Chapter 105: The Tainted Ones

Episode 105

**Whoosh!**

Another black monster vanished, consumed by flames.

Kim Jinsung pointed his palm at another one charging towards him.

“I didn’t get a chance to explain earlier, but these monsters are called ‘Minions of the Demon World’.”

Lee Jiseong, following closely behind, chattered incessantly.

“Like the ones you see now, they are usually made entirely of dark energy. However, as you saw back in the lava zone, they can also be formed from other types of mana…”

**Boom!**

“…Indeed.”

A fireball erupted from Kim Jinsung’s palm, engulfing the monster in an explosion.

Lee Jiseong continued to talk, unfazed by the spectacle. He had seen it so many times during their short time together that he had gotten used to it.

“These creatures are immune to physical attacks. That’s why I and my team, who specialize in swordsmanship, struggled against them back there….”

**Whoosh!**

“….No need to worry anymore, I see.”

He muttered, observing the spectacle unfolding before him.

A massive firestorm suddenly materialized, trapping the minions within its swirling inferno.

He didn’t think he’d have to worry about being killed by Demon World Minions anymore, as long as he stayed with Kim Jinsung, who could casually conjure such potent magic.

He stared at the firestorm, momentarily stunned, then shook his head, resuming his chatter,

“These are among the weakest monsters found in the Demon World Dungeon. Knowing the notorious Colosseum production team, I doubt they would only include minions in this labyrinth.”

He was about to say ‘you should be careful,’ but he swallowed the words. Kim Jinsung, from what he had witnessed so far, seemed far too powerful to warrant such a warning.

‘Seeing him firsthand is even more unbelievable…’

Lee Jiseong had worked in the body disposal unit in the Demon World Dungeon for over a year. He had witnessed countless powerful individuals during his time there.

But even Kim Jinsung’s current feats were enough to leave him speechless.

**Whoosh!**

The last remaining minion, consumed by fire, vanished. Kim Jinsung continued down the passage.

He thought to himself,

‘This is too easy.’

He had been on edge, expecting a significant increase in difficulty in the finals being held in the New Continent, but the labyrinth’s challenges so far had been surprisingly easy.

‘I don’t know if it’s because I’ve become stronger or if the beginner level in the Demon World Dungeon is just that easy…’

He continued walking, lost in thought.

Then,

‘……!’

He suddenly detected a tremendously powerful and alien energy signature ahead.

He activated his dark energy to its maximum potential and assumed a combat stance, instinctively sensing danger.

He saw the source of the energy.

‘…Is the air splitting apart?’

The passage ahead was literally splitting open, as if space itself was being torn.

“Oh, no!”

Lee Jiseong, witnessing the scene, screamed,

“Why a dimensional rift, here of all places…!”

‘Dimensional rift?’

Kim Jinsung, with a ‘What’s that?’ expression, turned to Lee Jiseong.

Lee Jiseong, however, was too panic-stricken to notice and continued to blurt out,

“Be careful! Tainted Ones from another dimension are going to emerge from that rift!”

“Tainted Ones?”

“They’re completely different from the minions we’ve faced! Don’t let your guard down!”

Just as he finished warning him, Kim Jinsung’s gaze snapped toward the dimensional rift, sensing something.

Lee Jiseong was right. Strange figures were pushing their way through the rift.

Kim Jinsung closely observed the forms as they fully emerged and landed on the passage floor.

‘That’s…a hyena?’

It resembled a hyena walking on two legs.

However, it was far larger, stronger, and more menacing than any hyena he knew.

“Damn it! It’s the Aard tribe…!”

He heard Lee Jiseong groan beside him.

“Those are a tricky bunch. They’re incredibly fast and attack in groups. Don’t let them surround you!”

‘They?’

Then, he saw more creatures, identical to the first one, pour out from the dimensional rift.

The number of these Aards quickly reached eight, and they began charging towards Kim Jinsung.

“……!”

His eyes widened slightly.

They were much faster than he had anticipated.

Their speed was almost on par with Shin Woong’s.

—

▶ Activated ‘Union of Body and Demon.’

—

He naturally shifted to ‘Union of Body and Demon’ state and raised his sword.

The Aards lunged at him, claws extended.

**Clang!**

His sword clashed against their claws, and he was pushed back a step.

His eyes widened in shock.

‘What power…!’

They were strong enough to push him back even in his ‘Union of Body and Demon’ state and assuming a defensive posture.

His shock was quickly replaced by calm, as he assessed the movements of the remaining Aards. Having exchanged just a single blow, he understood,

‘I’ll die if I let my guard down!’

As he reinforced his defensive stance,

“Hee hee hee hee!!”

The remaining Aards, letting out eerie, almost ghostly, cackles, all charged at him simultaneously.

* * *

– Holy cow.

– That’s what a dimensional rift looks like…?

– So those hyenas are from another dimension?

– They’re incredibly strong ㄷㄷ Even Kim Jinsung is being pushed back.

– The Demon World Dungeon is no joke….

[Kim Jinsung is in danger! The Aard tribe, those monsters, are about to engulf him!]

[They’re incredibly strong, maybe because they came from another dimension. I think Lee Jiseong called them ‘Tainted Ones’?]

[That’s right! These Tainted Ones are pushing back even Kim Jinsung, the undisputed strongest contestant of Season 12, without giving him a chance to counterattack!]

