The Crazy Battle God Has Returned - Chapter 221

—————

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 221

[Beginning the second stage, the Realm of the Strong.]
[You have ascended to become the final boss of the Tower of Records.]
[From this moment forward, you must face off against all players who reach the Top Floor and prove yourself to be the strongest among countless mighty warriors.]
[Should you eliminate all players who challenge you, additional rewards exclusive to the final boss will be granted separately.]

Han Yu-sung gazed quietly at the message that materialized before him.
It was a simple mechanic. From now on, I am the Tower’s final boss.
Shortly, the players climbing the Tower would reach the 10th Floor.

[And you must face them, it seems.]
“Like a boss monster of the Tower itself…”
[….]
“….”

Silence settled between Kakasha and Han Yu-sung.

[…Is this not far too dangerous? I can predict your answer, but still.]
“I find it appealing. I was growing bored anyway.”
[Yes, I knew you would answer thus…]

Kakasha exhaled a deep sigh.
I had found it strange from the beginning. An event of this magnitude without a final boss for the Tower? Now I finally understood the reason.

[To make the first to reach the Top Floor into the final boss itself. Can you manage it? You will have to face countless players.]
“It won’t be easy. These are warriors counted among the strong in their own worlds.”

If I fought them one-on-one, I harbored no thoughts of defeat.
The problem was that even after eliminating one, the next would ascend immediately. I would have to engage in relentless combat against formidable opponents.
And that was not all.

“If they begin to cooperate, it could become troublesome in many ways.”
[Hmm…… Perhaps being the first to climb the Tower was not an advantage after all. Would it not be better to ascend later?]
“That may be true, but…”

Why would they structure the second stage like this?
Han Yu-sung swallowed the rest of his thoughts.
As if hearing his musings, a message suddenly materialized in the empty air.

[You are granted benefits as the ‘Final Boss’.]
[You may alter this floor into any form you desire. Each time you eliminate a certain number of players, you obtain ‘structures’. When you install structures, useful buffs are provided to you.]
[As basic structures, you are given a ‘Throne’ and an ‘Altar’.]

“Indeed. So I do receive some benefits after all.”
[Structures, huh… It’s not like I’m decorating a Dungeon or anything.]

A game-like UI materialized before Han Yu-sung’s eyes.
When I pressed the Throne displayed there, a holographic throne materialized. As I positioned it in the center of the floor, a transformation occurred.

[Throne of the Tower.]
[A throne where final bosses can indulge their arrogance. Sitting here and looking down upon those climbing the Tower must feel wonderful.]
[Effect: All stats, attack power, defense, speed +10%.]

An oddly described throne it was.
Regardless, a powerful aura emanated from the installed Throne.
That aura settled within Han Yu-sung, granting me strength.
The structure’s buff was applied exactly as the message stated.
Han Yu-sung promptly installed the remaining ‘Altar’ as well.

[Altar of the Lord.]
[An altar for offering faith to the Lord. You seem to hear the fox-like laughter of the Lord you serve….]
[Effect: Holy relics and grace, blessing coins consumption –30%.]

[Is that fox-like laughter referring to her?]
“Do I have another Lord besides you?”
[Tsk, tsk, tsk…!]

Kakasha bristled at the message.
It was always like this. Han Yu-sung casually dismissed the Lord.
Returning to the matter at hand, the structure was simple: kill the players ascending the Tower, obtain structures, install them, and gain various buffs.
If there was a problem.

‘The level of buffs granted immediately is… somewhat ambiguous.’

To be frank, they were barely worth mentioning.
The only thing that might prove useful was the ‘Altar of Lords’.
It would help when I used sacred relics I’d been avoiding due to coin consumption.
And there was one more thing that troubled me.

“Doesn’t this actually tilt things far too much in my favor?”
[Hmm, certainly…. You will obtain structures each time you eliminate a certain number of players, and you shall grow stronger with each acquisition.]

It was simple logic.
Those reaching the Top Floor after me would be players wielding formidable power. Fighting them would be no trivial matter.
But once I defeated them.

‘From that point forward, only relatively weaker opponents would ascend.’

Facing them would present no difficulty.
Especially not for me, empowered by the structures’ blessings.
Once I survived the initial hardships, I’d be coasting through the stage.
Would an event distributing ‘Eternity’-grade items truly be so generous?

[It seems there’s something else being concealed after all.]
“Yes. There must be another reason behind this.”

Regardless, what I needed to do from here on was straightforward.

“All I need do is eliminate those who climb.”

Roughly fifty participants had entered this trial.
Not all of them would manage to ascend the Tower.
Realistically, I’d face somewhere between thirty and forty opponents.
I sat upon the Tower’s throne, gazing down the staircase.

“Well then, let’s see who reaches me first….”

* * *

Tribal name: Halmuk.
A race of giants born from stone.
Even before being selected as Players, they were a race renowned for their formidable strength.
If there was a weakness, it was that they possessed a somewhat dull nature.
And their reproductive capacity was weak.

Because of these limitations, the Halmuk, despite their tremendous power, had never become the dominant race of their world.
But that was the past.
Everything changed when their world was chosen as a target for God’s Trial, and the Lords of the Stars came calling.

Kwaaaaaaang!

“Kuoooooooo!”

The Lords prefer races that are inherently powerful.
The results of their investment materialize quickly, and they can earn more coins. For this reason, the Lords chose the Halmuk.
And the Halmuk who became Players rose to dominate their world.

“Pathetic, worms. How tedious.”

