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Chapter 8
“What can you offer me?”
“…”
The Sword Ghost thought for a moment before replying again.
“Everything you want—”
“Don’t give me that third-rate villain line. I asked what exactly you can offer.”
Yujin responded irritably.
He personally disliked vague promises like “I’ll give you anything.” It was like when someone asked what to eat for dinner and got the answer, “Anything’s fine.”
You had to be clear about what you could and couldn’t give—only then could you properly evaluate the reward.
“If I break through this sword’s limit, can you teach me one of your skills?”
“A skill? Which one—”
“<Ghost of the Sword>.”
“…!”
The Sword Ghost’s eyes widened in shock. Conflict flickered deep in those widened eyes.
<Ghost of the Sword>. It was a core skill that the Sword Ghost relied on—a cornerstone of his power. Eventually, that very skill would evolve into <God of the Sword>.
‘…There’s no way to pass it on directly. This guy must mean he wants help learning it.’
<Ghost of the Sword> wasn’t a skill that existed in a skill book.
It was a unique swordsmanship, shaped by how a person had lived with their sword.
That didn’t mean others couldn’t learn it—but it certainly took effort.
“I want you to teach me how to learn it.”
“…Fine. But I can’t give you the skill. I can only teach you.”
“That’s enough.”
The Sword Ghost seemed to accept this explanation. Though he still looked curious about how Yujin even knew of the skill.
‘But that’s less important than the sword right now.’
“…Fine. I’ll give it to you.”
“Is that a promise?”
“It is. I’ll even put it in a binding oath if you want.”
“That’s good enough.”
Yujin grinned.
‘Lucky. This is the best reward I can get right now.’
At the moment, Yujin wasn’t all that powerful.
Even with level-ups and new traits, his current stats were still low. That was unavoidable.
‘I need a lot—elixirs, items, dungeons, and so on.’
But what did he need right now?
‘If we’re talking short-term needs, it’s elixirs.’
Elixirs were one of the few ways to increase stats.
Naturally, they were very expensive.
But—
‘This is a chance to extract a reward from the Sword Ghost. Just an elixir would be a waste.’
He could always scrape together a loan to buy an elixir.
Immediate need was one thing, but opportunity was another.
‘Any losses from buying elixirs can be made up later.’
Yujin planned to grow stronger the more enemies he defeated.
That’s why—
‘<Ghost of the Sword>. That’s the most fitting reward.’
Skills are the foundation of every hunter’s strength.
Even if two hunters were the same rank, the skills they had could drastically change their standing.
‘And skills only get more important with time.’
Skills had proficiency, too.
It wasn’t shown visually, but everyone knew that using a skill increased its effectiveness over time.
So it was always better to get good skills as early as possible.
‘I can’t just focus on enhancement in this life.’
In his previous life, every enhancement consumed a piece of his soul. He had no choice but to be cautious.
But this life was different.
He planned to develop his combat abilities, too. After all, he was the only one who could see this game to the end.
“Alright. Let’s get started.”
“…”
Yujin rolled up his sleeves and took off his backpack.
The Sword Ghost watched him rummage through it.
‘Can I really trust this guy?’
Normally, there would be tests. Verifications.
Yujin gave no reason to trust him.
He looked shabby—cheap long sleeves, plain pants, and a face that was only notable for being handsome.
Nothing about him inspired confidence.
And yet, the Sword Ghost entrusted his sword to him because of—
‘Those eyes.’
Eyes filled with conviction.
Sure, even conmen could fake conviction in their eyes.
But this was different.
‘Even I flinched for a moment.’
They called him the Sword Ghost because he slaughtered enemies like a man possessed.
Some said he was mad with the sword. He never believed that.
Still, if it was about raw intensity, he was never lacking—but the look in Yujin’s eyes had been something else.
‘No way someone with eyes like that is a scammer.’
And then—
Zzzzt…
The Sword Ghost’s instincts kept ringing.
His A-grade skill: <Swordsman’s Instinct>.
Not rare—but a common skill among elite sword-wielders.
<Swordsman’s Instinct>
Grade: A (Evolved)
Effect: Enhances perception to read enemy attacks and patterns in combat. Applies outside combat as well.
But his version of <Swordsman’s Instinct> was special.
Maybe because of high proficiency, it activated not only in battle but also in key moments, like a sixth sense.
This was one of those moments.
<Swordsman’s Instinct> whispered that he could trust Yujin.
‘…So just this once. I’ll trust my instinct.’
That instinct had saved his life more than once.
It was like a companion he’d lived with all his life.
So this time, he decided to trust it.
‘If it fails—’
The Sword Ghost quietly touched the cross necklace around his neck.
‘I’ll kill him here.’
“Alright. I’m ready.”
Right on cue, Yujin pulled something out of his bag.
It gleamed faintly.
“…A mana stone?”
“It’s only D-rank, but it should be good enough.”
What Yujin was doing now was foundational work.
He didn’t have enough resources to expand the sword’s vessel completely.
