Squelsh!
With the sound of blood splattering the body of a barbarian crumbled down.
This one was the last of them.
Go Hyeon-woo thrust his slightly cracked iron sword into the ground.
It seed likely to break soon so it was better to throw it now rather than have it snap in the midst of battle.
He pulled out a new iron sword from his inventory and started moving along the path once more.
As Go Hyeon-woo walked briskly he took in the sight of a large rock on his right.
All that could be seen beyond it was deep darkness but he knew.
Its an ambush.
It was all written in the strategy guide.
There was no reason to wait for the enemies to make the first move.
When Go Hyeon-woo launched himself towards the rock, the barbarians hiding there were taken aback and revealed themselves.
Weve been spotted!
Kill him!
Spears flew towards him.
Go Hyeon-woo responded with the sa composure as before.
With a smooth swipe of his iron sword, the spears rushing towards him lost their montum and fell to the ground, followed by the heads of the barbarians.
Swish!
There was not a hint of hesitation in Go Hyeon-woos swordplay.
rcy was a luxury for those who offered humans as living sacrifices.
Even amidst the blood-drenched scene, Go Hyeon-woos expression remained impassive.
He imdiately leaped to the next location.
Theres no ti to waste.
By now, Kim Ho would be risking his life in a one-on-one battle with the boss monster.
He had volunteered for the most challenging role to ensure that he could secure the hidden piece.
What then was the best course of action available to him?
To achieve his goals as swiftly and accurately as possible.
Having familiarized himself with the [Feathered Serpent Altar] strategy guide and entered the dungeon, he realized that things were not as complicated as he had initially thought.
It seed that even a few mistakes wouldnt hinder his ability to accomplish his objectives.
Perhaps because it was their first underground dungeon Kim Ho kept it simple and easy on purpose.
However, Go Hyeon-woo had no intention of being satisfied with a diocre performance.
To execute it flawlessly, without a single error.
And by doing so, he would prove sothing.
That he could be trusted and relied upon, even in the more dangerous depths of deeper dungeons.
As Go Hyeon-woos train of thought ca to an abrupt halt, the path ended, and he erged into a considerably large space.
The Feather Serpent Altar was clearly visible from afar, but it was even more magnificent when seen up close.
It felt as though one side of his vision was completely filled by it.
Preparations for the ritual were in full swing in front of the altar.
Prisoners who would soon be offered as living sacrifices were tied up in rows and waiting for their turn like livestock.
Their eyes were devoid of life and they seed to have resigned themselves to the inevitable death that awaited them.
Several barbarians milled around them while continuously sprinkling sothing from baskets onto the ground.
What should one call it?
Seasoning?
anwhile, the barbarians ard themselves and were prepared for confrontation.
It was only natural, given that news of Go Hyeon-woo must have reached them by now.
Hostile glares poured in from all directions.
With these stares upon him, Go Hyeon-woo strode confidently through the crowd.
What are you all doing? Capture him imdiately!
It doesnt matter if hes killed!
At soones shout, every spear and sword in the area were aid at Go Hyeon-woo.
From that mont on, Go Hyeon-woo quickened his pace.
He cut down anything that blocked his path and ran straight in one direction.
He brushed past a man thrusting a spear.
The next mont, a long gash appeared across the mans chest.
Another attacker ca at him, wielding a sword with a shield in front of him.
Go Hyeon-woo tilted his body slightly and with a swift motion of his iron sword, split the shield and its bearer in two.
Ahh!
Keuek!
Screams and death throes echoed as he moved swiftly on, leaving them behind.
He already knew where to go.
At Go Hyeon-woos intended location stood a large figure.
He was noticeably taller and bulkier than an average person.
The face paint was clear and unique, setting him apart from the typical barbarians.
That must be Fatty.
Among those waiting at the altar were two altar servers.
They held a position just below the priest and were essentially acting as mid-level bosses.
In Kim Hos strategy guide, they were nicknad the Fatty and the Skinny.
Fatty uses his brute strength to swing a thick log, while Skinny darts around with great agility and shoots poisoned darts.
The battle becos more difficult once the two start attacking together.
Would be interesting to have a fight with them.
As a warrior, Go Hyeon-woo felt a surge of competitive spirit, but he did not forget his main duty.
