Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Monster Lee Hyuk-soo
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Of course, Park Chan-woo had meant it as a compliment.
Being full of doubts, preferring solitude, stubborn, and unwilling to listen to others—put another way, it also meant he absolutely hated causing harm to anyone else.
Someone hearing this might say,
"Isn't avoiding harm to others just common sense?"
"Those who upheld their convictions have all vanished."
But as time passed, such moral awareness rapidly faded away.
The tacit social norms everyone once agreed upon grew dim, and selfish people who thought it was fine for others to suffer as long as they gained something became the mainstream.
Those with convictions.
Those who preserved the old ways and revered old values were treated like relics of a bygone era, all vanishing into the dustbin of history.
Only Lee Hyuk-soo had upheld his convictions to the very end.
"Lee Hyuk-soo is a good man."
That was why Park Chan-woo thought of Lee Hyuk-soo as a "good man."
Because he held the right convictions.
Because he never lost himself until the end.
Just that alone was enough to earn him the title of "good man" in that barren future.
And that wasn't all.
There was something he couldn't say aloud, but it was the decisive reason Park Chan-woo saw Lee Hyuk-soo as a "good man."
"...The only expedition member to reach the Dragon God Temple without any ulterior motives."
Humanity's final expedition.
The path to confront Dragon God Sepiro in his temple.
Scattered humanity gathered its last strength and set out on that arduous journey.
No less than 100,000 expedition members.
But would humanity, already turned selfish, have united solely for the noble cause of saving humankind?
Could individuals and groups have spoken with one voice?
Of course not. There had to be benefits transcending all of that.
"We weren't going to subjugate Sepiro."
The premise was wrong from the start.
The reason the 100,000 expedition members climbed to the Dragon God Temple.
It wasn't for subjugation.
Recalling the expedition's true purpose made his teeth grind inwardly.
"......We went to beg. To plead for our lives."
Everyone had agreed from the beginning that Sepiro couldn't be subjugated.
But Sepiro had once "saved" certain small races.
They learned that if they caught Sepiro's attention or offered proper tribute, they could receive protection as his slaves or pets.
From then on, the focus became who could prepare the most "tribute worthy of Sepiro's interest."
They naively thought that whoever offered tribute to draw Sepiro's eye would become the leader of humanity.
"What a damn shame."
How pathetic was that?
How tragic?
To declare defeat without even fighting properly.
To struggle up to the Dragon God Temple just to kneel.
So Park Chan-woo hid his true purpose.
He intended to sacrifice the entire expedition if needed to head into the past.
Ultimately, subjugating Sepiro wasn't his goal either.
Who among them truly cared about "subjugating" Sepiro?
Surprisingly, only Lee Hyuk-soo.
That was why.
Why he thought of Lee Hyuk-soo as a "good man."
"By the way, did equipping the Lion King's gear grant you a class related to the Lion King?"
Pushing aside his thoughts, Park Chan-woo asked.
Lee Hyuk-soo snapped out of it and nodded.
"...I class-upped. To 'Lion King's Favorite Disciple'."
"Favorite Disciple? A hidden class, by any chance?"
"That's what they say."
"......"
This time, Park Chan-woo was the one at a loss for words.
He'd asked just in case, but to get a positive answer...
His own class had evolved to Magic Swordsman thanks to Kahn's heart, granting him two "hidden traits," but strictly speaking, Magic Swordsman wasn't anywhere near a hidden class.
In this world, "hidden" implied ties to ancient, unique beings.
Like the Lion King.
There were overwhelmingly powerful entities who never revealed themselves to the world.
Beings who simply watched from behind the curtain.
They sought someone to inherit their existence and value.
And in the past, Park Chan-woo had failed to become the Lion King's disciple.
That was why he knew of the "Lion King."
"As expected of Lee Hyuk-soo."
Sword King Lee Hyuk-soo.
The Lion King must have recognized this guy's greatness.
But one unresolved question remained.
"Inheriting the Lion King's name is something only the dead can do. Aren't you alive?"
Lee Hyuk-soo was a living human.
When the Lion King rejected Park Chan-woo, he'd said something similar.
—The living cannot inherit the name of the dead. If you want my name, die and come back.
A blatant rejection.
Even after he'd barely made the journey.
For a moment, Lee Hyuk-soo tilted his head.
"He just told me to do it."
"......"
Wait. What?
......Did he reject me with some lie because my talent was lacking?
To be sure, Park Chan-woo asked again.
"Did you face the Lion King directly when you class-upped?"
"For a brief moment, but..."
"And still, the Lion King just told you to become his favorite disciple?"
Favorite disciple—with the character for love.
It meant a disciple the master particularly cherished.
A bond far beyond an ordinary disciple-master relationship.
It was hard to believe that haughty Lion King had said "just do it."
Lee Hyuk-soo blinked as if wondering what was wrong.
"That's exactly what he said. He told me not to think of refusing and just do it."
"Without any test?"
"No real test, from what I recall."
"Your talent must have impressed him greatly... extremely greatly."
