17

Chapter 17: The Stone Sword

The deeper Subin went into the Stone Guardian Ruins, the more different the dungeon became.

The first three floors had been relatively straightforward. Stone Guardians, Stone Soldiers, and the occasional Stone Swordsman occupied the corridors, each possessing a slightly different fighting style. They were dangerous because of their physical strength and defensive bodies, but once Subin understood how their mana reinforcement worked, they became manageable.

The fourth floor was different.

There were no monsters waiting in the corridors.

No statues moved when he passed them.

No footsteps echoed from distant chambers.

Instead, the entire floor was filled with enormous stone pillars.

Some reached from the floor to the ceiling. Others had fallen over centuries—or perhaps only recently, because the dungeon itself had existed for just a few days despite appearing ancient.

Subin slowed his pace.

His Predator's Sense didn't detect an immediate threat, but his Sword Comprehension was reacting to something.

Mana.

It was everywhere.

More importantly, it was concentrated around the pillars.

Subin approached one of them and placed his hand against the surface.

The stone was cold.

A faint vibration traveled through his palm.

The system appeared.

[High-density mana formation detected.]

[Structure appears to be artificially constructed.]

Subin frowned.

"Artificially constructed?"

He looked around.

The dungeon wasn't simply a natural space.

Someone—or something—had created these structures.

But he didn't dwell on it.

There was no reason to turn every unusual thing into a mystery.

The dungeon could simply have unusual architecture.

What mattered was whether it contained something useful.

Subin continued forward.

After several minutes, he reached the center of the fourth floor.

A large circular platform occupied the chamber.

At its center stood a stone sword.

It was nearly as tall as Subin himself.

The weapon had been driven vertically into the platform.

Unlike the weapons carried by the Stone Swordsmen, this one didn't look crude.

Its surface was smooth.

Dark gray lines ran along the blade like veins.

A faint blue glow pulsed through them.

Subin approached cautiously.

The moment he stepped onto the platform, the dungeon reacted.

BOOM.

Stone walls closed behind him.

Subin turned.

The entrance had disappeared.

Then the stone sword began to glow.

A figure emerged from the ground.

It was larger than the Stone Swordsman he had fought earlier.

Its armor was covered with intricate patterns, and a massive sword rested in its hand.

The system displayed its information.

[Stone Sword Guardian — Level 20]

Subin's expression became serious.

Level 20.

He was Level 17.

This was the strongest monster he had encountered inside the dungeon so far.

The Stone Sword Guardian raised its weapon.

Subin drew the Silver Fang Sword.

The two swordsmen stood facing each other.

The Guardian moved first.

It didn't charge.

Instead, it took one step.

Then it swung.

Subin immediately moved.

CLANG!

The Silver Fang Sword collided with the stone weapon.

The impact forced Subin backward several meters.

His arms went numb.

Subin's expression changed.

"Strong."

The Guardian followed.

Another strike.

Subin blocked.

The force pushed him sideways.

He immediately used Fang Step to escape the next attack.

The stone sword crashed into the ground.

The platform cracked.

Subin didn't waste the opening.

He stepped forward and attacked the Guardian's shoulder.

CLANG!

The Silver Fang Sword bounced away.

No damage.

Subin retreated.

The Guardian's defense was even greater than the ordinary Stone Guardians.

He studied it carefully.

[Sword technique analysis: 16%.]

The Guardian attacked again.

Subin moved around it.

His sword struck its side.

Nothing.

He attacked the knee.

Nothing.

The wrist.

Nothing.

Subin narrowed his eyes.

This opponent wasn't simply using mana reinforcement.

Its entire body seemed to be constructed around combat.

Every part of its armor protected a vital area.

The Guardian swung again.

Subin ducked.

The sword passed above his head.

He moved behind it.

Silver Fang Flow.

His blade struck the back of its knee.

A small crack appeared.

Subin's eyes sharpened.

"There."

He attacked the same location.

The Guardian turned.

Subin immediately used Fang Step.

He moved to the opposite side and struck again.

The crack widened.

The Guardian suddenly released a burst of mana.

Subin's Predator's Sense warned him.

He jumped backward.

A shockwave exploded from the Guardian.

The entire platform trembled.

Subin landed near the edge.

His breathing became slightly heavier.

