TRGS 11

Chapter 11

“That’s a black aura.”

When the Sword Specter taught Eugene about Ghost of the Blade, he made sure to emphasize a few key points.

Ghost of the Blade was an S-rank skill.

To learn and acquire it, one absolutely needed comprehension.

“The basics of swordsmanship involve posture, weight distribution, and more. But what I value the most—”

“Is what?”

“Is momentum. The pressure that overwhelms your opponent.”

“Momentum?”

“Yes. You’ll often meet enemies who are just as skilled as you—or even stronger. No matter how much of a sword genius you are, time beats talent. You can’t win without momentum.”

Ghost of the Blade was a skill that could tip the odds in your favor—even with less investment and effort.

“That’s why momentum will be the key to determining your victory.”

Eugene gripped his sword and slowly adjusted his stance.

Lower body strength was crucial—your legs were what kept you grounded and allowed your arms to swing the sword freely.

Fortunately, Eugene’s legs were solid—he had worked long hours standing on factory floors in an enhancement plant.

“!”

His flawless posture caused the goblin to flinch instinctively.

This was a goblin from a C-rank dungeon. It was larger and stronger than a regular goblin, but its real advantage was intelligence.

Ki…Kiiieeek!

Intelligence allowed for judgment.

And among the many things it could judge—was whether its opponent was stronger or weaker.

In this case, its instincts and intelligence screamed in unison:

That man is dangerous.

KIEEEEK!!

When the weak face the strong, there are only two choices:

Flee or fight.

And this goblin chose the latter.

KIEEEEEEEEK!!

It raised its spear and charged.

Among all the goblins in this dungeon, it was the weakest.

Even so, it was still stronger than Eugene, who was only a D-rank hunter.

“Tch.”

It faltered slightly due to my pressure—but not enough to scare it away.

No matter how sharply he honed his momentum like a blade, at the end of the day, Eugene was still a D-rank.

Lacking actual strength meant even weak goblins could overlook his pressure.

That’s annoying.

Time to crush it.

Eugene shifted his grip and changed his stance again.

While Ghost of the Blade helped apply pressure, that wasn’t its core feature.

This was still swordsmanship.

What if the pressure doesn’t work?

It’ll still throw the opponent off even a little. What matters is what comes next.

Schwing—

The sword moved.

It wasn’t particularly fast, so the goblin relaxed for a split second.

And in that moment—

Slash!!

KIEEEEEEEEEEKK?!

A long, clean gash opened across its chest, blood gushing out.

The goblin staggered backward, its expression visibly shaken.

Now was the time.

Eugene stepped forward.

Once Ghost of the Blade is activated, the opponent can’t read your sword’s trajectory.

That was the skill’s core feature.

Enemies can’t track the path of your sword.

This didn’t matter much against dumb monsters. But against intelligent foes—especially those who used swords or weapons—being able to predict an enemy’s moves was crucial.

In that aspect, Ghost of the Blade gave a significant advantage—particularly in sword duels.

[Skill ‘Ghost of the Blade (S)’ activated.]
[Proficiency is low.]
[Sword power increased by 10%.]

Currently, Eugene’s base sword power was at 40%.

That was enough to slice through a neck.

He struck again like a bolt of lightning.

The goblin raised its spear in defense, but the blade was faster.

Slice!

The sharp edge cut through the goblin’s throat. Its head hit the ground with a stunned expression.

[Level Up.]
[Level Up.]
[Level Up.]

“Oh?”

Thunk.

The moment the head dropped—his level shot up.

Eugene opened his status window.

[Status Window]

Name: Han Eugene
Class: Soul Enhancement Sorcerer (Enhancement)
Trait: Level Up (4)
Unique Skill: Soul Enhancement

Stats:

• Strength: [7]

• Agility: [5]

• Endurance: [7]

• Magic Power: [15]

• Unallocated Points: [6]

Consumes mana to enhance skills, equipment, etc.
Your soul is intact and vivid. Soul Enhancement Sorcerer abilities are enhanced.

Two free stat points per level-up, huh?

Kinda disappointing that killing a C-rank only gave three levels.

But still—not a bad haul.

Wasn’t it one tier per 30 levels?

To offset the slow leveling at the beginning, early tier boundaries were low.

From D-rank and up, 30-level jumps were standard. That meant Eugene would need at least level 45 to reach C-rank.

Put all points into Magic Power.

[Magic Power increased from 15 → 21.]

He needed to train his physical stats eventually—but for now, Magic Power took priority.

Eugene’s main was enhancement. And to enhance effectively, he needed mana.

I can use gear to make up for physical stats later.

With a few magic stones from here, he could make enough cash.

Right, I’ll need money too.

Maybe he needed a sponsor.

I should pay that old man a visit.

Eugene was already thinking ahead.

“Your magic power increased?”

“Guess I’m just built different.”

The Sword Specter looked stunned. That Eugene gained magic power just from killing a C-rank goblin?

Of course, his unique trait had a lot to do with it.

He must’ve forgotten I’m only D-rank.

It was probably more shocking that someone could grow just from killing one goblin.

