NOVEL NEXT Ch. 15
Chapter 15: Hidden Piece (2)
Damn it, Father.
You were wrong.
Kwaaaang!
A spear shot forward like a flash of light.
Yohan sharpened the senses of every single cell in his body to their utmost.
[When facing a warrior-type opponent, attack and defense power each increase by +10.]
An additional buff granted by the ‘Knight’s Token’.
A hot surge of exhilaration rushed through his entire body.
[‘Stag of the Blue-and-White Forest’ activates ‘Bone Shield’!]
Kwaaaang!
The stag’s antlers and bones shattered in a single strike.
The destructive power was terrifying.
Even though he was behind the shield, the tingling killing intent was transmitted to him without any filter.
‘Should I have used Blood Enhancement?’
No, even if he had, the result wouldn’t have changed.
He would’ve only wasted precious mana for nothing.
‘Trying to take it head-on is definitely impossible.’
Tch.
Almost at the same instant, the stone statue behind Yohan swung its sword.
Yohan narrowly dodged by the width of a sheet of paper and countered with a diagonal slash imbued with Sacred Flame.
Kwang! Kagagagang!
He had been read.
The statue parried Yohan’s sudden strike with dazzling precision, clearly showing deep mastery of swordsmanship.
However—
The statue’s relentless attacks were also thwarted time and again by Yohan’s blade.
The 11th cycle, 35th, 109th, 222nd.
Those were the rounds where he had immersed himself particularly in the ‘sword.’
Of course, without sufficient inner power or skill, he couldn’t unleash the true might of swordsmanship…
But he hadn’t forgotten the rhythm of those countless swings—until his hands bled.
Paaang!
A whip grazed just beside his temple.
Pook!
The edge of a shield aimed for his joints but instead buried itself into a heap of dirt.
Face. Neck. Chest.
Attacks rained down upon every vital point like a storm.
An overwhelming exchange of offense and defense unfolded—one that predicted each other’s moves several steps ahead.
[‘Snow Leopard of the Frozen Mountain’ activates ‘Beast’s Strike’!]
He used the Animal Encyclopedia to strike with an offbeat timing.
[‘Hexagonal Turtle of the Coral Sea’ activates ‘Blessed Shell’!]
Then he nullified the counterattack with solid defense.
The statue’s expression remained blank, while Yohan’s lips curved with excitement.
At this point, it was hard to tell who was conducting the trial.
Barely a minute had passed—yet that single minute felt stretched to eternity, every second drawn out and heavy.
“……”
Sa Junhyuk had forgotten how to speak.
He couldn’t help it.
The battle between these two monsters had long surpassed the bounds of common sense.
‘I lost track of their movements.’
Once, twice—no, at least five times.
He prided himself on being a veteran of countless life-and-death fights, but this level of combat? He could count on one hand the times he’d seen anything like it in twenty years.
Then—
With only seconds remaining on the timer, Yohan’s aura suddenly shifted.
‘Bloodline Sword Formation.’
Uuuuung!
The [Sacred Flame] blazed red.
He could’ve passed the test just by holding out a little longer.
Yet—
What was that terrifying killing intent?
The chilling pressure dried Sa Junhyuk’s lips; his body froze stiff.
Cold sweat trickled down his back like ice.
Second Form.
He dropped his shield.
Raised his sword high.
Something crimson floated above it.
‘The Red Moon.’
“……!?”
The statue gazed blankly upward.
And at that instant—
A sword strike poured down from the moon, devouring the entire area with the statue at its center.
Kwakwakwakwa!
A merciless wave of violence devoid of elegance.
The ground was carved with wounds like those left by rampaging beasts.
Naturally, the statue at the center stood no chance of remaining intact.
Clatter.
Clack.
The shattered fragments of the statue crumbled and fell.
[The trial has ended.]
[Rewards are being calculated.]
From beneath a distant rock, a golden-glowing item appeared.
