The Crazy Battle God Has Returned - Chapter 50

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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 50

After concluding the Colossal Advance, Han Yu-sung took his rest.
It wasn’t a long respite—merely two days at most. The reason I refrained from tackling the Difficult Realm or participating in the Star Battlefield was simple enough.

“It’s about time God’s Trial opens.”
[Did the trial open around this time in your previous life?]
“Yes. Right about now, actually.”

God’s Trial was approaching its opening.
Considering what I would face within the trial, I needed to conserve my strength.

[Lord of the Dead, defeated in the 【Colossal Advance】!]
[According to mercenaries who participated in the Difficult Realm, it was a defeat historic enough to be remembered in the annals of the Colossal Advance. The Covenant of the Dead appeared greatly flustered by this unexpected loss….]
[A player who single-handedly led the Lord of Shadow to victory?]

Articles related to the previous Difficult Realm had surfaced.
It was a hot topic in many circles—the Lord of the Dead, who had boasted an overwhelming win rate in war-type Difficult Realms, had been defeated.
And there was someone who had made the greatest contribution to that victory.

[According to mercenaries who participated in the Difficult Realm, a certain player single-handedly defeated an Epic Monster and reversed the tide of battle. However, no one knows who this player is—whether they’re an Oath-taker or a mercenary.]
[The Shadow Oath-takers are maintaining complete silence. But based on the testimony of observing mercenaries, if we try to deduce….]
[A player who vanished without a trace—who are they?]

There was also talk circulating about Han Yu-sung.

[That vixen kept her word after all.]
“Well, there’s no reason not to. If I reveal my identity, the Lord of the Dead will become a nuisance. Still, they’ll find me eventually.”

This time, I fought wearing only the hood of a cloak instead of a mask.
Since I had recently been rampaging around the Snake Ruin while wearing a mask, I judged that the mask would actually draw more attention. That’s why I deliberately fought using the sword as my primary weapon.
That’s why he fought primarily with the sword in the first place.

“It seems they’ve taken measures to prevent me from saying my name.”

It was because of the messages. When the opposing faction defeats an Epic Monster, the name doesn’t appear, but when our own faction defeats one, the name is displayed.
It seemed they had prevented the Oath-takers and mercenaries from speaking my name.
It appears they’ve made it so that the oath-takers and mercenaries cannot speak their names.

[Still, the Lord of the Dead—that woman surely saw your face, did she not?]
“Probably. I wasn’t wearing a mask this time. But even so…”

It would take her some time to track me down, so it hardly mattered.
Before she could, I would accumulate sufficient power. And more importantly, from this point forward, concealing my identity would become impossible regardless of my wishes.
The trials that lay ahead made that inevitable.

Kuuuuuung!

“Speak of the devil and he shall appear.”
[Hmm, it seems God’s Trial has opened.]

A familiar rumble reverberated through the air.
The ground trembled as though an earthquake had struck.
It was a harbinger of the trial.
A message materialized before Han Yu-sung’s eyes.

[God’s Trial is now open.]
[This trial is a confrontation-type. Players will be divided into two factions, each pursuing different objectives in opposition to one another. Furthermore, direct intervention by the Star Lords is prohibited in this trial.]
[Players wishing to participate, please declare your intent.]
[Duration: one day. If participants are not recruited, refusal of God’s Trial will be recorded, and a penalty will be imposed upon the entire world.]

God’s Trial sometimes selected participants at random, and sometimes recruited those who volunteered willingly.
This time, it was unmistakably the latter.

[Recruiting participants: 62,141/700,000.]
[Will you participate? YES/NO.]

The total number of players participating in this trial was seven hundred thousand.
The participant count was rising in real time, and quite rapidly at that.
It meant many players were volunteering to participate.
The reason was simple.

‘Voluntary trials offer superior rewards.’

Better compensation than forced trials, and a broader distribution of rewards. And even if things went awry, there were ways to preserve one’s life. One might say there was a sense of respect for those who volunteered.
And secondly.
And second.

‘If participants aren’t recruited, a penalty will be imposed.’

There had been times in the past when they failed to fill all the participant slots.
What followed was, quite literally, catastrophe.
Disasters swept across the globe, monsters swarmed everywhere, and the devastation was immense.
The entire world had to pay the price for refusing the Trial.
So then, having paid that price, would this Trial be waived?

