episode_0080

Purple eyes. Jet-black hair. A face so striking it could overshadow most women.

That face had a name—one that was famous.

Han Yuseong.

The man from the East was currently the hottest topic in [The Cradle].

The reason was simple.

He held the record for the fastest level-up in the labyrinth.

He was also someone the Sword King, Volkan, kept a close eye on.

Some even whispered that Volkan had taken him as a disciple. And it wasn’t baseless—Volkan’s interest in him was plain to see.

It made sense.

At Level 1, he had shattered a scarecrow.

He had been involved in nearly every major incident within the labyrinth.

And it seemed he had the undivided attention of Lucia, the so-called Execution Princess, the Saintess Veronica, and others.

Naturally, most figures residing in The Cradle couldn’t help but keep their eyes on him.

“Han Yuseong…”

Of all people, why did he have to show up here?

This made kidnapping others far more difficult.

A man with that level of notoriety.

As the man pondered, the woman grinned.

“Ha, so you’re the famous Han Yuseong?” “Taryn. Be quiet.” “Krug, aren’t you ashamed of those muscles? Getting pushed around by some scrawny, parasitic-looking bastard like him?” “Tch, damn it. Of all people, why him?”

Krug sighed, thinking.

At this point, a quiet resolution was out of the question.

‘Even if I take him down, it won’t be worth it.’

No—think differently.

If I kill everyone here and kidnap just him…

Then it might actually be a net gain.

But if that happens…

‘Laying low in the Empire for a while is out of the question.’

The Sword King, Volkan, would hunt me down like a dog.

The problem, though, was this:

If he’s famous in The Cradle, he must have the power to back it up.

If any adventurers pass by, we could be in serious danger.

Krug drew his sword.

Kwoong!

A greatsword nearly as tall as himself—easily over two meters.

Srrring.

Taryn unsheathed twin daggers with both hands.

“What a shame, young master. If you’d just walked away, none of this would’ve happened. But don’t worry—since you’re so pretty, this noona will be gentle with you.” “Quite the temper. Is it because you’re an old hag?” “Krug. Cut that bastard to pieces and hand him over to me.”

Taryn’s tone turned icy in an instant.

Krug nodded silently, his eyes fixed on Han Yuseong.

‘But…’

Something was off.

Did a man like him really come alone to stop them?

Krug was Level 5. Taryn was Level 4.

An ordinary Level 4 wouldn’t stand a chance.

‘But he’s no ordinary man.’

Ever since he reached Level 4 not long ago,

the attention on him had skyrocketed. Nobles from the Empire were gradually making their way to The Cradle,

and there were signs of covert attempts to recruit him.

Of course, the newly emerged Starlight Spiral Clan’s star, the Golden Witch, Erme, had crushed those efforts.

But regardless, that was the kind of man he was.

“What a pity. My name is Krug. This woman is Taryn.” “Why the hell would you—” “If it’s you, you must’ve made a name for yourself elsewhere. Given time, you might even surpass the Sword King himself.” “…So?” “So remember my name. The name of the man who stood in your way.”

How absurd.

Han Yuseong’s lips twisted into a smirk.

Then—

Whoosh!

A chilling wind swept through.

For a moment, Krug and Taryn felt as if their heads had been severed.

‘What… is this?’

Their bodies trembled uncontrollably.

Taryn didn’t understand,

but Krug, a Level 5 warrior, recognized this phenomenon.

Battle Aura.

A rare talent among warriors—one only a select few could attain.

He had merely released it.

But among all the Battle Auras Krug had encountered, none had been this overwhelming.

If he had to compare—

‘No, that’s impossible.’

Battle Aura grows in proportion to the user’s latent potential.

But for a man who had just reached Level 4—

‘To be on par with the Sword King?’

If true, it felt like everything he knew was being denied.

—

‘What the…?’

The moment he unleashed his Battle Aura,

an overwhelming surge of energy radiated outward.

Krug and Taryn were frozen in place, unable to move.

Taryn was pale with terror.

-Hey, if you keep spewing Battle Aura like that, those paralyzed idiots might die. “……”

He gradually reined it in.

No collateral damage to civilians—

just focused entirely on Krug and Taryn.

-You’re already refining your Battle Aura… Well, considering you have Supreme Battle-Magic (S), it’s only natural. And yet, you also possess Violet (A). ‘Why Violet?’ -Because it’s the power of overload. Temporarily amplifying opposing forces to create repulsion—that’s what overload is. Violet is just a blanket term for it. Didn’t you feel it when you awakened this power? ‘…I didn’t notice anything like that.’

He’d just assumed it was purple lightning.

So Violet contained that kind of power.

-Anyway, that’s not important right now. This is a rare real battle. And your opponents are, conveniently, mostly on your level. ‘On my level?’

Those two?

He studied them with a critical eye.

At a glance—

‘Taryn is around 3~4. Krug, at best, is a 5.’ -First off, your standards are ridiculously high. ‘…What?’ -That woman is at least Level 4. And the man is Level 5, fairly deep into that realm. ‘Those two?’

He stared at them, puzzled.

But the power he sensed from them was… unimpressive.

The woman, Taryn, might even be less troublesome than Erme.

-Hmm, that talentless girl? ‘Erme isn’t talentless.’ -To be precise, she lacks talent as a hero. But in other areas, she’s more than capable. Though, honestly, it’s laughable to call someone aiming for ‘that’ untalented. ‘Is that so?’

