Chapter 21: 3rd Floor. Dungeon (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 21: 3rd Floor. Dungeon (3)
The system window announcing him as a "Loser of the Great War" felt like a mockery.
It was a jeer, a cold declaration that the being standing before him was nothing more than a failure who had been cast down in defeat.
A being introduced directly by the System—this meant he was no mere monster. And Kang Jun-hyeok knew exactly what kind of entity he was facing.
I didn't expect to run into a Loser this early.
[...Oh?]
A voice echoed. It didn't come from the Master of All Weapons. It was the voice of the Black Knight.
[Well, well. A visitor after all this time! I was starting to worry no one would ever show up. What a relief!]
His speech was fluent, his vocabulary refined, and his accent carried an antique elegance. Though his face was hidden behind a visor, it was clear he was no youth.
The knight let out a hearty laugh and introduced himself.
[A pleasure to meet you! I am called Alessandro!]
"Nice to meet you," Jun-hyeok replied calmly. Alessandro seemed intrigued by his composed demeanor.
[Ho? Every Player who has found me until now was frightened out of their wits. You, however, are different. You seem... accustomed to this.]
Alessandro stared at Jun-hyeok for a moment before his gaze fell upon the Master of All Weapons equipped on Jun-hyeok's hand. The Master of All Weapons spoke up, sounding as if it had no choice.
[It has been a long time, Alessandro.]
[...Wait. Is that you?]
[It is.]
[Good heavens.]
Alessandro was visibly shocked.
[You have taken on a peculiar form. I never imagined we would reunite in such a manner.]
[The feeling is mutual.]
[Hmm... How should I address you now?]
Alessandro was using honorifics toward the Master of All Weapons, treating it like a superior. The Master of All Weapons replied as if this were only natural.
[Call me the Master of All Weapons. I have lost my former name. To be precise, it has vanished.]
[The Master of All Weapons... I see.]
A hint of sorrow tinged Alessandro’s voice.
[To end up in such a state. How truly tragic. Well, I am hardly in a position to talk, so there is no need for us to pick at each other's wounds.]
Having said that, Alessandro turned back to Jun-hyeok with an apologetic tone.
[Ah, my apologies. You are the one who sought this place out, yet I was so distracted by a familiar face that I neglected you.]
"It doesn't matter."
[...Hmm. You are remarkably composed. Truly special. Then again, anyone who has claimed the one now known as the Master of All Weapons would have to be special.]
A sense of enjoyment seeped into Alessandro’s voice.
[Splendid! As a visitor to this place, you are truly magnificent! I suppose I should introduce myself formally then! I am Alessandro! I was once a wandering knight who traveled the world, revering freedom!]
"You were," Jun-hyeok noted.
Alessandro’s introduction was in the past tense. There was a reason for that.
[Regrettably, I was defeated in the Great War. I became a being who can no longer find freedom.]
Jun-hyeok’s eyes darkened.
Ten years ago, the system windows had suddenly appeared before humanity.
[Hello, everyone.]
[After a long, long war, the Master of the Universe has changed.]
[The new Master will discard the current universe and create their own.]
The Master of the Universe had changed after a war. If so, what happened to the original masters?
"That's unfortunate."
[It truly is. It was a literal hell. I am fortunate I did not hang myself.]
His tone was light, but the atmosphere grew as heavy as a swamp. The Master of All Weapons spoke.
[Have all the other Losers entered the Tower as well?]
[Some have, but many remain in the universe. They cannot accept their defeat and are working desperately to somehow overturn the result.]
One of those efforts was the Fake Tower created by the Losers. The Master of All Weapons sounded incredulous.
[Then why are you here...?]
[Because I realized that path would be futile. I sought out the Tower Administrator. Originally, I intended to find the Master of the Universe directly, but there was simply no way to locate them. I begged the Administrator to give me a chance—not as a Loser, but as a Player.]
Alessandro let out a self-deprecating chuckle.
[My, it was an arduous task. I bowed my head and implored. I told them I would lick their boots if that was what it took. Perhaps they found my efforts pitiable, for they accepted.]
The tone remained light, but the content was anything but. The Master of All Weapons spoke softly.
[How tragic, Alessandro. You, the renowned wandering knight who loved freedom and served no one, reduced to this...]
[I believe those words apply more to you.]
Alessandro tilted his head.
[I never expected you to break and surrender. You were stronger than anyone. Greater than anyone. And yet, to lose even your name and become a mere piece of equipment for the Tower... What a wretched end.]
[You did not see the end,] the Master of All Weapons said quietly. [You know nothing of what lies at the finish.]
[I won't deny that. In the end, I was unable to participate in the final battle. I never even encountered the Master of the Universe. But even so, I have not given up. Is that not enough?]
The Master of All Weapons did not argue. When it remained silent, Alessandro looked back at Jun-hyeok.
[Mmm. My apologies. Dear me, I keep neglecting you.]
"It's fine, since it seems you haven't seen each other in a while. In exchange—though it's not exactly a fair trade—I'll ask one question."
Jun-hyeok looked at Alessandro.
"What kind of contract did you make with the Tower Administrator?"
[...You pierce right to the heart of the matter. You have good instincts.]
Alessandro let out a hearty laugh.
[It is simple. My contract allows me to gain the qualification to climb the Tower as a Player, rather than remaining a Loser.]
And every contract required a condition.
[The condition is to kill one hundred Players who find their way here.]
"...What number am I?"
[The forty-third. I haven't even reached the halfway point yet.]
Alessandro spoke casually. Jun-hyeok let out a dry chuckle.
The Underground wasn't that difficult. A select few should have been able to clear it. Yet, why had no one ever appeared who claimed to have cleared the Underground?
