Chapter 40

Chapter 40.

 

After the host finished a brief introduction,Ha-kyung walked toward the metal pillar.

But then, murmurs came from the waiting area.

“He gets a little popular, and now he’s full of himself.”

“Immortal Tyrant? He got such an exaggerated nickname just because he heals a bit with artifacts.”

“He had no career at all for five years, then suddenly started standing out. Doesn’t that seem strange?”

“No matter what he did behind the scenes, he’s no match for our Brother Su-ho.”

People suddenly began sneering at him.

They had no guild marks, but it was obvious where they were from.

How many people would run their mouths with such nonsense?

Moreover, they were openly praising Executioner Choi Su-ho.

They were undoubtedly members of the Raiders.

Such a large stage and the pressure from veteran Awakened

might make an ordinary person tense enough to make a mistake.

But Ha-kyung’s expression remained calm.

‘Say whatever you want.’

He was not so weak that he would be shaken by such lowly attempts.

Ha-kyung advanced while rolling his arms in circles.

Then the host abruptly asked a question.

―Oh? Participant Lee Ha-kyung, are you not using a weapon?

“I do not think I need one.”

―My goodness! Facing Participant Choi Su-ho’s seventeen thousand eight hundred points, he is stepping forward barehanded! Now, how will the match between the Executioner and the Immortal Tyrant turn out?

At the host’s commentary, the cheers grew even louder.

So loud, in fact, that the Raiders guild members’ voices were instantly drowned out.

Ha-kyung lightly waved toward the spectators.

It carried the meaning that someone like Choi Su-ho was no more than this.

Then an even greater roar burst out.

“Waaaaaaaah!”

“He is insanely cool!”

“Please get rid of those bandit bastards!”

“Lee Ha-kyung! Lee Ha-kyung! Lee Ha-kyung!”

The spectators chanted Ha-kyung’s name.

He smiled leisurely and stared at the metal pillar.

‘In truth, I am only using it because Heaven-Shattering Fist has greater power.’

There was no need to reveal that part.

Ha-kyung immediately took his stance.

He intended to pour in a great amount of abyss energy and mana,

then use the Compression Authority to heighten the concentration of his power.

But then, something strange caught on Ha-kyung’s senses.

‘Hm? This is...?’

A sticky energy felt through Soul Brand.

It was unmistakably abyss energy.

This was not even a world beyond a Gate.

He wondered why something like that was here.

When he examined it more carefully, Ha-kyung was able to grasp its source.

‘Abyss energy is flowing from the punching machine?’

When he sharpened his senses, he could feel it more clearly.

Inside the metal pillar was something tightly condensed.

A faint trace of abyss energy could be felt from there.

It seemed that the punching machine itself was an artifact.

A structure that had spent a very long time in the Abyss.

Ha-kyung gave a triumphant smile.

‘Since I am doing this anyway, I might as well smash it completely.’

Enough to flatten the nose of that man, whether he was called an Executioner or a death-row prisoner.

[Kin-Eater skill target set]

[Target: Resonance Pillar]

RIIIIING―!

Along with a pleasant ringing in his ears, abyss energy flowed into him.

To be honest, he was slightly disappointed at first.

Since it had been so tightly condensed, he had expected a large amount to come out.

However, Ha-kyung soon had to revise his thoughts.

SSSSSSS!

‘Huh? This is far more than I expected.’

What on earth was this metal pillar-like thing?

It contained an enormous amount of abyss energy.

For an instant, Ha-kyung felt as though his breath had stopped.

Even so, he could somehow endure it.

He had experienced such things with truly outrageous targets before.

After all, he had even accepted far more abyss energy than this.

Ha-kyung sharpened his focus.

‘It is not real combat anyway. So I just have to proceed step by step.’

The gray-white mass of light gathered in his left hand gradually grew larger.

Then, the moment its wavering stopped

and the trembling settled,

the taut string of tension snapped.

KABOOM―!

A gray-white flash struck the dark metal pillar.

