The Secret of the Three
“Uwooooooo!!!”
With his second awakening came an explosive stat boost, and Kim Taesoo's movements completely transformed. He deflected the Arachne's leg stabs—which had even overwhelmed the B-rank tanks from the Hyeonmu Guild—as if he'd seen them coming a mile away, and he started batting away the incoming ice spears with his sword. Clang clang clang clang clang—! It was insane swordplay that no one could believe came from a D-rank; it was like the gods themselves had possessed him.
“Wh-what the hell is that old guy?!”
“That mana... no, where the hell did this awakener come from?!”
The panicked crowd's attention snapped away from Choi Jaewon and locked onto Kim Taesoo, who had burst forward from the front lines and was blocking every attack.
What the hell?
Taesoo hyung's gone nuts. Completely lost his mind. Is this some deathbed frenzy? And why the fuck is that guy right there doing that!!
But something was off.
Wait, he's blocking everything? Was Taesoo hyung always that strong??
And then a hypothesis flashed in my mind.
No way... second awakening?
There was no other explanation for that crazy performance. The notoriously difficult second awakening had timed itself perfectly for right now? But with it happening right in front of my eyes, there was no room for doubt.
That's when a brilliant idea hit me.
Yes! That's it!
Judging by Taesoo hyung's movements, his rank had jumped to at least B-rank, maybe even A-rank. In that case...!
I gripped the invisible black iron spear—coated in two layers of Dragon Words to render it transparent—and hurled it with all my strength at the joint of the massive front leg supporting the Arachne's weight, ignoring its human-like upper body entirely. The crowd's eyes were all glued to Taesoo hyung. The moment the Arachne's attack was blocked, exposing a gap—
Thwack—!
I grinned as I let the spear fly.
Hero of the hour? Taesoo hyung's way better suited than that prick!!
And at the same moment, I bellowed at the top of my lungs:
“Taesoo hyung!! Now's your chance! Finish it off!!”
Kim Taesoo's performance was unreal. Even he couldn't believe the power surging through him. That intoxicating thrill he'd completely forgotten since that day ten years ago—when his sword snapped under a monster's blow and he fled, abandoning his comrades—was surging back like mad. One slip could mean death, but ironically, that's what made him feel so vividly alive.
Kaaang—!!
Every time he parried one of the Arachne's massive legs, he felt himself surpassing his limits. For some reason, he'd gotten stronger. But the situation wasn't all rosy.
Damn it, just blocking like this won't cut it...
Blocking was easy. The problem was that as a close-range fighter, he had no way to strike the Arachne's enormous main body. He could probably cleave that thing in half with one swing now. But piercing its tough defenses and that height? Impossible.
That's when a familiar, reassuring voice from behind hit his ears.
“Taesoo hyung!! Now's your chance! Finish it off!!”
I want to, Daesung-ah...!
And right then—
Krunch—!
No warning, no precursor. The Arachne's leg—which they'd been locked in stalemate with—suddenly buckled with a thud!, tilting sharply.
“Kieeeek?!”
With its center of balance shattered, the house-sized Arachne's massive body lurched to the right with a grotesque roar and collapsed. Its main body, hovering dozens of meters up, dropped closer to the ground, and the wreckage of the shattered spider leg formed a makeshift staircase right at Kim Taesoo's feet.
...Daesung did something!!
Others might think the monster had just slipped. But Taesoo instinctively knew: this was the handiwork of Kwon Daesung, the man who'd changed his life.
He couldn't waste this once-in-a-lifetime chance.
“Uwaaaaaaaa!!”
Kim Taesoo roared and kicked off the ground. He sprinted up the tilted spider leg without hesitation, then launched himself into the air. At the end of his gaze: the Arachne's beautiful yet grotesque blue face, eyes bulging in panic.
“This ends it!! Die!!”
Kim Taesoo exploded all his mana, compressing it into his sword's blade. He brought it down mercilessly on the Arachne's crown.
Shraaaaaaaa—!!
A dazzling blue sword aura slashed vertically. The Arachne's hastily deployed ice shield shattered like glass, and Taesoo's blade cleaved through its skull—from nape to waist—perfectly bisecting its repulsive human-like torso.
“Kyaaaa...!!!!”
Blue blood gushed out. With its core destroyed, the Arachne went limp like a puppet with cut strings, and its massive spider lower body—dozens of tons—ground to a halt.
Rumble rumble ruuuuuumble—!!!
“Hah, huff, hah! Huff!”
