The Crazy Battle God Has Returned - Chapter 179

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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 179

【Saint’s Legacy】.
True to its Mythic-grade classification, it was an item of remarkable power.
Han Yu-sung smiled with satisfaction as he reached to equip the necklace.
In that very moment.

[Mercy upon the living, wrath upon those who refuse death.]
[Equipping ‘Saint’s Legacy’ imposes a restriction: you cannot inflict any damage except to the undead or entities that command the undead.]
[Do you wish to equip this item?]

“I wondered why it felt so unusually powerful.”
[A troublesome item, truly. However….]

An unexpected message materialized before my eyes.
Items like this appeared from time to time.
Items that imposed special restrictions in exchange for power potent enough to justify those very constraints.

[It hardly matters, does it?]
“Not really. I’ll only use this item against the undead anyway.”
[True. I don’t possess any Holy-attribute skills to begin with.]

There would be no reason to equip Saint’s Legacy in ordinary circumstances.
Unless I was facing the Lord of the Dead, there was no purpose in wearing it.
From that perspective, the restriction was essentially meaningless.

“Well, this works out. At least I’ve secured a trump card.”
[Now all that remains is to draw out the Lord of the Dead properly.]
“Exactly. And….”

Han Yu-sung reviewed the messages that had appeared after the Trial ended.
Among them was this one.

[Special Events for Korea on the Star Battlefield are about to begin! Participate in your desired events and claim your rewards!]

“It was bound to happen eventually anyway.”

If my memory served, there should be something related to the ‘Lords’ War’ among those events.

“I’m leaving the matter of the furnace to you, Kakasha. Provide coins if needed. Focus on the Sworn Ones who performed as well as Baek Min-jun’s party.”
[Not a bad idea. We’ve accumulated quite a few coins anyway.]
“Right. Absorb the coins quickly too. We need to select Blessings as well.”

Han Yu-sung stretched languidly and moved forward.

“I need to rest for a while.”

I had been moving without pause for quite some time.
A day of rest without a single thought seemed more than reasonable.

* * *

Two days later.
The Alliance held a grand celebration for those who had distinguished themselves in this Trial.
Needless to say, the figure who drew the most attention was Han Yu-sung.
Many had gathered at the event simply to catch a glimpse of his face.
But.

“…He doesn’t seem to be here?”
“Yes. No matter how hard we look, he doesn’t appear to be here.”
“What? Wasn’t Han Yu-sung supposed to attend?”
“The Alliance Leader isn’t here either. A representative attended in his place, it seems….”

Han Yu-sung’s face was nowhere to be seen at the venue.
It couldn’t have been otherwise.

“That is the Divine Training Ground. You obtained it.”

Han Yu-sung was in Seoul’s Divine Training Ground with Jain.
He gazed up at the building that loomed before him.
A structure of pristine white, unmarred by a single blemish.

– Kyaaaah!
– Ugh, ugghhh! A crazed orc…!
– Groooaaahhh!

Shouts and screams echoed from within the building.
They were the sounds of those training while battling monsters.
A look of satisfaction crossed Jain’s face.

“Not many players are using it yet. But for newcomers who’ve only recently awakened, there’s nowhere better than this.”
“It’s an ideal place to gain experience close to actual combat.”
“Exactly. Though the experience gains are modest, they can still level up here.”

What is the greatest reason newly awakened players die?
Carelessness. They don’t know the extent of their own strength, nor do they understand how powerful their opponents truly are.
Moreover, there are Lords who prey upon them.
Wretched Lords who covet the coins these newcomers possess.
In that process, countless newcomers perish.

“The Alliance is actively encouraging newcomers to utilize the Divine Training Ground. The results have been quite promising. Initially, many people viewed your choice of the training ground unfavorably, but….”
“I imagine their perspective has shifted somewhat now, hasn’t it?”
“That’s precisely the case.”

Jain smiled faintly as she spoke.
And there was one more thing she didn’t explicitly mention to Han Yu-sung.

