Best of Three (1)
“One, two, three… four… total of six, huh.”
The draco subspecies, with their low intelligence, clustered together threatening Kim Jeonghyeon, oblivious to the doom awaiting them.
“Come on… Epic Weapon. Show me your power!”
Jeonghyeon twisted his wrist gripping the sword and leaped toward the enemies in an instant.
Paat-!
Without drawing on any mana, relying purely on his physical prowess—honed to near-assassin awakener levels—Jeonghyeon pierced the throat of the draco subspecies at the front with blinding speed.
No stabbing sound, just like soaking into water, the blade slid naturally through the draco’s neck.
Jiiing!
Jeonghyeon’s sword vibrated as a sharp aura began enveloping the entire blade.
Passive type!
There were two kinds of Epic Weapons.
The ‘active’ type, infused with mana that unleashed devastating skills capable of cleaving mountains with a swing. And the ‘passive’ type, which elevated the weapon’s inherent performance beyond its limits.
The one-handed sword, dubbed Claws Forged in Blood, seemed to be a strengthening passive-type Epic Weapon.
“Even better!”
Now wrapped in aura, even simple thrusts or slashes were more than enough to fell the draco subspecies.
“Consider it an honor to die by such a fine blade! You lizard bastards!”
The aura expanded beyond the sword’s length, making it look like he was swinging a pillar of light.
“Hup!”
Among all weapons, Jeonghyeon had absolute confidence in the sword. Having trained to the point where he could challenge that Demon King, his aura manipulation was top-tier.
With just a few swings, draco heads were slamming into the ground. One draco subspecies that seemed particularly clever quickly widened the distance and fled. Seeing this, Jeonghyeon infused mana into his sword.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
Shuuk—!
“Kragh!”
The aura around the sword stretched thin and long, like a lance. It pierced the creature’s back in an instant.
“Kurara, die!”
Seizing the opening, another draco subspecies lunged at him.
Swipe.
Jeonghyeon smoothly sidestepped, deflecting the subspecies’ sword, then swung his own in fluid motion. The aura widened at his will, forming a whip-like fan shape.
Tszang!
“Kuak!”
The ambushing subspecies split in two and tumbled across the ground.
“Hoo.”
With a short breath, he shook the blood from his blade. The field was now a graveyard of fallen draco subspecies bodies.
A few concise, efficient moves, and only one draco subspecies remained before Jeonghyeon.
“Watch closely, Philip.”
One arm forward, sword hand horizontal behind it.
The basic stance of thrusting swords like the estoc or rapier, optimized for sharp pierces.
Jeonghyeon aligned his fingertip on the target.
“This is the pinnacle of Aura Blade.”
Like hurling a javelin, he literally shot the aura loaded on the sword.
The blade stayed put, but the Aura Blade detached as a projectile, streaking toward the draco.
Paat-!
Slicing through the air, the Aura Blade punched through the draco’s body, then BOOM!—a thunderous roar shook the hunting zone’s ground. By the time the vibrations faded, the draco had vaporized, not even a corpse left.
“Hoo…!”
Swinging a proper sword after so long flooded his body with endorphins and overwhelming dominance, surging to his scalp.
Feels damn good.
A grin crept uncontrollably across Jeonghyeon’s lips from the rising thrill.
Unable to hold back, he burst into laughter and turned to Philip.
“See that! This is it! This is what a sword is! With this, most monsters are—!!”
He was about to proudly point the sword at Philip when—
“...Huh?”
The Epic Weapon one-handed sword’s blade was gone, leaving only a pathetic hilt.
“Eh?”
Unable to grasp the situation, Jeonghyeon looked down. The refined iron that had been part of the sword lay in a fine pile of dust on the ground.
What the hell? Jeonghyeon blinked in cognitive dissonance, glancing around.
Even Philip, the hunter with him, was stunned.
“Uh…? Was that a one-use weapon?”
No way. The Blood Dissector, that Epic harvesting knife still safely slumbering in his inventory corner, was intact.
“What the hell happened?”
Just in case, Jeonghyeon checked his inventory—nothing.
And then, a strange sense of déjà vu hit Jeonghyeon’s eyes.
“No way… Argh!!”
The familiar pain struck without fail, red blood streaming from his right eye.
Demon King's Message Incoming.
Big Catch!
“What the actual fuck…!”
Fury boiled as the achievement with its bullshit name popped up, and Malekith’s familiar hologram formed before Jeonghyeon’s eyes.
Hello? Long time no see.
Malekith’s face, smirking as if he knew exactly how this played out, brimmed with pure malice beyond mere playfulness.
Collecting Epic Weapons to entertain me is great and all… but hogging them all yourself? No fun. So I added a little restriction.
Malekith flicked his finger in the air, and Jeonghyeon’s status window popped up unbidden.
Kim Jeonghyeon
Attribute: Porter (F)
Revealer: Demon King Malekith
Skill Status
• Attribute Disruption Lv.3
Current analyzable monsters: (Goblin, Draco) 2/???
See that? ‘Porter’ under attributes? That’s your class.
“...?”
A foreboding chill crept into Jeonghyeon’s mind.
Yep, exactly what you’re thinking. You stay a Porter forever. All your abilities will evolve to specialize in supporting hunters as a porter. Any Epic Weapon mismatched to your attribute will be all one-use and shatter.
All.
That word, leaving no room for doubt, turned premonition to reality in Jeonghyeon’s ears, leaving him speechless.
You got an Epic Weapon, right? Blood Dissector, was it? That’s a gem. Be content with it—it’s the only harvesting knife Epic Weapon in this dimension.
Malekith pointed at Jeonghyeon’s inventory.
Oh, and next Epic Weapon? Give it to a good buddy. Puhahaha!
“Ha. Fucking insane.”
