His five senses returned to normal, but the seal on his stats and skills wasn’t lifted. Thus, it would be impossible to wipe them out with a single skill like he did in the Tower. But, the same went for the other competitors. Of course, some people weren’t originally challengers, but they couldn’t even use their sword energy.
“Fallen Sword… do you think I will be beaten by a small fry like you?!”
The hundreds of warriors were now on the same line. There were several who appeared to be famous in the outside world, but what separated them from death was neither their legendary martial arts nor their supreme sword energy. It was the ordinary iron sword they held.
Slash-!
It cut their flesh and broke their bones. A master, who could easily block tens of thousands of arrows with their energy, lost his life as easily as a farmer. The warriors once again came back to their senses.
‘This is fun.’
There was no sound of the air tearing or something exploding. However, no one would say that his level was low after witnessing the fierce battle occurring there.
Feeling a threat behind him, Yoon-seok turned his head. Sure enough, a blade was seeking his head.
Whik.
It wasn’t laden with sword energy, but it was sharp. It moved efficiently, crossing the shortest path to his death.
Thud!
Instead of the training sword used from the 1st gate, Yoon-seok took out the dual swords he had been using so far, but he wasn’t the only one. Everyone was using the weapons they brought. Entering Cheonma-dong took away their abilities, but at least using a familiar weapon would help with survival.
Whik.
Yoon-seok avoided the surprise attack by ducking his head, but his opponent continued to attack calmly. It was clear he possessed plenty of hands-on experience. However, the same was true for Yoon-seok.
Clang.
Yoon-seok gently pushed his foe’s sword away with his gloomy Judgment Sword. The opponent was formidable, however. Leaping off the ground, he swung his sword in a new direction with the entirety of his weight behind it.
Swish.
It wasn’t deep, but they sliced through his skin. Blood leaked out of the solid line drawn through his flesh, but Yoon-seok smiled.
Plorkk-!
The man couldn’t even scream as Yoon-seok’s blade caught him directly in the head, dropping him like a puppet with cut strings.
Flop.
Yoon-seok, planting his foot on his fallen opponent’s shoulder with his foot to pull out his sword, turned his eyes elsewhere. They were in vast highlands blocked by cliffs on all sides, the center of which was covered in a forest. Past the trees, the clash of weapons and the groans of soldiers filled the air, denoting their ferocious battle.
‘Let’s go there.’
Yoon-seok heading inside the forest. Avoiding combat until the number decreased and trying to take advantage of the confusion? He admitted that would be a wise judgment, but it was neither Cheon-ma’s way nor his own. Besides that, Yoon-seok knew he could never get what he wanted with that strategy.
Thud. Thud.
Yoon-seok ran, sending out his newly-developed senses to the limit. Despite his boldness, he had cause for concern, as this small wound that should’ve healed earlier proved.
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「Current Entry 400.」
A brief moment after the trial started, nearly a hundred warriors were gone.
‘There’s already this many deaths…?’
Somehow, it felt only natural. Experts who devoted their lives to their martial arts were gathered in one place to kill or be killed.
“Arghhhhhh!”
“S-stop it!” I’m a member of the Black Sword Sect…!”
Their screams were miserable, especially the clumsy ones who didn’t know the real meaning of this competition.
“Die!”
The warriors who had learned competed with all their might, using anything and everything around them to compensate for their lost skills. As if to prove that they have stepped into this place.
Swooooosh-!
A handful of sand flew toward Yoon-seok’s eyes.
‘Are they trying to rid me of my sight?’
He didn’t think it was cowardly. He’d faced many enemies after being dragged to the Tower, but he’d never felt something was cowardly if it were in pursuit of one’s survival. But, if he were to describe it, it felt trivial.
Whik.
Yoon-seok closed his eyes as he saw an enemy jumping down from the trees. Speed, direction, location: he already identified the most important information. Therefore, he no longer needed to see.
Slash-!
Sand hit his face at the same time his blade slid through his assailant’s waist.
“Spit.”
Yoon-seok quickly turned around, spitting out some sand. There wasn’t just one warrior seeking opportunities that appeared behind Yoon-seok. Then…
Plorkk-!
A spear caught the warrior directly behind Yoon-seok in the chest, dropping him.
‘Is it a new enemy?’
He didn’t bother thinking he had been saved. Everyone here was his enemies. Yoon-seok gripped the spear tightly with one hand to prevent this new warrior from moving and dragged him around to break his balance, swinging his sword in tandem with the motion.
Whikkk-!
The opponent let go of the spear and widened the distance. Yet, Yoon-seok now held the advantage since he snatched away their weapon.
“Look, brother. Wait a minute, please! I was just trying to help, but I didn’t intend to fight you!”
“Help…?”
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Yoon-seok paused. It was a trial where only one person could survive, so why would he help someone else? He wondered what he was trying to say, but on second thought, there was no reason to listen. When Yoon-seok moved to cut him down, the man hurriedly continued.
“Alliance! Won’t you ally?”
“Alliance?”
“10 people. No, it’s fine when 100 people are left, so let’s work together. Then, wouldn’t both our chances of survival increase?!”
