Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Master and Disciple
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Sir Henry had lived his entire life learning only the sword.
As a child, he was a squire. In his youth, a temporary knight. And when his greenness had faded, he became a knight.
The path to that goal was exceedingly arduous.
Training upon training to chase his limits—like a blacksmith forging a single sword, his life was spent hammering himself into that one sword called a knight.
So, was he satisfied with becoming a knight?
Henry would firmly answer no.
Because he couldn't even reach the toes of the "real" ones.
BOOM-!!!
The girl, presumed to be from the church, leaped forward. The ground shattered beneath her, propelling her far into the distance.
That was the power of the church dominating the continent.
A holy knight? Or a priestess?
Not a priestess. They stood arrogantly with shoulders back, exorcising foes with radiant light—they didn't personally sever monsters' necks.
A holy knight who was such a young girl... There was no way to describe it at first glance. But one thing was certain: he couldn't dare stand shoulder to shoulder with her.
He could only follow her with his eyes as best he could.
KWAGAGA-GAK-!!
She immediately shattered the cabin wall.
It wasn't human power.
Even slaughtering over a hundred orcs—had she been hiding her strength? With destructive force beyond that, she burst into the cabin.
"…!!"
But even watching, it was too reckless a charge.
Such destructive action would work in most situations. But her opponent was a black mage.
A mage was the strongest existence when prepared.
Throwing herself into the enemy's lair, brimming with countless traps—it seemed suicidal, yet it also displayed tremendous confidence.
"…Definitely a high-ranking holy knight."
With that conviction, he watched.
As expected, a black mage sat inside the cabin. The moment he spotted Seo Yoojin raising her sword to strike, the black magic permeating the entire structure activated.
Gazing at the ominous shadows extending from the magic circle, Henry flinched and rose to his feet.
Was it dangerous? Should he rush in right now?
Hundreds of shadows in the form of massive serpents surged toward Yujin all at once.
Yet she merely slashed the black magic away with her sword.
An incomprehensible act, no matter how he looked at it.
Magic had no physical form, so it couldn't be countered with a sword.
One wore resistant garb or countered with holy power or mana...
PUNG-!
"Gaaaaahhhh!!!"
At the same moment, the black mage's upper body exploded. Only after hearing the horrific, bone-chilling scream that seemed to rip the entire place apart did Henry realize.
He had dared to doubt her.
He knelt obediently and watched her advance.
He was certain that evil would be thoroughly crushed beneath overwhelming exorcism.
"This... this is absurd!"
For having half his body blown apart, the black mage hadn't died.
I caught my breath slightly and stepped forward.
The shadows that had been about to blanket the surroundings lost their power.
It was strange for it to keep activating after the caster's body was smashed.
Step— step—
The inorganic footfalls terrified him more than anything. With only half his body left, the black mage writhed desperately, trying to flee.
My prediction was correct.
Even if he could handle D-rank proficiency or skills, he wasn't truly at D-rank.
If he were, he wouldn't have been pushed this pathetically.
It was a trait of black magic, too.
Even with a low tier, by offering human sacrifices or staking their soul as collateral, they could borrow power disproportionate to their level.
According to Long Live the Sun's black mage extermination treatise, around chapter 13, line 32... Ah, did I study too hard?
Simply put, it was a glass cannon relative to its power.
Strike the main body, and it was nothing.
What's the difference from other mages, you ask?
If a mage's tier was high, they had resistance even to direct hits on the core.
Their foundation was sturdy—no matter how much you shook the roots, it wasn't fatal.
But a black mage scraping F-top grade at best was just mob fodder before me, nearing D-rank.
"This can't be! If only my grand army wasn't so far...!"
He wailed his injustice.
Roughly speaking, if I'd stepped into the trap he'd all-inned everything on, he'd have won. But pierced in the flaw like this—the height of injustice.
I gazed indifferently and raised my sword.
That's why I charged in, you fool.
Think I'd leisurely tangle with your grand army?
