The Crazy Battle God Has Returned - Chapter 111

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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A Mad Swordsman Returns – Chapter 111

Han Yu-sung spent some time resting at the Safe House.
It was to prepare for God’s Trial, which would open soon.

[Hmm, normally I’d have more breathing room. But since the last trial that opened was the National Inter-Country Tournament, it’s about time for the next one to begin.]

God’s Trial tends to have longer intervals between occurrences.
So typically, players spend that time conquering Difficult Realms or heading to the Star Battlefield to resolve events and build their strength.
But it’s different when the National Inter-Country Tournament opens. I’m not sure if it’s because the duration is shorter, but the next trial opens incredibly quickly.

[So, do you know what the next trial is?]
“I do. And because of it, I’m worried sick.”
[Worried? What could you possibly have to worry about?]

Kakasha, hovering in fairy form, tilted his head in confusion.
Han Yu-sung was someone who always pushed forward without hesitation, no matter what he did.
Hearing that he was actually worried felt extraordinarily strange.

“Didn’t I tell you before? That in the next trial, I’d make Achiros lose while raking in a hefty amount of coins.”
[I think you did say something like that. Has a problem come up?]
“Well, now it looks like I might end up feeding Achiros too.”
[Huh…?]

Kakasha tilted his head again in confusion.
Han Yu-sung sank deeper into his chair and released a heavy sigh.

“If things flow like they did in my previous life, it would be fine. But if the factions change like they did in the Dragon’s Tomb… things could get annoying.”
[I’m not sure what you mean, but it sounds like there’s a possibility you and Achiros could end up on the same side. That would be troublesome. Do you have a solution?]
“If I did, I wouldn’t be sitting here worrying about it.”

If I could choose which side to stand on, that would be different.
But since it’s determined completely at random, there was no real solution.
All I could do was pray that I wouldn’t end up on the same side as Achiros.

‘Or find some other possibility within the trial itself.’

Just as I had found Bahamut in the Dragon’s Tomb before.
There is one thing that nags at me.
In my past life, I obtained clues but abandoned the search because I had no way to find it.
It would be more convenient if he didn’t become an ally.

Kuuuuung!

At that very moment, a familiar thunderous sound echoed out.
The residence where Han Yu-sung stayed trembled as if an earthquake had struck.
It was a precursor phenomenon of God’s Trial.
A message appeared before Han Yu-sung’s eyes.

[God’s Trial, ‘Racial War’ is now open.]
[Players will be summoned to a battlefield where two races called ‘Elfen’ and ‘Belakin’ wage fierce war. There, you will fight for the victory of the race to which you belong.]
[The Lords participating in this trial will be randomly assigned to one race, and the Sworn will belong to the race to which their Lord is assigned. Players without a Lord will be assigned to the faction with insufficient personnel.]

The message contained exactly what Han Yu-sung had been troubled about.
In this trial, players cannot choose which race to belong to—it is automatically determined based on which race the Lord is assigned to.
The problem is that it’s completely random.

[If luck isn’t on my side….]
“I told you. You could be assigned to the same race as Achiros.”
[N-No! I refuse! I will not fill that bastard’s belly!]
“And I’m fine with it, you know?”

I know which race Achiros was assigned to in my past life.
But there’s no guarantee that will apply the same way in this life.
Besides, since there’s no choice, even knowing doesn’t mean much—a frustrating situation all around.

[Players will not die in this trial. Upon death, you will be transferred to a separate space and wait until the trial ends.]
[You will be revived if your assigned race wins or if you accumulate ‘war merit’ to a certain level. Otherwise, you will die when the trial ends.]
[Searching for participants randomly by nation.]
[Selecting participants up to a maximum of level 200….]

This trial was selective, unlike the last one.
I might not even be selected.
But Han Yu-sung wasn’t worried. I had always been chosen in selective trials like this.
And this time was no exception.

[Han Yu-sung, you have been selected as a subject of God’s Trial.]
[You will be forcibly summoned to the location where God’s Trial opens.]
[This summons cannot be refused.]

Light enveloped Han Yu-sung’s body.
Kakasha, who had taken the form of a fairy, hurried back to him.

