How did the sword fit? Jae-Hyeok’s scabbard and Iyarugt were visibly different sizes. The length alone differed by more than thirty centimeters.
Was he hallucinating? Had the Troll Lord’s grudge become a curse before dying? Jae-Hyeok had such doubts, before he soon noticed something else. The shape of the hilt had changed to a familiar one.
He slowly drew his sword, and what emerged from the scabbard was his familiar hwando. Of course, Iyarugt’s strength remained intact despite its reverted form.
“...what an amazing item.”
Could it change shape according to his desires? Jae-Hyeok strongly willed the hwando to reveal its true appearance.
A red aura rose from the hwando. The black blade instantly transformed into a red, transparent longsword.
Are all legendary items ?
No, that was impossible. The weapons used by top-level players inevitably became well known. Among them, a few weapons were uniquely famous for their ability to transform. Those weapons wouldn’t have become famous if the ability was a global trait of all legendary items.
Jae-Hyeok’s heart beat wildly.
A single-edged sword and a double-edged sword were distinctly different. The reason Jae-Hyeok had been able to counterattack in his battle against Theodore was thanks to the second edge of the longsword, which allowed him to bring his sword around for a surprise counter-slash. But, if Iyarugt had been the single-edged hwando at the time, then he could’ve supported the backside of the blade rather than the hilt during his initial clash with Theodore, giving himself greater leverage to withstand Theodore’s strength.
In other words, the methods of use and the advantages and disadvantages were completely different.
The ability to swap between the two blades at will was a huge advantage. He was sure that any enemies he faced in the future would feel like they were dealing with two swordsmen.
After confirming once more that the appearance of Iyarugt had changed back to a hwando, Jae-Hyeok tried various experiments. He hoped it could transform into other things, like a bow or a spear.
The only form that Iyarugt could change into was the hwando, the symbol of the Kang family. This meant that Iyarugt’s transformation ability wasn’t a unique trait of the item itself, but a spell or mystical ability.
It could have been that his ancestors had imbued Iyarugt with the transformation once the hwando had become the symbol of the Kang family. Or it could have been that Iyarugt was too conspicuous, and they’d feared it would be targeted by someone. Or perhaps there was a problem with the Iyarugt itself...
In any case, it seemed the ancestors had felt the need to keep Iyarugt hidden all this time for some reason. The secret was probably passed down through the generations from one head of the family to the next.That explains why I never learned about it...
Jae-Hyeok trembled. In other words, this sword originally belonged to Father, and he chose me as his successor a long time ago.
Emotions flooded in like a tide.
He had earned the trust of the person he admired and loved the most from the very beginning. Realizing this, he felt reborn.
Jae-Hyeok gathered himself and made up his mind. I will work harder. As the next family head, he would definitely revive the Kang family. The resolution that Jae-Hyeok reminded himself of several times daily now carried more weight.
The next thing that he pulled out was a book that glowed with a subtle jade light. It was the Skill book dropped by the Troll Lord.
[King’s Roar Level 1]
Unleashes the pressure of an innate king, briefly terrifying the target.
Applies to a maximum of three targets. The lower the target’s level or total stats compared to the user, the higher the probability of falling into the Fear state.
Skill Cooldown Time: 10 minutes.
Skill Mana Cost: 300]
An abnormal status Skill!
Jae-Hyeok used the Skill book without a second thought.
In the first place, the second and third Skill slots could be filled and emptied freely, so there was no reason not to learn the Skill he had obtained.
Moreover, the value of instant-cast Skills that triggered status conditions was astronomical.
Normally, Skills that triggered status conditions usually had to meet certain conditions to be activated. For example, to poison an enemy, Jae-Hyeok had to slash them with a poison-coated blade or burst a bag to cover them in poison-soaked sand.
Meanwhile, he only had to scream to activate King’s Roar.
Still, I should avoid using it when there are witnesses.
If he used the Skill inside Lion’s Castle, it was like advertising to the world that he had stolen the Skill book dropped by the Troll Lord.
I’m not sure how the security forces would react, but at the very least, I know nothing good will happen. Jae-Hyeok shuddered as he recalled the whispers between the security forces about the Second and Fifth Squads. Each attack squad was led by an S-class player. Drawing their attention at this point would only shorten his lifespan.
“Fuck! What is this bullshit?”
The office of S-class Kwon Sa-Cheol, the captain of the Second Attack Squad, shook as if an earthquake had struck.
The ashtray he threw exploded against a wall.
S-class players could be considered the strongest among the active players. Unlike National Treasures, who were obliged to take responsibility for state events and security and rarely took part in private matters—S-class players remained active on the front lines, which meant they were seen and feared by other players the most.
“How could such an accident happen when it’s our turn? Fuck!”
Kwon Sa-Cheol was a senior member of the Association and was famous for his bad temper. Apart from the president of the Association, the generals of the military, and the three National Treasures, no one could suppress his personality, not even the president of South Korea.
