Chapter 251

As he learned Chiwoo’s swordsmanship, he came to understand it clearly.

The difference between a spar and a fight to the death.

The fact that there was an absolute, unbridgeable gap between the two.

That was why he asked.

Whether they would do it casually or properly.

Whether they would merely get a taste of it, or kill and be killed.

‘…This bastard.’

Gang Si-chan’s brow twitched.

Even if he was the one who had reached the 150th floor and erased the Mystic Tower, in the end, he was still nothing more than a cheater.

After all, he had achieved a floor that should not even have existed.

He had never shown anything like Chiwoo suppressing others by force or releasing an overwhelming aura that dominated the entire crowd.

Unlike Chiwoo, who looked strong at a glance, this bastard had always stayed hidden behind others.

‘Of course it’s a fight to the death.’

…Daring to talk about a fight to the death.

In truth, that was exactly what Gang Si-chan wanted.

He was the one who had inherited everything of the Undead Sect. The thought that he might lose to some mere cheater did not cross his mind in the slightest.

And the martial arts of the Undead Sect shone brightest when lives were truly on the line.

To stake his life against someone who dealt in death itself.

‘Stupid bastard.’

Smirk.

Wasn’t it laughable?

To think he would step forward personally just because he had been provoked this much.

If he had needed to deal with Chiwoo first, it would have been far more troublesome.

A man bearing a name from a realm he could not even approach.

The energy and aura he felt from him were comparable to the mid-level masters of his clan.

Perhaps even beyond that.

And—

‘He’s watching him anxiously.’

The way Chiwoo looked at Park Chan-woo.

There was unmistakable anxiety in that gaze.

Proof that Park Chan-woo did not possess the skill to reach the 150th floor.

If he truly were that kind of master, there would have been no reason to worry.

‘I’ll make you beg for your life.’

Whoosh.

Gang Si-chan drew his blade and gripped it tightly.

A specialized weapon, sharpened to the extreme on only one edge.

A treasure the Arahan of the mountainside could never even dream of.

It was the Black Dragon Blade, created solely to maximize Gang Si-chan’s martial arts.

Tap. Tap.

Park Chan-woo also tapped the ground twice and took his stance.

Then he glanced once more at the text floating before his eyes.

‘[Box of Endurance] has been released.’

As its name suggested, the [Box of Endurance] was a box that could only be opened through endurance.

After obtaining it and waiting so long, he had finally gotten the chance to open it.

‘The remnants of the Five Emperors, huh.’

Five Emperors.

It seemed to mean he could summon the remnant of one of them.

In an ordinary spar, there would have been no need to open it.

‘But there are no rules in a fight to the death.’

Only the living and the dead existed.

In a fight to the death, any means were allowed as long as they led to victory.

And Gang Si-chan had chosen a clash where everything would be on the line.

‘…Open.’

[Ding!]

[Opening the [Box of Endurance]!]

[The first seal is released, summoning one of the remnants of the [Sword Emperor], [Blade Emperor], [Bow Emperor], [Fist Emperor], or [Spear Emperor].]

[All of them are emperors who honed pure skill alone to reach the [True Master of the Cradle], and all of them have perished.]

They were beings who had gone through trials similar to the Mystic Tower.

Beings who cared little for high or low Levels.

A Level 1 martial artist who refined only martial skill could face a Level 10 enemy, or even higher.

They were called emperors solely because of pure skill.

Park Chan-woo knew better than anyone how absurdly incredible that was.

Because it completely defied the common sense of the Abyss.

‘They are monsters who reached the extreme without even being a negative-Level like me.’

The strong ones recognized by the [True Master of the Cradle].

The contents were simple. Choose one of the Five Emperors.

There was no need to think about it.

[Ding!]

[[Sword Emperor] has been selected.]

[Summoning the remnant of the [Sword Emperor].]

What did it mean to summon a remnant?

He thought it might be some sort of Advent, or possession through a body, but—

‘…?’

Nothing happened.

It was bewildering, but he could not show it.

Facing Gang Si-chan was not easy for Park Chan-woo either.

That bastard’s Level was easily above 100.

If it came down to a straightforward clash of brute force, he honestly had no chance.

…What now?

But the moment he gripped Baal’s Sword, he finally understood the message.

‘I can see them.’

Dozens of Sword Paths and Battle Paths unfolded before his eyes.

They were likely the paths of battle the Sword Emperor would have used against Gang Si-chan.

“I’ll give you the first move. Show me this famous skill of yours.”

Gang Si-chan sounded relaxed.

He was convinced Park Chan-woo had reached the 150th floor through nothing but luck.

And he wasn’t entirely wrong.

Park Chan-woo had climbed that high by luck.

But thanks to that bastard giving him the first move, he could calmly study the paths of battle a little longer.

‘The Sword Emperor’s form is engraved into every Sword Path.’

It felt like watching a recording.

The moment he focused on a Sword Path, the image of the Sword Emperor swinging his sword replayed in his mind.

He chose one.

And—

Swish!

Clang!

‘Ugh…!’

Sword met sword.

The Sword Emperor’s Sword Path had been blocked by Gang Si-chan’s blade.

But that did not mean the Sword Emperor’s path was wrong.

