=========================================
SERIES: Regression of the Cursed Blacksmith
=========================================
Chapter 27 - The Record Breaker
How much time had passed?
[ Parrying has been activated. ]
Swish- Clang!!
[ Deft Hands has been activated. ]
[ Nameless Swordsmanship has been activated. ]
[ A critical hit has been activated. ]
Squelch!!
Instead of the usual clang of metal, the sound of flesh being sliced could be heard now.
The source of the sound was the Dark Swordsman.
It’s condition was wretched.
It’s body was tattered all over, practically in rags.
Because of this, its mobility had dropped significantly, and the force of its sword strikes had weakened considerably.
Choi Hyun once again parried the creature's sword.
Then, this time, he swung his sword toward its hand.
Squelch!
The sound of flesh being cut.
Unable to bear the pain, the creature dropped the sword it was holding in it's hands.
Choi Hyun's eyes gleamed.
He had finally separated the enemy from its sword.
Choi Hyun immediately ran and grabbed the weapon.
The Dark Swordsman charged at him in a frenzy, but Choi Hyun swung the captured sword wide and attacked it.
CRASH!!
Choi Hyun's eyes widened at the explosive sound.
At the same time, he could see a deep crack in the body of the attacked Dark Swordsman.
What's more, the Dark Swordsman, struck by its own sword, staggered for the first time.
“It’s this powerful?”
Choi Hyun immediately checked the sword's information.
[ Sword of the Dark Swordsman ]
- Type: Item
- Requirement: Level 60 or higher. *However, all usage restrictions are removed in the Tower of Growth.
- Durability: 1,067/2,000
- Attack Power: 300
- Options:
1. When using sword-related skills, additional power increases by 10%
2. Skill, “Ultra Strong Strike,” can be used.
# The sword used by the 49th-floor gatekeeper of the Tower of Growth, the Dark Swordsman.
“Ha, would you look at this?”
Choi Hyun let out a dry laugh after reading the item information.
The Dark Swordsman's level was displayed as ???.
But the level requirement for the sword it used was a whopping 60.
Furthermore, since it was a greatsword, based on the average specs for level 60, its sword should have had a durability of 1,300 and an attack power of 190 according to the standard formula.
But this creature's sword had 2,000 durability and 300 attack power.
These specs were far higher than even the disassembly-repaired Shielding Sword.
“No wonder the Shielding Sword couldn't hold up to this.”
It now made sense why its durability dropped so much with a single swing from that thing.
But it didn't matter.
It was all over now.
Choi Hyun raised the creature's sword and swung.
Of course, he didn't just swing it normally.
He used the additional option.
[ Ultra Strong Strike has been activated. ]
And then.
CRASH!!
[ You have defeated the Dark Swordsman. ]
Choi Hyun had finally managed to defeat the Dark Swordsman.
* * *
[ The 49th floor has been cleared. ]
[ New record achieved! ]
[ The highest record in the Tower of Growth has been broken. ]
[ The conqueror is the player, “Choi Hyun.” ]
Outside the tower.
The moment Choi Hyun defeated the Dark Swordsman, the tower immediately announced the fact to the world.
Those who had been watching the tower intently shouted involuntarily as soon as they saw the notification.
“Whoa!!”
“Woooooah!!”
“Whoa, holy shit, that's insane!!”
“Woooooooooah!!”
The crowd went wild.
They were thrilled, got goosebumps all over, and felt an insane dopamine rush.
My god.
Did Choi Hyun really pull it off?
All of this happened in just about two hours after he had entered the 49th floor.
“Wow, that’s crazy, for real.”
“He actually did it?”
“Does this mean Choi Hyun is now above Yang-hwi?”
“In terms of potential, at least, he’s higher.”
“Wow, I thought Yang-hwi was the best I’d ever seen in my life. How can someone even more amazing appear?”
“And he’s from our country, too.”
“I know, right?”
“This is Hell Joseon, after all. It's true what they say about heroes rising in chaotic times.”
“Wow, I haven't felt this patriotic in ages.”
“I'm already past the lethal dose.”
“Kuaaaah!! Bring on the drinks!”
The news of the 49th-floor being conquered started at Bukhansan Mountain and spread throughout the world via the various reporters waiting there.
Naturally, the news reached China and Yang-hwi as well.
“Ah.”
Yang-hwi let out a soft sigh upon hearing the news.
In the end, his prayers had not been answered.
Yang-hwi quietly closed his eyes.
It was then.
Vrrr-
Yang-hwi's phone rang.
The caller was the Triads.
Yang-hwi stared at it silently before answering the call.
“Yes.”
- You heard the news, right? Get over here now.
“Yes, I understand.”
Yang-hwi left his house immediately.
It felt like a path to hell.
His feet felt heavy, but he had no choice but to go.
“Hah.”
Dark clouds gathered over Yang-hwi's face.
But unlike Yang-hwi, Korea was in a festive mood.
