Sword God Transcendence

Zien was checking the items in his pocket one by one.

'An incredible amount.'

Flare had been carrying supplies for all nine of them. Even though only a portion had dropped, the sheer number was staggering.

'And even an artifact.'

Zien pulled the cloak from his pocket.

A small hologram window popped up next to the cloak.

'Nice. I can use it right away.'

As Zien draped the cloak over his shoulders, the cape—which had been red when Flare wore it—turned black.

'Due to the costume settings, huh. But the rank is only D?'

The Arrow-Deflecting Cloak had a low rank because it was a drop-type artifact with low acquisition difficulty.

It couldn't compare to artifacts from bosses or airdrops.

'Still, it's an artifact through and through.'

Zien could feel the flow of mana enveloping him.

'If a mere D-rank does this much... how powerful are A or S?'

Artifacts were artifacts, indeed.

The regular items weren't anything special. Smoke grenades were common in Zone 1, and the enchant scroll was a low-grade spell that imbued a weapon with magic for just five minutes.

'Finding Isabel and Chris can wait.'

They were strong. They'd manage somehow...

"Already? Not even an hour has passed?"

Hologram window.

A neatly wrapped gift box.

Zien was genuinely surprised.

This was the sponsorship item Amy had hyped up so much.

'And a Transcendence Stone, no less?'

She'd already gathered 10 million coins in sponsorships that quickly? Recruiting Amy had been the right call. She was a pro when it came to broadcasting. Mindful of the camera, Zien held up the Transcendence Stone and smiled.

"Thanks, I'll put it to good use."

This was his thanks not just to Amy, but to all the viewers who'd sent sponsorships.

Zien took out the stone and infused it with mana. It emitted a brilliant rainbow glow and resonated.

The power of transcendence seeped into Zien's black uniform.

Shaaa!

Golden light lines wriggled across his uniform, etching into the beautiful form of a yellow dragon.

'Consume mana to boost sword destructive power? This is basically...'

Sword aura. Sword oler. Mana blade.

The names varied by zone, but the principle was the same: expend something from within to empower the sword. The new trait from the transcendence stone seemed like a perfected version of that.

'Still, this is insane.'

He'd gained as an innate trait a technique usable only by 6th-rank or higher.

"Very much."

Zien's affirmation spurred Amy on, her messages growing even chattier.

To Amy's question, Zien tapped the [Reply] button for the first time.

To be precise, the Knight's Cave.

It wasn't a strategic chokepoint or a good farming spot. The only thing there was a single knight.

Amy's chatty messages cut off abruptly. It took a while before she replied.

Another one of these patterns.

Ignoring Amy, Zien headed toward the cave. It was remote, and he sensed no other presences.

'Airdrop starts in an hour.'

To gain an advantage then.

Most participants were either searching for or defending chokepoints with their parties.

Zien was the only one rampaging solo like this.

But.

Most participants were top students from their schools. Zien wasn't the only one out in front.

Central Dome.

The crowd, thrilled by Zien's exploits, now watched the screens in hushed silence. In less than ten minutes, the protagonist had changed.

And that protagonist was.

Celia Party.

Arcana and Zien's biggest rivals in this tournament. They stood at the toughest boss location in this Battle Survival event: the school.

"Kua. Front line."

On the screen.

At Lucia's command, Kua bounded forward with a grin. The short boy wore blue gloves matching his hair and smiled innocently.

But that harmless grin didn't last.

"Now."

As Lucia spoke, Kua clapped his hands.

"Clap!"

Skeleton soldiers and wraiths, along with other monsters, were trapped in water bubbles and floated up.

The three passed the monsters and pressed on. This wasn't just boss mob clearing.

"Celia Academy! Lightning-fast time attack! Nothing but awe-inspiring!"

As Vernon said, Celia's goal was a time attack: downing the boss mob faster than anyone.

Celia Party ascended to the third floor unimpeded. When the witch's summoned monsters surged like waves, Demona smashed the wall with her halberd.

"Boom!!"

An ear-ringing explosion.

Even after unleashing such monstrous strength, Demona's expression didn't change. She just glanced at Kua.

That glance sufficed for communication, as Kua clasped his hands in prayer.

"Splash splash splash!"

Water surged like a tsunami in an instant, sweeping the monsters off the third floor in a deluge.

"That's why they broke the wall..."

