Chapter 49
Sugiyama Renya.
One of the world's few people to clear the fourth floor of the Pilgrim's Tower, and Japan's undisputed strongest Awakener.
He was always brimming with confidence.
Put less kindly, he was arrogant.
He had become that way after living as Japan's most revered strongest.
Perhaps that was why Renya disliked Iron Gangmin.
It was because, from the moment he appeared, he had monopolized the attention of Japan and the entire world.
But what could he do when the man was genuinely the real deal.
In Japan, he had to be the best, yet day after day passed without that being true.
That was why he couldn't readily believe the boss's level as Iron Gangmin had reported it.
'Takeshima was… probably a misunderstanding, but he wants my equipment instead. In the end, there's still a chance this is a bluff.'
"I'll enter the Gate."
His inferiority complex toward Iron Gangmin.
"Wouldn't it be better to wait a little longer? There are still ten days until the Break…."
"Three days have already passed. If we're to return the advance party's bodies intact to their families, someone truly has to go now."
Moreover, loyalty to his partners.
Finally…
'I can do this. If it's me!'
…Regardless of nationality, pride was the unofficial number-one cause of death among men.
Pride drove him toward the Gate.
He had also calculated that 'With this level gap, I can somehow make up for it with equipment.'
The result of his arrogance was isolation.
'I can't beat that!!'
His survival instinct, honed in the Tower, shouted at him.
There were opponents he could challenge and opponents he couldn't beat even if he died trying; that was the latter.
'Even Iron Gangmin would have trouble handling that alone. I'll run and buy as much time as possible, then team up with him when he arrives!'
For now, he decided to run.
The enemy was several dozen meters tall, but fortunately, he was faster.
He could hold out for several days.
The problem was that even after several days passed, there was still no word from Iron Gangmin.
"Iron Gangmin's reply is… you're all screwed? Is that a common expression in Korea? Got it."
"It's day two, and still no news?"
"My phone battery is about to…."
"Mr. Iron Gangmin, when on earth are you coming!!!?"
Thus, five days passed.
His phone battery had died completely, and the backup battery wouldn't charge either; its cable must have broken.
Fortunately, he still had plenty of water and food.
Unfortunately, he rarely had a chance to eat.
-Pit-pat.
"Huff, huff…."
'Damn it, does it not even sleep!?'
The boss somehow always found him and quickly caught up, no matter how he tried to shake it.
Thanks to that, Renya hadn't slept for five days.
No matter that he was a fourth-floor clearer, he had truly reached his physical limit.
'…Am I going to die?'
He probably couldn't make it through another day.
His body was growing sluggish from sleep deprivation.
It wouldn't have been strange if he were caught even an hour from now.
Only then did Renya regret it.
'I shouldn't have said that.'
It wasn't as though he hated Korea, and he hadn't even cared about Takeshima or anything like that.
Why had he gone out of his way to provoke Iron Gangmin?
If he had swallowed his pride and asked about a strategy for conquering the Gate, the outcome might have been different.
But he had been wrong.
Perhaps Iron Gangmin wasn't coming because he was angry at him.
'I'll be remembered as filth now.'
But it was too late to regret it now.
History would change Renya's surname to 'Mutaguchi' and parade him around for ridicule.
He was certain to become the worst villain in the history of Japanese Awakeners.
Even knowing that future perfectly well, he would die here with his head smashed in.
The thought was so bitter and infuriating.
His tears almost flowed, but…
-Grab.
"……Huh?"
Just as he was about to cry.
His body was suddenly swept upward.
He turned his head, wondering if the boss had caught up, and a woman came into view.
"H-Huh!? Who are you!!?"
"……."
But the woman, Dohwa, remained silent.
As Hwi-min's familiar, she was focused on faithfully following the command she'd received.
That command was,
'This one, trash! Recycle!!'
…To Dohwa, this was no different from recycling.
Since she was taking something useless to a designated place to throw it away, it was essentially the same.
Renya would have been heartbroken if he knew.
