Chapter 252
Chapter 252
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 252
Chapter Title: Yuri vs. Black Sword Soldiers (3)
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Hard Difficulty – 1st Floor.
Three figures emerged into the passage leading to the 2nd floor.
“We’re here!”
“I’m hungry!”
The blue-haired girl and the giant.
Arin and Poppi threw their hands up in joy at finally reaching the end of the maze.
Gunter, standing beside them, didn’t show it much, but he was thrilled to have escaped the trap-filled labyrinth.
In the meantime, Arin glanced around.
“Are we first?”
“I’m hungry?”
Arin and Poppi tilted their heads, and Gunter quickly scanned the surroundings before nodding.
“We entered first, so… it’s likely.”
Of course, it mattered less who entered first and more how quickly they found their way through the maze.
Even more crucial than that was breaking through the traps scattered throughout.
The traps weren’t to be underestimated, but what truly stumped the three was their purpose.
The traps were designed to test those who entered the maze.
For example, doors that only opened to mana levels above a certain threshold blocking the path.
Or clues to the next passage hidden in ways only those with exceptional dynamic vision could spot.
The Hard Difficulty 1st Floor maze was a space that tested entrants from every angle.
And even Gunter—the top of the 50th Cohort alongside Arin and Poppi—had taken nearly 20 hours to navigate it together.
What was there to say about those less capable?
Thus, Gunter was convinced they were the first to clear this Hard Difficulty 1st Floor.
‘20 hours to clear the 1st floor… not bad.’
No, considering this quest lasted 100 days, it wasn’t just not bad—it was astonishingly fast.
But Gunter steadied himself to avoid complacency.
He turned his head, gazing in a certain direction.
“That guy… how far has he gotten by now?”
Arin caught on that he was looking toward Hell Difficulty and grinned.
“Still, it’s Yuri… He’s probably at least on the 4th floor, right?”
Gunter responded with some skepticism.
“If Hard Difficulty is like this, even Yuri might struggle to reach the 4th.”
“Really? Then the 3rd?”
“Who knows?”
“Huh? Why the vague reaction? You think Yuri’s still on the 2nd?”
“Yeah, probably.”
“No way! It’s Yuri!”
As Arin waved it off as ridiculous, Gunter replied with a serious expression.
“I don’t know exactly how tough Hell Difficulty is, but one thing’s clear: the handbook adjusted it with Yuri in mind.”
Arin nodded in agreement.
“Of course? Yuri would pick the one with the best rewards, and if it were too easy, he’d clear it in less than a day.”
“So, if you were with the Black Sword Corps, how would you set the difficulty?”
“Obviously… super hard? Tough enough that even Yuri struggles?”
“Right. So Hell Difficulty is probably literal hell.”
“Ugh.”
Arin shuddered, imagining the dangers of Hell Difficulty.
Gunter spoke with full conviction.
“Taking all that into account, I think Yuri’s on the 2nd floor right now.”
Arin looked puzzled for a moment.
“Hmm…”
She soon flashed a big smile and waved it off.
“Nah, no way. Yuri’s definitely past the 4th by now.”
Despite his logical explanation, Arin’s absurd response made Gunter furrow his brow slightly.
But it smoothed out at her next words.
“Hell’s basically Yuri’s hometown, right? He’s probably going wild with excitement.”
All logic flipped in an instant.
Gunter nodded vigorously in realization.
“I see.”
He’d briefly forgotten.
That Yuri was a demon spawn from hell.
Rustle-.
“I’m hungry!”
Poppi, tearing open a ration pouch from the maze, nodded enthusiastically as if agreeing with Arin.
* * *
The moment the gray holy sword and golden holy sword crossed in midair.
KABOOM-!
A massive explosion rang out, and the figure in Black Sword Corps garb slammed into the ground.
Thud-!
The impact was so fierce it cracked the floor wide open.
If the solid ground was like that, how much worse for the one embedded in it?
“Guhk!”
Blood erupted from the Black Sword soldier’s mouth like a fountain.
But his real crisis was only just beginning.
Swoosh-!
Golden shooting stars rained down on the Black Sword soldier.
Barely clinging to consciousness, he poured all his mana into his sword in horror at the sight.
Woooong-!
A gray holy sword materialized amid the powerful resonance.
No sooner had it appeared than the golden meteors struck.
Thud-thud-thud-!
Each terrifying golden streak hammered the gray holy sword, jolting the Black Sword soldier’s body violently.
“Urk… grrr!”
The more he gritted his teeth to block the golden meteor shower, the deeper his body sank into the ground.
Rumble-.
The surrounding floor crumbled further.
A desperate defense to survive the golden barrage pouring like a storm.
“Raaah!”
The moment that seemed eternal finally neared its end.
And at that end lay defeat and despair.
Crack-!
‘W-what?!’
The gray holy sword began to fracture.
Unable to withstand the impacts, it shattered.
The Black Sword soldier desperately tried to hold it together, but his efforts yielded no fruit.
Clang-!
The gray holy sword finally shattered into mana particles, scattering everywhere.
The golden streaks, weakened but still potent, delivered the final blow.
Crunch-!
“Gack?!”
Golden light blasted the Black Sword soldier.
BOOM!
A deafening roar followed, and ochre dust erupted like fog, blanketing everything.
And then.
Step-step-.
From the unsettled dust emerged a staggering black silhouette.
“Ugh…”
The figure groaning as he appeared was none other than Yuri, covered in sweat, blood, and dirt.
His haggard face.
“Fuck… this is killing me.”
Staggering, wobbling.
After a few steps, Yuri collapsed forward.
Thump-.
Lying sprawled for a moment, he grunted and flipped over to stare at the ceiling.
Huff- huff-.
