Piercing the Gap
“……!!”
U-ryu-ga startled back in shock as the blue flames suddenly manifesting before me engulfed him.
[I'll settle the grudge between us!]
But the Black Eye, wreathed in those flames, had no intention of letting him escape so easily.
Black Eye has activated Crowd Control Lv4.
All hostile entities within a 10m radius have their movement speed reduced.
“Kuh?!”
The Black Eye snatched up the massive sword U-ryu-ga had dropped moments earlier and infused it with his divine beast power.
Roarrr—!
Even when he'd forged the greatsword purely from divine beast energy without a base, its power had been immense. Now, with U-ryu-ga's own blade as its foundation, the blue flames surged even fiercer.
“Wh-who……!?”
U-ryu-ga's face twisted in bewilderment, but the Black Eye gave him no respite.
Black Eye has activated Focus Lv3.
Attack success rate increased.
Decapitation Sword Lv1 used!
A sword wind wrapped around the greatsword, spewing flames as it poured toward U-ryu-ga. He reflexively crossed his twin swords to shield his face.
Kwaaang—!!
With a deafening roar, U-ryu-ga's body was hurled back. Having absorbed the White Knight, the Black Eye's stats had grown beyond recognition—now, even against U-ryu-ga, he wasn't pushed back but instead pressed the attack relentlessly.
“This is……?”
U-ryu-ga's eyes widened in shock, as if recognizing Chil-ya in the Black Eye's swordsmanship.
[I've returned from the afterlife to capture you, U-ryu-ga. If you remember Gullak's corpse abandoned in the cold dirt, don't beg for mercy!!]
“……Master?”
The Black Eye, igniting massive flames, raised his sword and brought it crashing down on U-ryu-ga with all his might.
Kwaang—!!
The greatsword fell once, twice, three times over his head. Each ferocious impact cracked the blade in the Black Eye's grip—creeeak!
Thud—!Clang!!
Unable to withstand the Black Eye's power, the greatsword finally shattered in two.
Durability of Imitation Greatsword of the God of War has reached 0.
Imitation Greatsword of the God of War has been destroyed.
Yet the Black Eye unleashed his pent-up rage, snatching the spinning, broken blade from midair and slamming it down on U-ryu-ga.
“Kwaaaak!!”
The massive sword blade buried halfway into U-ryu-ga's shoulder.
Whooom—!!
He wrenched the sword free, widening the distance from the Black Eye.
“You bastard…… Are you some illusionist? What the hell is that phantom? How dare you invoke Master's name!! You cursed wretch!!”
He snarled toward me.
“Cursed? You were the one who beheaded your master.”
But I just gave him a cold smile.
“Why'd you do it? You Five Heroes, each inheriting one of Chil-ya's five sword styles—you could've reached the pinnacle with that alone. Were you greedy for the two styles he never passed down?”
“Don't spout nonsense!”
At U-ryu-ga's shout, I drew up my mana.
Effect of Unwavering Scale activated!
Supreme Ice Magic Defense Art – Nute
Kagagagak……!!
U-ryu-ga's twin swords came pouring toward me like a torrent. I blocked with my two blades, but I couldn't keep up with the fastest quicksword among the heroes.
U-ryu-ga's sword strikes your left shoulder.
Sword's Ordeal Lv1 effect activated!
Attack power increases by 0.5% per 1% HP, swordsmanship EXP +1%.
U-ryu-ga's sword strikes your right waist.
Caution: HP will continuously decrease if not staunched.
Sword's Ordeal Lv1 effect activated!
U-ryu-ga's quicksword slashed across my body at such blinding speed that Sword's Ordeal triggered without pause.
“Hoo, good. Keep it coming.”
Even amid the wave of quickswords, I dove into U-ryu-ga's guard.
Paaak!!
As Nute's barrier shattered, its fragments formed ice spikes around U-ryu-ga.
Sssss……!
Ice Spikes (Nute) dissipate completely due to the plateau's extreme heat.
But before the ice spikes could fully form, they oxidized and vanished in the heat.
Whoom—!Srck—!!
I'd aimed to exploit the gap the spikes would create, but I froze and retreated. U-ryu-ga's twin swords grazed my cheek by a hair's breadth.
Magically conjured ice spikes wouldn't melt to ordinary heat, but the summit air—born from divine flames—carried magical properties of its own.
“Tch……!”
I hurriedly parried U-ryu-ga's sword. In that instant, his blade shifted trajectory toward my back.
Puk—!!
“Kwaaaak!”
U-ryu-ga's precise strike is applied as a critical hit.
Deals 2x damage.
My vision flashed red amid the crimson warning.
White Regeneration used!
HP recovers 1% per second.
I hurriedly activated the Jade Circlet's skill. A green light slowly enveloped my body, steadying my ragged breaths, but the recovery was too slow—if I took another hit like that, I'd be in danger.
'As expected of U-ryu-ga.'
His sword was impossible to track with the naked eye. The only reason I'd blocked even this much was because I remembered his quicksword from my dreams.
Whoom—!!
In that moment, the Black Eye's greatsword cleaved between us.
[Stand down.]
The Black Eye positioned himself before U-ryu-ga.
[U-ryu-ga. I have something to ask you.]
“Reveal yourself first. How do you know Master's swordsmanship?”
[……Foolish one. You already know, yet refuse to believe.]
The Black Eye's thunderous voice softened slightly.
[What meaning is there now in distinguishing life from death? I only wish to settle one thing cleanly.]
