Chapter 180.  From The Other's Perspective

It was a brief dizziness.

And the pervasive darkness that encroached the surrounding area.

After that has dissipated, Vulcan slowly opened his eyes as he felt his feet touch the ground.

The room felt generally bright.

The walls of the cave was as smooth as it could only have been manmade, and like it was an overkill, every inch of the walls were pasted with flames and lightning patterns.

And the fire chunks that freely floated around the s.p.a.ce, and repeatedly flickering sparks that made 'pazzz' sounds.

Seeing them, Vulcan clearly understood what the concept of the room was.

'It has created a s.p.a.ce that goes well with my characteristics.  Not bad.'

He wasn't sure what he would have done should the s.p.a.ce panned out to be like the gloomy demon lava demon cave in Act 2, but he liked it much better than that.

Vulcan scratched the side of his head when he read the system message that has popped up during the time he was curiously surveying the area.

[You have chosen the G.o.d mode.]

[Quest created!]

[Ordinary quest – Survive for one year as the boss monster of the fire and lightning temple, the hidden quest location.]

[Difficulty – A level [Demon world standard]]

[Compensation – Ultra amount of experience, expansion of activity area]

*You have become the boss monster of the fire and lightning temple which is one of the hidden quest locations.  Survive for one year, suppressing the encroaching true demons, by fully demonstrating your and the temple monsters' influences.

'A level….. Didn't think it would be easy, but it certainly is intense.'

Vulcan has completed two A level quests just before coming here, but that was made possible because the situations and fortunes had all appropriately lined up.

In ordinary situations, it was true that with Vulcan's capabilities, he could not have completed the A level quests.

However, Vulcan did not think of planning to end the 'G.o.d mode', and newly reenter the Naraka in 'demon mode.'

'The fact that reentrance was impossible for 1 year after exiting Naraka made him to hesitate… And it was also funny to think that demon mode would be easier than G.o.d mode, also.  It was because he didn't know what the monsters' levels were in here.'

On top of that, there were many other things that lured Vulcan.

More specifically, the compensation.

He was pulled in by the 'ultra amount of experience' that was promised by the system message, not just a great amount.

How stunned was he when he had received the compensatory experience when he had completed the demon world's ordinary quest, for the first time, by conquering the demon world.

'By the mere application of the descriptive words of 'great amount', the experience amount which he had been compensated with was much greater than even after capturing the monsters in Act 2, so thinking about the to be given 'ultra amount' of experience….

'Definitely a go, no matter what.  Just make an attempt at it, at any rate!'

Also, the fact that the activity area would be expanded made it more enticing.

In fact, Vulcan was greatly enjoying the fact that he was active and working as a monster after having infiltrated Naraka.

Perhaps, he might have felt like as if he was on a secret, and was clandestinely infiltrating the heart of the enemy's territory.

In such a situation, he believed that there was unlimited potential for interesting and exhilarating events to take place in the future, once the activity area was widened and go beyond the suffocating walls of the temple.

'On top of that, I can't die when I'm in G.o.d mode….. It would be like playing a game.  Nothing to be accountable for, but only be filled with interesting and action packed……'

Of course, such environment with the perfect safety measures could bring about complicity.

It could be an obstructing factor that could prevent him from facing and overcoming the fears and limitations that were deep in his mind.

'Well…. If I can build strong enough power to face Rock Seager by myself, I could overcome it naturally.  Good.  After quickly strengthening here, I will return to Rock Seager and end the ill-fated relations.h.i.+p!'

The pertinacious ill-fated relations.h.i.+p that has continued since partic.i.p.ating in Act 2.

In order to break off that dogged relations.h.i.+p, Vulcan has focused all he could to get used to Naraka.

Six months has pa.s.sed since Vulcan has entered Naraka.

As if the A level difficulty quest based on the demon world was nothing, Vulcan was spending the time without much difficulties or challenges.

He felt into a thought by thinking about the battle, one that has never before happened in the past, or would never even happen in the future, which had been demonstrated by King Athildhu and La.s.sium's six demons before entering Naraka.

Although they were of different beings by births as the demons, it didn't mean that he could not learn things from them.

In fact, Vulcan was inspired quite a bit by seeing the half demon kings' ability to handle fire as if it was their own body.

