The Crazy Battle God Has Returned - Chapter 234

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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 234

[Entering the Difficult Realm, Temple of Void.]

A sensation of being dragged toward a distant space.
The familiar feeling of passing through a portal—one I’d experienced countless times before—washed over me. And the moment that sensation faded.

“This place looks rather unpleasant.”
[Hmm… Everything here makes me want to burn it all down.]

Han Yu-sung stood alone in the darkness.
All that surrounded me was The Void. A viscous, mudlike substance—a mixture of black and pale purple—seemed to devour the ground itself.
No matter where I looked, there was no sign of a temple.
As I surveyed my surroundings, I opened my palm.

“Path.”

The Eye of Omniscience materialized above my palm.
The tightly closed eyelids parted, and a brilliant radiance burst forth. That light pierced through The Void and pointed toward my destination.
The Temple of Void must lie in that direction.

[You certainly use precious items rather recklessly…]
“I only asked it to show me the way. How is that reckless?”

The Eye of Omniscience returned to its original position.
I’d thought it would be useful, but it proved far more useful than I’d anticipated.
It fulfilled its role as a guide quite admirably.
Now, all that remained was to follow that radiance forward.

Squelch.

“Hmm…”

The mudlike Void covering everything around me troubled me.
That wasn’t all. I could sense an ominous aura mixed into the very air.
With each breath, that aura was absorbed into my body.
As expected.

[The Void is accumulating within your body.]
[As The Void accumulates, your body and mind will be consumed. Upon reaching 100%, you will lose yourself completely.]
[In exchange for being consumed by The Void, you gain power. This power grows stronger as your Void Erosion Rate increases.]
[Current Void Erosion Rate: 0.1%.]

The mechanic described in the Difficult Realm’s explanation had manifested.
It was quite an intriguing mechanic.

“A forced time attack mechanic, then. What’s interesting is that the more it accumulates, the more power it grants me in return.”
[I need to know what monsters lurk in that temple. Especially the boss monster. If it’s a creature I can only face with increased power….]
“This is going to be troublesome in many ways.”

The Void blanketing the ground writhed as if alive.
At a glance, it seemed like something I shouldn’t touch.
Watching it, I suddenly became curious.

Squelch!

[Have you finally lost your mind, my lord?]
“Be quiet.”

Han Yu-sung suddenly plunged his hand into The Void.
An unpleasant sensation washed over him, like dipping his hand into viscous mud.
Naturally, he wasn’t doing this without reason.

[The Void is consuming your body….]
[Current Void Erosion Rate: 0.11%.]

“The Void Erosion Rate—isn’t the accumulation speed rather slow?”
[Now that I think about it, for having plunged my hand directly into The Void….]

The Void accumulated far more slowly than I had anticipated.
Based on the description alone, the mechanic seemed incredibly dangerous, yet even after submerging my hand directly into The Void pool, the rate barely increased.
At this pace, I could conquer the temple without much burden at all.
Reaching 100% would actually be the harder part.

[【Heart of the Dragon】 is resisting Void Erosion.]
[【Nameless Blade】 is absorbing The Void.]

I could discern the reason quickly enough.
Han Yu-sung’s ‘Dragon Heart’. I couldn’t pinpoint the exact cause, but the ‘Nameless Cloth’ wrapped around it seemed to be resisting.
The former wasn’t particularly surprising.
But the latter was a different story.

“Is this Void connected to the legacy?”

Han Yu-sung gazed quietly at The Void writhing before his eyes.
I couldn’t say why, but a thought had been nagging at me since moments ago.

‘It feels familiar.’

If I had to describe it, it resembled the demonic energy I possessed.
The demonic energy felt as though it had been twisted by something.

“Well, I’ll find out once I reach the Temple of Void.”

In any case, thanks to this, the time required for The Void to accumulate had been drastically reduced.
Having gained this unexpected windfall, I needed to make good use of it.
Han Yu-sung kicked off the ground lightly.

Whoooosh!

A violent gale swept across the landscape.
Han Yu-sung tore across the surface at tremendous speed toward his destination.
At this pace, I would reach my destination in no time.
That would have been the case, had there been no interference.

Boom!

Han Yu-sung raced across the ground.
Then, suddenly, The Void surged forward like a tidal wave from ahead.
The Void churned and roiled, disgorging countless creatures.
They were life forms grotesquely twisted by The Void’s corruption.
Among them were humans and what appeared to be monsters.

– Grraaaaaah!
– Krrruuuuh…!

Enemies rushed at Han Yu-sung with roars.
Han Yu-sung stepped into a true stance and struck the empty air with tremendous force.

【Blood Sea Flame Barrier】.

A violent whoosh erupted.

A shockwave of blood and flame engulfed the enemies.
Flames clung to the bodies of the Void creatures and burned fiercely. Yet they showed no sign of pain, not even a whimper escaping their lips.
Instead, they charged forward with even greater ferocity.

“Fighting undead, are we?”
[Exactly! The moment I saw them, I felt disgusted!]

Han Yu-sung did not slow his pace.
Instead, he accelerated further, diving straight into the midst of the enemies rushing toward him. The black blade gripped in his hand radiated dense demonic energy.

Halmuk Swordsmanship, Third Form: 【Full Moon】.

A sword aura of demonic energy shot forth like a whirlwind, cleaving the Void creatures that charged at Han Yu-sung in two.
Remarkably, they did not die even as their bodies were split apart.
They crawled across the ground, still trying to reach Han Yu-sung.

“These things are worse than undead.”