‘The national buff won’t end with the Divine Training Ground—more will surely follow. There’s no reason to view it negatively.’

In other words, people had begun to develop faith.
Faith in the player known as Han Yu-sung.
Though the man himself remained utterly indifferent to it all.

“Let’s move to the main topic then. What was your reason for summoning me?”
“Regarding your reward and the national buff. I’ve prepared the reward in coins at my own discretion.”
“You know me well.”
“I have to. Considering what lies ahead….”

Jain smiled and handed over the coins.
It was 600,000 coins. A generous sum that pleased me.
Kakasha seemed pleased as well, letting out a cheer within my mind.

“And as you’re aware, you’ve been granted benefits that could significantly strengthen the national buff this time. When I discussed it with the government, they said to consult with those who participated in the Trial and let them decide.”
“That’s strange—I don’t see the other players here.”
“They waved their hands dismissively, saying there was no point in their choosing. Instead, they’ve decided to hand the decision over to you.”

It wasn’t an incorrect assessment.
The opinions voiced by those present were merely reference points.
Ultimately, the outcome would depend entirely on what Han Yu-sung chose.

“What will I choose?”
“Hmm, there’s nothing to deliberate over.”

What to strengthen.
As I myself had stated, there was no value in hesitation.

[Divine Training Ground is greatly strengthened.]

[Divine Training Ground.]
[Divine Training Grounds are deployed across all major cities in Korea. These training grounds exempt participants from death, and monsters up to level 150 appear within them. In exchange, experience gained from hunting monsters is reduced by 30%.]
[A wider variety of training grounds are added to the interior.]

The Divine Training Ground before my eyes was engulfed in radiant light.
Moments later, a far more colossal training ground revealed itself.

– What, what is this! The training ground suddenly expanded!
– Huh? New monsters are appearing…
– Ogres? Wow, so ogres appear now?
– No, but ogres are kind of terrifying to face…

Astonished voices erupted from the players.
What had been the reason for choosing the Divine Training Ground?
Strengthening.
While unremarkable initially, the Divine Training Ground was a national buff that improved dramatically with each enhancement.

‘If I strengthen it further, eventually it will grant experience bonuses.’

For now, a 30% experience penalty still existed.
But with further enhancement, I would instead gain experience bonuses while utilizing the training ground.
From that point onward, the training ground’s value would transform entirely.

“…I think I understand why you chose this.”

Jain’s eyes widened as she grasped the true value of the Divine Training Ground.
With so many opportunities to grow stronger ahead, I would reach my desired threshold in no time.
Now came the final task: selecting a new national buff.
I examined the list that materialized before me.

[1. Increased buff duration.]
[2. Enhanced all buff effects.]
[3. Fortified resistance.]
[4. Amplified combat power.]
[5. Increased vitality….]

Each option was an excellent national buff.
Yet among them lay a particularly rare choice.

‘Enhanced all buff effects? This rarely appears as a national buff.’

The available national buffs shifted with each selection.
Fortune determined whether one obtained something exceptional or merely adequate.
‘Enhanced all buff effects’ was undoubtedly the former.

[‘Enhanced all buff effects’ has been newly added to your national buff!]
[National Buff: All stats +15%, Experience gain +30%, Attack and defense power increase +15%, Player awakening rate +10%, All buff effects enhanced by 1.2x.]

I selected the enhanced buff effects.
The national buff that had been barren mere moments ago now flourished with substance.
The numbers were respectable as well.
This would prove invaluable to Korea’s players.

“Enhanced buff effects—excellent. The priests will be delighted.”

Naturally, it would benefit me as well.
After all, I possessed numerous buffs that strengthened myself.

“Then, since my business here is concluded, may I take my leave?”
“Before you go—I heard you had dealings with the Lord of the Dead.”
“The Lord of the Dead…. Yes. There was business. Quite serious business.”

Jain seized my arm as I turned to depart.
Recent events had kindled a concern she could not ignore.

