The 31st Piece Turns the Tables
chapter-246

[Three! It’s three of us!]

“Ah.”

Realizing it, thanks to Agony's annoyed voice, Seol quickly restated himself.

“Right, it’s three.”

Seol had acquired a new skill despite the short duration of the fight.

Through his journey, Seol acquired countless titles and skills. However, the most valuable were those that enabled him to acquire and awaken new abilities more frequently.

In fact, it was mostly thanks to those abilities that Seol’s summons grew stronger by the day, tremendously, through awakening new skills.

Though Seol should have been happy with the situation, he sensed something strange about it.

‘Why am I not getting stronger then?’

Seol’s progress had felt stunted ever since he met Toki. While Frannan and Ur had helped him grow, it was mainly related to his summons, not Seol himself. Additionally, Seol had shown little interest in growing stronger himself.

However, Seol knew the truth.

After all, he had spent 17 years in The World of Eternity. He knew better than anyone else how to diagnose his current state.

In fact, the person who knew best about himself was likely also him.

‘It’s dangerous like this.’

Though Seol’s stats were increasing explosively day by day, his methods of using them haven’t increased at all. The sole measure he had right now was the hand-to-hand fighting skills he had learned from Toki.

In fact, even that wasn’t at a high level at all.

Though Seol’s weaknesses did not show when he faced weaker opponents, they exposed themselves whenever he faced stronger opponents, like now.

And in The World of Eternity that Seol knew, the class you chose did not decide everything about your future.

Even if you chose to be a swordsman, you could learn magic based on your stats. Even if you chose to become a priest, you could swing a weapon on the front lines.

In turn, though Seol had chosen to become a Shadow Summoner, the way he fought could change tremendously.

Seol can become stronger.

Then why couldn’t he?

Seol realized the reason during his fight with Phantom. No, he had understood a great deal of it during his fight with Dae Ha as well.

Seol had to fight stronger opponents for him to grow stronger as well.

That simple truth was once again proving its necessity right before his eyes.

Faaaaade…

The darkness encroached into the space around him.

Seol was already within Phantom’s domain, his eyes completely shut. Though he could not see Phantom at all, he could sense him.

Shadow Hand had transformed into a new skill, Sense Domain.

While Seol knew that his skills changed somewhat based on the class Night Crow gave him, he didn't expect a skill to change entirely into something else.

Seol quickly learned what Sense Domain did.

‘Essentially, I have another imaginary arm.’

It was almost like Seol had an imaginary arm sprouting out of his back, waving around. And that imaginary arm would transfer information to Seol.

Fwip!

Seol knew he would be too slow if he reacted only to sound.

It was a fact he had learned after being attacked by Phantom multiple times.

Claaaaaang!

Seol blocked the first attack.

‘I got him!’

Sense Domain had managed to detect Phantom’s blade.

“There you are!”

Seol quickly turned around to deflect Phantom's attack with Agony.

[Phantom used Blind Spot.]

[Darkness Slash targets the enemy's most vulnerable point.]

“Hrgh…!”

Slaaaaaaash!

Phantom’s blade managed to carve out a large chunk of meat from Seol’s side.

- Did you think you could dodge it?

“That’s… damn cheap.”

Just as ghosts had different powers, their Daoist spells were also different.

Phantom’s powers were concentrated entirely on sharpness. If he were human, he would be considered the quietest, most atrocious swordsman imaginable.

Splatter…

Seol quickly grabbed his side as his intestines were about to spill. However, within seconds, his wound healed.

He could sense that Phantom was even stronger than before, and that unsettling suspicion was rapidly becoming a grim reality right before his eyes.

“So you’re recovering your strength faster than before…”

- I will recover my strength completely and then bring fear to all of you.

“Even though you won’t be able to leave here?”

- Nonsense.

Seol was taunting Phantom to buy time to recover.

Even he recognized that he had no chance of winning at this rate.

‘He’ll probably recover all of his strength before I can defeat him…’

Reaching a decision, Seol then spoke to Karuna.

‘Karuna, I’ll take control now.’

- But… okay.

Seol recognized that he wouldn’t be able to reach a conclusion by leaving it to Karuna.

Karuna was a honed, polished sword, at an extremely high level at that. The things that he could learn from this fight were limited.

‘But if it’s me…’

In contrast, Seol was a blank page of a swordsman. A clean, white sheet that could learn anything and everything.

Because the Night Crow form’s strength was the sum of Seol’s and Karuna’s power, Seol was willing to take this risky gamble. It was his last chance.

Karuna, Karen, and Jamad were all Transcendent-rank.

In fact, Ur, despite being sealed, was also Immortal-rank.

