The Crazy Battle God Has Returned - Chapter 77

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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 77

Something absurd had just unfolded.
The Blood Demon, who should have been dead, suddenly revived and swung his blade.
When I parried the strike, he praised me as excellent, bestowed a gift, and vanished.
Though I couldn’t yet comprehend what the gift was.

[Eeeeek! Why! Why does he have to be so inexplicably popular!]
“You’re giving me a headache, truly.”

Kakasha began convulsing.
Han Yu-sung exhaled deeply, attempting to make sense of the situation.
At that very moment.

Crack!

“Ugh…!”

A horrific sound erupted from Han Yu-sung’s arm.
The sound of bone fracturing, flesh tearing.
That wasn’t all.
The Moonlight Blade he held shattered, crumbling into dust and scattering.
The cause was painfully obvious.

“…That sword strike from moments ago.”

The impact from parrying the Blood Demon’s blade had done this.
My arm couldn’t withstand it, and the Moonlight Blade was destroyed outright.
Had that strike truly possessed such devastating power?
No.
It was an extremely light blow, devoid of any real force behind it.
Yet this was the result.

“The gap in our levels is overwhelmingly vast.”
[Eeeeek! He even broke my Oath-bearer’s arm before leaving!]

Beneath that deceptively simple swing lay tremendous experience.
With such a gap between myself and Han Yu-sung, and considering who could possibly intervene in this tower—
There was nothing to deliberate about.

“The Blood Demon has become a Wanderer.”
[Yes! The Blood Demon, the Blood Demon! Not that beast-like madman, but the Blood Demon who became a transcendent called the Wanderer! He has merely descended for a moment!]

Transcendents like the Lords can perform what is called a “descent.”
Simply put, it is possessing the body of a contracted oath-keeper.
Naturally, the price is astronomical. The oath-keeper who becomes the target of descent dies with high probability, and the transcendent themselves must pay an enormous cost.

[He is not an oath-keeper, but in a sense, that beast can be called the Blood Demon itself! That’s why descent was possible. What’s absurd is….]
“He paid a great price for this brief moment.”
[Hmm! An enormous amount of coins must have been spent. Truly mad. No, envious. If I had possessed that many coins….]

Kakasha swallowed hard with a gulp.
If he paid that price just to witness why a tower that should never be selected was chosen, then he truly is insane.
Moreover, he had taken notice of the blood flowing through Han Yu-sung’s body.

‘The blood flowing through me… it seems to refer to the Spirit of Blood Ghost.’

The S-rank passive Han Yu-sung possessed.
A skill with a description stating that the bloodline of a blood-starved ghost flows through him.
Perhaps that skill summoned the Tower of Blood Demon.
In any case, he said he would leave a gift for Han Yu-sung before departing.
I could soon discern what that gift was.

[You have received the reward for conquering the Tower of Blood Demon!]
[You have obtained 100,000 coins as a reward!]
[An additional 20,000 coins are awarded as compensation for witnessing!]
[Your level has risen significantly as an experience reward!]
[You have acquired 【Blessing of the Blood Demon】 as a first-time conquest reward!]
[You have obtained the special reward ‘Rusty Sword (Legendary)’!]
[You have acquired the skill ‘Blood Sea Flame Spear (S)’!]
[As a reward for your sacrifice, you have acquired the skill ‘Thousand Blood Sword (S)’!]
[Additionally, your Resolve increases by +20!]

The rewards I obtained totaled five in all.
Coins, a blessing, an item, and two skills besides.
A comprehensive gift set.
But the item’s name was peculiar.

A sharp metallic sound rang out.

[Isn’t this the sword that beast was wielding?]

A blade materialized before Han Yu-sung.
A sword left to decay for so long that its teeth had fallen away, its surface corroded with rust.
Needless to say, it was the very blade the maddened Blood Demon had once carried.

[Rusted Sword (Legendary)]
· Slot: Weapon (Sword)
· Attack Power: 100.
· The rust coating the blade aggravates the wounds it inflicts upon enemies.
· Upon absorbing sufficient blood, the rust temporarily peels away.

The effect seemed wasted on such a rarity.
My expression twisted momentarily, but only for an instant. My face returned to its usual blankness.
There was a certain conviction guiding me.
A conviction that they would never grant such a blade as a reward.
And that conviction proved correct.

