by Park Saenal
On the other hand, Kirinus was disappointed. “You still haven’t penetrated the essence.”
“The essence?”
“The one fighting the enemy is you, not the sword.”
“…” Kraugel understood immediately. Kirinus advised that there was no need for miscellaneous swords. Kraugel was reminded of the nature of the sword.
Cutting the target… In order to cut, he had to be fast and accurate. Kraugel took out a ‘number’ of swords when needed, but in fact, only one sword needed to be linked with Control Sword. The one sword flew at a speed much quicker than before and cut the rock. It was at a speed that humans couldn’t avoid.
[Sword Control Lv. 2]
[You can control the sword with your will. The attack power of Control Sword is proportional to the weapon’s attack power.
Number of available swords to be controlled: Up to 10.
Current Swords: Genuine White Fang.]
The moment he got the skill after becoming a Sword Saint, Kraugel had thought of Grid’s God Hands. Just like how Grid handled the God Hands, Kraugel expected that he could be more active in battle by operating more swords. That’s why he always took out many swords at the same time.
However, he was mistaken. It wasn’t important to handle many swords. Instead, it was more important and powerful to wield a single sword. In the skill description, it didn’t state that attack speed would increase depending on the number of swords. Rather, it was proportional to Kraugel’s concentration.
“Ah.” The enlightened Kraugel looked back on his battle with Grid. The battle had been more favorable before he used Control Sword. He had tried to avoid Grid’s God Hands and only fully wielded one sword. That was when Grid threatened Kraugel.
‘Control Sword isn’t a skill to assist in combat.’
It would be far more powerful to understand and apply it as a general attack skill. Kraugel realized that he had developed further. He felt that it was something he couldn’t have obtained if he walked on the path that Muller had laid. As such, Kraugel thought it was a good idea to have come to Kirinus—an opponent he could learn from and exchange feelings and thoughts. Kraugel realized the importance of a teacher as he thought about Khan and Grid.
Then it happened when he was concentrating.
“Kirinus, come out!” A group of people appeared and shouted.
“…?” Kraugel turned his head and was amazed when he saw Rachel. Kraugel, who had more information than other players, couldn’t be ignorant about the empire’s Seven Dukes. Unexpectedly, Rachel also knew Kraugel. The Sword Saint was also a celebrity in the empire.
“Why are you here?” Rachel inquired.
“It is a sign that I shouldn’t turn a blind eye to a friend’s crisis,” Kraugel gave an answer with an unknown meaning. The Sword Saint pressured Rachel’s knights.
Chapter 1004
For a Sword Saint, the sword wasn’t a simple tool. The expression ‘part of the body’ was lacking. A Sword Saint couldn’t distinguish between himself and the sword. He was a person who achieved mind and heart unification with the sword.
“The will to cut must be excellent in order to produce a result,” Rachel stated while watching the Sword Saint. “Sword Saint Muller was said to have cut the enemy despite skipping the process of drawing the sword. However, you can’t cut me even if you draw your sword.”
“…” Kraugel couldn’t refute it. It was an accurate representation without any distortion. Kraugel had recognized Rachel as an enemy as soon as she appeared and drew the sword to cut her. However, he didn’t have a chance to attack. Kraugel’s level 5 Super Sensitivity warned that he would be in danger the moment he cut her. It was a greater warning than when he faced the fully buffed Grid. Consequently, Kraugel couldn’t cut her.
“A Sword Saint is worse than I am.” Rachel, who had been standing with folded arms, reached out to the empty space. A red spear with a curvature that resembled the flames of a dragon appeared in her hand. Simultaneously…
[You have suffered 8,010 damage.]
A hole was made in Kraugel’s chest. Rachel’s spear had pierced his chest. It was a stab which had occurred at an unrecognisably fast speed. No, was it right to call it ‘fast’? Did Rachel really swing the spear? Kraugel didn’t even feel the slightest wind pressure, let along the spear moving.
