Dungeon Breaker

Chapter 16

—–CROW—–

“[Am I still dreaming? What a long and deep slumber this is.]”

It was a slightly low, husky, androgynous voice.

Since it resonated directly in his mind, he shouldn’t have been able to guess the direction, but Cheon-ho instinctively grasped where the voice came from.

Cheon-ho turned his gaze.

At that moment, the Demonic Tree Casablond lunged at him.

“Ugh!”

“Hero!”

Cheon-ho quickly turned his head back towards Casablond and swung his kukri, severing the branch reaching for him. He managed to cut it off, but it was a struggle. The grip on his kukri tore, and his palm became covered in blood.

But there was no time to hesitate.

He threw himself sideways to avoid the charging Casablond.

‘A little over three meters.’

That was Casablond’s height.  It had a large build and a humanoid form. It looked like a walking tree.

Casablond swung its right arm. A tree vine, suddenly sprouting, lashed out at Cheon-ho like a whip.

He couldn’t block it.

Cheon-ho quickly twisted his body to avoid the whip’s trajectory. The ground where the whip struck cracked with a loud snap.

If he allowed even one attack to connect, it would be over.

“[A fight?  A pity.  You have talent, but your weapon is inadequate.]”

The voice spoke again.

Still low and husky, but with a dreamy, hazy quality.

Keeping a close eye on Casablond’s movements, Cheon-ho leaped back and turned his gaze.

“Are you alive?!”

“[Hmm? Are you talking to me?]”

The voice followed immediately.

Therefore, Cheon-ho was certain. He addressed his opponent more clearly.

“Imperial Guardian Sword!”

“Hero?!”

Luciel’s bewildered voice came from above.

He could hardly blame her, since Cheon-ho, who was fighting Casablond, suddenly started talking to a broken sword.

“Guooo-!”

As if not caring what Cheon-ho said, Casablond charged at him, swinging its tree vines.

*Swish!*

The air and ground were torn apart simultaneously.

This time was truly dangerous.

Cheon-ho narrowly avoided the attack, barely dodging by a hair’s breadth, and rolled across the floor.

But he didn’t stop there.  The moment he pushed himself up, he threw the kukri at Casablond. The spinning kukri embedded itself in its forearm, and Cheon-ho, looking towards the Imperial Guardian Sword, shouted quickly,

“Help me!”

“[You… can you hear me? Ah, well, it’s a dream, so I suppose it’s possible.]”

“This is reality!”

Cheon-ho was desperate, but the Imperial Guardian Sword was leisurely.

It seemed to really think this was a dream.

Meanwhile, Casablond looked at the kukri embedded in its forearm and then casually pulled it out as if it were nothing.

“Hero!”

Luciel shouted.

Cheon-ho retreated further, widening his field of vision.

In the air, Luciel was restless, unsure of how to help, and on the ground, Casablond frowned as it tossed the kukri aside.

His hand was wet.

The blood wouldn’t stop flowing from his palm.

And amidst all this, the Imperial Guardian Sword, leisurely as ever, said with a chuckle,

“[Haha, reality?  You don’t really think this is…  AAAAH?!]”

The Imperial Guardian Sword, the Holy Sword Mitra, suddenly raised its voice.

But since Casablond had started whipping with both arms, Cheon-ho couldn’t even think of replying. He was too busy dodging the attacks.

The Imperial Guardian Sword continued to talk to itself.

“[What in the world is going on?! Why is my body broken! Oh, wait. Yes, I remember. I remember. Magic. Incredibly powerful destructive magic!]”

The magic that had instantly dispelled the magical barrier protecting the Imperial Guardian Sword had also damaged the sword itself.

That was why the Imperial Guardian Sword, which had been in a deep sleep, had awakened.

“Hero!”

Luciel threw knives at Casablond in rapid succession, but Casablond didn’t even glance at her.

It simply endured the knives hitting its body, keeping its eyes fixed on Cheon-ho.

“[You! Pick me up!]”

The Imperial Guardian Sword shouted at Cheon-ho.

Jumping over the whirling whips and rolling across the floor, Cheon-ho extended his right hand towards the Imperial Guardian Sword.

There was no time to maintain his Poker Face, so he shouted frankly,

“You’re a legendary sword! Can’t you fly yourself?!”

“[You! I am a sword!]”

How could a sword fly on its own?!

