The Returned Hunter Has Awakened to a Hidden Class - Chapter 25
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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25
Chapter 25
Second Awakening (1)
“How far did you go?”
“….”
“Hm?”
“10th Floor.”
“10th Floor in one go?!”
“No.”
“Ah….”
Kim Jun was at a loss for words.
Park Min-soo, who had come out earlier and was waiting for him.
Even if not the 100th Floor, he thought he would have at least reached the 30th to 40th Floor.
“Really?”
“Really.”
“1st Floor, 2nd Floor, 3rd Floor… like that?”
“Argh! That’s what I said!”
Park Min-soo shouted with a flushed face.
“It’s actually good to go all the way to the 100th Floor.”
“?”
Kim Jun thought about teasing him a bit more, then patted Park Min-soo’s shoulder.
“Let’s stay strong.”
“….”
*
Temple of the Warrior.
A massive structure built from hewn rough granite stood tall before Kim Jun.
Among all the buildings in Tebe, it was the most rugged and imposing place. The Temple of the Warrior resembled a fortress.
Creak-
The heavy iron door opened as Kim Jun stepped inside the temple.
Two Guardians guarding the entrance nodded and greeted him.
The interior of the temple was magnificent. High ceilings, warrior statues erected throughout, and weapons filling the walls all displayed the dignity of the warrior profession.
Kim Jun headed toward the center of the temple. There, a man stood with his back turned.
“You’ve come.”
The man turned around.
“Lord Valderion.”
Warrior Promotion Officer, Valderion. Tebe’s greatest warrior in charge of warrior promotions and second awakenings.
But Kim Jun blinked as he looked at him.
‘Huh?’
For some reason, he looked much more energetic than when he had seen him before.
The Valderion he had met previously clearly had fatigue around his eyes and looked somewhat exhausted.
The current Valderion was different.
Restored vitality and fiercely burning eyes.
Ripple ripple-
He boasted a muscle mass too violent for someone who appeared to be in his 60s.
‘…His muscles are bigger than mine. Did something good happen?’
Kim Jun was curious, but he greeted him first.
“I’ve come for my second awakening.”
“Already?”
Valderion’s eyes widened.
He recalled the system notification that had echoed throughout the entire Tower a few days ago.
[Complete conquest of Heavenly Realm 11th to 15th Floors achieved!]
The moment that notification appeared, all of Tebe had been turned upside down.
“Who on earth conquered the Heavenly Realm in one day?”
“Ah, grandfather. Finally, in my generation, we might be able to leave the Tower….”
Everyone was curious. Especially the residents of Tebe.
The 11th to 15th Floors, called the Heavenly Realm, were more hellish than Hell itself.
That place where countless masters had challenged and couldn’t even retrieve their bones.
For Valderion, who had directly witnessed Kim Jun’s skills, conquering the Heavenly Realm wasn’t that surprising.
But level 50?
This was a story of an entirely different dimension.
‘No matter how much you clear the Heavenly Realm, it doesn’t give that much experience…’
From Valderion’s perspective, the fact that he had achieved level 50 was far more astounding than clearing all floors of the Heavenly Realm in one day.
Clearing floors and raising levels were completely different domains.
“Haha…hahaha!”
Valderion began to laugh.
“Puhahahahahaha!”
Explosive laughter erupted, enough to shake the temple.
‘Level 50?’
He had barely reached level 70 over his entire lifetime.
Even that had taken decades, but this guy…
“To think I’d see such a monster.”
Valderion’s eyes were filled with excitement.
Kaiser, the founder of Tebe. A legendary figure. The only being to reach level 120.
That was also when he had conquered the 80th Floor of the Tower.
But looking at Kim Jun now, he was certain.
‘This guy might… surpass Kaiser.’
Valderion’s heart pounded. With anticipation that he might directly witness a new legend surpassing the old one.
“Kim Jun.”
“Yes, Lord Valderion.”
“Do you know my grade and level?”
“I understand you’re B-grade, level 70.”
Valderion nodded.