The 9th Floor of the Tower, the Battleground.
A giant stood alone atop countless corpses.
The Halmuk race, blessed with tremendous power. Among them, one who had become counted among the strongest.
Groznak kicked the bodies aside roughly.

“Overwhelming. I am… strong…”

The giant assessed himself thus.
He had encountered no significant difficulties ascending the Tower thus far. The floors where he faced tangible enemies had been no different.
Had he not crushed all his enemies while climbing?
And yet, why…

[Someone has reached the Top Floor of the Tower for the first time.]
[Han Yu-sung (Earth) has become the victor of the first stage!]
[Han Yu-sung has ascended to the position of the Tower’s final boss. The Players’ objective has changed. Defeat Han Yu-sung, who awaits challengers on the Top Floor. The ultimate reward shall be granted to those who succeed!]

“How is it that I am not in first place!”

Groznak erupted in fury.
He had crushed every visible enemy on his way up, so how could this be.
The Lord watching his Oath-taker swallowed a sigh.

[“Ah, foolish Halmuk indeed…. You wasted so much time in the maze, yet thought you could claim first place?”]

The Lord of Steel exhaled a sigh he could no longer contain.
The Halmuk were remarkably powerful beings. Groznak, among the finest of their kind, possessed strength beyond question.
But he was foolish. Whenever a maze appeared, he would lose his way.
Having squandered his time there, he had no choice but to forfeit first place.

[“Even accounting for that, I believed he could secure first with the rapid pace he maintained on the remaining floors. It seems an unforeseen variable has emerged.”]
“Kuooooo! A mere human….”

In Groznak’s world, humans did not exist.
More precisely, they once had. But their power was so feeble that they ultimately perished as a species.
That such a fragile race would surpass him and claim first place—was this truly happening?

“I ascend. The Tower!”

Groznak began climbing the stairs.
The Lord of Steel watched him, lost in thought.

[Groznak is foolish, yet possesses strength more than sufficient to compensate for it.]

With my blessing as well, he cannot lose in combat.
And yet.
The fact that his opponent was an unknown entity continued to weigh on his mind.
The Lord gazed at the battle-ready Groznak with conflicted eyes.

Kuuuung!

Soon, Groznak reached the Top Floor.
What lay before him was a vast expanse of White Space.
Within it stood only a divine Altar and an enormous throne, towering in solitary majesty.
And upon that throne, someone sat.

[You have entered the 10th Floor, 【Han Yu-sung’s Domain】.]
[Challenger, advance forward.]

“You finally arrived.”

It was Han Yu-sung.
He stood with two swords planted in the ground, waiting for the challenger to arrive. His face bore unmistakable signs of boredom.

“Later than I expected. I thought you’d come up faster.”
“Kuuuuuu….”

Groznak stared at the human before him.
He was pathetically small compared to himself.
How could such a weakling possibly hold first place?

“What underhanded method did you use?”
“Hmm, that’s sudden. What are you talking about?”
“A weak species like you could never be first. You must have used some underhanded method.”

It was an amusing statement.
Only a Halmuk, confident in their own power, could say such a thing.
And at the same time, it was utterly arrogant.

“Fine. If I did use underhanded methods as you say?”
“No matter what method you use, it won’t work on me. My overwhelming power will crush all your pathetic schemes!”
“I see.”

Han Yu-sung let out a light chuckle and stomped the ground.
A tremendous aura erupted from him, and the earth beneath it twisted and fractured from the pressure.
Soon, fierce flames surged through the cracks.

Extinction Flame Technique, True Inferno.

Demonic flames mixed with magical energy scorched the earth and sought to consume Groznak standing upon it.
Groznak sneered and summoned his power.

“Fire! Trivial!”

A tremendous aura erupted from the giant.
Countless stones mixed with steel rose from his body, enveloping him like armor.
It was the armor Groznak trusted—one that could block any attack.
Mere flames could inflict no damage whatsoever.

Whoooosh!

It was exactly as Groznak had anticipated.
The raging inferno consumed my entire body, but that was all. It fell far short of incinerating the armor that protected his form.
Then, the sound of footsteps striking the ground echoed once more.

Kyaaaaaaah!

Groznak lifted his head.
He saw the flames that had been burning from all directions converge toward Han Yu-sung’s feet as if flowing backward.
Han Yu-sung shattered every remaining ‘Mana Core’ and stomped the ground.
That speed was.

“Kuooooo…?!”

So blindingly fast that even Groznak lost sight of it for a moment.
Han Yu-sung charged at the giant at a velocity that even sound could not follow.
The ‘Extinguishing Flame’ embedded in his unguarded solar plexus descended, cleaving through the air.

Kwaaaaaaang!

“Ugh, aaaaaaah…!”

The colossal body was driven into the ground in an instant.
With a deafening roar, the floor shattered and fragments scattered in all directions.
Groznak exhaled roughly, his face contorted in bewilderment.
What in the world had just happened?
He could not comprehend the situation.
But there was no time to comprehend it.

Whoooosh!

The ‘Extinguishing Flame’ had not ended.
Crimson flames erupted from his solar plexus, engulfing Groznak’s entire body.
He roared in agony as his body burned, his eyes filled with fury as he glared at the approaching enemy from beyond.
At Han Yu-sung, whose entire form bristled with dragon scales.

“Did I not tell you that nothing you do will work?”
“Neenooom, ingaaaahn…!”

Han Yu-sung mocked the giant, gripping two blades in each hand.
‘Flames of War’ and ‘Blood Demon’s Sword’.
He met the giant’s wrathful gaze head-on and pushed off the ground.

“Since you are my first challenger, I shall face you with my full strength.”

—————

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

—————