The 31st Piece Overturns the Game Board

"How could this be…?"

This was something Seol had experienced in the heavens.

"What's going on?"

Hearing those words from someone who rarely gets upset, players flocked in.

"Oh my? This…"

"Is this perhaps that…?"

"Are you talking about fate?"

Fate.

At that time, he didn't know that even the Gods didn't use that word carelessly. However, Seol truly experienced a fateful moment.

Born into a family in the East where swordsmanship was a tradition, the great swordsmen were named Shin Rip, Shin Hyun, and Shin Kang.

The eldest, Shin Rip, was the very image of a trustworthy older brother. He wielded a heavy blade fitting his imposing presence and was considered the best among the three brothers.

The second, Shin Hyun, had a somewhat cheerful personality. But whenever he gripped a sword, he swung an invisible swift blade. Due to him being the one who did external activities the most, his name became widely renowned throughout the East.

The youngest, Shin Kang, had a different talent from his brothers. He never lost his composure against anyone, and his swordsmanship was unwavering. His sword was called Celestial World, a sword bestowed by the heavens.

Shin Kang didn't like it for its over-the-top name. However, due to his slumping posture, he had no choice but to carry it. His nature, resembling his sword, was quiet and meticulous, without any gaps.

And thus, the swords of each of the brothers resembled their owners. People often called them First Swordsman, Second Swordsman, and Third Swordsman. Although their epithets were a bit rustic, they were also the best way to describe them.

They wandered across the continent to achieve higher mastery. During this time, Seol's piece was the eldest brother, Shin Rip.

Due to him already having two trustworthy companions, he didn't bother making more.

The group, gaining fame while wandering across the continent, eventually reached the Pitch Black Labyrinth.

Seol was confident—these three should be able to conquer the labyrinth.

The three brothers headed toward different doors.

The eldest, Shin Rip—Seol's piece—went to the Door of Blood, while the youngest, Shin Kang, went to the Door of Darkness.

And Shin Rip died.

There were no signs.

He was devoured by the Darkness and died.

This caused Seol great mental anguish. He couldn't even look at The World of Eternity for a while.

However, what brought him back to the game was his concern for the other brothers.

What had happened to Shin Hyun and Shin Kang, who were still inside the labyrinth?

Seol hurriedly played as Shin Hyun.

He didn't hesitate since he also cared for the other brothers.

When playing in The World of Eternity, you often revived by using the peripheral figures around your original piece. This was one of those cases. Normally, one shouldn't be able to take control of pieces past a certain level. However, at this point, the Shin brothers were just exceptionally talented. So he still could claim ownership. ɌΑ𝐍𝘖ВΕs̈

Unfortunately, it was a bit late.

Shin Hyun had already been devoured by the labyrinth when Seol took control.

Defying everyone's advice not to let the tragedy continue, Seol took control of the youngest, Shin Kang.

The labyrinth didn't devour Shin Kang.

However, he was still standing in the middle of the haunted grounds. Shin Kang's hellish days in the labyrinth continued.

He became stronger.

But that didn't mean he was able to find or retrieve his brothers' corpses or avenge them. He just became stronger.

Finally, when he came out of the labyrinth after losing one arm, he became a swordsman capable of making the continent tremble.

And one day, after some time, he challenged the greatest achievement a human could attempt—Ascension.

* * *

[You have collected Darkness.]

[You have accumulated a bit of Darkness.]

[The Darkness' grace has descended.]

[Intermediate Swordsmanship’s proficiency has increased.]

…

There probably wasn't anyone in Pandea who went to a labyrinth for training except Seol.

He put everything aside and assessed himself objectively.

The souls inside the small night beasts were also very fragile. They seemed to contain the souls of humans who had never wielded a weapon in their lifetime.

Slash—!

After cutting a night beast's head, Seol skillfully moved backward.

Swoosh…

When he slashed a night beast, the Darkness that formed its shell scattered and flowed into Seol.

[You have collected Darkness.]

[You have accumulated a bit of Darkness.]

[The Darkness' grace has descended.]

[Intermediate Swordsmanship’s proficiency has increased.]

…

Even though he was dealing with the smaller creatures, the proficiency of his swordsmanship was increasing exponentially.