“What? A Death Knight? Does it make sense to lose an opportunity that comes once a year because of some monster?” In the end, Kwon Sa-Cheol couldn’t hold back and struck the unit leader in the face.
The unit leader was also a top player, only five levels away from S-class, but he couldn’t resist the power of that fist.
Even after seeing the bloody mess that the unit leader’s face had become, Kwon Sa-Cheol couldn’t get rid of his anger. “That son of a bitch Kim Sa-Yeong uses the Skill of the Troll Lord to make fun of me every time he sees me! You want me to stay until next year? You want to see me die from anger? Do you think I’ll die quietly on my own, you bastards? I’ll make sure to bury you with me!”
The Troll Lord respawned three months after death. Then it took another three months of growth to fully mature. In other words, the Troll Lord raid was only available twice a year, and the Association’s Attack Squads and the Foundation’s Attack Squads shared the event, so it was actually a once-in-a-year opportunity for them.
Now, their opportunity had been robbed by a Death Knight appearing out of nowhere and killing the newborn Troll Lord. How could Kwon Sa-Cheol not be furious?
“Why wasn’t anyone guarding it?”
“We... had three concurrent raids scheduled for today. We split up and intended to finish the raids quickly before deploying guards to the Troll Lord.”
“You used all of the Second and Fifth Squad members for three raids? Are there not eighty of you? You couldn’t keep one or two back to guard the Troll!? You incompetent bastard!”
It would’ve been possible if you and the captain of the Fifth Squad participated in the raid... The unit leader swallowed down the words he didn’t dare speak and tried to divert Kwon Sa-Cheol’s anger.
“It might not have been a coincidence.”
Kwon Sa-Cheol was confused. “What?”
“I think the result would’ve been the same even if we placed guards. Do you remember Student Kang Jae-Hyeok?”
“Kang Jae-Hyeok? The Yaksha’s son?”
“Yes. He said that he was the one who lured the Death Knight to the Troll Lord’s Dungeon.”
“You’re saying he purposely screwed us over?”
“I think it’s likely. Wasn’t he someone who was admitted by the chairman personally? Perhaps it was ordered by the chairman... ”
Kwon Sa-Cheol’s reaction was indifferent this time. He had calmed down to the point where it made people wonder if his previous red-faced outburst was just an act.
Kwon Sa-Cheol considered. “Wasn’t he level 10 not long ago? If you were the chairman of the board, would you use such a weak person as bait to lure a Named Death Knight? The boy could’ve easily been caught and killed by it.
“Hm. No, it doesn’t make sense for a Death Knight to chase a kid all the way to the Troll Lord’s Dungeon. If that were true, then Kang Jae-Hyeok would’ve been killed before arriving at the dungeon, and the Troll Lord would’ve been intact. The Death Knight’s purpose must’ve been something else from the beginning.”
Being an S-class player meant being at least level 100, which could only be achieved by hunting millions of monsters. It wasn’t a realm that could be reached simply by having excellent Skills or items.
Wisdom, charisma, insight, determination, and more—S-class players had more than one exceptional talent, and Kwon Sa-Cheol was no exception.
“The Yaksha’s son is nothing more than a misdirection. Someone else must’ve used Kang Jae-Hyeok to lure the Death Knight.” Kwon Sa-Cheol got up from his chair and gave the impression of a bear standing upright. “Unit leader, collect the testimonies of the teachers and students who encountered the Death Knight. Look for clues. Focus on any testimonies that mention the Death Knight looking for something.”
“The rest of the personnel will join me in pursuing the Death Knight. We have our justification. It intercepted our prey first, so the other squads won’t squabble over our claim to raid the Death Knight.”
The unit leader replied, “Locating it won’t be easy since the search team lost it. We’ll have to search the whole island, which might take many days. However, there is the schedule for the rest of the raids we have planned...”
“Turn them over to the Fifth Squad.”
“But Captain, won’t our loss be terrible?”
“Aish, this person.” Kwon Sa-Cheol clicked his tongue. “It’s an acceptable loss. Searching for the Death Knight over the next ten or fifteen days will send a clear message that it's our prey. On top of that, the Fifth Squad will owe us a favor. It’s killing two birds with one stone.”
Monsters couldn’t escape from Lion’s Castle, and Named Death Knight had a value much greater than the Troll Lord.
Even if they didn’t find it during their search, the Death Knight would surely reappear one day, so it was important to secure the right to hunt it in advance. Kwon Sa-Cheol chose to accept an immediate loss for the sake of securing this enormous future opportunity.
At the same time, a cliff on the coast.
Theodore trembled when it returned to the grave. Its joints creaked, and frost condensed on its bones as the temperature continued to plummet.
“Been a while, Theodore.”
“...The Yaksha’s follower.”
White Night, Seol Su-Ah.
She chuckled, not at all offended by Theodore’s remark that treated her, a National Treasure of South Korea, as someone’s follower.