The 31st Piece Overturns the Game Board

The condition to clear the first gate had changed.

He thought defeating night beasts and accumulating Darkness would be enough. But it seemed that it had changed to defeating the gatekeeper.

'That thing must be more dangerous than a tiger…'

He hadn't even fought a tiger yet, but he soon would have to face one much bigger…

'For now, it's impossible.'

The culprit seemed to be Shin Kang’s failure to leave through the designated gate. The five paths fused, and the demonic beasts that ruled over them fought each other and made a mess of things.

'Well, even if that were the case, it doesn't change what needs to be done.'

He needed to hunt night beasts, strengthen his abilities, and head to the second gate.

'After all, in the labyrinth, the first gate is where most of your time is spent.'

It was true that Shin Hyun's words shook Seol, but since it wouldn't be an immediate problem for him, he managed to compose himself and continue hunting.

Three days had passed like that when…

Boom…

Boom…

That guy appeared.

'This sensation…'

He was approaching with rough breaths, seemingly trying to make his presence noticeable on purpose.

'Is it asking me to respond if I can…?'

It was Shin Yu.

PAANNG—!

Shin Yu appeared after a long time and presented him with an unexpected test.

Although he was simply charging forward, the pressure he was exuding was considerable.

'Did you think I'd fall for the same thing again?'

Clap—!

Seol commanded the Darkness Dweller to prepare for the incoming attack.

Whir—!

Clang—!

The Darkness Dweller folded its arms and defended its neck and head.

Although the dust obscured his vision, the Darkness Dweller seemed to haven't fallen in one blow because their battle continued.

Clang—!

Clang—!

Clang—!

'It resisted!'

It was a bit embarrassing to call it a fight of ‘attack and defense’ since the wolf Shin Yu controlled was relentlessly attacking while the Darkness Dweller could do nothing but defend.

However, the important thing was…

"You won't be able to break through easily…"

It was the result of Seol’s blood and sweat.

The Darkness Dweller’s defense couldn't be underestimated now that it had become an Exceptional Skill.

Whir…

Feeling that the Darkness Dweller’s defense was stronger than he expected, Shin Yu stepped on its legs to destabilize it.

Seol chuckled.

The Darkness Dweller had learned—its strength was its hardness and vitality, and it needed to use them.

As soon as its leg came in, Shin Yu plunged into his embrace.

It seemed like he was trying to knock it down and attack its weak points.

At first glance, it looked like an opportunity.

'Hold on… not yet.'

Following Seol's signal, the Darkness Dweller stepped back, turned its back to a tree, and protected its body.

It felt as if he were watching a fight between giants.

Seol focused on the fight without realizing the sweat dripping from his hands.

This was very valuable data.

The Darkness Dweller had excellent learning abilities, so fighting strong opponents was beneficial for him.

The viewers thought of Shin Yu as a mischievous kid who had come to crush the sandcastle Seol had painstakingly built. However, to Seol, he felt like a guest who had come to help him.

Slash—!

Paanng—!

Whir…

Paanng—!

'Did he change his style? The sound changed.'

Shin Yu shook the defense of the Darkness Dweller, whose body was tightly curled like a turtle.

No matter how strong Shin Yu was, he still possessed the body of an ordinary wolf.

Unlike the Darkness Dweller, he couldn't restore his body using Blood of Origin, protect himself using Bones of Origin, or harden his body with Skin of Origin.

'It's overwhelming…'

Even so, Shin Yu was overwhelming the Darkness Dweller. He was attacking it so relentlessly that it couldn't even lay a hand on him.

Paanng—!

Paanng—!

Regardless…

'It resisted!'

Opportunities would come.

Seol and the Darkness Dweller waited for the right moment.

Surely, an opportunity to attack would arise.

And eventually…

Shin Yu’s fist shot upward—a move that could break through the Darkness Dweller’s defense if it connected.

However, such a move had many gaps.

'Now! Dive in!'

Paaf—!

At Seol’s signal, the Darkness Dweller dove into Shin Yu's embrace.

Paf—!

'We got him…'

It looked as if Shin Yu had been grabbed with both arms. Seol thought he had been caught, but…

Paanng—!

Shin Yu kicked off the Darkness Dweller, distancing himself while his feet were lifted in the air.

'Tsk…'

Its attack didn't work.

Oof… Oof…

The Darkness Dweller also heaved.

However, instead of lungs, it maintained its form by absorbing the surrounding Darkness.

Shin Yu and the Darkness Dweller engaged in a fierce battle. Despite the Darkness Dweller being bombarded by Shin Yu’s overwhelming attacks…

'I did it… I did it!'

…it was still standing firmly.

Although some parts of its body were dented and some of its flesh had fallen off, it was still standing.

That brought Seol an indescribable sense of thrill. The Darkness Dweller's growth was equivalent to his growth, after all.

His heart beat faster.

'To think it's still standing even after facing Shin Yu…'

Although his opponent had lost his body, he was still the hand of the legendary Sword Saint. It was admirable how the Darkness Dweller hadn't fallen even when facing someone who had reached the sword’s peak.

Swoosh…

Having retreated, Shin Yu turned his gaze from the Darkness Dweller to Seol.

Seol realized for the first time that even night beasts could show expressions.

'He's smiling…?'

It didn't look like a sneer.

It felt… as if he were enjoying it.

Crack…

"What the…"

Shin Yu tore off his left arm from under his shoulder.

Whir…

The torn-off left arm was nothing but Darkness. Soon, it changed its appearance.

'A sword…?'

The arm became a sword.

Although it had a rough shape, it still resembled a sword.

And at that moment.

Swoosh…

The surrounding air changed.

It was a weird feeling.

He thought that no matter what he did, he wouldn't be able to threaten Shin Yu while in that state.

