'I've finally mastered Slash! Now I can learn Divide the Sea! Oh, yeah!'

However, he would have to put an end to this battle first.

Kuhaaang!

Kang Oh unleashed a fearsome roar.

Demon's Roar!

"W-What was that!?"

"Uheok!"

The Red Claw Dwarves were so shocked that they completely focused on the source.

"I defeated Gainof!" Kang Oh yelled.

"I-Impossible!"

"Aah, Lord Gainof!"

Gainof's gray, bisected body sat underneath Kang Oh's feet.

"Surrender! If you don't, then I won't show you any mercy!" Kang Oh yelled murderously.

"What a load of shit!"

"Don't make me laugh!"

The temperamental dwarves strongly resisted his offer. They then rushed at Kang Oh all at once.

"I will inherit Lord Gainof's will!"

One of them desired power.

"Hmph!"

Swish! Slash! Swish! Slash! Swish!

None of them could withstand more than five swings.

Some of them were cut in half from a single Slash.

The dwarves went pale at the sight. They feared Kang Oh's overwhelming power.

"I-I surrender!"

"P-Please spare me!"

They bent their knees one or two at a time.

With this, the battle had reached its conclusion.

The Lava Demons raised their thick arms into the air, and stomped on the floor.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

That was the best they could do to respond to Kang Oh's efforts.

With the Lava Demons and Sara's help, Kang Oh tied up all of the dwarves. Some of them were tied with rope, while the others were bound by ice.

He planned on leaving their fates to the Lava Tribe.

Kang Oh pointed at a nearby dwarf. "You!"

"Y-Yes?" The dwarf looked surprised.

"Take me to the teleportation crystal."

"U-Understood."

The bound dwarf arduously stood up and led him to the teleportation crystal.

Kang Oh followed him and entered a giant building.

In the middle of the wide underground room was a bright, floating crystal.

"T-That's it."

Kang Oh approached the crystal.

Whir.

A giant golden tiger shot out of Ubist, and struck the crystal.

Crack!

The crystal was completely destroyed. With this, he had completed all of his objectives.

[You have completed the quest, 'Drive Out the Red Claw Dwarves'.]

[Return to Eurasis for your reward.]

Kang Oh left a portion of the Lava Demons here to keep an eye on the remaining dwarves, and returned to the Lava Tribe's village with the rest of them.

It seems like they had already gotten the news, as members of the Lava Tribe popped out and swung their adorable arms into the air.

But that wasn't the best of it. All of their heads surged with flame pillars.

'Oh my gosh!'

"Lady Eurasis is waiting for you."

"Ah, yes."

Kang Oh stood before Eurasis.

"I've returned after completing my task."

"Good job."

[Closeness with the Lava Tribe has increased significantly.]

[You have acquired the title, Friend of the Lava Tribe.]

[You may now trade with the Lava Tribe. You may use their facilities or buy goods from their stores. The Lava Tribe will accept your money.]

"There are about 800 dwarves that have surrendered. I'll let you and the Lava Tribe decide their fate."

"Understood. And this is a small token of our appreciation."

An object shrouded in flame popped out of Eurasis's body and landed in Kang Oh's hand.

It was a long, diamond-shaped ore.

"This is Alarcon. It is left behind when a member of the Lava Tribe dies. However, that Alarcon is somewhat special."

"How so?"

"I used my flames to rid it of any impurities, so it's the purest piece of Alarcon we have. It's also our most valuable treasure."

Kang Oh checked the item's information.

[Pure Alarcon]

The mysterious metal, Alarcon. It is a perfect piece of Alarcon that lacks any impurities! It is unknown what kind of ability it possesses.

Material Rank: S.

"How would you use this? I don't really know much about Alarcon."

"I use it as a core to create Lava Demons."

Kang Oh's eyes gleamed. 'Oho, is that so? I should show this to Hoffman.'

He would be able to find a use for this ore.

"Thank you again for your help." Eurasis bowed her head.

"Please don't mention it," Kang Oh said, smiling happily.

He'd mastered Slash a lot faster by coming here. Plus, it had gained a unique ability.

"Then, if you'll excuse me." Kang Oh stood up. His business here was done.

"May the Sacred Flame light your path."

After that, he left Eurasis's residence, and immediately went around the village, looking for anything he could buy.

"Welcome."

"Please take your time looking around."

'You can buy Lava Stones here!'

Lava Stones were, like Wind Stones or Fire Stones, rocks that could store special energy. They were also more difficult to obtain than Wind Stones or Fire Stones.

The Lava Tribe also sold some other rare materials, as well as the Lava Armor set, lava weapons, etc. He didn't need any of them, but they would sell for a lot.

He also found some unique food ingredients; things like edible coal.

The ingredients tasted horrible. They tasted exactly as they looked: burnt. However, the Lava Tribe ate them as if they were delicious.

Rudy really loved the Flaming Pine Mushrooms. They were quite cheap too.

Thus, he bought as many of them as he could.

Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!

Rudy flapped its wings in excitement.

'I've taken a look around, so I guess it's time to return to Altein.'

He'd mastered Slash, so it was time to inherit Valan's Divide the Sea.

Kang Oh was also able to use an arch-shaped gate that lay in the corner of the village.

"Altein!"

Once he yelled his destination, the gate created a portal.

"Take care!"

"Come again!"

The Lava Tribe saw him off, and Kang Oh entered the portal.

* * *

The Holiseum.

It was the shrine of gladiators everywhere, and was also the place where countless gladiatorial matches took place. It was every gladiator's dream to fight in this arena!

