Chapter 366
Chapter 366
-----------------------------------------------------------------
>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 366
>Chapter Title: The Witnessed Strike
>-----------------------------------------------------------------
The conditions for the first gateway had changed.
He had thought that the accumulated darkness from slaying the night beasts would be enough, but now it required defeating the gatekeeper.
‘A guy way more dangerous than the tiger, no doubt….’
He hadn’t even clashed with the large specimens yet, so something even bigger than those…
‘Impossible for now.’
No matter how he thought about it, the problem stemmed from Shin-gang not exiting through the designated gate. The five paths didn’t converge, and the demonic beasts ruling those areas turned the gateway into chaos.
‘Well, that doesn’t change what I have to do.’
Hunt night beasts and head to the second gateway after reinforcing his abilities.
‘The first gateway is the place where people spend the most time in the labyrinth anyway.’
Even if something went wrong at the second gateway, it wouldn’t drastically alter the facts so far.
Kang Seol had indeed been shaken by Shin-hyun’s words, but since it didn’t create an immediate problem, he steadied his mind and continued his night hunts.
Exactly three days later.
Thud…
Thud…
That guy appeared.
‘This sense of déjà vu….’
Approaching with rough breaths, as if deliberately announcing its presence.
‘…It’s telling me to respond if I can?’
Shin Yu.
Fwaaaang-!
It had been a while since its last appearance, and now it was launching another abrupt test.
Just like before, it charged ferociously, but the pressure was immense.
‘You think I’ll fall for it again?’
Zzaaaack-!
He signaled Dark Thorn to brace for the incoming attack.
Whiiiiiish-!
Claaaaang-!
Dark Thorn bent its arms to guard its neck and head.
Dust clouded the view here, but it seemed Dark Thorn hadn’t gone down in one hit.
The clash was ongoing.
Clang-!
Clang-!
Clang!
‘It held out!’
It was barely worthy of being called a clash. Shin Yu’s wolf kept pressing Dark Thorn relentlessly, while Dark Thorn could only scramble to defend.
However, the important thing was.
“It won’t break that easily… you bastard.”
The fruit of blood and sweat.
Now elevated to the level of an ultimate technique, its defense couldn’t be underestimated.
Swish…
Sensing the unexpectedly solid guard, Shin Yu tried to trip Dark Thorn to disrupt its balance.
Kang Seol smirked.
Dark Thorn had learned.
That its solidity and tenacious vitality were its strengths.
And that it had to exploit those.
As the leg came in, Shin Yu dove into Dark Thorn’s embrace.
It seemed intent on toppling it and then striking the weakly defended areas.
It looked like an opportunity at a glance.
‘…Hold back. Not yet.’
Following Kang Seol’s signal, Dark Thorn leaped back, using a tree to shield its body.
It felt like watching a giants’ MMA match.
Kang Seol focused on the fight, unaware of the sweat dripping from his hands.
This alone was incredibly valuable data.
Dark Thorn had exceptional learning ability, so battling a strong opponent was inherently beneficial for it.
Viewers saw Shin Yu as a brat come to smash a painstakingly built sandcastle, but to Kang Seol, it felt like a guest there to help him.
Sizzle-!
Fwaaaang-!
Sizzle…
Fwaaaaaang-!
‘It changed its style? The sound’s different.’
Shin Yu shook Dark Thorn’s defenses, which had curled up like a turtle.
No matter how strong Shin Yu was, the body it inhabited was just an ordinary wolf.
Unlike Dark Thorn, it couldn’t repair itself with primordial blood, protect its body with primordial bones, or harden its skin with primordial hide.
‘…Overwhelming.’
Yet Shin Yu consistently dominated Dark Thorn. No, it unleashed a barrage that didn’t even let him touch it.
Fwaaaang-!
Fwaaaaaang-!
Still…
‘It held out!’
The chance would come.
Kang Seol and Dark Thorn waited for their moment.