‘Then… What about me?’

How far had Seol reached?

Seol’s eyes began to glow with fighting spirit.

Grow….

Phantom grew a bit larger.

- You’re scared…. Does it have something to do with how your aura has changed?

Seol knew it as well. He was extremely lacking compared to Karuna, so it was natural that he would be more scared than before.

‘I have to get rid of all my doubts. I will defeat him. I can’t feel fear.’

Fwip!

A blade soared toward him.

“Hrgh!”

Claaaaaaaaang!

Phantom’s sword carried incredible power behind it.

Fwip!

Clang…

“Krgh…”

Seol failed to deflect it entirely.

Seol wobbled for a moment after Phantom cut his thigh, but he quickly recovered.

- I am the darkness. I recommend you stop trying to dodge what cannot be dodged.

“...Thanks for the advice,” said Seol, covered in blood. “But I’m the type that learns from being knocked down.”

[Night Crow: Sense Domain's proficiency increases.]

With that attack, Seol had gained another imaginary arm.

‘Since I can’t see, I don’t need to see it. Since I can’t dodge it, I don’t need to dodge it.’

Seol’s blood began to boil.

Seol gave up his sight and hearing to enhance his other senses.

Despite being unable to see or hear, the information he received felt strangely pleasant.

‘I have to recall how Frannan defeated Ur. He was able to defeat someone much stronger than him. How?’

Unexpectedness.

Frannan did not defeat Ur because he was stronger than him. He defeated Ur by using an attack that Ur couldn’t possibly expect.

- How interesting.

Fsssssss…

Phantom then changed his attack method.

‘Is this… the space around me changing?’

Phantom's ability to warp the terrain, which he had used to manipulate the mines, was now being employed in combat.

[Phantom used Twist.]

[The surrounding terrain changes.]

Rumbleeee!

A pillar of stone rose from the ground, aiming to pierce Seol’s heart.

Fwip!

Seol easily dodged that.

Fwoosh!

Another blade soared from the distorted terrain.

However, as it was still within Seol’s Sense Domain, he was able to respond.

Clang!

- Pitiful.

Fwip!

“Ahhhhhh!”

Seol’s left ankle was almost cut off cleanly.

He then tumbled on the ground a few times from the impact.

However, there were no further attacks.

“Haah… Haah…”

- I’ve already learned everything you know a long time ago.

“Then why can’t you kill me?”

- ……

“I’ve picked up a few things. Your blade—you're only able to use it a maximum of three times, right? It doesn’t make sense otherwise. Not to mention, there’s your area where I can’t see, and your incredible speed that’s hard to react to. Am I right? Or is it that the more you fight at full strength, the longer it takes for you to recover? Which is it?”

- Even if you know, nothing will change.

“No, it’s changing! It’s undoubtedly changing!”

Clench…

[Night Crow: Sense Domain's proficiency increases.]

Seol’s Sense Domain now had a total of three imaginary arms.

- You don’t know when to give up.

“Then make me give up.”

- …Fine.

Rumble rumble rumble!

[Phantom used Twist.]

[The surrounding terrain changes.]

Rumbleeeee!

Seol heard a loud rumbling around him.

‘Is it a rockslide?’

Phantom was trying to cause Seol to panic by altering the terrain around him.

Fwooosh…

[Phantom used Induce Fear.]

[Amplify the fear felt by the target.]

[Mind Control Resistance activates.]

[You resist Phantom’s Induce Fear.]

Rumble!

Rumble!

Rocks continued to fall from the ceiling.

Though Seol still couldn’t see, he could sense them all.

‘I only have to concentrate on the ones that enter Sense Domain’s area.’

Relying on his remaining heightened senses and the three imaginary arms, Seol focused on avoiding the altering terrain that could harm his body.

He shut his eyes to concentrate more deeply.

[Phantom’s Passive: Ominous activates.]

[Darkness Slash's amount increases proportionately to the level of fear your target feels.]

Fwip!

Claaaang!

Fwip!

Fwip!

Two swords came flying at Seol simultaneously.

Seol quickly turned his body, ferociously spinning in the air.

Clang!

Claaang!

Fwip!

Fwooosh!

‘Damn it…’

Though he could sense more than before, he still was unable to react to all of Phantom’s attacks.

Seol’s body was covered in cuts.

Fsssss…

Even so, the Blood of Origin quickly sealed those scars once more.

Fwip! Fwip!

“Krgh…”

Though Seol's wounds healed quickly, Phantom's relentless assault left him constantly wounded.

To survive, Seol adjusted his strategy. He focused on deflecting only the attacks targeting his vitals, allowing the less critical strikes to land.

