Chapter 124: Eternal Spire (10)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 124: Eternal Spire (10)
I wandered around searching for clues, but found nothing of note.
Continuing my search through the hobgoblin territory, I made my way toward another habitat. The hobgoblins' territory was larger than I expected, with their habitats scattered all over. Each habitat was home to a different group, and they all varied in size.
'Hmm, this is getting tedious.'
In the distance, I spotted another hobgoblin habitat. Unlike the previous ones, this one was much larger.
"This place is pretty big."
Regular goblins and hobgoblins were mixed together in the area. The green-skinned goblins scurried about while the hobgoblins watched over them, as if supervising.
Just then, a few battle-scarred goblins appeared. They approached a massive hobgoblin and shouted something at it. Soon after, one of the goblins pointed in a certain direction.
'Looks like there are people hunting nearby.'
The hobgoblin, who seemed to be the leader, roared in anger. At its command, the surrounding goblins grabbed their weapons and began to move with purpose.
'They're going to die.'
I didn't know who they were, but they would have to face over fifty hobgoblins and goblins.
Watching the goblin horde depart, I looked at the half-empty nest and drew my sword.
'Time for a little raid.'
As I entered the nest, the remaining goblins spotted me.
"Kieeeek!"
I swung my sword at the goblins charging me with their weapons, cutting them down.
Stepping over the corpses strewn across the ground, I headed deeper into the nest. The goblins that were left behind continued to attack.
They kept pouring out from somewhere, an endless stream of them.
I continued to cut them down as I moved further inside. I found a passage leading underground, deep within the nest. That was where they were coming from.
'What a pain.'
I raised my sword and gathered my internal energy. A blue sword aura flowed along the blade. Then, I swung it toward the goblins swarming up from below.
- Shhk!
The sword aura shot down the stairs with a sharp, air-tearing sound.
Sensing no more movement, I slowly descended the stairs into the underground area.
Once below, I looked around. The walls were covered in traces of goblins, and the damp air stung my nose.
'The smell is awful.'
I pinched my nose against the overwhelming stench.
Holding my nose, I scanned the area again. Other than rotting skeletons and goblin remains, I couldn't find any particular clues.
'Not here either, huh…'
Feeling a pang of disappointment, I was about to turn back when I heard a commotion in the distance. The sound of footsteps was getting closer.
'Is that a human voice?'
There were about four of them. As the group came down the stairs, our eyes met.
"Seo-yun…?"
It was Isia. The moment she saw me, she ran over and threw her arms around me.
"I'm so glad… you're safe."
Her voice trembled. A long time had passed since I'd last seen her, and I never expected to meet her in a place like this.
"I'm glad you're safe too, Isia."
I accepted her embrace and gently patted her back. Over her shoulder, I saw Yoon Jae-ho following behind. His eyes were fixed on me, sharp and hostile. He was gritting his teeth, his gaze locked on my hand on Isia's back.
Enjoying Yoon Jae-ho's jealous glare, I deliberately pulled Isia closer.
"Oh my, oh my… so that’s the man Isia was looking for every day?"
"Damn, I can see why Isia was looking for him. He's handsome."
A man and a woman, who appeared to be Yoon Jae-ho's companions, snickered.
Isia was still in my arms. Her orange eyes grew moist as she looked up at me.
"Seo-yun… I really missed you."
Her voice quivered. As she pressed herself deeper into my embrace, Yoon Jae-ho's face twisted.
"Isia."
Yoon Jae-ho called her name.
"Ah… I’m sorry. I was being too careless in such a dangerous place…."
Isia reluctantly pulled away from me.
"Isia, have you been well?"
"Yes… Thanks to you, I’ve been fine."
"That’s good to hear. But what brings you to such a dangerous place?"
"We got information that there's a clue to the entrance to the 2nd floor here."
"A clue to the 2nd floor?"
"Yes, and…"
"Isia…"
Yoon Jae-ho stepped closer, calling her name again.
"How could you just carelessly tell a stranger the information we have…."
"Ah, sorry… I wasn't thinking…."
I stepped in front of the apologizing Isia and shot a word at Yoon Jae-ho.
"Is that really something to get so angry about?"
Yoon Jae-ho glared at me coldly.
'This bastard is really staring me down.'
"What were you doing here all by yourself?"
"Can't you tell by looking? I was hunting."
I replied curtly. His brow twitched. I could feel the magic gathering in his fidgeting hands.
'Does he want to die?'
Just as I reached for my sword, wondering if I should just slice his neck, Isia stepped between us.
"Um… Seo-yun, instead of being alone, would you like to travel with us…?"
"Hey, Isia, why are you deciding that on your own—"
"I agree with Isia! If a strong guy like him joins us, our chances of survival will go way up."
Park So-young chimed in with a bright smile. Kim Min-su nodded as well.
"I agree, too. It'd be great to have a skilled person like him with us."
At his companions' words, Yoon Jae-ho's expression soured even more.
"I'm afraid I can't. My companion is waiting for me in the city."
"Oh… is that so…"
Isia's eyes clouded with disappointment. In contrast, a flicker of relief crossed Yoon Jae-ho's face.
"But since we've run into each other, let's stick together for today."
At my words, Isia's eyes lit up again.
"Really? That's a relief…"
Yoon Jae-ho interjected.
