The Swordsman Genius Returnee Even Swallows Immortality

23

Please accept us into Pampelion.

Dante was taken back by the story he had never heard before.

However, Habell didn’t seem to be particularly interested.

It was one of the words he had heard the most in his life.

Dante looked back at Habell.

There was anticipation in his eyes.

“Hello, Mr. Haber. I’m here to apply!”

Dante had been the only knight in Banpellion his entire life.

So, he couldn’t help but feel anticipation.

‘If they keep this up, I’ll give them my heart and soul.’

Haber clicked his tongue.

But it was Dante himself who would be leading the Dawn Knights from now on.

So, it was good to develop an eye for people while he was at it.

‘Just in case.’

Haber glanced at one of the gathered individuals.

Although one guy seemed to have other intentions.

“Hmm.”

As Haber handed the authority over to Dante, Dante cleared his throat, looked at them, and opened his mouth.

“May I assume that by asking to be accepted into Banpellion, you mean you want to join the Knights?”

“Yes, that’s right!”

At that, the man who had been standing at the very front influenced.

Tanned skin.

Close-cropped hair.

Even prominent eyebrows.

He had a masculine appearance and was oozing with passion.

He actively spoke about why he had chased after the two of them.

“Until now, I thought I could climb the Tower on my own without belonging to any group! But I collapsed at the wall on the 5th floor.”

For small groups, there were increasing limitations on the Tower.

The 5th level, the Dark Zone, was a prime example.

Gehenna was an area inhabited by a large-scale criminal organization.

Small-scale groups were easy targets for Gehenna.

“I spent my days simply envying the Knights, and that’s when I heard about it. About Banpellion defeating the Glysys bombing and climbing the Tower with just the two of you!”

The Knights, who had been considered an absolute power, had been defeated by just two people.

That fact ignited a fire in the hearts of many.

After all, there were many who had been burdened by the greatness of their families.

“I wanted to follow in their footsteps! That’s what I thought!”

And that fire had spread to Banpellion.

A family that had lost its power to stand up to the Five Great Families.

These people were captivated by the heroic story.

“I greatly value your determination.”

Dante sympathized with his thoughts.

After all, Dante had thought the same way before he met Haber.

“But Banpellion isn’t a place that accepts just anyone.”

Banpellion’s Dawn Knights weren’t a place that just anyone could enter.

Fortunately, Dante was well aware of that fact.

“Right now, we’re climbing the Tower.”

There is no better place to see a person’s true nature than a tower.

The more extreme the situation, the more their true nature is revealed.

“As you climb the floors, we will judge whether you are qualified to enter the Order of the Dawn.”

“Order of the Dawn?”

“It is an order of knights that represents the Van Pellion family.”

It was a kind of entrance exam.

Dante looked back at Havel.

It seemed that Havel wanted him to decide on this.

Havel stood before them, willing to help them to that extent.

They looked at Havel questioningly.

“That, man.”

“Wasn’t he a mercenary?”

Glaysis and Graiza hid Havel’s existence.

That was because Van Pellion would only benefit from revealing him.

So, the world only knew Dante, and still did not know Havel well.

“The entrance exam is simple.”

However, Havel did not mind their gazes.

“Follow me.”

He only informed them of the very simple test content.

However, there was no one who did not know the contents of this test.

The fact that the two of them had climbed the tower at an incredible speed was already well-known.

And that speed was mostly due to an absurd forced march.

Knowing that fact well, the people hardened their faces.

They knew that if they could not keep up, they would be eliminated.

“Let’s go.”

Dante also turned around as Havel turned and walked.

The test had begun.

Realizing that fact, the others hurriedly began to follow Havel and Dante.

It was the beginning of the Order of the Dawn’s entrance exam in 100 years.

* * *

Darkness where you could not see an inch ahead.

There were those passing through that darkness.

First, there were two people in the lead.

Havel and Dante.

These two had not stopped once since entering the dark zone.

