Chapter 177: Skirmish (2)


    An alias was no different from a title.


    Its effects could range from minimal to creating unimaginable events.


    There was once a city where 100,000 people lived, but it became infected with a gue, turning everything alive into zombies. A being who drained his life force to save half of the city’s poption earned the title of “Saint” from the world after that event.


    And although he was just a mid-tier being, he was elevated to the highest rank.


    There were refugees.


    Belgium was destroyed by the treacherous Nazi Empire. Refugees, trying to survive, headed to other countries but were almost wiped out by a horde of monsters.


    A hero, calling himself a knight, risked his life to lure the monsters away and save the refugees. Even though the strong often intimidate others with their strength, heter became one of the highest-ranked members of the Round Table Knights, a position only essible to the most elite.


    An alias represents one’s rank.


    A rank was a power that transformed real-life stories lived on Earth into strength. It was also the power of belief.Alias, Savior.


    A remarkable alias was born. And this alias was something that everyone in the world acknowledged when they looked at a particr person.


    Returnee, Jin Seo-hyun.


    The greatest hero, often hailed as the most magnificent.


    When the world was at its most chaotic, he stood alone against demons and saved citizens. He called himself and those in his group heroes, and they acted in a manner befitting that name.


    Doctors and nurses recited the Hippocratic Oath and the Nightingale Pledge, and heroes started respecting Jin Seo-hyun, and behaved heroically.


    They created an association for the rights of heroes.


    They protected Europe from the threat of the Nazi Empire.


    They worked with the Hundred Temple to contain those known as the Great Evils.


    Some said that when China was in danger, it was Jin Seo-hyun who split what could have be two into dozens, and called him a hypocrite. But that’s mostly what Chinese people said.


    The world generally called Jin Seo-hyun a savior.


    But Jin Seo-hyun’s alias was Returnee.


    Despite his unfortunate end, he was the greatest hero.


    The world bestowed the form of his alias upon someone. This alias spread rapidly across the globe.


    Heroes and rted individuals.


    It wasn’t just a matter of stories. Heroes were a significant topic among civilians. Celebrities and actors were overshadowed by heroes, who also upied the interests of streamers and YouTubers for a long time.


    Heroes, in short, are distinguished yet very close to civilians.


    -Wow, that’s really short and intense. Alias, Savior. Isn’t that just insane?


    -Really… I’m so jealous of the person who got that alias, even though their name is hidden.


    -Isn’t it that Masked Man?


    -It might be Veritas. He is truly our light. The savior who saved us from ignorance.


    -Please, Veritas Cult, go away.


    -For real, our Veritas is a god. But I do want that savior alias.


    -Stop desiring it! This is a hero gallery!


    -Ha ha, so what? Our Veritas is a hero and a god too.


    -From now on, this gallery belongs to the Veritas Cult. Any objections?


    -Alias, Savior is awesome. Why doesn’t Japan have heroes like that?


    -Japan has the Sword Saint.


    -That guy feels inferior to the Returnee and hides in the mountains training. He might not even know if the Returnee is dead.


    -Ha ha, sad but true. Can’t deny it.


    -At the beginning of the Great Chaos, it seemed like Japan would dominate the world. Why is it a country worse off than Korea now?


    -There’s only one country in the world that can match Korea: the US.


    -Japan has too many gods to unite. They still haven’t unified. They are still divided into East Japan and West Japan. Korea unified long ago.


    -Why are people giving up hope on Japanese heroes already?


    -You really don’t know why?


    -Alias, Savior. Might he be the hero who will rebuild China in chaos?


    -Nonsense. China is already ruined. This gallery is taken over by the Veritas Cult.


    -If the chairman were alive, he would have killed all these guys.


    -Where do you live? Do you know hackers are cheap these days?


    -Sorry. I’m really sorry. Please don’t kill me.


    -Oh, shit. An alias, Savior. If it’s a savior, it must be the US, right?


    -Maybe not. The US has cleaned up recently, but it used to have songs with lyrics about getting wet at the top of the charts.


    -Still, it’s been okay recently. Confucian boys from Korea have taken over the charts.


    -How about checking ‘The Bell of Selection’? It’s rung four times. This is a hero born in Korea.


    -No problem. The gods of the Hundred Temple are watching everything nowadays. They might lure him with crazy rewards. Such an alias would be hard to ignore.


