Chapter 157
Arch Knight Gula.
What he awakened through his recovered memories was not just his existence.
He regained his swordsmanship at a towering realm—and went a step further, breaking through a wall.
Though it still fell short of the pure swordsmanship he once witnessed in Arahan, he could now encompass the techniques of countless swordsmen he had faced over the eons.
And more than that—
‘Honor…’
He had regained it.
A thing that should be impossible for the ‘dead’.
Even if awakened, a dead being like Gula should not have honor.
Yet… he had it.
Whoooom! Whoooom!
The white aura of karma that surrounded him.
It wasn’t as brilliant as Park Chan-woo’s, but it was undeniable proof that he was still alive.
Yes. He was alive.
Though he had no life, his will still burned with honor.
The mission of a holy knight who stood as a Guardian of Light and a great hero against the devils—
As long as he never forgot that, he would always remain honorable.
‘My god has not forsaken me.’
Arch Knight.
Seeking to cast off his old fate, Gula swung his sword.
Rumble!
With a single stroke, Gula dissipated a typhoon and split a massive boulder the size of the sky in two.
The world trembled, and in an instant, all of heaven and earth fell silent.
“……”
“……”
Everyone stared blankly, stunned by the sight.
Even the ignorant could tell that Gula’s swordsmanship was on a different level.
Especially Lee Hyuk-soo—his astonishment was beyond words.
‘A sword that controls the flow.’
A single strike that embodied the flow of everything around it.
Within that technique were more than a thousand subtle mysteries.
It was a supreme technique, forged by uniting countless sword arts into one.
Even masters who had reached the peak of swordsmanship wouldn’t dare attempt to imitate it.
Gula could only be described as the true master of the sword.
…He wanted it.
A fierce desire surged.
He wanted to make it his own.
“It looks like a swordsmanship refined through battles against more than ten thousand swordsmen. Only those who had formed entire schools of their own.”
Han Min-oh spoke.
Upon hearing that, Lee Hyuk-soo was inwardly startled.
Han Min-oh’s abilities shouldn’t have been enough to even see Gula’s sword properly, and yet he had analyzed it accurately.
‘Han Min-oh’s talent is overflowing.’
Perhaps even greater than his own.
Lee Hyuk-soo had assumed it was in the thousands, but Han Min-oh spoke of ten thousand—without even seeing clearly.
Still, his analysis was likely correct.
His eye for swords surpassed his own.
‘…At this rate, he’ll catch up in no time.’
He may call him master now, but soon, he might surpass him.
If he didn’t want to be overtaken, he would have to work harder than ever.
And so, they continued running behind Gula.
Thanks to the drastic increase in participants’ stats, almost no one dropped out.
‘Still… Park Chan-woo. Just who is he?’
500 kilometers.
With Gula dismantling every obstacle, all they had to do was run, and yet it still felt so far.
No matter how he thought about it, it was an impossible distance to cover in under an hour.
The only one to destroy ‘Black Iron’ and finish this entire stretch in a mere 51 minutes.
‘…Is he even human?’
It was hard to believe they were the same species.
He was like a ‘Prophet’.
But prophets had powers close to gods and never revealed themselves.
Whereas that ‘Park Chan-woo’ showed no hesitation in standing out.
He was proudly taking first place.
With a record so overwhelming that it was utterly unreachable.
That would mean… he was the same kind of human.
“Huff! Huff!”
“Uweeeeegh!”
“We… we did it!”
Cheers rang out as people arrived at the finish line.
Though quite a few vomited and collapsed from pushing their stamina to the limit—
Ding!
《You have passed the second trial: ‘Running’.》
《You succeeded in completing it within 24 hours!》
《You may now officially receive ‘Gula’s instruction’.》
《Those who ranked will be awarded the ‘Death Box’.》
《Leaderboard updated.》
《2nd Place: Lee Hyuk-soo (16 hours 59 minutes)》
…A difference more than 17 times.
He had done his best, but compared to Park Chan-woo’s record, it was nothing.
Even accounting for delays from leading the group, it was barely an excuse.
Lee Hyuk-soo shook his head.
‘Still, nearly a thousand participants arrived within 24 hours.’
With most traps cleared, the number of successful candidates would continue to grow.
But what mattered most was how many could receive ‘Gula’s instruction’.
That number was nearly a thousand.
“Then let’s begin the training right away.”
“Ugh……!”
“Ahhh……!”
Groans rang out from all directions.
They had pushed themselves beyond their limits, even drawing on their future stamina, and now were being asked to start again without rest.
“L-Lord Gula, c-couldn’t we rest just a little first?”
“We’re seriously gonna die here……!”
A few grumbled weakly.
Then Gula spoke with disappointment in his voice.
“Is this really your limit? Compared to the first challenger, this is terribly disappointing.”
…Disappointing?
But physical limits were real.
When you expend stamina, you need to rest—of course.
Lee Hyuk-soo asked in a heavy voice,
“That Park Chan-woo… he really passed the trial properly, received instruction, and then proceeded?”
He couldn’t believe it.
