I entered a C-rank dungeon.
It was to hunt a monster called Black Pig.
I’d heard more than once that Black Pig’s meat was delicious.
I summoned Eric and asked him to look after Byul and the spirits, and while they rested in the camper, I started the subjugation alone inside the dungeon.
(Anonymous 1): Wow, nice. This is good. Jinwoo, put more of your center of gravity on your back foot. Move by pushing off with your rear leg.
Every time I swung my sword, I felt like I was gaining new insights.
Lately, I’d been watching Alten’s movements and learning from Eric and Anonymous, so it was only natural I felt myself growing.
How should I put it? It’s a ticklish feeling.
It feels like I can cross that wall if I push just a little further.
I have no greed for power, but as a Hunter, I want to hold onto this ticklish feeling tightly.
Paat―!
My sword moved smoothly.
Sword force burst out, tearing through monsters.
At that moment—
Thududuk, thududuk―!
Excited at swinging my sword, I lost control of my strength.
Thududuk―!!
The sword force passed through the monster and crashed into the dungeon wall, and the bricks of the dungeon slowly started to crack.
Paat―!
…And so, my sword force pressed on the shining brick and I entered the third hidden stage.
Since I’d entered a hidden stage, a quest should appear too. I waited for the quest.
[Constellation’s Path quest has arrived!]
Of course.
― Description: Peek into the life of the Greatest Under Heaven of All Ages.
‘…What?’
That’s an unkind explanation.
And who is the Greatest Under Heaven of All Ages?
A quest I couldn’t understand at all, and it seemed difficult.
― Reward: Intermediate Elixir.
An intermediate elixir that would extend my life by six months was the reward.
That meant it was an important quest.
‘I have to succeed no matter what.’
Getting half a year’s life in one go isn’t something that comes by every day.
I headed deeper into the hidden stage.
*****
“Another hidden stage. The frequency these days is strange.”
(Anonymous 1): Seriously, you’re probably the Hunter who’s entered the most hidden stages.
“Right? Is there any other Hunter who’s visited as many hidden stages as me?”
Jinwoo said with a faint laugh.
Hidden stages were familiar to him now.
However, the gatekeeper of the hidden stage, Geomyeon, wasn’t used to this guest.
‘…Yeah, I have to kill that visitor.’
Geomyeon had broken the cycle of regressions with the Power to Rule All.
But he’d ended up as the hidden stage’s gatekeeper.
To escape this endless time, he had to kill the visitor.
That’s what Geomyeon thought. Maybe he’d gone half-mad.
Geomyeon, once the symbol of righteousness who protected people with his sword, now leapt at Jinwoo, sword in hand.
Paat―!
Boom―!
(Anonymous 1): Jinwoo!
Jinwoo reflexively raised his sword. He blocked Geomyeon’s strike and saw the next attack coming.
‘What do you think?’
He asked the Constellations.
(Endless Waiting): He’s an expert.
(Liberated Swordsman): Maybe even stronger than me.
(Deity of Cheongha): Judging by those martial robes, he’s a warrior from Murim. For sure, that’s a Constellation-level expert.
(Last Smith): The sword’s good, he’s wielding a really fine sword.
(Father of Crops): Better than the one you made?
(Last Smith): Of course not. But… in terms of power, maybe about the same.
(Father of Crops): Seriously?
(Final Chef): He’s that good. I know a good sword when I see one.
(God of Rain and Sunshine): Doesn’t look that strong to me.
*****
I struggled to block the sword and waited for Anonymous’s opinion.
(Anonymous 1): Jinwoo, what do you think?
‘He’s strong. If I lose focus for even a second, I think I’ll die.’
(Anonymous 1): Think deeper.
‘…He’s stronger than I thought.’
I knew it was rare for Anonymous to be this serious.
And since it was rare, I had to be just as serious.
(Anonymous 1): You’re right, he’s stronger than you think. He’s not even using a tenth of his power yet.
A tenth?
Ten percent?
No way.
I shot Anonymous a look as if to say, Are you kidding me?
He continued chatting, looking just as serious.
(Anonymous 1): Focus. He’s going to start attacking harder and harder. This is my thought—he’s the strongest person you’ve met so far, and you probably won’t meet anyone this strong again.
I’d met plenty of people. Eric, and even Constellations who were former gatekeepers.
‘Stronger than Eric?’
(Anonymous 1): Weaker than Eric. But in terms of swordsmanship, probably about the same. Weaker than me. He’s not an ordinary swordsman living an ordinary life. Keep your head on straight.
Boom―!
Suddenly, weight pressed down on my wrist, and a heavy pain flowed in. My opponent’s strikes grew fiercer.
“Wait,”
Boom―!
“Please, just wait a second!”
Bang―!
My opponent gave me no breathing room.
The more our blades clashed, the stronger his sword strikes became.
“This guy is,”
Piiit―!
“not a normal,”
Bang!
“person!”
Paat―!
Because I was holding a sword that had surpassed its limits, I could withstand the strong impacts without it breaking.
It was only because my sword was excellent that I was still alive. If it weren’t for this sword, I’d surely be dead.
Yeah, maybe I got arrogant lately, thinking I’d grown stronger. But now there’s someone this strong in front of me.
(Anonymous 1): Listen carefully from now on, Jinwoo. No matter how high your stats are, they’re not high enough to endure your opponent’s power and speed. You need to raise the grade of your body.
I nodded.
(Anonymous 1): Let’s use all the coins we extorted so far. If you succeed at this quest, you’ll get an intermediate elixir anyway, right?
That’s right.
Better to use all my coins than save them and die now.
(Anonymous 1): Swift skill, Body Enhancement skill.
I purchased two skills.
When used, they doubled the Swift and Strength stats for thirty minutes—B-rank skills.