For now, I should just follow the strategy as it is.
Fatty silently locked eyes with Go Hyeon-woo and then embraced a thick log embedded in the ground nearby.
Once he applied more force, the log slowly began to erge from the depths of the earth.
anwhile, Go Hyeon-woo steadily closed the distance between him and his opponent.
According to the next part of the strategy guide:
The battle becos more difficult once the two start attacking together.
But, is there a need to confront both enemies at the sa ti?
Just as Fatty was about to fully extract the log,
At the mont when his opponent was most vulnerable, Go Hyeon-woos iron sword traced a straight line.
[Rapid Current]
A powerful gust of wind swept up from behind him.
Riding this current, Go Hyeon-woos sword strike accelerated.
This was the swift sword technique he had honed through his duel with Jang Sam.
Whoosh!
In the next mont, Fattys movent ca to an abrupt halt.
Fattys eyes widened in disbelief for a mont before he clutched his throat and collapsed.
The bulky body and the log hit the ground one after another, kicking up dust.
Thud!
Go Hyeon-woo let go of his crumbling iron sword and drew a new one.
He grabbed the now cold arm of Fatty and tore off his bracelet.
One down.
Then, in a swift motion, he turned around and drew his sword.
Clang!
Sothing struck the iron sword and was deflected away.
A quick glance at the object that fell to the ground revealed it to be a poison dart that was incredibly thin and short.
Go Hyeon-woos gaze slowly swept over the surrounding barbarians before catching a swiftly moving shadow among them.
It was almost certainly the skinny one.
Swoosh!
He dodged another incoming poison dart by moving half a step to the side.
As he followed the trajectory of the shot with his eyes, he found that the shooter had already vanished.
A tactic of using the nurous barbarians as a wall to launch poison darts.
How troubleso.
That was Go Hyeon-woos honest impression.
It was a tactic that he could never favor as a warrior.
If there was one piece of good news, it was that the barbarians defenses were not as solid as Park Na-ris companion tiger.
Having taken out Fatty in advance proved to be effective.
The next instruction in the strategy guide resonated well with Go Hyeon-woo.
Do not pursue Skinny imdiately; first reduce the number of barbarians.
He was confident in a head-on confrontation.
With enemies swarming like waves, the movent of his iron sword gradually slowed.
[Clear Stream]
A gentle wind swept past the barbarians.
However, what ensued was anything but gentle.
Swiiiiiiish!
Kaaaaak!
The sword energy carried by the wind rcilessly tore through a dozen barbarians within its range.
As the fallen barbarians places were filled by those behind them, another gust of wind swept through, claiming more lives.
Though they were like fanatics who were willing to risk death, there was nothing they could do as they fell down one by one with one sword strike.
The human wall crumbled in an instant, revealing a man who had been hiding among them.
His body was as thin as a skeleton and he held a long blowpipe in his mouth.
Go Hyeon-woo wasnt one to usually comnt on others appearances, but in this mont, he had to admit.
Kim-hyung really knows how to pick a nickna.
The nickna Skinny couldnt have been more fitting.
Whoosh!
Skinny launched another poison dart.
Go Hyeon-woos attitude was more relaxed than before.
As he continued to slowly draw his sword through the air, the poison darts disintegrated mid-flight.
!!
Skinnys eyes widened in shock.
He stood frozen in place for a mont and Go Hyeon-woo aid his sword directly at him.
As if to say, youre next.
Skinny was taken aback and attempted to flee but no matter how swift he was, escaping the wind was impossible.
As the [Clear Stream] beca concentrated, his whole body was twisted and blood spurted out.
Soon, an unrecognizable battered mass of flesh lay on the ground.
Go Hyeon-woo approached Skinnys corpse to retrieve his necklace.
Fattys bracelet and Skinnys necklace.
When combined, they fit together as if they were originally one piece.
It was a serpent-shaped emblem, coiled and adorned with feathers all over, seemingly ready to soar into the sky at any mont.
The next step is to ascend the altar.
The climb to the altar encountered far less interference than before.
After the loss of two altar servers, the barbarians montum seed to wane.
Moreover, the altar itself appeared to be a sacred site that should not be tread upon lightly, and they hesitated to advance.