At the same time, Ha-kyung’s body was pushed straight backward.

It was because he could not withstand the tremendous recoil.

On the other hand, the metal pillar looked perfectly fine.

DIIIIING!

It merely vibrated and spread a powerful resonance.

Soon, the numbers on the scoreboard began to fluctuate.

At a speed on an entirely different level from before.

―Waaaaah! What an unbelievable sound! Now, what is the score...! One hundred fifty-nine thousand six hundred points! A new record! This is a tremendous record we may never see again!

The host’s frenzied shout rang out,

and a massive cheer erupted from the spectators’ seats.

“Waaaaaaaah!”

“Insane! That is fifteen times the Executioner’s score?”

“Fuuuuuck! I need to go change my underwear.”

Unlike the cheering spectators, the waiting area was wrapped in silence.

All the Awakened who had been mocking Ha-kyung had shut their mouths.

They had no choice.

Not only the Raiders guild members, but everyone had received a huge shock.

Soon, someone opened his mouth with a dazed expression.

“No, how is anyone supposed to break that?”

“Wasn’t the average score roughly ten thousand?”

“They say true experts are not interested in the Special Match... but even if those people came out, could they surpass one hundred fifty thousand points?”

“Who was the one who said it was because of artifacts? He got that score barehanded.”

The participants’ gazes turned toward the Raiders guild members.

Choi Su-ho was chewing his lips.

It seemed he had not expected Ha-kyung to surpass him by such an overwhelming margin.

He gritted his teeth and sprang to his feet.

“No matter how powerful it is, it does not matter if it does not hit. I’ll crush him properly in the main round.”

After winning in his mind with that muttered remark, Choi Su-ho abruptly left his seat.

Staying here would only deepen his misery.

Just then, Ha-kyung was returning to the waiting area.

Because of that, he had no choice but to briefly cross paths with Choi Su-ho.

In such a situation, anyone would have smiled mockingly.

After all, he had defeated the opponent who had mocked him by an overwhelming difference.

But Ha-kyung did not even glance at Choi Su-ho.

‘Complete disregard scratches the deepest.’

It would also help his public image while he was at it.

At Ha-kyung’s indifference, Choi Su-ho’s face twisted mercilessly.

“You just wait, you bastard.”

A curse came from behind him, but Ha-kyung’s expression did not change.

After all, people who told you to wait and see were never frightening.

***

After that, countless participants challenged the record, but Ha-kyung remained firmly in first place.

He briefly went up to the arena and received the trophy and prize.

Naturally, what Ha-kyung chose was the dark crystal.

The Ultimate Abyss Fragment.

The host’s expression was subtle.

His eyes seemed to ask why Ha-kyung would choose such expensive trash.

Of course, Ha-kyung descended from the arena without any reaction.

‘As naturally as possible.’

He looked at the black crystal for a moment as though he liked it,

then casually shoved it into his pocket.

Even though countless spectators were watching, no one would have found it strange.

“Wow! He really is on another level.”

“That is not wrong, but why are you saying that after everything is over?”

“He chose that strange crystal even though there were better prizes.”

“Why?”

“It means the rest are not as good as what he already has, so he does not really want them.”

“But that thing has a high grade, so isn’t it worth quite a bit?”

“Even so, it falls far short of the other artifacts. Besides, do you think that person would care about a little pocket change?”

“True. He is someone who readily donated fifty billion won to help the bereaved families of his dead teammates...”

It was the reaction he had intended, but it worked far better than expected.

It seemed Reporter Moon Jeong-hoon’s previous article had helped.

Ha-kyung passed through the participant-only corridor and moved to the Ranking Tournament arena.

His first match was scheduled for the afternoon.

Since he still had time to spare, he searched his pocket.

It was to open the Ultimate Abyss Fragment he had just received.

CRACK!

When he crushed it by putting strength into his grip, a System message appeared.

[You have opened the Ultimate Abyss Fragment]

[You have obtained an artifact lost in this dungeon]

[A massive amount of abyss energy is being transferred]

A pair of boots wrapped in gray-white energy.

