Mistaken for an Irregular Who Was Hiding His Strength (2)

The first floor of Tier Four.

The light of Floor 31 of Egen Tower welcomed me.

-Ding.

[You have entered the Beginner's Tower, Floor 31.]

Having passed through the temple,

you awaken in the distant past.

A tournament happens to be taking place right before your eyes.

At the same time, you witness an apparition of some being

cry out the victor's cheer before vanishing.

[Objective]

- Take first place in the martial arts tournament

- Reach the next portal

[Reward]

- Stat Points +3

'Just as I'd heard.'

Egen Tower's Tier Four, also known as the 'Kingdom' tier.

It was a tier full of romantic adventure.

They say that if you follow directly in some hero's footsteps, you get puffed up by the feeling that you've become a hero yourself, or something like that.

Before awakening, this was a tier I had looked forward to, but…

'Now it's just annoying.'

The story?

I don't care.

The applause of the people directed at me?

I'd gotten plenty of that under the Cheol Gangmin account.

Any hidden pieces or easy achievement farming like with Luca?

Yeah, I can fill that quota by grinding stats in gates.

'Serin, I'll finish this quickly and go!'

Tap.

I closed the status window without hesitation.

Then I looked ahead.

At a glance, it was a city that practically screamed 'medieval'—and among its sights stood a colosseum.

I could see countless NPCs seated inside.

-Murmur, murmur.

"If the princess notices you, you might even be able to join the Minette Kingdom's knights. Maybe I should have entered too?"

"Forget it. The kingdom's finest swordsmen have gathered here. This isn't a place to show off just because you've cut down a few goblins."

"The martial arts tournament is held every two weeks. Do you really think anyone that strong would participate? From a quick look, they all seem pretty ordinary…"

The martial arts tournament.

A tournament in which you had to defeat NPCs to claim victory—the event that marked the beginning of Tier Four in Egen Tower.

…Clearing it normally took several hours.

Even signing up for the tournament late was a hassle.

And even if I managed to enter, I'd have to wait for the other NPCs to finish fighting.

That's how it usually went, but

'There is a speedrun route.'

The knights who formed parties and carried climbers from Floor 1 to Floor 50 of Egen Tower.

Thanks to their research, the fast way to climb Tier Four was common knowledge.

What was that method?

"Trait Enhancement Swap, Inventory."

One. First, take out the sword.

'Then… shall we go?'

"Everybody move!!!!"

Two. Next, storm into the colosseum and wedge yourself between the people currently sparring.

"What!?"

"You there, what are you doing all of a sudden?"

Three. Create a three-way battle…

'Four! Fight to the death!'

"There's no time to hesitate!!!!!"

-Whoosh—!!

I immediately swung my sword.

My targets were the swords of the two NPCs facing each other.

How could ordinary weapons withstand a Unique-grade sword enhanced by the Myriad Daggers trait?

They were sliced cleanly in half the instant my attack grazed them.

"……Huh?"

"What just happened?"

The NPCs muttered in bewilderment.

And then, clang—!

The sword fragments hit the floor with a bright ring.

That should have proved who was stronger.

I stepped forward and raised my sword.

"I am Ryu, Ryu Hwi-min!! I can defeat any number of you, so come at me if you're confident!!"

And I shouted loudly, but…

What response did I get?

-Murmur, murmur.

"What is that guy?"

"A barbarian fresh from the countryside?"

"He certainly looks skilled, but… no, he's just some nobody."

"That just now was obviously thanks to his excellent sword, too."

…Everyone was staring at me.

It reminded me of the look an A-rank Awakener had given me when I took off my shoes in the car while I was selling artifacts last time.

'This is so embarrassing!!'

My arms trembled.

My face grew hot.

Even knowing they were NPCs, showing off in front of this many people was unbelievably embarrassing.

'But I'll endure it! It's for Serin!'

"W-what, are you too scared to come at me!? You pathetic excuses for men!!"

I continued shouting despite my embarrassment.

This shameful situation finally ended after nearly a minute of silence.

"Sigh… Sir Cedric, drag him out."

