The Crazy Battle God Has Returned - Chapter 2

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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 2

Two years ago, in 2022.
Without any warning, a message appeared before all the people of the world.

[This world has been selected as a subject of trials.]
[Prepare for awakening. Steel yourselves for the ‘Divine Trials’ that will soon arrive.]
[The Star Lords are watching over this world….]

A message urging preparation for what was called the Divine Trials.
And those who awakened manifested extraordinary powers—status windows, levels, classes, skills; powers one would only expect to see within games.
Powers granted to stand against the trials.
But there was no time to revel in such strength.

[The First Trial begins.]
[Monsters will appear across the globe. Face them in combat, or evade them and survive for a designated duration.]
[Rewards will be granted according to your performance.]

From that moment onward, countless monsters emerged across the world, and humanity came to understand.
The world they had known was utterly transformed.
They had to survive by wielding the powers bestowed upon them.

‘Unique Abilities were the most exceptional powers among them all.’

Most players began from the same starting point.
But among them, a select few—the chosen ones—possessed something called a ‘Unique Ability’ from the very beginning.
A power with special effects that only that individual could possess.
Han Yu-sung’s Unique Ability was no exception.

[Swordsman’s Spirit (EX)]
· A Fighting Spirit stat is generated.
· A special buff activates when fighting against powerful opponents. This buff’s effectiveness increases the higher your Fighting Spirit stat and the stronger your opponent.
· Additional stat increases occur when leveling up.
· Additional rewards are granted when defeating exceptionally powerful foes or overcoming trials that would be nearly impossible at your current level.
· This Unique Ability harbors tremendous potential.

Unique Ability: Demon God’s Descent.
The core effects were twofold.
A special buff would activate when fighting the strong, and I could obtain additional rewards.
The latter effect had driven me to the brink of destruction. To grow stronger, I had no choice but to throw myself into battles against the powerful.

‘And I received compensation proportional to that sacrifice.’

This was why I had become the strongest player.
I hadn’t possessed this unique ability from the beginning.
Among players, there were cases where unique abilities awakened through special circumstances, and I was precisely one of those cases.

“For a rank advancement, surprisingly little has actually changed.”

My rank had risen when I evolved from Demon Warrior to Demon God’s Descent.
But my existing abilities remained unchanged. Only one new ability was added.

· This unique ability harbors tremendous potential.

“Does that mean I’ll grow further?”

I stroked my chin thoughtfully, lost in contemplation.
For now, that was the only interpretation I could make.
This alone was already absurd, but if I grow further from here, what additional effects might manifest?

‘Regardless, this is an unreasonable blessing.’

If I had started with Demon God’s Descent from the beginning, how far could I have grown?
Even I couldn’t fathom the extent.
Perhaps.

‘Far enough to defeat Achiros, the Lord.’

Even if it seemed impossible, I had to make it possible.
In my past life, there were those like Lee Su-ho who led the world to destruction.
But they were ultimately just puppets of the Lord.
I had to defeat Achiros, the true source of all calamity.

‘By any means necessary, that’s what I must do.’

First, there’s something I need to do immediately.
The ordeal that every awakened person faces for the first time.

[In 30 seconds, you will be transported to the Tutorial Tower.]
[Learn how to survive as a player within the tower.]

The Tutorial Tower.
A kind of training ground, in essence.
I closed my eyes. And exactly thirty seconds later.

Whoooosh!

My body transformed into light and vanished.

* * *

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself within a tower.
A lobby with nothing but a stone monument standing in its center.

“A tutorial. I never thought I’d return here.”

A peculiar nostalgia washed over me as I approached the monument.
As I drew near, a colossal window materialized before my eyes.

[Welcome to the Tutorial Tower.]
[Here, you will learn how to survive as a player. The method is remarkably simple.]
[Fight and endure.]
[Achieve victory in the battle that will soon commence.]
[Select your difficulty level.]

Players gain practical combat experience within this place.
Death here does not lead to actual death. The tower leverages this benefit to acclimate players to real combat as thoroughly as possible.
The Tutorial Tower offers five distinct difficulty levels.

[Easy, Normal, Hard, Extreme, Hell.]
[Each difficulty grants different rewards.]

