Chapter 83
Chapter 83
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: Return from the First Floor
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"Looks like I can return with the transfer ring after all."
Shin Yu-hyun gazed at the transfer ring with a smile. Now he could easily travel between Earth and the Tower of Trials using the transfer ring.
'Guess I should head back once for now.'
It had taken nearly two days to conquer the first floor.
Because of that, all the food he'd brought with him was gone.
Heading to the second floor in this state felt too risky.
The first floor had been a plain, but who knew what kind of place the second floor would be.
With that thought, Shin Yu-hyun activated the transfer ring.
Shin Yu-hyun returned to the underground training ground of Black Tortoise Hall.
"You're back early?"
"Master!"
Kyuu!
The moment Shin Yu-hyun arrived, Shuv, Dia, and Ka-mang-i greeted him joyfully.
"How did it go?"
"Of course it was a success."
Shin Yu-hyun smiled and showed off the cuirass he was wearing.
"You've acquired some impressive gear."
Shuv's eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the cuirass.
It seemed she didn't know what the rewards from the Tower of Trials were.
"You don't know what the reward was?"
"No. The Immortal King prepared the Tower of Trials for you, the successor. So I don't know everything about it."
"I see. What about the God of the Underworld, then?"
"The God of the Underworld?"
Shuv flinched ever so slightly at Shin Yu-hyun's sudden probe.
He caught the subtle movement thanks to his presence detection.
"Who knows. I'm afraid I don't."
Shuv brushed it off evasively.
"You don't? What about the gods in general?"
"That's not something I can discuss."
Shuv gave a troubled smile under the persistent questions.
"Got it. Sorry for prying."
Shin Yu-hyun turned away.
'Not something she can say, huh.'
A chill ran down his spine.
The existence of gods was undeniable.
After all, Shin Yu-hyun had already made contact with one—a goddess of indescribable darkness.
Yet she couldn't speak about the gods?
It could only mean something had happened between them.
Perhaps they'd imposed a prohibition on her, or she'd signed a contract forbidding even mentioning their existence.
'Better not dig deeper.'
There had to be a good reason Shuv wouldn't talk about the gods.
He could always learn about them later, once he'd grown stronger.
"Then I can leave the Iron Blood Group executives to you?"
"Yes."
Shuv nodded with a smile that was beautiful yet somehow dangerous.
After Shin Yu-hyun returned to the underground training ground,
Shuv headed to the Clan Leader's Hall with Isia. Their goal was to extract information from the Iron Blood Group executives in the interrogation room beneath it.
The clan meeting the day before had already settled everything, so there were no complicated procedures to follow.
All that remained was to wait for Shuv to bring back the intel.
"Can't enter right away, huh."
Shin Yu-hyun clicked his tongue.
He'd sent Shuv to the Clan Leader's Hall, taken a short break, and planned to enter the second floor of the Tower of Trials, only for the entry impossible message to pop up. The next possible entry was in a week.
'No helping it. Maybe go check on the Black Tortoise Sword Division members?'
With that thought, Shin Yu-hyun left the underground training ground with Dia and Ka-mang-i in tow.
He headed to the outdoor training yard of Black Tortoise Hall.
There, he saw the Black Tortoise Sword Division members training.
One of them, Lee Dae-young—a top-grade 3-star swordsman—spotted Shin Yu-hyun first and approached.
"Hall Leader, what brings you here?"
"Thought I'd spar a bit."
Shin Yu-hyun spoke casually to Lee Dae-young.
Now his superhuman rank surpassed Lee Dae-young's.
But Lee Dae-young didn't seem bothered by the informal tone.
He'd witnessed Shin Yu-hyun's power the day before.
"You, Hall Leader?"
"Nah."
Shin Yu-hyun summoned a single Skeleton Saber from the shadows.
Then he grinned and said,
"I want this guy to spar with the division members."
'Shin Yu-hyun, that bastard... what to do with him...?'
Shin Cheol-jin sat in his office, lost in deep thought.
He'd never liked the guy.
A talentless fool sitting as Hall Leader of Black Tortoise Hall, doing nothing.
The blood of his father—the Sword King, a Hwagyeong realm master—ran through his veins, yet he showed no talent!
It was a stain on his father's face and the honor of the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan.
But when the crisis hit, things changed.
The hit he'd ordered to oust him from the clan had been flawlessly completed.
It was absurd.
And unbeknownst to him, the guy had already opened his energy core and reached 2-star.
Rumors were rampant in the clan.
Hiding his power all along, his talent finally blooming, and so on.
But Shin Cheol-jin knew better.
'No way he was hiding his strength.'
How much he'd tormented the guy up to now.
If he had any power, it would've shown long ago.
So there was only one explanation.
His talent had only just emerged.
Indeed, in the past few months, Shin Yu-hyun had shown dazzling growth and feats.
But that meant nothing to Shin Cheol-jin.
No, it was a threat endangering his own position.
"That rotten punk."
Shin Cheol-jin scowled.
