Chapter 262: A Boss Right from the Start?
Chapter 262: A Boss Right from the Start?
Just as I thought. She's already been consumed. That means nothing has changed after all.
The woman's eye smile faded, but the corners of her mouth remained upturned in what was clearly a sneer. In any case, I had already confirmed her information with my Third Eye. The countless thoughts that had been swirling in my mind as I climbed the stairs began to close one by one, until they merged into a single possibility.
Kwon Sora tilted her head for a moment as she stared at me. Just as her small lips began to part to speak again, I beat her to it.
“Saying you welcome us sounds like you plan to treat us as guests.”
“Yes! My master ordered me to escort you with all due courtesy.”
“For an order to ‘escort with courtesy,’ you’ve played some interesting tricks. I’m not pleased.”
“Oh my? Who was the uninvited guest who tore through our barrier in the first place?”
Kwon Sora smoothly retorted to my complaint with a shrug. Then, clicking her tongue, she raised her index and middle fingers and spoke in a tone that suggested she couldn't help it.
“Well, since you were displeased, he said he’s deactivated the barrier. Anyway. My master has a sli~ght curiosity about you. Yes, the handsome man in the front? He’s interested in you.”
“…”
“You have two options here. The first! Quietly follow me and accept my master's invitation. And the second!”
Kwon Sora paused for a moment. Then she clapped her hands together and gave a slight eye smile. Just as she had appeared, dozens of people began to shamble out from the surroundings. Their eyes, just like Kwon Sora’s, were a dead, lifeless gray.
She glanced around at them with a satisfied expression before continuing in a confident voice.
“Suffer a meaningless resistance, get beaten to a pulp, and be dragged away unconscious. Now, choose. Which will it be?”
“A third option. I choose to kill all of you, and then I'll kill that master of yours too.”
“Ah~. The second option? Tsk, you’re too confident for your pretty face. I'll give you a chance to change your mind. If you choose the first, we can treat you as guests. But with the second option, the men get their limbs amputated, and for the women… rape is included as an option!”
“Crazy bitch. Everyone, prepare for battle.”
Seeing no more value in listening to her, I immediately drew the Sun and Moon Divine Sword. As the clear blade glinted in the sunlight, I felt the presence of my clan members raising their weapons behind me. Seeing our reaction, she put on a genuinely sad expression, let out a deep sigh, and waved her hand dismissively. Then, with a bright smile, she spoke again.
“If you insist on doing this the hard way, I can’t stop you. Looks like you’re in for a rough time. Hey, kids~?”
“…”
“Fuck them all up! Ah, but don't kill them. You'll want to have a little fun with them later, won't you?”
“—. —. —.”
The moment Kwon Sora’s command fell, the sound of several Users chanting spells in unison filled the air. This was different from the battles we’d fought so far. Until now, our basic tactic had been to prioritize defense, but that was based on the assumption that our enemies had no ranged units. This time, however, our opponents were fellow Users.
There were about forty of them. Although melee fighters were overwhelmingly in the majority, there were, of course, archers and mages among them. But…
“Ko Yeonju.”
“Got it~.”
At my call, I heard Ko Yeonju’s languid reply from behind me. At the same time, from the shadows of the Users aiming their bows or chanting spells, dark shadows shot up one by one. The shadows lightly brushed past their necks, and fountains of blood erupted from eleven throats at once.
Thud, thud.
The smile vanished from Kwon Sora's face in an instant. Just as her eyes were about to widen in shock, Kim Hanbyul stepped forward and aimed to her right. It was a spell she had been preparing since we first arrived.
“—. —. —. O brilliant, embracing dawn.”
A jewel floated into the air and began to glow brightly. A moment later, the jewel shattered, and a radiant wave of light crashed over a group of enemies. It was the same large-scale magic she had once used against the Rhinoceros.
“Guaaaargh!”
“Kyaaaaaaak!”
Kim Hanbyul’s expression was cold, yet serene. Though their minds had been altered, their sense of pain was apparently intact, as they all writhed and screamed in agony. When the wave of light that had swept through the area finally subsided, their bodies, flushed bright red, fell one by one to the ground.
