for a while,” Lee Jae-kyung asked while moving.
“How are you so strong?”
How could a player who hadn’t leveled up be so strong?
Was he even a player to begin with?
“Now that we’ve come this far, couldn’t you tell me a little?”
Lee Jae-kyung had stepped into hell with the determination not to be separated from Go Johan.
That was true.
‘The Goddess is not stingy with rewards.’
Those who show worthy courage must be rewarded.
Just as Go Johan had spared Lee Jae-kyung in the past.
“Magic power.”
“Who doesn’t know about magic power?”
Magic power was the fundamental force of players.
It was used when using skills and when moving the body.
Moreover.
-Magic power cannot be increased with points.
It was like a player’s talent.
Even the 5 stat points given upon leveling up couldn’t be used to grow magic power.
Unlike other abilities, or level growth, or skill acquisition, magic power changed organically and was the greatest mystery among players.
“There’s a certain power that forms the basis of magic power.”
Go Johan closed his eyes as he spoke.
When he closed his eyes, the world that had appeared as interwoven threads expanded further.
He could see down to the tiniest fibers making up the threads.
“I call it divine power.”
“…Divine power.”
Whoosh!
The spreading energy was drawing a map in Go Johan’s mind.
This ability to gauge where threads begin and end, the people of Travania called it:
-Divine Eye.
The eye of god bestowed by the Goddess, they said.
“……”
Go Johan opened his eyes.
And confirmed what he had felt when stepping on this land.
‘This is definitely the demon realm.’
A land that even he couldn’t reach in the past.
But it wasn’t their perfect territory.
“…A fragment.”
The Black Gate was narrow enough to be measured by his divine eye.
And within it, beings that could be called enemies.
‘Gate.’
He also confirmed the presence of something close to the boss, which could be called the ultimate purpose of the gate.
“Unfortunately, there’s nothing for you to do here.”
Go Johan spoke firmly.
“Just follow well without falling behind.”
“W-wait!”
But it was already too late.
Crack.
The ground where Go Johan’s young body stood sank in.
When he finally kicked off from it.
Crack!
The ground split as if an earthquake had struck.
Boom!
A storm-like roar hit Lee Jae-kyung’s ears.
Go Johan’s words were not wrong.
“Damn!”
Just as Go Johan said, he would have to use every ounce of strength just to not fall behind.
*
*
*
They finally encountered beings that could be called enemies within the Black Gate.
One of them was a magical beast that could be considered among the lowest-ranking demon species.
With a body size that could be called mountain-lord, it had the form of a dog, with blue flames burning on its body and tail.
‘Hell Hound.’
Though barely qualifying as a demon species and relatively weak, it wasn’t a being that could be ignored.
In Travania, an entire knights’ order of a count’s family had been annihilated by a single Hell Hound.
“Grrrr.”
Those burning blue flames, reminiscent of hellfire, possessed destructive power equal to 5th circle flame magic.
The problem was that the Hell Hound could breathe it out as easily as breathing.
Bang!
Go Johan landed on the ground as if flying.
The Hell Hound.
“Graaaah!”
Without hesitation, it opened its maw and spewed hellfire.
Blue flames instantly engulfed Go Johan’s entire body.
As if it were natural for Go Johan to be completely incinerated, the Hell Hound waited for its meal to be well-cooked, but.
Whoosh.
That hellfire disappeared without any warning.
“Grrrr?”
As if unable to understand, the Hell Hound spewed flames again.
Once again trying to engulf Go Johan.
Snap.
It disappeared without a trace at Go Johan’s extended hand.
“……”
Go Johan’s eyes were fixed on the Hell Hound.
-Black Gate.
He knew he would face those evil species again.
And the Hell Hound wasn’t even one of the demons he wanted to face, just a beast they kept.
Thump, thump.
But his heart was racing.
This was why he had opened the door despite knowing it would bring about the end.
“Grrrrah!”
The Hell Hound, sensing something amiss, leaped at Go Johan.
But it shouldn’t have done that.
Snap.
Go Johan’s hand touching the Hell Hound’s head.
The Hell Hound should have tucked its tail and fled the moment its hellfire didn’t work.
Crack!
The sound of flesh twisting and bones breaking.
And.
Bang!
The Hell Hound burst apart pathetically.
“How dare a filthy evil beast bare its fangs at a knight of the Goddess.”
Patter patter.
What had been the Hell Hound fell as a rain of fragments.
[You have hunted a Hell Hound for the first time.]
[Unique achievement acquired: Nightmare of the Hunting Dog.]
[Small amount of Karma Points acquired.]
[Skill: Ignition acquired.]
As the Goddess was commending Go Johan’s efforts.
“Huff, hah.”
Lee Jae-kyung, who had barely caught up, exhaled rough breaths.
“…!”
He was shocked at the scene before him.
The reason he had used all his strength to sprint was because he had felt an indescribably massive energy from where Go Johan had headed.
An energy that seemed at least on par with an A-rank gate’s mid-boss.
But now nothing remained and.
[Your contribution to the hunt was minimal.]
[Small amount of experience acquired.]
What he heard was the system message and.
[Level up.]
An absurd level up.
“…?”
He couldn’t understand.
Experience is shared between those who enter the same gate, but it’s distributed according to hunting contribution.
Even if the experience needed for leveling up was very little, leveling up from something like this didn’t make sense.
And.
‘Why?’
Why wasn’t Go Johan leveling up?
Lee Jae-kyung couldn’t see the golden light that appears during level ups.
That’s when.
“Survive on your own. You said you’d protect, you’re not thinking of just receiving protection, right?”
When he came to his senses, he felt it.
“Grrrr…”
“Grrr.”
Monsters like the one Go Johan had just defeated were surrounding them.
“…Of course.”
Though he had many questions, Go Johan had said he would explain.
So for now, all he could do was do his best to survive as Go Johan had said.
Shing.
Sword Ghost, Lee Jae-kyung.
It was the moment he drew his sword in actual combat again after a long retirement.