Chapter 138  

The extreme difficulty level promotion exam had the following: the red hell of molten lava, the black hell of venom, the blue hell of ice, the white hell of hallucinations, and finally, the yellow hell of gravity. For Yu-Seong, the only difficult place among these hells was the yellow hell of gravity.

‘To be honest, the sudden appearance of hallucinations in the white hell was also a bit disconcerting.’

In general, any form of attack would be threatening. However, the most dangerous of all would be a mental-type attack.

‘After all, if my mental state collapses, then my physical body would also become vulnerable.’

That was why, when he had first drawn the map of growth, Yu-Seong thought that he should first acquire the ability of a mental-type defense. Coincidentally, the white hell was exactly focused on mental-type attacks, so it was inevitable for Yu-Seong to feel flustered upon entering.

Nevertheless, Yu-Seong was able to pass through the white hell more easily than he had thought due to two reasons.

The new item, Insignia of Protection, that he had recently obtained was the first reason. This amazing item even increased resistance against mental-type attacks. However, since his mental state was not as trained as his physical body, Yu-Seong certainly had vulnerable gaps. Thankfully, this problem was overcome by his other secret ability.

'The Third Eye.'

Although the Third Eye skill was only activated by his Chakra, it was a unique and unparalleled secret skill that could be compared to Kim Do-Jin's Insight skill.

The combination of both skills allowed Yu-Seong to immediately dispel all illusions created by the Hot Flames Board’s white hell.

At this point, Mr. Guy, who was watching from the side, sighed and lowered his head. He was close to simply giving up.

The final hell, the yellow hell of gravity that gave Yu-Seong the most difficulties, was not difficult in the usual sense.

'It took too long.'?

The yellow hell of gravity was different from the other hells, and Yu-Seong’s Insignia of Protection and the Third Eye were also ineffective here. As the name suggested, it was a land where the entire body was crushed by gravity. To pass through the yellow hell, there were only two things that were required.

‘Firstly, a strong physical ability to move in any way, even in the face of intense gravity.’

According to Mr. Guy, the gravity being applied was about 10 times more than Earth’s. Yu-Seong found it difficult to walk even an hour in the yellow hell in the very beginning. At least it was possible due to his regular training and the improvement of his physical abilities due to the Chakra breathing technique. If he was a Psychic-type player or a normal All-Rounder, it was certain that he would not have been able to pass through the yellow hell of gravity.

‘And secondly... provision of food and water to sustain me during the passage through the yellow hell.’

Fortunately, there was food in the yellow hell.

‘Just that it's all hanging on the trees.’

Yu-Seong did not know how many times he had waited while biting his lips, looking at the fruits that did not fall off the branches. Eventually, he realized that even if the gravity was 10 times more than Earth’s, the fruit hanging on the trees was not affected by it. In the end, Yu-Seong had to overcome the over-gravity and climb the trees.

It was during those moments that he could understand why the place had been referred to as hell. But being able to finally eat the fruit after all of that effort was indescribable.

‘It wasn't a joke.’

The fruit was a great source of energy as it replenished both calories and hydration. It had offered Yu-Seong much-needed strength and motivation to take another step forward. As a result, he had finally reached the end of the yellow hell of gravity with great difficulty.

‘In fact, the yellow hell itself can even be seen as a rewarding experience.’

At first, the yellow hell’s intense gravity did make walking a huge struggle for Yu-Seong. However, after a while, he could take quick strides and eventually run with relative ease. It was as if the yellow hell had become his personal training ground.

When he finally reached the empty space where Mr. Guy had been waiting, Yu-Seong was surprised by the feeling of freedom and ease in his body.

‘Even among the same D-rank, I think I have grown at least 1.5 times stronger than before the promotion…’ He had thought that he had reached the peak of growth within his D-rank, but there was actually still more growth to look forward to.

‘Yes, training never truly ends.’?

It was true that awakening as a player had allowed Yu-Seong to acquire abilities a lot more easily. However, if that was all there was to it, the world of the player would be ruled solely by rank.

‘Even someone like her, a real Irregular, wouldn't have appeared.’?

There existed a person in this world who possessed absolute strength that was unrelated to rank. At this moment, Yu-Seong clenched his fist as he thought of Kim Do-Jin’s master in the original novel.

‘I must not stop researching, developing, and training.’

Yu-Seong had understood this before, but now he felt it even more strongly, thanks to the yellow hell.

Mr. Guy, who quietly mumbled something toward the sky, was glaring at Yu-Seong as if he were in pain. Massaging his temples with his fingers, he said, "Well... Due to the complaints of the higher-ups, the settlement of rewards has been delayed. I apologize for this.”

"Don’t mention it. Now that we're done talking, can I ask a question?"

"Please do."

"Um, how long was I in the yellow hell? Time seems to have lost its meaning there."

"Oh, about six months, according to this place's flow of time."

Choi Yu-Seong widened his eyes at how much time had passed unexpectedly. He was surprised since growth was important to him, and so every day counted. He then asked, "...By Earth's standard?"

"Let me see. About two months, I believe."

"What a waste..."

Even though the promotion examination could usually last for quite some time, two months was still a lot longer than Yu-Seong had expected.

"It’s thanks to the many gods who have put in effort on the Five-Colored Hells. But anyways, the prepared reward is not too bad, so you don't have to feel too upset," said Mr. Guy.

"Of course," said Yu-Seong.