[Participants are being recruited again.]
[The period is one day. Take heed. Should participants fail to be recruited this time, a catastrophe you ‘cannot endure’ will unfold.]

It was not.
Only another recruitment message appeared.
That was when people understood. God’s Trial could never be refused. It had to be fulfilled, no matter what sacrifice was required.

‘If participants aren’t recruited, they’ll force people in by any means necessary.’

The methods were varied.
Regardless, it had little to do with Han Yu-sung.

[Player Han Yu-sung.]
[Your name has been added to the participant list.]

I intended to participate voluntarily anyway.
The rewards from this Trial were exceptional—there was no reason not to participate.
With proper utilization, I could raise my level significantly.
I leaned my back against the wall and waited for the participant slots to fill.
Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait long.

[Participant recruitment has concluded.]
[Transmission is beginning.]

God’s Trial had begun.

* * *

Everything was engulfed in light.
When the brilliant light that obscured everything faded away.

[Oh, so high. So very high!]

Han Yu-sung floated alone in the vast sky.
As I surveyed my surroundings, countless luminous forms came into view.
Tens of thousands—perhaps even hundreds of thousands—an overwhelming multitude of glowing presences.
They were the players participating in this trial.

Whoooosh—

Moments later, the clouds obscuring my vision dispersed, and the landscape of the earth revealed itself.

[This is the Dragon’s Tomb.]
[Once, countless dragons dwelled here, but now it is a world collapsing into ruin and devastation. All that remains are mindless monsters bereft of reason, and hidden ‘dragon souls’ wandering without corporeal form.]

A vast island stretched before me.
Though it was likely never an island to begin with. Its edges crumbled in real time. Perhaps it had once been a colossal continent.
As the world fell to ruin, it had become suspended like an island.

[At the center of this world lies the Dragon’s Altar.]
[The Altar contains the accumulated power of the extinct dragons. That power is meant for the mightiest dragon soul, and the Altar shall evaluate the offered souls, selecting the one possessing the greatest strength.]
[The chosen dragon soul shall become the sole ‘survivor’.]
[The Altar is currently sealed and cannot be utilized by anyone. However, when the appointed time arrives, the seal shall be broken.]

A colossal Altar stood at the island’s center.
It was an Altar upon which towered a statue carved in the likeness of a dragon.
The Altar was protected by formidable barriers, and within, lifeless dragon-kin soldiers stood guard over it.

[Here, players shall assume two distinct roles.]
[One is the Protector. You must seek out the hidden dragon souls.]
[Your mission is to discover the dragon souls concealed throughout the Dragon’s Tomb and cultivate them as much as possible before the appointed time arrives.]
[The other is the Destroyer. You must absorb the dragon souls.]
[Your objective is to slay the Protectors guarding the dragon souls, absorb as many as you can, and accumulate power until the time comes.]

To protect the dragon souls or to destroy them.
According to that choice, roles divided into Protector and Destroyer, and depending on which role one assumed, the trial’s nature changed entirely.
In my past life, I had been….

[Your role is that of a Protector.]
[Find and nurture dragon souls. Dragon souls grow when you defeat monsters or Destroyers, or clear Quests scattered throughout the realm.]
[The Dragon’s Tomb holds many secrets. Moreover, among the dragon souls exist special entities with unique skills! Seek them out!]
[If you are dissatisfied with your dragon soul, you can kill other Protectors who possess dragon souls and steal or absorb their dragon souls!]
[When the Protector Faction ultimately achieves victory, rewards will be granted based on the growth of your dragon soul and your accomplishments.]

Upon reading the message, Han Yu-sung tilted his head in confusion.
He had received a role different from what he had anticipated.

‘A Protector, huh. I didn’t see that coming.’

[Time limit: one day.]
[Find a dragon soul within three hours. Any Protector who fails to find a dragon soul before the designated time expires will perish.]
[As your dragon soul grows stronger, so too will you.]

With those words, my vision began to descend.
Countless orbs of light that had hovered in the sky plummeted toward the ground.

[All players will be randomly distributed.]
[Protectors, safeguard the dragon souls according to your covenant.]
[And claim victory!]