“That’s right. B-grade level 70. Compared to previous promotion officers, it’s an endlessly pathetic figure.”
Kim Jun kept his mouth shut.
“All those who led this temple in the past were S-grade. Compared to them, I’m an endlessly weak existence.”
Valderion’s gaze changed. Sharp like a blade.
“But I stand here, proudly. At the pinnacle of all warriors.”
His voice contained absolute conviction.
“Do you know why? Because of one single reason.”
Valderion reached toward the air. As if gripping an invisible sword.
“Because no one could withstand my swordsmanship.”
The air grew heavy.
“What does it matter if my grade is low? What does it matter if my level is low?”
Valderion’s voice echoed.
“The difference in power is clear. Grade is innate, unchangeable. Some are born as strong, others as weak.”
He clenched and unclenched his fist.
“But all that power, all those grades…”
Suddenly, an energy like lightning flashed from his eyes.
“Before true skill, they’re nothing but illusions!”
Goosebumps rose all over Kim Jun’s body.
“It’s not the strong who win. It’s the winners who are strong!!”
Valderion glared at Kim Jun.
“What determines life and death is not numbers but will, and what decides victory is not rank but swordsmanship! Draw your sword, Kim Jun. Try to last 10 minutes against me.”
[2nd Awakening Quest Started!]
[Objective: Last 10 minutes in a sword duel against Warrior Overseer Valderion]
[Time Limit: 10 minutes]
[Special Rule: All skill usage forbidden. Only pure swordsmanship allowed]
Kim Jun slowly drew his greatsword. The blade reflected the Sanctuary’s candlelight, flowing like silver waves.
“I won’t just last.”
Kim Jun’s voice echoed low through the Sanctuary.
“I will defeat you.”
“Kahahahahaha!”
Valderion’s roaring laughter made the stone pillars of the ceiling vibrate.
“Yes, yes! Now that’s the kind of spirit that makes it worthwhile!”
The moment the laughter stopped, the Sanctuary fell silent.
Valderion drew a one-handed sword from his waist. Compared to Kim Jun’s greatsword, it looked like a pinky finger.
But the moment that small sword cut through the air, Kim Jun realized.
Size wasn’t what mattered.
“Let’s begin.”
Valderion’s first step stirred the wind.
The distance closed in an instant. The one-handed sword thrust toward Kim Jun’s neck. Fast and precise like a viper’s tongue.
Clang!
Kim Jun’s greatsword barely blocked it. But the impact traveled up his wrist.
‘How can a one-handed sword be this heavy?’
Valderion’s sword carried the weight of a mountain.
“Not bad for a first move.”
Valderion stepped back and took his stance again.
“Let me change it up a bit.”
This time was different. Not a fast attack, but slow movement.
But something deadly was hidden within that slowness.
Whiiish-
Even the sound of cutting wind was different. Like death singing.
Kim Jun tried to raise his greatsword to block, but Valderion’s sword changed trajectory as if anticipating it.
Movement flowing like water.
Swish-
Valderion’s sword tip grazed Kim Jun’s shoulder. The sound of tearing cloth echoed through the Sanctuary.
“Kugh!”
A groan escaped Kim Jun’s lips.
In that moment, the past came flooding back.
Even before his regression, Valderion had always been like this.
Standing before Kim Jun like a massive mountain, becoming a challenge that needed to be overcome.
Kim Jun had always lost in sword training against Valderion. Hundreds, thousands of attempts, yet not a single victory.
His master before regression, and an eternal homework assignment.
Kim Jun already knew all of Valderion’s swordsmanship inside and out.
What angle attacks would come from, what timing would bring what changes.
But knowing and blocking were worlds apart.
Just because you know a storm is coming doesn’t mean you can stop it.
Riiiiip-
Again the sound of tearing cloth rang out.
“Kugh!”
Kim Jun stepped back.
“Will you only run away!”
Valderion’s voice thundered through the air.
“Where did that spirit from before disappear to!”
Valderion’s one-handed sword flew toward Kim Jun like lightning.
