[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 382

Na-Yeon took her hand off the trigger.

“I don’t think we need to attack them right away.”

They had intended to stay back at their base and stall for time, but once a certain amount of time passed, a penalty would be imposed—so they had no choice but to act.

That’s why the strategy was to completely crush the Harpha race’s will to fight.

To make them so afraid that they wouldn’t even think of attacking. That way, by not finishing the first round, they could stay here for an extended period.

[Zzzzt—The Harpha race is retreating! Over.]

The radio crackled—Yeo Sunwoo was reporting from the field.

He had been observing the Harpha’s movements ever since Na-Yeon began preparing to shoot, and naturally, the Harpha hadn’t noticed his presence at all.

After all, Yeo Sunwoo was an assassin who had advanced to the Ultimate Darkness.

Because of that, every move the Harpha made was being relayed through him in full detail.

“Got it! Then I’ll keep relying on you.”

[Understood.]

Yeo Sunwoo was even planning to follow them all the way back to their base camp.

That way, no matter what tricks they pulled, they could respond in advance.

“If it gets dangerous, you’re free to eliminate them at any time.”

[Don’t worry. I won’t get caught.]

Having embraced the power of ultimate darkness, he had reached a level where even the barriers activated through the Harpha’s resonance could be bypassed without effort.

“Okay. Then we’ll continue breaking through the barriers.”

[Copy that.]

The transmission ended.

So far, not a single barrier had been destroyed.

They had fired only when the Harpha stepped outside of the barriers, so the barriers themselves were still intact.

Thus, by destroying the barriers and leaving only the main camp behind, they could erase even the faintest remnants of the Harpha’s fighting spirit.

“The barrier analysis is complete.”

Damien Laud—who had dampened the mood even before the League started—was now being completely polite and respectful.

At first, he’d grumbled, thinking he’d ended up stuck riding Jeong-Hoon’s coattails. But after seeing Na-Yeon’s marksmanship, he realized he had been seriously mistaken.

Even having cleared the sixth round put her on a whole other level.

“Tsk. What a shame.”

Bong-Goo, who had been standing by nearby, clicked his tongue in regret.

If Damien had kept acting cocky without knowing his place, they could have properly beaten him down after Round 1 as a form of education. But now that he’d “reformed” like this, they couldn’t even use that excuse.

Tap.

Yeo Min-Ji gently placed a hand on Bong-Goo’s shoulder and shook her head.

She was telling him there was nothing to gain from provoking anyone right now.

At this point, neutralizing the barriers and cornering the Harpha were the highest priorities.

‘I wonder if they’re doing okay.’

From Udarc Village, through the Forest of Demons.

He headed for an abandoned mine located a bit beyond the woods.

To be honest, the place resembled the human world so much that calling it the “Divine Realm” felt like a stretch.

Well, honestly, the Divine Realm isn't all that dazzling.

Tenebris guided them deeper into the abandoned mine, as if it were a familiar place.

Although it had been deserted for a while, there was no visible damage, so the environment wasn't much different from how it had been before he had sealed it. Unlike the Forest of Demons, this made it easier to locate the Divine Stones.

[You have obtained 0.01% of Divine Energy.]

[You have obtained 0.02% of Divine Energy.]

…….

As expected, the amount gathered was small, but with this Divine Stone, the total reached 50.01%.

And that wasn’t all.

[You have reached 50% of Divine Energy. You may now undertake the ‘Demigod (1)’ quest.]

Once it surpassed 50%, a new message appeared.

“Demigod?”

Jeong-hoon tilted his head in confusion.

He had once progressed through an ‘Ultimate Power’ quest after gathering the Ultimate Energy.

That had been a system-generated event, intentionally designed to trigger. So he hadn’t expected anything similar to appear during the process of collecting Divine Energy.

And yet, here was a quest.

Hmm? What’s this? Demigod?

Even Tenebris seemed unaware of it.

“Was this something Logos created?”

No, that’s not possible. You’ve already reached the realm of a Demigod.

“Then what is this quest?”

It must have occurred autonomously.

“Is that even possible?”

I don’t know.

“…Let’s skip it for now.”

He didn’t have the time to take on the quest at the moment.

Although he seemed to be holding out well in Round 1, named individuals were watching, and there would eventually be a limit.

That meant he had to secure as many Divine Stones as possible within the available time.

But… what do we do now? Looks like this place has already been picked clean.

The issue was that nearly all the Divine Stones Tenebris had once owned were now gone.

The two stones he had hidden—not in this mine but in the sanctuary of Fern Village, which was three times the size of Udark Village—were missing.

Someone had already taken them.

“That’s disappointing.”

He had high hopes when Tenebris mentioned hiding two of them.

Who the hell is itttttt?! How dare they take my Divine Stones!

“This probably isn’t the only place that’s been looted.”

Don’t jinx it! The more that’s been taken, the less energy you can gather, you know?

Just as he said, no Divine Stones were found in any of the places they visited afterward.

“…What would someone want with all the Divine Stones, anyway?”

Isn’t it obvious? They probably intend to erase me completely.

“Erase you?”

Yeah. You know why I was merely sealed and not destroyed, right?

Back then, even among the named entities, Tenebris had been on another level.

He was also a being with the power of creation—so instead of destroying him, they had only managed to strip him of his power and seal him.

“What does that have to do with the Divine Stone?”

It’s about gathering energy into one place. They’re trying to erase me completely using that power.

“…Wait a second. Then, if we head to where the energy is being concentrated, wouldn’t it be possible to absorb a large amount of divine energy too?”

At Jeong-hoon’s words, Tenebris’s eyes filled with dismay.

