Chapter 138
Chapter 138
Chapter 138
Seo-jin, who had confronted the Director, threw several daggers that his successor had used onto the floor.
Clang—
The Director silently stared at the daggers that had fallen to the floor before opening his lips.
"It seems you met Hyeon. What happened to that boy?"
"I killed him. You know the reason too."
"......"
Instead of answering, the Director slowly nodded his head.
He knew well.
The killing intent sleeping within his disciple's heart.
The innate nature that craved blood was indeed his greatest talent.
But to think he left this world before that talent could even bloom.
He recited calmly.
"How regrettable."
Anger? A desire for revenge? Such human emotions didn't arise. It was just regrettable.
A famous sword he had diligently forged all this time had broken.
That was about the extent of his disappointment.
Even so.
Shing—
The Director drew his dagger and let his gaze sink as he held it.
He would have to kill that bastard to appease his dead disciple's spirit.
'Each remembering the other's death.'
That was the only way for corporate dogs living in the shadows to mourn each other.
"I now have one more reason to kill you."
Seo-jin shrugged his shoulders as he looked at the Director emanating fierce killing intent.
"What, did you have some thought of sparing me before?"
"......Not particularly. Just think of it as my motivation having grown stronger."
The Director gestured with his eyes for the assassins who had been surrounding Nam-gung Cheon's team to fall back.
It was a silent proposal to face each other one-on-one.
The assassins who had been prowling around like beasts disappeared into the darkness at the Director's command.
Nam-gung Cheon's team, who had been thoroughly exhausted, could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"You all fall back too."
"Yes, yes!"
So-yul, who still had some energy left, took care of Se-yeon and Francesca and retreated.
"You get out of the way too."
Seo-jin even kicked Nam-gung Cheon's dawdling butt and faced off against the Director.
"Are you finished with your preparations?"
"No."
Seo-jin took out some medicinal tobacco from his chest and waved it around.
"Even if I'm going to go, a cigarette or so should be fine, right?"
Of course, it wouldn't be Seo-jin who would be going.
"Very well."
Thanks to his courtesy, Seo-jin gained some time to catch his breath.
The medicinal tobacco burned away while giving off a subtle medicinal scent.
Whoo—
Seo-jin burned the medicine to control the power of Reverse Heaven that had spread through his body.
Even though he had released the deadly energy with Reverse Heaven Divine Art, his mana circuits were greatly shocked.
"Either way, this will be the last, so let me ask just one thing."
"Go ahead."
"You...... what do you live for?"
A hunting dog hiding in shadows, only following its master's commands until death.
They never come out into the light.
They spend their entire lives handling only dirty and ugly affairs, ending their lives without a single person acknowledging them.
What meaning is there in such a life?
The Director shrugged his shoulders.
"Well. Then what do you live for?"
And the Director continued speaking.
"A dog sacrifices its life for its master. A lord who raises you and recognizes your abilities is not easy to find."
It's not just dogs.
Humans too offer their lives in loyalty to those who recognize them.
Even if they're hunting dogs tasked with dirty and ugly work, if there's someone who acknowledges them, there's meaning in that life.
"I see."
Though it was hard to understand, he could accept it.
And since he mentioned a lord who recognized him, it seemed this guy had deep ties with the grandfather of Kwon Ha-yeon, who had taken him in in the past.
Though that grandfather had passed away, he was probably still loyal to Hanseong for the sake of that connection and devotion.
It was touching in its own way, but he had no sympathy to spare for a murderer who had killed countless people.
Seo-jin, who had burned away the cigarette remnants with black magic, asked.
"First strike?"
"I'll yield it to you. After all, I am the elder here."
"Good."
Seo-jin faced off against him while checking the amount of mana he had left.
'About 30% of my mana remaining.'
He had consumed half in the earlier spar with Circe, and used 20% in the battle with the boy and moving around.
'Only 30% mana.'
On top of that, he hadn't recovered much of his level, and he had no significant artifacts or auxiliary items.
In such circumstances, competing head-on with such a human butcher was suicidal.
Even Seo-jin couldn't easily guarantee victory in this battle.
"Whoo."
Seo-jin, who had steeled his mind while sighing, clenched his fist tightly.
'I'll go all out from the start.'
Using ordinary black magic that hadn't even worked on the Director's disciple would just be a waste of mana.
He would push forward with maximum power right away and finish it instantly.
[Transcending Heaven True Scripture]
[Muscle and Marrow Transformation]
Crack—
Muscle and Marrow Transformation, an auxiliary black magic of Transcending Heaven True Scripture.
The moment he cast the magic, intense mana surged up and filled his entire body without a single gap.
Hot energy felt throughout his whole body.
It was as if boiling lava was flowing through his blood vessels.
This had a similar function to the general magic 'Haste,' temporarily greatly increasing agility.
However, the difference from Haste was that it greatly improved not only agility but also strength, durability, magic resistance, reflexes, and judgment speed.
It could be said to temporarily evolve the body by one stage.
'Though it was inspired by the martial arts of Dharma from the orthodox lineage, it's far from normal methods, so the backlash is very severe.'
Therefore, it should only be used temporarily in urgent situations like now.
Seo-jin felt the explosive power rising throughout his body and cast his movement technique.
[Mixed Origin Black Flash Step]
Whoosh—
Seo-jin rushed toward the Director, gliding over the grass.
The Director smiled as he watched Seo-jin approach.
"A mage who doesn't know his place."
Approaching when he should be increasing the distance instead.
He knew the man had knowledge of martial arts too, but this was clearly reckless.
Swoosh—
The Director also drew up his mana and rushed at Seo-jin.
Two lights clashing in mid-air.
BOOM—!
Their fists, imbued with powerful force, collided with each other.
