Chapter 279: Chapter 279

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 279

[You have entered the 3rd floor.]

The 3rd floor was not significantly different from the 2nd floor.

[To proceed to the 4th floor, you must defeat the boss monster.]

[It is impossible to completely eradicate regular monsters. Only by defeating the boss monster will all monsters vanish.]

The method to unlock the 4th floor was also the same.

‘Then I should find the boss first.’

The nameless shadow B encountered on the 2nd floor had mentioned sensing a similar presence on the 3rd floor.

This likely meant that the boss possessed what was being sought.

Even if the boss didn’t have it, defeating the boss would cause all the regular monsters to disappear, making the search much easier.

Thus, the priority was to locate the boss.

Jeong-hoon used Heavenly Demon Lord's Dominion to confront the shadows.

As with the 2nd floor, the shadows used various weapons to press Jeong-hoon, so he used them as shields while continuing his search.

‘Where is it?’

He searched everywhere, from the storage room to the reception room, but the boss did not appear.

This meant it was hiding somewhere else.

Jeong-hoon meticulously examined the surroundings.

Then, something caught his eye.

A large box in the corner of the reception room.

‘That looks unnatural.’

It wasn’t the storage room, so why was such an old box in the reception room?

Jeong-hoon approached the box and opened the lid.

‘Empty?’

The box was completely empty.

He fiddled with the box for a moment before moving it aside.

Underneath was a hole barely big enough for one person to fit through.

Beyond the hole, there was a figure sitting in a chair that appeared to be the boss.

‘Bingo.’

Jeong-hoon’s lips curled into a smile.

***

[You have defeated the boss.]

[All monsters on the 3rd floor have been eradicated.]

[You have gained access to the 4th floor.]

The boss was defeated swiftly.

It displayed abilities similar to the Shadow Count from the 2nd floor, so it didn’t take long to finish.

In the spot where the boss vanished, an identical necklace to the one seen on the 2nd floor was left behind.

“Is this it?”

Jeong-hoon picked up the necklace.

Inside the necklace was a figure identical to the one seen on the 2nd floor.

However, whereas the previous one was a child, this time it was a large, burly adult man.

[You have completed the quest.]

[Return the body to Nameless Shadow A.]

Jeong-hoon nodded and immediately returned to the 1st floor.

Nameless Shadow A was wandering around on the 1st floor.

“Hey. I found it.”

At Jeong-hoon’s words, the shadow turned its head.

[You found it?]

“Yeah. This is it, right?”

As Jeong-hoon pulled out the necklace to hand it over, the shadow snatched it hastily.

[Yes! This is it!]

Nameless Shadow A, overjoyed, immediately destroyed the necklace.

“Take care.”

Jeong-hoon offered a brief farewell.

The shadow then embraced Jeong-hoon tightly and said:

[Thank you! I will never forget this kindness! This is a gift for you!]

With those words, Nameless Shadow A vanished.

[You have obtained the ‘Dagger of the Shadow King.’]

A dagger stained in black appeared in Jeong-hoon’s inventory.

‘Dagger of the Shadow King?’

Jeong-hoon tilted his head in confusion.

This was an item he had never seen before, whether in his current timeline or before his regression.

===

[Dagger of the Shadow King]

- Type: Dagger

- Grade: Ultimate

- Attack Power: ???

- Critical Rate: ??%

- Remaining Durability: 100%

- Special Ability (1): X

- Special Ability (2): X

- Special Ability (3): X

===

After inspecting the item, Jeong-hoon frowned.

“What is this?”

It was an Ultimate-grade dagger, a tier that far surpassed Celestial, the highest grade he had seen prior to his regression.

However, the problem was that this Ultimate-grade item had no special abilities whatsoever.

Even worse, its attack power and critical rate weren’t displayed, even when equipped.

For items above Legendary grade, their attack power and critical rate usually adjusted according to the user’s level, but this one didn’t.

‘It’s basically useless as a weapon.’

It seemed as though the dagger had lost its functionality as a weapon.

‘Does it require some specific conditions?’

Jeong-hoon reasoned that this dagger must have been stored in the 1st-floor armory.

Since he hadn’t seen such a dagger when looting the armory earlier, the shadow must have taken it for itself back then.

Now that the shadow had been laid to rest, it no longer needed the dagger and passed it on to him.

‘If it was broken, there would’ve been a notice. There’s definitely a high chance it has other conditions to fulfill.’

With his assessment complete, Jeong-hoon stored the dagger in his inventory.

Jeong-hoon had cleared up to the 3rd floor.

Surely, clues about the Dagger of the Shadow King could be found above.

With that thought, he began ascending once more.

***

[You have entered the 13th floor.]

Jeong-hoon swiftly broke through to the 13th floor.

Throughout his progress, he hadn’t encountered any NPCs.

‘When’s the next quest going to appear?’

As if on cue, an NPC caught his eye.

Just like on the 1st floor, there were no monsters.

===

[NPC Information]

Nickname: Nameless Shadow C

Level: 800

Class: None

===

[Oh! I didn’t expect to see a human!]

Nameless Shadow C.

While the 1st floor’s shadow had been a burly man and the 2nd floor’s a young child, the shadow on the 13th floor seemed to be a young woman.

A blinking question mark hovered above her head.

‘So this shadow’s purpose is to pass on as well?’

[Quest: Path of the Ultimate (2): Nameless Shadow C]

- Requirement: Enter the 13th floor of the Shadow Castle in Ruin

- Reward: ??

- Description: You are currently an intruder. However, Nameless Shadow C welcomes you. Please fulfill her wish.

It was the same type of quest as the one he had received on the 1st floor.

