The Crazy Battle God Has Returned - Chapter 232

—————

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 232

Chu Gyu-il emerged from the Difficult Realm he had conquered.
Waiting for him were Han Yu-sung and the War Covenant Members.
The Baek Min-jun Party, who had been elsewhere, also joined to await Chu Gyu-il.
Chu Gyu-il regarded those who had waited for him with a dark expression.

“….”
“….”

A brief silence fell between them.
Chu Gyu-il’s gloomy gaze turned toward Han Yu-sung.
His eyes gleamed with deep resentment.
With a face full of discontent, he thrust his foot forward.
More precisely, the shackle fastened around his ankle.
It was a shackle adorned with something blunt and orb-like.

“Look at this.”

Chu Gyu-il nodded his head.
Han Yu-sung and the Oath-takers examined the shackle.

[Zephyros’s Yoke (Mythic)]
· Slot: Ankle (Shackle).
· A shackle imbued with divine power. This item grants the user tremendous speed, but binds them with an equally tremendous yoke.
· Agility +100, Agility +60%, Strength and Stamina –90%.
· Speed +80%, multiplier continues to increase the longer you move without rest.
· Skill effects utilizing Agility +80%, Mana consumption –50%.
· The user can employ 【Zephyros’s Incarnation】, which dramatically enhances the user’s Agility and Speed. Additionally, the user can automatically evade incoming attacks, and speed-based skills are greatly strengthened.
· This item automatically equips upon acquisition and cannot be removed by any means. This is the yoke that will bind you.
· This item grows alongside its user.

It was an extraordinary item.
Everyone who saw it thought the same.
Chu Gyu-il was no exception. Each effect was absurd beyond measure.
And the penalties were equally so.

“Strength and Stamina –90%?”
“What kind of item is this? The penalty is….”
“If stamina drops this low, wouldn’t even a scratch kill you?”
“Exactly! Damn it, that’s what I’ve been trying to say!”

Chu Gyu-il struck his chest in frustration, as if venting his exasperation.

“Ugh, cough cough… I, I went through so much! I risked death itself just believing in the promise of gaining power, and this is what I got!”

And the reward was an item like this!
Chu Gyu-il had every reason to feel aggrieved.

“Um, can’t you remove the shackles?”
“It won’t come off! Can’t you see? No matter what method is used, it cannot be removed! It says here it’s a collar that will bind me for life!”
“Wow….”

The Oath-takers gasped in amazement, covering their mouths.
At this point, wasn’t this just a cursed item?
It was enough to make one think that way. In fact, it certainly appeared to be.
Chu Gyu-il recalled what Han Yu-sung had said before coming here.
That he might die. Whether he could still bear it.

“You said you’d give me power, didn’t you? This isn’t giving me power—if anything, it’s making my penalties worse…!”
“Looking at just this item, that’s true. What about the other rewards?”
“…They’re here.”

Chu Gyu-il pulled out the other rewards with a sullen expression.
These were the rewards obtained from clearing three Difficult Realms.

[Book of Speed (Mythic)]
· Upon use, you learn an S-rank random skill related to speed.
· Additionally, you can add speed-related effects to a desired skill, and if it’s a skill type the book favors, you gain ‘Growth Potential’.

[Light Shadow Dance (S, Lv.1)]
· Classification: Active.
· A martial art utilizing the speed of light and shadows. A hybrid martial art combining fist and leg techniques, consisting of four forms in total. It possesses formidable power, but is difficult to execute.
· Effect: Agility +30, Speed +20%.
· Special Effect 1: All forms of this martial art, unlike ordinary skills, use only ‘Agility’ and ‘Speed’ as coefficients.
· Special Effect 2: Damage varies depending on the speed at which the forms are executed. If speed falls below a certain threshold, no damage can be dealt.

[Feathered Robe of Wind and Light (Legendary)]
· Slot: Armor (Garment).
· Defense: Variable.
· Agility +30, Speed +20%.
· This item’s defense value changes based on current ‘Speed’.

