Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Baek Siwoo is Strong
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#75.
Baek Siwoo was strong.
This was an indisputable fact.
Seo Woojin knew it well too.
Throb—
His arm that had blocked "Thunder Flash" trembled slightly.
‘This guy's seriously strong.’
He thought he'd blocked it perfectly, but he hadn't fully dissipated the power contained within.
‘As expected of SSS-grade.’
He was on a whole different level from the heroes he'd faced so far.
It seemed like this one wouldn't be an easy win.
‘But…….’
Seo Woojin channeled mana into his arm and deflected Baek Siwoo's sword.
Crackle—!
The remnants of lightning on the blade scattered into the air.
‘Still, I don't think I'm going to lose.’
He could tell from this clash.
He was definitely not beneath Baek Siwoo.
"…You're the first to block this besides the Sword Sage."
Genuine surprise flickered in Baek Siwoo's eyes.
It had been the same back when his level was still low.
Whether monsters or the knights training him.
No one had been able to block "Thunder Flash."
Yet Seo Woojin had.
As if it were nothing, so effortlessly.
Baek Siwoo felt curiosity bubbling up alongside his fighting spirit.
"A finale that ends too quickly wouldn't be any fun."
Seo Woojin felt the same as Baek Siwoo.
This wasn't a sword swung for survival—it was a clash to test each other's skills.
It had been so long since he'd come down from the North that someone worthy of him truly unleashing his strength had finally appeared.
Of course he was enjoying it.
"My turn this time."
Seo Woojin charged without using any special skills, relying solely on his physical prowess.
In an instant, he appeared at Baek Siwoo's side and swung his sword.
Clang—!
This time, Baek Siwoo blocked the attack perfectly.
But Seo Woojin's assault didn't end there.
Using the impact, he spun his body and aimed for the waist.
"Not bad!"
Baek Siwoo's eyebrows twitched as he twisted his body.
Slash—
"Tch."
Seo Woojin clicked his tongue.
He'd hoped to inflict at least a minor wound, but it only sliced through the collar of his clothes.
"Let's get serious!"
Baek Siwoo's sword began to dance.
At a speed so blindingly fast that most people couldn't even perceive it.
Yet Seo Woojin didn't falter.
No, he grinned eagerly and thrust his sword out like lightning.
Thud—clang—clangclangclang—!
How many clashes had there been?
It sounded like gunfire erupting.
‘Impressive.’
Seo Woojin admired inwardly.
Baek Siwoo was amazing.
It wasn't just high rank and level.
This was properly trained swordsmanship.
True swordplay, not reliant on skills like other heroes.
From their brief exchange, Seo Woojin could tell just how much effort Baek Siwoo had put in.
‘Should I crank up the output a bit more?’
Seo Woojin gradually drew up more mana.
Whoooong—
Overwhelming mana surged in like waves.
His sword grew faster and heavier.
The aura spreading out was so ferocious that even the watching heroes' expressions hardened.
Yet Baek Siwoo didn't yield.
As if refusing to lose, he matched Seo Woojin's speed.
Splat—!
Baek Siwoo's sword grazed his cheek.
Blood droplets splashed, painting the air.
A long red gash etched across his face.
‘Fun.’
But Seo Woojin smiled.
When was the last time he'd crossed swords with blood spilling and all his focus poured in?
Before coming to the Empire, his bout with Ban Slane had been the end of it.
Of course, there were monsters like Gerald, Burtel, and Rosie Ruby……
‘But those guys don't count.’
He couldn't even fight them properly from the start, and he'd just been on the receiving end anyway.
Splat—splatter—!
Wounds began accumulating bit by bit.
Surprisingly, Baek Siwoo's sword speed was starting to surpass Seo Woojin's.
‘This crazy talent freak.’
Baek Siwoo had fallen into a trance-like state.
As if gaining some enlightenment mid-clash, his attacks were sharpening.
No, it was more like breaking free of a shell and taking flight.
As befitting the "Sword God" aptitude, he seemed born with godlike talent for the blade.
Seo Woojin urgently tilted his head back to dodge a strike aimed at his throat, then leaped far back.
Drip—
"Whoa."
He thought he'd dodged perfectly, but blood trickled from his neck.
It wasn't a deep cut……
‘A little later and I'd have been in trouble.’
It wouldn't have severed his head, but it would've been a serious injury.
And that would've ended the match.
‘Can't have that.’
Seo Woojin took a deep breath and eyed Baek Siwoo.
He stood with a noble air, sword lowered.
Full of apparent openings, yet it gave Seo Woojin chills.
"You're cheating, right?"
He was "Immeasurable" grade, beyond SSS.
But compared to others, he had no real advantages.
Just a bunch of unusable skills, and despite the "Demon King" name, he couldn't grasp magic at all.
Sure, his level-ups were a bit faster……
But aside from that, he had zero edges.
Baek Siwoo was different.
Gaining enlightenment and advancing in a mere spar like this.
Already strong, now even stronger—Seo Woojin was burning with envy.
"Impressive as expected."
Baek Siwoo spoke.
Emerging from his trance, his eyes were clear, his expression lighter.
‘If that guy grows just a bit more…….’
He could reach the level of Ban Slane or Sword Sage Dariel.
"Thanks to you, I've grown a little stronger."
