LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 59
Chapter 59
Clank!
“What is this?”
Why did it fit in so perfectly?
Jaehyuk’s scabbard and the Iyarugt were clearly different in size.
There was a difference of over 30 centimeters just in length alone.
Could it be that the grudge left by the Troll Lord before he died turned into a curse on me?
Was I seeing an illusion because of it?
As the Iyarugt fitted perfectly into the scabbard, Jaehyuk even momentarily suspected that. Soon, he realized what was happening.
The shape of the sword’s handle had changed to something familiar.
“Could it be?”
Jaehyuk slowly drew the sword from the scabbard.
A familiar dark-colored curved sword revealed itself.
It retained the power of Iyarugt.
“… Items are truly mysterious, aren’t they?”
Does it change form according to certain conditions?
And perhaps those conditions are related to…
‘My will.’
When Jaehyuk willed the sword to reveal its ‘true form’, swoooosh…
A red aura emanated, and the dark blade transformed into a red, transparent blade in an instant.
‘Are all legendary items like this?’
No, that couldn’t be.
Weapons used by top-tier players inevitably gained fame.
Among them, a few weapons were notably famous for their ability to ‘transform.’
If form transformation were a default of legendary items, there would be no reason for those particular weapons to be famous.
Thump, thump, thump!
Jaehyuk’s heart pounded fiercely.
A double-edged sword and a single-edged sword are clearly different.
The reason Jaehyuk could counter Theodor at least once was due to the unexpected maneuver of a ‘back cut’ using the sword’s double edge.
Had the Iyarugt been a single-edged sword instead of a sword, he could have supported it with the back of the blade in his hand to exert more force and withstand Theodor’s attack more easily.
In other words, the methods of utilization, strengths, and weaknesses were completely different.
The ability to swap between a double-edged sword and a single-edged sword at will was an incredible advantage.
It was likely that future foes who faced Jaehyuk would feel as though they were fighting two different swordsmen.
Clank!
After sheathing the sword back into its scabbard, Jaehyuk confirmed the Iyarugt had reverted to the single-edged form and conducted various experiments.
He wondered if it might transform into other weapons like a bow or a spear.
However, unfortunately, such convenient transformations did not occur.
The only form Iyarugt could take was the curved blade that symbolized the Kang family.
‘If that is the case.’
Perhaps the ability to change the form of the Iyarugt was not a unique item ability but rather a result of magic or sorcery.
It reached a point where the Kang family’s symbolic sword couldn’t be discarded.
Iyarugt was too conspicuous, invoking fears of becoming a target for others.
Or there were issues entangled with the Iyarugt itself; for such reasons, it seemed the ancestors felt the need to conceal it.
‘And this secret might have been passed down only to the family head.’
That’s why I was completely unaware.
Thus, this sword originally belonged to his father.
‘Did Father designate me as his successor long ago?’
A flood of emotion surged like a tide.
A tingle went through him, enough to make his body tremble.
He felt immense joy knowing he had been trusted from the start by the person he respected and loved most.
It felt as if he had been reborn anew.
Soon regaining composure, he steeled his resolve.
‘Let’s work even harder.’
As the next head of the Kang family, he was determined to restore its prosperity.
An even greater weight rested upon a promise he had revisited countless times each day.
The next object Jaehyuk pulled out was a book with a gentle jade glow.
It was a skill book dropped by the Troll Lord.
〈’King’s Roar’ Lv. 1〉
Rarity: Unique
Unleash the aura of a born king to instill temporary fear in targets.
It can affect up to three people, and the lower a target’s level or total stats are compared to the caster, the higher the chance they will succumb to fear.
Cooldown: 10 minutes
Mana Cost: 300
‘A status debuff skill!’
Without a second thought, Jaehyuk learned the skill.
The second and third skill slots were meant to be filled and emptied freely anyway.
There was no reason not to learn a skill that had been arduously earned.
The value of an instant skill that inflicts status effects is astronomical.
Such skills typically require fulfilling ‘specific conditions’ to be activated.
For example, for Jaehyuk to poison his enemy, he would need to cut them with a poisoned blade or burst a poison pouch to cover them in sand.
However, the King’s Roar only required shouting.
‘But I should avoid using it when witnesses are present.’
Using this skill in Lion’s Castle?
That would be akin to publicly announcing that he had acquired the skill book dropped by the Troll Lord.
He couldn’t predict what backlash he’d face from the Ability Association.
‘At the very least, it wouldn’t end well.’
Recalling the whispers about Assault Team 2 and 5 from the Ability Association members, Jaehyuk shuddered.
S-rank player-set assault teams.
At this point, all that attracting their attention could bring would be a shortened lifespan.
* * *
“Damn it! What in the hell are you talking about?!”
Bang!!
The office of Assault Team 2’s captain, Kwon Sachul, shook as though hit by an earthquake.
The impact resulted from the ashtray he had thrown against the wall.
An S-rank player, one of the strongest among the active ranks.
