Chapter 167

Chapter 167: Rescue (3)

“Kee-hee-hee! To think that Baek Ha-seong would actually join hands with someone. I never could have imagined it.”

Perhaps it was because there was an iron door in front and only a small path behind that barely allowed two people to pass, but the man’s voice, filled with an eerie excitement, echoed like a hollow refrain as he continued to babble to himself.

His voice carried a heavy sense of unpleasantness, but I did not have the luxury to care about that right now.

‘That man is definitely from the direct lineage.’

Though his face looked like that of a swindler and did not resemble Baek Ha-seong or Baek Ha-ryeong at all, I could tell.

According to what I heard from Baek Ha-ryeong, that gray hair was like a mark that appeared only in the direct lineage.

In the case of someone like Baek Ha-seong, who was the most outstanding even among the direct line, he was supposedly born with white hair just like the first ancestor.

In any case, what I meant was that since he was from the direct lineage, he was bound to be a considerably skilled individual.

Naturally, I had to become even more tense.

The man, who had been talking to himself for a while, suddenly spoke to me as if he had just remembered something, though this time his words were directed at me.

“By the way, how did you know about this place? It is a fact that almost no one in our family knows, let alone that fellow Baek Ha-seong.”

“…….”

“It is not like someone could have told you, so how on earth did you find out? You did not just discover it by chance; you clearly aimed for this place and came in, did you not?”

“…….”

“Kee-hee! You are a brat with a heavy mouth. Well, I do not mind that either.”

Forcing open a safe that will not budge is quite a satisfying pleasure in its own right.

The man said this and grinned at me.

And then.

“Shall we start with one of your arms first?”

I was a moment too late in realizing what that smile meant.

‘What the?!’

Before I could take any proper action, the man was already swinging a long skewer toward me.

There was not enough time to respond.

If I tried to swing my sword to block it now, my arm would surely be severed just as he said.

‘And dodging will be difficult too.’

His path of entry accounted for a second follow-up attack.

At the very least, my arm might not fly off, but it was clear that I would suffer a fairly severe injury.

‘Damn it……!’

I had noticed that he was about to move, but I had not expected that kind of speed.

He must have used a talent to achieve that velocity.

That was my mistake.

‘I overlooked the fact that my body currently cannot accept mana.’

Because of that, I failed to read the sign that my opponent was about to use a talent.

This was a fatal error.

And in battle, errors... must be paid for immediately.

‘Even so, I have to minimize the damage as much as possible.’

Paying the price was a settled matter, but how much I would pay was a question that depended on my choice.

Just as I finished organizing my thoughts in that split second and was about to twist my body to dodge his attack.

CLANG!!

The man from the direct lineage’s attack was blocked with the clear sound of clashing metal.

I turned my head at the incomprehensible turn of events, and a certain man entered my sight.

“Why are you……”

Though he was wearing a mask just like me, I could tell.

I could never forget the way he held his sword, his combat stance, his physique, and the sword he carried.

‘Why is Kim Su-hyeok here?’

It was the appearance of Kim Su-hyeok, whom I had not even imagined would be in this place.

***

“Kee-hee-hee! What is this? Did you have an ally? I did not notice him at all.”

As his carefully prepared strike came to naught, the man from the direct lineage stepped back for the moment.

The man seemed to think the entire situation had been orchestrated, but Choi Yu-seong was equally bewildered.

After all, this was a situation where Kim Su-hyeok, who absolutely should not be here, had appeared.

Though he did not show it outwardly, Kim Su-hyeok seemed to have noticed Choi Yu-seong’s confusion and quickly spoke up.

“Explanation later.”

There were surely many things he wanted to say, but this was not the time for it.

Defeating the man before them was the top priority.

Despite his confusion, Choi Yu-seong nodded at Kim Su-hyeok’s intent.

“Right. We should deal with that thing first.”

“I do not feel any mana from you. Are you all right?”

“I want to say I am... but I am really not.”

Perhaps because he had been hit with the amplification effects of his abilities and penalties in succession, the effect of the blade was not disappearing.

Choi Yu-seong did not hide that fact and spoke honestly, and Kim Su-hyeok continued as if he understood.

“Then I will take the vanguard. You support me.”

“Like back then at the gate?”

“Yeah. Like back then at the gate.”

The gate where they had obtained the sword Kim Su-hyeok held and the glove Choi Yu-seong wore.

Back then, they had also coordinated their efforts with Kim Su-hyeok in the vanguard and Choi Yu-seong providing support.

Perhaps because of that, the two moved to their positions immediately as if no further conversation was necessary.

At that sight, the man from the direct lineage mocked them, asking if they thought two people would make any difference, but...

“…….”

The two did not particularly care about such provocation.

A state of mutual trust already existed between them.