The reason was simple. Because the knight before him had killed them all.
Forty-two Players who had reached the end of the Underground—individuals who, under normal circumstances, would have made a name for themselves in the universe.
"A Loser from the past trampling on rising sprouts. That's a bit much."
[I do feel sorry about it. However, I have no intention of letting this hard-won opportunity slip away. Therefore...]
Alessandro raised his sword. An ink-black blade was gripped quietly in both his hands.
[Please. Sleep here.]
Jun-hyeok’s gaze turned cold.
The Loser before him was his enemy. It wasn't surprising. Just because someone was a Loser didn't mean they were particularly friendly toward Players. Meeting one like this was unexpected, but it changed nothing.
Kill or be killed. This is easier to understand than some pointless quest.
Jun-hyeok drew his Greatsword. Alessandro looked intrigued as the massive blade emerged from the Master of All Weapons.
[It doesn't look like sub-space or an artifact, yet a weapon emerges from thin air. So that is the Tower System. Remarkable.]
Jun-hyeok ignored him and took his stance.
Just how strong was this knight?
Normally, a being like this could kill someone like Jun-hyeok in a fraction of a second, but he was currently bound to the Tower by his contract. He must have lost most of his power. His strength was likely adjusted to a level that a Player reaching this point could potentially defeat.
His stats are likely lower than mine.
Jun-hyeok was no ordinary Player. He had slaughtered the Mantises on the 0th Floor and achieved nothing but Perfect Clears. He had even defeated the Goblin King, whom he wasn't supposed to be able to catch. He was clearly ahead of the intended progression.
There was no way Alessandro’s stats were set higher than Jun-hyeok’s. They were likely significantly lower.
In that case...
First, he would strike with power and speed.
Jun-hyeok lunged forward.
Boom!
The floor of the Tower shook. With explosive acceleration, Jun-hyeok charged toward Alessandro. Despite the distance between them, he closed the gap in an instant.
Alessandro was genuinely surprised. This was a level of speed that stood in a different league compared to any of the forty-two Players he had faced before.
And the boy's judgment was just as fast. He had deduced where his advantage lay and immediately moved to capitalize on it.
Impressive, Alessandro marveled. To be honest, he had been focusing on the Master of All Weapons and hadn't paid much attention to Jun-hyeok, but he had to retract that thought immediately.
And that was why Alessandro felt a pang of regret.
To think I must break such a person.
Alessandro moved the sword held in his hands. Compared to Jun-hyeok’s speed, it was a leisurely, almost relaxed movement.
The ink-black sword met the tip of Jun-hyeok’s blade. Then, Alessandro lightly shifted his arms.
Skreeee!
The clashing blades vibrated. They clung together like magnets, refusing to separate. Alessandro’s arms moved in a bizarre trajectory—a flow and path that Jun-hyeok could neither understand nor reach.
At the end of that motion, Jun-hyeok’s sword was flung toward the ceiling.
Jun-hyeok’s eyes widened. He had clearly aimed a full-power thrust at Alessandro. Yet, before he knew it, his arms were pointing toward the sky.
A skill?
No. It wasn't that. This was pure, unadulterated swordsmanship.
[Farewell.]
Alessandro thrust his sword toward Jun-hyeok’s wide-open chest.
Jun-hyeok’s momentum was completely off-balance. Even if he tried to correct his posture, he couldn't possibly be faster than the incoming blade. Evasion or defense was absolutely impossible.
However, he was a Player of the Tower.
[Thrust.]
The arms that had been flung upward moved. They snapped back into position, forcing his body into a stance. Then, he thrust forward with power.
The sequence of events was eerie. It looked as if time itself were reversing to perform the action of "thrusting." Alessandro, seemingly caught off guard, hurriedly pulled his sword back to parry.
Clang!
With a violent metallic crash, Alessandro was pushed back, his body sliding across the floor as he struggled to withstand the force.
[That was a situation where a counter should have been impossible. How strange! Is that the power granted by the Master of the Universe? It is certainly unique!]
Alessandro exclaimed in admiration. But Jun-hyeok had no room for leisure. He quickly stowed the Greatsword and drew his sword.
[So you've judged that a sword is better for this situation than a greatsword. Good judgment!]
Alessandro marveled as he stepped forward. His ink-black sword traced a smooth diagonal line through the air.
Jun-hyeok swung his sword in response. His current Swordsmanship proficiency was E-rank—the realm of a first-rate master.
Clash! Clang! Shhhk!
Yet, he could not keep up with Alessandro’s blade. He was barely managing to protect himself. This was despite having the advantage in both strength and speed.
[You look young, yet your technique is good! Your talent is exceptional... No. No, that's not it. Given how excessively fluid it is, is it a correction from a passive skill? Truly convenient.]
Alessandro spoke leisurely even as he aimed precisely for Jun-hyeok’s vitals. Jun-hyeok retreated.
Through this exchange, Jun-hyeok realized something. Alessandro was inferior to him in both strength and speed. At best, he was at the level of an average 3rd-floor Player. He didn't seem to have any special skills or abilities either.
However, his technical mastery of the sword was in a completely different dimension.
As if confirming Jun-hyeok’s hypothesis, Alessandro raised his sword lightly.
[I gave up everything for this contract. Everything I had built up. But one thing remains with me.]
The swordsmanship Alessandro had spent a lifetime honing. That, at least, remained.
A Loser is still a Loser, I guess.
The Great War for the ownership of the universe—these were beings who had fought head-on against the current Victors of the universe. Just because they were defeated didn't mean they were weak.
"This is going to be tough."
But he would be the one to win. Jun-hyeok tightened his grip on his sword.