Havel, needless to say.

Dante’s physical strength and aura control had also increased tremendously due to training.

On the other hand, the group chasing them was on the verge of death.

They could not see ahead, and the evil species suddenly appeared in the darkness.

The dark zone was mainly filled with evil species that had developed hearing instead of sight.

So even the slightest sound gathered them like a pack of dogs.

Thanks to this, a swift resolution was necessary for the battle.

If the fight was dragged on, the number of evil spirits in the darkness would only increase.

Dante and Habell were indifferent to this.

The two killed the evil spirits in an instant, without even the sound of their swords.

However, those who followed couldn’t do the same.

The fight was dragged on, and the noise attracted more evil spirits.

On top of that, Habell and Dante didn’t rest, so they couldn’t rest either.

It was the first time they had marched this hard in their lives.

“Crazy, those guys are crazy. I’m not going to. I’m going to fall out!”

They were now on the 52nd floor.

One by one, people began to drop out.

Those who had reached their physical limits had declared their withdrawal.

The first problem was lack of ability.

“Tsk, there’s only two of them and they’re even testing us? Fine. I’m going too. There’s no point in going on like this and just dying.”

On the 53rd floor, another drop-out sneered.

They were the ones who had come along, hoping for a free ride.

But now that there was no free ride, not even food, they decided to drop out.

“I thought we could just pass through the Dark Zone easily.”

“They were just plain crazy.”

And halfway through the 53rd floor, a few more people followed them.

The second problem was humanity.

Those who were only interested in personal gain, not in Pandemonium.

So they could give up easily.

After that, people continued to drop out.

It was certainly a simple test.

However, there weren’t many who could pass the test.

The number of people had quickly dwindled to four.

Considering that there were about 20 people at the beginning, it had really decreased a lot.

“Quite a few have dropped out, don’t you feel sorry for them?”

Habell asked, but Dante shook his head.

“I think those who pass this first initiation will be the roots that will lead Dawn.”

Those who pass this test will be the foundation of the Dawn Knights.

Such a foundation must not be rotten from the roots.

If someone who doesn’t have the ability or the character takes a place, it’s a rotten root.

So the foundation had to be built with those who had both virtues.

“So I don’t feel sorry for them at all.”

Rather, Dante was glad that there were four left.

Habell smiled.

As expected, Dante was fit to be the leader.

‘It was worth watching. He’s gutsy anyway.’

Dante had grown stronger since joining the Tower.

Physically and mentally, he had definitely matured.

“You thought well.”

So Habell praised Dante sincerely.

“You need to choose carefully who will be your arms and legs.”

“Yes.”

Dante answered with a serious expression.

In the meantime, a cave appeared in the dark labyrinth.

It was a point place where you could usually rest in the dark zone.

“Let’s rest.”

Even if it was a forced march, it was time to rest once.

Then, those who were exhausted barely showed their colors.

Since they had endured the forced march, a break like a drizzle was inevitable.

In the cave, they quickly prepare to rest.

They also have the know-how accumulated as they climbed to the 5th stage.

Thanks to that, it didn’t take long to set up a place to sleep.

“How are you going to keep watching?”

The most passionate man.

Dorison approached Dante and asked.

“Stand among yourselves. I will take turns with Mr. Habell.”

“Are you talking about two shifts?”

Dorison looked surprised.

It was because it was a story I had never heard of.

“Yes, we’ve always done that.”

Dante replied, “If it were natural,

Seeing that, Dorison felt goosebumps for some reason.

They are doing two shifts after this forced march.

I felt once again how monstrous the stamina of the two was.

‘Even if it’s Dante-nim.’

Dorison’s gaze turned towards Hubbell.

Dante had always treated him like a superior.

Besides, his black sword, which was often visible in the darkness, was truly evil.

It was the first time he had ever seen a 5th-stage evil species cut in one blow.

‘What the hell does he do?’

It was clearly said that he was a mercenary.

However, I couldn’t put that question into words.

