The Man with the EX Mythic Ultimate Item: Geum Taeyang
‘Barrier? A barrier from Taeyang too? What the hell is going on now???’
The barrier glowed blue with faint traces of purple. Its sudden, radiant appearance made Athena’s eyes widen in shock as she watched from behind, her gaze filled with worry over the massive gap in weapon grade.
“A barrier…”
Conan, who had aimed Paewangchammado at Geum Taeyang, felt the same. Sophia’s beautiful eyes, brimming with sorrow as she looked at her beloved son-in-law who might be facing his end, were no different.
‘What miracle are you about to show us this time, Taeyang!’
Chuaaaah…!!!
From Geum Taeyang’s barrier, just like with Paewangchammado, a single sword rose and revealed itself.
“So our Geum Taeyang had a hidden card after all.”
Grin…!
Chereeeek…!!
Conan’s lips curled upward as he slowly nodded, sensing something extraordinary. The energy aura pouring from the sword’s hilt stirred his primal instincts.
Thus, Conan withdrew the tip of Paewangchammado. This duel was no longer a one-sided slaughter but likely to become an even match. To proceed with utmost caution, Conan shifted into a proper stance.
“Whenever academy breaks came around, I traveled across the continent training my swordsmanship. This friend here is something I obtained after encountering a fortuitous encounter in one of those places.”
Thud!
While explaining enough to satisfy Conan, Sophia, and Athena’s curiosity, Geum Taeyang gripped the sword that had emerged from the barrier.
“I judged that this one could hold its own against the chieftain’s Paewangchammado.”
—Swoooosh!
He drew it.
“Ooooooh!!!”
“Waaaaah!!!”
Explosive cheers erupted from the crowd filling the arena, no less intense than when Conan had first revealed Paewangchammado.
“What an incredibly beautiful sword! It’s mesmerizing!”
“Just looking at it feels like it could enchant you!”
Yet its nature was completely different. While Paewangchammado radiated overwhelming presence and charisma, Geum Taeyang’s sword emitted a fatally beautiful aura that matched his divine appearance.
“Encountering a fortuitous encounter, huh. That’s quite the feat. I was the same. While training like a madman to defeat my lifelong rival, Red Eyes, I came across one. And what I obtained was this Paewangchammado.”
Step, step, step.
Conan walked slowly toward the center of the arena, gazing at Geum Taeyang who held the beautiful sword born from a fortuitous encounter. As if in return, he shared the story of how he had come to possess Paewangchammado.
Conan had never spoken of his tales involving Red Eyes Bakara to others. It was his own form of respect toward his greatest rival. The man who had dominated every opponent with nothing but innate strength had been forced to undergo grueling training for the first time in his life because of Red Eyes Bakara.
“Perhaps this was the fate we were always meant to face.”
Could two suns exist under the same sky? A fortuitous encounter was an opportunity that created a sun. Someone who had touched such an encounter could no longer remain beneath Conan Barbara.
“This is how a duel with Conan Barbara should be! You must stake your fate on the blade!”
The white-haired Mohican chieftain, Siakan Conan Barbara, declared his willingness to accept the inevitable fight.
‘Sorry, but it wasn’t a fortuitous encounter. I lied.’
Indeed, the man full of secrets, Geum Taeyang, had lied even in this moment overflowing with presence and style. However, this time it was understandable. The mysterious sword he held was an item given as a gift by the main developer after he became the first beta tester to reach EX-level with his main character in Isekai Conquest Chronicles.
In other words, it was an item only he had received.
‘Well, depending on how you look at it, you could call it a fortuitous encounter. But the part about encountering it while training during academy breaks was definitely a lie.’
It wasn’t just the sword that had been given. The background story connecting the sword to the character, along with the sword’s own lore and a narrative that fit reasonably well with existing game modes, had all been added.
“As a warrior about to stake his life in battle, may I know the name of that great sword?”
Thud!
Conan raised Paewangchammado. It was his signature pre-battle stance from his prime. It was a gesture of respect toward Geum Taeyang, showing that he wanted a proper opponent.
