Chapter 12: - Caaaaang!

- Caaaaang!

The sound of a violent collision between two metal weapons spread across the room. Kang Shin-hyuk held his trembling hand, which had been crushed and twisted by the insurmountable force of the monster's strike. But luckily, he was still alive.

Kang Shin-hyuk had blocked the monster's attack with the Godslayer sword, which, for an unknown reason, appeared in his hand before the monster could deal a fatal blow. Had it not been for its sudden appearance, his head would have been torn apart by the axe.

[Godslayer Sword]

[D+ Rank]

[Special Ability Unlocked - Blade Predation]

[Special Ability Unlocked - Regression] (1)

As Kang Shin-hyuk glanced at the sword in his hand, a message was engraved on his retina.

The Godslayer sword's information was expressed through a message with the Gaia system's assistance.

According to the information, the Godslayer sword, which was obviously at the level of a general weapon when it was first obtained, was now a respectable artifact with two special abilities!

'Blade Predation. Regression.'

In a short moment, Kang Shin-hyuk racked his brain trying to understand what had just happened.

First of all, Kang Shin-hyuk was able to stop the monster's axe due to his special ability Regression, which instantly 'brought' the Godslayer promptly from his dorm room.

Second, the Godslayer sword had probably leveled up to D Rank because the Godslayer sword devoured the E+ Rank longsword containing the feeble amount of spirit power he made today.

It didn't matter if the blade predation ability existed before or after that. The important thing was that thanks to the upgrade, he was able to live.

- Kikik, spirit power. More spirit power!

"Spirit power? This bastard. . . . . ."

Most monsters can't speak properly, but the monsters who could speak are dangerous. It was already a widely publicized fact.

Kang Shin-hyuk pretended to play along in its conversation and wondered, "How can I survive in this situation?"

- Spirit power, I have to find it. Spirit power! Find it, eat it!

There were two options: Fight the monster or escape.

But since he didn't think the B Rank monster War Troll variant would be slower than him, it would be practically impossible to escape. If he somehow jumped out of the window. . . . . . It would still be impossible.

'Now, it's dangerous outside. He broke into this hotel straight for me in the first place. That means he might have the ability to track my spirit power. Though it does seem that the spirit power he's wielding comes from the axe, rather than himself. . . . . . "

Was it because of the memory of the blacksmith in his previous life, or was it because of his own spirit power? Kang Shin-hyuk instinctively knew the fact just by looking at the axe the troll was holding.

The spirit power flowing within it wasn't that of its own, but that of the axe.

Even so, it was strange. The Administrator had said spirit power is a very rare force, but people from left to right were showing it like there was some sort of a spirit power bargain sale today!

'Wait, what if my presence with Claire affected the Irregular Gate's breakout. . . . . .?'

No, wasn't that hypothesis too far fetched? He put aside the idea for now because it didn't help him to solve the current situation.

'Anyway, I have to fight now.'

In the end, only that crappy conclusion remained.

Fighting a variant B Rank monster? Nature must have a terrible sense of humor because the current situation was not a joke for him.

Kang Shin-hyuk gritted his teeth and put his hand into his arms.

Kirrrrrryik!

"Crap!"

As soon as the monster lifted its axe, it noticed Kang Shin-hyuk's suspicious movement, Kang Shin-hyuk threw a sword at it with as much determination and strength as possible with his broken, twisted hands.

Kang Shin-hyuk's skill Eighteen Techniques. . . . . . No, Fanged Wyvern Dance (2), which had now grown into an S- level, was quite useful for this unexpected circumstance, as it also supported throwing techniques.

- Kikik!

However, it was utterly insignificant compared to the power of the War Troll. The sword, which was hit by a lightly swung axe, bounced off helplessly falling to the other side of the room.

Of course, Kang Shin-hyuk didn't think he could damage the troll with it. It was just an attempt to restrain the troll's movement for a moment.

As soon as he threw the sword away, he took the cap off the potion he had taken out of his arms and drank it; not paying any attention to the sword's whereabouts.

- Consuming the Alchemist's Special Boost Potion (S++).

- All light wounds are fully recovered. Effectiveness has been amplified by the efficient acceptance of the potion's spirit power. All non-fatal wounds are fully recovered, and the remaining healing power will reside in your body for protection!

- For 10 minutes all your status will be raised by two levels. Effectiveness has been amplified by the efficient acceptance of the potion's spiritual power. For 15 minutes your status will be amplified by three levels!

- You have succeeded in drawing more than the limits of the potion's power! The potion's full effectiveness has grown one step further! For 20 minutes all your status will be amplified by four levels!

[Kang Shin-hyuk - D → C+ Rank]

[Physical Status]

Force - D → C+

Agility - C- → B

Stamina - D → C+

[Special Abilities]

Spirit Power - E- → D

A dramatic change had hit Kang Shin-hyuk. It was a moment when his body temporarily broke its limits and evolved!

