Chapter 30: Lord of the Fallen Corridor (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 30: Lord of the Fallen Corridor (4)
"How could a mere human..."
Bellus muttered in disbelief.
And for good reason.
He hadn't spared any mana in his last attack, intending to wipe out the humans in a single blow.
And yet.
Why?
How could this guy block it so effortlessly?
Jinhyuk shrugged.
"The skills you guys use are a terrible match against the fire attribute."
On top of that, thanks to his Gap stat and Adaptive Stats, the level difference had actually been reversed.
With the stage set like this...
He didn't have the confidence.
The confidence to lose.
"The moment Alice was sealed, your chances of winning vanished."
"Indeed, it seems defeating you with magic will be difficult."
Bellus dispersed the mana he had gathered.
"But if natural counters exist, as you say... then it should be difficult to block close-range physical attacks with magic, shouldn't it?"
A dark, ink-colored sword suddenly appeared in his right hand.
It was a rapier, a favorite weapon of vampires.
Furthermore.
[Bellus activates Lv9 'Dark Aura'!]
A black energy slithered along the blade.
It was sword qi.
And a highly pure one at that.
"There's nothing better than this for dealing with pests who do nothing but dodge and run away from a distance."
He wasn't wrong.
For magic-class users, the risk skyrocketed the moment the distance was closed.
Moreover, if twelve of them attacked simultaneously, it was a strategy with a decent chance of success.
Yes.
That was the textbook play.
It was textbook, but...
Who said?
Who said I was only strong with magic?
[Unique Ability 'Grave of Swords' has been activated!]
In the quiet silence.
The talent of the Sword Demon, who had once dominated an era, seeped into Jinhyuk's body.
Everything changed.
Everything he saw and felt.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
His heart pounded wildly.
From the micro-movements of his muscles...
...to the flow of mana.
The world seen through his mask was completely different from just a moment ago.
As expected... he didn't earn the title of Sword Demon for nothing.
The corners of Jinhyuk's mouth curled upward.
* * *
...What is this?
Bellus tilted his head.
Just now. Something had changed.
It was hard to put into words, but the atmosphere had completely shifted.
Tremble.
His hand trembled faintly.
No way.
Am I... afraid?
Me?
Bellus grit his teeth so hard they nearly shattered.
"Don't... make me laugh."
Fearing a single human.
It was impossible, and it must not happen.
Above all, he had to break the hexagram binding his master right now. There was no time to waste.
Bellus gripped his sword.
"No matter how much you struggle, you won't be able to withstand my sword qi."
The black energy blazed reliably.
It was sword qi, renowned for its extreme cutting power.
"Attack all at once."
"Keep in mind. Do not let him escape under any circumstances."
"I'll have to sever at least one of his limbs. Only then will my anger be appeased."
The vampires formed a perimeter around Jinhyuk.
Front, back, left, right.
Not even an ant could escape.
Yet Jinhyuk stood still, making no move to react.
He merely scanned his enemies with a bored expression.
"Sword qi. Is that really all you're relying on?"
"Stop bluffing. No matter how skilled you are, you can't escape from here."
Well, anything he said would sound like a bluff.
After all, it was obvious to anyone who held the advantage.
In that case.
He just had to show them.
With actions, not words.
Jinhyuk infused mana into his dagger.
Then.
Rumble!
A light so bright it made their eyes water began to flicker.
"T-This can't be..."
Bellus's eyes widened as if they would burst.
This was on a completely different level from sword qi, which merely coated the surface of a blade.
A blue energy completely enveloped the dagger and shot up nearly a meter above it.
There was no mistake.
This was...
"An... Aura Blade?"
"If you're going to infuse energy into a sword, shouldn't it at least be at this level?"
Jinhyuk pointed his dagger forward.
A sharpness that felt as if it could slice through the air itself.
An overwhelming force was directed at the vampires.
Swish!
It was at that exact moment his figure vanished.
"H-He's gone?"
