CHAPTER 71: CHAPTER NO.71 JOB CHANGE QUEST (END)

In a way, I was oh-so-glad to see them as my opponents.

If the monsters coming out from the Gates happened to be as strong as Paimon, then I wouldn’t even be able to last a couple of seconds.

I chose to hide behind a pillar for some time.

’For the time being, I should observe what’s happening here first.’

However...

[The mage has used ’Skill: Eyes of Detection’.]

The crisp ’Tti-ring’ of the warning beep resounded in my head. My head snapped in the direction of the beep.

’What was that?’

I spotted a mage that had just emerged from the Gate, chanting a spell. That’s also when I discovered an ’eye’ like symbol floating above the head of the mage.

The moment that eye flashed...!

In that moment, my position was compromised.

’F*ck!’

From the get-go, my calculation proved to be way off the mark.

Snap!

Snap!

The knights that stood around like telephone poles snapped their heads all at once towards my direction. It was a scene straight out of a horror movie.

And soon enough, the silver waves pounced on me.

My eyes opened wider, and I gritted my teeth.

BOOM!!

My punch blew away the head of the incoming knight.

That guy died where it stood.

[You defeated the knight.]

Crazed lights shone in my eyes.

’Conqueror’s Will!’

Booom!

A heavy pulse of black-red energy burst out from my core, distorting the air like rippling glass. The knights froze mid-charge, their armour trembling, swords rattling violently in their grips as the weight of my will slammed into them like an invisible tidal wave.

The dungeon itself groaned—dust and fractured stone raining from the ceiling.

Those who were weaker—mostly the hollow-eyed mages and standard foot soldiers—collapsed. Their bodies crumbled into ash under the pressure, armour turning brittle and flaking away like old paint.

[Conqueror’s Will: Minor Intimidation → Overwhelming Effect triggered.]

[Weaker entities rendered inert.]

I exhaled sharply, steam escaping my lips. The dark aura receded like a tide pulling back from the shore, leaving behind silence broken only by the crackling of broken armour and the faint echo of metal rolling across the marble floor.

’Tch... it still eats through stamina fast when fully unleashed.’

Intending to use this precious time to the best of my abilities as the monsters were noticeably weakened, I began wailing on them with everything I had.

Boom!

Crack!

Kaboom!

Slam!

With a terrifying momentum, I proceeded to utterly dismantle the knights.

Boom! Slam! Crack!!

Too bad, the speed of my defeating knights was far inferior to the rate of the replacement knights popping out from the Gates.

Rumble—!!

Even in the midst of the maddened battle, I sneaked a glance at the timer.

[00:03:19]

It’d only been three minutes and 19 seconds.

If that were converted into points, how much would I get?

Wouldn’t it be fine for me to leave this place now?

However, I didn’t have any leeway to dwell on that matter.

Even while I was thinking to myself, knights were continuously pouring out from the Gates like unstoppable waves.

I managed to destroy countless Knights, yet I simply couldn’t deal with so many of them.

"U-uwaaaahh-?!"

In the end, I was buried in the sea of knights.

My HP was in a freefall now, and eventually, it hit rock bottom.

[HP: 1009/2560]

’The time is....?’

[00:05:08]

Five minutes and eight seconds.

I had endured enough, hadn’t I?

’...Let’s get out of here.’

Now completely entrapped among the knights, I flailed about helplessly in this silver prison and dug through his back pocket.

However...

Drop!

The Immediate Return Stone slipped out of my grasp and fell to the floor.

And the roundish stone hit the sole of one of the knights and rolled away far from me.

"NOOO!!"

I hurriedly reached out towards the stone, but the knights blocked me.

Soon, knights piled up on top of me, too.

It became almost impossible to breathe in an instant.

My consciousness began to blur.

Pow, pow!!

I continuously got struck by the knights while trapped below them, and as my mind began to grow dimmer, I thought I heard a snarky cackle coming from somewhere.

— You have brought this upon yourself, remember that.

’....’

— Why did you risk it all when there was a safe path for you to follow? Isn’t it already a huge break for a cripple prince to stay home and be pretty?

’...’

— Well, in the end, this was as far as you could go.

’...Shut up.’

— Remember, you killed yourself today.

"Shut the hell up!!"

Kwaboom!!

The knights surrounding and pressing down on me were suddenly all blown away.

Even though I somehow managed to crawl out from death, my eyes were burning with life. As a matter of fact, my eyes were burning with a stubborn will and sheer malice.

’I won’t let it end like this!!’

I earned this opportunity after going through so much. So, how could I let it end like this? Never.

So, how could I simply watch and do nothing, when a ladder that could take me to the very top was put in front of my eyes?

