Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Savior of Seoul (9)
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It was an unwinnable fight. A fight that was utterly impossible to win, where the difference in power was plain as day, a fight that could only end in defeat.
BAM!!
And yet, Nameless had told him to fight back with his fists.
Why? How? For what reason?
Everything was a mystery, but Lee Sang-hyun still fought back with his fists.
THUD!
He knew it was insane, but he didn't dodge. He stood tall against the Little Giant Steno.
BOOM!!
Every hit tore his flesh, crushed his bones, and mangled his organs.
If not for his instinctive muscle contractions and movements for survival, and his Super Regeneration, he would have died long ago.
Tremble, tremble...
But Lee Sang-hyun didn't die. He endured to the end and survived. Then he swung his fist at Steno.
THUD!
Of course, it was nothing compared to Steno's power.
He had swung dozens of times already, yet he hadn't forced her back even a single step.
BOOM!!
Meanwhile, Steno remained as strong as ever.
She was so overwhelmingly powerful that it was baffling she hadn't killed him yet—like the difference between an adult and a child.
Grooooan. RUMBLE!
No one watching would give Lee Sang-hyun any chance of victory. Only utter defeat was in the cards.
"......"
But Lee Sang-hyun didn't die. Even as blood poured from him, he rose and swung his fist again.
THUD!
Steno noticed the anomaly first.
'This guy...!!'
She couldn't believe the impossible phenomenon she was feeling firsthand. No, she refused to believe it.
'He's getting stronger with every hit?'
Because every time Lee Sang-hyun turned more bloodied, he grew stronger.
BOOM!!
It was impossible.
Growing stronger while bleeding out and dying? That didn't make any sense! It was utterly impossible. Even the arrogant giants couldn't do it.
And yet... he was getting stronger.
THUD!
Several times stronger than at the start.
Even stronger than just moments ago.
He had grown stronger.
'...How?'
It was hard to accept, but it was an undeniable fact.
And Lee Sang-hyun realized it too. He was slower than Steno, who had landed effective hits, but he caught on.
The more he bled, the stronger he got.
He was surpassing his limits.
Huff. Huff.
'Is this... what a true Berserker feels like?'
This was a sensation he had never felt before, one he could never have imagined.
'I thought I was pretty good, even if not by much... What a ridiculous delusion.'
Lee Sang-hyun had to hold back a laugh at the absurdity of it all.
'This is no joke.'
BOOM!!
"Kuh...!"
For the first time.
For the first time, Steno took a step back. Of course, the impact wasn't that great. Just one step.
But the ripple effect was huge. She had never retreated once until now... Her pride cracked wide open.
In that instant, Steno's rage exploded.
"How dare you...!!"
BOOM!!
Steno's right fist, unleashed at full power, slammed into Lee Sang-hyun's gut. He flew far away, tumbling dozens of times.
It was a blow that could have killed him instantly.
Cough! Cough! Gack! Groooan...
But Lee Sang-hyun didn't die. He vomited blood like mad but endured, rising once more.
"......"
And he swung his fist.
BOOM!!
Growing stronger the more you bleed was impossible. You only got weaker—never stronger.
But a Berserker could do it. Only a Berserker grew stronger with every drop of blood spilled.
Of course, there was a price. Each surge shortened their lifespan drastically, and their brains melted away.
Some couldn't endure the agony and became raving madmen.
If you had to put it in words, it was like borrowing life from their future in advance.
Well, surviving the moment wasn't a bad trade, but the irony was that the struggle to live inevitably led to death.
Huff. Huff.
Originally, that would have been Lee Sang-hyun's fate too. Thrashing desperately to survive, only to die in the end... the path of the Berserker, sealed the moment he chose the class.
But absorbing the Source of Water changed that.
Hooo.
Far from going mad, his brain didn't melt into mush. He remained calm from start to finish.
Even as he vastly transcended his body's limits, it didn't break down.
Instead, it produced even more blood and grew stronger.
120%, 150%, 200%...
300%.
It was impossible. But it was undeniable reality.
Lee Sang-hyun had grown stronger.
BOOM!!
You could tell just from how Steno, unable to endure any longer, threw her fist.
Of course, Lee Sang-hyun's power was still lacking. When their fists clashed, only he flew back—clear proof of who was stronger.
"Grooo... ahh...!!"
Stagger. Stagger.
But Lee Sang-hyun didn't die. Flesh torn, bones broken, blood spilling—he still rose and clenched his fist.
THUD!!
Steno's brow furrowed.
At a glance, she looked terrified, but oddly, her lips were smiling.
"Good! That's it! That's the fight I wanted! Come on, charge at me. Get up and charge again and again. Keep coming until one of us falls!!"
In that moment.
Nameless spoke.
Lee Sang-hyun understood. So he swung his fist with all his might.
BOOM!!
Fist met fist, and an explosive roar echoed through the ruined temple.
With the boom, Lee Sang-hyun flew back far, then charged again, swinging once more.