Just two attacks had reduced their numbers by nearly twenty. We were starting the battle having already cut down almost half their forces. Considering Ko Yeonju had taken out the ranged units, our actual advantage was even greater.
“Oh, shit.”
Kwon Sora’s face twisted for the first time, as if she had finally grasped the severity of the situation. She stumbled back and fell on her butt, her lips flapping uselessly. She understood the gravity of the situation, but she was clearly flustered. There were still enemies around, but ignoring them, I tapped my blade and walked forward.
“N-No way… Sh-Shit! D-Don't come any closer!”
“You have three choices. First, die by my sword. Second, die by my comrades' hands. Yoojung has been grinding her teeth ever since she heard you mention rape. And third, kill yourself.”
“H-Help me! What are you all doing? Hurry up and take care of this bastard!”
“Don’t struggle.”
Kwon Sora’s stats were pathetic. But judging by the way she gave orders, she seemed to have the authority to command the Users, or Vagabonds, who had surrounded us. At her command, the remaining twenty enemies rushed toward me, but naturally, my clan members didn't just stand by and watch.
Even though we were outnumbered 40 to 7 from the start, the difference in our strength was too great. As Ko Yeonju had said, if there had been even four or five Users on their side at a level similar to ours, it would have been a tough fight. But there were no such powerful Users; they all had mediocre stats.
“Guk!”
“Keuk!”
Once again, black shadows seemed to flash through the area, and death cries echoed in the air. Ko Yeonju had already secretly ensnared the remaining twenty enemies with her shadows. Perhaps she had been quite stressed from only playing a support role in our recent battles, because she was now showing off the full extent of her skills as the ‘Shadow Queen’ of the Ten Strong.
“Soohyun. Should I kill them all? Or what do you want me to do with them?”
“You could have left a few. Now Ahn Hyun and Lee Yoojung have nothing to do.”
“Oh, my mistake. Hoho.”
“It's good to be enthusiastic, but let's be considerate. Be considerate.”
Exchanging a joke or two with Ko Yeonju, I closed the distance to Kwon Sora. The closer I got, the more she looked up at me as if I were a monster.
“Ugh, uwaaaaaah!”
When I was about five steps away, she scrambled to her feet and fled in the opposite direction with a scream. However.
“Bind!”
“Aack!”
Clatter, tumble, tumble.
Kwon Sora’s escape didn’t last long. As expected, Ahn Sol had been ready, and her spell activated. A white light shot from behind me and struck her squarely in the back. Her body stiffened, and she went tumbling across the ground. Thanks to Ahn Sol's timely spell, I was able to leisurely walk up and finally grab Kwon Sora by the hair.
“Kyaa!”
“You know, there’s something I’m curious about.”
As I yanked her long, straight hair, it all stood on end, making her look like an overturned scallion root. I didn't plan to kill her right away. I had a good idea who this "master" of theirs was, but I was curious where he was waiting for us. There was no need to wander around this vast city, so it would be better to find that out before killing her.
“M-Master! H-Help me.”
“Hey, I said I have a question. Stop spouting nonsense and open your eyes.”
“Help me! Master! Save me!”
“On second thought, I’d like to accept your master’s invitation. So, could you tell me where he’s waiting for us?”
Smack!
Where had her initial bravado gone? Seeing her tremble with her eyes squeezed shut was starting to annoy me. Even after I lightly slapped her cheek with the flat of my sword, she didn't open her eyes, only repeating her pleas for help and calls for her master. So, I decided to just kill her and was about to thrust my sword into her.
Vwooom!
At that moment, the air trembled lightly, and a strange sound echoed in my ears. It wasn't an unfamiliar sound. I had heard it before—a familiar noise, like space itself was distorting. I paused my sword and turned my gaze in the direction of the sound. About two meters off the ground, the air was slowly splitting in half.
Portal magic? No, is it teleportation?
“Ooh! Master! Master! My master is here!”
“Master?”
The rift in space gradually widened, forming a round hole. Seeing Kwon Sora’s joyful reaction, it seemed her master had come here himself. Thinking I’d just saved myself some trouble, I quickly thrust the sword I had aimed at her into her neck. Kwon Sora let out a gurgling sound, “Kkkhhk!”, and coughed up a mouthful of frothy blood.
