Chapter 162: Leader of the Blood Ghost Troop, 'Yeomho' (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 162: Leader of the Blood Ghost Troop, 'Yeomho' (1)
After offering them internships at Veteran Corporation.
Once he branded the two of them with the 'Brand of the Flame Soul', the entire process was complete.
Needless to say, both Casey and Judro seemed to thoroughly enjoy being branded.
From an onlooker's perspective, it was downright goosebump-inducing.
Blonde hair, blue eyes, and pale white skin... The fact that these twins, who were beautiful enough to pass for dolls, were acting like this made it even creepier.
'Still, it's not bad to have a couple of decent cards to play.'
As allies he could summon whenever needed—not just in this labyrinth, but in the future as well—the two of them were quite useful.
Above all, the greatest harvest was satisfying the conditions for copying.
[You have copied the unique ability 'Universal Sharing'.]
[Universal Sharing]
Acquisition Difficulty: A
Description: Depending on how well you understand the target you wish to share with, you can share not only each other's unique abilities and skills, but also memories and emotions.
A unique ability where the scope of what can be shared varies based on the level of understanding.
'The condition is a bit abstract, but that's to be expected from a trash game like the Tower of Trials.'
Besides, for Jinhyuk, who had already experienced all kinds of abilities and compatibilities, a hurdle of this level was hardly an issue.
Right then.
Clang! Clang!
"Aaargh!"
"Aaah!"
The clashing of metal and screams began to echo from afar.
It felt as though a battle had just broken out, with all kinds of mana raging wildly.
And among them...
'Ho.'
A rather familiar type of mana was mixed in.
"Let's go."
Jinhyuk drew 'Fang'.
"Oh! Are we fighting?"
"This is going to be fun!"
Casey and Judro's eyes sparkled as they opened their subspace inventories.
Hummm!
What emerged was a halberd that easily towered over the twins' heights.
It possessed a massive weight that looked to be at least 50 kilograms.
Indeed, it was a brutal-looking weapon at a single glance.
Did they completely discard elegance and style to pursue pure practicality?
The combination of a weapon seeking pure destructive power, contrasting with the agility of their small statures, might actually work surprisingly well.
'They'd be a pain to face as enemies, but they're reassuring as allies.'
At least that blade wouldn't be pointed in his direction.
"Ah, Oppa."
"Yeah?"
"Are the people we're about to fight bad guys or good guys?"
Casey asked with an innocent expression.
Right, he had told them they could kill bad guys. On the other hand, he had set a restriction that they must not lay a finger on good people.
It was a sort of safety lock to keep these wild, unpredictable kids in check.
Jinhyuk gazed into the distance.
This was, without a doubt...
"They're bad guys."
He could feel the distinct internal energy of Murim.
* * *
Dressed in matching black tops and bottoms, with the red character for 'Ghost' (鬼) emblazoned on them.
About forty men had drawn their swords, forming a perfect encirclement.
Trapped inside were three people.
Alice, Cheon Yu-seong, and Teresa.
"Haa... haa. Whew..."
"Pant... pant... pant..."
Cheon Yu-seong and Teresa were catching their ragged breath at the front lines.
"..."
Alice stood alone at the very back, observing the situation.
Under normal circumstances, she could have turned pests like these to dust in a single strike...
But not right now.
Having been separated from Jinhyuk for so long, she only had barely enough mana left to maintain her physical form.
"Buhahaha! This is truly a sight to behold!"
Yeomho, the leader of the Blood Fiend Unit, burst into a mad laughter as he watched the scene unfold.
How could he not be thrilled?
The Blood Fiend Unit, which made up a core pillar of the Demonic Cult's elite forces.
Even though they had brought nearly forty men, they hadn't been able to easily secure a victory.
Although three of the Blood Ghost Troop had lost their lives to Cheon Yu-seong's sword, Yeomho's heart raced with a swelling sense of excitement instead.
"Indeed, a talent worthy of being called the Sword Saint. And the foreign woman is no pushover either."