Han Yu-sung clicked his tongue and prepared to unleash another sword aura.
But there was no need.

A faint whisper echoed through the air.

“Hm?”

The Void creatures began to collapse.
Starting from the cut surfaces where the sword aura had struck, their bodies turned to ash and scattered.
So they couldn’t endure once their bodies were severed?
Han Yu-sung examined the cut surface closely.

“No, it seems to be because of the demonic energy.”
[Indeed. The demonic energy is devouring their bodies.]

Demonic energy bloomed from the severed surface.
As the demonic energy consumed the Void that comprised the enemies’ bodies, it grew fiercer, and soon devoured the entire form of the Void creature completely.
The bodies of those consumed by demonic energy scattered as ash.
They hadn’t died from the blade’s cut—they had died from the demonic energy.

‘Is there a connection between demonic energy and the Void?’

In any case, I had found a means to dispatch these tenacious enemies.
The problem was that I didn’t have an abundant supply of demonic energy to draw upon.
I had no choice but to fight while conserving it as much as possible.
I stomped the ground once more.

[Do you see it, my lord?]
“Yes. It’s starting to come into view.”

How much further had I traveled?
Beyond the Void that filled my vision, a colossal structure appeared.
It must have once been pristine white, but like everything in this region, it was completely consumed by the Void.

[You have discovered the Temple of Void.]

I examined the building from all sides.
Every door and window that might have served as an entrance was blocked by the Void.
I clicked my tongue and slashed through the Void barring the entrance.

“So the entry restriction wasn’t placed without reason.”

This Difficult Realm could only be entered by those who possessed a ‘Legacy’.
I understood why now. Demonic energy was essential in this place.
Without it, I couldn’t even defeat the Void creatures that emerged as enemies, let alone gain the opportunity to enter the Temple of Void.

[The interior is… dreadful. It’s so dark I can see nothing. I wish to incinerate it all!]
“I’d rather not agree, but I share the sentiment.”
[Then…!]

The interior of the Temple of Void was terrifyingly dark.
Sticky, squelching sounds echoed from all around, and I felt countless gazes fixed upon me from the shadows.
I opened my hand once more.
The Eye of Omniscience rose above my palm, its radiance piercing the darkness, illuminating the path forward…

“….”
[….]

Intense eyes illuminated the interior of the Temple of Void.
Enemies lurking in the darkness revealed themselves.
Void creatures that had once been human or monsters.
Hundreds—no, easily over a thousand Void creatures filled the temple.
They all turned their gaze toward Han Yu-sung.

– Krrrrgh….
– Grrr, grrr….

Han Yu-sung let out a hollow laugh as he felt the torrent of stares.
The Void creatures, now aware of their enemy, began to move.
Han Yu-sung gripped the black sword tightly.

“Quite the violent welcome.”
[This is no time for leisurely remarks! They’re swarming in!]
“I know!”

With roars, the Void creatures surged forward.
Han Yu-sung charged at them, radiating fierce demonic energy.
Violent clamor erupted in the Temple of Void, where silence had once reigned.

* * *

The moment Han Yu-sung entered the Temple of Void.
A sudden message arrived to players across multiple worlds.

[The 【Temple of Void】, forgotten by the ages, has awakened.]
[The Temple of Void seeks to recruit Trackers to stop the intruder.]
[Will you become a 【Void Tracker】 and eliminate the invader?]

“…What is this?”
“Void Tracker? A temple? Is it something like a Difficult Realm?”

The message was utterly bewildering.
Most players scoffed and tried to dismiss it.
But the conditions that followed were far sweeter than expected.

[The Void Tracker is your avatar. Even if the Void Tracker dies, no harm will befall you.]
[If you succeed in stopping the intruder, great rewards await you.]

“Well, that changes things a bit, doesn’t it?”
“Kaaah! There’s nothing to lose here!”

They were right.
Whether they died trying to stop the intruder or failed in the attempt, there was no penalty. Yet success brought substantial rewards.
Why would anyone refuse?

“Hmm, an offer like this… I suppose it’s worth considering.”
“I accept! Killing is my specialty.”
“No one can hide from my tracking prowess.”

Of course they couldn’t.
The players who had initially hesitated changed their minds.
Countless players joined the Difficult Realm as Void Trackers.
Then the void pools surrounding the temple began to writhe.

Gurgle… splash!

From those pools emerged beings of pure void.
They were the Void Trackers serving as the players’ avatars.
They examined their new forms awkwardly.
The appearance and sensations were similar enough, yet something felt distinctly strange and unfamiliar.

– This should feel natural soon enough. So! Who is the intruder? Acting alone? Or a group? Either way, it doesn’t matter!
[The intruder is a single individual. His name is Han Yu-sung.]

The Void Trackers who recognized that name flinched.
They had no choice. It was the name of the human who had performed spectacularly in the recent Proving Ground event.
The fact that he hailed from Earth, a remote backwater, made it all the more astounding.
Of all people, it had to be him as the intruder.

– Bah! What does it matter? This is just an avatar anyway.
– Exactly. Only this Void Tracker avatar will die. In a situation like this, it doesn’t matter who the opponent is.
– Actually, this works out well. I’ve been curious about who defeated Groznak of the Halmuk. Now I’ll get to see for myself.

A bloodthirsty smile played across the lips of the Void Trackers.
There was nothing to lose in this arrangement.

– Hey, you! The one who boasted about tracking skills! Take point!
– We have numbers on our side, so we’ll split up and move. Let’s go!

The Void Trackers began to move.
Their objective: to kill Han Yu-sung, who had entered the temple first.

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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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