Chapter 26: The Floor of Tests (6)
The moment the Crown Game began, only three teams—including ours—pressed the participation button.
At the center, the throne held the crown, and the Regulars who spotted it charged toward it with fiery determination.
They clashed—daggers stabbing, bodies colliding, a chaotic brawl.
Since they couldn't use or control shinsu yet, the fight looked plain and unrefined to me… but to them, it must've been a desperate battle for survival.
"Uwaaaagh!"
One Regular got seriously injured, and that became the turning point. The opposing team gradually gained the advantage.
The injured Regular soon became unable to fight, and with one man down, the others were overwhelmed.
Two fought to hold back the enemy, while another sprinted toward the throne.
As he ran with all his might—he finally reached and seized the crown.
Unfortunately… he did not get to sit on the throne.
"…?"
Five Regulars froze mid-action— one mid-defense, one mid-stab, one mid-swing, one mid-dodge, and one holding the crown.
Their bodies remained frozen exactly as they were.
Time hadn't stopped—
I had.
Only three people could move freely—our team, who had been calmly watching the entire brawl from the sidelines.
The moment one Regular touched the crown, I activated Reverse Flow Control, freezing all five of them in place.
One more was already incapacitated, so that made six in total.
"Let me take that."
With friendly encouragement, I lifted the crown right out of the frozen Regular's hand.
Their eyes darted wildly, but their bodies didn't budge.
Their mouths wouldn't move either—truly "unable to do anything."
"Anyone want to wear it?"
"You wear it. Sitting still on the throne's not my style…"
"Hoaquin-hyung, you should wear it. You'd look good in a crown."
Hwarang agreed with Luf's comment.
Well—if they insist.
I placed the crown on my head, sat comfortably on the throne, rested my sword on the ground, and released the Reverse Flow Control.
Only then did the Regulars regain movement—and the buzzer for the end of the round rang at the same time.
Monsters—
That must be what they saw.
For ordinary Regulars, Ten Family heirs are practically disasters in the shape of humans.
The five who tasted a sliver of that difference left the arena in fear and disbelief.
The second round began shortly after.
This time, three new teams entered.
One looked terrified, tension freezing their expressions.
Another wore relaxed smiles for reasons unknown.
The last group looked simply neutral.
But the moment they took their first step—
BOOM.
A shinsu sword crashed into the floor in front of them.
All three teams stared blankly at the throne.
I rested my hand on the sword stuck in the ground, controlled shinsu with my other hand, and murmured softly:
"Cross that shinsu line, and you die."
I smiled leisurely—a white, cold smile that made the threat even sharper.
But no matter where you go, at least one idiot never understands the situation.
Predictably, one Regular took a step forward.
"Hah, stop spouting nonsense—"
His mouth froze mid-sentence.
His confident stride halted mid-step.
One more warning—and the last.
"Are you really going to cross?"
Four shinsu blades revolved around him like vultures ready to strike at the slightest gesture.
When I released him from Reverse Flow Control, he silently backed away two steps.
No one else dared to cross after that.
We spent a very "peaceful" and quiet 10 minutes, and the second round ended.
— Beginning Round 3.
This time, four doors opened.
Five teams max per round meant that all possible teams for this round had appeared.
Among the participants, a horned non-human shouted to the others:
Take down the crown holders first, then fight each other afterward.
He wasn't wrong.
If the teams fought separately, none would get the crown—we all knew that.
The alliance of four teams formed instantly.
They were so full of determination that warnings were meaningless.
They truly believed they had a chance.
So—
Four shinsu blades rose into the air.
Then skewered the enemies instantly.
Screaming to drown out fear, they charged toward us—toward me, Luf, and Hwarang—swinging weapons wildly.
Hwarang's flames burst out, engulfing Regulars one after another.
His lips curved sharply upward.
Ah.
A Maschenny-type.
Earlier, when I asked if he wanted to go around hunting fights, he declined.
Seems I don't understand this kid fully yet.
