Mistaken for Hiding My Power (2)

The light of Egen Tower's thirty-first floor welcomed me as I stepped onto the first floor of the fourth tier.

After passing through the temple, I opened my eyes in a distant past. Right before me, a grand tournament was underway. At the same time, I witnessed the illusion of some entity shouting the winner's cheer before vanishing.

Just as I heard.

The fourth tier of Egen Tower—also called the 'Kingdom' floor—was a stage packed with romantic adventure. If you retraced the steps of some legendary hero, you'd start feeling like you'd become one yourself and get all puffed up with pride. Before I awakened, it was a tier I had actually looked forward to…

Now it just pisses me off.

The story? Not interested. The thunderous applause of crowds aimed at me? I'd already gotten plenty of that on my Cheol-gang-min account. Hidden pieces that might be tucked away, or easy achievement farming like I did with Luca? Nah, I could just grind it all out with gate stat runs.

Serin, I'll finish this quick and come right back!

Tap. I closed the status ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠window without a shred of hesitation and scanned the area ahead. At first glance it was the heart of the city, and right in the middle stood the colosseum. Countless NPCs filled the seats.

-Murmur murmur.

"If you catch the princess's eye, you might even get into the Minet Kingdom's knight order. Should've entered myself, huh?"

"Forget it. Every famous swordsman in the kingdom showed up. This isn't a place for someone who's only killed a few goblins."

"The martial tournament runs every two weeks. Would a real powerhouse even bother showing up? They all look pretty mediocre to me…"

The martial tournament. The event that marked the true start of Egen Tower's fourth tier—a knockout bracket where you had to defeat NPCs to advance.

If I cleared it the normal way, it'd take hours.

Registering late was annoying enough, and even after you got in, you still had to sit through everyone else's matches. That was the standard experience, but there was a speedrun route.

The knights who partied up from the first floor all the way to the fiftieth and carried people like a bus had done the research. The fastest way through the fourth tier was already common knowledge.

And that method was—

"Swap trait reinforcement. Inventory."

First, draw the sword.

Right then… let's do this.

"Everyone move!!!!"

Second. Charge straight into the colosseum and jump between the fighters currently sparring.

"What?!"

"You—suddenly barging in like this…"

Third. Turn it into a three-way brawl and…

Four! Go for the kill!

"No time to hesitate!!!!!"

Swoosh—!!

I swung my blade immediately. My target was the swords of the two NPCs locked in a standoff. A unique-grade weapon reinforced by the Ten Thousand Cut Sword trait—there was no way ordinary steel could withstand it. The instant my slash grazed them, both blades snapped cleanly in two.

"……Huh?"

"What just happened…"

The NPCs' dazed mutters. Then—clang! The broken fragments hit the floor with a bright, ringing sound.

That was proof enough of who was stronger. I stepped forward and raised my sword high.

"I am Ryu Hwimin!! No matter how many of you come at me, I'll win, so if you're confident, step right up!!"

I shouted at the top of my lungs, but the reaction I got was…

-Whisper whisper.

"What the hell is that guy?"

"Some barbarian fresh out of the sticks?"

"He does look skilled, but… nah, definitely a rookie."

"That move was clearly thanks to a fancy sword."

…Everyone was staring straight at me. It was the same look an A-rank Awakener had given me when I took my shoes off in the car the last time I went to sell artifacts.

This is so embarrassing!!

My arms trembled. My face burned hot. Even though I knew they were NPCs, acting like a lunatic in front of this many people was mortifying.

But I'll endure it! This is all for Serin!

"What, you're too scared to come at me!? You pathetic underdogs!!"

I kept yelling, forcing the shame down. The humiliating silence finally broke after nearly a full minute.

"Sigh… Sir Cedric, remove him."

The voice came from the highest seat of honor.

"Yes, Your Highness."

Someone began walking toward me. Clank, thud— Clank, thud—!!

The figure that appeared with heavy footsteps was a knight clad in magnificent armor.

"It happens from time to time. Brats like you who don't understand how vast the world is and act out."

Shing— He drew his sword. At a glance, it was on an entirely different level from the cheap weapons earlier.

"Draw your blade. I shall show you the heavens."

Arrogant lines on top of that. He seemed extremely confident in his own ability.

-Murmur murmur.

"Oh my, Sir Cedric himself…!!"

"Ryu Hwimin, was it? Poor fool. He's going to suffer every kind of humiliation imaginable."

"That man is among the top ten strongest in the Minet knight order. He won't even last a few exchanges."

The NPCs didn't doubt his victory for a second. In other words, everyone expected my total defeat. That was why their gazes toward me were laced with mockery, but…

-Freeze.

"…Why are you looking at me like that?"

The knight NPC, Cedric himself. Wariness slowly filled his eyes as he stared at me. What he saw was probably a bright, fearless grin on my face.

Dohwa's stronger than you, you know?

"I won't even waste ten seconds finishing you off!!!"

* * *

Celestia, princess of the Minet Kingdom, had one hobby. Watching the martial tournament held once every two weeks. In a kingdom with few entertainments, this was one of the rare pleasures available.

She had spent the past two weeks eagerly counting the days until today, yet—

"I am Ryu, Ryu Hwimin!!"

"……Sigh?"

While she was enjoying the low-quality bouts, a young man suddenly barged in. He declared that even if all of them came at him, he would win. Just the words ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠alone sounded bold. Since he had even sliced the other contestants' swords, it almost seemed like genuine confidence in his skill.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

…The reason it looked anything but impressive was his expression.

