The place I was summoned to was a labyrinth. In the middle of the empty maze, I stood alone.
(Anonymous 1): Can someone turn on the light?! Let me see Jinwoo!
… Thankfully, the broadcast with the Celestials hadn’t cut off. I pulled out a lighter from my pocket.
Click, click, click–!
“… There’s no fuel.”
I carried the lighter just in case I couldn’t light a fire in this situation, but it was empty. With nothing visible even an inch ahead, I was slightly scared. The only thing I could rely on was the faint flame flickering from the translucent system window.
(Anonymous 1): Ah, if only someone could donate a flame attribute skill right now.
(Chungha’s Receiver): Yeah, that’d be perfect.
(Endless Wait): I don’t have any flame attribute skills. If I did, I would’ve sent one.
(Father of Crops): Is there any Celestial with a flame attribute skill?
(God of Rain and Sunlight): These guys sure know how to keep the mood going.
[Hero-rank Celestial, God of Rain and Sunlight has donated a skill!]
[Obtained C-rank skill, Fireball!]
A very common Fireball. Though weaker than the Fireballs used by other Hunters or Byul, it was perfect when I needed just a bit of light like now. Low-grade Fireballs might not pack much punch, but they use very little mana.
Fwoosh–!
I launched a Fireball on my palm. The ball of fire floated high, maintaining its form while emitting light. The labyrinth was maze-like, with narrow paths, and I just walked along one of them.
[Common-rank Celestial, ‘Unliberated Slave’ appears before you!]
As I wandered blindly through the maze, worried about the Celestials, Byul, and Baekgu, something opaque appeared ahead.
(Anonymous 1): Unliberated Slave…?
‘Is that someone we know?’
(Anonymous 1): I’ve heard of him. A common-rank Celestial whose power was sealed and got devoured by the system, now wandering through Gates.
(God of Rain and Sunlight): … I’ve heard too. That guy even destroyed another dimension once.
(Endless Wait): Hmm, I need to browse the Celestial community. I have no clue what you guys are talking about.
(Father of Crops): That guy’s dangerous, Jinwoo. Get your Return Stone ready.
(Chungha’s Receiver): … Something’s off about that face, isn’t it?
Suppressing my fear at Habaek’s words, I raised my head. The Unliberated Slave — the boss monster of this Gate and the Celestial’s alias.
He had a rather ordinary face.
‘Is he about 190 cm tall? His face looks like an average human with scars on his skin… but those muscles aren’t a joke.’
Just because his appearance and face were ordinary didn’t mean his inner power was. The aura radiating from this Celestial was overwhelming, something I couldn’t withstand without activating a strong Water Shield.
Even then, I barely managed to lift my head and glare at him.
(Anonymous 1): His face is definitely strange.
(Chungha’s Receiver): Yeah, that’s not the face of a Celestial.
(God of Rain and Sunlight): He’s cursed. People with barely any self-awareness usually have faces like that.
Barely any self-awareness?
That meant I could be killed in one blow—or maybe there was a chance to survive.
I looked at the Celestial, the Unliberated Slave. His head was wrapped in a circlet made of thorns, and he seemed like he wanted to say something.
[Common-rank Celestial, Unliberated Slave challenges you to a bet!]
[Common-rank Celestial, Unliberated Slave shouts that instead of a life-or-death battle, the outcome should be decided by a bet!]
A bet instead of a fight? Was he giving me a chance?
‘I don’t know. All I can do is give it my best shot.’
I decided not to overthink his words. My best now was to accept the bet.
“What are the terms of the bet?”
I asked with a voice full of fear, crushed by the Celestial’s killing intent.
(Anonymous 1): … Are you intimidated by a common-rank Celestial? Want me to kill him for you?
Anonymous 1’s chat was reassuring. It gave me hope amidst the fear.
Wait a moment. Let me hear the terms first.
The terms were odd.
[Pure swordsmanship duel without mana.]
Rules: Both sides will use wooden swords.
It was a fight, but not one where we would hurt or kill each other. Just a wooden sword duel.
(Anonymous 1): Kyaah–!! That bastard knows his stuff!
Anonymous 1’s dopamine party restarted immediately.
*****
The Unliberated Slave.
His real name was Evan. A normal human from another dimension, he lived in the Imperial Palace. Because he was the third son of the Continental Emperor.
Though he had no power, as the third prince of the palace, he lived without coveting the throne and did whatever he pleased.
Evan’s interests were playing with his brothers and training.
Unlike other royal families, Evan’s family was very close-knit. As a child, he loved playing with his kind brothers the most and learned swordsmanship following his father, a Swordmaster.
The Unliberated Slave, Evan, recalled his childhood while holding a wooden sword in front of Jinwoo.
In his childhood, he sparred with his brothers using wooden swords. Though they were old enough for real swordfights, they chose wooden swords to avoid hurting family.
He remembered his own name. Facing Jinwoo’s wooden sword, memories of his childhood came flooding back. The lost self was slowly returning.
(Anonymous 1): That guy’s skilled. Even without magic or mana, his pure swordsmanship is respectable.
‘Then what should I do?’
Anonymous 1 chuckled.
(Anonymous 1): Still, you win.
Following Anonymous 1’s commands, Jinwoo moved his sword to deflect Evan’s attacks.
Evan saw the brother he used to spar with in Jinwoo’s defensive moves.
