Chapter 101: Jigo (High)

The underground training ground of the Hunter Association.

Inside the colosseum constructed of concrete, a fierce battle among A+ rank hunters was unfolding.

Boom! Crash-boom! Crash-crash-boom!

Flames, ice spears, and chunks of concrete scattered in all directions.

It was a scene of utter chaos.

The A+ rank hunters, bewitched by the manager of the 4th floor, were struggling to seize a nonexistent S-rank artifact.

Meanwhile.

“…There you are?”

I was watching the manager of the 4th floor.

<Eye of Truth>

– Storage Number: MRG-2417

– Storage Grade: Observation

The left eye of the Archangel of Truth, Bonferdan.

In the lofty heavens, there exist twelve archangels who govern the celestial laws.

Among them, the Archangel ‘Bonferdan,’ who governs truth, had observed humans since primordial times.

The only creatures among all living beings that habitually lie.

Pitiful beings surrounded by ugly and cunning falsehoods, suffering throughout their lives.

Bonferdan pitied them and plucked out his own left eye, which could pierce through truth, gifting it to humanity.

Wishing for a peace where lies vanished among humans and only truth filled the world.

However, humans abused Bonferdan’s eye as a tool for their desires.

Endless wars erupted over Bonferdan’s eye, and the human world transformed into a hell filled with pain and screams.

“Believing in humans. Closer to the Archangel of Foolishness than the Archangel of Truth.” 

-Featherback-

The reward I received after recovering all the stolen storage items from Paracelsus’s laboratory.

It was an artifact that revealed all falsehoods in the wearer’s vision.

Soon, the illusory landscape of the training ground melted away in a gooey mess.

Slimy mucus covering reddish flesh.

The place we were in resembled the interior of some gigantic monster’s stomach.

‘…So this is the true appearance of the 4th floor.’

Shortly after, I located the manager of the 4th floor.

The individual who had posed as the host of the colosseum and promised to provide an S-rank artifact.

It was the association president.

The neatly dressed middle-aged man was nowhere to be seen, and in his place stood a grotesque creature.

Flutter-

A bizarre and hideous form, like a mix of lizard and human.

A reptilian with skin covered in dark green scales and a long tongue flicking out from a lizard’s head.

Its alien appearance instinctively evoked disgust.

At that moment, Lee Geuk spoke.

“Heh heh heh— So it was disguised as the association president after all.”

“You knew?”

“Just intuition. You get sharp about these things when you age.”

At that instant, the manager of the 4th floor fixed its gaze on me.

[Intriguing.]

The voice flowed directly into my mind.

[To think three of you resisted the power of illusion bestowed by Lord Maslow. There are more interesting beings in this world than expected.]

The manager’s yellow eyes flashed as it smiled.

An arrogant and cruel expression, as if everything was proceeding according to plan.

Then, Jeanne and Lee Geuk drew their swords simultaneously.

The two crossed in an X shape and charged forward.

Swish! Slash~!

Sword strikes as fast as lightning poured toward the manager.

Their swords were graceful and precise, with perfect speed and timing.

Their synergy matched perfectly, as if one person was fighting, achieving an exquisite harmony.

Boom-boom-boom-boom!

The air split, and the ground shook.

But.

Clang-

The manager of the 4th floor swung its hand, creating a transparent barrier.

A powerful shockwave spread out, repelling Jeanne and Lee Geuk’s attacks.

Invisible walls trembled wherever the sword tips grazed, sparks flying.

Yet, not a single scratch on the barrier.

It was a membrane of mana that seemed impenetrable by any physical attack.

Jeanne and Lee Geuk were beings with top-tier A+ rank attack power.

If even their combined assault couldn’t breach that membrane, my skills certainly wouldn’t work.

The manager began to cackle with laughter.

[Heh heh heh…

You thought you could handle me with this? Your skills are decent, but you’re still far off.]

The reptilian’s bright red tongue flicked out, its yellow eyes gleaming darkly with a sense of superiority.

[What you’ve experienced so far is merely the beginning. Compared to Lord Maslow’s grand plan, you’re less than dust. Soon, this world will rest in Lord Maslow’s embrace!]

Then, Jeanne began to release her mana.

Rumble-rumble-rumble-

Black mana erupted like an active volcano, swirling around.

No doubt about it.

Jeanne intended to use the Gluttony Slash ultimate technique.

But.

‘…That doesn’t seem like a good idea.’

If she unleashed this technique now, not only the manager of the 4th floor but also the A+ rank hunters still trapped in the illusion would all get caught up in it.

The risk of innocent casualties was high.

At that moment.

“Heh heh— Jeanne, my boy. Would you leave this to me?”

Lee Geuk restrained Jeanne.

After a moment of hesitation, Jeanne turned her gaze toward me.

‘What should we do?’

Her eyes seemed to ask.

When I nodded, Jeanne finally sheathed her sword.

At the same time.

Shing-

Lee Geuk drew something from his bosom.

A dark red sword branching into seven.

From the hilt, seven blades extended like tree branches.

‘The Chamyo Chiljido (Seven-Branched Sword).’

It was Lee Geuk’s weapon.

Even staring intently, no guidebook page appeared.

That was only natural.

‘The Chamyo Chiljido isn’t an artifact.’

In 1935, the excavation team of the Governor-General of Korea discovered a peculiar relic at a temple site in Buyeo Gunsuri, the last capital of Baekje.

But details about the sword’s exact form or current whereabouts were not well known.

Afterward, for a long time, the existence of the Chamyo Chiljido was considered a legend in the world.

However, that legendary famed sword had been passed down through generations in the family of Lee Geuk, the legitimate descendant of the Joseon dynasty.