He recalled Erme’s image.

But he’d never sensed a lack of talent in her.

‘If anything—’

Compared to Rosenta, the Saintess candidate in their party,

he’d judged Erme to be the more dangerous one.

At least, as a precaution.

He’d wondered—what if she became an enemy?

‘Burkan, Lucia—’

They were dangerous, yes.

But he’d considered Erme even more so.

He drew his sword.

The blood-soaked blade pulsed crimson. His gaze remained fixed on Krug and Taryn.

-Either way, these two are perfect opponents. Ideal for mastering the orthodox swordsmanship of a hero.

Nodding at the Holy Sword’s words, he swung his blade.

Kyaaang!

Krug reacted swiftly, blocking only the bloodied sword.

Sschk.

Half of Krug’s ear was sliced off. Taryn’s dagger was split in two.

“Next time, I won’t hold back.”

So give it your all.

—

Kwaang! Kwaang!

A massive greatsword wielded with brute strength.

Daggers intermittently weaving through the onslaught.

He deflected the daggers with ease, clashing with the greatsword.

‘Something’s…’

Easier than expected.

Krug and Taryn were fighting in earnest,

but he didn’t feel pressured.

Soon, he realized why.

‘Taryn’s the problem.’

Taryn was a thief. A dual-dagger wielder who also threw knives.

And he possessed the pinnacle of thievery.

‘Technically, I’m always superior.’

He was faster than her.

In the world of thieves, where skill decided battles, he held an absolute advantage.

Even a higher-level thief would struggle in a one-on-one against him.

‘Let alone one weaker than me.’

Especially one whose knowledge of thievery wasn’t particularly advanced.

He smoothly pushed Krug’s sword aside and targeted Taryn.

“Sh-shit!”

Taryn cursed crudely.

She crossed her daggers to block, but—

Sschk.

The orthodox swordsmanship of a hero was bizarre, grotesque.

A single slash severed both her wrists.

‘There are downsides, though.’

First, his sword had to make the initial contact.

‘And it’s weaker than I thought.’

Taryn’s flesh was easy to cut,

but Krug’s body was far more resilient. The torso he’d tried to bisect held firm—

the only clean cut was the tip of his ear.

-Everything has weaknesses. But the more you master the orthodox swordsmanship, the more it transcends into another realm. Don’t worry! ‘Honestly, other sword styles seem better.’ -Wha—?!

Ignoring the Holy Sword’s panic, he lunged forward.

A clear, azure aura shimmered around Krug’s greatsword.

He met it with his blood-soaked blade.

Kreeeeeeeeng!

A sound unlike any sword clash reverberated through the air.

Simultaneously,

the shockwave from the impact shook the surroundings.

“You damn monster…” “Weren’t you the one who said you’d send me to hell earlier?” “……”

Krug clenched his jaw.

Typical. Those who ran their mouths at the start were usually the first to fall.

“No choice, then.”

Thud!

Krug drove his greatsword into the ground, and his body began to swell unnaturally.

-Oh? A forbidden technique? You’re really determined to hand over that experience, huh!

The Holy Sword sounded excited.

-Be careful. With that technique, he’s roughly twice as strong now. ‘…Kinda tempting.’ -It’s not a proper enhancement. Worse, using it means he’s as good as dead.

The moment the Holy Sword finished—

Kwaang!

Krug closed the distance instantly. His eyes were bloodshot, veins bulging grotesquely around them.

‘Disgusting.’

He raised his sword lightly to block.

Kreeeeeeeng!!

This time, he lost the contest of strength.

‘…Not quite twice as strong, but close enough.’

Overall, it felt about right.

-Yes, that’s it! Beat the arrogance out of this cocky bastard! ‘……’

Who was this guy rooting for?

For a second, he almost glared at the Holy Sword, but Krug’s pressure was no joke.

He tightened his grip on the bloodied sword.

A crimson arc flashed. Multiple slashes rained down on Krug.

‘Too shallow.’

Faster.

Stronger.

The slashes merged into a single line.

He felt the orthodox swordsmanship condense into one strike—

and it collided with Krug’s greatsword.

Kwaaaaang!!

Krug was sent flying. His greatsword was visibly cracked.

‘…There’s potential here.’

Right now, it was just three overlapping slashes.

But if he could stack hundreds, like that man he’d seen—

‘…Wouldn’t that be a killing blow?’

The thought crossed his mind just as Krug noticeably weakened.

But instinct told him Krug was preparing something.

‘…A suicide attack?’

Then he’d cut him down before that.

Black Sea.

Sssshaaaak!

Before Krug could act,

his body was split in half.

‘Now for—’

Taryn needed to be dealt with too.

He considered drawing his bow but sighed deeply instead.

“Just you wait! Next time we meet, I’ll—”

He looked at the screaming Taryn and spoke.

“Since when did you think I was alone?” “What?”

Behind the bewildered Taryn,

Diago—who had been silent until now—appeared.

“Feels like I’m only getting the tasty parts.” “You—!”

Before Taryn could finish—

Sschk.

Her head soared into the sky.

“Slow. Too slow to even realize.”

Diago sheathed his sword quietly.

Not just the tasty parts—

‘No.’

He looked at Diago not with cold eyes, but warm ones.

If even he looked at him coldly, Diago would be crushed.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” “It’s fine.”

No one was perfect.

Or rather—no one was only flawed, right?