Fortunately, he had no idea.
He didn't have the slightest chance to think about such things, either.
'This speed… no way!?'
"Iron Gangmin!!!?"
Renya's eyes flew open.
He was panicking internally.
A speed that overwhelmed even him at full strength could belong to no one but Iron Gangmin…
'She was a woman?!'
Hadn't they said it was a man's name?
But what on earth was this petite, buxom beauty who looked as though she'd stepped out of a manga?
'Good heavens, Iron Gangmin was a woman….'
The misunderstanding unfolded seamlessly.
To Renya, Iron Gangmin was now a woman.
Having seen the real person, he had no choice but to think so.
It was exactly what Hwi-min had intended.
'He'll think I'm Dohwa, right? Spread some rumors for me. Tell them I'm not a man.'
Hwi-min intended to conceal his identity even further.
His stock had skyrocketed because of this incident.
Worried that the Administration might come looking for him again, Iron Gangmin planned to spread the absurd rumor that he was actually a woman.
Renya was the living witness who would spread it.
Renya himself had no idea.
-Thud.
"L-Lord Iron Gangmin…."
"……."
'The cloak! That!'
Meanwhile, Dohwa had reached the edge of the field.
She reached out and snatched Renya's cloak.
It was the Legendary-grade equipment he cherished.
Having carried out her master's command, it was time to return.
Dohwa was just turning around with that thought when,
"W-Wait a moment!!"
"……?"
"Mr. Iron Gangmin, I apologize for my rudeness!!"
A voice rang out at that moment.
When she looked back, Renya was desperately trying to get back on his feet.
"But you'll be in trouble alone! If you wait just a little, I can serve as your vanguard…."
Renya was trying to help in his own way, but,
"…Sniff."
'Filthy.'
To Dohwa, it looked like a weak creature was frightened.
She had been living with extraordinary beings like Hwi-min and Ryu Serin, and this was her first time facing an ordinary Awakener.
She didn't even understand Japanese, so it was only natural.
'Trash… recycle….'
After a brief deliberation.
-Slide.
Dohwa extended her arm.
Her small hand settled atop his disheveled hair.
-Stroke stroke.
'Good, good.'
She gently stroked him.
She even smiled at him.
You weak one, stay right here and get recycled.
My master and I will handle the strong ones.
It was Dohwa's own form of consideration.
"……Ah."
'I've been slandering her like that, yet she is as kind as her lovely face and generous heart….'
Renya couldn't help being moved.
His legs even gave out from relief.
The first warmth he'd received after five sleepless days felt unbelievably comforting.
'Filthy… scrub-scrub needed. Very needed!'
"……Sniff!!!"
Dash—!!
Leaving him behind, Dohwa launched herself forward.
The cloak Renya cherished fluttered behind her.
The young man who had watched her for a moment rose, his body heavy as lead.
'That one isn't worth worrying about, but if I just sit here, I'm no samurai!'
"Wait for me!! I'll help too!!"
Then he ran.
To help Iron Gangmin even a little, he pulled a throwing dagger from his waist and gripped it.
There was no sign of the man who had slandered Iron Gangmin in an interview only days ago, even if one rubbed one's eyes, but…
"Masta, Doha good!!"
"That's right. Now stick close to me. Give me the cloak."
"Keng!!"
By the time he had moved less than a hundred meters, far from returning to the battlefield,
Hwi-min had already raised his sword.
The first Mythic-grade weapon in Awakener history revealed its power in Japan for the first time.
"Open."
Clack.
It was the sound of Hwi-min's sword being driven into something.
When he twisted the sword, he felt as though he were opening something with a key.
At the same time, fwoooooosh—!!!!
Dazzling light swirled through the Gate.
It was neither the three-colored light of the Towers nor the Gate's black, but a luxurious brown.
It was the same color as Hwi-min's status window.
-Ding!
['Genesis Sword' ability activates!]
The user's Inner World manifests.
(Time remaining: 1 hour)
A notification window appeared before Hwi-min's eyes.
