abcnovels
Chapter 263:
Chapter 263:
Chapter 263:
“The trial of fruit gathering is exactly what it sounds like. The fruits are randomly generated in the vast stage where the trial of the end takes place. All you have to do is find and eat them.”
“What are those fruits, exactly?”
“Possibilities of becoming a divine Divine Spirit.”
Yu-hyun lifted his head and looked up at the sky.
Beyond the ceiling of the underground parking lot that was stained with gold, he seemed to see something beyond that was invisible to the eyes of others.
“In order to survive, the survivors had to kill the future of the planet and squeeze out the lives that lived in it. And they had no choice but to become stronger. That way, whether they wanted it or not, their level as beings kept rising.”
That’s how some of them became transcenders who could rival the divine Divine Spirits.
They were the ones who truly deserved to be divine Divine Spirits.
But even among the survivors now, transcenders were very few. Most people still couldn’t even grasp that level.
"So the organizers of the apocalypse decided to give them a chance. They opened an event that would instantly fill their lack of power and raise their level. "That was the trial of fruit gathering, the 98th trial that was happening now.
“Fruits with tremendous power have appeared all over this World. And those who acquire them can shed their human skin and become divine Divine Spirits. How attractive would that be.”
In this world where they stole from others and were only desperate for survival, fruits that could make them ascend to the level of divine Divine Spirits appeared.
From the perspective of the survivors, it was an enticing offer that could make their eyes spin.
The group understood roughly what the situation was, but they still had many questions left.
“How can humans become divine Divine Spirits just by eating fruits? That doesn’t seem possible…”
“Ms. Jia, you seem to have a high regard for divine Divine Spirits.”
“Don’t you think so?”
“Sure, I did think so at first.”
But not all divine Divine Spirits were great.
The reason why divine Divine Spirits were divided into four generations was because there were differences in their levels.
“Do you know why divine Divine Spirits are divided into generations?”
“Isn’t it because of how long they lived?”
“That’s one way to feel it, and it’s true that time is somewhat an indicator. But the exact reason for dividing generations is because of how they were born.”
“How they were born?”
“Yes. The first generation divine Divine Spirits, those who belonged to the Great Star Army, lived so long that they were said to have been with the birth of the universe, and their origins were unknown. They were born with immense power. They were the ones who became the origin of myths. The World calls them the first generation. The next ones were the second generation, who had less power and history than the first generation.”
The second generation was born in a similar way to the first generation, but their power and level were lower than the first generation, so they were classified as lower grades.
But from a human perspective, even second generation divine Divine Spirits were godlike beings.
And not all second generation divine Divine Spirits were weak.
There were some second generation divine Divine Spirits who could match the first generation.
“The important thing is the third generation divine Divine Spirits. The third generation is different from the first and second generations in that they were created.”
“Created? How?”
“By receiving power from first or second generation divine Divine Spirits and raising their level as beings. Or by being children who inherited the blood of first generation divine Divine Spirits.”
The ones who were called demigods or half-gods in myths.
In mixed world, they were called third generation divine Divine Spirits.
In the case of those who inherited the blood of first generation divine Divine Spirits, they were much stronger than other third generation divine Divine Spirits, so they were sometimes called 2.5 generation, but they generally belonged to the third generation.
“Those who became stronger by obtaining fruits will belong to the third generation. However, there is a limit to how many third generation divine Divine Spirits can be created. Because Genesis System itself controlled and managed it due to some members of Great Star Army who tried to increase their power by creating too many third generation divine Divine Spirits.”
“Where is that place?”
“Olympus.”
“Oh.”
If he gave an example, there was Hercules, who was evaluated as a third generation but had a power comparable to a first generation.
Everyone agreed because no one didn’t know about Greek mythology.
In fact, when he thought about various cases caused by the reckless actions of Olympus’ first generation divine Divine Spirits, it was tolerable that it ended like this.
“Anyway, this is how a limit was placed on creating third generation divine Divine Spirits, and along with that, their image became very bad.”
“So if you become a divine Divine Spirit through fruits now, you’ll be treated as a third generation?”
“Yes. People now probably think that it’s better to become a divine Divine Spirit than living in this horrible World, but…”
Even if they became divine Divine Spirits, they wouldn’t have an easy future waiting for them.
divine Divine Spirits also had their own factions and organizations. It was a problem whether they belonged to them or not.