The martial prowess displayed by Cheon Yu-seong and Teresa was so incredible that it was hard to believe they were mere Players.
When the fourth form of the Soul-Chasing Sword was unleashed, even he had been momentarily startled.
'I want him more and more.'
He had told Moyong Su that he would kill him, but the more he looked at Cheon Yu-seong, the more another thought took root.
It would be such a waste to kill him like this.
Yes.
If a man with such domineering talent were to learn the Demonic Cult's demonic arts...
He could already clearly envision just how terrifyingly magnificent the results would be.
"Wrap it up. Ah, but don't kill that guy."
"Understood!"
At Yeomho's command, the Blood Ghost Troop moved.
Rustle!
Light footsteps brushed against the ground.
Their combined attack formation, moving with mathematical precision, showed just how grueling their training had been.
"Whew..."
Cheon Yu-seong steadied his breathing.
Due to the continuous fighting, both his stamina and mana were completely depleted.
Far from fighting, even just standing upright felt like a miracle at this point.
Yet, the tip of his blade did not tremble.
His sword was still pointed straight ahead.
"Do you still intend to fight? I acknowledge your tenacity, but you no longer have any chance of winning."
One of the Blood Ghost Troop spoke.
"Perhaps."
Cheon Yu-seong did not deny it.
However, he could not break here.
If he were going to fall so helplessly, he wouldn't have crawled all the way up to this point.
Above all...
'If it were him... he would never give up.'
The goal that always stood in his way like a massive mountain.
The ultimate rival who would slip away just when he felt close enough to reach him.
If it were that guy...
No matter how despairing the situation, he would never falter or lose hope.
Because turning the impossible into the possible was the specialty of that rotten veteran.
Crackle...!
A blue flame surged, blazing along the blade.
'To take one step closer to that monster...'
His materialized Qi supported his wound-covered body.
'And to one day surpass that monster...!'
[Unique ability 'Song of the Sword' has been activated!]
[The 'Soul-Chasing Sword' responds to its master's call.]
He didn't know how many hours he had spent holding a sword.
He merely repeated the culmination of the swordsmanship he wielded best, a motion he had practiced countless times.
[‘Sword-Body Unity’ has been activated!]
At that exact moment.
The air shifted abruptly. Fine cracks began to spiderweb across the ground, unable to withstand the pressure of his Qi.
Rumble!
A blinding blue light enveloped both his sword and his body.
This was Sword-Body Unity.
A realm that could only be reached by one who had truly become one with the sword.
"Kh!"
"This is...!?"
Even the battle-hardened Blood Ghost Troop couldn't help but panic this time.
They had never expected anyone outside the Tower to possess such an overwhelming aura.
Boom!
With the sound of the ground shattering, Cheon Yu-seong's figure vanished.
"To the left!"
Someone screamed urgently, but it was already too late.
Slash! Crash!
"Aaargh!"
"Damn it!"
As a gust of sword wind swept through, fountains of blood erupted.
A speed barely discernible to the naked eye, and strikes that turned that very speed into their greatest asset.
Thus, standing before Cheon Yu-seong required the resolve to face a raging typhoon head-on.
"Don't panic! Maintain the formation!"
Clang! Clang!
Clash!
As sword clashed against sword, red sparks flew.
He was strong.
Just overwhelmingly so.
And with Teresa joining the fray, the tide of battle turned completely.
"I will support you!"
Hummmm!
The sacred light descending from the heavens, 'Blessing of the Stars' and 'Song of Battle', enveloped and protected Cheon Yu-seong's body.
Teresa was also at her limit and couldn't do much, but to the Blood Ghost Troop, even this small assistance felt incredibly burdensome.
However.
Cheon Yu-seong's sword, which had been sweeping through the battlefield, suddenly ground to a halt as if by magic.
A two-meter-long spear had blocked his path.
"You truly are a monster. This is far more impressive than I expected. I didn't think you could pull off something like this in that state."
"..."
Screeech!
Qi ground against Qi, eating away at each other.
