Dungeon Predator (WN)

Once Valan acknowledged him as his successor, several system messages popped up.

[You have completed the quest, Trial to Become Valan's Successor 3.]

[Congratulations. You have formally become Valan's successor.]

[You have acquired the title, Future Guardian of the Continent.]

[You have inherited the Guardian of the Continent's rights and responsibilities.]

[You have received the Earth's Blessing.]

[All main stats +50]

[All side stats +50]

[Max HP, MP, and Stamina have doubled. HP, MP, and Stamina regeneration have increased.]

[Damage reduction +10%]

[Resistance to various status ailments, curses, and poison has increased.]

[Skills and spells start at intermediate-rank.]

[Your beginner-rank skills, Darkness Chain, Transcendent Blade, and Mad Wind's Sword, have risen to intermediate-rank.]

[You gain double the experience and proficiency.]

[You now hear the Whispers of the Earth.]

[The Whispers of the Earth give the Guardian of the Continent their missions. These missions must be completed no matter what. If they are not completed, or the mission itself is failed, then you will lose your position as Guardian of the Continent.]

'Rights and responsibilities!'

The Guardian of the Continent's 'rights' included the Earth's Blessing.

All main stats and side stats were increased, experience and proficiency gain were doubled, skills/spells started at intermediate-rank, etc.

The Earth's Blessing was tremendous; it couldn't possibly be valued in terms of money.

However, his 'responsibilities' were the Whispers of the Earth.

He had to complete its missions 'no matter what'. Even a single failure wouldn't be tolerated.

"Congratulations," Burkan said, and patted Kang Oh's shoulder.

"Is this really a cause for celebration?" Kang Oh thought of himself roaming across the continent, doing all manner of dangerous, thankless work, and sported a bitter expression.

"Not at all. You'll be going through hell from now on," Valan said. The Guardian of the Continent wasn't exactly an easy or profitable position.

"You're still too weak. It'd be embarrassing if you went around calling yourself my successor."

Valan was just telling the truth.

"Ahem. I don't let people push me around." Kang Oh pouted.

'You're the only one who can treat me like this!'

"Whatever. First, become a Master," Valan said firmly.

"I will. And I won't stop there. I'll become a Grandmaster, and become even stronger than you." Kang Oh confidently laid his ambitions bare.

"That's impossible. You can't find anyone stronger than me in the past, and there won't be anyone stronger than me in the future either," Valan said arrogantly.

"I don't think that's what someone who lost an arm should say," Kang Oh retorted.

"Wanna die?"

"Ahem!"

Once Valan scowled, Kang Oh immediately backed down.

"Little Brother, Sraka cut Master's arm," Burkan said.

"Sraka?" Kang Oh tilted his head.

"The Devil's Sword, Sraka. Have you heard of him before?"

"The Devil's Sword..." Kang Oh sifted through his memories, but he couldn't figure out who he was.

"He was a fallen swordsman that was alive hundreds of years ago, when the Evil God Worshippers were at their peak. He's on the same level as Master Valan," Burkan said.

"Then Sraka is a Grandmaster too?"

"Yeah," Burkan said.

"And he was the one that sliced off Master Valan's arm? But you just said that he was alive hundreds of years ago."

'He's been alive for that long?'

"The Evil God's sacred treasure, Ilunati's Snake, can be used to revive the dead," Valan said.

Kang Oh could piece the rest of it together by himself.

'They revived a Grandmaster using Ilunati's Snake, and he's the one who cut off Valan's arm.'

"Did you lose, Master Valan?" Kang Oh asked.

"I gave him an arm, but I killed him in the process," Valan said.

"Tch, tch. That was a bad trade." Kang Oh clicked his tongue.

"What?" Valan scowled.

"You said it yourself. They can revive him using Ilunati's Snake."

"A swordsman of his caliber would require more than 10,000 sacrifices. They won't be able to revive him easily," Valan said.

"But what if they manage to revive him?"

"I'll kill him again."

"With only one arm?"

"What are you trying to say?"