'The h.e.l.l fire displayed by the three dukes appeared to be like the initial h.e.l.l fire…. Only that it specifically felt more on the aggressive side than the flame buff.  There was also a sense of brutality which was beyond the violence that Powell often talked about…..'

Vulcan put on a rigid expression when he thought about the flames of ultra high temperature, the many countless skull headed b.a.s.t.a.r.ds, and the ghostly wailings that came out of their mouths.

They weren't everything.

It was also the two demons that fought against the outrageous golems summoned by King Athildhu, and La.s.sium who sought openings, and recklessly rushed towards King Athildhu.

They had demonstrated incredible hostility and murderous intentions that made him numb, and they stormed each other with series of skills, involving fighting spirits.

'And…..King Athildhu.'

The demon king Athildhu.

His demon energy had spewed out horrifying evil that could sufficiently overwhelm the fighting spirits of the demons on the Duke's side.

The incredible evil that staked his hand in to the opponent's body, spat on the palpitating heart after cracking open the ribs, and promising to push the opponent down the infernal Hades.

Whenever he thought about them, he would still have dry sweat roll down his forehead even after all this time.

Their horrifying energies that would give him pain just from thinking about them.

However, it wasn't Vulcan's desire to turn his head from them and run away.

Instead, he wanted to refer to them, learn from them, and use them to crush open the walls and blockages that kept him confined.

That was what Vulcan truly wanted to do.

'It was a somewhat different feeling than the pure violence that Powell had talked about…. Yet, it would still be a very good experience for me.  I will take caution to not take it as it is in its original form, but interpret it in my own way, so that I can cultivate the right path for me.'

After he opened his eyes and breathed for a while, Vulcan once again fell into his deep internal world, and continued spent his time by conducting image training in his head.

He has already stopped thinking about the low world that he was in charge of, long time ago.

In fact, doing that was better

After the hero Hamilton had acted in the place of Vulcan, the world was already becoming more stable even when compared to the time that Vulcan was directly engaged in the worldly matters…..

Vulcan originally thought of it as meaningless, and the people in the low world were disgraceful, but now he was feeling free from all of it and thought it to be more comforting.

'Trouble makers…. Of course, I am most likely the biggest trouble maker of all the old timer G.o.ds…..'

How would one know.

Having thrown away all his thoughts about Asgard and the low world like that, he was only focused on using his time on self training.

As he has been purely focused on building experience and leveling up for a long time, being able to train in a calm static environment, such as this, was the first in a long while.

Perhaps, it was because he has escaped from the repet.i.tious and familiar patterns.

Vulcan was able to reach accomplishments, little by little, by continually reenacting the great battle in the Nurhark dimension, and was able to prepare a platform to launch to the next level.

Although he was not able to completely destroy or push away the wall, by directly touching and knocking on the wall that stood before him, he was able to at least understand its makeup.

Surviving for one full year in Naraka was no longer an issue.

By letting go of the time, the situation that he was in, and the environment that surrounded him, Vulcan was eventually attempting to enter the deep place of understanding.

But the luck was not with him.

At that very important moment, where no one came to visit the hidden quest location, an infiltrator has encroached.

Ring.

[An infiltrator has appeared at the hidden quest location, the flame and lightning temple.]

[Utilize the temple monsters and your influences to stop the temple from getting cleared.]

[When you successfully suppress the infiltrator, additional experience can be rewarded.]

“Hm, there is still a b.a.s.t.a.r.d who encroaches.”

It was the moment that he could have gone up a level.

However, not able to see that, Vulcan came out of the lotus position, and calmly rose up from the spot.

And he checked the time via the system.

363 Days.

He felt very unhappy to see an intruder with just only 2 days to go to completing the quest.

'Why not a bit later.  Then after the quest, we could face each other.'

Vulcan thought of the time when he went around looking for the hidden quest locations in Act 1, 2.

At that time, he was only able to approach and enter the hidden quest locations, by multiple layers of coincidences, or other information that he had ascertained.

As a result, Vulcan briefly thought that no demons would come for one whole year, but that didn't happen.

However, he could not continue to look back on it as things have turned already.

