The Unyielding Light
“Huuu…”
The Hwigwang that had seeped into my entire body flickered like a wild flame.
“Yangdo and Jildo are on a whole different level from the welcome night, aren’t they?”
Indeed, as Teraden had said, the Hwigwang wrapped around my body was nothing like before.
Power flooded through me. Just wrapping borrowed Hwigwang around myself had already boosted my combat power by roughly two-tenths.
“….”
“Hey, what’s going on? Did something happen somewhere?”
I’d been silently admiring the Hwigwang’s greatness, clenching and unclenching my fists, when Teraden rushed over, worried about side effects, and shook my shoulder frantically.
“No, it’s nothing like that. I was just thinking how unfair it is that you’ve been hoarding this kind of Ineung all to yourself until now. It’s too much.”
“The later the first Release, the stronger the Ineung. You’re bound to get a power as good as mine someday, Haru.”
Teraden shrugged and quickly wiped under his nose.
“Even so, I doubt you’ll ever match Hwigwang.”
“Let’s take out those bastards in front of us first.”
“Got it.”
After our short exchange with Teraden, my gaze shifted to the thieves.
“You bastards… that ability….”
Meanwhile, the thieves who had been staring blankly at Hwigwang clinging to my body saw the spark in their eyes die down one by one.
Especially the leader, his expression hardening more than anyone else’s. He must have realized our identities from seeing Teraden’s Ineung.
“You used it earlier—why the commotion now? Hey, none of you think about trying to run here.”
Teraden pointed straight at the captain.
“Especially you—last warning. Stay put. If you ignore me again, I’ll chase you all the way to the end of hell.”
“Kk, uuuuh…”
The captain clutched his throat, his face twisted in pain.
“No choice. If it comes to that, I’ll kill every last one of you.”
Immediately, the leader’s voice dropped, cold as death, and he pointed at us.
“Don’t get cocky. Kill them all properly.”
“Uwaaaaah!!”
His slow gesture sent the thieves charging forward with a roar.
“Go. Stay close.”
“Don’t worry.”
I pushed off the ground and charged ahead.
“Pwooeong!”
“Ugh…”
My body, not yet used to the enhanced strength, leaped far beyond expectations and lost balance for a second.
“It’s over!! Die!!”
A thief at the front saw me stumbling and swung his sword upward.
I twisted my body mid-air to avoid the rising blade and landed on the ground.
“Die!!”
Enraged that my attack had failed, the thief swung his sword and blade again. I countered by thrusting my arm forward.
“Pak-chaang!”
The resounding clash was meaningless before the Hwigwang. My blade shattered into pieces without mercy.
Teraden’s Hwigwang was simply too strong, and the sword had already been rusted.
“Eh… eh?!”
While he was stunned by his broken weapon, I grabbed his face and slammed it into the ground. His skull cracked against the dirt.
“A single scream left him as his body collapsed.
“This bastard…! Kill him!!”
The remaining thieves surged forward like a tidal wave.
“Kehek!”
A thief who took a chin jab in the elbow dropped his sword and fell.
“Hwaaap!!”
A thief on my left swung his sword down with full power. I raised my left arm to block. The rusted blade still shattered against my Hwigwang.
A clumsy weapon like that couldn’t even scratch my Hwigwang.
From now on, I wouldn’t even need to dodge or block.
“Eh, ugh…! You monster! Stay away!”
The armed man backed away in terror, but I didn’t care about his range.
He was the kind of villain who had tormented countless people before. Showing any mercy would be unforgivable, even if I thought of the innocent victims he’d hurt.
As more of them fell, their momentum steadily weakened.
Suppressing the stumbling thieves was no longer difficult.
In the end, only the leader remained standing, all others collapsed and groaning in pain.
“Leader…! I-I can’t… k-k, help me…”
“You’re only a couple of guys… you should be ashamed. These useless trash.”
The leader, Il, stepped on his subordinate’s stomach with full weight.
“Kk, huuug…!!”
The man twisted in agony before passing out.
“Clack.”
My eyes narrowed with unbearable disgust.
“…That man. Isn’t he still your ally?”
“Ah, shut up. Stop worrying about others and worry about yourself.”
Contrary to expectation, Il remained relaxed even as his subordinates collapsed.
Hwigwang from Teraden had also visibly dimmed. After fighting so many, he was clearly running low on stamina.
But he didn’t look like a force I could afford to toy with. Was he hiding some hidden trump card?
Srrrlung.
Unlike the rusty swords of his subordinates, Il drew a sharp, well-honed blade.
“Prepare yourself. Tuk!”
