Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: ACT.12 Those Who Are Intertwined (3)
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Hwang Chan-jin's eyes glinted coldly.
*Shing.* At the sight of the pale blue blade being drawn, my nerves went on edge.
I hadn't seen wrong last time.
This bastard, how did he get his hands on that sword?
“Didn't you say you had no intention of fighting yet?”
“The situation has changed.”
Hwang Chan-jin aimed his sword at me, his expression unchanging.
Frost settled on the blades of grass near Hwang Chan-jin.
So he plans to fight right away.
*Swish!*
An ice pick the size of a grown man's torso flew at me.
It shattered easily when I swung my sword, but it seemed it wasn't meant as an attack from the start.
I felt my movements grow sluggish as the surrounding temperature dropped sharply.
Hwang Chan-jin, who had closed the distance in that brief moment, had his attack thwarted by a black spear that shot up from the ground, but a stinging cold remained, like touching snow with bare hands in the dead of winter.
‘This is why I hate ice-ability users.’
I frowned and focused mana in both hands.
The chill slowly faded, and my muscles began to move smoothly again.
This was only temporary. The moment our swords clashed, the effect would return immediately.
My gaze fell on Hwang Chan-jin's sword, the source of it all.
“White Snow.”
“So you recognize it.”
“How could I not?”
A weapon one must obtain if they follow a tree that uses ice-type abilities.
It's a top-tier piece of equipment that not only greatly amplifies ice-related effects but also drastically reduces mana consumption.
“You can only get that by clearing the dungeon in the Seokbinggo. How did you manage to go and come back in such a short time? What trick did you use?”
“…”
I hoped he might slip up, but Hwang Chan-jin evaded the question with silence.
I was trying to find out if his partner was Jun Bo-ra.
As expected, he's not one to fall for such a simple trick.
*Sssss…*
The air slowly began to freeze.
At some point, my breath had started to turn white.
Dragging this out wouldn't do me any good.
White Snow is a weapon whose options stack the longer a battle goes on, revealing its true power over time.
My mind made up, I charged at Hwang Chan-jin like a leopard.
[You are affected by the trait, 'Wind and Moon'.]
[Agility stat slightly increases.]
[Stamina consumption rate is greatly reduced.]
*Clang!*
The moment our swords collided, a loud metallic clang rang out, and the shockwave spread in all directions.
The area around Hwang Chan-jin froze, while the area around me crumbled into blackness.
A single moment of a true clash.
In that fleeting instant, I was certain.
Hwang Chan-jin is currently receiving a stronger buff from the devil.
It's as if the devil is using Hwang Chan-jin to get rid of me.
And at the same time, one other thing was certain.
‘Even so, I'm much stronger.’
*KABOOM!!*
I struck down with force, gouging the earth and driving Hwang Chan-jin's body into the ground.
Perhaps not expecting such a disparity in strength, a stiff-faced Hwang Chan-jin swung his other arm, creating several ice spears aimed at my back, but I simply conjured darkness to nullify them all.
Because of that, the force on my sword lessened slightly, and Hwang Chan-jin, not missing that brief opening, quickly pulled himself free.
‘As if I'd let you get away.’
I copied the move Hwang Chan-jin had just used.
I created countless spears behind him and closed in from the front.
It was a choice between two evils.
Which would he focus on blocking? My attack from the front, or the sharp spears rising behind him?
“Kgh…!”
A thick shield of ice formed on Hwang Chan-jin's back.
He plans to block my attack directly, then use the impact to fly back and shatter the spears behind him with the shield.
Not a bad decision.
*KABOOOM!*
Sent flying a considerable distance, Hwang Chan-jin tumbled across the ground.
Even as he blocked, he coated his sword in ice to minimize friction, deflecting half the attack.
It was a technique from the game, but since it wasn't an official skill, its success depended on the player's control.
“…You're as strong as they say.”
Even as he fell, he created a path of ice to land softly, mitigating the impact as much as possible.
In truth, he hadn't taken any damage except for the moment our swords clashed.
