I Raided the Demon’s Treasury

Chapter 19

“Is this the lower part of the rocky mountain?”

Since entering the dungeon from the summit, the cave’s floor had been on a continuous downward slope.

Though it was expected that they’d head downwards after entering from the top of a dungeon inside the rocky mountain, he hadn’t anticipated that such an expansive chamber existed deep within.

Looking at the size of the chamber, it seemed that, excluding the cliff-like outer walls, the entire interior of the mountain was the dungeon.

“Moreover, this place was artificially made.”

The cave might be natural, but there was no way such a chamber could have formed naturally.

Given the dungeon’s name, it was most likely created by the ‘forgotten hero’, but even so, it was beyond the capability of one hero.

‘Well, expecting common sense in a dungeon is foolish.’

Hundreds of dungeons exist within the tower. Many of them, like this chamber, surpass human common sense.

For instance, the ‘Sky Island,’ an ancient dungeon floating in the sky, or the ‘Abyss of the Elder Dragon,’ formed inside the belly of a deceased dragon.

“But what are these…?”

– The Constellation, ‘Bowed Raven’, looks down at the chamber with a peculiar gaze.

The chamber was anything but ordinary.

The floor and walls were covered in what appeared to be sword marks—slashes, stab wounds, and even deep gouges as if something had exploded outwards.

To think that all these scars were made by a “sword.” Any ordinary sword attacking stone would soon become chipped or broken.

The proof of this was scattered across the chamber’s floor: numerous types of swords embedded into the ground.

While some were intact, most of them were severely damaged. It was as if one were looking at a graveyard of swords.

And there, at the center of the chamber stood a solitary pillar that seemed to support the ceiling itself.

The moment Se-woon laid eyes on it, he understood the purpose of this place.

“So, it was a kind of linked quest after all.”

A small hole pierced the center of the pillar.

All the energy within the chamber was flowing outward from the center of that hole.

And into that hole,

Thunk.

The ‘Sword of the Forgotten Hero’ that Se-woon carried fit perfectly.

The sword slid into the pillar as lightly as a key into its lock.

– You have earned the right to challenge the Forgotten Hero.

Creak—

The mana that filled the chamber converged, causing the stones on the floor to gather and coalesce into the shape of a humanoid figure.

As Se-woon saw the figure naturally withdraw a sword from the floor, he attempted to pull out the sword he had placed in the pillar; however, the sword that had entered so easily now seemed to be one with the pillar and wouldn’t budge.

As Se-woon’s expression soured, the system conveniently informed him of the current situation.

– The trial of the Forgotten Hero has begun.

– All weapons except for the ‘Broken Swords’ present in the chamber are unusable.

– The mana within the chamber begins to interfere with the use of magic.

– As soon as you grasp a ‘Broken Sword,’ the duel with the Forgotten Hero will commence.

A duel against the Forgotten Hero without the use of magic or familiar equipment.

The term ‘Broken Sword’ clearly referred to the damaged weapons scattered around.

At least there was minimal consideration provided.

– If you do not grasp a ‘Broken Sword’ within 1 minute, your duel rights will be revoked.

– If your duel rights are revoked, the ‘Sword of the Forgotten Hero’ will be retrieved, and you will lose dungeon entry privileges.

Those who lack confidence can choose to flee. Of course, doing so would mean forfeiting the first discovery benefits of the dungeon and the ‘Sword of the Forgotten Hero.’

Naturally, Se-woon had no intention of retreating.

After surveying his surroundings, he picked up a longsword that appeared to be in relatively good condition.

Though it had a couple of chipped edges, it was among the better-preserved swords in the chamber.

– The duel with the Forgotten Hero has begun.

Clang!!

As soon as Se-woon gripped the sword, the hero, who had been holding his weapon diagonally, swiftly charged at him.

Had Se-woon not immediately parried, he would have sustained a severe injury.

“A challenger after a long time.”

The gray, stone-like hero spoke. What he had assumed to be just a boss monster now seemed to be something more.

Most likely, this was a remnant of the hero.

A being formed from the lingering spirit of the hero who trained in this chamber.

“If it’s been a long time, it means there have been other challengers before me?”

“There was one a very long time ago.”

“Seeing that you are still here, I guess all the challengers failed.”

“Correct.”

The hero’s sword slashed horizontally.

For a mere remnant to possess such strength, the title of ‘hero’ truly wasn’t wasted.

Se-woon attempted to block the blow head-on, but the sound that followed forced him to dodge.

Clang!

Se-woon’s sword shattered.

Even though it was a ‘Broken Sword,’ he had expected that the hero’s weapon would also break, but—

That assumption was quickly proven wrong.

Despite breaking Se-woon’s sword, the hero’s sword remained completely intact.

Rolling onto the ground, Se-woon quickly stood and grabbed another broken sword nearby.

The hero pursued Se-woon immediately, leaving him no time to check the condition of his new sword.

“Your reactions aren’t bad, but your movements lack speed. That’s strange.”

Clang, clang!

Clink!

The same thing happened again.

After merely deflecting two attacks, Se-woon’s sword broke, and the blade flew off.