What a rubbish notion that was.

’....I remember now.’

That voice ringing around my head just now.

That voice belonged to those b*stards. Satans.

The voice that always yapped on and on from behind my back.

’Fine, laugh all you want.

’I’ll struggle on until the bitter end.

’It’s fine if my HP drops to ten, no, 1. I’ll struggle and struggle on like crazy, right until the end. I’ll fight until I won’t be able to move anymore.’

"Uwaaahh!!!"

I threw my body forward.

Crack!

I thrust forward another punch.

A knight’s breastplate caved in, and the monster flew away. Other knights collided with it, and they all fell on their butts.

But then, more knights rushed in again.

My movements became a step more violent in response.

Crack! Boom!! Slam!!

Without an exception, knights colliding with my body parts, be that my fist, elbow, knee, or feet, were all destroyed like a bunch of paper dolls.

[Tiredness has exceeded 70 points.]

[Your movement is being restricted.]

Just as the warning message said, my movements became duller. However, the malice and anger in my eyes didn’t weaken in the slightest.

One by one, the knights I couldn’t defeat in one hit slammed into me. I resorted to hitting them three, four times and made sure to destroy them.

[.....8, 7, 6, 5.]

In the meantime, a strange countdown was silently ticking down. I was too focused on the battle, so I failed to notice it before the timer had reached a single digit.

’What’s this? Is the quest coming to an end?’

A small ray of hope blossomed in my head for a brief moment, but it turned out to be nothing but a useless dream.

[00:06:27]

The quest timer was still ticking up as it was supposed to. No, something separate from this timer was counting down one second at a time.

[4, 3, 2.]

’Is it to show me the time of my death?’

’Fine.’

I glared fiercely.

’I’ll gladly use up every moment, right down to the final second!’

Slam!! Crack!!

Two more knights were destroyed in the meantime.

Unlike my unyielding stubbornness, though, my entire body was now riddled with all sorts of wounds. It is progressively much harder to lift my arms.

My weakened fist wasn’t enough to stop the knights’ tackles and charges anymore.

From the front, one; from the back, another one.

Slam!!

I was sandwiched powerfully by the two knights slamming into me from the front and back, and I spat out a pained groan.

"Keok!"

Other knights pounced on me as if they didn’t want to miss this chance.

In the blink of an eye, I was buried under the masses of knights and couldn’t even lift a finger.

Rumble-!

Even during that, more knights continued to pile on top of me. The silver waves had transformed into a silver mountain, instead.

My breathing became incredibly harsh.

"Pant, pant....!!"

At this rate, I’d be asphyxiated to death first.

My hand somehow broke out from the gaps of the knights and helplessly pointed towards the sky.

[HP: 93/2560]

I was in a truly desperate situation. Even then, I did not give up, though.

’No, not yet. I can still go on....’

Just as I managed to clench the hand pointing at the sky, the mysterious countdown ticking down finally announced its conclusion.

[.....1, 0.]

[00:00:00]

The world stopped.

Or rather, everything except me did.

The knights froze mid-motion—blades half-swung, armour mid-rattle. Dust particles hung motionless in the air like frozen raindrops. The muffled roar of countless metal bodies pressing down on me evaporated into dead silence.

Then, the colour bled out of the world.

The marble floor lost its sheen. The silver of the knights dulled to grey. Even the flames burning on the broken braziers turned monochrome.

And in that stillness—

Tti-ring!

[Special Condition Achieved.]

[You have endured beyond your limit.]

[Hidden Requirement Fulfilled.]

[Activating — "Lucifer Fragment Resonance."]

My pupils shrank.

"Lucifer Fragment... what the hell—"

Then the pain hit.

A shattering, soul-splitting agony exploded from within my chest, not physical—but spiritual. My consciousness blurred, my body convulsed violently as if something buried deep inside me had been torn open.

And then—it screamed.

An ancient, distorted voice that wasn’t mine echoed through the void-stilled air.

— Who dares awaken the unrefined spark of the Morningstar?

The entire dungeon shuddered as black-red light erupted from beneath me, spreading out like veins across the stone. The frozen knights disintegrated instantly, their forms turning into shreds of light that were sucked into the vortex below.

[Warning: Unknown Resonance Detected.]

[Source—Lucifer System: Fragment Reaction Unstable.]

[Attempting to Stabilise... Failed.]

[Initiating Synchronisation Protocol.]

My back arched. A crimson sigil—the same one I’d seen faintly flicker on my palm before—burned onto my chest, searing through armour and skin. My veins glowed gold and black alternately as something deep and overwhelming clawed its way out.

"GAAAHHHHHH!!"

