Chapter 130 Rank S (4)

Magic was the basis of many Unique Skills that made up Yoon-seok’s specification, though it was eventually turned into Skywrath Energy. That was why he had this kind of thought: Transcendence’s power showed higher efficiency in extreme situations. But what if his magic were completely sealed? If that happened, wouldn’t his stats increase much faster?

‘The problem is that the stat decreases randomly….’

Of course, he wasn’t worried for the time being. He came up with a countermeasure just in time.

「 To Lady’s Commandment, the ability to target non-magic stats is not allowed within the realm.」

A black curtain covered the arena in the form of a dome. Yoon-seok was slightly heartbroken at the brooding appearance it projected. Well, at least his expectations were right.

「Magic stat demotes by 1 level.」

「Magic stat demotes by 1 level.」

「Magic stat demotes by 1 level.」

Yoon-seok intentionally allowed the spectral blade to slash him. Just as he’d expected, his strength didn’t decline. However, the problem occurred elsewhere.

Whoosh! Slash! Whikkk!

The Sword Demon’s sword was faster and stronger. The sword he could barely receive and defend against was now casually stuck to the side. In the meantime, he searched for flaws and poked at them, each flash of his blade deadly.

‘He’s no joke.’

As if the person himself changed, Yoon-seok sweated without realizing it.

‘Is it his goal to kill me?’

He just wanted to see Sword Demon’s skills from the start. If that was fulfilled, he planned to immediately reveal himself as the Co-Sect Leader and let him help with the training. But…

“Die!”

A soldier was fighting with his back against the wall. As if in a no-win battle against a lifelong enemy, the Sword Demon was desperately fired up.

‘So there’s a time limit.’

It was easy to guess how much time was left. The green lights orbiting around Sword Demon went out one by one as the minutes passed. In other words, it meant that he only had to hold out for the next 10 minutes, but it wasn’t as easy as it sounded.

Boom, boom! Boom!

As time went by, Yoon-seok gradually felt burdened. There were several times when his blade made it through, but his wounds couldn’t be mended with Skywrath Energy.

‘Since I had a rough taste, let’s stop here.’

It was easy to kill Sword Demon. From Demonify or the Judgment of the Ruined Monarch and {Dark Knight}, there were so many ways he could think of. But the problem was that using those skills wouldn’t end up overpowering him. In the end, there was only one way to completely overpower Sword Demon in his current state.

Swaaaaaaaaaaaaa-!

The black tsunami began at the tip of the sword. The first technique of the Heavenly Sword, Heavenly Reign. As soon as he saw this in Union Square, the Sword Demon knelt and set all questions aside.

Thud.

As expected, the Sword Demon shivered and prostrated himself. However…

“Hooray! Hooray…! Hoo…”

“…?”

Anyone could see that there was something wrong with the way his body shook. What was wrong with him all of a sudden? Was something wrong? As he was looking for the reason.

“The Great General of All Under Heaven is him!”

As if the way to gain the upper hand was to kneel, the Sword Demon bounced like a spring and shot forward.

“Haaaaaaaaaaaaa! Die!”

He didn’t look normal at a glance. Should he say it was like seeing a drunk person who was completely intoxicated?

‘Does it have a side effect like {Bloodseeker’s Ultimatum}?’

It was a skill that gave him enormous abilities, so that would be expected. He was convinced for a moment.

“…”

Yoon-seok saw it. The black Skywrath Energy spreading from his body flowed into him.

「Enemy exposed to Demonic Energy falls into mental confusion.」

Mental confusion was the Rank E effect of b Dark Knight}. In the end, it wasn’t the other party’s problem but his own.

‘Damn it…’

He didn’t know if it’ll work, but Yoon-seok used Light of Purification. It purified everything unclean, regardless of ability. He had mixed feelings that even this brilliant glow became strangely gloomy due to the effect of b Dark Knight}, but it was time to get used to it.

Slashhhhhh-!

Light of Purification permeated his body as his sword swung up.

Chak.

The Sword Demon’s sword stopped by Yoon-seok’s throat. Did Light of Purification work? As he lowered his sword helplessly, the Sword Demon spoke in a trembling voice.

“A-are you the Co-Sect Leader?”

He thought it was finally time to talk.

Did his credibility skyrocket just by showing the Heavenly Sword? The Sword Demon believed the stories Yoon-seok told without an ounce of doubt, and he lowered his head as if he were truly ashamed.

“I was crude. Please hurry and kill me.”

That was understandable. He didn’t know what the Great General of All Under Heaven meant, but if anyone saw that side of himself, it would be remembered as a dark part of history for a long time.

“I won’t kill you.”

“What…?”

The Sword Demon looked to Yoon-seok as if he couldn’t understand. This was an arena where one of them must die. Therefore, even if it wasn’t meant to be a punishment, it must be done. Yet he said he wouldn’t do that? Yoon-seok slowly explained what he intended to do with the effect of the Transcendence power.

