Ch.130Promotion Rank

Seo-rin exhaled a rough breath. Her entire body’s meridians felt like they were burning, and her once-abundant mana was beginning to run dry.

‘This is my limit.’

She had simply discharged the amplified mana forward because she couldn’t contain it. Maximum output discharge from an external amplification organ. The aftermath of this technique was tremendous.

Nothing remained in a straight line from Seo-rin’s position. The trace of the extended beam had created a deep trench in the ground. Just slightly outside the beam’s range…

Victor was staring at Seo-rin with an astonished expression. Just before the attack extended, she had barely twisted her hand, saving him from being swept away by the beam.

Victor couldn’t even think to wipe away the sweat dripping down his forehead. It was an attack impossible to counter. He thought that if he had been at a greater distance, he could have certainly avoided it, but that was just a meaningless supposition.

‘I’ve definitely lost.’

It was a perfect defeat. Victor thrust the sword in his hand into the ground.

Clang-!

With a harsh sound, blue mana scattered like a storm from Victor’s entire body.

“I admit defeat!”

The declaration of defeat from a senior knight.

No one could deny the overwhelming divine presence Seo-rin had displayed. Immediately, tremendous cheers poured into the Colosseum. Although most spectators couldn’t follow the middle stages of the fight with their eyes, Seo-rin’s final technique was visible to everyone.

She looked more like a mage than a knight, but what did it matter?

The audience simply wanted to be entertained.

“Hah…”

The cheers shaking the Colosseum served as a signal ending the promotion test. As Seo-rin let out a deep sigh, two of the ten swords floating behind her shattered, scattering debris.

The metal powder caught the sunlight and sparkled white. The wind swirling around Seo-rin scattered the fragments of the broken swords in all directions. The scene resembled falling snow.

It was a sight that naturally evoked exclamations from onlookers. Seo-rin had maintained her elegant appearance until the end. As the cheers subsided, conversations praising her beauty flowed loudly.

After all, her younger sister’s body possessed the world’s greatest beauty. Seo-rin accepted all these compliments as if they were only natural.

***

Immediately after the match ended, Seo-rin had to follow Sephiroth to the Imperial Palace. She needed to receive both her reward for promotion to senior knight and her prize for winning the competition.

Walking behind Sephiroth, Seo-rin looked at her empty sword belt. Two spaces were vacant where ten swords should have been.

It would be nice if I could replace them with one each from the armory.

After arriving at the complex Imperial Palace, Seo-rin and Sephiroth were only able to pass through the gates after completing complicated procedures. They were greeted by an old man.

Jack Churchill.

The manager of the Imperial armory. Seo-rin gave a light bow. He was someone she had met before when obtaining the White Dragon Sword. The old man’s eyes curved pleasantly at Seo-rin’s greeting.

“It’s been a while, Lady Seo-rin. And Lord Sephiroth. Has Kanok still not awakened?”

Sephiroth silently nodded. Jack Churchill then said:

“At first I thought he might be feigning illness, but it’s been too long. His Majesty might visit him personally soon.”

Jack Churchill turned around as he spoke. With each step, faint mana spread from beneath his feet. Even without conscious effort, mana permeated his every action.

She hadn’t noticed before, but now she could tell. Seo-rin naturally assessed her chances against Jack Churchill.

‘If I were at my best, perhaps… no, it would be difficult.’

The higher one climbs, the more one sees what was previously invisible. Seo-rin let out a small sigh. Jack Churchill, noticing her gaze, spoke with a hint of amusement.

“Your gaze is sharp.”

Following behind Jack Churchill, Seo-rin tilted her head in confusion. The direction he was heading was different from before. The armory where she had obtained the White Dragon Sword before her promotion to intermediate rank was in the opposite direction.

“You seem curious. Why we’re not going in the same direction as before.”

As if he had noticed Seo-rin’s question, Jack Churchill continued smoothly.

