Chapter 48

Chapter 23. Two Hearts (6)

Leont.

Once the brother's most trusted friend, he was the one who betrayed that trust and stabbed him in the heart.

And in return, he entered Qinghuadao and became an officer.

However, Leont was always dissatisfied with the fact that he never became the leader of Qinghuadao, Wushen.

If that guy was plotting something else,

And if the Arangdan was a smokescreen to cover it up,

Everything seemed to fit together.

"Haha! Hahaha!"

Yeonwoo burst into laughter, covering his mask with his hand.

He couldn't stop laughing; tears even welled up in the corners of his eyes.

He had found traces of his enemy in a place he never expected.

Who would have thought that the Arangdan was an organization created by Leont?

It felt like he had discovered a hidden treasure.

But the more he did, the more Build's expression twisted in confusion.

Daring to laugh in front of him, without any fear,

"You must be crazy to want to die so badly!"

Kwakwakwak!

The atmosphere began to boil with the momentum Build exuded.

The area shook violently.

Players collapsed one by one, spewing blood. Some looked up at Build with pleading eyes, begging him to stop.

Yeonwoo suddenly stopped laughing as if by magic, lowering his hand from the mask.

He then drew Karsuna's dagger sharply in the air.

Swoosh!

At that moment, the oppressive momentum that had been surrounding the area vanished as if by magic.

He had cut the flow.

"......!"

But Build's eyes, unaware of this, hardened even more.

Regardless,

Under the white mask, Yeonwoo ignited two ghostly flames at the corners of his eyes.

He smiled coldly.

"Stop the pointless posturing. If you're going to attack, do it now."

He had unexpectedly caught Leont's tail here.

Build was one of the many arms Leont boasted.

If he could capture and interrogate the guy,

He might learn about various events that occurred within the tower after the diary entries ended.

'Jungwoo, this might be the first gift I can give you.'

Yeonwoo's eyes narrowed sharply.

Like a predator hungry for prey.

Did Build read that look?

Build's face contorted.

No one had ever looked at him that way before. It was a look he was supposed to have.

"Grand."

"Yes."

One of the nine players who came with Build bowed his head.

"You, send an immediate message to the island. Tell them a suspicious person has come to the Arangdan."

"Yes!"

Just as the player turned to leave,

Bang!

An explosion suddenly went off next to his head, and he collapsed, his head shattered like a watermelon.

"......!"

"......!"

An unexpected attack.

Build and the remaining eight players stared at Yeonwoo with wide eyes.

Yeonwoo retracted his left hand, which had been extended toward the fallen player, and sneered coldly.

"Didn't I say to stop the pointless stuff and attack if you're going to? It's better not to think about running."

Build's expression hardened.

Close-range or long-range, a versatile attacker.

The most difficult opponent.

Build finally realized he had to raise the danger level of Yeonwoo to the maximum.

Not just the level of Kan and Doyle.

"......Right. The fact that you've been this reckless means you must have some confidence."

Pant and Edo, the brother and sister of the Unicorn Tribe, were among the best in this tutorial cycle.

He had to consider them on par with players that even the average tower players wouldn't dare to challenge.

That meant he had to go all out.

Swish!

Build drew the two swords he had crossed on his back.

A chilling aura filled the air.

"Then I'll show you how useless your meager skills are."

Build channeled his mana to the maximum and kicked off the building's roof with all his might.

Kwaaang!

The building he was standing on collapsed from the impact.

Build charged at Yeonwoo at high speed, swinging his swords. The wind followed the swords, sharpening their edges.

It was his favorite skill, 'Sword Wind.'

Clang!

Yeonwoo deflected the two swords by raising Karsuna's dagger diagonally.

At the same time, he spun his body, diving deep into Build's side, and drew his greatsword from his waist at a rapid speed.

Swoosh!

The greatsword, held in reverse, traced a path toward Build's throat.

Build bent his waist backward, narrowly avoiding the greatsword. Then he swung his two swords widely, aiming at Yeonwoo's lower body.

Sword Wind became more powerful with each consecutive swing, stacking more wind and increasing its force.

Deep grooves, like those left by a beast's claws, were carved into the ground.

Swoosh!

But Yeonwoo leaped away from the ground, avoiding the attack.

He then twisted his body again, striking Karsuna's dagger forcefully down toward the top of Build's head.

Build also swung his swords vertically.

The dagger and the two swords clashed again.

Kwaaang!

The shockwave shook both of them.

The ground sank, and dust clouds spread to the sides, enveloping the area around them.

A tense battle where neither of them was pushed back.

The players watching the fight swallowed hard. Cold sweat drenched their clenched fists.

Yeonwoo felt like he was in a real 'fight' for the first time, unlike the other players he had faced before.

A fight where a single mistake could cost him his life, and a minor error could lead to a major defeat.

His breathing quickened.

His muscles overheated. His waist tightened with tension. Adrenaline surged in his brain, making him feel like he was floating.

The feeling he had when he first stood in Africa, the feeling he had when he ran wild with his limbs.

It brought him an indescribable thrill.

Like a beast that had been locked away in the depths of his soul, breaking free from its chains and leaping out.

The thrill of sprinting up a mountain with claws and fangs bared.

So Yeonwoo pressed even harder against Build.

Sticking to him, attacking relentlessly, ignoring his own injuries, and swinging his sword without tiring.

Swoosh!

Clang!

At first, Build's two swords moved in a dazzling dance, but they began to falter.

He could barely keep up with Yeonwoo's relentless speed.

