Shattered Ifrit
The red light that began from Ifrit's Sword circled the outskirts of the training arena, connecting with Ifrit's Shield.
Swordmaster Miyamoto approached the motionless Dark and struck, but he was blocked by some invisible barrier. In that moment, the shield returned to Dark's left hand, and red light flooded the entire arena.
Physical Attack Power increased.
Magical Attack Power increased.
Defense increased.
Magical Defense increased.
All stats slightly increased.
It was a hologram floating before Dark's eyes.
Attack Speed slightly decreased.
Reaction Speed slightly decreased.
All stats slightly decreased.
This was what appeared before Miyamoto.
Dark smirked faintly.
He closed in on Miyamoto, who maintained a stoic expression but was undoubtedly rattled inside.
Thanks to the set effect Barrier from Ifrit's Sword and Shield, his movements had quickened noticeably. He could clearly track even Miyamoto's backward dodge.
Dark was confident he could end it before the Barrier's duration expired.
In an instant, they were face-to-face.
Dark swung his sword.
Clang!
Miyamoto parried with his own blade.
It was definitely slower.
But Miyamoto's opportunistic strikes remained sharp, and Dark still couldn't fully press his advantage amid the disrupted rhythm.
Even with Barrier active?
Perhaps frustration building, Dark's movements began to grow larger.
The situation dragged on like that for a while.
Dark's movements had grown larger, so Miyamoto should naturally exploit those openings. Yet Miyamoto focused solely on defense, as if no gaps existed.
That was the moment.
Dark's attack swelled larger than before.
Miyamoto stepped forward, unleashing his blade in a flurry. The sword edge, infused with pure white light, whipped through the air at terrifying speed.
Shatter, the power to crush all.
But the instant Miyamoto activated it, he sensed something wrong. Dark's eyes, blazing with excitement, turned chillingly cold. With his sword raised high, his gaze screamed finality.
No stopping now.
The skill was already committed.
He blocked Dark's sword with Shatter's power.
Kaching!
But Dark's skill wasn't just one. Though weakened, something powerful still hurtled toward his face.
Miyamoto's expression hardened.
No choice.
Purple light poured from Miyamoto's body.
True Shatter.
A skill with immense penalties.
True Shatter unfolded.
Confident nothing could block True Shatter's power, Miyamoto swung, tapping Dark's incoming blade once and using the rebound to smash the shield as well.
In just two strikes, most of True Shatter's force dissipated, but to inflict even a bit more damage, he thrust his sword into Dark's chest at the last.
In that instant, the purple light vanished, and the penalty hit.
All physical abilities decreased by 30% for 48 hours.
If Dark's damage was low, victory wouldn't come easy.
Tensing, he stared—
Crack!
Dark's sword and shield shattered.
*
Mu-hyuk's eyes widened as he watched.
Shattered?
They were Dark's sword and shield, used since the preliminaries—ornate enough to scream top-grade gear. And from this fight, they clearly had set effects. Yet they broke.
For real?
He hadn't expected Miyamoto to have True Shatter.
"Hah..."
Misfortune for Dark, fortune for Mu-hyuk.
Luck on his side?
Losing his best sword and shield would naturally weaken Dark. Plus, the set skill was gone—incalculable loss.
Sure enough, Dark's face twisted severely.
30% penalty. And Ifrit's set effect Barrier hadn't worn off yet—double bind on his body.
Without sword and shield, Dark's genuine frustration-fueled strikes were visible, but his body wouldn't cooperate. Frustrating.
So he focused solely on enduring. But that alone couldn't beat Dark.
The match ended in Dark's victory.
But Dark couldn't smile.
Face still twisted, he descended the arena.
*
A brief rest before the finals.
Kilimanjaro approached.
"You okay?"
"......"
Dark didn't open his mouth easily.
"Who'd have thought the Ifrit set would break."
"Sigh."
"Pull yourself together anyway."
"Not easy."
"Win, and demand something better than Ifrit. That Sun Sword you've always wanted."
"True."
He knew, but his mind wouldn't settle.
Hard-won gear.
Ifrit Set.
The unique set item gone—Dark's heart was bound to churn. But he couldn't stay like this forever.
"Finals soon."
"I know."
Just win. Claim the insanely optioned Sun Sword from the noble's warehouse as champion.
That would spur even greater growth than when he got Ifrit's Sword and Shield.
Finals begin in 5 minutes.
The judge's voice boomed.
Dark finally rose.
"Right. Win, and it's fine."
That would more than make up for the loss.
"Advice?"
"Don't underestimate the skeletons."
"That's it?"
"Don't underestimate the summoner Mu-hyuk either."
"Got it."
"Good luck. Be careful."
Dark nodded and left the waiting room.
-------!
Cheers hammered his eardrums.
He locked eyes with Mu-hyuk emerging from the opposite room and walked to the arena. The five minutes flew by, and the last two standing climbed atop.
*
The announcer calmly explained.
Then the judge's voice rang out.
The screen zoomed on Mu-hyuk.
Before ascending the arena, Mu-hyuk had devised his plan. Dark, having lost sword and shield, would be desperate—he intended to rattle him with irritation and rage.
Wind Step, Storm.
So he deliberately held off summoning.
With his own power at first.
To maximize Wind Step, he needed ample MP.
Onlookers leaned in, worried and anxious.
But watching the exchange, they fell silent.
Clang, kaching!
Mu-hyuk held up far better against Dark than expected. No—he was pushing back.
Of course, it was all thanks to Wind Step, and MP drained fast, but he ignored it.
Without Storm, it wasn't a huge MP burden.
Cross Slash.
He threw in skills sporadically.
Blessing of the Dead.
No skimping on magic.
Pulling distance for arrow barrages.
Storm, Powerful Arrow Shot.
Multishot.
Dark blocked effortlessly.
Kaching!
Shield blocks, backsteps, wide arena use—his speed was clear.
Yet he countered occasionally, threats forcing Mu-hyuk to keep Wind Step active.
And that healing skill—how broken was it?
Whenever solid damage landed—
"Great Heal."
Dark refilled HP instantly with healing magic. Still, Mu-hyuk pressed endlessly. Dark's MP had limits too.
Force skill use—attacks or heals—and drain his MP. Opportunity would come.
One certainty:
Mu-hyuk's MP recovery was absolutely superior.
The fierce clash continued for a while.