Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: The Second Upgrade (2)
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It was the obvious choice, if there ever was one.
There was no way he’d abandon the perk with its immense power and growth potential just because of the high risks involved and opt for some other option.
"...?"
Kim Gunja tilted his head in slight confusion.
The investors' reactions were worlds apart from before.
'Last time, they were either praising my courage or mocking my recklessness.'
But this time? It felt like...
They were thrilled at the prospect of an entertaining show.
And what was this about a perfectionist?
'Are they talking about the Shadow Lord?'
He'd already been through Hell difficulty once before.
Back when Ma Ilcheon first appeared, he'd been thrown into total disarray.
But this being the second time, he had a rough idea of what to expect.
If it followed the same pattern as last time, the odds were high that Shadow Lord Stein would show up.
Of course, he could be wrong, but if his hunch was right, then the investors' "perfectionist" had to be Stein.
And considering everything he'd done so far, it wasn't an entirely incomprehensible label.
'He did give off that vibe a little.'
Stein had constantly voiced his dissatisfaction with Kim Gunja.
Everything he did was deemed sloppy, insufficient, or a failure to grasp true shadow arts. He'd been exasperated from the start.
As if expecting perfection right out of the gate.
'Ridiculous...'
Just as Kim Gunja was piecing together Stein's temperament—
The trial details popped up.
Satisfy him!
Difficulty: Hell
Description: The Shadow Lord is full of dissatisfaction with his master! Put on a perfect performance to satisfy him!
Failure Condition: Shadow Lord's disappointment reaches maximum
Success: Additional perk selection
Failure: Master's entire body
Kim Gunja cocked his head.
The wording was incredibly vague.
Not recognition, but satisfaction? A perfect stage?
Amid those questions, the failure condition stood out most glaringly.
'The subject isn't me... it's Stein?'
It was absurd, in a way.
No matter how hard he tried or how stubbornly he held out, the moment Stein's disappointment hit its limit, the trial would end in failure.
Just as he thought it was too one-sided—
Rumble...
The Customizing Room shook as expected.
And the environment began to shift.
The opulent room vanished, leaving Kim Gunja standing in a plaza under a full moon.
Torch fires blazed all around, illuminating medieval-style houses and fortress walls.
As the flames flickered in the wind, so did his shadow.
A virtual space that felt utterly real.
Kim Gunja knew the trial had begun.
'Similar to last time, but a bit different...'
With Ma Ilcheon, the Customizing Room's format had stayed intact, but this time, it evoked some grand 'stage.'
And then—
Thud. Thud.
Footsteps approached from one side.
The moment the man emerged from the darkness, Kim Gunja's face settled into an "I knew it" expression.
'As expected...'
It was the figure from the video he'd seen when selecting the perk.
The Shadow Lord, Stein.
His features and physique gleamed like a golden ratio come to life.
The man with the icy expression strode forward leisurely.
But as Kim Gunja watched him, his own face gradually hardened.
Sounds that shouldn't have been audible echoed on.
'No way...'
His uneasy premonition proved true soon enough.
Trailing behind Stein were dozens—nearly a hundred—figures.
"Is that the kid?"
A man in a yellow helmet asked.
"Indeed."
Stein replied in a voice like cracking ice.
Watching the yellow-helmeted man bow crisply to Stein, Kim Gunja realized.
The Sword Demon Ma Ilcheon had walked his path alone his entire life.
But Stein was different.
The Shadow Lord.
Orphaned in the slums, rising through reaper of the battlefield to lord of shadows—his life was never solitary.
A lord, by definition, rules over others and reigns above them.
It stood to reason he wouldn't be alone.
—No matter what you imagine, it will surpass that.
Kim Gunja recalled Austin's words with a bitter smile.
Surely not what she meant, but he couldn't shake the feeling of being tricked.
At the yellow-helmeted man's gesture, black-helmeted men stepped forward.
Kim Gunja gripped the daggers that materialized in his hands, sizing up their strength.
They exuded a sinister, shadowy aura—clearly no ordinary foes.
Like ghosts.
Elite among elites, likely Stein's personal guard.
Watching them move in perfect unison, Kim Gunja made his assessment.
'Close to A-rank at least...'
It was the judgment of Kim Gunja, honed by countless training sessions with the Hero Guild's hunter team—and it was spot on.
Shadow Unit, Crow.
Stein's handpicked elite guard.
Thick killing intent seeped into the torchlit plaza.
And then—
"Kill."
No sooner had the yellow-helmeted man spoken than the front line of black-helmeted men charged at Kim Gunja.
Kim Gunja stayed calm.
Though armed only with daggers, his domain was open, and he was seasoned in outnumbered fights.
He could hold out against this encirclement...
'No, wait. Don't tell me...'
The black-helmeted men hurled daggers at him in unison.
That sight sparked a horrifying realization.
And as expected, shadows trailed long behind the dozens of daggers.
"...!"
He dodged the dagger barrage, but at the edge of his domain, the charging black-helmeted men's forms vanished.
They reappeared right in front of him.
Instantly surrounded.
'Damn it all...!'
Black daggers that absorbed even moonlight gleamed in their hands.
Eyes. Heart. Lungs. Liver. Throat. Spine.
Like stabbing into a barrel, daggers targeted his vitals from all sides.
