Chapter 96
Chapter 96
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: 25. Yongsan Park (6)
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“What… what the hell…”
Jeong Hyeon-sik blinked his eyes repeatedly.
He doubted whether he had seen it correctly.
Hadn’t that outsider’s skin just regenerated on its own?
The cheek that had looked half-cooked, bright red, was now pristine, as if nothing had happened.
Of course, Young-woo was just as shocked by his opponent.
‘Did the Pain Infliction fail to activate? Why does he look fine?’
He had clearly struck Jeong Hyeon-sik with his elbow earlier.
It was swung with full intent to kill, so there was no way the golden punishment hadn’t triggered.
In other words, that meant…
‘Either he’s enduring the pain so well that it doesn’t show, or…’
For some reason, Pain Infliction wasn’t applying to Jeong Hyeon-sik.
‘No matter how great the grief of losing a son… he can ignore Pain Infliction that easily?’
Young-woo didn’t buy it.
He had seen countless First Swords and mutants writhing under the effects of Pain Infliction.
It was possible to push through the pain with sheer mental fortitude and continue fighting, but it was hard to accept that someone like Jeong Hyeon-sik could do so without even letting out a single scream.
‘A Gangnam First Sword must have items far beyond the ordinary. There’s definitely something. I’ll have to fight assuming Pain Infliction won’t work.’
Young-woo decided to assume his opponent had some kind of status ailment immunity item.
And then.
Shwaaak!
He drew his black sword to match his opponent.
‘Time for a real sword fight now.’
At that, Jeong Hyeon-sik on the other side gripped his sword tightly and slowly advanced his foot.
He was greatly tensed from the earlier brawl.
Sss.
The Gangnam First Sword Jeong Hyeon-sik’s weapon was a silver-white straight sword with a broad blade.
From the pommel at the base to the hilt and guard, it was all one piece, shaped like a dragon with spread wings.
Whatever it was, it was clearly a dragon-themed weapon.
‘What the hell, no matter how I look at it, that’s no ordinary weapon.’
Young-woo narrowed the distance bit by bit while eyeing his opponent’s gleaming sword.
Finally, when the gap between them shrank to about five meters.
Shiiik!
The silver-white weapon in Jeong Hyeon-sik’s hand suddenly glowed reddish.
“…!”
Jeong Hyeon-sik wore a meaningful expression at this, and the First Swords of the alliance watching from afar let out groans or gasps.
The sword turning red meant the challenger, the Gyeongbuk First Sword, was a human of innate 2nd class or lower.
「Dragon’s Legacy」 - Epic One-Handed Sword
【Classism.】
|Power increases against targets of 2nd class or lower.
*‘Blood of the Royal Family’ perk.
An epic-grade weapon, Dragon’s Legacy.
This was Jeong Hyeon-sik’s signature gear, and every First Sword in the Seoul Alliance knew its properties.
Most of the First Swords present had clashed swords with Jeong Hyeon-sik at the first gathering.
And those who weren’t of high innate grade had all failed to survive the first clash and had to concede to him.
‘Ah, so this guy was a low-grade human after all.’
‘This is as far as he goes…’
‘That moment he slammed him into the ground earlier was his first and last chance.’
Most of the First Swords here were ordinary humans of 2nd class or lower.
That’s why they had been subtly rooting for the outsider.
It was true they feared this sudden intruder who had stirred things up, but they also harbored no small resentment toward Jeong Hyeon-sik, the innate noble.
Of course, this was just their sentiment. If forced to bet on one side, the vast majority would side with Jeong Hyeon-sik.
No matter their own innates, First Swords were part of this world’s privileged class.
In this time when Seoul’s system was just taking shape, it would be a huge problem for the other First Swords if Jeong Hyeon-sik—the de facto lord of Seoul—died.
“Hey.”
Regaining his composure unlike before, Jeong Hyeon-sik called out to Young-woo.
With both now in each other’s range, this was an enormous act of arrogance.
“…?”
When Young-woo just stared back without answering, Jeong Hyeon-sik spoke with a look bordering on contempt.
“What class are you? 3rd? Or maybe not even 4th?”
“What bullshit are you spouting now.”
Even as Young-woo said this, he could guess why Jeong Hyeon-sik’s momentum had suddenly surged.
‘Must have a class detection function or something.’
Young-woo’s gaze briefly landed on the ‘Dragon’s Legacy’ glowing bright red.
Having multiple reactive items himself, it wasn’t hard to infer the sword’s function.
‘But if it was just detecting class, he wouldn’t be this thrilled. It’s probably gear that gets stronger against lower classes than his own.’
Like the ‘Underdog’ that gained power against larger opponents.
‘I need to be careful.’
The moment Young-woo gripped his sword tighter with heightened caution, a purple hologram appeared in his vision again, outputting a sensory hijack alert.
「Sensory value temporarily increased from existing 700 to 2,476.」
Jeong Hyeon-sik had initiated the second round.
Whoooosh!
“The heavens are still on my side…!”
By now, Jeong Hyeon-sik was already swinging his blade in a reddish trail, and Loam’s floor was commanding Young-woo to block with his sword.
