Do You Know This Clown?
Do you know this clown? KWANG!!!
I drew my sword from its sheath and sheathed it again, unleashing iaijutsu once more. Truly infinite iaijutsu.
KWANG!!! Roooar!!!
The flames bursting forth every time I drew my blade were just a bonus.
Have you ever drawn your sword as many times as you wanted? It feels better than you'd think.
-Grraaaah!!!
Sa Mu-yeong's scream echoed from afar. How was he even holding out against this mad onslaught?
KRACK!
Sa Mu-yeong's Domain was cracking everywhere, on the verge of total collapse. The heavenly statue floating in the sky had long since been smashed into the ground, and the thick snow had melted away from the intense heat.
-Huff… huff…
Sa Mu-yeong spat out labored breaths.
-I… I…!!!
I could see him trying to regress into memories, so I unleashed iaijutsu once again. Had to block the second awakening. BOOM!!!
“…”
Is this the power of a demon? I could almost understand the mindset of a demonic cultivator.
I could feel just how much that once-a-day limit had been holding me back.
KRZZZ!!!
Finally, Sa Mu-yeong's Domain began shattering completely.
Shwaaaa! Instead of snow, mana fragments rained down from the sky. Shring!
I drew my sword like a maniac. I was certain I'd used iaijutsu more times today than in all my previous uses combined.
A trait that increases sword comprehension, ensuring you never lose to swordsmen of the same caliber.
There's a saying: to draw well, you have to draw a lot; to write well, you have to write a lot.
The same goes for swords and mana. But until now, the penalty had kept me from swinging my sword more than once a day.
This was the worst penalty a swordsman could have. The benefit of a single, empowered draw didn't outweigh the massive drawback. High risk, low return.
But now, for the first time, I was free from those shackles.
I could draw my sword even better.
My Sword Saint trait was telling me that now, finally, I truly understood my sword.
Ah. I wished this moment could last forever.
It was exhilarating. Was it the trait, or just the thrill of finally swinging my sword freely?
My once-clumsy mana began sharpening, growing ever keener.
Mana stat has increased!
A little sharper, a little keener.
Then, the sword aura that had been gushing like a waterfall began to stabilize.
KRZZZ!!! Roar… -….
“…”
But I had no choice but to stop there. My opponent was already reduced to a handful of ashes.
-It's over.
Tyrbing's single remark, and the shackles began reforming around my body once more.
Heavy. It might've been better if I'd never known.
Shraaa!!!
The world's heaviest "law" bound me once again.
Thud!
“…”
I cautiously placed my hand on the hilt.
Crackle. The powerful penalty blocked me from drawing.
.
.
.
“To think… something like that is possible…”
Yui-seol trailed off, unable to continue. Each draw unleashed a slash stronger than her full-powered strike.
It was like watching her grandfather, the strongest hero she knew.
'It's already perfected.'
Mana, technique, power. Even compared to active heroes, it was complete.
"Strong" wasn't enough.
'Incredible.'
Thump.
Yui-seol's heart began to race.
Competitive spirit. She wanted to win. She wanted to beat that man. She was lacking now, but she wanted to stand on equal ground.
And become like him.
Something was growing inside Yui-seol's heart.
.
.
.
A truly shocking sight. Their power made you doubt they were even students.
Seo Ji-ho suddenly felt ashamed of himself.
'Orbis overall rankings aren't reliable after all.'
Seo Ji-ho looked at his own swords.
Like gazing at a vast ocean and sighing in despair, or peering at the sky from the bottom of a well.
But you can't just stare forever.
Seo Ji-ho felt like he'd realized something.
****
“Hahaha.”
The Clown watched the entire scene from afar.
And then he looked at the Clown beside him.
A Clown stuffed to the brim with something in his sack. Inside were the relics from Orbis.
So heavy he emphasized it twice.
“Time to help out, I think.”
“Who?”
“That guy over there! Some are already dead!”
At those words, the sack-carrying Clown smacked his own head as if it had just occurred to him.
“True, holding a 1st Grade hero this long is a hassle.”
.
.
.
Two Clowns approached slowly.
At that, the two Clowns rushed over frantically.
There lay Kim In-cheol collapsed, along with ten downed Clowns. But among them, one unarmed Clown stood kicking Kim In-cheol's head.
“Say it twice!”
“Sorry! We are!” “Sorry! We are!”
Then, from afar, a Clown wielding a massive scythe approached slowly. Blood dripped from the scythe, and this one looked utterly different from the others.
Not a male body, but female. Large breasts, slim waist. And long hair that couldn't be hidden by the mask and hat.
The female Clown spoke haughtily.
She clung to the original Clown like a lover.
“Eek! This feels weird!” “Ugh! Weird!”
So weird he said it twice. That weird.
The original Clown pointed at Kim In-cheol.
The four Clowns voted immediately.
That was when—
“Killing another hero ups the bounty!”
“What then?”
“We can't fake catching a non-original anymore—the bounty scam's blocked, so raising it more is pointless!”
“That makes sense.”
The Clown's bounty was hefty, making it a pain. But ditching the costume and mask wasn't an option either.
They'd sold off other personalities five times already for cash shortages, but guilds hunting Clowns were legion—time to stop inflating the bounty needlessly.
“Yes.”
“Then you'll return to me. You're gonna say 'important' twice, right?”
“Got it.”
Poof!
The Clown vanished in a puff, and the original Clown's mana swelled.
Memories trickled into the Clown's mind.
At the same time, the bodies of the downed Clowns around began exploding.
Poof! Poof! Poof! Poof! Poof!
But the original Clown shook his head.
“Ugh, seriously!”
“Ugh… put this in subspace first.”
The sack-carrying Clown grunted. It looked like a sack an average adult man could lift easily.
But its capacity was immense—it just didn't reduce weight.
“Why not!”
The Clown stared intently at the female Clown. She covered her body with both hands.
She dropped her hands.
She nodded in agreement.
“Why me? You said handle cleanup.”
“There's that. And we'll call one more for cleanup.”
The original Clown's body bubbled, and a Clown in unmistakable mage robes appeared.
Emphasized twice how much he loved magic. That much.
With that, the original and female Clowns vanished somewhere.
.
.
.
The Clown's gaze was fixed on Yi Han-su, slumped on the ground.