Chapter 121
Chapter 121
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: EP.29 – King Kong and the Hybrid Collide (8)
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I knew it.
The power wielded by Lv.8 heroes was truly transcendent.
But...
'Knowing about it and seeing it for real are two different things...'
Kwajijik...!
Kugung!!
The floor began to shatter, and the ceiling was on the verge of collapsing as well.
No, over ninety percent of it had already crumbled—it wouldn't be strange if the whole thing came crashing down at any moment.
Dizziness washed over him at the fact that this was merely the result of two people clashing.
Was this truly the power a human could wield...?
"Hmm, as expected, I have a good eye for people. You're strong indeed. But to think you'd block 'Thunder Drop' of all things."
"What kind of childish name is that?"
"I-isn't it a pretty good name?"
"Not really...?"
"Hmm..."
Yet the two knights paid no mind to the natural disaster they'd artificially unleashed and continued thrusting their blades at each other.
Because they lacked 'trust in one another'.
"How about we stop this? Our goals seem pretty similar, don't they?"
"I get that they're similar, but that doesn't mean I have to look kindly on the guy who threw the first punch."
"...Hm, you've got me there."
Lee Han was right.
No matter the reason, Maximus had been the first to show hostility.
So Lee Han had assumed an attack stance and unleashed a full-force strike. If he hadn't responded, it would've hurt quite a bit.
"That said, I do have an excuse. Ri Han, the aura you were emitting was so murderous that I honestly mistook you for a monster. How about showing some understanding here?"
"I was a bit pissed off, so yeah, it was murderous... But more importantly, that's not my name."
"Right, Ri Han."
"...You're unbelievable."
A person without malice was harder to deal with than someone who wouldn't listen.
In that sense, he truly felt no malice.
Just a pure, snow-white innocence shining through, laced with a quiet fighting spirit.
But.
Zing!
'It hurts like hell.'
His arm that had clashed with Maximus's ached all the way to his shoulder, making Lee Han furrow his brow.
'Human gorilla—no, King Kong of a guy...!'
Lee Han wore a stunned expression.
Maximus.
The first time he'd laid eyes on him was during the Royal Academy's midterms, and all he'd done was cross paths with Grand Duke Lionel.
Even then, he'd vaguely sensed it, but this knight named Maximus was...
'What kind of guy is this?'
Incredibly intimidating.
Was it because he'd gone through so much growth pain himself lately?
Lee Han could glimpse a strength in Maximus that he hadn't noticed the day before.
'What an insane physique.'
A massive body whose outline alone told the tale.
Perfectly proportioned, as if sculpted by a master craftsman—you'd believe it without question.
As a physical-type knight himself, he knew.
To build a body like that required not just effort, but being 'born different'.
'Talk about a living textbook on life's unfairness.'
For someone from a low-physical-potential background, it was the epitome of envy.
But it didn't breed resentment or inferiority.
On the contrary, it inspired admiration—and a drive to work toward building a body like that someday.
But...
'Not the type I want to get friendly with.'
As he'd thought yesterday, this was someone he wanted to steer clear of.
Look at him now.
"I'd appreciate it if you could understand. After dealing with only weaklings, finding a splendid strong foe like you made me so thrilled that I lunged impulsively. Won't happen next time, haha!"
Was that an apology or a provocation? His tone blurred the line.
If this guy had many enemies, it was probably all his own doing.
The kind of person who made grudges effortlessly.
Lee Han...
"...Hoo."
...found the bickering pointless.
Talking to him would just give him a headache.
"Let's call it quits."
"Huh?"
"I'm already in a rush as it is. What's the point of fighting you? We should each go our own way."
"Hmm, how heartless."
Putting down his axe left Maximus visibly disappointed, confirming he must've been itching for a fight.
'Demonic cultist type...'
A reminder to keep his distance.
At that moment.
"Hm, still, I should apologize properly. Can't just brush it off with words as a Northern knight. Hmm... Ah, right!"
Kuung!
"—I'll handle these guys."
No sooner had Maximus spoken than shadows surged around them.
Whoosh!
Black-clad figures radiating murderous intent hurled daggers at Lee Han the moment they spotted him.
So many daggers, hidden who-knows-where, swam through the air menacingly toward him. And those daggers...
Paaat!
"How dare petty assassins target an honorable knight!"
A fierce gust erupted from Maximus's swung sword, stripping all the daggers of momentum and sending them clattering to the ground.
Not some technique—just a powerful swing batting them away...!
A terrifying force.
Kwang!
Maximus left a footprint in the floor and shot forward, his form vanishing in an instant.
Sek!
"One."
"!!!?"
When his figure reappeared, the black-clad assassins recoiled in horror.