He had cleared all types of hidden quests under Kirinus, and his agility had reached 2,600 points. Kraugel recalled there was no human power that couldn’t be recognized with his vision and Super Sensitivity. The newly acquired ‘One Who Peeked at the Peak of the Spear’ title reduced the damage by 15%, but the attack of a super-named NPC with a level close to 500 meant the damage received wasn’t small.
This was another form of attack. Kraugel immediately noticed it and was shaken. He ignored the blood flowing from his chest and kept an eye on Rachel. Then he saw it. An intangible energy was swirling around Rachel. There was no color and sound, but it was obviously in the shape of a spear. One of them flew and punched Kraugel.
Kraugel didn’t avoid it. There was no reason to be afraid of something that wasn’t real. The intangible spear that was stuck in Kraugel’s chest disappeared with a loud sound. Kraugel wasn’t hurt.
“…!” Rachel’s eyes were full of interest. There was a smile on Kirinus’ face. Kraugel was facing a notification window.
[A hidden piece!]
[You have succeeded in recognizing and neutralizing the ‘Manifestation of Will’ through the effect of the Sword Saint class!]
[The special stat ‘Willpower’ has opened.]
[The name skill Manifestation of Will has been acquired.]
[Willpower]
[It is strong enough to distort reality.
* Stat points can’t be distributed to this stat.]
[Manifestation of Will Lv. 1]
[Only a saint can deal with the intangible.
Distort reality with the manifestation of your solid will.
* At the current level, the willpower can only be used to attack the enemies.
* At the current level, the skill is only activated when a weapon is equipped. The shape of the will is the same as the appearance of the weapon being equipped.
* The amount of damage done by Manifestation of Will is the same as the willpower stat combined with the strength stat. It completely ignores the target’s resistance and defense.
* A target with the willpower stat will ignore this attack.
Cooldown Time: 1 minute.]
“…?”
It was an unexpected stat and skill. Kraugel cocked his head and tried to use Manifestation of Will. Four intangible swords resembling the currently equipped White Tiger appeared around Kraugel. The reason why there were only four swords was that the newly opened stat only had four points. Manifestation of Will wasn’t a control-based skill but a recognition-based automatic skill.
The moment Kraugel thought about attacking Rachel, four swords flew toward her. However, they were blocked by an invisible wall. The intangible swords didn’t reach Rachel but collided with her willpower, scattering like pieces of glass.
Rachel muttered, “Growing in real time?”
After arriving here, Rachel had instantly noticed the relationship between Kraugel and Kirinus and become furious. She recalled Piaro. Her yearning…
Piaro walked the path of the sword to become a Sword Saint, but he was frustrated and suffered setbacks. Now the Sword Saint who reached the peak of the sword was learning how to use a spear. Rachel was furious with Kraugel’s deception. She was displeased with his attitude of denying Piaro’s life.
However, now she realized it wasn’t a deception. The Sword Saint was an unparalleled genius. He was unique and beyond Piaro, whom she and numerous nobles of the empire admired. Kraugel was the precursor of a future greater threat to the dukes of the empire.
“You can’t be kept alive.”
Yellow buds should be stepped on in advance. This was the way of the empire. Rachel started
releasing killing intent.
“The real threat is the tyranny that has been left unchecked.” Kirinus stepped forward from behind Kraugel.
“The real threat?” Rachel didn’t get it.
Kirinus sighed. “Experience it yourself. Karma will hit the empire.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. One thing is certain. No matter what threatens the empire, the empire has lasted thousands of years and is eternal.”
“Tsk.” Kirinus frowned. It was pitiful and frustrating that she didn’t know the person who had driven the empress to her death was currently eating at the empire.
“Sometimes, violence is a good way of solving the problem. Come on. I know why you came here, and I’ll comply with you.”
The descendant of Harken couldn’t tolerate that the title of best spearman on the continent was taken by someone else. Kirinus knew Rachel and provoked her, causing her to respond immediately.