Steno didn't dodge. She met him head-on with foolish stubbornness.
CRUNCH!!
Once again, only Lee Sang-hyun's fist shattered. The skin tore ragged, bones pulped, blood sprayed everywhere.
His shoulder dangled like a loose bone from the shock. His body tumbled several times.
But Lee Sang-hyun rose again. Then he swung his remaining left fist.
CRUNCH!!
The result was the same. Steno's left hand was fine; Lee Sang-hyun's was wrecked.
Huff! Huff!
Anyone watching would see only Steno's victory. But Lee Sang-hyun stood, his right hand regenerated.
Squeeze!!
Lee Sang-hyun's eyes remained calmly resolute. But within them burned something like fire.
"You...!!"
Steno felt it.
An intense something—tenacity? Desire? She couldn't say.
At the same time, she was thrilled.
Thrilled that a being existed who could fight her like this, that her long-awaited dream had come true.
"Not enough...! Still not enough...! A little more...! Just a bit more...! A bit more...!! Mooore...!!"
Fist met fist.
But Lee Sang-hyun didn't retreat. Not a single step. He swung again.
CRUNCH!!
The sound of bones crushing rang out. Intense and chilling.
"Not yet...! Not yet!!"
WHOOSH!!
Steno's fist arced down in a massive swing. At the same time, Lee Sang-hyun's fist rocketed upward.
The clash of their fists unleashed fierce shockwaves again.
Flesh ripped, bones shattered, blood sprayed.
The shockwave blew away the dust.
"This isn't the end, is it?"
His mangled arm looked ready to snap off.
Huff. Huff.
But Lee Sang-hyun regenerated. With regeneration surpassing even a troll's, he restored his arm and clenched his fist.
"Yes...!! That's it!!"
Left against left.
Right against right. They collided.
CRUNCH!!
Endlessly.
They kept colliding.
CRUNCH!!
Victory or defeat didn't matter.
What mattered was clashing head-on.
CRUNCH!!
It was pure trance.
No one held back.
Both of them.
Swung with all their might.
CRUNCH!!
But as always, the end arrived.
The end of the long, grueling fight.
Lee Sang-hyun swung his fist. Simply, to advance, he swung with everything he had.
He thought of nothing else. Flesh tearing? Bones breaking? Blood pouring? He didn't care. He pressed forward.
Thump...!!
His survival instincts screamed wildly, but he ignored them.
Thump...!!
His heart felt like it would burst, but he ignored it.
Thump...!!
He ignored it all and advanced.
One step.
One step.
And another.
Thump...!!
He kept advancing.
Only forward.
......
......
......
And so, advancing...
He reached the wall.
It wasn't Steno. It was white marble. The wall of the ruined temple.
The last remaining wall.
Steno leaned against it. Unable to stop Lee Sang-hyun's advance, she had fallen.
"Ha, haha...! Ahahaha!!"
But she was laughing. Fallen, yet smiling brighter than anyone, filled with joy.
At last, Steno spoke.
"I never imagined I'd be pushed back... I prided myself on never losing to anyone but giants... And yet here I am, fallen like this..."
"......"
It wasn't regret or lament. It was disappointment. Disappointment that she couldn't fight longer.
"Man... that was fun."
Steno was genuinely regretful yet delighted.
"Ahh... This sense of liberation after so long. Truly magnificent... liberation..."
Fade...
Steno's body slowly crumbled. But her expression was more serene than ever.
"......"
Lee Sang-hyun watched Steno's end to the finish before collapsing.
Thump...!
[Body has transcended its limits.]
[Mind has transcended its limits.]
[Mana has transcended its limits.]
[Rank has increased by 1 stage!]
[First player to reach (★★★★★☆) rank!]
[Surpassed limits endlessly. Body's limits shatter, advancing to a new realm.]
[Limit Breakthrough (★★★★★) awakens!]
[Path to Legend opens.]
[Defeated Steno.]
[Key to the final floor appears.]
The reward for spilling blood hundreds of times was awakening. Transcending 4-star to 5-star rank.
Thump...!
Medusa's face twisted viciously at the deaths of her sisters, Euryale and Steno, then exploded.
CRASH! CRUNCH! RUMBLE BOOM!!
Her whip-like tail lashed out, mercilessly shattering the temple pillars. Horrific cracks spiderwebbed the floor, and the walls collapsed in ruin.
CRUNCH! CRASH!!
Those turned to stone didn't just break—they crumbled to dust, their weapons shattering into pieces.
SKREEE! SKREEEE!!
Medusa's wail echoed through the temple. Clearly furious at Euryale and Steno's deaths.
SKREEEE...!!
But it wasn't fury. It was envy.
Incredibly, Medusa envied Euryale and Steno's deaths.
BOOM! THUD! BOOM!!
Envy for those who could die, unlike her eternal immortality.
Aaaaaahhh...!!
Medusa's wail resounded through the lonely temple. But no one heard her voice.
No one...