Chapter 55
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Misunderstanding Begets Misunderstanding (3)
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I rolled away, dodging Ji-han's sword.
The inside of the house was a wreck in an instant.
The reason that bastard was attacking me was simple.
It was because I’d said I wouldn't give up on the god Soter.
It was a truly ridiculous reason.
“Couldn't you at least try to, I don't know, persuade me or tell me to reconsider just once?!”
“I can tell just by looking.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
What are you, a mind reader? Huh? How could you possibly know that!
Ji-han turned and gripped his sword tightly.
That’s a feint.
And just as I expected, a fist flew at me instead of the sword.
“Oh?”
This was no time for ‘Oh?’.
The wall Ji-han’s fist struck cracked.
There were civilians living right above this apartment.
But that psycho didn't seem to care.
At this point, I started to feel wronged.
The Yoo Ji-han I knew might have grumbled a bit, but he never hated me as much as this guy did.
And hey! I was so good to him!
“Hey! What did I ever do to you?!”
“Worshipping the god Soter.”
Before I knew it, our fight had devolved from a swordfight into a brawl.
Ji-han didn't know that I was the god Soter himself.
It was a blessing we couldn't see each other in the Tower.
Ji-han was a good fighter.
I’m not kidding; every punch was packed with power.
Even while attacking, he never neglected his defense.
Thanks to that, I couldn't find an opening.
This was different from when we fought in the Ant Tunnel.
I’m not lying, just keeping up with him was leaving me breathless.
The house was a mess, as if a robber had broken in and ransacked the place.
After catching my breath, I leaned against the wall and glared at Yoo Ji-han.
“What did the god Soter ever do to you?”
When I changed the question, Ji-han’s eyebrow twitched.
It seemed there was definitely something going on.
Seizing that moment, I immediately dashed for the door.
“You son of a…”
I opened the door and ran outside, but Ji-han was right on my heels, sword in hand.
I spun around, drew my own sword, and blocked.
“That being is dangerous.”
What the hell is he talking about?
Treating a perfectly fine god like a final boss!
As if he had no intention of saying more, Yoo Ji-han swung his sword in a wide arc.
A single slash stirred up a powerful gust of wind.
The landlord, hearing the commotion, came outside.
“Wh-what’s going on here?”
“Call the police. No, the Association! There’s a crazy person here!”
I wanted to make the call myself, but Yoo Ji-han wouldn't let me.
The landlord hurriedly took out his phone.
Not wanting to involve bystanders, I leaped up to the roof of the building.
Since I was his target, Ji-han followed in an instant.
I pointed my sword at him and created some distance.
Dangerous, huh?
Come to think of it, there were others who had been wary of me, calling me dangerous.
And here I thought I was lying low pretty quietly.
“If all the believers disappear, he’ll quiet down too.”
“All of them?”
“I know Soter has one other believer besides you. Song Eun-young, was it?”
“You’re not thinking of going after her, are you?”
“After I kill you.”
He looked incredibly confident.
I could handle myself, but if he was planning on laying a hand on Eun-young, that was a different story.
“You must think I’m a pushover, huh?”
Ji-han charged at me.
He was already strong, but now that he was wielding a proper sword, it was driving me crazy.
His movements were disciplined, like a well-trained soldier.
And that meant…
“All I have to do is figure out your pattern.”
Pretending to fall, I kicked a stone up from the ground.
These types of fighters are weak against surprise attacks.
“Are you an idiot?”
Ji-han didn’t flinch and swung his sword sideways. Light flowed from the magically imbued blade.
The skill Ji-han unleashed shattered all the windows of the building across the street.
Along with people's screams, the broken glass scattered below and in all directions.
A few shards of glass drifted on the wind.
“No way.”
I knew such a classic trick wouldn't work on him.
It was only possible because I had moved with the expectation that he would counterattack in the first place.
Without a moment's hesitation, I used Wind Fang.
Sharp gusts of wind flew towards Ji-han along with my sword.
“You…”
My sword and Ji-han’s clashed.
He seemed flustered, as if he hadn't expected me to be able to read his moves to this extent.
I only had one chance to use that kind of prediction.
