The Crazy Battle God Has Returned - Chapter 165

—————

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

—————

A Mad Swordsman Returns – Chapter 165

I obtained the Blessing of Stars.
The problem was that the blessing’s performance differed greatly from what I had anticipated.

[Blessing of Stars: The Final Hero.]
[A blessing imbued with the remnants of power from a human who ascended to godhood.]
[This blessing grows each time you achieve a ‘Feat’.]
[Effect: All stats +10%, Attack and Defense +10%.]
[Additional Effect, 【Indomitable】: You do not yield even when death draws near.]

To be frank, it was disappointing.
If I gathered only the Blessings of Stars I could obtain immediately, they would be several times better than this.
In truth, I could roughly guess the reason.
I clicked on the ‘button’ visible before my eyes.

[List of ‘Feats’ you can achieve.]
1. Eliminate enemies (Players or Monsters). (0/300)
2. Seize and occupy ‘Unique Facilities’. (1/3)
3. Resolve ‘Special Battlefields’. (1/2)
4. Eliminate a ‘Descended Lord’. (0/1)
5. Acquire Limited Skills. (1/10)
6. Limited….

Then a scroll inscribed with feats unfurled before me.
At the bottom of the scroll, there was also an explanation of the feats.

[All Feats progress on a national level, and all players belonging to that nation must cooperate to achieve them.]
[When a Feat is achieved, a new Feat is generated.]

It was a form of ‘Cooperative Quest’.
A Quest completed through the cooperation of all players belonging to Korea.
I gazed at the Feats, lost in thought.

‘I don’t prefer moving in coordination, but this….’

There was room to exploit this.
Even more so in this Trial.
Han Yu-sung traced his lips, contemplating how to leverage the achievement.

“So it was a growth-type blessing. Hmm….”
[The beginning is humble, but the end shall be magnificent—something like that?]
“Well, something along those lines.”

Perhaps it was also connected to the original owner of this blessing.
The divine spirit that the wraiths served was one who had become a god in a human body.
In that process, they must have grown by achieving countless feats.
That history was woven entirely into this blessing.

“I suppose that’s fortunate.”
[Hmm… so there’s no need to waste time searching for a blessing of the stars. Whether I should be pleased or sorrowful, I’m not entirely sure.]
“Hmm, no. Now that I think about it… it’s not bad at all.”

A smile played across Han Yu-sung’s lips.
The narrative contained within this blessing pleased me.
A being who ascended to the seat of a divine spirit in a human body, who alone sought to protect the world that other divine spirits had abandoned and forsaken.
And the blessing of one who had resisted the Lords until the very end.

“Wraith, are you still here?”
– Yes, still.

Han Yu-sung turned his head.
He watched as the wraith, with only its head remaining, gradually faded away.

“What was this divine spirit’s name?”
– Astreos. That one’s divine name was Astreos.
“A fine name. Do not worry.”

Han Yu-sung met the wraith’s gaze, then turned away.
And without hesitation, I walked forward.

“I will prove that your divine spirit was the greatest of all.”
– Yes….

The specter watching his departing figure slowly closed its eyes.
Then it scattered completely and vanished.
A faint voice echoed through the wind flowing into the Spirit Mausoleum.

– Thank you.

Han Yu-sung left the Spirit Mausoleum.
An unexpected hidden piece.
In any case, I had gained the blessing of the stars, and more importantly, I had been given the opportunity to obtain an ‘additional reward’.
Hadn’t the Spirit Mausoleum promised to reward me if I won?

‘Since I was planning to win anyway, I’ve essentially obtained the additional reward for free.’

Han Yu-sung kicked off the ground.

* * *

After leaving the Spirit Mausoleum, Han Yu-sung immediately sought out Yoon Ga-ram.
Since Yoon Ga-ram was a skilled player, she would have gathered quite a number of players by now.
And indeed, that was the case.

“Han Yu-sung, you’ve arrived.”
“That person is….”

Yoon Ga-ram and the Korean Players were at a Unique Facility.
The Unique Facility resembled a small fortress, and it appeared that Yoon Ga-ram, judging that a base was necessary, had occupied it together with the other players.
However, among them were some unexpected individuals.

“Oh, Captain. You’re here after all.”
“You said you’d be participating in the Trial, and it turned out exactly as you said, brother.”
“We’ve been waiting for you.”

It was Baek Min-jun’s party.
However, unlike usual, it wasn’t a five-person party but a three-person party.

