Chapter 630: The Sword God’s Inheritance


    Great Demon Gorac was an entric demon that had been sealed a very long time ago. Although he was dead, he still had plenty of remnants and relics scattered all over the world.


    Right now, Valen was suffering damage that was simr to that of Gorac’s clone. Even if it was Gorac''s clone, the basic damage was beyond an ordinary person’s imagination. Now…


    “Kghhhhhk!” Valen groaned as he flew back after deflecting Minhyuk’s basic attack.


    <em>[Critical Strike!]</em>


    <em>[A critical strike has inflicted 34,156 damage upon you.]</em>


    <em>[The damage incurred upon you is simr to Gorac’s Clone’s critical damage.]</em>


    “…”


    Valen was rendered speechless. He had lived as the Sword God for a very long time. His calctions had always been fairly urate. So, what was with this sudden unpredictable and unbelievable basic damage?


    At the same time, these notifications rang in Minhyuk’s ears the moment he charged forward.


    <em>[Your basic damage has transcended the human realm.]</em>


    <em>[This is very shocking. You will receive a reward for achieving a record of having a phenomenal basic damage.]</em>


    <em>[Your basic damage will increase by 20%.]</em>


    <em>[You have acquired the <strong>Title</strong>: Basic God.]</em>


    <em>(<strong>Basic God</strong>)</em>


    <em>Unique Title</em>


    <em><strong>Title Effects</strong>:</em>


    <em>?You will receive a 1% increase in all five of your basic stats.</em>


    <em>?Your enemies will receive a 10% reduction in their basic attack damage.</em>


    <em>?Your basic attack damage will increase by 10%.</em>


    Unexpectedly, Minhyuk received a title with huge effects.


    <em>‘Basic damage is ultimately rted to skill damage,’ </em>Minhyuk thought as he red sharply at Valen. Then, he recalled the notifications that he heard after he finished eating the bizarre tteokbokki and the mozzare sweet potato hotdog.


    <em>[You have eaten Bizarre Tteokbokki and Mozzare Sweet Potato Hotdog.]</em>


    <em>[It is a mysterious and freshbination.]</em>


    <em>[You have received additional buff effects.]</em>


    <em>[Your basic damage will increase by 1,100%. Your chances of ignoring your opponent’s resistance will increase by 40%.]</em>


    <em>[The buff duration is 24 hours.]</em>


    Minhyuk did not bother using Ovepping Delight and Double Food together. It was because there was a high chance that Minhyuk would get a shorter buff duration if he used Ovepping Delight. There was also the risk of not being able to control the buff to obtain more damage. Because of that choice, Minhyuk was able to increase his damage beyond his expectations.


    <em>aaaaaash—</em>


    Valen was once again sent reeling after receiving Minhyuk’s basic attack damage.


    <em>[A normal blow has inflicted 31,476 damage upon you.]</em>


    <em>[The damage incurred upon you is simr to Gorac’s Clone’s damage.]</em>


    <em>[Warning!]</em>


    <em>[Your opponent is exerting the same amount of power as the strongest opponent you have faced.]</em>


    <em>Twitch, twitch—</em>


    Valen’s arm that was holding his sword twitched and trembled. Even his HP had decreased by a lot. Sword God Valen was supposed to be the ‘boss’ mob inside the Abyss. In most RPG games, the difference in HP between an ordinary mob and a boss mob could be several tens of times. However, even though Sword God Valen’s HP had doubled as an effect of being in his prime, it was still hard for him to endure the onught of Minhyuk’s attacks.


    <em>Baaaaaaaang—</em>


    Valen, who was forced to take another step back, groaned. For a moment, he felt his vision turn white as his body slowly started to fall.


    Minhyuk continued to attack with a bitter smile on his face. He had no choice but to knock Instructor Valen out right now. Only through this way, he would have a proper reunion with his beloved instructor.


    <em>Copse—</em>


    At that moment, Valen fell to the ground.


    ***


    Genie and God of Snakes Elizabeth moved in a hurry. The two were fully aware of how important Valen was to Minhyuk. Because of that, the two of them tried their best to reach the vicinity of the Abyss as fast as they could. However, they were not allowed to enter the Abyss together.


    “The Gods of the Abyss will not allow me, one of the Six Monster Gods, to enter the Abyss.”


    “Then, what are we supposed to do?”


    “I’ll have to do it here.”


    “Is it possible?”


    “I will do my best.”


    God of Snakes Elizabeth, one of the Six Monster Gods, was still someone that could exert the power of an Absolute God, despite the significant drop in her powers.


    <em>[God of Snakes’ System Tracking.]</em>


    <em>[Beginning to check and understand the system for control!]</em>


    A bloody red energy burst out from Elizabeth’s body. The energy crawled and seeped through the depths of the Abyss. As her power continued to navigate the system, cold sweat began to drip down her forehead as a light groan flowed out of her mouth, “Ugh…”


    Utilizing her skill was very difficult because of the power of the slumbering Gods inside the Abyss. However, Elizabeth persevered. She closed her eyes and began feeling the system. Like a beacon in the dark, she was able to find the system that Minhyuk was talking about. The moment she found it, the notifications rang.


