Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Subduing the Tower Dragon
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Su-ho smiled as he read the system notification.
‘One of the Shadow Lord’s treasures is now in my hands.’
The Shadow Lord began to make his mark a few years from now.
He was even a late bloomer who awakened late, currently just an ordinary person without any awakening.
But there was a point when that late bloomer started growing strong in earnest—and it was right after acquiring this Ghost Shadow Spear.
‘Jang Pyeong-ho has the Subspace House, while the Shadow Lord has the Ghost Shadow Spear.’
However, the Shadow Lord wouldn’t appear in this world.
His alpha and omega, the Ghost Shadow Spear, was now in Su-ho’s hands.
‘Better in my hands than a criminal’s.’
It was exactly as he thought.
The Shadow Lord would go on to become a major criminal infamous worldwide, just like Jang Pyeong-ho in the future.
In that case, Su-ho decided to claim everything that belonged to the Shadow Lord for himself.
Su-ho checked the Ghost Shadow Spear’s information.
[ Ghost Shadow Spear ]
- Grade: A+
# One of the Shadow Lord’s treasures.
# Known to be made from the bones of a shadow divine beast.
# Recognizes the first person to awaken its consciousness as its owner, allowing the use of ‘Ghost Shadow (A)’ which can be drawn from the owner’s shadow at any time.
# A damaged Ghost Shadow Spear can be repaired and resummoned anytime with just shadows and mana via the ‘Shadow Regeneration (A)’ effect.
The Shadow Lord earned his nickname partly due to his innate abilities, but also because the item description boldly named him the Shadow Lord.
In other words, somewhere provided by the system—such as inside a gate fragment from another world—there might actually be a true Shadow Lord.
But despite being such an incredible item, the Ghost Shadow Spear was only A-grade because it was part of a set.
‘That’s why it has the plus mark.’
Plus grades were markers given only to growth-type or set items.
In that sense, the Shadow Lord’s treasures grew stronger in synergy the more pieces were collected, ultimately reaching S+ grade.
Su-ho vowed to gather all of the Shadow Lord’s treasures.
It would enable combat styles incomparable to before, in endlessly varied forms.
To test the Ghost Shadow Spear’s Ghost Shadow ability, Su-ho threw the spear far away and reached toward his shadow.
The spear slid out from Su-ho’s shadow as if drawn by a magnet and gripped perfectly in his hand.
‘Nice.’
Now he had a throwing spear that didn’t need retrieving.
With preparations complete, Su-ho opened the exit to the Subspace House.
Beyond the exit portal, he could see the place he’d entered—and luckily, his line of sight caught the Tower Dragon.
The Tower Dragon had rampaged wildly for a while before realizing its enemy was gone and curling up against the stone tower to sleep.
For dragons, nothing beat sleep as a recovery method.
That was why?
Seeing the Tower Dragon in view stirred a twinge of regret.
‘It’d be ideal to attack it from here.’
But regrettably, no attacks could be launched outside from inside the Subspace House.
In other words, he had to exit the Subspace House to fight the Tower Dragon.
Pushing aside his regret, Su-ho gripped the Ghost Shadow Spear again.
He took a deep breath, then darted out the exit and leaped onto the stone tower.
[ Leap activates. ]
He had to strike the reverse scale before it woke.
Su-ho bounded up the stone tower, leaping sky-high from foothold to foothold.
Spotting the reverse scale, he hurled the Ghost Shadow Spear.
And then.
[ Your understanding of spear throwing is exceptionally high. ]
[ The system begins evaluating your talent. ]
[ Congratulations! You have mastered Spear Throw (B). ]
Su-ho had mastered spear throwing after throwing.
Thanks to it, with boosted acceleration, penetration, and accuracy, the iron spear struck the reverse scale dead-on.
Crack!
He finally shattered part of the reverse scale’s scales.
Su-ho shouted.
“Enter!”
[ Entering Subspace House. ]
“Krraaaargh!!”
[ Tower Dragon berserks after reverse scale attack. ]
[ Tower Dragon uses Dragon Fear. ]
The Dragon Fear and entry into the Subspace House happened almost simultaneously.
But fortunately, Su-ho was faster—his body tingled slightly, but no status effects triggered.
That was why?
Su-ho smirked.
‘Got it.’
Hit-and-run.
A tedious, inefficient tactic, but the most efficient option for Su-ho right now.
Su-ho opened the house exit to observe it.
Fortunately, the berserk didn’t last long, and the damaged scales didn’t fully regenerate.
‘But given enough time, the reverse scale will heal completely. So hit fast and retreat!’
As soon as the Tower Dragon calmed, Su-ho exited the Subspace House again.
***
How much time had passed?
[ Tower Dragon’s stamina wanes. ]
[ Tower Dragon’s strength drops below 10% after repeated reverse scale attacks. ]
Quite a long time.
But during it, Su-ho had fully stripped the reverse scale, successfully reducing its power below 10%.
But a problem arose.