And it was definitely annoying.

The Sword Specter had a talent for getting on people’s nerves.

“Mind if I keep this magic stone?”

“Whatever.”

“Sweet.”

Eugene deftly extracted the goblin’s magic stone—hands as smooth as a professional butcher.

Where the hell did he learn that?

Logically, there was no way he’d learned proper butchery. But the Sword Specter couldn’t help but wonder.

That’s how skillful his hands were.

“Now you just need to clear the dungeon.”

“Got it.”

“Then let’s move out.”

“…?”

Eugene had no plans to clear the dungeon alone.

He picked up a fallen spear and followed the Sword Specter.

“Oh, by the way. Before you finish any kills—mind if I stab ‘em once first?”

“….”

As if he had a choice.

Had the Sword Specter known about Eugene’s level-up trait, his reaction might’ve been different.

But the guy only cared about swords—a true sword maniac.

“Do as you wish.”

“Nice.”

The Sword Specter began walking—not too fast, not too slow.

Eugene followed behind, thinking to himself.

Didn’t they say the exam is this week?

Clearing one dungeon by then would be perfect.

Got myself a strong ally, too—

The immediate crisis was handled.

The Sword Specter wouldn’t be available again if the timing was off.

Time to start laying the real foundation.

He’d gather more key players at a slower pace.

Last time, I only raised the Messiah.

He had picked Park Seungcheol, a playable-character-tier talent, and poured everything into him.

It ended in failure.

There’s a reason people say to diversify your portfolio.

No need to go all in again.

This time, Eugene would be the main focus—but he’d spread his investments wisely.

This time, there isn’t just one Messiah.

I’ll mass-produce them.

His goal was to gather every talented individual he could and build his own guild—

A guild solely for Han Eugene.

Minimum requirement was B-rank, right?

Not everyone was as eccentric as the Sword Specter. Eugene would still need to be somewhat strong.

And B-rank was a good starting goal.

Still a long way to go, though.

The team he envisioned needed to be balanced.

He himself was already a production/support type.

So—

Frontline: swordsman and tank.
Backline: mage and healer… something like that.

Plenty of useful talents existed not just in Korea, but abroad too.

Guess I’ll have to go global.

Time to work harder.

Eugene steeled his resolve.

[You have gained 10 levels.]

He had gained a full 10 levels inside the dungeon.

A flat boost of 20 total stat points.

Current Stats:

• Strength: [15]

• Agility: [5]

• Endurance: [15]

• Magic Power: [25]

Eugene swallowed hard at the numbers floating before him.

As expected of a hidden trait—the growth rate was insane.

Even with low contribution, this much…

Yep. Leeching in C-rank dungeons is the way to go.

If that was true, what about B-rank—or A-rank?

…No. That’s too dangerous.

Even with protection, those dungeons were deadly.

You needed enough strength to at least survive.

Besides, someone that strong wouldn’t give you enough room to earn contribution points.

And there were entry restrictions.

He’d gotten lucky this time, but higher-ranked dungeons would certainly block him out.

This is probably my last chance to leech.

KIEEEEK!

[You have defeated the Goblin Chieftain.]

The Goblin Chieftain died with a blood-curdling scream, one arm severed.

The Sword Specter wiped the blood from his sword and sighed.

“Fewer than expected.”

“Should we have gone to the spider cave instead?”

“That might’ve been better.”

They had killed only about 40 goblins.

Not bad, but nowhere near the 1,000 they needed.

“Let’s call it a day.”

“Alright.”

Looks like the power leveling was over.

Eugene nodded, a little disappointed.

“I’ll take the boss magic stone.”

“If I had claimed it, people outside would’ve found it suspicious. Easier to just go with the flow.”

“Right. Let’s say I just gave you a tour in exchange for money.”

The Sword Specter was smart enough to play along.

“But don’t you usually refuse jobs like that?”

“As long as I say you’ve got talent, it’s fine.”

“Yeah… that makes sense.”

Eugene nodded.

“Oh, right. Where do you live?”

“…Why do you ask?”

“I don’t know my own address.”

He didn’t know where his own house was?

The Sword Specter looked baffled. Eugene looked dead serious.

Wait, is he actually telling the truth?

“Worked too much at the factory. My memory’s fuzzy.”

“Then just go to the police station.”

“Oh…”

A realization dawned on Eugene’s face.

“You’re a genius.”

He’s insane.

The Sword Specter’s expression darkened.

After a few conversations, he was sure:

Eugene was not normal.

“So can I just crash at your place?”

“No.”

“Dang.”

He was probably staying in some dingy studio apartment.

Would’ve been better to take one of the Sword Specter’s many empty rooms.

But unfortunately, that offer was shut down.

Eugene clicked his tongue.

Won’t even give up one room. Stingy.

This guy’s completely nuts.

They each thought the other was insane.

“Let’s meet again sometime. Oh, before you go—”

“?”

“Find me one more dungeon.”

The Sword Specter’s face twisted in annoyance.

Not that he actually refused.

He’s secretly enjoying this. Pretending to be annoyed.