“It is good that this is moving fast. I was concerned that you would avoid the fight.
“…”
Kirinus grabbed an unimpressive wooden spear while Rachel’s fiery red spear stood upright. As the greatest fighting powers stared at each other, birds left the forest and filled the sky. They sensed the impending disaster. Then the two spears collided. There was a thunderous roar, and the ground of the area was blown away.
“…” Kraugel’s field of view shook as he and Rachel’s knights stared at each other. Rachel’s knights wanted to kill Kraugel who aimed a sword at their master, while Kraugel was displeased with their attitude.
“You should come if you have time to bark.”
“Impertinent bastard!”
Kraugel and 30 knights clashed in mid-air. Rachel’s knights—they had the same strength as the Red Knights in the 20s and led thousands of spearmen. The 30 of them were needed to demonstrate the power of the Twilight Spearmen. Kraugel’s ability that took advantage of the intangible swords, Control Sword and Super Sensitivity, overwhelmed the 30 people for a while. Additionally, Kraugel was an excellent person with the insight to read the battlefield.
“Space Sword.”
Right at the beginning of the battle, he completely cut through the bodies of the knights who hadn’t yet shown their strength.
“You can’t live,” Kraugel declared as he raised the White Tiger Sword. The sword made by Grid was practicing the will of the Sword Saint.
***
Grid was in the capital of the Overgeared Kingdom, Reinhardt.
“…?” He had returned here after recovering Bairan, only to stop walking. Raising his head, Grid gazed at the distant sky.
Duguen, duguen, dugeun.
He didn’t know why but his heart was suddenly thumping.
“Your Majesty?” The beautiful voice woke him up. He turned back and saw Mercedes’ face. She was worried.
“Did something happen?”
“…No, it is nothing.”
Grid checked the time. There were only two minutes remaining in today’s connection time. Unfortunately, he couldn’t see Irene’s face.
“Mercedes, I will take a break. Look after the queen and prince while I’m gone.”
“Yes.”
“Tell the maids to feed Jude a good meal.”
“Huhut, I understand,” Mercedes laughed as she saw Jude’s face while he was carried on Grid’s back. This was the hero who had struggled to defend Bairan while Grid was away. The moment the war ended, Jude had woken up, eaten a meal, and fallen asleep again. He was drooling while looking for food in his sleep. Did he know that he was now on his king’s back? He wouldn’t be able to imagine it.
Mercedes’s eyes were full of respect and affection toward Grid.
***
“Uhh, I’m tired.”
Youngwoo logged out and wanted to stretch out in bed. The war with the empire was exhausting his physical strength and spirit. However, today was the second Friday. It was the day he would go on a date with Yura. This was a schedule that had started with Youngwoo’s suggestion. As Youngwoo couldn’t respond to Yura’s confession, he had suggested that they should take time to learn more about each other.
‘Let’s go on a date every two weeks,’ this was suggested by Yura. She might be mistaken about liking him, so Youngwoo intended to give her a chance to confirm her feelings. No matter how much Youngwoo thought about it, he couldn’t believe that a beautiful, kind, smart, and lovely girl would like him. She could be mistaken. It would be a big problem if they got married because of a misunderstanding. Once the illusion was peeled off, Yura might get tired of him and have an affair. In the country of South Korea where adultery had long been abolished, the phenomenon of a spouse cheating couldn’t be overlooked.
‘No, I am thinking of marriage ahead of myself again.’
This was just like when he reunited with his first love Ahyoung after a long time. He had skipped through the romance and proposed to her in his mind. It was his vicious dark history.
“Uwaaaack!!!”
The memory of that shame was painful! Youngwoo looked wretched as he screamed in the luxurious bathroom.
***
“Would you like to go watch a movie?”
“S-Shall we?”
Yura was beautiful today. The appearance of Yura wearing armor in the game was beautiful and cool, but he thought that Yura looked the best wearing plain clothes in real life. He wondered how the sky-blue one piece dress could suit her so well.
