Chapter 7. A Sweet Reward Boko's Thoughts

"Class change," Kang Oh decided without delay.

[You have become the hidden class, Demonic Swordsman!]

The demon sword emitted an ever-present and powerful darkness.

A demon sword was worlds stronger than a normal sword and possessed far greater destructive force.

And it was the Demonic Swordsmen who specialized in wielding such blades.

If one is capable of wielding a demon sword, then it will grant them great power.

However, if the darkness ever took control of the swordsman or ever escaped the sword's restrictions, then it would prove disastrous for the continent of Arth.

[You have learned Demonic Swordsmanship (Beginner) and Darkness Strike (Beginner).]

[All Main Stats +20]

[Resistance towards all curses, status ailments, and poisons has increased.]

[You cannot equip items that possess the holy element.]

[You have acquired the title, Master of the Demon Sword.]

As the messages faded, so too did the abyss that obscured his vision.

And what he then saw was...

"What are you doing?"

Burkan had his sword at the ready, prepared to strike him down if necessary.

"Little brother, are you still sane?" Burkan asked.

"I'm fine."

"Hmph, I knew you'd overcome the Trial of the Demon Sword."

Burkan lowered his sword.

'And you were still ready to kill me?' Kang Oh thought, glaring at him.

"You became a Demonic Swordsman, right?" Burkan avoided his gaze and changed the subject.

'Don't let it bother you.'

It definitely wasn't because he was afraid of Burkan's stone fists!

"Yes."

"Congratulations. But be cautious at all times so that you don't get controlled by the demon sword," Burkan said.

Kang Oh nodded his head and asked, "May I take the adamantium?"

The adamantium gemstone was his highest priority.

"Of course you can. It's your reward for the Fight Against 100 Men."

As soon as he was finished, Kang Oh made a beeline towards the adamantium gemstone.

[Large Adamantium Gemstone]

It's a huge adamantium gemstone. But because it was exposed to darkness for such a long time, it has become quite contaminated.

Material rank: S

"Hahaha," Kang Oh laughed and opened his inventory. His empty inventory with only beginner bread in it!

However, he couldn't store the adamantium in his inventory.

[Requires Master Mining.]

"Mm, you haven't learned Mining, Little Brother?" Burkan asked.

"It wouldn't matter even if I did. This thing requires Master Mining!" Kang Oh shouted.

There was a skill system in Arth.

Skill level ranged from Beginner, Intermediate, High, and Master. To level each rank higher, one needed to increase their current skill level to 100%.

And he needed Master Mining in order to mine the adamantium gemstone!

In other words, only a master miner could mine the adamantium gemstone. It was impossible for him.

"Calm down, Little Brother. There's always a solution. I'll introduce you to a master miner, so go and find him," Burkan said.

A quest window appeared before him.

[Find the master miner, Bower.]

A master of mining, Bower. He should be able to mine the adamantium ore. Take Burkan's letter of introduction and ask him for a favor.

Difficulty: Extremely difficult

Conditions: Burkan's letter of introduction

Reward: Adamantium gemstone

"Where is Bower?" Kang Oh asked.

"Huh? I don't know either. He doesn't stay in one place and frequently travels across the continent," Burkan said.

"Tch."

Kang Oh clicked his tongue.

Based on how things were going, he wouldn't be able to procure the adamantium gemstone anytime soon.

"Why? Do you not want the letter of introduction?"

"No, please write one for me."

[You have accepted the quest.]

"When you find Bower, give him my regards."

Burkan wrote the letter of introduction and passed it to Kang Oh.

Was it just him or did Burkan look really carefree?

Whatever the case, Kang Oh was unable to procure the adamantium and was forced to leave the Holiseum.

Once Kang Oh had left, the sole remaining Burkan hummed.

"Hmm. The demon sword's been dealt with and if I get rid of that adamantium, then I won't have to see Master Valan again!"

Burkan disappeared with lighthearted steps.

* * *

Kang Oh, having left the Holiseum, stretched.

He had a lot of work to do. And he would have even more work to do in the future.

"I'll look for Bower later..."

He really wanted the adamantium, but it was unfeasible for him to find Bower at this time.