Surely, at least one opportunity would arise.
And then.
A punch rising from below, surging upward. If it landed properly, the defense would shatter, leading to total collapse.
But it was a motion full of openings.
‘Now! Dive in!’
Fwaat-!
Dark Thorn plunged into Shin Yu’s embrace on signal.
Thud-!
‘Got…’
It looked like Dark Thorn had clamped down with both arms. He thought it had definitely grabbed hold…
Fwaaaang-!
Shin Yu kicked up, launching into the air with both feet to create distance from Dark Thorn.
‘Tch….’
The attack failed.
Hoo… Hoo…
Night beasts breathed too.
Lacking lungs, they drew in surrounding darkness to maintain form.
Shin Yu and Dark Thorn had waged a fierce battle, and despite the onslaught Shin Yu unleashed…
‘…It did it. I did it!’
Dark Thorn still stood firm.
There were dents and gouges here and there, chunks of flesh torn away.
But it stood.
That brought Kang Seol an indescribable thrill. Dark Thorn’s growth was tantamount to his own.
His heart pounded.
‘Still standing against Shin Yu….’
The opponent had lost its body, but it was the hand of the former Sword Saint. Dark Thorn was admirable for not falling even to the strikes of a swordsman at his peak.
Swish…
Shin Yu, retreating, shifted its gaze from Dark Thorn to Kang Seol.
Kang Seol learned then that night beasts could express emotions.
‘…Smiling?’
Not a sneer.
That’s how it felt.
Like… a smile of enjoyment.
Crunch…
“What the….”
Shin Yu tore off its left arm from below the shoulder.
Whoooosh…
The severed left arm was mere darkness. And its form soon changed.
‘…A sword?’
The arm became a sword.
The shaping was crude—blunt and with remnants here and there—but it unmistakably took the form of a sword.
And… right then.
Shoooo…
The air enveloping the area flipped.
It felt eerie.
No matter what he tried, he couldn’t threaten Shin Yu in that state. The thought dominated his mind.
Zzaaaack-!
‘Primordial bones….’
Shin Yu’s sword moved.
No, by the time he regained his senses, it had already swung.
Splaaaat-!
Dark Thorn’s body split diagonally in two.
Neither the primordial hide nor the newly forming primordial bones could block it.
As if it had been decided from the start. That was the outcome.
Creeeak…
Shin Yu reverted the sword to its original form.
Kang Seol took in Dark Thorn writhing on the ground, bisected.
Like eyes melting in sunlight, it felt futile.
Rustle…
- Frustrated?
The message Shin Yu left expressed him perfectly.
A kind-hearted kid.
But the absurd force he wielded always sowed frustration around him.
To fellow swordsmen walking the same path, even to his own brothers.
Shin Yu hesitated like a child who acts first and worries about consequences later.
As if thinking Kang Seol might crumble from this, and perhaps incur his brothers’ resentment.
But Kang Seol’s reaction was the opposite of what Shin Yu expected.
Shaking his head, he said.
“We advanced. It’s fine.”
Rustle…
- What do you mean?
“You made it swing its sword.”
- That’s it?
“Yeah, that’s it for now. We’ll do it step by step.”
Shin Yu stared into Kang Seol’s eyes.
Kang Seol, lost in thought watching the wriggling Dark Thorn, seemed to have forgotten Shin Yu entirely.
Those eyes were eerily calm, the kind that would send chills down your spine if you were still alive. Meeting them, Shin Yu briefly recalled someone.
His third brother, now too distant to ever reach again.
After watching those deep, abyss-like eyes for a moment, Shin Yu turned to leave.
【Eeeeeek!】
Bitan on Kang Seol’s shoulder shouted.
【You’re retreating for now… but next time, you’re done for! Oh, by the way, I’m Bitan!】
Shin Yu departed, leaving behind Bitan’s words that could belong to a villain or a business rep.
“Bitan, did you see it?”
Kang Seol asked after Shin Yu had gone.
