To reach level 140, a hefty amount of experience points is required.
Just like when I leveled up to 121 before, it’s essential to tackle upper dungeons or quests to gain experience.
“Looks like I need to go to the multi-dimension.”
Currently, I have a total of 3 holy seals: Teshiniria, Ertarn, and Erbenus Blodia.
Though I have the Golden Seal of the Dawn, which is presumed to lead to the Golden Sky, without regaining considerable power, operating in that place is almost impossible.
Especially since the raccoon I met recently emanated top-tier power.
“Sure, it’s borrowed power.”
Anyway, Blodia has been conquered, leaving Teshiniria and Ertarn as the remaining locations.
Of course, there are quite a few altars scattered around the world that would yield significant experience, but they’re not easy to find.
I guess I’ll have to think a bit more about this part.
Ding!
[Matching found.]
“Oh, it’s set.”
“Excuse me? What do you mean?”
“I had queued up for the rank battle.”
I answered Myeosin, who was tilting his head, as my body began to be enveloped in a blue light.
Since starting the broadcast, I’ve been consistently running rank battles, but due to my fame and skyrocketing points, I haven’t been able to participate much; nevertheless, I kept trying.
No matter how high-ranked the ranker, it’s impossible for them to defeat me, so they naturally avoid battles with no chance of winning.
That’s why I even procured the Banded item, the Cloak of Blocking, which hides my ‘connection record’ just to use it.
“I think I really have to go.”
“I’ll be waiting. You don’t have to rush.”
Myeosin got up from his seat and bowed to me, and my body was soon teleported to the arena.
[The rank battle will start shortly.]
[Challenger (Ranked 6th) – 1320 Points]
[Battle Format – Single match, stat adjustment, equipment adjustment, title adjustment.]
The reason for participating in the rank battle is not just to increase my rank; the most important goal is to acquire the ‘Ring of Three’ from the Honor Shop.
It’s the top-tier item in the Honor Shop, available for 500,000 honor.
It’s a mythical item, but looking back on it now, it doesn’t have such extraordinary specs.
However, I know better than anyone the true value of that item.
‘An unwavering will, the victory angel Pretrus.’
The Ring of Three, imbued with the powers of the Eight Seats, holds a value so high that I can’t obtain it with any weapon, equipment, or item I currently possess.
So far, the honor I’ve amassed barely falls short of 250,000.
I’ve gained quite a bit of honor thanks to maintaining my rank and winning streaks, but still, the wall of 500,000 is high.
Now that the Sword Saint has fallen, there are no competitors, but it would still take a considerable amount of time to make a purchase.
“Ring of Three. Getting that could be a solution.”
If I had the Ring of Three, I could not only summon the Myeosin right away but also traverse the Golden Sky, teeming with strong contenders, without a care in the world.
Anyway, instead of turning on the broadcast, I walked steadily towards the designated Broken Temple duel site.
Having used the Barrier of Blockade, I planned to conduct rank battles for a while and, once rumors of my prowess start to spread, lift the barrier and start the broadcast.
As I walked towards the opposite side of the shrine filled with remnants of battle, I could sense someone’s presence from afar.
A woman sitting on a broken statue, sharpening her sword.
On her shoulder, she had a single white wing, and her aura, clad in very thin white armor, was reminiscent of a ‘sword.’
Her sparkling eyes met mine, and she was startled, immediately springing to her feet.
“…!? What the heck. Why is Lily here?”
“It’s been a while. Aisha.”
Aisha.
The ranker known as the Swordmaster of Starlight, and former rank 11.
Her current rank is a whopping 5, one rank above mine.
By the way, Aisha is a holder of a Second Job and a die-hard fan of the Sword Saint who vanished after the Kraken raid.
“No wonder your power hasn’t diminished much compared to other rankers. There was a reason for it.”
“I was hoping it wasn’t true, but it really is. I’m done for. For real.”
Ah! My score!
Sre!
Aisha’s sword was drawn with a chilling grace, aimed at me.
Having obtained two Hidden Jobs, she became immensely stronger, unmatched even with the disappearance of the Sword Saint.
As for the Heavenly Horse, Yena, who I suspect is at a similar level or even higher, doesn’t wield a sword, and top rankers like Black, Michael, and Knight couldn’t stand against her.
Leo can use a sword, but it’s not his main focus.
Aisha, biting her lip, asked,
“Was the rumor really true?”
“Rumor?”
“All the rankers have been avoiding Lady Lily, but for some reason, she keeps getting caught up in rank battles, and they were wondering if you’re using the ‘Barrier of Blockade’.”