The Imperial Guardian Sword’s argument was valid, and Cheon-ho cursed under his breath and rolled again.  The spot where he had just been was smashed by a tree vine.  Splinters hit him.

‘The Hero’s acting strange!’

Luciel felt anxious.  The fight was already precarious, and Cheon-ho kept saying strange things.

‘Isn’t there… isn’t there some way I can help?’

Luciel opened her inventory and pondered.

Meanwhile, Cheon-ho, rolling sideways again, finally managed to grab the Imperial Guardian Sword.

“[You! Dodge!]”

Casablond lunged at Cheon-ho, swinging its whip from top to bottom.  Cheon-ho cursed and rolled diagonally.

“Half a sword! Can you even fight?!”

He didn’t even have time to speak properly.

The Imperial Guardian Sword replied.

“[I can fight.  But with a broken blade, my efficiency is severely compromised.]”

“[You, do you have any magic weapons?]”

*Thud!*

A loud noise drowned out the Imperial Guardian Sword’s voice. Luciel had opened her inventory above Casablond’s head and dropped a bookshelf.

But the time delay when retrieving items from the inventory was the problem.

Casablond dodged the bookshelf, and it only struck the floor.

Glancing at the shattered bookshelf, Casablond extended a tree vine towards Luciel.  She quickly flew away, dodging the vine, and Cheon-ho, gaining a moment to breathe, held the Heat Dagger in his left hand towards the Imperial Guardian Sword.

“Here!”

“[A dagger, but it can’t be helped.]”

“[You, bring that dagger to me.]”

Cheon-ho did so.

The hilt of the Imperial Guardian Sword was enveloped in a pure white light, and then the blade, now without a hilt, fell to the floor.

All that remained was the Heat Dagger, its hilt completely transformed.

“[The hilt ornament is my true form.]”

“[My true ability is to enhance the sword I inhabit.]”

‘Then it’s not a holy sword, is it?’

The goddess forged the hilt?

It didn’t matter anyway.

No, for now, it was rather fortunate.

[Holy Sword Mitra’s Heat Dagger]

[Holy power begins to dwell within the Heat Dagger.]

A new window of light appeared.

Cheon-ho, without even finishing reading it, looked back at Casablond.  Luciel was performing acrobatic maneuvers in the narrow space of the ceiling, but her limits were clear.  He had to step up again.

“[It’s clad in magic power all over its body.  Ordinary attacks won’t work.  You must fight with magic power as well.]”

The Imperial Guardian Sword – the Holy Sword Mitra – said.  Cheon-ho threw the knives from his belt in rapid succession to distract Casablond.

“Kuwor!”

Casablond, having endured the knives hitting its body, charged at Cheon-ho again.

Cheon-ho took a deep breath.

Combat using magic power.

Combat using internal energy.

The way he fought the Rat Ogre wouldn’t be enough.

He had to take it a step further.

He held his breath.

Casablond kicked off the ground and leaped.  It swung a tree vine at Cheon-ho.

The air tore.

An attack sharper than a blade and faster than sound rushed towards him.

Cheon-ho didn’t throw himself to the side.

Instead of rolling across the floor as he had been doing, he recalled his father’s teachings.

Footwork.

The paths of advance and retreat drawn in his mind.

Only form and principle existed.

His training so far had been the same.

But this time was different.

He added internal energy.

He drew out the true power of martial arts.

*Bang!*

The floor cracked.

But even this time, Cheon-ho didn’t roll.

He dodged the attack while standing, and because of that, he could exploit the opening in the attack.

‘Become the wind.’

His father had said.

The martial arts etched into his body made it possible.

The Four Heavenly Kings of Joseon.

Virūḍhaka’s chapter.

Skanda, the swift.

The wind blew.

Cheon-ho became the wind.

He replicated the footwork of the fastest god, Vaisravana.

*Crash!*

He pierced through the sound.

He penetrated the trajectory created by the tree vines.

Becoming a single gust of wind, he arrived before Casablond.

It was the first time in his life he had used true martial arts.

But he could do it.

He clearly knew what he had to do next.

Cheon-ho’s palm strike exploded.

He struck Casablond’s waist diagonally upwards, and its massive, heavy body momentarily hung in the air.

It was difficult. His lungs felt like they were collapsing. The palm of his hand that delivered the strike felt like it would shatter.

But Cheon-ho didn’t stop. Pulling back his right leg, he prepared another attack.

