Chapter 63

Temple of Luck 13 - Chapter 10

Sueron was startled.

The farmer, who had been the only one to remain silent and seemed easy to handle, was not only unafraid but...

‘Smiling?’

What is this composure?

‘No way!’

Could this guy be another named NPC as well!

“Stop!”

Sueron, sensing the ominous presence, urgently shouted. But it was already too late. Three vanguards had approached the smiling farmer and were swinging their swords.

The ominous premonition hit the mark.

Kacha!

A small sickle, less than 40 centimeters long, was wielded by the farmer. With a single swing, he blocked all three attacks coming from different directions.

It was clear that he had predicted where the enemies would attack and had devised a way to respond in an instant.

The Golden Guild members were bewildered. It felt as if their thoughts had been read.

Ching!

The farmer pushed away the three swords that were locked with his sickle. As a result, the sword wielders had no choice but to lift their arms and expose their vulnerabilities.

Was he overpowering three people alone?

No, not quite.

This was just a trick. He suppressed the enemies from using their full strength while maximizing his own.

‘Is this even possible?’

The Golden Guild members were confused.

It felt like they were being toyed with on the palm of the farmer... no, the palm of a Buddha.

The farmer attacked them.

Puck!

“Gah!”

The sickle slipped through the gaps in their armor, tearing at the Golden Guild members' flesh. However, it did not inflict fatal damage.

Compared to Piaro, who could kill enemies with a single strike of a hoe, this was a minor attack.

“I can’t do it with my current skills.”

The farmer, Crowzel, discarded the sickle. He then drew a silver-glowing curved sword and sliced the Golden Guild members' necks.

This was a moment that clearly demonstrated Crowzel's resolute nature, showing no mercy to the enemy.

The dying Golden Guild members blamed Sueron.

‘He said there were holes...’

‘Master, do you even see holes in that... damn it...’

“Mad!”

Sueron, enraged by the loss of his three subordinates, spat out curses.

He couldn’t understand at all.

What kind of place is this?

How can a mere farmer be this strong?

It was frustrating to the point of madness. It felt like he had become Alice in Wonderland.

On the verge of losing his mind, Sueron kept cursing and shouted.

“Damn! If a farmer can do this, are the soldiers all dragon slayers? What the hell! Does this make any sense!”

How did that damn Grid manage to gather such talents with his skills! And why is he using them as farmers!

No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t understand. Not understanding was driving him mad. He felt like he was going to explode.

With bloodshot eyes, the farmer made a suggestion to the trembling Sueron.

“Sending more subordinates will only increase the casualties. Wouldn’t it be better for the leader to step in?”

He was right. The three vanguards were level 230, higher than the guild’s average level. If he sent more subordinates against the one who had killed them, it would result in significant losses.

But to retreat?

That was out of the question. If the master showed his back to the enemy in front of his subordinates, he would lose his authority and loyalty.

He had no choice but to step in. And he was confident he could defeat that farmer.

The farmer was definitely weaker than the monster Piaro.

Sueron accepted the suggestion.

“Alright, I’ll kill you myself.”

First, I’ll take off that straw hat. Then I’ll enjoy watching your dying face!

Determined, Sueron harvested the souls of the dead guild members with <Soul Seizure> and summoned <Soul Arrows> using them as a medium.

Pew pew pew!

Three soul arrows shot out, adorned with green light. They were incredibly fast.

But they didn’t match the rapid fire of the great archer Jishuka. They weren’t enough to threaten Crowzel.

Crowzel simply moved his head slightly to dodge the arrows.

Sueron wasn’t surprised. Instead, he smiled bitterly.

“Soul Explosion!”

Kaboom!

The three soul arrows, which seemed to pass harmlessly by Crowzel, exploded with great force.

This was the moment when the unique skill, which inflicted damage proportional to the caster’s attack power and magic, was activated.

Sueron expected the farmer to be reduced to rags.

But the farmer, emerging from the smoke caused by the explosion, had only sustained minor damage.

With wide eyes, Sueron received advice from the farmer.

“Your skill chaining is too slow. It makes it easy to react. You should practice chaining them faster.”

“Nonsense!”

It’s impossible to chain skills with delays any faster. This is already fast enough. The timing was perfect. Any other opponent would have died from this combo.

‘You’re the one who’s abnormal!’

Sueron, barely holding back those words, shouted.

“What makes you think you can teach me!”

Sueron’s pride was deeply wounded. He summoned a weapon from his inventory.

<Malicious Clever Sword>

A weapon obtained by clearing Vasko’s Labyrinth with his guild members, it is a legendary one-handed sword that boosts the user’s strength and intelligence.

It pairs excellently with the Soul Seizer, whose all skills are influenced by attack power and magic.

Sueron swung the sword with all his might. Crowzel defended with his White Blade.

Clang!

Their weapons clashed, sparks flying.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The two engaged in 13 continuous exchanges, moving between the ground and the air. Sueron’s cloak and Crowzel’s straw hat crossed several times, creating a dazzling battle.

Crowzel’s eyes sparkled.

‘He has a good foundation in swordsmanship and a high sword mastery level.’

Soul Seizer.

Judging from the skill tree, it seemed closer to a mage, but it was actually closer to a warrior.

Sueron was enhancing his beloved weapon with <Soul Transfer>.

Ching!

The enhanced attack power boosted Sueron’s momentum. His sword strikes became much heavier.

Even so, he couldn’t overpower Crowzel.

