S-Rank (4)
Mana. It wasn't a stat that got sealed just because he didn't use it on his own. After all, the foundation of many of the unique skills that made up Yun-seok's specs was ultimately the mana transformed into Heaven Breaking Divine Art.
That was why this thought crossed his mind.
The 'Transcendence' authority shows higher efficiency the more extreme the situation.
But what if he could perfectly seal his mana stat?
Wouldn't his stats rise much faster even with the same training?
The problem is that the stats drop randomly...
Of course, he wasn't too worried yet. He couldn't know for sure until he tried, but a countermeasure came to mind right away.
Within the domain, stats excluding mana are not reduced due to Shaman's Law.
A black curtain in the shape of a dome enveloped the arena. Yun-seok's chest ached a little.
What was this? He wasn't some nameless dark wizard. Still, he was glad his prediction had been spot on.
Mana stat drops by 1 stage.
Mana stat drops by 1 stage.
Mana stat drops by 1 stage.
Yun-seok deliberately let the crescent blades hit him several times. As expected, his strength stat didn't drop.
But the problem arose elsewhere.
Whoosh!
Thud!
Slash!
The Sword Demon's sword grew faster and stronger. Attacks he had barely parried and deflected before were now casually swatted aside. And in the gaps, he struck at openings with lethal, sharp momentum.
Even as he experimented with the effects of Hell's Inferno on himself and his stats dropped, this was too much.
This isn't a joke?
It was like the man himself had changed.
Yun-seok unwittingly broke into a sweat.
...Is dying the goal here?
He had only wanted to gauge the Sword Demon's strength at first. Once that was done, he planned to reveal his identity as the Little Leader and help with training.
But...
"Die!"
Like a soldier burning his boats, or someone whose life's ambition was mutual destruction, the Sword Demon grew more desperate, igniting his entire body as time passed.
As if every minute and second was precious.
There's a time limit, huh.
It was easy to guess how much time was left. A green flame orbiting the Sword Demon extinguished every minute.
Meaning he just had to endure another 10 minutes—but that was far from easy.
Boom!
Crash!
As time wore on, even Yun-seok started struggling. He'd taken a few hits, and even Heaven Breaking Divine Art couldn't heal them.
I've seen enough. Time to end this.
Killing the Sword Demon would be easy. Demon Transformation, Judgment of the Destruction Lord, or the newly acquired Dark Knight. Plenty of options came to mind.
But using those wouldn't just subdue him—they'd go further. The only way to fully suppress him in his current state was one.
Shwaaaaa—!
A black-dyed tsunami erupted from his sword tip.
Heavenly Demon Sword, First Form: Heavenly Demon's Dominion.
Last time at the united plaza, the Sword Demon had dropped to his knees upon seeing it, casting aside all doubts.
Thud.
As expected, the Sword Demon trembled at the sight of the tsunami and prostrated himself.
But...
"Long live the Heavens! Long live... Long live the...!"
"...?"
His whole body shaking was clearly off. Why was he suddenly like this? Something wrong?
As he puzzled over it.
"The Supreme Commander of the World is none other than I!"
Like prostrating had just been to gain spring for a leap, the Sword Demon shot forward like a coiled spring.
"Hehehehehe! Die!"
Bloodshot red eyes, speech, and actions. He didn't look normal at all. Like a drunkard wasted on booze.
Does it have side effects like Blood Demon Divine Art?
It made sense for a skill granting such power.
He accepted it inwardly for a moment.
Then.
"......"
Yun-seok saw it. Black Heaven Breaking Divine Art qi leaking from his body flowing into the Sword Demon's nose.
The exposed enemy falls into Mental Delirium.
Mental Delirium. An E-rank effect of Dark Knight.
Now Yun-seok understood. Once again, it wasn't the opponent's issue—it was his own.
Damn...
Not sure if it'd work, Yun-seok used Light of Purification. The ability purified all impurities without distinguishing friend or foe. The brilliant glow had turned oddly murky from Dark Knight's effect, which was disheartening, but...
It was time to get used to it.
Slashslashslash—!
Surprisingly, even in Mental Delirium, he precisely cleaved the incoming waves with a single sword. Then, the light seeped into his body.
Click.
At the same moment, the Sword Demon's sword, flying toward Yun-seok's throat, halted in midair.
Had the light worked? The Sword Demon, now limply lowering his sword, spoke in a trembling voice.
"...A-are you the Little Leader?"
Now they could finally talk.
* * *
Did showing the Heavenly Demon Sword alone max out trust? The Sword Demon believed every word Yun-seok said without a shred of doubt.
And he bowed his head in genuine shame.
"I showed disgrace. Please kill me at once."
It was understandable. He didn't know exactly what "Supreme Commander of the World" meant, but if anyone had seen that, it'd be a black history forever.
