Chapter 26: Sword Saint, Cheon Yu-seong (2)

Chapter 26: Sword Saint, Cheon Yu-seong (2)

Throb! Throb! Throb!

A heavy pressure that could be felt throughout the body.

The overburdened blood vessels screamed in protest.

Jinhyuk frowned.

As expected.

'So this is the aftermath of using an SS-rank combat system unique ability.'

Until now, he hadn't really used any combat abilities apart from those with the element of fire, so it didn't feel real.

But now, it was clear.

Just how important the absolute amount of magic power was.

If he were to use Theresa's unique ability later on...

No matter how much magic power he had, it would never be enough.

There was another reason to fully absorb the 'Frozen Tears.'

'I need to finish this as quickly as possible.'

If he dragged this out, his body wouldn't hold up.

Jinhyuk gathered all the remaining magic power he had.

Flurries!

A black aura flickered at the tip of his sword.

The sword aura used by the Sword Demon.

What he manifested was far from even a tenth of its original power.

But this was enough.

More than enough.

* * *

Clench!

Cheon Yu-seong's teeth bit deeply into his lip.

Blood seeped out, but he didn't feel any pain.

'I absolutely... cannot accept this.'

He had worked himself to death.

Both in the game and outside of it.

But no matter how much he trained and worked hard, he couldn't beat the guy in front of him.

The outcome was always the same, a grayscale screen.

Red letters spelling [You Die], telling the story of all his efforts until now.

One year, two years...

He had faced death message so many times he couldn't even count, as many seasons had passed.

Only to give up on everything and forget the years that had followed.

That's when it happened.

The [Tower of Trials] became reality.

This was it!

If only he could start everything all over again.

There was absolutely no reason for him to be outclassed by that guy.

The gap between them was simply because the other person started the game earlier and monopolized all the good opportunities.

But despite being confident he had done his utmost preparation...

Why!

Why do you only bring me despair once again!

Cheon Yu-seong roared fiercely.

'Chasing Spirit Sword Dance.'

Dozens of split sword auras.

'First Form.'

Physical blue magical power began to overflow.

'Chasing Spirit Demon Sword.'

Absolutely... Absolutely!

"I cannot accept this!"

Cheon Yu-seong swung his sword as he shouted.

Just like the claws of a beast.

Dozens of sword auras swallowed Jinhyuk.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The ground cut away like a sheet of paper.

Overwhelming power.

Even the mere sword wind forced an enormous physical force.

Where the storm passed, nothing was left but a cloud of dust.

"Hah... Hah. Hah."

Cheon Yu-seong gasped for breath.

His chest heaved violently.

He had used his ultimate technique.

This should have definitely worked.

But...

"What's with this skill producing so much dust?"

From within the whirl of dust.

Step.

Jinhyuk, unharmed, revealed himself.

He hadn't blocked it.

Nor had he counterattacked.

He simply dodged.

"Did you, read... all my sword moves?"

Over dozens of them?

Such a thing, impossible!

Even he who swung the sword couldn't remember all the moves.

"The Chasing Spirit Sword isn't bad, but I've fought guys who use stuff that's faster and stronger than this."

Not here on the 1st floor, but much higher up.

He had once faced one of the absolute rulers of the Tower.

"It's funny. There is no higher martial arts than Chasing Spirit Sword other than those used by the Demon King."

"How did you know? Have you fought with that guy?"

"Until the very end!"

Cheon Yu-seong drew his sword horizontally.

At the same time.

From above...

...to below.

Jinhyuk thrust his dagger downward.

Clang!

The paths of their swords collided at one point.

Crack!

The clash of energy and sword aura.

Blue sparks scattered in all directions.

However, the balance did not last long.

The fully manifested Black Moon devoured Cheon Yu-seong's sword aura instantly.

"Kugh!"

A heavy groan escaped from Cheon Yu-seong's lips.

Despite pouring in magic power almost to the point of frenzy, it wasn't enough.

It wasn't a problem of magic power. Nor was it a problem of skill or unique ability.

The difference between them was merely how much they enjoyed and loved this world.

In the end.

Boom!

Cheon Yu-seong knelt on one knee.

"Cough!"

Crash!

Following the blow, he dropped the iron sword he'd been holding.

The sword that spun in the air lodged itself in the ground.

The battle was finally decided.

"Looks like I won again this time. I'm not exactly sure how many wins this makes."

He had long since lost count of their battles.

Even by a conservative estimate, it had to be in the doubles digits.

"13...8."

138 times.

It had already reached that many?

"Next time it'll be 139. Of course, that's if you're under the delusion that you have a chance of winning."

Jinhyuk's words made Cheon Yu-seong narrow his eyes.

"Next time you say?

"Yeah, next time. Oh! And if you could come back a bit stronger than now, that'd be great."

To use the copy ability on the same target again, a 90-day interval was required.

And.

If he knows Cheon Yu-seong, the next time they meet, he'll have even more useful abilities.

'It's like making a buffet come right to me.'

Why go through the trouble of searching and copying elsewhere?

There's a guy right in front of him frantic to get stronger.

Such a guy should be grown slowly and savoured when harvested.

'Next time on the 15th floor, I'll even acquire [that skill].'

Thinking about copying the opportunities available only to dedicated practitioners, a natural smile crept to his lips.

Of course.

"Just kill me. Spare me your pity."

From Cheon Yu-seong's perspective, such words could only be perceived as cheap pity.

Certainly.

