How much ti had passed?
“......”
The Blade-Wielding Wraith stared at Su-ho with a blank expression.
What the hell is that guy even doing?
It had seen many challengers co through this place over the years.
But most of them died inside the earlier barriers. Of those who made it this far, not a single one had ever crossed this point.
Many had been defeated by the Wraith’s own strength, while others simply ran out of stamina and died during their hit-and-run tactics.
Which is why this made no sense.
That guy clearly knew how this place worked.
And he possessed overwhelming power—enough to slice the Wraith down in a single blow. If he were hit again, it would likely an instant death.
And yet, he wasn’t chasing the Wraith.
Instead, he would cut him only if approached.
Like swatting away a mosquito disturbing his nap.
At first, the Wraith thought it was all part of so elaborate psychological trick.
But it wasn’t.
The man’s goal wasn’t the Wraith.
Shockingly, his objective was the barrier that blocked passage beyond.
Slice! Crackle!
Slice! Crackle!
Slice! Crackle!
Like a machine.
Regardless of whether the Wraith was watching or not, the man was relentlessly slashing at the barrier.
But it wasn’t mindless repetition.
Because if it were robotic, there would be a consistent rhythm. But his timing was different with every swing.
He wasn’t just swinging blindly either.
“Mm, no. That’s not quite the right feel.”
Sotis he would set down his sword, scratch his head, and stare at the barrier in contemplation for long stretches.
Which made it all the more absurd.
Because out of all the challengers who’d co here before, not one had ever attempted to cut the barrier itself.
‘This inner barrier was made by the Great Evil Spirit. There’s no way so re human could possibly cut it.’
And it was true.
The previous barriers were created by stage bosses, not by the final boss.
But the one he now stood behind—this inner barrier—marked the threshold to the domain of the Great Evil Spirit.
It had been created by the boss itself.
Which ant the Wraith could no longer just stand by and watch.
If this barrier fell, it would be the Great Evil Spirit’s turn.
So the Wraith kept charging in.
And yet—
Slice!
Now, just approaching him was enough to bring the sword flying.
Dodging was impossible.
No matter how many tis it tried, the man’s blade moved like a magnet—carving through it effortlessly.
“Tch...”
The Blade-Wielding Wraith groaned as it retreated just far enough to recover.
And then, once more, it would try again.
How much longer passed?
The Wraith was once again sent flying, then crawled away to regroup.
Now, it didn’t even flee far.
It stayed just outside the man’s attack range to recover.
Eyes closed, it focused all energy into recovery, like circulating energy through its ridians.
And so its ears were always open.
Slice! Crackle!
Slice! Crackle!
Slice! Crackle!
The sa repeated sound.
Sword strikes that couldn’t pierce the barrier, leaving sparks in their wake.
It no longer questioned what the man was doing.
Now, it only thought about how to take him down.
Then—
Slice! Crack!
The Wraith cracked an eye open.
What was that just now?
Did it imagine it?
That sound was slightly different from what it had been hearing all along.
No. It had to be the sa.
This was the inner barrier crafted by the Great Evil Spirit. There's no way so brainless brute could damage it just by swinging a sword.
The Wraith closed its eyes again and returned to focus.
But a little while later—
Slice! Crack!
This ti, the noise startled it so much its eyes flew open.
It wasn’t a mistake.
The sound had changed.
No way... right?
And then again—
Slice! Crack!
“......!!”
It was certain now.
The sound was different.
Alard, the Blade-Wielding Wraith quickly moved closer to where the man stood.
But it didn’t fully approach.
Even with the distance now shortened, the man didn’t spare it a glance.
Instead, he took position again and prepared to swing.
Gulp.
The Wraith tensed.
It swallowed a breath it didn’t even need.
Then Su-ho swung.
Slice!
A clean, steady cut.
Then—
Snap!
“......!!”
A much shorter sound.
And the barrier—though it might not have been visible to Su-ho—clearly cracked to the Wraith’s eyes.
A faint fracture appeared in the Great Evil Spirit’s barrier.
At that mont, Su-ho chuckled darkly and muttered,
“Ah... now I’m starting to get the feel of it.”
He’s getting the feel? Of what?
Then Su-ho swung again.
Slice!
Another clean cut.
And then—
Shatter!
Now anyone could see it: a visible gash had been carved into the mighty barrier.
And Su-ho smiled brightly.
“Yeah, this is it. This is exactly the sensation I was chasing.”
With a grin, he swung once more.
Slice!
Then—
CRRRRRACK!!
A powerful, sharp slash.
The enormous barrier shattered like a soap bubble bursting—and vanished.
“......!”
The Blade-Wielding Wraith’s eyes widened so hard they looked ready to tear.
And Su-ho’s eyes widened slightly in turn.
[ Your understanding of swordsmanship surpasses all others. ]
[ The system acknowledges your superior skill and recognizes your efforts fully. ]
[ Sword Insight activates. ]
[ Congratulations! You have acquired "Cutting the Ring (B)"! ]
A series of system ssages.