The viewers and commentators were surprised by Kim Jinsung’s unexpected struggle.

The staff in the monitor room were no different.

“Stay focused on broadcasting Kim Jinsung’s fight.”

“But aren’t they too strong? There’s a lot of them, but if Kim Jinsung is struggling this much, the other contestants won’t stand a chance…”

“Right, maybe the PD was right about everyone but Kim Jinsung being wiped out.”

“The President said he paid a lot of attention to balancing the difficulty…This seems a bit too much…”

The staff voiced their concerns as they focused on broadcasting Kim Jinsung’s fight.

But the two men who knew everything about the finals, Baek Jun and Jang Seungwook, were reacting differently.

“No…!”

“Why a dimensional rift in this dungeon…!”

They, unlike everyone else, wore expressions of shock and disbelief.

Baek Jun, the President, was especially flabbergasted.

‘Dimensional rifts shouldn’t even be possible in a low-level dungeon like this, how…?’

The dungeon on Ambages Island, currently hosting the finals, was one of the easiest Demon World Dungeons in the entire New Continent.

It was less than half as difficult as the easiest, Level 1 Demon World Dungeons on the Sselepoh mainland.

The probability of a dimensional rift occurring in such a dungeon was less than 0.001%.

Dimensional rifts were more common in higher-level dungeons.

‘The one variable that absolutely shouldn’t have happened has happened.’

Kim Jinsung, facing the Aards, had just hit the 0.001% jackpot.

Just then,

– It’s Yong Hangil.

Baek Jun’s earpiece crackled to life. He immediately activated the microphone and responded,

“Yes, Master.”

– I received a report from our men that a dimensional rift has opened inside the dungeon. Is this true?

“Yes, it is. Kim Jinsung is currently battling a group of Aards.”

– Hm…It’s fortunate that it opened near where Kim Jinsung is.

“It is.”

He agreed. Fortunately, Kim Jinsung was the one facing the Aards.

Currently, no other contestant was capable of fighting them.

– This is a serious matter. Areas where dimensional rifts have opened tend to experience more rifts…

“……!”

Jang Seungwook’s eyes widened in alarm upon hearing Yong Hangil’s words.

Things were dire if more of these Tainted Ones, who were pushing back Kim Jinsung with such ferocity, continued to appear.

Their plans for the finals could fall apart entirely.

– Can’t we halt the competition for a bit?

“That’s not possible.”

Baek Jun firmly rejected the suggestion without hesitation.

The Colosseum Survival program had always been conducted live, never interrupted in its history.

Of course, there had been unexpected situations in the past. But despite the staff, including Jang Seungwook, urging him to stop the broadcast, he had insisted on proceeding.

Unpredictable events were a part of Colosseum Survival.

This was one of his ironclad rules for running the program.

“Even if it means the death of all the contestants, including Kim Jinsung, the live broadcast will continue.”

– Hm…

“That’s what Colosseum is, Master.”

– …Alright, I’ll try to find a way to prevent further rifts.

“Thank you, Master.”

* * *

After ending the communication, Yong Hangil quietly instructed Hong Yeonseok, who was standing beside him,

“Prepare to open a second dimensional rift in the passage where Kim Jinsung will arrive.”

“Understood, Master.”

While Hong Yeonseok relayed the instructions through his earpiece, Yong Hangil turned his attention back to the live broadcast of Colosseum on his smartphone.

He watched Kim Jinsung struggling amidst the Aards and thought to himself,

‘If Shin Woong is indeed our ‘failed experiment,’ then Kim Jinsung, who absorbed his ability, must also be eliminated.’

The ‘failed experiments’ had already dealt a significant blow to the Daehan Clan.

If they had been unlucky, those incidents could have forced them to withdraw from the New Continent entirely.

He didn’t want to experience such a crisis ever again.

“We have to kill him while he’s still trapped in the labyrinth. We can’t risk him escaping after the finals…’

As he stared at Kim Jinsung on his screen, his eyes grew cold.

* * *

**Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!**

The sound of Kim Jinsung blocking the Aards’ attacks echoed through the passage. They had surrounded him, pressing their assault relentlessly, forcing him onto the defensive, his back against the wall.

However, his eyes remained calm, maintaining his cool.

‘…I think I have a grasp of their abilities now.’

He had been fighting against the relentless Aard tribe for a while now.

Forced on the defensive, he had finally analyzed their capabilities.

‘There’s no chance of winning in my current state. They’re too numerous. In that case…’

A black energy wave began to erupt from his body, quickly enveloping the surroundings.

He had activated ‘Space Dominated by Dark Energy’.

The tide of battle turned in an instant.

**Swoosh!**

With his first counterattack, he cleanly decapitated one of the Aards closest to him.

With one less attacker, he gained more breathing room, allowing him to parry the remaining Aards’ attacks with more ease.

And then, he launched another counterattack.

**Swoosh! Swoosh!**

Another Aard’s head went flying.

He slowly chipped away at their numbers, and soon, he was facing the last remaining Aard.

**Swoosh!**

The last Aard also fell, unable to withstand his attacks.

‘Good. What kind of ability do these things have?’

He looked at the notification, full of anticipation.

[The Demon God Dantalian has noticed your presence.]

[The Demon God Dantalian is becoming interested in you.]

‘…Huh?’

His eyes widened. The notification surprised him.

—