So Dorison said he understood and went back to the others.

Dante looked at him and asked Habell.

“What about that guy?”

“He’s okay. I think it’ll be fine to choose him if he likes you.”

If Dorison were to enter the Knights of the Dawn, Dante would be his superior.

So he already trusted Dante’s judgment and followed it well.

He was also quick-witted and made decisive judgments.

On top of that, his skills were good enough to follow Dante and Habell.

He was a much-needed talent for the Knights.

“The remaining three, then.”

One was a man named Blen.

He had the youngest appearance but was the oldest in age, and he was blunt.

However, his swordsmanship skills were the best out of the four.

He also had great endurance, not uttering a single groan even during forced marches.

He would diligently carry out any assigned task.

“Ronslot is also good.”

Ron Slot was a man with excellent tracking abilities.

He might have been a bit too talkative, but his true colors showed when tracking.

He was sensitive to the appearance of ominous signs and was always the first to notice danger.

He was also good at dismantling traps that could be considered crises.

They had been able to chase after Habell and Dante largely thanks to him.

“The last one is Eltain.”

The last one was a man named Eltain.

He didn’t stand out much compared to the others.

He simply followed well.

If that was a merit, then it was a merit.

“Dante, I’ll have to match my night watch time with Eltain’s.”

At that moment, Habell suddenly spoke up.

“Eltain, you say?”

Dante glanced at Eltain.

To say that he wanted to match his time with Eltain meant that he had something to talk to him about.

“I understand.”

Dante didn’t ask any further.

He simply judged that Habell must have something in mind.

Meanwhile, Habell’s eyes, as he looked at Eltain, shone eagerly.

If the other side was going to hide it, then he would just have to force it out of them.

It was time to draw out the spy who had disguised themselves as an entrance test examinee.

* * *

It was impossible to tell whether it was day or night in the Darklands.

However, the darkness always brought fatigue.

Thanks to that, everyone was able to fall asleep quickly, except for those on night watch.

“Hwaaam.”

Meanwhile, Ronslot, who had finished his shift, stretched his limbs.

He lightly patted the person who had been sleeping covered only by a thin blanket.

“Eltain, Eltain, it’s your turn.”

Hearing his call, Eltain slowly got up.

He yawned with a tired face and his black hair standing out.

“Is it already my turn?”

“People who sleep don’t know how time passes. It’s been quiet except for one or two troublemakers in between, so let’s switch.”

“I understand.”

Eltain checked his weapon and got up from his seat.

Meanwhile, Ronslot, who had spread out the blanket, waved his hand.

“I’ll leave it to you.”

“You can count on me.”

He smiled and walked to the entrance of the cave.

Then, next is the dimly lit lantern.

Someone began to appear.

First, silver hair closes up to be white caught the eye.

And the back that was shown was very straight.

It was none other than Havel.

Havel was quietly staring into the darkness in a cross-legged position.

Was there something he could see?

Eltain glanced at the darkness.

However, there was nothing to be seen.

“Sit down.”

At that moment, Havel opened his mouth.

It seemed that he was bothered by someone standing next to him.

Eltain sat down next to him.

“You must have had a hard time. Isn’t it hard for the two of you to keep watch?”

Havel did not answer.

Seeing that, Eltain scratched the back of his head uncomfortably.

“If you’re tired, it’s okay to close your eyes for a bit. I’ll take over for you.”

“Let me ask you one thing.”

At that moment, Havel opened his mouth.

Eltain’s face lit up when the taciturn man spoke.

“Yes, ask me anything!”

However, the words that came out of his mouth were different from what he expected.

“How long are you planning to keep up the act?”

“Act, what act?”

Eltain reacted in confusion.

However, Havel’s expression remained unchanged.

Cold sweat began to break out on Eltain’s back.

His body reacted just by staring at him.

Amidst that pressure, Eltain unconsciously swallowed.

“You only get one chance.”

The rest is just a question and answer dance.