Chapter 139
Chapter 139
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 139
Chapter Title: Se-kyung Walker (5)
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Yuri's mind raced at the sudden appearance of this unwelcome intruder.
'Is it because of the commotion yesterday?'
He'd caused such a huge ruckus the day before that it was no wonder it drew everyone's attention.
It wouldn't be strange at all if that led to an intruder.
There were just a few things that bothered him.
'Why an ambush? If they were going to sneak attack, they should've hidden their killing intent.'
Yuri's hideout was inside the rift, and to get here, they had to pass by Arin and Poppi at the entrance.
They might even run into Theresia.
Yet no sounds had reached him, meaning they'd slipped past without issue.
So they'd snuck all the way in here, only to suddenly unleash their killing intent and reveal themselves?
Yuri furrowed his brow in suspicion.
He glanced at the wall while recalling the impact still lingering in his palm.
Embedded there was the object that had flown at him, infused with killing intent.
Yuri's eyes widened as he examined it.
'A leaf...?'
A single fresh, green leaf—just starting to sprout with the coming of spring—was lodged in the wall.
It had pierced right through the wooden door he'd made and come for him.
And its power was so great that it had embedded itself in the wall.
That alone told Yuri the intruder was no ordinary foe.
And with that, he instantly knew who it was.
He glared at the wooden door with a sour expression.
"Damn old man. If you're here, come in properly—why punch a hole in a perfectly good door?"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a fake cough came from outside.
"Ahem. No idea what you're talking about. Do you know me? Why act like we are?"
A voice deliberately altered.
But that snide tone was unmistakably Yohan's.
So of course, nothing nice was coming out of Yuri's mouth.
"Old man, you losing it?"
The moment he said that, the wooden door flew open and slammed shut, unleashing a gust of wind.
Whoosh—!
The door had clearly opened and closed, but no one entered.
Yuri could sense it, though.
Yohan had already slipped into his hideout.
Yuri's face soured again.
'What the hell's this geezer's problem?'
He had no idea why Yohan was doing this, but the killing intent wafting from all directions was no joke.
'Wants to throw down?'
Reading the mood, Yuri immediately unleashed his mana flow.
Right away, a shadow surged from his right side, and something long shot toward his chest.
Yuri's eyebrow twitched as he identified the fierce, killing-intent-laden attacker.
'A tree branch?'
A branch just thick enough to use as a switch.
It even had a few fresh green leaves still attached, as if freshly snapped off.
But Yuri didn't dare underestimate it.
The energy rippling along the branch was anything but ordinary.
An intense aura, as if challenging him: *Think you can block this?*
Yuri swung his sword carefully in response.
Clang!
Sword met branch, producing a sound like metal clashing.
His sword bounced back.
'What the—!'
Yuri gritted his teeth at the throbbing pain in his palm right after the clash.
It was just a branch, yet it felt like striking a lump of iron.
And he'd been pushed back.
Still, he'd blocked the first attack.
But Yohan clearly had no intention of stopping there.
Crackle—!
The branch glowed red-hot as lightning surged forth, and Yuri's eyes went wide.
*Flame Sword!*
Yohan had unleashed a Flame Sword with a branch that still had leaves on it.
'Is that even possible?'
Impossible, by Yuri's common sense.
At the same time, he realized what caused that impact from the earlier clash.
'That was... a Rigid Sword?!'
Yuri's pupils shook.
But he couldn't afford to stay stunned forever.
Fwoosh—crackle!
His sword also glowed red-hot, lightning arcing forth.
He'd unleashed his own Flame Sword.
Boom!
Red blade met branch, and Yuri's face hardened.
'Sure enough... I'm outmatched.'
His sword was being pushed back by a mere branch.
Worse, Yohan's branch burned even redder than his own sword.
A gap in their Flame Sword mastery.
Yuri had to admit it.
'Alright. The one I'm up against right now is Yohan Redner, master of the Branchless Sword.'
Even if his skills had grown tremendously lately, he still couldn't match Yohan.
Yuri stopped holding back.
Since they'd crossed blades anyway.
Testing how much he'd grown wasn't a bad idea.
Wrrrrrm—.
The mana he'd painstakingly gathered in his subspace—all of it—surged forth, racing through his mana circuits at full power.
His sword flared even brighter red than before, spewing fierce lightning.
The Flame Sword at its peak shot toward the branch.
Kaboom!
A thunderous clash erupted.
For the first time, Yuri's sword held its ground against the branch.
The branch hesitated, seemingly surprised by the counter, but quickly regained its momentum to block Yuri's sword again.
Arrogant, as if saying no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't win.
But Yuri's sword, now with momentum, pressed on relentlessly.
The white blade charged fiercely at the branch.
The branch rushed to parry.
Just as it was about to connect—
Slick—.
The branch's trajectory twisted unnaturally.
Not Yohan's will.
"......?!"
The branch veered off course, desperately trying to block, but kept sliding harmlessly aside.
It was Yuri's makeshift 'deflection' technique completely shutting down the branch's approach.
At this rate, Yuri's sword would reach Yohan.
Yet Yohan wasn't panicking—he wore an amused smile.
Right as Yuri's sword neared Yohan's chest—
Halt—.
The advancing blade stopped dead, pinned by immense force.
Motionless, like it was jammed in a massive boulder.
Yuri's eyes bulged at the sight.
Crackle—.
Yohan's thumb and index finger gripped his blade.
Encased in a clear, transparent membrane.
Yuri, knowing exactly what that membrane was, muttered in disbelief.
