Chapter 235
Chapter 235
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 235
>Chapter Title: The Guardian's Trial
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>[No idea how you found the fragment, but this is something I can no longer overlook. By the authority of the Guardian, I will test your conviction.]
'Hmm.'
Do-hyun swallowed hard as he gazed at the massive statue before him, which was displaying its fury without restraint.
It wasn't out of tension.
The enormous lion-shaped statue was about 5 meters tall, with a body length of at least 15 meters.
It filled the entire cave so completely that, up close, only its eyes and nose were visible.
The immense pressure was overwhelming, but his regret outweighed it.
'If I'd just gone a bit further, I might have leveled up...'
He was deeply disappointed that his goldmine farming operation had been forcibly terminated by the Guardian sucking him in.
That was the reason for Do-hyun's sullen expression, but he soon shook off the regret.
'Of course, tricks like that weren't going to work forever.'
The method Do-hyun had used wasn't a standard one.
It was little more than a glitch-like mishap enabled by the cheat-like trait Truth's Eye.
For a world quest to end just like that?
It was only natural for the Guardian, tasked with preventing such exploits, to flip out.
'Thanks to that, the Guardian came in person. Better for me.'
Though it had lost its cool for a moment, the goal of the world quest was solely to save the Forgotten King.
Blindly racking up catastrophe rates wasn't the way.
It was far better to obtain the Conviction Crystal from the Guardian.
[Sudden Quest: The Guardian's Trial has occurred.]
[Pass the Guardian's Trial and prove your conviction.]
[The Forgotten King's soldiers reveal themselves.]
[The level of the Forgotten Soldiers is determined in proportion to the challenger's abilities.]
Rumble rumble rumble—
-W-what the hell? Soldiers...? Looks like over a hundred of them?
-They seem molded from mud. But they give off a stronger aura than the undead we saw earlier.
...Of course, it didn't look easy.
[Each one rivals your power. On top of that, they wield the techniques they mastered in life. Can you defeat them?]
The Guardian laughed heartily before slowly pulling its massive body back.
Thanks to the cave's darkness, its form was obscured, but its lion eyes gleamed slyly. From the Guardian emanated utter certainty.
Certainty that Do-hyun would collapse pathetically here.
But the next instant.
Flash!
Before the soldiers could even form ranks, Do-hyun shot out like a beam of light and thrust his sword.
A pure white blade etched with snowflakes on the white lion's hilt.
As dark sword energy trailed it, emitting an eerie glow and drawing a single streak of light.
Crack!
One strike shattered a soldier's head.
[...What.]
An eerie silence descended after he dispatched one in an instant.
Surrounded by 99 soldiers, yet they hesitated and fell back instead.
An instinctive reaction to his overwhelming performance.
"They match my level...? Feels like you got the calibration wrong."
Amid them, Do-hyun grinned like a beast and glanced at the message window floating before him.
[Thousand Transformations devours the 'White Lion's Snowflower Sword.']
[It has devoured an item of a higher grade than the previous one.]
[Thousand Transformations' grade is being adjusted.]
[Thousand Transformations' grade transforms to 'Legendary (Unique).']
[Attack power and options are being reorganized to match the grade.]
'I didn't equip it because I was busy breaking fragments... but it's helping this much?'
The Forgotten King's soldiers had formed before Do-hyun devoured the White Lion's Snowflower Sword.
And the weapon's attack power now was double what it had been then.
No mere soldiers could block Do-hyun, armed with buffs far exceeding his stats.
'One hundred of them... perfect for testing.'
Do-hyun grinned as he pulled a pair of gloves from his inventory and slipped them on.
Legendary relic gloves 'Verzina's Magic Gauntlets,' carefully chosen from the Lion King's treasure vault.
And it didn't end there.
[Using Reverse Heaven Technique.]
[First Form, Beginning, can now be used.]
His signature skill, obtained from the Lion King's trial.
Finally, the time had come to put them to use.
"Alright, time to loosen up."
In that instant, the roles of devourer and devoured reversed.
* * *
The Guardian couldn't believe the scene unfolding before its eyes.
[...What... what am I seeing?]
They were dolls recreating the great king's soldiers.
Legends in their time, their swordsmanship and prowess were the real deal.
[They should be...]
Yet none of those great soldiers' swords could touch him.
[What is that power! The trial was calibrated to the challenger's strength—how is this nonsense possible!]
No, it wasn't just that.
Something utterly incomprehensible was happening, but there were still 100 soldiers.
No one could overwhelm 100 with that level of spec difference.
Reluctant as it was to admit... this man's skill surpassed the soldiers'.
'A mere apostle outclassing the elite soldiers from the king's glorious days? Does that make any sense? His swordsmanship isn't even that exceptional on its own...'
Impressive, sure, but it felt less like he understood the subtleties and more like he'd eyeballed and mimicked it.
Just uncanny dynamic vision and reflexes for distance calculation.
That was how he maintained overwhelming superiority and fought advantageously.
But something was off.
'He clearly hasn't been trained... yet some of his techniques are the 'real' deal.'
No sense of being taught by a master. It felt like he'd swing from any angle if he could.
Step, slash!
But not with that move.
Step.
A simple step forward.
The basics of swordsmanship: footwork, or steps.
