Chapter 212: One Question, One Answer (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 212: One Question, One Answer (2)
"...What did you just say?"
"The ruins located on the 15th floor of the Tower, the 'Tomb of the Antichrist'. I would like you to tell me the route to the seventh room there."
Gawain calmly repeated his words.
The Tomb of the Antichrist.
It was the domain of the 15th-floor boss monster, the 'Wailing Witch'.
Up to this point, it was common knowledge to anyone who knew their stuff, but...
The problem was that what he wanted was the seventh room inside those ruins.
One of only three Holy Demonic Sanctuaries in the entire Tower.
A place where one could manifest a Demon King or the Demon Race using sacred relics.
Does looking for this place mean they've already figured out the locations of all the sacred relics?
Or...
Have they already gathered at least the minimum number of relics required for the manifestation?
Whichever it was, it meant the Demonic Humans, who had been quiet lately, hadn't just been sitting on their hands.
"What makes you think I would know the location of that place?"
"Don't play innocent. We already know you're a hardcore veteran whose depth of knowledge defies imagination."
"Thanks for the compliment, but aren't you overestimating me? I really might not know."
"Haha. Still playing dumb, I see. But whether that's true or not isn't for me to judge."
If he lied, the scales would simply tip.
The gears beneath Jinhyuk's feet began to vibrate violently.
He could no longer delay his answer.
"If you go to the tomb, you'll find a room filled with statues of various monsters."
"The Room of Repentance... is that what you mean?"
"Yeah. Look for the spot where the goblin statues are clustered. If you look closely, they're arranged in the shape of a cross."
Hearing that, Gawain realized what Jinhyuk was getting at.
"The Tomb of the... Antichrist."
An inverted cross.
In other words, he had to rearrange the goblin statues into that exact same shape.
"Do that, and you'll find the room you're looking for."
Jinhyuk finished speaking, but the scales didn't budge even an inch.
"You spoke the truth."
"I don't have a hobby of being flattened into jerky."
Jinhyuk shrugged.
This part was true.
Being miserably crushed to death was a far cry from the peaceful retirement he envisioned for his life.
And of course.
Giving this guy accurate information was also out of the question.
Relying on a unique ability against me... is the biggest mistake you've made.
Gawain's unique ability, 'Scales of Trust'.
It sounded plausible on the surface, but its mechanism was far from supernatural.
It was more like a sophisticated lie detector.
The ability to determine the truth of a statement through heart rate, respiration, and body temperature was actually closer to modern technology.
Of course, knowing that didn't make deceiving the unique ability any less impossible.
The human body wasn't a machine.
How on earth could someone control all of those variables precisely?
But,
For a veteran, it was possible.
Because they weren't ordinary humans.
Alright...
Jinhyuk was already in perfect control of his own biorhythms.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
He maintained his body temperature by blending 'Glacial Shaping' and 'Fire Element' in just the right proportions.
He regulated his breathing with shallow breaths.
Deceiving even himself, he layered the truth over his lie to make it flawless.
Thus, a new truth was forged.
A path that led not to the seventh room, but directly to the chamber where the Wailing Witch resided.
Go ahead and try to manifest your Demon King all you want.
As if their voices could even reach the Demon World.
Instead, they would learn a painful lesson about how the Wailing Witch treats uninvited guests barging into her bedroom.
By the way.
He had originally planned to give up on copying the witch's ability because the copying condition required a live sacrifice.
But now, a bunch of live sacrifices had unexpectedly rolled right into his lap.
This is a perfect two-birds-with-one-stone situation.
At the thought of gaining an unexpected windfall, the corners of Jinhyuk's mouth curled upward.
"Now, is it my turn to ask a question?"
"Ah, yes... go ahead."
"Tell me how many players in the Demonic Human Association have changed their class to 'Black Apostle'."
"...!"
From Gawain's face, which had been wearing a constant, smiling mask...
...all traces of amusement vanished in an instant.
* * *
There is a saying about giving a peck and getting a bushel in return.
This was exactly the kind of situation that proverb described.
Gawain bit his lower lip hard.
We were prepared to give up some information to get the details on the seventh room, but...
He never expected Jinhyuk to have dug this deep.
And for good reason.
The Black Apostle was a class that could only be chosen by those handpicked by a Demon King or a high-ranking demon. No one outside of the Demonic Humans even knew of its existence.
Even within the Demonic Human Association, the Black Apostle was a hidden class known only to the highest-ranking executives.
Even though we were so careful... were we the ones letting our guard down all along?
At this point, it went beyond surprise; a creeping sense of dread naturally began to bloom.
But he didn't have the luxury of beating himself up over his mistake right now.
Because as long as he stood on the scales, he had to answer the question.
"Ugh!"
The moment he spoke, it would reveal how many Demon Kings and high-ranking demons had formed contracts with players.
Even so, Gawain had no choice but to spit out the truth.
"Three... of us."
Three, huh...
That was surprisingly many contracts.
Considering the level of the Demonic Humans and the movements of the Demon World's denizens so far, Jinhyuk could guess the extent of their involvement.
This was invaluable information that money couldn't buy.
"Thanks for the great info."
Jinhyuk smiled brightly.
At the same time, the scales on the floor slowly faded away.
Right then.
Clatter! Clatter!
A noisy commotion echoed from outside.
