Chapter 114: Still, Il-Ho Continues on His Path as a Warrior

Waaah! Waaaaah!

The wails of a baby rang in his ears, and Il-Ho struggled to open his eyes. The first thing he saw was the baby burying her head in his embrace, sobbing loudly.

Elise lit up as she nursed Il-Ho. “

Ah,

you’re awake! Thanks to your robust physique, you didn’t suffer any major injuries!”

After mumbling a bit, Elise cautiously asked, “Her Majesty is reflecting on her actions, so can you please forgive her this once? She really didn’t mean to crush you earlier.”

“

Waaaah....

”

The baby fairy’s eyes were puffy, showing how much she’d been crying.

Il-Ho looked down at the baby fairy for a while, but in his mind, he kept replaying Eternal Seeker’s words from his dream.

-Kill an equivalent incarnation and sacrifice them to Yu Il-Shin.

“S-sacrifice?”

-Yes, he is both a benevolent and a malevolent god. To replenish a malevolent god’s strength, nothing is better than human sacrifices.

Then, the Eternal Seeker gave him a list of potential sacrifices.

“

Waaah...”

Among them was the baby fairy crying beside him.

-The Fairy Queen you’ve rescued is the incarnation of the One in the Skies Taking Care of the World. If you offer her up, you’ll be able to revive your master.

Il-Ho pondered for a while.

God Yu Il-Shin hadn’t only saved and evolved him, but also saved his tribesmen from being slaughtered and devoured alive by the imperial army.

He reached out for the baby fairy’s head. He could instantly crush her head with his iron grip. It’d be swift and painless.

-However, you’ll lose your title as a warrior. Those who sacrifice a good person are unworthy of it.

But Il-Ho wasn’t afraid of losing his title. Without God Yu Il-Shin, his title was meaningless. For the sake of his master, he’d even jump into the pit of hell!

“...Warrior?” sensing something was amiss, Elise anxiously looked at Il-Ho.

Il-Ho’s large, rough hand covered the baby’s head. A million thoughts raced through his mind at that moment.

“

Waaaah...

”

Il-Ho gently stroked the baby’s blond hair. “I’m alright, don’t cry.”

The baby whimpered and looked at Il-Ho cautiously. “

Ah...boo?

” as if asking,

“Really?”

Il-Ho pounded on his chest and laughed heartily. “

Kekeke!

How can I be angry at such an adorable baby? Don’t look down on my muscles! No matter how big you’ve grown, they’re made of steel!

Hyaa!

”

Il-Ho raised the baby fairy up, spinning her around in the air.

“

Aboo aboo!

” the baby fairy giggled in delight.

Watching her made Il-Ho reflect deeply on the ill thoughts he had earlier.

Our great and merciful God Yu Il-Shin would never wish to be offered a good child like you!

Hence, Il-Ho gave up on sacrificing the baby. Nevertheless, that didn’t mean he’d given up on saving God Yu Il-Shin.

Eternal Seeker offered an alternative to save God Yu Il-Shin.

-...Refusing to sacrifice the Fairy Queen leaves you with one last option.

The reason the trial continued, despite him having wiped out the Goblin King and his army, was finally revealed. It was because of the One Who Dwells in the Ugliest Filth, the origin of those goblins.

To complete this trial, Il-Ho must defeat him.

-Time in the Tower of Warriors doesn’t flow the same way as in reality. Originally, I intended for you to train here for a decade before confronting the One Who Dwells in the Ugliest Filth.

-He may be a Lowest-tier God, but he’s still an evolved demon species, so he’s stronger than any creatures you’ve ever faced.

-If you faced him with your current combat power, you’d lose nine times out of ten. Then, both you and your master will perish.

-Despite knowing this, will you still take on this perilous route?

Putting the baby fairy down, Il-Ho took out the mangled black crown from Inventory. It was the loot he’d obtained after defeating the Goblin King, and a divine artifact from the One Who Dwells in the Ugliest Filth.

Il-Ho raised it high into the air, shouting gallantly, “Muscle God! Do you see this?! Please lead me to the mighty foe!”

Psss!

The crown shattered and the space before him split open, revealing a gate.

Wooong!

Nevertheless, it was only a tiny hole, barely large enough for an ant like Il-Ho to pass through.

Il-Ho patted the baby fairy’s head. “Be safe, Little One. May you grow up to be a fine queen, befitting of muscles.”

“

A-aboo?

”

Hearing the words that were akin to a dying wish, the baby fairy anxiously stared at Il-Ho. Her tiny hands reached out to him.

“

Muuuuscles!

Come, evil god! I’ll kill you for the sake of God Yu Il-Shin and this baby!” Il-Ho yelled angrily and leaped through the gate.

“

Aboooo!

” the baby cried desperately, but the gate vanished in a flash.

Flash!

Traversing through a passage of chaos, where darkness and light tried to engulf each other, Il-Ho crossed the boundary between worlds. Moments later, he was no longer in the Fairy World.

In the place he arrived, the sky was ashen. Obstructed by murky dark clouds, not a single ray of sunlight reached the ground. The most baffling of all was the black sea that brimmed with filth and corpses.

-This power! You...! You’re the one who massacred my people!

The sea spoke.

Swaaaah!

The sea of filth parted, giving rise to black spikes that resembled thorns. Its head seemed to pierce the sky, while its long, seemingly endless body stretched against the distant shoreline. Its ears and eyes had decayed. All that was left on its head was a row of horribly protruding teeth, akin to a sawblade. It looked just like any hideous creature that’d often appear in nightmares.

It spread its mouth at Il-Ho.

-

Keekeekee!