Slash—!

'The Bones of Origin…'

Shin Yu's sword moved.

Shin Yu had already swung his sword by the time Seol realized what was happening.

Slash—!

The Darkness Dweller's body was split diagonally in two.

Neither Skin of Origin nor Bones of Origin could stop it.

It was as if the result had been determined from the beginning.

Crack…

Shin Yu returned the sword to its original form.

Seol watched the Darkness Dweller struggle on the ground.

He felt emptiness.

Sasak…

- Did you get frustrated?

The sentence written by Shin Yu was a reflection of who he truly was—a child with a kind heart.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

However, his talent always brought frustration to those around him—to the swordsmen who walked the same path as him and even to his own brothers.

Shin Yu hesitated like a child worried about dealing with the aftermath of having caused trouble.

It seemed that he thought Seol might collapse because of this. And that might make his hyungs resent him.

However, Seol's reaction was the opposite of what Shin Yu expected.

Seol shook his head and said.

"It's okay. After all, I moved forward."

Sasak…

- What do you mean?

"I made you swing the sword."

- Is that all?

"Yes. That's all for now. I just need to advance step by step."

Shin Yu looked into Seol's eyes.

As if Shin Yu wasn't there, he fell into thought while looking at the Darkness Dweller struggle. Seol’s eyes looked so calm that he would have felt chills if he were alive.

Someone momentarily came into Shin Yu’s mind after seeing Seol’s eyes.

His third hyung who had drifted far away. Someone he could never reach again.

Shin Yu watched its deep eyes for a moment, turned his body around, and tried to move away.

【YOOU!】

Agony, who was on Seol's shoulder, shouted.

【I might be retreating for now… But next time, things will be different! Ah, I didn't introduce myself. I'm Agony!】

Shin Yu walked away, leaving behind Agony, who was spouting words that made it hard to guess whether it was a villain or something else.

"Agony, did you see it?"

A few moments later, after Shin Yu had left, Seol asked Agony.

【Huh? See what?】

"The slash."

【Ah! The slash?】

"Yes."

【I saw it flash!】

"So you also didn't see it."

Thud…

As the tension left his body, Seol fell to the floor.

"I didn't even see the slash. What should I do?"

He had no clue.

The immense destructive power of the slash made his mind feel dizzy.

It was too fast.

Could a sword like that be born if you combined the advantages of Shin Hyun's swift sword and Shin Rip's heavy sword?

'Stronger? Faster?'

The problem was that he wasn't sure if the problem could be solved like that.

'No… This method has reached its limit. I just made a strong and sturdy giant.'

That was the current situation Seol was in.

A figure that was solid and fast but that didn't have any remarkable features besides that—that was the Darkness Dweller.

And that was himself.

'If it was Jamad…'

Would Jamad have been defeated by Shin Yu?

No, if it were Karen.

Or Ur.

He couldn't easily imagine them being defeated.

Although Shin Yu had an unrivaled strength, Seol's summons were also heroes.

Perhaps they would have had a good fight.

He was now back to square one.

How could he reach Shin Yu?

'What should I do?'

Seol wasn't someone who got frustrated by failures. He was someone who found a way through amidst frustration.

'Defeating him is impossible. And I don't necessarily have to defeat him.'

After all, the bet wasn't beating him. It was whether to see if he could escape the labyrinth.

Regardless, Seol pondered different ways.

He wanted to see Shin Yu frustrated.

He wanted to prove himself.

The gap with Shin Yu was huge.

Rather than defeating him, hoping for a natural disaster to happen would be more realistic.

"Oof…"

Seol sighed and thought of retrieving the Darkness Dweller's body when suddenly…

"Good job, Darkness Dweller… Huh?"

There was something strange in the way it was struggling.

Whoosh…

Whoosh…

As if it were glitched, it was repeating the same strangely regular movements over and over again.

"…"

Seol thought for a moment and gave up on retrieving the Darkness Dweller. He then reconnected the lower and upper half of the bodies that had been cut.

Crack…

As he did, the Darkness Dweller stood up while supporting itself.

Seol closely looked at the Darkness Dweller's movements. There had to be a reason why it was showing such abnormalities.

Whoosh…

Whoosh…

Was it broken?

It kept making a diagonal motion with its arm.

It was too clumsy to call it an attack and too serious to dismiss it as a joke.

It even made him think that it had lost its mind.

Agony giggled at the creature's clumsy movements.

【Hahaha! Funny! It's buzzing!】

"…"

【Ah… Was Agony not supposed to laugh? Then I won't laugh.】

"No. That's not it…"

Even though Seol had good eyesight, he hadn't been able to see Shin Yu's slash properly.

It was only natural. After all, he hadn't faced the sword but just watched it from the side.

His sword also had momentum—a destructive one sent only to those it was facing.

That's why it was hard to make an evaluation.

However, someone had seen it.

Whoosh…

Whoosh…

The moment Shin Yu's sword was swung. The immense energy that flowed out from his movement that looked like a star twinkling.

"Don't tell me…"

【What's wrong?】

"I must check this…"

Seol mimicked the dark transformation that Shin Yu had performed.

Whir…

It wasn't difficult compared to making a night beast. However, since this was his first time making a sword, it looked more like a log.

Paaf—!

Whir…

The crude and oversized sword Seol had made was now being held by the Darkness Dweller.

Whoosh…

Whoosh…

"Huh…?

Agony rubbed its eyes.

The clumsy movements of the Darkness Dwellwer finally became natural.

The Darkness Dweller wasn't broken.

Whoosh…

Whoosh…

Grin…

Seol smiled.

"So you've seen it…"

The Darkness Dweller collapsed multiple times.

But through that, it managed to imitate the light.

"It has seen it…"

It seemed that just like its master, it had a knack for thieving.