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005
The second stage of Blood Demon Divine Art.
Ttok.
Just as Lee Rowoon had previously pulled out an Iron Blood Bead from his fingertip, he now extracted something else in the same posture.
It looked exactly like the Iron Blood Bead, but its color was different.
'Purple Blood Bead.'
A tiny bead with a faint purple glow.
Tak!
When Lee Rowoon flicked his middle finger, the Purple Blood Bead instantly shot forward.
Puhk!
However, it embedded itself without piercing through.
Its opponent was too tough.
'Dullahan.'
A mid-tier undead species.
A headless knight, widely known to require immense death energy to manifest naturally.
Moreover, its entire body was as hard as steel, possessing a Diamond Body, making it resistant to most weapons, including those imbued with internal energy or magic.
Although it was impressive that Lee Rowoon's Purple Blood Bead managed to pierce its defenses, it was natural that it couldn't inflict a fatal wound.
But the power of Purple Blood Bead wasn't just about increased destructive force.
Boom!
The Dullahan's body, where the bead had embedded itself, suddenly exploded.
This was the characteristic of the second stage of Blood Demon Divine Art—the true power of Purple Blood Bead.
'Condensation and Explosion.'
Unlike the Iron Blood Bead, which only changed color, the Purple Blood Bead also changed in nature.
It contained the power of explosion, detonating from within the enemy's body.
And there was one more ability.
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A thick green mist filled the surroundings.
The deeper he ventured into Abyssal Pit, the more intense the toxic energy that dominated the space became.
Anyone stepping foot here would instantly melt, and even the overseers would suffer the same fate.
"Sss… Ha."
But for Lee Rowoon, even this thick toxic energy felt as refreshing as clean air.
The second hidden power of Purple Blood Bead—'Absolute Poison Immunity.'
Even Iron Blood Bead had minor detoxifying properties, but it couldn't compare to Purple Blood Bead.
Purple Blood Bead could neutralize dozens, even hundreds of poisons.
'On top of that, if poison accumulates in my blood, my body naturally builds resistance.'
Unless the poison was instantly fatal, Lee Rowoon was now completely immune.
As he continued absorbing the blood of the surrounding corpses and slaughtering mid-tier undead, he ventured deeper and deeper into Abyssal Pit.
And finally...
Kuk. Kuk. Kuk.
He reached an area where even the power of Purple Blood Bead could not easily neutralize the poison.
The end of Abyssal Pit.
"As expected… It's here."
Right at the spot Lee Rowoon had been aiming for.
---
Unstoppable Monsters Exist.
Monsters so terrifying that the word 'monster' feels insufficient to describe them.
'Calamities.'
Among all monsters, they are the most dangerous—beings that should never be confronted.
Just as humans cannot stop storms or tsunamis, Calamities are beyond control.
'Transcendents.'
Creatures whose power cannot be measured and whose mere existence can cause the world to collapse.
Long ago, a Calamity-ranked demon species—Balrog—escaped from a gate.
Just by breathing, it set the world on fire, and every swing of its flaming whip shredded hundreds of players into ashes.
Tens of thousands of players fought to stop Balrog, but the result remained the same.
Eventually, humanity gave up on killing Balrog.
Instead, with the help of allies from Silver and Einhart, they sealed Balrog somewhere in the world.
That's what Transcendents are.
'But there are beings even more infamous than Balrog.'
Among Transcendents, the most well-known and most terrifying species.
"Dragons."
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The Dragons that appear within the gates are not as powerful as the Ancient Dragons, the guardians of Einhart, but they are still Calamities in their own right.
Indestructible bodies.
Breath attacks that erase life itself.
So far, only a few have been spotted, and none have escaped the gates.
Except for one.
Of course, it wasn't a perfect Dragon.
Though it lacked the full power of a Transcendent, its body was real.
"Corpse Dragon, Augolas."
An Undead Dragon—a dragon that had died but revived itself through lingering death energy.
While it could not use the magic and mysteries of true Dragons, its body alone made it worthy of being classified as a Transcendent.
---
An Undead Dragon's Body.
Its scales were unbreakable, even by magical weapons.
Its footsteps caused earthquakes.
And it could use Acid Breath—a signature ability of Undead Dragons.
Though not a full Calamity, it was still recognized as a Lesser Calamity.
When Augolas escaped the gate, countless players risked their lives to fight it.
And in the end...
'Augolas was hunted.'
The world erupted in chaos.
But what drew the most attention was...
'The value of its corpse.'
According to Einhart and Silver, the corpse of a Dragon held immeasurable value.
Dragon Blood—the ultimate alchemical material.
Dragon Bones—could be crafted into legendary weapons.
Dragon Scales—priceless beyond measure.
And most importantly...
'Dragon Heart.'
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The Human Greed for Augolas' Corpse.
However, those who hunted Augolas quickly realized why Einhart and Silver had never taken action.
Undead Dragons were saturated with poison, death energy, and dark magic.
Just touching the corpse caused one's body to melt.
Even harvesting materials was pointless, as the toxic nature of the corpse made it worthless.
The forces of Gehenna wanted the body, but Gehenna and the other worlds were enemies.
Thus, Augolas' corpse became an unsolvable dilemma—too dangerous to use but too valuable to discard.
But humans, driven by greed, found a solution.
'Purification.'
Using the knowledge of Einhart, they purified Augolas' body through a gruesome method.
By sacrificing countless slaves, they extracted the poison from Augolas' body.
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The Abyssal Pit's True Purpose.
The Volcano Guild, a group of insane lunatics, turned Abyssal Pit into a slaughterhouse.
They threw countless slaves into Augolas' poisonous remains, forcing them to absorb the toxins until they died.
After tens of thousands perished, Augolas' corpse would finally be purified and usable.
For Lee Rowoon, this was perfect.
Because now, Augolas' poisoned corpse was right in front of him.
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Absorbing the Corpse Dragon.
As he approached, the toxic air grew so intense that even his body began to melt.
If he hesitated, the Dragon's poison would penetrate his blood.
So without wasting time—
Lee Rowoon placed his hand on Augolas' body.
"Kuh…!"
The overwhelming poison and death energy surged into him.
But Lee Rowoon activated his secret technique—
"Blood Demon Absorption Art."
And began to devour the blood of the Corpse Dragon.
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