Clan (9)
Si-woo analyzed the terrain as soon as he entered the rift.
'A rocky mountain?'
It was a wasteland littered with boulders the size of houses. Hwang Bo-gwang followed him in, looked around, and smiled contently, muttering under his breath.
"Lucky. Even the terrain favors me."
Just as Si-woo was about to leave with Ga-yoon, the guy casually remarked,
"Hmm... But miss, being in such a small clan must be pretty inconvenient, don't you think? Why not come over to our guild?"
Hearing that, Si-woo could guess the guy's real intention. Whether it was because of Ga-yoon's father or her looks, he was after her.
"Hey, old man. Stop talking shit if you want to live."
"O-old man...?" Hwang Bo-gwang's eyes bulged as if they were going to pop out. The man just scowled, but his son couldn't hold back.
As if waiting for this moment, the thick eyebrows started blazing. "Tch...! Father! I can't take it anymore! Let's just feed that bastard to the monsters and I'll rape Seo Ga-yoon myself!"
Even the father was appalled by this sudden outburst. "W-what?! What the hell are you talking about, you crazy bastard!!"
"Your plan is shitty, Father. Do you think she'll join our guild just because she leaves her clan?" The thick-browed bastard pulled a dagger coated in green liquid and a rift camera from his waist. He seemed to have come here prepared. "All we have to do is rape her and film it. She'll have no choice but to listen."
Hwang Bo-gwang clutched the back of his neck. "Ugh...! Crazy bastard!! You've really lost your mind!"
Si-woo couldn't help but find it absurd. 'They really don't know how to raise their kids, do they?'
Seo Ga-yoon looked like she couldn't believe her ears. She was dumbfounded by words she had never even imagined. Her mouth slowly fell open as their circus act continued.
"Haha! There's no turning back now. Just look at her face. Do you think she'll let us off the hook if we go back now?"
"C-crazy..."
"You have no choice, Father. Just listen to me."
Now it was clear that the bastard was using his own father. The plan was flimsy, but the guy was rash and vicious. It reminded him of Ann from the Academy.
"Hoo... You damn bastard! I'll deal with you at home." Hwang Bo-gwang realized he had no other choice and took a combat stance.
Watching this absurd spectacle, Si-woo said to Ga-yoon, "This is supposed to be a lawless zone, but these guys are truly insane."
"My god... Unbelievable..."
They naturally paired up with their respective opponents as they charged.
"I'll kill that bastard! Take care of the girl quickly!"
"Yes, Father!"
Kugu-gung! As Hwang Bo-gwang reached out his hand, a massive rock rose from the ground. A stone wall taller than a man was created, seemingly intended to separate Si-woo from Seo Ga-yoon.
The man's face turned pale instantly, having consumed a considerable amount of mana. "Hoo... You should consider yourself unlucky. Even the terrain isn't helping you." The rocks scattered around trembled and floated into the air. He was an awakener who handled the earth. He was the type who focused entirely on his ability rather than practicing martial arts.
"Die!" Aiming his hand at Si-woo, the floating rocks began to rain down. Not only that, but boulders the size of houses also shot up from the ground and started falling towards him. An attack using overwhelming mass. A normal swordsman would be crushed before even getting close to Hwang Bo-gwang. The type matchup was terrible.
But it didn't matter to Si-woo. He pinpointed Hwang Bo-gwang's location. There were obstacles in between, but the man's defenses were meaningless. Flash.
His vision changed in an instant. All the rocks filling the surroundings vanished, leaving only Hwang Bo-gwang's shocked face. The man hurriedly tried to do something, but he was far too slow.
Slice.
The man's head flew through the air. Still bearing an expression of utter shock, it spun around before thudding to the ground. The headless corpse collapsed a moment later.
Si-woo looked down at the Sylph's Ring on his finger. 'It's pretty useful.' He had used it as a test, and it showed overwhelming power in a surprise attack. Especially against an enemy who didn't know about its blink ability, he could kill them in a single blow. He nodded in satisfaction and jumped over the wall.
'Let's see.' The thick-browed bastard, unaware that his father's head had flown off, was raining attacks on Ga-yoon. Elements like water and lightning flew at her like missiles. Pretty flashy, as expected of an elemental manipulator. Ga-yoon was barely managing to endure by casting buffs on herself, desperately deflecting or dodging the incoming attacks.
Si-woo considered helping, but then suppressed his presence and hid his aura. You couldn't buy this kind of real combat experience for money. It would be great nourishment for her growth.
Crack! Seo Ga-yoon dodged an incoming lightning orb. She had instinctively deflected one earlier and her hand was still numb. 'Haa... stay calm.' She used a heal on her right hand, which wasn't working properly. The thick-browed bastard seemed displeased by this.
"Miss Ga-yoon, how about you just give up? If you surrender now, I'll be gentle with you." The fact that he was still using honorifics despite his filth made it even more disgusting.
"You crazy bastard... I'd rather bite my tongue off and die than let you have your way."
"Hahaha! I love this feisty attitude. Let's see if you can actually do it."
