Chapter 102: On a Different Level (End)
TL: Yoni
Editor: Lesurous
Sword Bone Trio.
They were ones who were mad about swords and called themselves as 'Swords'.
The three were brothers who didn't share the same blood but were tied together by a bond much stronger.
Depending on their skills, they arranged themselves as Sword One, Sword Two, and Sword Three, and among them Sword One had the powerful fighting power to be one of the top 10 humans.
It was obvious that spirits couldn't flee from the Sword Bone Trio.
"It's strange."
Sword One spoke with a completely expressionless face.
It had been a few hours since he searched and followed the strange energy of a spirit.
The answer was found when he thought about the movements and the location.
"Someone is purposely luring us."
"Hyung-nim, is that true?"
"There shouldn't be anyone who knows we are here, right?"
Sword Two and Sword Three replied one after the other.
To think that they were being lured.
There was no group bold enough to lure the great Sword Bone Trio.
Sword One shook his head and spoke.
"It's not a person. This energy… I wasn't sure if I was right but it resembles the monsters we saw in the ice wall."
Slap!
Sword Two slapped his forehead and Sword Three nodded his.
If Sword One said so then it was so. Sword One never made a mistake.
His abilities, his pursuit, and in all other areas, Sword One exceeded the two.
There were three monsters they saw at the ice wall.
A dokkaebi, a death knight, and Cerberus.
Sword Two and Sword Three couldn't help but grin.
Although it was an alarming combination, they were no match for the Sword Bone Trio.
"Hyungnim, are those monsters after us?"
"It doesn't seem like they lured us into a trap."
"Then?"
"They are trying to make us stay as far away as possible. Those spirits are moving without a destination."
The movements of the spirits were indeed all over the place.
Without a special destination, their goals seemed to be to get them to move as far away as possible.
At first, he thought there was some sort of purpose but he now could be certain.
Sword Two and Sword Three suddenly grimaced.
If they weren't after them and were just trying to get them just far away as possible, it was important to know why they would do such a thing.
"The world tree… Hyungnim, do you think the monsters had something to do with the world tree?"
As Sword Three asked, Sword One answered in the affirmative.
"Didn't I mention it? The monsters probably understood it."
Sword One did say that they needed to find the world tree first in front of the ice wall.
It was certain that they listened to him and tried to lure them away.
There were only a few monsters that lived in this harsh land.
As he went around, he was able to understand.
There were much fewer monsters that were in the top rank.
It meant that it wasn't a coincidence that they met in front of the ice wall.
"Ha! These bastards. I let them live and this?"
As Sword Two ground his teeth, Sword One hastily spoke.
"We don't have time to waste. Sword Two and Sword Three, sort the spirits. When we trace back the energy, there will be the source. We will track them inversely."
Even if they found the energy, it wasn't easy to trace it.
If they took some sort of measure or special body odor, it might have been easier but there were only a few who could find a certain individual in this vast northern land with just energy.
And Sword One was one of the few people who could.
After two days, they found a cave.
A place where he could feel not just spirits but a more underlying 'strength'.
'It's this place.'
Sword One was certain.
And his certainty was right.
When he entered the place, an elf popped out.
"This isn't a place you guys can enter without permission. Get lost."
Half dragon type species, Swell!
He had shown himself.
However, a strong energy that even stung his skin popped out from the Sword Bone Trio.
They didn't hide it. It meant that they were that much confident in their abilities.
"Elf Swell. The gatekeeper of the world tree. Correct?"
As Sword One spoke as if he was reading from a book, Swell raged.
"Even if you know it, you emit such a threatening energy? In front of me, Swell, who has the blood of a high elf and an ancient dragon?"
Thump!
The cave shook.
A huge compelling power was activated.
Dragon's Words.
Although he might be only half dragon, an ancient dragon's words were heavy.
"Gaaaaaallll!"
Huuuwaaaa!!
As Sword One screamed, the energy of the Dragon's Words instantly reduced to half.
It was Buddhist preaching known as the Lion's Roar.
The voice contained the strength of a wave that could instantly drive out bad energy.
Thanks to it, the three didn't even budge an inch.
"Hyung-nim, if he is this strong, he would probably be one of the strongest dragons we have hunted."
"…Not a transcendental species."
"Don't kill it."
The trio wasn't nervous at all.
It was because this wasn't the first time they faced a dragon.
Dragon Hunters.
They all accomplished that achievement.
And he learned Mental Fortitude Discipline, a way to build inner energy, and was able to resist strongly against Dragon's Words.
As the Lion's Roar was also added, Swell's existence was endlessly lowered.
That had attainedSwell's wrath.
"You guys will not die so peacefully. As humans, you guys dare to talk about 'hunting' in front of a noble existence?"
Around Swell's body, fire and ice soared like small dragon waves.
Then, the two became a spear and a shield.
A Sword of Fire and an Ice Shield.
The fire boiled like hellish flames that would burn everything, and the ice was completely hard as if it could freeze and stop anything.
Then, numerous ice spirits gathered around Swell.
With Swell in the middle, a large radiance quickly froze and melted repeatedly.
Shiishiishiick!
The Sword Bone Trio quickly spread apart.
They occupied three different directions and at the same time, they fixed their swords on the ground.
Then, with a zinnng sound, the three swords started to resonate.
"Commence hunting."
Then, at the moment Sword One began to talk.
The three pressured Swell like a fierce storm unlike anything else.
Clang!