“You perceive my attacks from experience rather than talent. However, your body doesn’t keep up with your experience.”

Se-woon’s eyes gleamed.

After only a few exchanges, the hero had accurately assessed Se-woon’s skills.

A seasoned experience hampered by a frail body.

It was a perfect analysis of Se-woon’s current state.

“Using sword energy in the first chapter of the tutorial? Are you even considering letting anyone pass this test?”

“Ho, you noticed the sword energy?”

The reason the hero’s sword didn’t break was simple.

Sword Energy (劍氣).

It refers to infusing one’s internal energy into the sword, making it visibly radiate with energy.

When sword energy is infused, the sword’s cutting power and durability increase significantly. It’s said that someone who can wield sword energy can turn even a stick into a lethal weapon.

As such, only a master who has perfected their swordsmanship can use ‘sword energy.’

Using such an advanced technique in the first chapter of the tutorial explained why no one had passed so far.

Moreover, it was absurd from the very beginning.

Only those with the physical ability to climb the cliff of the rocky mountain and the detection skills to find the dungeon would have even reached this place.

“And those who can’t overcome this may as well not progress any further.”

“Is this place really worth that much?”

“You will find out if you defeat me first.”

Ta-at!

The hero’s attack remained consistent.

Purely offensive.

It was a tactic used by someone fully aware of the skill gap.

Block if you can, dodge if you can, counter if you can.

It was an attack driven by supreme confidence in his own swordsmanship.

Thus, all Se-woon could do was evade.

Utilizing the footwork of the Ten Path Leg Technique, he avoided the attacks as best as he could while observing the hero’s swordsmanship.

However, the hero surpassed Se-woon not just in swordsmanship but in overall stats as well. There was a limit to how long he could dodge, and he had to sacrifice a sword every time he couldn’t avoid an attack to protect himself.

“Will you keep dodging? I’m not a monster; I don’t plan to let you easily figure out my attack pattern.”

Indeed, his words held true.

Typically, a boss monster would exhibit a certain attack pattern, allowing one to prepare a strategy to counter it. However, the hero’s attacks birthed countless variables.

Even in the same situation and posture, different attacks would come each time, making it dangerous to guess the attack based on assumptions.

‘If I can neither dodge nor block…’

Se-woon recalled a particular martial art.

Tai Chi Chuan.

Using its principles, he believed he could deflect the hero’s sword.

After sacrificing yet another sword to the approaching hero, Se-woon steadied his gaze and activated the Power of Greed.

– Opened the Treasury of Greed.

[ Tai Chi Sword (太極劍) ]

– As the foundational swordsmanship of the Wudang Sect, it embodies the essence of Tai Chi Chuan.

With Mammon’s treasures, there was no need to worry about adapting Tai Chi Chuan’s principles to swordsmanship.

Simply by opening the treasury, the essence of the Tai Chi Sword technique seeped into his mind.

“Your eyes have changed. Can I expect a bit more now?”

The hero leaped toward Se-woon without hesitation.

Like Tai Chi Chuan, Se-woon started to rotate his sword slowly.

His eyes, enhanced by the ‘Eyes of the Night Owl,’ observed the hero’s movements more sharply than ever before.

As the sword approached—

‘Diagonal upward slash!’

Se-woon caught the hero’s sword tip tilting downward, with his right foot stepping forward.

Se-woon’s sword, which had been rotating so slowly it seemed to have stopped, moved to follow the hero’s blade.

“Ho?”

Sizzle!

This was different from merely parrying the attacks so far.

Following the hero’s sword path, Se-woon slowly redirected its trajectory.

This was the essence of the Tai Chi Sword.

Whether the sword was thrust forward, twisted sharply, or withdrawn hastily, a flaw would appear.

However, the hero wouldn’t easily show his weakness in such a manner.

As expected of someone skilled enough to manifest sword energy, the hero unexpectedly shifted his left foot, completely escaping the Tai Chi’s envisioned range.

This movement alone was impressive enough, but the hero didn’t stop there; he countered by winding his sword around Se-woon’s.

The altered trajectory wrenched Se-woon’s wrist, causing him to lose grip on his sword.

“That was a good move, but it’s not enough…”

Just as the hero was about to casually offer advice, he abruptly stopped.

Contrary to his expectations of Se-woon retreating to reassess the situation, Se-woon was charging directly at him.

Could it be that Se-woon was planning on using martial arts or a leg technique?

However, after enduring this duel for so long, he should know that such a move was suicidal.

The hero prepared to step back and swing his sword lightly, knowing that Se-woon’s body would be bisected.

But then the hero noticed it—the broken sword in Se-woon’s other hand.

“When did you—!”

– Through internal energy, the third form of the Blood Wolf Swordsmanship, ‘Blood Wolf Ambush (血狼襲擊)’, is enhanced.

Se-woon’s energy surged violently.

His internal energy enveloped the broken sword, turning it into a red fang. It might not reach the level of sword energy, and the sword would likely break from this attack, but it didn’t matter.

One strike. One decisive attack was enough.

Boom!!

As Se-woon swung the sword, the chamber echoed with the howl of a wolf.