A clean hit.
It landed perfectly.
As proof, system notifications appeared in front of Su-ho’s eyes.
[ Shadow Bind has been activated. ]
[ Shadow Bleed has been activated. ]
[ Shadow Piercing has been activated. ]
Normally, the conditions for activating Shadow Piercing were strict, but the pitch-black floor of Gangnaru was an exception.
This place was filled with more darkness than light.
Moreover, Hex's position involved assassination and long-range arrows for harassment.
So when the formation activated, it automatically took cover in the darkest, most sinister spots.
Su-ho, well aware of this, initially focused on Hex.
But that wasn’t all.
Fwooosh! Boom!!
A burst of pure white brilliance exploded.
[ Holy Enchant activates Exorcism. ]
The Vengeance Bottles, made through the Vengeful Creation, were ghost-type monsters imbued with evil attributes, much like the Vengeance Spirits.
Despite their human-like appearance, they were still monsters.
Hence, the Exorcism effect from Holy Enchant worked perfectly.
Whoosh...
Twitch... twitch...
The head of Hex's Vengeance Bottle exploded from the Holy Enchant’s exorcism, and it squirmed on the ground, scattering ashen smoke.
Then, finally:
[ Hex Hood has been defeated. ]
The creature's life had been extinguished.
"One down."
At that moment, Alex's Vengeance Bottle, who had only just realized it had been played, thrust a huge shield toward Su-ho, closing the distance again.
Su-ho, seeing this, immediately jumped back into the air the moment he landed.
He soared higher than before, reaching the very ceiling of Gangnaru.
Suspended in midair, Su-ho looked down.
At the end of his gaze, he saw a foolish bull, lost and aimlessly wandering, unable to find its target.
‘Right. It’s just a replica.’
Although Vengeance Bottles were made from the target’s deepest rage, they only replicated their outward appearance and actions, not the full essence of their original selves.
A replica could never surpass the original, and this cheap Vengeance Bottle failed to recreate Alex's true skills as a shield bearer.
‘If it were the real Alex, he would have tried to catch my ankle the moment I left the ground.’
Therefore, Su-ho decided to punish this pathetic copy.
Drawing his sword to his waist, he quickly unleashed a strike.
[ Cloud Slash has been activated. ]
Whoosh!
A long beam of light dropped onto the head of the foolish bull.
The bull looked up too late, and that was its last gesture.
The instant it raised its head, its body was cleanly severed, as if measured by a ruler.
[ Alex Morgan has been defeated. ]
Su-ho casually dismissed the notification before landing on the ground again.
He then turned his attention to a foolish woman, struggling to understand what to do next.
It was Isabella's Vengeance Bottle, a mimic of the saint.
This replica of Isabella hesitated, confused by the sudden loss of her two companions.
‘Tsk, tsk. She’d probably want to use healing or buffs, but she’s already dead with a single strike. What can she possibly do?’
Swish!
Su-ho swung his sword, decapitating the replica.
[ Isabella Mikhail has been defeated. ]
Now only one replica remained.
Su-ho turned his head.
At that moment...
Whooosh!!
A massive fireball raced toward Su-ho.
Boom!!
The ground of Gangnaru shook with an explosive sound.
The final replica, Suzuki Endo's Vengeance Bottle, had landed the blow.
And the prediction was correct.
In the flames, there was a dark figure—it was unmistakably Su-ho.
But...
Swish!
The sound of slicing.
Before the sword hit, the sound was already audible.
And when Suzuki recognized it, a long gash had been carved into her forehead.
Simultaneously, the flames split, revealing Su-ho, untouched and dignified, with no trace of soot.
By then, Suzuki's sword was diagonally cleaved into two.
[ Suzuki Endo has been defeated. ]
The flames dissipated.
Su-ho remained unscathed.
No special measures had been taken.
Thanks to the Holy Enchant's protective effects, Su-ho had been shielded by a holy barrier.
This had been inevitable.
The Vengeance Bottle, made to mimic Suzuki, had only recreated her outward appearance, not her unique magical power.
Thus, the flames she produced, though seemingly fiery and intense, were, in reality, infused with evil attributes and ashen Vengeance Spirit energy.
And evil attributes couldn’t touch Su-ho.
Watching as Suzuki's form faded into smoke, Su-ho muttered to himself.
"I'll truly cut you down next time."
It was sincere.
He remembered the time he was poisoned by Suzuki, the dreadful pain that he never wanted to experience again.
That was why Su-ho vowed:
The next time he met Suzuki, he would offer her vengeance far worse than the poison—something more lethal.
In that sense, the one who had just died wasn’t even worth calling a proper imitation.
If it had been the real Suzuki, she wouldn’t have been using these unwarranted fire magic attacks. She would have summoned vast amounts of hydrochloric acid and poured it down, just as she did.
That was her style.
