Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Ruined World (6)
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Back in a place like his hometown, Sa-yoon couldn't help but feel elated, swinging his sword relentlessly like a madman without a moment's rest. His movements brimmed with madness, yet the sword moved so fluidly that it left beautiful afterimages in the air. The seamless motions—lowering his arm to keep the trajectory unbroken, then immediately raising it to unleash sword qi once more—even resembled a sword dance.
One flying sword qi sent a monster plummeting from the dusty sky Sa-yoon had stirred up, while an charging A-grade monster spewed blood.
Watching from afar, atop a sand dune that could be considered relatively safe in this field rife with dangers everywhere, Geon-ju was at a loss for words.
It was overwhelming.
This wasn't the first time he'd seen Sa-yoon fight, yet the sight of him unilaterally crushing dozens of monsters like rats was impossible to look away from.
Sa-yoon, lost in a trance as he danced with his sword, was artistic yet brutal, almost demonic.
They were S-grade monsters, no less.
After dispatching those S-grade beasts with a few swings, he was now demonstrating brutally superior combat prowess against the countless A-grade monsters swarming him. Every motion exuded leisure, and the smile playing on his lips proved that battling such formidable foes wasn't taxing—it was pure enjoyment, enough to make one's palms sweat just watching.
Before such terrifying might, Geon-ju could say nothing. He couldn't mock him as usual or look at him with pity. He was simply in awe, harboring a touch of reverence deep inside. And he thought to himself.
No matter how heartless Sa-yoon acted, maybe he wasn't truly that vicious.
His promise to keep him alive didn't seem empty; even while facing that horde alone, he hadn't let a single one near Geon-ju.
In his own way, Sa-yoon was protecting him. Feeling a strange mix of emotions at that realization, Geon-ju watched Sa-yoon's bold, miraculous movements against the monsters, committing every response to memory as if possessed.
"S-grade..."
Could he become that strong if he reached S-grade too?
He'd never been there, so he didn't know. But hearing what Sa-yoon said about him, it seemed possible.
The possibility of becoming one of the fewer than a hundred S-grades in the world.
As he thought that joining Night Rat might actually be fortunate,
Splatter!
Red blood sprayed everywhere. Sa-yoon pulled his sword from the last monster's body, shook it off, and turned his head precisely toward Geon-ju.
Their eyes met, and Geon-ju swallowed hard. Having witnessed the battle, he couldn't casually spit out "Are you insane?" like before, so he pressed his red lips together and stared. The man twisted his thin lips into a pout and spoke.
"Pretty boy."
"Ah."
Was it the changed atmosphere, or had Sa-yoon immersed himself in the killing? Either way, his voice was lower and chillier than usual. Geon-ju let out an involuntary sigh and swallowed again as Sa-yoon walked toward him.
Sa-yoon ambled over slowly and chuckled quietly. Then, without warning, he tossed the sword he held.
Whirr.
The sword spun once in the air and stabbed into the ground beside where Geon-ju sat. Geon-ju blinked, glancing back and forth between the sword next to him and Sa-yoon, whose clothes were stained with monster blood.
Sa-yoon pulled a disposable cleansing potion from his inventory, used it, and grinned with a refreshed expression.
"Your turn now, pretty boy."
Geon-ju's thoughts—that maybe Sa-yoon wasn't so vicious after all—shook along with those obsidian eyes.
"You want me to do it?"
"Yeah."
"I'm B-grade."
"That's why I gave you the sword. It's SS-grade."
Sa-yoon nodded toward the sword embedded in the sand. Geon-ju's gaze followed automatically, landing on the blade buried deep in the dune. Covered in monster blood, it radiated a menacing aura. It looked impressive, but holding an SS-grade weapon wouldn't suddenly make him S-grade.
Buying an expensive brush doesn't turn a novice into a calligraphy master.
Geon-ju wrinkled his nose and narrowed his eyes. His gaze drifted past Sa-yoon's shoulder to the massive monster corpses turning to ash and vanishing like mountains piled up. Taking in the sight made him click his tongue in amazement.
"Those guys were S-grade too."
"So? What's the problem?"
Huh.
Geon-ju exhaled in exasperation, his face screaming disbelief at Sa-yoon's nonchalant attitude. Sa-yoon, meanwhile, couldn't fathom why Geon-ju was dragging this out with arguments when he could just agree and stand up. Mutual dissatisfaction hung thick in the air between them. Even as they bickered, the ground trembled faintly.