A chill ran down my spine as the killing intent, which had eased moments ago, surged with bone-shaking intensity.
[Just tell me why you killed your master.]
In that instant, U-ryu-ga's face paled as he realized the divine beast body before him was his master.
“Master? I never saw him as such. I only learned Chil-ya to grow stronger than anyone and reclaim our lost lands……!”
Flash—!!
He charged forward like a sprinting beast.
Kaang! Kang! Kang!!
The distance closed in a blink, and U-ryu-ga's quicksword entangled with the Black Eye's greatsword.
“What is this? Did we climb all the way up here just to watch NPCs duke it out?”
Baek Yiheon, having felled all the Torong tribesmen on his way up, clicked his tongue at the sight of their duel.
“That's not all, but you should watch closely too. It's a duel on a level you'll never see again.”
“Pfft. Whatever. Fighting's just blocking well, hitting well, and landing skills right.”
At his nonchalant words, I gave a wry smile and grabbed his hand.
⊳ Baek Yiheon has joined your party.
“Fair point. Might be a good opportunity, but since you're not the type to overthink fights, maybe not.”
I subtly probed if Baek Yiheon could gain the Insight Progression trait, but as someone who fought on instinct over technique, it might be beyond him. The pinnacle of swordsmanship couldn't be taught by force.
It might sound ridiculous in a VR game—judging player talent beyond system elements—but Dimension World worked that way. Hidden traits manifesting beyond overt skills varied; some saw them, others didn't, even witnessing the same thing.
'Honestly, even I could only do it because I'd lived countless dream lives in this world……'
Choi Hyuk-su, Dimension World's creator, had woven such intangible qualities into the game as if he'd lived my life.
“See those guys with the hammers up there? Subdue them and guard the sacred flame. If it breaks, the whole area freezes.”
Shelving my curiosity about the developer, breaking this situation took priority. As the Black Eye and U-ryu-ga's fierce clash continued, the summit trembled, the flames flickering precariously.
“We just got up here, and you want me to climb again?”
“Yeah. Unless you wanna freeze.”
“……We'll see.”
Grimacing at my words, Baek Yiheon bolted toward the sacred flame.
Thud! Thud!! Kwaang—!
How much time passed?
“……”
Their sword clashes were mesmerizing just to watch. U-ryu-ga had started overwhelming the Black Eye, but astonishingly, the Black Eye began matching his speed.
Whiiiik……!!
Even amid the sword net of U-ryu-ga's twin blades, the Black Eye exploited gaps to dismantle his technique.
[Pathetic fool. Think you can fool me with tricks? I taught you Chil-ya, yet your petty pride kept you from ever using it.]
Kaang—!
As the Black Eye simply thrust his greatsword amid the onslaught, U-ryu-ga's blades bounced aside, his arms splaying open like a surrender.
Thump—!!
With a dull thud, the Black Eye's sword plunged into U-ryu-ga's previously wounded shoulder once more.
Decapitation Sword Lv1 used!
U-ryu-ga's body staggered.
I kept observing their exchange.
“……”
U-ryu-ga's swordsmanship, once untrackable by eye, gradually revealed itself—first as blurry air currents, then sword trajectories, and finally freezing in snapshot instants like photographs.
Thud—!!
As U-ryu-ga clutched his wounded arm and twisted away, the Black Eye's fist smashed into his face.
With a dull sound, U-ryu-ga's body flew back.
'What?'
U-ryu-ga's quicksword was undoubtedly top-tier for this era. Yet something felt off. Watching him stirred an inexplicable sense of dissonance.
“Kuh……”
Wiping blood from his mouth, U-ryu-ga staggered to his feet.
Step— step— step—
[I told you. I won't lose to that bastard.]
The Black Eye advanced slowly toward him.
'Was the U-ryu-ga I knew only this strong?'
Of course he was powerful. When I'd faced his storm of strikes earlier, I'd been overwhelmed. But viewing from a step back, as a third party, his sword oddly came into focus.
'In my dreams, I met him after the Midnight oracle—two years into game time.'
Did he grow stronger in that gap? It might sound strange, but he seemed weak.
Moreover, the Black Eye precisely countered his swift strikes, shattering them move by move. This wasn't mere skill combos like player PvP. No quicksword, however fast, could land every blow as a real hit. Even as a Dimension World NPC, U-ryu-ga couldn't escape system limits.
Prediction, instinct, timing—the extremes of true sword combat weren't odd even in my dream experiences.
'Like Baek Yiheon said, possible because it's an NPC duel?'
But stranger still was that I felt this sensation now. As if melting into this world. Not divided by skills, levels, stats—this felt like the only true, whole reality.
Through that unique sense, I grasped the dissonance's source. A unease beyond the system.
“Black Eye.”
[……Hm?]
“Something off, right?”
[What do you mean?]
“Why isn't he using Chil-ya?”
[No special reason. Probably that fool's arrogance, refusing to acknowledge his master.]
I shook my head instinctively at the Black Eye's words.
“No……”
[……?]
“U-ryu-ga, you……”
I muttered in a low voice.
It was a possibility I'd never considered.
“You never learned Chil-ya, did you?”
Crack—
The moment my words ended, U-ryu-ga's face drained of color.
That was when it happened.
The Gap has been pierced.
Profound enlightenment obtained.
Mugeuk Lv1 activated!
“……?!!!”
More shocking than U-ryu-ga's secret, a notification rang in my mind.