Crack—
But surprisingly, it was the Director's fist that was pushed back.
The colliding fist was pushed back, and the Director, unable to overcome that momentum, was sent flying far away.
Thud—
The Director, who rolled on the ground several times before getting up and regaining his posture, looked at his right hand.
'How?'
The hand that had collided was crushed and dangling.
A result he couldn't believe even after experiencing it directly.
Despite the urgent combat situation, he quietly fell into thought.
'I've never been pushed back in speed, let alone in a contest of strength.'
He was a human weapon who had undergone countless training since childhood.
Moreover, that strength had explosively increased since the Tower's appearance.
The Tower's blessing and additional stats added to a body trained through secret cultivation methods unknown to ordinary people.
This produced effects several times greater than other Tower climbers with the same stats.
This was also why Fist King Choi Gang-hyeon valued the training of the body itself.
The visible numbers are nothing but illusions; strong people become much stronger under the Tower's blessing.
That's the truth of the Tower's blessing.
So it would be fair to say there was no one who could face him at similar levels.
But to be pushed back in a direct contest of strength against a mage?
The Director harbored doubts at this unexpected situation.
But he didn't have the luxury to continue being lost in thought.
A monster skilled in not only magic but also martial arts was approaching.
BOOM—
When Seo-jin stomped his foot hard, Reverse Heaven energy exploded outward.
[Reverse Heaven Divine Art, 4th Form. Sovereign Step]
CRASH—!
Each time he charged forward as if stamping the ground, Reverse Heaven energy surged up.
'Expel the backlash of Muscle and Marrow Transformation as quickly as possible.'
If he didn't use Reverse Heaven Divine Art now to quickly shake off the backlash, he might literally die when the effects of Muscle and Marrow Transformation ended.
At the sight of Seo-jin charging forward while crushing the ground, the Director clicked his tongue.
"Tsk."
Because the ground had been completely torn up, he couldn't hide in the shadows below.
His most useful technique had been sealed.
'Was this intentional?'
Whether it was intentional or not, approaching that thing now was a poor judgment.
The Director gripped his dagger with his uninjured hand and increased the distance to avoid the explosions.
"......"
Nova approaching like an incarnation of demons, destroying everything around him.
'The explosive power that suddenly increased. Physical abilities unbelievable for a mage.'
And even that movement meant to interfere with escape.
His intention to end it quickly was clearly visible.
That state probably couldn't be maintained for long.
'Powerful strength always comes with a price.'
Whatever principle had caused his physical abilities to skyrocket, it wouldn't last very long.
However.
[Reverse Heaven Divine Art, 2nd Form. Grasp]
Whoosh—
Suddenly, powerful mana emanated from Seo-jin's hand and began pulling the Director's body toward him.
The Director imbued his dagger with energy and cut through that mana before it could touch his body.
Slash—
The mana scattered in the air like cut seaweed stalks.
But the gravitational force pulling him didn't weaken.
Whoosh—
"......!"
This was because mana that had surged up from beneath the broken ground had grabbed the Director's ankle.
He hastily drew up his mana and cast a skill.
[Shadow!]
A basic skill of the assassin class that temporarily transforms into shadow to escape the enemy's restraints.
But.
Grip—
The Reverse Heaven mana didn't let go of even that handful of shadow and sucked it in.
The concept of escaping and the concept of binding.
When two opposing concepts clash, the one with higher rank usually wins.
Having his ankle caught and being dragged right in front of Seo-jin in an instant, he was.
[Reverse Heaven Divine Art, 1st Form. Reverse]
CRASH—!
Directly covered by the black mana Seo-jin unleashed.
The baptism of evil mana that penetrated through his clothes, skin, and mana barriers, seeping into his cells.
Normally, he should have been blown away by this explosion, but the Director continued to be exposed to that mana because his ankle was caught.
CRASH—!
Destructive mana continued to pour down like a waterfall.
Terrible pain as if all the cells in his body were melting continued endlessly.
But more problematic than that was the sensation of something wickedly malicious and ominous filling his soul.
This was fear itself.
Enough fear for the Director, who had lived his entire life as a human weapon, to feel afraid.
The Director endured the baptism of pouring mana with gritted teeth.
'At this rate......'
If he continued to be drenched in this mana, his body and soul might melt away entirely.
Scrape—
The Director, having made his decision, gritted his teeth and swung his dagger to cut off one of his own ankles.
Then he gathered mana in his opposite foot and escaped from the hellish baptism of black magic.
"Attack!"
The Director, who had barely dodged, shouted to the assassins waiting nearby.
Seeking help in a one-on-one duel was wrong.
But for an assassin, achieving the objective was more important than pride.
He had to eliminate that bastard here no matter what.
Whoosh—
Assassins who had been hiding behind flew toward Nova.
Clang— Clang—!
While they bought time against Nova.
Hum—
The Director gathered even his innate true energy with trembling hands to prepare his final strike.
'The proficiency of other skills is at minimum level.'
He had nothing but the basic assassin skills automatically acquired with level increases.
He had always cut down and killed enemies with only his physical strength and speed.
He had no need or reason to learn the mediocre skills bestowed by the Tower's blessing.
But there was one skill he had developed and mastered with all his heart and soul.
[Hundred Schools Assassination Arts]
The crystallization of assassination arts that brought together a lifetime of achievements, evil deeds, and obsession.
It would surely kill any living being.
[One Strike Certain Kill]
No sound, no light.
Just one dagger shot toward Seo-jin while hidden in darkness.
This was a concept and curse directly connected to death.
Anyone who took a direct hit from this attack would not be able to survive.
A single flash of light rushed toward Seo-jin with the energy of certain death.
Swish—
That flash of certain death pierced through Seo-jin's heart.