The Shadow-Chasing Sword
Two hours later.
The Laotian side's Dominance Crystal has been destroyed.
The Korean camp has been selected as the final victor.
Korea — 100% Promotion
Laos — 66% Promotion
China — 33% Promotion
An overwhelming first place.
Once we crushed China, there was nothing left to hold us back. We stormed the Laotian line like a raging wildfire and destroyed their Dominance Crystal as well.
Nyx scolded me.
Right before the Chinese Dominance Crystal shattered, my life force had run out and I died.
“I had faith in you, so I went a little overboard.”
“You didn’t trust me?”
“You were there, weren’t you? My goddess.”
If Nyx had fully assimilated with the Polar Night, I was confident I could even land a solid blow on Hong Yunsu or Shin Junseok, both Platinum rankers.
“I meant every word.”
Nyx pressed her lips tightly together, then suddenly whipped her head away.
Hmm. Was cotton candy not enough after all?
I was about to turn around to check her expression when Lee Jiyoung approached.
“Master! Our country took first place!”
“Don’t get so excited over something that was obviously going to happen.”
“Even so. This was only possible because you destroyed the Chinese camp, Master.”
“It worked out because you held the line.”
Lee Jiyoung had maintained the front line far better than I’d expected.
Ping Lei had led the Chinese charge, trying to break through the canyon, but since I’d already analyzed his fighting style on the first day, she deployed her barriers effectively and completely shut him down.
And that wasn’t all.
She meticulously managed her mana consumption during battle. Even when the allied forces switched to rotating shifts, she never faltered.
The true hero of this victory.
“You must be disappointed.”
“About what?”
“If I hadn’t been here, you might have gotten MVP.”
“Just wait and see. One day I’ll take first place too!”
Lee Jiyoung declared boldly, hands planted on her hips.
MVP Selection for this Promotion Match
📍 MVP: Yu Jinho
🎁 The Evil of the Heavens offers additional divinity to enhance the reward given to Player Yu Jinho.
📍 The Tower's system evaluates fairness.
📍 Proposal made in the name of a Constellation. Deemed appropriate.
📍 The Evil of the Heavens' proposal is accepted.
📍 Enhanced reward will be distributed.
◈ Infuses internal energy and the user's will into shadows to create a sword.
◈ Requires Internal Energy stat to activate.
Yeah. Of course I got MVP.
“Tch.”
“You were actually hoping for it, huh?”
“I thought maybe this time I could beat you for once, Master.”
“You still have a long way to go.”
“Yes. I’ll sharpen my resolve and train even harder.”
I gave a small smile to the sulking Lee Jiyoung and checked the reward.
A shadow blade, huh.
Was there a martial art like this?
As I flipped through the manual, Nyx drifted back to my side.
“Honestly, I’m not sure if I even need this.”
A four-star skill. It was a martial art at the Peak realm.
Even Shin Junseok, the strongest martial artist in Korea right now, had only mastered the Explosive Tiger Divine Fist and nothing else at the Peak level.
In China, where they obsessively collect martial arts, there probably weren’t many who knew this either.
The only reason Ping Lei could use the Absorbing Star Great Law despite being Unranked was because he was a special case.
“Do you know what this is, Goddess?”
“You sound pretty confident for someone who doesn’t know.”
“Then I’ll give it a try.”
Nyx’s intuition was trustworthy.
Although she had lost most of her power after being sealed by the Old Gods, she was still a Goddess. And not just any goddess—one who ruled over the very concept of night.
Without hesitation, I opened the first page of the manual.
The Chinese characters translated themselves automatically. The moment I flipped to the last page, the book turned to dust.
You have learned the Dark Shadow Soul-Chasing Sword.
The Dark Shadow Soul-Chasing Sword belonged to the rising martial arts category. It was a technique far beyond my current realm.
Imbuing a sword with intent, channeling internal energy into formless shadows— even Shin Junseok would struggle to use it immediately after learning it.
But.
Dark Shadow Soul-Chasing Sword
Crackle—!
The elongated shadow transformed into a single blade.
Before my regression, I had already mastered every martial art contained within the divine and supreme techniques. After all, martial arts were what allowed me to make the most of my Devour ability.
Even a Peak-level technique like this was something I could pick up almost instantly, even on first exposure.
“Hm. Not bad.”
A technique that infused will into shadows and manifested a sword with internal energy. I could swing it myself or summon it directly from the shadows to pierce my opponent.
The only problem was that this technique was basically a lesser version of Polar Night.
The God of War of Olympus points at the Evil of the Heavens and bursts into roaring laughter.
The God of War of Olympus offers to bestow even greater skill books and items if you form a contract with him.
The Evil of the Heavens remains silent.
The Master of the Oasis observes the situation.
Ares must have read my expression and gotten excited.
Instead of running his mouth, he should just sponsor me like the Evil of the Heavens or Baal. Whether before or after my regression, he’s still the same petty little god pretending to be a big shot.
“The shadow blade?”
Oh?
Nyx’s voice carried a hint of excitement.
She must have sensed something.
Alright. Then I’ll do as she says!
Crackle—! This time, I materialized the power of Polar Night and poured my internal energy into it.
In that instant, the will contained within the blade created by the Dark Shadow Soul-Chasing Sword amplified several times over.
“What are you talking about?”
The medium of the Dark Shadow Soul-Chasing Sword was shadow—the darkness created when light illuminates an object.
Then what if we used something of the same attribute, or rather, an even higher concept—night itself?
“It would be far stronger.”