“Baek Min-jun. You participated too? Where are the other two?”
“Jia and Han-byul weren’t selected. Actually, we originally had no intention of participating and were going to decline, but….”
“Since it seemed like the Captain would be participating, we decided to join.”

Ahn Jung-hyuk added to Baek Min-jun’s words.
These were people who had not participated in the “War of Stars” in their previous lives.
He had thought they simply weren’t selected for the Trial, and assumed the same would happen this time, so he hadn’t paid much attention to it.
But they actually refused.

‘Did the Woman Who Cuts the Moon prevent them from participating?’
[Wouldn’t that be the case? Given the dire circumstances, she would have wanted to send her oath-sworn followers to places where they could earn coins more reliably than through the Trial.]

In any case, this was a welcome variable.
Baek Min-jun’s party had their own unique abilities, and more importantly, I now had people I could trust and rely on besides Yoon Ga-ram.
Han Yu-sung decided to exchange information with them first.

“The Lord of the Dead has sided with Japan and is targeting me… and there’s a high possibility that the Lord of Justice has joined forces with them too, is that it?”
“Yes. Japan’s momentum is quite unusual.”
“Well, it’s not particularly surprising.”
“Not surprising, you say…”

The faces of Yoon Ga-ram and the other players were grave beyond measure.
Meanwhile, Han Yu-sung wore a composed expression, as if he had anticipated this.

“So the ones who obtained the Star’s Blessing are Japan, the United States, and China?”
“Yes, Captain. I’m not sure what blessing they obtained, but it seems to be quite effective. Their movements changed immediately after acquiring it.”
“Unlike the Star’s Blessing we possess.”

Han Yu-sung let out a bitter smile.
Yoon Ga-ram, seeing this, asked carefully.

“I was meaning to ask anyway. You obtained the Star’s Blessing, didn’t you…”
“I did. Though it turned out somewhat different from what I expected.”
“…Is this ‘Last Hero’ blessing… weak, perhaps?”
“Probably. If we’re talking about weakness, it might be the weakest of all.”

At Han Yu-sung’s matter-of-fact response, the players lamented.
Japan was targeting them. Even obtaining a strong blessing would have been insufficient, yet he had obtained a weak one—there was no choice but to lament.
Among them, only two remained silent.
Only Yoon Ga-ram and Baek Min-jun stared at Han Yu-sung without speaking.

“…But don’t our enemies know that fact?”
“Yes. They probably know we’ve received the blessing of the stars. But they won’t know what effect it has. We can use that to our advantage.”
“How exactly would that work, Commander?”

Han Yu-sung gathered the players together.
Japan was targeting Korea, and Han Yu-sung in particular. And they had no idea what effect the blessing of the stars that Korea had obtained would have.
Meanwhile, the Lord of the Dead and the Lord of Justice were both ‘wary’ of Han Yu-sung.

“I’m dividing everyone here into three groups. Half under Yoon Ga-ram, half under Baek Min-jun. You two lead them and accomplish your feats. As for me….”

There was a means I could employ because of this.
A means I could use because of what I had done up until now.

“I’ll move alone. And quite spectacularly at that.”

Han Yu-sung briefly explained how he would move.
The faces of Yoon Ga-ram and Baek Min-jun grew peculiar as they listened to his explanation.

“…Do you want to die quickly?”
“It looks like nothing but a death wish. If anything goes wrong even slightly, your life will be in danger. Are you sure about this?”
“It doesn’t matter. That’s fine either way.”

At Han Yu-sung’s words, Yoon Ga-ram and Baek Min-jun clicked their tongues.
Even Kakasha sighed along with them.
But none of the three objected. They knew this was the most likely option to succeed.
The problem was that Han Yu-sung could end up in extreme danger.

“Very well.”
“Well, let’s give it a try. If we split into three groups and accomplish our feats, the blessing will grow faster anyway.”

What more could be said when the man himself didn’t mind?
The players agreed to participate in the plan he had proposed.

“What matters is time. How much we can grow the blessing of the stars before we directly clash with the Lords will be the deciding factor.”

It was a sort of time attack.
If Korea could sufficiently strengthen the blessing of the stars before the Lords, with Japan as their vanguard, launched a full-scale assault, Korea would emerge victorious.
If not, things would become complicated in many ways.
In truth, either way didn’t matter.

“Don’t move. When I give the signal, join in.”

Han Yu-sung had no intention of losing, regardless of the circumstances.

