The Crazy Battle God Has Returned - Chapter 82

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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 82

Han Yu-sung had obtained three skills this time.
Two flame magics, and one passive skill.

[Inferno Storm (S)]
· Classification: Active.
· Summons a raging inferno that engulfs enemies.
· This skill has a long casting time and consumes vast amounts of mana.

[Inferno (S)]
· Classification: Active.
· Summons and fires multiple hellfire orbs. The flames incinerate enemies and consume those in proximity.
· The more mana consumed, the greater the number of fireballs generated.

[Undead Hunter (A)]
· Classification: Passive.
· You are specialized in hunting the undead.
· Inflict 40% additional damage when attacking undead, and ignore 20% of their defense and magical resistance.
· Capable of physically striking undead composed of spectral essence.
· Upon hunting a certain number of undead, this skill will advance in rank.

Undead Hunter was an A-rank passive skill.
There were other S-rank skills available, but I judged this one superior.
Though A-rank, it held the potential to advance—and considering future confrontations with the Lord of the Dead, this would prove most invaluable.

‘My flame magic arsenal continues to expand. Not bad at all.’

I had long lamented the scarcity of flame skills to utilize the fire damage bonuses that kept appearing, with only Melting Flame Technique available.
Now, worthy flame skills were accumulating steadily.
The fact that these came from the Lord of the Dead made them all the more satisfying.

[Rather than a gift, wouldn’t theft be the more accurate term?]
‘Tomato, tomahto. Anyway…’

Han Yu-sung sank deeply into the sofa’s embrace.
The luxuriously plush furniture cradled him in its comfort.

‘So we meet at last.’

I was currently in the VIP Room of the Korean Player Alliance.
It was a space opened only when the Alliance had someone special to receive.
Perhaps for that reason, the furniture and interior design were unnecessarily luxurious.
The reason I was here was simple.

– Please! I’m begging you! Will you come with us!
– You have no idea how much trouble we went through finding Han Yu-sung! If we miss this chance again, it’s overtime tonight, next week too, and the weekend as well…!
– T-the Alliance Leader! The Alliance Leader is coming right now!

The moment I cleared the open-type Difficult Realm, the Alliance staff who had been monitoring the situation outside came rushing in frantically.
And they spilled out words that were practically begging.

[So you came along because you felt sorry for those people?]
‘Not a chance. I’m not that far gone.’
[So you’re after something.]

It was something I could ignore entirely.
There was no reason to meet someone just because they wanted to see me.
But.

‘If there’s something to gain, that’s a different story.’

I could already predict what the Alliance Leader would say.
She would talk about the international competition.
Since it was something I had to do anyway, obtaining additional benefits wouldn’t be a bad thing.

Creak—

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

The door to the VIP Room opened.
A woman entered and sat across from me.
Long white hair, a well-trained physique. She was someone familiar—I had met her several times in my previous life.
Jain, the Alliance Leader of the Korean Player Alliance.
She was also a player among this nation’s rankers.

“I’m Jain. I hold the position of leader of the Player Alliance. I’m delighted to finally meet you face-to-face. I’ve been searching for you for quite some time.”
“It seems you’ve been looking since the Night of the Hunt, haven’t you?”
“Precisely. I’ve been searching for you since then.”

Jain smiled with a thin, knowing expression.
She appeared to be a young woman on the surface, but her actual age was considerably greater than her appearance suggested.
Her true age was somewhere in middle age.
She was a case of someone who had gained youth through her unique ability.

“You’ve accomplished remarkable feats. The Night of the Hunt, Dragon’s Tomb, Blood Demon’s Tower. And now, well… you’ve even conquered a Gate?”
“I didn’t exactly set out to conquer the Gate deliberately.”
“It seems you have some sort of enmity with the Lord of the Dead.”
“Yes. Well, considering I obtained decent rewards from it, I can’t say it was entirely unfavorable.”

Jain observed Han Yu-sung as he answered with such composure.
He was remarkably serene.
Most players—in fact, nearly all of them—would tremble with fear upon learning that a Lord had marked them as prey.
After all, they would be facing a transcendent being of overwhelming power.
Yet Han Yu-sung showed no sign of concern whatsoever.

‘Is it confidence, or is it arrogance?’

Jain’s gaze sharpened.
He had been intriguing even before meeting him in person, but now that they had met, he was all the more fascinating.
Particularly his demeanor—this man named Han Yu-sung.

“Would you care for some tea? I have some rather fine varieties available.”
“Let’s get to the point. I don’t wish to stay long.”

Novice players typically became intimidated in the presence of the Alliance leader.
Unless they were a foolish pup unaware of danger, they would inevitably feel fear upon sensing the subtle aura Jain naturally emanated.
Yet Han Yu-sung—this man—was far too natural about it.
He was casually disregarding the aura she exuded.

“What business did you summon me for?”
“Didn’t you say so yourself? That if you truly wished to meet me, you would come find me directly once you finished conquering the Tower? And here you are, having come directly as promised.”
“I didn’t expect you to take casual words seriously.”
“The person standing before me is a talent so exceptional to us that such words carry weight.”

It was quite an explicit compliment.

“As you wish, I’ll get to the point. Do you know the results of the last international tournament?”

Han Yu-sung didn’t answer.
Perhaps Jain hadn’t expected a response, as she continued speaking.

“In the last international tournament, Korea fought against China. And we lost 1 to 2. It might look like a narrow defeat, but it was actually a crushing one.”