This shadow’s goal was also to pass on.

Jeong-hoon accepted the quest and spoke.

“You’re going to ask me to find your body, right?”

[Wait, is there a shadow that already passed on below?]

Her voice brimmed with hope.

Matching her enthusiasm, Jeong-hoon nodded.

“Yes.”

[Really?! That’s such a relief! I can finally leave this wretched place!]

The shadow jumped up and down in joy.

“So, do you know where your body is?”

[Ah… but before that, wasn’t it hard getting up here?]

Jeong-hoon frowned. He asked about her body, so why was she suddenly asking if the climb had been difficult?

He shook his head and replied, “Not really.”

It was true.

There were a lot of enemies, and some conditions made the hunt a bit tricky, but none of them had been strong enough to give him a hard time.

[...Then maybe it’s possible.]

“What is?”

[Defeating the Shadow King. The master of this place.]

“You’re saying he has your body?”

The shadow nodded affirmatively.

[That’s right.]

“What if he doesn’t?”

[I’m sure. He’s the one who trapped us all here in the first place.]

“That means there are others like you?”

[Yes. I guard the entrance to the 13th floor, while the others guard the floors above.]

“I see.”

Jeong-hoon recalled the item in his inventory—the Dagger of the Shadow King.

If he defeated the boss, he might also uncover its secrets.

[Please, I beg you. Defeat that bastard and set us free. I’m not asking you to do it for nothing.]

With those words, the shadow produced an item.

It was a small, darkly glowing gem.

“And this is?”

[It’s a Shadow Imprint Stone. It’s a material required to unlock the potential of shadow weapons.]

So, the weapon needed the Shadow Imprint Stone to awaken its full power.

Now it made sense why the dagger hadn’t reacted when equipped.

“Can you give it to me upfront?”

[Upfront…?]

The shadow tilted its head in confusion.

Jeong-hoon clarified, “Yes. As you can see, I’m the one who has to take action to grant you freedom. Isn’t that right?”

[And?]

“Well, I happen to have a weapon that can use the imprint stone.”

Jeong-hoon pulled out the Dagger of the Shadow King from his inventory.

It was an Ultimate-grade dagger, unusable in its current state due to being unawakened.

[...Where did you get that?]

“I received it as a reward after freeing a shadow below.”

[Unbelievable... So it was down there all along.]

The shadow seemed to recognize the dagger.

“If I can unlock the dagger’s potential, it’ll make defeating the boss much easier.”

[...You’re not planning to take it and run, are you?]

Suspicion laced the shadow’s voice.

Jeong-hoon chuckled.

“Of course not. I need to defeat the boss to get out of here, too. There’s no reason for me to take it and run.”

[Hah, but what if you fail? The imprint stone will be wasted.]

“I won’t fail. Besides, if not me, who else is going to free you? Has there been any human who’s made it this far before?”

There was no way.

The obscured view from the early floors alone made it nearly impossible for anyone to reach this place.

[That’s true, but…]

The shadow’s hesitation lingered.

"Then hand it over. I need to unlock the weapon."

Jeong-hoon extended his hand.

But the shadow hastily hid the imprint stone back in its possession.

[No way! This is the only item I have!]

As an NPC, it was meant to be given as a reward upon the successful completion of a quest. Naturally, the reward couldn’t be claimed unless the quest was completed.

‘Guess I can't get it upfront.’

Jeong-hoon chuckled faintly and withdrew his hand.

"Just kidding."

[...Your expression was way too serious for a joke.]

"Be quiet before I change my mind."

[Yes.]

"Where's the boss waiting on the 13th floor?"

[If you go through that door, you’ll find him.]

"Got it."

***

The place where the Shadow King lay in wait was actually on the 22nd floor.

On the way, Jeong-hoon encountered eight NPCs, all of whom gave him quests.

The objectives were identical: defeat the Shadow King and restore their freedom.

They promised to hand over their items as rewards if he succeeded.

Accepting all the quests, Jeong-hoon now stood before the Shadow King.

At the castle’s summit, at its very heart, was the Shadow King.

Unlike the other shadows, the Shadow King looked strikingly human. He stared at Jeong-hoon with a look of genuine surprise.

"Interesting. How can you see me clearly?"

He spoke aloud, not telepathically like the others.

"Oh, you’re referring to the vision obstruction?"

"Exactly. This castle is imbued with a debuff spell that obscures the vision of outsiders."

"I purified it, and it disappeared easily."

"Impossible. That debuff is designed to be unbreakable. What kind of trickery did you use?"

Holy Orb of Glory.

Ordinarily, even Holy Orb of Glory wouldn’t be able to purify the debuff. However, Jeong-hoon’s Transcendent Human title had reached level 10, enabling him to dispel the Shadow King's debuff.

That wasn’t all.

With the title at level 10, Jeong-hoon could now discern the Shadow King’s level.

[Lv. 1,315 Shadow King]

The Shadow King boasted an overwhelming level of 1,315.

‘Doable.’

Jeong-hoon activated all his buff-type skills, instantly surpassing the Shadow King’s stats.

The Shadow King smirked, covering his face with his hands. When he lowered them, he had transformed into an exact replica of Jeong-hoon.

[The Shadow King copies all of your abilities.]

Jeong-hoon murmured in admiration.

As expected of the Shadow King, his abilities were no joke.

But he wouldn’t be able to use everything.

The Shadow King could only copy Jeong-hoon’s skills. He couldn’t replicate the sources of Jeong-hoon’s power—his mana and divine energy.

Noticing this, the Shadow King scowled.

"What is this... Do you have divine energy?"

Jeong-hoon simply responded with a sly smile.

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

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