They might not be in danger of their lives, but there was a possibility that they would live a more miserable life like slaves.
“Of course, people don’t know that. They won’t listen even if you tell them, and they won’t believe it either. In fact, I was no different from those people at that time.”
“At that time… You mean the past Yu-hyun?”
Yu-hyun nodded at Kang Hye-rim’s question.
Yu-hyun had survived until now by clinging to Choi Do-yoon, but he was not satisfied with his current life.
He was always looking for a chance to break free.
The reason he couldn’t do that was because he was still too weak to survive on his own.
The power to stand on his own feet. He lacked that.
“By the way, I have one thing I’m curious about.”
It was then that Seo Sumin, who had been listening quietly, opened her mouth.
“You said there are three generations of Divine Spirits, but is there nothing after that? For example, what about those who have risen in rank by their own power?”
“There are. You must have felt it in your previous life. In the martial world, they called it transcendence. The moment you surpass a certain level as a human, your rank rises and you become a different being.”
“That’s right.”
“The World calls them anothers.”
“Anothers…”
Kang Hye-rim asked.
“Why not fourth generation?”
“There are cases where they are called that. Mostly, third generation Divine Spirits do that to make anothers seem inferior to them. But for anothers, fourth generation is just a derogatory term.”
Anothers are mortals who have acquired the rank of a star by their own efforts.
They naturally could not be compared to those who were born with power or who simply became strong by receiving power from others.
That was why they were called anothers, not fourth generation.
“Anothers’ power is, no matter how weak, is enough to surpass second generation Divine Spirits. If Sumin had not been interfered by Nirvana Land, you would have become an another level Divine Spirit.”
Anothers’ minimum power was comparable to second generation Divine Spirits, and if they were stronger, they could even match first generation Divine Spirits.
Of course, from the perspective of most established Divine Spirits, anothers were not welcome.
They were not only annoyed by the fact that those who were once mere mortals had reached the same position as them through talent and effort, but also feared the possibility that they would threaten their position.
It was not without reason that Nirvana Land was wary of Seo Sumin.
If she became an another level Divine Spirit and joined hands with Mara Papayas, there would be no greater disaster for them.
“Then, people are now desperately looking for fruits to become third generation Divine Spirits?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“What are those fruits exactly…”
Just then, a huge explosion sounded from afar.
It was loud enough for everyone to hear, even though they were far away.
A fight had broken out, and a very big one at that.
“It seems like the fight for the fruits has begun. Let’s go out and see.”
“Huh, are you going to fight?”
“Of course not. We’re just going to watch. It will be faster to understand if you see it for yourself than if I explain it a hundred times.”
Yu-hyun and his companions went outside the underground parking lot.
The sound came from the barren wasteland outside.
As they got closer, they saw a bloody battle taking place at the site of the fight.
“This fruit is mine!”
“You bastard! How dare you take someone else’s!”
“Die!”
Those who had been comrades until a moment ago went crazy over the fruit and killed each other, and new intruders joined in, making the situation unpredictable.
In the sky, Exodus’s tellers in black robes watched the scene with interest.
Occasionally, they whispered something to each other as if they were having a conversation.
Those who could not afford to join the battlefield stayed far away and watched.
Boom!
The attacks were quite threatening for people who were blinded by strength. They were enough to shake the space with one blow, as they had survived until the 98th trial.
Considering that it was made of imaginary Worlds and was somewhat inferior to the real history, it was hard to imagine how horrible the real end would be.
The group looked bored already.
The fight that humans threw away everything for was so ugly and dreadful.
“It’s like hell.”
“Maybe worse than that.”
The fight that seemed close ended up with an end.
The final winner of the fight that produced countless deaths was a woman whose body was covered in blood.
“Fi-finally!”
She said that and grabbed the ‘fruit’.
No, it was not a fruit but something that looked like a heart.
“Stop her!”
“Take it!”
The hyenas who had been hiding and watching sneaked in with delight. But their attack was slower than the final winner biting off a piece of the fruit.
At the same time, a white light burst out from the center of the woman, and her body wrapped in white text soared high into the sky.
She had consumed the fruit and ascended to the seat of a star.
The people who failed to steal the fruit looked up at the sky with blank expressions.
“This is what it means to harvest the fruit.”
Yu-hyun turned his back on the scene, as if he had nothing more to see.