I raised the sword high and slashed down. Pathetically, the black mage's head floated into the air.
Slice—
But it felt ominous.
As his head detached, the black mage—with pupils stained pitch black—stared straight at me, floating as if time itself had frozen.
With that eerie voice, a geyser of black energy poured toward me.
No chance to dodge—as it seeped into my body, a notification rose.
A deadly curse reaching D-rank advanced.
If it were an ordinary person, they'd shatter before reaching the waiting room that resolves curses or status ailments.
But no need to worry.
Ding—
Mental curses would be outright crushed by my skill.
Useless most times, but handy here.
Its tier alone was high enough to shrug off even a D-rank advanced curse.
Having pulverized the black mage's final spasm, I gazed at his headless corpse and thought.
...This isn't even worth bragging about?
I'd planned to post on the gal like usual and banter, but killing him too easily killed the mood.
"Well... just mention it in passing."
I snapped a quick proof shot and exited the cabin.
I hadn't looked closely before, but now the black mage's cabin interior brimmed with horrific, miserable traces.
Piles of skulls in the corner were one thing, but the space reeking of malice and disgust from torture or vivisections—I had no desire to linger.
A few junk items lay around, but ominous gear like this was useless at best or backfired on the user... Constellation Gallery said so.
So I passed lightly.
Outside, Henry knelt reverently, gazing at me.
...Had he cast aside even a knight's paltry pride?
I sighed softly.
"Let's head back."
"As you command."
No—what command?
I'm not your superior.
Yawn—
I yawned hugely.
No collapse after Reversal ended since it was a clean one-shot, but overexertion still tired me.
Forcing like this—if I don't grow taller, it'll be trouble.
No room to fuss over that in Hell difficulty, though.
"Ah, and before we go."
A filthy place needed purification.
Might as well use the magic I'd learned.
A massive orb of flame surged in my hand.
At my will, the fireball glided naturally toward the now-masterless cabin.
BOOM-!!
The explosion roared, flames engulfing the surroundings.
Looks like I'd learned it well?
Feeling a touch of pride, I turned my back on the inferno.
The tower denoted every 10 layers as a "great layer."
An insurmountable mega-wall, the point where the tower's worldview flipped.
It gauged climbers' prowess in 10-layer increments—the gap between crossing or failing was rank-level overwhelming.
And the higher the difficulty, the vaster the great-layer gaps.
In Easy, 10 to 40 layers were all just F-rank anyway.
Normal let you breach D-rank around 30 layers, widening the lower gap naturally.
By tower clear, D-rank advanced to top—and a tiny few hit C-rank.
Hard: Breach 10 layers for D-rank. 20 for C low. 30-layer climber hits C advanced. 40-layer conqueror...
"...Can touch B-rank."
A middle-aged man with a prickly beard.
A long sword at his waist, clad in martial robes shedding all modern vibes.
Nine Heavens Sword—real name Lee Yeonwoo.
He stepped into the 30-layer village outskirts.
He gazed at the soaring mountains beyond the village.
Like a heavenly divide: peaks piercing endless cloud seas sprawled like folding screens, the eternal-snow main summit haloed in rainbow dawnlight.
An ordinary village lay before the sight that overwhelmed mere viewing.
Some found it too quiet, lingering in 10- or 20-layer villages. Others loved the grandeur, residing here in 30.
Nine Heavens Sword, come here, preferred lower layers too.
It wasn't too comfy here.
But he'd come for one nagging question.
Only one person could answer it for him.
Someone descended from the lofty sky.
From a cloud-piercing peak, answering his call.
A being who'd sloughed human form, half-trod into stellar realm—striding the air.
He knelt and bowed to the boy who looked not even half his age.
Surface only—the boy's age was multiples of his.
Tower climbing hadn't just youthened him; it'd infantilized.
One of Korea's sole three 40-layer conquerors.
B-rank arrivals who could treat all below peer tier like bugs.
Thus, not widely known.