    <em>[You have sessfully tracked the system.]</em>


    <em>[ording to the thirteenth system, the gate will only be cleared if one of the two, the gate challenger or the Sword God, dies in battle.]</em>


    “Found it,” Elizabeth cheered. However, the question of whether she could change the system from this distance still remained. On top of that, Elizabeth had to take on a lot of penalties to be able to do this.


    “Heok… heok…!” Elizabeth gasped, using her entire power to try and control the system. She fell on one knee from the overwhelming pressure, until she eventually fell on both knees.


    “Elizabeth, are you alright?”


    “Just a bit… just a bit more.”


    The power of the Abyss was too strong for her to control. It was not that easy for her to control that system with her power alone. Not long after, Elizabeth’s eyes began to turn yellow as she started to chase after the being that governed the system.


    As it turned out, the one that governed the system turned to look back at Elizabeth.


    <em>‘God of Origin…?’</em>


    That was right. The being that created the system in the Abyss was none other than the God of Origin. However, even though the one that created it was the God of Origin, it did not mean that everything was excellent. Elizabeth was able to find a gap to intervene and change the system.


    <em>[You have changed the system!]</em>


    <em>[Even if you kill Sword God Valen in his prime, the will of the Sword God slumbering in the sword will not disappear.]</em>


    Elizabeth was delighted. However, a scream was ripped out of her throat as she looked at the world around her through her yellow eyes. This was because God of Origin Athenae was staring at her.


    “…”


    Elizabeth was rendered speechless. Although she used to love Athenae more than anybody else, she had already lost her memories. It was all because of Athenae’s mercy.


    Athenae stared at Elizabeth for a while. Then, she shook her head as a soft smile curled at the corners of her lips, “So, it’s the snake child.”


    Elizabeth heard Athenae’s voice ringing in her ears.


    “It’s alright since your power allows you to get involved with my system and change it at your will. However…” Athenae smiled sadly, “The Sword God does not wish for it to be changed.”


    Immediately after leaving those words, Athenae disappeared from her sight. At the same time, an unexpected notification rang in Genie and Elizabeth’s ears.


    <em>[The system has been changed once again!]</em>


    <em>[The Abyss is being controlled by the God of Origin!]</em>


    <em>[The Whisper function will be unavable to all of those inside the Abyss for an hour.]</em>


    “…!”


    Genie was aghast, “Did, did we fail?”


    Elizabeth, with a stunned look on her face, shook her head and slowly said, “No. We seeded. We definitely did.”


    Genie listened intently to Elizabeth’s voice, “We seeded. But the God of Origin intervened. The God of Origin said that there was nothing she could do.”


    That was right. Even if Athenae was the God of Origin, she could not just do anything that she wanted. The only reason why this was possible was because…


    “Valen, who is in the system, rejected the changes.”


    “What?!”


    “The bigger problem here is the fact that His Highness Minhyuk will not be made aware of this at all.”


    “Howe Minhyuk cannot know about it?! Ah… No way…!”


    That was right. Minhyuk must have been notified immediately that the system has changed. And shortly thereafter, he must have heard the notification about the whisper being restricted and unavable. There was a high chance that Minhyuk believed that this anomaly had been caused by the changes that ‘Elizabeth’ had made to the system.


    Genie looked at the Abyss and murmured, “Instructor Valen, why…”


    She just could not understand why.


    ***


    Minhyuk looked at the unconscious Valen. Then…


    <em>[The system has been changed by a great force.]</em>


    <em>[The Sword containing the will of the Sword God will be changed to the ‘Sword God and the Sword’.]</em>


    “…!”


    Minhyuk was delighted. He was actually not worried about killing Valen in his prime. What he was afraid of was the disappearance of the Instructor that he knew, the instructor that was sleeping in the sword behind him, forever. But that was not the case now. He would be able to meet with the instructor that was sleeping in the sword. Then, immediately after…


    <em>[The Whisper function will be unavable for an hour.]</em>


    Minhyuk judged that Elizabeth’s control on the system was unstable.


    <em>‘Well, she said that she did not know if she could even change the system.’</em>


    But for now, Minhyuk was satisfied that they were able to make an important change in the system like this.


    Now that Minhyuk did not know the changes that had been made, he would be able to take Valen out, who was in his prime. Of course, it would not be easy. After all, Valen was still Valen. However, his longing for Minhyuk was too great. Perhaps, Minhyuk was not even aware of how much he missed him and also about the fact that he was not happy to slumber in the sword at all.


    Valen smiled softly and thought, <em>‘Now, you can do your best.’</em>


    Valen was able to hold a short conversation with Athenae in the short moment that he passed out. His first disciple, Minhyuk, was much stronger than he thought. It was something that he was very proud of. That was why he was now going to fight with him as a real god.


