Chapter 97
Chapter 97
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: The True Powerhouse (2)
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The door to the second chamber swung open.
But Kim Gunja didn't take a single step forward.
He just murmured hollowly.
"This... is just a test...?"
It had been that shocking.
Considering his level after unlocking Kaiser's heart, he had no choice but to feel that way.
These were specs that wouldn't buckle anywhere.
If he unlocked Yongrin too, his raw stats alone would land him comfortably in the world's top 20 Hunters.
'And yet...'
Kim Gunja stared at his hand, singed from the clash's aftermath.
His whole body still tingled.
Fortunately, no injuries, but if his specs had been even a tad lower, he might've ended up barbecued.
And the most astonishing part? This was just a fraction of its remaining power.
'If the second test, dialed back to match this level, is already like this...'
A chill ran down his spine involuntarily.
He couldn't even fathom how strong his father had been at his peak.
He'd been lumped in with single-digit rankers like Krishna or Baek Jincheon, but Kim Gunja was starting to think it wasn't even close.
Having recently clashed with Baek Jincheon himself, he was certain.
This was on another dimension entirely.
'Maybe on par with the investors...'
He couldn't help the thought.
The strongest beings Kim Gunja knew were the investors in the Customizing Room, after all.
"Hoo..."
Still a distant realm for now.
Shaking his head lightly to clear the stray thoughts, Kim Gunja stepped into the second chamber.
Just like the first chamber, a single object was embedded in the center of the room.
It was a changdo—a long sword.
Absurdly long, defying common sense.
"What kind of blade is that...?"
Kim Gunja approached it.
The inverted changdo's hilt was about level with his eye height, and he was pushing 178 cm.
Factoring in the bit sunk into the floor, it had to be at least 1.8 meters.
'...Gonna be a bit tricky to wield.'
The thought crossed his mind, but his eyes naturally scanned the blade.
Etched into the pitch-black blade were intricate red patterns.
The elegantly curved, elongated form was artistic, even to someone like him who knew little about art.
'Not for battle—more like a decorative piece?'
It was that beautiful.
As he fell into the changdo's subtle allure—
A bright flash erupted beside it, projecting Kim Gongja's image.
His father wore a beaming smile.
"......"
Kim Gunja, who had been eyeing the changdo, narrowed his gaze at the projection.
After getting thoroughly schooled by that unexpected trial's intensity.
*Give with one hand, take with the other,* he thought.
But unaware of the reaction, Kim Gongja continued.
Dangerous bastard?
Kim Gunja's gaze shifted back to the changdo.
Still, the first thought was how beautiful it was.
It didn't look dangerous from any angle, tilting his head in puzzlement.
Tame it well...
A hint of that playful glint from the first trial lingered on Kim Gongja's face.
Don't be reckless.
With those final words, the projection vanished.
"Hm..."
It didn't resonate much with Kim Gunja, who'd already resolved to go all the way.
He reached for the changdo.
Curious just how impressive it had to be for his father to warn like that.
The moment his hand touched the hilt, he understood.
A sticky, sizzling energy coursed through his hand.
—Bhyahahaht! At last! You've appeared!
A frivolous yet grave voice—paradoxical.
Undoubtedly not human.
"What the...?"
The words slipped out.
Aside from the Master Ring, he'd never heard of a talking artifact.
The Sword Saint's trait of hearing his sword's voice wasn't special for nothing.
—Bow in reverence! Bhyahat! Consider it an honor to behold this king!
His head rang.
Kim Gunja's brow furrowed instinctively.
To check what this thing was, he opened the status window.
"...A demon sword?"
No, a changdo, so demon blade.
No wonder its beautiful exterior clashed with the sticky aura and arrogant tone.
'That explains the trial's intensity.'
It made sense.
And the grade was staggering.
'Mythic grade.'
Nothing but admiration.
Like the Ruyi Jingu Bang, how many Mythics did his father have?
Maybe the world's lack of circulated Mythic artifacts was because his father had claimed them all?
That thought hit when—
"...Huh?"
Kim Gunja froze.
Investors rarely reacted to outside events.
'...Stein did during the expedition linked to his world, and Abel to Jo Changhwi's White Dragon Spear.'
Meaning the Great Fly had some connection to Behemoth, sealed in this artifact.
But oblivious, Behemoth kept yammering.
—Bhyahat! What are you waiting for? Bow your head already!
Wooong, wooong—
Kim Gunja sighed faintly at the quivering Black Fang.
Zero sanity whatsoever.
He was starting to miss the docile Jeokwol.
