Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Durandal, the Rock-Splitting Sword
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"Impressive."
Blood Wolf's Tusk had undoubtedly reached the hero's neck.
Yet even that attack, infused with all of Se-woon's power, failed to pierce the hero's body.
Sword aura. No, it was fist aura rippling from the hero's hand that blocked the blade.
To block a sword with bare hands. Even using fist aura, it was an impossible feat without exceptional reflexes and precise reactions.
Paas-
The shattered sword, having endured more force than it could handle, crumbled into powder just as its name implied.
Having poured everything into that single strike—and with the sword now gone—Se-woon's body was riddled with openings.
The moment the hero reclaimed his sword, Se-woon would be bisected without even a chance to react.
But the hero did not.
"Truly astonishing. Were you hiding your strength? I saw no signs of you having learned soft sword techniques."
It was only natural for him to wonder.
As he said, Se-woon had never learned soft sword arts. He had only grasped their essence through the Tai Chi Sword drawn from Mammon's treasure vault.
To someone unaware of the Authority of Greed, it would have looked like nothing more than hidden power.
"And even more surprising is your follow-up attack. Reading two moves ahead like that... Such a strike is impossible without countless battles under your belt."
Se-woon did not bother responding.
He had no intention of revealing the truth about using Chronos's Hourglass.
Only when the hero's amused rambling finally paused did Se-woon speak.
"So, how did I do on the test?"
"Passed, of course. With this much potential, you won't be going around losing your sword to just anyone."
The hero chuckled heartily as he headed toward the cavern's pillar.
Following behind, Se-woon's eyes gleamed oddly. The sword hilt embedded in the pillar was dyed gold.
"Give it a grasp."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Constellation 'Raven with Bowed Head' recalls memories to predict the sword's true nature. Even without that, the moment Se-woon saw the hilt, he could sense the sword's state had completely changed.
This must be the reward for perfectly clearing the Forgotten Hero's Training Ground.
The lingering power of the Forgotten Hero, preserved to pass on to one who passed his trial.
Cheok.
Se-woon gripped the hilt firmly.
He tried to pull the sword free, but he couldn't. Power was draining from him into the blade through the hilt.
His dantian's internal energy, his circle's mana. Even the vitality in his muscle fibers—none were spared.
The instant he realized this and tried to let go in alarm, the Forgotten Hero's voice rang out.
"Endure it. This is the sword recognizing its master."
A sword that recognizes its master.
In the tower, blades with such power were invariably exceptional.
At least A-rank.
Acquiring an A-rank weapon at the tutorial stage would make his future plans far smoother and faster.
Kwaak!
Se-woon gritted his teeth and tightened his grip.
Even as his dantian emptied, his circle stalled, and strength fled his muscles, he held on through sheer malice.
Malice. For Se-woon, who had climbed to the 92nd floor relying solely on the unique skill Journey's Compass without any proper attack abilities, this was his greatest strength.
He clenched so hard that red blood trickled from his gums.
His arms and legs trembled. Was it now draining his mental fortitude too? Dizziness hit alongside a throbbing headache, blurring his vision.
Deuduk!
The hilt, heavy as if fused with the pillar, began to budge bit by bit.
Following the golden hilt, the razor-sharp blade emerged.
Its rusted, worn appearance from moments ago felt like a lie.
"Your strength is still lacking, but you'll overcome that limit soon enough."
The Forgotten Hero's voice echoed in his fading mind.
Too focused on the sword to see it, but it seemed like a faint chuckle escaped him.
"I hope you show me greater heights."
Seusiseut-
The Forgotten Hero's form melted away like shattering mist.
The cavern mana composing his body seeped into the sword.
And in that moment.
Chae-aeng!
The sword finally slid free from the pillar, revealing its radiant body.
The golden hilt bore intricate, almost holy engravings, and the blade was sharp enough to slice the air itself.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Hidden Dungeon 'Forgotten Hero's Training Ground' has been perfectly cleared. Level has increased. Historic achievement accomplished. Personal Contribution increased by 20,000 points as reward. Forgotten Hero's Sword, 'Durandal, Rock-Splitting Sword' acquired. Constellation 'Raven with Bowed Head' jumps to its feet. Gazing at the gleaming sword, Durandal, Se-woon collapsed.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ [Tutorial First Act – Adaptation] The sixth wave begins. Repel the monster wave and prove your existence. Se-woon had climbed the rocky mountain, but the monster wave didn't wait for him. Right on schedule, monsters swarmed the camp once more.
Gray monkeys bursting from the rocky mountain direction. Compared to Brown Monkeys, they were larger in size and stature, and wielded fairly decent weapons.
The onlookers' gazes deepened as they watched the monkeys.
"Everyone, hold the formation! We have the edge in formation and weapons! No need to fear!"
