Chapter 150
Previously, when Jae-Hyeok had almost stabbed Loren in the eye, a small but definite crack had formed on Loren’s helmet.
The heirloom of the Baus family might be infused with the mana and willpower of generations of family leaders, but it couldn’t completely withstand the sharpness of Iyarugt, the legendary sword that bore a legacy whose origin was lost to time.
Bang!
Naturally, when Do-Jin elbowed Loren, he’d aimed for the crack in Loren’s helmet.
“Cough!”
The bone helmet shattered, sending fragments into Loren’s face.
Had Jae-Hyeok not created the crack, had Do-Jin not leveled up and increased his strength, and had Loren not lost sight of his armor’s condition—such a result wouldn’t have been possible.
“Die! You demon bastard! A selfish guy like you will only cause trouble to others if left alive!”
Bam!Bam!Baam!
Do-Jin straddled Loren’s chest and punched his face.
His fists were harder than stone after training every day and gaining many Amazing achievements from his tribulation response training.
Yet, considering how he often vowed to kill Loren, Jae-Hyeok thought his attacks seemed gentle. Why doesn’t he draw his sword and kill Loren?
Was he too excited that he couldn’t think straight?
Jae-Hyeok tilted his head in confusion before throwing his dagger at the skeleton warrior, trying to return to its master.
The dagger struck its knee joint, causing the skeletal warrior to fall down on one knee.
Slash!
Jae-Hyeok jumped off its back and spun around, decapitating the other warrior before landing.
The kneeling warrior clacked and waved its greatsword behind itself, but it lacked the footing to support, and Jae-Hyeok capitalized on the gaps in its. He stomped on the flat of he skeleton warrior’s greatsword, driving it into the ground before drawing his own sword. The skeleton’s eyes winked out. Before its decapitated skull could slid from its neck, Jae-Hyeok whipped his scabbard around and smashed it to pieces.
[You have killed a skeleton warrior.]
[You have killed a skeleton warrior.]
[Your level has risen by 1.]
Normally, any army could easily hunt a target of a similar or lower level to them. The endurance of an army was like an ocean—to say nothing of the undying, undtiring, skeletons. Even higher-level opponents would avoid such an army. Perhaps they could win, but it would be exhausting, and they would have gained many wounds. Moreover, they would have gained practically no experience from the ordeal.
In other words, only Jae-Hyeok, who was both low-level and abnormally strong, could thrive against an army.
That freak!
Gripping his axes, Wolfgang’s knuckles turned white. Jae-Hyeok had already leveled up twice from killing the young master’s skeletons. His level was clearly low, yet he had the combat power to overwhelm an army.
Is his talent no less than the Yaksha’s? Wolfgang knew he had to end Jae-Hyeok here, no matter what interference the heavens might throw his way. Although his level was only just over 100, he was an S-class all the same—so long as he resolved himself, no one could stop him from killing Jae-Hyeok.
“Where are you going?”
“Damn Shinra!” Wolfgang growled.
Shinra Kyeong chased after Wolfgang as he charged toward Jae-Hyeok. He repeatedly blocked or deflected Wolfgang’s thunderous axe blows and even counterattacked.
Damn! What the hell is this guy?
Wolfgang had been incredulous for a while already. Shinra Kyeong’s combat power broke common sense. Normally, unless there was an overwhelming difference in martial attainments, the person with the higher level always held the advantage in PVP battles. After all, a higher level meant superior stats, which meant one could strike faster and harder, dodge faster, and endure longer.
However, Shinra Kyeong...mana spun around his blade, a ceaseless vortex that skillfully returned Wolfgang’s own strength against him.
It made the difference in stats meaningless.
Moreover, whenever Wolfgang broke through Shinra Kyeong’s guard, a sudden rain would block his vision, or a blast of wind would throw him off balance.
But worst of all for Wolfgang, his poisons had no affect on Shinra Kyeong.
As expected, the Bloodline Skill of a ducal family representing a nation can’t be judged by normal standards...
While Wolfgang fought with Shinra Kyeong, Jae-Hyeok carved a straight line through the group of skeletons and arrived at Do-Jin’s side. He questioned,“What are you doing? Stop playing around and use this.”
Jae-Hyeok handed his sword to Do-Jin.
“Huh?”
The transparent red blade reflected Do-Jin’s shaking pupils.
What’s wrong with him? Jae-Hyeok blinked in confusion. “Don’t you want to kill him?”
Do-Jin’s expression stiffened further. It felt somewhat surreal to hear Jae-Hyeok casually mention killing someone. But Jae-Hyeok was right. His purpose in life was revenge; he had pushed himself to the limit every day for years, all to kill Loren and give his parents some rest.
So why, then?
He’d awakened with the purpose of killing Loren. And yet...
Do-Jin didn’t move. His opportunity had come, but Do-Jin just couldn’t do it. As a human, he had an instinctive rejection toward murder.
Also...
-Do-Jin!Do-Jin!Let’s go together!
Loren had been his first and only friend. No...
-Do-Jin, I’ll be your family too!Do-Jin’s mother and father are my mother and father!
...They were family.
His parents’ words kept ringing in his ears.
-Do-Jin.Take good care of the young master on our behalf.
-Get along well with Loren from now on.You are brothers.
“This...! Shit!”
Do-Jin rorared and punched Loren in the face. But that was all. He didn’t dare to meet Jae-Hyeok’s eyes and only glared down at Loren lying on the ground.
