Chapter 70
Chapter 70
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: The Appearance of the Poison Insect Legion
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Kang Hyun-soo returned to his lodging after issuing orders to Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong.
‘How should I handle this?’
Kang Hyun-soo pondered as he gazed at the items scattered around the lodging.
SSS-Rank item God-Slaying Halberd.
SSS-Rank item Dimensional Sword.
The God-Slaying Halberd had been the Halberd King’s weapon, and the Dimensional Sword had been the Flame Knight’s weapon.
‘Should I make the switch?’
His current weapon, Gluttony’s Sword, was an SS-Rank item.
What if he used the God-Slaying Halberd or Dimensional Sword as his main weapon?
The weapon’s rank would rise a full step.
Though the SSS-Rank God-Slaying Halberd and Dimensional Sword were only a hair’s breadth ahead of the SS-Rank Annihilation Sword.
‘The higher the rank, the vaster that hair’s breadth becomes.’
Their options were the pinnacle of SSS-Rank items, befitting weapons wielded by the masters of colossal guilds.
The problem was.
‘The God-Slaying Halberd is a halberd, and the Dimensional Sword is a two-handed greatsword.’
They didn’t suit Kang Hyun-soo, who had mastered one-handed swordsmanship.
However.
‘The rank gap outweighs that.’
If they had been spears, axes, or blunt weapons like maces?
He wouldn’t have even considered them, no matter the one-rank difference.
But a greatsword was still a sword at heart—just differing in two-handed versus one-handed grip, along with size and weight.
A halberd had its slight curve and whether the edge ran on one or both sides.
Yet their weight and length were close to his one-handed longsword.
For a sword master like Kang Hyun-soo?
He could easily compensate for those flaws.
‘But compensating isn’t the same as wielding them proficiently.’
A two-handed greatsword and a one-handed longsword were both swords.
Yet they were different enough to count as separate weapons.
Swords and halberds seemed similar, as if the same category.
In truth, they were utterly distinct.
‘Just stick with what I’ve got.’
Kang Hyun-soo forced himself to let go of his lingering attachment to the God-Slaying Halberd and Dimensional Sword.
If he had no choice but to shelve them, that would be one thing.
But Kang Hyun-soo had no such need.
“Take them.”
Saaak!
At Kang Hyun-soo’s command, the Halberd King and Flame Knight materialized, accepting the God-Slaying Halberd and Dimensional Sword with deferential poise.
‘They’ll put them to better use than I would.’
The Halberd King and Flame Knight were summons under Kang Hyun-soo’s control anyway.
They were part of his power.
‘There’s no reason to diminish my own strength.’
The God-Slaying Halberd and Dimensional Sword shone brighter in the hands of the Halberd King and Flame Knight than they ever could in his.
He had wavered briefly due to his attachment to SSS-Rank weapons.
‘But Gluttony’s Sword is an EX-Rank weapon, after all.’
Not yet, perhaps.
But it would become one someday.
And crucially, before his regression, Gluttony’s Sword had demonstrated might surpassing other EX-Rank items of its class.
It was hailed as the strongest among EX-Rank weapons.
‘Messing around with unfamiliar halberds and greatswords could warp my swordsmanship.’
It was the fruit of thirty years of relentless honing.
If using weapons he’d never touched before caused his skills to regress?
That would be a far greater loss in the long run.
Gluttony’s Sword had its highly appealing Anti-Heal option, too.
‘Handing the rest to my summons will yield even greater gains.’
Kang Hyun-soo had acquired numerous A-Rank, S-Rank, and SS-Rank items.
Some he had pried from Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong.
Others had belonged to his new summons—Zhonghua No. 1 and No. 2, Kabbal No. 5, No. 6, and No. 7.
And more had come from raiding the Zhonghua Guild and Kabbal Guild warehouses.
The issue was.
‘Even if Gluttony’s Sword devoured them all, reaching SSS-Rank would still be a stretch.’
A wave of regret washed over him.
