Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: Fate (1)
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London's dimly lit underground pub.
A stunning beauty in a red dress that exposed her shoulders caressed her cocktail glass with a sorrowful expression.
"A Margarita. It's the cocktail a heartbroken bartender created while grieving the loss of his love."
His deep, resonant voice soothed the listener's mood.
The woman's sad gaze shifted from her glass toward the source of the voice.
A man with a sculpted face and impeccable suit.
He extended his hand slowly, wearing a gentle smile.
It had been empty moments before.
But with a subtle flick of his wrist, a blooming white rose now rested in his palm.
"Oh?"
A flicker of surprise crossed the woman's sorrowful face.
As he gestured for her to take it, she accepted the white rose and asked,
"Why give this to me...?"
"I wanted to see the lady smile. You were beautiful in your grief, but your smile is far more enchanting."
No woman in the world could resist flowers and compliments on her beauty.
The woman offered a faint smile in response.
"Thank you."
"Royan."
The man with the picture-perfect smile.
World Rank 9, the Grand Illusionist Royan, kissed the back of her hand and said,
"Margaret."
"No solace for heartbreak is complete without alcohol and good company."
As he spoke, a martini appeared in Royan's hand, and he took the seat beside Margaret.
She let out a soft laugh at his seamless intrusion.
"When did we become friends?"
"No man wants to see precious gems of sorrow fall from eyes as serene as a lake. If 'friend' feels insufficient, think of me as a parrot that simply listens."
"Pfft, a parrot?"
It was the kind of line that would make an ordinary person cringe as overly cheesy.
But under the dim lighting, with a touch of alcohol, his magnetic voice, and handsome features, the joke held an inexplicable charm that coaxed a smile from the grief-stricken Margaret.
As the mood softened and Royan prepared his next line,
Click.
A grating metallic sound rang out as a man took the seat beside Royan.
"Still the same, I see."
The man carried six—no, five swords now, having handed one, the Crimson Moon, to Kim Gunja.
It was the Sword Saint Jin Wei.
"Royan. We need to talk."
His Chinese accent was thick, but Royan, fluent in over ten languages, understood effortlessly.
Yet he pretended not to.
For him, sharing even one more word with Margaret mattered more than Jin Wei's arrival.
However, the aura emanating from Jin Wei, who bore five swords, was anything but ordinary.
And the tattoos etched across the face of the burly Bao trailing behind him were equally intimidating.
Margaret, a civilian, couldn't help but divide her attention.
"A Chinese Hunter...?"
Jin Wei gave her a slight nod, as if to apologize for the interruption.
As the solemn atmosphere prompted Margaret to rise,
"Lady, you don't need to mind him..."
Royan began, but Margaret handed him her business card.
It bore her contact information.
"Thank you for making me smile, even if just for a moment."
"I'll call you soon."
Royan accepted it like a priceless gem. Margaret flashed a bright smile and walked away.
Once she was out of sight, Royan's brow furrowed sharply.
"Hah... seriously. What the hell? Showing up out of nowhere and ruining my game."
Gone was the gentlemanly demeanor; now he grumbled fluently in Chinese.
"You got her number, didn't you?"
"Ugh. You think I buttered up like that just for a phone number...?"
Royan trailed off.
Talking to a sword-obsessed man would only hurt his own mouth.
"What would someone in love with inanimate objects know?"
Royan muttered barely audibly, but Jin Wei caught it.
"Prejudice. Don't assume swords lack life just because you can't hear them. Swords have..."
"If you're about to go on about sword voices again, just leave? No one else hears it anyway, so what's the point?"
"Hm."
He wasn't wrong.
Jin Wei was the only one in the world who heard the swords' voices.
But he didn't back down.
"That's precisely why it's such a pity. That you can't hear a voice more alluring than any woman's."
"There are so many ladies I haven't met yet. I have no interest in sword voices."
