Chapter 4

Clank!

The Dark Knight reacted upon spotting Han Siwoo.

The Dark Knight pulled its sword from the ground. Its armor rattled as it immediately assumed an offensive stance, its blue-green eyes fixed on Han Siwoo.

Meeting its gaze, Han Siwoo also took a sword out of his inventory.

A level 100 Dark Knight. A monster with higher defense than attack power.

The Dark Knight was a monster with an entirely defensive disposition.

Of course, that didn’t mean it wouldn’t attack.

Moreover, considering the difference in their current stats, taking even one of its casual attacks head-on would obviously leave him on the verge of death.

There was also a high chance that Han Siwoo’s attacks would be stopped by its defenses.

“Ptui. Fine. Let’s give it a try.”

Han Siwoo spat into his palm and muttered in a cold voice.

Then, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly, he thought to himself.

I should’ve bought another sword while I was at the Center.

Why was he suddenly reminded of the standard longswords he had seen at the Center?

They were slightly better than the basic items with an attack power of 1–2, so one might have helped him pierce the Dark Knight’s armor, even if only a little.

Thud!

Han Siwoo immediately kicked off the ground and charged toward the Dark Knight.

As though it had been waiting for that exact moment, the Dark Knight swung its sword horizontally, aiming for his upper body.

But as if he had foreseen the attack, Han Siwoo instantly lowered himself close to the ground.

Whoosh!

He nimbly dodged the attack, gritted his teeth, and forcefully kicked off the ground.

Han Siwoo charged at the Dark Knight like a tackler, wrapping his right arm around its waist.

Kwaaang!

The Dark Knight lost its balance from the fierce tackle, and its body tilted backward.

Without missing the opportunity, Han Siwoo kicked off the ground again.

The Dark Knight toppled over with a loud crash, and Han Siwoo released his grip around its waist before rolling across the floor.

I did it!

Han Siwoo rolled away from the Dark Knight, increasing the distance between them, and clenched his teeth.

He had strained himself to knock the Dark Knight down despite the overwhelming difference in their stats, and his muscles creaked in protest.

But he couldn’t afford to miss this chance.

At that moment, the Dark Knight was struggling to get up because of the weight of its heavy armor.

Tap-tap!

Han Siwoo kicked off the ground and his body soared into the air.

His target was the back of the Dark Knight’s neck—

The exposed gap in its armor as it struggled to rise.

The Dark Knight’s defense was high, but that was largely thanks to its armor. If he attacked the gaps in that armor, his chances of bringing it down would increase dramatically.

Han Siwoo quickly adjusted his grip on the sword with both hands, and his body shot toward the Dark Knight.

Crack!

“Kaah!”

The moment the sword pierced the back of its neck, a sharp scream burst from the Dark Knight.

Han Siwoo’s eyes gleamed at the sound of its dry, raspy voice.

Attack-Defense Conversion!

One of the Dark Knight’s characteristics.

When it received more than a certain amount of damage, its attack power and defense power would switch.

Furthermore, its disposition would completely change, turning it into a berserker focused solely on offense.

Although the danger had increased, Han Siwoo focused on one fact:

He had inflicted “more than a certain amount of damage.”

If I target the gaps in its armor, I can bring it down. Without that armor, it’s nothing special.

Thud!

Han Siwoo kicked the Dark Knight in the back.

At the same time, the sword embedded in its neck was pulled free. Using the recoil to increase the distance between them, Han Siwoo’s eyes suddenly widened.

Whoosh!

The Dark Knight launched an attack spasmodically while still crouched on the ground.

Its sword, swung wildly, was flying straight toward him.

Han Siwoo hurriedly raised his sword and clenched his molars.

Clanggg!

“Ghk!?”

With a sound like tearing metal, his body was sent flying backward.

A moment later, Han Siwoo crashed into the ground, but quickly regained his stance.

If he had been even slightly slower in creating distance, that attack would have ended the fight.

Since he had been struck while throwing himself backward to get away, the damage wasn’t too severe.

But the sword is a problem. I don’t think it’ll survive another hit.

Tiny cracks had spread across the sword in his hand.

It was clearly beginning to break apart simply from being held and moved around.

Han Siwoo clicked his tongue softly and turned his gaze toward the Dark Knight.

Its blue-green eyes had turned red, and it was charging toward him while letting out an unpleasant shriek.

Han Siwoo’s expression twisted at the sight.

Damn it. Even a graze could be fatal.

Before his regression, the Dark Knight was a monster he wouldn’t even have considered a minor nuisance.

But now that he had returned to being a low-level Awakener, he could truly feel the might of the Dark Knight that ruled as the boss of a small dungeon.

Bang!

The moment Han Siwoo kicked off the ground and threw himself forward—

The Dark Knight’s sword, driven vertically into the ground, tore through the earth and released a thunderous boom.

