The 31st Piece Turns the Tables
chapter-235

As today was potentially the day a new master of the arena would be decided, the spells prepared were much flashier than usual.

Fog began to wade in from all sides as Seol and Dae Ha entered the arena, facing each other.

The arena also had a new, different terrain today as well.

Stone walls emerged from the ground, as if the peaks of two mountains had been planted directly in the center of the arena.

- It's been a long time since we've seen the Strange Cliff terrain! Dae San fought on this field many times, though I'm not sure if all of you remember it!

“It’s the Strange Cliff! It’s Dae San’s Strange Cliff!”

“I never thought I’d see it again…”

- Until now, we have prohibited its use to show respect for Dae San. But as today is the day to decide his true successor… there was no way we could not use this. Wouldn’t you agree?

“Yeah, we do!”

“Yeah! It has to be the Strange Cliff!”

- Furthermore, as weather is another important factor in a battle between two gladiators, we will not interfere with it.

Faaade…

The artificial clouds hanging above the arena pulled back, allowing rain to fall.

The cliff grew slippery, which made maintaining balance more difficult.

Fuuu…

Fuuu…

Seol slowly exhaled as he let the rain fall onto him.

His heart began to pound faster.

‘In the end, I’ll have to fight him myself.’

Though Seol had prepared everything he could, he still wasn’t certain of his victory.

I don’t know whether I have to hope that Dae Ha is weak, or…

Seol then turned his attention to Seol Hong, who was looking at him with nervous eyes.

Before he entered the arena, the two had a short conversation.

- If it gets too dangerous, stop…

- But that isn’t what you really want, right, Seol Hong?

- ……

- If you want the Warrior’s Heart, you must reveal your true desires. If you don’t, you will be eaten by your own desperation. So tell me, Seol Hong, what do you really want?

Seol Hong paused for a second before answering.

- I… want you to win.

Seol then smiled and patted her head.

- Then as you desire, it will come true.

Seol was not only her god; he was also her parent, who had left a gap that couldn’t be filled.

And now was the time he took responsibility for it.

He had to give her a future where she could hope.

The host’s voice then caused the arena to rumble.

- Beginnnnnnnnnn!

Fwip!

Fwip!

Dae Ha began swinging his staff, which had a piece of metal attached to its end, turning it into a flail.

As red energy began to grow from it… Dae Ha used his skill.

[Dae Ha used Exceptional Skill: Twin Dragon Staff.]

[An additional blow is dealt with each attack that lands as long as this effect persists.]

‘An Exception Skill right off the bat?!’

Seol quickly tensed up.

However, he had also prepared something for this.

Seol had one last trick up his sleeve besides his summoning and fighting skills: the volatile skills he could gain through Cooking.

[You used Volatile Skill: Turtle Shield.]

[Base defense increases by 300%. This effect persists until you take a certain amount of damage.]

A turtle shell-shaped energy surrounded Seol.

“That won’t work!”

Baaaaaaam!

[Dae Ha used One Step at a Time.]

[Your attacks will still be considered to have hit even if your opponent successfully blocks your attack.]

Simply put, it meant that Twin Dragon's Staff's effect would continue, even if Seol blocked Dae Ha's attack.

Baaaaaaam!

Whaaaaam!

‘Damn it…’

Seol’s shield broke in an instant.

There was a reason all of Dae Ha’s fights ended within a minute.

It was impossible for any gladiator to withstand his relentless assault.

[You used Volatile Skill: Ink Coil.]

[Gain 2% damage reduction each time your opponent’s attack lands. This effect can stack up to 40%.]

Swish…

A sticky ink began to flow over Seol’s equipment like water.

‘I can’t win just by avoiding him.’

Seol quickly gave up on ending the fight within five minutes.

That was something for Dae San to worry about, not him.

Everything he had done up to this point was just an act to lure out Dae Ha.

Crackle…

Seol’s hand began to grow black.

He then used it to deflect the flail attached to the end of Dae Ha’s staff.

Claaaaaaaaaaang!

Bzzzzzzzt…

[That hurts!]

Agony shouted, clearly indicating that Dae Ha’s staff was not an ordinary weapon either.

Claaang!

Claaaaaang!

“Krgh…”

Dae Ha was relentless and fierce, continuously charging in like an enraged bull. In fact, he was even rougher than Dae San.

