The Crazy Battle God Has Returned - Chapter 24

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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 24

Across the skies of every nation on Earth, words materialized.
Characters etched in blood-red, vivid and unmistakable.

[God’s Trial, 【The Hunt Night】, is now in progress.]
[Current casualties (China): 10,566.]
[Current casualties (United States): 2,911.]
[Current casualties (Russia): 10,896.]
[Current casualties (Japan): 2,535.]
[Current casualties (…).]

The words displayed the death toll from God’s Trial.
During an active trial, the situation is sometimes broadcast to the heavens in this manner. Occasionally, they even livestream the interior of the trial itself.
This Hunt Night fell into the former category.

“The trial just started and there are already this many casualties….”
“Is this normal? We’re not going to fail, are we?”
“How many penalties has our country received? Did we not clear them last time?”

Those watching the words trembled with dread.
More text continued to appear beneath the death toll.

[30% of Chinese players participating in the trial have perished.]
[The Hunter grows ferocious. Wild essence engulfs the city.]
[Players’ stats and speed decrease by 20%.]
[Savage tempests erupt throughout the city, consuming their prey.]

The situation deteriorated rapidly.
Casualties mounted swiftly, and the trial’s difficulty escalated in kind.
Only nations with high-level players and systematic organization—like the United States and Japan—managed adequate resistance.
The rest were devastated.
Yet among them, one nation stood out as peculiar.

[Current casualties (Korea): 1,135.]

“Why are the death tolls in Korea so remarkably low?”
“Isn’t it because Korea doesn’t have that large a population? The number of people dragged into God’s Trial varies depending on each nation’s population.”
“Even so, 1,135 deaths is….”

It was Korea.
The nation with the fewest casualties among all countries.
What was even more astonishing, however.

[Current Deaths (Korea): 1,135.]

“…The death count isn’t increasing?”
“What is this… Could there be an error in the tally?”

The death toll had stopped rising.
While other nations witnessed staggering increases in casualties, Korea alone remained frozen at 1,135—refusing to climb any higher.
It was easy to mistake the numbers for a computational error.
The people of Korea harbored identical suspicions.

“What? Why aren’t our numbers going up?”
“Is it even possible for God’s Trial to have only 1,135 deaths?”
“Something’s wrong… No, that can’t be right. The words written in the sky have never displayed incorrect numbers before….”

No amount of deliberation could yield an answer.
The collective thoughts of the people converged into a single question.

‘What in the world is happening inside?’
‘How is Korea responding to God’s Trial?’

It was an entirely natural inquiry.
The tragedy was that no one existed to provide the answer.
And there was one more thing.

[The Hunt Night has ended.]
[Korea’s Hunter, the Nocturnal Predator, has fallen.]
[Korea has successfully cleared God’s Trial.]

Before they could resolve their confusion, another mystery would compound it.
The eyes of those who witnessed the words inscribed in the heavens widened in shock.
It was inevitable.

[Record: 12 minutes and 5 seconds.]
[Congratulations! Korea has cleared God’s Trial in record time. Korea shall receive corresponding benefits!]

12 minutes and 5 seconds.
An impossible record had emerged.
One that had never occurred before, and likely never would again.

[Reward Dungeons shall open throughout Korea. Each dungeon possesses distinct characteristics, with rare rewards concealed within.]
[Discover and conquer them!]

With that, the message vanished.
As the message disappeared, Korea’s sky cleared. Yet all the people stood speechless, gazing blankly upward.

“What in the world….”
“What just happened….”

They doubted their own eyes for a long time.

* * *

Han Yu-sung returned to his small room and rested for an entire day.
Even if I had wanted to move, the situation wouldn’t have allowed it.
I was fortunate that the potion I’d drunk before resting had accelerated my recovery.
Kakasha greeted me as I awoke.

[Sworn One, you have awakened?]
“Yes. Hmm, this is….”

Han Yu-sung noticed his vision was filled with messages.
Messages about special dungeons appearing throughout Korea.
Beneath them lay an additional message visible only to Han Yu-sung.

[A reward granted solely to you.]
[You can identify the locations of Reward Dungeons that have appeared in Korea. Furthermore, you can confirm the level and name of each reward!]
[Your stats shall increase upon conquering Reward Dungeons, and the acquisition of experience and skill experience shall increase substantially.]
[Savor the rewards of your contribution!]

With that, the message vanished.
In its place appeared a map depicting Korea’s geography.
A map with markers scattered across various locations.

[Ho, reward dungeons, is it? It seems they’re being quite generous given your high contribution. There must be valuable rewards hidden within.]
“Likely so. Hmm….”

I gazed at the map, lost in thought.
Given the number of reward dungeons, it was obvious I couldn’t conquer them all.
Beyond the sheer quantity, the distances between dungeons were considerable.
So I would need to select which dungeons to tackle.

‘Which dungeon should I conquer?’

The answer was clear.
It was the dungeon offering the best rewards.
The problem was that in my previous life, reward dungeons hadn’t opened at this time.
Back then, Japan had cleared God’s Trial the fastest, as far as I knew.

‘What if the reward dungeons haven’t changed? What if the reward dungeons that appeared in Japan are appearing identically in Korea?’

