Chapter 171
The odds of winning are good.
Blood left him in spurts while his vision fuzzed. But Jae-Hyeok analyzed the situation calmly, waiting for the right moment to change his trajectory with a sudden mana burst that would catch Jeong Jae-Uk off guard.
However, there was a variable he hadn’t expected.
“Return to dust! Enkuk Jabarieon!”
Jeong Jae-Uk targeted the crowd below.
Damnit, getting distracted before you’ve even finished me off?
It would ruin his plan, but Jae-Hyeok couldn’t ignore the crowd.
He mobilized more mana and calculated a new path of release—though in his rush, he knew his movements would be rough and imprecise. At the same time, he responded to Iyarugt’s mental hounding; ignoring his groaning bones and rupturing organs, he marshaled his every fiber of muscle, preparing for an explosive swing.
He would not let them die.
The people below were civilians hired by Ocean Shipping and the Gugang Hotel at his request. He’d wanted them to distract the Guardian Guild, not to risk their lives, not to die...
Blood welled from Jae-Hyeok’s mouth even as his forearm bulged and his knuckles whitened around Iyarugt.
Just then—
“Kuaack!”
“Thank you, boy.”
The master of the Guardian Guild had fallen from the sky and protected both him and the people.
Looking at the sickly, middle-aged guildmaster, Jae-Hyeok had only one thought at the time.
Hero...
What was a hero?
Heroes were those with the mindset and ability to carry out justice, as well as an opportunity to do so. In that sense, the birth of a hero was left to luck. Not everyone faced an opportunity to save others, while few would seize the opportunity if they did; and still fewer succeeded, despite trying.
The uncertainty of it all was something Jae-Hyeok had learned firsthand after witnessing his father save countless lives, only to fail in saving his mother.
In that sense, unless one was a god, a hero's arrival was as much a product of righteous will as it was a timely stroke of fate.
“Park Chang-Cheon?How did you open your eyes?Why now of all times?”
The Burning Evil elixer had worked. Guardian’s master had awoken in time to descend and save hundreds of people. To everyone on the ground, including Jae-Hyeok, the master of the Guardian Guild, Park Chang-Cheon, was their hero.
But what about Hae-Rin?
She had awoken her father, so wasn’t she also a hero?
Perhaps, one hero’s will is another’s stroke of fate...
“You’re my daughter’s friend, right? I’ve been roughly filled in. It’s thanks to your heroic deeds that Jeong Jae-Uk’s true nature has come to light. I owe you a great debt.
“I was particularly impressed with how you tried to guard the crowd with your body. I never thought there would come a day when I would respect a boy who’s young enough to be my own child. I’m curious who your parents are.”
Indeed, from Park Chang-Cheon’s view, it was Jae-Hyeok who was the hero. Without him, he shuddered to think what would have become of his guild—let alone his daughter.
Jeong Jae-Uk boomed from above, “Don’t tell me it was that bitch Park Hae-Rin?How did she do it, how did she wake you?”
“Jeong Jae-Uk!” Thin and sickly as he was, Park Chang-Cheon’s expression resembled a lion’s. “Watch your mouth. You dare disgrace my daughter, your niece?”
”Haha!What niece? We don’t share a single drop of blood!To me, your daughter was a useful tool!”
“You—”
“And if she were my niece, so what? I may have used her, but you, her father, let her be used. I really should thank you for treating her words as air all these years.
“Ah, but enough about that tool. This time, I’m going to snuff out your stubborn life with my own hands.”
It had taken Jeong Jae-Uk years to poison Park Chang-Cheon to the brink of death. He’d been a step away from inheriting Guardian, but Park Chang-Cheon just had to open his eyes.
Since Park Hae-Rin had cured him with the antidote, the cause of Park Chang-Cheon’s poisoning would soon be revealed.
There was only one thing Jeong Jae-Uk could do now.
He had to kill Park Chang-Cheon and any witnesses.
Then I’ll just blame it on some monster. Who would doubt me?
Jeong Jae-Uk sneered, his lopsided smile copied countless times across the scattered glass on the road. Then, he attacked.
As he expected.
Park Chang-Cheon had just woken up and was far from his peak.
In addition, throwing himself from the top of the building and blocking his mana beam had consumed much of what remaining energy he had.
“Oof.”
Park Chang-Cheon slid backward as he blocked Jeong Jae-Uk’s sword with his shield.
“We’re here to help, Master!”
The Guardian members stepped forward in formation. They had regarded Jeong Jae-Uk as their master while Park Chang-Cheon was away, but they had missed Park Chang-Cheon for a long time.
Jeong Jae-Uk really wasn’t a good leader compared to Park Chang-Cheon. And now that they had seen his true face, they wouldn’t sit by and watch the master of Guardian suffer.
“Ungrateful people!”
Flap!
Jeong Jae-Uk spread his wings and shot through the line of Guardian Guild members.
Screams and blood spray filled the air.
For Jeong Jae-Uk, killing ordinary guild members was as easy as lifting a finger.
Some had their arms torn off along with their shields, while others were split in half with a wave of his sword.
“If only the team leaders weren’t out on missions!”
Jeong Jae-Uk had rarely participated in gate raids, always claiming he was busy handling the responsibilities of the master and sub-master. That was an excuse, of course, to keep the guild’s strongest members on the battlefield, away from headquarters.
“You’ve gone too far, Jeong Jae-Uk!”
Using deadly force on fellow guild members who had been through together?
Park Chang-Cheon’s fury burned white. He threw away any lingering feelings he had for Jeong Jae-Uk, who had been like his brother since childhood.
“Overlapping Mountains.”