Of course, it was obvious to anyone who held the upper hand.
"I am Yeomho, leader of the Blood Ghost Troop. As your senior in Murim, I shall yield three moves to you."
"I am not a man of Murim. Keep those ridiculous customs to yourselves."
"Hmm. Prickly, aren't we? But you will soon set foot in Murim. I've taken a liking to you."
Yeomho shrugged.
"Ridiculous."
"Why? You think otherwise?"
"I'd rather die than join hands with the likes of you."
"The desire to do whatever it takes to grow stronger. That is the truest instinct of the Demonic Cult... You might not realize it yet, but your roots are the same as ours."
In a low, yet utterly confident voice, Yeomho prophesied.
"One day, you will surely come to us."
As if the future were already set in stone.
"..."
Cheon Yu-seong irritably deflected the spear.
Then, in an instant, he seized control of the space around them, creating an opening.
"Ho. You still haven't given up?"
Yeomho also smoothly swung his spear counterclockwise.
Clang!
The attack was blocked once again.
Unlike Yeomho, who was completely at ease, Cheon Yu-seong did not have much time left.
Two or three exchanges at most.
That was his limit.
And because he knew this, Cheon Yu-seong had no choice but to force his movements.
A strike unleashed with complete disregard for defense. No, rather than an attack, it was closer to a mutual destruction attempt.
His entire body was left completely exposed, and his movements were excessively large.
Of course, Yeomho was not one to fall for such an attack.
He smirked.
"As expected."
There was no need to clash with a strike that was essentially a desperate gamble.
Instead of parrying, Yeomho chose to defend by widening the distance significantly.
For the exhausted Cheon Yu-seong, this was the worst possible response.
Whoosh!
Whoosh...
The speed of the sword slicing through the empty air plummeted rapidly.
Once, twice, and then three times.
Now... he didn't even have the strength left to move a single finger.
Clatter.
The sword slipped from his fingertips and rolled onto the ground.
"Damn... it."
"Still, you put up a decent effort. Even in Murim, there aren't many who can trade blows with me."
Yeomho retrieved his spear.
With both Cheon Yu-seong and Teresa incapacitated, only the silver-haired girl remained.
'Standing idly by while her companions were defeated must mean she isn't very confident in her combat abilities.'
All that was left was the simple task of wringing her neck like a chicken, and everything would be over.
"If you stay quiet, I promise to give you a painless death."
The tip of his spear pointed toward Alice's neck.
At that, Alice, who had been silent, slowly spoke.
"Actually, you're the ones in big trouble, not me."
"We are in big trouble?"
"Yeah. Because in just a moment, every single one of you is going to die. If I were you, I'd run away right now before it's too late. You still have a few seconds left."
"Buhahaha! You're going to kill me?"
The corners of Yeomho's mouth twitched, as if he couldn't hold back his amusement.
"No, I think I need to suck some blood first to get my strength back. But someone else will be here instead."
"Don't tell me you're waiting for that Kang Jinhyuk guy? If so, you're harboring a futile hope. I've heard of him, but just like this fellow here, he won't even be able to graze my clothes."
"Well, from what I see..."
Alice slowly scanned Yeomho and the members of the Blood Ghost Troop from head to toe.
Her gaze seemed to pierce straight through to the very bottom of their potential.
"At your level, you don't stand a chance."
With those final words.
Whoosh!
A sudden gust of wind swept through.
"W-what is this?"
Yeomho's pupils shook violently.
Even though he had kept all of his senses fully alert, he hadn't even perceived someone's approach.
Sizzle!
Smoke rose from the ground.
It was a phenomenon that only occurred when the 'Sword Demon Emperor Stepss' were pushed to their absolute limit.
The embers still lingering on the ground showed just how absurdly fast the newcomer had run.
"You..."
Yeomho's eyes widened.
The top-priority target Moyong Su had warned him to be so careful of.
The person who had appeared before him was none other than Jinhyuk.
"See? I told you. You're all dead."
A sharp fang peeked through Alice's lips.