The voice came from the highest seat at the very top.

"Yes, Princess."

Then someone began walking toward me.

Clank, thud—clank, thud—!!

The one who appeared with heavy footsteps was a knight dressed in magnificent armor.

"There are occasionally brats like you who act up without realizing how big the world is."

-Shing—

The knight drew his sword.

At a glance, it was on an entirely different level from those cheap swords earlier.

"Raise your sword. I will show you the heavens."

On top of that, he delivered an arrogant line.

He seemed tremendously confident in his skill.

-Murmur, murmur.

"Good heavens, that's Sir Cedric…!!"

"Was his name Ryu Hwi-min? What a pity. He'll suffer every bit of embarrassment there is."

"That man is one of the ten strongest in the Minette Knights. He won't even be able to withstand a few blows."

The NPCs didn't doubt his victory, either.

In other words, everyone expected me to suffer an overwhelming defeat.

That was why ridicule seeped into the gazes directed at me, but…

-Flinch.

"…You, why are you looking at me like that?"

The knight NPC, Cedric.

A guarded look was gradually appearing in his eyes as he watched me.

In his eyes, I must have been grinning broadly.

-Ding.

[The trait 'Dragon Eyes'….]

[Cedric]

Level: 108

'Even Dohwa is stronger than you.'

"I won't take even ten seconds to finish you!!!"

* * *

Princess Celestia of the Minette Kingdom.

She had one hobby.

It was watching the martial arts tournament held once every two weeks.

In a kingdom with little entertainment, there were few pastimes better than this.

That was why she'd spent the past two weeks eagerly waiting for today, but

"I am Ryu, Ryu Hwi-min!!"

"……Huh?"

While she was enjoying the low-class fights,

a young man suddenly burst in.

Then he declared that he could defeat all of them even if they attacked him together.

If you only listened to his words, he sounded remarkably bold.

Since he had also cut the other participants' swords, it could even have looked like confidence in his skills at first glance.

…What made it impossible to see him in a favorable light was his expression.

-Tremble, tremble.

'This is so embarrassing…!!'

Hwi-min was a little thin-skinned.

Wasn't he a pathetic weakling who got embarrassed when his community username appeared on the news?

And yet he had stepped in front of countless people.

He showed himself to everyone without even using invisibility.

It was only natural for his face to turn bright red from shame.

"Hmm…"

'His sword is good, but he must have very little experience. His other equipment isn't anything special either.'

Naturally, the princess could only look down on Hwi-min after seeing that.

The dignified bearing of a powerful person was nowhere to be found, so he was practically begging to be mistaken for a novice.

The princess's interest dropped to zero at that moment.

"Sir Cedric."

"Yes, Princess."

Cedric, one of the knights assigned to guard her, stepped forward without a hint of suspicion.

There was no sign that he was wary of Hwi-min.

'I suppose I should teach this barbarian how a sword is used.'

…If he had properly observed his opponent's swordsmanship, things would have been different.

He was a considerably powerful figure in the kingdom, too.

If he had seen Hwi-min's swordsmanship up close, he would certainly have realized that he was an incredible powerhouse and treated him with due respect.

But Hwi-min's attack was far too fast and sudden.

His own expression, too, made him look like a nobody who had barely experienced the battlefield.

-Shing—!!

That was why he drew his sword without hesitation, but

-Chill.

"……Huh?"

Why was that?

The moment Cedric crossed swords with Hwi-min, he realized that his instincts were sounding alarm bells.

'What is this guy?'

He was a knight.

Unlike Hwi-min, who had shown up in strange cloth clothes with nothing but a sword, he was a knight dressed in high-quality armor from head to toe.

So he should have been treated with awe.

And feared.

Why was Hwi-min looking at him…

as though he found him amusing?

"…You, why are you looking at me like that?"

'Does he not even recognize his opponent's level?'

It made no sense.

It was only natural that he couldn't even imagine that this pathetic man before him was actually a powerhouse above Level 700.

'Just in case, I'd better be a little careful.'

Cedric belatedly heightened his vigilance.

He also tightened his grip on his sword.