Kang Oh had come here hundreds of times; he could find his way even with his eyes closed. He immediately headed underground.

He encountered Darion in the passageway.

Normally, he'd tease Darion, but today, he didn't have any interest. Kang Oh passed him by, and immediately headed for Valan's room.

Before he even knocked on the door, Valan said, "Come in!"

Kang Oh opened the door and saw Valan inside.

"Your footsteps gave you away. I knew it was you as soon as you came down." Valan grinned.

Although he'd lost an arm, and the Evil God's wicked energy coursed through the wound on his chest, he hadn't lost his sharp senses as a Grandmaster.

He was truly an amazing individual.

"How are you feeling?" Kang Oh asked.

"Just say what you came here to say."

"Does it show?" Kang Oh rubbed his face.

"A lot."

"I mastered Slash, so please teach me Divide the Sea!"

Divide the Sea!

It was the technique that Kang Oh wanted to learn the most. It was an absolute sword that cleaved through everything!

"Fine. Sit down."

"Yes."

"Do you know how Divide the Sea came to be?"

"No."

"When I became a Master, I had no interest in secret techniques. I believed that the greatest speed and power behind one's blade would result in the most powerful strike. But one day, I thought..."

Kang Oh remained silent, and listened attentively.

"Why don't I try cutting the sea? It'd be so cool to cut the sea with my blade!"

'This guy was really weird.'

"That's when I started swinging my sword at the sea. I don't remember how much I did it, but when I got a hold of myself, I was able to cut the sea, and became a Grandmaster."

"Excuse me?" Kang Oh gaped.

"Plus, I learned Divide the Sea. After that, I would use it from time to time. It was pretty comfortable to use."

"That's not your only skill, is it?"

'No way.'

"One is enough."

Valan tried to look cool, but it didn't work.

Now that he thought about it, he'd never seen Valan use any Swordsman skills besides Divide the Sea.

Divide the Sea had unmatched cutting power and range, so he understood why Valan regarded it as enough.

"So how do I learn it? Sword Duke Sven used something called 'Pass Down' to teach me the skill right away."

'Please do that too, Master Valan.'

"Swing your sword at the sea to your heart's content. You'll eventually learn Divide the Sea."

'Yeah, I expected too much from you.'

[Divide the Sea]

Valan's absolute secret technique, Divide the Sea! It is the supreme sword that cuts through everything in this world!

Use Divide the Sea to cut through the sea! Then, you will acquire Divide the Sea.

Divide the Sea (0/1).

Difficulty: Unknown.

Minimum Requirements: Master Slash.

Reward: Divide the Sea.

Failure: None.

[You have accepted the quest. There is no reason not to.]

Kang Oh grimaced.

"Are you messing with me?" Kang Oh rebuked.

Was it even possible to cut the sea with a sword? Ah, even if it was possible, how long would it take?

However, the playfulness in Valan's face disappeared.

"I'm not lying to you, nor am I messing with you."

"Then what do I do?"

"I told you. I repeatedly swung my sword at the sea, and eventually became a Grandmaster and learned Divide the Sea."

"Mm."

"In order to become a Grandmaster, there are times when you have to be foolish and unrefined. Ah, I wasn't supposed to tell you that. That was stupid of me."

"...Understood. I'll go to the sea." Kang Oh ultimately agreed to his terms.

"Ah, by the way, there's almost a 0% chance that you'll become a Grandmaster by following my method. You're not a genius like me, after all."

'You're so shameless,' he suddenly thought.

Valan was definitely a genius. However, he was also shameless and eccentric.

"But... It will definitely help you. I'm sure of it," Valan said earnestly. Kang Oh could hear the slight consideration in his words.

'Yeah, he's not a bad guy.'

Kang Oh nodded his head, and gave him some ingredients from his inventory.

He gave him the edible coal, the Flaming Pine Mushrooms, the Rock Tomato, etc. He had bought these from the Lava Tribe's village.

"I got these from a new dungeon. You'll probably have never seen some of them, or tasted them before."

"Hoh. I should tell Darion to bring some cooking tools. I'll eat them well." Valan smiled kindly.

Kang Oh suddenly yearned for his father. His father used to smile just like that.

Sniff.

Kang Oh wrinkled his nose and said goodbye.

"I'll come again."

"I'll give you hell if you come back soon. I hope you succeed."

"Yes."

Valan watched the door as Kang Oh left.

"I thought he was nothing special, but he was actually a hidden gem. On the other hand, the one who I thought was a hidden gem is becoming worse and worse."

Kang Oh was the worst possible successor.

He had no idea how he passed the Fight Against 100 Men, overcame the demon sword's trial, and became a Demonic Swordsman. He had been so weak. Moreover, he was greedy for money, and was calculative.

However, he had a clear sight of his goals, and was actually arrogant enough to think that he could surpass him. Not only that, but he would complete any hard task he made him do.

Ultimately, Valan had no choice but to acknowledge him. He was his true successor.

Moreover, he had broken his limitations!

Whereas... he was getting less and less impressed with Burkan, who had just as much talent as him. His swordsmanship had worsened after he'd gotten married.

'You ungrateful brat. You got married before your teacher. You must be living it up right now.'

Valan stroked his chin with his last remaining arm. How would he deal with Burkan?

'Yeah, lions drop their children off cliffs.'

It was time for Burkan to complete the task that he had completed to become a Grandmaster.

'Indeed!'

Valan nodded his head, and then rang the bell on his table.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

Darion quickly opened the door and came inside.

"What's the matter?"

"Call Burkan for me."

'I'm not doing this because Burkan got married before me and is having the time of his life right now! Definitely not!'