If other swordsmen had seen this, they would have also risked their lives to visit the Pitch Black Labyrinth at least once.

However, the current situation was possible thanks to Seol's achievements.

Strength of the Mind was optimal for hunting night beasts. However, the problem was that Seol's other abilities couldn't keep up with it.

【Agony has completed today's job!】

"Yes, it's over."

Seol had been able to endure and hold on because Agony kept chatting beside him.

When mentally exhausted, just being able to talk with someone could bring one psychological stability.

Seol was grateful that Agony was beside him.

Swoosh…

He raised his heavy body.

He couldn't stay sitting.

After spending a few days here, Seol erased his desire to return to Seol Hong as soon as possible because he realized it was impossible.

'Leaving that aside… my eyes hurt a bit…'

Since he couldn't see, he kept his eyes closed.

When he closed his eyes, Strength of the Mind excellently replaced their role, and his other senses became sharper.

However, for some reason, his eyes felt a lot of burden. His eyes felt sore all day long.

After hunting night beasts, Seol reflected on the fights, refined his movements, and slept.

And when night fell again, he hunted for night beasts.

Training, resting, and hunting—he repeated this monotonous process each day.

His swordsmanship improved with each passing day, as if he were going up a staircase.

However, at some point, he could no longer gain any Darkness or even proficiency from the night beasts.

It was probably at around that time. He decided to hunt for bigger night beasts.

GRRR…

BOOM… BOOM…

There was a creature about the same size as the night beast he first saw upon coming to this place.

Strangely, its soul was holding a sword—and in kind, its shell held a sword, too.

'That's…'

At that moment, an old memory resurfaced—the memory of having lost Shin Rip and Shin Hyun.

'If I fail… I will also…'

Having vowed not to have ominous thoughts, he quickly shook off the distractions from his mind.

Oof…

Oof…

Paaf—!

Seol's attack became much sharper than before.

However, he still had a long way to go.

Clang—!

'I couldn’t even reach its bones!'

Agony couldn't even cut through its skin.

Grrr…

Whir—!

Bzz…

Seol partially drew out the power of the Night Crow.

"I must focus…"

Spaaf—!

The opponent's sword was much sharper than Seol's.

Taaaa—!

"Ugh…"

He almost dropped Agony.

Although he frowned from the pain that made him feel like his hand was being torn apart, he responded.

Swoosh—!

He was stronger than his opponent. He was sure of it.

He bowed his head, aimed at the creature's lower body.

Slash—!

He cut its knee.

The night beast twitched and folded one knee.

'It worked!'

At that moment, Seol, who thought he had the upper hand, turned back.

Whoosh—!

When a palm came rushing toward him.

Due to it covering his entire front, he couldn't dodge it.

He tried to use Nightmare out of habit, but he couldn't because his creations were sealed. He had no way to absorb the damage.

"It's dangerous…"

Crack—!

Crack!

Craaaack!

He couldn't breathe.

Seol was sent flying back, crashing through a tree as if he had become a bullet.

BOOM… BOOM…

"Get up! Get up!"

Seol returned to his senses at Agony’s words, but the night beast was already in front of him.

Swoosh…

The night beast reached out its hand as if wanting to grab Seol.

He couldn't resist.

He was going to die.

Those were the thoughts that crossed Seol's mind.

I don't want to die.

'I can't die like this…'

The night beast, who had grabbed Seol, slowly tightened its hand.

Crack…

Seol summoned all of his strength.

He could fight back if he could only extract the power of the Night Crow.

He could get out of here.

He could live!

BZZT!

"AAGGHH—!"

Seol screamed in pain as a burning sensation overcame him.

The shadow that hadn't crossed the boundary of his arm started to spread over Seol's entire body.

[You are trying to enter the Night Crow form.]

[The condition is unstable.]

[It's forcibly being covered with shadow.]

"AAAGGGHHH!"

GRAAGGHH!

The night beast, startled by the throbbing pain in its grasp, threw Seol far away.

Seol then sprang up and ran toward the forest.

"Oof… Oof…"

His hands and mouth were covered in Darkness.

Driven by a sense of urgency, he had bitten the hand of the night beast and tore it apart.