To complete 500 kilometers in 51 minutes, receive Gula’s instruction, and move on to the next trial—it just didn’t seem possible.
But the answer that came from Gula was even more shocking.
“You’re asking if he passed the trial properly?”
“…Something like that.”
“There were no tricks. He crossed that brutal desert head-on and then defeated me in a duel before moving on.”
“You mean he didn’t receive instruction, but actually fought you?”
“Yes. Can I teach someone stronger than myself?”
“…?”
What?
For a moment, he thought he misheard.
Gula was no ordinary being.
Not only was his swordsmanship at the pinnacle, but his very power could annihilate everyone gathered here on his own.
And yet, Park Chan-woo was stronger than Gula?
“…He’s far more incredible than I imagined.”
Han Min-oh, who had been quietly listening, was startled.
He already knew the man was strong.
A warrior who had slaughtered dozens of Incarnations in one sweep.
Someone who had saved him three times—a lifesaver he had seen as a hero.
But now, he started to think maybe… he was the strongest human alive.
‘…Not just strong. Insanely strong.’
But Lee Hyuk-soo was even more overwhelmed.
He had completed the entire course with all the obstacles intact, then fought Gula without resting.
And here he was, struggling to breathe.
Just how strong did someone have to be for all of this to be possible?
And he did it all head-on.
It was clearly a different path from that of a Prophet.
“Well then, if your curiosity is satisfied, let’s begin.”
Gula shifted the topic.
That snapped everyone out of their daze.
Swordsmanship training came first.
Would Gula be able to teach a thousand people in this limited time?
But it wasn’t really a problem.
‘Ahheta still hasn’t noticed.’
Even after all this chaos, Ahheta still wasn’t watching this place.
If he had seen it, he would’ve taken immediate action.
Thanks to that, Gula still retained his ‘Death Knight’ designation.
Which meant—
“My swordsmanship will be transmitted to you in the form of magic.”
They could use the ‘Third Night’ system that Ahheta had designed.
Ding!
In that instant, a message was delivered to all those who passed.
《‘Gula’s Swordsmanship’ is being inherited.》
《You have learned [Taegeuk Swordsmanship].》
《By grasping the mysteries through Gula’s instruction, you can ascend to a higher realm.》
—
At that moment—
Ahheta was still staring at the ‘Mage Camp’.
‘Who is it? Which one of them is the Archmage?’
None of the humans in the Mage Camp stood out.
But based on the Archmage’s previous actions, this was expected.
The bastard never made a scene. Never drew attention to himself.
He always silently and covertly plunged a dagger into your heart.
Therefore—
‘I know you’re hiding. You’ll surely use some strange method to clear things again.’
This time, he wouldn’t miss it.
He would keep his eyes glued and intercept it before it happened.
He wouldn’t repeat the mistake of the ‘Second Night’.
Back then, he was distracted by everything else—and missed the most important ‘Archmage’.
And so, Ahheta focused solely on the Mage Camp.
Based on all past behavior, he was certain the Archmage was there.
The man would never break through head-on.
He had to be hiding among that mage crowd somewhere.
‘I will not miss you again.’
Ahheta scanned the camp with eyes full of rage.
The thief who had stolen his most precious treasure—
He would find him and kill him.
But then, only a short time later—
《Someone has satisfied all hidden conditions!》
《A ‘Legendary Quest’ has appeared!》
《The appearance of the ‘Legendary Quest’ is being announced to all participants!》
“…?”
Ahheta’s expression twisted.
The unthinkable—what must not happen—was happening again.
And it was happening where he wasn’t watching.
Something was wrong.
It didn’t happen in the Mage Camp.
Had the Archmage chosen another faction?
If not that…
Brrrrr!
Ahheta trembled with fury.
“Who is it. Who the hell…!”
—
Park Chan-woo smiled.
He had run without stopping and overcome every one of the ‘Warrior Trials’.
‘Easier than expected.’
One day was enough.
For him, the trials were far too easy.
Because—
“Free our comrades from ‘death’!”
“We’ll drive them out, no matter what!”
“For freedom! For hope!”
Park Chan-woo looked back.
Over a hundred soldiers.
They were ‘Death Warriors’ who had transformed into ‘Arc Warriors’ thanks to the Radiant Anubis.
Gula was the strongest, but this was still a force that couldn’t be ignored.
It was how he had cleared all of the Warrior Trials in an instant.
《There is still time before the ‘Final Showdown’.》
《The conditions for the Temple of Death to appear have not yet been met.》
《Please wait until all factions arrive.》
Four paths.
Only when all factions gathered here would the final showdown begin.
But Park Chan-woo didn’t wait.
Instead, he pressed on without rest into the other factions.
《You have cleared the final trial of the ‘Sage’s Faction’!》
《You have cleared the final trial of the ‘Thief’s Faction’!》
《You have cleared the final trial of the ‘Mage’s Faction’!》
And with that, he cleared all the final trials prepared in each faction.
《‘Legendary Quest: He Who Gazes Upon the End’ has appeared!》