Thus, he asked for the name of the fortuitous encounter treasure Geum Taeyang possessed.
“This friend’s name is—”
Chereek!
Geum Taeyang assumed an incredibly stylish iaijutsu stance he had once seen in an anime in his previous life.
“Luciena!”
—Fwoooosh!!
The moment he spoke the sword’s name, he charged forward using explosive Mana Step.
“Luciena, huh.”
—Whooooosh!!
Conan stared straight at the approaching Geum Taeyang and spectacularly spun the massive Paewangchammado slung over his shoulder once.
—Bwaaaah!!!
Then he brought it straight down toward Geum Taeyang’s head, which had entered his range.
—Kwaaaang!!!
The arena where the two warriors clashed was instantly filled with a tremendous roar.
“To block Paewangchammado head-on… truly impressive!”
Fssst! Fsssst!
It was because Luciena had caught Conan’s downward strike. Sparks flew from the clash of immense power infused with mana. While a hearty laugh spread across Conan’s face beyond a mere smile, he clicked his tongue in admiration.
“This is unbelievable! The vice-chieftain blocked the chieftain’s sword!”
“What an astonishing sight! I knew something was off from the start. This really is an even match!”
The crowd erupted into chaos. Until now, the duel had been shrouded in heavy silence because it could decide life and death and change the chieftain. But when the absolute underdog Geum Taeyang displayed a performance beyond imagination and created an even fight, dopamine spread through the arena like an epidemic, making silence impossible to maintain.
‘So it finally begins.’
Yet for Athena and Sophia, who loved both Geum Taeyang and Conan, it was simply the start of a battle where one of them would die.
“Aaah… Conan… and Taeyang…”
Kwang! Kaang! Kwaang!
After about twenty exchanges of blades, another fierce clash of power erupted.
“Neither side is giving even an inch!”
“Of course the chieftain is strong, but the vice-chieftain is this powerful too?!”
“It’s even! It’s completely even!”
Like tiger and dragon locked in battle, an even match, a stalemate, a neck-and-neck fight—every single clash made the crowd feel the overwhelming presence of both men.
‘But… does Chieftain Conan Barbara truly feel the same way?’
Geum Taeyang, however, thought differently.
‘Just what the hell is this sword Taeyang is holding? It’s far too strange.’
And as the exchange continued, Conan Barbara’s eyes began to waver little by little, just as Geum Taeyang had expected.
‘Of course it’s strange. Paewangchammado is a heroic sword, while Luciena is a demonic sword two tiers above it.’
Indeed. Geum Taeyang was currently wielding an absurdly overpowered cheat item and fighting a battle he was practically guaranteed to win. In the world of Isekai Conquest Chronicles, there existed items of extraordinary upper tiers called treasures. Below that were the highest-grade items classified as famous swords, treasured blades, and renowned bows. The lowest tier of treasures was heroic grade, followed by legendary grade, and the highest was mythic grade, also called holy relics. Among mythic-grade items, holy swords could slay demon kings and dragons, while demonic swords stood as their equal counterparts. The main developer had gifted Geum Taeyang, the first to reach EX-level, with a mythic-grade demonic sword.
‘I wondered if it would work even in my current state. But it did.’
The lore attached to Luciena was as follows: There existed a secret absolute demonic sword almost forgotten by the world. When a transcendent EX-grade warrior appeared, the absolute demonic sword awakened from its slumber and resonated with him. That resonance granted the warrior a prophetic dream, leading him to seek out the absolute demonic sword until he finally encountered it within a forgotten ancient temple. Afterward, the warrior and the absolute demonic sword engaged in endless mental battles, until the demonic sword finally revealed its secret true name and accepted him as its master.
‘Rahun Bel Morasis Entasar. Translated into this world’s tongue, it becomes Luciena.’
Geum Taeyang had memorized that true name.
‘Once a master, always a master, huh. Compared to when I was EX-level, I’ve become ridiculously weak. But calling the true name still summons it.’