<'Greed' has been activated. 'Wicked God's Sword' has been absorbed.>
Name: Anguish
Rank: A++
Classification: Equippable type
Durability: 117,888 (Unrepairable)
Effect: Sword with Gremory's anguish. Currently, the special condition has been opened.
* Ability to steal blood from the opponent and recover the stamina of the user.
* Greed (Sword absorption. From the absorbed sword, it brings everything over including its durability.)
* Strength +15
* Fighting Aura +30
* Cry of Battle
* Ogre's Cruelty.
Muyoung went back.
He was able to hear the sound of the sword and the sound of the world but once he turned around, he couldn't remember anything.
However, it was crystal clear that he had to return and pass the line.
'If I was to continue staying here, I would be swallowed up."
The world tree was normally a storage for information and memories.
There was a massive amount of information that Muyoung couldn't contain.
If he was to continue to stay there, he would be eaten up by that information.
Muyoung himself would become an information wanderer inside the world tree.
Before all his reason collapsed, he needed to find the line.
Like a homing instinct, Muyoung returned the way he came.
And the moment he passed the line, he was able to see the cave half collapsed.
'There was a battle.'
A battle that could destroy half of a huge cave.
It wasn't a normal battle.
It was obvious that an opponent strong enough for Swell to act had appeared.
'The Sword Bone Trio.'
Muyoung woke his mind.
He quickly looked around and followed the remains of the battle.
And outside of the cave, he was able to find Swell with his blood spread all over the place.
"Maybe it's because he's mixed blood, but it's quite difficult to fight. Brother, rest for a bit."
"If it wasn't for Brother Sword Two, I would have died."
The Sword Bone Trio were at the location where Swell had fallen.
Among them, one was quite seriously injured, his arm and leg like rags.
However, the other two were comparably fine.
At that moment, Sword One found Muyoung and spoke.
"It's the guy who lured us."
Muyoung held Anguish tightly.
He instinctively realized that it would be hard to win.
However, it wasn't avoidable.
'What a waste of time.'
His mind wasn't organized yet.
He heard the sound of the sword but he wasn't able to remember the sound of the world.
However, the opponent didn't seem like he was going to give him time.
The Sword Bone Trio. Especially Sword One, he tried his best even at killing a weakling.
They had the same kind of scent.
However, it was hard to anticipate someone's help.
Tacan was half destroyed and was lying near Swell and even if he had the Hellhorse's help, his chance of victory would be very small.
It wouldn't be easy to even escape.
However…. his mind was blank.
He tried to wake his mind up but it continued to be in a vacant state.
'The sound of the world.'
It was the words that rang in his mind.
He needed to remember it again.
If he did, he felt like he could overcome this situation.
"Sword One hyungnim, I'll kill him. Just stay and rest."
"Sword Two, it will be difficult to face him after spending all your stamina. You will go with me."
"Welp, as expected, I can't hide anything from you."
Sword Two shrugged his shoulders and took out his sword.
At the same time, Sword One made a jump towards Muyoung first.
Swoosh swoosh!
Clang!
Although Muyoung managed to block him, he bit his lips.
Truly top 10 humans. From just one contact, he could understand the difference.
However, he didn't have any time to rest.
Sword One, who figured out their difference in one stroke, started to swing his sword indiscriminatingly.
Clang! Claaank!
Cough!
On top, Muyoung's body wasn't normal.
The world tree. Maybe because he crossed the sea of information, but his body was in a vulnerable condition to external attacks.
'The sound of the world. What in the world was that?'
Nevertheless, what was this strange tone that rings in his head?
He needed to remember.
Oris, who divided the world. What was Muyoung trying to do with the trace Oris left behind?
"Tuu! He wasn't a big deal."
Sword Two spat out.
As Muyoung didn't even fight back, his excitement cooled down.
Moment by moment, Muyoung was cornered by his opponents.
Even if Muyoung was to only focus on blocking, he would soon reach his limit.
However, Muyoung didn't care.
He even forgot that he was focusing on blocking.
'Ahhh…!'
He had remembered.
The true meaning behind the trace Oris left behind.
The sound of the world!
But, it was too late.
Sword One's sword specifically focused on Muyoung's middle of his forehead and headed for it.
That sword, Muyoung knew that he couldn't stop it.
Sword One's swordsmanship was one level higher than Muyoung's.
He was certainly a man who was mad about swords. How could Muyoung stop the sword that was headed towards him?
Then, at that moment, the unexpected occurred.
With a dull sound, Sword One and Sword Two bounced off.
"Kaahh!"
"….ugh."
It was such a strong attack that Sword One and Sword Two, both who were now embedded in the wall, vomited blood.
With just one hit, they received an internal injury.
Sword Two even lost consciousness.
It wasn't possible.
With just one contact, to make the two bounce off and cause internal damage.
Sword One always wrapped his body with a Strong Energy Shield.
The Strong Energy Shield meant an armor made of energy which made swords useless.
Any rank or lower magic had no effect.
But with just one contact, it pierced the Strong Energy Shield.
Also, Sword One was able to understand as he placed all his strength on his attack.
How strong the attack was that made him bounce off.
A master.
His whole body trembled.
However, this attack didn't come from the dokkaebi, Muyoung.
Sword One raised his head.
Suuu!
Haaaa!
"It's the first time I feel the air of the Underworld."
And there was one existence.
Formless. Uncounterable.
Truly a man who was well fitted with the word impossible.
A monster on another level.
He whose silver armor, silver helmet, and a single sword were his life!
Muyoung was able to figure who he was as soon as he saw him.
'King Slayer…!'
An existence of the darkness had arrived in the Underworld.