"I won't kill you."
"Pardon...?"
The Sword Demon looked up at Yun-seok in confusion. This was a duel arena where one had to die. Even without punishment, it was necessary.
Yet he said he wouldn't? Yun-seok slowly explained the effects of Transcendence and his future plans.
Thankfully, the Sword Demon caught on quickly.
"To entrust me with such a grave mission—it's an honor without equal. I shall devote my body and soul until my bones shatter and my marrow grinds to dust!"
Was it really that "grave"? But since he seemed pleased, Yun-seok dove into training without guilt.
Mana stat drops by 1 stage.
Mana stat drops by 1 stage.
Mana stat drops by 1 stage.
First, using Hell's Inferno from Hell's Lantern Path, he dropped his mana to F-. Well, it still had +9, so the effective value was C-, but...
That alone was more than satisfying.
The count for the next rank-up, which had needed about 80 million reps, dropped to 20 million.
A whopping fourfold efficiency. And unlike with the beastman assassin, he had an active ally, so he could make the most of his time.
"Sword Demon."
"Yes?"
Yun-seok pulled up the seated Sword Demon—who had insisted on standing guard in a protective stance, whatever that meant—and made a short request.
"Slash me, please."
"...W-what do you mean by that?"
"Exactly what I said."
"H-how could I commit such irreverence? Kill me instead!"
Suddenly, the Sword Demon started banging his forehead on the dirt floor with thuds.
Of course, like last time, it was the floor that cracked, not his forehead.
"......"
Yun-seok sighed inwardly and pulled him up. Then explained his situation in detail once more.
Thankfully, repeating it worked.
"So that hardship makes the Little Leader stronger. Understood. Sword Demon Jeong Dae-un obeys the command!"
With that, the Sword Demon nodded with renewed fanatic resolve. Before acting, he prostrated again and raised both arms high.
"Long live the Heavens! Long live! Long live the Heavens eternal!"
Yun-seok, without religion, found it hard to grasp, but it was probably his way of steeling himself.
The Sword Demon rose and drew his sword. But his eyes were a bit off.
Yun-seok was speechless.
"...Again?"
He wanted to believe not, but...
Bad premonitions never missed. The Sword Demon shuddered and bellowed with world-commanding gusto.
"I am the Supreme! Commander! Of! The! Worlddd! Hahaha!"
"......"
After some thought, Yun-seok skipped Light of Purification. With mana this low, he couldn't maintain Shaman's Law and it constantly anyway, and...
Whoosh!
Slash!
Slash!
Watching such enthusiasm...
It didn't seem so bad for him either.
"Hahaha! The Supreme Commander—that's me! Dieee!"
Was Supreme Commander some unfulfilled dream? He didn't know, but he'd bury it forever. For his dignity...
...and the stats.
* * *
"I can serve... It was an honor."
The first thing the Sword Demon said upon regaining sanity and hearing training was over.
Had memories of his madness lingered despite the long time? His eyes screamed he wanted to die right now, for an "honor."
"Thank you. Rest easy now."
"As you command."
At the simple thanks, the Sword Demon looked as if fully rewarded, moved to tears.
Slash.
Exchanging a silent glance, Yun-seok granted him peace. Unlike with Raguna's neck, it was a clean cut without any pain.
Moving to the 18th floor waiting room.
After mopping up final rewards with Predation, Yun-seok returned to the waiting room. The wall clock showed the same time as before, but for him, it felt like months away.
Did I stay too long? Feels off.
He hadn't planned such extended training. But finding an ally like the Sword Demon elsewhere was hard, and Hell's Lantern Path's efficiency was too good, so he got greedy.
No regrets—he got commensurate rewards.
Purchased item has arrived.
Please verify the lower body of the new item.
Checking his recent gains in the challenger info window, Yun-seok bought an S-rank potion. 6.144 million AP—nearly all of his 7 million reward went to stats, but no regrets.
The months of training confirmed it: for some reason, he couldn't raise mana with Transcendence.
No more hesitation.
Strength S, Agility S, Stamina S-, Durability S-. And now mana at SS-.
Recalling his initial all F- stats, it was profoundly surreal.
With joy came one miscalculation.
Mana's effective value has reached MAX.
The limit line is removed by the authority Transcendence.
From now on, at least for mana, it was beyond specs.
Equipment disassembled; 1.8 million AP refunded.
Yun-seok briefly checked Predation rewards, then disassembled the gear from the Sword Demon.
And then.
Ring ring!
Ring ring!
An alarm blared in the quiet waiting room. The emergency pager Eshton had gifted after advising a clock purchase.
Yun-seok's lips tightened.
"......"
No wonder—Eshton had said if it rang, it meant a crisis akin to the apocalypse had hit Earth.