My scream tore through the silence.

The air around me fractured like glass.

When I fell back to one knee, gasping, the entire space had transformed. The dungeon’s ceiling had peeled away, revealing an endless crimson void where stars bled light instead of shining.

And before me, something descended—no, manifested.

A figure half-shaped, like a statue of shadow and flame, taller than any demon I’d ever seen. Six black wings unfurled behind its silhouette—each feather shedding faint motes of light that burned away before touching the ground.

Its presence alone made my knees tremble.

Even the air bowed to it.

The System’s interface flickered erratically, letters glitching and reforming.

[Lucifer System Core: Fragment α-01 Detected.]

[Connecting Host Soul... Success.]

[Designation: "Dominic Nocturne von Morningstar."]

[Status: Incomplete Host — Soul Origin Divergent.]

[Result: Synchronisation Rate — 37%]

The shadow’s voice rolled through the realm, layered and thunderous.

— Unworthy... yet defiant. You dare grasp for the throne before earning your crown?

My breath hitched. "You—are you...?"

— A remnant of what you will become. A shard of the one who once defied both Heaven and Hell.

The shadow raised its arm. Light gathered at its fingertips like molten gold, condensing into a spear of divine energy.

— Prove yourself, trespasser of fate.

[Final Trial Initiated.]

[Quest Objective: Endure or Overcome the Fragment.]

Tti-ring!

[Timer Reset: 00:00:01]

"...You’ve got to be kidding me."

My body still screamed in pain, but my instincts roared louder. This wasn’t just a battle anymore. This was the system testing my right to exist inside Dominic’s body.

It was judging the soul of a transmigrant.

I tightened my fist. Even without Muramasa, I could still feel the pulse of my will through my knuckles. That familiar vibration—the raw dominance of Conqueror’s Will—throbbed under my skin like liquid fire.

I stood up.

The Fragment moved instantly. The spear of light cut through space itself, faster than sight. I twisted, barely evading the shockwave shattering the ground where I stood.

[HP: 93 → 41]

"Still alive..." I hissed. "Good enough."

The next swing came—a backhand that felt like a meteor. I raised both arms in defence. The impact sent me flying across the fractured plane, bones screaming, but I didn’t let go of consciousness.

"Come on then!" I shouted, defiant. "Show me what the real Morningstar was made of!"

The Fragment didn’t speak. It only advanced, every step like thunder, every gaze like the weight of divine judgment.

But I didn’t retreat.

My heartbeat synced with the rising hum of the Lucifer Sigil on my chest. My blood felt electric. Something inside me began to burn brighter than fear—an instinct, an echo from the stolen soul I carried.

[Skill Activation: Sovereign Haki — Conqueror’s Will.]

[Skill Activation: Sovereign Haki — Armament Core.]

Black-red energy condensed over my fists, denser than before. The air warped around my hands, gravity bending slightly as power surged outward.

When I moved, it wasn’t human anymore.

BAM!

Our fists collided. A sonic boom exploded outward, erasing the remaining fragments of the dungeon.

The shockwave threw us both apart—but only for a heartbeat.

He was faster. Stronger. Unquestionably divine — but that didn’t mean unbeatable.

But he was predictable.

My body screamed, but my mind—my human mind—analysed the rhythm. Every motion, every swing followed a divine pattern, perfect and repetitive.

I grinned, blood dripping down my chin.

"That’s your weakness, isn’t it? You’re too perfect."

I dashed in low, sliding under the next spear strike, twisting my body just enough to drive a counterpunch into its side. My fist shattered against its rib-like armour, but the Fragment staggered back slightly.

A faint shockwave of black light pulsed from the impact.

[Lucifer Fragment: Integrity -3%]

"...It worked?"

It looked down, and for the first time, it laughed.

— Not bad... for a counterfeit soul.

My grin widened. "Then watch closely, ’cause this fake’s about to dethrone you."

[HP: 41/2560 → 17/2560]

[Warning: Critical Condition!]

Blood poured from my nose. My vision blurred, but my will only sharpened.

The Fragment spread its six wings again, light surging. I roared back, slamming my foot down and unleashing everything I had left—my will, my hate, my ambition—into one final eruption.

BOOOOM!!

The explosion turned the world white.

[00:01:47]

When the light faded, only silence remained.

The void had vanished. The dungeon returned—ruined, cratered, silent. All the gates were gone.

And before me, only dust. No Fragment. No voice.

Just the faint, echoing chime—

Tti-ring!

[Job Change Quest: Complete.]

[Advancement Achieved.]

[Congratulations. You have been granted the Class — Demiurgic Heir]

[Unique Class Acquired.]

***

Stone me, I can take it!

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