With that, a two-on-one formation was established.

The one to start the offensive was Kim Su-hyeok.

“Master of the Sword.”

After activating his talent with a quiet whisper, Kim Su-hyeok began a fierce assault toward the enemy.

However, the opponent was not so easy to deal with.

“Kee-hee-hee-hee! Did you put on all that show just to demonstrate that pathetic level of skill?”

He was wearing a cynical smile and spitting out vulgar words, but he was a direct descendant of the Baek family and a man capable of guarding a secret location.

In the public eye, he was a skilled individual at the upper level of A-Rank.

No matter how talented and skilled Kim Su-hyeok’s attacks were, they were not going to land easily.

However.

SLASH—!

“Son of a bitch!”

This fight was not a one-on-one battle between Kim Su-hyeok and the direct descendant.

Even in the midst of their chaotic exchange, Choi Yu-seong aimed for the most opportune and difficult-to-avoid timings to provide support.

Because of that, small scratches were beginning to be carved into the man’s body.

“Kyak! You really know how to fight in a shitty way. I am getting more and more curious about the face behind that mask.”

However, the man laughed as if he were enjoying himself, unbothered by the scratches being etched into him.

At that sight, Kim Su-hyeok and Choi Yu-seong could not help but have doubts.

“Something is strange.”

“ I am thinking the same thing.”

No matter how well the two coordinated, the opponent was an upper-tier A-Rank.

It would be one thing if the man was pushing them back, but it made no sense for him to be taking wounds from such exchanges.

And soon, Choi Yu-seong realized why the man had been acting that way.

“…Berserk?”

“Kyaha-hat! You are sharper than you look. Almost no one knows about this.”

The reason the man had intentionally allowed the attacks to land was precisely because of a trait he possessed.

The Berserk trait, which made him increasingly stronger in proportion to the wounds he received.

Because it was a trait rather than a talent, it was not widely known, but it was certainly a cheat.

After all, the fact that he grew stronger as he took damage meant he could instantly overturn an unfavorable battle situation.

Knowing that fact, Choi Yu-seong immediately spoke to Kim Su-hyeok.

“Be careful. That is quite tricky.”

“What is it exactly?”

“An effect that makes him stronger the more he is wounded. Unless you can stop his breath or inflict a fatal wound in a single strike, it might be better not to attack at all.”

It was exactly as Choi Yu-seong said.

Although the Berserk trait made him stronger in proportion to his injuries, that only applied as long as he could still move his body.

What would be the point of becoming stronger if his legs were severed or his heart stopped?

Therefore, from now on, they needed to engage in combat even more cautiously.

“Then what do you think is the best way to go about it?”

“There is no particular strategy. We just have to aim for a single blow. A blow he will not be able to notice.”

It was easier said than done; in fact, it was nearly impossible.

The opponent was not a scarecrow, but an upper-tier A-Rank fighter.

Two seventeen-year-old cadets had to prepare a single blow that could decide the match without such a skilled individual noticing?

Winning the lottery might actually seem easier.

But who were the two people standing here?

“Then who will deliver that blow?”

“I will do it. Even if I cannot sustain a long fight, I can manage at least one strike.”

“All right. Then I will keep drawing his attention.”

They were people who had accomplished the near-impossible several times.

Fighting the Death Knight in the gate, the attack during the midterms, and winning against the Apostle of the Reverse Heaven Sect—all of these were practically impossible, yet they had achieved them all.

Thus, there was trust and a bond between these two, and the current carnage was merely another process.

With Kim Su-hyeok deciding to draw the attention and Choi Yu-seong preparing for the single strike, the plan was set.

Naturally, Kim Su-hyeok was the first to take action this time as well.

DASH—!!

With a powerful kick, Kim Su-hyeok rushed toward the direct descendant.

The ensuing battle itself seemed similar to before, but it was clearly different when viewed in detail.

Kim Su-hyeok engaged in the fight while maintaining a defensive posture, even as he appeared to be unleashing a fierce assault.

For a moment, there was a flash of anxiety that a defensive battle might not suit Kim Su-hyeok, who always fought aggressively, but...

CLANG! CLANG!

SCREECH!!!

That was not the case at all.

In the first place, a defensive battle suited Kim Su-hyeok better, as his natural inclination was to protect.

It was just that the situation rarely called for it; this style of combat was more fitting for him.

He was skilled enough to block every attack from a player reaching the upper-tier A-Rank.

Against Kim Su-hyeok's iron-clad defense, the man’s attacks continued to return in vain, and the more that happened, the more the man became the one who grew desperate.

“How do you expect to win like this? Stop acting like a loser and come at me like a man, you piece of shit!!”

The man hurled insults at Kim Su-hyeok every time an attack was blocked.

