Chapter 374
Chapter 374
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 374
Chapter Title: Thunderous First Match
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KRRRRUM-!
The moment the lightning struck, the screen flashed pure white.
When his vision returned after going dark, the fight was already over. Gerbion lay collapsed on the ground, eyes rolled back, unconscious.
"That guy Gerbion... has he just been slacking off all this time?"
"For someone slacking, his sword was pretty fast and sharp."
"He sliced up several buildings in that short exchange. Means he could cut through most rankers' swords and armor like butter."
"And he still got wrecked. Big deal."
The first match of the showdown ended anticlimactically. Opinions on the fight split right down the middle.
Was Lee Soo-hyuk really that strong? Or was Gerbion really that weak?
Similar questions, different angles. Especially rankers unfamiliar with Gerbion openly mocked him.
"Must've been holed up in some dive, drowning in booze."
There were harsh criticisms like that, but the opposite view existed too.
Those who had crossed paths with Gerbion and knew his skill to some degree.
"He's not the type to lose that pathetically."
Jin Do-ha's defeat was so unbelievable that many doubted it. The Murim rankers present now believed it, but most figured Soo-hyuk had help from Ye-ryeong or Si-woo.
If Soo-hyuk was really that strong, then maybe he and Blue Eyes' legends could take down even the War God together.
But this match made it crystal clear.
'Lee Soo-hyuk's power is the real deal.'
Whether they dismissed Gerbion's strength or not, no one could deny what Soo-hyuk had just shown.
After the match ended, Soo-hyuk returned to his spot.
"I'm back."
Soo-hyuk greeted Jin-un first. After facing the Heavenly Demon, he was checking on the most troubled person.
"You were gone a whole few minutes and you're greeting me like that?"
"It's not a greeting to me. It's for the viewers."
"Viewers...?"
Jin-un looked baffled. Like he couldn't believe Soo-hyuk was seriously asking him to do something for a broadcast.
Meanwhile, the viewers were buzzing over this new face.
Jin-un wasn't as famous for his face as his reputation suggested. Of course, anyone who knew his achievements would be shocked.
So Soo-hyuk spelled it out.
"This is Jin-un. He used to go by 'Myeong-in' back in the day."
He was more known by 'Myeong-in' than his real name.
There was surprise, but nothing explosive. Makes sense— from grand wizards to Blue Eyes members, who in the guild was ordinary? Myeong-in joining wasn't enough to freak out over.
Jin-un, though, was the flustered one.
He shot Soo-hyuk a fierce glare. Like, you're seriously telling me to greet them? Soo-hyuk just grinned back. Yes, do it.
"...I'm Jin-un. Nice to meet you all."
A reluctant greeting.
"Viewers say they're happy to meet you too. They're all curious how you ended up in the guild."
"How?"
For a split second, Jin-un's mind flashed to the day he first met Soo-hyuk.
The day he coincidentally saved the battered guy collapsing after fighting demons. If that chance encounter led here, maybe it was fate.
But he couldn't say that himself.
Revealing Soo-hyuk's identity on stream was his call to make.
Without that, how could he explain being here?
'One reason comes to mind.'
The focus of his attention all along.
"No reason, but I have a goal."
Jin-un's gaze drifted to the Heavenly Demon, arms crossed in the distance.
"I want to use the guild for revenge. Impossible on my own."
Eyes turned to Jin-un. Unhyang's among them.
The mood chilled instantly. His glare brimmed with killing intent—no joke.
He seemed at his limit, like lava ready to erupt.
Soo-hyuk got it. Even if Jin-un snapped and charged the Heavenly Demon right there, he'd understand.
To cool his boiling rage—half-jokingly—Soo-hyuk poured some cold water.
"Is that the answer to this question right now?"
"You think I'm some streamer like you? Then why ask pointless crap?"
What Jin-un really wanted to say went via whisper.
Soo-hyuk chuckled under his mask at the irritated tone. Better than him stewing inside.
That's when it happened, as Jin-un fixated on the Heavenly Demon.
"Heavenly Demon's daughter!"
A ranker pointed out the next opponent.
"Fight me."
Who else but Unhyang?
The one calling her out was Draygon, a one-armed high ranker.
He was known for losing his family to the Heavenly Demon and getting his arm severed. Was this his outlet? He picked Unhyang as his match.
Unhyang knew his intent but showed no special reaction. She turned to Jin-un and Soo-hyuk, bowing her head.
