Chapter 266: Faction (2)
Alex Pearson.
A man of German nationality, pointed out with absolute certainty by Kobolt Blue.
“So, this guy is coaxing followers and forming his own faction?”
Heo Tae-seok pondered how best to deal with this ungrateful little rat. He absentmindedly rubbed his temples.
“How foolish of me. I’m already thinking about punishing him when I don’t even have solid proof yet.”
Blinded by his desire to achieve results as a leader, he realized he was rushing things.
The priority was to confirm whether the information was true.
“Kobolt Blue might’ve misunderstood or misheard something.”
To confirm things properly, Heo Tae-seok began tracking Alex’s location. If he followed the man long enough, he was bound to uncover something.
With this in mind, Heo Tae-seok activated the skill Demonization, a skill he had acquired at level 60.His skin turned crimson, his body grew by 30%, and horns sprouted from his forehead. Bat-like wings emerged from his back.
Though his appearance was grotesque, the skill boosted his damage output by 20% and allowed him to turn invisible while flying.
Flap-
Soaring into the sky, Heo Tae-seok carefully tailed Alex. Following the trail eventually led him all the way to the Netherlands.
“Why is Alex here?”
The question didn’t linger long. The moment he spotted Alex, everything clicked.
“He’s meeting with Dorothy?”
Dorothy and Alex were just leaving her mansion, parting ways with cheerful expressions.
“This is highly suspicious.”
“Why is he traveling around the world meeting followers?”
The thought deepened as Alex headed to his next destination: Lagos, Nigeria.
There, he entered a residential area and met with Victor, an alchemist. The two had a lengthy conversation for over ten minutes before Alex left, smiling as always.
“No matter how you look at it, this is shady.”
Why else would Alex be traveling globally, visiting the Church followers?
“Could he really be forming his own faction?”
The rumors might not be baseless after all. The need to interrogate Alex and report to the Black Scythe grew urgent.
But Heo Tae-seok shook his head.
“No. Not yet. It’s too soon.”
He lacked sufficient evidence. Moving hastily could backfire. He resolved to gather more definitive proof before taking action.
Flap-
For now, Heo Tae-seok turned back. He made a silent vow not to share this with anyone.
“Rooting out this traitor must be my achievement alone.”
***
“Here we are.”
Ryu Min and John Delgado arrived at a familiar location—the burial ground of the archangels.
Before leaving the island, John had resurrected several first-rank combat angels using his advanced necromancy skills. Now, he skillfully recited an incantation.
“Rise.”
As the physical undead forms of Gabriel and Raphael emerged, Ryu Min wasted no time. In one clean motion, he decapitated them both.
Slash-!
[You have slain Gabriel, one of the Seven Archangels!]
[Stat Points +101,963]
[Gold +1,019,632,200]
[Archangels defeated: 23/100]
[You have slain Raphael, one of the Seven Archangels!]
[Stat Points +101,963]
[Gold +1,019,632,200]
[Archangels defeated: 24/100]
Though only half of the original rewards were granted, the stats and gold he earned were still immense.
‘That’s enough. I’ve milked this for all it’s worth. I even resurrected the first-rank combat angels and killed them before leaving the island.’
His base stats, bolstered by the Rune of Balance, were nearing 500,000. With various buffs applied, each stat might soon exceed 10 million.
“Good work, John.”
“Thank you, Master.”
“You may return now. Remember to track me from a safe distance when the 17th round begins.”
“Understood. I’ll make sure to maintain a sufficient gap.”
The final archangel might appear in the 17th round. His current orders were preparations for that possibility.
“Until then…”
As John departed, Ryu Min climbed into his Lamborghini and hit the road.
‘Time to head home. I can’t risk anything happening to my brother.’
Even archangels had begun targeting his brother. Without the Hero’s Protection Buff, it was impossible not to feel uneasy.
Vroom- Vroom-!
The growling roar of the engine accompanied Ryu Min as he arrived at Korea’s tallest structure, the Rangdae World Tower. While his damaged home was undergoing repairs, he planned to stay at the Rangdae Signiel Hotel, located on the 89th floor of the tower.
With its strict security and breathtaking views, it was the best choice available.
‘One month’s stay cost me over a billion won, but compared to my wealth, that’s a drop in the bucket.’
After parking his car, he took the elevator to the 89th floor.
Ding-
The luxury of the suite made every won spent feel worthwhile.
“You’re back?”
His younger brother greeted him with a bright smile as he enjoyed a meal prepared by the hotel’s kitchen.
“The food here is amazing, hyung. Come eat!”
“Alright. Let me shower first.”
After a quick shower, Ryu Min dried his hair in his room while opening the quest window.
└ Defeat all Seven Archangels
└ Current progress: (6/7)
└ Reward: ????
‘One more to go, and I’ll receive the reward.’
The prize remained a mystery, but he couldn’t help feeling anticipation. It wasn’t surprising, considering the difficulty of the quest, which required defeating seven archangels.
‘Well, it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be.’
Thanks to the Demonic Blessing, his growth had long exceeded his expectations. It wasn’t just extraordinary—it was astronomical, as if he had broken through the heavens and into the stars.
‘I never imagined I’d become this strong.’
Now, even facing the strongest archangels wouldn’t intimidate him like before. Ryu Min had evolved far beyond his past self.
‘Still, why didn’t that guy show up this time?’
He had been expecting the most powerful archangel to appear during the 16th round, just like in the previous timelines. But for some reason, the enemy seemed to have deferred their confrontation to the next round.
‘Come at me whenever you want. I won’t be the frozen prey I was in the 68th regression.’
While drying his hair, Ryu Min decided to review the rewards he’d obtained so far.
[Rune of Yin and Yang]
Effect: When physical and magical attacks are combined, damage is doubled.
[Rune of Chains]
Effect: Summon chains of light to use as weapons. The chains have infinite durability and can activate additional effects.
└ Restrain: Summon additional chains to completely bind the target’s limbs.
└ Sever: Heat the chains with divine power to sever the target. Note: This can also harm the user.
[Rune of Near-Death Survival]
Effect: If you suffer a fatal attack, you can reflect it once. After reflection, the ability has a 720-hour cooldown.
“Not bad at all.”
The Rune of Yin and Yang was already familiar, but the other runes were new rewards obtained from slaying archangels.
“Speaking of which, I also got that ‘Refined Aether’ item.”
Curious, Ryu Min opened the item’s information window. What he saw made his eyes widen in astonishment.
I'm currently Translating the following novels: Pick Me Up! | A Frontline Soldier Awakened as a Gamer In The War! | The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player. If you want to support me and read more chapters please subscribe to my Patreon!