Chapter 74

Chapter 73. Base Defense (2)

A large scar formed on the floor.

Dust scattered where the sword had swept past.

"What, what is this lunatic?"

"I don't know. Some weirdo suddenly attacked us!"

"He must be crazy. To start a fight with this many people? I was already annoyed from staying up all night. This is perfect. I'll break one of his bones."

"Ah! W-wait! That guy, he's the Sword Demon!"

"You mean that psychopath?"

The murmurs grew louder.

"Get out of the way. I'll cut you all down before I do."

The one emitting a murderous aura was none other than Cheonyu-seong.

He was clearly very angry, his eyes cold and deadly.

It couldn't be helped.

Cheonyu-seong had been diligently training all day when he received a message early in the morning.

[Be at the 4th floor entrance in 1 hour.]

The sender was Kang Jin-hyuk.

A mountain he had to climb and the reason he stayed in the tower.

'What a joke.'

Cheonyu-seong frowned.

There was no reason to go just because the guy said so.

His training was still insufficient.

To surpass that damn monster, he had to break the tip of the sword.

Thus, Cheonyu-seong ignored the message from Jin-hyuk.

Then, another message arrived.

[If you come now, I'll fight you without using my left arm and right leg.]

Hold it.

This is a provocation.

Very shallow and childish.

If he fell for it, he would only be playing into the other's hands.

[Okay, then, I'll fight you using only my right brain and with both eyes closed. Deal?]

Hold... it.

He had to hold it.

He needed to remember and transcend his current anger, using it as the foundation for future revenge.

If he waited, the opportunity would surely come.

[Scared? Ah, you must be. Don't worry, I won't bully the little guy with the tail.]

That was it.

The thread of reason he had barely maintained snapped.

...I'll kill him.

I'll tear him to pieces!

Cheonyu-seong, completely provoked, abandoned everything and headed to the 4th floor.

And right now.

He could see the culprit of all this from afar.

* * *

"Hey? You're here. Over here."

Jin-hyuk waved his hand cheerfully.

I thought you'd be waiting until you were about to fall over.

Anyway, you're terribly bad at keeping appointments.

"Your kind...!"

Cheonyu-seong extended his sword.

It wasn't the iron sword he usually used, but a new one with runes engraved in intaglio.

'So, you got that one after all.'

Attribute Sword (屬性劍).

Though not yet complete, it was a special item that could inject elemental magic into a weapon, compensating for the weakness of long-range attacks for swordsmen.

Jin-hyuk's lips curled upward.

Cheonyu-seong was undeniably strong, but he pursued only the orthodox path.

This made it easy to predict his next move.

"I'll prove here and now whether I'm afraid or not."

Cheonyu-seong gripped the sword with both hands.

KuKuKuKuKu!

Rough lines began to form on the ground due to the sharply gathered mana.

It was a brutally powerful sword aura.

"Proving it is good, but are you going to fight with an incomplete sword?"

Jin-hyuk's words made Cheonyu-seong hesitate.

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said. The Attribute Sword isn't bad, but it needs to be fully completed to unleash its full power."

"..."

"By the way, the A-grade random box in this floor contains an item that can complete the Attribute Sword. You want the Fire (火) attribute, right?"

"Bullshit! A random box is just that—random. There's no way to know what will come out of it!"

"True. Normally, there's no way to peek inside a random box."

But...

"I prefer unconventional shortcuts. You know that, right?"

Jin-hyuk smiled.

In contrast, Cheonyu-seong bit his lip tightly.

If someone else had said this, he would have dismissed it as nonsense.

But the old hand in front of him was an exception.

He might really know.

A way to peek behind the curtain.

"If what you say is true. Then, are you planning to use that as bait to manipulate me?"

"Life is about using each other for mutual benefit, isn't it? Besides, you won't lose anything from this, right?"

Better items are the best means to become stronger.

The term 'item boost' exists for a reason.

There have been cases where superior items alone could crush top-tier rankers.

In the end.

"...Damn it. There must be the material to complete the Attribute Sword in that random box."

Swoosh!

Cheonyu-seong sheathed the sword he had drawn.

Good.

Despite the many twists and turns, this brings the total to five people.

One of them is a bit suspicious, but...

* * *

[5-person party formed.]

[Minimum number of people for base defense is met.]

The five, including Jin-hyuk, headed straight for the arena.

"..."

"Hmm. Hmm."

Lee Tae-min and Yu Yeon-hwa kept glancing at Cheonyu-seong.

Wasn't he the wild one who would draw his sword at the slightest eye contact?

Being on the same team with such a dangerous person was bound to make them uneasy.

"Mr. Jin-hyuk, is this really okay?"

Teresa, who had met Cheonyu-seong in the corridor, was equally uneasy.

