Chapter 27

Chapter 26: Sword Formation (Sword Completion) - Cheonyuseong (2)

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The heavy pressure felt all over his body.

The overloaded blood vessels screamed.

Jinhyuk frowned.

Indeed.

‘Is this the aftermath of using an SS-rank unique ability in the combat category?’

Until now, he hadn’t used any combat abilities except for fire elements, so he hadn’t really felt it.

But now, he could clearly understand.

The importance of the absolute amount of mana.

If he were to use Teresa’s unique ability later…

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

There was another reason to completely absorb the frozen tears.

‘I need to end this as quickly as possible.’

If he dragged it out, his body wouldn’t be able to hold up.

Jinhyuk gathered all the remaining mana.

Swoosh!

A black aura flickered at the tip of the sword.

The sword aura used by the Sword Demon.

Although the manifested power was only a fraction of its original strength.

This much is enough.

More than enough.

***

Crack!

Cheonyuseong’s teeth sank deep into his lips.

Blood seeped out, but he felt no pain.

‘I absolutely… cannot accept this.’

He had worked hard to the point of death.

In the game.

And outside the game.

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

The result was always a black and white screen.

The red letters [You Die] were the only thing that told him how his efforts had been.

One year, two years…

He couldn’t even count how many times he had read the message of death.

A time when he had given up everything and forgotten.

Right then.

The [Tower of Trials] arrived in reality.

This is it!

If he could start everything over again.

There was no reason to be inferior to that guy.

The current gap was only because he had started the game earlier and monopolized good opportunities.

But.

Even after finishing what he believed to be the best preparation…

Why!

Why do you only bring me despair again!

Cheonyuseong roared fiercely.

‘Soul Chasing Sword Dance (追魂劍舞).’

Dozens of sword auras split.

‘First Form (第一式).’

Tangible blue mana began to surge.

‘Soul Chasing Beast King Sword (追魂獸玀劍).’

Absolutely… absolutely!

“I cannot accept it!”

Cheonyuseong shouted and swung his sword.

Like the claws of a fierce beast.

Dozens of sword auras engulfed Jinhyuk.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The ground was sliced like paper.

Overwhelming power.

Even the mere sword wind forced an absurd physical force.

After the storm passed, only thick dust rose.

“Haa… Haa. Haa.”

Cheonyuseong panted heavily.

His chest heaved violently.

He had used his best ultimate technique.

This should have definitely hit.

However.

“What skill is this that creates so much dust?”

From the thick dust.

Thud.

Jinhyuk, unscathed, appeared.

He hadn’t blocked.

He hadn’t deflected.

He had simply dodged.

“Y-You read all the sword paths?”

More than dozens?

Such nonsense!

Even he, who had swung the sword, didn’t know all the sword paths.

“The Soul Chasing Sword isn’t bad, but I’ve fought someone who uses something faster and stronger than this.”

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

He had faced one of the absolute rulers of the tower.

“Ha, there’s no higher martial art above the Soul Chasing Sword except for what the Demon uses.”

“How did you know? You fought him?”

“To the end!”

Cheonyuseong drew his sword horizontally.

At the same time.

From above…

…to below.

Jinhyuk stabbed with his dagger.

Clang!

Swords of different trajectories clashed at a single point.

Clank!

The collision of qi and gang.

Blue sparks scattered in all directions.

But the balance didn’t last long.

The fully manifested black moon devoured Cheonyuseong’s gang energy in an instant.

“Guh!”

A heavy groan escaped Cheonyuseong’s mouth.

Even pouring mana like a berserker wasn’t enough.

It wasn’t a problem of mana. It wasn’t a problem of skills or unique abilities.

It was just the difference in how much they enjoyed and loved this world.

In the end.

Boom!

Cheonyuseong knelt on one knee.

“Guh!”

Boom!

The iron sword he was holding was knocked out of his hand by the following blow.

The sword, spinning in the air, embedded itself in the ground.

The battle was finally decided.

“I seem to have won again. I’m not sure exactly how many wins, though.”

He had forgotten the count long ago.

Even if he estimated low, it was probably over a hundred.

“138.”

138.

Already that many?

“Next time, it will be 139. Of course, if you still think you have a chance of winning.”

At Jinhyuk’s words, Cheonyuseong’s eyes widened.

“Next time?

“Yes, next time. Oh! If you could come back stronger than now, that would be great.”

To use the copying ability on the same target, 90 days were needed.

And.

If Jinhyuk knew Cheonyuseong, he would come back with even more useful abilities next time they met.

‘It’s like making a catering buffet come to you.’

Why go through the trouble of searching everywhere for copies?

When there’s a guy right in front of you who’s desperate to get stronger?

It’s best to raise such a guy slowly and then eat him.

‘I’ll even get [That Skill] on the 15th floor for you.’

Thinking about copying the opportunities that only a training enthusiast could obtain, Jinhyuk’s lips naturally curled up.

Of course.

“Kill him. No sympathy is needed.”

From Cheonyuseong’s perspective, this could only be perceived as cheap sympathy.

Well.

There’s probably no one in the world who would refuse to be saved except for this guy.

There’s nothing he can do.

Jinhyuk sighed and retrieved his dagger.

“You know, the Tower of Trials isn’t an easy place. Even rankers die when they let their guard down, right?”