    <em>[The Sword God’s power has beenpletely released!]</em>


    <em>[Your attack and defense will increase dramatically.]</em>


    <em>[All of your stats will increase sharply.]</em>


    <em>[You will be able to use the Divine Sword until itsst chapter.]</em>


    As the notification rang, Valen recalled the conversation that he had with Athenae.


    ***


    When Valen lost consciousness for a moment, he was very shocked to see Athenae appear in front of him.


    <em>[The God of Snakes is starting to change the system.]</em>


    “…!”


    Valen was shocked when he heard those words. Then, he listened to the entire story from Athenae. From what he could gather, Minhyuk had sent a whisper to ask the God of Snakes to control the system when he used his skill ‘Let’s Have a Meal’.


    <em>‘You want to meet me again this much?’</em>


    Of course, Valen was delighted. However, he still shook his head. He was a God that had lived for too long. He sometimes lived as the Sword God, and sometimes lived as an instructor. He had already long weed his death.


    Did he want to live longer? Yes, of course, he wanted to live longer. He still wanted to see his child grow into a decentdy while walking hand in hand with Roina. There were still many things that Valen wanted to do.


    However, Sword God Valen knew that he had already fulfilled his destiny. He did not want to drag his life any longer and live in that sword.


    <em>‘Ipletely understand.’</em>


    Minhyuk was already an adult and a king. However, at this very moment, the only thought that was going through his head was to find a way to reunite with Valen. It was not a bad thing. However, Valen did not agree with Minhyuk’s choice.


    “Athenae. If my will continues to live in that sword, he will not be able to inherit my powers.”


    That was right. If the system truly changed to how Minhyuk wanted it to be, where the Sword God would continue to live within the sword, he would not be able to inherit Valen’s powers. Also, Valen has already fulfilled his destiny, and he was already exhausted.


    On the other hand, his first disciple still had a long time to live.


    <em>[If you want, I can let you live and stay next to him as a human.]</em>


    Athenae truly cared for and cherished Sword God Valen. Besides, for her, this was just a trivial thing to do.


    <em>‘I can continue to live next to Minhyuk?’ </em>


    It was tempting. But he still shook his head, “If I be a human being once again and live next to him until I grow old, I would just be an obstacle to that child, you know? That child needs to develop and grow. Hoho.”


    Valen chuckled. Athenae felt that it was a pity. She knew that the reason why Valen made this choice was all because of Minhyuk.


    <em>[Sword’s Child, are you going to choose eternal and permanent death for that child?]</em>


    The system had obviously changed now. But Valen was rejecting the changes himself.


    “That child will continue to face plenty of setbacks and trials in the future. It would be more beneficial for him to inherit my powers, than to acquire the sword that contains my consciousness, a sword that has already lost most of its power.”


    <em>[You will not be able to hug your daughter to sleep anymore.]</em>


    <em>[You will not be able to see your beloved Roina anymore.]</em>


    Athenae asked him a final question.


    <em>[You will not be able to watch Minhyuk from afar anymore. Will you be alright with that?]</em>


    It was a very sad story, and a truly heartbreaking situation. Athenae’s questions brought frustration to Valen. Even more so because he believed it to be the right decision. He had to forget about living and surviving himself because that child had to be a true ‘god’. He would continue to stand by this decision.


    “I want to die at the hands of that child today.”


    ***


    <em>Stab—</em>


    And now, at the present time, Minhyuk, who believed that Valen in his prime did not have the memories of the time they spent together, stabbed him in the heart. A mouthful of blood gurgled out of Valen’s mouth.


    “Urk…!”


    Meanwhile, Minhyuk was left dumbfounded. He could not understand why Valen deliberately left his chest wide open after they fought tooth and nail against each other.


    As for Valen, he did not think that this was a tragic fate. It was simply just a story of those that had to leave and those that had to remain. Also, this would be hisst teaching, the final lesson that he would teach his disciple.


    <em>‘You are still young, Minhyuk.’</em>


    It was because he was young that was why he never thought of Valen and the things that he would suffer. The pain of remaining in the sword forever, the pain of living for too long, and the pain of not being able to see those that he wanted to see as he continued to slumber in the sword.


    Minhyuk had not considered these sufferings and pain.


    “Why…” Minhyuk asked. Why did the younger Valen allow Minhyuk to hit him in the chest?


    Valen wanted to go quietly. He wanted to leave without saying anything to Minhyuk and leaving behind the power of a God for him. However, there was no way that everything would go the way they wanted it to. That was the case for Valen.


    Valen gently grabbed Minhyuk’s hand that was holding the sword. He smiled at him with the gentle and beautiful smile that he always showed the boy and said, “Thank you, Minhyuk. I can rest easy now.”


    As the entire truth of the matter dawned upon Minhyuk, he instantly lost the strength in his legs. He copsed to the ground and began to cry as the notifications rang in his ears.


    <em>[The One who cut down the Sword God.]</em>


    <em>[You will be able to inherit some of the powers of the Sword God!]</em>


    <em>[You will now be able to challenge the realms of the True God!]</em>


    The teacher had left his final gift to his disciple, as tears flowed down the disciple’s cheeks.