Naturally, the latter grows exponentially more difficult.
Hell difficulty has never been cleared by anyone to this day.
In my previous life, I recall someone finally clearing it much later on.
And the rewards for doing so were absolutely staggering.

‘Most players choose Normal or Easy. I had selected Hard back then.’

The Tutorial Tower offers no second chances.
Failure means forfeiting all rewards you would have earned upon success. That’s why most players select a difficulty they can clear with high probability.
A kind of safety net, if you will.
Those confident in their abilities chose Hard, and among them, those blessed with unique skills ventured into Extreme.

“Has anyone cleared Extreme difficulty?”

[Number of players who cleared Extreme difficulty: 5.]

Only five. Just five.
I could roughly guess who they were. Lee Su-ho would certainly be among them.
I gazed at the stone monument for a moment, then made my decision.

“I’ll start on Hell difficulty.”

[This difficulty has been attempted by countless individuals, yet none have succeeded. Are you certain of your choice?]

“Yes.”

I nodded firmly.

“Since I’ve returned through such hardship, I must begin with absolute certainty.”

Immediately, an array of weapons materialized before me. A prompt to choose my armament.
Having traversed countless battlefields, any weapon would have sufficed.
Yet I shook my head without hesitation.

“I won’t be selecting a weapon. Instead—”

Fighting barehanded felt more natural in my current state, and besides, there was something else I desired.

“I want to hide my appearance from the Star Lords.”
[The Tutorial Tower accepts your request. Your form will appear as a blurred shadow to the Star Lords.]

The lords watching over the Tutorial Tower.
Most of them are small-time operators. I have no intention of contracting with them now, nor do I desire to bind myself to those of such low standing.
There’s no need to reveal myself to them.

[Hell difficulty commences.]

My vision shifts.
The vast space that once held only tombstones transforms into a desolate wasteland.
And from all directions, the roars of beasts echo forth.

[Hunt the appearing monsters.]
[First Monster: Lv.10 Orc Laborer x 4]

Monsters emerge across the Grassland.
Green skin, frames easily exceeding two meters in height, bodies honed by labor.
Monsters gripping farming implements in their hands—Orc Laborers.

– Screeeech!

“Quite the fiery start.”

Four level 10 orcs for a player who has just awakened. An impossible matchup to face alone.
For an ordinary player, at least.
But Han Yu-sung was anything but ordinary.
I felt an intense heat surging from within my core.

– Screech?

The Orc Laborers targeting Han Yu-sung tilted their heads in confusion.
A crimson aura was emanating from the seemingly ordinary human.
Simultaneously, an indescribable sense of oppression.

[At your current level, victory against such a foe is difficult.]
[The effect of Divine Descent activates the buff ‘Giant Slayer’.]
[All stats +5, Fist Damage +20%, Speed +10%.]

It was the effect of Divine Descent.
A buff that activates when fighting the strong—’Giant Killing’.
It grants the minimum necessary power to stand against a superior opponent.
After that, everything depends on how the user fights.
Regardless of the outcome.

“Screech! An intruder! Kill it!”
“Don’t panic! We outnumber it! Screech! End it in one strike!”

More than sufficient against orcs.
The orcs’ eyes gleamed with malice as they bared their hostility.
They hefted their farming implements and charged at Han Yu-sung in unison.
Han Yu-sung drew in a deep breath.

‘They’re numerous. In a situation like this.’

A chaotic melee favors me.
Han Yu-sung kicked off the ground and charged toward the orcs.
The orcs were momentarily bewildered by the intruder’s inexplicable aggression, but only for an instant.

“The intruder charges to its death!”
“Screech! Crush its skull!”

The foremost orc raised a hoe high above its head.
Its target was Han Yu-sung’s skull. It moved with the intent to shatter it in a single blow, but.
To Han Yu-sung, the motion was merely too broad and cumbersome.
In other words.

“Screech, screech?!”

It was easy to evade.
Han Yu-sung simply twisted his body and effortlessly sidestepped the descending hoe.
A movement impossible to execute without precisely reading both the speed and trajectory of the weapon.
The orc, having swung its hoe through empty air, staggered backward from the recoil it couldn’t control.