[Hmm? My lord, something has appeared before my eyes. A race is being randomly assigned to you… ‘Elfen?’ I am Elfen. And it says to invest coins. What shall you do?]
“My race is the same as my previous life. Let me test whether my luck is good or bad.”

Han Yu-sung’s form grew increasingly translucent.
With his eyes closed, I prepared myself for the transition that would soon follow.

“Well, even if luck isn’t on my side, there are ways to handle it.”

With those words, Han Yu-sung’s form vanished.
Soon after, silence settled over the now-empty mansion.

* * *

At the moment God’s Trial opened.
A message appeared to the Lords who had decided to participate in the ‘Racial War’.

[God’s Trial, 【Racial War】 has begun.]
[A race will be randomly assigned to the Lord…]
[Lord, you have been assigned to the ‘Elfen’ race. All oath-takers participating in this trial will automatically belong to the Elfen race.]

This trial also carried the nature of a ‘proxy war’.
Lords were assigned to each race and had to ensure their assigned race achieved victory.
The reason was exceedingly simple.

[Lords can invest coins toward the victory of their assigned race. The more coins invested, the stronger the race becomes.]
[Invested coins are converted into ‘contribution points’, and the higher the contribution, the more varied and powerful the rewards a Lord receives upon victory.]
[Upon victory, all invested coins are returned. Upon defeat, all invested coins are lost, with portions distributed among the victorious Lords according to their contribution points. (However, a maximum limit exists.)]

It was for the rewards.
By investing many coins, one could obtain rewards like ‘special blessings’, sacred relics, or blessing enhancements—treasures that couldn’t be obtained with coins alone.
Moreover, upon victory, all that investment would be returned!
And that wasn’t all—one could even seize some coins from the defeated Lords.

[Hmm, how intriguing. Where should I invest my coins?]
[Let’s see! Equipment upgrades, facility reinforcements… wait, is there an investment deadline? It seems I need to invest quickly before the required coins run out.]
[There are far more investment options than I expected. And apparently new investment opportunities unlock as each trial progresses….]

If humans had witnessed this, they would have called it a “simulation game.”
The Lords examined the investment options available to strengthen their races, rapidly calculating how to maximize their gains.
And simultaneously, they made their judgments.

[There’s no need to rush into investments. It would be wise to first identify which Lords are assigned to the same race as us.]
[I should check where the Lords with renown are concentrated.]
[If there’s a Lord like the Lord of Justice among them….]

Regardless, they were investing precious currency in the form of coins.
They wanted to invest in whichever side had the highest probability of victory.
This was especially true for Lords without renown, whose coin reserves were far from abundant.
And finally, the assignment results were announced.

[The roster of Lords assigned to each race has been released.]
[Additionally, you can also view the roster of participating players.]

Participating players?
That hardly mattered.
The Lords urgently checked which Lords were assigned to their own races.

[The Lord of Justice is… excellent! We’re in the same race!]
[In that case, Belakin is… no, that’s not bad either. The Lord of the Dead is there, and there are others like the Lord of Training too….]
[I’m investing! Take my coins right now!]

The Lords who had reviewed the roster hastily began their investments.
Among them, few bothered to check the participating players as well.
After all, players were merely subordinates bound to their Lords.

A soft rustling sound.

Of course, not everyone was the same.
In the infinitely sprawling cosmos, within a vast “domain” that existed there.
One Lord gazed silently at the roster displayed before their eyes.
Specifically, the roster of “players.”

[Hmm.]

Among that list, there was a certain name.
A name etched into the mind of a Lord who harbored no interest in humanity itself, nor even in the Contractors—a name that stood out with unmistakable clarity.
A name that had left such a vivid impression it refused to fade from memory.

[Elfen race, Han Yu-sung. Lord affiliation: Unknown.]

A smile played across the Lord’s lips as he reviewed that list.
A smile brimming with intrigue and curiosity, and an anger that could not be concealed.

[A cruel jest of fate, indeed.]

The Lord’s fingers moved.
With that motion, countless coins flowed into investment in a single race.

[Lord of Justice invests in the Elfen race.]
[Enormous sums of coins are pouring into each investment sector!]
[Other Lords, make haste before investments close!]

The Lord of Justice, Achiros.
He observed the unfolding trial from his divine seat, contemplating what Han Yu-sung—the player who had etched his name through repeated exploits in God’s Trial—would reveal this time.
While thinking about what kind of appearance Han Yu-sung, a player who has repeatedly distinguished himself in God’s Trial to the extent of engraving his name into people’s minds, would show.