"Huh? Demon Sword?"
A feat still beyond him, and Yohan had casually manifested it on his fingers.
While Yuri stared blankly—
Flick—.
Yohan lightly snapped his fingers.
The force sent Yuri flying back.
Finally facing Yohan properly.
Yuri grumbled.
"Seriously, what the hell was that?"
"Pfft, just checking if you're doing your homework."
"You think I'd slack off? And you could've just asked—instead of trashing the place?"
Yuri eyed the room, dust swirling from their fierce exchange.
Yohan put on a stern face.
"Tch, there's a difference between hearing about it and seeing it for myself! And..."
"......?"
"Anyway, I'm not cleaning up, so who cares."
"...Son of a bitch."
Yuri realized cleaning would fall on him—again.
Yohan chuckled at Yuri's pout.
But inwardly, he was quite shocked.
'This kid's already mastered Flame Sword.'
It had been over two months since he'd given Yuri the assignment.
Far too short for someone who didn't even know what a Rigid Sword was to reach Flame Sword.
And what surprised Yohan most.
Was the technique Yuri used at the end.
That bizarre move that slipped all his attacks.
'Not quite the classic deflection... but definitely mimicking it.'
Yohan had to shake his head in admiration.
'Copied Flame Sword *and* deflection in just over two months...'
Flame Sword, fine.
But deflection was one of the Winchester clan's core arts.
Even if imperfect, the fact that Yuri had secretly stolen and made it his own was beyond impressive—terrifying, even.
'No need for me to interfere. He's doing great on his own.'
In just two months, Yuri had far exceeded expectations.
200 out of 100 wouldn't be enough for this mid-term review.
As Yohan pondered, Yuri's grumpy voice cut through while cleaning the mess.
"That noise earlier—think anyone outside heard?"
Worried the clash might've leaked out.
Yohan snapped out of it.
"Tch, you think I'm that sloppy? I sealed it with mana. You could scream your head off in here, and no one outside hears a peep."
"Oh? How's that work? Teach me!"
"...What, gonna use it for your schemes?"
"Who knows? Might come in handy somewhere."
"Robbing mansions?"
"Hey, who you calling a thief!"
"Spit on your words before lying. Your eyes are gleaming."
Yuri flinched at Yohan's callout.
Yohan eyed him pitifully and changed the subject.
"Speaking of, you got more roommates? Saw Blue-hair and Baldy at the entrance."
"Oh, them?"
"Made some friends?"
"...Friends, my ass."
Yuri waved it off dismissively.
Yohan caught the slight hesitation in his tone, eyes glinting.
'This guy's changed.'
Yuri used to be all about himself.
Now, denying they were friends came with a hint of reluctance.
A huge change for him.
And Yuri probably hadn't noticed yet.
Yohan chuckled.
"Got a crush!"
"What're you on about? You really losing it?"
Snap—.
"Yeow!"
Yuri rolled back, clutching his forehead.
Yohan claimed Yuri's bed, picking his nose.
"Got any food?"
Yuri shot up, yelling.
"Gross, man!"
"Wanna see what *really* gross is?"
Yohan moved to wipe the booger on the bed.
Yuri panicked.
"No, stop!"
"Heh heh, block me if you can—go fetch some grub! Saw you hoarding plenty."
Yohan nodded at the food storage.
Yuri sighed and stood.
"...Fine. Wait here."
Yuri vanished.
Yohan, having wiped the booger on the bed, lounged comfortably, scratching his back with the branch.
Mid-yawn, he perked up as Yuri returned with a wooden tray piled high.
"Whoa, nice stockpile!"
Yohan beamed, pulling a liquor bottle from his robes.
Pop—.
Glug glug—.
He took two gulps, munched some snacks, then mumbled around his food.
"Anything fun happen? Spill."
He lay sideways, getting comfy.
Yuri sighed deeply.
To get rid of this old coot faster, best to give him what he wanted.
"Sigh, so..."
Yuri started recounting the past two months casually.
From the hide-gathering quest after Yohan left.
Beating Greta.
The organ breakthrough quest, and the latest armband theft.
At first reluctant, Yuri soon got animated.
Yohan listened, enjoying his drinks and snacks, then asked as if remembering something.
"By the way, what was that weird crap outside? Those tree pillars—what're you up to?"
"Huh?"
"Those wooden posts. Gotta be your latest nonsense, but they look half-assed. Mid-build, or smashing 'em after?"
Yuri gave a distant look.
"Kinda both. Smashed the half-built ones. Not me, though."
Another sigh, and he explained yesterday's events.
Yohan listened, then asked wide-eyed.
"...Se-kyung, that blockhead, is *here*?"
Yuri blinked in surprise at Yohan's reaction.
*'Se-kyung'?*
They seemed pretty tight.
Even a nickname like 'blockhead.'
Sparks flew in Yuri's mind.
'If I play this right... maybe leverage some connections?'
He could force a lesson from Se-kyung Walker with the [Irrefusable Lecture Application].
But would Se-kyung teach him properly?
Hell no.
Still better than nothing, and key to finishing this fortress—that's why he'd considered it.
But if Yohan and Se-kyung were buddies, things changed.
'Was kinda, no, *really* reluctant to waste 10 million points on a half-assed teacher.'
With Yohan's connections, maybe no need for the item?
Hopeful, Yuri asked.
"You know him?"
"Know him? That bastard's..."
Yohan nodded, trailing off.
He stood slowly, face deadly serious.
"A total lunatic."
"......?"
Yuri's head filled with question marks at Yohan's earnest tone.