“Huuuh… haah… haah…”
Yohan exhaled the breath he’d been holding.
His arms and legs refused to move—he had clearly overexerted himself.
Well, that figures.
He’d need to start accumulating mana again soon.
Still, he had at least gauged the kind of opponents and battles he could handle at his current level—
That alone was enough of an achievement.
Yohan turned to Sa Junhyuk.
“If you’re planning to continue, now’s the best time. I’ve used up quite a lot of strength.”
Even The Art of War said it— strike the back of the head when it looks most appetizing.
Or not.
“……”
Ssssk!
At Yohan’s words, Sa Junhyuk lit a mana cigarette and inhaled deeply.
Then, slowly, he looked at his fallen comrades.
Corpses strewn across the ground.
He memorized each of their final expressions.
“First off, I should apologize. I thought you were a trained hound—but it turns out you were a full-grown tiger. Mistaking you for an ordinary Hunter was my mistake.”
Trying to extract and sell mana from someone like this—
Whether he was drained or not,
there was no chance in a one-on-one fight.
Besides, for a mercenary, revenge wasn’t exactly a profitable motive.
This whole thing hadn’t even been part of their original mission—it was a spur-of-the-moment decision.
If misjudgment had led to his team’s deaths, then the blame should fall solely on the one who made that call.
“Huuuh…”
Sa Junhyuk slowly exhaled the smoke trapped in his lungs.
It was time to withdraw—before he lost even more.
Yes.
That would’ve been the right choice.
“…But I guess I’ll do something uncharacteristic and take a loss this time. It’s pretty expensive, and I wasn’t planning to use it here—but to deal with you, I can’t afford to hold back.”
Uuuung!
“A… manual magic circle?”
Yohan’s pupils trembled.
The items hidden within the corpses of Sa Junhyuk’s men linked together, forming a massive magic circle.
And then—
He amplified its power using an item from the Mystery Room.
[B-rank Item ‘Carnival Firecracker’ activates!]
[When an ‘Explosion’ occurs, its power increases by one level and triggers chain reactions.]
There was a fang he had kept hidden.
And it was a very sharp one.
“To give you one piece of advice— it’s not the strong who survive. It’s the survivors who are strong.”
The wisdom born of experience was something that a freshly adult rookie could never possess.
Tuk!
Ashes, still warm with heat, touched the magic circle.
“I’ll take the reward as condolence money for my men.”
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!
With an earth-shaking roar,
the entire valley trembled.
＊＊＊
Kukukukuku!
One side of the valley had been completely blown away.
Huge rocks, several meters tall, piled into small mountains—there was no way anyone could have survived within.
“Tsk.”
Clicking his tongue bitterly, Sa Junhyuk roughly tousled his hair.
He had delayed for too long.
And the loss was far too great.
Even so, he had to at least finish the mission he had been assigned.
Sa Junhyuk picked up the strangely shaped brooch that had appeared as the reward and vanished.
And moments later—
“Ugh….”
Yohan crawled out from between the cracks of the rocks.
‘If I hadn’t known about the safe zone, that might’ve been dangerous.’
The location where the statue had vanished granted ten minutes of invincibility to select the item reward.
Meaning, no matter how many boulders came crashing down, they couldn’t harm him.
He had quite a hard time because of the sharp-toothed piranhas that appeared midway,
but in the end, he overcame every trial.
There had been eight challengers in total.
Two survived.
The result was exactly what he’d hoped for.
Because—
[When the enemy departs, the feast laid upon their place shall mark the true beginning of the banquet.]
[And at last, my cup shall overflow.]
If the enemy who had stabbed him in the back took the ‘bait treasure,’ then the one who remained behind would receive a far greater reward.
‘Still, he was quite tenacious.’
Sa Junhyuk—that was his name, right?
He’d thought that if he showed overwhelming strength, the man would just steal the reward and run.
But clearly, a seasoned mercenary left at least a bite mark, even in defeat.
Dusting himself off, Yohan checked the rewards he had obtained.