Bao ignored their bickering and ordered a drink from the bartender.
He saw nothing to gain from a conversation between a sword lover and a womanizer.
After a brief spat, Jin Wei got to the point.
"I have a question."
"If it's about swords..."
"It's about Gates."
Royan looked surprised.
The Sword Saint showing interest beyond blades was refreshingly novel.
To him, Jin Wei succinctly recounted his encounter with Kim Gunja.
The questions arising from artifacts' links to Gates.
The Slayer's consciousness influencing Gate phenomena, and dungeonized zones.
Once finished, Jin Wei stared intently at Royan.
"Is it possible?"
"Hmm..."
The playfulness faded from Royan's face as he pondered, then gave a slight nod.
"Not impossible... but the odds of encountering the person you're seeking..."
He meant to say they were slim to none, but Jin Wei smiled as if that sufficed and stood.
"That's enough. Thanks for your time."
As Jin Wei rose, Bao downed his drink in one gulp and followed.
Watching him vanish like the wind, Royan murmured,
"What an odd fellow."
If he couldn't find the sword's master in reality, he'd seek it beyond the Gate.
That was Jin Wei's goal.
He'd come to consult on that possibility.
If scouring Gates and dungeonized areas wasn't enough, he'd track down an archbishop to uncover how Slayers affected Gates.
"Rare to see someone so blindly obsessed with one thing..."
Royan paused mid-sentence.
He'd been like that once too.
As nostalgic memories surfaced, Royan grew curious about the man who'd given Jin Wei that clue.
"Kim Gunja from Korea, was it? I'd like to meet him sometime... but going all that way for a guy feels off. Hmm."
Muttering to himself, Royan pulled out his phone and began searching.
His eyes lit up.
Searching for Kim Gunja had brought up Sin Yeji's exploits at the amusement park alongside him.
"Ho! Such a beautiful lady...!"
Suddenly, Korea appealed greatly to Royan.
He immediately planned a trip, diving into Korean language videos and books.
That was why he'd mastered multiple languages—and now Korean joined the list.
Royan hummed cheerfully as he absorbed Korean rapidly.
Excited for new encounters and connections.
#
Whoosh—!
A massive tail whipped toward Kim Gunja's position.
Using Jarathu to deploy Shadow Art, his form reappeared on the opposite cliff.
Boom!
The giant snake's tail smashed the cliff where he'd stood.
Amid the deafening roar and cascading boulders, Kim Gunja clicked his tongue.
'Definitely not just big—it's the real deal.'
Even B-rank mana-infused weapons had barely scratched that bedrock.
Yet one tail swipe reduced the cliff to tofu.
Proof the boss Giant Snake packed serious power.
Vwoom—!
The tail lashed again, faster.
This time, he didn't evade with Shadow Art.
'Let's test its durability.'
Timing it perfectly, Kim Gunja kicked off the cliff.
Thud!
As he leaped, the tail grazed beneath his feet. Crimson Moon traced a red arc overhead.
Scraaape—!
It felt like scraping compressed metal.
Heavy resistance transmitted through his grip on Crimson Moon.
A thin line appeared on the scales, parting slightly—but its sheer size made it unnoticeable.
'Tougher than the cliff.'
Makes sense why it thrashes so wildly unscathed.
Kim Gunja glanced below.
The Hunters who'd descended were out of sight.
'Could head down now... but.'
He wanted to test something in real combat.
The Master's authority gained from acquiring Stein's shares.
Like investors having privileges, Masters did too.
As Customizing Room guide Austin had explained.
A Master inheriting all an investor's shares gains special authority over that investor.
Recalling Austin's instructions, Kim Gunja channeled his dark mana.
And called out.
The investor who'd transferred all shares to him—the Shadow Lord.
'Stein.'
The Majesty Ring glowed at the Master's call.
Kim Gunja's shadow writhed like a living thing, infused with dark mana.
It stretched, forming another human silhouette.