"Wait a minute. That's for us to decide—"
"That's a great idea!"
Kim Min-su cut Yoon Jae-ho off. Park So-young also agreed with a wide smile.
"Yeah! We need someone strong if we're going to go deeper."
Yoon Jae-ho bit his lip, unable to object any further. His face was full of dissatisfaction, but he couldn't go against his companions' opinions.
Isia, looking delighted, came to my side and introduced me to her party.
"This is Seo-yun. He helped me when we first met."
"A pleasure. I'm Kim Min-su."
The man with a shield slung over his back spoke in a deep voice. He looked quite large and sturdy.
"Hey there, nice to meet you~ I'm Park So-young~"
Park So-young waved playfully. Several swords hung from her waist.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Jin Seo-yun."
Only Yoon Jae-ho remained, scowling as he spoke.
"Yoon Jae-ho…"
"Hey, hey, Jae-ho. What's with him today?"
Kim Min-su laughed awkwardly and patted Yoon Jae-ho's shoulder.
"Hey~ Jae-ho's usually a friendly guy, I don't know what's gotten into him today. Sorry about that~"
Park So-young apologized playfully.
"It's fine. More importantly, you said there was a clue here?"
"Yeah, that’s right. But it looks like this place was a bust, too."
Park So-young said, looking around.
"Then let’s go up and talk. The smell down here is a bit much."
At my words, his companions, excluding Yoon Jae-ho, nodded in agreement.
*
"Gulp… He's a… a monster…"
"…Yoon Jae-ho, maybe you should go and apologize to him right now…?"
"Wow… Seo-yun, you’re amazing…"
Yoon Jae-ho had no capacity to pay attention to his companions' words. His gaze was fixed on Jin Seo-yun, who was single-handedly slaughtering the goblins and hobgoblins before them.
'Fuck… What the hell is that?!'
He was horrified watching the man named Jin Seo-yun massacre the hobgoblins and goblins all by himself. He, too, could slaughter mere hobgoblins. All it took was a high level and powerful magic. But the problem was the man's movements.
'What the hell… That guy's at least at the level of someone from the 20th floor.'
Before he'd regressed, he had watched high-rankers fight countless times. And now, he could feel the same kind of movements from this man.
Every single one of Jin Seo-yun's actions was infused with refined technique and overwhelming experience.
'Is he really a human at the same level as me…? Is that even possible…?'
If someone possessed that level of skill in the early stages of the 1st floor, they surely would have been famous before his regression.
'I have no memory of a guy like that… And as I recall, up to the 5th floor, everyone was at a similar skill level, with a few exceptions.'
Even the few who had stood out on the 5th floor hadn't felt like such monsters.
All sorts of questions flooded Yoon Jae-ho's mind. He had believed the rumors about him defeating the Wolf King of Black Night were an exaggeration, but now he had no choice but to accept them as fact.
'Fucking monster.'
His whole body trembled. The future that came to mind was terrifying.
If Jin Seo-yun, that monster, was allowed to grow without any restrictions, a clear picture formed in his mind of him monopolizing everything and rising to the top.
'Dammit… What do I do… I can't just let a variable like this exist.'
Cold sweat beaded on Yoon Jae-ho's forehead. He had to make a decision before that monster grew any stronger. Either bring him to his side… or eliminate him.
'I have to kill him.'
But honestly, he'd never had any intention of accepting him as a companion in the first place.
He turned his head and saw Isia. Her orange eyes were fixed on Jin Seo-yun.
'Shit… I even deliberately hid any news about that fucking monster… Why now, of all times…'
Before his regression, those eyes had looked only at him. But now, all that attention and affection was directed at another man.
That fact made Yoon Jae-ho's mind go blank.
Grind… 'I have more than enough reason to kill him.'
Yoon Jae-ho's eyes, shining coldly, were now tinged with killing intent.
'If I'm going to kill him, I have to finish it before the 3rd floor at the latest.'
The problem was how.
'That guy definitely has an ability similar to presence detection. He easily sensed those goblins from far away earlier.'
Assassination was unlikely to succeed.
'Dammit… If only I had gotten my hands on Tiamat's Remnant…'
The highly venomous snake he could summon with Tiamat's Remnant. If he had that, he could have dealt with Jin Seo-yun right now. But someone had already taken the remnant.
'Hah… Nothing is going according to plan…'
Forcibly suppressing his boiling murderous intent, Yoon Jae-ho followed the group. He appeared calm on the outside, but a storm of malice raged within him.
Unaware of Yoon Jae-ho's inner turmoil, Isia watched Jin Seo-yun fight and murmured to herself.
"Beautiful…"
Her orange eyes sparkled as the moonlight-like sword aura cut through the air, slicing down goblins. She had the face of a girl in love.
"It's like… moonlight dancing…"
At her low whisper, Yoon Jae-ho's hands trembled. Watching this, Kim Min-su sighed and shook his head.
"Oh boy, this is bad…"
"Min-su, it's obvious Isia likes him, right?"
"One hundred percent…"
The two of them whispered quietly, glancing back and forth between Isia's love-struck eyes and Yoon Jae-ho's twisted expression.
"He seems to have the looks and the personality… and on top of that, the skill gap is just too wide. Poor Jae-ho."
"Shh, he'll hear you."
Park So-young quickly cut Kim Min-su off, pressing a hand to her lips.