If Gluttony’s Sword could consume SSS-Rank or EX-Rank items?
‘It could grow in one shot.’
Kang Hyun-soo swallowed his regret.
‘Maybe give Song Ha-na one of the SS-Rank swords?’
Swords were the most abundant among his SS-Rank items.
‘No, not yet.’
Song Ha-na hadn’t reached level 500.
Her achievement-based stats granted combat prowess far exceeding her level.
‘Still too soon.’
She was already wielding an A-Rank item.
‘Even that’s pushing it.’
An SS-Rank weapon?
‘It could turn into poison.’
Overreliance on a weapon beyond one’s skill led to personal decline.
‘Time to make a decision.’
His job, One-Man Battalion (C-Rank), had evolved into One-Man Brigade (B-Rank) after turning Flame Knight Jamie into a summon.
‘That left a ton of commander slots open.’
Now he could appoint three battalion commanders, sixteen company commanders, and forty-eight platoon leaders.
Even excluding the lowliest squad leader roles, he had a surplus of commander positions.
Kang Hyun-soo agonized over assigning battalion commander roles to Song Ha-na and Fist Emperor.
In the end.
‘Company commander is plenty for Song Ha-na and Fist Emperor.’
The same reason he hadn’t given her an SS-Rank weapon.
‘Their combat power will rise anyway once I upgrade Commander’s Blessing.’
If Song Ha-na and Fist Emperor grew stronger?
Their leveling speed would accelerate.
But if they leaned too heavily on his buffs?
They might level faster, but their skills could atrophy.
‘Battalion commander goes to Halberd King, Flame Knight, and Sword Ghost.’
He had already decided on the summons for the blessing buffs, locking in Halberd King and Flame Knight.
Sword Ghost was the iffiest pick.
His prowess wasn’t vastly superior to One-Kill Fist or Magic Knight.
‘Sword Ghost it is.’
After deliberation, Kang Hyun-soo assigned the final battalion commander slot to Sword Ghost.
For one simple reason.
Sword Ghost wielded the SS-Rank item Annihilation Sword.
‘Gearless, they’re comparable—but factoring in equipment, Sword Ghost is strongest.’
He could have given Annihilation Sword to Magic Knight.
‘But a magic swordsman would get poor mileage out of it.’
Fist fighter One-Kill Fist didn’t use swords, so out automatically.
‘Wonder how much Intelligence will rise?’
Stats would increase overall.
But Intelligence mattered most.
‘Low Intelligence is the biggest reason summons lag in combat.’
That was why Kang Hyun-soo hoped the higher commander ranks would boost Halberd King, Flame Knight, and Sword Ghost’s Intelligence substantially.
Only then could they execute orders more proactively and elevate their combat prowess.
“Appoint commander.”
Kang Hyun-soo first appointed Halberd King as battalion commander.
Hwaaak!
Amid a burst of bright light, Halberd King’s commander rank rose from company commander to battalion commander.
‘How much smarter did he get?’
The stat gains were fixed.
What counted was the Intelligence boost.
“Do you know who I am?”
“You are my master.”
“Oh!”
Unlike company or platoon leaders who only knew “loyalty,” he spoke in full sentences.
“Do you retain memories from your life?”
“Yes.”
“To what extent and detail?”
“I know my name was Kyung Wi-gang, that I was called Halberd King, that I was Zhonghua Guild’s master, and such. But the memories are fragmented and don’t connect properly.”
“What about combat knowledge?”
“Much is lost, but over half seems intact.”
“Do thoughts of revenge against me and Flame Knight ever cross your mind?”
“No. I merely possess Halberd King Kyung Wi-gang’s memories—I am not him.”
Halberd King Kyung Wi-gang was dead.
His soul had vanished into the wheel of reincarnation.
Kang Hyun-soo had merely used the lingering vital energy before it dispersed to create a summon.
Thus, the summon Halberd King retained life memories.
But none of the living player’s—nor the human’s—emotions or grudges remained.
