Chapter 155
Ding!
《You have completed the second trial.》
《Completion time: 51 minutes and 31 seconds.》
《Astounding! This record was beyond all calculations!》
《Rewards were to be determined by time brackets, yet you have surpassed even the “minimum limit” that the [Lord of the Moon] had set.》
《As you have achieved a feat beyond the comprehension of all powerful beings, you are awarded the [Death King Box].》
《Additionally, due to your miraculous record, 300,000 participants will be added to the “Second Trial Completion” ratio.》
《All warriors belonging to the [Warrior Faction] are strengthened.》
《Rankings have been updated.》
《1st. Park Chan-woo (51 minutes 31 seconds)》
As soon as he crossed the finish line, Park Chan-woo looked at the flood of messages before him and shrugged his shoulders.
‘The [True Satyrus’s Boots]. Their performance is undeniable.’
Thanks to them, he’d cut his time drastically—almost absurdly so.
Even taking everything into account, this result exceeded his expectations.
Without the 300% movement boost and stamina immunity, he never could’ve reached the end within an hour.
But even with those advantages, it was still unbelievably fast.
The real reason he’d managed it wasn’t just the boots.
‘Because I poured all of my mana solely into speed.’
His mana reserves were empty.
He had used mana as propulsion.
His Agility was around 70.
Even with the 300% speed boost, covering 500km in 51 minutes was impossible.
It would normally require Agility over 150.
He had filled that gap—with pure mana.
He had imbued his body with it.
‘When I awakened my swordsmanship, I learned more than just how to swing a sword.’
From the beginning, his breakthrough had been as a [Magic Swordsman].
Sword and Magic.
The perfect balance between the two.
Naturally, he had also redefined how to infuse mana into his body—
and how to manipulate its attributes as he pleased.
That was why—
《You have created the magic [Gradual Acceleration (Passive, Unique)].》
《As long as you do not stop, your speed continues to increase.》
《The greater the acceleration, the more stamina and mana are consumed.》
He had created a spell.
‘The only spell that increases speed is the wind-based [Haste]…’
But [Gradual Acceleration] was different.
As its name implied, it accelerated endlessly so long as he kept moving.
It didn’t grant an instant burst of speed like [Haste],
but by the time he reached the end, he was running at a velocity his body could barely withstand.
Depending on its use, it far outclassed [Haste].
It was also a spell that couldn’t be used without perfect harmony between body and mana.
‘I created another spell.’
It was his second.
The first had been when he created Ajos as a [Shadow Warrior].
That had required countless conditions to align.
But this one—
‘This one I created entirely on my own.’
That was what made it special.
Without his growth as a Magic Swordsman, he never could’ve achieved it.
He had created the magic he needed, in the very moment he needed it.
If he could retain this sense—he might truly walk the path of a [Creator of Magic].
Like the Dragon God, Sephiro.
His absolute magic was still far away, but the first step had been taken.
‘Too shocked to speak?’
Park Chan-woo glanced at Gula, who was staring at him silently at the finish line.
Had the Death Knight gone speechless at his early arrival?
“……”
Gula simply stared at him for a long time without a word.
—
The reason Gula couldn’t look away—wasn’t because of Park Chan-woo’s speed.
‘That level of Fame… I can’t even comprehend it.’
A famed knight could instinctively sense another’s [Fame].
Even after joining the [Legion of Death] and becoming a Death Knight,
Gula had once been a being who valued [Honor] above all.
The mightiest knight, lauded across the continent.
His memories of life were faint, but he had never forgotten his nature.
And so—he could see it.
Whoooom! Whooom!
The brilliant, golden radiance of Park Chan-woo’s [Honor] surrounded him,
shining like a constellation of stars.
Over 100,000 points of Fame.
A number so high it defied all sense.
But to Gula, honor was far more than a statistic.
‘I learned the meaning of true honor only after I accepted death.’
What the status window called “Fame” was merely a fragment of [Karma]—
a single shard of true Honor.
A high Fame score alone could not produce that golden light.
True Honor was Karma itself—
the sum of one’s deeds and burdens accumulated across life.
Only after death had Gula learned this truth.
‘That’s not the Karma of a mere mortal.’
A human life barely spans a century.
There is a limit to the Karma one can accumulate in that time.
But this man—this mortal before him—had exceeded it.
He carried a weight of Karma beyond human possibility.
And its radiance was unlike anything Gula had ever seen.
Only one who had lived countless lives, walking the path of a hero each time, could bear such light.
In other words—
‘Impossible…’
Such a being could not exist.
Not even Gula, once hailed as a great hero himself, had ever amassed Karma like this.
And after joining the Legion of Death, he had been cut off from accumulating any further.
Karma belonged to the living.
And so—
“……”
Gula stood frozen.
At first, he was shocked.
Then, gradually—speechless.
After all, the one thing he could never again possess was the very “Honor” radiating before him.
Though he had become stronger than ever in undeath, though he had laughed at the frailty of mortals—
“Are you not going to teach me?”
“……Ah.”
Only then did Gula come back to his senses.