Fortunately, he was quick to understand this time as well.

“It’s an honor of a lifetime to be given such an important mission. I will devote myself to the utmost.”

He wondered if the word important should be used, but Yoon-seok went straight into training.

「Magic stat demotes by 1 level.」

「Magic stat demotes by 1 level.」

「Magic stat demotes by 1 level.」

First of all, he used Hell Gateway’s Evil Saint to drop his magic stat to F-. There was a 9 buff, so the actual figure was C-, but he was satisfied with that.

「Strength increases by 0.0005%.」

The 80 million reps for the next rank-up had decreased to 20 million. It was four times more efficient. In addition, unlike the beast-man assassin, he had a willing assistant this time to have a more productive session.

“Mr. Sword Demon.”

“Yes?”

Although Yoon-seok didn’t know what protection meant, Sword Demon said he would stand by as protection. He, who was meditating, stood as Yoon-seok asked for a favor.

“Please attack me.”

“…W-what does that mean?”

“Just as what I said.”

“W-why would you want me to that? Instead, you should kill me!”

Suddenly, the Sword Demon knocked his forehead against the ground and began to wait. Of course, the one that broke wasn’t his head but the ground.

“…”

Yoon-seok sighed deeply and helped him up for now. And once again, he explained his situation in detail. Fortunately, he understood.

“You mean that hardship makes the Co-Sect Leader stronger. I got it. I, Sword Demon, Jeong Dae-woon, will accept this order!”

He nodded with resolve. Then, before going into practice, he lifted both arms overhead while maintaining his prone position.

“Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!”

It was difficult for Yoon-seok to understand, but that can be viewed as preparation for him. Soon after, the Sword Demon stood up and carried his sword, but his eyes were a little strange.

Yoon-seok was speechless.

“…Again?”

He wanted to believe that that wouldn’t happen. But, as expected, there was no way to avoid this ominous feeling. The Sword Demon began to tremble and shouted.

“I am! Great General of All Under Heaven, ahhhhh! Hahahahahaha!”

“…”

After some consideration, Yoon-seok didn’t use the Light of Purification. It was impossible to use Lady’s Commandment and Light of Purification regularly with magic stats this low.

Whikkk! Slash! Slash!

Since he was so motivated…it didn’t look bad to him either.

“Hahahahaha! I’m the Great General of All Under Heaven! Dieeeee!”

Was the Great General of All Under Heaven a dream he couldn’t achieve? He had no clue, but he decided to keep it a secret forever. For his dignity and…

「Strength increases by 0.17%.”」

「Durability increases by 0.9%.」

「Strength increases by 0.0005%.」

For his stats.

“Being able to serve you… it’s an honor.”

That was the first thing the Sword Demon said when he told him the training was over after letting him come to his senses. Even though he lost his mind for quite a while, had his memories of the past disappeared? Although he said it was an honor, he looked like he wanted to die right away.

“Thank you. Rest in peace now.”

“Roger.”

With that word of thanks, Sword Demon was thrilled.

Slash.

Yoon-seok put the Sword Demon to rest. Unlike when he choked Ragna in the past, he used a neat skill that was almost painless.

「Moving to the waiting room on the 18th floor.」

Afterward, Yoon-seok returned to the waiting room. The time indicated by the clock on the wall was the same as before, but for Yoon-seok, it had been a few months since he returned.

‘Did I stay there for too long? It’s kind of awkward.’

At first, he didn’t plan to spend such a long time on training. However, in reality, it was difficult to find an assistant like Sword Demon in a duel, and the efficiency of Hell Gateway was so good that he became a little more greedy. Of course, he had no regrets.

He had received the corresponding reward, after all.

「 Your purchase has arrived.」

「Please check the lower part of the statue.」

Yoon-seok bought an upgrade to Rank worth 6.144 million AP. Almost all of the 7 million APs earned were invested in his stats. He realized more clearly through the training of the past few months that the magic stat couldn’t up-rank through the Transcendence power. So, there was no need to hesitate now.

「Rank of Magic (S ) has increased.」

Strength S, Agility S, Physical Strength S-, Durability S-. On top of that, his magic had now reached SS-. It only felt strange when he thought of the days when all his stats were F-.

「Magic has reached MAX.」

「Limit disappears due to power ‘Transcendence.’」

From now on, it could be called beyond the standard, at least for magic.

「Equipment has been disassembled, and 1.8 million AP is refunded.」

After briefly checking the reward obtained from b Predation}, Yoon-seok also disassembled the equipment obtained from Sword Demon.

Ringgggg! Ringgggg!

A buzzer rang in the quiet waiting room. It was the emergency call device presented by Ashton, who advised him to buy a watch before. At that moment, Yoon-seok stiffened.

“…”

Ashton said, if one day this device rang, it meant a major crisis equivalent to the end of the world had hit the Earth.