“Haah… Haah…”

- Do you think you’ll be able to regenerate forever? It’s not like you’ve managed to injure me, either.

Phantom began to feel uneasy, an unfamiliar emotion creeping into his presence. Seol's resilience was wearing on him, stirring feelings even Phantom couldn't fully comprehend.

“...Don’t you think we’re becoming more and more like each other by the second?”

- ……

Seol gasped for air before continuing.

“It will only take an instant for me to reach you. Until then, endure the wait, even if it bores you.”

- Do you truly think that you will be able to reach me?

“Of course. More importantly, you…”

Seol, his eyes still closed, let out a big smile.

“You’ve gotten smaller, haven’t you.”

Phantom finally managed to define the emotions that he was feeling. It wasn’t a sense of unease.

It was ominousness.

- …I will cut you into tiny pieces so that you may never regenerate.

“Go ahead. You know what will happen if you fail to kill me… right?”

Rumble rumble rumble…

Fwoooosh!

The shape of Phantom’s sword slowly changed.

Previously, it was sharp and straight like a razor blade. But now, it had transformed into a chakram, a circular, wheel-like blade.

This blade attacked once more on its way back.

- Die.

[Phantom used Darkness Slash.]

[If the target fails to perceive this attack, this attack has double its cutting power.]

Fwooooosh!

‘It’s slower than before.’

Phantom’s sword was slower than before.

Which, in turn, also meant that Seol was now capable of deflecting them.

Clang!

Clang!

Fwirl!

Claaaang!

Phantom was shocked.

Though Phantom’s blade had transformed into a chakram, it was only narrowly slower.

Despite this, Seol was reacting to his attacks with much greater precision than before.

It was as if it was a choreographed fight. Seol was beautifully twisting and contorting his body to deflect each attack skillfully.

Phantom sensed that Seol was changing.

He was becoming stronger, awakening new senses.

He also knew that, in the end… that was what would allow Seol to defeat him.

Recognizing that, Phantom became more desperate.

Rumble rumble!

Baaaaaam!

However, something unexpected happened.

The falling debris struck Phantom’s blade in the darkness, something even Phantom hadn’t anticipated. As a result, the chakram twisted at an unexpected angle, aiming directly for Seol’s neck.

“Krgh…”

Claaang!

Though Seol had managed to deflect it, he was unable to avoid damage. He winced as his stance crumbled.

Phantom recognized this as an opportunity.

- Die!

He sent all of his blades at Seol.

Claaang!

Fwip fwip!

“K-Khrgh…”

The attack cost Phantom a lot of his energy.

However, it allowed him to embed multiple blades into Seol’s body.

Thud…

Seol fell over.

Grow…

Phantom’s domain slowly closed in.

He looked closely at Seol’s body, weakly lying on the ground, punctured with wounds.

- ……

His gaze shifted to the traces of Seol’s swordsmanship.

Seol had almost reached him, but in the end, he had failed.

The result of their fight was clear, Seol lay defeated on the ground.

- To think you were able to push back my domain this far…

Raise…

- Die.

Fwip!

Phantom sent a blade flying toward Seol’s neck, aiming to finish him off.

Claaaaaaang!

- …What the hell?!

Like a marionette with its strings cut, Seol weakly stood up, using Agony as a cane to support himself.

“I told you before, didn’t I…? If you can’t finish me off… it will end up like this.”

Grow grow….

Seol’s flesh quickly healed, sealing up all of the holes.

Phantom, too, watched as Seol’s body underwent yet another transformation.

[Due to repeated regeneration, all of your blood has been replaced with the Blood of Origin.]

[Blood of Origin begins to bubble.]

“My body… feels hot…”

[Blood of Origin is changing.]

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” screamed Seol.

He let out a long, agonized scream as his veins swelled, turning his face a deep shade of red.

Phantom seized this opening, attempting to strike Seol once more.

Fwip!

Grab!

- That’s…

Seol had grabbed Phantom’s blade with his bare hands.

However, it was unable to cut him.

It was easy to see why just by looking at Seol.

[Passive: Sticky Shadows(Composite) combines with the Blood of Origin.]

[Awakening! You have awakened a new skill.]

[You have awakened Night Crow: Bones of Origin.]

[Night Crow: Bones of Origin is born!]

Clatter…

An armor, seemingly made out of bones, suddenly wrapped around Seol’s body.

[Bones of Origin connects to Hope Devourer.]

[Bones of Origin copies Hope Devourer’s Bonus Effect.]

[Bones of Origin drastically increases the copied Hope Devourer’s Bonus Effect.]

“I’m done with just clinging on,” smirked Seol. “From now on… I’m going to use everything I’ve got to destroy you.”