Virus King [Translation]

Clearing the 100th floor didn't bring Novak any sense of joy.

He knew all too well that the real challenge was only just beginning.

And he was right.

From the 100th floor of the abyss onward, any abyss lord encountered would be a formidable foe, each with the bonus of a third-rank class. But there was a silver lining.

Beyond the 100th floor, there were certain abyssal layers where no abyss lord existed.

You heard it right—some layers of the abyss were unclaimed. Not just in the present, but throughout the entire history recorded in the Abyssal Well.

The reason was simple: the environment in these abyssal layers was too harsh for any creature to survive. Not to mention humans or other beings—even demons, known for their resilience, found these areas inhospitable.

Naturally, in such unforgiving conditions, no demon could be recognized by the Abyssal Well as a lord of those layers. 

At first glance, this might seem like a stroke of luck for Novak, offering a shortcut through these layers... but in reality, the situation was far from favorable.

If anyone had flirted with death more times than they could count, Novak would be the first to raise his hand. He had lost track of how many times he had died.

His first death at the hands of Gilbert still lingered in his mind, leaving him questioning everything.

Why, exactly? 

Because it didn't make sense.

How could a low-tier demon lord like Gilbert, with a relatively weak third-rank class, kill him? While Gilbert's abilities were impressive for an inferior demon, he shouldn't have been able to defeat someone of Novak's caliber.

That was the nagging doubt in Novak's mind.

But Gilbert's strength, as it turned out, was all about perspective.

After passing the 100th floor, the abyss lords he encountered gave him one overwhelming sensation:

Living through this was worse than dying!

There were moments when Novak had to use the hourglass of time to turn back the clock—otherwise, he would have perished in ways that made death seem preferable.

Especially when he faced the Legendary Lord of the Barlow Flames on the 143rd floor of the abyss. He died 14 times in a row battling that demon, climbing from one floor to the next with no hope of victory in sight.

By the time he died for the fifteenth time, Novak had to rely on sheer cunning. On the 17th floor, during a "friendly" conversation with the Kouto Fish demon—the cheap father of the demon prince he killed on the abyss well—he gained a valuable insight into the special class of the demon race known as the "Lava Ruler."

Balrog of the Barlow Flames was unlike any other demon lord he had faced—it was entirely immune to the flu virus Novak relied on to weaken his enemies.

But Novak, relentless as ever, discovered a method. By forcing the Balrog to leave its magma lake and using the terrain to his advantage, he filled the lake with a small mountain. Then, after an entire day of battle, he used hellfire to summon a flame seed—the only substance the Balrog couldn't digest—and finally wore the demon down, killing it.

This encounter marked the only time Novak had faced a demon lord who was completely immune to his flu virus. 

Fortunately, the Barlow Flame Demon is an exceedingly rare breed. Its unique living environment makes other demon races shun it, and as a result, its appearances are infrequent.

But there is another formidable foe worth mentioning.

In the abyss, beyond the demons, other species have been baptized and accepted by the abyss, becoming rare abyssal creatures distinct from the demon race. The most famous among them is the Fallen Dragon.

This particular creature ruled the 196th floor of the abyss.

Novak was absolutely certain that it was a being whose physical form had reached the pinnacle of emperor-class, or perhaps even a quasi-divine creature above level 90.

Dragons are known to be among the most powerful beings across the heavens and realms. Once baptized by the abyss, a dragon that transforms into an Abyssal Dragon becomes even more incomprehensibly powerful.

Not only does it possess a fearsome physical body, but it also retains the natural advantage of flight, coupled with terrifying magical abilities.

However, compared to the reckless brutality of the Barlow Flame Demon, this Abyssal Demon Dragon King only caused Novak to die four times.

While dying four times was undoubtedly torturous, Novak had endured far worse. Some abyss lords he had defeated earlier, merely by luck, had also brought him to the brink of death again.

At this point, Novak had lost count of how many times he had died. 

He only knew that right now, his entire world revolved around the abyss before him.

It felt as though the abyss and its darkness were unbreakable, an endless onslaught of enemies, one after another.

It seemed never-ending.

Time and again, sinking despair clawed at Novak's heart, urging him to give up. 

But each time, he gritted his teeth and pressed on.

In his previous life, Novak didn't have the fortune to rely on fate, nor did he possess any extraordinary talent that could have propelled him to greatness.

What defined Novak, the only thing worthy of praise, was his unyielding determination.

Growing up alone for many years had honed his will to survive, his refusal to surrender.

The word "persistence" is easy to speak, but to truly live by it? That's a far greater challenge.

It was precisely this iron will that had once allowed him, with his meager talents, to become the legendary White Demon Saint in his past life.

And it was this same indomitable will that carried him through that strange dungeon where he encountered the 'Hourglass of Time.' Alone on a small boat, in a vast, boundless world that seemed to stretch forever beyond the horizon, Novak rowed tirelessly through an ocean that felt more immense than the sky itself.

In that long, seemingly infinite journey, it was just him and his boat. He rowed unknown times before he lost track of how much time had passed.

Only then did he finally escape that bizarre trial, gaining the mysterious 'Hourglass of Time,' whose true purpose he hadn't even understood in his previous life.

Life is like a journey against the current—if you don't push forward, you'll be swept back.

But sometimes, retreating isn't an option. Stepping back won't always reveal broader horizons or open up new paths.

Death, like the tranquil summer night, may offer a peaceful reprieve.

Death is the end of all things, where one can let go of all struggles.

But Novak was unwilling—just as he had been unwilling to succumb when he drifted upon that eternal river.

And now, he was just as unwilling to submit to the endless abyss.

This abyss seemed like a gaping maw, eager to swallow everything whole.

This abyss was like a maze, a labyrinth named "Mediocrity."

Even though Novak's strength had already allowed him to lead within the trial grounds, the more he experienced, the less content he became.

And Novak did not want to be ordinary. He was determined to measure every layer of this boundless abyss himself, to truly understand how difficult and endless it was.

Beyond sheer persistence, which had always been his guiding principle, Novak had another secret weapon—his greatest advantage.

Time.

Because time was always on his side.