Isn't it said that the more an opponent underestimates you, the easier it is to find an opening?
It would have been nice if my last attack had landed properly.
At best, all I managed to do was scratch his cheek.
It was the same when we fought in the Ant Tunnel, and it was the same now.
Aside from him being a good fighter, every single one of his movements was familiar.
The Yoo Ji-han I knew was an ordinary high school student, so much so that he trembled after accidentally killing a single goblin.
The one who taught Ji-han how to fight was none other than me.
[The aura of the god Soter blesses you.]
[Level 1 Protection is activated.]
I don’t know how things ended up like this, but…
Simply put, I knew Yoo Ji-han's movements better than anyone.
I bet you didn't expect this, did you?
As I adapted to his movements, Ji-han's expression twisted fiercely.
I managed to deal with my lack of stats through improvisation.
As time went on, my injuries increased, but so did Ji-han's bewilderment.
He had noticed that my injuries were simply due to the difference in our stats.
“What are you? How… Damn it.”
Ji-han grit his teeth and charged.
I deliberately caused a commotion, so why are the Association staff taking so long to get here?
Even if I understood his movements, knowing them in my head and my body keeping up were two different things.
Ji-han seemed to realize this too, as his movements became even more relentless.
“Tsk.”
Ji-han, who had been attacking with determination, suddenly clicked his tongue.
I thrust my sword toward his face.
Just as his movements were familiar to me, mine were clear as day to him.
My attack failed, but strictly speaking, it wasn't a complete failure.
Something fell to the ground at Ji-han's feet.
Its design resembled the wireless Bluetooth earphones that were all the rage these days.
Ji-han's was likely an item.
‘Because I didn’t see it.’
No matter how small modern earphones were, there was no way I wouldn't have noticed if he had one in his ear.
‘That’s an item I’ve never seen before.’
Ji-han bent down, picked up the item, and put it in his pocket.
“I don't know what you heard from him, but…”
Ji-han was in front of me in an instant.
Unlike me, who was doing my best just to block his attacks, Ji-han still seemed to have room to spare.
“You'd be better off not believing it. Well, you'll be dead at my hands before that, anyway.”
Just how much of a world-class liar are you trying to make me out to be?
Ji-han's movements gradually quickened.
Now, even keeping up was a struggle.
Before I knew it, I was at the edge of the rooftop.
Ji-han leaped lightly into the air, the tip of his sword gleaming.
“Wait, this is…!”
“Die!”
Ji-han's sword closed in on my body.
In desperation, I used Moonlight Slash and threw myself off the roof.
Ji-han didn't give up.
In fact, he seemed to see my fall as an opportunity.
Thanks to that, I slammed into the ground as I landed.
“Keuk!”
In the distance, I could hear sirens and the murmuring of people.
‘Sun-Shooting Sword Art.’
A powerful sword style with the force to bring down the sun.
It was one of the secret techniques of the Jeomjangpa sect, and I had never taught him such a skill.
He only performed part of the form, but it was unmistakably a piece of the Sun-Shooting Sword Art.
‘Crazy bastard, how can he use that?’
No matter how I thought about it, it didn't make sense.
All sorts of hypotheses and thoughts flashed through my mind, but those distractions didn't last long.
He was really trying to kill me.
“You were lucky. Or was it skill?”
Ji-han swung his sword through the air and approached me.
His tone implied there wouldn't be a next time.
My arm hurt.
It felt like it had broken from blocking that last attack.
I had delegated some of Soter’s authority to this body, as much as it could handle.
That was why I could send out invitations and peek at Eun-young's status window.
If this guy really was the Yoo Ji-han from the future…
I decided to take a chance and open Yoo Ji-han's status window.
And then…
[Yoo Ji-han (???)]
Class: Unknown
Strength: Transcendent C+ (51%)
Stamina: ?
Magic Power: ?
Healing Power: ?
Contribution Points: ?
Skills: ?
Talent: ?
A status window appeared.
Most of it was ‘Unknown’ or ‘?’, but I could only read the information on his strength.
His strength stat was a whopping ‘Transcendent C’.
Those with stats surpassing SS were called Transcendents.