But gripping the black sword with both hands.
‘Both hands?’
With no time to think further, Young-woo gripped the black sword with both hands and assumed a defensive stance.
Then, the crimson blade came flying like lightning and struck Young-woo’s sword.
Baaaang!
A shockwave spread sharply from the point of impact.
“Keuk!”
Young-woo groaned involuntarily as both hands gripping the sword felt like they were being crushed.
This was the strike of the Gangnam First Sword Jeong Hyeon-sik that had subdued countless First Swords.
‘Insane. He’s a total monster.’
Even Young-woo, seasoned through countless battles, dreaded the next clash. The power of that attack had been tremendous.
However.
Shiiik!
Loam’s floor kept proposing the next move.
There was still more he could do.
‘My god.’
The legendary swordsmanship wanted Young-woo to swing first next, so with trembling hands drained of strength, he swung the black sword once more.
Whish!
But with the power gone from both hands, it was an attack plainly visible to Jeong Hyeon-sik.
“Using the dragon, huh. That’s it for you.”
Jeong Hyeon-sik smirked triumphantly and countered Young-woo’s attack.
Claaang!
Then, something happened that even the spectating First Swords couldn’t believe.
The black sword, overpowered in the clash, flew out of Young-woo’s hands.
This was the moment that revealed why so many First Swords had conceded after the first clash with Jeong Hyeon-sik.
“Ah.”
As Young-woo let out a short gasp upon losing his sword, Jeong Hyeon-sik’s momentum surged even higher.
But Young-woo’s gasp wasn’t born of despair.
He was still fighting ‘like a prisoner.’
Sss!
As Young-woo lowered his upper body once more, Jeong Hyeon-sik gritted his teeth at the eerie sense of déjà vu.
“You crazy bastard.”
He hurriedly backed away like he’d spotted a huge bug.
But the outsider who should have tackled him wasn’t there.
Ridiculously, Young-woo…
Thud thud!
Was dashing toward Jeong Hyeon-sik’s hearse—the direction he’d come from.
Toward where his son’s body lay.
“You fucking bastard!”
Jeong Hyeon-sik could only think this madman was trying to take his son’s corpse hostage.
And the Seoul Alliance First Swords, who had been mere spectators until now…
“No, that’s…”
“Isn’t that crossing the line?”
Seeing the outsider charge toward the hearse, they considered intervening.
In fact, Songpa First Sword Oh Yeon-hui was already leaping toward the hearse.
“Cut it out. No matter how important winning is.”
As Oh Yeon-hui cast a long shadow and gripped her guandao, Young-woo, sprinting straight for the hearse, pulled something from his pocket.
Pop.
It was none other than…
「Blue Blood」 - Mutation Drug
【Muscle strength +30% for 10 minutes.】
【Doses remaining: 3】
Young-woo’s doping agent, Blue Blood.
“W-what are you…”
Anyone could see Young-woo putting the vial of ‘Blue Blood’ in his mouth, and Oh Yeon-hui watching him paled in horror.
“Hey!”
Crunch!
At Oh Yeon-hui’s scream, Young-woo vigorously crushed the vial in his mouth.
His muscle strength, which had been 2,800, doubled in amplification to 4,550.
The result of Blue Blood’s 30% muscle strength boost and Masochism’s 25% boost during bleeding stacking in succession.
「Masochism」 - Epic Gem
【Slot: Muscle strength +25% when bleeding.】
“Hugh…!”
His mouth shredded to pieces brought immense pain, but Young-woo doggedly carried out Loam’s command.
‘Damn it, do I really have to go this far?’
Whish!
He flung ‘Underdog,’ the other sword at his waist, toward the hearse.
“Nooooo!”
Jeong Hyeon-sik’s eyes rolled back at the sight.
Flash!
At the same moment, Young-woo twisted his body and threw a left hook at Jeong Hyeon-sik right behind him.
Bwoooom!
A punch that literally tore through the air.
Stunned by the output from 4,550 muscle strength, Jeong Hyeon-sik could only hurriedly raise his sword to guard.
“Eek!”
Kwaaaang!
Then, Young-woo’s wrist, striking the crimson blade, bent and snapped at an unnatural angle.
Crack!
His current durability couldn’t withstand the full output of 4,550 muscle strength.
“Kuaak…!”
Even so, Young-woo clung to Jeong Hyeon-sik’s body with all his might, refusing to let go.
With his still-intact right hand.
“What… what the hell are you doing, you crazy bastard.”
As the intimidated Jeong Hyeon-sik glared at Young-woo, sweating profusely…
Whiiiiiish!
A black metal object closing in fast stabbed into Jeong Hyeon-sik’s lower back.
Kwaaak!
“…Urk!”
It was none other than Young-woo’s black sword.
The weapon he’d dropped in the second clash.
“Th…!”
Sensing his body pierced, Jeong Hyeon-sik’s eyes widened, and soon Young-woo’s right elbow swung like a blade.
Whiiiiiish!
And what happened next was…
“Ah…”
“My god.”
“…Insane.”
Thud, plop.
Decapitation.
Jeong Hyeon-sik’s head, severed from his body, rolled across the ground twice.