Chapter 143
Chapter 143
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 142
Chapter Title: Level 22
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Pay-to-Win Knight 142
Demon Sword King Hyperion.
The final boss of Blade & Magic was standing right there.
'No way, even level 20 would be tough, but level 22?'
In the level classification now widely used even across the greater universe, the gap between level 19 and 20 was like night and day.
The difference between mortals and transcendents, humans and gods.
How many people got stuck at level 19 until death, blocked by the wall of transcendence?
'Ilseong Chairman Bae Jaeseok, Magical Girl Kang Boram, Dragon Warrior Kim Dongmin—they're all like that.'
Even breaking through to level 20 didn't guarantee smooth growth. In reality, most transcendents never crossed the level 21 wall before exhausting their long lifespans.
Level 22 meant surpassing even that limit, starting to aim "higher," and that he was a transcendent fully adapted to the realm of transcendence.
A monster among monsters who could single-handedly shatter an uncivilized planet!
'The silver lining is...'
The 34th Earth was a demon realm where even transcendents got arrested by police if they broke the law.
There was no [military] here, but it boasted top-tier combatants and equipment on the 34th Earth.
Clang!
A head-sized bullet crumpled and rolled across the ground. The moment Hyperion paused mid-charge, a glowing orb appeared before him and exploded.
Whiiing—!
It was an eerie sound. Not a physical explosion, but some magical effect.
Ping!
But its effect went unknown. A pitch-black qi slash, swung like a beam of light, cleaved it apart.
As I tensed at the legendary Heavenly Demon Qi I'd only heard about, Boram's voice pierced my ear.
"Your analysis of its strengths and weaknesses. Quick!"
I answered swiftly.
"Fast regeneration. Immense attack power. Endless stamina. Weakness is low defense."
"Then I'll tank! You're the sub-DPS!"
Boom!
Right after her words flew in, Boram landed beside me. I glanced over and froze.
"...Your outfit?"
"Don't mention it. This is as good as it gets after fighting that pervert Golden Dragon God."
Boram was the national MC and an elder among elders, but her appearance was still late teens. At most, early twenties.
Her height under 160 cm and cute looks made her seem more girl than woman.
In that sense, her outfit was way too revealing.
"No, seriously, this plate armor covers less than it exposes? You sure you can tank?"
"I said don't mention it!?"
Rat-tat-tat! Boom!
Artillery fire rained from the rear again. I glanced back to see several Giggas clustered, unleashing a barrage.
Hyperion kicked off the ground as if annoyed by the bombardment.
Even martial artists with inferior mobility could leap a kilometer in one step at transcendent level.
He could've charged straight into the base camp, massacring the Giggas firing and the staff.
That is, if Boram hadn't blocked him.
Clang!
The barrier shattered in one blow. Unlike my Moonlight Defense, which merely deflected his trajectory, she took the qi head-on.
"Oh?"
Hyperion's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
"Don't underestimate me! If we hadn't been cut off from outside support, I could've handled trash like you solo!"
He didn't bother replying to her bold shout.
Instead, he swung down another sword aura wrapped in dark qi.
Creeeak!
The barrier broke. She blocked it again, but her face paled—clearly taking heavy damage.
"Log in."
I switched to Ardenia, recharged Moonlight Defense, and formed chakra seals.
"Bless!"
"Strength!"
"Fast Move!"
Flower and the other healers applied priest buffs. Honestly, the effects were meh, but we had to do everything possible.
"Log out."
Back on Earth, I was already lunging at Hyperion's back.
Crack.
The ground buckled. I stomped with immense inner force and smashed down Land Breaker. The sword from the Death Knight dropped like a comet onto his crown.
But Hyperion didn't even turn.
'You... bastard?'
His intent was clear: take my hit if needed, but slice Boram first! He abandoned defense for that split-second attack, erecting protective qi behind him.
A rational choice.
Land Breaker's physical power was brutally strong, but protective qi was a transcendent-grade technique. Breaking meteor-blocking qi with a physics-focused skill was near impossible.
A single hit might suck, but killing Boram first meant massacring the rest in 10 seconds and returning to fight the dragon.
But rational judgment...
Meant complacency.
"Eat this."
[Heavenly Sword - Moon-Piercing Fang]
[Sword that Cuts Heaven and Earth]
Crunch!
Everything slowed. My sword shattered his protective qi and burrowed in.
Thud!
In that instant, he blurred like an illusion, taking the blade on his shoulder instead of his head.
'...Damn! I should've aimed for the head for crit confirmation and Shadow Twice trigger!'
No time to regret—death premonition flashed. His slash meant for Boram turned toward me!
In that split second, I saw my heart pierced by Heavenly Demon Qi.
[Moonlight Defense!]
[9:59]
Crash!
The shield shattered on activation, but at least the death vision vanished.
'Shit, so fast...!'
In this slowed world, only Hyperion's black sword accelerated, unbound by time. Even in hyper-sensitive senses, it was a beam!
"Lo..."
Log in/out was invincible escape, but even speaking fast took over 0.2 seconds.
Impossible to summon Moonlight Defense repeatedly in this blitz!
I gathered all my qi to block the slash.
Crack!
"Gu..."
My sword snapped mid-qi. But the clash's impact deviated the heart-piercing strike completely.
'Good. Deflected...'
Slash!
Lightning-fast swordplay finally severed my right arm.
And that moment.
"...gin."
I entered Ardenia.
Splatter!
"Kyaa! Your Majesty!?"
"My arm..."
I gasped amid screams.
"Huff... huff... Gonna die for real."
Every strike was brutally lethal.
"Needle! Hold His Majesty's right arm tight!"