"Where is he? Where did he go?!"
"Damn it! Don't try to track him with your eyes, sense his mana!"
Bellus shouted, but it was already too late.
"Aaargh!"
Crimson blood sprayed from the shoulder of the vampire on the far flank.
Since his arm had been severed completely, even a vampire with superior regenerative abilities would need time to recover.
That's one.
Jinhyuk's eyes locked onto his next target.
Starting strictly from the weakest...
...to the strongest at the very end.
No matter how certain of victory he was, he never let his guard down.
Slash!
The dagger drew a circle in the air.
"Urgh!"
As a gaping hole was pierced through his thigh, a short scream escaped the vampire's mouth.
And that made two.
[Stop this instant...!]
Alice seemed to be screaming something, but he couldn't hear her clearly.
He had already stuffed Braham's Ring deep into his inner pocket before the fight even began.
"Don't scatter, maintain the formation! Stop falling for his tricks like idiots!"
Veins bulged on Bellus's neck as he roared.
"Tch!"
"Damn it!"
Only then did the vampires awkwardly assume their stances.
They reinforced their flanks, filling the gaps left by the wounded.
"Strike!"
Ten rapiers thrust forward toward Jinhyuk like a barrage.
The moment sword clashed against sword.
Crash!
The rapiers shattered into dozens of pieces.
The blades were completely pulverized.
As expected, sword qi was no match for an Aura Blade.
It doesn't matter. Even if we lose half our numbers, we only need to land a single hit.
Sacrifice was inevitable.
Bellus knew this better than anyone.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
However, the rapiers only sliced through empty air.
They couldn't even graze Jinhyuk's shadow.
Thirty seconds... one minute.
As time passed, Bellus's face grew increasingly pale.
Even when we throw our lives away, we aren't even a match for him?
Even in his despair, their numbers continued to dwindle one by one.
He didn't know when they were hit.
He didn't even know how they were defeated.
It felt like fighting a ghost.
Thud!
Another one collapsed.
There were no more vampires standing beside him.
"Damn it."
Now... he didn't understand anything anymore.
Bellus felt a chilling presence approaching from behind.
And that...
...was the last thing he remembered.
* * *
The battle was over.
Utterly anticlimactically.
No, "anticlimactic" was a word that only applied to Jinhyuk himself.
Those who had witnessed the entire process were so paralyzed by shock that they couldn't even lift a finger.
"Miss Teresa..."
Song Cheon-hwa stammered.
What on earth had he just witnessed?
Was this even real?
To single-handedly wipe out the True Ancestor's kin, whom even the raid team couldn't touch.
No ranker, no matter who they were, could accomplish such a feat.
Gulp.
Song Cheon-hwa swallowed hard.
"That man... do you know who he is?"
"..."
Teresa didn't answer.
Instead, she glanced at Jinhyuk.
The fact that he was wearing a mask...
...meant he didn't want to reveal his identity to others.
"We just happened to meet on the way and came here together. He only told me to trust him, and as for the details... he didn't tell me, so I don't really know."
"I see... Ah?!"
Song Cheon-hwa, who had been nodding reluctantly, let out an exclamation.
He had spotted the masked Jinhyuk about to do something.
"Wait! Please wait a moment!"
Song Cheon-hwa rushed over to Jinhyuk in an instant.
"What is it?"
Jinhyuk, who was standing in front of the sacred relic, turned around.
"Well... I am Song Cheon-hwa, the raid leader of this raid team."
"I've heard."
The man responsible for the failed raid.
An incompetent commander, who was more terrifying than the enemy.
If it were me, I'd be cowering in a corner out of sheer embarrassment.
With what face does he dare speak to me?
...Whatever.
Guys like him didn't even realize what they had done wrong.
"Take the wounded and leave the ruins. Their stamina is severely depleted, so they'll need hydration and simple nutritional supplements."
Jinhyuk waved his hand dismissively.
However.
