Chapter 260
Chapter 260
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 260
Chapter Title: Spear King, Spear Master (1)
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Spear King.
The moment I sensed that old Chinese man's hostility.
Shh, shhh!
My skeletons simultaneously released their polymorph.
At the same time, with a ching! they drew their respective weapons.
"Damn it."
I sighed inwardly.
How could something like this happen right from the first break?
Was I never destined to rest in the first place?
"As expected, it was you."
He opened his mouth after approaching right in front of me.
"Indeed, who else in the heart of Seoul could possess such an aura besides you?"
"Hmm, what brings the leader of the Saneum Association here without any prior notice?"
I slowly removed my mask as I spoke.
"And in such an openly hostile manner, no less."
"……!"
My standoff with the Spear King.
The sight paralyzed the streets of Samseong-dong in an instant.
"Oh my god! It's Joo Dong-hoon!"
"Crazy! Those model-like kids from earlier turned into bones! No way they were skeletons?"
"Holy crap, what skeletons pretend to be human? Is that even possible?"
"Yeah, their behavior was practically indistinguishable from humans!"
"So that's the Skeleton Emperor for you?"
"Well, he's a Hyper Ranker. Basically god-tier hunter, so we shouldn't try to understand it."
Some were shocked by my subordinates' sudden transformation.
"But why did the Spear King come all the way to Korea?"
"Yeah, the atmosphere feels off."
"Didn't the Spear King just lose his Hyper Ranker spot? He must be pissed."
"Even so, charging in like this openly? What does he plan to do if he's angry!"
Conflicts between Rankers could quickly escalate into international incidents.
Because each nation revered their Rankers as more than mere heroes.
In any case.
The rumors spread through cell phones, SNS, and various communities, racing across the globe in moments.
"Breaking news! Breaking news!"
"Record it!"
Nearby reporters came rushing over.
"Live personal broadcast!"
"Guys, jackpot! Rankers facing off here! No cap! This is real!"
Some streamers brazenly started broadcasting.
Even amid the sudden flood of attention, the Spear King ignored it all and revealed thick killing intent.
"We had some unfinished business from before, didn't we?"
The Spear Master's chilling gaze fixed on me.
"Back then, we couldn't finish it because of Sophia, that old hag, interfering."
Whirl!
The Spear King elegantly spun his spear.
"……."
I stared at him blankly.
Hmm.
When we met before, he had clearly been an old man with an overwhelming presence.
Every movement flawless, his aura alone choking the breath out of me, leaving no path to victory.
But.
'This seems doable.'
Honestly, I felt a bit disappointed.
Well, I'd just come from spirited battles with the War God (SSS Grade) and Apostles (SS Grade).
No way the Spear King would impress me now.
Everything is relative.
Like a La Liga or EPL star facing a K League Ranker, perhaps?
Of course, not a perfect analogy.
"Hoo."
I exhaled.
"There are a lot of eyes here. How about we move somewhere else?"
"Move?"
"Yes, if it's unfinished business, doesn't that mean you came to fight me?"
"Correct. More precisely, I came to reclaim my position that you stole. With this spear of mine, right here."
……!
The Spear King's declaration to reclaim his position!
Its meaning was crystal clear.
"What? What does that mean?"
The murmurs from the crowd grew louder.
"Reclaiming his position? There's only one way to do that."
"Killing him."
"Crazy, he's declaring he'll kill Joo Dong-hoon right in the middle of Korea?"
"That bastard. Is he insane?"
"Get lost! Go back to your country right now!"
The people grew agitated.
Some threw water bottles, others jabbed fingers in the air, pointing accusingly.
But.
Rumble...
As the Spear King furrowed his brow and unleashed a savage aura.
"Uh, uhhh?"
"Sh-shit?"
"Back away! Fall back!"
The terrified crowd began widening the distance.
Thus, the circular arena in the heart of Samseong-dong started expanding.
Bang! Boom!
The growing space threatened the roads as well.
In the end, all traffic ground to a halt.
And at that moment.
"Sorry, but."
The Spear King spoke.
"I can't move locations."
"……?"
"This is Korea. Dragging things out won't benefit me. Besides, only by defeating you in front of this many spectators will the world acknowledge it. That I'm number ten, that I'm the true Hyper Ranker...!"
"Hmm."
I furrowed my brow.
What kind of absurd situation was this?
Last time, he straight-up shoved his spear in my face and demanded a duel.
This time, he's openly declaring he'll kill me?
"Tsk tsk."
In the end, I clicked my tongue.
"You should go mad gracefully. Isn't this old man's dementia a bit too twisted?"
"What did you say?"
"The Judgment Spear mentioned it. Something about Qi Deviation. My master said so. Qi Deviation equals dementia."
"Are you spouting nonsense in front of me right now?"
"Well, whether it's nonsense or not."
Fwoosh!
As I swung my hand downward, flames wrapped around my arm, and simultaneously, a spear materialized.
My ultimate asymmetric weapon, god-slaying grade.
"Since you came here to kill me, you should at least be prepared to die yourself, Spear King."
I lowered my voice coldly.
That senile old man was trying to kill me.
Then, shouldn't he be prepared to lose his life as well?
Repaying what I receive—and more—that's my creed.
"Show me that Plum Blossom Spear or whatever it is."
* * *
The atmosphere in the impromptu Samseong-dong coliseum shifted dramatically with Joo Dong-hoon's retort.
"Uh, uhhh!"
"This looks like they're really gonna fight?"
"Shouldn't we run?"
"E-everyone, evacuate! A clash between Rankers of this level is practically a national disaster!"
"Kyaaah!"
People began fleeing one by one.
