The Crazy Battle God Has Returned - Chapter 91

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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 91

Darkness. Everything was shrouded in an oppressive, suffocating darkness.
Okuyama Keiji exhaled ragged breaths from within the shadows.
The darkness that consumed everything around him rendered vision utterly useless.
Because of this, my senses had grown unnaturally acute.
Especially my hearing.

“Ugh, cough! Uuuugh….”
“Where is it coming from… where are they?!”
“Argh! My, my legs! It’s over here!”

Screams from my comrades echoed from all directions.
Even seasoned players with extensive experience and combat exposure were helpless against an unforeseen situation.
And I was no exception.

Clang!

“Tch!”

A sudden attack came hurtling through the darkness.
I deflected it with superior reflexes, but—
The moment my attention shifted, countless thorns erupted from the ground beneath me.

‘Where? Where are they…!’

I gritted my teeth and swung both daggers in wide arcs, cleaving through the thorns.
And even as I did—

“Aaaaah!”
“My arm… ugh! Damn it, where is everything?!”
“Don’t panic! Listen to the sounds and move! Gather in one place!”

My comrades’ screams continued to pierce the air.
I shouted loudly to rally them together. I had been doing so repeatedly, but to no avail.
The rising shadows had formed walls that blocked our passage.

“Damn it! Stop hiding and show yourself with some courage!”
“If that’s what you wish.”
“Guh, ugh…?!”

An ominous voice echoed from behind Okuyama Keiji.
A heavy impact crashed into his back.

Boom!

In the next instant, a shockwave of blood and flame consumed him.
Tremendous pain engulfed his entire body.

“Tch! A sneak attack… you coward!”
“Your words aren’t worth hearing.”

A clicking sound of the tongue.
Then came a relentless barrage—a sword, then a fist in the next breath, magic erupting simultaneously, an endless onslaught of attacks driving Okuyama Keiji backward without respite.
There was no time even to breathe.

‘No, this isn’t bad. If I think about it differently…’

Han Yu-sung’s attacks were concentrated solely on Okuyama Keiji.
This meant his allies had gained breathing room.
They could use this opportunity to regroup and gather their strength.
His experienced comrades would surely do exactly that.
So his task was simple.

“Ahhhhhhh!”

Clang!

To endure this endless assault and keep Han Yu-sung pinned down.
When he thought about it, those shadows couldn’t possibly persist indefinitely.
They would end eventually. And when they did, he would rejoin his allies and finish Han Yu-sung.
Okuyama Keiji fought with that conviction.

Whoosh!

“Ugh, argh!”

As time wore on, countless wounds—large and small—accumulated across Okuyama Keiji’s body.
He desperately evaded fatal blows while dragging out the confrontation.
How long had he endured like this?
His faith bore fruit at last.

Shhhhhhh…

The shadow began to dissipate.
Watching the shadow vanish without a trace, Okuyama Keiji exhaled in relief.
I endured. Despite the countless wounds inflicted, I’m still standing!
Now that the shadow has lifted, my allies will arrive shortly and…

“…Huh?”

In that instant, Okuyama Keiji’s body went rigid.
As the shadow faded, the surrounding situation came into view.
What greeted him were the fallen bodies of Japan’s players.

“Ugh, gaaah!”
“My arm… I can’t move it…!”
“No, my legs! My legs!”

Every last one of them bore severe injuries to their limbs.
Some had their arms so badly damaged they could no longer grip weapons, while others had their legs destroyed, rendering them immobile.
Who had done this?

Whoosh!

“Kuh, haaagh…!”

It was Han Yu-sung.
A violent gale crashed down upon the dazed Okuyama Keiji.
Blood Dragon’s Radiance shot forth in an instant, striking his heart with devastating force.
As Okuyama Keiji doubled over in agony, Extinction Flame swept upward, striking his face.
A violent explosion erupted, sending Okuyama Keiji’s body hurtling through the air.

Crash!

That was the end of it.
Okuyama Keiji, driven into the earth, convulsed once—and then moved no more.

“K-Keiji!”
“Ugh, gaahhh…!”