Claaaaaaaang!

Crumble…

His blows destroyed the terrain, causing rubble to fall beneath the arena.

Seol knew that falling from these heights almost certainly meant death.

“How dare you insult my brother’s name.”

“Why don’t we calm down?” asked Seol.

“Shut up! I won’t let you insult the Warrior’s Heart any longer!”

[Dae Ha used Meteor Strike.]

[The next attack is enhanced.]

It was a fast and long strike.

‘I can’t block this!’

Seol winced back, trying to protect his body.

Crush…

Dae Ha’s attack landed perfectly on Seol’s forearm and shoulder.

Snap…

With the sound of breaking ribs, Seol was sent flying, bouncing off the rugged terrain a couple of times.

“Khrgh…”

The Blood of Origin would heal him quickly, but it was still extremely painful.

Fwooooooooosh!

Dae Ha continued to rain down attacks from the sky.

Slaaaaaaaam!

Is this what it would be like if steel rained from the sky? A massive crack formed on one of the cliffs.

Though Seol had managed to narrowly dodge it, the impact came after.

Seol could sense it.

The match could end, just like this.

* * *

Translator - goguma

Proofreader - Karane

* * *

A lone knight walked through the darkness.

Fwoooooooosh…

A fierce blizzard stopped his path.

And before he realized it, the snow was already up to his knees, further bothering him from marching forward.

Even though it wasn't a place that should have been cold, it was undeniably freezing. And while it would have been fine if that was the extent of it, the space continued to change its rules.

- It will be incredibly difficult. It will take some time before this space fully settles.

He told Ur that he understood, he was well aware of what he was doing.

- We could… go together. I’m worried about him as well.

He had refused Karen’s worries. After all, it was impossible to do so with Ur’s adamant refusal.

- He’ll be perfectly fine. That’s just the kind of person he is. You’ll arrive before you know it as long as you keep going forward. And it’s not like this is your first time doing this, either. You can do it, right, scrap iron?

Scrap iron? Hah.

- …I leave him to you. Only you can do this right now.

He then engraved Jamad’s request into his heart as well.

And like that, with the burdens of others, he began his journey. Before he left, Ur had mentioned that time outside could pass differently from the time within the space.

Essentially, it meant that the time he spent there could be either an instant or a similar amount of time, and they had no way of knowing.

The hardships continued.

Ominous nightmares, the cold, the heat—there were even times when he was overwhelmed with a sense of helplessness.

He would writhe and retch, but still march onward.

‘Is this… even the right way…?’

He also didn’t know the answer to this.

The traces of his strength were growing fainter by the second.

If the traces disappeared entirely… he could be lost, trapped in this space forever.

While Ur would come to find him, it was impossible to know how long that would take, and... there was something more important than all of this.

‘I can’t be late.’

His master was waiting for him.

He was waiting for all of them, or maybe just any of them.

Fwoooooooooooosh…

The blizzard grew stronger, the snow now piling up to his waist. It was surprising that he could still walk in these conditions.

And once again, the feeling of helplessness piled on.

Life… is self-centered.

This was the case for all life, the extent of it was just different on the individual scale.

In the end, there was no way someone else could be more important than oneself.

‘But why did I think of that just now?’

He had recalled a few words someone else used to tell him.

The words of someone long ago, whom he had trusted faithfully.

- Life is self-centered.

He remembered it.

He remembered the person who told him this.

‘Lain…’

The strongest knight of Montra.

It was Lain, the Sun Knight.

- And it’s especially true for people. They are often only interested in themselves, not in others. When they see someone in trouble, they look the other way. They naturally avoid injustice.

But then, he also said this.

- However, you don’t need to blame them for it. It’s natural, people can behave that way. They can look down at the ground and ignore those around them. But, us... we can never do that.

Lain engraved his will onto his heart.

- A knight must never do that. We must always look around us.

- Why?

- Because that is how they come to trust us. By allowing them to place their trust in us, they allow us to shoulder their burdens.

Lain looked at Jin, the Emperor of Montra, from afar as he continued.

- We can help them like that. Knights are just idiots who are desperate to be helpful.

Lain then slowly disappeared into the darkness.

‘...Found it.’

The door immediately showed itself after Lain had left.

At the same time, the remaining traces of his strength had disappeared entirely.