Simple enough for anyone, yet it reveals vast differences by user, allowing one to gauge skill from footwork alone.
In that regard, this guy was abnormal.
'The moment he steps, he becomes immovable as a mountain. Sharp as a predator— is this really the same man from moments ago?'
His steps were rock-solid, unshakable by any adversity; his thrusts, razor-sharp, ready to tear anything apart.
But was it merely tough and fierce?
Swish—
Raging wildly one moment, then flowing endlessly soft the next, like it had never happened.
Like a single willow tree.
Yielding to the typhoon, letting it flow past.
Thud, stab!
Then baring fangs like a beast again.
The king's soldiers couldn't keep up with his ever-shifting swordsmanship with every step.
'A freak. That's why he's dangerous.'
A suddenly skyrocketing power.
Awkward one moment, masterful the next— bizarre swordsmanship.
Breaking through a hundred equals with superior skill. This trial wasn't meant to be cleared by taking down all hundred soldiers.
'It was made to show unyielding 'conviction.' '
Truth be told, it was more about punishing this mischief-maker than testing conviction.
But now, everything about him defied common sense.
The Guardian's instincts screamed: He's dangerous.
'Eyes that find catastrophe fragments, overwhelming force. Could he be...'
It shook its head at the sudden thought.
'Whether savior or destroyer... I must discern it here.'
As if responding to the Guardian's resolve.
Countless soldiers blocked his path, but the man—Do-hyun—did not retreat.
He simply advanced one step.
Slash—
A soldier fell to his swing, and Do-hyun took another heavy step.
Nothing could halt his advance.
Reverse Heaven Technique.
First Form, Beginning.
'I expected a sword technique from the form's name, but footwork? Who'd have thought.'
Unexpected, yet Do-hyun grinned delightedly.
He couldn't help but smile.
Footwork is the foundation of all swordsmanship.
Superior footwork naturally meant superior subsequent forms.
'I don't know much about swordsmanship... but nothing could suit me better. With footwork this good, I can't even imagine the next form.'
He was excited, too.
What would the next form of this perfect swordsmanship be?
It was maddening that he couldn't check right away.
And that wasn't the only regret.
'I haven't even tested the gauntlets or Snowflower Sword's abilities.'
The Snowflower Sword's base power and Reverse Heaven Technique's performance exceeded expectations, leaving no chance for others.
'This one's the last, huh.'
Meanwhile, only one soldier remained.
He'd carved through the soldier-packed path to the end.
The instant Do-hyun pierced the last soldier's throat without hesitation.
[It seems I misjudged you.]
A majestic voice echoed, filling the cave.
[Sudden Quest: The Guardian's Trial cleared.]
[Cleared with the Guardian's approval at an absurd speed.]
[Hidden condition achieved.]
[All linked quests from the Guardian's Trial are deleted.]
[Hidden Event: 'Old King's Conviction' has occurred.]
[Obtain conviction from the Forgotten Tomb's Guardian, 'Old King's Conviction.']
[Obtaining conviction grants the Guardian's treasure and may unlock a special event.]
[Caution: The Guardian's strike is incoming.]
The barrage of messages dazzled Do-hyun's eyes and ears.
'What the...'
Stunned by the bewildering situation.
But there was no time to process it.
—!!
"...!?"
A flashing sensation made Do-hyun hastily leap back.
Instinct told him it wasn't enough; he thrust out the hand clad in Verzina's Magic Gauntlets.
Almost simultaneously, a heavy impact hit, launching his body.
Boom!!
-M-Master!
-My lord!!
-Liza!?
In stark contrast to piercing the soldiers, Do-hyun crashed into the starting wall, kicking up dust as he rose.
Messages flooded above his head.
[Verzina's Magic Gauntlets' effect activated.]
[Special option: 'Gentle Touch' allows touching intangible energy.]
[Special option: 'Coordinate Shift' allows changing intangible energy's coordinates to teleport it as desired. (400-second cooldown per use after two uses)]
[Strike beyond user's capacity to withstand. Only partially shifting energy coordinates.]
[Health below 50%.]
'What kind of insane jump scare is this...'
Ambush with some moderation.
Without the gauntlets, he'd have been one-shot.
'I regretted not testing them, but not like this... No, more importantly, what the hell hit me?'
It felt like a literal flash.
But looking at his trembling hand—at the cold energy on the gauntlets—Do-hyun understood.
Traces like snow falling, same as when struck by the Forgotten King's sword strike.
[At your level, you shouldn't have reacted... You're abnormal. That's why you're dangerous.]
A low, aged voice.
The figure that appeared wasn't the massive lion statue.
A much smaller body. Human.
Dwarfed by the statue, but a 2-meter giant of an old man, withered and sickly.
[So I will test you.]
Yet the aura from the approaching elder dwarfed all else.
Overwhelmed, Zihad and Charlie tensed into combat stance; Do-hyun instinctively gripped Thousand Transformations.
[Whether I can entrust you with my conviction.]
The king forgotten by all, abandoned in old age to this tomb.
The sole conviction left by the old king who never gave up until death.
Ding—
[Discovered the Forgotten King's Conviction, 'Crystal of Tenacity.']
'...So the Crystal is the Guardian?'
The Forgotten King's old age.
That was the Guardian's true identity.