Chapter 63. A Blue Sword Aura Cut Through the Rain.
While Jude was watching Hyunwoo, the arena's environnt continued to change.
In each changed environnt, Hyunwoo's response was exceptionally conspicuous.
Even in an environnt where a river of poison overflowed.
Even in an environnt of darkness where pitch-black darkness had descended.
Even in an environnt where thunder and lightning struck down densely in all directions.
No matter what environnt unfolded, the human nad Hyunwoo continued to fight endlessly.
He showed more than just surviving in extre environnts.
As ti passed, Jude's gaze beca fixed solely on Hyunwoo.
“He’s quite impressive for a bug.”
“Who are you referring to?”
It had sothing that made the observer's heart race, too much to be dismissed as the flapping of a weak bug's wings.
The audience was also deeply engrossed in Hyunwoo’s performance.
When he hid in the poisonous river and then ambushed other gladiators, they grew tense and held their breath along with him.
The bloody battle in the dark space, the skill to deflect lightning.
The audience watched Hyunwoo's every move with sweaty palms.
Jude wasn't watching the match with that level of imrsion, but it was a natural course of events for even him to take an interest in Hyunwoo.
“That guy. Tell what you know, old man.”
“Are you interested in the Super Rookie?”
“Yes. The human gladiator. Was his na Hyunwoo?”
“Don't you have the docunts I gave you last ti with the gladiators' personal information?”
“That? I threw it away.”
“Yes. I suppose you would have.”
Lionel nodded as if he had expected as much.
This was the first ti Jude had asked Lionel about a gladiator.
To think he even rembered his na.
He had never shown this much interest in a gladiator before.
‘This is the man who doesn't even rember the nas of the gladiators he takes with him…’
For Jude to show this much interest, there must be sothing special about the human nad Hyunwoo.
Lionel beca curious as to what it was.
Recalling the information he knew about Hyunwoo, he began to speak to Jude.
“He was a human slave of unknown origin.”
“A slave? Not a forr knight?”
“I heard he couldn't even hold a sword when he first ca here. Would you like to see his personal information?”
“Give it here.”
Jude snatched the paper Lionel offered and looked inside.
It contained Hyunwoo's profile and his past deeds.
—Imdiately upon gripping a sword, he slaughtered dozens of Goblins and succeeded in hunting the Black Whale.
—Achieved Rookie in the shortest ti, followed by achieving Super Rookie.
—Played a major role in the hunting of Anesta.
It was certain that the gladiator nad Hyunwoo was at the level of a weak bug right now.
However, after reviewing the contents, Jude's eyes sparkled.
No matter how fast the human race grew due to their short lifespan, this was excessive.
To be able to rise to that level from a slave who had never held a sword before, in such a short amount of ti.
“Quite interesting.”
Jude took his eyes off the docunt and stared intently at Hyunwoo.
‘If it’s that guy…’
He was only at the level of a bug now, but considering his growth rate, he thought he might be able to achieve results if given enough ti.
Jude looked at Hyunwoo and fiddled with the curse engraved on his chest.
***
Kururung―
The sand in the hourglass, which had spun around, began to fall.
It ant that the fifth extre environnt, the thunderstorm, was over and the sixth environnt was beginning.
Hyunwoo paused to catch his breath and surveyed the battlefield.
Lucas, who had delivered the final blow to an electrocuted gladiator, had his eyes closed and was briefly replenishing his mana.
“Hey. You okay.”
“……”
Normally, he would have retorted, ‘This is nothing,’ but seeing him not even open his eyes, it seed his mana was almost depleted.
Even his breathing was greatly disturbed.
‘This is the first ti I’ve seen him struggle this much.’
The fight had been that intense.
If it weren't for the training to synchronize their rhythm, they wouldn't have been able to finish with this little damage.
He was a guy whose one trick was usually grumbling, but in battle, he was definitely a comrade you could trust your back to.
There were now less than ten gladiators standing firmly on two feet.
Not just Hyunwoo and Lucas, but everyone was exhausted.
They were skilled gladiators who had endured up to the fifth environnt and survived, but it looked like they could no longer hold on.