Finally, Su-ho shifted his gaze to the Envoy of Vengeance.
Its purple eyes were still glowing, but something about the look felt pitiable.
Su-ho spoke, looking at it.
"Stop pretending to be surprised. Hurry up and bring out the next phase. Otherwise, I’ll finish this right now."
Creak...!!
The Envoy of Vengeance gritted its teeth.
At that moment, its eyes flashed brightly, and its entire body of Vengeance Spirits surged and pulsed as if burning with fury.
[ The Envoy of Vengeance is greatly enraged. ]
[ The Envoy of Vengeance absorbs the power of the deceased in Wonryeongnaru. ]
Whoosh!
The enraged figure began to absorb the grudge of countless unnamed spirits resting beneath Gangnaru.
Its body grew larger, and the cloak wrapped around it transformed into the appearance of a well-crafted Death Knight’s armor.
The sword was gone.
Naturally.
It was a mage, after all.
The Envoy of Vengeance had finished its transformation into Phase 2 and raised its hand.
What followed was a remarkable sight.
The Envoy of Vengeance, after completing its transformation, began to multiply endlessly, as if using a shadow clone technique.
Moreover, unlike the original, the clones each wielded different weapons.
They were the Envoy of Vengeance’s last and final creation—the Vengeance Bottle Legion.
Su-ho nodded and drew his sword.
"Finally, I’ll get to see the famous Crusader’s military technique."
The Envoy of Vengeance’s ability, known as the Crusader, was based on summoning soldiers who resembled the caster.
The technique’s name was Legion Tactics, a signature move of the Crusader class.
When the Crusader used this skill, an army of powerful paladins would appear on the battlefield.
Su-ho’s goal was precisely to see this technique in action.
Though he felt bad for the Crusaders, their Legion Tactics would make it easier for him to unlock the second power of his Vampire Blood.
As the Vengeance Bottles began to charge toward him, Su-ho started to prepare his skills.
[ Blessing has been activated. ]
[ Holy Enchant has been activated. ]
Brilliant white light enveloped him.
The first Vengeance Bottle rushed at Su-ho and swung its weapon.
Crash!
A heavy impact.
The first Vengeance Bottle wielded a hammer.
Su-ho blocked the hammer strike with his Blood Sword.
And with a grin, he complimented the enemy.
"Well, you’re definitely different from those fake betrayers."
Growl!
The Vengeance Bottle raised its hammer again.
In that brief moment, Su-ho traced a white sword line beneath its raised arms.
Whoosh!
The light exploded.
[ Holy Enchant’s exorcism effect activates. ]
Cough!!
The first Vengeance Bottle disintegrated into ash and exploded.
No surprises here.
"Next."
Su-ho swung his sword at the next Vengeance Bottle.
***
How much time had passed?
Su-ho, who had been at the entrance of the boss room, had now moved to the very edge of it.
Before him stood the Envoy of Vengeance, who had lost everything and was cornered.
There were no surprises.
There was nothing left in Su-ho’s wake.
The Vengeance Bottle Legion, created by the Envoy of Vengeance with all of its power, had perfectly become Su-ho’s experience, granting him two levels.
Su-ho pointed his sword at the powerless Envoy of Vengeance and spoke.
“There’s nothing left, is there?”
– .......
The Envoy of Vengeance remained silent.
Good.
This was enough.
Well done.
It had drained every last ounce of its strength, and in doing so, became nourishment for Su-ho’s levels.
This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.
Thus, without further mockery, Su-ho swiftly struck.
[ Steel Slash has been activated. ]
[ Holy Enchant’s Exorcism has been activated. ]
Two skills were activated.
A long, white sword line was etched across the Envoy of Vengeance's body.
Boom!!
Along with the engraved sword line, a massive white explosion erupted.
[ The Envoy of Vengeance has been defeated. ]
[ The Gate has been cleared. ]
[ MVP of the Gate clearing is ‘An Su-ho’. ]
[ Additional experience points awarded for MVP selection. ]
[ Bonus stat +1 awarded for MVP selection. ]
[ Level Up. ]
[ All stats increased by 1. ]
[ Bonus stat +1 obtained. ]
The Envoy of Vengeance was defeated.
At the same time, system notifications poured in, and a massive cross appeared in the place where the Envoy of Vengeance had been.
A gigantic cross.
It was a tombstone and a memorial cross, meant to honor the unknown deceased who had been buried beneath the river.
Su-ho stared at the cross for a while before gently touching it with his hand.
Then, he prayed sincerely for them.
Although this place was a false battlefield created by the system, Su-ho knew that some gates were directly copied from real locations in another dimension. So, just in case, he prayed for them.
It was then.
[ You prayed for the unknown deceased. ]
[ The Envoy of Vengeance sends you a small gift. ]
[ You have learned Legion Tactics (A). ]
Su-ho heard the notification and slowly lifted his head as he began to exit the gate.