The news of Seo Jun-Ho being chased and branded as an enemy of the Murim Alliance soon reached Earth. Of course, the first people to find out was Climb.
“What do you make of this?”
“...It’s not bad.” The Guild Master of Sky Soul, Tenmei Yugo, had no intention of letting this opportunity slide. ‘It is as if the stars have aligned.’
He hadn’t made this decision just from reading a few articles. There were about a hundred members of Climb on the 5th Floor right now, and he had also read all their individual records and reports.
‘The Small Heavenly Demon Wisoso, is it?’ Wisoso was an evil criminal who used illegal techniques to grow strong quickly and was the heir of the Demonic Cult.
Tenmei Yugo instantly knew how he would use this information
‘It creates a fine picture. This could be our last chance.’ Right now, countless Players were attempting to clear the ‘Seo Jun-Ho Difficulty’. The pesky 5 Heroes and even the Nine Heavens weren’t here.
“We have to do it quick. Time is of the essence.” Having made up his mind, Tenmei Yugo immediately seized the news outlets.
[Specter Joins Hands with Fiends on the 5th Floor. Why?]
[Organization Climb Maintains an Unchanging Position. ‘Our Only Goal Is to Climb up the Floors’]
[Has He Gone Evil, or Is It a Misunderstanding? Murim Alliance on the 5th Floor Brands Seo Jun-Ho as Public Enemy.]
…
Tenmei Yugo stopped at that. He didn’t outright rip into Seo Jun-Ho or purposefully tear him down. All he did was plant the seed of doubt.
‘This should be enough.’
Seo Jun-Ho had a lot of allies, but he also had a lot of enemies. Those who couldn’t recklessly act hostile to him would accept this situation differently.
‘Because there’s a pretext for this.’
The Murim Alliance invited Players to the 5th Floor, but they had branded Specter as a public enemy. They also offered an incredible, eye-boggling reward.
- 1,000,000 credits. Along with three A-Grade martial arts skill books.
Every time a Player completed a bounty, they would only receive somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 credits. However, the Murim Alliance was offering a reward that was a hundred times higher for Seo Jun-Ho.
And the credits were only part of it. With the martial arts skill books, the reward was even more tantalizing.
“Dispatch the Guild members attempting the Seo Jun-Ho Difficulty to the 5th Floor once they are finished.”
“Understood. Is our goal to capture him dead or alive?”
Tenmei Yugo gave his subordinate a scrutinizing look. “Are you mad? Even if he will die soon, he is still Specter. Though he is our enemy, he is the greatest Player in all of Earth’s history. Do you really think that one of us can defeat him head-on?”
Not long ago, the espionage department at the Sky Soul Guild released an interesting report called . It wasn’t merely based on levels. The rankings were decided based on a combination of physical strength, mental ability, and the ability to synthesize all their strengths.
‘According to the report, his current power rivals that of the Thunder God at his prime.’
As embarrassing as it was to admit it, the Sky Soul Guild couldn’t hunt such a monster at their current level.
As such, Tenmei Yugo decided to switch tactics.
“Contact the so-called Murim Alliance and ask them if we can assist them in any manner,” he ordered.
Even if they did the right thing, in the end, whoever captured Seo Jun-Ho would receive widespread scrutiny from the public. No matter how good Sky Soul’s reputation was, if they became known as the Guild who led the charge against Specter, the savior of the world, they wouldn’t be able to escape condemnation.
“There is no need to take on the role of the villain. We will simply give them a small amount of assistance. That is all.” This way, they would be able to pull out at any time, even if things went wrong.
Tenmei Yugo revealed a satisfied smile, and he started contacting the members of Climb.
***
Seo Jun-Ho’s first opponent, Yi-Hyul, was a man who moved as swiftly as the wind. Every time he swung his two swords, a sharp gust would fly out. It was so strong that it made Seo Jun-Ho stagger.
‘His skills are amazing.’ Even with Keen Intuition’s assistance, it was hard to predict the trajectory of Yi-Hyul’s attacks. Like the wind, his blades moved unpredictably, but they were still moving according to his will
Clang!
As metal met metal, Seo Jun-Ho bowed his head.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
Crackle!
Yi-Hyul’s limbs instantly froze over.
“I’m sorry I didn’t fight like a proper martial artist.”
“...”
Yi-Hyul’s hologram didn’t say a single word as he trembled like a leaf. And a moment later, his next opponent appeared.