Crowzel had mastered the principle of effective reinforcement. He moved like water, deflecting strong attacks and countering them.

“Gah!”

As the battle didn’t go as planned, Sueron’s anger boiled over. But maintaining composure during combat is a basic necessity. He tried to stay as calm as possible.

The conflict between reason and emotion.

In the brief moment, reason barely won.

Sueron’s chaotic sword path returned to calm.

“I will win! Soul Seize!”

<Soul Seize>

It steals a portion of a living target’s soul. The target, with their soul stolen, has difficulty controlling their body for a certain period and suffers continuous damage.

‘A good skill.’

Crowzel’s shoulder was deeply pierced by the Malicious Clever Sword. Originally aimed at his heart, Crowzel had minimized the damage.

‘To still move this much after having your soul stolen!’

The farmer felt stronger with each encounter.

Sueron began to waver.

‘I believed I was the supreme one...!’

The Soul Seizer is a combat-specialized class with a variety of useful battle skills.

Considering that Crowzel and Agnus rarely engage in external activities, and comparing himself to the current mainstream Temple of Luck and Grid, Sueron was confident he was the strongest.

But now, it seemed he was far from it. Being held back by mere NPCs was pathetic.

Perhaps I’m weaker than I thought.

‘I need to focus on leveling up for a while.’

As Sueron made this decision, Crowzel, looking at his wound, was gradually filled with excitement.

‘Beyond the rumors.’

Crowzel highly evaluated the Soul Seizer class and Sueron’s sword skills.

He could confidently say that Sueron was the strongest player he had met.

‘This is enjoyable.’

Originally, Crowzel had little interest in PvP.

His focus was solely on adventures, hunting, and raids.

But living with Piaro had gradually changed his nature.

Fighting strong opponents became fun. PvP had a unique charm different from raids. And this process was closely linked to the realm of sword mastery.

Maybe I should participate in the national tournament next year.

“Huhuhu.”

‘Is he crazy?’

Sueron thought the farmer, who started laughing despite bleeding, was insane.

Crowzel approached him step by step.

Beyond the Heavens.

The sky outside the sky.

The master of this grand title, meaning the infinite realm, unleashed his true strength with enthusiasm.

“Moonlit Sword.”

“...!”

At that moment.

Sueron realized that the farmer in front of him hadn’t used any skills until now!

Swoosh. Swoosh.

The dark night sky was illuminated by two moons.

As Crowzel’s movements accelerated, he gained the stealth effect with each step under the moonlight.

Sueron had to concentrate to not lose track of Crowzel’s disappearing presence.

But how could he detect the presence that even Piaro couldn’t sense?

Crowzel completely disappeared.

Panicked, Sueron consumed five of the Snake Guild members’ souls he had previously recovered and deployed <Soul Armor>.

Pew!

A transparent green armor formed and overlaid Sueron’s armor. Clenching his teeth, Sueron prepared for the incoming attack.

Ching! Ching! Ching! Ching! Ching!

“Gah...!”

Invisible sword strikes from all directions pressured Sueron. Without the Soul Armor, he would have suffered fatal injuries.

Sueron, barely holding off the attack, was drenched in cold sweat.

‘The Soul Armor is dissipating!’

Level 2 Soul Armor absorbs a staggering 17,300 damage.

Not only did it destroy the armor with a single skill, but it also injured me.

‘What a monster!’

As Sueron wavered and staggered, a straw hat suddenly appeared in his field of vision.

The black eyes beneath the hat were enough to send shivers down Sueron’s spine.

“Mole Ascension.”

Pew!

A white blade shot up from below. Sueron, unable to react, was cut deeply. His eyes were filled with shock.

Since becoming a Soul Seizer, had he ever felt powerless?

Absolutely not. This was the first time.

“D...amn! What are you!”

Sueron, spitting blood, asked. Crowzel pondered how to answer.

Then, recalling Piaro’s self-introduction, he answered accordingly.

“A temporary farmer in Raidan.”

“Temporary...!”

Sueron thought it was a title like Sword Master, Dao Master, or Magic Master because of how confidently it was said.

“You’re just a farmer!”

Crowzel nodded at Sueron’s outburst.

“Right. I’m just a farmer.”

It was true. For the next two weeks, Crowzel was just a farmer.

Like other farmers, he received three meals and snacks. Perhaps because it was a short-term contract, accommodation was also provided. The only thing missing was a salary.

“Damn!”

Tired of the wordplay, Sueron created <Soul Prison> using 11 souls, binding Crowzel.

A powerful binding skill that could even imprison a level 280 boss monster for more than 5 seconds.

“Taste the inevitable death.”

Sueron squeezed all his mana and souls to create 39 soul spears. He launched them at the farmer trapped in the prison. With the Soul Explosion combo, the farmer was destined to be shredded into pieces.

But then.

“White Blade.”

Crowzel’s White Blade emitted a intense light, a brilliance that could instantly consume the surrounding darkness.

“Gah!”

As if hit by a flashbang, Sueron couldn’t open his eyes. The ringing in his ears made it difficult to control the soul spears.

The 200 Golden Guild members, who had secretly moved to assist Sueron, were in the same situation. They were frozen in place, unable to act.

Even the Hao and Hades Guild members, who were watching the battle from a distance, bowed their heads.

A moment later.

When the white light faded and everyone opened their eyes, Sueron was dying.

His heart was pierced by the farmer’s curved sword, and he turned to ash without even a scream.

“Run.”

Hao’s judgment was quick.