Fwoosh—
Flames consumed another Regular.
But this time, something changed.
The fire…was being eaten.
The horned non-human—the same one who proposed the alliance—stood tall, swallowing the flames that engulfed him.
Even the fire on his body vanished into his mouth.
"Our race lives in volcanic regions. We feed on lava and flames. Unfortunately, you chose the wrong opponent. This little fire is nothing to me."
"…'This little fire', huh?"
Hwarang grinned, baring his fangs.
His eyes, burning brightly, told a different story.
He bit down on the flame—then ignited a new one.
But this flame was different.
Not ordinary red—but a blend of pink and crimson, burning beautifully.
"Let's see how much of this you can swallow."
"As much as you want. Oh—right, we didn't introduce ourselves. My name is Luum."
"I'm not interested."
Even faced with the ominous, swirling flames, the horned non-human charged at Hwarang with unshaken confidence.
"Kill that brat first! He's the weakest of them!"
While the flame-eater and his team lunged at Hwarang, the others focused entirely on Luf.
Smart tactic—take down the smallest, youngest-looking one to break the formation.
In theory.
In reality, it was the worst, dumbest plan imaginable.
Luf dodged the attacks gracefully, widening the distance, then deployed his bang.
A transparent barrier formed around him.
Not very large, but on this floor, that was more than enough.
Any Regular who ignored the barrier and stepped into its control zone froze instantly.
Each time they froze—I sent a shinsu blade flying and cut their throats.
When too many crowded Luf at once, he used bang teleport, repositioned, redeployed—as expected of a Tu Perie heir, his control over the bang was absurdly skilled for someone who'd just become a Regular.
Originally, I planned to handle everything with my shinsu swords, but with Hwarang and Luf fighting so enthusiastically, I simply supported them from behind.
Besides—I could feel the "number of chambers" increasing steadily, so I focused on controlling shinsu and helping Luf as needed.
"You're fighting, and you're SLEEPING?!"
In the middle of the heated battle, one of the trash mobs finally noticed me—eyes closed, meditating—and charged in.
Puk—
That's done.
"Fifth one."
The fifth sword decapitated the fool who dared rush at me.
Having a body blessed by shinsu truly is wonderful.
Others need to weaken their current chambers just to increase capacity, struggling for each upgrade.
But for me—if I simply focus and control shinsu, the number naturally increases whenever I feel the timing.
And no—there is no loss of power.
Now that I have five chambers, there was something I wanted to try.
Five shinsu blades flew toward the Regulars fighting Luf.
But this time, instead of piercing them directly—
—they moved like swords being wielded by invisible people, slashing their way through the enemies in elegant arcs.
Before long, the enemies surrounding Luf were all retired.
I turned toward Hwarang's side.
The ground was littered with charred bodies.
In Hwarang's right hand, he held a Regular with a snapped neck.
In his left, the pink-reddish flame blazed violently.
"G…grraaahhh!"
The flame-eater who had boasted of his lava diet was now huddled defensively, completely overwhelmed.
"What's wrong? Full already?"
Hwarang's lips curved upward, and the blaze intensified further.
Finally, at his limit, the horned non-human abandoned defense and charged in a suicidal rush—deciding to kill Hwarang before he himself burned to death.
He sprinted fast, but the closer he got to Hwarang, the heavier the flames pressed down on him. His speed slowed…
and—
Fwooosh—
Before his hand could reach Hwarang's throat, his enormous body collapsed.
Then came Round 4.
Thinking we were exhausted, four more teams entered.
Naturally, they also formed an alliance and charged together.
This time, I moved.
For the first time since the game began, I pulled out the blade stuck in the ground—Baekya.
I'd swung it several times while sparring with Hwarang, so using it on small fry wasn't disrespectful.
But now—
—I was going to use a feature I hadn't even used on Hwarang.
As the screaming Regulars charged at the throne, I swung Baekya casually while still seated.
"Baekya—Activate."
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