"I'll be right back."
Whoosh—
Her figure vanished.
For a moment, worry flickered in Jin-un's eyes. No one fretted over Unhyang more than him.
"No need to worry."
Wondering if that was the right thing to say, Soo-hyuk kept it to himself.
'Whose daughter do you think she is?'
Draygon was a high ranker from Lukan, the mercenaries' world.
After countless commissions, he joined Jin Do-ha's raid to subjugate the Heavenly Demon. Predictably, it failed. Far from killing him, half the raid party died.
Lucky him—he only lost one arm there.
The real trouble came after. The Heavenly Demon's retribution hit his family.
When Draygon returned from his next job, his wife and two sons' corpses awaited.
'Now you know how it feels.'
His arm, walking toward his foe, was covered in dragon hide.
The dragon-power graft was his essence. It made him a high ranker, one of Lukan's best.
Draygon's hand twitched.
The dragon eye gleamed as he whipped his head around. Beyond the brush, beautiful red eyes gleamed.
Unhyang.
"My name is Unhyang."
Red aura rippled around her.
"Not the Heavenly Demon's daughter."
"Hiding the Heavenly Demon Divine Art? And you spout that crap."
Having faced the Heavenly Demon, he knew. That red aura was its energy. And its power.
Unhyang no longer hesitated to use the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. No reason to hide anymore.
Everything was out? All or nothing?
Those played a part, but weren't the whole story.
"This is what I feared."
"...?"
Draygon looked puzzled. Feared what?
"Once people learn who I am, will they hate me? Turn their hatred for him on me... I was so scared."
The 'someone' she meant was Draygon. He was redirecting his rage at her.
"So? Now that you've seen me up close, scared?"
"No."
Unhyang shook her head.
"Pathetic."
Twitch. Draygon's brow furrowed.
"Real brave people don't act like that."
Unhyang thought of Jin-un.
He bore the same wound as Draygon. But learning her identity flipped his reaction.
Instead of anger, kindness. Maybe that's when the chains binding her snapped.
"If you really want family revenge, find him before it's too late. Or give up entirely. Not ashamed of that arm?"
"Shut up!"
BAM-!
Draygon's fist slammed the ground. The earth flipped, unleashing his fury.
Bursting through the upturned rock, he charged Unhyang.
"What do you know?!"
BOOM, KABOOM-!
His fists exploded like bombs. Flame-wrapped punches clashed repeatedly with Unhyang's sword.
"You know how impossible that is? No! But he's blood, so he won't kill his own kid!"
Forgetting he was on display, he screamed like a madman.
"And you say go for real revenge? Easy for you to talk!"
His roar shook the forest. Each fist-sword clash sprayed fierce flames, igniting the woods.
WHOOSH—
Black smoke billowed from the blaze. No matter how he swung, Unhyang stood firm.
"What do you know! You... what do you know!"
KABOOM-!
The forest burned and shattered. Finally, Draygon's fist nailed Unhyang's solar plexus.
She flew back, smashing through several trees. Draygon, who'd swung nonstop, paused to catch his breath.
Thick smoke blanketed the woods, hiding Unhyang.
Then, soon after.
Step—
Unhyang, who'd taken the hit to the gut, walked back unscathed.
"Feeling better now?"
Her tone polite now.
Draygon scowled, suspicious of the ploy. Trying to rile him again?
"Sorry."
"...!"
The sudden apology startled Draygon.
"What?"
"I know it's not something I can just apologize for. Still, I hope this eases your pain even a little."
Unhyang bowed her head, clear and firm.
"Sorry."
"What right do you...!"
Draygon's eyes trembled as anger surged again.
Right?
And here he was, seeking revenge solely because she was the Heavenly Demon's blood. If possible, he'd hunt her down even after the showdown.
So why question her apology's validity?
No need to think. He knew.
Assigning her guilt selectively. Stripping her apology rights selectively. Wasn't that wrong?
Yeah. She had no 'right' to apologize on his behalf.
Because there was no wrong to begin with.
"Ha—."
Deflated, Draygon lowered his fist. Will to fight gone, he looked up at the sky.
The smoke-shrouded sky.
Gazing at it, Draygon muttered.
"Pitiful... so pitiful. Really..."
Draygon bowed to Unhyang. Eyes open beyond revenge, he saw it. That solar plexus hit was her way of letting him vent.
"I lose."