"The Evil God Worshippers are too dangerous with a sacred treasure like that. Even you won't be able to stop them if they manage to keep reviving powerful figures like Sraka."

"They're even more dangerous now. They reclaimed another one of their sacred treasures," Valan said.

"Please go over there and kill them immediately."

This was the best way to prevent the Evil God Worshippers from becoming too much of a threat. Valan could just go over there and kill them all!

'It'll make things easier for me too.'

The Guardian of the Continent and the Evil God Worshippers.

It was clear that both sides had no choice but to fight each other. Kang Oh wanted Valan to take care of this matter before it got out of hand and he was forced into the fight.

"I'd like to do that too, but I don't know where their base is," Valan said.

They were under the Evil God's protection, so they couldn't find the Evil God Worshipper's hideout. The Whispers of the Earth didn't tell him either.

"Hmm."

"I heard from Burkan. You left Nemeth's Skull with the Rakan Church?" Valan asked.

"Yes."

In the past, Kang Oh had killed the Evil God Worshippers in the Batiyu Ruins, who had been performing a ritual that weakened the seal over Nemeth's Skull. He had reclaimed the sacred treasure, and had passed it on to the continent's most powerful church, the Rakan Church.

"The Evil God Worshippers will appear, intent on reclaiming the sacred treasure. When they do, we can get the location of their base out of them." Valan's eyes gleamed. It was the eyes of a predator aiming for its prey.

"It's a good idea."

"So I can't leave Altein for the time being."

The Great Temple of Rakan was right next to Altein.

Valan and Burkan had to remain on standby within the Holiseum so that they could go to the Great Temple of Rakan at a moment's notice.

"You need to complete the missions in my place."

"Understood. In exchange...!"

"In exchange?"

"You told me to become a Master earlier. Can you please help me become one even faster?"

The strongest swordsman, Valan! With his teachings, he should become stronger even faster than before.

"That's the plan."

"Good. Then what will you teach me first? I'd really like to learn Divide the Sea."

Divide the Sea!

The ultimate technique that cut through everything in this world!

It was truly a mouth-watering technique!

"You can't learn it at your current level," Valan said decisively.

"Then when can I learn it?"

"Master Slash first."

In order to learn Divide the Sea, one needed to first master Slash.

"Ahem. Then please give me some other advice."

"Let me tell you something first. You and I are fundamentally different," Valan said.

"Of course we are."

'Isn't that obvious?'

"Our final goals are different."

"Excuse me?"

'What are you talking about?'

"Burkan and I are swordsmen. We train our skills to the utmost limit. But you're different."

"I'm a swordsman too though."

"Normally, the Demonic Swordsman class is reserved only for those that have reached the peak of swordsmanship, and are capable of freely wielding demon swords. However, you completely skipped that step. Rather than refining your swordsmanship to the limit, you started out as a Demonic Swordsman."

Kang Oh had cleared the Fight Against 100 Men at level 1, and had then gone on to pass Demon Sword Ubist's trial. Thus, he started out as a Demonic Swordsman.

This was the result of his Hyper Intuition, his fundamental abilities, and good fortune all coming together.

"To think you'd be able to wield a demon sword without the level of swordsmanship typically required. You're a unique case."

"So?"

"You're a Demonic Swordsman, not a Swordsman, so you can only wield demon swords. Focus on developing your skills as a Demonic Swordsman."

Kang Oh knew what he was telling him.

Demon swords possessed unique powers and abilities.

Since Kang Oh had started out as a Demonic Swordsman, he was capable of drawing out the demon swords' individual strengths using skills such as Darkness Strike or Devil Trigger.

"Seal a demon within Akanhoff. I think I told you this before, but sealing a demon within a sword already steeped in darkness will retain its original abilities and gain new ones from the demon sealed within. This will create the ultimate demon sword," Valan said.

Kang Oh nodded his head.

Demon Sword Akanhoff was already ridiculous.

Absolute Destruction, Damage Amplification, and Dangerous Gamble!

What if, when he sealed a demon within it, these abilities remained intact?