And then there was Zephyros’s Shackle on top of that.
Taken individually, each piece felt ambiguous.
Especially ambiguous was Light Shadow Dance.

“It’s a skill where damage doesn’t register at all if you fall below a certain speed. Why would they want me to obtain something like this….”
“Huh? Wait a moment, that….”
“…Oh?”

Chu Gyu-il trailed off, as if something had suddenly clicked.
Zephyros’s Shackle—which drastically reduced other stats while massively boosting agility and speed.
Light Shadow Dance—which dealt no damage to enemies below a certain speed threshold.
The Feathered Robe of Wind and Light—whose defense scaled with speed.
And the Book of Speed to enhance Light Shadow Dance on top of it all.

“In other words, this….”
“…All you need to do is match the right speed, isn’t it?”
“And they complement each other perfectly. Doesn’t look half bad, actually.”

The Baek Min-jun Party, who had been observing, interjected.
They were right. If the conditions could be met, it was actually a solid structure.
And Zephyros’s Shackle would fulfill those conditions.
Whether Chu Gyu-il wanted it or not.

“…So this was the method to supplement my combat ability?”
“Yes. Your strength and stamina can’t be reversed without eliminating your unique ability. Rather than waste those, we decided to amplify your strengths instead.”
“Agility and speed….”

Chu Gyu-il’s eyes widened.
At first it seemed scattered, but seeing it all together, the intent became clear.
And what was even more startling than that was.

‘How do they even know about things like this?’

Even Chu Gyu-il, who possessed 【Greedy Sense】, hadn’t known about these items.
How could Han Yu-sung possibly know about them?

[Did you learn this from your past life’s experience?]
‘In my past life, it was a setup that Chu Gyu-il was researching. I got the idea after seeing a player who obtained Zephyros’s Shackle.’
[So you benefited from research in your past life. How amusing.]

But the Chu Gyu-il of my past life never achieved significant results.
He couldn’t find an item to replace ‘Zephyros’s Shackle’.
Without the core item, the setup couldn’t be completed.
He regretted failing to obtain that item for the rest of his life.

‘It’s not particularly necessary for me, though.’
[Hmm. Both items and skills seem meaningless to you.]

They were decent skills and items.
But they weren’t particularly useful for Han Yu-sung.

‘I’d rather attack with a different skill instead of wasting time on that.’

I had plenty of useful offensive skills at my disposal.
But Chu Gyu-il was a different story.
His stats had decreased significantly except for agility, and his damage output had weakened.

‘If it’s a skill that uses only agility and speed as coefficients, that changes things.’

That’s why I had him obtain it.
Chu Gyu-il’s expression became peculiar as he belatedly grasped my intention.
Abandon weaknesses entirely, and strengthen strengths even further instead.
He was actually realizing what I’d only been thinking about.

“But I’m curious about one thing.”
“What? Tell me.”
“Your agility goes up, but all your other stats drop. Your health decreased too… doesn’t that mean you die if you get grazed?”
“Hmm, that would be the case. The ‘Windfeather Robe’ has its limits too. It’s better to fight with the mindset that you won’t get hit at all.”

Han Yu-sung answered as if it were someone else’s problem.
Chu Gyu-il stared at him with wide eyes upon hearing the answer.

“….”
“….”

A brief silence fell between us.
Chu Gyu-il’s mouth hung open in disbelief.

“In other words, you could call them glass cannons. Isn’t that what we call units with high damage output but who die the moment they’re grazed?”
“No, what are you—that’s not my problem! You’re insane!”
“Then quit. Is there any other way besides that?”
“There has to be, there has to be, there isn’t… there isn’t….”

Chu Gyu-il’s head drooped.
My unique ability is both a blessing and a curse. There’s virtually no way to shake off this formidable penalty.