The format of the international tournament changed periodically.
At this time, it was likely being held in the ‘Champion Match’ format.
Three teams divided by level, each competing in champion matches against the opposing nation’s three teams, with the overall results determining victory or defeat.

“The team I and Lee Su-ho belonged to won, but all the teams below us lost. It was due to a shortage of talent.”
“So, the Alliance is planning to support me, then.”
“….”

Jain’s eyes widened slightly.
That was exactly right. The Alliance intended to support Han Yu-sung.
Whether through items, training, or any other means. In the ‘Champion Match’ format, Han Yu-sung as a player would be an enormous asset.
Jain had stepped forward precisely to get him to accept the support.

‘Korea at this point in time isn’t that strong of a nation.’

After God’s Trial opened, the world’s standards changed.
How many players with powerful abilities a nation possessed. National strength varied accordingly.
By this standard, Korea was ambiguous.
Not a superpower, but not a weak nation either.
Korea existed somewhere in between.

‘Things would change with time, but for now….’

Every single victory mattered.
Especially in this international tournament.

“Precisely. If we lose in this international tournament as well, Korea’s national rank will drop. Having already lost the National Buff, if we fall to C-rank, we’ll have to bear even greater consequences.”
[Hmm, becoming C-rank would indeed be a serious problem.]

Kakasha interjected as he listened to the explanation.
Han Yu-sung’s status window displayed [South Korea (B-Rank)]—a designation that represented the nation’s grade.
But what exactly was a national grade?
It could be explained simply.

‘A nation’s investment value.’

Was it worth the Lords’ investment?
Was it worth the attention of those who had orchestrated God’s Trial?
Higher grades granted greater benefits; lower grades brought the opposite.
When a nation’s grade fell, facilities like the Dimensional Trading Post would withdraw, access to the Star Battlefield would be denied, and monsters would overrun the land.
Beyond that, the rate at which people awakened as Players would also decline.
And if a nation’s grade eventually reached the absolute bottom?

‘It would be as good as annihilation.’

There were already numerous nations that had fallen in precisely this manner.
In other words, even if one couldn’t raise the national grade, it was imperative to fight desperately to prevent it from dropping below a certain threshold.

“Given such circumstances, your assistance is absolutely vital. So much so that I, the Alliance Leader, have come personally. For the sake of our future, we intend to support you in this manner….”

Jain elaborated at considerable length.
Skills, items, personal protection, intelligence support, monthly stipends, housing, and more….
At first glance, it sounded like unconditional support from the nation itself.
But.

‘Nothing in this world is given without a price.’

Accepting support would certainly be convenient, but it would entangle me with the Alliance beyond necessity.
For with such support came corresponding responsibilities and obligations.
Moreover, since the Alliance had multiple Lords backing it, becoming entangled would mean their interests would intertwine as well, making everything far more troublesome than I desired.
This was not the path Han Yu-sung wished to walk.

“I don’t need support. Instead, let’s make a deal.”
“…A deal? What sort of deal are you proposing?”

The Alliance’s support held little merit for Han Yu-sung.
A different arrangement—a different form of compensation—would be far more appealing.

“Coins. I’d like the Alliance to reward me with coins based on my performance in the National Tournament. What do you think?”

I would participate in the National Tournament and achieve the results they desired.
In exchange, I wanted coins—not ‘support’, but a ‘transaction’.
A proposal to strengthen Kakasha, that coin-devouring beast.
Upon hearing this, Jain fell into brief contemplation.

“…How many coins are you asking for?”
“I obtained 600,000 coins from the last trial.”
“600,000….”

Jain’s pupils dilated slightly at the figure.
Even Jain, who had participated in numerous trials and experienced countless things, had never heard of such a sum.
Not money—600,000 coins.
And from just a single trial!

“It’s impossible to offer that many coins as a reward.”
“I don’t expect that much. However, you could certainly offer a reasonable amount of coins as compensation. As the price of this transaction.”
“…Hmm.”

An ambiguous smile played at the corners of Jain’s lips.
Rather than receiving support from the nation and the Alliance, I wanted compensation for completing the work—a transactional arrangement rather than a supportive one.
Not the format she preferred.
Support could continue steadily into the future, but a transaction would likely end once the job was done—a one-time relationship with a high probability of termination.

‘Is there any possibility of persuasion?’

Jain judged quickly.
Han Yu-sung’s recent actions, and what she felt upon meeting him directly.
Impossible. He wasn’t the type to be swayed by persuasion.
Then.

“Fine, let’s do it that way. If you perform sufficiently in the National Tournament, I’ll provide appropriate compensation. As the price of this transaction.”
“Clean and simple. I accept.”

The conversation was over.
Having determined this, Han Yu-sung rose from his seat.
Jain didn’t stop him. She had realized from this brief exchange that he wasn’t the type to engage in unnecessary prolonged conversation.
But there was one thing she wanted to know.

“I have something to ask you.”
“Please, go ahead.”

Han Yu-sung turned to leave, his back already facing her.
Jain hurled her question toward his retreating figure.

“Will you reconsider joining the Player Alliance?”
“No.”
“I’d like to know why.”

Han Yu-sung answered with unwavering resolve.

“I have no intention of belonging to any particular organization.”

With those words, Han Yu-sung departed from the VIP Room.
Jain gazed upward at the ceiling and closed her eyes.

“A formidable adversary indeed.”

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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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