But that wasn't all. The potion, full of spiritual power, was temporarily amplifying his own spiritual power!

His body felt ridiculously light, so much so that he felt he could float to the sky with a light jump. Claire was such an incredible alchemist, he thought. To temporarily, amplify all his statuses by four levels was a God-given power to create miracles!

Even more surprising was the fact that Kang Shin-hyuk's spirit power combined with the potion's spirit power to double its effectiveness, but that was something to think about later.

'With this, I might be able to hold my ground.'

Kang Shin-hyuk's arm, whose muscles had been torn and whose bones had been twisted, also recovered in an instant.

The troll, who realized that Kang Shin-hyuk had deceived him, kicked the floor in anger, but Kang Shin-hyuk already had the Godslayer sword returned in his hand by using the 'Regression' ability. Combining with the awakened Fanged Wyvern's power, he quickly released his spirit power to strengthen the sword.

"Heup!"

- Kiyooooohhh!

The War Troll leapt towards Kang Shin-hyuk with a groan, and its axe and the Godslayer violently clashed. This time, he was able to read the opponent's movements properly and react on time!

Kang Shin-hyuk used his competent martial art ability to neutralize the attack's force as much as possible, but the troll's strength was so strong that he was overwhelmed mercilessly.

Kuohhhhhhhhhh!

It was impossible to face a troll head-on even with his upgraded physical strength! What a ridiculous monster it was.

However, he was able to grasp the extent of his power with that clash.

- What did you do? spirit power! Spirit power has grown! Give it to me! If you don't give it to me, I'll take it!

Once Kang Shin-hyuk managed to withstand the axe's power and stepped back; the monster leapt forward.

As the axe rose in unison with the troll, Kang Shin-hyuk was able to clearly read the monster's next move. His eyes, enhanced by the awakened Fanged Wyvern, was reading the movements of his opponent's muscles in minute detail.

'Two attacks incoming-a kick and a strike from the axe.'

The monster moved in a way that seemed to be expecting Kang Shin-hyuk to take a step back. If that was the case, he wouldn't back down. Believing in his amplified agility, he made a quick dash.

Kang Shin-hyuk moved past the axe's orbit with his sword held straight up as if to grind its legs into a thin line!

- Kiyak!?

Due to his weak status and inability to handle mana, Kang Shin-hyuk was used to fighting those who were stronger than him.

He dodged the troll's kick by a hair's breadth and reached close to the point where he could see its thigh.

The Godslayer sword tore its groin and carved out a wound.

"Crap, it's shallow. . . . . ."

- Khak!

Kang Shin-hyuk's face was splashed with black blood. It was that moment when the enemy was inflicted with valid damage for the first time.

However, there was no time to be happy as the troll's enormous healing capacity allowed it to quickly recover. In fact, the wounds it had just received up were slowly clogging up.

"But the real attack begins now!!"

He launched a stronger attack at the moment when the enemy was wounded and instinctively slowed down. Kang Shin-hyuk drew his sword with all his strength as it slipped through the monster's groin.

At the very moment of engraving, a deep wound on its body, the dragon emblem on the Godslayer sword shone brighter than ever before. It looked like a dragon was ascending to heaven!

"Wow!"

Kiyakkkkkkkkkkk!

Black blood poured out of the monster's wounds like a waterfall. He could see the ragged monster's genitalia dripping on the floor.

After he backed off and re-positioned, Kang Shin-hyuk let out a wolfish smile. Even a troll wouldn't be able to regenerate that wound right away!

However, just as he felt happy for dealing a fatal blow to a B-class monster, a shock-wave blasted in from an unknown direction, throwing Kang Shin-hyuk to the opposite wall.

"Kuk!!"

- Kahaaaaaaah!

Kang Shin-hyuk felt an unpleasant and inscrutable sticky feeling. It wasn't magical power, nor spirit power. The shock-wave that attacked Kang Shin-hyuk hit him again from the front.

He was just behind the troll, so how was the situation turned so quickly? However, traits and skills made some situations irrational, making such things possible.

'Here it comes again. . . . . . '

Feeling the terrifying force of the shock-wave from a distance, Kang Shin-hyuk hurriedly rolled to the side and avoided it, but just before he got up from his position, the troll's axe blade closed in on him.

- Die! Die!

"Kuk!!"

Even a B rank agility couldn't fully respond to that attack. But thanks to the martial arts that had been engraved onto his body through years of training, he was able to block the attack by raising his sword at the last second.

He flew in the air for a moment due to the attack's force, but he was able to stand up in the nick of time before the troll moved in.

His legs trembled. While spewing blood, Kang Shin-hyuk grabbed his sword and looked straight ahead.