“Think about it carefully. There are plenty of ways to supplement defense. You could raise the rank of Zephyr’s Cloak, or find other items. You could discover them using your unique ability. Couldn’t you?”
“…That’s true, I suppose. Hmm.”
“Or you could become so fast that your opponent can’t attack you at all. If you abandon other stats and raise only agility, it should be possible.”
“That’s also true, I suppose. Hmm….”

Chu Gyu-il nodded repeatedly.
Every single word made sense.
Sung Ha-yan and Baek Min-jun, who had been watching, exchanged glances.
Without either needing to speak first, they arrived at the same thought.

‘…He’s been persuaded.’
‘Yeah, he’s convinced.’

It was a situation where he could only be persuaded.
After all, Han Yu-sung had given Chu Gyu-il the ‘power’ he desired.
Even if it wasn’t in the form he had wanted.

“You should already know how to use that power. Shouldn’t you?”
“Know how to use it? How would I—”
“How did you handle the enemies you faced in Zephyros’s Trial?”
“That was….”

I didn’t evade—I charged straight through.
Rushing at enemies, dodging dangerous attacks with minimal movement while taking the rest head-on.

“That’s how you use the power given to you. Think it through carefully.”
“….”

Han Yu-sung turned away without another word.
Chu Gyu-il remained lost in thought, his head bowed.
Then he lifted his gaze.

“…Thank you for your help. I’ll use it well.”

Han Yu-sung didn’t respond.
To be frank, my relationship with Chu Gyu-il in my past life was far from cordial.
He was more of an enemy—someone I would have killed given the chance.
In other words.

[You possessed enough skill for me to remember you.]
“Well, that’s true. Though not in a favorable way.”

He was a man who committed countless atrocities in a world that was crumbling.
The fact that he survived meant he possessed genuine talent. Since he had a gift for wickedness, he’d make good use of this arrangement on his own.
There was no need to worry excessively.

“Hehe, we’re grateful too, Commander.”
“We found excellent items in the Difficult Realm you told us about.”
“Excellent doesn’t even cover it. Mythic-grade equipment, and we’re talking multiple S-rank skill books. Ha-yan, what did you acquire?”
“…I obtained Mythic-grade weapons and skill books.”
“Impressive. She gathered quite well too.”

The Baek Min-jun Party approached Han Yu-sung.
Thanks to my memories from my past life, I knew of certain Difficult Realms. Among them were some that offered Mythic-grade rewards but held nothing I needed.
I had directed those toward the Baek Min-jun Party and Sung Ha-yan.
Each of them had secured at least one Mythic-grade item.

“…Is this also preparation for war with the Lords?”

Baek Min-jun asked cautiously as he drew near.
Han Yu-sung and Kakasha had equipped their trusted subordinates with high-grade items to build their strength.
Simultaneously, we had elevated the overall combat capability of the Oath-takers under our command.
The reason was self-evident.

“Familiarize yourself with everything you’ve gained today. War draws near.”
“Yes, Commander.”
“…I will.”

The Baek Min-jun Party and Sung Ha-yan nodded with grave expressions.
Yet a lingering unease remained.

‘I wish I could strengthen the soldiers for the coming war as well…’
[The Spring of Evolution would prove beneficial. However, considering the multitude of enemies, such anxiety is warranted.]
‘True. There’s no remedy for that predicament.’

It was a frustrating limitation.
All I could do was maximize the Unique Facilities—the Spirit Mausoleum and the Spring of Evolution.
In any case, my work here was complete.
Han Yu-sung stretched and prepared to depart.

A sharp whistle pierced the air.

“Hm?”

Had it not been for the message that materialized before me.
An overwhelmingly dark and ominous aura gathered before Han Yu-sung.
And that aura carved letters into the void.

[A place where all things are consumed by The Void.]
[I invite you to the Temple of Void.]

Fortunately, it was the message Han Yu-sung had been eagerly awaiting.

—————

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

—————