Maejato Moju was someone born with a beauty unlike any other.The heir to one of Japan's leading conglomerates. He was born with a flawless status and background, and his physical traits were just as exceptional.His talent was no exception. He was especially known for his prowess in kendo, but even beyond that, he was gifted in a wide range of fields.Even as a Playmer, he possessed extraordinary talent.
[Unique Ability: Sword Saint (S).]
This was the unique ability that awakened when Moju became a Playmer.An ability that granted buffs to everything related to swords—This power gave Moju overwhelming strength, and he had made continuous progress by utilizing it masterfully.He had never experienced failure as a Playmer—And he believed he never would.
"Huff, huff…!"
That confidence was now being thoroughly shattered.Moju, beaten and broken, gasped heavily for breath.His body was torn and mangled, looking no different from a wreck, and blood poured out endlessly.So much blood had flowed from him that it was pooling on the ground.
"This can't be… something like this…?"
Moju simply couldn't comprehend the current situation.Just a moment ago, Han Yuseong had provoked him by saying, "You're weaker than I expected."Enraged by those words, Moju had immediately stood up and launched a counterattack.
But the result… was utterly devastating.
"My sword… doesn't work…?"
A one-sided defeat.Moju had unleashed the swordsmanship he took such pride in, but it had no effect on Han Yuseong. At best, he may have inflicted a few superficial wounds—But that was all.He couldn't deliver any real damage.And that fact left a deep scar on Moju's pride.
"KRAAAAAAH!"
Moju roared as he launched another flurry of sword strikes.What burst forth from his hands was a barrage of relentless thrusts—Fast and concise, sometimes weaving into complex patterns, the strikes mercilessly surged toward Han Yuseong.But—
"Why isn't it working?!"
They didn't land.This was the swordsmanship that countless people had admired, and which had once been considered unrivaled.But now, it was useless.Han Yuseong evaded with minimal movement, as if he could see the very path of the blade itself. The few strikes he couldn't dodge, he deflected.It was efficiency in its purest form—So much so that even Moju was awestruck.
"He can read my sword? But… that's impossible…"
Lost in thought as he swung, a fist wrapped in a whirlwind of blood struck down onto the blade.The impact caused Moju's grip to falter, and the follow-up punch slammed hard into his abdomen.Agonizing pain shot through him as his body bent forward violently from the blow.
"Kuh, huff…!"
Han Yuseong's emotionless face struck Moju's chin.A burst of shock followed instantly.Moju let out a groan filled with pain and slashed powerfully, as if trying to split the sky itself. But that too was meaningless.No—rather, it gave Han Yuseong an opening.
Ssshhk!
Han Yuseong moved like he was sliding across the ground.In an instant, he was at Moju's side, and he grabbed the unguarded arm that had been left exposed after the powerful swing.And then—
Crack!
"GRAAAAHHH!!"
The bone, already weakened from repeated blows, snapped cleanly.Moju screamed and tried to switch his sword to his other hand,but Han Yuseong's foot came crashing down on his uninjured knee even faster.Moju couldn't withstand the impact, and his leg gave out.
BOOM!
"Huff…!"
As if he'd been waiting for it, Han Yuseong's next punch shattered Moju's remaining left arm.Now completely unable to wield a sword, Moju dropped the blade from his hands.Han Yuseong kicked the sword away with his foot—and then stomped directly on Moju's solar plexus.
And then, as if he were genuinely puzzled, Han Yuseong muttered:
"You're not as much as I expected.""You bastard…!"
Hearing those words come from Han Yuseong's mouth made Moju erupt in fury once again.But Han Yuseong was being completely sincere.Moju had been strong in his previous life—and there was no doubt he was still strong now.Even now, he was a stronger Playmer than Han Yuseong.
[This opponent is difficult to defeat at your current level.][Effect of "Martial God" activates. Buff 'Giant Killing' triggered.][+20 to all stats, +25% punch damage, +10% speed.]
The Martial God buff recognized Moju as a formidable opponent.A buff of this scale meant there was a significant gap in base stats and abilities.But what about the actual fight?