And centered around that notification.
The scene inside the Gate began to change as though heaven and earth were being created anew.
'This is….'
The grass in the field became trees, sending out lush green foliage.
Fruits hung in clusters, while honey dripped from ownerless beehives.
"……Haaah!?"
'What is this all of a sudden!?'
A spring even appeared near Renya, flowing with honey instead of water.
It was a sight that would make Hwi-min think, 'Is this because I always get to live off honey?'
'Could this be Iron Gangmin's trait….'
'The item's performance is insane….'
While Renya stared in horror.
Hwi-min couldn't help exclaiming inwardly.
-Ding.
[You have entered the Inner World—'Ryu Hwi-min'.]
You are freed from the constraints of causality.
Mana is not consumed within the Inner World.
The conditions and restrictions on all equipment, traits, and Stigmas other than 'Genesis Sword' have been removed.
'What an absurdly childish cheat item.'
There was no mana consumption.
That meant, in effect, that he could fire Spatial Slash indefinitely.
After pondering for a moment, Hwi-min reached out.
"…Spatial Slash?"
He didn't even swing the sword.
It was genuinely just a single 'click.'
Since the Stigma's activation conditions had disappeared, he wondered if that meant the prerequisite of swinging the sword had disappeared too.
No way would it work.
He had only been experimenting as he thought that, but…
That was far from all he could do here.
-Ding!
[The traits 'Myriad Blades+' and 'Sword God+' activate!]
"Eek?!"
'Why are they both being enhanced at once!!?'
First was his artifact, 'Dragon Ring.'
The restriction that prevented him from enhancing multiple traits at once had disappeared.
Here, he could enhance every trait.
The result? Well, need I say more?
Slice.
As the boss monster, Colossal Titan, stood there bewildered by the changed scenery, its left arm was cleanly severed.
Even Renya had been too terrified to think of fighting it, doing nothing but run from the powerful creature.
Yet even this monster lost an arm to a Spatial Slash released without a single swing of the sword.
Kuuung—!!!
Only after its massive weight hit the ground and stirred up clouds of dust did it realize that it had been cut.
"……Kwaaaarha?!"
"Kyaeung!!!?"
Dohwa was startled as well.
Her ears sprang upright, their triangular tips poking above her beanie.
Of course, the most surprised person was Hwi-min.
'Wow, shit!!! I really did wipe out the entire Tower!!!!'
"Spatial Slash!!!!!"
With one finger pointed straight ahead,
he activated the Stigma wildly.
His mana was infinite anyway, and even the self-inflicted damage penalty had been treated as a 'condition' and removed.
He fired them off like he was shooting a money gun.
What did the giant think as it saw dozens, then hundreds, of Spatial Slashes flying toward it?
That was none of Hwi-min's concern.
-Pshk.
"Kaa… aa……?"
Hundreds of straight lines were etched across the giant's body.
Then the sections collapsed one by one.
It looked as though someone had crushed a cube and let the pieces fall.
Boom, boom… Booooom!!
After the sound of chunks of meat—what was left of the flesh—hitting the ground echoed for a long while.
Splat.
Only the giant's head fell atop the remains.
Hwi-min's eyes met the giant's.
"You wouldn't even have heard 'Beware of a lone soldier'… I almost feel sorry for you."
"Kaaa…."
"Still, I'm not sorry. At least ten people died because of you."
"Kiiing…."
"Dohwa, stop freaking out. Anyway, you know what? I'll avenge them. In a really fucking awesome way."
A soft smile.
Hwi-min smiled.
A brown notification glimmered before his eyes.
'If the conditions are gone, that means I can summon it even now, right?'
"Come, Dragon!!!"
-Ding!
[Trait 'Dragon Knight+' activates!]
[Dragon Knight+ (Mythic)]
Summons a dragon and allows you to ride it.
(Requires reaching Floor 50 or higher)
(New!) When within 1 cm of a dragon, applies a top-tier Fear-type debuff to all enemies.