Trait Hoarder – Chapter 133

Seoul Terror — Part 3

“Hahaha.”

The President wore a bemused expression.

“Black Tiger Swordmaster, just what kind of superhuman are you? You seem like a warrior, but also like a magic-shield fighter, and even a gunslinger… I’ve heard you’re Level 5, but you certainly don’t feel like it. You seem at least Level 6, if not higher.”

“You flatter me.”

“You live up to your reputation as the Black Tiger Swordmaster. Now I understand why the Legion Commander bestowed the Black Tiger Sword upon you—it must have been because he recognized your strength.”

The President stared intently at my face.

His gaze wasn’t just piercing; it felt like he was trying to dissect me with his eyes.

What’s with this guy?

When I gave him a puzzled look, he chuckled bitterly.

“I thought, perhaps, you might resemble the Legion Commander. But no, I see that’s not the case.”

“Some people make that assumption, but the Legion Commander and I are not related by blood.”

“Well, the Legion Commander has never cared about bloodlines. He’s always been a man who values people for who they are.”

As we spoke, I kept an eye on the outside.

The spatial disruption barrier was still active.

Should I break through it?

I couldn’t unleash sword aura, but I could use blade energy.

With enough time and mana, I could tear through a spatial disruption barrier like this.

“Move in!”

“Kill everyone inside!”

Thud, thud, thud!

The door to the apartment burst open, and small bombs rolled in.

The bombs activated, spewing green smoke.

Poison gas.

I instinctively glanced at the President.

He raised his right hand, giving me an OK signal.

The ring on his finger glowed with a radiant, multicolored light.

The actress was the same.

Wealthy people like them always wore protective magic rings as a basic precaution.

I activated Geumo Barrier through my hat.

A soft, golden light cascaded down like a curtain, enveloping my face.

The curtain of light functioned like a combination of goggles, a headset, and a gas mask, shielding me completely.

Though the green gas thickened, filling the apartment, it was useless against us.

Thanks to Geumo Sight, I could see everything clearly through the gas, reading the situation with ease.

Swish. Swish.

Assassins crept in, wearing sound-dampening shoes.

They moved like a special forces unit straight out of a movie, fully equipped with helmets, goggles, gas masks, mana-enhanced rifles, and mounted mana shields.

Not that it mattered—they were just snacks to me.

Bang! Bang!

I fed them shotgun blasts.

Before they could even form up or settle into position.

The moment our eyes met, I pulled the trigger.

Blood and sparks flew as death rained down.

Even through their gas masks, I could hear them cursing in frustration.

[Superhuman! There’s a superhuman here!]

[All internal squads are down! Second internal squad eliminated!]

[We need backup! We need backup!]

[There’s an incredibly strong superhuman guarding the President!]

[At least Level 6!]

[Level 6!]

By now, the assassins had stopped trying to enter.

Instead, they resorted to tricks from outside.

Through Bright Eyes and Geumo Sight, I saw them aiming what looked like a rocket launcher at me.

From outside the wall.

As if the apartment wall wasn’t even there.

‘What is that?’

It didn’t seem like an ordinary rocket launcher.

Which meant I couldn’t let it hit me.

I aimed my shotgun and fired.

The intangible bullets passed through the wall, striking the assassins.

“Urgh!”

“Gah!”

It wasn’t a lethal hit.

The rounds were infused with the [Paralysis] attribute.

Enough to incapacitate but not to kill.

Still, it was enough to throw the assassins into disarray.

Panicked, they dropped the rocket launcher and retreated.

For a moment, the battle paused.

An eerie stillness settled over the room, yet I felt more tension than ever.

The Danger Sense ring on my finger burned like fire, and my throat felt tight.

When I tried to swallow, my tongue was dry as sandpaper.

I tightened my grip on the shotgun.

“What’s wrong?”

Even the President seemed to notice something amiss, looking at me with concern.

Using Bright Eyes and Sixth Sense, I scanned the surroundings.

Nothing appeared.

But the unease only grew stronger.

Then, when a woman walked in through the front door, I understood the source of my dread.