-Tremble tremble.

So embarrassing…!!

Hwimin had rather thin skin. He was the kind of underdog who got embarrassed when his community nickname appeared in the news. Yet here he was, stepping forward before a massive crowd without even using transparency, showing his real face to everyone. His cheeks turning bright red with shame was inevitable.

"Hmm…"

His sword is decent, but he clearly lacks experience. The rest of his gear is nothing special either.

Seeing that, the princess naturally looked down on him. There wasn't a trace of a strong expert's dignity to be found, so he was perfectly easy to mistake for a rookie. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Her interest instantly dropped to zero.

"Sir Cedric."

"Yes, Your Highness."

One of the knights guarding her, Cedric, stepped forward without the slightest suspicion. He showed no wariness toward Hwimin at all.

I should teach this barbarian how a sword is truly used.

…If he had properly witnessed the opponent's swordsmanship, things would have been different. Even within the kingdom he was considered quite strong. Had he seen Hwimin's blade work up close, he would have immediately recognized an overwhelming expert and shown proper respect.

But Hwimin's entrance had been far too fast and abrupt. His expression also only looked like that of a battlefield rookie.

Shing—!! That was why Cedric drew his sword without hesitation, yet—

-Shudder.

"……Huh?"

Why? The moment their swords met, Cedric's instincts screamed a warning.

What is this guy?

He was a knight. Unlike the opponent who showed up in strange casual clothes holding only a single sword, he wore high-quality armor from head to toe. Therefore he should be respected. Feared.

So why was the other man looking at him… as if he were pathetic?

"…Why are you looking at me like that?"

Does he not even recognize his opponent's level?

It was incomprehensible. It was only natural he couldn't dream that the underdog before him was actually a powerhouse over level seven hundred.

Just to be safe, I should be a little cautious.

Cedric belatedly raised his guard and gripped his sword tightly. When one of the kingdom's finest knights got serious, no one should have been able to oppose him.

…To Hwimin, it just looked like a 0.5 Dohwa striking a ridiculous pose.

Egen Tower NPCs are all the same. Since it's pitiful, I'll end this quickly.

"I won't even use ten seconds to finish you off!"

At the same time as his shout, Hwimin swung his sword. A silver line carved through the air. The slash was so sharp it looked like it was cutting space itself.

"Hup!?"

What kind of speed is this!!

Clank. Cedric hurriedly retreated. Getting hit by that would bisect his body. Instinct forged through countless battles had screamed the warning.

Yet how fast could a knight weighed down by full armor move? His motions were painfully slow.

So sluggish~ No chance I'll miss.

Flash—!! Hwimin surged forward. Using the footwork he learned from the specter, his movement looked like a butterfly dancing.

First, the sword!

The blade clawed through the air again. Its sharp tip aimed first for the opponent's weapon. Cedric tried to deflect it by angling his blade, but—

"……!?"

No, I definitely blocked it, so why…

Slice—! A line etched itself across Cedric's weapon. The sword he had cherished like a lover instantly became nothing but scrap metal.

-Eyes wide open.

My Sophia!!!!

The secret name he had given his sword—Sophia. He cried out desperately inside his mind. But a broken blade would not return to its former lovely shape.

It felt like his lover had been stolen from him, but… this was only the beginning.

They said he doesn't surrender easily, right? While I'm at it, I might as well cut the armor too.

Before the sword fragments even hit the ground, Hwimin swung again. Swordsmanship even a level-999 specter had called godlike, combined with flawless footwork—how could a mere level-108 knight possibly resist?

Countless lines were engraved across Cedric's armor. The speed and precision were so perfect that even the victim might admire them.

"What a truly magnificent blade…"

"Done! Thank you for your hard work!"

"…Huh?"

Only then did Hwimin lower his sword. On the other hand, Cedric stood frozen, unable to comprehend what had just happened. And it wasn't just Cedric. The princess who had ignored Hwimin, the spectators who had mocked him—none of them understood what they had just witnessed. Only the utterly one-sided result belatedly told them who had dominated.

"This… is…"

Clang—. The sound of metal hitting the floor. It was the sound of steel armor fragments falling from Cedric's body.

All eyes focused on Cedric. The princess included.

What in the world…

If Hwimin had cut through both armor and flesh, it might have been easier to accept. But Cedric was completely unharmed. Only the armor had been sliced apart like an eggshell and fallen away in pieces. Not a single scratch marked the skin beneath.

It was truly a divine skill—a god's technique.

"Insane…"

Just how vast is the gap in skill?!

While Cedric reeled internally from the realization, Hwimin's gaze rose upward. The princess, unable to believe what she had seen, was leaning over the balcony. Their eyes met.

"Who exactly are—"

"Since this guy surrendered, that means I'm the champion, right!!?"

"Y-yes… You have neutralized Sir Cedric, so…?"

The princess declared victory in a reluctant tone. It was hardly a fair outcome. But there was no choice. With an existence so far outside the norm appearing, continuing the tournament was pointless.

"Then for the award ceremony, if you would wait a moment…"

And then, beneath the princess's astonished gaze, the man who had caused all this chaos… didn't spare her a single glance. He simply ran.

Skip complete!!

"Well then, I'm off!! See you next time!!"

The portal that had appeared before him. Throwing himself into it, Hwimin smiled.

Up to the thirty-fifth floor is still normal tower… The story is going to get really twisted now.