A deep rumble echoed across the land.

Han Yu-sung and all the other players touched down across the terrain.
Upon landing, I surveyed my surroundings.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve seen this place, but it’s still as desolate as ever.’

I stood within the Desolate Forest.
Beyond the forest stretched a vast island—once home to a thriving civilization, now reduced to nothing but ruins and decay.
Countless monsters lurked across the island.
And newly arrived players as well.

“Damn it, combat the moment we arrive!”
“Dragon souls… I need to find a dragon soul first! Don’t block the path—get out of my way!”
“Should I search for lower-ranked ones first? Or….”

Players who appeared to be Protectors moved about frantically.
And naturally enough.

“Destroyers, gather to me! We must assemble!”
“Let those bastards go. If we chase them, won’t there be Dragon Souls?”
“Damn it, if I don’t kill my quota, I die…!”

The players who appeared to be Destroyers moved with equal urgency.
Just as the Protectors had a Quest where they would die if they failed to find Dragon Souls within three hours, the Destroyers had a similar Quest.
A Quest where they would die if they failed to absorb a set number of Dragon Souls within three hours, or if they failed to kill a Protector.

“There will be tremendous casualties.”
[Mm. As you say, they will fight vigorously. How befitting of God’s Trial.]

Continuously issuing harsh missions while preventing cooperation between players of the same faction, forcing them into conflict and making them kill one another.
Everything was disturbingly characteristic of God’s Trial.

[So then, what will you do now? Is this not a trial you experienced in your past life? It seems you could utilize those memories.]
“I experienced it in my past life. Yes….”

Han Yu-sung in his past life had faced this trial, and he had emerged victorious.
However.

“As a Destroyer.”
[Huh? A Destroyer? Wait, your current position is….]
“This time I’m in the Protector Faction… the opposite faction.”

Han Yu-sung clicked his tongue in frustration.
It wasn’t that I couldn’t utilize my past life’s experience that was frustrating.
The Protector Faction simply didn’t suit my taste. The Destroyer Faction—absorbing Dragon Souls and hunting Protectors—was more aligned with my aptitude.

“Frustrating as it is, this is how it turned out. Can’t be helped.”
[Then, what will you do now? Will you search for Dragon Souls?]
“I have to search. The problem is, hmm.”

Han Yu-sung climbed up into a tree and surveyed the surroundings.
I could see Protector players fighting each other. They were battling over what appeared to be a small beast-like spirit between them.
That must be a Dragon Soul.

‘Based on its size, this must be a low-grade dragon soul.’

Dragon souls were classified from the lowest F-rank to the highest S-rank.
The higher the rank, the more powerful it was, and the more skills it possessed, making it a tremendous asset to a Protector.
Naturally, finding an S-rank dragon soul was an extraordinarily difficult task.

‘At least I have the advantage of knowing some locations….’

Like the ‘Noble Golden Dragon’ that a Protector named Galeon possessed.
I had a vague knowledge of where some S-rank dragon souls were located.
The problem was the existence of Destroyers. If I tried to locate high-rank dragon souls, there was a high probability of being tracked by them.
And there was one more thing.

‘Even fellow Protectors cannot be trusted.’

This trial encouraged Protectors to fight among themselves.
Because they could absorb an opponent’s dragon soul and steal their power. If one possessed a high-rank dragon soul, other Protectors would come hunting for it.
But for Han Yu-sung now, this system was not unfavorable.

‘First, I need to search for an S-rank dragon soul.’

I had no choice but to move forward, relying even on these hazy memories.
Han Yu-sung began moving to search for dragon souls.
Just as he was about to leave the Forest.

[The special effect of 【Blessing of the Trial】 activates.]

A message about the blessing he had forgotten appeared.
The reward he had obtained by achieving 100% contribution for the first time during the Night of the Hunt.
A message that 【Blessing of the Trial】 had activated.

[You have discovered the hidden piece, ‘Seed of Evolution’.]
[A path to the location of this hidden piece is being shown to you.]

Soon, a long arrow appeared before my eyes.
Han Yu-sung’s eyes widened.

“What is this?”
[A succession of unexpected events, Oath-taker.]

Kakasha replied with unflappable composure.

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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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