And that fact

'What the hell is going on...!'

Was a huge mental shock to Build.

Just a player participating in a tutorial.

Just a minnow who had only just started to gain 'abilities'!

'How can you push me like this? How?'

He had thought Yeonwoo would be a tough opponent, at least on par with Pant and Edo.

But not to this extent.

Build was a player actively clearing the tower.

Although he had recently stopped due to hitting a limit, he had aimed for quite high floors.

But Yeonwoo was overwhelming him.

Or rather, not exactly 'overwhelming.'

If he observed calmly, Yeonwoo still had some shortcomings. He hadn't fully mastered his skills.

But Yeonwoo knew how to 'fight.'

In the face of a threat that could cost him his life, he pressed even closer, ignoring minor cuts to his arms and sides, and unleashed even more fierce attacks.

He ignored all defense, constantly pressuring Build.

So even as his body was covered in wounds and he was drenched in blood, Yeonwoo's speed didn't slow down.

No, he even smiled coldly, as if enjoying it.

"Right. You don't know how to fight at all."

"What...!"

"You seemed to know how to fight before. But it looks like you've lost your edge, hanging around with those small-time wolves, haven't you?"

Build wanted to shout at the familiar tone. Who are you?

But as he tried to speak, his words were cut off.

The two eyes visible under the mask. The eyes full of derision, reflecting his own shocked and terrified face.

"......!"

Kwaaang!

Build barely blocked Yeonwoo's attack with the edge of his left sword, held like a shield.

The sword rang wildly from the impact. The blade was completely damaged, and cracks spread across the surface. His hand, gripping the hilt, felt like it would fall off.

Or was his hand trembling not from the impact, but from fear?

'Unbelievable! I, Build, feeling fear from a mere tutorial player?'

But Build couldn't explain the dark emotion that was creeping up from somewhere, squeezing his heart.

Yeonwoo's sword was like a cannon.

Each strike had the power to shatter rock and was so fast that it was impossible to follow with the naked eye.

Now, Build saw Yeonwoo only as a beast.

A beast that relentlessly pursued him until he was cornered at the edge of a cliff.

Swoosh!

Yeonwoo moved again, determined to prevent Build from having any other thoughts, channeling his mana to the maximum.

Zzzz-

The mana circuits spun wildly.

The mana, a mix of the Puppet Master and Akasha Snake's inner core, filled Karsuna's dagger.

Kwaaang! Kwaaang!

Build's body, like a kite with its string cut, was pushed back.

Kwaaang!

"Ugh!"

He finally couldn't block the last attack and was thrown back.

His left sword shattered, sending fragments flying. Among them was Build's severed left arm.

"Uaaaaah!"

Build tumbled on the ground for a while before finally stopping.

He pressed his left shoulder, which was gushing blood, and bent over, vomiting blood.

Several ribs seemed to be broken, making it hard to breathe. His vision spun, and his eyes were bloodshot. His right hand trembled.

Especially the pain from his severed left shoulder was dragging him into the abyss.

Thud.

Thud.

Yeonwoo slowly approached Build.

To Build, the sound of his footsteps was louder than thunder.

"Protect Lord Build!"

"Stop!"

At that moment, the players who had hesitated to interfere in the fight between Yeonwoo and Build rushed in.

But.

Swoosh!

Yeonwoo drew a black blade, consuming a lot of mana, and cut it diagonally.

The black trajectory sliced through the air.

The eight players were instantly cut in half, falling to the ground.

Flesh and blood splattered everywhere.

Everyone around was shocked. No one dared to approach Yeonwoo.

No, they had gone beyond that.

Their minds were blank with fear and terror, unable to even think about running.

And that sight brought even more fear to Build.

Now, Yeonwoo appeared to him not as a beast but as a demon. A demon that was smiling and approaching step by step.

"Damn it! Stop him! Stop that guy right now!"

Build, desperate to stop Yeonwoo's approach, shouted loudly.

Then.

Rattle, rattle, rattle...

The eyes of the Arangdan members, who had been trembling, suddenly rolled back.

The irises disappeared, and the whites of their eyes were exposed. Madness swirled in the whites.

Whoosh!

'Puppet Master's Control.'

A high-level skill that used a specially crafted terminal to instantly turn the targets, into whom the terminal had been implanted, into mindless puppets.

It was originally a unique skill of Leont.

But Build, subordinate to Leont, could borrow part of the unique skill and had secretly implanted the terminal in players joining the Arangdan long ago, intending to use it in emergencies.

Although he had never used it until now,

Build had to borrow the power of this skill for the first time.

Unlike Leont, the owner of the skill, Build couldn't return the controlled subjects to their original state once he activated the skill.

But he had no time to consider such things.

He had to stop Yeonwoo's advance first.

"Khh!"

"Ughhh!"

Dozens of Arangdan members rushed at Yeonwoo all at once.

Since they had no irises left, they didn't consider their own lives.

Meanwhile,

Build, barely getting up, started running in the opposite direction.

To get the weapon that could turn this damn situation around.

To get the ultimate trump card.

'I need the Stone! The Stone can kill that guy!'

It was a power that should have been presented to the master, who aimed to become Wushen.

But Build didn't have the presence of mind to care about that. He needed that power now.

He could think about how to explain it to the master after he took down that damn demon.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!

Yeonwoo quickly cut down the mindless puppets rushing at him like zombies, keeping his eyes on the fleeing Build.

Where he was going,

The 'secret' that Leont had tried to hide thoroughly must be buried.

'Or maybe it's where Kan and Doyle are.'