‘The skirt seems a bit short… Hum hum.’
Youngwoo relied on the automatic driving function. He reached the car park of the cinema and got off the car. Then he got into the elevator with Yura, only to be taken aback.
‘Damn?’
He searched through his memories and realized this was his first time at a movie theatre.
‘How do I buy a movie ticket?’
How was he to order a drink with popcorn? What seat should he get? Was the front row a good place to see the screen? What if he needed to pee while watching the movie? Since the launch of Satisfy, the movie business had been on a steady downturn. Who would watch a movie when Satisfy allowed them to experience a world that was more colourful, majestic, and sometimes brutal?
Yes, the slump in the movie business had started after the release of Satisfy. Satisfy had been released back when Youngwoo was a university student, but the reason why he never went to the cinema had nothing to do with Satisfy.
“…” Youngwoo was depressed when he recalled the past and lowered his head.
Ding dong~! The elevator stopped. Youngwoo planned to go the bathroom and search for ‘how to attend a movie theatre.’ However, he didn’t have to do this.
“Greetings, Yura-nim, Youngwoo-nim.”
“…?”
It was because Yura had rented the entire movie theatre. Youngwoo didn’t have to buy tickets or popcorn in a normal manner. The cinema staff took care of the arrangements. The two people were escorted to a super luxurious hall that was empty and sat down in their desired spots.
“Do you feel uncomfortable?” Yura asked the dumbfounded Youngwoo.
Youngwoo smiled and answered, “No? I just think this is too good.”
He was serious. Youngwoo thought that he and Yura had personalities that suited each other. Both of them didn’t have an ordinary person’s common sense.
Chapter 1005
Reidan, which faced the empire, could be called the gateway to the Overgeared Kingdom. The Overgeared Kingdom had never allowed the empire to advance into Reidan. The elite forces armed with Grid’s mass-produced set and the top rankers blocked the empire.
It was why the imperial army had been stuck in the desert for a month. The imperial army was exhausted from fighting every day in the desolate and hot desert and was tired enough to think that the spires of Reidan Castle in the distance was actually a mirage.
It happened one day when the imperial army’s morale was low.
“The enemy in front has retreated!”
> “Ha!”
Good news came to them. The desert—it was an unfamiliar terrain for the imperial soldiers. It was news that the Overgeared Kingdom’s troops fighting here had moved back.
“Now we can break through the desert without interference!”
“Start a rapid march to Reidan Castle!”
In the imperial army’s main barracks, the nobles were excited by the good news, but the commander—Marquis Fulbas—ignored their cries. He sought advice from his staff, “The desert is a very favorable terrain for the Overgeared members who are familiar with the desert. Why did they discard the desert and move back? Will there be traps?”
“There will naturally be traps.”
“There is a high probability that they will lead us to terrain with many giant worms.”
“Every oasis will release poison.”
“There is also a need to be careful of ambushes using the curved slope.”
“Nevertheless, we must traverse the desert. If we don’t cross the desert, we won’t be able to reach Reidan.”
“If we march with sufficient care, we won’t suffer much damage from the traps.”
The opinions of the staff members all coincided. They knew there were traps, yet they had no choice but to march.
“We must advance as quickly as possible. I’m sure the reason why the Overgeared army moved back is that they’re tired.”
“That’s right. Now is the right time for red energy.”
They had to take risks in order to win the opportunity. The staff members insisted, and Marquis Fulbas nodded. The imperial army was less tired because reinforcements kept arriving, but the Overgeared army was different. Their numbers were limited, and they couldn’t help being tired from the ongoing battle. The time had come to glimpse victory.
“Send a command to march with full force.”
“Yes!”
“Understood!”
After all, they had a great army of 250,000. Thousands of troops had been consumed in the lasting war, but the size of the imperial army had grown. Before them, Reidan’s 80,000 troops were no different from a candle in front of the wind.