Chapter 143: The God of the Sword, Ehily (Part 3)
‘Acceleration?’
Bardray was momentarily taken aback.
Ehily’s trial forbade the use of any skills unrelated to swordsmanship.
Acceleration increased speed but was not a sword skill, thus it should have been impossible to use.
To break the trial’s condition, one had to be as powerful as a deity, and Taesan was far from that level.
Therefore, there was only one explanation.
‘Is this his new swordsmanship? Interesting.’
As it originated from Taesan, Bardray could not immediately discern what Taesan had achieved. He assumed Taesan had created a new swordsmanship, considering his frequent use of skills.
‘But still.’
Acceleration was a skill that increased the speed of a charge. Bardray knew all about the skill, and defending against it was no issue.
Taesan swiftly closed the distance and swung his sword.
Bardray, trying to block, was taken aback.
The speed of the sword strike had changed.
“Ugh!”
Bardray’s hands moved chaotically. The sound of clashing swords echoed loudly.
Bardray blocked the attacks with a bewildered expression.
The strikes were twice as fast as before.
‘How can agility increase like this?’
Acceleration only influenced charge speed, not agility. Taesan continued to swing his sword.
[You have activated Heavy Strike.]
Clang!
Bardray’s arm was flung back. He quickly regained his stance without panicking.
Heavy Strike increased damage and the force exerted through the sword. Given that Taesan had already used Acceleration, it wasn’t surprising that he was also using Heavy Strike.
But Bardray was again surprised during the next exchange.
Clang!
“Ugh.”
Bardray’s arm was pushed back again.
‘What’s happening?’
Heavy Strike’s effect usually dissipated after one strike, but Taesan attacked twice, and the effect of Heavy Strike remained without reactivation.
‘What is this?’
Taesan’s swordsmanship itself hadn’t changed dramatically. If Bardray calmed down and collected himself, he could block and counterattack without much issue.
However, the unexpected changes caused him to be on the defensive, focusing only on blocking.
[You have activated Leap.]
Clang!
Taesan slashed upwards, and with a heavy sensation, Bardray’s body was lifted off the ground.
Landing a bit further away, Bardray chuckled hollowly.
“Has your skill changed?”
Acceleration, Leap, Heavy Strike.
All these skills were exhibiting effects entirely different from their descriptions.
“What the…”
Instead of explaining, Taesan showed through action.
Clang!
The swords clashed. Bardray’s gaze sharpened. His hands moved chaotically, creating numerous afterimages of blades.
The first technique of the Storm Scar Sword, Wolf’s Fang.
Rather than blocking with the same Storm Scar Sword technique as before, Taesan drove his sword in.
[You have activated Deflection.]
As Bardray’s sword was about to touch Taesan’s blade, it slid off effortlessly.
The same happened with the next attack.
Just like Acceleration and Heavy Strike, Deflection was continuously activated.
“What is this…”
Boom!
Taesan stomped the ground and swung his sword. With a loud noise, Bardray was pushed back.
Taesan’s awkward movements grew faster and more precise as the battle continued.
The tide turned. Bardray was now struggling to defend.
Clang!
Taesan brought his sword down. Bardray tried to block.
[You have activated Continuous Attack.]
Clang!
The sword vibrated. The fierce vibration traveled up Bardray’s arm. He barely managed to hold onto his sword, but he had exposed a significant opening.
Taesan didn’t miss it.
He moved both swords simultaneously, slashing at Bardray. Bardray blocked one with his hand but couldn’t block both.
Slice.
Taesan’s sword cut Bardray’s chest.
Bardray stared blankly at his torn clothing, while Taesan caught his breath.
[You have created an advanced swordsmanship, Ability Sword.]
It wasn’t something he learned, received, or mastered from others.
It was a swordsmanship Taesan created himself.
[Condition met.]
[Ehily is satisfied with the result.]
The system window announcing the trial’s completion appeared.
Bardray chuckled.
“This is beyond expectations.”
He had anticipated changes related to skills. He had even considered that Taesan might use skills.
But this was beyond that.
The effects of the skills themselves had changed.
‘This is…’
A swordsmanship that interfered with the labyrinth’s system itself.
As Bardray pondered this, his body began to dissolve into light particles.
“Oh. So it’s over now?”
The body he received was given temporarily by Ehily for the trial. It was only natural for it to be taken back once the trial ended. Bardray looked at his disappearing hands with a bittersweet expression.
“What a shame.”
It had been so long since he last held a sword that he couldn’t even remember the last time.
It was a pity that it had to end.
“But it was fun. Now you understand what I was talking about, right?”
Taesan nodded.
This was indeed a realization that could only be obtained through sparring with someone.
He couldn’t have known it alone. With such high stats and level of mastery, the monsters on the 30th floor couldn’t test his swordsmanship. Naturally, it was hard to recognize the flaws and limits, and he would have continued descending without realizing them.
Through sparring with a ghost using the same swordsmanship, he was able to realize the limits and solutions before it reached a critical point.
“Thank you.”
“Thank Ehily too. He created this trial.”
Bardray’s body was almost entirely gone now.
Only his upper body remained.
He grinned.
“I’m curious too. Let’s see what you’ve learned together.”
With those words, Bardray vanished.