The atmosphere was comparable to winning the World Cup.
Amidst this atmosphere, someone posed a question.
“So, is it all over now?”
“Uh… I don’t know?”
It was the moment a new question was raised.
* * *
Right after defeating the Dark Swordsman, related success notifications popped up.
[ You have defeated the Dark Swordsman. ]
[ You have cleared the 49th floor. ]
[ Your level has increased. ]
[ You have acquired 1 bonus stat point. ]
[ Heavenly Martial Body has been activated. ]
[ Strength, Stamina, Mana, and Sense stats each increase by 1. ]
[ New record achieved! ]
[ You have achieved the highest challenge record in the history of the Tower of Growth. ]
[ For achieving this great feat, the system gifts you 3 bonus stat points. ]
His level had gone up.
He also received an achievement bonus for breaking the record.
But that wasn't what was important.
Choi Hyun focused on the notifications.
And then, something he had desperately hoped wouldn't happen, occurred.
[ The gate to the 50th floor has opened. ]
“Ah.”
So the 49th floor wasn't the final one after all.
What a shame.
He had secretly hoped that the 49th floor would be the last.
“Just how high does this place go?”
There was no way to know.
No one had ever reached the end.
But regardless, since he had achieved his initial goal of breaking the record, he decided to be satisfied for now.
Choi Hyun shifted his gaze to the Dark Swordsman.
Like the Wandering Knight, its corpse vanished with a puff of black smoke.
But the sword it had used did not disappear.
“So I get to keep this as spoils.”
It was a relief, if anything.
With no idea what lay ahead, it was only right to use a better weapon if he had one.
Choi Hyun decided to call it the Dark Sword.
Before repairing the Dark Sword, he checked his status window.
“Status window.”
[ Choi Hyun ]
- Lv : 29
- Class: Blacksmith
- Trait: <Demon's Eye><Repair><Curse of Memory><Nameless Art><Cheonmu Body><Material>
- Strength: 34
- Stamina: 34
- Mana: 34
- Sense: 34
- Dexterity: 66
- Unallocated Stat Points: 4
Not much had changed.
Choi Hyun invested all his bonus stats into Dexterity.
“And with that, my Dexterity stat is now at 70.”
He only needed to raise it by 30 more for the next repair skill.
Choi Hyun then summoned the Hammer of Repair.
He naturally began to strike the Dark Sword.
[ Enhanced Repair has been activated. ]
[ Deft Hands has been activated. ]
[ Super Focus has been activated. ]
As he began to strike the sword, the weapon itself started to glow.
But this time, something was a little different.
He could see white and gold, but there were no murky colors.
“Looks like this one was made perfectly.”
“So that's why its specs were so good for its class.”
Cases like this happened occasionally.
Items that were perfectly crafted from the start.
These items were made exactly as the designer intended them to be, with no expense spared on materials, and a flawless crafting process.
So-called masterpieces were usually like this.
“And most weapons that come from special environments like the Tower of Growth are like this.”
So he quickly finished the Enhanced Repair.
[ Repair complete. ]
[ Due to the effect of Enhanced Repair, the target has been fully repaired, and some of its options have been improved. ]
After finishing the repair, he checked the Dark Sword's information again.
[ Sword of the Dark Swordsman ]
- Type: Item
- Requirement: Level 60 or higher. *However, all usage restrictions are removed in the Tower of Growth.
- Durability: 2,600/2,600 (2,000+600)
- Attack Power: 390 (300+90)
- Options:
1. When using sword-related skills, additional power increases by 10%
2. Skill, “Ultra Strong Strike,” can be used.
# The sword used by the 49th-floor gatekeeper of the Tower of Growth, the Dark Swordsman.
# It has been perfectly repaired by a master blacksmith, and some of its performance has been enhanced.
# The enhanced performance will disappear if its durability falls below the original maximum.
After undergoing Enhanced Repair, the Dark Sword was 30% stronger than its original specs.
Of course, it felt slightly heavier than the Shielding Sword he had been using, but it wasn't completely unusable, so he decided not to worry about it too much.
“This is why I can't quit repairing.”
Was that why?
On one hand, he thought he understood why the demon had sealed half of his primary traits as a condition for his regression.
“If I could possibly craft, too, I would have…”
He probably would have finished the Tower of Growth long ago.
It made sense. Unlike his past life, his regressed life began with a level of wealth that would make chaebol families jealous, so he could have churned out end-game items without worrying about money.
Leveling up would have been easier, too.
The Blacksmith class didn't gain experience from repairing, but it did gain growth experience from crafting, which meant he could have leveled up without having to fight on the front lines like this.
“I really benefited from that effect back in the day.”
It was a real shame.
But he soon shook his head.
Worrying about what he couldn't have was just a waste of time.
Choi Hyun equipped the newly acquired Dark Sword and immediately moved to the next floor.
[ Moving to the 50th floor. ]
0 Comments