Kim Jun desperately swung his greatsword, but his blade was already just cutting empty air.
Valderion slipped through all those attacks like a ghost.
As if he existed in a realm where swords couldn’t reach.
‘Yes, this was it.’
Kim Jun’s chest grew hot.
A desperate gap. An insurmountable wall. Perfect defeat.
What had forged him before regression were exactly these kinds of overwhelming beings.
To overcome the high and treacherous peak called Valderion, Kim Jun had struggled so desperately.
And now, that magnificent wall stood before Kim Jun once again.
“Haha, hahahaha!”
Suddenly Kim Jun began to laugh.
His wounded body, ragged breathing, streaming sweat. Everything pointed to defeat.
But Kim Jun’s eyes were filled with manic joy.
The first ‘caliber’ he’d felt since his regression.
“Valderion!! Here I come again!”
Kim Jun raised his greatsword again. This time his movement was different.
The taste of defeat was actually starting to excite him.
Every time his wounds stung, every time he was pushed back, a smile spread across Kim Jun’s lips.
Whiiish-!
Kim Jun’s greatsword cut through the wind. A different trajectory, a different rhythm than before.
Valderion’s eyes flashed.
‘Oh? He’s changed.’
An attitude that didn’t give up even when defeat was right before him. Rather, using that as fuel to burn even hotter.
“Kahahaha! That’s right! Now this is interesting!”
This time Valderion burst into wild laughter.
Their swords clashed.
Clang!
Clang!
Kagagagagak-!
It was a different sound than before. Faster, more intense.
Kim Jun swung his sword like a madman, laughing. He actually got more excited as his wounds increased.
Valderion was the same. Stimulated by Kim Jun’s change, he moved even more intensely.
“Good! Good! This is it!”
The two men began dancing with swords inside the Sanctuary.
Sword met sword, throwing sparks, and their swordplay carved deep sword marks into the floor.
Kim Jun’s movements gradually became more natural. Instead of forcing strength, his body began moving on its own.
‘Ah, so this was the feeling.’
He began to understand what swordsmanship was.
It was flow, not force, and art, not technique.
The essence of swordsmanship he hadn’t grasped before regression, or even until now.
Swish-
Valderion’s attack grazed Kim Jun’s side, but Kim Jun even enjoyed that wound.
‘I’m starting to read it.’
But gradually it began to show. The patterns hidden within Valderion’s movements.
Madness lurks within restrained power, and wildness writhes within precise movements.
“An opening!”
Kim Jun’s greatsword grazed Valderion’s shoulder.
He had finally succeeded in counterattacking.
“Kahahaha! Yes! That’s exactly it!”
Valderion cheered. He didn’t care at all that his flesh had been torn.
Instead, he became even more excited and swung his sword.
The two had already transcended mere sword practice. They were achieving perfect harmony, testing each other and elevating one another.
Ding-!
[2nd Awakening Quest Complete!]
[Objective Achieved: Successfully endured for 10 minutes!]
[Reward: 2nd Awakening qualification obtained]
[Special Reward: Swordsmanship comprehension greatly increased]
[Valderion acknowledges your skill]
[Intimacy with Valderion has greatly increased]
[Would you like to proceed with 2nd Awakening?]
[Yes / No]
The 2nd Awakening Quest was complete, but.
“Heuup!”
“Try blocking this too!!”
Clang clang clang clang-!
The melody of clashing metal continued to fill the Sanctuary.
As if this had been the purpose from the very beginning.
The Quest was merely an excuse, and what the two truly wanted was this moment.
This perfect moment of testing each other’s limits and confirming each other’s mastery.
Sparks flew every time sword met sword, and the souls of the two swordsmen danced in the air.
And then.
“What, what are these perverts doing.”
Hena, the defense captain of Tebe’s northern city wall, was left speechless watching these two.
Both were covered in wounds all over their bodies and bleeding, yet,
“Hahahaha!”
“Mmhehehe, mmhahaha!”
They were laughing.
“I, I’ll come back later…”
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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