“I need to use that power for myself this time.”

Anticipating how much benefit it would bring to themselves.

*   *   *

Han Yu-sung’s eyes opened to a vast sky. Around me drifted countless luminous forms—other players, no doubt.
And below them stretched an immense battlefield.
And below that, a vast battlefield stretched out before him.

[Once dominated by a race of formidable power, the continent saw new races rise as that dominant race fell. Among them, Elfen and Belakin are the races that survived to the end.]
Once a continent ruled by a powerful race, it fell into decline, and new races rose to prominence. Among them, the races that survived to the end are ‘Elfen’ and ‘Belakin’.

I could see two races locked in fierce combat across the battlefield.
A race with bodies composed entirely of flora, adorned with wings. The Elfen.
A beastfolk race with wolf-like faces, their entire bodies covered in chitinous armor. The Belakin.

[The two races, who had long contended for continental supremacy, have agreed under the mediation of the Lords to determine a victor based on the results of this trial.]
[This battlefield has been established under the auspices of the Greedy Researcher, who brokered this agreement, and is officially guaranteed to be a fair arena.]

The meaning of this message was straightforward.
Since the battlefield favored neither race, the Lords participating in this trial could invest without hesitation or suspicion.

[The Elfen’s Main Base lies to the north, while the Belakin’s Main Base lies to the south. Attack routes exist that allow advancement toward the opposing Main Base, and each race’s enslaved forces continually advance along these routes.]
[Monsters inhabit the battlefield’s fields, and various events have been prepared throughout. Among them exist hidden events as well.]

The battlefield resembled gazing upon a massive map from an RTS game.
Each race used the enslaved forces advancing along the routes as shields while fighting, and some roamed the fields hunting monsters.
There was a specific reason they hunted monsters.

[Each Main Base contains beings known as Great Heroes.]
[The Great Heroes remain in their Main Base while commanding the war. All activities players undertake on the battlefield are converted into War Merit, and this merit becomes experience that strengthens the Great Hero.]
[As the Great Hero grows stronger, enhanced buffs are granted to those under their command, with even more powerful buffs given to those with higher War Merit.]
[The higher the War Merit achieved, the stronger the final reward becomes.]

Great Heroes.
This was why the trial was named the Hero War.
By resolving battles and events, the player themselves grew stronger, and the experience generated there simultaneously strengthened the Great Hero—a symbiotic structure.

[Hmm, how intriguing. A Lord without even a title created a battlefield of this magnitude? Did they win some dimensional lottery…]

Kakasha muttered to himself.
Then he pointed toward a specific region of the battlefield with his hand.

[Hmm? You there, what is that place? The region to the west.]

At the western edge, a stretch of blackened, dead land was visible.
No one had approached that land.
Not the two races locked in fierce combat, not the monsters, not even animals.
I searched my memory.

“Was it Death’s Domain? I believe that was the name.”
[Death’s Domain? Ugh! What a repugnant name. Does it not remind you of the Lord of the Dead, that wench! I despise the very word ‘death’!]
“As you say.”

That zone was completely inaccessible.
Upon entry, a formidable debuff was imposed. The debuff stacked continuously, and eventually claimed the player’s very life.
Because of this, no one had dared explore it in my previous life.
Even Han Yu-sung had attempted to explore it due to an ‘event’, but ultimately abandoned the effort.

‘If fortune does not favor me… I’ll have no choice but to explore that domain again.’

If I were assigned to a race like Achiros’s, that would be necessary.
The means to overcome that situation lay within that very domain.
I could only hope such circumstances would not arise.

[Player Han Yu-sung.]
[Your assigned race is ‘Elfen’.]
[Elfen’s great hero has determined the starting point for all players.]
[You will be deployed to the starting point. Now, achieve victory!]

A tremendous boom echoed across the sky.

All the players suspended in the air were deployed to the ground in unison.
My vision lurched violently.
As the turbulent world steadied once more.

[Welcome to the Elfen Main Base, the Heart of the Forest.]

A message greeted me alongside the vast vista of the fortress.
A message announcing the beginning of God’s Trial.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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