Blood Wind Sword Saint Unmasks His True Identity
The exposure of Seo Dojun's true identity as Hyeolpung Geomseong triggered a chain of profound repercussions that rippled far beyond what anyone could have anticipated.
It was inevitable, of course.
The very fate of Earth hung in the balance: whether this world would transform into one of superpowers and magic, or whether peace and normalcy would prevail.
But this was no quiet, behind-the-scenes conflict unfolding in secret.
Instead, it was broadcast live to every corner of the globe.
Even those without a smartphone or computer could watch thanks to miraculous holographic projections that allowed anyone to witness the events unfold.
Nowhere on Earth remained untouched by this story.
Where else could a more critical matter possibly arise?
Busy with work? Facing a pivotal exam?
Any of these mundane concerns could be upended in an instant.
No one could possibly claim ignorance of a matter that would decide whether magic and superpowers existed or not.
Yet here stood a figure drawing the most attention on the most scrutinized stage of all, voluntarily revealing his own identity.
Who could possibly stay indifferent to the question?
The president of Pixelpia Corporation—the founder and current CEO, Seo Dojun.
As soon as his true name spilled from his lips, Pixelpia's stock surged to the absolute limit.
Though it had nothing to do with the stocks tied to Hyeolpung Geomseong himself.
These were shares in the man behind the avatar.
Technically the company and the operator remained separate, yet in this moment the distinction held no meaning whatsoever.
He could now broadcast advertisements across every billboard on the planet, visible to all.
This was a tidal wave so vast that skipping it entirely marked one as foolish.
Of course, if Dojun were to make a grave mistake here—if he sparked a public scandal, committed a crime—the stock would face delisting.
But what if he did not?
A single limit-up trading day changed nothing substantial.
At that point, the president of Pixelpia had been kidnapped and replaced by countless business proposals, server administrators, and chaotic board discussions.
Even those who had never once visited the internet community before now rushed to the site, curious about the mysterious Hyeolpung Geomseong who had suddenly appeared.
And this curiosity only expanded his visibility further.
K-RPGs were expensive by nature.
That was simply the twisted logic of the genre.
It demanded time and money to grind high levels and craft superior characters, all to deliver the satisfying feeling of standing above others.
Many players hated this very system so thoroughly that they despised it beyond mere dislike.
Starfall had not escaped the same trap.
To grow stronger, one needed either time or money—or both.
Or simply overwhelming funds to buy time.
"This is a blunt topic."
Tarte, a top-tier ranker already leading the premier guild Starry Night, had somehow secured her place among the absolute best.
How had the non-golden-spoon man managed to hold his position?
"Now, now—let's set aside all this real-world talk and focus on the quest at hand."
Tarte deftly sidestepped every question.
She simply had no desire to discuss such matters.
"Oh, there's a monster."
Perhaps the heavens themselves had intervened, for at that very moment the forest animals launched a coordinated assault on Tarte and her companions.
Twisted by the corrupted Deer God's influence, these beasts had grown savage beyond recognition.
Today it was not foxes but wolves—five of them, the classic predators that had terrified humanity for centuries.
Humans could not hope to defeat such creatures bare-handed, yet Tarte's party carried weapons.
"Everyone, keep an eye on one another so no single person gets overwhelmed by multiple wolves."
Five wolves, four party members—one would have to face two.
Tarte volunteered without hesitation.
Hyeolpung Geomseong moved like a tortoise.
His flashy nickname stood in stark contrast to his actual skill—barely that of a third-rate warrior at best.
Whether his eyes, hands, or feet were slow was irrelevant; the point remained.
Asking someone who could not even beat a fox to defeat a wolf bordered on lunacy.
"Wind's Blessing."
She cast an acceleration buff upon herself.
The sudden surge in speed proved difficult to adapt to, yet she remained fully in control.
She darted forward, targeting the lead wolf's throat with her blade.
The creature's reaction was too slow; it twisted awkwardly, barely avoiding the fatal cut.
Instead, the upper portion of its front leg—roughly equivalent to a human's shoulder—ripped open.
As she prepared to finish the wounded beast with a second strike, another wolf leaped at Tarte, attempting to distract her.