【Huh? See what?】
“The true strike.”
【Oh! The flash?】
“Yeah.”
【I saw the flash!】
“You didn’t see it either, huh.”
Thud…
Kang Seol, having poured all focus into the fight, collapsed to the ground as tension released.
“I couldn’t even see the true strike. What do I do?”
No clues.
His mind reeled from the terrifying destructive power of the true strike.
And the speed—insanely fast.
Could combining the merits of Shin-hyun’s swift sword and Shin-rip’s heavy sword produce something like that?
‘Tougher? Faster?’
Would fixing the flaws that way work?
‘…No, this approach is hitting its limit. I’ve just made a tough, durable giant.’
That was Kang Seol’s assessment of the current situation.
Solid and quick, but otherwise unremarkable. That was Dark Thorn.
And that was himself, too.
‘If it were Jamad….’
Would Jamad lose to Shin Yu?
No, what about Karen.
Karuna.
Ur.
He couldn’t easily imagine them defeated.
Shin Yu undoubtedly possessed untouchable strength, but Kang Seol’s summons were reverse-turn heroes.
They’d probably put up a good fight.
Back to square one.
How could he reach them—his summons and Shin Yu?
‘What should I do?’
What set Kang Seol apart from ordinary people wasn’t that he didn’t despair in failure.
It was that he found breakthroughs in despair.
‘Beating it is impossible. And there’s no need to defeat it outright.’
The bet with Shin Yu wasn’t about victory. It was about escaping the labyrinth.
Still, for his own satisfaction, Kang Seol pondered methods.
He wanted to see Shin Yu flustered.
To prove himself.
The gap with Shin Yu was catastrophic.
Beating him might be easier than waiting for natural death.
“Haa….”
Kang Seol sighed, trying to recover Dark Thorn’s writhing body on the ground.
“Good work, Dark Thorn… Huh?”
Something was off about its flailing.
Whoo…
Whoo…
Like a bug in a specific area, it repeated the same actions. Eerily rhythmic movements.
“…….”
Kang Seol thought for a moment, then gave up on recovery and maneuvered Dark Thorn’s lower body to reconnect with the fallen upper half.
Crunch…
Dark Thorn then pushed off the ground and stood.
Kang Seol observed its actions closely. There had to be a reason for this anomaly.
Whoo…
Whooo…
Was it broken?
It kept swinging its arm diagonally downward.
Too clumsy for an attack, yet too serious for play.
As if it had lost its mind from the overwhelming gap.
Bitan giggled at the clumsy motions.
【Hahaha! Hilarious! Swing it! Swing!】
“…….”
【…I shouldn’t laugh? Okay, I won’t. Heh….】
“No, it’s not that….”
Kang Seol had good eyes, yet he hadn’t properly seen Shin Yu’s true strike.
It was natural. He hadn’t crossed blades with him, just watched from the side.
That sword was aura, too.
A destructive aura unleashed only at those clashing blades.
So he couldn’t evaluate it.
But someone…
Whooo…
Whoooo…
Someone had seen it.
That split-second when Shin Yu’s sword moved.
The immense energy flowing from that star-like flicker.
“No way….”
【What’s up?】
“…Gotta check.”
Kang Seol mimicked the darkness transformation Shin Yu had performed.
Whoooosh…
Easier than creating the night beast, though crude—closer to a club than a sword since it was his first try.
Splat-!
Whiiiish…
Kang Seol gripped the darkness into a crude, oversized sword and placed it in Dark Thorn’s hand.
Whooo…
Whoo…
“…Huh?”
Bitan rubbed its eyes.
Dark Thorn’s previously clumsy motions suddenly flowed naturally.
It wasn’t broken.
Whooo…
Whooooosh…
Smirk…
Kang Seol grinned.
“…You saw it, didn’t you.”
Darkness crumbles many times.
Thus, it imitates the light.
“You saw it….”
Its knack for theft was just like its master’s.