Sa-yoon tapped his chin.
Even he wouldn't just throw Geon-ju into a monster swarm. He needed to teach him now, while the beasts were quiet, but his precious pretty boy was wasting that golden time.
How foolish.
"Pretty boy, pretty boy."
Sa-yoon called to him with a sigh and approached the still-seated Geon-ju.
"What does it matter that you're B-grade?"
"Then it doesn't matter?"
"It doesn't. Is that B-grade rank more important to you than your own life?"
"..."
"Once you're in a gate, you think about surviving. How long do you plan to hide in the back? If I were you, I'd have realized this chance is priceless and grabbed the sword to charge in. Right?"
Sa-yoon clicked his tongue as he spoke, and Geon-ju's eyes twitched. Sa-yoon yanked the buried sword free and tossed it to him.
Geon-ju snatched the flying sword midair, hesitated, swallowed a sigh, and stood up.
Learning exercise from a superior makes your skills improve incomparably faster. With someone beside you to show the right form, point out mistakes, and give feedback, it's obvious. The same goes for Awakeners. They're all busy getting stronger, but guidance from a higher-grade Awakener can lead to rapid progress.
Sa-yoon, with eyes demanding why refuse when an S-grade like him was offering, turned his head and stretched his stiff body.
"I'm not telling you to beat an S-grade right away. Bring something manageable and practice on it."
"Then..."
"Wait there. I'll grab a suitable one."
"Grab one?"
"Yeah."
No sooner had he answered curtly than Sa-yoon dashed off in the opposite direction from where Geon-ju had been looking.
"...At least explain properly before you go."
Geon-ju sent a blank stare after the figure speeding away like a Taoist master traversing the earth.
Thud!
Sa-yoon stomped powerfully, shaking the ground, and sought out the horde of monsters charging enthusiastically toward this area. The vibrations were too subtle for Geon-ju to notice, but to Sa-yoon, whose senses were exponentially sharper than ordinary S-grade Awakeners', they were laughably clear.
After sprinting less than 10 kilometers, he spotted the moving monster pack. At least forty strong, he scanned them quickly and leaped into the center.
—Kieeeek!
—Grrrruk!
—Grrr...
The monsters panicked at the human suddenly inserting himself into their march. Sa-yoon leisurely wove through them—casual enough to call relaxed—as they hurled all sorts of attacks at him, then seized an A-grade monster by the throat.
An A-grade grotesque beast.
Its regeneration made it tough, but its size—about human-height—didn't intimidate much. Even Geon-ju could handle it with some effort.
Having picked a fitting one, Sa-yoon smiled, kicked off backward to retreat from the pack. The monsters screeched and turned on each other, their failed attacks at Sa-yoon hitting innocents instead.
"Have fun among yourselves."
The instigator watched their chaos before planting his hand on the ground.
Whoosh.
Cold energy flowed from his hand, freezing the barren, savage soil of the Ruined World. Veins bulged on the back of his hand. Crackle! A massive ice wall erupted from the frozen earth.
"This should buy time until the fight ends."
A 30-meter-high ice wall blocking the monsters' path. Having expended a huge chunk of mana at once, Sa-yoon's fingertips trembled briefly. He clenched his fist, then opened it seconds later; his hand had steadied.
Satisfied after glancing between his hand and the wall, Sa-yoon grabbed the grotesque beast's throat again and turned leisurely. A humming tune escaped his lips—debating whether to hunt S-grades at sea or in the mountains.
Squeal!
Suddenly, the grotesque beast in his grip wailed pitifully. Only then did Sa-yoon realize he'd squeezed too hard and loosened his grip.
The beast, which had given up struggling and whimpered, calmed down. Sa-yoon patted its head approvingly and sprinted toward his pretty boy, who must be waiting anxiously.
Sa-yoon, who had been eyeing the surroundings warily since he left sight, quickly reached Geon-ju and met his eyes before hurling the grotesque beast.
"That one's doable for you, pretty boy!"
"Pardon?"
Pretty boy. Pretty boy. Pretty boy.
The echoes rang out everywhere, and Geon-ju whipped his head around. His eyes widened at the monster flying straight toward him.