Chapter 118 – The True Power of the Legendary Sword

The first thing Min Do-jun did upon returning home was to check his traits.

He had killed five people just this morning.

‘Intermediate Resistance, Iron Will, Quick Reflexes, Slightly Faster Growth, Parasite. That’s five.’

The first four traits were obtained from killing members of the Black Sea Guild, each being C, A, B, and B-grade respectively.

‘Intermediate Resistance increases all resistances by 15%. That’s pretty useful.’

‘Iron Will reduces physical damage by 30%. Combined with the 15% physical damage reduction I already had, it almost halves the damage.’

‘Quick Reflexes increases agility by 10% of my level. At level 1,700, that’s a 170-point boost.’

‘Slightly Faster Growth increases experience gain by 1.2 times. It’s a weaker version of the 2x experience trait I got from Jung Tae-sik, but it still helps a lot with growth. Since it’s multiplicative, I can get a total of 2.4x experience boost.’

All the traits obtained from the guild members were satisfying.

‘Then what about the trait I got from the guild master?’

Would it be as strong as the four traits I just got?

Min Do-jun eagerly called up the information.

[Trait – Parasite]

-Grade: S

-Description: Implants a parasite in the target’s head to inflict pain and monitor them. The parasite can be controlled to inflict pain at levels 0 to 3, and you can see and hear from the target’s perspective. To activate, place your hand on the target’s head and say the activation word “Parasite.” To deactivate, think of the target and say “Remove Parasite.” You can implant parasites in up to 20 targets.

‘So this was it?’

The secret behind Ahn Gwang-hyun’s ability was revealed.

‘He used this to remotely control pain and monitor people.’

He had thought it was some kind of hidden camera, but it wasn’t.

‘Seeing and hearing from the target’s perspective…’

It seemed like the perfect ability for surveillance.

‘You can even set the pain level.’

That’s why he could remotely control the pain.

‘If I just want to monitor without causing pain, I can set it to level 0.’

He didn’t know how much pain level 3 would cause, but if he could use it during a fight with a monster, it would definitely be helpful.

‘The downside is that you need to touch the target’s head to implant the parasite…’

If you’re skilled enough to touch their head, you might as well just cut it off.

‘It’s not very efficient for killing.’

It’s more of a utility skill, useful for causing pain and monitoring.

‘But it’s definitely an S-grade level trait.’

Thinking of S-grade traits reminded him of Hwang Da-yeon.

‘Da-yeon is an S-grade Awakened…’

When he heard that yesterday, even Min Do-jun was shocked.

Before the regression, he had only heard that she had Awakened, but he didn’t know the grade of her trait.

So naturally, he didn’t know the ability of her trait either.

‘But now I know because Da-yeon told me.’

Whether it was a joke or not, she had openly told Hwang Ui-cheol and himself about it.

‘I didn’t expect her to confide in me like that.’

Originally, Min Do-jun wasn’t close to Hwang Da-yeon.

That’s why, before the regression, he had only heard that she had Awakened, but the details of her trait were unclear.

‘But this time is different.’

Because he saved Hwang Da-yeon, the future had changed.

‘Maybe, unlike her father, she’ll continue her Hunter activities.’

Contrary to Hwang Ui-cheol’s wishes, Hwang Da-yeon had decided to give being a Hunter a try.

With an S-grade trait, it would be a waste to give up.

In terms of being a Hunter, it was the same as before the regression.

‘But after her father died at the hands of the Black Sea Guild, she stopped her activities.’

But with Hwang Ui-cheol alive this time, things might be different.

‘Maybe she’ll become a top-ranked Hunter in the country.’

Min Do-jun chuckled at the thought.

Just thinking about it made him proud.

After all, he had saved an S-grade Hunter who had almost been lost.

‘Though it’s hard to say how long it will take.’

Putting aside his thoughts, Min Do-jun turned his attention to the items he had obtained.

From killing Ahn Gwang-hyun, he had obtained 15 A-grade magic stones, earning him 5.4 billion won.

There were also many pieces of equipment, but none of them were up to his standards.

‘The only thing that matches my level is this.’

The only item that caught his eye was the legendary sword.

‘Attack power is 3,000~6,000. The effect is a 30% bonus damage against all monsters.’

Even as it was, it was an incredible weapon.

‘But if I combine it with the Core of Magic, it will become even stronger, right?’

He wasn’t one to pass up an opportunity to upgrade.

‘It might be greedy to want to make it even stronger, but…’

He couldn’t help but feel excited.

[Legendary Sword] + [Core of Magic]

As he placed the items in the combination window and was about to press the button, Min Do-jun hesitated.

Pressing the button would mean there was no turning back.

‘Justin Walker or someone else might come looking for the legendary sword.’

If he combined it now, he wouldn’t have the sword if he needed it later.

So he had to be careful, but…

‘It doesn’t matter.’

He didn’t hesitate for long.

‘If anyone gets in my way, I’ll just kill them.’

Even if it was Justin Walker, the world’s top-ranked Hunter.

Min Do-jun erased his hesitation and pressed the button.

[Attempting combination.]

[Using the Core of Magic to awaken the true power of the legendary sword.]

[Analyzing the user’s traits to convert them into suitable power.]

[The user has too many traits, so the analysis is taking time.]

Messages that wouldn’t appear during a normal item combination popped up one after another, and Min Do-jun waited with unprecedented tension.

[Analysis complete. Suitable options for the user have been found.]

[Combination successful!]

