Survival Story of a Sword King

Win Over Magic with Muscles (2)

Artis couldn’t understand what just happened. “How did you stop the magic spell without doing anything?”

“Without doing anything? I put all my strength into it!”

Ryu Han-bin protested as if it was unfair.

“I’m a human too! If I don’t give it my all as it hits me, it would still hurt!”

“W-well, that’s not the problem…”

Anyone would’ve been killed upon being directly hit by magic. It didn’t matter whether they gave it their all to defend against it or not. Leaving the confused red Dragon behind, Han-bin stared at the Lich again.

The battle wasn’t over yet. The opponent was still alive though it seemed to be panicking.

“Nonsense! It can’t be!”

The Lich raised its arms as it screamed.

“Flame Spear! The Prominence Ball!”

The Lich sent a spear made out of flames and a gigantic fireball flying towards the swordsman. Han-bin charged at the Lich in return, taking his sword out of the ground in the process.

Taats!

Effortlessly, he deflected the burning spear with his sword.

Baaang!!

The flame spear was crushed and extinguished in an instant. The fireball that was closely following it was also hit by a crushing blow.

Boom!

The fireball exploded into pieces that rained down on them like a hail of fire.

The Lich gritted its teeth out of sheer frustration.

“What the hell are you?”

Spells weren’t supposed to be crumpled easily with bare hands. It wasn’t supposed to split apart like a fruit with a simple slice.

“How can you do that without using Aura?”

Feeling desperate, the Lich continued to conjure spells.

“Pour out, Cursed Arrow! Arrows of the Damned!”

Dozens of gray arrows crowded up in front of it.

Han-bin frowned as he kept running.

‘There are too many to dodge.’

However, there was no reason to be upset. If the arrows flew at him all at the same time, then he simply had to deflect all of it away.

“Hhhumppp!”

Breathing in, he pierced his greatsword into the earth and used it to scoop the ground into the sky.

“Haaait!”

The Cursed Arrows hit the rising clumps of soil, causing it to explode. It was a trick Han-bin learned while battling against a giant Demon Dog.

He continued to pursue the Lich as it launched spell after spell at him as it attempted to retreat, but Ryu Han-bin was much faster. Eventually, his black greatsword struck through the Lich’s face.

-Vertical cut!

The skill’s sheer force cut through the earth as the sword split the Lich apart mercilessly. The gold and jewels it was wearing scattered all over the place.

Baaaang!

However, the Lich still returned to life.

Tak. Tak. Tak.

As the sound of creaking came back, the bones of its whole body re-arranged itself together again. It was closer to reconstruction rather than regeneration.

Han-bin clicked his tongue.

‘Tsk. It isn’t like the giant demon Dog.’

The Lich’s magic itself was not much of a threat. It hurt a little, but it was easily manageable. It wasn’t that difficult to attack the opponent either. It was quick and glided all over the battlefield, but it wasn’t impossible to catch up to it. The problem was none of his damage lasted for more than a few seconds. No matter how much he destroyed its body, the bones simply reconstructed themselves.

“Khhf, fuahahaha.”

The Lich burst into an odd laugh.

“So you really can’t use Aura…”

There was no way he would miss such a golden opportunity otherwise. It also further confused it as to how he blocked such powerful magic.

“My body won’t be harmed regardless.”

Without Aura, he’s just a marvelous Swordman. The Lich could kill him by slowly tiring him out with magic. No matter how strong and tough he was, there would be limits for as long as he was human.

Regaining his confidence, the Lich raised its Mana.

“I have one more good research material! Hahaha!”

Han-bin tried to think of a solution as he watched the Lich burst into light. However, he couldn’t find any plausible theory to go along with.

“What should I do?”

It was during that moment when he remembered the description of the guideline.

[Race: The Lich. Mage lv. 72]

[This monster has turned itself into an Undead to maintain the magic of life. Its skeletal body will continue to be restored to its original state unless it’s completely destroyed. It is recommended to use Aura-based, Mana-based, Prana-based, or Force-based attacks against it.]

“Unless it is completely destroyed…”

Ryu Han-bin’s eyes glowed.

“That means…”

A strange smile crept upon his lips.

“I just need to smash it completely, don’t I?”

* * *

“I admit that you’re pretty strong, so…” Laughing, The Lich pointed its finger towards Ryu Han-bin. Mana gathered at its tip, which became a coat of light.

“I’ll just kill you slowly! Khufu”

The Lich fired another barrage of spells.

A chain of lightning cut through the air, followed by a spear of ice, as steel spikes shot out of the ground.

Taats! Taaatss! Hoop!

Ryu Han-bin broke the magic one by one as with ease. Thick forearms deflected the chains of lightning, His sword sliced the ice spear apart, and his feet’ soles crushed the steel spikes.

Paaaang! Daaang! Crunch!

noises echoed through the fields, he finally reached the Lich again.

His black greatsword began to shine in the dark.

-Horizontal Cut!

The Lich was unable to avoid it as usual.

Its legs were cleanly severed.

“It’s useless!”

The Lich tried to reorganize its body again as it laughed confidently.

“Haaits!”

With a warcry, Han-bin snatched the Lich’s left foot!

“Eek?”