“Well, well. Do I have to handle this myself?”

A woman in her early thirties wearing jeans and a white tank top.

Her right arm was a solid steel prosthetic.

Her face was partially replaced with an alloy, and her eyes, nose, mouth, and ears were all cybernetic implants, giving her an unsettling appearance.

At a glance, she resembled a bio-enhanced soldier.

But she wasn’t.

Mistaking her for one and dealing with her as such would be a fatal error.

‘Damn it! It’s [Massacre Empress]!’

The boss of Episode 1: Seoul Terror.

In the game, encountering her required completing numerous surprise quests, side quests, and regional quests to build progress.

After that, the main quest would unlock, and only after completing it and descending to the lowest level of the massive Terror Alliance dungeon would you face her.

Level 7 Massacre Empress.

In the game, she wasn’t too difficult.

If you leveled up properly in the main storyline, had the right equipment and traits, and tackled her with a full Level 7 party, she wasn’t insurmountable.

But now, here I was—a mere Level 5—standing face-to-face with Massacre Empress.

No help. No backup. And carrying extra baggage in the form of the President and the actress.

This was bad.

And it was all because of the [Massacre] trait I had just acquired.

As her name implies, Massacre Empress also possessed the [Massacre] trait.

A Level 6 superhuman? A Level 5 superhuman?

Facing her head-on was nearly impossible.

Even if you managed to land a lucky hit, she wouldn’t go down easily.

When she entered Phase 2, she would activate the [Unapproachable] trait, entering an invincible state.

Fighting her without a consumable to nullify invincibility was suicide.

Massacre Empress looked at me with a cold smile.

Her cybernetic eye whirred as the iris expanded and contracted unnervingly.

“Well, well, Black Tiger Swordmaster? What an unexpected prize. If I chop you up and hang your remains in Gwanghwamun, that old tiger will just love it, won’t he?”

Her face was the same as in the game.

Despite the time difference, she hadn’t aged a day.

Of course—she was far older than she looked.

She’s already over fifty, isn’t she?

Schwing.

Massacre Empress unsheathed her sword.

It was closer to a Japanese katana than a traditional blade.

The moment it left its scabbard, it radiated a sharp, jet-black light.

Yoto Masamune.

A cursed blade that always hits its target and inflicts a random curse with every successful strike.

Among the weapons obtained in Episode 1, it ranked highly.

I wasn’t particularly fond of katanas, but players who liked them were absolutely obsessed.

“Hoo…”

I tossed the shotgun aside and drew the Black Tiger Sword.

With my left arm, I deployed Aegis, and in my left hand, I gripped Mjolnir.

Massacre Empress’s cybernetic eye whirred, its aperture adjusting rapidly.

“Dual-wielding? Let’s see how well the old tiger trained you.”

She took a single step forward.

From a distance, she swung the Masamune downward.

A light motion, as if swatting away a fly.

But the result was like a storm.

The ash-gray sword energy, tinged with black light, flew toward me.

Boom!

“Urgh!”

I blocked it with Aegis.

All my traits had been switched to defensive ones.

Even so, the overwhelming force struck me like a hammer.

Cracks formed across the milky-white shield, and a sour sensation welled up from my heart and stomach.

I couldn’t hold it back.

“Ugh!”

A torrent of blood spewed from my mouth.

Just blocking one attack had brought me to this state…

But instead of retreating, I charged forward.

Equipping my Trinity Build and Double Power Build, I became a meteor!

“Hm?”

Massacre Empress’s aperture widened.

Was that surprise on her face?

Her metallic lips twisted slightly, a smirk that could have been mocking or impressed.

She swung the Masamune in a crescent arc to block my attack.

Clang!

A deafening boom echoed as a shockwave exploded at point-blank range.

It was astonishing.

Massacre Empress had deflected my full-powered Meteor Sword attack with such an effortless move.

She hadn’t even exerted any real strength.

“Not bad.”

Massacre Empress said, peering into my eyes.

A faint smile lingered in her cybernetic eye and her mechanical voice.

The recoil from her block rippled through me.

