Chapter 15 - Cradle of the Broken Pilgrim (7)
Before learning martial arts, Kim Sun-woo's fights had been one-dimensional.
Block or dodge, then attack.
An F-rank hunter was only a bit tougher than a regular person, little more than a child in a dungeon teeming with horrors.
A single moment's mistake could mean limbs torn off or the body shattered to pieces—it happened all too often.
That was why he could only move conservatively, always wary of his surroundings.
It was only natural that his senses had specialized in that direction.
But in the process of learning martial arts, he realized he'd been handling his senses all wrong.
'I'd only been using a fraction of them.'
The sensory talent Kim Sun-woo possessed went far beyond just avoiding danger.
Clang! Clang!
Countless trajectories clashed in midair.
If it had been before, he couldn't have even read those fragments, but now he was deflecting the black knight's sword more naturally than breathing.
It felt like every cell in his body was awakening.
He was astonished at how well he could fight like this.
...This raid seemed like it would be a turning point that changed his life.
'So I'll survive, no matter what.'
Kim Sun-woo steeled his resolve once more and swung his sword.
Dozens more clashes followed in succession.
His remaining internal energy was less than half.
It was time to bring things to a close.
Shruk.
Mid-step in the Flash Flow Step, he abruptly slowed and shifted to the Dark Flow Step.
His presence scattered, seeping into the darkness.
Shiiiaaak!
The black knight, tricked by the same tactic several times already, charged forward at high speed and swung wildly.
Jet-black aura rampaged everywhere, indiscriminately striking the hall.
Deep gashes scarred the ceiling, pillars, and floor without discrimination.
Of course, none reached where Kim Sun-woo was.
"......"
He had jammed his sword into the ceiling and was hanging upside down.
Staring at the black knight going berserk in search of him, he narrowed his eyes sharply.
'Its movements seem complex, but they follow a set pattern.'
The first strike was a sword slash covering 180 degrees in front.
If it missed, it spun its body for a follow-up continuous strike.
Next, it kicked off the ground and charged, leading with its shoulder to crush him with brute force.
These were patterns he'd read through hundreds of exchanges.
Yet he hadn't exploited the openings because he was waiting for the most certain moment.
'One, two, three, four.'
Kim Sun-woo visualized the final clash in his mind.
If his calculations were right, four more exchanges would decide the victor.
With that, he yanked his sword from the ceiling and dropped straight to the floor.
Whoosh!
The rampaging black knight instantly sensed his presence and whipped its head up.
Jet-black aura spewed from the sword tip, sharply slicing the air.
There was no way to dodge in midair, but Kim Sun-woo hurled the sword in his hand as a foothold.
Thud!
The moment he landed, the shattered sword fragments scattered into the air.
He snatched another sword rolling amid the pillar debris, exhaled shortly, and faced the black knight.
'This is my last sword.'
All the swords he'd brought from the storeroom had broken in the fight or been destroyed by the black knight's dark aura.
With resolve to end it here, Kim Sun-woo kicked off the ground and charged the black knight in a surprise assault.
The black knight didn't stand idle either.
Shyaaak!
First strike.
A sharp slash came hurtling to cleave his head.
Kim Sun-woo poured power into his charge and smacked the knight's sword aside.
Creeeang!
The impact made his arms tremble.
The black knight's sword seemed to bounce away, but it used the momentum to spin and unleash a swift follow-up strike.
Whiiiir!
Two slashes aimed at his head and waist simultaneously.
Kim Sun-woo instantly kicked off the floor, launching into the air and slipping his body between the two incoming trajectories.
Splat. Shlick!
He hadn't dodged perfectly—flesh tore here and there, blood spraying.
But in this split-second crisis, he had no time to worry about minor wounds.
'Two.'
Kim Sun-woo's eyes fixed solely on the black knight with terrifying focus.
Having evaded the follow-up, it was his turn now.
White Flow Sword Technique, Second Form
Absolute Shadow Chaos Flow
He poured his hoarded internal energy into the sword form, scattering it wildly.
The chaotic shadows of the rising sword took on substance, each emitting sharp killing intent as they battered the black knight's body.
Kakakak!
Armor shattered, bones chipped away.
Kim Sun-woo aimed to destroy all its armor and expose the life vessel in its chest.
But the black knight read his intent, pulling its left arm in as a sacrifice to protect its chest armor.
"Even so...!"
Unlike the black knight's glancing blows, his Absolute Shadow Chaos Flow had landed solid hits, dealing heavy damage.
The advantage was his.
Kim Sun-woo raised his sword to drive the wedge home, but—
Thud.
The black knight retracted its thrust sword and led with its sturdy shoulder, shoving forward bodily.
It was closing distance to deny him room to swing.
The knight knew well that only the Flying Thunder Flash form could shatter its chest bones and pierce the life vessel after breaking the armor.
'Four.'
But Kim Sun-woo had anticipated even that.
He welcomed the charge, extending his hand forward.
Grab.
He gripped the black knight's bony shoulder and flipped into the air like a handstand.
It looked like a circus act leaping over a charging bull in an arena.
With distance secured, Kim Sun-woo sharpened his sword tip, concentrating all his power there.
"Die already."
White Flow Sword Technique, First Form
Flying Thunder Flash
—Kwaaaaaaaaang!!
A lightning bolt carrying desperate intent crashed down on the black knight's crown.
