CHAPTER 477: THE POWER OF CUSTOMISATION (1)

Rustle.

As the smoke cleared, a completely ruined space appeared before their eyes.

It was a scene hard to believe as a feat of human power.

“This is my final form.”

Earth Demon was facing another version of himself that was disintegrating.

After unleashing power that transcended space, the life force of the white-haired Earth Demon was exhausted.

Watching his body burn away and his very existence disappear, he was enveloped in an inexplicable emotion.

“People die anyway.”

Beside him, Seol-Hwi spoke.

“Rather than dying without meaning, perhaps burning the last flame is more valuable.”

“Then to you, I must be a valuable person.”

“Have you realized that now?”

As Seol-Hwi nodded, Earth Demon gave a faint smile.

A smile that was hollow yet lonely, and strangely refreshing.

“Are you alright?”

“What happened…?”

“What was that just now?”

Just then, Jin Mu, Goo Jong-myung, and End Demon approached and asked.

They, who had been cornered, didn’t exactly know why Jang Dal suddenly disappeared.

Earth Demon’s absolute martial arts had whimsically leapt through space and wiped out Jang Dal’s replicas in an instant.

Afterwards, by the time the surroundings were devastated, the fight was over.

“Shall we move for a moment?”

Seol-Hwi slowly turned around.

Though the immediate crisis was averted, it didn’t mean the problem was solved.

And since their location was exposed, there was a need to relocate.

“We need to find a suitable place to move.”

Moreover, their home base was completely destroyed.

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Seol-Hwi moved to another location with the group, taking Songhwa, who had been separated.

To avoid Jang Dal’s attention, changing the location was inevitable.

The place they headed to was where the secret branch of the Mount Hua Sect once was.

It wasn’t a situation to hide in the Central Plains anyway, and they needed a temporary resting place for another clash.

The current secret branch of the Mount Hua Sect was completely empty.

The branch disciples of the Mount Hua Sect had moved to the main sect just in case.

Although the buildings were desolate, since people lived there until recently, it was perfect for Seol-Hwi and his party to stay.

“But sir, why would someone called a god be so afraid as to create so much equipment?”

As they moved, Songhwa approached and asked.

It was right after Seol-Hwi finished explaining how Jang Dal used special equipment and that the main body was hidden.

“He must be afraid of Earth Demon.”

“……?”

“…….”

“……!”

At those words, everyone showed a puzzled reaction. How could someone who ascended to a deity fear Earth Demon?

“Aren’t you the strongest, elder? Then, of course, they should fear you more, why Earth Demon…….”

“I’d be concerned too. But before that, he’s more afraid of having two who have ascended to Gods.”

“What?!”

“A God?”

“Ah!”

The party reacted in surprise.

And soon, most eyes focused on Earth Demon.

“Ah, about that…….”

Earth Demon, who had been in a daze for a moment, awkwardly scratched his head.

He seemed to find such attention rather uncomfortable.

“And this is just speculation, but if there’s another reason……”

Seol-Hwi stopped walking.

Just then, the shape of the village slowly began to appear in the distance.

“He seems to be the highest-ranking among the Gods.”

“……What? What do you mean by that?”

“I don’t know how the Creator did it…”

As everyone’s eyes turned back to Seol-Hwi, he continued while turning around.

“Jang Dal, he might be even stronger than him.”

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The buildings inside the secret branch were still usable.

Goo Jong-myung personally assigned bedrooms to people and showed them where to draw water and where to wash up easily.

“You can use this place… You, here. And…”

Seol-Hwi decided to share a room with Earth Demon.

This was Seol-Hwi’s idea.

In case Jang Dal’s main body appeared, he thought it would be safer to protect him by staying close.

Seol-Hwi finished washing up and entered the room.

Earth Demon was sitting by the window, just in time for him to notice.

Whether it was because of the setting sun or the enigmatic Earth Demon, the scene felt like a painting.

“Hey, what are you thinking so deeply about?”

Seol-Hwi spoke up. The response came a bit late.

“…Just.”

“That’s bland.”

Seol-Hwi could roughly guess what he was feeling.

He witnessed life and death in a short time.

He experienced the tremendous power embedded within his body through special equipment.

Having experienced the hidden secrets, his shock would last quite a while.

“Seol-Hwi.”

At Earth Demon’s call, Seol-Hwi nodded.

“Yeah. Speak.”

“You saw another me when Heavenly Killing Star was activated, right?”

“Yes. So?”

“No matter how much I think, I can’t understand.”

“…What do you mean?”

“The power he displayed then… was beyond common sense.”

“That’s the power of Heavenly Killing Star…”

“It’s not like that.”

Earth Demon turned his gaze and continued speaking, looking at Seol-Hwi.

“No matter how powerful the Heavenly Killing Star is, it cannot defy the forces of nature. But the power I felt then… it was clearly a force beyond that.”

Earth Demon remembered.

The power to traverse space at will.

The force that rested in his hand was beyond the natural world.

“You suspect something, don’t you? Why I possess such power. Considering you called me a Demon God.”