Even if the Yoo Ji-han I first met was the fastest learner in all of South Korea during his senior year, wasn't this like being a super-powered sponge?
Looking at his status window just made me feel pathetic.
As Yoo Ji-han took his stance, I noticed a familiar phrase at the bottom of the window.
- Currently under a [Vow of Pledge].
‘What’s this now?’
I had no memory of making such a thing with Yoo Ji-han.
The content of the vow was simple.
‘??? Yoo Ji-han' shall obey the commands of the god Soter.’
There was a bit more below that, but this wasn't the time to read it.
But this bastard was talking about killing Soter, so why the hell did he make such a ridiculous vow?
Was he insane?
Yoo Ji-han closed in on me.
Ah, screw it, whatever!
[Sit.]
“What?”
Ji-han’s movements faltered, and he momentarily collapsed to the ground.
His entire form broke, and judging it to be dangerous, Ji-han quickly got up and retreated.
“Just now…”
It was the most confused expression I had ever seen on his face.
If I had my way, I would have raised hell, screaming that I’d kill him just like he was doing to me, but the other ‘Yoo Ji-han’ in the Tower was on my mind.
“You should consider yourself lucky.”
“What… What did you do?”
His confusion was brief; Ji-han regained his composure and charged.
In this body, I couldn't use the Divine Word for long, but I could manage simple words.
[Stop.]
Ji-han froze in place, his sword raised.
Finally grasping the situation, Ji-han’s face twisted in an open scowl.
“Son of a bitch! This is cheating! Hey! You bastard! I told you I’d turn you into pickled fish when I found you!”
I hadn’t expected him to stay quiet, but his language was much fouler than I’d anticipated.
But who was he talking to when I was right in front of him?
‘Could it be…’
The Vow of Pledge Yoo Ji-han made was with the god Soter, not Kang Han-gyeol.
Since he didn't know I was Soter, it occurred to me that he might not know I was the one who did it.
Yoo Ji-han struggled like an insect caught in a spider's web.
Even so, he was managing to move little by little.
Even for a Transcendent, resisting a Vow of Pledge was no easy feat.
I quietly sheathed my sword and walked forward.
The clause at the bottom of the Vow of Pledge with Yoo Ji-han read as follows:
[However, the god Soter cannot kill Yoo Ji-han.]
Seeing that the Divine Word worked, this Vow of Pledge was real.
As long as the vow existed, I couldn't kill him.
I raised my scabbard high and began to speak in a monotone.
“Oh my. You’ve suddenly stopped moving. I wonder why?”
“Hey, don't. This is your god…! I swear I won’t let you get away with this!”
“I’ll let you live.”
“What?”
“But in return, let me hit you just as much as you hurt me.”
“You son of a bitch…!! Hey!! Wait…!!”
Thwack.
The scabbard struck the exact same spot on his arm that was broken on mine.
It must have hurt like hell, but he didn't even let out a single groan of pain.
He was no ordinary tough guy.
I knew very well that he wasn't the type to die from a broken arm or leg.
After landing a hit on Yoo Ji-han, my head cleared up.
Come to think of it, my house is a mess, and I’m definitely going to be late for the meeting.
I think I destroyed a few buildings while fighting Ji-han, too.
Park Si-woo will nag me, and this whole commotion will surely reach Choi Soo-hyun's ears.
Just thinking about what was to come made my head throb.
“This won’t do. Your crimes are too great.”
“Hey, hey!! Ack! Did you hit me? When this wears off, you’re dead! I’ll kill you! Do I sound like I’m joking? You crazy—stop hitting me!”
“Ah, whatever! Just die!”
I beat the ever-living crap out of Yoo Ji-han until the Association staff arrived.
Sigh. What a life.
* * *
The evening glow seeped between the buildings.
Officials wearing Association jackets had gathered.
Their gazes were fixed on a young man lying beaten to a pulp in a corner between the buildings.
A Hunter who could use healing skills was treating him.
The eyes of all the gathered Association staff, including the healing Hunter, were drawn to the words written on the A4 paper taped all over the young man’s body.
[Officer, it's this bastard.]