Chapter 348 Chapter347-Gathering Place of Sin
As John stepped into the hidden level, the display watched by Lord Valerie of the city began to pixelate, resembling snowflakes.
The Pope beside him remarked, "The hidden levels, influenced by the Abyss, elude our observation. We can only rely on fragmented information passed down from our predecessors."
Lord Valerie was no stranger to the Pope's words; after all, anything connected with the Abyss was steeped in profound sin and foreboding.
At that moment, John ventured into the sixth layer.
After a delay, the system notification finally chimed in:
[Player Galewind has entered the Dungeon of Sin.]
John surveyed his surroundings.
The dim environment lacked the illuminating features of the previous trials.
The entirety of the trial was shrouded in darkness, with arcane and mysterious runes casting eerie glows, creating a strange atmosphere.
The ground was teeming with spiders, venomous snakes, and other dark, fallen creatures.
It felt viscous and crowded underfoot, as though stepping on a massive chunk of fleshy matter.
The air was thick with the stench of decay and mold.
John had to reduce his olfactory senses to fifty percent just to make it bearable.
Everywhere he looked, there were droppings from various creatures.
Even with John's mental fortitude, he couldn't help but be repulsed by the setting of this level.
It was no wonder that regular creatures always shunned the Abyss; anyone would find this environment intolerable.
[Name: Fallen Pigman]
[Race: Humanoid!]
[Level: 200]
...
A swarm of lesser creatures charged towards John.
A faint smirk appeared on his lips – these creatures would be perfect for honing his Divine Blade proficiency.
His Divine Blade was already at level seven, and it was nearing its next upgrade.
As John plunged into the swarm, his blade danced wildly, leaving a trail of blossoming arcs.
Glancing at the Fallen Pigmen, the corners of his mouth curled further.
This was too easy. Against these creatures, under the protection of his god-tier defense skills and with a level difference of over a hundred, they couldn't even breach his defenses.
However, as John continued to reap the souls with his blade, his eyes narrowed slightly.
The accumulating souls forced John to keep slashing, but he soon realized that his condition was changing.
Glancing at his status, he was startled to find:
[Mental Contamination: 0.001%]
Being an adept gamer, John could easily discern when his current state differed from the usual.
His current status indicated a unique form of spiritual contamination.
As John gazed at his own spiritual contamination level, he remarked with a hint of surprise, "I've been spiritually tainted. These creatures, even in death, can affect me!"
His thoughts drifted to the elder he had just met: the 300-level Church Priest, Boulanger.
No wonder he had initially given John an uneasy feeling.
With his emaciated, skeletal frame, it dawned on John: Boulanger had been tainted too.
As for the degree of this contamination, whether or not he'd end up resembling Boulanger — neither human nor ghost — if that was the effect of the taint, he'd rather die.
But then, John thought, he was a player.
At worst, death would result in some numerical loss. But the strain this contamination placed on one's psyche was too severe!
John pressed on through the prison.
The thick stench of malevolence assaulted his nostrils.
A massive lump of grotesque flesh loomed before him, accompanied by an array of food items: high-calorie, high-fat dishes.
These mounds of food towered over him, reaching heights of ten meters or more, and beside them, a giant was voraciously devouring the spread.
Staring at the figure in front of him, its body engorged with fat to the point that its folds cascaded down like ripples on water, stained with grease, a realization struck John.
The ground he'd been treading upon seemed to be made of this very creature's fatty flesh.
It was like a massive vat for storing fat.
Feeling nauseated, John's gaze remained fixed on the creature. A name flashed in his eyes:
[Apostle of Gluttony: An offspring of the Abyssal Original Sin, Gluttony!]
[Level: 300]
[Attributes: …]
Reading further, just the defense alone was an astounding hundred thousand.
Additionally, there was a note indicating it could enhance life regeneration through consumption.
"The Seven Deadly Sins? The Abyss!" John exclaimed.
Being well-versed in the lore of various games, he recognized that the Seven Deadly Sins in some narratives represented the seven mortal sins of mankind: Gluttony, Envy, Greed, Wrath, Lust, Sloth, and Pride.
These sins, initially referenced in ancient texts, were the very essence of human negative emotions.
Only upon encountering this Apostle of Gluttony did John recall that when he first entered this level, the minor creatures he had faced were pig-headed beings or massive insects and spiders.