Ha-kyung immediately recognized the artifact.

It had belonged to the signature Melee Damage Dealer of Axis Prime.

His Uncle Han Seo-jin, the Sky Assassin.

The situation from that time flashed before Ha-kyung’s eyes.

‘He cut off two of the Abyss Ruler’s arms.’

That was why he had no choice but to receive even more relentless attacks.

Because the Tanks’ provocations did not work well on the Abyss Ruler.

Ha-kyung quickly removed his sabatons and greaves,

then slid his feet into the boots.

The size adjusted on its own.

CLACK!

The sensation of them gripping his ankles firmly felt very good.

The name of this item was ‘Crosswind.’

It was an artifact that made a two-stage midair leap possible.

Ha-kyung ran a simulation in his head.

‘If John launches me into the air, I can approach a boss’s weak point in a single burst. But in midair, I become defenseless.’

If the aggro became unstable, he had no choice but to be placed in tremendous danger.

In such a situation, Crosswind would become the perfect solution.

If an attack came in, he could change direction.

While waiting for the Ranking Tournament,

Ha-kyung began a self-check.

Name : Lee Ha-kyung

Refinement Rank : Stage 4

Skills Owned : Wall-Walking Steps(S), Soul-Sever(S), Abyss Refinement(S), Kin-Eater(S), Heaven-Shattering Fist(S), Soul Brand(EX), Distortion(Authority), Compression(Authority)

Artifacts Owned : Reactive Magic Armor, Cloak of Command, Tyrant’s Bracelet, Restoration Veil, Curse Breaker, Crosswind, Ultimate Abyss Key(2/3)

After obtaining Heaven-Shattering Fist,

flames would sometimes surge from his Compressed Abyss Refinement.

Because of that, Ha-kyung had thought he had entered a new realm.

But his Refinement Rank had still been Stage 3.

It seemed he had simply grown a little more within the same realm.

However, that single tick just now had changed everything.

Ha-kyung stared endlessly at his Refinement Rank, which had become Stage 4.

‘I am dying to test it out.’

A sense of pride rose in his chest.

At the same time, his heart pounded.

Before he knew it, Ha-kyung had become a beast following the scent of blood.

Soon, he heard the host’s voice calling for him.

―The next match is Main Round Match Nineteen, a battle between the Immortal Tyrant, Lee Ha-kyung, and Warpath Champion Jang Do-su. Both athletes, please come up to the arena.

Since it was a main round match, a professional Champion had indeed appeared.

Warpath Champion, Jang Do-su.

In the Abyss, he was a skilled man who had cleared even a large-scale Unknown-Grade dungeon.

Tension rose in Ha-kyung, just as it had when he faced Iron Wall Butcher Kim Tae-gwang.

After all, Ha-kyung had not experienced One-on-One Combat often.

‘Is this only my second time?’

Of course, he was not without confidence.

He had trained steadily with John as well.

He had even won against the First-Generation Awakened Kim Tae-gwang.

The only difference from back then was the countless spectators.

Of course, there was no need to shrink back because of that.

Soon, his opponent appeared.

A sharp-eyed man with a nimble build.

He held two swords, one long and one short.

A moment later, the referee recited the Duel rules.

“Killing is forbidden under any circumstances. If a participant becomes unable to fight or surrenders, the match will end. Please note that it may also be stopped at the referee’s discretion.”

Ha-kyung and Jang Do-su nodded at the same time.

The referee stepped back and exchanged glances with the judges.

It meant they were about to begin.

“Ready, fight!”

The declaration of the start fell, but Ha-kyung did not move recklessly.

His opponent did the same.

Then Jang Do-su smiled faintly and said,

“You seem to think our brother’s arrangements amounted to nothing more than Choi Su-ho.”

“...!”

The instant Ha-kyung’s brow twisted at those unexpected words,

CLANG―!

A light flashed before his eyes.

And Ha-kyung realized it.

‘I... cannot see anything?’