Su-ho’s eyes glead.
‘Finally!’
He quietly cheered.
Cutting the Ring was a sword technique that allowed one to cut through the uncuttable—like magic or skills.
It was the final stage of Su-ho’s swordsmanship.
And now, he had it again.
‘To learn Cutting the Ring before Level 200...’
It was unbelievably fast.
In his past life, Su-ho hadn’t unlocked this technique until he beca a 3-star ranked Player.
Indeed, the first ti is hard. The second ti is easy.
Then—
“SHIIIIEEEEEE!!”
The Wraith, now panicking, rushed Su-ho the mont the barrier was destroyed.
Sensing its movent, Su-ho glanced back at it.
“Oh right. You’re still here.”
He could’ve ignored it and moved on.
But the Wraith insisted on bringing its death upon itself.
So ignoring it would be rude.
Just as the Blade-Wielding Wraith thrust all eight of its swords at Su-ho—
Fsssssh...
His sword moved slowly.
It glowed with white light.
Holy Enchant had activated.
And then—
Slice!
Clean bifurcation.
The slowly moving blade accelerated instantly.
The pure white sword traced a long arc through the air.
Once again, the Wraith was split in two.
It wasn’t an instant kill.
Like before, it only reached near-death state.
That’s what the Wraith thought—right up until it tried to move.
“......!”
Its eyes flew wide open.
Its body didn’t respond.
Half its torso vanished midair, while the remaining half felt like it was nailed to the ground by an iron stake.
Like a turtle flipped on its back, the Wraith couldn’t move a muscle.
Su-ho chuckled lightly.
“What’s wrong? Your body’s not listening to you?”
“SHIIIEEE!”
“Well, that’s to be expected. I just slashed through all your passive skills.”
“......?!”
The Wraith’s eyes bulged as if they’d burst.
He cut my passive skills?
What did that even an?
Of course, it couldn’t understand.
The Wraith wasn’t a Player, but a programd Gate monster—an NPC without the concept of “skills.”
But to Su-ho’s eyes, it was crystal clear.
[ Cutting the Ring activates. ]
[ Blade-Wielding Wraith's Soul Armor has been destroyed. ]
[ Blade-Wielding Wraith's Soul Recovery has been destroyed. ]
[ Blade-Wielding Wraith's Curse of Eight Arms has been destroyed. ]
Three of its passive skills—gone.
Su-ho raised his sword again.
[ Holy Enchant activates. ]
Holy radiance coated the blade.
With a warm tone, he said,
“Still, feel honored. You got to be my first test subject for Cutting the Ring.”
Slice!
[ You have slain the Blade-Wielding Wraith of Great Resentnt. ]
With a faint screech, the Wraith vanished like a candle snuffed out.
Su-ho habitually flicked the blood off his blade and walked past the now-destroyed barrier.
And at last, he saw it.
[ You have entered the Boss Room. ]
A short system ssage.
He had finally reached the final stage.
At that mont, the surrounding landscape began to shift.
Shraaaaaaah...!
In this new scenery, rows of black trees rose up.
Swaying constantly under ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) a violent wind, they looked like cursed puppets.
Here and there, the wails of genuine ghost-type entities filled the air—deepening the eerie atmosphere.
And these weren’t just ambient sounds.
[ You heard a Ghost Wail. ]
[ Dragon Blood activates. ]
[ Due to the Dragon Mind effect of Dragon Blood, you are immune to Fear. ]
[ You heard a Ghost Wail. ]
[ Dragon Blood activates. ]
[ Due to the Dragon Mind effect of Dragon Blood, you are immune to Fear. ]
......
Endless alerts.
Su-ho turned off the notifications.
Then—
[ A Boss Monster is appearing. ]
A boss appearance alert.
At the sa ti, the largest ghost-type monster Su-ho had seen thus far appeared before his eyes.
Master of Malice Mountain Lv.201
And it wasn’t just large.
Its level was high—Level 201.
The first 2-star monster Su-ho had seen since the Gatekeeper of Volcano Island.
The Master of Malice looked down at Su-ho and spoke.
—“So, you are the one who dared intrude upon my domain.”
His voice thundered.
He had rely spoken—but even that carried enormous force.
[ You heard Ghost Howling. ]
[ Dragon Blood activates. ]
[ Due to the Dragon Mind effect of Dragon Blood, you are immune to Fear. ]
A true 2-star monster.
The presence was exceptional.
But of course, it didn’t affect Su-ho.
His Dragon Blood rendered him immune to fear-based effects.
So he didn’t flinch.
In fact, he didn’t even believe this monster was stronger than the Gatekeeper from Volcano Island.
This was just a regular boss.
That one was from a Hidden Gate.
Then, the Master of Malice raised six massive arms into the air.
—“I shall make you regret ever stepping into this place.”
With a ghostly howl, it declared war.
All six fists ca crashing toward Su-ho at once.
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