I lightly swung the Dark Shadow Soul-Chasing Sword I had manifested with Polar Night.
Swoooosh—!
The sound of air being torn apart and pushed aside echoed loudly.
Its power rivaled that of Sword Gang or Aura Blade. A technique far too powerful for a player who had only just stepped into Iron rank.
The internal energy consumption was enormous, so I couldn’t maintain it for even a full minute, but it would serve as a perfect trump card in emergencies.
The Evil of the Heavens smiles with satisfaction.
The God of War of Olympus glares at the Evil of the Heavens.
The Evil of the Heavens. What an incredible eye for talent that Constellation has.
“Constellation-nim, I’ll make good use of the gift you gave me this time.”
A power I couldn’t wield before my regression. Polar Night was still evolving even now.
* * *
I disconnected from the Babel Tower app and returned to the team building.
Kim Youngsoo, who had been controlling his puppets, spotted me immediately.
“Welcome back, Team Leader!”
“Yeah.”
“So you defeated that Ping Lei.”
“How did you know?”
“Just by looking at your face.”
He looked overjoyed, as if it had been his own accomplishment.
Lee Jiyoung, who returned from the Tower a little later, was also beaming from ear to ear.
“Instead of standing around, let’s throw a celebration party!”
“I’m not sure we even have time for a party.”
“Are you busy?”
“No. It’s just that soon…”
Screeeech—!
The loud screech of brakes from a car making an emergency stop echoed outside.
When I looked out, reporters were already starting to gather at the team building one by one.
Lee Jiyoung peered through the glass window, turned deathly pale, and said,
“No way. Please tell me it’s not what I think.”
“Sorry, but it is.”
“The Babel Tower tally isn’t until midnight!”
“We weren’t the only ones participating in the promotion match.”
At my words, her face went completely white and she frantically ruffled her own hair.
“How are you going to handle the media if you already hate them this much? There’ll be a lot worse things coming.”
“That’s not it… I just haven’t mentally prepared myself yet.”
I grabbed Lee Jiyoung by the shoulders and gently pushed her forward.
“The world won’t wait until you’re ready.”
“Don’t smile while saying something like that!”
“Ah. You noticed.”
“Jiyoung, I’ve been through it once. It’s really not that bad.”
“That kind of consolation doesn’t help even one gram!”
From now on, Lee Jiyoung would also be in the spotlight. No, if she kept following me, the spotlight would chase after her on its own.
The same went for Kim Youngsoo, who was standing awkwardly in the back with a clumsy smile.
“There will be a lot more of this in the future. Think of it as practice.”
“Ugh, seriously… I don’t want to.”
With a sulking Lee Jiyoung in tow, I stepped forward to face the swarm of reporters gathering outside.
* * *
While Jinho and his party were surrounded by the press,
At the exact same time, in a completely different location, the complete opposite scene was unfolding.
Jang Wufei.
The leader of the Nine Dragons Syndicate tapped his fingers against the armrest of his chair.
“Is that all in your report?”
“Yes, sir.”
“For all that big talk, you’ve brought back quite the empty result.”
“I’m sor—”
“I don’t like hearing apologies.”
His voice, cold as ice, echoed through the office.
Ping Lei, standing across from him, desperately tried to stop his body from trembling like a leaf in the wind.
“We won’t know the final results until midnight, but according to your report, there were no variables.”
Jang Wufei’s gaze drifted toward the ceiling.
Tap. Tap.
Like the second hand of a clock, Wufei’s finger tapped the armrest at the exact same rhythm.
‘To think my investment would fail.’
An investment based on thorough data.
The amount spent solely on nurturing Ping Lei had exceeded 80 billion won.
He had provided only the highest-grade equipment usable by Unranked players, along with every kind of spiritual medicine and even Peak-level martial arts.
And yet he had still failed.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve encountered a variable like this.’
A strange light flickered in Jang Wufei’s eyes.
When he had first received Ping Lei’s proposal, he had considered victory a foregone conclusion.
Because investments didn’t lie.
But the actual result was an overwhelming defeat where Ping Lei couldn’t even put up a fight.
“Yu Jinho, was it?”
“Y-yes.”
“If you fought him again, would you have any chance of winning?”
“If you entrust me with the task, I will stake everything I have and definitely—”
“Not your resolve. I’m asking about the possibility.”
“At my current level, it is impossible.”
Ping Lei answered in a tone that had given up on everything.
“It is also important to coldly assess and acknowledge one’s own level.”
Jang Wufei’s voice had softened considerably.
Ping Lei cautiously lifted his bowed head just a little.
“I will overlook this matter.”
“T-thank you, Boss!”
“Kicking you out now would only prove that my judgment was wrong, wouldn’t it?”
“I will definitely prove that your choice to select me was the correct one, Boss!”
Ping Lei answered vigorously.
The leader of the Nine Dragons Syndicate, famous for never tolerating failure. Something like this was extremely rare.
“Ah, and I have one more order for you.”
“Please give me any command. I will exert every effort like a dog or a horse.”
“Take your masters and go to Korea.”
“Korea…?”
“Make contact with Yu Jinho. Join his team.”
A dry smile formed on Jang Wufei’s lips.
A plan that would smooth over this failure while also allowing him to obtain Korea’s rising star. Even if it failed, there would be no loss. If it succeeded, it would bring enormous benefits to the Nine Dragons Syndicate.
“Either recruit Yu Jinho, or uncover the secret behind the power he possesses.”
“Understood!”
Ping Lei cupped his fist in a formal salute.