The First Sword Aura
Yoo Ji-sung’s eyes widened. ‘No way… that really was a Sword Aura? Every time this guy hits a crisis he gets stronger?’
Though faint, the light clinging to Jin-ho Lee’s blade was unmistakably Sword Aura. Less than a month had passed since they entered the Tower. For someone to infuse their weapon with aura in that short span was unthinkable for any Conqueror who fought with equipment.
‘If I’d only heard about it, I would’ve called it a bad joke. If I’d seen it with my own eyes, I might’ve been so ashamed I’d bite my tongue and die.’
“Ji-sung… oppa? That… that’s really it, right?”
“Probably. No, I’m sure. I’ve never seen it before, but… that’s definitely Sword Aura.”
‘He first used Sword Aura around the late twenties. Even a genius among geniuses like him originally manifested it after floor twenty. This is worth being shocked over. I really am amazing. Or is it that bastard Markrun who’s amazing this time?’
Yoo Ji-sung nodded at A-reum Jeong’s incomplete question. She stood at the same vantage point, so she too could witness Jin-ho’s Sword Aura. Her mouth fell open at the unbelievable sight, forgetting even the tears she had shed watching Conquerors turn into undead.
“I can’t believe it. How can someone who just entered the Tower…?”
“It just means Jin-ho is that much of a genius. He’s a monster who can’t even be compared to others. If we pour time and effort to achieve one, he achieves ten or more.”
“A genius…”
A-reum wiped the tears streaming down her face. When she first met Jin-ho, she had known he would greatly influence the Tower’s conquest. Yet she had still believed he was human and would need time since he had only just arrived. That preconception, formed as a Conqueror who entered the Tower before him, had been shattered.
“So real geniuses actually exist.”
A-reum watched the Sword Aura Jin-ho had created. It flickered between faint and vivid. Any other Conqueror would have struggled just to maintain Sword Aura upon first manifesting it. But Jin-ho had already skipped that stage and was reaching for the next. It was frustrating to watch.
“The situation…”
A-reum’s gaze swept across the battlefield. Elsewhere, the Conquerors held the advantage against the monsters. The undead Conquerors couldn’t exert their full original strength. The survivors channeled their grief into fuel and fought with everything they had. But the Hop Goblin Hero—the key to this conquest—was different. Even the six-man party, rumored to be the strongest on the entire eleventh floor after leaving Marin, was being pushed back.
“We ran out of time. Tom Raynold can’t even hurt him. If we’d had just a little more… if Jin-ho oppa had entered the Tower even a month earlier…”
“We can still win.”
“What?”
“Jin-ho will figure something out. It’s too soon to call it a loss.”
‘He’s the protagonist, after all. He’ll pull through somehow. And… I’m starting to see the strategy. Because he took wounds that should’ve killed him, Markrun’s arrangement isn’t working properly. I can see his power steadily weakening.’
A-reum looked at Yoo Ji-sung. His blunt remark about Jin-ho was followed by him shifting his focus entirely onto the Hop Goblin Hero. That told her he trusted Jin-ho completely and was searching for a way to win. He would succeed. They would win. Yoo Ji-sung seemed utterly convinced of it.
‘How can he be so sure?’
The thought wouldn’t settle easily with A-reum. They had only just met in the Tower—how could he trust someone that much? The question rose unbidden. Then Yoo Ji-sung spoke again.
“We just need to do what we can. No one’s given up yet. If those of us providing support lose faith and predict defeat, we’d be betraying our comrades. There’s no way we lose on just the eleventh floor, right?”
“…You’re right. Of course we won’t.”
A-reum nodded with difficulty. The monster was stronger than anything they had seen even beyond the twentieth floor, and that had crushed their morale. Even Tom Raynold was struggling, so negative thoughts kept surfacing. But her party members and fellow Conquerors were still fighting with everything they had. If she, the support, broke down while watching them, she wouldn’t be able to face them afterward.
“Forget what I looked like earlier. I was just a little shaken.”
“Was something wrong?”
Yoo Ji-sung’s nonchalant reply made A-reum smile faintly. She then focused with renewed determination and began supporting her allies. But Yoo Ji-sung never took his eyes off Jin-ho.
‘You little punk. You’d better keep that up so all my effort wasn’t wasted. Push a little harder! Harder!’
Jin-ho, unaware of Yoo Ji-sung’s shouts, poured every ounce of concentration into controlling his Sword Aura.
“Jin-ho! Push harder! You can do it!”