But the difference in our strength was clear.
Judging by how the light from White Snow had noticeably dimmed, he must have used a considerable amount of mana to block that last attack.
As we naturally entered a lull, I threw a question at Hwang Chan-jin.
“Why did you take the solo route?”
“Because we agreed to do so beforehand.”
I honestly didn't expect an answer, but Hwang Chan-jin replied immediately.
“Agreed? With whom?”
“…”
“Was it Jun Bo-ra?”
This time, I asked directly.
A subtle change flickered across Hwang Chan-jin's expression.
So it was.
With Jun Bo-ra's teleportation ability, she could quickly travel to and from even distant places, so it made sense that he'd obtained White Snow.
“Did you figure it out when you met her? She should have been more careful. *Sigh*.”
Hwang Chan-jin clicked his tongue and scuffed the ground with the tip of his boot.
One thing was clear now.
However, there were still a few more things I needed to find out.
“Come to think of it, you said you wouldn't fight me yet. You also said something strange about candidates. What did you mean by that?”
“…Did you ask her that question too?”
Hwang Chan-jin's eyes narrowed.
I didn't answer right away, meeting his gaze.
…I see. I think I have a rough idea of their relationship.
“No. I didn't.”
“Why not?”
“Wasn't it better for you that I didn't? Or would you have preferred it if I had?”
“That's… No, forget it. We've talked too long.”
Hwang Chan-jin's eyes looked above my head.
Then he took something out and threw it on the ground.
A sound like shattering glass rang out, and a circular halo of green light spread outwards.
[You are affected by the item, 'Head-on Match'.]
[The 'Conqueror' trait is deactivated for 5 minutes.]
[The use of coins is prohibited.]
Head-on Match.
As expected, if Hwang Chan-jin had a trump card prepared to face me, this would be it.
I'm cursed by the devil, while Hwang Chan-jin, on the contrary, is buffed by him.
If it weren't for the Conqueror's effect, this would be a winnable fight.
That's how Hwang Chan-jin must have judged it.
Since Ruler had evolved into Conqueror, the title didn't become vacant like when I used it, but that was a secondary effect anyway.
In the end, the winner takes all.
I felt the strength drain from my body.
The stat increase from the rainbow-colored crown was a whopping 25.
Now that the effect was gone, the difference was palpable.
He's dead set on taking me down here.
He must be crazy. He should know what I'm trying to do and what will happen after this.
“Are you serious?”
“That's why I obtained this item.”
He affirmed it immediately, without a hint of denial.
Killing intent wavered in his cold eyes.
…He was more of a psycho than I thought.
“I fell for your silver tongue last time. The disaster is the disaster, and this is this.”
“You really hold a grudge.”
“My plans were disrupted because of you. If I hadn't met Jun Bo-ra, it would have taken me much longer to get here.”
“Let's get the facts straight. You didn't even know the proper conditions for obtaining the Sa-ingeom in the first place, did you?”
“…Either way, it's your fault.”
Hwang Chan-jin said without batting an eye.
There's a limit to shamelessness.
Was it a coincidence? The dark purple energy blooming around Hwang Chan-jin's body seemed to have grown stronger.
[Using the skill, 'Extreme Eye'.]
[Cannot specify the target due to an unknown cause.]
Now I understood.
In this sub-quest, Hwang Chan-jin is a sort of proxy being supported by the devil to stop me.
If that were discovered, he'd be punished by the higher beings, so they must have blocked anyone from checking Hwang Chan-jin's information.
That's why my Extreme Eye can't see him either.
It's a temporary trick.
If they blocked him for too long, anyone would get suspicious.
[Time Remaining: 06:20]
‘I just need to hold out for the remaining time.’
*Srrk.*
The rainbow-colored crown.
The proof of a Conqueror, a broken trait that drastically increases all stats.
I glanced at the crown as it vanished into thin air, then turned my gaze back to Hwang Chan-jin.
As if truly intending to settle this, the blade of White Snow was shining even more brightly than before.