As his chest heaved with ragged breaths.
The hazy dust settled, revealing the scene within.
The floor cracked badly, as if after a long drought.
In its midst, a woman buried nearly a meter deep, eyes rolled back white, unconscious.
She was the Certified Rank 6 Black Sword Corps squad leader who’d just traded life-or-death blows with Yuri.
After catching his breath nearby, Yuri groaned and sat up.
He glanced at the fainted squad leader, then scanned the surroundings.
The devastation he’d wrought filled his view.
Shattered floors, walls, ceilings everywhere.
Slash marks everywhere, bloodstains not infrequent.
And what made the space even more gruesome: four other Black Sword soldiers strewn about.
Some with limbs twisted badly.
Others hemorrhaging so much it seemed they’d bleed out.
Severely wounded survivors, barely alive.
Yuri swept his gaze over them and muttered a curse.
“…Damn, they really came at me teeth bared.”
The first time he thought, ‘This is a bit much?’ was against the 6th floor foes.
One Certified Rank 6 squad leader and two Certified Rank 3 Black Sword soldiers.
The sudden spike from the 5th floor left Yuri chuckling in disbelief.
Especially facing the Black Chain Formation led by the squad leader—he couldn’t help cursing.
‘Just one key change… and the power’s this different.’
Fighting a peer Certified Rank 6 squad leader was no joke, and with backup to boot.
Even Yuri had to break a sweat.
But thanks to studying the Black Chain Formation up to the 5th, he managed the 6th somehow.
Replenishing mana moderately, he reached the 7th and sighed deeply.
A Certified Rank 6 squad leader and three regular squad members awaited him.
The battle began.
Yuri could no longer hold back against the full Black Chain Formation of the 7th floor forces.
Unleashing holy sword and demon style at full power, he barely cleared the 7th and reached the 8th.
As expected, it added one more regular Black Sword soldier to the prior floor’s lineup.
‘That much I anticipated…’
What Yuri hadn’t foreseen.
Was the Black Chain Formation’s power.
‘Just one more from the 7th… and it’s several times stronger.’
7th floor: one squad leader, three regulars.
8th floor: one squad leader, four regulars.
Just one extra Certified Rank 3, but the formation felt like facing two Certified Rank 6s.
No room for mercy, Yuri activated holy sword, demon style, even blood light.
He swung to kill, no holding back.
The 8th floor foes bared their killing intent too.
After grueling combat, he barely subdued them, but Yuri had no strength left to fight.
His wounds weren’t light either.
Compared to the critically wounded Black Sword soldiers, though, he was in good shape.
Some time passed.
“Ugh.”
Regaining some energy, Yuri shakily stood.
He began shuffling toward the 9th floor entrance.
A sense of accomplishment he couldn’t hide lit his face.
‘It hasn’t even been a full day yet?’
He knew his current state couldn’t handle whatever the 9th threw at him.
Yet he pressed on stubbornly for a personal goal.
‘Touch the top on day one, even if I can’t clear it!’
Not the original plan, of course.
But after clearing the 7th, it seemed doable.
That sparked a little greed in Yuri.
Clearing faster didn’t mean more rewards, sure.
“Still, hitting the 9th in one day versus two days? Totally different vibe.”
That’s why he’d pushed from the 7th straight through the 8th without rest.
He’d had some stamina left then, at least.
Now, even walking hurt.
‘Rest after reaching the 9th!’
If the 9th foes seemed manageable after, he could try.
Thus, Yuri strolled through the carnage he’d wrought and entered the 9th floor passage.
Creak- creak-.
Slowly ascending.
Finally, one step from the 9th entrance.
Yuri hopped up, landing both feet on the 9th floor.
Thud-!
“Made it!”
Achieving his goal, he stroked his chin and chuckled.
“Write a book later? Title: Summit on Day One of Tower Climb?”
As Yuri celebrated with nonsense.
“Not a title that makes me wanna read it.”
No presence detected, yet the sudden voice startled Yuri. He whipped his head toward it.
And gawked.
“……?!”
Right above his head.
Fitting the tower’s summit, with its lofty ceiling, Coco clung upside down.
Yuri looked up at her in disbelief.
“…What’re you doing up there?”
“What else? Waiting for you.”
She dropped straight down.
Spun lightly in midair, landing gracefully before him.
Tap-.
From what looked like 15 meters up, her landing was feather-light.
Yuri stared at her.
‘This lady… is strong.’
Yuri could now gauge most opponents’ strength easily.
After two money openings and mana core growth, he sized them up instantly.
This one: easy win.
That one: tough.
That bastard: no chance.
Even against Black Sword soldiers.
But Coco was different.
‘Can’t read her at all.’
No sense whatsoever.
Trying only dragged him into an abyss.
‘I figured she was strong, but…’
As Yuri stared, Coco lit a cigarette and spoke.
“What’re you staring at?”
“Just to confirm, since I can’t believe it…”
Yuri fired off the question.
“No way the 9th floor boss is you, right, Coco?”
Coco grinned as if expecting it.
“Quick on the uptake?”
Yuri’s face crumpled instantly.
“This is too much!”
“What?”
“What?! From that damned bomb on the 3rd, the Black Chain Formation, throwing in Certified Rank 6 squad leaders from the 6th—over the line! And now you?!”
“Really?”
“Be honest. This wasn’t the original difficulty, was it? You jacked it up last minute.”
Despite Yuri’s suspicious glare, Coco casually dug in her ear.
She flicked away the wax with a tick and replied flatly.
“We didn’t make it for you to clear.”
“…….”
“Who told you to stubbornly clear it?”
At Coco’s brazenness, Yuri let out a sigh laced with exasperation.
“…Fuck?”