"Yes, Head Maid!"
While I wheezed, surgery began.
Flower, who'd grabbed my hand before it hit the ground, sutured the stump with thread and needle.
Flash-flash-flash!
She stitched the severed arm in seconds. Near-miraculous suturing!
'Come to think of it... healers spec into agility.'
Ardenia was game-like reality, so stat builds differed from games. Games let you dump into mana, but not here.
Doctors didn't just heal—they performed surgery, needing agility for precision and dexterity.
"Great Heal!"
"Great Heal!"
"Great Heal!"
Flower and two attendant maids poured heals, but the arm wound resisted.
'As expected, qi power hinders recovery.'
My recovery was buffed to 800+ via songpyeon—otherwise, this healing wouldn't stick.
Flash!
Repeated heals dispersed Heavenly Demon Divine Art's demonic qi. Watching threads push from my mending arm, I said,
"Fast work. Your surgical skills have improved a lot."
"...Your Majesty."
"No helping it. Couldn't dodge."
"...I'm sorry. No way you'd do this on purpose."
She wiped blood with slightly reddened eyes and tidied up.
I grabbed a few weapons, thinking.
'Heaven and Earth Sword works. Pierced protective qi... should hold in clashes too.'
With level 6 chakra, stats far beyond realms, human gate martial elements—my power equated to level 17-18.
'Not just realm—stats are insane. I'd win arm-wrestling Hyperion easy.'
But that wasn't all.
I had log in/out and mythic class.
'Overall... I'm around level 19.'
Log in/out granted instant recovery on injury. With Flower's priests and songpyeon buffs, anything short of instant death fully healed!
Plus mythic class [Transcendent Realm] traits, job skills, [Sword that Cuts Heaven and Earth]—all effective against transcendents.
Buffs to both defense and offense.
'And Heaven and Earth Sword hits way harder than usual.'
Obvious. Paired single-target Moon-Piercing Fang, not AoE White Slash.
[Heavenly Sword - Moon-Piercing Fang]
On activation, +1000% damage amp to one target (final damage calc). Ignores defense, evasion, counter.
Unclear if Heaven and Earth Sword or Moon-Piercing Fang effect, but it pierced protective qi. Plus Kang Boram could tank at least two hits.
'A winnable fight.'
"Flower. Short trip."
"Trip? When?"
"Now."
[Sword that Cuts Heaven and Earth]
Crit success stores [Heaven and Earth Sword] stacks. Won't decrease normally; at 100 stacks, activate skill.
Activation: Attacks target with total 'damage dealt' over 100 crits.
If target dies, excess hits other foes within 10m. Chains on kills.
Repeats until total damage depleted.
Heaven and Earth Sword was cheat AoE and single-target.
'Tank all that solo? Single-target death. Spread it? AoE wipe.'
But such OP skill had limits.
Crit stacks.
'Need monsters to farm.'
Couldn't stack on Earth with experts everywhere, so I took Flower and her three picked priests out the castle. Supplies filled their inventories and Landworm compartments.
[Critical Hit!]
[Critical Hit!]
[Critical Hit!]
Rode Landworm along ley lines.
This time above ground, slicing every monster sighted. Also cleaned around the Human Empire.
Stacks full, preload chakra ritual...
"Log out."
[Moonlight Defense!]
[9:59]
Countered the barrier-smashing sword aura.
Boom!
Explosion hurled Hyperion back.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Shockingly, just four steps. An attack that should've flung him kilometers—he dispersed it into the earth!
But Hyperion looked more baffled.
"...What? Shouldn't have budged. You pushed me with raw strength?"
"Log in."
Ignored his babble, entered Ardenia.
"Your Majesty...! Your arms!"
"At least not severed this time."
Both arms shattered from counter-impact.
Not qi-inflicted like before, so heals fixed them fine.
"Log out."
"Log in."
Slaughter field monsters, stack, return to Earth, unleash Heaven and Earth Sword.
"Right leg severed! Left shinbone shattered too!"
"Suture now! Heal left femur!"
Every injury meant surgery from Landworm cockpit.
Slash!
Sword cleaved bone. Routine, but this hit different.
My sword finally sliced his bone!
"Grk! You freak...!"
Initial composure gone, Hyperion snarled beast-like.
He clutched his half-torn arm.
"You! You have time powers!"
"Well, guess it looks that way."
Even I knew insisting severed limbs regrowing instantly was "regeneration" rang false.
Log in/out was time-related enough.
Kaboom!
Mid-fight, endless rear support: spells, artillery, curses, sniping!
Attacks he'd ignore normally, but pinned by Boram and me, he had to block.
"You pests!"
Boom!
Hyperion fired remote sword aura, but base camp's massive barrier stopped it.
Giggas surrounded gear, pouring ether energy; hundreds behind funneled mana.
People fought desperately. No major losses yet, but they knew reversal meant annihilation.
"Jaeyeon! Double distortion field incoming!"
Taeseok's voice from my back coated me in translucent film—world slowed. Acceleration barrier!
Boom!
Charged straight.
Clang!
"Urk...! Hurts! So annoying! Heavenly Demon Divine Art sucks!"
Boram took the next hit.
Unlike mana/stamina-draining me, her pallor worsened, but distant healing magics kept her from crashing.
"Log out."
But.
"Log in."
As fight dragged, body strain built.
"Log... hack!"
"Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty! You okay!?"
Leaned on Flower's support in seat. Another cough spewed black smoke from my mouth.
Regen that fixed decapitation plus endless heals couldn't fully purge Heavenly Demon Qi erosion.
"Ah, 40 minutes left on songpyeon buff..."
Regretful.
I blacked out.