Unlike the National Treasures who rarely intervened in personal matters due to the obligation to secure national events and security, they actively participated on the front lines.
Which meant they were the most feared beings among most players.
“Why did such a disaster have to happen on our turn, damn it!”
Recognized as a veteran within the Association, Kwon Sachul was notorious for his explosive temperament.
Even the president and top military officials of the Association, aside from a few National Treasures, couldn’t suppress his fiery nature—not even if the president himself were present.
“What?! A Death Knight? Losing a once-a-year chance because of a mere monster?! You idiots!!”
In the end, unable to contain his anger, Kwon Sachul punched his deputy in the face.
The deputy was also a top-tier player, just five levels away from reaching the S-rank, but he couldn’t withstand the power in that punch.
Seeing the deputy beaten to a pulp before subordinates didn’t quell Kwon Sachul’s rage; he continued to seethe.
“That bastard Kim Sayoung still mocks me with the skill he got from the Lord! And I’m supposed to endure seeing that for another year? You want to see me die of anger!? And if I die, you think I’d die alone, you damn bastards! If I perish, you’re all going down with me!!”
The Troll Lord respawned three months after death.
And it needed a three-month growth period after respawn.
Thus, a Troll Lord raid was possible only twice a year.
Since the two raids were divided between the Association’s assault team and the Foundation’s assault team, it was practically a once-a-year chance.
But that chance was wasted.
A Death Knight appeared out of nowhere, killed the newborn Troll Lord, and vanished.
“Why was nobody on guard?!”
“Today, the raid area was divided into three… We planned to deploy guards after handling the raids.”
“Because of merely three raids, every member of Assault Teams 2 and 5 was deployed? Aren’t there 80 of you combined? You mean you couldn’t even spare a couple of people? You incompetent idiot!!”
“……”
If the 5th team captain and you had participated in the raid, it might have been possible.
The deputy barely managed to swallow the retort rising to the tip of his tongue, trying to redirect Kwon Sachul’s wrath.
“But do you think this incident was mere coincidence?”
“What?”
“Even if guards were in place, the outcome would have been the same. Do you remember the student Kang Jaehyuk?”
“Kang Jaehyuk…? Yaksha’s son?”
“Yes, that student Kang Jaehyuk is reported to be the one who lured the Death Knight to the Troll Lord Dungeon.”
“He intentionally messed with us?”
“Yes, wasn’t he personally admitted by the director? He might have acted under the director’s orders….”
“Nonsense.”
Kwon Sachul responded disinterestedly.
He was so calm that it made one wonder if his earlier gorilla-like raging had been mere playacting.
“That guy was just level 10 not long ago, wasn’t he? Would you, if you were the director, use such a weakling as bait to lure a named Death Knight? He’d soon be caught and crushed to death by a finger!”
“……”
“The notion that a Death Knight pursued such a rookie all the way to the Troll Lord Dungeon is absurd. Had that happened, Kang Jaehyuk would have been killed long before reaching the dungeon, and the Troll Lord would’ve remained safe. The Death Knight’s objective was different from the beginning.”
An S-rank player meant being at least level 100.
It was a rank achieved after hunting millions of monsters.
It was not a level that could be reached by having excellent skills or items alone.
Wisdom, charisma, insight, drive, and so on…
S-rank players possessed one or more outstanding talents, and Kwon Sachul was no exception.
“Yaksha’s son was merely a distraction. Someone else used Kang Jaehyuk to lure the Death Knight.”
When Kwon Sachul stood from his chair, it was as if a crouching bear were stretching out.
“Deputy, gather testimonies from teachers and students who encountered the Death Knight and find clues. If there’s any indication that the Death Knight seemed to be searching for something, focus on that.”
“Yes.”
“Everyone else will pursue the Death Knight with me. We have the pretext. Since it seized our prize, we’d claim to raid it, and no other force can object.”
“But tracking it won’t be easy since even the scouting team lost it. We might need to scour the whole island, which could take days, while we’ve raid schedules to keep…”
“Pass it to the 5th team.”
“Wouldn’t we suffer significant losses then?”
“Jeez, you idiot.”
Kwon Sachul clicked his tongue.
“We could just put on an empty show; spending ten or even fifteen days searching for it marks it as our prey. Plus, putting the 5th team in our debt is an additional boon.”
Monsters can’t escape Lion’s Castle.
A named Death Knight, surpassing the value of the Troll Lord.
It would eventually reappear, so securing the right to hunt it beforehand was crucial.
A huge loss became an opportunity greater than itself.
* * *
At the same time, on a dark cliff by the coastline.
『You?』
Theodor, having returned to his grave, shivered.
His entire body creaked.
Chill emanating across the area began to freeze him.
“It’s been a while, Theodor.”
『… Yaksha’s servant.』
White Night, Seol Soo-ah.
With a smile, she was not at all offended by Theodor’s words referring to a National Treasure of South Korea as someone’s servant.