He instinctively blocked Jinwoo’s sword, recalling his childhood.
Through frequent sword training, forgotten memories returned. Like stepping barefoot on a fresh blanket of snow.
He had lived in the palace, but one day it collapsed overnight. Monsters burst out in his hometown, destroying territories and castles.
A war between monsters and the continent’s top knights. In that war, the continent and the palace lost.
The monsters massacred the entire Imperial Knight Order. The Emperor, a Swordmaster and Evan’s father, was killed as well.
Evan was the only surviving bloodline of the Emperor.
“I was quite young, so I hid in the ruins and watched the fight.”
Evan told Jinwoo as their swords clashed.
Thanks to Jinwoo’s wooden sword, Evan began to regain his nearly lost self and memories. He told Jinwoo everything he could remember so he wouldn’t lose those memories again.
(Anonymous 1): … Why do all the people trapped in Gates seem so pitiful?
(Endless Wait): Feels like he’s talking about me.
Evan continued his story.
“My father fought a demon. Even as a Swordmaster, he couldn’t stand against that demon. The demon controlled monsters at will and skillfully wielded demonic energy.”
Looking back now, that demon was a Celestial.
“Some Celestials are Demon Lords or demons. They transcend humanity. Anyway, I witnessed my father’s death and went mad. Of course, the demon sensed me, and from that moment, I lost my memories.”
Brainwashing. From then on, Evan lost his self and became a puppet. With his own hands, he killed everyone on the continent, even those he loved.
One day, he became a common-rank Celestial, and the Unliberated Slave had to roam Gates, becoming a boss monster of another dimension.
Although he was a Celestial, he never earned a star and became a puppet and a monster.
“At some point—today, when I was summoned to this Gate—my old memories slowly started coming back.”
Since Evan’s power grew stronger than his master’s, the brainwashing magic was gradually breaking.
He spoke while swinging his wooden sword.
“You must defeat me.”
The demon that ruled Evan’s hometown bound part of their souls, turning Evan into its pawn. So even though Evan was breaking free from brainwashing, he was still recognized by the system as the Gate’s boss monster. His soul was still bound, meaning his master was still another Celestial.
That meant if Jinwoo defeated Evan, Evan’s master, the demon Celestial, would also be destroyed.
Of course, Evan would die too, but he was satisfied if he could kill the master who controlled him all his life.
“Since my brainwashing isn’t fully lifted yet, I have no choice but to do my best in this bet.”
“… Yes.”
Now that Jinwoo understood everything, he nodded. He would have run away otherwise, having no confidence to beat a man who became a Celestial through swordsmanship alone.
But this duel was with wooden swords, no mana or skills allowed—only pure swordsmanship.
‘Then there’s a chance.’
Of course, if it were Jinwoo’s base skill alone, he would have lost for sure…
(Anonymous 1): I’m here, so you’ll win.
(Endless Wait): I’ll join in when the time’s right.
(Anonymous 1): No need for Endless Wait. I’ve got this all covered.
(Endless Wait): Sounds like you’re monopolizing all the fun.
(Anonymous 1): Think what you want.
Evan’s sword strikes became faster.
His earnest sword was sharper and quicker than anything, despite being a wooden sword.
“Ugh–!”
From then on, Jinwoo gave up trying to keep up with the sword’s movement.
(Anonymous 1): Grab the hilt backward, right side!
(Anonymous 1): Fake a thrust, then slash sideways!
(Anonymous 1): Counter incoming, step back and stab again!
Giving up on sight, I focused only on Anonymous 1’s chat. He predicted the opponent’s sword moves like everything was in the palm of his hand and told me the path in real time.
Anonymous 1 was a cheat key itself. Though his tone was usually funny, his skill was no joke.
I followed his instructions and learned a lot in real time. So this is how I should move, this is how I can parry attacks.
I couldn’t help but admire him.
(Anonymous 1): Jinwoo, now it’s time to show your talent. Move as fast as I say!
Thrust left, pull back shifting weight to the opposite foot, channel that weight into the sword, swing, step back, then follow up with a combination of swings.
It was more like a dance than swordsmanship passing through. Jinwoo stopped his sword and gasped for breath.
(Anonymous 1): Talented, I admit it.
[S-rank Gate cleared!]
[Mythical Achievement, ‘Conqueror of a Common-rank Celestial’ obtained!]
–Effect: All stats doubled in battles against Celestials.
[Common-rank Celestial, Unliberated Slave has been freed!]
[Legendary Achievement, ‘Liberator of Slaves’ obtained!]
–Effect: Leadership stat unlocked, Strength stat +5.
Evan lost the bet with Jinwoo, and the demon who was his master and enemy was obliterated. One star of the Celestial disappeared, and Evan’s sealed power was fully restored.
[Common-rank Celestial, Unliberated Slave regains his power and ascends!]
[Hero-rank Celestial, ‘Liberated Swordsman’ has joined the broadcast!]
Evan was not destroyed but rather became a Hero-rank Celestial. He gained his own star and joined Jinwoo’s broadcast as a Celestial.
[Gate clearance rewards are being tallied!]
As always, Jinwoo smiled and said,
“Welcome, and I look forward to working with you. There’s still so much I haven’t heard about Celestial Evan, so please share your old stories sometimes.”
(Liberated Swordsman): Got it, thanks.
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