A few exhibitionists or those whose curiosity overrode survival instincts stayed.
But the majority knew to value their lives.
Even regular Ranker fights could level buildings and ruin cities, but these were Hyper Rankers.
Ranking tenth and eleventh, no less.
It was like a nuke planted in the city center.
But even in the chaos.
One person climbed nearby buildings, thrusting a camera forward...
「Passionate Reporter Live!」
「Remember? The HBS reporter who scooped Joo Dong-hoon at the back mountain lot!」
「Skeleton Emperor vs. Spear King.」
「Live from Samseong-dong!」
「Viewers: 320,515」
"Huff, huff! Reporting live, everyone! This is Samseong-dong! The Spear King appeared out of nowhere and provoked Joo Dong-hoon, who accepted the challenge! Yes yes, that Spear King bastard. Total asshole, right? Who the hell does he think he is messing with our Joo Dong-hoon?"
A sweat-drenched reporter shouted while bounding up the stairs.
He secured a spot at an optimal height and quickly set up a clean broadcast feed.
The handiwork of a true veteran, not his first rodeo.
"Lucky break! But you know what they say—luck is skill. Man, I'm freaking out this time. This is seriously nerve-wracking!"
└ Crazy.
└ This guy's always first? Real scoop king.
└ What is HBS doing, not raising his salary?
└ This has to be divine intervention.
└ Anyway, wtf happened? Why is Spear King picking a fight with the Emperor?
└ Worried...
Everyone was anxious.
First, they hoped Joo Dong-hoon would be safe.
Second, they hoped Samseong-dong would survive.
A high-level Ranker's all-out fight could cause mass casualties.
"Whew."
The reporter let out a light sigh and gripped his camera tightly.
He focused on Joo Dong-hoon, framing the street.
A tense moment, not knowing what would unfold next.
"Alright then! Let's start the full broadcast!"
* * *
"Hmm."
I gazed at the Spear King before me.
One of the hunters called the strongest on present-day Earth.
'Interesting.'
Interesting, and promising.
Just how would I handle the Spear King—
me, who had taken down Kalipeuna so easily?
'But.'
I glanced at the spear gripped in my left hand.
'Of all times, now. My stamina's low.'
[Hunter: Joo Dong-hoon]
[Title: Skeleton Emperor]
[Stamina: 450/4,220]
I'd already poured all my stamina into the destruction dragon's egg.
The stamina recovered just from watching the movie was a measly 450.
That was regrettable.
'Indeed.'
Could I really fight a deathmatch with this much stamina?
As I pondered.
"You dare tell me to prepare to die?"
Tap tap.
The Spear King slowly tapped the ground with his spear.
"Don't be arrogant, young fool. Rankings are just numbers in the end. Upsets can happen anytime."
At the same time, the Spear King's aura shifted once more.
From an old man to a malevolent spirit.
"Come at me. I'll show you how vast my world is."
Boom!
An explosive aura burst forth.
The sheer pressure cracked the asphalt and sent stones flying!
"……."
Gulp.
I tightened my grip on the spear, swallowing hard.
Truth be told, I wasn't worried.
I'd survived far worse situations multiple times.
Besides.
The Korean government would already be informed by now, and reinforcements would arrive soon.
The association would probably call Haseora, wouldn't they?
This was blatant "invasion" by the Spear King.
[Kim Jin-ah: Guild master!]
[Kim Jin-ah: You okay?]
[Kim Jin-ah: What the hell is this now!]
[Berserker: On my way, bro.]
[Thunderclap: Spear King, that punk? Begging to be killed.]
......
The Byeolcheonji chat was already in uproar.
[Judgment Spear: Friend.]
[Judgment Spear: Sorry about this.]
[Space Sorcerer (Spacian): Heard the news, you good?]
[Water Witch: What news?]
[Space Sorcerer (Spacian): Tsk tsk, your intel's that slow? Check the news right now.]
[Water Witch: OMG, what! That Spear King bastard finally showed up? Oh, Judgment Spear's here... Sorry.]
[Judgment Spear: No... It's fine. It happens.]
......
Even the Dragon Slayer alumni chat was buzzing.
"……."
As I quietly slid the chat window aside.
"......Professor."
Arin spoke up beside me.
"This time, can't you sit this one out from the sidelines?"
"What?"
What was that supposed to mean?
I looked at Arin.
"You're low on energy. Come to think of it, your abilities are us—so why do you always step up yourself?"
"......I agree, my lord."
Taeyang stepped forward too.
"After endless training since becoming Skeleton King, I can output about 80% of my peak. And."
Whoosh!
He swung his spear.
"Spears are my specialty, my lord. Plum Blossom Spear or whatever—I'll smash it."
"Trust us, Master."
Boom!
Kaden slammed his shield into the ground.
The asphalt cracked.
'Whew.'
No need to worry about that, huh?
Well, the Spear King had already wrecked the asphalt anyway.
I'd bill China for it.
"Master. Shall I fight that guy?"
Hwang! Hoo!
Mugak twisted his waist, lightly kicking the air.
And Dana, silently praying.
'You guys......'
I looked at them with a moved expression.
Come to think of it, yes.
Me reaching ranking ten.
Sure, my own growth played a part.
But their growth must be reflected in it too.
Because.
I'm a Necromancer.
My true core ability isn't omniscience—it's 'skeleton summoning.'
"Yeah."
I nodded and took a step back.
"This time, I'll trust you all."
My opponent wasn't just any Ranker.
He was a top-tier Ranker who'd experienced Hyper Ranker status.
And I planned to face him alone?
'That's arrogance.'
Winning no matter the means.
Never letting guard down.
That was the stance I needed now.