[Leaf of the Living Spirit]
[Core of Flame]
[Grudge of Obsidian]
Out of eight total rewards, one bait item had been taken by Sa Junhyuk.
Among the remaining seven, three were useful.
He didn’t get the one he wanted most, but these three were still more than decent.
[Leaf of the Living Spirit]
Acquisition Difficulty: A
Protects and heals the soul residing within the body. Especially effective in defending against magical and mental-type abilities. (When used with specific materials, its effects can be enhanced.)
[Core of Flame]
Acquisition Difficulty: BBB
A gemstone containing pure fire. Within it is sealed a ceaselessly raging Karma Flame.
When used, it burns the enemy or shields the user with a powerful flame.
Yohan carefully gathered the items.
Although Leaf of the Living Spirit and Core of Flame were single-use consumables, they were essential for his upcoming target.
And then—
Ssshh.
He gripped a beautifully crafted dagger with a black blade.
It had a light weight and perfect balance.
[Grudge of Obsidian]
Acquisition Difficulty: B
Attack Power: 50
Durability: 100 / 100
Details: On hit, inflicts bleeding damage of +5 per minute. Additionally, the dark-attribute divine beast Obsidian can accumulate demonic energy within the blade.
A base attack power of fifty.
Considering that even raid captains of the top three guilds used weapons with less than forty attack power, this was an incredible figure.
‘It’s just a dagger, yet its attack power is even higher.’
A satisfied smile spread across Yohan’s lips.
With the Knight’s Token and now the Hidden Piece,
it was a perfect start for the early stage.
And with these conditions met—
he could now attempt it.
Honestly, it was madness.
But if he succeeded, the return would be beyond imagination.
＊＊＊
Deep underground.
“Hmhm~ hmhm~…”
A faintly sleepy humming voice echoed through the darkness.
Step, tap. Step, tap!
Light footsteps accompanied by the rhythmic tapping of a fairly large staff striking the ground.
The sound’s owner arrived before a massive maple tree.
“Hrk. Grrrk.”
“Ughhh…”
“P-please, please save me. Please!”
People bound by vines twisted their bodies in agony.
Their pale faces begged for life.
As fear and despair balanced upon the scales, the boundary between life and death grew faint.
“Twinkle, twinkle, little star, shining ever so bright.”
The girl’s voice grew even more cheerful.
Her humming praised an era of abundance far too detached from this hellish place.
“In the eastern sky~”
—Even if the world were to be swallowed by darkness, and you were left in the cold loneliness—
“In the western sky~”
—Do not be lonely. For the stars in the night sky shall always remain by your side.
“Twinkle, twinkle, little star~ shining. So. Bright. Ahaha.”
Was that song meant for someone?
The lullaby for a child was stained a deep, bloody red.
And then, the girl standing before a man gently lifted his chin with her slender fingers.
“Hiiik!”
“Oh my, don’t look at me with such pitiful eyes. You’ll make me softhearted.”
Half-lidded, drowsy eyes.
Silky black hair cascading down to her waist.
Pale skin and lilac-colored eyes—she was a beauty beyond compare.
Even elves, the very symbols of beauty, would have to bow before her youthful radiance.
However—
Those bound here knew all too well.
That this languid-looking girl’s appearance was merely a shell hiding what truly lay beneath.
“N-no, please. Don’t—please!”
From the man who was writhing violently, blue smoke began to pour out.
Ssshhhh…
“Ah… grrgh… gahh…”
His body shriveled up and withered away.
“Haaa~ as I thought, fresh fear tastes the best.”
The girl trembled slightly, savoring the vitality she had just absorbed.
Then, she tilted her head back and gazed at the ceiling.
“Please, come in deeper. Deeper. I’m still so very hungry.”
Vivian Astraia.
The ‘Witch of the Maple Tree’, who had ascended as the 11th Star of the 7th Moon (月).
The true master of the Withered Garden was waiting for her newly arrived prey.