‘He’s tough.’ If Yi-Hyul was the wind, Kwon-Mok was built like a large tree. He was like a tree with deep roots. He couldn’t be toppled easily.
‘All these powerful fighters were once part of Jinyiwei? Just how did they fall?’
The so-called poorest man in the galaxy, Yoo Joo-Wan, wouldn’t have been able to hold a candle to a single one of them.
And Seo Jun-Ho fought against nine of them.
“...”
Needless to say, his magic power couldn’t recover. Seo Jun-Ho felt like he was just drawing water from a jar with no means of refilling it.
‘But what’s the point of this?’ Seo Jun-Ho shook his head. He didn’t know the answer. Perhaps General Cheon-Gwang simply didn’t want a weakling to learn his martial arts techniques. If that weren’t the case, there should have been no reason for so many powerful enemies to keep coming out.
[Your tenth opponent is Dahn Chung-Ha of the Jinyiwei.]
“Another one…”
The man radiated an aura that clearly said, ‘I’m strong’.
Seo Jun-Ho steeled himself as he narrowed his eyes at his opponent.
‘I’m sure it’ll end at some point.’
Believing that to be true, he lifted his sword, none the wiser.
***
[Your seventy-ninth opponent is Chung-Kang of the Jinyiwei.]
Seo Jun-Ho was panting heavily. Normally, his sword aura would envelop the sword he was holding like wildfire, but it had been reduced to a pathetic phantom-like manifestation.
‘Is this a trap? Perhaps the general never intended to pass on his martial arts to someone in the first place…’
He wondered if all of this was just some sort of bait to reel in Namgung Jincheon.
So far, he had defeated 78 members of the Jinyiwei. It was an amazing feat. They were one-on-one duels, but he had toppled tens of transcendent martial artists in one sitting.
“Huff. Huff.”
However, it seemed like there wasn’t any end to it. On the contrary, a new opponent would instantly pop up every time he defeated one. It felt like they had been waiting for their turn the whole time. While Seo Jun-Ho tried his best to wring out the scant magic power he had remaining, his opponents poured in all their energy. The winner was obvious if this battle dragged on.
‘Let’s just give up.’
‘I’ve tried hard enough.’
‘If I keep going, my life would be in danger.’
His weak resolve cried out to him. He had stopped Overclocking long ago. Once he defeated this martial artist, he probably wouldn’t even be able to use his sword aura anymore.
He chided himself. ‘Maybe I bit off more than I could chew.’
He had wasted so much magic power after coming up to the 5th Floor. He fought the Lightning Scythe, summoned Jun-Sik, and dueled Yoo Joo-Wan on top of that.
‘I may have gotten careless.’
He thought that his well of magic power was endless, like an ocean that would never run dry.
But what was this? Reality hit him. His power only went this far. He was just an insignificant human, and he was about to run out of magic after defeating the many members of Jinyiwei.
‘I’m pretty sure I used even more magic when I fought Frost. And I was fine.’
The regret was starting to set, but it was already too late.
“Hup!” He was interrupted by the swing of Chung-Kang’s spear, which was infused with a great amount of magic.
At this point, Seo Jun-Ho could no longer use Overclocking at maximum output, nor could he use an impressive sword aura.
He had nothing left but his body.
“...Hoo.” His body trembled ever so slightly as he gasped for breath. His arms, legs, and body moved very nimbly as if he was dancing.
“K-Keok.”
Chung-Kang’s spear slipped, and Seo Jun-Ho moved as deftly as water as he thrust his sword toward Chung-Kang’s heart.
[Your eightieth opponent is Pa-Goon of the Jinyiwei.]
Yet another opponent appeared. Seo Jun-Ho raised his sword. His sword swayed and trembled as if there were weights attached at the bottom of the hilt.
“...”
Pa-Goon studied Seo Jun-Ho for a moment before rushing toward the latter.
‘Dammit.’
Seo Jun-Ho closed his eyes. This wasn’t some virtual reality game. These holograms would create real injuries and make him feel real pain whenever their attacks landed on him.
If he died here, he would likely die for real.
‘I always knew that I would die someday.’
However, he had never thought that he would die right here and right now and in such a pathetic manner at that!
Seo Jun-Ho’s eyes flashed open again, and he raised his left arm. His opponent’s dagger pierced his arm, and it wanted to continue toward his face.
“Geuhhhh!”
Seo Jun-Ho’s arm kept getting pushed back. This was the difference between someone with magic energy and someone who had already exhausted their magic energy.
Crack!