Seo Ga-yoon took a deep breath to calm herself. The sword she had handled her whole life felt particularly cold today. This was her first real life-or-death combat. 'Will Teacher be okay...?' Her opponent was a B-class. But her teacher's skills were no mere C-class either. He just gave a vague 'well...' when she asked out of curiosity. 'No. Just looking at him, Teacher is much stronger.' The rocks that had risen to reshape the terrain were simply because the guy's ability matched the environment well. She stopped worrying about her teacher and focused on her opponent.
An awakener one rank higher than her. As a close-combat specialist, she tried to close the distance, but she failed every time. Whenever she took a step forward, he retreated faster and fired elemental masses at her.
Kwaang!
She barely dodged an incoming fireball. "Ugh...!" The fireball crashed into the ground and exploded. The intense heat blasted over her, making her skin tingle. The difference between C-class and D-class was certainly significant. The only reason she was holding out was because her opponent was careless.
"Haa... Why don't you stop resisting and give up? I'll take good care of you. What happens if you get a scar on that pretty face of yours?" Ignoring the nonsense, she focused on maintaining her breathing. She recalled the guild leader's teachings. Maintaining rationality in battle was essential. Clearly define the purpose of the fight and focus on it. 'I'll hold out.' She conserved her mana and preserved her stamina. She minimized her movements as much as possible. Fortunately, her abilities were specialized for endurance. Skin Hardening. Her skin became tough thanks to the buff. She ignored minor attacks. She only healed wounds that would affect her mobility.
She was tenacious. Hwang Myeong-cheol, who—whether on purpose or not—hadn't been landing any fatal attacks, was starting to frown. "Damn it..." Hwang Myeong-cheol's mana wasn't infinite either. The ceaseless torrent of elemental masses began to dwindle.
While defending and looking for an opening, her eyes flashed. 'An opening!' She burned all her remaining mana. She concentrated the Strength Enhancement buff on her thighs.
Pwaat!
"Huh?" Hwang Myeong-cheol tried to retreat by blasting mana from his feet, but it was just as she had expected. After all that endurance and pushing, she had cornered him. Behind him was the wall his father had created. Thud. His back hit the wall. His expression twisted into panic.
Feeling a surge of pleasure at his contorted face, Seo Ga-yoon swung her sword without hesitation.
Chwaak!
"Keeuaaak!" Hwang Myeong-cheol instinctively avoided instant death. But his upper body was torn open, exposing his ribs. It was a fatal wound that would kill him if left alone. 'I won!' She had risked her life and defeated an opponent stronger than herself. A profound thrill filled her heart. This was what she had trained her whole life for, to feel this moment. 'Ah...! I have to kill him.' She lifted her sword belatedly. The opponent was basically a corpse already. She just had to finish him.
"P-please spare me. Kkeuleok...! Keok...! Please..." Hwang Myeong-cheol vomited blood and lay sprawled on the ground. The heat of the battle subsiding, she hesitated for a moment. It wasn't easy to strike a person looking at her with desperate eyes. Especially when they were begging for mercy. The sword felt uncharacteristically heavy. She should have struck him before he even opened his mouth.
She closed her eyes tightly. Don't show mercy to your enemies. This was a saying shared by both her father and her teacher. Until now, she thought it was natural. But when the situation actually arrived, she hesitated. 'I have to kill him.' He wouldn't forget his grudge just because she spared him. She steeled her resolve. 'Huh...?' In the moment she closed and opened her eyes, Hwang Myeong-cheol was thrusting a dagger at her. A dagger shimmering with a green light approached her in slow motion.
"Die!" A momentary lapse in concentration. Regret came too late. Just as the dagger was about to stab into her abdomen. Slice. "Ah..." The bastard's arm was severed. Teacher, who she hadn't even noticed arriving, was standing right next to her.
"Kyaaaak!! My, my arm!!" A noisy scream rang out. A shriek mixing loss and pain echoed in her ears. But she only saw the severed hand lying on the ground. The dagger still gripped in it was terrifying. She had literally been brought back from the brink of death. "Ggup...!" The teacher pierced the bastard's heart with his sword without hesitation.
The swordsmanship she had trained so hard for her entire life. The infinite future that awaited her. All of it almost vanished like a bubble. Because of a single moment of hesitation. She was afraid to meet the gaze of her silently watching teacher. Her head drooped naturally. Even if she had ten mouths, she wouldn't know what to say.
"...Teacher. I'm, I'm sorry."
There was no reprimand. Just a warm palm ruffled her hair.
"You did well."
"Ah..."
They cleared the rift and came out. The association employee stammered as if he had seen a ghost. "D-Danseong Guild Master...?"
"Who knows? We got separated as soon as we went in."
"W-wait a minute..." Ignoring the man, he returned to the clan house. The Danseong Guild, having lost their head, would be dismantled, but that was none of his business.
Seo Ga-yoon, deflated like a puppy that had done something wrong, tried to go train, but he stopped her. Times like these called for rest.
He was about to rest too, but there was still work to be done. Lee Da-som was staring at the floor like a guilty criminal.
"So... what's the situation?"
"Yes... I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault. The rent is overdue? From the very first month?"
"Yes..."
The rent for the cafe on the first floor, the one run by that married woman, was overdue from the very first month.