(Anonymous 1): Synthesis skill.
I bought the Synthesis skill. An A-rank skill that can combine two or more skills.
(Anonymous 1): Synthesize.
I synthesized the two skills.
Given the situation, Anonymous kept his chat brief and I moved, understanding his intentions.
A body transformation skill that puts muscles in top condition for one hour was synthesized, and I used it.
Paat―!
My sword arm moved faster.
Reading Anonymous’s chats, I drew up a grand plan of our own.
To draw that plan, I couldn’t afford to rush. I needed to block first and wait for an opening.
“You’re composed.”
A thick, metallic voice echoed through the dungeon.
That alone told me—this was someone with a wealth of combat experience.
His vocal cords were so damaged from battle that he could barely speak.
Composed, huh.
After saying that, my opponent moved even faster.
When I fought the Liberated Swordsman without mana, I won thanks to Anonymous’s help.
But this time?
Even if my skills had improved, I could use mana now.
And my opponent’s combat strength seemed even higher than the Liberated Swordsman’s.
(Liberated Swordsman): I hate to admit it… but he knows the sword better than I do. Mana? Hm… since he’s a Murim man, I guess it’s better to call it inner strength. That inner strength is deeper than mine, too.
That means he’s even stronger than the human form of a hero-level Constellation.
My opponent’s tempo grew even faster.
*****
Geomyeon looked at his opponent, Jinwoo. Jinwoo was repeatedly blocking and saying, Wait, just a second.
Before he knew it, Geomyeon was using thirty percent of his basic power.
Jinwoo’s expression was growing darker.
“Give up and die!”
“Why do you keep trying to kill me?”
It was only natural. The gatekeeper’s job was to kill the visitor.
But Jinwoo had broken that rule several times—relieving the gatekeeper’s grudges, making friends with them, and clearing hidden stages in new ways.
(Anonymous 1): …This won’t do. I was trying to save this, but no matter what you do right now, you can’t beat him. If you keep saving it, it’ll be wasted, so you have to use it now.
Anonymous typed, sitting on the greatsword.
Jinwoo had many skills and achievements. He was probably the Hunter closest to being a Constellation on Earth.
But even with all those stats and skills, Anonymous was sure Jinwoo couldn’t beat Geomyeon.
[Constellation Anonymous 1 has sponsored a “one-time use skill”!]
[???-rank one-time skill, Descent acquired!]
― Description: A one-time use skill sponsored by Constellation Anonymous 1. Can only be used once.
― Effect: Can summon a Constellation you are friendly with for thirty minutes.
― Note: When used, the user and the Constellation’s bodies are switched for thirty minutes.
Jinwoo obtained the immeasurable skill, Descent.
(Anonymous 1): Use it.
Jinwoo used it without hesitation.
He hadn’t expected to get a skill like this.
And so, Anonymous descended into Jinwoo’s body.
Jinwoo entered Anonymous’s body.
A vast greatsword and a desolate, empty wasteland.
On a star where there was nothing but the greatsword and a scarecrow, Anonymous had lived his whole life alone.
“Don’t touch anything!”
(Anonymous 1): There’s nothing to touch.
Anonymous spoke with Jinwoo’s body, and Jinwoo typed with Anonymous’s.
(God of Rain and Sunshine): A rare sight, Jinwoo speaking informally and Anonymous using polite speech—what a world.
(Final Chef): I don’t really know, but is that guy Anonymous really that strong?
(Deity of Cheongha): He’s shrouded in secrets, but for him to descend directly, he must be strong.
(Father of Crops): With all that bluster until now, he’s got to be tough, right?
(Last Smith): He’s strong. The stronger someone is, the better they are at judging weapons.
(Liberated Swordsman): Hm, he’s strong. Anonymous is someone who’s mastered the essence of martial arts.
(Returnee from the Demon Realm): It is a rare sight indeed, a duel of secretive Constellations.
Whoosh―!
Anonymous gripped the sword.
How long had it been since he’d fought an opponent?
He’d swung swords and cast magic his whole life, even after becoming a Constellation, he’d never stopped training.
Now, before him stood a strong opponent who had mastered the essence of martial arts just like himself.
How long had it been since he’d last fought like this? When he trained with Eric? When he hunted the Demon King? He couldn’t remember.
He didn’t even remember how many years ago it was.
Anonymous decided to enjoy this trembling now.
He swept aside the youthful, gentle aura Jinwoo originally possessed, and seized the dungeon with his own pressure and murderous intent.
Until just a moment ago, Geomyeon’s energy had filled the dungeon, but in an instant, it was scattered and overwhelmed.
“…!”
Geomyeon flinched, withdrew his sword for a moment, and stepped back.
He brought out his full power.
Anonymous’s murderous intent and his own dignified aura clashed.
‘…Strange, it’s like the energy of the Heavenly Demon’s prayer.’
Geomyeon looked at Anonymous with a shocked expression.
“What do you think a sword is?” Anonymous asked.
He was asking the Greatest Under Heaven of All Ages, from Murim, what a sword was.
“A tool for eradicating evil, a means to speak for the people.”
“Isn’t it just to cut down and kill the enemy in front of you? That’s exactly what you’re doing now.”
Geomyeon hesitated.
“That’s what my sword is for. To kill the bothersome one in front of me. So… you and I are the same.”
“Nonsense! I’ve never thought like that!”
“But that’s exactly how you’re acting right now, aren’t you?”
Anonymous soared up.
“You draw your sword, you strike down the enemy before you. That’s my sword.”
Boom―!
Anonymous shouted as he swung the sword.
“This is something! I always wanted to try wielding it—perfect!”
(Last Smith): As expected! Anyone who knows my sword is an expert!
And so, Anonymous’s battle began.