C365
The Heavenly Demon, Kim Haeil, didn’t spark interest in the users for his participation in the tournament.
Well, except for two people.
Clack.
Alberu tapped the screen.
The community was completely unified around the “Supreme Martial Arts Tournament.”
Until the crowning of the crown prince of Ahn Roh Man, the rank 1, even during the crowning, this tournament would probably grab all the attention of the bulletin board.
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<The Supreme Martial Arts Tournament participant list has been confirmed>
*Users
Rank 3 Ghost Sword
Rank 7 Dawn Fist
Rank 12 Knight of Abundance
…
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He checked the comments.
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- Ghost Sword will participate?! Doesn’t that guy only play solo? Wow… Doesn’t he hate Wu users?
- Yes, he hates them very much. The Wu user receives all the support of the country, but Ghost Sword suddenly appeared as a ranker and drew all the attention to him.
===================
The Wu user from China.
He even had a guild, and he said he would become the God of Wu and follow the will of the martial world, so his guild’s characteristics were quite similar to the sects of the martial world.
However, Ghost Sword always moved solo.
He always wore a hood or a mask to cover his face, so few people knew his true identity, but it was said he was a sword maniac, a true ghost of the sword. (Note: Ghost can also be translated as Demon)
===================
- Dawn Fist? That guy’s a maniac, right? Isn’t he the guy who rips everyone apart, monsters and people, with his own hands?
- Correct. He’ll probably rip someone apart during the tournament. That guy really rips everything apart.
- It seems like the Order of Abundance allowed a paladin to participate. The Knight of Abundance is here.
- The Order of Abundance has to understand. After all, he’s the guy who founded the Order of Abundance in reality, right?
- He’s completely crazy. That woman surely told the Order of Abundance: “I’ll offer the Kingdom of Lan to the Order of Abundance!”
- Wow. It’s very likely.
===================
There were many comments.
Besides rank 3, 7, and 12, many other rankers appeared.
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- Anyway, many rankers who play solo are participating.
- It’s an opportunity. Whoever wins here will become the heir of the Kingdom of Lan. They would be fools to miss such an opportunity.
- Maybe the guys who have factions will also participate?
===================
In particular, many rankers who preferred to play solo appeared.
Since many of them weren’t known for their face, special skills, etc., it seemed like everyone was more interested in the tournament.
“Hmm.”
On the other hand, Rosalyn was also checking the bulletin board.
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<But will the users be able to win?>
*New World
The ‘Five Great Factions of the Kingdom of Lan’ will participate.
Heavenly Sword (Sword maniacs!) : The heir.
Wind Path (If we compare it to Wuxia, they’re like Shaolin and Wudang) : The youngest master.
Snow Mortal Flower (The female warriors have gathered! If you touch them, you’re in trouble. Seriously, you’re in trouble. You’ll have to stop playing). : The leader’s sister.
Justice Alliance (Similar to the righteous path, a union of several families and factions). : …Here’s the leader.
Dark Abyss (The guys who are worse than the Evil Faction!) : Here too… the leader.
I don’t know the faces of the members of each faction, but it seems like everyone’s participating, except for the magic or elemental users.
I’ve been near the registration counter for days, I’ve confirmed it!
===================
“If magic was also valid, I’d also participate. It’s a pity.”
Alberu answered with a slight smile at Rosalyn’s words.
“…”
“…”
After a brief silence, the two looked at each other.
“It’s crazy.”
Alberu answered Rosalyn’s words.
“It’s a disaster.”
Both were covered in dust and looked dirty.
“Anyway, we’re done here, shall we go to the Kingdom of Lan?”
“Hmm. It seems like I won’t be able to see the preliminaries, but it seems like I’ll be able to see the finals.”
Demon Kingdom.
After finishing their work there, the two headed to the Kingdom of Lan.
Alberu had to receive the Sun Sword from Choi Han.
“The Heavenly Demon. Is he strong?”
At Alberu’s question, Rosalyn answered without hesitation.
“He’s behind Choi Han. But he’s close enough to see him clearly.”
It was an answer that completely revealed the Heavenly Demon’s strength.
Alberu said with a kind expression.
“How about we rest a little longer? We can only see the finals.”
This time, Rosalyn answered with a slight smile.
* * *
Rank 3, Ghost Sword.
He sat down and got into the lotus position. His sword was in his arms.
“…”
Someone stopped in front of him while he closed his eyes and silently meditated.
“Seems like the sword maniac also wants to have power?”
“…”
A thin, small man was standing in front of Ghost Sword.
“Who is it?”
At Ghost Sword’s question, the man’s face distorted.
“…I’m Dawn Fist.”
Rank 7, Dawn Fist.