The Japanese players, regaining their composure, began to move—but far too late.
Their linchpin, Keiji, was already dead.
This was precisely what Han Yu-sung had orchestrated.

‘There’s no need to kill every enemy.’

Five enemies remained.
Players from Japan, a renowned power in the player world, strong enough to have advanced through the Selection Tournament.
But the Abyss Boundary had a limited duration.
Even for Han Yu-sung, eliminating all of them within that window would be difficult.

‘So I’ll simply incapacitate them, then eliminate their focal point first.’

Thus, I targeted their limbs.
Severing arms to prevent them from wielding weapons, piercing legs to rob them of mobility—rendering them helpless through systematic dismemberment.
Then, with the remaining time, I would eliminate Keiji, their core strength.
After that, everything else was trivial.

“Krraaaagh!”
“Ugh, cough…!”

Finishing off the Japanese players without their anchor was mere formality.
Yet the battle was not entirely over.
Han Yu-sung lifted his head. A ferocious roar echoed from beyond.

– Kuooooooo!
“It’s charging again! Watch out! One hit and you’re done!”
“Don’t overextend! We just need to buy time!”

The boss monster—War Demon.
Yoon Ga-ram and the Korean players were engaged with it.
Surprisingly, they fought well. It would take time, but they seemed capable of defeating it even without Han Yu-sung’s aid.

[Hmm, that woman… she’s grown stronger than I expected. Isn’t she one of Shadow’s lackeys who suffered a crushing defeat at your hands back then?]
‘Shadow seems to value her quite highly. There must be a reason for that.’

At the center of it all was Yoon Ga-ram.
Her mastery of shadow manipulation had improved dramatically. She was proficient not only in offense and defense, but also in supporting her allies.
This was why the Korean players could stand against Jeonma.

“I can’t let the boss monster slip away.”

Han Yu-sung clenched his fists.
What was the purpose of entering this preliminary skirmish?
To capture Jeonma.
I couldn’t allow that achievement to be stolen by Yoon Ga-ram.

“Let’s go.”

A violent gale swept forth.

* * *

The roar of players, the anguished screams of monsters.
And moments later, the thunderous sound of a massive body crashing down echoed across the field.

Boom!

The monster, its entire body destroyed, collapsed.
Jeonma—the boss monster of the preliminary skirmish ‘hunt’—had fallen.
It had been hunted by Han Yu-sung and the other players, and ultimately lost its life.
The players stared at Jeonma with dumbfounded expressions.
And at Han Yu-sung, who stood towering before the fallen beast.

“…Was it really that easy?”
“We’re on the same wavelength. I was just thinking the same thing.”
“No, Jeonma isn’t exactly a weak monster…”

Jeon Ma was undoubtedly a formidable monster.
Yet I defeated it so effortlessly that it was difficult to sense the actual difficulty.
The primary reason was that the obstruction—the Japanese team—had been eliminated beforehand.
In preliminary matches, one must contend with enemy teams while simultaneously managing the boss monster, which makes it treacherous….
Without that interference, the difficulty had diminished considerably.

‘Han Yu-sung, I felt it even watching him conquer the Tower….’
‘I thought it was exaggerated, but it’s not at all.’

The second reason was Han Yu-sung.
By monopolizing Jeon Ma’s aggression while charging ahead alone, the other players found it easier to maneuver.
The reduction in danger was merely a bonus.
And with Yoon Ga-ram present as well, it could only become easier.
Thanks to this, Team Middle emerged victorious from the match.

‘Everything unfolded as planned. The other teams don’t seem finished yet.’

Han Yu-sung brushed the blood from his hands.
Had the other teams finished, they would have been summoned back to the bench. Since they hadn’t been summoned yet, it appeared their hunt was still ongoing.

‘Nothing more to see here.’

The outcome was predictable.
Instead, Han Yu-sung decided to examine the message that had appeared before him.
The additional reward from the Godly Body ability for defeating Jeon Ma first.

[You have successfully defeated formidable adversaries.]
[You have satisfied the activation condition for the unique ability, ‘Godly Body’.]
[As an additional reward, potential is granted to 【Gladiator’s Proof】.]
[Fighting Spirit has increased by +5.]