Park Chang-Cheon’s shield split apart into dozens of pieces that flew out. Expanding, they arrived around Jeong Jae-Uk and rapidly assembled into a large cube, sealing Jeong Jae-Uk within.
This was his ultimate technique, one that completely isolated the target.
Park Chang-Cheon squeezed out the remainder of his mana to condense a tangible aura around his sword.
What he was doing wasn’t skill but a simple technique.
The role of Guardian was to protect; as the master, Park Chang-Cheon’s Skills specialized in defense. He left attacking to his teammates.
A party that divided roles was the ideal, allowing every member to excel in one aspect. Working with parties, Park Chang-Cheon had conquered many gates and saved countless lives this way.
However, alone...
It is a pity.
Could his aura sword kill that monster?
Offense wasn’t his forte, and having just awakened, he was especially weak.
Park Chang-Cheon began to doubt himself; being alone on a battlefield was new to him, and he found himself limited in many ways.
He thought of his daughter.
Perhaps it wasn’t so bad that Hae-Rin had learned a sword-related Skill. I was arrogant. I thought she would always have allies at her side, yet even my guild has become a den of snakes...
Even his friend, whom he’d trusted like family, had betrayed him. So who’s to say when Hae-Rin might find herself alone, as he was now?
He’d wanted her to follow his path, but... Park Chang-Cheon’s eyes moved from his sword to his thin forearms.
He recalled how his little daughter had proudly displayed her sword dance for the first and last time...
I’m sorry, Hae-Rin.
I was foolish.
Park Chang-Cheon’s veins bulged, and he thrust, his sword plunging through the only small gap in the overlapping shields.
However—
“Same old, same old. And this time it’s so weak it makes me want to yawn.”
As Park Chang-Cheon’s old friend, how could Jeong Jae-Uk not know what he was up to?
He, of course, knew of the hidden gap in Overlapping Mountains. Moreover, Park Chang-Cheon’s sword thrust was like child’s play, weak and slow as it was.
Jeong Jae-Uk caught Park Chang-Cheon’s sword. The sword’s aura dispersed into plumes of mana around his fingers.
“This is the end.”
Jeong Jae-Uk pulled hard, sending Park Chang-Cheon crashing into the face of his Overlapping Mountains.
“Cough!”
Park Chang-Cheon staggered back, nose and mouth bleeding.
At the same time, Overlapping Mountains reached its end.
Jeong Jae-Uk emerged from among the scattering shields and raised his sword, wreathed in black mana, to the sky.
“Die.”
Space seemed to distort along the path of Jeong Jae-Uk’s sword, and behind it followed a chain of thunderous booms.
Jae-Hyeok shouted, but it was drowned out by the noise.
He had activated Two Scythes Block a Cart, but the scythes had only reached halfway when the sword was inches from Park Chang-Cheon’s head.
If he had known the duration of Overlapping Mountains ahead of time, Jae-Hyeok could’ve responded sooner, but it was too late now...
Jae-Hyeok paled at the realization. Hae-Rin’s father would be split in half before his scythes arrived.
Jae-Hyeok forgot: he wasn’t alone.
Hae-Rin arrived beside the two men, her sword nearly a blur. In her mind, the time she’d spent with Jae-Hyeok scrolled by as a flash. Every memory, every feeling—Hae-Rin channeled the first friend she had ever made in this world. And the more she did, the lighter her sword became.
Harnessing Link, her sword moved so fast that Hae-Rin felt as if it were dragging her along. Although she still wasn’t as fast as Jae-Hyeok, it was enough. Hae-Rin knew the timing of her father’s Overlapping Mountains and had moved earlier.
“Cough?!”
Hae-Rin pierced Jeong Jae-Uk’s neck, sending him staggering back. Within the space of a breath, Jae-Hyeok’s scythes arrived, carving twin furrows across his wrists. Another breath, Jae-Hyeok stood before him.
”Wait... ”
For the first time since using Blackening, Jeong Jae-Uk looked shaken and dashed back.
Iyarugt has been absorbing his demonic energy all this time. Did he finally notice?
But it’s far too late. Jae-Hyeok lunged forward and redrew his sword. With a flicker, Iyarugt’s tip disappeared inside Jeong Jae-Uk’s chest, straight through his heart.
The length of Iyarugt’s ruby blade seemed especially red then, like crystallized blood.
Jeong Jae-Uk felt the power rapidly draining from his body and struggled to speak. “C-cough!That red sword of yours... what—”
A thick branch of lightning latched onto the top of Jeong Jae-Uk’s head.
The world flashed white.
“I... borrowed the power... of a great being... and I still... s-still... s... ”
It was a death so abrupt that not even Jeong Jae-Uk’s final words were left in their entirety. The man who wielded immense power while serving as the acting master of one of the five major guilds was no more.
[Your level has risen by 11.]
[You have defeated an S-class player who signed a contract with a demon. Legendary achievement!]
[The demon eater, Iyarugt, has regained some of its power.]
It was the first day of vacation, and the sub-master of Guardian lay dead at his feet in the middle of the street. Jae-Hyeok scratched his cheek while surrounded by cheering Guardian members. I didn’t expect things to turn out like this...
The sub-master of one of the top five guilds had signed a contract with a demon—who would’ve thought?
“Jae-Hyeok!”
Hae-Rin circled her father and barreled over with tears in her eyes, throwing herself into Jae-Hyeok’s chest.
“I’m glad you’re safe! Thank you! Thank you so much!”
“......”
The cheers died down, and the atmosphere turned tense.
What was this? One was a friend, while the other was a father who had been bedridden for ages. So, where was the tearful father–daughter reunion? The Guardian Guild members fell quiet as they watched Park Chang-Cheon’s frozen smile.
Jae-Hyeok smiled awkwardly. “Uh... y-yes... ”