The important thing right now was not to watch such things, but to get out of this World.
He thought he needed to go back to the underground parking lot where he first settled and discuss this matter.
“…!”
He turned his head at the sudden feeling of being watched.
Not far from here, among the countless ruins of the city, he saw a half-destroyed building that still maintained its shape.
A group of people were watching this way from the top of it.
“Yu-hyun? What are you looking at?”
“Hmm? Those people are…”
The others also belatedly noticed the group far away and stopped in their tracks.
And then they widened their eyes at the familiar faces.
“That’s, Yu-hyun…?”
There were five people on the top.
One of them had to be a very familiar face to them.
Of course, that was because he looked exactly like Yu-hyun who was with them right now.
Kwon Jia approached Yu-hyun and asked.
“Is that, you from this era?”
“Yes.”
“And, the people next to him are…”
“Yes.”
Yu-hyun’s eyes were fixed on a man he had noticed earlier, as if they were nailed down.
He was a man wearing a red coat that matched the blood-red ground.
His hair was slicked back with pomade and his eyes were sharp as if they could see through the essence of things. His lips were closed in a straight line, as if he was confident that he was the best in this World.
As soon as he faced that face, Yu-hyun clenched his fist without realizing it.
‘Choi Do-yoon.’
The protagonist chosen by this World. And the goal that he, who had been an extra, had desperately tried to catch up with.
He didn’t expect to meet him again in a place like this.
‘This is just a nightmare anyway.’
Yu-hyun quickly turned his eyes away from Choi Do-yoon.
If he kept staring at him, there was a high chance that he would antagonize him.
He was the kind of person who never let go of any possible danger.
Even if it was a fantasy created by this World, it was possible enough if this World was based on his memory.
He had to avoid getting involved with them as much as possible in this situation.
Seo Sumin was also surprised by Choi Do-yoon’s group.
“That’s, Gu Seo-Yoon and Jamila?”
The ones next to Choi Do-yoon were definitely Gu Seo-yoon and Jamila.
They looked older than she knew them, as if they had become adults, but she couldn’t miss them since they had such strong personalities like them.
Seo Sumin turned to Yu-hyun right away.
‘I wondered why he reacted like that back then. Was it because of this?’
Yu-hyun had been a colleague of Gu Seo-yoon and Jamila in the past. Well, could he call them colleagues by looking at his reaction?
They might have just stayed together for a purpose, and they might not have gotten along well in reality.
Then Yu-hyun called Seo Sumin.
“Sumin.”
“Uh, yes?”
“The man who was watching us just now. Did you see him?”
“You mean the red coat? Of course I did.”
“How strong does he look?”
“That is…”
Seo Sumin thought for a moment and gave an answer.
“Well, judging by his level right now, he didn’t look that strong. Of course, that’s by my standards. Maybe it’s because this place is not real but a Mental Realm, so there must be a big difference from reality. Taking that into account…”
Seo Sumin said with a slightly hurt pride.
“He’s really stronger than me. Even if I were in my previous life, when I reached the position of Transcendent and became a Heavenly Demon, I’m not sure if I could win if I fought him…”
Seo Sumin’s sense pierced through the appearance of Choi Do-yoon’s fantasy created by the Mental Realm and glimpsed the ‘real’ him beyond it.
And her evaluation was that he was a man who was so strong that it gave her goosebumps.
It would be a close match even if she used all her power when she was about to transcend into another plane of existence.
Kang Hye-rim and Kwon Jia couldn’t help but be shocked by Seo Sumin’s words.
They knew how strong she was as a former Heavenly Demon, having fought against Chulapantaka once.
“I see.”
Yu-hyun didn’t seem surprised by Seo Sumin’s words.
A reaction he had vaguely expected.
“Let’s get out of here. There’s nothing good about staying here for long.”
“Won’t they follow us?”
“They didn’t seem interested. They probably think we’re just some wanderers.”
Even though he saw Yu-hyun, the man didn’t show any reaction.
Even though there was a man who looked exactly like him next to him, he looked at him like a stranger.
That meant that Yu-hyun was recognized as a separate entity by the fantasy of this Mental Realm.
It was rather a good thing.
He could avoid unnecessary attention.
“Let’s go. We have to get out of this World.”
Yu-hyun led the group away from this place, as if he felt uncomfortable here.