He spat into his palm, gripped the sword with both hands, and rushed forward with awkward steps.
“Kheuk!”
He closed the distance in a flash and took a straight punch to the face. He jerked his head back.
I instinctively covered the hit area with one hand, but blood still dripped between my fingers.
“K, kheh…! You bastard!!”
He rubbed the bruised spot, then swung his sword again, blood streaming from his nose.
Clumsy.
Whoosh!
Whether I was strong or he was weak—maybe both.
His breathing, the movement of his shoulders, the path of his blade—every detail was perfectly clear.
Better than the previous thieves, but not enough to cause real damage.
After a moment, I feinted a wide swing and drove my fist into his side. Il gasped and collapsed.
“K, kuhug! S-stop…!”
Pow! Pwok!
“Hey, it’s over, so stop. You might kill someone.”
Before I even realized it, my fist was already on him. Teraden tapped my shoulder to warn me.
“….”
I relaxed my grip on his throat. His body slumped limply.
“Hah, it’s all finished.”
“We need to drag these guys back, so let’s take a breather first. I’ll put this guy down for a sec…”
“U, um… why does my body feel so heavy…”
At the moment I defeated the leader Il.
O Sangdanju’s daughter, who had been sleeping soundly on Teraden’s back, suddenly woke up.
“Oh? This person woke up? Hey, are you okay?”
“Are you alright?”
“U… ugh?! Kyaah—!!! What the hell are you guys?!”
The massive woman immediately started thrashing on Teraden’s back.
“Wait! My waist’s gonna break! You’re gonna crush my spine!! Be quiet!”
“You should play along a bit. I’m as light as a feather!”
“No, just calm down for a sec…”
“Feather my ass. I’m lighter than a horse. What…”
Teraden’s complaint made her suddenly glare. She swung her huge fist from where he carried her.
“Euyek!”
Teraden’s face was hit and he staggered, then both of them toppled onto the ground.
“Wudddok!”
A terrifying crack rang out from Teraden’s waist.
“U…”
She glared at the convulsing Teraden, then rolled off him.
“Please calm down. We came to save you because O Sangdanju, your father, asked us to.”
O Sangdanju’s daughter finally relaxed after hearing my explanation.
“I thought my waist was going to disappear. I can’t carry you anymore. Hey, can you walk by yourself now?”
Teraden groaned while clutching his waist and forced himself up.
“Why do you keep acting like this? On purpose. Do you like me?”
Teraden, who always belittled people with flashy words, had suddenly become tongue-tied.
He had properly met his match.
“Waa…”
“Anyway, you’re too pretty, that’s the problem.”
“Aaaah!!”
Teraden’s face flushed red as he yelled.
“One more word and I’ll leave you here.”
“Ohoohohong! You’re enjoying yourself and pretending to be shy! Since you saved me, I’ll let this prank slide.”
“Hey, wait.”
Teraden grabbed my arm and pulled me close, whispering in my ear.
“If you just leave me and I can’t find you later, won’t that be a problem?”
“…It’s a joke. There’s not much time left, so just hold on a little longer.”
“If you fight me more, I’ll get a stomach ulcer.”
“Hmm, you really have a tremendous sense of self.”
“You should be honest about these things. Tremendous sense of self? It’s just princess syndrome. Anyway, I’ll handle these thieves myself. From now on, you take over and deal with this guy.”
Before I could say anything, Teraden rushed off.
* * *
“Name.”
“I-I am Il.”
“Age.”
“U… thirty-seven.”
I had no idea where he’d been dug up from, but Teraden, wearing a red hat and black glasses, interrogated Il.
“Occupation. Oh, he’s a thief, obviously.”
Teraden’s muttering made Il nod timidly.
“How long have you been stealing?”
“Ye-yes, about three years…”
The moment “three years” left Il’s mouth, Teraden grabbed his throat.
“Three years? Are you crazy? You’ve been tormenting innocent people for three whole years…!”
Twuk.
“Huh? What’s this?”
Teraden’s body stopped moving as he shook Il’s throat. A heavy pouch fell from his grip.
“Money falls out when I shake it? What is this? A piggy bank?”
Teraden casually opened the pouch and checked the contents. His eyes suddenly rolled back halfway.
Through the black glasses, it wasn’t visible, but his pupils had probably turned upward, leaving only the whites.
“Crazy, how much is this? How much did you rob in the meantime… You’re no good. Go ahead and search. I’ll properly rehabilitate you today.”
“Eh, eh, w-wait…! Haa, haaaaaah!!”
In the ruined, deserted forest, a painful scream of agony echoed endlessly.