Vulcan thoroughly studied the intruder by using the system, so that he could stop whoever was the intruder with all his might.

Like a true demon, and having a true demon ancestry, the b.a.s.t.a.r.d was wearing a crown with a big gemstone on it.

As his height with the one exception of having a slightly red color appeared to be similar to a normal human being, one could easily mistake him for not being a demon in a single glance.

But Vulcan couldn't let his guard down because the reddish black demon energy that permeated thickly around him was the proof for as to how powerful a demon he was.

'….His level must only be verifiable after confronting him.'

Well, even without directly confronting him, Vulcan could roughly guess it.

Since King Athildhu who was able to come and go at his will was level 1,407, the current infiltrator, too, should be at a level between high 1,300 and low 1,400.

Vulcan felt a slight draining of energy when he thought that, but after calming himself down, he did his best to control the monsters.

Fighting one on one would give him a disadvantage, and he could lose.

However, if he could buy two days worth of time by controlling the monsters well enough, he could complete the quest even if he was to get killed by that b.a.s.t.a.r.d.

'Perhaps, the activity area would open up and there will be a way to escape.  Or King Athildhu was unusually strong, and that that b.a.s.t.a.r.d's skill may be somewhat lower…. Alright.  Let me send one monster to find out his skill level.'

By using the system, Vulcan projected a huge screen in the air.

It was as if he was filming the temple from the air.

With the presence of a small mini map at the bottom right, it appeared exactly the same as the strategy simulation game.

Having rather new sentiments, Vulcan yelled in exhilaration and using hand motions, he controlled the monster and moved him forward to right in front of the true demon.

The level of the red and yellow spiritual G.o.ds that wondered around the flame and lightning temple was about 1,200.

They were the beings with strong enough powers that even the demon king level demons would not be able to take them lightly.

'Of course, the pattern is quite simple…. But if I can control it right…..!'

Kwwaang!

Pazzzzz!

Only a single strike.

At the fast single intruder's punch which Vulcan couldn't even see how it was executed, Vulcan was lost for words to say as the spiritual G.o.d has exploded with unpleasant sparkling sounds.

'Looks stronger…. Than King Athildhu!'

Also, seeing the b.a.s.t.a.r.d charging in to the temple at an incredible speed with confident expression, Vulcan saw him as a temerarious one at that.

It seemed as if Vulcan was faced with the worst opponent with only two days to go.

Vulcan pulled on his hair.

'Darn!  Where did such a b.a.s.t.a.r.d come from suddenly….. Five monsters are to charge at once for now!'

As if he was playing defense, Vulcan was attacking the intruder with the 5 spiritual G.o.ds which he could maximally control at once.

However, despite the collective efforts of 5 awesome 1,200 level monsters, the b.a.s.t.a.r.d let out high spirited verbal expressions as he easily took care of the situation without taking much damage.

Gulp.  Gulp.

On top of that, he showed instantaneous recovery ability of healing whatever the small damage he took by drinking some liquid which appeared to be a potion.

And then when he saw the intruder das.h.i.+ng directly toward where he was, Vulcan couldn't help, but feel despaired.

's.h.i.+t….. This is exactly the same c.r.a.p that I used to do…..'

He swore all the swearing words in his head as he did all he could to control the monsters, but as the difference in power was too vast to begin with, Vulcan could not achieve any noticeable results.

He penetrated the 1/3 point, and 2/3 point.

The intruder has finally reached the door step of the boss' room.

Consoling himself as his inside was boiling with anger, Vulcan stared at the screen.

'At last…. It came to this in half a day…..'

A half of a day.

In some sense, it could be seen as a short time, but to Vulcan, it seemed like an eternity.

He was unable to escape and was trapped in the tiny, tiny boss's room, and was simply looking at the screen with a despaired expression.

'Ha…..Is this how Belgeram felt.'

The one formerly demon, but now a new G.o.d Balok came to his mind suddenly.

Vulcan turned his attention to the door with an absent-minded expression, and immediately after that, that grand gate exploded as if it was. .h.i.t with cannon.

Kwakwakwakwaaaang!

The thick dust filled the boss' room.

Having cleared it with a single motion of his hand, the intruder spoke in a happy tone.

“Alright, compensation for clearing it for the first.”