Seven levels, representing the Seven Deadly Sins. Is this abyssal layer the sin of Gluttony?
The hidden seven levels suggested as much.
John watched as the Apostle of Gluttony ate, striking the stone door with its massive palm.
A sly smile crept onto John's lips.
While its defense was high, its attack power was laughably low in his data.
For an assassin like him, focused on burst damage, dealing with the Apostle of Gluttony should be a breeze.
His Divine Blade pierced into Gluttony's flesh, the digits flashing:
[Damage -10,000!]
After several strikes, he realized the difficulty of breaking its defense was minimal.
His Divine Blade, upgraded to level eight, could possibly break through with one hit.
The Apostle of Gluttony, while being attacked by John, continued munching on its food.
The inflicted damage couldn't even match its recovery rate.
It was as if John was merely tickling it!
The creature seemed to regard John with disdain, viewing him as no more than an insect.
John sheathed his Divine Blade and switched to another divine skill:
[Fire Explosive Bomb (Divine Skill): A gift from the destiny of the Flame Mage. Cooldown 1 second, consumes 1 mana point. Each attack adds a layer of flame. The target can dispel the flame mark. The mark can stack infinitely. Damage 1000, flame damage 10,000. Detonation can be triggered at will.]
John equipped this rather niche skill.
For an assassin like him, such stacking skills weren't typically his main focus.
But against the Apostle of Gluttony, this skill might just prove useful.
Even at its first level, its defense was a staggering six hundred thousand, further enhanced with various resistance buffs, including a 20% reduction in damage from bladed attacks. His own hits only did ten thousand damage.
Barely scratching the surface, especially considering its recovery rate was far greater than the damage he inflicted.
His only recourse was to rely on the method he used against the Thunder Sprite: stack the effects for one explosive attack.
Thunder Sprite: Damn! Although I'm not human, you're seriously trash!
With its HP soaring to tens of millions, John embarked on the tedious yet satisfying task of stacking Fire Explosive Bombs.
He would need at least a hundred thousand stacks.
The Apostle of Gluttony, with its beady rat-like eyes, looked down at the puny human who had stopped attacking, instead casting a flame mark on himself.
The creature continued to eat leisurely, a smug glint appearing in its eyes.
He was the manifestation of the abyssal malice, strengthened by the [Twelve Trials of the Hero].
And, as long as he remained in the depths, the entrance to the abyss could not close, allowing their malevolent power to grow continually.
Until the seal is broken, and they descend upon the continent, he, the Apostle of Gluttony, is the emissary of the sin of Gluttony.
He knew just how powerful his god was.
If he were to descend onto the continent, would his god grant him the title of a demigod? He smacked his lips, lost in thought...
John observed the Apostle of Gluttony, who seemed to blatantly ignore him, consumed in his meal, with a distant, almost vacant look in his eyes.
Layer upon layer of marks began to stack, consuming just 1 point each.
To John, this was akin to no expenditure at all.
Simplifying the simplest task, he easily continued to stack the flame marks.
...
As the flame marks increasingly overlaid, John finally saw the glowing symbols emerge on Gluttony's ten-meter-tall form, a slight smirk playing on his lips.
"Art is an explosion!"
With a resounding boom, the Apostle of Gluttony dropped the chicken leg he was holding, staring at his body being assailed by an overwhelming force.
He let out a terrified howl:
"Ulrasoka..."
He frantically slapped at the marks on his body.
While he managed to extinguish some, there were far too many.
John had made it foolproof.
Even the ground was covered in flame marks.
John taunted with glee, "Weren't you blocking the way? Fine, keep standing there. Let me show you what the ultimate attack feels like!"
You took it lightly earlier, trying to extinguish the flames now? Too late!
The flame symbols, resembling tiny points of light, began connecting to form a massive shockwave, directly crashing into Gluttony's corpulent form.
Gluttony's steps faltered, causing the ground to shake violently, making the entire level sway from the impact of his massive frame.
John soared into the air, overseeing the spectacle.
In the end, the Apostle of Gluttony, with eyes filled with resentment, looked up at John as his immense body began to descend slowly.
A gleam of light emerged from his corpse.
"Did he drop equipment?!"
John approached to inspect, picking up some useless equipment, crafting scrolls, and the like.
These could be listed for sale; every bit counts.
The equipment dropped by Gluttony drew John closer for a more detailed look.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