Vernon marveled.

Bluma pondered.

'Arcana soloed nine. Celia goes for boss time attack?'

Even Bluma, who'd been certain of Zien's victory after the factory scene, started thinking it might not be over yet.

'But the witch won't be easy.'

All Battle Survival boss mobs were modeled after notoriously tough Zone 1 threats.

'Especially the witch.'

On screen.

In the classroom Lucia reached.

But Vernon knew the terror of Zone 1 bosses well.

"Celia Party has encountered the witch!"

Like Sabers wielding magic tools via stigmata, Zone 1 had awakened ones with traits. Commonly called hunters. The witch was modeled after one such awakener.

"The witch possesses three traits. 1G Group says the difficulty is top-tier among 4th-rank bosses."

Ever the pro, Vernon commentated with flushed cheeks and boundless enthusiasm.

Then, the main cam zoomed in on the witch.

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"Die!!"

With a shrill scream, the witch swung her arm—whoosh—and desks and chairs from the classroom flew at Lucia.

"Clap!"

But Kua's water cushion nullified the attack effortlessly.

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"Water-manipulating gloves. Every time I see them, Kua's magic tool has endless versatility."

Bluma's matter-of-fact commentary ended there.

The witch activated her trait.

Black liquid oozed from the witch's palm. It soon transformed into skeleton soldiers and zombies.

Dazzling visuals hard to look away from.

Thanks to Celia's exploits, G Channel's viewers skyrocketed, and Vernon ramped up his commentary.

"The witch used her trait! Even if you cut them down, there look to be over 30!"

"That's why 'awakeners' are scary. You can't tell what traits they have just by looking."

As Bluma said, Zone 1 was tricky in many ways.

But.

A 4th-rank boss couldn't stop Celia Academy.

Whoosh!

Demona swung her halberd with a lethal whoosh, sweeping the monsters away effortlessly.

The witch glared at the three in fury.

As if it was her turn now, party leader Lucia stepped forward.

Her gait was noble, ill-suited to the battlefield. She stared down the witch rigidly, then drew her sword from her waist.

Flash!

Lucia kicked off the ground and charged the witch. Swordsmanship. Body techniques. Mana. Talent. Effort. She had it all—she was strong.

Clang!!

Lucia's sword clashed with the shield.

Creeeak

The shield screeched under the sword strike.

Cling!

Blue sparks flew.

If Zien's swordsmanship was that of a pure swordsman, Lucia's was knightly. Prioritizing fundamentals over tricks, her rapid strikes pushed the witch back relentlessly.

Ten minutes passed like that.

Sapphire-blue eyes.

Without even the usual joy of victory, Lucia looked down at the witch. Her gaze was like millennia-old ice, utterly emotionless.

"Just barely an hour now."

Her voice mixed awe and self-mockery.

Dazzling sunlight reflected off Lucia's sword, Diana, like the moon.

Shing.

As if displeased, Lucia sheathed Diana.

Bam!!

As if on signal, Demona brought her vicious halberd down on the witch.

Silence enveloped Central Dome.

As if to prove Celia's feat, viewer counts appeared on the screen.

Viewers captivated by Zien's one-man show had massively defected to Celia Academy's stream. The tournament wasn't one-sided.

'Good for the broadcast. The fiercer, the better.'

Producer Brodo, in charge, watched the screens comfortably from Sky Lounge, the highest point in Central Dome.

Beside him sat his assistant PD, Caston, practically glued to his side.

"Zien and Lucia. Both have massive star power."

"We'll see as it goes, but Arcana feels solo-heavy. They haven't even regrouped. Celia, on the other hand..."

"Perfect team play."

"Ugh, I wish these two teams don't meet until round two..."

"I'll tweak the airdrop spots as much as possible."

"Yeah, yeah. That's the drama we want."

But.

Despite the surging ratings, Brodo couldn't shake his worry.

'The highlight came too early.'

Brodo wanted a back-and-forth between Zien and Lucia. But if Celia produced these stimulating scenes, the broadcast risked going one way.

'Can Zien pull off something as epic as this?'

But Celia had three. Zien was still solo. Coldly speaking, no.

'No way he solos a boss mob... He'll gather a team or wait for airdrop. No highlights till then, right?'

A reasonable assessment.

But Brodo didn't know.

That the world had irregulars who transcended reason.