Chapter 235
Chapter 235
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 235
Chapter Title: Duel Against the Archer
-----------------------------------------------------------------
He deflected the shower of arrows while closing the distance. As the gap narrowed, Dormann unleashed even more arrows into the sky.
The sky darkened under a blanket of arrows raining down like a monsoon.
Paak-.
But his opponent closed in in an instant. For some reason, the barrage had no effect.
"Eek!"
Dormann finally gave up firing from above and shifted his aim.
The arrow tip targeted his opponent's shoulder. It was a spar, so he couldn't aim for vitals.
Thwack-!
The massive arrow from the greatbow hurtled toward his foe.
Too late to dodge. In his rush to close in, Jeong Chan-young was charging straight ahead.
'Hit...'
In that moment, Jeong Chan-young's hand morphed into something like a dragon's claw.
Craaang-!
The crash of arrow meeting hand rang deafeningly in his ears. Dormann's eyes went wide.
"What the hell is that?"
Blocking the arrow? That could happen. His opponent was a ranker too, after all.
The problem was the crude method used to block it.
'Martial arts...?'
It had looked like a dragon's claw for a split second, but it was just three fingers curled together.
The motion screamed sword swing. Crude and awkward as hell.
And yet.
Paat-.
His opponent closed in again.
The distance was now too tight to nock another arrow. Dormann swung his greatbow with all his might.
Whooong-.
The swung greatbow packed power befitting its size. Dormann had been through this dozens of times and knew how to handle it.
Archers being weak up close? Not for Dormann.
Whooong-.
The hefty greatbow tore through the air like a blunt weapon. His close-quarters combat shone brighter than at range.
Enemies who pushed in recklessly dodging arrows always ended up pulped by the swing.
And yet.
'Why isn't it landing?'
It didn't feel like fighting an opponent.
More like swinging at empty air.
The greatbow swept without mercy, denying entry and creating space to pull back.
Swipe-.
Dormann's foot slid backward.
The moment he tried to activate a skill to retreat—
Pat-.
"You maniac!"
Jeong Chan-young dove in.
Through the storm of swings, without hesitation.
Startled, Dormann canceled his skill and stumbled back.
Craaang-!
"Guhk!"
A hand plunged into his solar plexus. Dormann's waist buckled as he flew backward.
He couldn't comprehend it.
'Sticking your head in there?'
Jeong Chan-young could've lost his head if he'd misjudged, yet he dove in without even ducking fully.
And that wasn't all confusing him.
'Monster battle sense, with that crude hand motion...'
Again, just the dragon-claw fingers. Hardly worthy of being called proper martial arts.
Just mimicking the shape.
"Huh?"
Dormann straightened his waist and regained balance, lifting his head.
His opponent, who'd been right in front, was gone.
'Where did he...'
Thwack-!
A dull impact rocked his skull.
Slump-.
Dormann collapsed forward, unconscious.
Lee Soo-hyuk, who had smashed a fist down from behind, flexed his hand and muttered,
"Tough."
"Anything learned crash-crammed like that is bound to get spotted."
Unhyang had been right.
Just a few days of her teaching martial arts had been brutally hard.
Unlike skills that imprinted instantly, martial arts demanded experience and effort to embody.
'I'm really terrible at this.'
He hadn't expected mastery anyway.
Even a once-in-a-generation genius couldn't perfect a technique in days.
He knew that.
So he'd asked for this.
"It's actually perfect."
To show off the crash-crammed version.
Soo-hyuk glanced at Adolf.
His face screamed, What the hell is that guy?
'I want answers too.'
But you, chase red herrings.
Soo-hyuk looked at Adolf and asked,
"That's it, right?"
"...Yeah, it is."
Adolf nodded.
"We'll notify you of the results later."
"Thanks."
Soo-hyuk stepped down from the stage.
The exam was still ongoing. With so many participants, even split into groups, it dragged on.
'About a day more.'
Plenty of time left.
He wanted to search for Hyeo-min again, but that wasn't feasible right now.
He'd already scoured every spot he could roam freely. To dig deeper meant barging into Blue Zone's guild office.
'Later for that.'
This line was just right for now.
Under suspicion as Ye-ryeong, while Si-woo and Ye-ryeong handled their own tasks.
Soo-hyuk had two jobs now.
Keep drawing Blue Zone's eyes, and link up with Si-woo or Ye-ryeong under their radar.
'What are you two up to?'
Walking the city streets, Soo-hyuk looked up at the sky.
For days, he'd been thinking as Si-woo and Ye-ryeong.
If he could guess their plans, meeting them would be easy.
One thing was certain.
'Ye-ryeong's here.'
His conclusion after endless pondering.
Somewhere in this crowd. Maybe even among Blue Zone's rankers.