Knock knock…

He knocked on the door.

“May I come in?”

It was a courteous, but also a ridiculous question.

Crackle…

The door began to shrink, as if it was trying to disappear.

Baaaaaam!

He forced his hand inside, through the door.

“No, I will go in.”

After being separated for a long time, he had finally arrived.

Karuna had returned home.

He had returned to the arms of his family, whom he had left on his own.

* * *

Pourrrrrrrr…

Craaaaackle!

At the same time, Seol was going through an incredibly difficult time.

Baaaaam!

“Bwrgh…”

Baaaaam!

Crush! Snap…

Seol was sent flying once more. He managed to stand up again, solely because he ensured that none of his vital areas were hit.

However, he was also nearing his limit.

‘I never thought Dae Ha would be stronger than Dae San…’

The only unknown variable in his plans was Dae Ha, the current conqueror.

And with the strength he was displaying now, Seol knew for sure that Dae Ha was stronger than Dae San had been in the past.

That was the only reason he could one-sidedly beat down Seol like this.

‘When I only have my stats… there’s a clear limit.’

Despite knowing about it and attempting to devise strategies to overcome it, the fact that he had to face the wall in the Warrior’s Heart was unfortunate.

‘I can recover my health with the Blood of Origin, but… how do I beat him?’

Dae Ha's one-minute mark had passed, but so had Seol's five-minute mark.

Even so, Dae Ha continued his relentless attacks while Seol struggled just to block them.

“D-Dae Ha’s this strong?”

“Kang Seol is getting pushed back this much?”

The difference in strength between the conqueror and challenger was bigger than anyone had expected.

Fwiiiirl!

Dae Ha’s staff began to vibrate.

[Dae Ha used Crush Limbs.]

[The target struck by Crush Limbs has their regeneration decreased by 30%. If this skill deals more than 20% of the target’s maximum health, regeneration decreases by an additional 10%.]

Cruuuuuuuush!

“Khrgh…”

Though Seol managed to block Dae Ha’s staff with both arms, he was still thrown into a crack between the rocks, helpless, as he could no longer gather strength in his body.

“Kang Seol! Don’t lose!”

“Ah, it’s too late. He’s going to die.”

Everyone in the audience knew about the brutality of the Battle of Conquest. Whether it was the challenger or the conqueror, someone often died.

Dae Ha then pointed at Seol with his staff.

“I do not know why my brother’s name was mentioned because of you. But one thing is crystal clear now, I want everyone to listen!”

Dae Ha’s voice echoed throughout the Warrior’s Heart.

“My brother, Dae San, is the true conqueror! Though he is no longer with us, he never once lost in the Warrior’s Heart! Anyone who will carry on his will must do the same! But now, he will…”

He will lose.

That was what Dae Ha was trying to say.

“He will…”

But Dae Ha couldn’t finish those words.

Craaaaaaackle…

Seol’s energy surged, like a dam unable to contain the force of rushing waters.

Pourrrrrrrr…

Craaaaackle!

Seol stood up with the sound of thunder.

“Hahaha… So Dae San… never once lost in the Warrior’s Heart?”

“...He didn’t,” answered Dae Ha.

“...What a coincidence.”

Seol’s body turned completely black.

“...Because neither have I.”

Seol finally reclaimed Night Crow.

However, his appearance was much different from before.

When Seol had combined with Jamad, a fang-shaped tattoo appeared near his lips, symbolizing Jamad.

But now, there was no fang-shaped tattoo. In fact, there were no tattoos at all.

Instead, a blue, brilliant light began pouring out of his eye.

Craaaaaackle…

Someone other than Jamad had entered his body.

“I… was a bit late.”

It was Karuna’s voice.

[You’re here! You’re late, though, stupid! Stupid! I was waiting for you!]

Fwooooooosh!

Agony quickly, happily returned to its original shape.

It transformed into the black sword that saved Santos.

Seol slowly stood up.

[You enter the Night Crow form with Knight ‘Karuna, the Moonlight Knight’.]

[You absorb Karuna, the Moonlight Knight’s stats.]

[Your class is changed to Knight.]

……

Craaaaackle!

Everyone in the Warrior’s Heart held their breath, and it definitely wasn’t because of the ominous lightning.

Seol quietly answered Karuna.

“No, you’re right on time.”