Chapter 389
Chapter 389
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 389
Chapter Title: Clash with the Poison King
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Si-woo's cold words prompted Kim Il-su to say the exact opposite.
"I'm truly heartbroken."
It sounded utterly sincere, laced with raw emotion.
"I never imagined we'd meet like this. I had no idea you'd fallen this far. For old times' sake, I thought I'd at least ask..."
He glanced around as if wary of prying eyes, acting like what came next was too sensitive even for his own guildmates to hear.
But Si-woo and Ye-ryeong couldn't have cared less.
"What the hell is that bastard babbling about?"
"He's saying it for his guildmates to hear. Or to piss us off."
Words that might have enraged them in the past now left them unfazed.
No, they welcomed it.
Si-woo raised his voice as if he'd been waiting for this.
"We were betrayed."
He caught the stunned expressions on their faces.
Before Kim Il-su could respond, Si-woo pressed on.
"By your guild master. And by all you executives standing here."
A murmur rippled through the crowd. Some didn't dare speak up, just watching nervously.
Most of Blue Zone's members had been drawn here by the fame of Blue Eyes and Lee Soo-hyuk in the past.
There were two prevailing rumors.
One claimed Murim Alliance and Blue Zone had betrayed Lee Soo-hyuk.
The other said his fallen comrades had betrayed him.
Both were equally famous, polar opposites. Recently, thanks to Hwang Gyu-seong's incident, Blue Zone had been cleared of suspicion.
After all, plenty of people had seen Hwang Gyu-seong wield demonic powers.
Kim Il-su, in turn, had earned praise for sheltering his old comrades despite knowing the truth.
"Lee Soo-hyuk, us—we were all betrayed. How's that? Different from what you knew?"
"Nonsense."
Kim Il-su dismissed Si-woo's words outright.
He put on an Oscar-worthy performance, barely containing his fury.
"Have you really forgotten already? What you did...?"
His masterful acting continued—until then.
Ssssh—.
From the long shadow trailing behind Kim Il-su, Ye-ryeong's shadow suddenly surged up.
"I've never forgotten once."
Clang—!
Two daggers clashed.
Kim Il-su whipped around to block, only to find dozens of daggers flying at him.
Clang-clang-clang-clang—.
Twisting his body in a frenzy, he deflected every one. Each dagger targeted his vital points precisely.
Ye-ryeong, who had closed in swiftly from behind, said coldly.
"How could I forget? That day."
Si-woo's words weren't meant to convince the crowd. They were the surest way to rattle Kim Il-su.
And it worked.
Shwick—.
Seizing the opening, Si-woo's spear thrust straight for Kim Il-su's heart.
Clang—!
Their combined assault raged on.
At first, Kim Il-su struggled against the spear and daggers. But his eyes soon regained their calm.
Seeing this, Si-woo's lips twisted into a smirk.
"Yeah. Ending it like this would be no fun."
Locking eyes up close with those pale green irises, Si-woo activated his skill.
Whoooosh—.
A biting wind howled.
Snow began falling from the clear sky. As Kim Il-su blocked Ye-ryeong's daggers, ice flowers bloomed on his hands.
Si-woo didn't miss that split-second freeze.
Shwick—.
His spear flew toward the heart—when.
"Stop!"
Ye-ryeong's urgent shout rang out.
Time seemed to halt.
Should he thrust? Or pull back? The dilemma stretched that instant into eternity.
If not for her cry?
He probably would have.
Reflexively, Si-woo withdrew his spear.
And in that moment.
Sssizzle—.
The ice melted in a flash, unleashing scorching poison in all directions.
The poison spread faster than Si-woo could retreat. He instinctively erected an ice barrier.
Crackkk—.
A wall of ice meters thick rose up.
Not ordinary ice.
Harder than steel, unmelting. Si-woo was as confident in defense as offense.
Yet.
Sssizzle—.
The poison ignored the ice entirely, racing forward. It slowed only for a heartbeat.
As it reached Si-woo's nose.
Whoosh—.
Ye-ryeong yanked his collar.
Si-woo collapsed to the ground, staring ahead.
The earth melted into a pit. It stopped at his toes.
Without her pull, he'd be swallowed too.
In the pit's center, Kim Il-su stood on thin air.
Green venom dripped from his twin blades. Ye-ryeong scoffed.
"Looks like that guy's the Poison King."
"Did he always have that power?"
"Item crutch."
They mocked it as an item boost, but they knew: Maximizing an item's power came down to the player.