He hated to admit it, but he had to.
Lee Hyuk-soo's talent.
The Lion King was a master of sword aura.
When it came to pure sword talent, Lee Hyuk-soo was undoubtedly far superior.
Back when Park Chan-woo was a knight, he'd sought out the Lion King and taken the test.
He'd passed after immense hardship, but apparently, it hadn't satisfied the Lion King.
A polite rejection, in other words.
"I'd taken those words as gospel truth. Now my face feels hot."
But Park Chan-woo had believed those words utterly.
That he couldn't inherit the name because he was alive, not dead.
Now he saw it: his talent had simply fallen short.
If he'd been told bluntly back then that his talent was lacking, he might have become a mage sooner.
Pushing down the sharp wave of vertigo, Park Chan-woo spoke.
"Handling the lion's magic must have been something entirely different, though."
"The Lion King engraved his name on the gear. Thanks to that, I can use the lion's skills."
Engraved his name on the gear?
That marked him as the true successor.
It nailed it down so no other ancient being could claim him.
One correction was needed, though.
"Not skills—magic. High-level unique magic at that."
"......Is there a difference between skills and magic?"
"It's about perception. If you think of the magic you wield as mere game skills, you'll hit a wall fast. But if you see it as magic and pursue truth, there are no limits."
His words carried weight.
A tiny shift in thought and perception can change everything.
Skills and magic were a prime example.
When the Abyss arrived and people awakened, gaining various skills.
If you view supernatural powers mimicking game abilities as "in-game skills," magic will never evolve.
But treat it as magic—manipulating phenomena—and follow truth, and magic evolves naturally.
Lee Hyuk-soo looked half-doubting.
"Just one word's difference...?"
"One word can change all meaning."
"Ah......"
Only then did Lee Hyuk-soo nod deeply.
Yes.
One word could lead to misunderstandings or even repay a debt of a thousand nyang.
Lee Hyuk-soo had racked up plenty of misunderstandings from words in his life.
His intentions often came across wrong, so he'd lived minimizing speech.
The power of words was immense and profound.
Skills and magic.
Just calling them differently shifted perception.
The attitude changed entirely.
Not treating them as disposable game skills, but pursuing truth as phenomenon-altering magic made a world of difference.
That gap would only widen over time—too late once realized.
"He really is a prophet."
Lee Hyuk-soo was convinced at last.
The man before him was the true prophet.
A doppelganger couldn't offer such subtle advice.
Not even if it wanted to.
The prophet's wisdom and insight ran that deep.
"Magic. Everything I wield isn't data-bound skills—it's magic pursuing truth."
Thanks to that, enlightenment dawned.
Just one word's difference.
But his entire mindset shifted.
Wasn't this enlightenment the essence of magic?
Even if everything ran like a game system, he couldn't perceive it as a real game.
Trapped in the game frame, he'd never escape it.
Like walking the creator's path and never surpassing the creator's limits.
—Lee Hyuk-soo. Do you think I'd clear the "Second Night" the normal way?
The prophet's recent words resurfaced vividly.
Normal way. He never followed the creator's path.
That let him stand above the creator.
No frame, no limits—he forged his own path.
Just like the prophet's magic differed fundamentally from other mages'.
"Ah!"
Lee Hyuk-soo shuddered.
He closed his eyes immediately.
It felt like the shell confining him had shattered.
If he hadn't witnessed Park Chan-woo's eccentricities, he wouldn't feel this intense.
He wouldn't have heeded the advice.
But to Lee Hyuk-soo, the prophet was special.
Without his help and intervention, his life would have been filled with regrets.
Because he truly accepted the advice, enlightenment came.
And that small realization rippled from a calm wave into an ocean.
The result:
He'd surpassed limits.
Not a high leap, but he'd undeniably broken the shell.
The meaning of that single step was immense.
"...Enlightenment from a few words of advice?"
Watching him, Park Chan-woo was floored.
Lee Hyuk-soo had his eyes closed, internalizing his new enlightenment.
His prowess wasn't limited to the sword.
He had considerable magical talent too.
A man who'd swung a sword his whole life had reshaped his perception from mere words.
A shift in perception was a shift in worldview.
Breaking preconceptions and expanding his worldview brought massive change.
Proof: the very density of his magic power felt different.
"He broke the innate limits of a swordsman."
Swordsmen had weak magic power.
They prioritized physical strength, often with built-in restrictions.
Instinctively limiting magic to steeply boost physical prowess.
Yet now, Lee Hyuk-soo had broken that limit himself.
From just a few words of advice, he'd shattered his own shell.
His physical and magical abilities began to harmonize.
Park Chan-woo shook his head.
He'd been thinking wrong all along.
Sword King Lee Hyuk-soo.
He'd thought his talent was solely in the sword.
But Lee Hyuk-soo's talent—his true nature—transcended imagination.
In a word.
"This guy... is a monster."
......Perhaps a monster with talent shining even brighter than Han Shin's.
That was the essence of the man called Lee Hyuk-soo.