Yoo Seo-ah directed the group with practiced ease.
The first time is always the hardest; with repetition, her leadership was steadily improving.
Seogeogeok-
Regardless of the group's formation, Yoo Seo-ah and Kang Han-cheol struck at the monkeys' flanks.
Yoo Seo-ah's sword whipped up a gale that swept the monkeys away, while Kang Han-cheol's fists crushed them.
It was reminiscent of Se-woon, who always handled monsters separately.
"Ukkiik!"
"Kkiaek!"
Even without Se-woon's help, the camp was handling the wave admirably.
Compared to their trembling arrival in this world, it was a monumental leap.
As most monsters were cleared, Yoo Seo-ah approached Kang Han-cheol with an anxious expression.
"Se-woon hasn't returned yet. What if something happened?"
"......"
Jeong Se-woon.
The man who watched the camp with impassive eyes, spitting cold words as if his emotions had dried up.
Yet without him, the camp would have collapsed long ago.
And without him, Yoo Seo-ah might still be lost in a daze.
Knowing this all too well, her worry grew.
"I can't wait. We need to go look for Se-woon. Will you come with me after this wave?"
"No need."
"......Don't you care? Without Se-woon, we would've......"
"He's not so weak that we need to worry."
Kang Han-cheol replied while swinging a lifeless monkey like a club.
The power blessed by Agares, Hell's Young Noble ruling the East, had already transcended human limits.
"But......"
Even so, Yoo Seo-ah couldn't hide her unease.
What if Jeong Se-woon never showed up? They'd survived this wave, but could they handle the next?
If, like the fourth wave, three types of monsters rotated and grew stronger each time, could they really repel the seventh wave alone?
Such anxieties filled her mind.
Kang Han-cheol glanced down at her, sighed softly, and pointed to the sky.
"Look up."
"......Up?"
Why up all of a sudden?
Puzzled, she looked—and saw the usual wave-related system messages floating.
Among them, Kang Han-cheol pointed at the personal contribution rankings.
The wave wasn't fully cleared yet despite nearing the end, so there shouldn't have been changes.
But she quickly spotted the one anomaly.
"Se-woon's score......!"
⚔ RANKINGS ⚔ 1st: Jeong Se-woon 28,660 points
2nd: Yoo Seo-ah 1,680 points
3rd: Kang Han-cheol 1,600 points
Twenty-eight thousand six hundred sixty.
Se-woon's score had always been untouchably high, but not by this much.
The last she recalled, it was around 7,000 points. Meaning, while they fought the wave, his contribution had nearly quadrupled.
In other words.
"He's surely up to something beyond our wildest imagination."
Kang Han-cheol said impassively.
Yet beneath his stoic face burned a strange mix of rivalry and envy.
"So until he arrives, we focus on holding the waves and growing stronger."
"......Yes!"
Kwaang!!
Kang Han-cheol hurled the dead monkey like a cannonball, shattering the monkeys' formation in their final desperate swings.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Kuuk......"
Se-woon awoke to excruciating pain.
Hunger. Not for food, but for mana.
To claim the dungeon's final reward, he'd poured every drop of mana, internal energy, and vitality into the sword.
He'd recovered minimal energy while unconscious, but his dantian and circle remained empty.
He desperately wanted to check the sword, but restoring his body came first.
Uung!
His exhausted muscles resisted, but lying there offered limited recovery.
Se-woon sat up into a lotus position and regulated his breathing slowly.
Unlike his externally focused circle, prioritizing his dantian—strong in internal energy control—was key.
Following the Three Essences Art's principles, ambient energy began absorbing into him.
But.
Uung!
Uuuung!
The influx was unnatural.
Even with the Three Essences Art—known as the slowest for building internal energy among all methods—the rate was five, no, nearly ten times faster than at camp.
"What is this......"
As his dantian filled rapidly and his body somewhat recovered, Se-woon scanned his surroundings.
And pinpointed the source.
The pillar's center.
From where Durandal had been embedded, dense energy surged forth.
"......A leyline?"
Leyline (龍脈).
In feng shui, the mountain ridges channeling vital energy, or the pools where it gathers.
In the tower, "vital energy" meant mana.
And this spot was renowned as ideal for training dantian and circles.
Ceeik-
A smile crept across Se-woon's face.
Securing the legendary sword Durandal was harvest enough, but it seemed the hidden dungeon's rewards didn't end there.
⚙ TREASURE VAULT OF GREED OPENED ⚙ [Boundary-Breaking Heart Art] A secret heart art passed down through generations in the Demonic House. As a demonic secret, it is notoriously difficult to learn, with few even in the Demonic House mastering it. Hooooung!
The energy swirling around Se-woon whipped into a fierce gale.