“...!” Pa-Goon’s eyes furrowed. Seo Jun-Ho had just bitten the back of his hand. At the same time, gravity pulled Pa-Goon down, forcing him to sprawl on the ground.
“Hah! Hah!” Seo Jun-Ho used his good elbow to bash Pa-Goon’s face in.
His body kept moving like it had a mind of its own. His eyes stung, and his vision was hazy as sweat dripped into his eyes.
‘...When was the last time?’
When was the last time he had fought a raw physical fight with all his magic exhausted?
“Uhp. Urrp.” As he dry-heaved from exhaustion, a new message appeared before him.
[Your eighty-first opponent is Masuk of the Jinyiwei.]
He really couldn’t fight anymore. His mind was only intact because of Hero’s Mind (EX).
His body was the problem. His accursed body.
‘Move. Move.’
Krrr. Krrr.
Masuk’s claymore came closer and closer as it dragged across the ground.
He had to get up. He had to get up.
Seo Jun-Ho believed that will had always dominated the body. However, he was only half right. Mere willpower couldn’t completely drive an utterly exhausted body.
“...”
Masuk’s sword stopped. He stared at the man forcing himself up and trying to curl his hands into fists.
“This is impossible.” For the first time, Seo Jun-Ho’s opponent spoke, “Your stamina and magic energy should have run out long ago. Your willpower can only take you so far.”
Then, how? What was fueling him to keep getting up?
‘...’
Masuk struck Seo Jun-Ho’s face with the hilt of his sword. The sound of bone being shattered echoed, and Seo Jun-Ho fell to the ground, writhing like a bug.
“You are powerless.”
The sense of powerlessness should have long overwhelmed him. He should be hearing voices in the back of his head telling him that it would be better to just die.
Shif!
“...”
Masuk looked down. The challenger still—he still wasn’t willing to give up as he grabbed onto Masuk’s ankle. He lacked the strength to actually grab Masuk’s ankle, so his hand was merely brushing against Masuk’s foot, but it still showed his desire to keep fighting.
“...”
A profound emotion washed over Masuk. ‘What is this feeling?’
Was it regret because he hadn’t been able to fight like this?
No, he had fought with all he had until his final breath. He knew that he had nothing to be ashamed of or regretful about.
‘It’s admiration.’ Along with shock and pride, as well as respect for a true martial artist.
Masuk waved his hand. When he did, the sky and the arena started to scatter because they would no longer serve any use.
After putting him through eighty-one trials, General Cheon-Gwang finally spoke to Seo Jun-Ho.
“Congratulations, challenger.”
Those words were told to his successor—the one who would carry out his will.
***
Seo Jun-Ho slowly opened his eyes.
An unfamiliar ceiling…
“Contractor! Open your eyes! Open your eyes!”
- Shall I shock him more?! Will he open his eyes, then?!
Even before he could register his surroundings, Seo Jun-Ho felt heat on his cheeks and tingling all over his body.
“Wake up! Wake up!”
Fwap. Fwap.
He thought he could hear the noise of waves overlapping, but it actually came from the Frost Queen repeatedly slapping him.
At that, he also realized why his body was tingling. Wisoso, the damned robot, was electrocuting him.
“Oh, he opened his eyes!”
- We did it, Queen!
“...Ugh.”
Just then, a ridiculous message appeared before his eyes.
[You have received a blunt force injury.]
[Your cells have acquired the lowest-level Blunt Force Resistance.]
“Jesus.” Just how many slaps did the Frost Queen deliver on him? This level of resistance only emerged after receiving the same injury a hundred times.
As such, Seo Jun-Ho glared at her. In response, the Frost Queen pulled her hand back and turned away.
“It is no fault of mine. You were the one who wouldn’t wake up.”
- I, too, only wished for your awakening.
Seo Jun-Ho rubbed his stinging cheek and asked, “...What happened? Did I fail?”
“Fail? I do not know what you mean. You fell unconscious as soon as you picked up the book.”
Really? Was everything just a dream?
He looked vacantly down at the book in his hand.
And then, the message he had been waiting for appeared.
[You have passed General Cheon-Gwang’s test.]
[You have obtained the martial arts skill book for ‘Black Moon’.]
He felt his hand pulse with energy as he held the precious book.
He finally knew what character trait Cheon-Gwang had been looking for in his successor.
‘Someone who doesn’t give up...’
Someone who could establish hope in the midst of destruction...
Seo Jun-Ho’s lip curled up. “That’s definitely me.”
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