"First, let's look at my items."

Kang Oh entered a secluded alley where even the sun barely shined and removed the demon sword from his inventory.

The jet-black sword that emanated the abyss!

Kang Oh stroked the blade.

It was longer and wider than any normal blade. And the hilt was likewise long.

'A greatsword, huh... Nice.'

In Warlord, Kang Oh's primary weapon had been a greatsword.

Though he'd used a sword in the Battle Against 100 Men, he was much more familiar with a greatsword.

And he was lucky enough to obtain a demon sword in the shape of a greatsword.

"Appraise."

[Demon Sword Ubist (Lv1/+0)]

The sword where Ubist, the King of Demonic Beasts and the Abyss Predator, was sealed.

Abyss endlessly leaks from the blade. The blade's alloy cannot be ascertained. The sword shakes occasionally. It shares its level with its wielder.

An untradable item.

If you die, there is a high chance that the demon sword will either drop, or you will become a monster under the demon sword's thrall for 24 hours.

+ Predator: Eats any and all items. When it is completely satiated, the demon sword will become stronger and gain special abilities.

[Satiation: 0%]

+ Gluttony: By consuming a BB-rank item or higher, all abilities double for a limited time and enter a Gluttony state.

Steals stats from fallen enemies when in the Gluttony state. This feature can only be used once a day.

Rank: SS

Abilities: Attack Power 20. Physical +1

Conditions: Clearing the Trial of the Demon Sword.

"I hit the jackpot!"

Having perused all the information, Kang Oh jumped, unable to hold in his joy.

Items in Arth started at C and then went up to CC, B, BB, A, AA, S, and SS.

The demon sword was in the highest tier, the SS-rank!

There weren't even that many people who possessed S-rank items, let alone SS-rank.

But Kang Oh, who was only level 1, came into possession of such an item.

Kang Oh rubbed his eyes in disbelief and meticulously looked over the sword's abilities.

As an SS-rank demon sword, it's attack power was obviously high.

While Kang Oh's beginner training sword possessed an attack power of 3, the demon sword had an attack power of 20.

That's not all!

A weapon reinforcing system hadn't previously existed in Arth, but the Demon Sword Ubist was capable of autonomous growth.

And this reinforcement would only cause the weapon to become even more powerful.

Moreover, because the weapon shared its level with its wielder, there would be no need to replace the weapon as his level increased.

Lastly, by consuming a BB-rank or higher item, all stats would double and it would enter Gluttony mode.

'As expected of an SS-rank!'

However, there were some downsides: it couldn't be traded and upon his death, there was a high chance that his equipment would either drop or he could become a monster.

Still, the pros so far outweighed the cons; such that there might as well not be any!

His revelations of the sword quelled whatever disappointment he felt for not being able to procure the adamantium.

"Skill."

Next, Kang Oh opened his skill window and checked his newly learned skills.

[Demonic Swordsmanship]

Demonic Swordsmanship is the Demonic Swordsman's class skill. In other words, it determines a Demonic Swordsman's worth.

The higher level the skill is, the more powerful the demon sword's special abilities, as well as the Demonic Swordsman's own abilities.

Classification: Passive/Skill

Rank: Beginner

Proficiency: 0%

[Darkness Strike]

The demonic sword delivers a devastating blow with the power of darkness.

When attacking or using a combat skill, there is a fixed chance it will activate.

If an enemy is executed with the Demon Sword Ubist using the Darkness Strike skill, then there is a fixed chance that some stats are stolen from the victim.

However, if Ubist is lost, then the user's stats return to normal.

Classification: Passive/Skill

Rank: Beginner

Proficiency: 0%

The Demonic Swordsmanship skill was a class skill, and the Darkness Strike was...

'Stat steal.'

He really liked it. If he used it well, then his stats would be far superior to anyone else's.

"Nice."

What was the saying again? 'Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet'. The reward was much too sweet. It was like he was eating honey!

"And this isn't the end."

* * *

Jae Woo entered a cafe nearby his house. A man was waiting for him.

"It's been a long time."

Jae Woo and the man shook hands.

"I'd heard you awoke from your coma. It's a relief."