But this was enough to prove that he could fix it.
“Then let’s begin.”
[Skill: Soul Enhancement activated.]
[The sword’s grade is too high.]
[Additional materials required.]
[Use D-rank mana stone?]
A strange light began to glow from both the sword and the mana stone.
*
Enhancement wasn’t as simple as just using a skill.
Well, for low-level enhancers, maybe.
‘Low-grade weapons are easy—you just click and it’s done.’
But not with something like Bigreed, an S-rank weapon.
[Weapon grade is too high.]
[Mana cost increased.]
The first requirement was mana.
That’s where the mana stone came in.
Mana stones stored magical energy and allowed its use.
For someone like Yujin, who had fought in many wars, drawing mana from them was second nature.
‘And they’re more than just mana batteries.’
[Absorb used mana stone?]
‘Yes.’
Vmmm…
Bigreed absorbed the mana stone.
[Durability increased.]
“!”
“Don’t react. Stay still.”
Worried he might panic, Yujin warned him and focused back on Bigreed.
The dangerously low durability had been patched with the mana stone.
Next—
‘Time to expand the vessel.’
This couldn’t be done by just brute-forcing mana into it.
He had to raise the quality of the metal that made up the sword.
‘Still, there’s a way to do it efficiently.’
He opened his eyes wide.
Faintly, points of energy appeared across the petrified blade.
‘The grain.’
The focal points where mana flowed.
If he strengthened those, he could reduce mana usage.
But there was no skill to help with that.
So—
‘Manual control it is.’
Zing!
And this was his specialty.
Yujin ran his fingers across the blade.
Mana flowed smoothly along the surface.
‘Easy.’
It was far easier than dealing with life force.
‘…He’s controlling mana that precisely?’
The Sword Ghost’s eyes widened in awe at the visible flow of mana.
At first, he thought Yujin was a blacksmith. But no hammer, no tools.
Then he thought he might be a mage—his mana control was that delicate.
Of course, the Sword Ghost didn’t know Yujin had once handled even trickier life force.
But then—
[Bigreed beginning Phase 1 enhancement…]
[Enhancement in progress…]
A message appeared before his eyes.
The Sword Ghost looked stunned.
‘An enhancer can do all this?’
Enhancers. A fairly well-known profession.
Not common, but every hunter had heard of them.
The reason the Sword Ghost hadn’t immediately guessed?
‘They’re usually low-skill push-button types.’
Enhancers had poor stats and relied on easy-use skills.
Low-level ones couldn’t even do proper enhancements—ending up in factories instead.
‘…What’s his grade?’
At least A-rank.
He was enhancing an S-rank sword, after all.
‘But I’ve never seen him before.’
Enhancers above A-rank were rare.
They could form their own guilds and nobles wouldn’t dare cross them.
Vmmm!
Bigreed hummed faintly.
At the final pulse of mana, the Sword Ghost’s eyes widened.
‘Already?’
He’d expected it to take over an hour.
At that impossible speed, doubt crept in.
Maybe it failed?
Vmmmm…
But the next message washed all doubt away.
[Enhancement succeeded.]
As the light faded, Bigreed was revealed.
Half the petrification had lifted.
The Sword Ghost’s eyes filled with joy.
A sword that hadn’t changed no matter how many billions were poured into it…
Had finally begun to heal.
[Bigreed’s vessel has been partially enhanced.]
[Phase 1 unlock condition met.]
[Hidden condition revealed.]
[Condition 1: Vessel enhancement complete.]
[Condition 2: Slay 1,000 monsters of C-rank or higher.]
[Condition 3: ??? (Locked)]
[Currently only 1/3 of the sword’s full abilities are usable.]
[Durability greatly increased. Durability: 30,000 / 90,000]
“Ooooh…!”
An exclamation of awe escaped the Sword Ghost.
“Can… can I touch it?!”
“It’s your sword. Just be gentle.”
“My sword is finally…!”
While the Sword Ghost cheered, Yujin downed a mana potion.
Thanks to previous enhancements, his recovery was faster than usual.
He winced.
‘This is exhausting.’
His body was tired—but what bothered him more was…
‘The mana stone quality is too low.’
Was it because it was only a D+ grade?
The result was less satisfying than he’d hoped.
[Mana used for enhancement is too low in quality.]
[Vessel expansion is temporary.]
[Further reinforcement required within 30 days.]
That message popped up as well.
But the Sword Ghost was too thrilled to notice.
Gripping his sword tightly, he looked at Yujin with blazing eyes.
“You really fixed my sword… Thank you.”
“Didn’t you see the message just now?”
“I saw it. But knowing it’s possible is enough. I can always get better mana stones.”
True enough. For an S-rank hunter, that was no problem.
“I’ll give you your reward right away.”
Shing!
Sliding the sword into its sheath, the Sword Ghost spoke.
“My skill.”
The <Ghost of the Sword> skill that defined the Sword Ghost himself—
“I’ll teach it to you. Right here and now.”
