Solo Max-Level Newbie
chapter-237

Chapter 237: The World of Players (2)

Stars and moon adorned the night sky.

And above them, the swords of the Sword Saint pierced the heavens.

This is no longer the demon world cloaked in deep darkness.

This sacred domain exists solely for those who climb the Tower, for those who live to see the end of this world.

[All players’ stats increase by 30%!]

[All hostile monster stats decrease by 30%!]

As the status window turned blue.

A gentle breeze signaled a new beginning.

“How, how can this be possible…”

Antrath’s voice shook violently.

Interfering in the realm of higher beings and even reversing it.

Wasn’t this a domain permitted only to Demon Kings or deities?

“It would have been impossible alone. With just one world, you could never surpass you.”

But together…

If two worlds could interfere in a single domain.

Then even the most perfect concept could be flawed.

Jinhyuk thrust his sword forward.

[Unique ability…]

Following his sword, a blue aura subtly diffused.

At the same time.

Cheon Yuseong, who stood opposite, also thrust his sword forward.

[Unique ability…]

Two distinct players.

Obviously, they were perfect strangers with no common ground.

However.

[…’Sword’s Song’ is triggered!]

There was no dissonance between the powers that emerged from the two swords.

The swords began to sing.

Narrating a melody even more beautiful than ever.

＊＊＊

Boom! Crash! Clang!

A storm-like barrage of sword strikes.

Antrath swung his sword wildly, offsetting Cheon Yuseong’s attacks.

“Argh!”

The tide of battle had completely changed.

The concentration of magic in the sword.

The finesse and ferocity of the technique.

It was incomparable to what had been before.

Antrath was now barely managing to defend.

“This is madness! This can’t be happening!”

Antrath’s roar sliced through the air as he swung his sword mightily.

The gesture was overly large.

Cheon Yuseong dodged the sword easily and launched a counterattack.

But then.

Antrath allowed Cheon Yuseong’s strike to hit him intentionally.

Crack!

His left arm was cleanly severed.

A chilling coldness crept down his spine.

It was a trap.

He would sacrifice an arm to seize the life of his foe.

Almost simultaneously.

The blazing sword aimed precisely at Cheon Yuseong’s neck.

An attack made from a defenseless position, creating a split-second gap for Cheon Yuseong.

This was the moment to strike.

Crash!

But the fatal blow was in vain.

Right before the blade reached Cheon Yuseong’s neck, Jinhyuk diverted its course with a swing of his fang.

“That was a bit too close for comfort.”

One took on the offense while the other handled the defense.

Roles shifted seamlessly like the flow of water, leaving no gap in their coordination.

“Damn it… Daaamn iiiit!”

Antrath hastily created distance.

Despite sacrificing an arm, their coordinated defense was unbreakable.

“How can this be… Mere humans, how can you possibly!”

Understanding each other’s swordplay completely.

Knowing where to strike and how to move. As if they could read each other’s minds.

But, does that make any sense?

Could one truly understand another as well as oneself?

Antrath’s mind was clouded with confusion, but he had no chance to uncover the reason.

Jinhyuk and Cheon Yuseong had already approached, ready to deploy the final technique of the Pursuing Soul Sword.

Flicker! Flicker! Flicker!

The Pursuing Soul Sword, inherited from Pursuing Soul Shadow, unveiled its first technique.

‘Pursuing Soul Sword Dance’

The blade left a beautiful trail.

Afterimages created afterimages, and graceful curves rippled through the air.

‘The Eleventh Technique’

And upon that sword, Jinhyuk’s blade aligned.

The only technique available to the two inheritors of the Pursuing Soul Sword.

‘Two Swords, One Spirit’

The ripples of the sword vanished completely.

A realm of nothingness where not a hint of magic could be felt.

And then.

Slice!

Antrath’s heart was split in two.

The blow was so precise that the victim only reacted seconds later.

“Aaaaargh!”

Thick red mist billowed out.

Antrath tried desperately to grasp at the fading life force.

But it was futile.

No matter how strong a demon, if its source of power was destroyed, it could not survive.

“Sa, save me. Guntapheur, your minion… is dying.”

Antrath flailed his hands towards the sky.

Pitifully begging for his life, a trait common to all living beings.

“It’s pointless. That guy isn’t known for his mercy. He probably won’t even give your pleas a second thought.”

“You… what do you know about him? He will not abandon me. Never!”

“Well, for all your claims, you don’t seem quite certain.”

“…That’s because.”

Antrath’s eyes slowly lost their light.

He’d realized now that he was abandoned.

In truth, the white woods of Tangerisil had restarted their barrier, which made it impossible for higher deities to witness what took place here.

‘There’s no reason to tell this fellow.’

It was better to leave him with his misunderstandings.

As a bait for the last lure.

“…It’s over. How anticlimactic.”

Thousands of years of devotion, all for nothing. That fact made Antrath let go of his last thread of hope.

Good.

This will suffice.

Jinhyuk casually reached out his hand.

“Don’t pledge loyalty to such a useless being. Give me your heart.”

“My heart…? Why should I make you happy?”

Because.

“I will send Guntapheur, who abandoned you, to join you.”

That’s not a bad deal, is it?

