After a brief silence, Seraphina continued with seriousness.
"Now I will help you find that sword."
Aren said, "Wouldn't it be better for me to find it myself?"
Seraphina calmly continued.
"Do you want to spend all your remaining time here? If you want, you can try to find the sword yourself. But this won't gain you anything. It's just a waste of time. Besides, the earlier you finish this dungeon, the better the reward the system will give you."
"You're right. So how are we going to find the sword?" Aren said.
Nodding her head slightly, Seraphina chuckled. "I already found it." she said.
Suddenly, a golden light appeared in front of him.
"Follow the light. It will show you the way. If you are fast, we'll be done in a few hours." Seraphina said.
Aren nodded. He started walking under the guidance of the golden light.
As his steps quickened, the landscape around him took on an even gloomier state. Metal piles rose, and the whistling sound the wind made as it passed through the rusted swords resembled the whispers of the dead.
Seraphina's light advanced in a straight line, overcoming the most complex metal hills.
Thanks to his agility, Aren overcame these obstacles easily, like a parkour runner.
Following a brisk run lasting a few hours, the golden light stopped at the top of a massive sword pile, higher than the others.
Metallic sounds creaked beneath his feet. He wasn't out of breath when he reached the peak, but he paused at the sight he saw.
Right in the middle of the hill stood a sword thrust into the earth.
It wasn't flashy. There were no rubies on its hilt. There were no unnecessary decorations.
It was just...
A quite ordinary-looking sword forged from black, matte metal that hadn't lost its sharpness.
Miraculously, while all the other swords around it rusted and decayed, there wasn't even a single rust spot on this black sword. It was as if time hadn't dared to touch this sword.
"There it is." Seraphina said.
Aren approached slowly.
When he reached his hand toward the sword, he felt a slight tingling in his fingertips.
This wasn't static electricity, but a pure intent to 'cut'.
The sword cut the air with just its presence alone. Aren took a deep breath and gripped the hilt of the sword.
The first thing he felt in his palm was an ice-like coldness.
'Cold.' He thought.
Immediately afterward came a strange sense of completeness, as if the sword were a part of his arm.
'As if it was created for me.'
Aren pulled the sword out of the earth in a single motion.
The moment the sword came out of the earth, it let out a faint, high-pitched ringing sound.
QUEST: FIND THE SWORD. (COMPLETED.)
DESCRIPTION: Sword Saint Aunger prepared a Sword Graveyard using the swords he took from the enemies he killed. He hid the sword he used in his youth somewhere inside this graveyard.
REWARD: MEETING WITH SWORD SAINT AUNGER. PENALTY: DEATH.
While Aren was looking at the screen that appeared in front of him, the entire Sword Graveyard suddenly began to shake.
"Is there an earthquake? Is that even possible in a place like this?" Aren said, while also trying to maintain his balance.
Countless rusted metal pieces thrust into the black earth were rising to the sky, defying gravity.
The already dark sky had darkened thoroughly.
This time, it wasn't clouds covering the sky, but countless swords swirling in the air like a tornado.
The sounds of metallic friction turned into a deafening roar.
The swords swirling in the air began to gather at a single center as if being pulled by an invisible, massive magnet.
They were all colliding with each other, melting, and merging.
Aren was watching this entire magnificent scene with tremendous calmness, without even twitching a single eyebrow.
A condescending voice appeared in his mind.
"Just a simple clown show."
The metal tornado in the sky slowly compressed. First, massive legs made of metal formed. Then the torso. Then the arms, and finally the head. In the end, an entity floating in the air, the size of a normal human but made entirely of liquid metal, emerged.
Its skin was of polished steel. Its hair was thin iron strips falling down from its head. In its eye sockets were two burning balls of white flame.
The metal entity slowly landed on the ground. It emitted a dominant aura. The moment its feet touched the earth, even the dust particles suspended in the air froze. That deafening noise in the graveyard gave way to an absolute, deadly silence.
The metal man slowly turned his head to Aren. The white flames in his eye sockets flared.
"Are you..." Aren said, with an ice-cold calm expression on his face. "Sword Saint Aunger?"
The metal entity slightly shook his head from side to side. The white Flames in his eye sockets fixed on the sword in Aren's hand.
With a deep sigh, he turned his back, clasping his hands behind him. "I am what is left of him. I am a small fragment of his soul. I am surprised you found the sword in such a short time."
"I was a bit lucky." Aren said, without any sense of shame.
Aunger, in an emotionless voice, said, "So be it."
Aren was looking at Sword Saint Aunger with anticipation in his eyes.
"If you think I'm going to praise you just because you found that sword, you are mistaken, boy."
Just as Aren was about to speak and say something, Sword Saint Aunger's voice echoed in his ears again.
"I don't have much time. I will cut it short. First of all, you must know this. The universe is much larger than you think. You are not the only one who passed this test. Right now, in different corners of the universe, there are others like you who have earned the right to find my true legacy."
"Others?" Aren said.
"Exactly 99 people." Sword Saint Aunger said. He turned toward Aren and fixed his eyes of white flame on Aren. "And you... You are the 100th person." he said, and immediately afterward continued with the same emotionless voice.
"I will give you the 100th map piece. If you can put all 100 pieces together, you will find the path to my legacy. Everything is now up to your destiny."
What Aren thought was a very small piece of a complex map appeared in his mind.
"Good luck, son."
As soon as Aunger's words finished, his body began to lose its form. First his fingers, then his arms and torso...
He turned to dust and mixed into the wind.