The gazes of the nearby users gathered.
Not only users.
“Oh. Ghost Sword, it’s a pleasure to see you again.”
Heavenly Sword, one of the Kingdom of Lan’s Five Great Factions.
They were those who only worshipped the sword, believing that only the sword could reach the pinnacle of Wu.
Many of their members participated in the tournament.
“…….”
Ghost Sword stared intently at his opponent.
Among the Heavenly Sword participants (Those who are obsessed with swords), the one who spoke to him was 소락 (Sorak), the Heir.
Sorak, who had reached thirty this year, had such incredible talent that it was a pity to call him a sword genius.
Since he was participating in the tournament to aspire to the throne of the Kingdom of Lan, attention was focused even more on Ghost Sword.
“Ha, ha. You’re a really taciturn friend.”
Sorak had an attractive and pleasant appearance.
“…….”
And Dawn Fist’s face grew even worse.
Sorak and Ghost Sword were completely ignoring him. However, Dawn Fist, who couldn’t speak to these two, especially Sorak, bit his lips and moved away from them.
“I hope to face you later!”
Of course, he left a declaration of war for Ghost Sword.
And neither Ghost Sword nor Sorak paid attention to him.
“Someday, let’s eat together with your grandfather.”
Sorak’s words made the atmosphere become agitated.
“Are you talking about your grandfather now?”
“Are you referring to Emperor Sword?”
The current leader of Heavenly Sword.
He was Emperor Sword, Sorak’s grandfather.
“…….”
However, Ghost Sword remained silent. Those nearby became nervous about his silence. They thought something bad was going to happen.
But Ghost Sword opened his mouth.
“…If it’s a duel, it will be enough.”
A loud laugh came out of Solak’s mouth.
“Ha, ha, ha!”
He seemed quite happy.
“That’s why your grandfather appreciates you. Ghost Sword, Heavenly Sword always welcomes you. Come whenever you want.”
Wow.
Someone exclaimed.
Sorak’s words were a kind of recruitment offer.
A normal user, a stranger.
Many organizations in the New World accepted someone as a member of their faction. But that was usually for the subordinates, and it wasn’t common for the heir of such a large faction to make an offer mentioning the leader.
“Hmm.”
Ghost Sword didn’t reject or accept, he simply closed his eyes.
Sorak, who observed this with satisfaction, opened his mouth.
“Today’s exam will be easy for you, like breathing. I’ll give you the address of the inn where we’re staying, come whenever you have time.”
Sorak left after saying that.
“…”
Ghost Sword looked at his back and then closed his eyes again.
The Supreme Martial Arts Tournament.
Currently, there were thousands of participants, and this number was quite large even for the preliminaries, so it was decided to hold a kind of “qualification exam” first.
“Damn it!”
A user left the exam place cursing.
The exam place was a pretty large training field, surrounded by a huge wall, so people couldn’t see what was inside.
Ghost Sword was sitting on a vacant lot near the exam place.
“They have to give us a chance to fight!”
Some New World NPCs were also cursing.
However, most seemed to accept the result.
“This is easy, I’ll do it quickly.”
“Oh, I’m envious.”
There were also many who had passed the qualification exam with confidence.
After the previous exam ended, the examiner came out to announce the next turn.
“I’ll call the 17th participant of the qualification exam! Let those who know their turn come out!”
The qualification exam was being held for several days.
The examiner called by name.
“…Kim Haeil… Ghost Sword!”
It was Ghost Sword’s turn.
He slowly opened his eyes and stood up.
He saw a group of three people in front of him while he walked indifferently.
“Our Young Master, you must pass this test!”
A blonde man, dressed in impeccable and elegant attire, which didn’t seem like it belonged to a servant, spoke in an exaggerated way, almost as if he were mocking.
“…….”
A red-haired man walked behind the Young Master, as if escorting him.
Ghost Sword focused on that man.
“…….”
Then he saw the sword he was wearing on his waist.
‘It’s strange.’
Ghost Sword.
He lived obsessed with the sword, whether in reality or in the game.
For him, who had trained with the sword all his life, the world of the game was like paradise.
If he did it right, he could train with the sword without sleeping and he wouldn’t die.
Moreover, unlike reality, many different swordsmanship styles existed and many opponents he could fight with the sword.
That’s why Ghost Sword had immersed himself in this world to the point of going crazy.
That’s how he felt.
If he died, he would become a ghost of the sword. His face, where his belief, which went beyond stubbornness, was engraved, reflected that.
“…”
Without realizing it, he put his hand on his sword’s sheath.
That red-haired man.
‘I want to fight him.’
At that moment…
“…!”
The red-haired man turned and looked at him.
Ghost Sword was surprised.