Her eyes shot open as she clutched her neck with a look of disbelief. I tossed her to the ground and, keeping my eyes on the portal, said.
“Ko Yeonju, are the ones you caught still alive?”
“Huh? Yes. A few of them are.”
“Kill them now.”
“Got it…”
“I can’t let you do that.”
It was then. From the circular rift in space, two hands and a foot emerged. The revealed hand brought its thumb and middle finger together, and with a gentle voice, it snapped its fingers.
Snap!
“Oh?”
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!
As the fingers snapped, an interesting phenomenon occurred. As if being erased by an eraser, the shadows restraining the Users began to forcibly disappear. No, it wasn't just the shadows she had created that were erased.
Every shadow that had been cast on the ground until that moment vanished one by one with a strange sound. Literally, without a trace. Even Ko Yeonju hadn't expected this, it seemed. She frowned slightly, immediately drew her daggers, and took a defensive stance.
“Sora, sorry I'm late… What, you killed her already? Tsk. So impatient. Tsk, tsk.”
The figure that finally emerged completely from the hole was a man who looked old enough to be an elder. The old man clicked his tongue as he looked at Kwon Sora, who was collapsed on the ground clutching her throat, then turned to his subordinates, now freed from the shadows, and spoke.
“It seems you lot are no match for them. All of you, fall back.”
Oho. So this is Kwon Sora’s master? In that case…
Though it felt a bit early, I had a feeling that what was bound to happen had finally arrived, and I studied the old man’s face closely.
He was tall but had a very gaunt body. His long hair and beard, which reached his navel, were mixed with so much white they could be considered half-gray. There were many fine wrinkles around his eyes, but he had a gentle impression that matched his voice perfectly. The soft smile he wore as he spoke gave him the air of a kind-hearted grandfather.
Sensing my intense gaze, the old man glanced at me and opened his mouth.
“Are you the one who killed this child?”
“What if I am?”
“Insolent brat. What a way to speak to an old man. You couldn't have waited a little? She was a child I was quite fond of, you know.”
“Ah, yes. But she said men would have their limbs cut off and women would have rape as an option. Your hospitality was rather lacking.”
“Enough, you brat. Who do you think enjoys hearing you speak formally with such a twisted tone?”
As I conversed with the old man who had appeared from thin air, I felt a strange sense of déjà vu. Even though more than half of his subordinates lay scattered about from the recent battle, there was no hint of regret on his face. Only a clear look of annoyance. He scratched his head with an irritated expression, then let out a long sigh and spoke.
“Hmph. Anyway, Sora said she'd cut you up and rape you? I never said that… I just said to be courteous… Ah, did her mind get influenced by her original personality and go off the rails again? Tsk. Failed experiments are always… Anyway, if she really said that, I apologize. You must have been very displeased.”
The old man muttered to himself, much like Vivian sometimes did, and offered a half-hearted apology without even looking at me.
The atmosphere was shifting in a strange direction. A certain ease flowed between me and the old man. The source of that atmosphere was the absolute confidence he had in his own strength. The ability to remain unfazed no matter the situation. An ease that could only be shown by those who had weathered countless bloody battlefields. I took a deep breath and steadied my mind.
The Users who had been freed from the shadows stealthily retreated to stand behind the old man, while my clan members also formed a new line and watched the front warily. A quiet silence fell for a moment. The old man shook his head as if deep in thought, then smacked his lips and turned his head again.
“Right. You all… should I call you Users?”
“…Hmph.”
“Hmph? Answer me, you ill-mannered User. Well, anyway, it's true that I invited all of you—or, to be precise, you. There was some… discord, but let's just let bygones be bygones. In that spirit, why don't you sheathe your sword for a moment and we can talk in my castle?”
The old man’s voice was still soft and gentle. Of course, the proposal itself was ridiculous. But I had received similar offers from intelligent monsters in the past, so I wasn't flustered. Instead of a verbal reply, I simply raised the Sun and Moon Divine Sword. At the same time, I activated my Third Eye on the old man.
“…”
And then, the moment I read the vast amount of information floating in the air, I felt my eyes instinctively tense up.