“Are you really hesitating now? You went through so much hardship, day after day, to kill him.” Jae-Hyeok asked softly. In his eyes, the amount of sweat and blood that Do-Jin had shed was no less than his own. He saw himself in Do-Jin. He’d watched as Do-Jin pushed himself to the brink for revenge and had supported him along the way.
Yet, at the crucial moment, Do-Jin was stuck in the past?
Jae-Hyeok really couldn’t understand it. After all, he was confident that he would kill his enemies without hesitation the moment he faced them.
Of course, Jae-Hyeok didn’t try to persuade or criticize Do-Jin.
Is it worth the time and effort you put in? Is your grudge just this? Are you sure that you won’t regret it? There were many things Jae-Hyeok wanted to say then, but didn’t.
I don’t have the right.
He didn’t know Do-Jin’s story, not because he wasn’t interested but because he was afraid—afraid that learning Do-Jin’s story would force him a step closer to revealing his own. In other words, he ignored Do-Jin to protect himself.
And what? Now, he wanted to lecture Do-Jin? Disgusting.
Jae-Hyeok shrugged and took his sword away.
“Do whatever you want.”
“...Sorry.”
Do-Jin didn’t look up. He felt guilty. Jae-Hyeok had fought and nearly died for his sake today, but after everything, Do-Jin still hesitated when the time came.
Loren stared up at Do-Jin.
“Are you done venting your anger?” Loren’s eyes and the corners of his mouth twitched. He looked like he was holding back his laughter.
“Is that all? Okay, Do-Jin. I’ve confirmed that you still care about me.”
Loren had been watching Do-Jin the whole time. He had allowed Do-Jin to drive him to the ground because he wanted to know what Do-Jin really desired.
“Do-Jin, had you really accepted Kang Jae-Hyeok’s sword—”
Loren smiled and jumped up. Do-Jin, who’d been on top of him, fell backward.
“—I would’ve had no choice but to give up on your warmth. I would’ve taken you back in the small coffin I prepared for the worst-case scenario.”
Without warning, a bone spear emerged from the ground and stabbed Jae-Hyeok’s chest.
“Keuk!”
Jae-Hyeok narrowly blocked it and stumbled back a few steps.
It was a surprise attack aimed at his vitals. If Jae-Hyeok hadn’t kept his guard against Loren, he would’ve died right then.”
“Thankfully, it didn’t come to that... I’m even happier knowing how much Do-Jin cares about me.”
Loren summoned two iron coffins from his inventory.
Do-Jin’s pupils shrank to pinpoints.
“Let’s tell our parents about our brotherly love.”
The thick metal doors of the coffin creaked and slowly swung open. A terrible stench wafted out.
“N-no... ”
Do-Jin dropped to his knees.
He tried to turn his head, to look away, but his eyes were fixed on the opening coffins as if they had been nailed there.
Was it longing?
It was more like curiosity.
Do-Jin regretted it.
When the coffin lids opened, there was only horror and despair in his heart.
“Ah! Ahhhhh!”
Two corpses stared back at Do-Jin, their unfocused eyes as crimson as Do-Jin’s. Their hair was also red, but it was threaded into wigs that rested crooked on their heads and framed faces whose skin tones were a collage of graphwork.
“Mo...”
Mother.
“Fa...”
Father.
Do-Jin saw his parents’ faces for the first time in ages, but he couldn’t bring himself to call out to them.
The beings stepping out of the coffin with unnatural gestures weren’t his parents; they were just puppets made from his parents’ bodies.
“Why?”
Why torment me? Do-Jin glared at Loren. The murderous intent that had briefly faded now reappeared, but it was too late.
A Loren original Skill:
“Parent Zombies.”
Loren unleashed a necromancer’s ultimate technique, The Coffin. With this, he would end the battle. Kang Jae-Hyeok; Shinra Kyeong; and the gatekeepers, who still clung to life, were all about to be killed in an instant.
Every day, Loren had fed mana into the coffins of these two special zombies. They were beyond anything that could be imagined.
A terrible roar shook the battlefield.
And the father and mother zombies burst forward with explosive power toward Jae-Hyeok.
“Dodge it!”
Do-Jin flinched and shouted for Jae-Hyeok to move. But Jae-Hyeok only remained standing in place.
He didn’t even put his hand on his hilt. It was as if he intended to accept death.
Even Jae-Hyeok is giving up?No. There is no way Jae-Hyeok would give up with his personality.
He can solve it. Do-Jin met Jae-Hyeok’s unwavering gaze, and he knew instinctively what he had to.
He used Flash Steps to stand beside Jae-Hyeok and quickly placed his hand on Jae-Hyeok’s shoulder.
-Keep this in mind, Gu Suk-Jeong.The next time you touch my teammates or the Shooting Club again, I’ll throw my greatsword and use Flash Steps to make it appear inside your head.
Flash Steps could move not only the caster’s body but also objects in contact with the caster—had that not been the case, Do-Jin would’ve ended up naked every time he used Flash Steps.
This time, I can’t afford to make a mistake! Do-Jin roared and used Flash Steps to teleport Jae-Hyeok.
A Kang Jae-Hyeok and Baek Do-Jin original Skill:
“Space Slash!”
It was a technique that made distance meaningless.
The sword-drawing technique combined with Flash Steps cut Loren’s bone armor in half.
It was a technique that couldn’t be countered at all.
“Do... Jin...!”
Loren collapsed, blood spilling from his mouth as his eyes fell closed.
“Sigh.”
It was finally over.
Jae-Hyeok flicked the blood from his blade and glanced at Do-Jin.
He fought the urge to give Do-Jin a thumbs up.