[You may imbue one of your blood relics into the Rusted Sword. Please select the blood relic you wish to imbue!]

“As expected.”

The message I had been waiting for appeared.
There was no way they would award such a blade as compensation for clearing a Tower.
Which blood relic should I imbue into the Rusted Sword?

[You have imbued the Asura Sword into the Rusted Sword!]

In truth, there was nothing to deliberate over.
I selected the Asura Sword from among my blood relics.

[Rusty Sword (Legendary)]
· Slot: Weapon (Sword)
· Attack Power: 280.
· Attack Power +40%, Defense –15%, Attack Speed +20%.
· Sword-type Skill Damage +30%, Armor Penetration +15%.
· Activates 【Asura Blade】, which continuously absorbs the owner’s blood. The sword becomes slightly strengthened, and skills utilizing the sword are classified as ‘Blood-type’.
· Upon absorbing sufficient blood, the sword reveals its true form.

As a result, quite an intriguing sword had been born.
Outwardly, it still appeared unremarkable, yet its effects were exceptional. And there was one particularly fascinating property attached to it.
Upon absorbing sufficient blood, the sword would reveal its true form.

[A sword concealing secrets, then.]

I couldn’t know what its true form was, but I would discover it soon enough.
And the skill rewards.

[Blood Sea Flame Blaze (S)]
· Classification: Active.
· Radiates blood essence to unleash a shockwave composed of blood and raging flames.
· Upon direct impact with an enemy, violently shakes their body.

[Thousand Blood Sword Slash (S)]
· Classification: Active.
· A technique once wielded by the Blood Demon consumed by madness.
· A single slash conjures dozens of blood-forged sword auras.
· Originally a skill of higher rank, but you have yet to fulfill the necessary conditions to wield it perfectly.

Blood Sea Flame Blaze and Thousand Blood Sword Slash.
The latter—I grasped its nature the moment I read the description.
That technique which summoned countless sword auras from a single slash.
The only disappointment was that the skill’s rank had been diminished.

‘Conditions? I’m uncertain what conditions are required.’

Yet conversely, if I fulfilled those conditions, I could elevate Thousand Blood Sword Slash to a rank even higher than S.
The potential for growth was not unwelcome.

[Blood Demon’s Blessing (Legendary)]
· All stats +5.
· Attack power +30%, Defense –10% when fighting strong opponents.
· Blood-type skill damage +20%, Mana consumption –10%.
· The interest of the ‘Wanderers’ turns toward you.

Finally, Blood Demon’s Blessing was granted as a reward.
Just as Han Yu-sung had obtained the Trial’s Blessing, successfully clearing a tower for the first time granted a blessing related to that tower.

‘The Wanderers are a faction best left untangled with.’

Wanderers.
Simply put, they are transcendents who refused to become Lords.
Those who operate independently, outside the system of the Lords of the Stars.
Naturally, neither gods nor Lords of the Stars view them favorably.
Why would they welcome those who stepped outside their hierarchy?
Yet the reason the Wanderers persist as a faction is….

‘Because they possess power formidable enough to sustain themselves.’

Rivaling Lords with epithets, or perhaps exceeding them.
They may possess power comparable to gods themselves.
Even Han Yu-sung had rarely encountered Wanderers in his previous life, so he knew little of them.
Unfortunately, Kakasha was the same.

[I too know little of them. The only thing I can say with certainty is that the being who made us Lords and created God’s Trial tolerates the existence of Wanderers.]

Wanderers move according to their own purposes.
Thus, conflicts with them are rare. Only occasionally, in trials or special Star Battlefields, do encounters occur.
And when they do, a major ‘incident’ always unfolds.

[In any case, it would be wise to be cautious. Blood Demon shows interest in you now, but he is fickle.]
“I know.”
[Don’t give him any reason to take interest! Tsk, in another’s apostle, no less!]

Just as Lords of the Stars maintain apostles, Wanderers also recruit and sponsor players with exceptional talent.
But Han Yu-sung had little interest in their patronage.
A predictable Kakasha was far preferable to an unpredictable Wanderer.

“Well, I’ll find out what this interest is about soon enough.”
[I wish I didn’t have to know about this!]