Absurdity drew a hollow laugh from Jeonghyeon.
I really want to kill him.
Already itching to slaughter the Demon King, this made him feel like a total chump, rage surging.
Whether sensing Jeonghyeon’s fury or not, Malekith blabbered on excitedly.
Who knows? Maybe Solgaleh’s awakener, that lone wolf reigning supreme, shows up with a party next time! Krahaha! Can’t wait! Hurry up! See ya, my little chump!
“You bastard! You think I’ll just take this lying down…!”
Snip. Malekith’s image cut off, as if refusing to hear more.
Tricked again. Perfectly, down to the last line.
Goddamn it.
“Goddamn it…! GODDAMN IT!!!!”
Philip couldn’t comprehend the situation but realized Jeonghyeon wasn’t right in the head. He dragged the dazed Jeonghyeon back to the safe zone and, unsure where else to go, led him toward his own place.
“Haha. Fuck. I’m done for. Hehe. Might as well die. Demon King? That asshole might love it if I quit.”
Of course, Jeonghyeon was half-carried in his state.
“Whoa… calm down, sir. You’ve been muttering the same shit the whole way…”
“What do you know? You get my pain?”
Jeonghyeon staggered like a withered radish, half-walking, half-dragged.
“I overheard you muttering earlier—don’t you still have one quest left?”
“Yeah. One last clusterfuck to pour my soul into for the Demon King’s amusement.”
“Then just do that quest, right?”
Philip countered.
“What’s the point? It’ll shatter after one use anyway.”
“Then give it to someone else!”
Philip’s eyes lit up.
“...What, make one and give it to you?”
Jeonghyeon snapped curtly. Philip started awkward laughing.
“Aha! Ahahaha! Ahaha!! Not that, but! Wahaha!”
His obviously forced laugh made Jeonghyeon narrow his eyes.
Guilty as charged, you punk.
Riding on Philip’s back, Jeonghyeon shook his head.
“Forget it. I’m not that attached anyway. Giving a mismatched item to a scrub just hastens their death.”
“I’ll stick with you, Jeonghyeon sir!”
Philip clenched his fist.
“Right? I’m decent too! Huh?! We grow together!”
Jeonghyeon replied coldly to Philip’s enthusiasm.
“I said forget it.”
“Yes, sir.”
They walked in silence for a while before Philip piped up again.
“How about this?”
“Shut it.”
“...”
Philip clamped his mouth at Jeonghyeon’s scolding. Jeonghyeon expected him to spill his ulterior motives regardless, but the silence persisted. Curiosity got the better of Jeonghyeon.
“What?”
Does this guy obey too well, or is he playing me? Jeonghyeon asked reluctantly.
“Uh, make a shit-ton of items!”
“And?”
“So! Carry ten, a hundred Epic Weapons—even one-use, it’s manageable!”
“Hm.”
Jeonghyeon nodded at Philip’s words.
Dumbass idea, but it had merit.
Tempted, Jeonghyeon shook off his withered radish vibe, straightening into a human gait.
“Yeah. That could work.”
“Right! Your ability’s OP enough—basic weapons suffice most places…!”
“Not bad…!”
Thinking about it, why not?
Better a thousand Epic Weapons solo than a 100-man legion with the Demon King.
It took 15 years to reach him last time. But two Epic Weapons in days? A thousand’s nothing.
Motivation surged in Jeonghyeon.
“Fine. One last sucker play. I’ll show that toy how pissed a chump can get.”
“Awesome! You’ll make tons more, so one for testing…?”
“No.”
“Yes, sir.”
Philip deflated at Jeonghyeon’s firmness.
Despite that, he still brought Jeonghyeon to his house.
Koreans and their rice power, or whatever.
“We go way back—least have a meal. It’s Korean hospitality.”
Funny hearing “Korean hospitality” from a mixed-blood named Philip.
“Wait a sec, I’ll whip something up quick.”
Philip headed to the kitchen for ingredients. Jeonghyeon stood in the living room center, scanning the place.
Spartan but spacious and fully equipped—proof hunters lived well.
“Your place is…!”
Philip shrugged preemptively, expecting praise.
“Really fucking empty. Bachelor stench. Closet dweller?”
“...Bachelor? That’s harsh, sir?!”
“Puhaha! Sorry. Been ages since I had company.”
Jeonghyeon plopped onto the empty sofa-back against the floor like it was habit.
“Fine. Since you’re treating, make it good.”
“You got it!”
Philip treated like royalty despite the beggar treatment.
Time passed, and a small tray table held a neat kimchi jjigae spread.
Kimchi stew, pork belly, green onion—mouthwatering. Simple, but heavenly compared to field porter slop.
“Dig in! Thanks, man!”
Philip smirked at Jeonghyeon’s eager face.
“Nothing fancy, but eat up!”
Jeonghyeon drooled over steaming rice.
Chomp chomp!
He shoveled a spoonful, savored, then another—like starved 15 years.
As Philip finally picked up his spoon, chewing a bite, he recalled the fight with a serious face.
“Your sword dance shocked me. I’m a mace warrior, but that flashy? Perfect thrusts, slashes, Aura Blade for blind spots! And shooting it? Mind blown!”
“Uh…”
Caught off-guard? Or impressed? Jeonghyeon froze, spoon mid-air.
Gulp.
He swallowed the mouthful.
“You…”
Savoring, Jeonghyeon said quietly to Philip.
“Next Epic Weapon’s yours.”
“Really?!”
Philip beamed, jumping with joy.
Did he catch something from the fight, as promised? Impressed by analysis? Or just flattered?
As Jeonghyeon eyed Philip with childlike sparkling eyes, he revealed why.
“Kimchi jjigae. Fucking delicious…! I’ll make you an Epic Weapon—you be my cook.”