[This is almost pitifully one-sided. I'm getting bored.]
Just as Kakasha said—it was completely one-sided.There was nothing more to be said.Moju's attacks had failed to cause any meaningful damage, while Han Yuseong's blows had all been devastating.Han Yuseong briefly wondered why this was the case—And soon figured it out.
"It must be because I've fought him before—in my previous life."
In his past life, Han Yuseong had fought Moju multiple times—And he had even managed to defeat him.That version of Moju had been stronger, more refined, more complete.Compared to that, the current Moju was like a low-resolution copy.His strength, his technique—none of it matched.
Even the swordsmanship that Moju relied on was easy to deal with—Simply because Han Yuseong had seen it all before.That's probably why it felt so underwhelming now.
"Disappointing."
Han Yuseong clicked his tongue.He'd expected this to be an enjoyable fight, but this…?Breaking through Corridor 10 had been more entertaining than this.He was genuinely let down—and Moju could feel it.
"What… are you… even saying…?"
Moju couldn't make sense of the situation.Lying on the ground with all four limbs broken, that thought echoed in his mind.Had he ever suffered such a complete and one-sided defeat before?The answer was clear: never.Even accepting this situation felt impossible.
"You beat me… and you're… disappointed…?"
The one who had just crushed him was disappointed—Not with the fight, but with him.Because he hadn't been as strong as expected.It was a situation Moju had never imagined in his life.It was enough to drive him mad.
Han Yuseong let out a deep sigh.
"Maezato Moju."
He lifted Moju's head from where it lay crushed against the ground.What stared back at him were eyes drained of life—Eyes filled with humiliation, rage, fear, and above all, an overwhelming sense of emptiness.
"Go."
"I'm sure we'll meet again someday. And when that time comes…"
Han Yuseong spoke in a whisper.And upon hearing that whisper, Moju's body began to tremble violently.
"You'll die by my hand. Remember that."
Han Yuseong's fist slammed into Moju's face.That was the end.The completely defeated Moju's body turned into light and vanished.If he had truly died here, things would've been easier moving forward—But…
"Well, at this level, it doesn't really matter if we meet again."
They were bound to face each other again in the International Player Tournament.And when that time came, Moju would die by his hand.People like Moju, with unshakable pride, rarely recovered quickly after being broken once.Next time, it would be even easier.And unlike now, Han Yuseong might even receive bonus rewards from the Martial God system.
'Great. Another boring fight to look forward to.'
Han Yuseong shook his head slowly.There's nothing more tedious than a fight with no thrill.As he thought that, a message appeared before his eyes:
[You have subjugated the Fallen Venom King.][You have plundered the mark held by the Playmer.]· [You have acquired 1,425 Serpent Marks.]
[You have used Devour. Devour Stacks: 3/15.]
More marks came in than expected.The reason was obvious—it was thanks to taking out Moju.Moju had probably gathered a large number of marks from hunting other Playmers,and Han Yuseong had simply claimed them all.
'That puts me at around 2,000, huh.'
He had gathered a decent amount.At this level, he could probably receive top-tier rewards.Thinking that, Han Yuseong began to walk away—And just then—
Clunk!
"Hm? What's this…"
Something caught his foot.He looked down to see what it was—it was a sword.
[Ah, that must be the sword that lunatic was using.]
The blade was completely stained with blood, almost grotesque in appearance.But between the edges of that blade, an ominous energy could be felt.
[Moonshadow Point (Legendary)]· Type: Weapon (Sword)· Attack Power: 150· +5 Strength, +5 Agility, +20% Damage to All Sword-Based Skills· The sword is empowered under moonlit nights.· A faint sword aura lingers. The aura makes the blade sharper and leaves afterimages that confuse enemies.
It was a Legendary-grade sword.A natural smile crept across Han Yuseong's lips.Maybe it was because Moju was the heir to one of Japan's top conglomerates—But the rewards had been quite generous.
"Not bad. I'll use this sword for a while."