The clashing of metal rang out as dozens of torches flickered chaotically.
Since they had caused such a ruckus, the Empire's guards would have been dispatched unless they were complete fools.
"It seems we must part ways for today. Though it seems I've traded my bones just to take your flesh, I will collect the price for this encounter with your life next time, Jinhyuk."
"Hmm. Personally, I'd prefer to keep meeting you for a long, long time without killing you."
"...And what is that supposed to mean?"
What else could it mean?
"It means I don't want to chop down a giving tree like you."
A tree that bore clusters of delicious fruit.
Why kill a tree that could be chopped down to the stump and used as firewood when winter came?
He had to milk it for all it was worth, for as long as possible.
"...I will remember those words."
Having achieved his purpose for coming here, Gawain casually brushed off Jinhyuk's provocation.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he stopped in his tracks.
"Ah, right. I almost forgot to mention one thing."
Gawain glanced at Jinhyuk.
"Was his name Cheon Yu-seong?"
"Cheon... Yu-seong? Why are you bringing up his name all of a sudden?"
"It's nothing major. Before coming to the Empire, I stopped by Murim for a bit, and I happened to run into him there. Well, to be precise, I only saw him from a distance."
Cheon Yu-seong was in Murim at this timing.
That could only mean one thing.
* * *
A gentle breeze swept through the grassy field.
The fragrant scent of grass tickled the tip of his nose.
"..."
After standing in silence for a long time, Cheon Yu-seong slowly closed his eyes.
Swoosh...
His sword began to move slowly through the air.
As if facing an invisible opponent, the speed and trajectory of his blade gradually grew more dazzling.
The opponent conjured in his mind was none other than Jinhyuk.
The reason he climbed the Tower, and his sole purpose for remaining in this world.
I will surpass him. No matter what.
An obsession bordering on madness.
The desire to defeat him even if it meant giving up everything, and the yearning to be acknowledged by him, completely consumed his entire body.
Whoosh!
The speed of his sword accelerated to another level.
Now, a terrifying amount of mana was infused into every single strike.
As the culmination of the 'Soul-Chasing Sword' unfolded, a sword dance reminiscent of a raging storm commenced.
Boom! Crash!
The terrain split apart ruthlessly.
Earth was gouged out, and grass was sliced to shreds.
'Beautiful.'
There was no other way to describe Cheon Yu-seong as he became one with his sword.
How many minutes had passed in this frantic imaginary battle?
By the time his entire body was drenched in sweat and his breath caught in his throat...
"Impressive. I can see why the players call you the Sword Saint."
Baek Seol-rin approached, accompanied by the scent of plum blossoms.
Under normal circumstances, they were enemies who should have clashed swords immediately, but...
Cheon Yu-seong made no move even upon seeing Baek Seol-rin.
"I believe I told you I would head down once I was finished?"
"You did. But I wanted to see it for myself. Even if it wasn't a real battle, I wanted to witness your sparring match against the opponent you are so obsessed with."
Just by the depth of his footprints and the traces left by his sword, she could estimate the level of the opponent he had envisioned.
And, of course, how that match had ended.
"...I couldn't surpass him. Not this time, either."
Cheon Yu-seong let his sword droop.
Even though he had given it his all.
Even though he hadn't made a single mistake.
He had failed to defeat Jinhyuk once again.
No matter how many times he reviewed and analyzed the battle, he couldn't see any way to overcome that monster.
"Indeed... that man we met back then was an anomaly. In a proper fight, there is likely no player who could cut him down."
Baek Seol-rin calmly stated the reality.
A vein throbbed.
A vein bulged on Cheon Yu-seong's forehead.
Because the players she referred to included himself.
"Don't be so angry. Isn't that why we came to find you, Yu-seong? If you can grasp the profound truths of the sword and break through your current wall... you, too, will be able to reach a realm that transcends humanity."
"..."
He had come to Murim to grow stronger.
To catch up to those absurd sword strikes.
To surpass the strongest ranker, whose mere presence sent shivers down his spine.
I must shorten my growth period even further.
He couldn't remain buried in Jinhyuk's shadow forever.
At least, not this time.
"Is that even possible? In such a short period of time?"
"As you know, for a master of your caliber, breaking through the wall using ordinary methods would take far too much time."
The path from the Peak to the Transcendental realms, and then to the realms beyond, was never smooth.
In the early stages, one could forcibly break through the walls through harsh training and expensive elixirs.
But beyond that point, no amount of training or elixirs would do any good.
All that remained was to gain enlightenment through meditation... or by sparring with an overwhelmingly powerful master.
But.
"Are you saying you can bring a master of that level here right now?"
In the past, Cheon Yu-seong had even defeated the Plum Blossom Sword Master, who was hailed as Mount Hua's Number One Sword.
Of course, he still had a long way to go to reach his former peak, but to face a monster like Kang Jinhyuk, even the Plum Blossom Sword Master fell far short.
It had to be someone even stronger.
And yet.
Baek Seol-rin smiled confidently.
"There is exactly one person. Since you possess vast knowledge of Murim, Yu-seong, perhaps you might know of them."
Rustle.
Along with the soft sound of stepping on grass.
Someone approached.
And the moment he saw that person...
"How is that person here..."
Cheon Yu-seong's pupils trembled in shock.
A person who should never exist here.
Someone who could absolutely never be in this place had revealed themselves.