Sword Ghost (1)
📍 Floors:Babel 6F~10F
Slay the Flame Ghost's Guest
As the name suggested, starting from floor 6, the background shifted to a vast graveyard.
A chill fog hung thick in the air. Tombstones of unknown owners lay scattered everywhere, covered in moss—it was a pitiful sight.
"Uuuuughhh…."
"Grrraaawr!"
Pushing through the fog and wandering around, I spotted corpses shuffling about, their rotting flesh dangling in clumps.
Zombies.
They looked just like the ones from horror movies, the kind that made bile rise in your throat involuntarily.
And the stench was foul too.
"Kraaaah!"
They were clearly slower than goblins, but their strength was on another level—no comparison.
If one grabbed you, escaping wouldn't be easy.
Of course, getting caught by some sluggish corpse wasn't happening. My longsword was longer, after all.
I leisurely strolled through the fog, slicing through their ugly mugs one by one.
This place is seriously creepy.
They said people occasionally died starting from floor 6. Now I got why.
It was dark, the fog was dense, visibility was shit.
And zombies barely made a sound, sneaking up from behind to rip out your throat.
"Ugh!"
Scratch—!
A zombie's nails grazed my pauldron. It had lunged through a gap in the fog.
I stabbed it through the chest, dropping it, then spotted three more closing in behind.
Numbers are decent too.
Stamina management would be key. Get cocky, and you might end up in deep shit.
After that, I waited for the three zombies to approach and cut them down one by one.
"Ugh!"
Midway through the last one, my sword caught on bone and wouldn't come free easily.
It had good cutting power, but maybe their sticky blood was the issue. Or bad angle. Either way, it took more effort than expected to yank it out.
Can't let that happen.
Noted it as something to improve, then headed to the next floor.
You have cleared Floor 8.
Current Level: LV9
Upon reaching LV10, you can acquire one more Trait.
Lost in the frenzy of slicing zombies, I'd reached floor 9 before I knew it.
"Fuck, there are so goddamn many zombies… I'm exhausted as hell."
"Huh? Someone's coming over there."
"Oh yeah. Hey, over here!"
People.
Not surprising.
Babel was huge, but so were the numbers challenging it. You ran into others now and then.
Of course, unless you'd entered at the same time, meeting someone else was rare.
"Nice to meet you. Name's Shin Yong. Where you from?"
"From the Babel Tower in Seoul. Park Hyunwoo."
LV8 Shin Yong
Inside Babel, every player's head displayed their level and name like this.
A player-killer's name turned red and never faded.
Meaning murder was stupid unless you planned to quit Babel altogether.
"I'm from the Busan Babel Tower. Never thought I'd run into another Korean here! Wanna hunt together now?"
"Sure, why not."
Master had insisted I hunt solo to build experience.
But I'd learned all I could solo. Partying up wouldn't hurt.
"Solo, huh? Impressive… Got a master?"
"Yeah, under Ryu Ga-eul."
"The Sword Saint? Damn, that's huge…."
Most players didn't have masters, so he looked envious.
Wonder if this is how trust fund kids get stared at.
"Looking forward to your skills then."
With more people, hunting sped up. I'd charge ahead, mowing zombies, and they'd finish them off.
"No kidding, players with masters are on another level. Hunt speed's doubled."
Without zombies sneaking up from behind, I could go all out too.
You have cleared Floor 9.
We cleared floor 9 in just ten minutes.
"Solo must fill EXP faster, huh? Parties are slower normally."
Probably why Master sent me solo.
Skill meant fast levels.
Double Slash: Chance to strike twice with each attack.
Crescent Slash: Consume mana to fire a cutting mana blade at range.
Both solid traits. Which to pick?
"Hyunwoo, you're LV10? Congrats. Gotta be a swordsman build… What traits popped?"
"Double attack or ranged attack."
"Pfft, no brainer! Go Double Slash. Melee tree's the best."
Shin Yong explained traits varied by aptitude and prior choices, branching accordingly.
"Pick Crescent Slash and no party's taking you!"
"Yeah, that's mage-sword route. Trash tier. Total trash."
"Ah…."
Everyone agreed. Master had focused on swordsmanship too, right?
You have acquired Double Slash.
Short deliberation, and I went with Double Slash. Mana cost was a turnoff anyway.
Basics first for smoother fights ahead.
"So Hyunwoo's melee swordsman tree now? Nobility status unlocked."
"Double Slash is broken as fuck. Hits trigger effects twice…."
Strangers, but they all seemed genuinely happy for me.
Party rewards didn't drop much anyway. They had some leeway.
"Alright, to floor 10. Caught the Flame Ghost's Guest yet?"
"Nah…."
"Gotta stay sharp. Rumor says it was the king's guard captain—swordplay's insane."
Stepping onto floor 10, the vibe changed.
Fog cleared. A blue glow permeated everything.
The moon. A full moon hung in the Babel Tower's interior.
"Atmosphere's weird… Yong hyung, was it always like this?"
"Dunno… Fuck, what is this?"
Not just me—everyone looked baffled.
"Normally a 2m corpse with a greatsword spawns center-stage… Huh? What's that?"
But center wasn't a corpse, per Shin Yong.
A man in a yellow hat and black hanbok like ancient Chinese robes.
"Not a player."
He sat back-turned in lotus position. Not monster, not player—what?
No way.
Master's words flashed: A guy called Sword Ghost sometimes shows near floor 10.
Strong as her, the Sword Saint….
Intruder Detected
An unauthorized entity has invaded Babel.
Players, the staff will handle this—do not engage.
The system's words ended, and sirens blared across floor 10.
Like a fire alarm.
Signaling danger.
Dimension Leaper, Sword Ghost, has intruded.
Sword Ghost.
The man rose from lotus. Awkward at first.
Then I changed my mind.
"Fate is a mysterious thing, even when you think you know it, isn't it?"
He spoke softly, gently. Seemed full of openings at a glance.
But his walk screamed different. Like spotting danger in a ferocious bear without explanation.
"One might meet a comrade for a thousand years in a filthy alley. Or lose a long-time wife to a single mistake."
He drew his sword.
Just that… and something odd happened.
The graveyard's corpse stink vanished, replaced by a faint floral scent.
Sweet, pleasant.
Familiar….
Plum blossoms from that school field trip.
Plum fragrance, that distant aroma, filled the floor.
"This fateful meeting—shall we see if it's long or short?"
"Ah, I…."
"No right to refuse."
This was bad.