When one of the kingdom's most renowned knights went all out, there seemed to be no one who could oppose him.

…To Hwi-min, it looked like a show of bravado from someone who wasn't even worth half a Dohwa.

'Egen Tower NPCs are all pretty much the same. I feel sorry for him, so I'd better finish this quickly.'

"I won't take even ten seconds to finish you!"

Hwi-min swung his sword as he shouted.

His sword carved a silver line through the air.

The slash was so sharp that it looked as though it were cutting through space itself.

"Hup!?"

'What is this speed!!'

Clank.

Cedric hurriedly stepped backward.

That would split his body in two.

His instincts, honed through countless experiences, had cried out in warning.

However, how could someone clad in armor move quickly?

His movements were unbearably sluggish.

'So slow~ No chance I'll cut him wrong by accident.'

-Fwoosh—!!

Hwi-min surged forward.

Using the footwork he had learned from the vengeful spirit, his movements looked like those of a butterfly.

-Ding.

[The traits 'Dragon Eyes,' 'Myriad Daggers,' and 'Sword God'….]

'The sword first!'

The sword slashed through the air again.

The sharp tip of the blade first sought his opponent's weapon.

Cedric tried to deflect it by angling his sword, but

"……!?"

'No, I definitely blocked it, so how….'

-Slice—!

A line appeared across Cedric's weapon.

The sword he cherished like a lover instantly became a heap of scrap metal.

-Eyes bulging.

'My Sophia!!!!'

He had secretly given his sword the name Sophia.

He cried out her name desperately in his heart.

But that didn't make the broken sword return to its beloved former state.

It felt as though his lover had been stolen from him, but…

this was only the beginning.

'They said he doesn't surrender easily, right? Might as well cut the armor too.'

Before the sword fragments even hit the ground,

Hwi-min swung his sword again.

How could a mere Level 108 knight stand against swordsmanship that even a Level 999 vengeful spirit had praised as having reached the realm of the gods, combined with such footwork?

Countless silver lines appeared across Cedric's armor.

They were so fast and precise that even the person being attacked couldn't help but admire them.

"What an incredible sword…."

"Done! Good work!"

"…Huh?"

Only then did Hwi-min lower his sword.

Cedric, on the other hand, stood frozen, unable to understand what had happened.

No, Cedric wasn't the only one who froze.

The princess who had ignored Hwi-min and the spectators who had laughed at him were frozen, too.

None of them understood what had just happened.

Only the result of a one-sided slaughter too humiliating to call a spar belatedly revealed who had overwhelmed whom.

"Th-this…."

Clang—.

It was the sound of metal falling to the floor.

The fragments of the iron armor Cedric had been wearing were falling.

Everyone's eyes focused on Cedric.

The princess was no exception.

'What in the world was that….'

If Hwi-min had cut Cedric apart along with his armor, they might have understood it.

But Cedric was perfectly fine.

Only his armor had been sliced apart and fallen away here and there, as though someone had peeled an egg.

There wasn't a single wound on the flesh revealed beneath it.

It was a divine feat—the technique of a god.

"C-crazy…."

'How great is the difference in skill!!'

As Cedric realized what it meant, horror filled him inwardly.

Hwi-min's gaze turned upward.

The princess had leaned her upper body over the balcony, unable to believe what had just happened.

Their eyes met.

"Who are you, exactly?"

"He surrendered, so that means I got first place, right!?"

"Y-yes, yes… Since you rendered Sir Cedric unable to fight…?"

The princess awkwardly declared him the winner.

It wasn't a fair result.

But there was nothing she could do.

With such an existence beyond the bounds of reason appearing, there was no point in continuing the tournament.

"Then we'll present your award, so please wait a moment…."

And beneath the princess's horrified gaze,

Hwi-min, who had caused this upheaval…

didn't even spare the princess a glance as he ran.

'Skip complete!!'

"Then I'll be going!! See you next time!!"

A portal appeared in front of him.

Hwi-min threw himself into it with a grin.

'Normal Tower until Floor 35… The story's going to get seriously tangled.'