Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Demon Sword Awakening
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After much deliberation, Soo-hyuk ultimately selected two items.
One was, of course, Selfish Sacrifice.
This was non-negotiable. As long as it could resolve Lightning's flaw, he didn't care how many points it devoured.
And the other one was.
A demon sword.
It was the complete opposite of the type of sword he had wielded before.
The demon sword's power was unparalleled.
As long as one's stamina held up, it had no flaws in terms of lethality.
The problem was that its unique penalty made it far from an ideal weapon for beginners.
'I need to test the skill.'
Soo-hyuk possessed a new type of skill.
Selfish Sacrifice.
Damage from skills or items he himself used could be defended against with this skill.
'This skill synergizes well with the demon sword. Better to use it from the start than let a skill sit idle.'
With those two selected, he had 25 points left.
He bought a healing potion in case of unexpected injuries, leaving him with just pocket change.
"A demon sword, eh."
Swoosh-.
Had he noticed Soo-hyuk finishing his selections?
Hueger approached from behind.
Clap, clap, clap-.
"Those two skills and items don't pair well together. That's for sure. But I just don't get it."
The two skills and items Soo-hyuk had chosen.
From Hueger's perspective, neither made immediate sense as rewards.
"Why pick a skill like that? You might never even use it, and its efficiency isn't great."
"Do I have to explain it to you?"
"......Me?"
"-sir?"
Hueger stared at Soo-hyuk's awkward speech in disbelief.
Was he clueless about the world, or just arrogantly confident in his talents?
This was the first participant to speak so casually to an exam proctor.
But Soo-hyuk had no choice either.
'Hard to switch up my speech patterns.'
A massive figure clad in heavy armor. Proctor Knight Hueger.
When Soo-hyuk confirmed he was the proctor, he nearly betrayed his surprise at first.
'This punk with the snotty nose is an exam proctor?'
Hueger.
The first time they met, he had been an apprentice knight in the Knights' Order guild.
Back then, the young rookie Hueger had shyly approached Soo-hyuk during a meeting between Knights' Order and Blue Eyes to ask for an autograph.
"A-an autograph, please!"
"......Autograph? I don't do those."
"Then just your name, please!"
Hueger had thrust out a stiff piece of paper with pleading eyes.
Soo-hyuk, masked at the time, wrote "Soo-hyuk" in Hangul for him.
His handwriting was atrocious, even for him.
But for that single autograph, Hueger bowed so deeply it made Soo-hyuk uncomfortable.
And now that same guy was sitting as a Tutorial exam proctor.
'The world's changed a lot. Brutally so.'
Twenty years had passed—that much was clear.
And realizing he was now a total newbie just starting the tower anew hit him fresh.
"Anyway, no intention of answering. You couldn't spill it anywhere even if you wanted to."
Exam proctors couldn't leak participants' personal info outside.
Doing so meant immediate dismissal and severe penalties from the guild alliance.
"Ugh. True enough."
"Then, if that's all-."
"Wait, wait!"
Hueger stopped Soo-hyuk as he tried to leave.
"Any thought of joining our Knights' Order'-."
"No."
Soo-hyuk quickly responded to the message before his eyes.
"Move."
Fwoosh-.
Soo-hyuk vanished from sight.
"......Huh?"
His vision flashed white for a moment before returning.
It was the effect felt when passing an exam and moving to the next world.
Soo-hyuk opened his eyes in a shabby temple and headed straight to the nearest city.
A village always spawned at the start point of a new floor. Especially on Floor 2, which was a densely populated world.
"Fresh seafood from afar! It's all so fresh!"
"Special jerky here! Try some before you go!"
"Take a look! From Murim World's silk brocades to pretty designs from Earth-."
A bustling marketplace.
Stepping into it, Soo-hyuk paused to gaze blankly at the streets.
'Here we are.'
Arriving on Floor 2 held special meaning for players.
It meant successfully passing the Tutorial, embarking on the true player challenge, taking the first real step.
But for Soo-hyuk, it resonated differently.
'The beginning.'
His second challenge.
Redoing what he'd done before meant he had to surpass his past self.
Players' all-time Number One.
Lee Soo-hyuk—better than even himself.
And for that, he needed to establish one thing right now.