“Brother! I told you you’d hold out! What’s a miracle or two? Show us one right now!”
“Focus.”
Tom Raynold’s, Dong-cheol Ma’s, and Su-ho Jang’s voices reached Jin-ho’s ears. He had to devote every nerve to manifesting and maintaining the Sword Aura. In the gap he left, the Hop Goblin Hero rampaged. The three men desperately searched for the now-invisible Jin-ho and, upon witnessing the astonishing sight, did their best to buy him time.
‘Just… just a little more…!’
Jin-ho gritted his teeth. The moment he resolved to take a step, he felt his core tremble. The Sword Aura wavered and the mana inside him slipped from his control.
‘Damn it! There’s no time! I have to do this! I have to!’
He was gradually getting the feel for it, but he couldn’t afford to spend much time in such an urgent situation. Jin-ho’s eyes found Tom Raynold locked in a contest of strength with the Hop Goblin Hero.
“Ghh…”
“Kyaak!”
Thud!
While Tom drew the monster’s attention, a spike Yoo Ji-sung created struck at its abdomen. But the spike failed to pierce its armor. The Hop Goblin Hero staggered back a few steps, the metal plate dented from the impact. Then it let out a furious roar.
“I’ll kill youuu!”
Shhhk!
Shhhhk!
“Kahat!”
Thud!
The monster raised its arm to block the arrows flying toward its eyes. Thanks to its skill, the arrows pierced its armor and embedded in its arm. It yanked them out with its other hand, baring its fangs. Blood from the arrows stained its arm. Its murderous gaze swept over the six men and women. Each one was nothing but small fry compared to it. The fact that these weaklings were stopping it wounded its pride.
“Keeeek!”
“Kraak!”
“Kuhk!”
The mana-infused roar knocked down the Conquerors who had been fighting the monsters it commanded. They should have fallen, yet they endured as if they had adapted. That, too, wounded the monster’s pride. It would tear them to pieces. It would not grant them an easy death. The Hop Goblin Hero reaffirmed its resolve and swung its greatsword with force.
At that moment, its eyes found the man standing with a sword in hand.
“Kyak?”
The man maintained a ridiculously faint Sword Aura. The monster felt a sense of unease. He was clearly a small fry with weak power and a pitifully dim aura. Even maintaining Sword Aura seemed to strain him. Yet its instincts screamed not to leave him alone.
“Krrk!”
Under that piercing gaze, the Hop Goblin Hero faltered and stepped back. The moment it faced him, its sense of crisis grew. It would die if things continued this way. Obeying its instincts, the monster took a large step forward.
“Kyaak! You! Dangerous!”
“Brother! That thing’s aiming for you—ugh!”
Dong-cheol Ma saw the monster charging straight at Jin-ho and shouted a warning. He tried to block its path, but the greatsword sent his massive frame flying through the air. He couldn’t withstand the sweeping blow. Su-ho Jang loosed an arrow, but it failed to draw the monster’s attention.
“Hah!”
After Su-ho’s cry, Tom Raynold stepped in and traded fierce blows with the monster. Every time the greatsword swung, Tom staggered like an inflatable doll. Yet he gritted his teeth and endured, waiting for Jin-ho to finish preparing.
‘Just a little! Just a little more!’
Jin-ho stared directly at the monster advancing after swatting Tom aside. Yoo Ji-sung’s spikes obstructed its path, but it smashed through them all. The time the Sword Aura stayed vivid had grown noticeably longer than when it was faint. When the greatsword rose high toward him, Jin-ho ground his teeth.
“Its arms! Aim for its arms! Knock its weapon away! The energy covering it has weakened! It has a time limit! Either disarm it or buy time until it tires out!”
Yoo Ji-sung’s shout reached Jin-ho. The energy cloaking the monster did seem to have faded.
“Kyaak!”
“Hup!”
The greatsword fell toward his head. Jin-ho drew a deep breath. His core shook and mana threatened to escape his control. The descending blade grew rapidly larger in his vision. A spike created by Yoo Ji-sung intercepted it. With a grinding noise, the tip of the spike dented and cracked. Between the monster’s armor-covered arms, its joint was completely exposed.
“Don’t interfere!”
‘I can cut it!’
Taking the monster’s full momentum head-on sent a chill down Jin-ho’s spine. But he swung his sword, aiming only for the joint. His mana-infused body and blade unleashed far greater power than usual.
Slash!
“Kyaak!”
“Did he cut it?”
