Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Nameless Sword
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Countless system notifications poured down before his eyes like a starry sky.
[ The Gate has been cleared. ]
[ The MVP of the Gate clear is 'An Su-ho'. ]
[ Additional experience points are awarded for MVP selection. ]
[ One bonus stat is awarded for MVP selection. ]
[ You have successfully cleared a Gate that no one else could conquer alone. ]
[ For achieving a tremendous feat, the system gifts you 5 bonus stats. ]
[ Your level has increased. ]
[ All stats have increased by 1. ]
[ You have acquired 1 bonus stat. ]
The accumulating bonus stats.
It was a hard Gate that had produced countless casualties, so the system acknowledged the feat and recognized this Gate clear as a tremendous achievement.
On top of that, this was the only proper monster in the entire Gate, so the experience points were generous.
Enough to jump a level 51 player straight to level 52.
An Su-ho muttered as he looked at the bisected, collapsed husk of the once Sword Emperor.
"Looking back, it was such an easy opponent, so why did I struggle so much back then?"
Still, he felt grateful toward the guy.
The kind he occasionally recalled on Teacher's Day.
It was only natural.
That had been the first time in his life he'd been so obsessed with swordsmanship.
Just in case, An Su-ho summoned Ghost Shadow Spear and stabbed it into the body, but regretfully, no shadow was absorbed.
Blood Drain yielded the same result.
The guy was a specter.
Just the spirit of some nameless sword ghost, without blood or shadow.
Shhh—
The body crumbled away.
And in its place, exactly one thing remained.
A single worn sword that the guy had wielded.
An Su-ho picked it up and checked its information.
[ Nameless Sword of the Nameless Swordsman ]
- Rank: F
# A worn sword used by the Nameless Swordsman.
Rank F.
A sword with straightforward name and description.
At first, he thought it was a memento left by the Sword Emperor and tossed it into his inventory.
Then, years later, while sorting through his overflowing inventory, he pulled it out again and learned its true value from an acquaintance nearby.
An Su-ho examined the nameless sword for a moment, then gripped the blade and the end of the hilt and applied force.
The worn sword snapped cleanly in two with a crack, unchanged in appearance.
At that moment, the true effect hidden within the nameless sword—one he hadn't known for years—revealed itself through a system notification.
[ You have used the Nameless Sword. ]
[ Sword Comprehension activates. ]
[ The soul of the Nameless Sword imbues your swordsmanship. ]
[ Guardian Sword's information has changed. ]
[ You have mastered Guardian Sword (S+). ]
The information had changed.
At the same time, the S-rank Guardian Sword gained an additional effect, becoming plus rank.
An Su-ho checked the updated Guardian Sword information.
[ Guardian Sword ]
- Rank: S+
# An Su-ho's original swordsmanship.
# Faithful to the basics, with excellent balance of offense, defense, and evasion.
# Infused with the 'Soul of the Nameless Sword,' its fixed rank has become plus rank.
# Guardian Sword now holds the will of the Nameless Sword, gaining infinite potential for growth.
An Su-ho nodded in satisfaction at Guardian Sword's information.
Among the many sealed Gates, the reason he'd chosen the Nameless Sword as his first target.
It could be solved with his existing swordsmanship without special items or preparation, but the biggest purpose was this Nameless Sword.
'My swordsmanship starts now.'
Guardian Sword was something he'd used as naturally as breathing anyway.
Thus, its true power—and potential for further evolution—began now that it had reached plus rank.
Only then could he learn those techniques called An Su-ho's ultimate arts.
Having finished absorbing the skill, An Su-ho stepped toward the exit portal floating before him.
***
Situation room.
About half an hour after An Su-ho entered, Kim Jong-woo, who had been watching the camera feed, spoke up.
"It'll take a while, so I'll go on a quick patrol."
"Yes, go ahead."
As Kim Jong-woo turned to leave,
"Huh? Huh?"
Jo Jin-hwi, who had been monitoring the screen, shot up from his seat.
At the same time, Jeong Cheol-min jumped up too.
"The Gate! The Gate!"
"What?!"
Kim Jong-woo came rushing back.
Then, with an expression of utter disbelief, he stared at the screen and said,
"The Gate…… got cleared?"
"Yeah, let's get out there! Hurry!"
When a Gate is cleared, changes occur in the externally visible Gate line.
Outsiders can tell if it's been conquered by looking at it.
And right now, that Gate line was starting to collapse.
In this unbelievable situation, Kim Jong-woo ordered the Square entrance opened, while Jo Jin-hwi grabbed a camera before leaving the situation room to film the Gate line collapsing on screen.
Soon, the three stood before the Square, hearts pounding as they waited for An Su-ho.
Not long after, An Su-ho emerged from the Square's darkness with a faint smile.
"Su-ho!"
"Hunter!"
Overjoyed, Jeong Cheol-min and Jo Jin-hwi shouted his name and rushed toward him.