[Ah! A new environnt is unfolding in the arena! Unfortunately, this is the last one.]
At the announcer's word, ‘last,’ the gladiators' ears perked up.
If they just survived this environnt, it would be over.
Just as a spark of hope sprouted in the gladiators' hearts.
Rain began to fall as if the sky had been pierced.
Swaaaaah―!
It didn't take long for the spark of hope they held to be extinguished by the falling raindrops.
The feeling of relief from the rainwater washing away their sweat was but a fleeting mont.
“Huh? What the……”
Pulsseok―
The legs of several gladiators gave out powerlessly.
The final environnt of the Extre Environnt Survival.
‘The Debilitating Rainstorm.’
A rainstorm that sapped stamina swept through.
The gladiators, who were already in the worst physical condition, collapsed powerlessly.
Even Hyunwoo’s knees buckled.
“Keuu……”
Even ‘Hoshea's Five-Colored Shield,’ which increased attribute resistance, was not very effective in this environnt.
Because the rain falling from the sky was sapping ‘stamina’ itself.
From now on, it was a battle of ntal strength.
Still, Hyunwoo had one advantage.
The fact that he had no wounds.
Hyunwoo turned his gaze to a gladiator covered in wounds.
“What…? Kuaaaaaaaak!”
A fountain of blood erupted from the entire body of the gladiator Hyunwoo was watching.
The gladiator's complexion turned deathly pale in an instant as if all his blood was draining out at once.
He staggered to his feet for a mont, but soon collapsed and began to lose consciousness.
This was the second effect of the Debilitating Rainstorm.
The stamina-draining effect was significant, but what was more frightening was,
‘The bleeding effect.’
When rainwater touches a wound, the wound opens up and excessive bleeding continues.
In short, even a small wound could act as a fatal one.
That was why Hyunwoo had fought so far to avoid getting injured as much as possible.
Even if he was wounded, he imdiately wrapped it with a bandage and poured potions on it, not leaving even a small scratch.
“Lucas, you know, right?”
“It’s really raining. If it rains, the saying that you shouldn't use magic must be true.”
Most of the blood magic Lucas used was a thod that involved carving wounds on his own body.
Normally, it wouldn't have been a problem as he could use his monstrous regenerative ability, but using magic here, where it caused a bleeding effect, could be dangerous.
In other words, Lucas's magic was sealed, but they had prepared sothing for this mont.
The Mana Bomb.
“I told you to just listen to .”
Hyunwoo smirked as he saw Lucas take out a Mana Bomb.
An arena where stamina was continuously drained, and even a small wound could be fatal under the falling rain.
It was a fitting environnt to conclude the match.
Swaaaaaaaaah―!
Hyunwoo surveyed the arena through the rain.
The other gladiators, having also noticed the rain's effect, were responding in their own ways.
There was a gladiator who used the crude thod of surrounding himself with mana, and another who hastily bandaged his wounds.
Among them, if there was one gladiator who stood out, it was,
⌜Gigantification⌟
Champion Equitar, who used Gigantification.
Equitar leaped in a single bound and swept away the surrounding gladiators.
Hyunwoo clicked his tongue at the sight of him appearing to be unaffected even in the ‘Debilitating Rainstorm’.
‘How ridiculously simple-minded.’
Watching him, Hyunwoo recalled information about Gigantification.
The ability of Gigantification wasn't just about getting bigger and tougher.
It also increased basic stamina, which was why he could move fine even in the Debilitating Rainstorm.
The gigantic Equitar began to swing his axe.
Kwaang―!
Keo-eoeoeok―!
He quickly finished off the gladiators who were weakened by bleeding.
One guy per blow.
It seed there was no gladiator who could stop him.
Watching this, Hyunwoo sent a signal to Lucas.
‘All I need to do is inflict a wound.’
It was much more plausible than fighting and winning against the gigantified Equitar head-on.
He was pretending to be strong on the outside, but he wouldn't be in perfect condition either.
‘The damage accumulated in his body so far must be considerable.’
Hyunwoo t Equitar’s gaze.
Sseueuk―
Equitar bared his teeth and laughed heartily.
“Oh, right. There were you guys!”
Kwaang―!