Most hunters used magical items—artifacts from the Lokpia Continent—as weapons.

That was the best way to maximize combat power.

But Lee Geuk was different.

A weapon made solely of steel, with no magic or special effects.

Lee Geuk had proven it.

True power comes not from the weapon, but from the hand that wields it.

At that moment, Lee Geuk murmured softly.

“Seven one seven twenty-four seven three twenty-one…….”

Intense sword aura began to emanate from Lee Geuk’s right arm gripping the blade.

A majestic sight, like lava erupting.

Soon, a dazzling radiance began to envelop the Chamyo Chiljido.

Great-great-great-great-

A golden aura coated the seven blades of the Chamyo Chiljido.

Aura in solid form.

It clearly revealed that Lee Geuk had ascended to the realm of Swordmaster.

The aura pricked at the skin like needles.

The nerves throughout the body tingled as if electrocuted.

An ordinary person would have lost consciousness just from being nearby.

Once the blade of mana fully enveloped the Chamyo Chiljido.

Rumble- Boom-boom!

Thunder began to roar.

A deafening echo resounding through the concrete crevices.

But paradoxically, silence lingered in the training ground.

Because all the A+ rank hunters who had been engaged in fierce combat were now standing still, staring at Lee Geuk.

Shin Sodam and Han Seoha too.

Cheok Junseong and Ma Seokdong too.

HardboiledPC and Jo Taekyung too.

The A+ rank hunters, who had been fighting with killing intent, were catching their breath with rigid faces.

None showed it outwardly, but it was clear to my eyes.

Slightly trembling pupils. 

Adam’s apples bobbing faintly. 

Quickened breathing.

Everyone present was in awe of Lee Geuk.

At that moment.

“I’ve seen it several times, but it’s quite the aura. Still, it doesn’t compare to Master’s.”

Jeanne spoke to me with a calm face.

Just two people.

Only I and Jeanne were maintaining our composure.

Soon.

Boom! Rumble! Crash!

Golden flashes split into seven branches and surged forward.

The seven sword strikes divided into fourteen, then those into twenty-one bolts of lightning.

‘Jeonju Lee Family Seven Branches Three Forms: Twenty-One Consecutive Chain Slashes’

Dozens of lightning bolts encompassing heaven and earth.

They resembled a massive yellow dragon with its maw wide open.

Soon.

Boom-boom-boom-boom!

The slash that seemed to rend space struck the manager’s barrier.

Beyond the ferocious bombardment, a scream echoed.

[Kuaaaargh-!]

For the first time, a scream burst from the manager’s mouth.

Cracks were spreading across the once-impregnable defensive membrane.

Crack-crack- Boom!

The barrier burst like a soap bubble pricked by a needle.

The twenty-one flashes began to lacerate the manager of the 4th floor.

Slash! Swish-swish- slash! Swish-swish-swish~!

The manager writhed without even screaming.

At the same time, the surrounding landscape began to distort.

Shatter-

With the sound of something breaking, the scenery collapsed like shards of glass.

The illusion magic of the 4th floor manager had been dispelled.

The place that had been the Hunter Association’s training ground had transformed into a swamp shrouded in purple mist.

The A+ rank hunters clutched their heads and looked around.

“What the…”

“Where is this?”

“Urgh— My head… feels like it’s splitting.”

It seemed the A+ rank hunters had also regained their senses.

At that moment.

[I’ll kill you. A mere insect before Lord Maslow…….]

The manager of the 4th floor revealed itself, emitting black smoke.

All the scales on its body had melted and were dripping off, and yellowish-green blood flowed from the cracked skin.

The face was completely melted, unrecognizable.

The manager of the 4th floor moved its half-torn jaw and shouted.

[How dare you harm this noble body! I’ll make you beg for death……!]

At that instant.

[Child, have you forgotten my orders?]

A strange voice came from the wide-open sky.

The manager’s eyes suddenly changed.

[……H-heuk-!?]

The manager prostrated flat on the ground.

[L-Lord Maslow…… No, that’s not…….]

The voice trembled like an aspen leaf.

Soon, the voice came from the sky again.

[I ordered you to send up those who passed the test.]

[Yes. That’s what you said…….]

[Yet you did not obey.]

[N-No! No, Lord Maslow! How could I defy the command of the supreme being, Lord Maslow! Please show mercy……!]

At that moment.

Crack-crack-

A distortion occurred in space, and a rift opened.

Before the manager could finish speaking, the sky split, and a pitch-black form emerged.

A massive object covered in jet-black fur.

It was a crude and grotesquely twisted hand.

Swoosh-

The black hand grasped the manager of the 4th floor.

Soon.

Crunch-crunch-crunch-

The black hand began to squeeze the manager like wringing juice.

Shattered scales fell to the ground, and blue blood splattered everywhere.

It was crushing an A+ rank monster to death like playing with a toy.

The purest violence, like a child tearing apart an insect.

Shortly after, the black hand, holding the manager’s corpse now turned to a mummy, disappeared into the hole in the sky.

At the same time, the system voice resounded.

Ding-dong!

<Entering the 5th Floor, “Layer of Self-Actualization Desire”!>

With a sensation as if the whole body was being constricted, the vision faded.

When sight returned, we were standing in a completely different place.

A golden corridor stretched out beneath ornate chandeliers.

A luxurious carpet lay like a red carpet along it, and at the end stood a throne carved from black stone.

A massive form sat on the obsidian throne.

An ape covered entirely in red fur was looking down at us.

[…….]

The master of the S-rank dungeon.

It was the moment we encountered the Tower Lord, Maslow.