Chapter 110: A Sight Only I Can Create

Episode 110

Kim Jinsung, however, was completely unfazed by Dantalian’s surprise.

Dealing with the threat before him, the purple monsters, was much more pressing.

“First things first. To talk to you….”

He dodged another barrage of projectiles as he continued,

“Do I always need to have a clone summoned?”

[Y-you lowly, insignificant human brat! You’re flirting with death! You should be begging for your life…!]

Dantalian, sputtering in rage, shouted,

Kim Jinsung, eyes narrowed in annoyance, retorted, “Shut up, if you’re not going to answer.”

[…What? You…!]

Dantalian’s retort was cut short as Kim Jinsung dispelled the Quagmire clone.

There was no point wasting his mana if he couldn’t get the information he needed.

But he didn’t intend to cut off communication with Dantalian entirely.

Based on his reactions so far, he seemed to know how to defeat these monsters.

He had also clearly shown an interest in him, and he intended to exploit that.

‘Gotta make him a little more anxious.’

On top of that, the number of projectiles was increasing as the purple area continued to grow, overtaking his ‘Space Dominated by Dark Energy’.

He intentionally refrained from summoning more clones, focusing entirely on evading. The attack patterns weren’t complex, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to dodge as their numbers grew.

The biggest problem was his inability to defeat them.

‘Let’s hold out a bit longer.’

He began to use his ‘Shadow Concealment’ and ‘Stealth’ skills, stretching his limits without relying on his clones.

However, enduring without his clones was incredibly challenging.

‘Ugh.’

A searing pain shot through his leg as one of the projectiles struck his left shin.

The injury hampered his movements. He gritted his teeth, enduring the pain.

There was no way he could dodge those attacks anymore without his clones.

‘… I wanted to make him sweat a bit more, but I have no choice.’

He summoned another Quagmire.

Dantalian’s voice filled his mind instantly, as if he’d been waiting,

[This insignificant human dares to interrupt a Demon God’…!]

“You’re still at it? I’ll just dispel my clone and die.”

[W-wait!]

He had started to reach towards the Quagmire clone, prompting a panicked shout from Dantalian.

[Maintain a state of ‘resonance’!]

Dantalian, fearing losing his connection, blurted out a solution. Kim Jinsung’s plan had worked.

“What kind of state?”

He asked curiously, to which Dantalian responded,

[Resonance! Recall the feeling of summoning a clone, issuing it commands. That is the state of resonance.]

Hearing that, he issued a simple command to the Quagmire clone.

He focused on the feeling of moving the clone to his right.

He had never consciously thought about this before, being so used to controlling his clones.

‘…It feels like my mind is opening up, sharing senses with the Quagmire.’

Dantalian, as if on cue, chimed in,

[Yes, that is precisely resonance! Recall the sensation of connecting to your clones with dark energy! You’ll be able to continue speaking with me.]

Just as he finished speaking, the Quagmire was engulfed in a giant water droplet-like projectile launched by one of the purple monsters.

He felt his connection to the clone snap instantly and focused on maintaining that feeling, a sensation he’d usually ignore.

It wasn’t easy to concentrate on this while dodging the relentless attacks.

Then,

[Can you still hear me?]

He heard Dantalian’s voice. He nodded.

“Yes, I can.”

[Good! That’s it!]

He sounded incredibly pleased.

[If you want to speak with me, maintain this state of resonance within the dungeon! And when in resonance, just think to yourself, and we can communicate.]

‘Just by thinking?’

[Yes! Just like now.]

‘Oh…’

He felt a sense of relief. He had been uncomfortable constantly talking to himself out loud, as if insane, with the cameras recording everything.

[This is truly astonishing. A mere human communicating directly with a Demon God like me…?]

‘Hey.’

He cut off Dantalian, who seemed to be getting lost in his excitement.

‘Tell me how to deal with those purple guys.’

[What?! You impertinent brat! Still so rude!]

Dantalian started ranting as if he’d been holding it all in.

[I am Dantalian! A Demon God! I am an all-powerful being who rules over all life in the Demon World! Do you even realize how honored you should be to have this opportunity to speak to me?!]

‘Yeah, yeah, I get it, just tell me.’

[Insolent to the very end! You should be on your knees, begging! How dare you…!]

‘Then get lost. I’ll just ask one of the other Demon Gods.’

[…What?]

Dantalian was caught off guard. He continued, nonchalantly,

‘A lot of Demon Gods seem interested in me right now. I’m sure one of them will answer my questions. See ya.’

[H-hold on! Just let me…!]

‘So all I need to do is maintain the state of resonance and call out to them, right? What was that other Demon God’s name? Belial, was it ?’

[Drown it in dark energy!!]

He heard Dantalian yelling frantically and then start explaining rapidly, as if he didn’t want to give him a chance to seek out another Demon God.

[You cannot defeat those beings born of ‘Void’ at your current level. It’s impossible without a special kind of enlightenment.]

‘Born from nothing…?’

[But even if you can’t kill them, there’s a way to neutralize them. Drown the purple area in dark energy.]

‘The entire purple circle?’

[Yes. Eliminate the void by filling every corner of the labyrinth with dark energy, sending those creatures back to where they came from.]

‘How?’

He looked around, seeing a sea of purple engulfing the labyrinth, save for his ‘Space Dominated by Dark Energy,’ and scoffed.

He was using all his power maintaining his own space; the suggestion that he fill the entire labyrinth with dark energy was preposterous.