‘It’s just that I couldn’t follow it perfectly.’

He simply had not reproduced it exactly.

Because he was not the Sword Emperor.

‘That was fairly sharp, but…’

At the same time, Gang Si-chan’s smile deepened.

That single exchange alone made him even more certain.

‘As expected, he was a cheater.’

Park Chan-woo’s sword was light.

It had no weight.

The force and speed of his swing were not difficult to follow either.

No—not merely not difficult.

‘Slow.’

Far too slow.

Painfully slow.

His stamina and defense seemed solid enough, but that was all.

‘I’ve won.’

Convinced of his victory, Gang Si-chan moved.

Clang!

Clatter!

Even just keeping up with that speed, Park Chan-woo was already forced on the defensive.

He was struggling, and Gang Si-chan had not even shown his true strength yet.

“You climbed the mountain with only this pathetic skill?!”

Gang Si-chan sneered.

Even if he had reached the upper levels with this much, he would be nothing but prey.

He would toy with him like a cat with a mouse, then kill him.

By then, more and more Arahan had begun gathering to watch the clash.

Among them was Arisa.

“I’ll show you all the absolute difference.”

That there was a world even you Arahan of the mountainside could never dare look upon.

That there was a sky above the sky that filthy Arahan born in the Hidden Realm could never reach.

He would carve that truth into them even deeper this time.

…That was when it happened.

Thud!

‘Oof…!’

A heavy fist sank into his stomach, and Gang Si-chan’s body lifted briefly into the air.

He had suddenly used a fist in the middle of a weapon duel.

That was the start.

From that point on, Park Chan-woo’s momentum changed completely.

‘It wasn’t about choosing one. All of these Sword Paths and Battle Paths are connected.’

…Because he had realized it.

They were not split into dozens of separate branches.

They were one continuous line.

The Sword Emperor’s fighting style was incredibly rough.

He was not bound to the sword alone and mixed in physical attacks without hesitation.

‘The method of releasing and applying power without wasting even an inch.’

And it aligned perfectly with Chiwoo’s teachings.

There was no waste in the Sword Emperor’s attacks.

He used exactly the force needed, on exactly the point that required it.

Perhaps those masters who reached the summit through pure skill had all awakened this method of controlling power to the extreme.

But there was a problem.

‘I’m lacking Agility. My body can’t keep up with the remnant.’

His Agility was too low.

Of all his stats, Agility was the lowest.

Because of that, he could not properly follow the Sword Emperor’s path.

But there was a solution.

[Ding!]

[Investing all remaining stat points, 100, into Agility.]

[Agility rises from 83(1+82) → 183(101+82)!]

He poured all 100 remaining stat points, which he had gained from achieving [Divine Art of Absolute Learning] 1 Star, into Agility.

Agility greatly affected reflexes, senses, speed, and the like.

Even in his original state, he had managed to block Gang Si-chan’s sword.

Now that his Agility had more than doubled—

Clang! Clang-clang! Clangclangclang!

He could instead crush Gang Si-chan under pressure.

‘He got faster…!’

Gang Si-chan was badly shaken as well.

From one moment to the next, Park Chan-woo’s sword, which had been slow enough to make him yawn, had become faster.

And that wasn’t all.

The sword was gradually growing heavier.

The longer the fight dragged on, the harder it became to handle.

“What is this? Was that first attack just a taste?”

That would mean he had not gone all out even after being given the first move.

As if someone like Gang Si-chan could be defeated whenever he pleased.

As if he were simply playing with him.

But that was nothing more than Gang Si-chan’s misunderstanding.

[[Gradual Acceleration (Passive)] is in effect.]

[If you do not stop moving, you continue to become faster.]

[However, if you stop even slightly, it resets.]

Keep moving.

He could never stop.

It was still slow.

Too slow to truly keep up with the Sword Emperor’s remnant.

But as time passed, he was steadily catching up.

Now, all that remained was a battle of endurance.

“Black Dragon Blade! Devour everything!”

The Black Dragon Blade absorbed the life of everything it touched.

It even eroded the lifespan of the sword itself.

Since the Black Dragon Blade had already clashed with his sword, it would not have been strange if his sword snapped or shattered.

But—

Bzzt.

Ziiing.

‘…What is this.’

The Black Dragon Blade trembled in tiny vibrations.

Every time it collided with Park Chan-woo’s sword, it almost seemed to scream.

‘Is the Black Dragon Blade afraid?’

It was an absurd thought.

The Black Dragon Blade had no ego.

It merely devoured the life of whatever it touched, exactly as commanded.

And yet now, it seemed to wail in fear.

Perhaps…

Perhaps it meant Park Chan-woo’s sword was no ordinary blade.

That it was something that transcended death.

That it was a treasure of an absolute grade.

But Gang Si-chan’s thoughts did not continue for long.

Slash!

===

Chiwoo and Chun Ji-ho watched the fight to the death in a daze.

Their eyes were fixed on Park Chan-woo.

At first, he had been clumsy, but as time passed, he became complete.

His swordsmanship.

His movements.

His battle paths.

And when he finally cut off Gang Si-chan’s head,

Chiwoo and Chun Ji-ho could not help but stare in shock.

‘That, that swordsmanship…!’

‘…Could it be?’