He thought that the yellow hell was already no different from a reward, but it was still a trial nonetheless. If the yellow hell itself was truly a reward, it would be hard to imagine how much praise he could say right now.

"By the way, Lok... I mean, A Joke-loving Prankster seems to have lots of complaints?" asked Yu-Seong. He quickly closed his mouth before unintentionally mentioning the name of Loki. For some reason, gods didn't seem to like it when their true identities were revealed.

This was completely unrelated to whether the player was aware of it or not.

"No, the god A Joke-loving Prankster only expressed regret. Complaints came from elsewhere," said Mr. Guy.

"From elsewhere?"

"It has something to do with business secrets..."

Choi Yu-Seong had thought that Loki would be the most likely one to be grumpy, so he widened his eyes in surprise.

'Then who could it be?'?

In fact, the truth was hard to find. As Yu-Seong began to handle the power of thunder, many gods related to lightning began to pay attention to him. Other gods also began to realize that he was growing explosively. If he simply thought that they were all looking at him favorably, it would be a naive assumption. After all, there were most likely gods who were just watching him without sending him any messages or support.

‘Although, there would be those who support me and yet still seek to critique me.’

For example, while Yu-Seong may not have wanted to admit it, the relationship between Choi Yu-Seong and Loki was quite deep. This was inevitable because Loki was one of the three gods who supported Yu-Seong the most firmly.

Of course, this meant that other Northern European gods, such as Odin and Thor, who did not have a good relationship with Loki, may not view Yu-Seong favorably. Even though they supported Yu-Seong and showed interest, they might actually have tried to criticize and torment him through scrutiny if it seemed that he would be of great help to Loki.

'Come to think of it, recently, Loki's message has decreased significantly.’

Also, most of the messages were strangely aggressive in content. ‘Is this guy being careful in his own way’

Yu-Seong did not say this question out loud. If it was true that Loki was purposely choosing to be harsh in order to support Yu-Seong, then there was a need for Yu-Seong himself to meet that new expectation to some extent.

"Personally, I thought the complaints would come from A Joke-loving Prankster. You know, his personality is really bad," said Yu-Seong.

“Hong hong…” Mr. Guy scratched his cheek with an awkward smile.

- A Joke-loving Prankster sends an angry look at the player Choi Yu-Seong.

- The Oldest Hunter supports the player Choi Yu-Seong.

- The Culann’s Hound nods while looking at the player Choi Yu-Seong.

- The Friend of Thunder and Hammer laughs heartily towards the player Choi Yu-Seong.

- The Father of Magical Hymns looks at the player Choi Yu-Seong with an ambiguous expression.

The reaction of the Northern European gods followed shortly after.

‘Regardless of his sincerity…’

It was clear that there weren’t any gods who thought that Loki had a good personality.

"Alright, alright, let's move past the parts that I cannot talk about. I have something to say about the reward settlement," said Mr. Guy.

"What?"

"It may not have been particularly difficult for you, Mr. Choi Yu-Seong, but the fact that the Five-Colored Hells appeared during the C-rank promotion examination is an unprecedented event. So, there are two options."

"Oh, wow...?"

"First option is a very large and good reward. The second option is several small and quite good rewards. Although it's bold of me to say whichever one would be better for you, none of them would be disappointing. I also took care of the rewards in my own way," said Mr. Guy.

From Yu-Seong’s perspective as an ordinary player, the second choice could be considered a pretty good deal. He made a decision without any hesitation. When such a fork in the road came, Yu-Seong's choice was always the same.

He knew that minor details could be overcome through the future information he had gotten through reading the original novel and through the Eye of Replication skill. However, the chance of a very large reward being a difficult-to-obtain kind of ability was high.

"I’ll go for a very large and good reward."

"Alright. Please close your eyes and count to three." Mr. Guy nodded cheerfully.

Choi Yu-Seong, with his eyes closed, began counting as instructed.

'Three, two, one...'?

As he finished counting the last number, his consciousness slowly started to fade away.

.

"I'm not sure if you trust me, Mr. Choi Yu-Seong, but I always support you. Hong hong."

As always, Mr. Guy's gentle voice followed Yu-Seong.

***

Yu-Seong regained consciousness, opening his eyes in shock upon hearing a loud roar that filled the entire house. He hadn't had the chance to read the messages congratulating him on his promotion yet.

‘What was that bomb-like noise just now?’

With wide eyes of surprise, Yu-Seong rushed toward the living room. He saw Jin Yu-Ri, who had made a weapon using her Shapeshift skill with a serious expression, and Jennie, who was guarding the path to Yu-Seong's room with a gun in her hand. The next person he saw was a white-haired woman wearing a black robe.

Yu-Seong could only make a surprised expression while looking at the woman who appeared to be in her 20s. He had never seen her in person before, but he had seen her through photos and videos several times.

‘Helen Mirren?’

She was Helen Mirren, the Miraculous Alchemist looking for the Philosopher's Stone. She was the one who Yu-Seong had also hoped to meet for Jin Do-Yoon's treatment.

Yu-Seong had been away from Earth for about two months due to his promotion examination, so it was not strange that she had already returned to Earth after wandering in dungeons. However, it was strange that Helen Mirren was already at his house and staring at Yu-Ri and Jenny. Yu-Seong couldn't understand why.

A brief moment of contemplation passed before Yu-Seong noticed that Helen Mirren was now looking right at him. With a smile, she said, "I was counting the minutes until I saw you, Choi Yu-Seong.”

At the same time, the sharp energy that filled the entire house dissipated rapidly.