    -If possible, it’s a good idea.


    The world began to cry out his name.<hr>


    In this world, there were relics.


    Relics referred to dungeons from other dimensions. The artifacts from these relics possessed power on a different level. This was because crossing dimensions strengthened their rank. For whatever reason, crossing dimensions made beings below a certain level stronger.


    Therefore, artifacts should rightfully be called powers that governed the very concept.


    And now I was heading towards a relic.


    More precisely, a relic where the legacy of the Heavenly Demony.


    -But Master cannot umte strength, right?


    ‘That’s right.’


    The Conceptual Stat of Defying Heaven stopped at 100. To go beyond that, the Conceptual Stat had to evolve.


    It had to be an Absolute Stat.


    I found a clue about the Absolute Stat.


    However, I instinctively felt that it was not a power I could obtain right now, no matter how much I struggled.


    ‘This is my first time hearing about the Absolute Stat.’


    It was the first time I saw such a stat in 《Epic World》. And it must be rted to what the Heavenly Demon mentioned.


    The Creator.


    The power of the one who created thews of the universe was said to be starlight and the defiance of heaven.


    Its source was the power of affirmation and negation.


    Perhaps it was even more significant than acquiring the name of a god.


    No, I was certain.


    That power was superior to anything else.


    However, before I could obtain the Absolute Stat, I couldn’t enhance the Defying Heaven stat.


    So, I came to acquire something else.


    ‘Eternal Heaven is more useful than I thought.’


    With her tail growing longer,


    She could do so many things now. Even without me giving her Defying Heaven, she created spells on her own or handled misceneous tasks.


    -Are you just good at chores to enhance me?!


    -Hehe, after all, a fox should handle chores. The master should train in swordsmanship with me.


    -Eek!


    Not wanting to see ck Heaven enjoying herself, Eternal Heaven red at her.


    -Seo-ha! Then I’ll work hard on the chores, can I bully those who get in the way?


    ‘Do it moderately.’


    -M-Master?!


    Silencing the noisy ck Heaven, I grabbed the ck Heavenly Demon Sword. A cold sensation flowed through, and Defying Heaven fluctuated.


    While learning swordsmanship, I realized one thing. I was too focused on creating sword energy.


    Hwaruk.


    The me of sword energy ignited. mes formed from splitting the strands of sword energy into dozens. The ck me Splendor became even stronger.


    Hwoooong!


    The me of sword energy swelled. It soon disappeared, transforming into the shape of a cloud made of threads. Sword Cloud. One of the sword energies taught by ck Heaven.


    -You’re already familiar with it.


    ‘Yes, it’s more fun than I thought.’


    Swordsmanship training was fun.


    Indeed, being good at something made it enjoyable.


    ["Sword Demon (S+)" proficiency has increased. The proficiency of Sword Demon has reached its maximum.]


    ["Sword Saint (Ex)" talent has been identified. The user''s talent growth is halted.]


    “…”


    Hmm, had I already reached this stage?


    Originally, I should move on to “Sword Saint (Ex)”, but “Sword Saint (Ex)” already had an owner. The only ways to obtain “Sword Saint (Ex)” were to kill its current owner or surpass them purely in swordsmanship.


    ‘It’s not a big deal since there’s another way.’


    I looked at the “ck me Divine Sword (S+)”.


    It was still only S+ rank, but with effort, it could reach Ex rank. Normally, it would be impossible, but with the ck me Splendor and the ck God Martial Arts as its foundation, it wasn’t.


    “…”


    I stopped walking.


    My senses told me to be careful. The space drawn by the circle of martial arts narrowed. The surroundings fell into an eerie silence.


    ‘Did I step into a trap?’


    No, that wasn’t it.


    These people were being tracked by some entity. And by coincidence, I happened to roll into their direction.


    ‘I’m relieved.’


    I sighed in relief.


    It was fortunate it was me and not someone else.


    -Who is it?


    A voice echoed quietly, filled with an unmistakable demonic energy.


    I drew the ck Heavenly Demon Sword and thrust the Autumn Sword into White Rouge.


    ‘Are you ready?’


    -Yes!


    Eternal Heaven responded with a spirited voice.


    I charged at them.


    At those Nazi scum.