Han Yu-sung chuckled softly and moved forward.
Regardless, the Tower’s conquest was complete, and the rewards were sweet.
With these in hand, I could navigate the upcoming 【National Tournament】 and the 【Preliminary Selection】 to choose representatives without much difficulty.

“For now, I should rest at the Safe House for a while.”

The wounds had regenerated, but the accumulated damage in my body still lingered.
Conquering the Tower this time would likely cause quite a stir, but right now I didn’t feel like worrying about such things.

[Leaving the Tower of Blood Demon.]

Han Yu-sung departed from the Tower.

* * *

Lee Su-ho was resting leisurely at the Hall of Justice.
Considering that the Tower of Blood Demon had emerged as a reward concept from the trial, the number of floors was likely not that high.
Still, six hours was woefully insufficient to conquer a tower.
The newcomer player Han Yu-sung seemed to possess considerable talent, but conquering it in that time was impossible.

“How much time has passed?”
“Four hours have elapsed, Lee Su-ho. Soon we should—”
“Yes, we should depart. Head to the Tower of Blood Demon.”

Lee Su-ho began moving at last.
Accounting for travel time, he would arrive when six hours had elapsed.
Then he would ascend and conquer the Tower of Blood Demon with its restrictions lifted.
I apologize to Han Yu-sung, who brought the Tower as a reward by overcoming the trial.

“We’ve stationed transportation over there. This way—”
“L-Lee Su-ho!”
“Hmm?”

Someone urgently called out to Lee Su-ho as he was moving.
It was his subordinate. Cold sweat was visibly dripping down his face.

“What’s the matter?”
“W-well, it’s something you need to check urgently…!”

My subordinate hastily handed over the tablet PC.
What appeared on the screen was a news broadcast.

[(Breaking News) Korea’s Player, Han Yu-sung. Tower of Blood Demon Cleared Successfully!]
[The time it took to clear was only 4 hours! Was it an easy tower?]
[What rewards did Han Yu-sung obtain from the Tower of Blood Demon?]

It was breaking news.
The news that Han Yu-sung had cleared the Tower of Blood Demon.
Experts could be seen flustered and chattering about it.

– If he cleared it in 4 hours, isn’t that an easy tower? Then the reward level would be….

Lee Su-ho’s face hardened rigidly.

“…He cleared the tower already?”
“Yes, yes. That’s correct. I couldn’t believe it either, so I confirmed it with the Apostles near the tower. The tower has collapsed, they said.”
“The tower has collapsed….”

There are two types of towers.
Towers that collapse upon clearance. And then there are towers that grant substantial rewards to the first conqueror but remain standing for a certain period even after being cleared.
The Tower of Blood Demon was the former. Its collapse meant the tower had been cleared.

“What was the difficulty level?”
“That, I’m not certain about. But considering the name….”

My subordinate couldn’t answer easily either.
Because he genuinely didn’t know. Information about the tower’s interior could only be revealed if Han Yu-sung chose to release it, and we had no way of knowing whether he would.
A situation where we couldn’t even determine what kind of tower it was.
Right then.

[“A tower conceived by the Blood Demon would not be an easy one.”]
“My Lord.”

Text materialized before my eyes.
A message sent by Achiros, the Lord of Justice.
Lee Su-ho bowed his head in salute.

[“Find out everything about that man.”]
“That man… Are you referring to Han Yu-sung, sir?”

Lee Su-ho asked, but no answer came.
A response as good as affirmation.
Having finished his words, Achiros vanished, and Lee Su-ho’s bowed face twisted into a grimace.
The Lord had commanded him to investigate a man who wasn’t even a Contractor.
What that meant was painfully obvious.

“L-Lee Su-ho, sir.”
“…Supplement the information you’ve brought me and present it to the Lord. And prepare a recruitment team just in case—the Lawful Guild should suffice. Since this is important, Jung Ye-hun will need to move personally.”
“Y-yes, understood.”

Achiros coveted Han Yu-sung.
For Lee Su-ho, who aspired to the position of Apostle, it was the worst possible news.
It meant an irritating rival had emerged.
He swallowed his rage and contemplated how to handle Han Yu-sung.

‘Should I draw him into my faction? Or…’

Harboring the conviction that Han Yu-sung would contract with the Lord of Justice.
Of course, it was a delusion that could never come to pass.

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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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