Thud-.
Soo-hyuk passed through the market and headed straight to the training grounds.
A private one-person training room.
These roughly 20-pyeong spaces were popular among players for personal training or testing newly acquired skills, among other uses.
"What floor are you from?"
The manager eyed Soo-hyuk's appearance and asked.
A beginner player without proper gear.
Since today was the day the Tutorial started, probably someone who just reached Floor 2.
"Just got here."
Soo-hyuk handed over his player kit as he answered.
The screen showed a 2.
Proof he'd just arrived on Floor 2.
The manager confirmed it and said,
"Then head to Training Room 1. You'll find a prepared room there."
"Give me Room 4."
"Room 4?"
The manager let out an incredulous chuckle.
Higher-numbered rooms had tougher training setups.
Anything over 10 featured moving scarecrows that even mid-to-high floor players found tricky.
"You know what you're asking for, or are you clueless?"
"I know."
"You could get hurt bad. No refunds if you quit midway."
The manager clucked his tongue worriedly.
"I'm not gonna lose money on you for nothing, so just take Room 1. I get paid either way."
"Appreciate the concern."
Swoosh-.
Before the manager could say more, Soo-hyuk extended his hand.
"30 minutes, please."
"Sigh. Not my problem then."
The manager sighed deeply and grasped Soo-hyuk's hand.
Points drained through their clasped hands.
With the 30-minute ticket in hand, Soo-hyuk entered Training Room 4.
Creeeak-.
A pristine white room designed for perfect soundproofing came into view.
Traps were installed throughout, activating the moment one fully entered.
"Been a while here too."
No better place to test his new skill and item.
He could gauge skill performance by difficulty before hunting grounds or exams.
'First......'
Shing-.
The messages appeared as he drew and gripped the demon sword.
In the past, this would've been unthinkable. For Soo-hyuk, who used Lightning, the demon sword's side effects were fatal. It drained already scarce stamina, crippling sustainability.
But now.
What Soo-hyuk aimed to test wasn't the demon sword's raw power.
Zzt-.
Drip-.
Blood trickled from Soo-hyuk's eyes.
Veins burst on the back of his sword hand, fingers trembling. He was hitting his limit.
'With this body, this is as far as it goes.'
He hadn't expected a fresh Floor 2 body to handle Kindre's demon sword fully.
What he was testing now was how much Selfish Sacrifice could mitigate the demon sword's burden.
'Lv1 only goes this far, huh.'
A Rare-grade demon sword.
Even dismissed as a failure, it was Kindre's creation.
The stamina drain matched the power it unleashed.
Soo-hyuk hadn't expected an F-rank skill to handle it fully.
But this skill's effect didn't end there.
Soo-hyuk had exactly 10,000 points—enough to level up Selfish Sacrifice once.
He'd drawn out the demon sword's power; now it was time to boost Selfish Sacrifice.
Nearly his entire fortune vanished with one click.
With the skill leveled up, Soo-hyuk checked Selfish Sacrifice's effect again.
【 Selfish Sacrifice 】
'20,000?'
Even with the grade up one step.
Required points had doubled.
Did it double each level?
If so, the effect had to scale accordingly.
'Let's see.'
Crunch, crack-.
Muscles twisted, blood seemed to reflux.
But the euphoria from it, the surging stats—it bordered on ecstasy.
'It works.'
With Selfish Sacrifice leveled up, the demon sword's burden lessened accordingly.
Reduced strain made drawing out the demon sword's power far easier.
Grip-.
Soo-hyuk eyed the traps filling the room.
Training Room 4.
A place fresh Tutorial passers on Floor 2 couldn't even spectate.
Its traps dwarfed Tutorial goblins.
But right now.
Whoosh-.
Soo-hyuk leaped into the room.
And that instant.
Bangbangbang-!
The room's traps launched toward him en masse.
Ten minutes later.
Soo-hyuk exited without using the full time.
Drip-.
Blood droplets fell from his forearm.
Staggering steps, ragged body.
He looked like he could collapse any second.
But Soo-hyuk felt no regret.
Instead.
Leaning against the wall, he grinned.
"Whoa......"
A low murmur escaped.
Soon, a voice full of joy spilled from his lips.
"It worked."