He didn’t show a bit of murderous intent.
How could that bodyguard look at him directly at this moment?
“…”
He suddenly felt a chill down his spine.
“…”
“…”
The face of the red-haired man who was looking at him was gentle, but his eyes were completely indifferent.
‘What?’
It was the first time.
Ghost Sword felt a strange sensation.
The image of that bodyguard holding a sword.
Why was he imagining it even though he hadn’t seen it?
And why couldn’t he imagine the image of that bodyguard brandishing a sword?
What was the difference between those two things?
“What’s wrong?”
At that moment, the blonde-haired man spoke to the bodyguard.
And his master, the black-haired man they called Young Master, put his hand on the bodyguard’s shoulder.
“You can stop looking now. Don’t worry.”
At that moment, the black-haired man looked at Ghost Sword.
The moment their eyes met, Ghost Sword shuddered.
“!”
He simply felt an inexplicable chill in his body. However, the black-haired Young Master averted his gaze from Ghost Sword and headed to the exam place with relaxed steps.
“Then, do well, Young Master! We’ll be waiting here with the bodyguard!”
The Young Master disappeared into the exam place after receiving greetings from his servant and bodyguard.
Cale and Choi Han, with all their effort, in fact, bid farewell to the Heavenly Demon with a kind of joke. The Heavenly Demon completely ignored them.
Ghost Sword, who remained, finally remembered that participant’s name.
“…Kim Haeil…."
And he headed to the exam place with steps faster than before.
“Jade Stone. Participants must leave a mark on the Jade Stone that’s in front of each of you, in any way. If a mark is confirmed, you’ll pass!”
There was a Jade Stone the size of an adult’s torso in front of each of the twenty participants.
Jade Stone.
It was a stone so hard that a sword with a certain level of energy was needed to be able to cut it.
It could be said that it was the minimum requirement for the qualification exam.
“Ugh!”
“Let’s go!”
Everywhere, everyone was concentrating their strength on the Jade Stone.
Wooong-
Wooong-
Sword, hand, ax, anything.
Everyone had energy, and they were trying to break the Jade Stone with that energy.
“…….”
Ghost Sword was standing with a calm posture and hadn’t begun to do anything.
The participants around him looked at him sideways, but he was looking at Kim Haeil, the Heavenly Demon, who was sitting a little further away.
He didn’t have anything in his hands.
But he couldn’t avert his gaze.
“!”
At that moment, Ghost Sword stopped.
‘His eyes-’
Their eyes met.
Kim Haeil.
That guy looked at Ghost Sword, and then averted his gaze.
He looked at the Jade Stone.
Rustle.
His hand came out from under his wide clothes.
It seemed like there wasn’t any energy in his hand.
And his hand moved.
Once.
Really only once.
His hand moved through the air, drawing a strange line.
“!”
Ghost Sword was petrified. And the Heavenly Demon calmly walked towards the examiner.
“Am I done? Can I leave?”
Everyone’s gazes gathered on him. But then, some frowned.
“What? Are you giving up?”
“Didn’t he do anything?”
The Jade Stone in front of Kim Haeil was intact. That’s why most thought he had given up.
“…”
However, the examiner’s gaze was different.
There were three examiners in total, carefully watching the participants, and the examiner who had seen Kim Haeil slowly walked towards him.
“Yes, if you think you can’t do it, it’s smarter to give up quickly!”
The moment a swordsman said that and mocked. The examiner who was in front of the Heavenly Demon’s Jade Stone opened his mouth.
“Passed.”
---!
Everyone’s eyes widened in silence.
Well, only Ghost Sword had a calm expression.
He had already felt a chill and had goosebumps all over his body.
“Passed? Because, just by looking-”
The moment one of the participants protested.
Thump.
The examiner touched the top center of the Jade Stone.
Crackle.
As if a flower bud opened.
The Jade Stone split and broke, with the center as the reference point.
“!”
“…!”
When no one could easily speak. Ghost Sword looked at Kim Hayil.
‘It’s a sword-’
Definitely, that man’s hand movement a moment ago was a sword.
Moreover-
‘The pinnacle!’
A sword that has reached the pinnacle.
What is that sword?
What is that strength?
“I’m leaving.”
The Heavenly Demon, Kim Haeil, calmly left the exam place.
Ghost Sword intensely looked at his back.
In Ghost Sword’s eyes, ambition and fear were reflected.
And in the corner of the exam place.
An old man sat in the lotus position in a blind spot where other’s gazes couldn’t reach.
Charun, the queen’s teacher and leader of the Martial Arts Academy, raised his hand.
“Mmm-, I found one.”
The tip of his raised hand trembled. The old man’s bright eyes reflected chills and joy.