Song Cheon-hwa looked troubled and showed no intention of leaving.
"B-Before that, there's something I must say regarding the sacred relic."
No way.
Is he seriously trying to claim ownership of the sacred relic here?
Wow.
This guy is even more shameless than I thought.
"I don't know if you're aware, but the ownership of all items obtained in this raid belongs to our Balhae Guild..."
Jinhyuk cut Song Cheon-hwa off mid-sentence.
"I saved your life, and now you want the sacred relic too?"
What a remarkably creative way to talk bullshit.
It was so novel that he was almost looking forward to what nonsense would come out of his mouth next.
Perhaps feeling a pang of guilt, Song Cheon-hwa quickly added.
"In exchange, we will provide you with other compensation. Whether it's money or Coins, we will make sure you are handsomely rewarded."
"Compensation, huh..."
This won't do.
He hadn't planned on going this far.
But if the guy wanted it so badly, there was no helping it.
"There's no need for that. Just take it. Here."
Jinhyuk took a step back.
"A-Are you really okay with that?"
"Of course. Just don't regret it. No matter what the outcome is."
"Pardon?"
"Just talking to myself."
Jinhyuk shrugged.
Song Cheon-hwa felt a lingering sense of unease, but he quickly shook it off.
There was no reason to refuse when the other party was willingly giving up the sacred relic.
A wooden fragment resting on a flat rock.
It was none other than 'Merlin's Staff'.
Although it was only one of seven broken pieces, that didn't diminish its value in the slightest.
If used as a magic material, its utility is practically limitless.
Song Cheon-hwa's eyes gleamed with greed.
If he brought this back, he could redeem some of the disgrace of his raid team being taken prisoner.
But the moment his hand grasped the fragment.
A searing,
burning pain shot through him.
Startled, Song Cheon-hwa yanked his hand back.
Yet, what shocked him even more than his red, blistered skin...
...was the inverted cross pattern branded onto his palm.
"W-What is this?"
What else could it be...
"It's a curse."
Originally, this was a sacred relic that could only be obtained by destroying Alice.
However, since he had touched the sacred relic while Alice was sealed rather than dead, triggering a curse was only natural.
"A c-curse?! Am I... going to die? Me?"
"It's not life-threatening. It's just..."
"Just what?"
"Atrichia."
"Every single hair on your body will completely fall out."
Simply put, he would have to live the rest of his life completely hairless.
"T-That can't be."
Song Cheon-hwa touched his hair with trembling hands.
Oof.
Seeing it fall out in clumps, it looked like he only had a few hours left.
That's why I told you.
You'd regret it.
Well, it was too late for regrets now.
"No... Nooooo!"
Song Cheon-hwa screamed and ran off somewhere. He was probably heading toward a mirror, but it would be better for his mental health not to look.
* * *
"...You're quite mischievous."
Teresa wore a complicated smile.
"He tried to take what wasn't his, so he got what he deserved."
"But doesn't this mean you have to give up on the sacred relic too, Jinhyuk?"
No.
Not at all.
Because I know how to touch the sacred relic while avoiding the curse.
'Blessing of the Stars'.
As long as he could learn divine power, he could easily withstand a curse of this level.
"Before I answer your question, may I ask you one thing as well?"
"Of course."
"Do you admit that you survived thanks to me?"
"..."
Teresa stared intently into Jinhyuk's eyes.
If Jinhyuk hadn't been here...
...not a single member of the raid team would have made it out alive.
"Yes. Thank you. I survived thanks to you."
Teresa nodded.
[Conditions have been met.]
[Successfully copied the Unique Ability 'Blessing of the Stars (SS)'!]
[The copied skill is stored in the 'Memory of the World'.]
[Blessing of the Stars]
Acquisition Difficulty: SS
Description: Allows the user to wield divine power, which is normally exclusive to Holy Knights. Unless killed instantly, it grants a second life. (Cooldown: 240 hours)
With this...
...he had accomplished his final objective in the ruins.