My memories from my previous life might prove useful.
Of course, I couldn’t recall the complete list of reward dungeons that had appeared in Japan.
But I did remember the dungeons where special rewards had emerged.
Dungeons with exceptionally rare and powerful rewards.

“…Hermit’s Research Laboratory.”
[Hm? You’re referring to this location?]

Kakasha pointed to a specific spot on the map.
The words “Hermit’s Research Laboratory” glowed above the Ruined City.
My eyes widened.

“Is it the same dungeon? The name matches, at least.”
[We’ll find out once we go, won’t we? Besides, we have nowhere else to be.]
“True enough. It could be a different dungeon, but….”

Han Yu-sung rose slowly from his seat.
The rewards in the Hermit’s Research Laboratory were magic and a staff.
Extraordinarily useful things. I still remembered how the Japanese player who obtained these in my past life had performed.
There was no harm in taking them.

‘Especially if they’re a player from another country.’

My direction was set.
Han Yu-sung left his studio apartment.

“Let’s head to the Hermit’s Research Laboratory.”
[Hehe, excellent. Splendid. This should be entertaining as well.]

Kakasha laughed with evident delight.

* * *

God’s Trial had completely concluded.
The results were catastrophic.

[Total casualties: 462,489.]

The vast majority of nations suffered devastating losses.
Populous nations like China and Russia had managed to overcome the trial somehow, yet they too sustained enormous casualties.
Compared to those nations that failed the trial and lost their players, these two fared relatively better.

“The population plummets with each God’s Trial. At least we won’t need to worry about environmental pollution.”
“Is that something you should be saying?”

A supertall building erected in Seoul.
A young woman stood at the topmost floor of the building bearing the name 【Player Alliance of Korea】, gazing out the window as she spoke.
A man with a menacing expression standing beside her furrowed his brow.

“A light jest. We cannot survive this era without humor.”
“There are things one should and shouldn’t joke about, Lord.”
“Yes, I suppose you’re right. Well then….”

The woman called the Leader of the Alliance spun her chair around.
A ornate nameplate rested upon the expansive desk.
Inscribed upon it were the words: Leader of the Korean Player Alliance, ‘Jain’.

Korea possessed an organization known as the Player Alliance.
It managed Players, responded to God’s Trial and various challenges, and provided appropriate education and training to its members.
A colossal organization backed by multiple Lords.
Jain was the head of that organization.

“Have you discovered why our nation’s death toll was merely 1,135? Park Yu-ha, you understand as well as I do. This is an ‘impossible’ outcome.”
“Yes. Without question, it is impossible.”

Park Yu-ha, a man with a stern countenance, was a Player who had navigated countless challenges alongside Jain.
He possessed extensive experience participating in God’s Trial and was a veteran among veterans who had guided operations to success.
Therefore, he understood well.
That such results emerging from God’s Trial were impossible.

“God’s Trial is a concentrated embodiment of malice. It yearns to slaughter humanity. No wonder conspiracy theories emerged claiming Earth itself grew wrathful and sought to reduce the primary culprits of environmental pollution. Yet despite all this, 1,135 deaths.”
“Considering that the United States and Japan—nations whose Player caliber far exceeds our own—suffered nearly six thousand casualties….”
“It becomes all the more impossible.”

I had heard tales of the monster called Hunter.
A boss monster possessing an impenetrable barrier that rendered attacks ineffective.
The United States and Japan swiftly uncovered the Quest to dismantle the barrier, then unleashed coordinated assaults at great cost to eliminate it.
Despite executing the clear with maximum efficiency, nearly five thousand perished.
Yet 1,135.

“They achieved the fastest clear time imaginable. The Hunter was slain without completing the Trial’s Quest. Moreover….”
“By a single individual.”
“Difficult as it is to believe, such is the case.”

The Alliance had gathered testimonies regarding God’s Trial.
Most proved largely useless. The Players had been consumed with escape, lacking opportunity to observe their surroundings.
Yet certain details emerged consistently across all accounts.

“There was a Player who advanced alone toward the Hunter while others fled. We witnessed him engage in solitary combat….”
“He wore Eastern-style martial robes, they say. His weapon was a sword.”
“A swordsman? Given the level cap was sixty, he must be a recently awakened Player. All the more unbelievable.”

Jain pondered the question.
Could she defeat the Hunter in an identical situation?
Alone?
Impossible. Even she couldn’t be certain of such a feat.

“Regardless.”

Jain exhaled and leaned back against the chair.

“We need to find them. You understand, don’t you? The Lords are in an uproar. They’re demanding we identify this player immediately and present them.”
“Is that the entirety of your reasoning, Alliance Leader?”
“Of course not. Beyond what the Lords wish to see…”

Jain’s gaze, fixed upon the ceiling, grew cold.

“If we consider the ‘International Tournament’ that could erupt at any moment, we must find them without fail. A talent of that caliber might finally lead our nation out of the perpetual disadvantage we’ve always faced.”
“I will search through every swordmaster in existence.”
“Good. I’m counting on you.”

Park Yu-ha spoke with resolute conviction while Jain nodded in agreement.
Yet both harbored a fundamental misunderstanding.

“I’m curious what unique ability this swordmaster possesses…”

The misconception that the player they sought was a swordmaster.
The day this misunderstanding would be corrected seemed, regrettably, far away.

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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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