It was a proposal that might be tempting if it weren’t aimed at Yoon-seok. It sounded quite reasonable if survival were the goal. Of course, that was also under the assumption this man could be 100% trusted.
“I can’t reveal my name, but I’m from the Jeonchang Sect. Trust me. I will never betray you!”
The old man shouted something. It appeared his goal was to appeal to himself as reliable, but it was pointless. He didn’t want an alliance at all. However, Yoon-seok stopped his sword for a moment, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu. It felt like he’d heard a similar story and this same voice before.
‘Wait, Jeonchang Sect…?’
Yoon-seok froze and looked at the old man, prompting him to respond uneasily.
“What are you thinking about? Tell me if you want to reject me. I’ll turn around and disappear.”
And then.
Swaaaaaaaaaa-!
A gust of wind blew through the trees. As a result, the old man’s unkempt hair was kicked up, bringing back a vague memory.
‘No wonder he looks familiar.’
He would have never imagined that they’d meet again here, but he now remembered the man’s face. Yoon-seok smiled without realizing it.
“Nice.”
“What do you mean by nice? Are you saying you’ll accept my suggestion?”
He didn’t even know his name or nickname. However, this old man said the same thing in the 12th-floor battle and suggested joining forces to defeat the enemies together. Of course, it was nice timing. At that time, Yoon-seok promised him one thing.
And he was allowed to keep that promise.
One of the seven elders of the great Jeonchang Sect, Snake Spear Yoo Jin-kyung. With his reputation, he was treated as the second-in-command in the sect, but he was also an old Moorim veteran with both experience and the skills to back him up. He was also a duel challenger who climbed to the 15th floor.
“My absence in the sect is severe because of the Tower. Therefore, I decided to focus on managing the sect for my juniors.”
Although it could be glossed over since he was the Sect Leader, the real reason why he stopped climbing the Tower on the 15th floor was different. He reached his limit and restored the power he lost after being called to the Tower. No, since he was more powerful now, he thought there was no reason to risk his life to climb any further.
But in the meantime, that darn bastard returned after becoming stronger.
“I thought it would be helpful to be on the 15th floor… this is why we have to do sparring. Thank you, Elder Yoo.”
It wasn’t just him. Even his disciples could gain a lot of power from it to the extent they might threaten his position. Yoo Jin-kyung felt threatened. So, when he received a map to Cheonma-dong, he started traveling without even notifying his sect. Thus, he arrived here after passing those abnormal tests one by one.
‘This kind of test, as if no one considers it barbaric….’
As soon as he entered Cheonma-dong, all his strength disappeared. However, he was told to fight with opponents on the same level as him until only one remained. It was hard for him to understand. He knew they meant to choose the strongest one, but in this case, wouldn’t only a thoroughly lucky person survive until the end?
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Well, even if you were caught by a tiger, you would survive if you kept your cool.
‘Chance is held in the hands of those who seek it.’
Yoo Jin-kyung knew much about Moorim’s warriors. All they thought about was fighting, so if he used his silver tongue, they would naively move as he wished. Therefore, he decided to use them again this time. He could become the survivor of this trial if he formed a group with them, survived until the end, and put his spear through their back.
‘Real warriors risk their lives only in a fight that they can win.’
By rationalizing his actions, Yoo Jin-kyung searched for the right person. In the meantime, he found Yoon-seok. He felt a bit iffy since he wore a mask but seeing how he moved quickly; he looked useful. Furthermore, it would be easy to gain his trust if he offered help.
But something was wrong with their conversation.
“No. I think I can keep my promise to you now.”
Promise? What was he talking about? They’d never met before. Or did he not recognize him because of the mask? Were they acquainted?
“If this isn’t rude, can I know who you are? I can’t tell because of the mask.”
Yoo Jin-kyung smiled and asked as politely as possible, but he received a cold reply.
“No. You won’t know even if I take it off.”
“…?”
“Because you won’t remember anyway.”
‘Damn it. Is he a crazy bastard?’
Perhaps he was distracted by overcoming the past trial; it wasn’t something he didn’t understand. There were times when he wanted to let go of everything, even despite his mental discipline. Yet, despite that thought that this man had gone crazy, an ominous feeling crept up his back.
“…I will leave now. I don’t know what kind of promise it is, but I think you’ve got the wrong person.”
Yoo Jin-kyung took a step back without even thinking of recovering the spear he lost. But…
“No way, it was you.”
He took a step back when Yoon-seok stepped forward. With that alone, Yoo Jin-kyung felt like he was being cornered. He knew their levels were the same, but what kind of bizarre occurrence was this?
“But I guess you’re not curious about what kind of promise it is?”
To be honest, he wasn’t. He just wanted to leave quickly. If he said yes, he felt like his head would roll off immediately.
“I-I don’t remember well, maybe because I’m growing old. Right, w-what promise was it?”
“I’m going to kill you.”
“…You’re going to kill me?”
Yoon-seok nodded as if it were nothing.
“Yes. I promised to kill you, no matter where you were if we met again.”
Again? He couldn’t even guess why he used that word. He didn’t even understand how he could stay calm while saying that. Yoo Jin-kyung only knew one thing for now.
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“So please let me keep my promise.”
This man in front of him was the craziest person he had ever met.
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