Chapter 24 …
EX-Rank Reincarnation Picked
How dare they.
That was the only word that came to mind.
How dare they.
“Even when I’m here…?”
A terrorist dared to move while she was present? At Baek Hyun-ho’s words, Irene let out a laugh.
It was a sneer.
“…This is annoying.”
Mana seeped into her voice. As the space around them rippled, the wrinkles on Baek Hyun-ho’s face deepened slightly.
Her emotions saturated the air.
Crack.
With the sensation of the air being crushed, Baek Hyun-ho made an uneasy gesture.
“Please, calm yourself.”
“Calm down?”
Her sharp gaze shifted to Baek Hyun-ho this time.
Fortunately, she looked at him in a slightly softened state.
“In three days, Lee Jin-woo’s rank verification. That day is the turning point.”
“So… you want me to handle things then?”
“Yes.”
“…Tch.”
Irene clicked her tongue. If it were something trivial, she would have merely complained. Unfortunately, it wasn’t.
Still, she chose to think positively.
If things go well…
She could wipe them all out in one go. It felt like the task Baek Hyun-ho entrusted to her would be relatively easy.
“Fine…”
Regretfully, she would let this gate go.
Snap!
She lightly flicked her finger, and the barrier spread around them vanished in an instant.
“…Thanks for the information.”
She didn’t ask what exactly she needed to do. Baek Hyun-ho didn’t explain either.
They both already knew.
“I’ll catch them.”
She said it confidently.
“Those insects.”
At her emotionless words, Baek Hyun-ho smiled bitterly.
“Yes. I’ll be counting on you.”
As Baek Hyun-ho expressed his gratitude, the distorted space gradually unfolded.
* * *
[■ The Lord of the Northern Sea has won the duel.]
[■ The Ancestor of the Fishing Boat has won the duel.]
[■ The Spearman of the Full Moon has forfeited…]
Time passed as system messages appeared one after another. Words I had grown used to seeing by now. While staring at them, I glanced toward the waiting room.
The once-crowded area was noticeably emptier.
Many had been eliminated, and quite a few had forfeited.
“…More than I expected.”
It was taking too long. Some couldn’t endure it and chose to withdraw.
I raised my head and looked at the screen.
Kwagagak—!!!
A massive impact exploded, scattering debris everywhere. It was a spectacular sight. It always was, but S-rank espers really were on another level.
“…Hmm.”
They’re strong.
And I understood something.
It’s true I got stronger inside the gate thanks to rank correction, but…
Could I really compete with people like them? I wasn’t confident.
To begin with…
Just how strong am I right now?
Despite holding the title of EX-rank, I had no idea what my actual stats were in the real world.
The only thing I was certain of was—
For such a high rank, I feel weak.
I didn’t know about inside the gate, but in reality, that was the case.
Was it because my synchronization rate was low?
“…Hmm.”
I wasn’t sure. I was definitely stronger than an SS-rank, but something felt off.
Was it really because of synchronization?
I’ve heard about it before.
The higher the rank, the slower the synchronization rate increases.
Synchronization represented how close one had become to their past life, and the higher it was, the stronger they became.
That was why high-ranked individuals struggled greatly to raise their synchronization.
So that’s why…
Despite doing quite a bit, my synchronization hadn’t even reached 10%.
Maybe that was why the power I wanted wasn’t coming out.
“…Hmm.”
I clenched my fist lightly. Still, I didn’t feel discouraged.
…I can just do it.
That was better than being unable to do it at all.
What mattered was that possibility existed.
If synchronization is the problem…
Then I just needed to find a way to raise it as quickly as possible.
As I was making that resolution—
[■ The first round of duels in the Colosseum has ended.]
A system message appeared.
Everyone’s gaze lifted into the air.
[■ The Lord of the Colosseum praises the level of the espers.]
[■ The Lord of the Colosseum bestows blessings upon the victors.]
[■ You have received a blessing.]
[■ Luck has increased.]
[■ The Lord of the Colosseum says he looks forward to the next duel.]
[■ The first round of the S-rank Gate Colosseum has ended.]
[■ The gate is closing.]
“What?”
“…The gate is closing?”
“Just like that??”
They said the first round was over, and the gate was ending. The espers were flustered. So was I.
What? Is that it?
I expected us to fight until the end, but after just one match, the gate closes?
That wasn’t mentioned in the explanation.
And more importantly—
‘First round’ means there’s another one.
That implied there would be more duels later. But was there really any need for that?
Everyone was puzzled by the gate’s announcement, but—
[■ Congratulations. The gate has been cleared.]
As if the espers’ opinions didn’t matter, the gate shut itself down.
Then, just as espers began disappearing one by one—
[■ Notification to the Martial God.]
“Huh?”
A system message suddenly appeared.
[■ The Lord of the Colosseum is looking for you.]
[■ He says it is an honor to meet a supreme being and wishes to see you face-to-face.]
[■ Will you accep—]
Before the system message could finish—
Bzzzzzt—!!!!
Crunch.
Noise erupted, and the system was crushed outright.
“This is…?”
I stared at the system in shock, but by then, my body was already becoming translucent.