* * *

The Lord of the Dead watched the War of Stars unfold.
This time, the nation she had chosen was Japan. She bestowed her blessings upon her sworn ones, enabling them to obtain the “Blessing of Stars.”
The reason she did so was because of a single human.

[Han Yu-sung.]

To a Lord like herself, humans were far too insignificant.
Her sworn ones were no exception.
Only those among them who demonstrated remarkable feats were barely remembered.
To the Lord of the Dead, humans were ultimately nothing more than consumables.
Consumables for earning coins, for becoming undead.

[Never did I imagine I would come to remember the name of a mere human.]

Remarkably, the name of one who was not even her sworn servant.
There was only one reason for this.
The humiliation, rage, and shame she had suffered at that human’s hands would not fade.
The Reward Dungeon, the Giant Siege, the open Difficult Realm, even the Hero’s War.
Had a Lord bearing a true name ever endured such shame and disgrace at the hands of a mere human?
Never. Without question, this was the first time.

Crack!

This had dealt a grievous wound to the Lord of the Dead’s pride.
There was only one way to heal this wound.

[Han Yu-sung. Today, this Battlefield will become your grave.]
[I will keep your corpse as part of my collection. Forever….]

She had already reached an agreement with the other Lords, including the one called “Justice,” who had cooperated in this endeavor.
Han Yu-sung’s corpse would be hers to possess.
How should she remake that corpse?
A corpse possessing talent that even Lords would marvel at. She would refine it, to serve her for all eternity….

“My Lord. The scouts have discovered a ‘Special Quest.’ It appears to be a quest to eliminate a boss monster and its subordinates.”
[“Resolve it. To make you useful, I must accumulate as much power as possible. Above all, your contribution is still insufficient.”]
“Yes, my Lord. I will do my best.”

The report from the sworn ones awakened the Lord of the Dead.
Already having experienced several failures.
No more failures would be tolerated. This time, Han Yu-sung must be killed without fail.

[Han Yu-sung… it’s strange that he remains so quiet.]

The man who had shone brilliantly in every trial was silent this time.
That troubled me. To shake off this unease, I had to accumulate the power of the Japanese Players to the maximum.
And in that process, the ‘contribution’ would be filled as well.

[Sworn One’s Final Contribution: 45,500.]
[The higher the final contribution, the more intervention you can exert on the trial, and ultimately you can ‘descend’ by borrowing the sworn one’s body.]
[Alternatively, you can ‘descend’ by completing a special quest.]

I had to prepare for descent in case of emergency.
The Lord of the Dead commanded the sworn ones to clear the quest.
Then, another report arrived.

“Wait, the scouts are reporting… an enemy is approaching from the west of the special quest location. And at tremendous speed!”
“An enemy is attempting the special quest alone? Or not alone?”
“What are you saying! Speak clearly! You said alone!”
“Th-this is…!”

A voice fraught with urgency.
The Japanese Players receiving the report fell into sudden silence.
Feeling frustration at that silence, the Lord of the Dead shifted his vision.
Not to the main force, but to where the sworn one included in the scout unit was located.

Whoooooosh!

What entered that vision was a violent gale sweeping across the battlefield.
The fierce gale plunged into the special quest location teeming with monsters, and raising countless crimson winds, it tore the monsters asunder.
Soon, tremendous magical power erupted from that gale.

– Uoooooh…!
– Conflict, endless strife upon us…!
– Kill them, slay them all! Warriors! Fight!

I summoned an army of war-hungry warriors.
A banner wrought of flame was planted into the earth, and the warriors scattered in all directions with wild laughter tearing from their throats.
Where the tempest advanced was where the boss monster dwelled.
I closed the distance in an instant and unleashed my blade.

Krrrrrrrrr!

Hundreds of sword strikes blanketed the void, cleaving through the boss monster.
The Lord of the Dead’s pupils dilated as she witnessed the sequence of events.
There was no helping it.
That technique—she knew it well.

“Ha, Han Yu-sung! My Lord! It’s Han Yu-sung!”
“Han Yu-sung has taken the Special Quest…! He’s seized the quest!”
“M-My Lord! What should we do!”

Han Yu-sung.
The player who had remained silent until now revealed himself.
Leading an army of spectral warriors, slaughtering countless monsters, and completing the Special Quest in a single stroke.

[“Han Yu-sung…!”]

Crunch!

The Lord of the Dead gnashed her teeth.
A strange emotion bloomed from deep within her being.
An emotion no Lord should ever feel toward a mere human—’unease’.

—————

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

—————