Chapter 45
Chapter 45
He'd been passable in the Trial of Distrust, but pitting him against an A-rank made the amateurishness of his combat glaringly obvious. Talent was talent, after all, innate or not. No matter how gifted, a kid just picking up a brush for the first time wouldn't paint a masterpiece. At best, they'd instinctively grasp form and perspective. And that's exactly what Han Geon-ju was doing right now. To be fair, considering he'd only raided Gates a handful of times and had awakened not long ago, his skills were pretty decent
He'd clearly shown both sense and talent when he'd attempted that takedown just moments ago. He seemed to instinctively know how to respond in any situation, but the problem was that knowing it in his head didn't mean his body followed suit—and Geon-ju's reactions were consistently a half-beat too slow. Against an opponent of the same rank, the timing might have synced up just fine, but since this was a higher rank, he kept making moves that would get him killed. Sa-yoon held back from interfering, waiting for him to figure it out himself and land a decisive blow, but his impatience was boiling over
He fell silent as Geon-ju successfully knocked away the charging monster and shoved his blade into its mouth. "Kuhk!" The monster barely tore at his hem. Blood trickled down his pale forearm—likely nicked by teeth. Sa-yoon's expression darkened. Should he toss in one more? He already looked plenty overwhelmed, but not to the point of desperation. To force radical growth, Geon-ju needed to swing his sword to its limits and squeeze every drop of mana while teetering on the brink of death multiple times
He kept emphasizing it, but if he'd wanted steady, step-by-step growth, they wouldn't have come to the Field. Kagang! Even as Sa-yoon pondered, Geon-ju and the monster's clashes continued relentlessly. Sparks flew between metal, grinding sounds echoed sporadically, and sweat poured down Geon-ju's forehead, drenching his handsome face. "Hup!" Geon-ju held his breath once, then exhaled sharply. He deflected the monster's attack with all his strength and tripped the charging beast. Blinded by excitement, it fell for the shallow feint
Geon-ju wasn't one to miss such a golden opportunity. He readjusted his grip on his sword and plunged it into the exposed back of the monster's head. —Chieeeek! The agonized screech faded as it thrashed. Whoosh. Sa-yoon whistled at Geon-ju, who had jabbed away endlessly like child's play before finally landing the finisher. No matter how tough its regeneration, no one bounces back from a weak point struck like that. Geon-ju kicked the monster's torso to yank his sword free and panted heavily
It was the messy end to a mudslinging brawl of a fight. "Confirm it's dead, too. Perfect angle for a headshot there." As Sa-yoon descended from the air with his critique, Geon-ju checked the fallen monster. Its diaphragm rose and fell slowly—proof it still breathed. His sword moved again. Three times. After stabbing three times to make sure it was dead, Geon-ju looked up as if to say, That enough? Sa-yoon watched him wipe away the pouring sweat and take deep breaths, then flinched. The protective barrier he'd set shattered—the linked sensation told him so
The monster horde he'd held back was now heading their way. He clicked his tongue. He'd meant to push a bit harder, but this was too much. This wasn't brink-of-death; this was just death. What good was coddling his pretty boy if he wouldn't fight from his arms? In the battles to come, Geon-ju's survival would disappoint. But he couldn't exactly rebuild the wall and toss in a few more monsters. They were close now; other measures were needed. As Sa-yoon pondered, Geon-ju glanced up from the corpse at the sudden silence
"What's up?" A subtle unease laced his voice—more precisely, distrust. Realizing he had no talent for teaching despite killing plenty, Sa-yoon stroked his chin and peered beyond the hill. With S-rank dynamic vision, he spotted the dust cloud in the distance. Higher-rank monsters stampeding over. He alternated glances between Geon-ju and ahead. Geon-ju, clueless about the front, tilted his head quizzically. Finally, Sa-yoon pocketed his dagger and strode toward him. Step, step. Creep, creep
Step, step. Creep, creep. "...?" One step forward from Sa-yoon, and the cute one took two quick steps back. Not filming a drama—no need for OST. As Sa-yoon narrowed his eyes, Geon-ju's did too. Their gazes met, and Geon-ju mouthed, What? Sa-yoon scoffed at the impudent attitude. "What's your problem?" "Why're you creeping up all ominous like you wanna give another order?" "When did I creep up ominous?" "You're doing it now. Just checking, but you saw I just finished that fight, right?" "Yeah, I saw." "Then..." Geon-ju, who'd viewed Sa-yoon as an unreasonable lunatic, brightened
As he opened his mouth with a lighter tone, Sa-yoon swiftly crushed the hope before misunderstandings deepened. "But didn't our pretty boy take down one in a C-rank Gate and jump straight to the next?" "..." That fight had still impressed. Sure, he was disappointing now because it was a higher Gate, but against peers, his pretty boy was the best. The more he thought, the more regretful it felt. He should've recorded it with a vision stone back then. Sa-yoon added, "You did it then, not with anyone else but yourself
Why not now?" Sa-yoon sang it almost. Geon-ju's gaze screamed refusal, but Sa-yoon's senses ignored it, seeing and hearing what he wanted. Of course, he had no intention of tossing newborn-fawn Geon-ju into the monster field. With only one life, he'd drop him somewhere a bit safer. Yeah. A bit safer. Recalling the Field's terrain from half a year ago, Sa-yoon grabbed Geon-ju's collar. As he tugged the neck area to move, the resisting one finally clutched Sa-yoon's hand. "I'll walk, so let go." "Not buying it
You sure you can go yourself?" "Where we going?" "Where else?" He insisted on walking, so Sa-yoon shifted from nape to wrist and headed outward. The ground sloped steeper, and soon a cliff appeared. A height where falling meant death—no exaggeration. Fog shrouded the bottom, visibility zero. Gulp. A swallow echoed. Sa-yoon turned to Geon-ju with a kindly smile. "What're you waiting for, pretty?" "...?" "Said you'd go on your own feet." "Are you insane?" "Yeah, yeah, totally smitten." Dismissing the now-cute protest, Sa-yoon gripped Geon-ju's shoulders and dragged him toward the edge
Geon-ju yelped and resisted desperately at the brink, clutching Sa-yoon's arm. "Falling here's actually lethal!" "You won't die. Promise. I've done it." This was true. Despite all the bluffs, threats, and scams on his pretty boy, this one he could swear on his money, honor, and Jong-sik. Casually replying, Sa-yoon tensed veins on his hand. One hard yank, and the desperately bracing one slipped futilely. "I said it's really death!" "It's risky enough to kill, but you won't—so climb up carefully." "No...!" "Monsters below, watch out." Just in case, he pulled two recovery potions from inventory and tucked them generously into Geon-ju's arms
Then, smiling sweetly, Sa-yoon shoved him off the cliff. "...!" Whoosh. Dirt crumbled from the edge, and empty air met Geon-ju's feet. The pale-faced man stared up. Sa-yoon proudly gazed at the one who'd shed his initial annoying nonchalance without needing discipline, then released his hand. "You crazy bastard!" "Yeah, yeah, climb up and sock me. Don't die, pretty!" Hand waving to the echoing yell fading below, Sa-yoon dusted off as vibrations hit from behind and stood. "Safer down there than up here, at least." The cliff teemed with S-ranks, but the Valley of Lamentation was A-rank territory—livable compared to here
Having sent Geon-ju down as considerate courtesy, Sa-yoon drew his sword at the charging S-ranks. No more pretty boy obsessively dissecting his every move with those innocent eyes. Time to fight freely, to his taste. "Your turn for some fun, huh?" Muttering low, Sa-yoon scraped his hand with his sword, drawing blood. As it dripped steadily,
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