Han Siwoo was struck by the flying fragments and gritted his teeth.

Damn it all……!

Even being caught in the aftermath of its attack was enough to make him feel as though his life were in danger.

That was how enormous the difference between their stats was.

Roll, roll.

Han Siwoo rolled across the ground and rose to his feet.

By then, he had already taken out a potion and was gulping it down.

After emptying the bottle in an instant, Han Siwoo carelessly threw it aside.

Damn it. I was trying to save those……

He hadn’t wanted to use one here, but this was no time to be picky.

Besides, using it before he was pushed into an even tighter corner was probably the wiser choice.

Crackle!

The skill he had acquired after entering the Temple of Transcendence—

Declaration of Territory.

Fwoooosh!

The moment Han Siwoo activated Declaration of Territory, a pure-white circle spread out around him.

The circle rapidly expanded, engulfing the Dark Knight.

TheDarkKnighthasenteredthedeclaredterritory.The Dark Knight has entered the declared territory.

Thestatsofenemieswithintheterritoryhavebeengreatlyreduced.The stats of enemies within the territory have been greatly reduced.

59secondsremainforDeclarationofTerritory.59 seconds remain for Declaration of Territory.

Message windows appeared one after another before Han Siwoo’s eyes.

The Dark Knight’s movements gradually slowed after being caught within the territory, and a red, oval-shaped mark appeared above its head.

“G-Graaah!”

The Dark Knight’s movements became sluggish as it let out a monstrous roar.

Since both its Strength and Vitality had decreased by 30 percent, the armor it wore must have felt that much heavier.

Clank.

Han Siwoo glanced at the sword in his hand.

The cracks engraved across the blade had grown slightly larger.

It was clearly breaking apart little by little simply from being carried and moved.

If I fail to land even one attack, I’ll have to fight that thing barehanded. That’ll be a bit difficult.

With a grim expression, Han Siwoo launched himself toward the Dark Knight.

The Dark Knight’s movements and reaction speed had dropped considerably after being caught in Declaration of Territory.

Even so, its current stats would still surpass Han Siwoo’s.

Even taking one attack would be too much for me. I have to finish this in one strike.

Clenching his teeth, Han Siwoo charged straight toward the Dark Knight.

Seeing this, the Dark Knight let out a roar and swung its sword.

Whoosh!

The sword slashed diagonally.

Han Siwoo twisted his body to the side and narrowly avoided the attack by the width of a sheet of paper.

Then his hand shot toward the Dark Knight’s face like lightning.

And what he held in that hand was—

Crack!

A cheap potion worth 50,000 won.

Han Siwoo slammed it directly into the Dark Knight’s face and clenched his teeth.

Since he was essentially throwing away money, the thought of its price made him feel even more bitter.

“Cough! Kihah!”

The Dark Knight was caught off guard by the potion striking its face.

As the sticky potion liquid seeped through the gaps in its helmet and drenched its face—

Han Siwoo was already standing behind the Dark Knight.

A head-on fight is impossible.

There were two ways to defeat the Dark Knight.

Either bring it down from the front, or, if that didn’t work, raise his level dramatically and beat it into submission.

The problem was that neither method was possible for Han Siwoo in his current state.

If I want to win, I have to use every trick I can.

A level 10 Awakener defeating a level 100 Dark Knight was practically impossible.

But “practically impossible” did not mean that the possibility was zero.

What had dramatically increased that possibility was Han Siwoo’s experience.

A tackle that took the weight of its heavy armor into account.

An attack aimed precisely at the gaps in its armor.

And now, covering the vision of the charging Dark Knight with a potion…?

That’s what I’ve learned throughout my life.

Han Siwoo smiled cunningly as his body moved like flowing water.

The moment his foot touched the ground, the sword held in a reverse grip shot straight forward.

Naturally, its tip was aimed at the back of the Dark Knight’s neck—

The place that had already suffered a serious injury.

Crack!

“Ghk!”

The Dark Knight let out a scream as a gruesome sound rang out.

Han Siwoo pushed even more strength into the hand gripping the sword.

Crunch!

Soon, he felt the tip of the sword strike metal.

He could feel it piercing through the Dark Knight’s neck and stabbing into the inside of its metal breastplate.

“……Huff!”

Han Siwoo finally exhaled the breath he had been holding and released the sword.

The Dark Knight’s body slowly collapsed.

Ping-ping-ping!

Congratulations.YouhaveclearedthefirstflooroftheTempleofTranscendence.Congratulations. You have cleared the first floor of the Temple of Transcendence.

Youhaveacquired30clearpoints.You have acquired 30 clear points.

Cleartime:1minute17seconds.Clear time: 1 minute 17 seconds.

“……I won.”

Han Siwoo collapsed onto the ground and exhaled deeply.