“Will you be alright? You know he’s not the type to sit idle. He’ll seek retaliation against you one way or another.”

The Lord of the Dead was certainly a formidable opponent.
Yet I wasn’t without means to counter him. If I leveraged my current resources wisely, this could become an opportunity to gain considerable advantage.
However, there was one thing that troubled me.

“More than that, the Lord of Justice’s silence unsettles me. Especially considering she chose Japan over Korea in this Trial.”
“She must have intended to kill you. From what I hear, she even blocked Lee Su-ho from participating in the Trial.”
“Yes. Yet during the Trial itself, she moved quite passively.”

She hadn’t even seized the opportunity to descend, leaving it to the Lord of the Dead instead.
Whether she was moving cautiously because of what happened during the ‘Hero’s War’, or whether she was plotting something—I couldn’t say for certain.
Achiros’s actions deeply unsettled me.

“Lords… sigh, this is no simple matter.”

Jain exhaled a long, weary breath.
It was her first time witnessing multiple Lords rushing to kill a single player, and her first time seeing a player resist them.
The fact that the resistance was succeeding made it all the more absurd.

“For now, the Alliance will observe how the Lord of Justice moves. I apologize, but it’s difficult for us to take direct action.”
“I understand. It’s the Alliance, after all.”
“Yes… I’m sorry.”

The Player Alliance moved cautiously between the various Lords, walking a tightrope, and sought to maintain favorable relations whenever possible.
Especially when dealing with Lords of renown.
If relations with a Lord deteriorated, that Lord might relocate to another nation, taking their sworn followers with them.

“I’ll provide maximum support within what’s feasible.”
“Understood. Well, for now…”

Achiros certainly weighed on my mind.
But there was something I needed to do first.

[Special Events for Korea have begun! All players wishing to participate, report to the Star Battlefield!]

“I intend to handle what I can do immediately.”

Lord of the Dead.
The time had come to wage ‘war’ against her.

* * *

Lord of the Dead felt an indescribable humiliation wash over me.
There was no avoiding it. A Lord bearing a grand epithet had descended in person, only to fall to a mere human—not multiple humans, but a single one.
Just one.

[Ugh, grrrrgh… Aaaaaaagh!]

Who was Lord of the Dead?
The one who commanded the countless dead that wandered without end.
I had endured countless wars, emerging victorious in most of them.
Yet I had tasted defeat—a devastatingly bitter defeat.
A catastrophic loss worthy of being etched into the annals of the entire universe!

[Damn those other Lords…!]

By now, they would be mocking me relentlessly.
Saying that despite my grandiose epithet, I had fallen to a mere human—that for all my usual boasting, I had suffered such a pathetic defeat.
The thought of it kindled an unbearable rage within me.
There was only one way to resolve this burning resentment.

[I must prepare for a Lords’ War.]

Han Yu-sung. And the Lord of War who had made a contract with him.
That was the only way to settle this gnawing vendetta.
Of course, there was one concern nagging at me—I still couldn’t gauge how much the Lord of War had recovered her power.

‘She’s likely recovered considerably. But even so….’

The time was too short.
Considering when the Lord of War had fallen, there simply wasn’t enough time for her to fully restore her forces.
This could be an opportunity.
A chance to eliminate the Lord of War before she could fully recover her strength.

[Very well, then….]

I need to prepare for the Lords’ War.
The moment the Lord of the Dead moved with that thought.

Whoooosh!

A letter composed entirely of flames materialized before the Lord.
Soon the letter opened of its own accord, and a voice rang out.

– Ah, ah. Are you listening? You gloomy Lord who deals with corpses.

A voice the Lord of the Dead despised with every fiber of his being.

– Listen well, the Lord of War declares through this letter, right here.
– Against you, the rotting Lord of the Dead….

Laughter tinged the voice that echoed forth.
The Lord of the Dead’s brow furrowed upon hearing that voice.

– I shall wage a pathetically trivial 【Lords’ War】.
[This insufferable wench…!]

His face twisted with humiliation at the declaration that followed.

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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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