What if the demon sword gains an ability like Ubist's Gluttony or Everlasting Darkness, or Blood's Festival of Blood?

It would indeed become the ultimate demon sword!

'I need to choose the right one to seal.'

He needed to seal a powerful demon like Ubist or Blood within the sword.

"There's a skill called Seal Demon. It allows you to seal a demon within a sword. I'll teach you this technique, so..."

"I already know it."

When Kang Oh had first acquired Demon Sword Blood, Blood's previous owner, Grande Loxia, had taught him Seal Demon.

"I see."

"What kind of demon should I seal?" Kang Oh asked.

"The stronger the demon, the better. But remember, a stronger demon will make the demon sword that much harder to control."

"Just asking, but what if I were to seal the Evil God, Jaila, into the blade?"

Was it because they were talking about the Evil God Worshippers? He suddenly wondered what would happen if he were to seal the Evil God inside Akanhoff.

"The sword won't be able to contain him."

"Then what about a dragon?"

Dragons were Arth's apex species! What if he were to seal a dragon within his sword?

"Dragons aren't demons, so Seal Demon won't work on them."

Demons used the power of darkness, while dragons used mana.

"What about the Evil Dragon, Inarius?"

"Inarius too. If he falls, or becomes a demon, then it might work."

"Hmm, then what should I seal inside?"

"That's up to you," Valan said calmly.

"Anyhow, seal a demon within your sword, master Demonic Swordsmanship, and learn a Demonic Swordsman secret technique."

"A secret technique?"

"Yeah. Not a Swordsman technique, but a Demonic Swordsman technique. After all, a Demonic Swordsman's secret technique will allow you to maximize the demon swords' power."

"Where do I learn one?"

"I don't know. So go out and find one," Valan said, speaking as though it had nothing to do with him. You cold-hearted bastard!

"Is there anything else you can do that'll help me get stronger? Just a short while ago, I met an amazing man called Sven. He immediately taught me a secret technique."

Sword Duke, Sven! He had learned the Swordsman secret technique, Mad Wind's Sword, from him.

"That isn't all."

"As expected." Kang Oh stared at him in anticipation.

'Is it time for him to start training me in earnest? What's he going to start with? It's probably something huge!'

However, Valan completely destroyed his expectations.

"I'll give you 100 days. Do everything I asked for within that time frame!"

"Excuse me?"

"If you can't, then... I'll kill you!"

A quest immediately popped up.

[Trial to Become Stronger]

You have become the successor to the Guardian of the Continent, Valan.

But at the moment, you are too weak. Unable to let this continue, Valan has taken special measures!

You must complete all of the conditions Valan has set within 100 days.

If you don't, then Valan will take everything you have.

Condition 1: Master Demonic Swordsmanship.

Condition 2: Seal a demon within Demon Sword Akanhoff. The monster must be a raid boss over level 500.

Condition 3: Learn at least one Demonic Swordsman secret technique.

Remaining Time: 100 days.

Difficulty: Impossible.

Minimum Requirements: Future Guardian of the Continent.

Rewards: Increased Closeness with Valan.

Failure: If you fail, then you will lose your position as Valan's successor. Valan will also kill you over and over again, and take Demon Sword Ubist, Demon Sword Blood, and Demon Sword Akanhoff from you.

[You cannot refuse the quest.]

[The quest has been accepted.]

The quest was literally 'impossible'!

"Are you crazy? 100 days? You want me to do all that in 100 days?" Kang Oh yelled.

'Valan, you bastard! How the hell do you expect me to complete this quest!?'

"You have to, unless you want to die."

Valan's unreasonable requests made Kang Oh briefly lose all reason.

"Screw you!" Kang Oh drew Ubist and Akanhoff, and rushed at Valan.

However...!

Despite the loss of an arm, Valan was still out of his league.

A short while later...

Valan's blade touched Kang Oh's throat.

"Will you do it or not?" Valan said murderously.

"Fine, I'll do it!"

Kang Oh didn't have the luxury of choice. He had to complete this ridiculous quest!