“The armories open to junior, intermediate, and senior knights can’t be the same. Knights who have reached higher levels need weapons befitting their status.”

“Then where am I…”

“You entered the competition as an intermediate, but you’ve been promoted to senior through honorary advancement. His Majesty personally ordered that the senior armory be opened to you.”

The place they arrived at was quite secluded. It was dark due to the densely grown trees surrounding the area, and the abundant grass indicated that few people visited this place.

The building itself appeared to have no special caretakers. Rather than an armory prepared for senior members, it looked more like a storage shed for unused odds and ends.

When Jack Churchill stood before the old storehouse.

Blue mana suddenly erupted violently from his entire body.

Boom-!

Mana deployed in an instant. Using the explosive speed generated, he extended his power. As Jack Churchill’s straight punch struck the large door, spider web-like lines spread across the old door.

Wooong-!

“I apologize if I startled you. As you can see, quite an eccentric method is needed to open this lock.”

Seo-rin had to lower her hand that had unconsciously risen. The sudden mana operation had caused her to place her hand on her sword without realizing it.

‘It seems this isn’t something easily opened…’

The way the mana was operated. It felt like the method itself was set as a password. It meant that simply thrusting a fist wouldn’t open it. Despite its seemingly dilapidated exterior, its strength was beyond imagination.

No wonder there was no need for soldiers to guard the armory.

While Seo-rin was nodding to herself.

The large door slowly opened, revealing the interior.

“This is…”

Whoosh-!

She felt it as soon as the door opened. The flow of mana swirling inside the armory was different from the outside.

It wasn’t due to any special magic being installed. The numerous weapons inside were emitting mana on their own. The small collisions created by this, repeated dozens or hundreds of times, created a peculiar flow.

An ordinary person wouldn’t last even a minute inside this armory.

As if entranced, Seo-rin naturally headed inside.

Step-

“You can take two weapons. Some will recognize you as their owner when touched, so I recommend not handling them carelessly.”

She walked as if swimming through the battlefield of mana. It felt not much different from being underwater. Seo-rin closed her eyes and breathed with mana.

Numerous weapons seemed to seduce her. Some emitted a clear fragrance that enveloped her entire body, while others exuded a blade-like aura as if warning her not to approach.

Seo-rin opened her eyes. The weapons she needed to take were only ‘swords.’ Many legendary treasures quickly passed by her.

If a treasure took the form of a sword, she didn’t care what kind of energy it possessed. After all, once she grasped the sword, it would come under her control.

Seo-rin moved slowly but precisely. She arrived at a black rapier hanging on a crude wooden display. She reached out without hesitation.

Swish-

The moment she grasped the sword, she understood. The sword’s name and the memories contained within flooded into her mind instantly.

‘Void-cutting Sword.’

A sword created by a magician with excellent metallurgical skills. When the rune characters engraved along the black blade were activated, it could open a subspace. The creator had made a key in the form of a sword for his own convenience and style, but the knight who later used it applied this magic in combat.

Thrust the sword in, and open the subspace in that state. If done so, the opponent’s body would be sucked into the subspace.

‘Good.’

Whoosh-!

Seo-rin swung the sword, feeling its appropriate weight. Since she hadn’t infused it with mana, the rune characters weren’t activated. Being a sword containing magic, it had very high mana conductivity and was also quite durable.

‘I’ll be able to carry more swords.’

Thus, her first reward selection was complete. What would be good next? Seo-rin looked around with a smile.

That’s when she saw it. A sword floating by itself caught the corner of her eye. Though the armory was dark without a single light, the area around that sword was exceptionally bright.

As if a small sun were floating there.

“This is…”

As she approached, she could even feel the hot heat. A familiar sword shape. The sword, which looked like a twin of the Ice Dragon Sword, had an overall red glow.

Wooong-

As if there was some connection, the Ice Dragon Sword began to tremble. Seo-rin instinctively reached out and grasped the red sword.

At that moment.

Whoosh-!

Flames erupted from Seo-rin’s entire body.