Baek Siwoo looked genuinely grateful.
This spar was no different from a fateful encounter for him.
"Hoo—"
Calming the mana racing through his body, Seo Woojin shook his head.
"Not over yet."
"…Right."
After the brief clash, Seo Woojin looked a mess, but it was mostly just superficial tears in his skin.
It looked like he was losing badly on the surface, but he hadn't taken any real damage.
Seo Woojin glanced around.
The heroes in the stands, the Rudain and Iyer priests alike.
All stood with mouths agape, speechless.
To them, it must've just been flashes of light.
Their fight had unfolded in a realm most heroes couldn't even perceive.
Of course, a few could vaguely make it out.
And they were even more shocked.
Having witnessed their levels with their own eyes.
Seo Woojin scanned the now-silent arena and raised his sword again.
‘Tooth's chipped.’
Maybe because he hadn't coated it in aura?
The black sword's edge was badly chipped from Baek Siwoo's blade.
His body too, and now his sword.
Anyone would think he was the loser.
But Seo Woojin laughed.
"Still don't think I'll lose."
Baek Siwoo's mid-fight enlightenment and growth had been unexpected.
But that was it.
Roarrr—!
Blue aura blazed brightly.
「……Aura?」
Baek Siwoo realized the aura Seo Woojin had ignited wasn't a skill.
His eyes widened.
"You've reached the aura realm?"
Even "Sword God" Baek Siwoo hadn't attained it yet.
Of course, he'd get there soon, but not now.
"Lucky break."
Seo Woojin activated "Acceleration" and "Heavy Blow," then fused "Black Flame" into the aura.
The black-flamed aura burned even more fiercely.
‘It should've been impossible normally.’
Using aura while activating three skills at once.
The mana drain was one thing, but the strain on his body would've been immense.
But right now, Seo Woojin felt nothing.
His mana was vast as the ocean, his body firm as the earth.
Crack—
As he tensed his toes, cracks spiderwebbed across the arena floor.
Mana exploded from his feet, propelling his body through space.
A terrifying speed incomparable to before.
Immense wind pressure crushed his face.
But Seo Woojin didn't even blink.
His body could withstand it.
Boom—!
Compressed air burst belatedly, creating a sonic boom.
In that split second, Seo Woojin appeared before Baek Siwoo, swinging with the shockwave at his back.
Disbelief filled Baek Siwoo's eyes as he watched.
He hurriedly raised his sword to defend……
‘Too late.’
Craaaang—!
Baek Siwoo's sword flew high into the sky, unable to withstand the "Heavy Strike" impact and "Acceleration" speed.
Then the pitch-black blazing aura cleaved through Baek Siwoo's body.
Roar—
Blood sprayed as flames erupted.
The droplets couldn't endure the "Black Flame" inferno and vaporized instantly. Baek Siwoo collapsed on the spot.
"Crazy!"
"Heal him……!"
"Match stop! Match stop!"
Iyer priests rushed in, while Rudain instructors stared at Seo Woojin in horror.
Seo Woojin stood arrogantly, black-aura-clad sword in hand, blood dripping……
He looked less like a hero and more like something else.
‘Did I go overboard?’
Seo Woojin scratched his head.
He hadn't meant to go this far, but Baek Siwoo had grown so strong mid-fight that he couldn't hold back.
‘Guess I got a bit too into it.’
In his mind, this wasn't a perfect victory.
‘If Baek Siwoo had gone all-out with all his skills from the start, I wouldn't have won this easily.’
Not that Baek Siwoo had let his guard down.
He just hadn't anticipated an attack this devastating, so his defense fell short.
‘Still, I'd have won in the end.’
A win was a win anyway.
Seo Woojin grinned at his new sword.
The opposite of the black sword—a simple white design.
But the energy it emanated was gorgeously beyond imagination.
Far sharper and sturdier than the black sword.
It couldn't match the Empire's treasure, Baek Siwoo's sword, but for current Seo Woojin, it was more than enough.
‘Too bad the black sword broke.’
In the final strike, unable to endure his mana, the black sword had snapped in two.
Even if it hadn't, it was unusable anyway.
From clashing with Baek Siwoo, its edge had chipped away until it was practically a saw.
But in exchange, he'd gained this much better sword—no loss.
Humming to himself, Seo Woojin walked on, then suddenly asked the man ahead.
"How much farther is it?"
Training over, an old man had approached, saying someone wanted to meet him, and invited him along.
Seo Woojin was baffled but nodded reluctantly at the old man's stubborn insistence that refusal wasn't an option.
"Right up ahead."
A modest mansion stood where the old man pointed.
"…Do you know who invited me?"
"You'll see when you go in."
The old man's expression unchanging, he opened the mansion door and led Seo Woojin inside.
‘Pretty big.’
It hadn't looked that large from outside, but it was spacious within.
The old man guided him to a room on the second floor.
Unlike the others, it had a notably large door.
Knock knock—
"Cheister here. I've brought the guest."
「……Come in.」
‘A woman?’
The voice from inside was clearly feminine.
"Go on in."
The old man opened the door, revealing the interior.
A huge room in total disarray, piled high with documents and books.
Amid it all, a weary-looking woman with a cigarette in her mouth stared their way.
"I'm Agna. Nice to meet you."