To think you’re foolish enough to come to me yourself! Well, this saves me a lot of work! Otherwise, in a hundred days, I would have opened a gate to eat you and the Fairy Queen! Do you honestly think a lowborn like you can kill me?!

The malevolent god sneered.

Baaam! Thump!

His laughter alone conjured a storm on the sea, shaking the earth as if it was about to crumble.

Il-Ho could only glare at the monster, gritting his teeth. He was facing a

god.

Compared to this being, the apostles he fought were nothing but small fry. There was no backing down now.

“Weight Increase, 100 tons!”

Tzzz!

Il-Ho aimed his colossal dumbbell sword at the malevolent god.

“I’ll kill you and save the worlds of God Yu Il-Shin and the Fairy Queen, even if it’s the last thing I do!”

Fiery resolve burned within il-Ho’s eyes.

He, who was once an ant, challenged the god.

***

I was in a space of nothingness, filled with nothing but emptiness.

Who am I? Why am I in such a strange place?

Ah, I don’t know anymore.

My memories were hazy, but I seemed to recall fighting against something, but I couldn’t remember what.

-...God!

A voice as tiny as an ant echoed in my ear.

“

Hmm?

”

It sounded familiar somehow, but I couldn’t recall anything. Was it calling for me?

“I want to know!”

Who was it that called for me so desperately?

Ding!

[The innate power Blind Eyes of God has been activated.]

An illegible and dull message came through. At the same time, within the desolate space, I saw a flash of light.

A gaunt, haggard warrior with a half-broken sword. One of his eyes was crushed, and his right leg was horribly twisted, as if smashed in. His body was also corroded by poison.

In spite of that, the warrior still stood tall. His one remaining eye burned with determination as he glared at his opponent with murderous intent.

I found his spirit admirable.

What was he fighting against? I turned to look at his opponent and was momentarily rendered speechless.

It was an absurdly huge monster that was a grotesque combination of snakes and maggots. Their difference in size made it look like a fight between an ant and a dinosaur.

The warrior was fighting a losing battle, as the unscathed monster stood over him, while he was riddled with wounds.

-For a lower species, you put up quite a fight! But that’s all it is—do you really think you can kill a god?

The monster clamped its teeth.

-Playtime’s over! You’re too small for me to eat, but I desire the divine power coursing through you! Become one with me!

Baaaaam!

Swallowing the sea of filth and earth whole, the monster charged at the warrior.

It was a despairing sight to see, yet the warrior’s determined gaze never wavered.

Ssss—

Instead, he crouched down, preparing to leap into the monster’s mouth.

“Come at me, evil god!”

Rip! Riiiip!

Then, the space behind the warrior tore open.

“

Waaaaah!

”

A blonde, winged baby suddenly leaped out, clinging to the warrior’s back. For the first time, the warrior seemed flustered.

“L-Little One! How did you get here!”

“

Aboo! Aboo!

” The baby tearfully rubbed her face against the warrior’s back.

Baaaam!

The monster’s mouth had already reached them.

“

Argh!

”

Clenching his jaws, the warrior stomped on the ground with one leg.

Slam!

In the next moment, he leaped into the sky like a bird, with the baby still on his back.

-

Hmph!

Do you think you can get away?!

The monster turned in the direction where the warrior had leaped.

Seeing that there was nowhere else to escape to, the warrior gritted his teeth. Once again, the monster’s maw closed in on them.

“I had planned to get eaten and destroy it from within, but change of plans! Baby, can you turn me into a giant like you did to yourself earlier?!”

The baby widened her eyes as she nodded vigorously.

“I'll leave it to you!”

“

Aboo...!”

Iridescent powder rained down from the baby’s wings, seeping into the warrior’s body.

Flap flap!

Then, iridescent powder rained down from the baby’s wings, seeping into the warrior’s body.

Ruuuumble!

The warrior’s body grew rapidly, but it wasn’t a dramatic transformation. He merely grew from the size of an ant to an adult. He was barely a hundredth of the gargantuan monster's size.

“Weight Increase! Thousand tons!” the warrior threw his sword at the monster.

The small chunk of iron instantly transformed into the size of a meteorite, but the monster evaded it with a light twist of his body.

Bam bam bam!

-

Hmph!

Don’t think such a cheap trick will work...

Huh?!

Where did you go, you bastard!?

The broken sword smashed into the ground, sending up clouds of dirt in its wake. The monster looked through it for Il-Ho.

-You cretin! This is my world! Do you think you can run away from me?!

“Who says I’m running?!” the warrior yelled out of the blue. The baby fairy clung onto his neck, like a cicada clinging to a giant tree.

“Ultimate skill, Super Strong Body!” the warrior’s body turned red like molten iron as he clung to the monster’s neck.

Tssss!

As Il-Ho generated a tremendous amount of heat, smoke rose from the monster’s neck.

“I, Il-Ho, will burn all the blessings and lives obtained through the Tower of Warriors!”

-

Aaaargh!

This bastard! Stop right now!

The warrior looked up into the sky. Was I mistaken? I felt his gaze meeting mine.

The warrior revealed his pearly white teeth. “O’ great and merciful God Yu Il-Shin! I will lay down my life to ensure that this sacrifice reaches you!”

Baaaam!

Hellish flames erupted from the warrior’s arms.

“So... please stay alive...!”

Craaaash!

-

Aaaargh!

With a miserable scream, the burning monster’s head was severed from its body.

Swoosh...

At the same time, the warrior’s arms burned to nothing. He fell from the monster’s head and crashed into the ground.

I screamed at the horrible sight. “No! Il-Hooooo!”