[I’ll ask you this. Where are you?]

‘Here? In the Demon World Dungeon.’

[And what is this Demon World Dungeon filled with?]

He looked around again, and it hit him.

He realized what permeated the labyrinth like air.

‘Dark energy?’

[Yes! And you have a truly blessed constitution. Now think. How can you eliminate the domain of ‘Void’ in this dungeon?]

He pondered over Dantalian’s question, then responded,

‘You mean I should use the labyrinth’s own dark energy to engulf it?’

[Indeed! Thankfully, you’re not completely hopeless!]

Ignoring his snide comment, he assessed his surroundings.

Although his vision was filled with purple, he could feel the abundant dark energy saturating the air.

‘…Theoretically, it should work.’

If he could harness that abundance, it might be possible.

‘But how do I get access to the labyrinth’s dark energy.

He could only control the dark energy within the ‘Space Dominated by Dark Energy’, not beyond it.

[You already know the answer.]

‘I do?’

[Didn’t I just tell you?]

‘What? …You mean ‘resonance?’

[Yes. It would be impossible for anyone else, but you, who uses dark energy as your power source, should be able to use resonance to access it.]

‘Hm…’

He immediately focused, trying to achieve a state of resonance, he couldn’t afford to waste any more time.

Incredibly, he began sensing dark energy from beyond his sphere of influence.

He had successfully connected with external dark energy by guiding the dark energy under his control towards it. Seol Daun’s ‘Mana Controller’ trait had come in handy.

‘So I need to establish a resonance with the external dark energy.’

It felt similar to summoning a clone. He tried to create that same feeling, attempting to establish ‘resonance’ with the dark energy beyond his reach.

‘……!’

His eyes widened soon afterward,

He’d felt an immediate connection form between him and the external dark energy.

It felt very similar to achieving resonance with a summoned clone.

‘To think that I can connect with dark energy like this, as if it were alive…’

[There are actually beings like spirits who use dark energy as their source of life. Thinking about that might help you understand this.]

‘Spirits…?’

He’d never heard of ‘spirits’ before, which surprised him.

[Now then, use your will to control the dark energy within this labyrinth. I know you can do it!]

He concentrated, unsure how to proceed. The concept of controlling freely-flowing dark energy was foreign to him.

‘I’ll just try it the way I use the ‘Mana Controller’ trait.’

He gave the external dark energy a mental command, treating it like a clone.

Move.

Follow my will.

Engulf that void.

But…

‘…It’s not moving.’

Only the dark energy within his control reacted to his command. The external dark energy remained still.

[Tsk tsk tsk… you idiot! How many times have I told you? It’s ‘resonance’! ‘Resonance’!]

He was about to snap back when,

‘I am in a resonant state… Ah!’

He was struck by a realization. He had forgotten the true meaning of ‘resonance’.

‘Now that I think about it, resonance involves empathy, right?’

He had been issuing commands, forcing his will on the external dark energy, which was the opposite of empathy.

It was unlike his clones, whom he could fully control.

‘How can I possibly achieve empathy with dark energy?’

He changed his approach.

He stopped giving direct orders and focused on conveying his intentions.

Instead of treating it as an extension of himself, he realized he had to persuade the dark energy.

He began speaking as if talking to a person,

Asking those particles of dark energy to help him eliminate the purple circle.

And soon,

‘…Huh? It’s moving!’

He realized the dark energy around him was responding, moving according to his will.

Black, undulating waves, identical to his own ‘Space Dominated by Dark Energy’, began spreading through the entire labyrinth.

The black tide rapidly surged over the purple circle, the domain of ‘Void’ shrinking visibly.

[Hahaha! I knew you could do it! My eyes weren’t mistaken! Hahaha!]

He heard Dantalian’s laughter echoing in his head as the purple monsters rapidly began to vanish before his eyes.

They seemingly couldn’t exist outside ‘Void’.

‘Whoa….’

He stared in awe as the black wave, like a massive tsunami, swallowed the purple circle.

As he marveled at the sight,

Dantalian spoke to him,

[That is the power of resonance. A power only you, who shares the same power source as the Demon World Dungeon, can wield.]

‘…Is that so?’

[But don’t think you can do this in other Demon World Dungeons. This was successful only because you are a weak being, attempting resonance in a weak dungeon. You wouldn’t stand a chance elsewhere.]

The black wave had engulfed every bit of the void he could see.

‘Could it be swallowing the ‘Eye of Void’ too?’

He ran down the passage.

A moment later, he reached the spot where it had been.

The black wave, continuing its advance, had reached and engulfed it completely.

The ‘Eye of Void’ slowly closed, vanishing before his eyes.

‘It’s completely gone!’

Just then, he felt as if a tightly bound rope had snapped.

At the same time, the dark energy in the labyrinth returned to its previous state.

He had lost his resonant connection.

“Ugh….”

He felt a wave of dizziness, leaning against the wall for support.

[You maintained a resonant state for too long. That’s your limit at your current level. You’ll get used to it with practice.]

Just as he finished speaking, a barrage of notifications appeared.

—

[The Demon God Oromas has noticed your presence.]

[The Demon God Gremory has noticed your presence.]

[The Demon God Orias has noticed your presence….]

[The Demon God Vapula has ….]

[…]

[…]

[…Amdusias is becoming interested in you.]

—

He stared, wide-eyed, at the messages flooding his vision.

‘What is all this…?’

[This damned…!]

Dantalian’s frustrated cries echoed in his mind.

—