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[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
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Chapter: 12
“T-The Knight of Constellation?!”
At the Hunter’s shout, the entire raid party looked up toward the upper ledge of the dungeon.
Fwaaaah!
A knight clad in radiant silver-white armor, with a gleaming helmet, sword, and shield, descended.
The Knight of Constellation, one of the most celebrated S-rank Hunters, had appeared at a decisive moment.
Whooosh!
Despite wearing full plate armor, his movements were astonishingly light.
He slashed his sword at the retreating Red Ogre Warrior, and brilliant light-infused aura burst forth from the blade—cleaving straight through the monster’s breastplate in a single stroke.
Craaaaack!
The armor, which had resisted all previous magical and aura attacks, shattered instantly under the assault of light.
ROOOAAARR!!
The Red Ogre Warrior let out another feral bellow, seemingly unfazed by the broken armor.
Gripping its massive battle axe, it charged forward like a war machine, swinging violently at the knight.
In that moment, the knight’s sword shimmered—not so much glowing as moving too fast for the eye to follow.
Sliiiice!
A thin line split across the Ogre’s arm as it swung.
Sensing something was wrong, the Red Ogre Warrior tried to step back.
And then—thud—its severed arm, still holding the axe, dropped to the ground.
Huhhh?
The Red Ogre Warrior blinked in confusion, looking at its dismembered limb.
Facing it, the Knight of Constellation raised his sword above his head.
His aura flared into a luminous brilliance.
Then he spoke solemnly, “Repent before the Blade of Evil's Banishment, spawn of darkness.”
Behind him, the Hunters erupted in cheer.
“Evil! Banish! Slash!!”
It was the signature finishing move of the Knight of Constellation—Evil-Banish Strike.
His body lifted into the air, radiant light pouring from every inch of his armor.
Sword raised high, he shouted, “Evil-Banish Strike!”
Flaaaash!
Wrapped entirely in light, he shot forward like a meteor, cutting through the Red Ogre Warrior.
FLASH!
As the light faded, he landed silently behind the monster, sword lowered.
A beat passed—then, as if sliced by a divine blade, the Red Ogre Warrior’s body split apart into several clean pieces and collapsed.
It was a strike too fast for the eye to track—the blinding sword technique that had become the Knight of Constellation’s calling card.
BOOM.
With the boss defeated, the Knight of Constellation turned back toward the raid party.
Still vigilant, he approached and asked, “Is everyone alright?”
His voice, steady and reassuring, carried through the helmet.
The surviving Hunters surged toward him, overwhelmed with gratitude.
“Sir Knight of Constellation! Thank you!”
“You saved our lives!”
Only after confirming no other monsters were nearby did he finally remove his helmet.
Clack.
As the helmet slipped off, his face was revealed: sharp, idol-like features, mystical crimson earrings, and radiant platinum-blond hair.
It was none other than Cheon Oh-hyuk—the Knight of Constellation himself.
He waved to the gathered Hunters, his expression soft and reassuring.
“It’s safe now. Don’t worry. The Nebula Faction will take care of the rest.”
The rescued Hunters continued to thank him, then exited the dungeon under the guidance of incoming Nebula Faction members.
At that moment, a knight wearing armor marked with Nebula’s insignia approached.
“Master, the handover process is complete.”
Ordinarily, barging into a dungeon under another raid party’s claim would be condemned in the Hunter community.
But Cheon Oh-hyuk had orchestrated it perfectly: arriving at the brink of annihilation, defeating the boss alone, and saving the day.
No clan would dare criticize the man who had just saved their lives.
And if they did, public sentiment would crush them under the weight of praise for their savior.
Cheon Oh-hyuk gave a small nod and motioned for the dungeon clean-up to begin.
As the knight stepped away, staff members quickly surrounded him.
They powdered his face, adjusted his hair, and checked the lighting gear attached to his armor.
While the makeup was being touched up, a producer approached with a bright smile.
“Mr. Oh-hyuk! The footage came out amazing!”
Between body-mounted cameras and dungeon-specific telephoto lenses, the entire battle had been recorded in vivid detail.
Cheon Oh-hyuk responded with a charming, humble smile.
“Oh, not at all. It’s all thanks to your direction, Producer Jung.”
At present, Cheon Oh-hyuk was the most sought-after celebrity in broadcast media.
His visually stunning combat clips were made into full-length programs.
His handsome looks and down-to-earth personality—revealed on variety shows—skyrocketed his public appeal.
And once word got out that he hailed from the prestigious Cheon family of the Heavenly Sword House the media latched on like vultures to gold.
“Looking forward to the next shoot, Producer.”
After confirming the next broadcast schedule, Cheon Oh-hyuk turned back toward the dungeon—his expression now stone-cold.
The warm, beaming smile had vanished.
His face, devoid of all humanity, stared fixedly at the puddle of blood seeping from the Red Ogre Warrior’s corpse.
For a moment, the crimson earring he wore glowed faintly—then faded back to normal.
A magical message arrived.
「Master, we have an urgent situation.」
He read it, frowning slightly.
‘Cheon Woo-jin has regained his Awakened abilities… and formed an alliance with Cheon Eun-ha?’
He had heard rumors that Woo-jin was heading to the Jeongseon Auction House—but since the information had come indirectly through Cheon Ji-hoo, he had assumed it was a distraction.
Now the shocking news arrived: Cheon Woo-jin had recovered his powers despite his terminal condition and had joined forces with Cheon Eun-ha.
Cheon Oh-hyuk began running calculations in his head.
Though still weak, Woo-jin could shift the dynamics of the succession race under the right conditions.
‘But… what if he really has awakened S-rank potential?’
Knowing the devastating strength of a true Cheon Clan awakening, Oh-hyuk couldn't dismiss the threat.