Shouldn't be.
Each towered over nations, society.
Nine Heavens Sword had hit C advanced—but to a B-rank, one gesture would burst him.
No recklessness.
He knew their majesty best.
Reverence came naturally.
"Master, Seoncheon greets you."
"Long time no see, Yeonwoo."
Hard 41-layer climber.
The boy dubbed Seoncheon tapped the ground. Floorboards and seats rose naturally.
Such feats were trifles for him.
Hand spread over the seat—two teacups materialized below.
"You wouldn't call idly. What's the matter?"
The boy sat casually, sipping tea.
Light atmosphere, but Nine Heavens Sword dared not relax.
He bowed his head, reporting to his master.
"It's about a climber I wished to ask."
"Climber? Wait—how long since I ascended?"
"Three months."
The boy frowned faintly.
"The higher the great layer, the worse the discrepancy. Felt like eons."
"How long did you spend up there, Master?"
"Five years."
Nine Heavens Sword swallowed hard.
Time distortion.
Unreported in Normal—but from Hard, gaps widened per layer ascended.
Even he: one real day equaled two for him.
Double time alone felt sync-jarringly off.
Thus, high Hard climbers rarely galled.
What of 40+ rankers?
Impossible.
Hence, they mingled only with same-layer peers.
Same level, minor time gaps.
Streams painted rankers competing, clashing—not true.
To the point.
Nine Heavens Sword banged his forehead repeatedly on the ground.
"A new climber entered Hell difficulty."
"Happens all the time."
"But this one's different. Even I can't explain the miracles he's wielding."
"Hm?"
The boy spread his hand deftly.
Gallery-detached now, but for tower pulse—nothing beat this convenience.
Recent events unspooled in his gaze. The boy frowned, smirked repeatedly—then withdrew his hand.
Answered instantly.
"They favor him."
"They...?"
"Constellations. Those gazing loftily from atop this vast tower."
Nine Heavens Sword had heard of constellations—never touched one.
They fixated solely on Hell difficulty, ignoring others to an obsessive degree.
At least eyes turned near-clear, like the boy's normal-floor peak.
"Soon, he'll face us."
"He dares face you, Master?"
"Climb Hell, and he can rise above."
"But constellation aid means it's not his power, right?"
Tok—
The boy set down his drained teacup.
"Think constellations are idiots? Lending power to a poser?"
"Then..."
"Checked recent posts?"
"Recent ones?"
Nine Heavens Sword checked posts—TOPKING had uploaded another.
It featured the black mage thoroughly slain.
TOPKING claimed casually he'd nixed the assault source—no one bought it.
Gallery buzzed hot.
The boy shook his head.
"If I'd thought and acted like him from the start, no great suffering."
"...Seems so."
"Rather than weathering another disadvantage after the black mage regroups. Beheading the unknown black mage—the clear fix. Could you conjure it easily now, Yeonwoo?"
"Doubt it."
"Impressive. Already reads the tower's malice, knows responses. Seems riskier on surface—but spots true vital, counters instantly."
"...Truly impressive, thinking on it."
Saying so, Seoncheon glanced skyward with bottomless eyes, murmuring.
"Yeonwoo—one request."
"Command it."
Nine Heavens Sword bowed deeply; the boy rubbed his smooth chin.
"Even as master, little I can do post-40. Self-preservation alone taxes."
"Disciple dares not crave."
"But the main thread? I can grasp."
"Then..."
"Watch him, learn. Decode tower intent, optimal plays."
Nine Heavens Sword's pupils dilated, then contracted.
Myriad thoughts—fleeting.
Nine Heavens Sword accepted his sky-vast master's decree utterly.
Raised his bowed head—the master vanished illusory; only floor, seat, steaming teacup lingered.
Nine Heavens Sword downed the tea, then acted.
Seo Yoojin, giggling at the comments awhile, tilted her head.
"A Hard 30-layer climber—why serve me as master?"
A fair question.