"Quiet down a bit?"
—Such insolence! How dare you—!
*Tame it well.*
Now he got it.
But words wouldn't work on this type.
Kim Gunja acted immediately.
Pazik, pazizik—
Golden lightning surged from his left arm.
'A demon, huh...'
Should work fine.
Switching Black Fang to his left hand, he unleashed sacred thunder force.
Pazizizik!
—Br, brgyagyagyaek!
"...Oh?"
Better effect than expected.
—What are you doing, you inferior—!
Still not enough.
He cranked the output.
Pazizik!
—Brgek! Gy, gyagyaek!
"Inferior?"
—You crude creation dare—!
Crude creation, eh.
Took it as a request for more.
Kwajijijik!
Discharge so fierce the black blade seemed to yellow.
—Brgyarak......!!
Too much—even the scream choked off.
White smoke billowed from Black Fang.
—….
Kim Gunja swung the now-silent Black Fang through the air a few times.
Way too long.
Reach was a plus, but inconvenient.
His coat's subspace was full anyway; hard to carry.
"It can transform, right? Into a ring or bracelet maybe?"
Muttered to himself, but the response was instant.
Tzutzutzutsu—
The long blade bent into a ring, shrinking dramatically.
"Hoo..."
The black ring bore ornate patterns like an ancient relic.
Everything else aside, its aesthetic sense was top-notch.
"Pretty cool."
—...Thanks.
Kim Gunja smirked at Behemoth's compliant tone.
Stick to crazy ones; the rod's eternal truth.
Having tamed Behemoth effortlessly, Kim Gunja headed for the next door.
At the door to the third chamber, Kim Gunja hit an unexpected snag.
One he hadn't anticipated at all.
No more items.
A shadow darkened the once-confident face.
"......"
Kim Gunja had no words.
His father looked even more shadowed than back at the Red Cloud Temple.
The middle-aged projection at the third door gazed bitterly at his own hands.
It was that era.
No systems for gates or hunters yet; awakeners few, responses inadequate.
Sacrifices were the norm.
No one shouldered it all.
Except one.
Regrets, self-reproach, the weight of choices—palpable.
Kim Gongja gave a wry smile and continued.
A self-mocking soliloquy he couldn't share with others, yet yearned to confess.
With a faint smile, Kim Gongja shook his head.
Kim Gunja's eyes trembled faintly.
No direct mention, but he had a hunch who.
Finishing, Kim Gongja's form glowed softly.
The light filled the chamber.
Not flashy or intense—warm, not chilling.
But not to be underestimated.
'......This is.'
No mere aura.
A higher realm: intent-made energy.
Like Dragon Words—or beyond.
He knew instinctively.
No physical spec or trait could counter it.
Only one at that level could defend.
An absolute assault.
The chamber brimmed with this intent-light.
Stoic, Kim Gongja declared.
Maybe... wishful thinking.
Maybe his father meant someone else.
'But even so...'
He didn't want to waste this potentially final moment in vain.
Chwarururu—
Yongrin protruded near his heart.
Futile thrashing before intent.
Still, he wanted to give his all.
...Just as his father always had.
"I'll... take the test."
A faint spark of anticipation lit Kim Gongja's face.
Kim Gongja slowly parted his lips.
Words flooded his mind.
Then, a memory flashed.
Kim Gunja bit his lip.
He couldn't not know this question.
—To be a hope everyone can look to and lean on. Like the stars in that night sky.
The world's most famous word.
Yet never meaning "hope."
A hidden meaning shared by just two.
A call-and-response only they could share.
Kim Gunja's lips parted slowly, then closed.
Answering was easy.
But he knew.
The moment he answered, the projection would fade.
Signaling the end.
"......"
His lips trembled, but no voice came.
With it, the intent energy filling the room grew heavier.
Drdrdr—
The barrier, the domain shook under the immense pressure.
Veins bulged on Kim Gunja's neck.
Kim Gongja watched impassively.
Through blurring vision, Kim Gunja looked up, lips parting with effort.
"Pen... tagram..."
With the answer, the crushing pressure vanished like a lie.
A small smile on his lips, Kim Gongja replied in a wistful tone.
Kim Gongja's sharp outline wavered like static.
A phrase heavy with meanings.
Kim Gongja scattered into radiant particles.
The filling light warmly enveloped Kim Gunja and seeped into the door.
Srurung—
The final door opened.
"......"
Kim Gunja stood frozen for a while.
Eyes closed, etching his father's last image and warm energy into memory, over and over.
Only then did he move.
Toward the open final chamber ahead.