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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Fall of the True Master
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The place where the Dawn of the Third Hierarchy lingered.
Havel sheathed his sword, leaving Dante in a daze.
At that moment, text appeared before him.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [The Tower feels intimidated by your presence.] [You have passed the trial of the Thunderstrike Zone.] [Achievement 'The One Who Threatened the Tower' has been registered.] [The Calamity of the 'Tower's Third Hierarchy Trial' seeps into your body.] ⚔ STATUS UPDATE ⚔ ⚡ Strength: +18 💨 Agility: +19 ✨ Talent: +29 💪 Endurance: +21 🎭 Technique: +18 🌑 Calamity: +19
More text lined up once again.
Havel felt the Calamity flowing into him.
And this time, the increase was quite substantial compared to before.
The subtle rise he'd barely noticed now felt tangible enough to grasp.
Of course, given Havel's already lofty level, it didn't stir much excitement.
He just thought, Even at this stage, I'm still getting stronger.
'All my stats are definitely in the three digits by now.'
Wondering what others might have—maybe just a few points?
He was a bit curious, but there was no way to know.
'What changes at four digits, I wonder.'
That, he was looking forward to.
The stronger he grew, the more possibilities opened up—like expanding horizons.
'More than that, the Tower's trial.'
The term "Tower's trial" struck Havel as odd.
Something that never happened in the Demonic Palace.
"Dante."
About to ask Dante, Havel stopped short.
Instead, a faint smile tugged at his lips.
The light of the Dawn.
Dante was lost in it, staring entranced.
Havel knew that feeling best.
'I fell for the Dawn too, watching it and sinking into the Dawn Severing Sword.'
The Dawn captivates people.
That's why countless souls sought out Banpellyon after witnessing it.
They all joined the Dawn Knights.
'Even after the Dawn Knights vanished and the Dawn faded.'
The Dawn still held its enchanting power.
And Dante's Dawn would lead many more in time.
'A little time to soak it in won't hurt.'
Thinking that, Havel looked up at the Dawn he'd created.
Even as its maker, it was a strikingly clear sky.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Rumble!
As the Dawn faded and dark clouds reclaimed the sky, the downpour resumed.
"Havel, I'm sorry."
Dante snapped out of it and apologized hastily.
Havel chuckled.
'Kid, that refreshed look suits you.'
"Did you get a good look?"
Dante's eyes widened, then he nodded vigorously.
"Yes!"
The Dawn Swordsmanship—he'd only heard the name from his father. Now he'd seen it in action, but how Havel wielded it remained a mystery.
Doubts bubbled in Dante's mind.
Yet Havel had shown it deliberately, knowing full well it'd spark questions for him.
So Dante swallowed them down.
"Good. Let's move. The Fourth Hierarchy awaits."
Looking into his eyes, Havel was pleased.
Showing the Dawn Swordsmanship was the right call.
Dante would chase the Dawn and grow from here.
And Havel looked forward to that growth.
"Havel, wait a second."
Just then, Dante stopped him.
He hurriedly searched where the rain serpent had died.
And picked up a stone etched with a lightning bolt.
"What's that?"
"A byproduct of a Calamity Beast. From the Third Hierarchy on, these fetch high prices."
Was that so?
He hadn't paid much mind in the First or Second.
"Selling byproducts will help Banpellyon's growth too."
Capital was key to building a family, no doubt.
'Ah, should have grabbed some from the Demonic Palace. Regretting it now.'
The realization hit late.
Even to Havel, a novice in such matters, Demonic Palace byproducts screamed value.
Bringing some would have helped immensely.
'But back then, they were just obstacles.'
No headspace for collecting in the Demonic Palace.
Havel smacked his lips slowly.
'If the chance arises.'
Maybe revisit the Demonic Palace.
Curious about the phenomena there too.
"Dante, from now on, grab every byproduct you can."
Havel's eyes gleamed.
Time to hunt with fire in his eyes.
"Yes, I'll get as many as possible."
Havel and Dante resumed climbing the Tower.
The Third Hierarchy was just the beginning.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Boom!
The deeper they climbed into the Third Hierarchy, the fiercer the thunder grew.
Havel and Dante pressed on.
The initial Thunderstrike Zone resembled a plain.
Now the terrain had shifted.
Mountains jutted skyward everywhere, erasing the flatlands.
An endless mountain range stretched ahead.
One thing remained unchanged.
The torrential rain poured relentlessly.
Whoosh! Rumble!
Another landslide followed the deluge.
Many climbers had perished in such slides—not just a few.
But Havel leaped over it effortlessly.
No sense of peril at all.
Hard to imagine anything ahead that could rattle him.
Boom!
A bolt struck, incinerating a tree.
Flames rose as if possessed by will.
A Calamity Beast: Thunderwick.
It charged straight at Havel mid-leap.
"Oh, fast one."
Havel drew his sword, right on cue.
A blade of light extended, cleaving the Thunderwick.
His light could slice even formless fire.
"Dante, the Dawn's light varies by how purely you refine your aura."
As he spoke, Havel taught Dante the Dawn Severing Sword.
Essential for the one to lead the Dawn Knights.
Dante needed to master it soon.