Shoooo—!
Eyes blazing like molten lava, a form black as pitch.
It resembled Stein's appearance from the Customizing Room trial.
Of course, to Kim Gunja, who knew Stein's true form, it was merely similar; to others, it was a terrifying specter.
Stein's glowing red eyes narrowed at Kim Gunja.
"For now."
Kim Gunja smiled bitterly.
He was right.
Summoning Stein drained his dark mana at an alarming rate.
Even with Shadow Core boosting his 7-star Shadow Body reserves, it was overwhelming.
Probably a minute.
That was the limit to sustain it.
As Master, Kim Gunja bore the full burden of the Summon authority.
Austin had explained:
Unique form.
True to that, Stein appeared as a shadow borrowing Kim Gunja's dark mana.
'If it were another investor, it'd manifest differently based on another power.'
Grinning at his shadowed Stein form,
"I'll get used to it in time. Shall we?"
Kim Gunja didn't explain his plan aloud.
Their linked minds made words unnecessary.
Stein's shadow form glided like a ghost toward the Giant Snake boss's head.
Chiiiirr—!
The boss opened its massive maw with a chilling hiss.
Greenish drool dripped from its jaws, corroding the cliff.
Vicious poison.
But Stein didn't slow.
Thump!
The Giant Snake swallowed Stein whole.
Kiaaaah—!
As the triumphant boss glared at Kim Gunja with yellow eyes gleaming,
Bulge!
Unnatural swells and movements rippled across its body.
As if something ravaged its insides at high speed.
And then,
Kii, kieeek—!
Boom! Bang! Bang! Bang!
With horrific cries, the Giant Snake writhed in agony.
Kim Gunja watched, red haze shimmering around him.
His mana circuits screamed, his body burning.
Never before had he wielded such vast dark mana and Heaven-Shattering Divine Art simultaneously.
At Stein's signal, Kim Gunja's left foot stepped into empty air.
Black smoke rose from his left foot, enveloping him like a cloud.
Shadow Change.
The Shadow Lord's ultimate technique recreated beneath Kim Gunja's feet.
Stein inside the boss and Kim Gunja swapped positions, defying physics.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
A massive spherical muscle contracted and expanded rhythmically.
Vmmm—!
Crimson Moon, brimming with red light, carved a graceful yet destructive arc.
A crimson flash laden with ferocious energy tore through the boss's heart and innards, triggering chain explosions.
Kieeek!
As purple blood erupted like a tidal wave amid ear-splitting shrieks, Kim Gunja's left foot stepped once more.
His form returned to the original cliff.
The Giant Snake plummeted, its midsection half-blown apart.
Kim Gunja was speechless at the sight.
The Shadow Art via Stein's summon combined with Heaven-Shattering Sword far exceeded expectations in efficiency and destruction.
The Hunters just arriving at the base shared his shock.
They'd barely descended, and the clear alert rang out.
"W-What?!"
"No way... Kim Gunja soloed it?"
"Impossible! It was bigger than a building!"
"But the alert..."
"E-Everyone, dodge!"
The murmuring Hunters spotted the falling snake carcass and shouted.
They scattered frantically.
Kabooom—!
A thunderous crash kicked up thick dust clouds.
While the Hunters reeled in shock,
Kim Gunja was equally stunned, too dazed to descend.
Because of what Stein had brought back.
In his hand was a murky orb Stein had grabbed on return.
It brimmed with concentrated mana.
An unexpected gift.
With that, Stein departed.
What to call it?
As a Customizing enthusiast and avid gamer, one term naturally sprang to mind.
'...Auto Looting?'
A smile crept across his face.
Stein Navigation evolving into Auto Looting was more than satisfying—it was brilliant.
Tucking the inner core—perfect for advancing Heaven-Shattering Divine Art—into his coat's subspace, Kim Gunja began descending the cliff.
Wearing a humble, bewildered expression.