At 36 years old, Kim Taesoo had just felled his first A-rank boss.
Silence fell.
The blizzard stopped, the earthquake-like tremors subsided, and an utter hush blanketed the ice canyon—not even the sound of swallowing could be heard.
The final boss, the A-rank Ice Arachne, lay bisected and crashed into the ground. And atop its highest peak stood a man heaving ragged breaths.
“......”
“......”
The survivors who'd clawed for life stared up at the surreal sight in a daze. Even Choi Jaewon stood speechless, mouth agape.
“D-does that even make sense...?”
And ten seconds later.
Someone's booming voice shattered the silence.
“W-whoa, whoaaaaaaaaa!!!!”
That was the spark. Soon, the canyon erupted in deafening cheers and roars.
“We did it!! We took down the boss!!”
“No, not us! That guy's the one who did it! Did you see that sword aura just now?!”
“Who the hell is that guy?! Hyeonmu Guild?!”
“Nah, he said himself he's D-rank...?!”
“Bullshit! No way that's D-rank! At least A-rank!!”
The miraculously alive survivors hugged each other and showered Taesoo hyung with praise. He flailed in flustered embarrassment but raised his sword triumphantly to the sky, beaming shyly in response.
“We-we got it! It's safe now!”
I hung back in the crowd, watching the cinematic scene unfold. The black iron spear landed silently in my palm; I swung it behind my back, dispelled the transparency Dragon Words, and joined the cheers like nothing happened.
“Sniff, heh heh heh. Woo!! Long live Kim Taesoo!! Hip hip hooray!!”
I wiped my nose and fought back the laughter bubbling up.
From cowardly has-been to everyone's hero, breaking his limits after ten years. Yeah. As my exclusive manager, hyung deserves that kind of treatment.
***
Clearing a mutated gate amplified beyond stage 3—an overwhelming feat. Back at base camp, the raid team was getting hero's treatment.
Leading the charge: attention-hog Choi Jaewon, of course.
What a showoff. That desperate for the spotlight?
I clicked my tongue watching him. That's when—
“Daesung-ah, how'd you do it?”
Taesoo hyung's question. I played dumb.
“Do what?”
“Don't play coy. It was you who wrecked that Arachne leg.”
“Busted, huh?”
Then Seo Ayoung chimed in from the side.
“Oppa, how could we miss something flying whoosh like that? It was a spear throw!”
Oh, right. Seo Ayoung was there.
Why was she watching me instead of Taesoo hyung...?
“You saw?”
“Duh! Something went whoosh and it was a spear!”
No point hiding it now.
“Shh, truth is, I'm a dragon in disguise keeping my power hidden.”
Taesoo hyung and Seo Ayoung's faces twisted.
“What're you on about...?”
“Oppa, you're into that lame humor?”
Not a single lie—just cold, hard fact.
“Eh, call it circumstances. Don't wanna deal with the hassle till I hit B- or A-rank.”
“You'd probably measure A-rank right now.”
“Can't. Did it already—came out F-rank.”
Their eyes widened.
“Huh? F-rank? You, who one-shotted the toughest part of an A-rank monster's body?”
“Yeah, something like that. So let's keep it quiet for now. You too, hyung. Ayoung, you in?”
Taesoo hyung nodded.
“Sure, if you wanna keep it secret, there's gotta be a reason.”
Seo Ayoung gave a meaningful smile and sidled up.
“Our little secret, just the three of us? Right?”
She got too close; I stepped back.
“Y-yeah?”
“Can't tell unnie either!?”
“Th-that works for me?”
“Then in exchange for keeping quiet, I have a condition!”
“Wh-what?”
She slapped hands on mine and Taesoo hyung's shoulders.
“We party up together from now on!!”
“What?”
“Figure Taesoo ajusshi's no D-rank, and oppa's even stronger. You've got secrets! Right!?”
“What secrets...?”
“No fair!! I'm in the club now too!!”
Hmm... how to handle this.
From this gate, I could tell Seo Ayoung had real talent. The kind that would've ignored a nobody like me if I hadn't scored the Dragon Heart. She'd awakened recently, too.
She could main-tank decently...
Then her voice again.
“See... martial artists like me are useless, huh...?”
Huh?
“What'd you say?”
“Am I useless...? I know... I'm a half-assed awakener... no skills... just tough body...”
“No, wait—what's your class again?”
“Martial artist...”
What is this weird feeling like the world's strongest party is forming in my hands...?
“Martial artist...? What's its trait?”