[Why! O Oathbearer! You have my sword, don't you?! Look! Behold the radiant gleam of this beautiful, flawless blade—]
"It stands out too much. Kakasha, did you forget your situation?"
[Ughhhhh…! ]
This kind of situation was going to happen more frequently going forward.
[N-No logical argument against that… In that case, I must build up more power—or find another Holy Sword…!]
"I like that idea. If there are any Holy Swords left, go find them."
[I'm sure there must be something left somewhere…]
Kakasha grumbled under her breath.Han Yuseong ignored her and kept walking.Beyond the corpse of the Venom King, a portal had appeared—leading out of the dungeon.
"Ugh—khh!"
[O-Oathbearer, are you all right?!]
"…Hahh… barely."
Standing before the portal, Han Yuseong suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.The poisonous energy he had accumulated, combined with the backlash of the core technique he had overused, was finally taking its toll.
"Let's go. First thing—I need to buy some medicine with my Star Points."
[A wise decision.]
Once he left the dungeon, the mark rewards would probably be distributed as well.Han Yuseong stepped into the portal.
*
The special event in the Battlefield of Stars,
[Everyone, did you enjoy it?][The player who conquered the Serpent's Ruins first has appeared! Congratulations to Participant No. 902, who chose not to reveal their identity.][Surprisingly, a Lord actually placed a bet on this player. That Lord will receive a reward worth 10 times their wager!]
A masked Playmer—Participant 902.Even more shocking was the fact that someone had bet on him.
[Someone bet on a player nobody knows?!][Must be an Oathbearer's Lord. I have no idea which Lord it was, but still…][Ten times the reward? Hah! That means they could've made up to 100,000 coins in one go!][What if they wagered 10,000 coins?!]
Who would bet on a Playmer whose identity was unknown?In these cases, it's always the contracted Lord who places the bet—But for a Playmer to be skilled enough to win, even while hiding their identity? That was another level.Most of the time, players that strong are exposed before the event ends—Especially someone strong enough to defeat a top-tier contender.
[Doesn't anyone know who he is? Anyone at all?]
[Excuse me, you there—you looked like you recognized that person. Do you happen to know who they are? If you do, please, give us a hint.]
It was only natural that the Lords were curious about his identity.They turned to the one Lord who had instructed them to watch Han Yuseong, asking if they knew who he was.But no meaningful answer came back.
[If anything, I should be asking you. I only know one thing—I scoured the entire martial realm and still couldn't find him.]
[So… he's not a Playmer from the martial world?]
[Then who in the world is he…?]
The Lords began to seriously ponder Han Yuseong's true identity.And the same was true for the other Playmers.
"Wow, I saw it with my own eyes and I still can't believe it. Is that even possible?"
"He took down a boss monster alone, and right after that—without rest—he beat Maezato Moju? That's… even doable?"
"It's not just that he won."
The Playmers watching the broadcast murmured among themselves.It was a scene that was hard not to react to.
"I've never seen that crazy killer get beat down like that. The difference in class was insane."
"Exactly. Has he ever lost like that before?"
"Japan must be seriously embarrassed right now."
The fight between Han Yuseong and Moju had been one-sided.Quite literally, Han Yuseong had mercilessly beaten Moju from start to finish.Moju's attacks hadn't landed a single meaningful blow.Even his famed swordsmanship had been rendered useless.
And among those who witnessed that scene, there was one person especially shaken.
"N-No way…"
It was Ran.Her ominous premonition had come true.She had suspected that Moju and Han Yuseong would end up fighting—And she had even considered the possibility that Moju might lose.But she had never truly believed it would actually happen.How could anyone?
"T-The chairman… How are we supposed to explain this to him? And the Lord…"
Ran felt the world spinning before her eyes.The chairman hadn't even paid attention to this event.The Lord of Justice hadn't bothered to watch.Because they hadn't even considered the possibility of failure.
But now… Moju had failed.And the aftermath—
"No, no, no…"
Ran ran her hand over her face, gripped by despair.Just imagining what was going to happen next was overwhelming.But of course, despair alone wouldn't solve anything.