It felt like my heart and stomach were being twisted, but I refused to stop.

Massacre Empress was far more skilled in offense than defense.

And with her [Massacre] trait, she was especially lethal against weaker opponents.

If I hesitated here, even for a second, my head would be rolling within three seconds.

“Die!”

If I wanted to live even a second longer, I had to keep moving.

I had to unleash an unrelenting barrage of attacks.

The moment my Meteor Sword was blocked, I was already in motion.

[Giant’s Strength] [Vajra Body] [Mana Core].
[Onslaught] [Empathic Vision] [Shield Bash].

When I became Level 5, I had consumed the Goat Demon Elixir, which granted me the [Onslaught] trait.

The more consecutive attacks I landed, the more my attack power and speed increased, stacking up to 10 times.

I had no choice but to trust myself.

To trust the traits I had accumulated and my ability to switch traits.

Boom!

The Shield Bash struck.

Aegis slammed into Massacre Empress’s face.

Just before impact, Aegis expanded fully, amplifying the force of the attack.

Massacre Empress didn’t dodge.

She simply widened her mechanical eye’s aperture and met the attack head-on.

“Hah!”

As if it were amusing to her.

Even after taking the hit, she didn’t seem to have sustained much damage.

Her glowing cybernetic eye, the ash-gray sword energy surrounding the Masamune—everything remained intact.

In fact, the mana coursing through her steel prosthetic arm only intensified, as if she were preparing to slice me in half.

No way.

I immediately launched my next attack.

[Close-Combat Mastery] [Strike].

I swapped out Empathic Vision and Shield Bash for these traits.

I hurled myself at her like a cannonball, like a dump truck, slamming into Massacre Empress!

Thud!

“Mm!”

This attack actually caught her off guard.

Her aperture contracted slightly.

If she were human, it would have been the equivalent of furrowing her brows.

But this wasn’t the end.

My assault had only just begun!

Swish!

I swung the Black Tiger Sword in rapid succession.

The Tiger King’s Twin Slash, a dual-slash technique.

Two crescent slashes tore toward her chest.

Apparently, even she couldn’t take this lightly, as she blocked with the Masamune.

Boom!

Immediately after, I brought Mjolnir down upon her.

It wasn’t a refined or sophisticated move—just a raw, straightforward attack.

The only traits I had equipped were Close-Combat Mastery and Empathic Vision.

But a divine weapon was still a divine weapon.

Lightning surged straight toward her steel prosthetic arm.

“You bastard!”

By now, this was my fifth consecutive attack.

Aside from her first move, Massacre Empress hadn’t been able to swing her sword properly.

Her frustration seemed to boil over as her aperture expanded to its maximum.

Ignoring my relentless assault, she lunged forward with a thrust from the Masamune.

‘I’m dead!’

A red warning flashed in my mind.

My instincts screamed at me to dodge, to escape.

But I didn’t evade.

Instead, I brought up Aegis to block.

Dodging was impossible.

The Yoto Masamune was a weapon with a guaranteed-hit ability—it couldn’t be avoided, only blocked!

BOOM!

“Urgh!”

The impact was twice as powerful as her previous attack.

Massacre Empress was finally starting to take this seriously.

A fiery pain shot through my arm.

My bone had fractured.

Internal damage worsened as blood gushed from my mouth like a fountain.

Massacre Empress twisted her metallic lips into a smile.

She seemed convinced it was over.

But it’s not over until it’s over.

Even as I felt my arm go limp, even as pain twisted my gut, even as my mana circuits wavered dangerously, I ignored it all and charged her again.

I stabbed with my sword, slammed into her with my body, struck her with Aegis, and brought Mjolnir crashing down!

“You little—!”

Massacre Empress, now visibly furious, swung the Masamune with frantic aggression.

Yet none of her strikes landed a critical blow.

The overwhelming force of her attacks tore at my body, but they weren’t enough to kill me outright.

A curse?

Equipping [Indomitable] every time a curse hit me, I neutralized it immediately.

Massacre Empress’s sole weakness: close-quarters combat.