Honestly, he had forgotten. The absolute demonic sword Luciena could only be used with the character that had first reached EX-level. It was naturally unusable in other modes. But the moment he realized he might have to face something on the level of a heroic treasure like Paewangchammado, he frantically searched for a way out and remembered it—the existence of his absolute demonic sword Luciena. So Geum Taeyang immediately called out its name.
[Rahun Bel Morasis Entasar]
And then, on Geum Taeyang’s status window—
Special Abilities: [Mana Body Enhancement] [True Mana Detection] [Paewang Fist]
Special Item: [Absolute Demonic Sword Luciena (Partial Use Restriction)]
The special item section opened, and the absolute demonic sword Luciena took its place.
‘Reliable as always, Luciena. Of course, in my current state I can’t bring out the full power it had as an absolute demonic sword. I’m far too weak now.’
But there was a problem. Unlike holy swords, the absolute demonic sword Luciena was an extremely arrogant blade. No matter who its master was, if they were weak, it would not obediently release all its power. There was a reason for this, of course. If Luciena used its full strength, Geum Taeyang’s current body would not be able to withstand it. Because it was a demonic sword at its core, its power was based on demonic energy. While holy power supported and strengthened its wielder, the demonic energy of a demonic sword had a tendency to push its master to the limit.
‘But it’s more than enough to play the overpowered role in the early stages.’
However, though arrogant, the absolute demonic sword Luciena’s loyalty was absolute and it did not wish for its weak master to die. Thus, as indicated in the status window, it was not merely restricted but partially restricted. The abilities of Luciena that Geum Taeyang could currently utilize were as follows: the sword’s pure physical performance would continue to rise, but for now it remained at heroic grade. Additionally, several unique traits of the absolute demonic sword would activate. One was a trait that raised the owner’s basic stats to a certain level. Another was a trait that was poison to heroic-grade treasures.
‘[Domination Subordination] is ridiculously sweet against lower-tier items.’
That trait, [Domination Subordination], meant that when facing heroic-grade treasures lower in tier than the absolute demonic sword—except for a few specific ones—if four or fewer were involved, they would fall under Luciena’s domination.
‘Conan is probably feeling it right now. The more power he pours into Paewangchammado, the stronger this side seems to become.’
There were various methods of subordination. One of them was [Vampiric Subordination]. The more power a lower-tier treasure used, the stronger Luciena became.
‘Is Geum Taeyang using some kind of sorcery? If so, there’s no way I wouldn’t notice. Isn’t Paewangchammado a treasure immune to sorcery?’
Conan Barbara was a warrior with decades of experience in close-quarters combat. Distinguishing whether an opponent’s stat enhancement was normal or abnormal was a simple task for him. Only by understanding it could he respond properly. If it was sorcery, he had to charge in head-on even at the cost of an arm. If it was genuine power, he had to drag the fight into a prolonged battle. Yet because Conan Barbara could not grasp Geum Taeyang’s abilities or Luciena’s traits at all, the veteran’s mind grew increasingly complicated.
‘Father’s movements are becoming more and more scattered. Why is he doing that?’
Scattered thoughts immediately began affecting Conan’s movements, and Athena, watching from a distance, could see it clearly.
‘At this rate… at this rate, he’ll be caught!’
Thus, a crack formed in what had been an even duel. Until now, Geum Taeyang had focused on defense, but the moment he spotted the opening, he switched to offense. Realizing his mistake too late, Conan Barbara tried to shake off his distracting thoughts. But it was already too late.
‘White-haired Siakan Conan Barbara… your sword and body remain unchanged, but your heart has stopped.’
—Fwoooosh!!!
Using Mana Step, Geum Taeyang slipped inside Conan’s long-reaching attack range. Flash—!!!
His demonic sword Luciena gleamed as it thrust forward.
—Puuuuk!!!
The gleaming tip pierced straight into Conan’s right shoulder, the arm holding Paewangchammado.