Occasionally, he would cut down one or two people with a single sword strike who rushed at him without realizing that their lives were at stake.
The entrance to the inner part of the altar was sealed by a thick stone door but it imdiately responded when Go Hyeon-woo approached.
The serpent emblem in his hand trembled and the door opened as if welcoming him.
The interior was clean and tidy without a speck of dust, and a long sword was neatly placed in the middle of it.
Though it was made of gold, it lacked luster, and countless hieroglyphs were engraved on the blade.
It was more an artifact of art than a sword.
[Feathered Serpent Magic Sword (D)]
Originally, this magic sword was bound to the Feathered Serpent priest.
During the final showdown, as the priest slowly moved towards the altar, failing to stop him would result in him arming himself with the magic sword.
From that point on, one would have to fight against a magic swordsman who was good at both close-range and long-range combat.
However, since Kim Ho had confined the priest to the tribe, and Go Hyeon-woo reached the altar first, the magic sword beca his possession.
But it wasnt over yet.
Theres one more step remaining.
As Go Hyeon-woo took hold of the magic sword and stepped away from the altar, an invisible foreign energy poured in.
The magic sword greedily devoured it all.
[Feathered Serpent Magic Sword (D )]
Souls of the Feathered Serpent Tribe 100/100 (Complete)
Souls of the Feathered Serpent Altar Servers 2/2 (Complete)
Soul of the Feathered Serpent Priest 0/1 (In Progress)
The swords rank had risen from D to D .
The worn parts of the blade had been notably restored and the hieroglyphs beca even clearer.
It had been strengthened by absorbing the souls of the barbarians and the altar servers.
Just one more, and the enhancent would be perfectly complete.
Im heading back to the tribe.
Go Hyeon-woo began to retrace his steps.
With Kim Ho having left marks along the way, finding the tribe should be easy.
***
Boom! Crash!
I twisted my body this way and that to avoid the golden lights that were flying at for who knows how many tis.
I paused montarily to survey the scene.
The tribe lay in ruins as if swept by a natural disaster.
Barbarians were strewn about here and there.
Most were the work of the priest.
My only cri was running away.
I must admit. I did occasionally use Wind Force to send so nuisances flying so Ill concede to being about 10% at fault.
No!
The priest who had been fervently casting magic suddenly shifted his gaze towards the altar.
It was then that he realized his connection to the ritual sword had been severed.
The transfer of ownership of the ritual sword ant soone had successfully infiltrated, which in turn implied that the two mid-bosses had been defeated.
I guess its over.
I was very satisfied.
Judging by the ti it had taken so far, it almost perfectly matched my expectations.
It appears Go Hyeon-woo followed the strategy book quite accurately.
If Go Hyeon-woo was unable to suppress his competitive spirit and took on both Fatty and Skinny at the sa ti, it would have cost him a lot of ti.
Moreover, had he not followed my instructions to take out the barbarians first when dealing with Skinny, not only would it have taken longer, but he would also have had to finish off the 100 barbarians for the ritual sword afterward.
By prioritizing and adhering to my strategy, he was able to finish within the expected tifra.
You pass.
With this much success, I felt confident enough to entrust the next hidden piece to them.
Stop him! I will head to the altar.
The priest pointed at and commanded the few remaining barbarians.
Then, he attempted to leave the scene in a rush but I called out,
Where are you going all by yourself, Ahjussi?
[Activate Amplification]
[The rank of Wind Force has been increased. (C ->A )]
[Duration 00:01:57]
[Cooldown 00:49:57]
Whoosh!
I created a gust directly in his path.
The trendous wind force made the priest try to resist with all his might but soon he was stumbling backwards and ended up embarrassingly landing on his backside.
He then shouted with his face flushed red in anger.
You!!
Is it common to leave in the middle of a fight? Its quite disappointing.
Dont get in my way!!
Theres nothing left for you there. Its all over anyway.
There was no need for him to go; Go Hyeon-woo was already on his way here.
The final goal for strengthening the magic sword was to absorb the priests soul.
There would be no obstacles in his way, as I had left markers for him.
It wouldnt take long for him to reach this place.
Lets wrap this up, shall we?
My fist was engulfed in a dark red fla.
User Comments
0 comments from readers