[The true power of the legendary sword has been awakened.]

[The name of the legendary sword has been changed to ‘Excalibur.’]

‘Excalibur?’

It was a name often mentioned in legends, but he had never heard of it as a Hunter’s weapon.

Curious, he quickly checked the information window.

[Excalibur]

-Classification: Weapon

-Grade: EX

-Attack Power: 6,000 (+1,700)

-Effect: Additional magic power (+1,700) and attack power equal to the user’s level. Increases skill damage by 20%.

-Durability: Infinite

-Usage Restriction: Level 3,000 or higher (Bound)

-Description: A weapon born from enhancing the legendary sword. It contains immense magical power within its blade.

Min Do-jun was speechless when he saw the grade.

‘What is this? EX-grade?’

An item of a grade he had never seen before, even before the regression.

Of course, he knew about it after the regression.

After all, the Hunter Slayer trait was EX-grade.

‘It must be that strong.’

When he finally looked at the stats, his eyes widened.

‘It increases magic power by my level?’

The attack power was impressive, but for Min Do-jun, who relied heavily on magic power, this was an eye-opening option.

‘If I reach level 3,000, the weapon’s attack power will be 9,000, and the magic power bonus will be 3,000…’

The average attack power of a normal level 3,000 weapon is 3,000.

Considering that the stat bonuses on such weapons are usually between 200 and 400, these numbers were insane.

‘This is the perfect weapon for a magic swordsman.’

Attack power, magic power—it had everything.

Min Do-jun couldn’t hide his excitement at the options.

‘Even mages would covet these stats.’

A 20% skill damage boost? Most staffs wouldn’t even come close to Excalibur’s magic power.

‘I have a reason to reach level 3,000 as soon as possible.’

Even though he couldn’t use it now and had to store it in his inventory, all he had to do was reach level 3,000, right?

‘One year. No, within six months, I’ll reach S-rank.’

For Min Do-jun, who was already at S-rank level, it wasn’t a difficult task.

Only time would tell.

‘Before that, maybe I should look into the relationship between Ahn Gwang-hyun and Justin Walker.’

Min Do-jun took out Ahn Gwang-hyun’s phone.

It was the only thing he had taken after killing him.

He went through all the call logs, messages, and contacts.

‘There’s no mention of Justin Walker.’

There was no trace of him anywhere on the phone.

Not even a similar name.

‘It’s suspicious, but it’s all circumstantial evidence.’

That’s why he had brought the phone, hoping to find some evidence, but the trail had gone cold.

Just then, a message came in on Ahn Gwang-hyun’s phone.

[Boss, where are you? I went to the villa, but you weren’t there, so I’m messaging you.]

It seemed to be one of his subordinates.

From the previous conversations, it seemed like this person was his right-hand man.

[Did you get the item as planned?]

Min Do-jun scrolled up and read through the conversations, then imitated Ahn Gwang-hyun’s tone.

[Yes.]

[Congratulations! You finally got it!]

[Don’t get too excited. There’s still more to get.]

[Ah, my apologies.]

The “more to get” likely referred to the Core of Magic.

‘But I’ve already combined it into Excalibur.’

From the messages, it was clear that the Black Sea Guild was still searching for the Core of Magic.

‘Wait. Do they not know Ahn Gwang-hyun is dead?’

When a Hunter dies, their name disappears from the ranking system.

But they were casually exchanging messages like this…

‘They don’t know Ahn Gwang-hyun’s name.’

It was likely they didn’t know the real name of the Black Sea Guild’s master.

‘Well, it’s an assassin guild, so they’re naturally a closed-off organization…’

Suddenly, a plan formed in Min Do-jun’s mind.

‘If they think Ahn Gwang-hyun is still alive, I can pretend to be him.’

After all, there was no one in the guild stronger than him.

It was a perfect opportunity to take control of the guild as its leader.

Min Do-jun called the name of the right-hand man saved in the phone.

[Jae-won.]

[Yes, Boss.]

[Gather the members.]

[Now?]

[Yes. I have something important to say, so make sure no one is missing.]

[What time and where should I call them?]

Thinking of a suitable location, Min Do-jun remembered the mountain lodge where he had almost been betrayed.

[By 8 PM, at the mountain lodge in Mugap Mountain.]

[Understood.]

After sending the message, Min Do-jun grinned.

‘If I use them, I can find out if Justin Walker is really the mastermind.’

And in the process, I’ll have some disposable pawns to use.

As the time approached, Min Do-jun prepared to head out.

—

Kim Jae-won was a level 1,500 Hunter, known as the second-in-command of the guild.

He had actually assisted the guild master in the past.

But all that glory turned to dust after the Black Sea Guild impostor appeared.

‘That impostor killed Jo Kyu-chan, who was under my command…!’

A few months ago, the impostor had carved the guild’s signature X mark on Jo Kyu-chan’s chest while mocking them.

As punishment for his negligence, the guild master had sentenced him to a lifetime of servitude.

‘It hurt like hell.’

The occasional headaches had kept Kim Jae-won from sleeping properly.

But just yesterday.

For some reason, the pain had disappeared.

Not just for him, but for all the other guild members who had been punished.

‘Did the Boss forgive our sins?’

He was curious about the reason, but he would find out soon.

He was about to meet the Boss.

“Everyone, quiet.”

At Kim Jae-won’s commanding voice, the chattering subordinates fell silent.

“The Boss is coming.”

As he said, someone walked out of the darkness.

It was the master of the Black Sea Guild.