One of their comrades' torso and legs had been severed.
It had happened in a flash—a swing and movement too swift to follow with the eye.
But even more astonishing was...
"A sword really is inconvenient."
Creak.
The black sword—likely picked up from the ground—had already reached its durability limit and was on the verge of breaking.
Unable to withstand his monstrous strength, no doubt.
Thus.
"Hm, better to fight barehanded."
"...Don't get cocky!"
He discarded the sword without hesitation, and the black-clad ones took it as an insult, flying into rage.
"Cocky? Me—?"
Kwaduk!!
Maximus clapped his hands onto a black-clad assassin's head like striking a gong, crumpling it like wet clay and killing him instantly.
Could a human skull really crumple that easily?
"...Gulp."
The assassins swallowed dryly and hesitated.
The sudden giant of a man's ferocity, decisiveness, and power were downright terrifying.
Their retreat was pure survival instinct.
But Maximus's eyes gleamed fiercely.
As if not a single one would escape.
"Cocky is what you lot are doing. Charging in without even gauging your opponent's strength—how pathetic."
Whoosh!
Maximus stepped forward again, his body vanishing like flowing water.
For a giant frame, his fluid, instantaneous movement resembled a cheetah or serpent.
Cheetah-like explosive acceleration paired with serpent-like elastic muscle control.
Was such motion even possible for a human? It defied the laws of physics.
The next instant.
Kwajik!
His fist connected, exploding another assassin's head, while another's body tore apart.
A single man was massacring the black-clad assassins in a nightmare of slaughter.
"Is that guy even human?"
Lee Han was dumbfounded. It was like teaching martial arts and techniques to a gorilla—what you'd get. 'Instant acceleration over 100, easy.' On par with Divine Arrow Flight in real time. But Lee Han had to use it as a technique; this guy seemed to have it as a passive.
"What kind of unreasonable bastard is this? How's a normal guy like me supposed to live...?"
"......"
"...Why are you looking at me like that?"
"N-no, just..." ...And understandably so, because everything Lee Han muttered... 'Probably exactly what others felt about the instructor...' Derek couldn't bring himself to say it. He didn't fancy being torn in half like those black-clad guys.
Thud.
"Hm, unsatisfying."
It had taken Maximus barely over ten minutes to sever heads and necks, leaving more than thirty corpses.
Some might think they were weak, letting him win easily—but by any status window's skill-based evaluation, each was Lv.5.
Elite knight level.
Annihilating them in seconds underscored Maximus's overwhelming might.
Yet even after facing such threats, his expression showed little emotion.
Just disappointment.
It had been that anticlimactic.
"A proper clash should have blood and flesh flying..."
A utterly psychopathic statement, but that was the Northern mindset.
Battle should be fierce; dying in combat was honorable.
Cowardly survival or fearing duels was the greater shame for Northerners.
'Hm, a satisfyingly strong foe appears at last, but pulling this in such circumstances would be improper.'
Maximus glanced at Pendragon's young knight.
He'd exuded an unusual aura at their first meeting, but now it was even vaster.
Growth incomparable to yesterday.
'I see. He overcame the [Trial of Striving]—?'
Northern warriors revered struggle because victory over stronger foes fueled growth, calling it a trial.
Those who overcame it grew stronger.
Accumulating 'karma' through triumph.
But stacking such karma was exceedingly difficult.
No matter how valiant, surviving deadly duels was no sure thing.
Thus.
'Impressive.'
A champion who'd seized victory.
Irresistibly appealing to Maximus.
'I want to fight him, for real...!'
It had merely stirred his battle lust before, but now it was different.
Defeating him would elevate Maximus further.
An endless upward craving for growth.
More than raw talent, this insatiable drive was why he was called the North's strongest warrior.
As his longing for battle surged.
An interloper intruded.
Mother Worm.
A colossal sand worm, 120 meters long, charging with an enraged roar.
"...For a worm, it's got some size."
Maximus merely shrugged at the sight.
Giants like that were commonplace in the North.
What caught his eye more was...
"That one up top's giving you quite the passionate glare. Old colleague?"
"Hm, former coworker, yeah."
"Oh ho."
A black-clad figure riding the Mother Worm's head.
Seeing No. 4, Maximus's eyes lit up.
Obvious at a glance—higher rank than the others.
Thus.
"That ex-coworker of yours—mind if I take him?"
His words sounded like asking permission, but they weren't.
Rather.
"What if I say no?"
"Ha ha...!"
"......"
It was a declaration without words.
A laugh without reply, yet he'd already gotten his answer. Lee Han smirked and shook his head.
And so they.
Kwaaaang!!
Without deciding who first, thrust fists toward each other.