This opponent was much stronger than the Forest Fang King.

Not because it was faster.

Not because it had complicated abilities.

Because its entire fighting style was built around overwhelming force and defense.

Subin's Sword Comprehension continued analyzing.

[Analysis: 29%.]

The Guardian charged.

This time Subin didn't avoid it completely.

He stepped toward the attack.

Their swords collided.

BOOM!

Subin's arms shook.

His feet dug into the stone floor.

The Guardian pushed forward.

Subin's strength was being tested directly.

He gritted his teeth.

Then he changed the angle of his sword.

Instead of resisting the force, he redirected it.

Flowing Edge.

The Guardian's sword moved past him.

Subin stepped inside its range.

His Silver Fang Sword struck the Guardian's elbow.

A crack appeared.

The Guardian turned its body.

Subin attacked again.

The sword struck its shoulder.

Another crack.

The Guardian swung wildly.

Subin moved around it.

His body flowed from one position to another.

The principles he had learned from the Stone Swordsman were becoming increasingly useful.

He didn't need to move more.

He needed to move better.

Every inch mattered.

Every angle mattered.

The Guardian attacked.

Subin stepped aside.

Its sword missed.

Subin cut the wrist.

Crack.

He moved.

Cut the knee.

Crack.

He moved again.

Cut the shoulder.

Crack.

The Guardian's body was beginning to break apart.

[Sword technique analysis: 47%.]

Subin's eyes became sharper.

He understood its movements now.

The Guardian's attacks were powerful, but they followed a strict structure.

It always placed its strongest foot forward before a heavy strike.

Its shoulders rotated before wide attacks.

Its wrist tightened before a thrust.

Its mana concentrated in specific parts of the body before each attack.

Subin began predicting everything.

The battle gradually changed.

At the beginning, Subin had been surviving.

Now he was controlling the fight.

The Guardian raised its sword.

Subin knew the attack before it happened.

He moved.

The sword passed beside him.

Subin stepped forward.

Silver Fang Flow.

His blade struck the Guardian's chest.

A large crack spread across its armor.

The Guardian roared.

Its entire body began glowing blue.

Subin's Predator's Sense screamed.

He immediately jumped away.

A massive wave of mana erupted.

The stone platform cracked from one end to the other.

Subin landed on one knee.

His breathing was heavier now.

The Guardian was still standing.

Its armor had several cracks, but the damage wasn't enough.

Then Subin noticed something.

The blue glow wasn't spreading randomly.

It was flowing toward the cracks.

The Guardian was repairing itself.

Subin's eyes narrowed.

"So that's your trick."

The Guardian's wounds began closing.

Subin tightened his grip.

He needed to end the battle before it could completely recover.

He rushed forward.

The Guardian swung.

Subin dodged.

Another strike.

He stepped around it.

Another.

He redirected it.

His movements became faster.

The system appeared.

[Sword Comprehension analysis: 61%.]

Subin's sword began moving differently.

Stone Edge Principles.

Flowing Edge.

Silver Fang Flow.

Fang Step.

All of them were merging.

The techniques weren't competing with one another anymore.

They were becoming parts of the same foundation.

Subin moved.

His sword struck the Guardian's wrist.

The stone weapon fell.

Before it could recover, Subin stepped forward.

His Silver Fang Sword pierced the largest crack in its chest.

The blade penetrated.

The Guardian froze.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then—

CRACK.

A fracture spread across its entire body.

The Guardian collapsed.

Thousands of stone fragments scattered across the platform.

[Stone Sword Guardian defeated.]

[Experience acquired.]

[Level 17 → Level 18.]

[Level 18 → Level 19.]

Subin stood still.

Two consecutive level increases.

The system continued.

[Sword technique analysis completed.]

[Stone Sword Guardian swordsmanship fully understood.]

Subin looked at the remains.

A large blue mana stone rolled toward him.

He picked it up.

[Mana Stone]

Quality: High

Purity: 72%

Mana Content: 1,946

Subin's eyes widened slightly.

That was considerably more valuable than the mana stone from the Forest Fang Lord.

He placed it carefully into his storage pouch.

Then he noticed the stone sword still standing in the center of the platform.

The weapon had stopped glowing.

Subin approached it.

He reached out.

