Seong Jae-myeong
Seong Jae-myeong.
Everyone who knew him said the same thing.
The strongest.
The strongest hunter, needing no other modifiers or explanations.
Even Garcia, his one and only rival, had acknowledged him as superior.
They said that if anyone in history could set foot in SSS-rank, it would be Seong Jae-myeong alone—an unprecedented, unparalleled existence.
How many achievements had he accomplished?
How many monsters had he slain?
Three days and nights wouldn't suffice to recount them all.
Such a magnificent, awe-inspiring figure stood before me now.
If only he hadn't vanished on that reckless expedition, he would have reshaped human history.
And yet, rather than joy, all I felt was sorrow.
The man I'd once idolized endlessly had become an undead.
Anyone who knew Seong Jae-myeong would grieve just the same.
"Kill—"
The red sword Hae slashed through the air, leaving a thick afterimage.
Though it was a simple strike devoid of technique or flair, its power was no joke.
I ducked my head just in time to evade the blue sword Dal pursuing relentlessly.
A long blue line traced the blade's path where it swept past.
Even as a mere corpse, Seong Jae-myeong was still Seong Jae-myeong.
Though he'd lost his intellect as a sentient being, the experience etched into his body remained intact.
In the ceaseless barrage of slashes, my fourth and sixth heads were severed.
As the ninth head said, he'd become a monster, but Seong Jae-myeong didn't seem any weaker for it.
Even without higher reasoning, his physical prowess had likely grown further upon turning monstrous.
He might truly have reached SSS-rank.
But he's not a true SSS.
He was strong, no doubt, but not quite SSS-rank material.
I'd never faced one directly, but true SSS-rank power transcended any definable limit.
Seong Jae-myeong was tough to handle, but not impossible.
Whoosh—
My head flew clean off as his twin blades crossed in an X.
Vision blackened, senses vanished in an instant.
"Shaaah—!!"
A distant partner's cry echoed in my ears as sight and sensation sluggishly returned.
The left head's snarky voice grumbled in my mind.
Shut up and focus on the fight.
Snick— The left head's words cut short as its head was mercilessly severed.
It regenerated instantly, of course, but his assault didn't pause.
The blue sword Dal whipped toward the regrown head; the left head dodged frantically.
The ninth head answered in my stead.
Ignoring the left head's racket, I pressed the attack.
As the ninth head explained, Seong Jae-myeong's Hae and Dal absorbed yin and yang energies respectively.
Together, they drained all energies between heaven and earth—a matched pair of blades.
Mana was naturally included.
Moreover, they didn't just absorb; they let him wield the stolen energy as his own. Better to hold back on mana-based attacks.
And his gear isn't limited to those swords.
Details of his expedition equipment had leaked around three years after his disappearance.
I didn't remember everything, but the famous pieces stuck.
As Seong Jae-myeong swung, the fifth head cast a spell—earth attribute.
Spiked pillars erupted from beneath his feet.
The other heads lunged in unison, leaving no escape.
Seong Jae-myeong swung his blades.
The left and seventh heads exploded in an instant.
"Shaaah—!!!"
"Shii—"
We'd lost two heads mid-assault, but no issue.
They'd regrow soon enough.
Just as the right head's jaws neared his flesh, Seong Jae-myeong's body soared skyward.
Hermes' Footsteps...
It let the wearer fly freely.
Like Hae and Dal, a top-tier labyrinth-forged item.
Not just wearing it—he's wielding its power freely too?
He'd barely used other gear abilities, so I hadn't noticed. Seemed he could wield them normally.
No easy opponent.
Minus intellect, he was the pre-disappearance Seong Jae-myeong—stronger still as a monster.
A touch of despair crept in, yet excitement surged instead.
Fighting for my life against the idol I'd once worshipped.
Not quite equals, but clashing eye-to-eye with the man I'd only gazed at from afar thrilled me to the core.
Body tiring, yet I wished this battle would drag on.
For now, forget everything else—focus solely on him.
Who'd stand at the end? No clue. But I'd fight without regrets.
I flicked my tongue quietly at the undead before me.
Labyrinth gear was powerful across the board.
Rare duds existed, but most boasted exceptional abilities.
Especially those from deep within.
Newer SS-ranks like Leysha, Wang Feng, or Kwon Je-na might lack them, but veterans like Seong Jae-myeong, Garcia, or Charlotte Michelle amassed plenty.
Seong Jae-myeong had a ton, always at the labyrinth's forefront, reaping the most rewards.
From signature Hae and Dal to Hermes' Footsteps and more.
His longtime rival and friend Garcia had joked endlessly: Way too much gear luck.
Seong Jae-myeong always pushed back, but Garcia had a point.
His "strongest" title owed much to that gear haul.
Seong Jae-myeong's blades danced savagely.
Despite lost reason, ingrained experience made them whirl like a performance.
The fourth head's stump was followed by the fifth's neck half-severed.
The retreating left and right heads gulped deep breaths.
Exhaling, scorching fire and frigid ice engulfed him.
Seong Jae-myeong raised Hae and Dal naturally.
The blades absorbed the incoming breath—yin and yang.
Not mere absorption; they replenished his near-infinite mana endlessly—a cheat weapon.
The two heads tested limits, pouring more breath.
Freed heads inhaled, unleashing nine breaths of varied attributes.
No cheat sword could cover nine directions at once, even absorbing all energies.
The onslaught filled every gap; azure glow from his helm flickered.
The corpse drew on muscle memory, activating another item.
Blessing of the War God.
His half-plundered Chinese armor shone.
Silver dawn pierced the breath storm.
Three times a day.
Absolute protection invoked.
Seong Jae-myeong burst through, charging.
Splaaash—
A streak of light flashed from beyond.
Becoming light itself, blades forward, he barreled in.
The eighth head activated its Magic Eye desperately.
Refraction—bending space, objects, trajectories.
Dal's blue arc grazed past the eighth eye.
And simultaneously—
"—!!!"
Hae slammed dead-center into the Magic Eye.
A savage roar blanketed the snowfield.
Extreme yang seared the eye like boiling flesh.
As the writhing eighth head thrashed in agony, Seong Jae-myeong evaded the other heads' strikes and retreated.
"Shaaah—!"
The right head's central eye flashed at the withdrawing foe.
Petrification.
Invisible mana lumps rocketed toward him.
Seong Jae-myeong didn't dodge the Magic Eye.
He swung Hae as always.
Mana absorbed outright.
Nyx, anticipating this, launched follow-ups.
Razor winds and creeping black orbs.
His eyes gleamed; he leaped skyward.
Intense flash lanced at the airborne form.
Reflexive Dal swing sapped its power away.
The waiting right head unleashed its spell.
Massive flames erupted in his airspace.
Kaboom—
Explosion rocked the snowfield; Seong Jae-myeong reemerged unscathed.
Another blessing?
No.
Potent, but limited to three daily uses.
One already spent; this attack lacked breath-level force.
Another item: Black Shrine Maiden's Belt, gifted from Japan.
It generated barriers.
Not breath-tier devastation, so mana-limited shields held easily.
Mana constraint existed, but with Hae and Dal, unlimited unlike the blessing—highly versatile.
"Killkillkill...."
Lightning-fast, his form streaked toward Nyx again.
"Shii—"
This clash of monsters wouldn't end easily.