She'd definitely be hiding.
"She always hides too damn well at times like this."
He scratched his head with a sigh. She was within arm's reach, but he had no idea which way to swing.
Bzzz-.
His kit buzzed.
A call from Unhyang.
"Picking up..."
-How'd it go?
Her impatience.
Soo-hyuk ducked into a nearby cafe and grabbed a seat. He ordered a drink and muffled ambient noise with mana.
"Aced the exam."
-You won?
"Obviously."
Rare worry from her. When everyone doubted, Unhyang alone believed in his win.
But this time, she'd fretted.
-Phew. Good thing.
"...You that unsure of me?"
-Your swordplay's so creaky.
"Not that creaky."
-Cheongryang might've done better.
"Hey, come on."
That was harsh.
Though not wrong.
Soo-hyuk had only crash-crammed for days. Cheongryang, mocked or not, was a true expert trained in divine martial arts at the sacred mountain.
The gap was inevitable.
But truth hurts most.
-Winning's still a problem, right?
Her worry lingered even in victory.
-No way it doesn't raise flags.
Any third-rate Murim warrior could see Soo-hyuk was a martial arts newbie. In a place crawling with rankers, no one would miss that he didn't rely on it.
"Won't get cut."
-How can you be so sure?
"Suspicious is suspicious."
-Huh?
Unhyang pressed for explanation, but he couldn't elaborate.
His certainty held.
'The more suspicious, the less they'll let go.'
Blue Zone wanted Si-woo and Ye-ryeong caught.
Just look at what happened to Gyu-seong. To Kim Il-su and Blue Zone, Blue Eyes was a past to erase.
If Adolf knew Ye-ryeong, he'd keep her in sight.
The real danger was vanishing from view.
'Play it cool and stick close.'
Soo-hyuk was the exam victor.
Plenty of reason to advance him. Participants naturally fell under Blue Zone watch.
"Anyway, that's the deal."
-What's that 'anyway' mean?
"Curious? Five hundred points."
-Wow, really? What era do you think it is?
Unhyang was ribbing him for not acting like a big streamer when—
Ding-.
A bell chime rang unusually clear in his ears.
The door opened as another customer entered. Soo-hyuk's gaze snapped to them.
His eyes trembled faintly. Best effort to hide his expression shift.
-Soo-hyuk-ssi?
"...I'll call back."
Click-.
Soo-hyuk hung up fast.
The next instant.
"Vice Guild Master!"
"Welcome!"
The cafe's patrons—all Blue Zone guild members—stood and bowed.
Blue Zone's vice guild master, Lee Won-jae.
He walked straight to Soo-hyuk's seat.
Step-.
Stopping before Soo-hyuk, he said,
"Mind if I sit?"
Polite tone.
Didn't just plop down. For Blue Zone's number two, this was courteous.
Soo-hyuk eyed him a moment from his seat, then nodded.
"...By all means."
"Thank you."
Lee Won-jae smiled faintly and took the opposite seat.
All eyes converged.
Everyone here was Blue Zone. The vice master's sudden arrival was shocking.
Like chilling at the company cafe when the group VP drops in.
"Everyone out."
"Yes, sir!"
At his word, seated members bolted outside. From his view, dismissing guildmates.
The owner hesitated, unsure.
Unlike patrons, he was a lifelong resident born on the 8th floor.
"Owner, step out too, please."
"Ah, got it."
Thus, Lee Won-jae cleared the cafe entirely.
Soo-hyuk stared at him, bemused by the fuss.
What was this about?
Meeting Soo-hyuk's gaze, Lee Won-jae spoke calmly.
"My behavior seems suspicious, I take it."
"Wouldn't it?"
"You don't look scared, though."
Soo-hyuk nodded.
'No hostility.'
This was Blue House.
Blue Zone core. Everyone here was his ally.
If hostile, no need to dismiss them.
So no reason to fear.
'Does he still not know who I am...?'
"As expected of Kim Ye-ryeong."
His expression control slipped.
A subtle twitch.
Lee Won-jae nodded at the fleeting change.
"Knew it."
"No idea what you're talking about."
"No need to play dumb. I'm certain."
Damn, for real?
Complicated mess. Soo-hyuk had engineered this, but hadn't expected such direct confrontation.
If he truly thought Soo-hyuk was Ye-ryeong, he'd avoid spooking her into flight.
"Curious why I'm saying this?"
Lee Won-jae smirked triumphantly, red herring hooked.
"Don't you want revenge on Kim Il-su?"
One thing he couldn't mask.
No.
No need to.
"I want to join hands with you, Kim Ye-ryeong."
Hearing that, Soo-hyuk thought.
Gyu-seong must've been betrayed like this.