“Good.”
A satisfied smile curved Kang Hyun-soo’s lips.
Intelligence had risen sharply.
His lifetime combat knowledge had partially recovered, too.
Summons moved on instinct drawn from life memories.
If those memories fully restored?
‘Combat power would surge.’
He had regained his former appearance, with memories partially back.
‘Used right, his utility will be immense.’
If he lucked into eliminating a betrayer in an untouchable high position—like a colossal guild master, major merchant lord, or noble?
‘He could swallow their entire faction whole.’
Not right now, of course.
Appointed commander and restored to life’s form, yes.
But only skin-deep.
No spark of vitality.
‘Feels like a finely crafted wax doll, not a living human.’
Fine from afar.
Up close, the uncanny showed.
Crucially, his lifetime intellect wasn’t fully restored.
‘What if the job rank rises?’
Entirely possible.
Commander appointments scaled with his job rank.
Appointing Halberd King as brigade commander instead?
‘He’d be more perfect.’
He might even pass for a genuine living player.
‘Wrap this up first.’
Kang Hyun-soo sequentially appointed Flame Knight and Sword Ghost as battalion commanders.
Test results?
‘Same as Halberd King.’
Affirming the right call over Song Ha-na and Fist Emperor.
‘Too much power for them at this stage anyway.’
Halberd King, Flame Knight, and Sword Ghost grew stronger with boosted stats.
Partial memory recovery vastly improved utility and combat adaptability.
‘Commanders can be reassigned anytime.’
If Song Ha-na and Fist Emperor surpassed the summons?
He could swap ranks then.
‘Song Ha-na and Fist Emperor will keep growing.’
Summons couldn’t without commander appointments or Commander’s Blessing skills.
Built from vital remnants after the soul’s departure into reincarnation.
They were the dead, not the living.
They couldn’t advance like the living.
‘Clear limits.’
That made Song Ha-na and Fist Emperor vital.
For now, they were weaker than his summons.
But alive, they could advance.
Grow without end.
* * *
Kang Hyun-soo’s group threw themselves back into diligent hunting.
Song Ha-na and Fist Emperor to hit level 500 ASAP.
Kang Hyun-soo for levels and stats.
‘Stats are rock bottom.’
Kang Hyun-soo was so stat-starved he couldn’t even think of his Stat Fix skill.
Every time Skill Reinforcement’s cooldown reset,
he dumped everything into it.
Excess stats kept piling up, forcing him to learn Stat Fix just to stem the flow.
But now, stats were critically low.
The reason?
‘When am I filling two thousand summons?’
His job evolving from One-Man Battalion to One-Man Brigade had raised the summon limit from six hundred to two thousand.
‘Ultimately, only the elite of elites.’
It would boost quality and aid his One-Man Brigade job rank growth.
The problem?
‘Named players like Halberd King, Flame Knight, Sword Ghost, One-Kill Fist, and Magic Knight are exceedingly rare.’
Halberd King and Flame Knight had been colossal guild masters to begin with.
Sword Ghost, One-Kill Fist, and Magic Knight were top guild executives.
He wouldn’t encounter them unless he sought them out.
And how often did such figures perish?
Even if he could kill them.
‘Can’t just slaughter indiscriminately.’
Kang Hyun-soo’s enemies were solely his betrayers, the Demon King’s minions, and scum like Murderer Party or humanity’s public enemies.
He couldn’t butcher allies needed to unite against the Demon King’s army just for his growth.
‘That’d be the height of folly.’
Summons halted growth upon creation.
That was why he hadn’t killed betrayer Sword Sovereign Ju Wi-cheon immediately.
Let Sword Sovereign Ju Wi-cheon grow to his peak before death.
‘It helps me and all humanity.’
Truthfully, no need for greed—turning just his betrayers into summons would yield the best of the best.
They were the ones who’d stabbed him in the back.
Yet also humanity’s strongest players, picked as suicide squad for the final clash with the Demon King.