The sword tip pulverized the black helmet and skull, piercing through neck bones and spine straight to the chest center.
He'd predicted it would defend the front to protect its life vessel.
So he struck from an unexpected angle, targeting the weakness from a higher dimension.
It surely hadn't anticipated a thrust from the head straight to the chest.
'...It's over.'
Slowly, very slowly.
As he fell to the floor, Kim Sun-woo let out a sigh of relief.
His remaining internal energy was just over ten percent.
He could force one more sword form if he pushed it, but he'd ended it at a razor-thin timing.
Still, to finish it like this was...
Clatter.
But the black knight didn't vanish.
With the sword still lodged in its head, it slowly turned to stare at Kim Sun-woo dropping to the floor.
Kim Sun-woo's eyes widened.
'The life vessel's position...!'
Through the cracked armor.
The life vessel had shifted slightly more to the right than before.
Whether hallucination or not, it felt like the black knight was sneering at him through its hollow eyes.
"You bastard...!"
Thwack!
The sword swung, and Kim Sun-woo flew back, spraying blood.
He tumbled across the floor, barely stopping at the hall's edge.
'...Damn it.'
He hadn't expected it could move its life vessel.
This unforeseen tactic left him clutching his body in dismay.
"Oppa!!!"
At that exact moment, Han Su-ah, who had been hiding behind a pillar, screamed hysterically.
She immediately dashed out, casting heal and buff.
She swung her glowing staff wildly to threaten the black knight, keeping it at bay.
—......
Even for the tattered black knight, Han Su-ah's ability was a burdensome opposing force, so it didn't approach rashly.
Of course, she knew she couldn't hold out long.
Her opponent was a foe that had even given Kim Sun-woo trouble.
Much less in his wounded state—it would surely charge once it recovered a bit.
Grip.
But Han Su-ah believed.
This scenario was one Kim Sun-woo had planned for.
Crackle.
The darkness that had settled in the hall surged toward the black knight.
Chipped bones refilled, shattered armor reformed like new.
With each step it took forward, Han Su-ah felt crushing pressure.
She wanted to hurl her staff and run.
Yet she gritted her teeth, maxing out heals and buffs to hold her ground.
When the black knight finally raised its sword before her.
Han Su-ah clenched her staff and squeezed her eyes shut.
Shyaaak!
Fierce air howled.
Her hair whipped, her whole body chilled by the power.
"......?"
But no pain came, no matter how long she waited.
In disbelief, she slowly opened her eyes and saw the black knight frozen mid-swing—not at her, but backward.
Grrrrrind.
Suddenly, its chest armor heaved.
Like a sprout bursting forth, the plated iron peeled away, and something elongated surged out.
"Got you dead center this time."
Blood dripping, Kim Sun-woo grinned ferociously as he twisted the spear shaft.
White Flow Sword Technique, Third Form
Flying Moon Severing Shadow
A killing move blending with darkness via Dark Flow Step to ensure the foe's demise.
Its internal energy cost dwarfed the previous forms, so he'd hoped to avoid it.
The spear piercing the black knight's back was the one he'd hurled at the throne-seated knight earlier.
He hadn't expected to use all those swords, but they'd all broken in the fight.
He hadn't deliberately saved the spear for this, but it let him pierce the life vessel more surely.
Crack.
Kim Sun-woo twisted the shaft, utterly destroying the life vessel.
The shuddering black knight finally stilled, black smoke rising from its head and scattering.
Clang!
Only shattered armor and a black sword remained, rolling on the floor.
Confirming the black knight's total dissipation, Kim Sun-woo sighed in relief and collapsed.
"...Oppa! I'll heal you right now, right now."
Snapping to, Han Su-ah rushed over and showered him with heals.
Feeling the warm healing sensation, Kim Sun-woo exhaled wearily again.
"That was close. Thanks to you, I survived."
"No, I didn't do anything. It was all you..."
Having witnessed the brutal fight up close, Han Su-ah teared up.
Without him, they never could have beaten the black knight—they'd have been trapped and died here.
After downing potions and resting briefly, Kim Sun-woo reviewed the battle.
'I'd planned for the worst case.'
No matter how it ended, the gap wouldn't be overwhelming.
A tiny margin, a single minor factor could tip the scales.
'That's why I fought excluding Han Su-ah from the start.'
If he'd used her heals and buffs from the beginning, it might have been more favorable.
But the black knight would have targeted her over him.
He'd end up restricted protecting her, hobbled.
Heals and buffs were cheat-level, worth the risk—but with his inexperience in such fights, he couldn't predict the variables.
So he'd boldly forsaken support, fought solo, and asked for her intervention at the critical moment.
She'd drawn attention better than expected, letting him exploit the opening and finish with Flying Moon Severing Shadow.
'Honestly, I was prepared for mutual destruction...'
He'd benefited hugely from her heals and buffs.
Thrusting the spear a tempo faster, destroying the life vessel before its sword reached—ending with these wounds.
This battle made him understand why guilds threw money at utility awakeners.
"...So, where to now? I thought killing the black knight would clear the dungeon."
"Oh, there's a door behind the throne. Probably the exit—let's check there."
He'd spotted it while pulling the spear from the wall.
Exiting through there should lead outside.
"Let's go. I'm sick of this place."
Wiping dripping blood, Kim Sun-woo stood.
Time to go home.