The bones of the left foot began to emit blue light. He gripped it even tighter as the Lich laughed hysterically.

“Puahaha! You stupid bastard! Did you just grab my bones with your bare hands?”

The Lich’s body wasn’t just a bone but a crystal made out of magically powerful energy. Anyone who held it with their bare hands would experience effects similar to being poisoned. Even an Aura user wouldn’t do such something so foolish.

The Lich shouted in excitement.

“The magical power energy will enter and poison you!”

Indeed, Han-bin’s right hand that was holding the bone began to freeze up. Ice formed on his wrists and began to spread at a fast pace.

However…

“Oh, it’s cold.”

Ryu Han-bin’s expression was as calm as ever. There was no visible sign of pain.

“I’ll grind your foot into powder now.”

He put the Lich’s body part on the sword’s surfaces and crushed it. Lightning burst, flashes of light surged out, and pure Mana shrieked.

Pak! Paaaaak!

The Lich’s jawbone cracked open.

“Ugh!”

His left foot was being ground finely.

Tak! Tak Tak!.

It was also very easy to grind.

Han-bin made it look easier than grinding chicken bones.

“…….”

Within a few seconds, the Lich’s precious left foot was completely destroyed. Han-bin turned to the Lich while shaking his hand.

“Can it still go back after being turned into nothing?”

Frightened, the Lich tried to reconstruct his body.

‘Oh!’

Its bones didn’t reconstruct themselves.

“No way.”

Satisfied, Han-bin held his sword again.

His theory was right.

“But you still have so many bones. I should just smash it all.”

A curious gaze ran over the Lich’s body. Only then did it truly felt fear.

“I’m really going to die!”

The Lich frantically turned around and began to run away.

“It’s a little too late to run away now, isn’t it?”

Han-bin chased immediately after it and sliced through its body again.

The Lich’s right leg was cut off this time. He grabbed the thigh bone from the air and ground it with his sword.

Pak! Paaak!

Again, Mana curses and ill effects poured over him and covered him.

“It starts to feel nice after getting used to it.”

Han-bin looked like he was enjoying the breeze of an electric fan on a summer day. He wasn’t taking any damage at all.

“Ahh! My legs!”

The Lich could only limp away after losing both of its legs.

He had the ability to glide and float through the air, but the Mana was disorganized, and his magic was disrupted, making it difficult to fly.

Han-bin’s gaze turned towards the ground for a moment. In the distance, The Lich’s calf and right foot were just rolling over on the dirt.

“If I destroy bones close to the torso, will the remaining parts become useless?”

If so, he didn’t think he needed to smash all of the bones.

“I just need to break the major bones.”

He moved in earnest.

After catching up with the Lich’s slow escape, he cut through its body, grabbed the right arm bone, and then crushed it with his bare hands.

Paaaak!

“One.”

This time it was the other side. Han-bin pulled out the left arm bone and ground it with his sword.

“Two.”

After taking care of all its limbs, it was the body’s turn. After slicing the Lich up, he cut out the ribs and collected them from the air to make fun of them. He held it all at once and mashed it.

Paaaaaaaak!

“Three, four, five, six… No, why am I even counting them?”

The Lich’s pitiful scream never ceased as it slowly lost its body.

“Ahhhhhhhhh!”

* * *

A beaten-down skeleton riggled on the ground like an earthworm. It had lost too much body and could no longer use any magic.

It was a view unfit for a level 72 high-ranking monster.

“Sa-save me…”

“What? You’re not even a person.”

Clicking his tongue, Han-bin sliced through the Lich. The Lich’s neck was cut off, causing the body and head to be separated. After pulling out the whole spine, he held it in both hands and crushed it.

Daaaaakk!

The bluish remnants of its bones were scattered through the air. Even if it was infused with devilish magic, the remnants still glinted brightly as it fell. It would’ve been a beautiful sight to behold for someone who didn’t know what it was and pure fear for someone who did.

“Ugh, aaaaaarrgh……”

The skull groaned weakly.

Han-bin muttered while picking up the Lich’s skull with one hand.

“Once I smash this, will this bastard finally die?”

The guidelines suddenly appeared.

[This monster has turned itself into an undead to maintain the magic of life. To kill it completely, you must find and destroy the ‘Essence of Darkness’ containing the Lich’s vitality.]

Han-bin tilted his head.

“You mean it won’t just die? What is the essence of darkness? Isn’t it in its body?”

[……The one who was going to– going t-t-t–]

“Is the guideline really just going to pretend to get an error whenever it has nothing to say?”

He thought he’d get a short answer, at least.

“Fuck! I didn’t want to die, so I turned myself into a Lich…”

The skull cracked, and Mana leaked out. The Lich uttered its last laments.

“… Will I die in this world after all?”

As he finished his final words, the blue light disappeared from the Lich’s eye.

Ryu Han-bin was surprised.

“What?”

The skull he was holding in his hand disappeared.

The Lich’s remnants disappeared as well. It had completely vanished as if it didn’t exist in this world in the first place.

All that remained was the tattered rag gilded with gold and precious stones.

“Is that what’s supposed to happen when a Lich dies?”

Ryu Han-bin was puzzled.

Artis spoke softly and weakly.

“The Lich must’ve been an alien…”