‘Orcs possess a physiology remarkably similar to humans.’

Their vulnerable points were similarly distributed.
In other words, no matter how strong an orc was, it couldn’t withstand a strike to a vital spot.
I channeled every ounce of my strength into my fist.
And then.

Crack!

“Guh, wheeze…!”

My fist connected squarely with the orc’s jaw.
The sensation of bone shattering transmitted through my hand as a violent impact rattled the creature’s brain through its shattered jaw.
Unable to endure the shock, the orc’s eyes rolled back as it crumpled.
I kicked the falling orc away without hesitation.

“A gift for you.”
“You, human! Screech!”
“Roooaaagh!”

The unconscious orc’s body crashed down upon the orcs pursuing behind it.
I charged through the stumbling orcs, weighed down by their fallen companion.
I seized the nearest orc’s arm and wrenched it with brutal force.

Snap!

“Kyeeeeek!”
“Screech! Die, you wretched thing!”

While the orc shrieked in unbearable agony.
Another orc snorted and swung its scythe toward me.
I grabbed the shrieking orc’s arm and yanked it forward with tremendous force.
Hurling it directly into the path of the descending scythe.

Squelch!

“Kuh, gasp…!”
“Screech?! No, comrade! My comrade fell to my own blade!”

The sickle pierced straight through the orc’s skull.
The orc reeled in shock—he had just killed his own comrade with his own hands.
Han Yu-sung pressed forward without hesitation, driving his fingers into the creature’s chest like an awl.

“Gack…!”

The orc’s mouth gaped wide open.
The violent impact to its heart had stolen its breath away in an instant.
And then.

Crack!

A massive knee drove upward, pulverizing the creature’s face.

“Ugh, ugh-ack, my… my comrades… they all fell to one man….”

His companions had been slaughtered in mere moments.
The sole surviving orc trembled with terror.
Even witnessing it with his own eyes, he could not believe it.
A human who appeared to possess no particular strength was annihilating his allies with movements that defied comprehension.
But what terrified him most was.

“That… that monster is smiling….”

The human conducting this merciless slaughter.
Han Yu-sung wore a savage grin across his face.
As if he were savoring this battle—this one-sided massacre—more than anything in the world.
Eyes alight with delight turned toward the orc.

“Aren’t you coming?”

The orc’s body went rigid as stone, meeting that gaze.
The incomprehensible situation had rendered him utterly paralyzed.

“Then I’ll come to you.”
“Ugh-ack, ugh-ack-ack-ack?!”

Han Yu-sung launched himself forward, his feet tearing at the earth. The last orc standing had already lost all will to fight.
There was nothing left to witness after that.

Thud!

The orc with its neck snapped crumpled to the ground pathetically.
And that was the end of it.

“I didn’t expect to fight orcs.”

Han Yu-sung muttered to himself as he wiped the blood from his face.
The battle had taken longer than anticipated.
It was likely due to my weakened body, but the fact that I had engaged in quite an interesting fight against an orc laborer wasn’t entirely unfavorable.

‘My physical condition is better than I thought at this level.’

Han Yu-sung assessed his own body this way.
Slow and weak.
That was inevitable at Level 1. Still, if I maximized the benefits of my Godly Descent ability, Hell difficulty would be a worthwhile challenge.
After all, I possessed extensive combat experience accumulated through countless real battles in my previous life.

‘If additional rewards drop here, things would be easier.’

My unique ability, Godly Descent, provided additional rewards when I defeated particularly powerful enemies or overcame trials that were difficult to overcome at my current level.
One of these “particularly powerful enemies” referred to boss monsters.

‘These orc laborers wouldn’t be boss monsters.’

I couldn’t expect additional rewards.
Han Yu-sung glanced once more at the orc laborers scattered around him, then turned away. It was time to prepare for the next battle.
That was when it happened.

[You have successfully defeated particularly powerful enemies.]
[You have satisfied the activation condition for your unique ability, ‘Godly Descent’.]
[Additional rewards will be granted.]

“Huh?”

A message appeared before Han Yu-sung’s eyes.
A message about additional rewards—something he hadn’t anticipated at all.

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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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