【No! Calm down! You must calm down!】

"Oof… oof… oof…"

After running for a while, he found a small lake.

His eyes were shut, but he could see it.

Strength of the Mind reflected his sight.

He was an incomplete Night Crow.

He looked hideously distorted, as if he were wearing a black bag with darkness smeared on his lips.

He wasn't Kang Seol. He was a night beast, just like the ones he had been hunting.

He looked just like them.

【Calm down…】

"Aah… Ah…"n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

【Come back! You fool!】

It was a side effect of having overused his strength.

Seol's pupils started to lose their light.

Ugh…

Argh…

Darkness leaked from his lips.

PAAF!

Seol turned back toward the way where he had just come flying from and charged the night beast he had just clashed swords with.

This time, without Agony, he charged with just his bare body… like a beast.

"AAAHHH!"

This was the fragmented memory from the labyrinth he remembered.

Slash—!

Pfwaaaak!

Kkugh…

[The Darkness' grace has descended.]

[You are embracing Darkness.]

…

* * *

Since then, he only gathered fragmented information. Like a light bulb flickering in brief snippets.

He tore something, grabbed it, and ripped something else—such processes repeated for quite a long time.

He could feel it. The air's energy had already changed several times.

And the voice of someone that occasionally sounded.

【It's okay…】

Ugh…

In those moments, his mind snapped back.

【Although it's boring, it will get better.】

Something…

It seemed like there was something he needed to do.

After several more blinking memories since then, this time, he finally faced a fierce one.

【Stop! Don't kill us!】

"Huh? It talks!"

"What…? Are you serious?"

"Yes!"

A voice that sounded like he were underwater.

He instinctively rushed toward the voice.

At that moment, his sight returned.

Fwoosh…

A suspicious sword appeared, accompanied by a ghostly swordsmanship that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

Paf—!

With his head grabbed, his neck touched the sword.

Ugh…

He couldn't make a sound.

"What a strange guy. Is he a night beast, after all?"

【Don't do it! Seol is a human! He isn't a beast!】

"A human…?"

Crack…

One side of Seol's face crumbled.

To be more precise, one side of the shadow covering him had peeled off.

His skin was revealed from behind the black shadow.

His pupil regained its light.

"Hyung-nim… this guy isn't dead."

"Is he alive…?"

"Hihihi… Hihihihi! How could this be?! He really is still alive!"

Step… Step…

The man approached and looked into his eyes.

Only his sparkling eyes revealed themselves amidst his thick beard and eyebrows. And his gaze felt very intense.

"Are you still alive?"

"Yes."

"You were devoured by the labyrinth until just now. How are you maintaining your consciousness?"

"I want to…"

"You want to live?"

Seol muttered the words he had been saying until things turned for the worse.

"Get stronger… I must… I…"

"You're out of your mind…"

The man standing next to him laughed.

"Hihihi! At least I like him! First of all, he's alive! Although we're dead!"

"Did I ever say I hate him?"

"Hyung-nim, then…"

"I like him even more because he's crazy."

Seol tried to calm his trembling eyes down and assess the situation. Trying to recall what had just happened.

His mind was foggy.

"Who are you…?"

"We?"

Bzz…

The Darkness devoured the two men's souls in an instant.

But his Strength of the Mind showed that they hadn't been devoured.

Whoosh…

The one who was supposedly the younger brother had flashing eyes, and an intense light was coming out of his sword.

Although this place was full of the labyrinth’s darkness, the radiance they created still shone through.

"I’m Shin Rip."

"I'm Shin Hyun."

Shin Rip…

Shin Rip!

Seol's eyes turned toward Shin Rip.

"We're the deads of the Pitch Black. You were just like us until a few moments ago."

"I…"

"We can't escape the labyrinth. But…"

Whoosh…

Shin Rip stabbed his greatsword into the ground.

If there were light in the Pitch Black Labyrinth, it would be them.

The First Swordsman, Shin Rip, and the Second Swordsman, Shin Hyun.

" …we know how to become stronger. So, are you interested?"

Seol tried to force his stiff expression into a smile.

"What a crazy guy."

They were the darkest light.

And Seol, as the most foolish moth, was rushing into that light.