There probably isn't another person in the world who would refuse salvation like him.

Can't be helped.

Jinhyuk sighed softly and retrieved his dagger.

"As you know, the Tower of Trials is no easy place. Even rankers can die if they lower their guard for a moment, right?"

There was no point in talking about the difficulty of the tower; it would only be a waste of breath.

Especially now, when the variable of 'people' had been added, the difficulty had only increased compared to the past.

"That's why we need as many strong players as possible. Especially ones who are particularly strong like yourself."

"Particularly strong... player?"

Cheon Yu-seong's eyes shook faintly.

An odd gaze.

Like a troublemaking son of a count, who had been ignored all his life, finally receiving recognition from his father.

He's taken the bait.

...Now's the time.

Jinhyuk reached out a hand towards Cheon Yu-seong.

At the same time, he triggered another skill almost imperceptibly.

[Lv2 'Sympathy' is activated.]

[Hostility from the target towards you has eased.]

[Affection has slightly increased.]

Cheon Yu-seong stood up, grabbing Jinhyuk's hand and dusting himself off.

"...You're not wrong. But remember this. Next time the outcome will be completely different."

Of course. It would be presumptuous otherwise.

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it."

Jinhyuk smirked.

But then.

Cheon Yu-seong, about to dispel the barrier, paused.

"Come to think of it, I still don't know your name."

"There's no need for formal introductions when we're not that familiar, right?"

Hey. You. Look here, and such.

Pronouns exist for these situations, don't they?

"Fine. I understand. Then I will call you as I have been."

Huh?

Something felt off.

Don't tell me...

"Wait! Don't use that to call me."

Jinhyuk quickly spoke up.

I'll tell you my name. Please.

Stop it, you fool!

"Timor the Colonel."

Ah. I said not to call me that...

Jinhyuk pressed his fingers to his temples.

At the same time, he remembered painfully well the impact a nickname chosen in jest could have.

Painfully well, indeed.

* * *

As Jinhyuk was finishing the battle with Cheon Yu-seong and was busy collecting items, another abnormality occurred elsewhere in the ruins.

A raiding party was taking a break after a battle.

"Cheonhwa hyung, didn't you say the monsters up ahead were all cleared out?"

A mage who used detection magic tilted their head in confusion.

"Yeah. Kwang-il and his team took care of it an hour ago."

"Really? Hm..."

"Why?"

"Well, I'm detecting some magical reactions on the magic radar. Looks like one or two creatures..."

"That can't be. Kwang-il supposedly cleared out all the spectres, he checked three times just to be sure. Let me see."

Song Cheonhwa approached the man.

Indeed.

A translucent screen displayed a red dot indicating a magical reaction.

"Damn it. Did Kwang-il screw up and do a sloppy job?"

Sometimes, this happens.

Especially with ghost monsters like specters, a couple sometimes get missed.

But just then.

"Wait! Stop. It's moving."

"What do you mean, moving? These guys, if they aren't aggroed, they just stay in one place?"

"Seriously! And it's fast. It's heading this way!"

At that moment.

Groom. Groom!

Sound of footsteps nearby.

Footsteps that should be impossible for a spectral creature.

Song Cheonhwa's pupils quaked.

If, and it's a big if...

If it wasn't just a miscount of specters, and instead if something new had appeared...

And it had managed to sneak up close without anyone noticing until now...

Chills ran up his spine.

"Wake up everyone who's resting, now!"

"Ev, everyone?"

"Yes, everyone!"

Song Cheonhwa shouted.

* * *

Shortly after, a 3-meter-tall golem appeared before the raid party.

A massive body made of rock.

However, what caught their attention more than the golem was the white-haired man sitting on its shoulder.

"Hmm. Greetings, humans."

His melodious voice echoed softly.

The man smiled at Song Cheonhwa.

"It talks?"

"Damn. It had to be an intelligent monster."

"That's not just any golem, it's an Iron Golem. It won't even scratch from normal weapons."

The players murmured among themselves.

Intelligent monsters, especially those with humanoid forms, were notoriously tricky to deal with and generally avoided by players.

"Are you the boss monster of these ruins?"

Song Cheonhwa asked, shielding his body with a large shield.

"Ha, my name is Belus. I am but one of the Blood Clans serving the master of these ruins."

"Blood Clan? If you're from the Blood Clan..."

Song Cheonhwa's pupils dilated sharply.

"You can't mean..."

Among the monstrously human-looking monsters with that title, only one was renowned.

"Vampire..."

If that was true, then...

Swallow!

A dry gulp traveled down Song Cheonhwa's throat.

The True Ancestor.

One of the most formidable beings in the Tower of Trials.

This was the monster's territory.

'We're outmatched.'

It was beyond imagination that a creature of such might would be on the 1st floor.

Even if they had Theresa or another secret weapon ready, it didn't matter against a True Ancestor.

'At least level 500 or higher...'

At this point, no unique abilities or sacred relics could take down such a creature.

Song Cheonhwa spoke with difficulty.

"What is it that you want? You wouldn't have come here without a reason, right?"

"Ho. You are quite perceptive, sir. As you said, I am here for a reason. I have a proposition to make."

Belus jumped off the golem's shoulder.

Thud.

He landed with a lightness that seemed to defy gravity.

"What's the proposition?"

"You have a choice to make. Pick one of the two options. The first: all of you here come with me quietly. Or..."

Red magic power began to condense in Belus's palm.

"As an example, shall half of you die first before being dragged away like cattle?"