By the time I realized what was happening—
My consciousness had already returned to the real world.
* * *
“….”
I blinked and opened my eyes. As I sat up, my head felt hazy.
It was always like this after exiting a gate.
Enduring the mild headache, I shook my head.
“…Ugh.”
I felt thoroughly exhausted.
With half-open eyes, something appeared.
[■ Gate cleared.]
[■ Victory in the Colosseum.]
[■ Rewards obtained.]
[■ Following the Law of Colosseum Victory: an important item has been taken from your opponent.]
“What?”
Taking something important from the opponent? Was there such a rule?
…If it’s my opponent…
That would be Wi A-jun, the Mad Dog.
As soon as the thought crossed my mind, something dropped from the air with a soft thud.
A bracelet.
“What now…?”
The moment I grabbed it—
[■ Bracelet of the Demonic Dragon (S)]
Item information appeared.
[■ An artifact left behind by the Evil Demonic Dragon.]
[■ The wearer becomes immune to all poisons.]
[■ Consuming poison temporarily increases stats.]
[■ The curse of the Demonic Dragon is embedded.]
[■ The Demonic Dragon, having lost the bracelet, is searching for it.]
“…Wow.”
My eyes widened instantly.
An S-rank item?
If Wi A-jun had this, it was something a nation would normally possess.
Meaning—
…This isn’t something that should end up with me.
Unless Wi A-jun had it illegally, this was an item under Chinese national management.
Either way—
…If something like this goes missing…
Wi A-jun’s reaction wouldn’t be mild.
“Wow.”
This is insane.
But then—
…He wouldn’t know, right?
There was no location tracking on the item, and as long as Wi A-jun didn’t know I was the Martial God—
I can just keep it secretly.
Hide it or carry it—either way, no problem.
Seen that way, it wasn’t bad.
As I nodded and tried to tuck the bracelet away—
Ding.
Another alert appeared.
[■ Reward for completing the Martial God Quest has arrived.]
“Oh.”
I had almost forgotten. I completed a quest during the fight with Wi A-jun.
[■ Reward distribution in progress.]
[■ ‘Martial God’s Armory (EX)’ has been unlocked.]
Swooooosh—!!!
A space opened before my eyes. Pitch-black and utterly dark. I couldn’t see what was inside.
“An armory?”
That implied something was stored inside, but I couldn’t see anything.
They said I’d get an item here…
What are they giving me?
As I stared into the void—
Thud!
Something fell out.
Much larger than the bracelet.
I recognized it instantly.
“…A sword?”
It was a sword.
An old sword sheathed in a worn scabbard.
“…This is the reward?”
Why a sword of all things?
I grabbed the hilt to lift it—
Thump.
“…Oof.”
It was incredibly heavy.
Even with my awakened physical strength, it was absurdly heavy.
How many kilos is this thing?
As I frowned and examined it—
[■ Identifying weapon traits.]
[■ Rusted Dark Iron Sword (C)]
A C-rank sword.
“…Hmm.”
I gave an awkward smile. For something from the armory, it felt like an antique.
Then—
Ding!
[■ The Phantom of Korka is analyzing the sword’s true nature.]
[■ Analysis complete.]
[■ The sword’s hidden power is revealed.]
[■ Heavenly Demon Divine Sword (SS)]
[■ A sword once wielded by the leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult.]
[■ Imbued with the power of the Heavenly Demon, capable of cleaving all things.]
[■ The Heavenly Demon is searching for his lost divine relic.]
“….”
I swallowed dryly.
“…This rusted sword is SS-rank?”
It looked dull and rusted, yet it was SS-rank.
At this point, wasn’t Korka’s phantom basically omnipotent?
That aside…
What am I even supposed to do with this sword?
Isn’t the Martial God a barehanded fighter…?
All my skills so far were punches and kicks.
…A sword, huh.
Why did this come out of the armory?
The armory was supposed to—
Give me what I need.
This is what I need?
As I stared at the sword with a conflicted expression—
Ring-ring-ring—!!
My phone rang. It was Jeon Yu-seon.
“Hello.”
– Esper Lee Jin-woo. Are you awake?
“Yes… I just woke up.”
– Understood. We’ll send a car immediately. You remember today’s schedule, correct?
“Yes.”
Of course I did.
…Rank evaluation.
The day I’d get my official rank to enter 기사.
But—
If they find out I’m EX-rank…
That’s bad.
Just as my head started to ache—
Hummmm!
“Huh?”
The sword in my hand began to vibrate.
Why is it reacting?
Humm—!!!
The vibration stopped.
Then—
[■ The power of the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword has been applied.]
[■ The soul of the Martial God has been temporarily overlaid.]
[■ Your rank is being reapplied.]
[■ Martial God (EX) → Heavenly Demon (??). Effect persists while holding the sword.]
[■ Rank measurement in progress. Evaluating Heavenly Demon level. (1%… 3%…)]
“…Whoa.”
I covered my mouth.
It concealed my Martial God rank and overlaid another one.
So this was the sword’s power.
“…This really was what I needed.”
They said the armory would give me what I needed—and it really did.
With this, I could hide my true identity.
By sheer luck….