"First, learn to freely manifest the Dawn's light. Can you do it?"
"I will."
Dante focused on igniting his sword's Dawn.
Havel nodded approvingly, then looked up.
The rain and thunder intensified.
'Means we're nearing the Third Hierarchy's peak.'
The mountaintop came into view.
Lightning struck it relentlessly.
He felt it.
The Tower's first true master awaited there.
This immense presence confirmed it.
'Why the hierarchies divide: the presence of a master.'
Since entering the Tower, Havel had felt parched.
Calamity Beasts far weaker than the Demonic Palace's.
No tension, no threat—just numbness.
This boredom was unbearable.
Combat felt more stable, oddly.
'Damn, my head's pretty messed up too.'
A century in the Demonic Palace would do that.
No surprise.
'Fine then.'
Havel gripped his sword tighter.
If he's warped, he'll live warped.
'I'll just do what I do best.'
Fight.
Boom!
Thunder echoed again.
Third Hierarchy beasts blocked their path ceaselessly.
But they couldn't slow them down.
"Havel."
Dante called out.
Havel looked up.
At the Thunderstrike Mountains' summit: an altar.
"Normally, dozens of climbers tackle the Third Hierarchy together."
Dante glanced slowly at the altar.
A bolt crashed below it.
"But you alone outmatch those dozens."
Dante raised his sword.
A glow bloomed on it.
Fruit of endless attempts climbing here.
A tiny light, but proof he'd entered the Dawn Severing Sword's gateway.
"Mind if I add a little to that force?"
Dawn draped over Havel's sword.
On another level entirely.
"Brought you here for that exact reason."
At Havel's words, Dante gripped his sword with both hands.
Boom rumble boom!
Massive thunder poured from the dark clouds.
Havel deflected bolts; Dante rolled aside.
Then, a shock of white pierced the clouds.
No face.
Just a human shape.
Lightning wings unfurled from its back.
"That's..."
A sigh escaped Dante.
'Heard it was big, but not this big.'
Filling the mountains with dark clouds.
The face that emerged: a giant.
A giant of pure lightning raised six arms.
"...Havel, something's wrong."
Dante's body tingled, numb.
Fingers trembled.
Cold sweat mixed with rain.
Survival instinct screamed to flee.
He bit his lip hard.
The Third Hierarchy's master, Lightning Giant.
Supposed to be house-sized.
But this one dwarfed mountains.
Too vast—another dimension entirely.
Dante nearly lost his will to fight.
"Now I get it."
But Havel tilted his sword at an angle.
"Why the Demonic Palace was hell, and the Tower's a breeze."
Dante turned, puzzled.
"Havel?"
No time for answers.
Battle senses reawakened, one by one.
Like facing a Demonic Palace master.
This chilling thrill coursing through him.
In that sensation.
Havel's lips curved into a grin.
Dante froze seeing it.
The Havel in his eyes felt inhuman.
The aura pouring from him tightened Dante's throat.
Dante swallowed hard.
He evoked an asura.
The giant spread its hand.
Boom!
Thunder crashed between the altar.
Small lightning humans twice a man's size spawned.
The giant's minions, apparently.
"Dante."
Havel coiled power in his legs.
"Fight to survive."
With those words.
Bang!
Explosion—and Havel rocketed skyward.
The giant's head loomed instantly.
Havel unleashed the Dawn's light.
Boom!
The giant reeled from the sword strike.
Penalty for failing to track him.
Rumble!
But it didn't fall.
Truly different from the rest.
"You're the real master."
Third Hierarchy's master.
Lightning Giant Lord.
The true master stood there.
'Now I see.'
Havel realized.
Calamities like the Demonic Palace and Tower impose trials on humans.
Trials exist to be overcome.
'So Calamities adjust their difficulty.'
Leading to extremes.
'Those who entered the Demonic Palace were all world's strongest.'
Heroes who came to save the Emperor.
The Palace met them with ultimate trials.
And the heroes died there.
Now, with those heroes gone.
Tower climbers were complacent era-dwellers.
So the Tower scaled trials accordingly.
The Five Great Families' heads knew this.
Hence their unspoken rule against climbing.
A world without true powerhouses.
That was the current Tower.
"What do you want?"
The Lightning Giant Lord spread its six arms instead of answering.
"To make humans stronger?"
Countless bolts rained on Havel.
He wove through at blinding speed.
Free as air in the sky.
Boom!
The Lord reeled again.
Havel's sword had slashed it in a flash.
"Then."
The Lord thrust six arms in fury.
But Dawn already bloomed on Havel's blade.
"Why keep making me stronger?"
The Demonic Palace's 10th floor master.
What did that mean?
No answer came.
No text from the Palace before his eyes.
Not from the Lord, nor the Tower.
No one answered.
He had to find it himself.
As the six fists closed in.
Havel's sword unleashed Dawn once more.
Craaaaack!
The mountains shook; storm winds howled.
The six arms tore apart helplessly.
Through the wreckage.
Havel closed in instantly.
"Can't answer? Grow back."
His sword thrust again.
The Lightning Giant Lord atop the mountains crumbled.
That day marked the first fall of the Tower's true master.