The light particles that scattered in the air gathered again, forming the shape of a ghost.
Taesan watched silently.
The ghost returned to Taesan.
Despite having gained and lost a physical body for the first time in immeasurable time, Bardray seemed incredibly bright.
Whether it was an act or genuine, Taesan appreciated his consideration. So, he began organizing his thoughts without saying anything.
[Ehily offers you a contract of servitude.]
“I refuse.”
Taesan declined as usual. Ehily retreated without much expectation.
The divine presence in the altar faded.
As the ghost had said, Ehily was an indifferent god. In fact, the ghost mentioned that this instance was unusual.
[That indifferent god reduced his sphere of influence to give me a body and helped you create new swordsmanship. This is… a very rare occurrence.]
“Really?”
[Think of it as him being more interested in you than his own followers.]
Although he didn’t know the details, it seemed that Ehily had high expectations for his potential.
“Nice.”
Ehily bestowed two rewards upon him. One was a skill, and the other was an accessory.
[Special Passive Skill: The Sword Bearer]
[Proficiency: 1%]
[A level recognized by the God of the Sword. When fighting against an opponent wielding a weapon, you can easily discern their openings and weaknesses.]
It was a skill that was effective against opponents wielding weapons. Although its condition was limited, the benefit of identifying openings and weaknesses was significant.
The accessory was a pommel that attached to the end of his sword’s hilt.
[Pommel made by Ehily’s Devotee]
[Attack Power +10]
[A pommel crafted with great effort by a believer in the God of the Sword. Ehily was quite satisfied with its completion. It carries a trace of Ehily’s aura.]
[Helps balance the sword.]
[This effect can be removed and transferred to another weapon at any time.]
“Great.”
What he liked most was the flexibility of attaching and detaching it.
Taesan immediately equipped the pommel onto Carvath’s Relic.
“This description keeps getting longer.”
[As the previous owner, it feels strange.]
Upon equipping it, Taesan immediately felt the difference in the sword’s weight.
After swinging it a few times to test it, he smiled with satisfaction.
“Nice.”
It became easier to swing. The difference was subtle but significant enough to be felt in a situation where he had to swing the sword thousands of times.
[So, are we done? Let’s check it out quickly. I’m dying of curiosity.]
The ghost urged Taesan eagerly. Taesan opened the system window he had closed.
[You have created advanced swordsmanship: Ability Sword.]
[You have created your own swordsmanship. Earned the title: Master’s Qualification.]
[Advanced Swordsmanship: Storm Scar Sword has been integrated into Ability Sword.]
[You have created swordsmanship yourself. Achievement unlocked. Strength +50, Agility +50, Intelligence +50, Health +20.]
The achievement’s bonuses were incredibly high.
A bonus of 50 was comparable to clearing a major thematic floor.
Simply creating swordsmanship yielded such significant rewards.
[Hurry up. Check it out quickly.]
It was time to examine the skills. The ghost waited eagerly.
[Advanced Swordsmanship: Ability Sword]
[Proficiency: 7%]
[A unique swordsmanship created by the labyrinth’s adventurer. It is based on the labyrinth’s system. It is founded on the swordsmanship used by the Prince of the Fallen World. It allows for the perfect integration of several skills into the swordsmanship.]
[It’s real.]
The ghost laughed softly.
[It really… changes the content of skills? It’s far beyond advanced. It’s on the cusp of being top-tier.]
The top-tier skill, Ayrak Weaponry, allowed the user to deal damage with any part of their body as if it were a weapon. It was a skill that interfered with the labyrinth’s system itself.
The swordsmanship Taesan created was no different. It could transform the contents of skills, something no one else could touch. From the ghost’s perspective, with a bit more development, it could reach top-tier.
The difference was clear just by looking at the proficiency.
His proficiency in the Storm Scar Sword was 39%. Even with the integration into the Ability Sword, the proficiency was only 7%.
This indicated the significant difference between the two swordsmanships.
[Can we check how the skill contents have changed?]
“Looking now… I can roughly tell.”
Upon inspecting the skills, several had additional details.
He was curious, but there was something else to check first.
[Title: Master’s Qualification]
[A person who has created swordsmanship. At a level where they can teach their created swordsmanship to disciples. Only a few among countless swordsmen can reach this level.]
[Strength +50]
[Agility +50]
[Intelligence +50]
[Attack Power +20]
[Defense +20]
[Swordsmanship proficiency growth rate greatly increased.]
[You can pass on your swordsmanship to others if you wish.]
“Did you get this too?”
[I did. I modified the original Storm Scar Sword to fit me better. It’s an excellent title. The proficiency growth feels at least 40% faster.]
“That’s… quite a merit.”
Taesan had several skills and titles that increased proficiency growth. He wasn’t sure how they would interact, but it meant he would receive at least a 50% increase in growth rate.
Additionally, there was the aspect of transmission.
‘Does this mean I can pass it on to Lee Taeyeon or Kang Junhyuk?’
He planned to verify this the next time he met them.
[But I’m really curious now.]
The ghost spoke eagerly.
Taesan understood what he wanted.
“But I’m not sure myself.”
During his fight with the ghost, he hadn’t read through each skill’s description. He had fought based on his intuition after grasping a general sense of the changes.
“Let’s go test it out.”
Taesan moved.