"It's fine. That guy may seem like that on the surface, but he has a surprisingly gentle side. He probably won't stab us in the back during the wave."

"Still... "

"Trust me."

After clashing so much, you can't help but get to know someone.

Their true nature.

And if I know Cheonyu-seong, he won't do anything cowardly.

Probably...

...Probably.

Then.

"Oh, right, brother. I almost forgot. Take this."

Yu Yeon-hwa, seemingly remembering something, opened her subspace inventory.

A pair of swords that looked far from ordinary appeared.

The Twin Dragon Swords (雙龍劍).

"Wow!"

Indeed.

Though they were merely relics of the past, they were said to rival the holy relics inside the tower.

It was no exaggeration.

The heavy feeling transmitted through the fingertips made his heart constrict.

"My grandfather asked me to give this to you. But, this is something he cherished greatly. How did you get it?"

"Just. I guess he liked me personally."

Jin-hyuk deflected the question.

There was no need to talk about the residents right now.

He was focused on the defense ahead.

While they were having this casual conversation.

"We're here. That's our base."

They had finally reached the entrance to the arena.

"Ha. We have to defend this huge base with just five people?"

"Reminds me of when we defended against the outbreak in Amsterdam. I never wanted to go through that again."

Yu Yeon-hwa and Teresa sighed softly.

"Even the legendary fist of Bulgwang-dong and the saint of Amsterdam are nervous?"

"A, a little. But, I feel safer with you, brother."

"Me too. I feel like, with Mr. Jin-hyuk, we can somehow make it through even the most desperate situations."

"Flattery won't get you anywhere."

"Hey, it's not flattery. I'm just stating the facts."

"You also saw me clear the corridor alone, didn't you?"

Why are these people suddenly like this?

Could they be hoping for something?

I don't know what they're thinking, but...

It feels good.

At least, it means they trust me.

In a world like this, it's not common to trust someone and rely on them.

Zap! Zap!

The ring of Brahm, which he was wearing, twitched violently.

'Yeah, you can trust me too.'

Jin-hyuk smiled, sensing Ellis's irritation.

This guy is secretly quite jealous, despite his cold and aloof first impression.

Maybe I want to tease him even more because of that.

But right then.

"Hmm. I thought someone had taken the arena. Are they Koreans?"

A unfamiliar voice interrupted.

At the same time, men with shaved heads and tattoos covering their bodies appeared between the buildings.

"Brother!"

"Brother, they approached silently!"

"Mr. Jin-hyuk!"

The three shouted simultaneously.

Yes, I know.

I noticed them gradually closing in a few minutes ago, wondering when they would show their faces.

Now that we've reached the base, we can finally see them.

Their skill in concealing their presence is decent, indicating they have some talent.

"Chinese players."

Jin-hyuk clicked his tongue.

One of the large guilds, the Triad (三合會).

A group of people with quite a bad reputation.

And the young man leading them had a completely different aura from the others.

"Are you Kang Jin-hyuk?"

An East Asian with a pale face and black hair spoke.

A face you might see again if you met him on the street.

But what caught his eye more than the handsome face was the sword's emblem on the young man's waist.

Jin-hyuk's eyes narrowed.

That emblem is...

No doubt.

'Soungong Family.'

One of the members of the 'Wulin' on the 25th floor of the Tower of Trials.

'So, the residents did make contact with the Chinese side.'

The moment Yu Cheonyeong's words were proven true.

"Are you Kang Jin-hyuk?"

"Right, I'm Kang Jin-hyuk."

"Indeed, I thought so. My name is Soungong Hyun. Unlike your insignificant country, I belong to the vast territory of China..."

Soungong Hyun, who was about to continue his introduction, paused.

His opponent was covering his nose and mouth with a handkerchief.

"What are you doing?"

"Sorry, your country is covered in fine dust. I was worried that dust might come out of your mouth every time you speak."

His pale skin makes sense.

With the sky obscured 24/7, 365 days a year, how could sunlight penetrate?

"Y-You! What did you just say!"

Soungong Hyun's face turned red with anger.

The one who gets angry first loses, according to the national rule.

"You little brat. Do you know who I am? If you dare to mock the Soungong Family, I'll exterminate your three generations! I'll say that for you, so please skip it. It's boring. That kind of third-rate villain dialogue."

Jin-hyuk recited the lines the other was about to say.

Even if not perfectly, it was roughly what he would have said.

"But does the Soungong Family have any self-respect to maintain?"

You guys tremble at the sight of a single demon in the tower.

And the young master of the Soungong Family making a name for himself hasn't worked in 20 years.

I don't understand how you still act like that in this day and age.

Unless you came here in a time machine.

"You... you!"

"Shh. Don't open your mouth so wide. If you spit out virus-laden saliva, it will be a nuisance to all the players in the world."

"Argh!"

Finally, Soungong Hyun exploded.