The moment his hand touched the hilt, the system appeared.

[Weapon detected.]

[Stone Sword]

Grade: Rare

Attack Power: +91

Durability: 200/200

Special Effect: Physical Defense Penetration +8%

Subin stared at the weapon.

A Rare-grade sword.

Its attack power was higher than the Silver Fang Sword.

But he didn't immediately replace his current weapon.

He drew the Silver Fang Sword and compared them.

The Stone Sword was powerful.

Heavy.

Extremely durable.

Its physical defense penetration was also valuable against monsters like the Stone Guardians.

But its balance wasn't as natural for him.

The Silver Fang Sword had become part of his fighting style.

Subin held the Stone Sword with both hands and made a few practice swings.

The weapon was slower.

Powerful, but slower.

"Not suitable."

He placed it into his storage.

He wasn't going to discard a Rare-grade sword simply because it didn't fit his current style.

There might be a future technique that allowed him to use it properly.

The system appeared again.

[Sword technique acquired.]

[Stone Edge Principles — Integrated.]

[New technique available.]

[Technique: Stonebreaker Edge]

Type: Active Sword Technique

Description: Concentrates force into a precise sword strike designed to penetrate reinforced defenses.]

Subin smiled.

That was exactly what he needed.

A technique designed to break defensive opponents.

He immediately tested it.

He held the Silver Fang Sword in front of him.

Mana began flowing through his body.

Unlike a mage, Subin couldn't manipulate mana with great sophistication.

His Mana attribute was still relatively low.

But his Sword God class allowed him to channel what he had through the sword.

He focused.

Strength.

Agility.

Sword angle.

Impact point.

Everything aligned.

Then he struck a remaining stone fragment.

BOOM!

The fragment exploded.

Subin stared at the result.

The technique wasn't particularly flashy.

That wasn't important.

It was efficient.

And efficiency was what he wanted.

The system displayed the proficiency.

[Stonebreaker Edge proficiency: 8%.]

Subin nodded.

"Useful."

He looked around.

The stone walls that had closed around the platform were beginning to open.

A passage appeared.

Beyond it was a staircase leading downward.

Subin's expression became serious.

The dungeon had another floor.

He had expected that.

According to the Association's incomplete information, the Stone Guardian Ruins had at least five floors.

But their teams had never reached the fifth.

Subin stepped toward the staircase.

Before descending, he checked his status.

[Name: Subin Vans]

[Level: 19]

[Class: Sword God]

[Strength: 38]

[Agility: 37]

[Vitality: 33]

[Intelligence: 21]

[Mana: 15]

[Unassigned Attribute Points: 0]

[Skills]

Sword Comprehension — Passive

Swordsmanship Growth — Passive

Sword Intent — Locked

Basic Sword Flow — Active

Fang Step — Active

Predator's Sense — Passive

Combat Adaptation — Passive

Silver Fang Flow — Active

Flowing Edge — Active

Stonebreaker Edge — Active

Subin looked at the status for several seconds.

Level 19.

Only a short time had passed since he had first awakened.

His growth was fast.

Very fast.

But he didn't let that excitement cloud his judgment.

There were still many things he couldn't do.

His Mana attribute was low.

His Sword Intent remained locked.

He still had no idea what was required to unlock it.

And most importantly, he hadn't yet reached the limits of his swordsmanship.

That was what mattered.

Subin descended the staircase.

The fifth floor was completely different.

The moment he stepped down, he saw an enormous underground chamber.

There were no ordinary corridors.

No small rooms.

No statues lining the walls.

The entire floor was one massive battlefield.

At the far end stood a gigantic stone gate.

And before it stood dozens of Stone Guardians.

Subin stopped.

His eyes slowly moved across the chamber.

[Stone Guardian — Level 17]

[Stone Guardian — Level 18]

[Stone Soldier — Level 18]

[Stone Swordsman — Level 19]

There were more than thirty of them.

Subin slowly drew his Silver Fang Sword.

For the first time since entering the dungeon, a genuine smile appeared on his face.

"This should be interesting."

The nearest Stone Guardian raised its weapon.

Then another.

Then another.

One after another, the entire chamber came alive.

Subin lowered his stance.

His sword pointed toward the monsters.

The battle for the deepest floor had begun.