Equitar, who had split the gladiator before him in half, bared his yellow teeth and laughed even louder.
Rainwater trickled between his parted teeth.
He slowly approached him.
The closer he got, the more he could feel how big he was.
Kkwak―!
To relieve his tension, Hyunwoo gripped Cheonbyeondo tightly.
Holding the hilt of the sword eased his tension a little.
He was still nervous, but he had a record of taking down several much larger foes.
This was nothing.
Hyunwoo shook his head vigorously and raised Cheonbyeondo straight up.
Equitar, who had co right up to him, stomped his foot.
Kung―!
“I was worried you might die, but thankfully you’re alive. Ptooey—!”
He spat out the rainwater that had filled his mouth and looked down at Hyunwoo and Lucas.
“That Baron fellow is going to have a bit of a stomachache. To pay money to have guys killed who would die anyway if left alone. I’m grateful, though.”
He didn't just say it; he really seed grateful.
Seeing how the guy who had been swinging his axe without a word until now was being so long-winded.
Equitar slowly approached, as if taking his ti.
Looking around, the only gladiators left standing were himself, Lucas, and him.
They were the last gladiators to face him.
As Lucas put his hand into his coat, Hyunwoo stepped in front of him.
“Are you thinking of fighting ? You dare? Ha—”
Equitar let out a scornful laugh.
“When I see weaklings like you holding your heads up high, I just can’t stand it.”
“Tell about it.”
“Huh?”
“I also find it hard to bear when I see morons who think being big ans they’re strong.”
“……What?”
“Seems my words are hard for you to understand. Did only your head get bigger while your brain stayed the sa?”
“……”
Veins bulged on Equitar's body.
Stupid bastard.
To think a Demon World gladiator who hadn't even received a basic education would pick a verbal fight with a modern office worker who had been through it all.
He was clearly a guy as lacking in intelligence as he looked.
“Kuaaaaa—!”
Equitar let out a monstrous roar.
Seeing his eyes roll back, the provocation had worked perfectly.
As he raised his axe, Hyunwoo closed his eyes.
“Lucas!”
Beonjjeok―!
A white flash exploded in the arena, which had been darkened by the rain clouds.
Mana Bombs had various effects.
The one they had agreed to use first was a type with reduced lethality but with an added strong light source.
The white flash that pierced Equitar's optic nerves montarily stole his sight.
“Aargh! You damn rats!”
Hwoong―!
As if having a seizure, he swung his axe wildly.
Hyunwoo threw himself backward to dodge the attack.
He wasn't clumsy enough to get hit by such a blind attack.
“Khuaaaaaaaak!”
Kwaang―!
Equitar went berserk, swinging his axe in all directions.
Getting near him would an being turned into pulp.
‘I just have to not get close.’
Hyunwoo, already far away from him, chugged several potions at once.
‘Physique Engraving Potion’ to increase strength and regeneration.
‘Reaction Speed Potion’ to increase agility.
‘Luta's Blessing’ for mana recovery.
Besides those, he madly drank potions that gave temporary enhancent effects.
If he stacked potion effects to this extent.
Udeuk―!
His whole body overflowed with power.
The aftereffects once the potions wore off would be a problem, but he just had to deal with him before then.
Hyunwoo raised Cheonbyeondo.
He gathered all the overflowing energy.
Kkadeudeuk―
A technique he had never even attempted before.
In his current state, he was confident he could pull it off.
‘The secret technique of the Crux Swordsmanship.’
⌜Crux Swordsmanship (3-Star)—The two movents of a vertical slash and a horizontal slash unfold in a single mont. The ultimate secret technique of the Crux Swordsmanship is the cross slash that combines these two movents. By using mana, the cross slash can be fired as a sword aura.
Proficiency: 73%
Trait: None⌟
Cheonbyeondo, infused with mana, pushed back the surrounding darkness and emitted a brilliant light.
Wooooong―!
The mana dwelling in the sword was ready to be fired.
Seeing this, Lucas rushed at Equitar.
A reverse of their usual roles.
‘While Lucas ties him up… I’ll kill him!’
Swaaaaah―!
The blue sword aura that advanced from Hyunwoo’s sword cut through the rain.
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