No defense.
Pure killing intent in every strike.
Kim Gunja knew the technique they employed.
One of Stein's dagger styles.
Extreme Kill.
A strike focused solely on slaying the foe.
The dagger art he'd only known theoretically, untrained, now threatened his life.
He heightened his senses to the max, evading vitals with Shadow Walker—but
Whoosh. Whoosh.
They used Shadow Walker too, ghosts clinging to his back.
'What the hell...!'
And—
Clang! Slash! Spurt!
Chaos erupted under the full moon.
Several metallic clashes.
Several deaths.
Blood poured from Kim Gunja's body, having taken dozens of daggers to his vitals.
'This is insane...'
Stabbed in every critical spot, his consciousness faded.
Stein's lips twitched faintly at the sight.
Even as he blacked out, a chill ran down Kim Gunja's spine at the alerts.
The sense of crisis hit instinctively.
A remote village in Hokkaido, Japan.
In a warehouse isolated even from the village, a blonde beauty sat expressionlessly on the railing.
"Haa."
Chris exhaled a puff of white breath.
It turned into ice flowers.
At her gesture, they grew to the size of a tree before shattering in a sparkling display.
The harmony of beauty, ice flowers, and rustic village was picturesque.
If not for the pools of blood and purple-tinged corpses around her.
"Ugh, seriously. Seeing these zealots in action makes Homunculus seem preferable by comparison."
A man grumbled as he emerged from the warehouse.
Monjiro of Gluttony.
He found the twisted obsession with Homunculus's new humanity repulsive, but nothing compared to the Slayers' madness.
Chris furrowed her brow at his words.
"I hate both."
Monjiro suddenly felt like he'd become a Homunculus fan.
"That's not what I— Never mind. What would I even tell the boss? Sigh. Just check this quick."
A massive mouth, Gluttony, was summoned beside Monjiro.
It adorably worked its lips before spitting something out.
Another purple-tinged corpse, like the ones around.
Just a shade darker.
Gluttony spat it out and wiped its tongue on the icy ground in disgust.
"Disgusting."
Chris remarked, but Monjiro merely patted Gluttony sympathetically, as if to say you've had it rough.
At Chris's gesture, an ice pillar lifted and pinned the corpse.
She extended her right hand to its forehead; the ring on her finger reacted strongly.
"Yep. A priest."
Not an archbishop, but priests held significant roles in the Slayer organization.
Monjiro frowned.
"...Trouble. Just like Isabelle said—same pattern as before?"
Priests appearing meant the Third Bloody Day was drawing near.
Chris stared at the corpse before speaking.
"Korea?"
"Asked the newbie to investigate suspicious spots."
Chris nodded, relieved.
Korea was tough for Pentagram to operate in openly due to White Flame.
But since Kim Gunja joined, things had eased up.
Crackle...
Cold spread from Chris's toe, freezing the surrounding corpses solid.
Rumble...
Confirming the ice-encased bodies burrow into the earth and vanish, Chris gazed blankly at the sky and murmured.
"We need to secure the Master Ring soon."
She knew only its owner could preempt the Blood Gates.
Monjiro checked his phone.
"Andrei messaged—found a candidate in the US."
"Let's go."
Chris and Monjiro set off.
To prevent another past catastrophe.
He opened his eyes.
The same scene unfolded.
Plaza center.
Torch fires.
And approaching ghosts.
"Hoo..."
After dozens of deaths, Kim Gunja's expression grew grave.
Pain wasn't the issue.
He didn't even need the alerts to know.
How disappointed Stein was.
His face screamed discomfort.
But Kim Gunja still hadn't found a solution.
How the hell could he satisfy Stein?
Whoosh.
He reflexively reacted to the black-helmeted ghosts.
"Hup!"
His airborne body twisted like a gymnast's; daggers grazed him, leaving mere scratches on vitals.
He tried widening the gap with Shadow Walker—but
The black-helmeted men followed leisurely.
'At this rate... no end in sight.'
Dodging had limits, and switching to offense just meant killing a few before dying.
Killing them all? Impossible, no matter how many loops.
'What do I even... Wait. All of them...?'
A memory surfaced.
Why call Stein a perfectionist?
What was the "perfect stage" in the trial description?
Why bring subordinates instead of coming alone?
His mind raced.
Then, the key hint clicked.
'Reaper of the battlefield...'
A hypothesis formed.
Now, it was all or nothing.
Ignoring the charging black-helmeted men, Kim Gunja hurled his dagger.
Shadow Walker.
His form vanished.
Reappearing beside Stein.
Extreme Kill.
The Stein-style dagger art he'd endured dozens of times, now turned on its master.
Clang! Thunk! Spurt!
Stein didn't flinch.
The dagger aimed at his throat was blocked by the waiting yellow-helmeted man.
Then black-helmeted men behind stabbed him full of holes again.
Even so.
A faint smile crept onto Kim Gunja's lips.
For the first time, Stein's expression shifted.
It was unmistakable—a glimmer of satisfaction.
The alert confirmed it.
The perfect stage.
Grasping its meaning, Kim Gunja smiled faintly.
He didn't need to beat everyone.
No—only the target mattered. Ignore the rest.
Perfectly breach the elite unit and strike down one.
That was the flawless stage of a true reaper of death.