A welcome message appeared.
The ‘potential’ reward I had received before in 【Night of the Hunt】.
Potential had been granted to Gladiator’s Proof.

[Proof of the Gladiator (Legendary)]
· Slot: None (Badge).
· All stats +10, Attack and Defense +10%.
· After each match ends, restores a certain amount of health and mana.
· Item effect strengthens with each victory in matches.
· All effects of this item activate only in the National Inter-Country Tournament.
· Upon accumulating sufficient victories, it upgrades to ‘Mythic’ grade.

I now had the opportunity to create a new Mythic-grade item.
The only drawback was that it activated solely during the National Inter-Country Tournament.
But it wasn’t bad. There would be more National Inter-Country Tournaments to come.

‘Once I create it, I’ll have something reliable to use.’

I fastened the Proof of the Gladiator to my chest once more.
The badge emitted a faint glow.

[As a reward for victory, 【Proof of the Gladiator】 is strengthened.]
[All stats +15, Attack and Defense +15%, Speed +5%.]

The item effect activated.
It would grow even stronger as I fought through consecutive matches in the main tournament.
And shortly after, the awaited message appeared.

[The preliminary round, ‘Hunt’, has concluded.]
[Results are announced. Korea’s Team Light and Team Heavy failed the hunt. Team Middle succeeded in the hunt.]
[Benefits are granted to Team Middle for their successful hunt.]
[Buffs will be provided during the main tournament matches, and participants’ health and mana recover to a certain level upon victory.]

It was a message announcing the end of the preliminary round.

* * *

The results were in.
Japan: 2 wins, 1 loss. Korea: 1 win, 2 losses.
For Korean players, it was a somewhat disappointing outcome.
Only Team Middle had won; the others were defeated.
Team Light lost overwhelmingly, while Team Heavy fought valiantly but ultimately fell short.
The gap in overall strength against the opposition was simply too vast.

“Wouldn’t we have won if our core players had gone out?”
“You know how it is. The risk was too great. If we lose, the main tournament ends too.”
“True enough. It’s actually surprising that Team Middle won at all.”

The fact that even one team had secured victory was remarkable.
Japan was one of the player superpowers.
Korea wasn’t weak, but compared to Japan, we still fell far short.
After all, hadn’t we suffered multiple defeats against them before?
A 3-0 sweep wouldn’t have been surprising—it would have been the norm.

“So, how exactly did they win?”

The players who had just finished the preliminary match posed the question.
How had Team Middle managed it? The players on the bench recounted what they’d witnessed.
How Han Yu-sung had moved, how he’d resolved the preliminary match.
The listening players whistled in amazement.

“He took out the Japanese players first?”
“That’s bold—reckless, even. If it had failed, he’d have thrown away the entire preliminary match. The fact that he’d even consider such a thing….”
“Whether to call it courageous or insane….”
“But the payoff was enormous. It’s absurd, but it worked.”

High risk, high reward.
That was how Han Yu-sung’s movements appeared to the others.
The risk was staggering. But by shouldering that risk, he’d achieved victory in the preliminary match far more decisively than any other team.
Han Yu-sung had single-handedly carried them to victory.

‘Can he display that same performance in the main tournament?’
‘Could we actually win this National Inter-Country Tournament? If Team Heavy wins like they did last time, and Team Middle wins too….’

Korea had lost every National Inter-Country Tournament held recently.
Team Heavy, with outstanding players like Lee Su-ho, had continued to win, but the other teams had never managed a single victory.
But if Han Yu-sung’s Team Middle were to win….

‘…there might actually be hope?’

I see potential.
Everyone’s gaze turned toward the space where Team Middle occupied.
All of Team Middle’s players had gathered in one place.
More precisely, they formed a circle around someone in the center.

“Wait, that’s…”
“Did I mishear? Could you repeat that? So what you’re saying is…”

Standing in the center of them was Han Yu-sung.
With all eyes fixed upon me, I opened my mouth without hesitation.

“I will compete in the first match of the tournament.”

It was a statement that made the players doubt their own ears.

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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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