Even in death, to give your treacherous master a memorable send-off?

“At the very least, let it be a gift. Even if I don’t know anything else, I’ll make sure your name is mentioned at his final moment.”

“….”

There was silence for a moment after Jinhyuk’s calm words.

“Hahaha! Indeed, just like an arrogant human. It sounds like this would at least appease my vengeance somewhat.”

Laughter followed, one filled with satisfaction.

“Very well, human. Take it. My half-hearted heart.”

Snap!

Antrath pulled out his cleaved heart himself.

And with that, Antrath’s light was extinguished.

[You have acquired the holy relic ‘Half of Antrath’s Heart’!]

[The mid-level demon ‘Antrath’ has been annihilated!]

[An astonishing achievement has been recorded! The events of today will appear in the ‘Hall of Honor’ for tomorrow.]

[Multiple factions are taking note of your and player Cheon Yuseong’s actions.]

[The upper echelons of power in the ‘Demon Realm’ now harbor strong animosity towards you!]

A series of status windows appeared one after another.

But one.

The status window announcing a level-up was absent.

‘As expected.’

Due to Guntapheur’s special nature, the experience points from his middle manager wouldn’t count.

Slightly disappointing, but not a big deal.

The purpose of this action wasn’t the experience points, but rather the immense rewards and this creature’s unique abilities.

‘The most splendid of rewards I have received so far awaits me.’

Jinhyuk’s gaze turned forward once again.

[You have fulfilled additional required conditions for copying.]

[Target’s unique ability is copied.]

[Through the effect of the ‘Fusion’ ability, you have acquired an ‘Upgraded Version’ of the ability.]

[Flame of Genesis]

Acquisition Difficulty: Incalculable

Description: The flame that predates all fires existing in the Tower’s undisclosed floors. All unique abilities and skills of fire originate from this flame, which has infinite potential for development depending on the user’s proficiency.

[The fire element is replaced by the Flame of Genesis.]

[The Level is carried over completely.]

[The copied ability is stored in the ‘World’s Memory’.]

‘Insane…’

Jinhyuk barely suppressed the cheer that threatened to burst forth.

Just as he expected.

Rewards way beyond his expectations burst forth.

Not only had he copied a top-grade unique ability, but he was also able to inherit the level from his existing ‘Element of Fire’.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

His heart raced uncontrollably.

It was the first time since receiving the individual reward of ‘The First to Conquer the Tower’ that he had gained such an extraordinary blessing.

Glancing at the side, he saw Cheon Yuseong frantically scanning his status window.

The man seemed to be so absorbed by the rewards that his soul might have slipped away.

‘But not as much as I have.’

With the last heart, he managed to secure the first meaningful achievements.

Now next…

Artifacts sparkled amidst Antrath’s corpse.

‘A Fox Pearl.’

‘The Sword of Scorching Heat.’

‘A 1009 Recipes Book for The Gourmet Demon.’

‘The Spring of Oblivion.’

All of them were hidden pieces with an acquisition difficulty of S or higher.

And the last one, ‘The Spring of Oblivion’, was an item he hadn’t seen before…

Glancing.

Jinhyuk took another look at Cheon Yuseong.

The man was still preoccupied with his status window.

Gulp.

Swallowing dryly.

His hands moved faster than his eyes.

[All four items have been stored in the Subspace Inventory.]

It was a life-threatening trick, but luckily, Cheon Yuseong hadn’t noticed.

In place of the items, Jinhyuk left a smooth bone fragment.

It was a ‘Premium Bone Snack Embedded with Demonic Crystals’, previously stashed as a snack for Goguma.

And at that very moment the switch was made.

“I’ve already checked things out. Let’s divide the rewards now… Hm?”

Cheon Yuseong, who had closed his status window and was walking towards Jinhyuk, widened his eyes.

His face was filled with suspicion and disbelief.

After dealing with an unimaginable boss-tier demon, to discover only a bone in its place was bound to trigger that reaction.

“Ah… this? Maybe because that guy was so naked. He was penniless, totally all flash and no substance. Sigh.”

Jinhyuk scratched his head awkwardly,

Meanwhile, he picked up the bone from the ground and held it out.

Please…

“Even so, it seems like a pretty high-quality bone. How about it? I’ll generously let you have this as a special reward for all your hard work.”

Hoping that he would be fooled.

Of course, desperate prayers often go unheard.

“If you don’t want to die, it would be wise to get whatever you’ve hidden out in the open. No item is more precious than your life, right?”

Cheon Yuseong approached, drawing his sword.

The deadly aura was almost like the time he forced Elis to eat mint chocolate ice cream.

“Ah, fine. I’ll give it to you. We’ll share. But how’s your leg? Is it alright?”

Earlier, during the fight, it seemed he had hurt his right ankle, as it looked uncomfortable.

His slightly awkward limping suggested his balance was off.

“Hmm. It hurts a bit, but I’ll recover after a day or two of rest. No need for you to worry about that.”

Out for just two days…

“Is that so? Then it’ll be hard for you to run fast right now.”

“What… did you say?”

“Thanks for everything today.”

Jinhyuk flashed the world’s most radiant smile.

It was time to make a swift escape.