He recalled another martial art.

The Four Heavenly Kings of Joseon.

Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s chapter.

Mountain Push.

*Bang!*

A tremendous sound erupted.

Cheon-ho’s powerful push kick struck Casablond’s airborne body.

It was an incredible force.  Casablond’s body flew almost horizontally and tumbled across the floor.

“Ugh!”

Cheon-ho gasped. His whole body was numb. But at the same time, an indescribable thrill spread throughout him.

True martial arts.

The true power of the Four Heavenly Kings of Joseon, from which he had only learned form and principle from his father!

“Hero!”

Luciel’s eyes widened with joy.

But the Holy Sword Mitra wasn’t pleased.

“[You! Why did you kick me!]”

If he picked up a sword, he should use it, not kick!

It was a fairly reasonable argument.

There was no reason to pick up the Holy Sword Mitra if he was going to do that.

“[The enemy is getting up! Prepare yourself!]”

As it said, Casablond was pushing itself up.

It seemed to have taken considerable damage from the consecutive attacks, but it was still fast and strong.

Cheon-ho readjusted his grip on the Heat Dagger and gasped for breath.

He was short on internal energy.

He had exploded his internal energy consecutively.

Moreover, since it was his first time using these martial arts, he had wasted a lot.

Casablond charged at Cheon-ho again.

This time, it didn’t jump, it just charged.  Instead of whipping its tree vines, it ran with both arms shaped like hammers.

“[Don’t hesitate. I will help you.]”

Mitra, sensing Cheon-ho’s condition, spoke.

Mitra also had little magic power left due to its long slumber, but there was no other way.

The Heat Dagger, inhabited by Mitra, glowed gold.

Cheon-ho forced himself to regulate his breathing and looked ahead. He ran towards Casablond, which was approaching with terrifying momentum.

The distance between them closed.

The hammer swung with terrifying force, and Cheon-ho calmly read its trajectory.  He dodged and simultaneously closed the distance.

*Bang!*

The hammer struck the ground.

The golden light emitted by Mitra was absorbed into Cheon-ho’s body.

Now it was right in front of him.

The second hammer swung horizontally, aiming for Cheon-ho’s head.

It wasn’t something he could see and dodge.

Cheon-ho lowered his stance.  Letting the attack pass over his head, he took a step forward.

He saw Casablond’s chest.

Cheon-ho didn’t think.

Just as he had become the wind, he naturally swung his right arm holding the Heat Dagger.

The Four Heavenly Kings of Joseon.

Vaiśravaṇa’s chapter.

Iron Cutter.

The sword energy of Vaiśravaṇa, the guardian deity of the north.

His enlightenment was shallow.

His internal energy was lacking.

But it connected.

The Holy Sword Mitra filled the gap.  It held the scattering sword energy together.

Cheon-ho roared.

The tip of the Heat Dagger touched Casablond’s bark.  It carved a new trajectory across its chest.

A strike that could cleave even iron ravaged it.

“Kwooar!”

It screamed for the first time.  Its upper body split open in a straight line, revealing its insides.  He hadn’t completely bisected it, but this was enough.

“Hero! Aim for the core!”

Luciel shouted.

Cheon-ho also instinctively knew.

A shining orb within the exposed gap.

Casablond thrashed.

Cheon-ho clung to it. He thrust the Heat Dagger, held in reverse grip, into the split.

“Graaaa!”

The Heat Dagger pierced the orb.  Mitra’s holy power shattered the orb, and the magic power surrounding Casablond’s body instantly evaporated.

*Thud!*

Casablond fell backwards.

Cheon-ho, who had been riding on top of it, fell with it, but he was satisfied.  Gasping for breath, he closed his eyes tightly.

Windows of light appeared above his head.

[You have defeated the Demonic Tree Casablond, ruler of the tower.]

[You are the first 1-star Hero to defeat a regional ruler on the 1st floor.]

[The Labyrinth World remembers your wondrous tale.]

[The Labyrinth World has become a little safer.]

[The tower is liberated.]

[The surrounding area is purified.]

[Hidden Quest completed.]

[Sub Quest completed.]

[Hidden Quest rewards given.]

[Sub Quest rewards given.]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

[Level up-!]

Cheon-ho didn’t look any further.  He rolled over, stretched out on the floor, exhaled, and laughed heartily.

He clenched his fists.

—–CROW—–