And those blades? Divine-grade items sourced from a hydra.
Kim Il-su literally held a hydra in his hands.
"No need to freak. He can't spam skills like that nonstop."
Ye-ryeong was spot on.
Even divine items had limits; he couldn't fire off that level of power freely.
But that didn't make the fight easier.
Now they'd battle with constant dread of another outburst. That alone doubled the difficulty.
And Kim Il-su wasn't alone.
"Press them!"
At someone's shout, Blue Zone rankers charged from all sides.
Some rushed with weapons drawn; others kept distance, unleashing skills.
An invisible arrow whistled past Si-woo's face, grazing it.
Blood trickled down.
The archer whooped, thinking he'd landed a hit—until.
Puke—.
His cheer cut short.
A dagger pierced his mouth.
As Si-woo wreaked havoc in the rankers' midst, Ye-ryeong sniped their breaths from the shadows. Even in this chaos, she was an assassin.
The duo proved strength was relative. Blue Zone's rankers and high-rankers turned to children before them.
Except one.
Shwick—.
Kim Il-su's sword sliced through the fray, carving Ye-ryeong's body.
Roles reversed from before.
Clanggg—.
Ziiing—.
Their blades clashed, air vibrating. Eyes met in a flash; his twin swords lashed out.
Mana-infused sword auras shredded surroundings with each clash. Ye-ryeong sweated, barely parrying.
As she held on.
Crackkk—.
Kim Il-su's charging feet froze solid.
Turning, she saw Si-woo had broken through and rejoined.
Craaaack—.
The ice encasing his feet swelled massively.
Kim Il-su's body froze over. Transparent ice grew rapidly, forming a coffin.
Trapped in the crystalline prison, Si-woo slammed his palm down.
Boom—!
Craaaackle—.
Vibrations surged through his hand. Enough to shatter Kim Il-su with the ice.
The ice crumbled. White mist billowed like clouds.
Flash—.
Kim Il-su's eyes gleamed within. He stood unharmed amid the ruins.
Blue Zone rankers, missing Si-woo, pursued again.
"Help the guild master!"
But then.
"That thing from before—it's coming again!"
Ye-ryeong's cry startled the closing rankers.
The tight encirclement panicked, retreating to avoid the skill.
But.
Sneer—.
"Bluff."
It was a feint.
One word scattered the interference. Si-woo and Ye-ryeong surged at Kim Il-su again.
Shwick—.
The three clashed once more.
Dozens of exchanges in seconds.
Realizing the trick, Blue Zone rankers rejoined swiftly. Chaos erupted.
Rankers' spears and swords targeted hearts and heads.
Dodging while watching Kim Il-su's blade tips.
Venom dripped, splattering drops.
A single hit could kill.
"Gaaah!"
"My face!"
Struck rankers clutched faces and arms, collapsing. They writhed, then died.
Si-woo and Ye-ryeong exchanged glances.
Holding up? Of course. Don't look so good? Doesn't matter.
In that blink, they synced and charged.
Craaaack—!
Chilling aura sprayed from the spear tip. Bitter cold filled the air, hard to breathe.
Cleaving white frost, Kim Il-su's sword aura flew.
As it neared Si-woo's throat, a dagger slipped between.
Shwick—.
Si-woo and Ye-ryeong fought in a trance.
Over a hundred rankers caught in it perished. Sweat beaded on their brows, breaths ragged.
Kim Il-su, meanwhile, stayed composed.
Unlike the breathless pair back-to-back, he had moments to recover. This was his stage.
"Huff... huff—."
"Haaa—."
Blue Zone rankers stared in awe at the panting duo.
But some gazes burned hot.
They witnessed the legend of the blue eyes—their idol—up close. Fighting, unbroken.
Momentum tilted, yet the pair never faltered.
"Cough!"
Si-woo spat blood.
He'd dodged and fought well, but proximity to Kim Il-su meant constant poison exposure.
His guts twisted in agony; he staggered briefly.
Shwick—.
Kim Il-su's blade tip zeroed on Si-woo's eye.
Clanggg—!
"...!"
Ye-ryeong intercepted mid-swing.
A desperate dive block. Crunch—like shattering dagger—as she flew back with Si-woo.
They tumbled. Ye-ryeong rolled up smoothly.
Si-woo was a beat slower.
Kim Il-su was already charging Si-woo.
"No!"
Her desperate cry echoed through the forest—that instant.
Crackle—.
A small spark, then.
Flash—!
A lightning-fast sword plunged between them.