He remembered—the man before him was a challenger.
A human.
He had arrived within 24 hours, and thus earned the right to his teaching.
Clang.
Gula drew his sword.
“…Let me first test your skill.”
To see if he truly wielded the sword with mastery befitting such honor.
Gula had swung his blade for eons.
Even within the [Temple of Death], his skill was among the greatest.
‘I’ll see whether Honor and Strength truly go hand in hand.’
A strange thrill coursed through him—a faint spark of competition.
Perhaps it was envy.
He, who had lost all honor in death, now faced one who carried more than he ever had in life.
Such was the curse of those bound by Death.
“Come. I’ll only defend.”
“And if you can’t defend?”
“…What?”
“If you attack—or if you lose—what happens then?”
…What an insolent man.
Had his high Honor made him arrogant?
Gula replied in disbelief.
“I’ll grant you one request.”
“Good. Then let’s begin.”
Park Chan-woo took his stance.
It was sharp—measured—and perfect in form.
Gula nodded.
‘His posture and balance are excellent. He’s well-trained.’
An ideal stance for the sword.
At least his fundamentals were sound.
‘Let’s see his swordsmanship.’
But that alone wasn’t enough.
Only one who had forged their sword through countless battles could impress Gula.
Swoosh!
《The [Star of Arrogance] restores all mana.》
A blue light enveloped Park Chan-woo, refilling his completely drained mana reserves.
At peak condition once more, he stepped forward.
Ssshh—
Clang!
Their first clash.
Easily deflected.
The difference in their levels was clear; Gula’s stats were overwhelmingly superior.
But Park Chan-woo understood that as well.
‘A fair fight won’t work.’
He didn’t need to win head-on anyway.
Gula had said he would only defend.
If he broke that rule—or if Park Chan-woo pierced his defense—he would win.
‘He can’t be beaten by logic.’
Park Chan-woo emptied his mind.
He entered a state of pure nothingness—
—and became the sword itself.
Ssshh!
Clang! Clang-clang-clang!
Blades collided again and again.
He poured everything into every strike.
Though each blow was blocked, even Gula began to feel uneasy.
‘…He changed?’
In an instant, it was as if he’d become someone else.
His swordsmanship grew heavier, sharper, faster—pressing Gula hard.
And his movements—
—they were accelerating.
Ever faster, his attacks surged like a storm.
‘What is he…?’
He was catching up.
The gap between them had been immense—yet he was closing it.
Gula couldn’t stop the acceleration with defense alone.
And it wasn’t just speed.
‘What kind of sword style is this?’
The blade’s trajectory was chaotic.
No knight—no drunk fool—ever swung a sword like this.
It was a mess.
And yet—
Shaa!
Slash!
…It worked.
That chaotic sword found its mark.
After roughly a thousand exchanges, Park Chan-woo’s blade struck Gula square in the chest.
It didn’t pierce him—his defense was simply too strong.
‘He’d need at least 5,000 attack power to wound me.’
Still, Gula’s pride was wounded.
He hadn’t expected to be touched at all by a human’s sword.
Crack.
A faint fracture ran across his rib.
“……Penetration?”
Gula’s voice trembled.
If an attack dealt damage despite lacking the required power—it could only mean one thing: [Penetration].
But that was a trait impossible to obtain through normal means.
Swoosh!
Clang!
No time to think.
The human was relentless.
‘If I keep blocking, I’ll lose.’
Panic crept in.
He had to break the rhythm—had to stop that acceleration.
“……!”
Thrust!
Gula’s sword pierced Park Chan-woo’s side.
Cough!
Blood burst from his lips.
But on his face—was a smile.
“You attacked.”
“……”
“I win.”
“……!”
“It’s time to keep your promise.”
Promise.
Ah.
He remembered now.
He’d agreed—too hastily, perhaps.
“……What do you wish for?”
“For one minute, you must stay completely still.”
“Just one minute?”
Nod.
Park Chan-woo nodded.
…An easy wish.
Even with [Penetration], he couldn’t possibly destroy Gula in a single minute.
“Fine. Do as you wish.”
Gula set his sword down and stood motionless.
Park Chan-woo spoke.
“Boksil.”
At once—
“Kyu!”
From his waist, Radiant Anubis, Boksil, appeared and leapt onto Gula’s chest.
Gula tilted his head in confusion.
‘What is this small, fluffy creature?’
Familiar, yet unfamiliar.
But soon—he realized what it was.
Whoooosh!
A flower bloomed upon his chest—a [Flower of Life].
He had seen something like this before.
‘W-wait… That flower—it’s the [Flower of Death] controlled by Anubis…!’
The most feared existence among the [Legion of Death]!
The guardian of the Temple’s entrance—Death itself, Anubis.
But this was its opposite.
Life, not death.
A flower that awakened life.
In that instant, Park Chan-woo spoke.
“Gula, Holy Paladin of the God of Light Aweh—”
“……!!!”
“Awaken.”
Brrrrrrrrrrr!
(T/N: Chan-woo collecting pokemon again lol. He now has a dog, fox, an alien and now an undead.)