She sidestepped and slashed, repelling the attacker with a clean swing.
Her teammates could not simply watch; they had to act.
Five wolves surrounding one leader would spell disaster.
The mage unleashed a spell that obliterated the monsters.
It was the most ordinary situation imaginable, yet one that could never have been witnessed the day before.
That same mage had been nothing more than a backpack—carrying nothing but a staff and lacking any real magic knowledge.
Now, however, thanks to a playful exchange with monkeys, he had learned genuine spellcasting.
Daepokpal's magic overwhelmed the wolves in an instant.
Even more impressive was the thief.
He had mastered four skills overnight.
Lockpicking, theft, pickpocketing, and stealth movement—none offered combat utility on their own.
Yet the stat growth from training those skills granted him unmatched speed and precision.
His equipped dagger, though nearly useless against true giants, sliced through a wolf with devastating efficiency.
It crushed the spine and ended the life in a single breath.
And Hyeolpung Geomseong still failed to earn his name's worth.
As he swung his sword, the wolves dodged with effortless grace.
Their thick muscles and supple bodies interpreted human weapons as sharp claws and simply stepped aside.
Instinctively, they targeted the weak point—the back of the neck.
A wolf this massive could leap and tear a human's throat apart in one motion.
His strength overflowed like a flood.
Hyeolpung Geomseong raised his arm to block the attack.
The gauntlets he had received as a gift from the village elder proved effective.
They absorbed the descending claws and shoved the wolf away with the force of his swing.
When the opponent changed, so did the reactions of the onlookers.
People who had scoffed at the mere sight of a fox now cheered for the sword saint facing wolves.
Some even abandoned the broadcast, unable to watch any longer.
Meanwhile, Tarte had eliminated both wolves without sustaining a scratch.
Thanks to the perfect application of her Haste skill.
With her body moving at blinding speed, she carved through the beasts' throats untouched.
The mage and thief followed one after another, dropping their targets.
Only the warrior remained unbeaten.
Yet that opportunity never arrived.
Tarte had already bisected the final wolf before it could reach Geomseong's position.
"No one was injured, right?"
As the party's priest, she was still only half a healer.
Yet she possessed an expansive field of vision, the courage to charge toward colossal threats, and exceptional judgment.
No one would ever claim she could not hold her own.
Compared to her, the warrior felt even more inadequate.
"Thank you for helping."
"It's a party hunt, not an individual rescue. What are you talking about."
Tarte felt a trace of awkwardness when responding to the warrior's gratitude.
A hunt?
That term sounded far too game-like.
It was a game, after all.
Yet had she already adapted to this bizarre Tower world?
After all, she had entered the Tower barely a day ago.
"Team A must gather holy relics before they can purify the Deer God—before they defeat it."
Tarte briefly recalled the mysterious, sickly girl she had conversed with during their early-morning exchange.
Pink hair, white dress, a fragile beauty who had declared she would die without magic.
She shook the thought away and issued her next orders.
"Keep moving."
Tarte still did not know the girl's name.
She had simply never asked.
* * * * *
"Attacking the forest too obviously is forbidden.
Without a means to escape once the Deer God begins the chase, we will be finished."
It was late afternoon when the revived Team A gathered for their first meeting since full restoration.
The 24-Hour Resurrection Rule.
Those who died in the Tower would return after twenty-four hours in a safe zone.
That was why Miro had spent the previous day alone in an inn.
Now her companions had all respawned.
Yet Team B remained ignorant of this rule.
Messages sent from outside the Tower were treated as censored and never reached them.
"Dying and reviving—dying and reviving—clearly the safest method.
Where is there a better way to hunt than burning the forest?"
The pyromaniac once again proposed setting the forest ablaze.
"No.
That would take too long."
But Miro rejected the idea outright.
This was not a simple quest that ended upon clearing a condition.
They had to satisfy the requirements faster than Team B.
"Fighting makes us stronger.
This is a simple world after all.
So we should just keep hunting until we can kill the Deer God."
Chae Seorin suggested.
Miro offered no rebuttal, instead presenting a new idea.
"What if we poison the well and kill the villagers?
Would that still grant us experience points?"