Terminally ill or not, this was a world where monsters and magic existed.
There was no telling what relic or artifact could extend Woo-jin’s life.
Cheon Oh-hyuk despised variables that disrupted his carefully laid plans.
He would not allow Woo-jin to empower Cheon Ji-hoo or Cheon Eun-ha.
Sliding his helmet back on, Cheon Oh-hyuk replied to the message.
「Eliminate Cheon Woo-jin. Quietly.」
With the order issued, he once again stepped into the role of the Knight of Constellation—marching back into the dungeon, where no obstacle would be allowed to survive.
* * *
Cheon Woo-jin, having returned to the main house, immersed himself in training once more.
“Phew.”
Finishing his sword training, he wiped the sweat from his brow.
He had managed to generate Sword Energy through the Cheon Family Sword Art, but he wasn’t sure if that alone would be enough to pass the notoriously strict trials of the Sword Saint.
‘I’ve mastered the Cheon Family’s Swift Blade, Heavy Blade, and Dark Blade Forms... but something’s still missing. What could it be?’
Something kept circling in his mind, but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was.
Frustrated, he pulled out a martial arts manual from his inventory and started reading. Then, it struck him—he still had one more secret tome.
‘Heavenly Combat Manual.’
Back when he was Seo Woo-jin in his previous life, he had read the Heavenly Combat Manual at least several hundred times in an attempt to decipher it.
But after awakening as Cheon Woo-jin, he hadn’t touched it again.
Now realizing that, he took it out and opened its pages.
And then, something unexpected happened.
[To the one who comes after: this scripture contains the insights I acquired over a lifetime.]
Words that had never registered before—even after deciphering the mnemonic codes—began flowing clearly into his mind.
Now, Cheon Woo-jin could finally understand the background behind the Heavenly Combat Manual—something he’d missed in his past life.
[With nothing but a sword, I shook the entire martial world. No advanced martial arts, no elixirs—just a single blade was all I needed to reach the supreme realm. I was worthy of being called a Grandmaster.]
He hadn’t realized it before, but the writer of this scripture clearly had a monumental ego.
Woo-jin kept reading.
[The bastards of the martial world called me things like Sword Fiend and Blade Ghost. All nonsense. I hunted down everyone who refused to acknowledge me and gave them a taste of my blade. That shut most of them up.]
As the writer’s emotions grew more intense, the tone became increasingly coarse.
Proper nouns like “Murim Alliance” popped up frequently, but most of the writing boiled down to venomous ranting.
However, midway through, the tone shifted.
[While roaming the martial world, I met a Taoist. He looked ordinary—but to my shock, I was brought to my knees by nothing more than a twig in his hand. I couldn’t understand how it was possible. After defeating me in a single blow, the Taoist vanished. After that, I shut myself away in the deep mountains to ponder the meaning of sword and martial arts.]
Apparently, after being defeated by the Taoist, the author went into seclusion to refine his understanding.
The Heavenly Combat Manual was the culmination of that enlightenment.
Whether he ascended and became an immortal sage afterward was unclear—but Cheon Woo-jin could now grasp why this scripture was fundamentally different from other martial arts.
Even without any internal energy, he had been able to reach the level of Sword Fiend thanks to the teachings in this text.
And in that moment, something clicked in Woo-jin’s mind.
‘Weapon Mastery.’
In his previous life, Seo Woo-jin had possessed neither mana nor internal energy.
Yet he had overwhelmed Awakened Hunters in his organization with just a single sword.
Now he remembered—his class was named <Weapon Mastery>.
‘Imbuing the sword with Weapon Mastery... that’s the key.’
Vrrrrrrm—
In his past life, he had named his sword technique Ghost Blade—a manifestation of his desire to become a ghost himself, relentlessly honing his craft.
But now, things were different.
‘Not a Sword Fiend. What I seek... is to awaken the sword’s ultimate truth and reach the realm of the divine.’
Sword God.
That was the path Cheon Woo-jin had chosen.
A message appeared before his eyes.
[You have awakened the true essence of the Heavenly Combat Manual.]
[Quest “Path of the Sword God” unlocked.]
[Linked Quest updated: “Hidden Chamber of the Heavenly Martial Sword God.”]
Quests had appeared.
Cheon Woo-jin had discovered the hidden unlock condition embedded within the scripture.
“The Path of the Sword God...”
The first step was to locate the secret chamber left behind by the Heavenly Martial Sword God, the one who created the Heavenly Combat Manual, and inherit his legacy.
But when he checked the quest location, he couldn’t hide his shock.
‘This place is...’
The hidden chamber of the Heavenly Martial Sword God was located in none other than a forbidden zone among forbidden zones.
‘Seoul. That hellish demonic zone holds the Sword God’s legacy?’
It was the former site of his key missions as a Black Agent—the place where he had ultimately been killed by Baek Do-jin.
It was more dangerous than any dungeon or labyrinth.
But to chase Baek Do-jin’s tracks—and uncover Black Corporation’s secrets—he had no choice.
Committing the location to memory, he closed his system window and drew his Nameless Sword from his inventory.
Vrrrrrm—!
He could clearly feel that the sword’s vibration was now on a different level.
He took a silent step using Ghost Shadow Step, moving without sound or presence—and the Nameless Sword resonated in harmony with his soul.
Imbuing it with Weapon Mastery, Cheon Woo-jin slashed.
Cheon Family Sword Art
Weapon Mastery Style: White Night
Sssshhh!
There was no visible trace of his movement—but his sword had cleaved the training hall’s wall in a single blow.
CRAAAACK!
The wall, reinforced with high-grade magic and rare dungeon metals, was cleanly severed.
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[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
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