“……”

Seol-Hwi was silent for a moment.

Seeing this, Earth Demon waited patiently.

It was difficult to rush him, as he too needed time to organize his thoughts.

After a long silence, Seol-Hwi, who had been looking down, spoke.

“Customizing.”

“……?”

“He’s a creator of worlds. From characters to their abilities, he can make them as he pleases.”

Seol-Hwi continued, meeting Earth Demon’s gaze.

“I mentioned before that you’re a character created by Jang Dal. Naturally, the abilities of the Heavenly Kill Star and their values were likely adjusted by him.”

“……”

“From what I’ve seen so far, your abilities seem to exceed my expectations. I suspect that he may have endowed you with the maximum abilities he could create.”

“Maximum? What kind of…”

“To put it simply, the abilities of a Demon God. Among them, the highest possible abilities that can be realized in this world.”

“……!”

At those words, Earth Demon showed a shocked expression. Not just simple strength, but absolute strength.

The highest abilities among Demon Gods.

“What’s certain is that he fears you. In other words, your abilities surpass his.”

“Why such an unnecessary…”

“At first, it must have been curiosity. Or perhaps, he wanted to witness absolute power in someone else. On top of that, he believed he could control any issues if they occurred within the Demonic Cult’s territory.”

‘Even though it was a stroke of luck…’

The Creator’s plan was somewhat understandable.

It wouldn’t have been easy to anticipate leaving the Demonic Cult and the Heavenly Demon becoming hostile.

Even if the player became a Demon God, they might have thought it impossible to realize that the Heavenly Demon had this level of capability.

‘Nevertheless, he was meticulous. Seeing how he prepared for the ‘what if’ even in impossibility.’

It seemed he anticipated a situation where the Earth Demon would fall outside the system’s scope, creating an uncontrollable situation.

All those numerous items in the toolbox.

It felt like they were not for himself, who ascended to Demon God, but created to keep the Earth Demon in check.

“Knowing the reason is rather refreshing. Anyway…”

The Earth Demon didn’t ask further and changed the topic.

“There’s been a change.”

“A change?”

“Take a look at this.”

In the palm of the Earth Demon’s hand was a necklace.

It was the Pearl Chain.

But unlike before, its color had faded.

“It turned into a dark, dull color. Could it have lost its function since then?”

“It could be, or it might not be.”

“What do you mean?”

“Hmm. Let me check it now.”

Seol-Hwi looked up. Then, he immediately generated the toolbox.

[Welcome to the Heavenly Demon Cultivation Simulation!]

[You can now customize all abilities within the Heavenly Demon Cultivation Simulation.]

[Ding! Condition not met! You have not been granted the ability to customize.]

▷ Self Qi Point

▷ Characters

▷ Settings

▷ Tools

‘As expected, is that so.’

Toolbox.

It is not selected this time.

It might be that a function that could be used suddenly became unusable.

Such a thing probably won’t happen naturally.

Since he was also an administrator.

‘I expected it, but to actually do it.’

Not being able to use the toolbox.

In other words, it means nullifying the efficiency value of all equipment.

Perhaps that guy realized that we use equipment and changed the strategy to disable it.

‘Then what method will it be this time?’

Seol-Hwi made a few assumptions.

Since the toolbox is gone, it was hard to think that he would recklessly charge head-on.

Nor did it seem likely that a special ability not present here would appear again.

‘I would like to just rush in and kill him right away…….’

But then all the plans until now would become meaningless.

The ultimate goal of returning to the past would also disappear.

‘I have no choice but to wait. To see how he will react…….’

Jang Dal’s consciousness was focused solely on Earth Demon.

As much as it would be on this side next.

That much was certain.

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Time passed.

The guy didn’t show any movement for a while, but Seol-Hwi didn’t let his guard down.

Creator Jang Dal.

Although he is the administrator of the Heavenly Demon Cultivation Simulation, he has far more authority than this side.

Seeing that he closed the toolbox, it seemed he might possess much more ability than this side had thought.

Then, just before a month had passed.

The guy finally began to reveal his cards.

“Who are you?”

Goo Jong-myung, who was returning with a simple meal, spotted an old man at the village entrance and asked.

“Ugh…”

The person with his head hung low was dressed like a complete beggar.

His way of speaking, as well as his disheveled appearance, was the same.

“Why are you there? Speak.”

As Goo Jong-myung repeated himself, the man lifted his head.

“Gasp!”

Goo Jong-myung stepped back, eyes wide with surprise.

Astonishingly, the beggar before him looked very much like himself.

“Goo Jong-myung, a master of the present realm. But it’s strange… I am Goo Jong-myung too?”

At that moment, the man’s previously slurred speech became clear.

And as he straightened his bent body, they had the same physique.

Even their voices were identical.

“How can this be…”

“Why, is it strange? Does it even matter?”

The beggar slyly pulled something out from behind.

Soon, a sharp dagger was revealed.

“If I kill you anyway…”

Simultaneously, the beggar’s eyes changed as he uttered another word.

“I will become the real one.”

He lunged forward like a bolt of lightning.