- You hurt me! Ahhhhh! You hurt me!

"Tseup. . . . . . "

The real fight was starting now. The War Troll mentally pressured Kang Shin-hyuk with its eyes that were as dark as the blood he spilled out of its groin.

An axe of tremendous weight and a shock-wave rushing in from random directions! If Kang Shin-hyuk's senses were not activated to their limits, he would have been torn to pieces by the combination.

- Try this! Try this! Karhaaaaa!

"Keuk."

Kang Shin-hyuk was stumbling but somehow managing its attacks. Every attack left a huge burden on his body, but luckily he still had the effect of the potion Claire had given him.

The potion was barely preventing Kang Shin-hyuk's body from breaking apart. But that wasn't going to last long either. The force of the potion was not infinite.

'Can I hold out until Claire gets here?'

He wondered as he withstood the troll's attacks, soon the answer he came to was 'no.'

War trolls were fast, strong, and meticulous. If that was everything, he might have dealt some serious blows to the creature with his amplified status, but there was the problem of the occasional shock wave. He was dodging it as much as he could, but the damage to his body continued accumulating.

'Before I get any more tired. Before I run out of energy.'

He had to throw a winning move.

There was a firm determination in Kang Shin-hyuk's eyes. The strength of the sword rose even higher in his hand.

What came to his mind at this moment was nothing other than the Godslayer sword's 'sword dance.'

He had a hunch that if it was the unparalleled force of the sword dance, he would be able to cut down anything, whether it was the War Toll's axe or the unknown shock-wave.

'If it's now, I may be able to reproduce it to some extent.'

If it's a body that has temporarily reached C+ Rank, it might be able to follow the sword dance's movements by combining with the D rank spiritual power.

No, rather, he had no choice but to follow those movements.

'I have to recreate the images of sword dance that the Godslayer sword holds. . . . . . I'll extract the Godslayer sword's origin with my spiritual power and link it to my own origin!'

Kang Shin-hyuk shut his eyes.

The spirit power stretched out from him and dug deep into the Godslayer sword, covering it entirely. In an instant, the images contained in the Godslayer sword covered Kang Shin-hyuk's ego.

As soon as his head complained from the pain, muscles all over his body tightened.

- Mm?

Closing one's eyes with an enemy in front of him was tantamount to suicide.

The troll was flustered at the sight, thinking he was crazy, but it did not slow down in its attacks.

On the contrary, the War Troll thought, it was nice to be able to cut off his neck neatly.

- Give me your neck!

Just as the axe blade was about to cut through Kang Shin-hyuk's neck. . . . . .

"Keuk. . . . . . !"

Kang Shin-hyuk took a step forward with a gruesome sound of his flesh tearing apart.

Blood spurted from both his legs and arms, even though he had not yet been attacked. By trying to reproduce movements that couldn't be performed with his current abilities, he was leaving incredible strains on his bones and muscles.

Nevertheless, even though the 'sword dance' was incomplete, it was enough to avoid the War Troll's attack. No, what's more. . . . . .

- Khak!?

At the moment when the dragon imprinted on the Godlslayer sword shone brightly, the entire arm of the troll holding the axe was cut off.

His thick arm fell to the floor with the axe still in hand, spewing blood everywhere. Not understanding what had just happened, the troll was astonished, its black eyes wide open.

- How. . . . . . . !

The troll was a great warrior. He tried blocking Kang Shin-hyuk's movement by instinctively firing shock waves, despite the sharp pain that came at the moment his arm was cut off.

If Kang Shin-hyuk had not thought of reproducing the sword dance infused in the Godslayer sword at that moment.

If he hadn't thought of linking himself with the sword and reproducing the images of the sword dance.

The Troll would have been able to accomplish his goal safely.

"Heup."

Again and again, the sword embroidered a fine line of trajectory in the air. (3)

The first slash neutralized the shock wave, followed by a slash that cut the neck of the troll.

"Keuk. . . . . . "

He could feel his arm muscles tear to shreds, and his headache had become even worse.

Only

Just as Kang Shin-hyuk was about to have a heart attack, he opened his eyes, enduring a pain so terrible that he gasped.

The neck and eyes of the troll, which hovered in the air for a moment, met his eyes.

"Ha."

Facing black eyes filled with consternation, Kang Shin-hyuk smiled clearly despite the pain of his whole body being torn apart.

He had succeeded in killing the enemy.

Translator and Editor Notes:

1: So, I was thinking about changing the abilities name to [Returner], or something else, however, the definition of Regression is 'a return to a former or less developed state.' Pulled from google dictionary. So, I decided to keep it, but add a note instead of changing it.

2: Changed from "Lesser Dragon Dance."

3: It's like that fancy anime slash where the slash remains in the air after the attack, so Fancy!