Would that be okay? Absorbing that much energy all at once is a huge gamble.

“Is there any other way to quickly charge your energy to 100%?”

There isn’t.

“Then isn’t it worth giving it a try?”

Even if he searched for the hidden Divine Stone, the probability of gathering 100% divine energy was zero.

In that case, wouldn't it be better to bet on the option that had at least some chance?

Then what are you planning to do?

“First, I’ll finish Round 1, then strike when the Named think they’ve taken me down.”

…I don’t know anymore. You’re going to ask Psyche for the location?

“No. I’m moving on my own.”

You’re not going to ask?

“There isn’t enough trust between us for that. After all, she was part of the group that helped seal you.”

You’re right.

“So list out the most likely spots.”

Me?

“Yeah. You.”

* * *

At that moment.

Logos couldn’t hide his confusion.

“This is strange. Why aren’t they trying to end it?”

Round 1 had been a complete victory for the humans.

Harpha’s barrier had been utterly destroyed, and their forces, having lost the will to fight, were now hiding in their base.

So if the humans attacked their base and finished them off, Round 1 would be over.

But the humans weren’t even attempting an assault—they were simply lingering around the area and wasting time.

“Could there be another reason?”

Ulion muttered suspiciously.

“They’re probably conserving their strength.”

Psyche tried to dispel his suspicion.

“I disagree. It looks to me like the humans are plotting something.”

But her attempt to clear the doubt failed due to the sudden interruption by Harmagedon.

“They’re plotting something?”

Beelzebub, who had been idly watching from the side, reacted.

“You said that so-called master of theirs hasn’t participated yet, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Then what do you think that guy is doing right now?”

“Don’t tell me…”

“He may already have entered the Divine Realm.”

“But if that’s the case, why haven’t there been any signs?”

Even as they watched the Survival League, they were also keeping a close eye on the Divine Realm.

Even so, there wasn’t the slightest sign that a human had crossed into the Divine Realm.

“You never know. That guy was good at concealing his presence.”

“No matter how skilled he is, deceiving us in the Divine Realm is impossible.”

Psyche immediately countered.

“Hm? Psyche, your reaction is a bit odd, isn’t it?”

Harmagedon grinned slyly as he looked at Psyche.

Despite his chilling gaze, Psyche didn’t flinch as she replied:

“Hm? Are you trying to say I’m wrong?”

“Why not? I’m suspecting you right now.”

“Then go ahead.”

Psyche smiled faintly.

At her smile, the grin on Harmagedon’s face faded into a cold glare.

“You’re not helping the human, are you?”

At that, everyone’s attention turned to Psyche.

“What if I am?”

“Then you’ll have to be eliminated as well.”

“Oh? Do you think that’s even possible?”

Silence fell across the hall.

For a brief moment, a tense standoff played out between Psyche and Harmagedon. Then, Harmagedon shrugged.

“I was joking. Aren’t you being a bit too sensitive?”

As if in response to his surrender, Psyche snapped her fingers.

In that instant, a chill swept through the hall.

“Actually, I should be the one asking you—you're not plotting anything suspicious behind our backs, are you?”

“Hm? Me?”

“I peered into fate, and you seemed the most suspicious.”

“Heh, how amusing. Then by all means, try and find out.”

Harmagedon spread his arms wide.

“You sure about that?”

At that moment, a force converged and began to weigh down heavily on Harmagedon.

Simultaneously, it began extracting his memories.

It must have been excruciating, yet Harmagedon didn’t so much as flinch as he stared at Psyche.

“Well? Did anything come up?”

“…What a letdown.”

After confirming his memories, she clicked her tongue and snapped her fingers again.

Instantly, the force pressing down on Harmagedon vanished completely.

“They’re pushing in now.”

Just as Logos had said, the humans who had been stalling began to move.

What followed was a relentless surge.

The humans swiftly slaughtered the Harpha race and concluded Round 1 in an instant.

“Well then, I guess I’ll get going.”

Confirming that the first round had ended, Harmagedon rose from his seat.

“Where are you going?”

Logos glanced at him suspiciously.

“Hmm, I still think a human has entered the Divine Realm. So I’m going to poke around and stir things up a bit.”

“Then I’m coming too.”

Ulion, who had been silently listening to the conversation between Psyche and Harmageddon, also stood up.

If there was even the slightest possibility, there was no reason not to act.

* * *

‘Two named ones have started moving.’

A message came in from Psyche.

At that, Jeong-hoon, who had been heading toward one of the candidate sites, came to a halt.

“They’ve started moving.”

Heh, who?

“Ulion and Harmageddon.”

...Harmageddon? Of all people, that bastard had to be the one to move.

Harmageddon.

He was a god who was incredibly difficult to describe.

Because he almost never made a move.

In any case, if both Harmageddon and Ulion were on the move, then it was best to fall back for now.

Running into them for no good reason would only make things messier.

‘Good thing I got some results, at least.’

He had already checked out two of the candidate sites recommended by Tenebris.

The result: nothing.

The only silver lining was the information he gathered from the demons there—that the underground of the Divine Realm’s central area was teeming with energy.

The problem was, if he headed for that core area, his presence would almost certainly be exposed.

And if Harmageddon and Ulion were already moving, then the chance of staying hidden was close to zero.

Isn’t this way too reckless?

“Yeah. That’s why I’m planning to use Psyche.”

Changed your mind?

“Looks like I have to use her if I want even a slight chance at success.”

Originally, he had planned to act independently without telling her, due to a lack of trust.

But that was just too reckless now.

At this point, her help was absolutely necessary.

For now, he would return to Seoul.

[Returning to designated location.]

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]