At a range where I could feel her breath right in front of me, where her evaporating sweat heated my body, she couldn’t fully utilize her abilities.

Six of her traits were practically sealed, leaving her to rely on occasional basic attacks.

That’s why I was clinging to her so desperately.

BOOM! BOOM!

“You’re like a goddamn tick! Get off me! What the hell did that old tiger even teach you?!”

Massacre Empress roared, unleashing a wave of sword energy.

The apartment began to collapse.

Walls and pillars cracked, and the floor started to give way.

Along with the shattering space-disruption barrier, the crimson sky burned vividly into view through the crumbling structure.

“Red! Get the two of them out of here!”

I seized the opportunity and shouted.

Right on cue, Red Cougar flew into view.

The President, quick on the uptake, hoisted the actress onto his back and leapt onto the flying car.

“Hm?”

Massacre Empress turned her mechanical eye to the President and Red Cougar.

“So that’s what you were aiming for?”

She shifted her stance, raising the Masamune high before tucking it behind her back.

The hair on the back of my neck stood on end.

Her ultimate skill: [Heaven and Earth Severance].

‘Can I block this?’

I could use Grand Escape to flee.

But if I ran, the President would certainly die.

I couldn’t let that happen.

If the President died, the Seoul Terror would unfold exactly as the Saintess intended.

The chaos would spiral out of control.

The Korean government would become a shell of its former self, utterly paralyzed during Episode 2: The Zombie Crisis and Episode 3: The Awakening of the Ancient God.

The Saintess would laugh wickedly in the shadows, delighting in her success.

I’d rather die than let that happen!

[Iron Body] [Undying] [Mana Core].
[Einherjar Cultivation Technique] [Mana Shield] [Empathic Vision].

I invested every single trait into defense.

Gripping Aegis with both hands, I channeled all my mana into it.

In my other hand, I held Mjolnir.

Activating the Geumo Set to its fullest extent and amplifying my mana with the Eclipse Ring, I simultaneously siphoned mana from Massacre Empress.

My entire body radiated light, especially my iron-reinforced fists, which shone brilliantly.

When I activated the Iron Fist, my defensive preparations were complete.

“Heh. Die.”

Massacre Empress swung the Masamune.

Flash!

The world split apart.

The ash-gray, razor-sharp energy cut through me and Aegis alike.

“Ugh!”

Aegis shattered.

The milky-white shield disintegrated, and my arm was severed.

I felt death looming over me.

However, while the blade had severed my arm and struck my chest, it didn’t pierce my heart. The energy dissipated just before it could.

Aegis.

My Iron Fist-reinforced arm.

My S-Rank protective gear.

And my Iron Fist-reinforced torso.

The blade’s power had been exhausted, worn down as it tore through my defensive layers.

Massacre Empress’s aperture widened in disbelief.

“You blocked it? You? At Level 5?”

By now, the President had boarded Red Cougar.

Vrooooom!

Red Cougar roared as it sped away at maximum velocity.

Massacre Empress ground her teeth audibly.

“Let’s see you block this again!”

She tucked the Masamune behind her back once more.

A dazzling aura of mana erupted from her, killing intent surging from sky to ground as if it would cleave the world in half.

Even before her blade moved, the sheer pressure crushed down on my heart like a physical force.

I laughed.

Genuinely, with all my heart, I laughed.

“Thank you.”

“What?”

“Thank you for being such a fool.”

“You bastard!”

I pressed my severed arm against the ground with one leg, while using the other to retrieve the shotgun I had discarded earlier.

With my one good hand, I reached into the top pocket of my golf bag.

My fingers brushed against something hard.

The Grand Escape Ring, a gift from the Tower Master.

I had never used it—until now.

I activated it.

Flash!

A brilliant light consumed me as the world faded into the distance.

“You son of a—!”

Massacre Empress’s enraged scream echoed faintly, growing fainter as I vanished.

–TL Notes–
Tired of seeing Ads? Then please support me on Patreon! Any tier of subscription will make it so you won’t get any ads!

If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at patreon.com/MattReading

Join my Discord! https://discord.gg/BWaP3AHHpt