Once the reverse scale was completely gone, the Tower Dragon stopped sleeping altogether.
‘It’s entered alert mode.’
It wasn’t stupid.
Far from a programmed online game monster.
Though monsters were under system control, research showed clear differences from game monsters.
That was why it was on guard.
Su-ho exhaled deeply, thinking.
‘No choice but a frontal assault now.’
Even the best strategy, hit-and-run, was no longer viable.
Only a head-on fight remained.
No other options.
If there’d been a way to take it down unscathed, he’d have used it already.
So after sufficient rest, Su-ho dashed out at the first opening and hurled the Ghost Shadow Spear once more.
[ Spear Throw activates. ]
Now he could hit it blindfolded.
Proof:
[ Your understanding of spear throwing is exceptionally high. ]
[ The system begins re-evaluating your talent. ]
[ Congratulations! Spear Throw skill grade adjusted to A. ]
[ Spear Throw penetration and accuracy increase by 50%. ]
In that short time, Su-ho’s spear throw had risen to A-rank.
Crack!
A gruesome bursting sound.
The thrown spear struck the reverse scale again.
[ Tower Dragon berserks after reverse scale attack. ]
[ Tower Dragon uses Dragon Fear. ]
“Krraaaargh!!”
The pattern hadn’t changed.
The reverse scale-struck Tower Dragon unleashed Dragon Fear again.
[ Fear status applied. ]
[ Body stiffens. ]
[ Hallucination status applied. ]
[ Sounds muted. ]
Damn.
No resistance built up, huh?
Dragon Fear hit, inflicting debuffs on Su-ho.
Just before crashing down the stone tower with his body locked, Su-ho barely pulled out and drank a purification potion.
[ Purification Potion consumed. ]
[ Purification effect activates. ]
[ Fear status removed. ]
[ Hallucination status removed. ]
The debuffs lifted as he drank the purification potion.
Su-ho summoned the Ghost Shadow Spear, tossed it to a suitable height, and struck it.
He then Leaped to it, using the spear as a foothold for another Leap.
Then.
[ Your understanding of Leap is exceptionally high. ]
[ The system begins re-evaluating your talent. ]
[ Congratulations! Leap skill grade adjusted to A. ]
[ Jump power and stamina efficiency increase by 50%. ]
Leap had upgraded too.
Now lighter on his feet, Su-ho matched the creature’s eye level.
“Krraaaargh!!”
As Su-ho reached eye level, it blasted Fear right in his face.
Fortunately not full Dragon Fear—just ear-ringing pain he could endure.
Closing in, Su-ho summoned the Ghost Shadow Spear again and threw it at the eye.
[ Spear Throw activates. ]
Crack!
Arrogance?
Incredibly, despite the spear aimed at its eye, it didn’t dodge—instead confronting it head-on.
That was its downfall.
Thinking a mere spear would bounce off, but the Ghost Shadow Spear embedded squarely in its eye.
“Kraaaaaah!!”
[ Tower Dragon uses Dragon Fear. ]
[ Fear status applied. ]
[ Body stiffens. ]
[ Hallucination status applied. ]
[ Sounds muted. ]
Another Dragon Fear.
Su-ho bit his lower lip and downed a purification potion.
Then using the stone tower as a springboard, he leaped onto the Tower Dragon’s body.
The thrashing Tower Dragon.
With its gaze fixed on the wounded eye, now was the chance.
Su-ho drew a new iron sword from his inventory and charged toward the reverse scale.
Far off, soft flesh exposed without scales gleamed.
That was all Su-ho saw.
Finally reaching the reverse scale, he gripped the sword reverse-handed and stabbed deep into the flesh like driving a stake.
“Kraaaaaah!!”
Thrusting the blade into the reverse scale, the body shuddered violently before thrashing mercilessly.
Writhing in agony.
Su-ho twisted the embedded blade half a turn in the flesh.
The blade locked firm in the flesh, and Su-ho gripped the hilt desperately, clinging for dear life.
“Krwooooh!!”
Another Fear.
At that instant, a pop! rang in Su-ho’s ear, followed by a piercing ring.
His eardrum had burst.
‘Damn it!’
Nothing but the ring now.
But no choice.
Su-ho clung tenaciously to the sword.
Treating it as his lifeline, refusing to let go.
At least the Fear this time was regular, not Dragon Fear.
To shake Su-ho off, the Tower Dragon thrashed wildly.
Crashing into walls, rolling on the ground—but Su-ho endured with one hand’s Light of Healing.
Incredible tenacity.
At that moment.
[ Your obsession with clinging is remarkable. ]
[ The system begins evaluating your talent. ]
[ Congratulations! You have mastered Cling (B). ]
Impressed by Su-ho’s tenacity, the system granted him the Cling skill.
Now Su-ho clung more easily to the sword.
After a prolonged struggle, the Tower Dragon’s movements finally stopped.
“Grrrrr...!”
Fading voice.
And at last, the dying Tower Dragon began plummeting downward.
Return of the Sword God Civil Servant