HBWnovel Chapter 338
Chapter 338
Chapter 338
They had won.
They had overcome destruction.
The Empire held a party to celebrate the victory.
“We have won!”
“For the Hero!”
“For the immortality of the great Empire!”
People dressed in luxurious clothes enjoyed themselves, drinking and eating.
Taesan quietly spent his time among them.
“Oh! Our Hero is here.”
Bradley approached Taesan, his face flushed, seemingly from drinking a fair amount of alcohol.
“Once again, I offer my thanks! Thanks to you, our world has been saved!”
Bradley raised his glass. Others also cheered and raised their glasses in unison.
The excitement enveloped them all.
Taesan waited for the commotion to subside and then asked quietly.
“What do you plan to do now?”
“Well... I don’t know.”
Bradley furrowed his brow. Though they had clearly won, it was hard to be entirely joyful about the situation.
The damage had been significant. Many kingdoms had been destroyed, and countless knights and soldiers had died. It was certain that it would take a long time to recover from the losses.
“But still... we have overcome destruction.”
There was no need to worry about the future anymore.
Bradley leisurely sipped his drink.
“For now, let’s enjoy ourselves. We have plenty of time.”
The doors swung open. The Emperor and Empress appeared, and the people enjoying the party quickly bowed.
“You’re here.”
“Yes, my son.”
The Emperor looked at Bradley with immense pride on his face.
“Well done. There is no one more fitting than you to succeed me.”
“...Thank you.”
Bradley’s face was filled with emotion.
He was the Empire’s prince and its only legitimate heir. Having dealt with all his rivals by his own hand, the next imperial throne was practically his.
And now, with the Emperor directly proclaiming it in front of everyone gathered here, it was as good as officially declared.
The Emperor laughed heartily and patted Bradley on the shoulder.
“Enjoy yourself, my son. Only a bright future awaits us.”
With that, the Emperor joined the party.
Bradley smiled, satisfied.
“This is good.”
He looked truly happy.
“You have done much for us. You fulfilled the prophecy and personally stopped the Demon King.
From the Empire’s perspective, no amount of reward is enough for what you’ve done.“
Bradley looked at Taesan.
“If you wish, the Empire will prepare a position for you.”
“I’ll consider it,”
Taesan replied quietly. The party continued.
“Your Highness.”
“Oh, Levancia.”
Levancia approached Bradley, her face flushed with embarrassment as she opened her mouth.
“I have a confession to make to you, Your Highness.”
“A confession?”
Bradley looked at her, puzzled.
Levancia began to speak.
Upon hearing her words, Bradley’s eyes widened, and soon, joy began to spread across his face.
Bradley shouted something loudly and hugged Levancia, smiling with happiness.
And then the world began to distort.
Everything started to fade away.
When Taesan arrived, it was in a black world overflowing with a sticky, overwhelming force.
A place where the minds of those who touched the power would collapse, and their past would resurface—a distorted world.
Taesan lifted his gaze. There was a shapeless, distorted being in front of him.
Instinctively, Taesan knew what kind of entity it was.
“The God of Regret, Rigrit.”
The shapeless being emitted a faint aura as if confirming his guess.
With an emotion thick and heavy, Rigrit asked if Taesan had enjoyed it.
Taesan did not answer, but Rigrit’s emotions were spreading out all around.
“Are you okay?”
[...I’m not sure.]
The ghost’s voice echoed, subdued.
[I had a lot of thoughts. I wanted to see my child’s face, hear their voice, listen to their laughter.]
His own child. His own bloodline. The fruit of his love.
That made it all the more painful for the ghost.
[But in the end, it’s fake. It’s not real.]
The ghost spoke as if spitting out the words.
[Choosing a fake and deceiving myself is an insult to my world and to myself.]
His answer was firm and resolute. He possessed both strength and talent. His spirit was unyielding and resistant to any temptation.
Even if it meant he would suffer as a result.
He was too noble to accept something fake. That’s why the ghost chose the first option.
[Besides, you still need my help. You’re still at the beginning of the deep levels, right? There’s quite a bit I can teach you.]
The ghost forced a cheerful tone. Taesan spoke.
“Thank you.”
[There’s no need to thank me. It’s the choice I made.]
In truth, Taesan’s presence played a significant role in the ghost’s decision.
He had watched Taesan ever since he entered the labyrinth and descended into the deeper levels.
While the time wasn’t long, much had happened during that period. As a result, the ghost developed considerable affection for Taesan.
‘We will part ways eventually, though.’
If it were real, it would be different, but compared to something fake, the ghost wanted to see how far Taesan would go. He wanted to watch over him.
For now, things had settled.
[You’ve gained a lot, haven’t you? Check them out.]
“You’re right.”
First, the Ability Sword and Airak Martial Technique, along with the related skills, had significantly improved in proficiency.
The effect of the title obtained on the 70th floor was substantial. The Airak Martial Technique, which had barely improved before, rose by 3% in a single battle.
While the skills themselves hadn’t changed, it was still a welcome improvement.
Additionally, defeating the Demon King had granted several new skills.
[Special Activation Skill: Call of Destruction.]
[Proficiency: 1%]
[Cost ???: ???]
[It calls forth destruction.]
It was an extremely simple description. The cost of using it was also unknown.
“What is this?”
He couldn’t tell if it was an offensive power or something that summoned a destructive force.
But one thing was clear.
It was immensely foreboding.
The power itself instilled a sense of reluctance to use it.
“I’ll have to test this later.”
He decided to test the skill in a more prepared state. That was Taesan’s conclusion.
[Special Passive Skill: Opponent of Destruction.]
[Proficiency: 1%]
[When facing an entity wielding the will of destruction, your rank and power are greatly enhanced.]
It was a skill that would help when facing enemies like the Demon King or the wolf that burned worlds. Given that such opponents would likely appear again in the future, it wasn’t a bad skill to have.
[Special Passive Skill: Stature of Will.]
[Proficiency: 1%]
[A soul that has reached a higher state. Your mind resists being easily corrupted by external forces and can overcome them with willpower.]
“Oh.”
Taesan’s eyes gleamed. It was a useful skill.
Currently, when trying to use divine or dark forces, his mind often became corrupted and consumed.
This skill would compensate for that. It would be a frequently used skill going forward, making it highly valuable.
The newly obtained Will of Destruction seemed like a material item, similar to the fragments of will he had acquired earlier. He thought about visiting Hafran to confirm this.
However, there was something Taesan wanted to check first.
Taesan gazed at the ring, which was radiating a dark aura.
It was the ring Rigrit had given him as a reward for clearing the enhanced trial. The power emanating from it was extraordinary.
[Distorted Ring of Regret.]
[Health +100]
[Mana +100]
[Attack Power +100]
[Defense +100]
[You can designate one skill with a cooldown and reset its cooldown. Skills with a cooldown of over a week cannot be reset. This effect has a monthly cooldown.]