With the tension finally released, he stared blankly up at the sky, his face slack with exhaustion, before breaking into a grin.

As befitted the pure-white Temple of Transcendence, the sky was also completely white.

“Man, this place really works people to the bone.”

Han Siwoo brushed off his clothes and stood up.

At the same time, a message window appeared before his eyes.

RewardListReward List

Equipment—FragmentoftheBlackLord’sSword×1Equipment — Fragment of the Black Lord’s Sword ×1

Equipment—FragmentoftheDeadKing’sArmor×1Equipment — Fragment of the Dead King’s Armor ×1

StatUnlock—One−timeuseStat Unlock — One-time use

ChooseoneChoose one

“……?”

Han Siwoo frowned.

If it was a sword, then it should just be a sword. What was this business about a fragment?

“Appraisal.”

FragmentoftheBlackLord’sSwordFragment of the Black Lord’s Sword

ADarkKnightwanderingwithoutamaster.A Dark Knight wandering without a master.

Thepeerlessswordoncewieldedbytheirlord.The peerless sword once wielded by their lord.

Tenfragmentscanbeexchangedforthe‘BlackLord’sSword.’Ten fragments can be exchanged for the ‘Black Lord’s Sword.’

FragmentoftheDeadKing’sArmorFragment of the Dead King’s Armor

Afterthekingwhooncecontendedforsupremacyoverthecontinentdied,After the king who once contended for supremacy over the continent died,

numerousknights,unabletoovercometheirresentment,tooktheirownlives.numerous knights, unable to overcome their resentment, took their own lives.

Theirlingeringgrudgesturnedthearmorintoapuppet.Their lingering grudges turned the armor into a puppet.

Thepuppetwaseventuallydefeated,butthearmoritselfremainedintact.The puppet was eventually defeated, but the armor itself remained intact.

Twenty−fivefragmentscanbeexchangedforthe‘DeadKing’sArmor.’Twenty-five fragments can be exchanged for the ‘Dead King’s Armor.’

StatUnlock—Additionalsealedstatswillbeunlocked.Stat Unlock — Additional sealed stats will be unlocked.

“Hmm……”

Han Siwoo stroked his chin and sighed.

So, in the end, he had to grind endlessly if he wanted to obtain equipment?

I have to defeat the Dark Knight ten times just to get the sword.

It was an incredibly difficult task for him right now.

Thinking that he should attempt it after growing a little stronger, Han Siwoo chose Stat Unlock.

Crackle, crackle!

Red sparks burst forth and enveloped Han Siwoo’s body.

A burning sensation and a refreshing feeling wrapped around him simultaneously.

The two contradictory sensations coexisted for a moment before disappearing in an instant.

HanSiwoo(Transcendent)—Lv.10Han Siwoo (Transcendent) — Lv. 10

Class—NoneClass — None

Title—NoneTitle — None

Strength—17(+18)Strength — 17 (+18)

Vitality—14(+12)Vitality — 14 (+12)

MagicPower—1(+12)Magic Power — 1 (+12)

Some of the stats he had possessed before his regression had returned.

It wasn’t a bad reward.

Considering the bonus stats, it was practically equivalent to being granted an additional 21 levels.

I’ll be able to obtain the equipment soon enough.

Once he raised his level a little more, defeating the Dark Knight would be easy.

Then, next was—

ClearPointShopClear Point Shop

PointsHeld—43PtPoints Held — 43 Pt

ItemsItems

High−GradePotion—200PtHigh-Grade Potion — 200 Pt

PremiumPotion—500PtPremium Potion — 500 Pt

God’sPotion—2,000PtGod’s Potion — 2,000 Pt

The God’s Potion, which could even regenerate severed limbs, cost 2,000 points.

He could purchase potions that were nearly impossible to obtain on the market by grinding through the Temple.

I’ll be able to earn more points as I climb the floors.

GoldFragment—100PtGold Fragment — 100 Pt

SmallGoldCalf—500PtSmall Gold Calf — 500 Pt

GoldenBuddhaStatue—1,000PtGolden Buddha Statue — 1,000 Pt

Wouldn’t I become the main culprit behind a collapse in the price of gold?

Still, among precious metals, gold was the easiest to turn into cash.

It would have been troublesome if something like diamonds had appeared.

Therewardlistwillexpandasyouclearmorefloors.The reward list will expand as you clear more floors.

After checking the message, Han Siwoo moved on without much hesitation.

Then I should level up a little more and clear the first floor again. The Black Lord’s Sword… With a name like that, it sounds like it should be quite powerful.

As he muttered inwardly, Han Siwoo narrowed his eyes.

A message window had appeared before him.

WouldyouliketocreatetheTranscendentLegion?Would you like to create the Transcendent Legion?

“……What is this now?”