“Well…”
That’s right.
I neither affirmed nor denied Aisha’s words.
But, I didn’t deny it either.
‘How can I participate in the rank battle if it’s not the barrier of blockage?’
Of course, the barrier of blockage was not classified as illegal items or bugs according to Deoen’s regulations.
Banded was officially one of the ‘Raider System’ defined by Deoen, and I was just using one of them.
Moreover, since I was using the side account I received from Leo, it didn’t matter if I admitted it.
However, since there are penalties for raiders, there was no reason to admit it out loud.
“How have you been?”
“Are you trying to dodge the question?”
“I wanted to see you just once since that day. It’s hard to catch a glimpse of your face, especially the Sword Saint…”
“……”
Aisha’s expression turned cold.
She seemed very angry about mentioning the Sword Saint, tightening the grip on her sword even more.
However, it seemed like she was hesitating, not rushing in like before.
“Sword Saint, Sword Saint, Sword Saint… Why do you ask, oppa?”
“You disappeared after the raid day. You caused that incident and vanished without taking responsibility. I wondered if you knew where he was.”
“Responsibility…?”
“Yeah. Responsibility.”
At that time, the Sword Saint, filled with confidence after obtaining a job related to the Demon Race, did something insane by breaking the seal of the Kraken.
Even those raccoons, sweating coldly, got involved in the incident to catch the unleashed Kraken, and I had to use all my strength and ended up bedridden for a few days.
If the Sword Saint hadn’t been taken down by the Kraken, I would have found a way to hold him accountable.
“There were several participants in the raid and so much damage was done. Many people still remember that day’s events, Aisha.”
“……”
“Of course, it’s not that it was Aisha’s fault. You must have done your best as well. But the Sword Saint’s mistake was big…”
“I know.”
Swoosh.
Aisha’s fingers relaxed.
With a dark expression as if recalling the memories of that day, she sighed and lowered her sword.
“I know too. That day, what Sword Saint oppa… did.”
“Then…”
“I trusted you and gave you part of my second job. I don’t know what your plan is, but I helped because I believed in you. But the result was… like that. Why did someone who was doing so well end up like this…?”
Aisha had been a long-time fan of the Sword Saint.
She liked him even before he maintained the number one ranking.
Since Deoen was not even a year old, she admired him when he was still making a name for himself.
She picked up a sword following him, got stronger following him, and even formed a huge fan club to gather people who liked him, encouraging them to team up.
But he betrayed everyone’s trust.
The numerous people who liked him started leaving the fan club one by one.
Now, the only ones left in the fan club are a few people who can’t let go and those who just take up space without participating.
And only Aisha was left to guard the cold seat.
“Do you still like the Sword Saint?”
“…I don’t know.”
“Why did you like the Sword Saint?”
“…Attraction? I just felt it the moment I saw him for the first time. ‘Ah, I want to be like that person.’”
Want to be like the Sword Saint?
Looking back now, it’s a funny story, but in the past, it was something that seemed so natural.
The Sword Saint had maintained the top ranking for the longest time, and even now, while not active at all, he still held the highest rank.
He would gradually be pushed out by stronger people, but the history he built will be remembered for a long time.
“Others liked the Sword Saint’s face, voice, actions, and so on. It’s not that I disliked those things—in fact, I really liked them! But I liked something a bit different.”
“What do you mean by different?”
“…The sword.”
The talent for the ‘sword’ that shone dazzlingly.
The Sword Saint, who handled the sword so well that it’s hard to believe he’s a modern person, had skills that even I would acknowledge as outstanding.
Even the remarkable Leo couldn’t surpass him until the Sword Saint fell.
If the Sword Saint existed in the past, he would have been known across the continent as a Sword Master.
“Watching him handle the sword makes my heart race for no reason. It’s not flashy, but it’s clean and almost perfect swordsmanship.”
“Hmmm…”
“Of course, I don’t really know now. I should really let go… Ugh, why am I suddenly saying this?”
Clang!
Her sword takes aim at me again.
“Just pick up a weapon! Let’s finish this quickly and go to the next round!”
“The Sword Saint’s swordsmanship was exceptional.”
“No. Stop talking about other people. Just pick up that fancy spear or hammer…”
Sre.
The silver sword is drawn.
One of the masterpieces I possess: the Silver Purifier.
As the silver sword aimed at Aisha, her eyes widened in surprise.
“…Huh?”
“I may not be confident in swordsmanship, but I won’t fall short.”
To cut off Aisha’s lingering feelings.
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