The man's name was Park Jin Cheol. He was a producer for GBS.

GBS.

It was formed alongside the first generation virtual reality games, a broadcasting station that focused on games. And its industry ranking was 3rd.

"Yes, it is a relief. That I'd get the chance to see you again, Producer Park," Jae Woo said.

"It's nice to see the Human Dragon again."

The Human Dragon!

That was the keyword that tied the two of them together.

Since they became acquainted due to the failure of the Human Dragon raid.

The Human Dragon raid was where the 4th ranked guild in Warlord, GK, attacked Jae Woo full on and was defeated.

It was no mere defeat; it was a massacre!

In Warlord, guilds could be as large as 1,000 members, and GK, befitting its status as a top guild, had maxed out its capacity.

They attacked Jae Woo with all 1,000 members, yet Jae Woo was the last man standing in the end.

'Back then, I really was strong.'

With one skill, Jae Woo could take down dozens of people at once.

Even the rankers in the GK guild were no match for him.

He even killed Gerrik, a paladin who was the guild leader and ranked 11th in the playerbase, at the end.

And thus, people began calling GK's defeat 'Failing the Human Dragon raid'.

At the same time, Jae Woo got the nickname of Human Dragon and was recognized as the strongest player in Warlord.

The Human Dragon raid incident was covered by none other than GBS in a special edition.

Of course, the director was Park Jin Cheol.

In any case, that's how the two had become acquainted, and Jae Woo had been the one to contact him first.

Of course, his reason being...

"Did you really clear the Fight Against 100 Men?"

Jin Cheol's eyes sharpened.

"Here."

Jae Woo took a chip out of his pocket and handed it to him. Jin Cheol inserted the chip into his tablet and looked over the footage.

"Oh."

Jin Cheol's expression had brightened immediately. It truly was a recording of Kang Oh clearing the Fight Against 100 Men.

"Did you clear it yourself?"

"Can't you tell?"

Since he'd scanned himself for his character creation, his in-game face matched his real-life face.

"As expected of the Human Dragon!"

Jin Cheol gave him a thumbs up.

"How is it?" Jae Woo asked.

Then, Jin Cheol looked regretful, as if he'd never given him the thumbs up at all.

"It will definitely catch peoples' interest, but it's a bit boring."

It wasn't a large scale battle, nor were there any flashy skills used or giant boss monsters involved.

It looked more like a gladiator movie than a player recording.

Still, it was still proof of him clearing the Fight Against 100 Men, so it was assured that some people would watch it.

"Then I'll ask someone else."

Jae Woo stood up.

"I'll buy it," Jin Cheol said in haste.

Jae Woo sat back down.

"How much?" Jae Woo asked straightforwardly.

"How about this much?"

Jin Cheol pointed his index finger.

"You're not suggesting 10 million won, are you?"

If he was, there was no reason to hesitate.

"It's the price for your achievement."

'10 million won!'

Jae Woo suppressed his smile and maintained his poker face.

"You can't give me any more?"

"You know my style. I already offered you my max."

"Hmm."

If he negotiated with him, he should be able to receive more. However, Jae Woo had something else in mind.

"I have a condition," Jae Woo said.

"I'll do my best to fulfill it," Jin Cheol answered promptly.

"I'd like to know the Wind Archer, Sephiro's contact information."

Sephiro had said that he'd give whoever cleared the Fight Against 100 Men whatever they wanted, so he planned on taking him up on that offer.

"I understand."

Jin Cheol nodded his head.

"Edit the video however you wish. But you must censor my face. Remember, you must censor my face!"

'There's nothing wrong with being a little careful.'

There was a chance that vultures looking to score the reward for the Fight Against 100 Men would go after him.

"I understand. Can we put a helmet over your face instead?"

Censoring his face would drop the viewership rating.

Whereas putting a glorified CG helmet over his face would make the film even better.

"Yes, that's fine."

Jae Woo refused to have his face spread everywhere.

"Good, good."

They'd reached an agreement. Jae Woo and Jin Cheol shook hands looking satisfied.

Jae Woo was happy that he'd made some money, whereas Jin Cheol was given a chance to show a featured broadcast.

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