Kim Jong-woo wasn't quite that close, so he just gave a hollow laugh to express his shock.
An Su-ho calmed the two who looked ready to hoist him up in celebration.
"Both of you, calm down."
"How can we calm down! It was a sealed Gate! Over 200 casualties from the Nameless Sword, and Su-ho cleared it!"
"And not even 30 minutes passed! Cleared it? Does that even make sense?!"
The two excitedly ranted.
Only then could Kim Jong-woo step closer and chime in.
"Good work, Hunter."
"No big deal. It was an easy one."
"An easy…… one?"
"Yes, very easy for me."
"Hah…… What kind of nonsense……."
An Su-ho replied plainly.
But even to Kim Jong-woo, it didn't seem like bravado.
There was no arrogance or conceit in his expression.
He looked like someone who'd just stepped out for a drink and come back—like it was the most natural thing.
An Su-ho said,
"Well, Gate's cleared, so shall we take some photos?"
"Photos?"
"Yeah, for proof. Let's all get one together. Oh, not for commemoration—just straight-up for authentication."
He meant it literally.
They needed a blatant proof photo like this for press materials.
That's why he'd brought Jo Jin-hwi.
No photo would carry more credibility than one taken by a PBS reporter.
Then Kim Jong-woo said awkwardly,
"I'm military, so photos are……."
Quick-witted Jeong Cheol-min quickly followed up.
"Ahem, Major. This isn't some souvenir snap—it's for the future. For official submission! And is the Nameless Sword just any Gate?
It's classified as a national disaster. In this situation, Hunter An Su-ho has accomplished something huge. If it hadn't been cleared, taxpayer money—our citizens' blood and sweat—would keep pouring in, but thanks to Hunter An Su-ho, that blood tax……."
"Ah, no! Sorry! Go take the photo!"
Faced with Jeong Cheol-min's impassioned performance, veins bulging, Kim Jong-woo quickly admitted fault and agreed to cooperate.
An Su-ho smirked at the sight.
'As expected of Cheol-min hyung.'
And so, the three soon completed the historic photo that would set Korea ablaze.
***
On the way back to Seoul after the shoot.
Before heading to Seoul, An Su-ho asked Jeong Cheol-min and Kim Jong-woo for a half-day embargo on the Nameless Sword Gate clear.
He needed to meet Nexus Guild first to proceed in order.
So after the photos, he headed straight to Nexus Guild.
Asking for an embargo until the next day might be pushing it.
'The government doesn't have to listen to me anyway.'
Jeong Cheol-min aside, Kim Jong-woo would be the most troubled.
Military protocol meant reporting up first no matter what.
Upon arriving at Nexus, executives who had come early on emergency call were waiting.
An Su-ho showed them the proof photo on his pad and said,
"As I mentioned on the phone, I successfully cleared the sealed Gate 'Nameless Sword'—one of Korea's national disasters—this evening. This is the proof photo, and those pictured with me are Association officials, the Square manager, and Major Kim Jong-woo."
Everyone's jaws dropped.
Bae Dong-hyeok looked the most baffled.
He'd heard via phone but seeing the actual photo made it absurd.
And he'd heard that very afternoon that Nexus had been assigned the sealed Gate.
Yet it was completed in mere hours—who wouldn't be shocked?
Especially with proof photo in hand.
An Su-ho then introduced Jo Jin-hwi.
"And this is my dedicated reporter, PBS's Jo Jin-hwi. He came along and took the shots, so no worries about composites."
"I'm Jo Jin-hwi."
He presented his business card to verify.
As Jo Jin-hwi handed over the card, Bae Dong-hyeok waved it off.
"Ah, no, we never doubted composites. But…… how on earth?"
"How what?"
"Everything. How'd you get assigned the sealed Gate? How'd you clear it? In just hours. You know over 200 players died there, right, Hunter An Su-ho?"
What a question.
An Su-ho answered nonchalantly.
"Well, I got the sealed Gate assignment by meeting the Association President directly, and for clearing it, I just went in and killed it."
"Pardon?"
"It's the truth. Nothing to embellish. Just what happened."
"Hah, really……."
It was the truth.
No need to inflate achievements, and An Su-ho wasn't the type anyway.
So he got to the point.
"Now that I've proven my abilities, shall we draw up the contract? Set pay however you like—my conditions are two.
Full support while I'm with Nexus. And if I take the public recruitment exam and pass, terminate the exclusive contract.
Oh, I already told the Association President. Lots of big guilds have approached, but if any offer these terms, I'll join them for some practical experience."
"……."
Bae Dong-hyeok wasn't a scammer, but from a guild perspective, who knew.
At An Su-ho's words, Bae Dong-hyeok quietly said,
"……Chief of Staff, bring the paperwork."
"Yes, Guild Master."
And so, An Su-ho's joining Nexus Guild was sealed.