Talking about the difficulty of the tower would only hurt his mouth.

Especially now, with the added variable of ‘people,’ the difficulty has increased even more compared to the past.

“That’s why we need as many strong players as possible. Especially someone as strong as you.”

“Someone as strong… as me?”

Cheonyuseong’s eyes trembled faintly.

A strange look.

It felt like a son, who had been ignored all his life, was finally recognized by his father.

This was a turning point.

…Now.

Jinhyuk extended his hand toward Cheonyuseong.

At the same time, he subtly activated another skill.

[Lv2 ‘Empathy’ activated.]

[The target’s hostility towards you has decreased.]

[Goodwill has slightly increased.]

Cheonyuseong, who had taken Jinhyuk’s hand and stood up, brushed off the dust on his body.

“…You’re not wrong. But remember, the result will be completely different next time.”

Of course. How could it not be?

“Yeah, I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Jinhyuk smirked.

But.

Cheonyuseong, who was about to deactivate the barrier, hesitated.

“Come to think of it, I still don’t know your name.”

“Since we won’t see each other often, there’s no need to introduce ourselves, right?”

Hey, you. Over there. Hey, etc.

Pronouns are there for such times, right?

“Yeah, I get it. Then I’ll call you by your original name.”

Huh?

It feels intense.

Could it be…

“Wait! Don’t call me that.”

Jinhyuk called out urgently.

I’ll tell you my name. Please.

Stop, you brat!

“Colonel Teemo.”

Ah, don’t call me that…

Jinhyuk pressed his temples with his fingers.

At the same time, he realized once again how much impact a nickname created for fun could have.

And it was a very painful realization.

***

While Jinhyuk was finishing his battle with Cheonyuseong and collecting items.

Another incident was happening in the ruins.

The attack team, who had just finished a battle and were resting.

“Hyung Cheonwha, didn’t you say you cleared all the monsters in front of us?”

A magic user, using a detection spell, tilted his head.

“Yeah, an hour ago, Gwangil took the kids and swept them all away.”

“Really? Hmm…”

“Why?”

“It’s just that the detection spell is picking up mana reactions. It seems to be one or two…”

“No way. I know they checked three times to make sure the Specters were definitely dealt with. Let’s check it out.”

Song Cheonwha approached the man.

Sure enough.

A red dot was displayed on the semi-transparent holographic screen.

“Huh. Gwangil, that guy. He must have been lazy and did a sloppy job.”

Song Cheonwha scratched his head.

Sometimes this happens.

Missing one or two ghost monsters like Specters, which are easy to overlook.

But right then.

“Wait, hold on. This guy is starting to move.”

“Move? What do you mean? These guys stay in one place unless they’re aggroed, right?”

“I’m serious! And it’s fast. It’s coming straight this way!”

At that moment.

Thud! Thud!

Footsteps began to be heard nearby.

Footsteps that shouldn’t exist for ghost-type monsters.

Song Cheonwha’s pupils dilated.

If, just if…

If it wasn’t that a Specter was missed, but a new entity appeared that didn’t exist before?

And if no one noticed it breaking through the outer perimeter and approaching so close?

It was chilling.

A shiver ran down his spine.

“Wake up… all the guys who are resting!”

“Everyone?”

“Yeah, everyone!”

Song Cheonwha shouted.

***

A short while later, a giant golem, about 3 meters tall, appeared in front of the attack team.

A bulky body made of rock.

But what was more concerning was the white-haired man sitting on the golem’s shoulder.

“Hmm. Hello, everyone.”

A sweet voice that lingered in the ears.

The man smiled at Song Cheonwha.

“You… you can talk?”

“Damn. Of all things, an intelligent monster.”

“That golem isn’t just a golem; it’s an Iron Golem. It won’t even scratch with edged weapons.”

The players muttered to each other.

Intelligent monsters known for being difficult to deal with.

Especially, human-like entities were the type of monsters players most avoided.

“Are you the boss monster of this ruin?”

Song Cheonwha, hiding behind a large shield, asked.

“Ha ha, my name is Belus. I am one of the bloodlines serving the master of this ruin.”

“Bloodline? If you’re a bloodline…”

Song Cheonwha’s pupils dilated as he repeated the word.

“No way.”

Among the beautiful human-like monsters, only one uses that term.

“Vampire…”

And if that’s true.

The master of this ruin, whom this man serves, is…

Swallow!

A dry swallow ran down Song Cheonwha’s throat.

True Ancestor.

One of the strongest beings in the Tower of Trials.

This place is his territory.

‘There’s no chance of winning.’

He never imagined that such a powerful monster would exist on the 1st floor.

Even with Teresa and the secret weapons he had prepared, the True Ancestor was an exception.

‘He must be at least level 500 or higher.’

At this point, no unique ability or holy relic could hunt him.

Song Cheonwha struggled to speak.

“What do you want from us? You didn’t come here for no reason, right?”

“Ho. You have a good eye. Yes, I came here to make a proposal.”

Belus jumped off the golem’s shoulder.

Thud.

A light landing that seemed to defy gravity.

“What kind of proposal?”

“I’ll give you a choice. Choose one of the two. First, will all of you come with me quietly? Or…”

Red mana began to condense in Belus’s palm.

“Will you be killed off by half as an example and dragged away like livestock?”