“Yes! Brother! You’re the best!”
“No! It was shallow!”
It was the first welcome sound he had heard since the battle began. Su-ho and Dong-cheol cheered at the sound of something being cut, but Tom Raynold did not. Despite still reeling from the earlier impact, he kicked off the ground. He swung his greatsword at the monster’s back. Their eyes met as the creature thrashed in pain. He thrust toward its neck, but the monster’s greatsword precisely blocked the attack.
BOOM!
“Kuhk!”
“Kya!”
Tom was flung backward. The monster screamed. Its nearly severed arm dangled limply from the impact. The pain seemed to have made it forget it was even fighting.
‘Should I aim for the neck?’
Jin-ho sweated coldly as he considered. The time spent controlling the Sword Aura had consumed a considerable amount of focus and mana. A few more swings with aura-clad blade and his mana would be completely depleted. He couldn’t afford to miss the chance before the monster regained its senses, so he thrust his sword.
Slash!
“Kyaak!”
Thud!
Jin-ho’s blade passed through. The monster let out a death scream. Jin-ho saw the greatsword fall along with its arm. If he had aimed for the neck, the fight might have ended. But he trusted Yoo Ji-sung’s words.
‘Ji-sung told me to aim for its arms. And he was right.’
Before completely severing the arm, Jin-ho noticed a strange flow of energy. Just before being cut, the Hop Goblin Hero had smirked after confirming Jin-ho’s target. At the same time, it had moved its energy to protect its vital points. Especially around the spots where a single strike could kill it, the light gathered far more densely. Even while cutting through the monster’s nearly rag-like arm, he had felt significant resistance. Seeing the monster’s startled expression, Jin-ho realized he had won the psychological battle.
‘What if I had ignored Ji-sung and aimed for the neck?’
Cold sweat ran down Jin-ho’s back. He would surely have been hindered by that light and taken damage instead. Then the monster, once recovered, would have killed him for certain.
“Kyaak!”
The monster thrashed, trying to put distance between itself and Jin-ho. It showed no intention of retrieving its lost weapon and was clearly trying to flee. Its weakened state without the weapon was obvious. Markrun’s divine power seemed to have completely drained away; it could no longer even speak. Its mana-infused roars only echoed hollowly and no longer carried the same crushing pressure.
“Ghh! It looks weakened! That weapon was the source of its power!”
“I’m out of arrows. I’ll support you.”
Dong-cheol and Su-ho spoke as they watched the now-unarmed monster. Its presence had clearly diminished. Dong-cheol still couldn’t stand, and Su-ho gripped his dagger. Tom Raynold approached, staggering to his feet. The monster continued to writhe from the pain of losing its arm and the resulting exhaustion.
“Now’s our chance.”
‘It was strong. So… defeating it should make me even stronger!’
Tom Raynold and Jin-ho charged at the monster almost simultaneously. Thanks to his stats, Tom seemed likely to reach it first.
‘That crazy bastard?!’
Yoo Ji-sung barely swallowed the curse that nearly escaped as he watched Tom. At this rate, someone else would land the finishing blow. Convinced of it, he flicked his fingers where no one could see.
Rumble!
“No!”
Slash!
Slash!
The sudden tremor made Tom stumble. His sword veered off its intended path. The blade sliced through the monster’s remaining arm that had been clutching the severed one. A moment later, Jin-ho’s sword cleanly severed the Hop Goblin Hero’s neck.
“Kya…”
The Hop Goblin’s eyes lost their light as its head rolled across the ground. It came to a stop facing the greatsword.
Thud.
Clang!
“Wait. We will come find you.”
The gem embedded in the greatsword shattered with a sharp sound the instant it touched the monster’s head. The undead monsters crumbled into sand. The moon, now revealed in the night sky, returned to its blue glow. At the moment the moon regained its original form, a chilling voice echoed throughout the canyon for everyone to hear.
Tom Raynold, having confirmed everything, turned to Yoo Ji-sung with a bewildered expression.
“What was that voice… and this…”
“Ah… well… I’m sorry. I was trying to hold it back, but… more importantly, we should figure out what that voice means first.”
‘Idiot. That one’s not yours. I already called dibs on it for our Jin-ho. And that bastard Markrun—leaving behind an arrangement is one thing, but the way he sets the mood is seriously creepy.’
Yoo Ji-sung gave Tom an awkward smile before looking up at the sky. He narrowed his eyes, clearly remembering the voice of Markrun.