Shin Yu-hyun's growth was a threat, so he'd planned to crush it early.
But Jeong Tae-seong and his crew had screwed it up.
Failure.
'Should've just let him get his dantian sealed back then.'
Then a talentless fool like him could've abandoned dreams of becoming a superhuman and lived as a normal person with his mother.
But now Shin Yu-hyun had grown too big. It wasn't the right time to act.
He was surging in growth lately and had made huge contributions to the clan's honor.
On top of that, their father's attention.
And...
"Even Uncle's gone over to his side."
Shin Cheol-jin had long put in efforts to win over his uncle, Shin Sung-hyun.
But after Shin Yu-hyun completed the clan bounty, things shifted.
Shin Sung-hyun started paying attention to him.
And not only that—he'd even lost the Heaven-Splitting Divine Pill in a bet with Shin Yu-hyun.
"Damn bastard!"
Bam!
Suddenly enraged, Shin Cheol-jin slammed his desk.
Remembering how he'd been played by the clan trash he'd despised soured his mood instantly.
'Can't just leave him be.'
Negative thoughts spiraled in Shin Cheol-jin's mind.
Especially recalling Shuv by Shin Yu-hyun's side—it boiled his blood.
That stunning beauty as his subordinate!
The moment he first saw Shuv yesterday, Shin Cheol-jin was smitten.
Her radiant golden hair.
Snow-white skin, black sclera with dangerously gleaming golden irises.
And a glamorous, statue-like figure.
The thought of such a beauty following Shin Yu-hyun fueled his uncontrollable jealousy.
'I want her for myself.'
That's why he'd tested Shin Yu-hyun yesterday.
But Shuv's overwhelming pressure had left him speechless.
Unlike her beauty then, the bone-chilling killing intent had screamed danger to his senses.
But humans forget, don't they?
Just one night later, only Shuv's beauty lingered in his mind.
He'd erased the memory of her humiliation and the sense of disadvantage.
'Can't let this stand.'
Jealousy surged from deep within, filling his head.
He couldn't tolerate a beauty like Shuv—beautiful and strong—beside an incompetent trash like Shin Yu-hyun.
'Even if he's got talent now, he's still below me. And a necromancer? Predictable.'
Necromancers were typically strong only through summons; themselves weak.
Shuv was apparently a contracted summon like that.
Rumors said she wasn't even human.
But Shin Cheol-jin didn't care.
He just wanted Shuv.
'No matter how strong he's gotten, it's not him personally. So...'
At his current level, he could crush Shin Yu-hyun with his own power.
Shin Cheol-jin's thoughts grew ever more extreme.
Rationally, he'd watch and wait.
Especially right after Shin Yu-hyun's massive contribution saving the clan yesterday.
But emotions overrode reason now.
And what kind of temperament did Shin Cheol-jin have?
Hot-blooded with anger management issues.
That's why he'd confronted Shin Yu-hyun at yesterday's clan meeting.
'Crush him before he grows bigger.'
Shin Cheol-jin rationalized it to himself.
Strike now, before he got stronger.
And proving he was superior to Shin Yu-hyun would change everything.
Maybe even Shuv would abandon him and come to his side.
"Can't just sit here."
Having sorted his thoughts, Shin Cheol-jin stood.
There was one way to crush Shin Yu-hyun now.
The fights among successor candidates, wagering their shares.
'Propose a duel staking successor candidate positions.'
He planned to wager Vermilion Bird Hall and Black Tortoise Hall—one of the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan's Four Directions Guardian Sword Halls.
"Time to end this, Shin Yu-hyun."
Shin Cheol-jin curled his lips into a sinister grin.
The thought of dueling Shin Yu-hyun for clan successor shares excited him.
His eyes grew bloodshot.
Because of that, he missed it.
The system message flashing briefly before his eyes and vanishing.
"It looks quite different from before?"
Lee Dae-young tilted his head at the Skeleton Saber.
It differed greatly from the skeletons he'd seen yesterday.
The previous skeleton soldiers had looked decently armed like swordsmen thanks to their bone equipment enhancements.
But assigning the Saber class had changed its appearance dramatically.
'Such a big difference?'
Even Shin Yu-hyun was surprised by the transformed skeleton.
"Gave it an upgrade."
He kept a straight face, feigning nonchalance.
'It's practically transformed.'
Shin Yu-hyun looked fondly at the Skeleton Saber.
Assigning the class had updated the skeleton enhancement list.
Bone Reinforcement Lv10 (MAX) had evolved into Steel Skeleton.
Its frame now gleamed with a metallic gray sheen.
It exuded far greater pressure than before, and its gear had improved slightly.
Still bone material, but the gray tint gave it a sleek vibe.
After admiring the Skeleton Saber fondly for a moment, Shin Yu-hyun turned to the Black Tortoise Sword Division members.
He provoked them.
"So, who's up first? Doesn't look like anyone here can beat my skeleton soldier."
One of the Black Tortoise Sword Division members stepped forward with an indignant scowl.