Neither those eyes of white flame nor that dominant aura remained.
When what was left of Sword Saint Aunger mixed into the wind and disappeared, there was no dungeon exit as he expected, no cave, or chaotic battlefield.
Suddenly, a screen appeared in front of him.
QUEST: CLEAR THE DUNGEON. (SOLO) (COMPLETED)
TIME LIMIT: 100 DAYS.
DESCRIPTION: Sword Saint Aunger, approaching the end of his life, wants to leave behind not just a sword, but a legacy. However, he carries a deep regret in his heart. Throughout his life, he could not find a student worthy of him, nor could he train anyone to pass on his wisdom and martial arts.
Note: This dungeon is his final will and testament.
REWARD: 1000 pieces of Level 2 Tutorial Shop Coupons.
PENALTY: DEATH.
When Aren closed and opened his eyes, he found himself in a different place.
'I got teleported again.' He thought.
Aren found himself in the middle of a massive lobby with high ceilings.
The floors were covered with soft red carpets, free from blood and mud.
Massive crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling illuminated the environment with a warm, golden-yellow light.
The walls were covered with expensive mahogany panels, and peaceful landscape paintings hung on them.
In one corner of the room stood an extremely long open buffet table filled with steaming food, ice-cold drinks, and exotic fruits. There was enough food to feed thousands of people.
In the other corners were leather armchairs and lounge areas.
It was a hotel lobby. And an ultra-luxury hotel lobby at that.
But its most striking feature wasn't its luxury.
It was its silence.
Not a sound could be heard.
Aren tightly gripped the black sword in his hand. Pressing his back immediately against the nearest wall, he took a defensive position. His sharp eyes scanned the surroundings.
He relaxed when he saw the screen that appeared in front of him.
REST AREA (SAFE ZONE) Description: The waiting lounge where those who successfully completed the dungeon gather before passing to the final stage.
TIME LIMIT: 80 DAYS.
'100 days were given to complete the dungeon. And I completed it in 20 days. The Rest Area has a Time Limit of 80 Days. This means the earlier you finish, the more you can rest.' Aren thought.
A few minutes later, he found the reception. He saw a familiar face at the reception.
That familiar, nightmarish silhouette stood there.
With its crimson skin, the single horn on its forehead, and the bat wings on its back, that "Thing" that massacred hundreds of people in the arena.
Xeras.
But that wasn't the strangest part.
This terrifying creature was wearing a stylish tuxedo that looked as if it had been forced onto it, its seams about to burst because of its muscles.
And around its neck, there was a black bowtie that looked comically small.
Aren "..."
Seraphina "..."
Xeras was scribbling something in the notebook in front of him. When he noticed Aren approaching, he raised his head.
The moment he saw Aren, shock appeared on his savage face. A moment later, this shock disappeared.
That savage smile baring his teeth appeared on his face.
"Ooh! I see our first guest has honored us with his presence!"
At the same time, he saw that Aren's upper body was naked and his lower body was very close to being torn to shreds.
"Boy, how about you put something on first?"
His masculine voice echoed throughout the lobby.
Aren involuntarily took a step back, pointing the sword in his hand at Xeras.
Xeras burst into laughter. He threw the pen in his hand onto the desk.
"Relax. This is a 'Safe Zone'. Shedding blood is forbidden here. Besides, I am your instructor, did you forget?"
At the same time, a malicious smile appeared on his face.
"Also... If I wanted to kill you, could you even stop me?"
Even with Aren's current power, this entity across from him was as deep and dangerous as an ocean. Aren could now feel the mana in the surroundings.
Because of this, he could somewhat understand how powerful Xeras actually was.
If a comparison had to be made, if the mana inside Aren resembled a tiny spark, the mana inside Xeras was a massive volcano. Dense like lava and ready to erupt at any moment.
If Xeras wanted to kill him, Aren would have died before he could even raise his sword. Something he thought was instinct was telling Aren this.
Seraphina's voice echoed in his mind.
"Look at this lowly dragon half-breed. He dares to act like this in front of me!"
Aren started speaking using his telepathic connection with Seraphina.
"Dragon half-breed?" he said.
In an emotionless voice, Seraphina said, "Yes. He has an exceedingly diluted 'Crimson Dragon' bloodline. However, he is still powerful enough to annihilate you with a single finger. But don't worry. Inside the Tutorial, he is bound by the system's rules. As long as you don't break the rules, he cannot touch you."
"I understand." Aren said.
Immediately afterward, Aren slowly lowered his sword and said in a cold voice, "You're right. I can't stop you."
The smile on Xeras's face widened.
"It's no surprise you cleared the dungeon this fast. Tell me, what kind of dungeon did the 'System' offer you?"
Suddenly, Seraphina's serious voice appeared in his mind.
"Don't tell him. He is aware that you got out of the dungeon very early. He thinks there's something special about you. The legacy of a 'Saint' is enough to drive many in the universe crazy. If this spreads, rest assured you will be hunted by people much more powerful than you." she said.
While listening to all this, Aren didn't break his facial expression at all.
"Just... Caves. And endless wooden dummies. It was quite boring."
Xeras squinted his eyes. His crimson, vertical pupils flared as if wanting to pierce through Aren's soul.
"Boring?"
As Xeras's nostrils flared, the mocking expression on his face gave way to pure astonishment.
"You... don't smell."
"Do you think a boring place would make a human expel all the toxins in his body?"
Aren calmly said, "I took a shower."
The astonishment on Xeras's face widened.
"Did you achieve a 'Flawless Body'?"