However, if there had been a third party observing this battle from afar, they probably would have said this:

The man was the one throwing the insults, but the flow of the battle had already shifted to the other side.

It was natural. At some point, the cynical laughter had stopped coming from the man.

“God damn it! Why will you not fall!!!”

It was not that the man's feelings were incomprehensible.

He would have realized through just a brief struggle for power that Kim Su-hyeok was weaker than him.

And yet, for him to be unable to land even a single clean hit—how could such a thing make any sense?

But that was a complaint one could only utter when they did not know who their enemy was; if he knew who his enemy was, he would not be able to say such things.

After all...

“I do not get hit by attacks I can see coming.”

Kim Su-hyeok was a genius who surpassed even geniuses.

The words he had just spat out might have sounded like a bluff, but they were not a lie.

With an innate talent that even devoured experience, Kim Su-hyeok could know by instinct without even looking.

He knew what he needed, what the enemy lacked, and how to combine those two.

“Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it!!”

In the face of such overwhelming talent, even a genius becomes an ordinary person.

But what if someone who thought they were a genius realized that they were actually just one of many ordinary people?

If that happened, there were only two possibilities.

They could either admit they were ordinary and find a corresponding solution, or they could lose their minds, unable to accept reality.

In the case of the man from the direct lineage, it was undeniably the latter.

“This cannot be! I am a promising talent of the Baek family!”

I felt sorry for the man, but unfortunately, Kim Su-hyeok was not the only genius in this place.

“If you are a promising talent, I wonder how the Baek family is even considered prestigious.”

Though he felt quite different from Kim Su-hyeok, Choi Yu-seong was definitely a being who could be called a genius.

In the first place, could an ordinary person who was not a genius survive in such a cruel world, even if they entered a novel with heroes they admired?

It was true that he had an off-kilter feeling rather than the pure vibe Kim Su-hyeok gave off, but it was an obvious fact that he was also a genius.

“So, just die here for the sake of your family.”

Therefore, Choi Yu-seong had a way, no matter how much of an upper-tier A-Rank fighter his opponent was.

He was a person who knew how to handle the power he possessed and how to use it.

He knew his power could produce an ability that would not bow even to an upper-tier A-Rank individual, if only for a single moment, even if it was impossible to sustain.

“Petitioner's Yearning, Final Petition.”

First, Choi Yu-seong used Yearning and Petition, the abilities of his glove.

In the case of Yearning, he needed the target's permission, but there was no need to worry about that.

Kim Su-hyeok, who had seen Petitioner's Yearning once before, was right here.

“The target of the petition is Yu-hyeon.”

Having borrowed Kim Su-hyeok’s physical abilities that way, Choi Yu-seong immediately deployed Yu-hyeon’s talent.

Although the Suppressing Blade was an artifact that blocked the interference of mana, the rank of Yu-hyeon’s ‘One Who Walks the Demonic Path’ was a staggering SSS-Class.

It was not a talent that would yield to the power of a mere C-Rank artifact.

“Demonic Path Opening, Hope of the Desirer.”

Next, he used Demonic Path Opening, a derivative ability of One Who Walks the Demonic Path, and Hope of the Desirer, the last of Yu-hyeon’s two talents.

It was surprising that Yu-hyeon could show such a performance with only two talents, but that was not what was important right now.

Choi Yu-seong once again shrouded his body in mana through One Who Walks the Demonic Path and blocked the opponent’s variables through Demonic Path Opening.

And the power of Hope of the Desirer could not be ignored either.

Though it took a long time to use again, it was an insane ability that temporarily increased his stats several times over for the next attack, as long as they were lower than his opponent's.

“Fierce Fighting Spirit, Mach Strike.”

But was that still not enough?

As if he were not finished yet, Choi Yu-seong immediately deployed Shin Yu-hwan's talent through Embodiment of Admiration.

He used Mach Strike, which everyone should be familiar with, and Fierce Fighting Spirit, which raised his own momentum and instilled fear in his opponent.

Because he had borrowed them with quite high efficiency, there was a fair amount of point consumption, but it did not matter.

At least with this, he could ensure that not even a speck of a variable would be allowed.

“It is time to take out the trash.”

As if he had completed all his preparations, Choi Yu-seong began to rush toward the man with his sword held high.

The posture Choi Yu-seong took was an honest downward strike, swinging from top to bottom.

Normally, it was an attack that it would be more strange for a fighter of the man's level to be unable to respond to.

“Son of a bitch……!”

But it was impossible for the man from the direct lineage now.

The power contained in this single blow was an attack that, I could guarantee, even Shin Yu-hwan or Baek Ha-seong would have to dodge rather than block.

It was only for a single moment, but at least for now, it was a strike that would not be lacking even if it were said to have reached the S-Rank level.

And the result that such a strike would bring……

SQUELCH—

Was already decided.