“I won't seize your stats or traits. I know what you're trying to do. The permanent deletion of the Conqueror trait. I know how to do it too, and I can't miss this chance when I can also get an additional 100,000 coins.”
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
He could only say that because he had no idea where those 100,000 coins would come from.
Did he really think the devil would give him 100,000 of his own coins?
I felt this with the Sa-ingeom too, but why is this guy so clueless about the most important parts?
Regardless, Hwang Chan-jin's aura was formidable.
The devil must have thought, *‘This is my chance,’* and started pushing Hwang Chan-jin even harder.
A push that wouldn't cross the line too much, one that would only result in a minor punishment even if he got caught.
The devil probably had his eye on him for a while and is now using him as a card to stop me.
“Are you going to let yourself be used by the devil with your eyes wide open, Hwang Chan-jin?”
“I told you. I also know what you're trying to do.”
“You can't finish that job faster than I can right now.”
“…We'll see about that.”
There's a standard way to get rid of the Conqueror trait.
Because I have ‘Fee Exemption’, I can do it much more easily, but there's no way Hwang Chan-jin would know that.
There's no one harder to persuade than someone who's confident despite their vague knowledge.
I have no choice but to overpower him.
I swallowed an irritated sigh and tightened my grip.
“Did you think you'd have the upper hand just because you got rid of my Conqueror trait?”
*Shatter!*
The ice spear that rose from the ground shattered, scattering like snowflakes.
Through the glittering dust, something even more intense emitted a light.
I dodged the sword that thrust at me as if to pierce my brow and manipulated the darkness to bind Hwang Chan-jin's feet.
I seized that brief opening to counterattack, but Hwang Chan-jin, who was already free, easily dodged it.
Did he freeze the darkness to destroy it?
As expected of an S-rank ability, he could do just about anything.
Considering he couldn't do that just a moment ago, it was right to assume he'd been hiding some of his strength.
However, I wasn't going all out either.
[Using 'Army of Darkness'.]
Hwang Chan-jin's pupils dilated.
Since I wield darkness and Hwang Chan-jin knows I'm an experienced player, he would have easily deduced that my trait is Lord of Darkness.
The reason for his surprise was one thing.
“Your mana stat is already that high…? What have you been doing!?”
The soldiers moved.
He was already going all out just to face me; with two soldiers possessing combat power similar to C-rank monsters charging at him, even a devil-buffed Hwang Chan-jin stood no chance.
*KABOOM!*
Hwang Chan-jin, who was busy frantically blocking attacks, failed to defend against my kick and was sent flying.
He got up quickly, but the accumulated fatigue was evident on his face.
“I shouldn't have been seen back then…”
“Even if I hadn't seen you, the result would be the same. Someone took Head-on Match. Naturally, I would have assumed I could be the target and prepared countermeasures.”
“…”
Hwang Chan-jin bit his lip.
About 30 seconds remained until the effect of ‘Head-on Match’ ended.
He was already being pushed back like this; if the item's effect wore off and Conqueror was reactivated, the outcome was obvious.
There was no way Hwang Chan-jin didn't know that.
*Sssss…*
A pale blue energy slowly emerged from Hwang Chan-jin's sword.
Not to be outdone, I too focused energy into my sword.
He intends to settle this.
A few seconds after our eyes met.
The moment a sudden, cool wind blew, we swung our swords at the exact same time, as if by agreement.
“Snow Moon Flower.”
*CRACKLE!*
Following the movement of White Snow, ice spread out like branches, soon forming the shape of flower petals.
The dark soldiers attacking from both sides were caught in the range, their bodies instantly riddled with holes.
They'd just get swept up again and become unable to attack even if I repaired them. I cleanly dismissed the summons.
As expected of Snow Moon Flower.
It's a top-tier skill among those obtainable when using a sword with ice-type abilities.
Its performance lived up to that description.
*Srrk.*
But Hwang Chan-jin isn't the only one with such a sword skill.
My proficiency is still lacking, but not to the point where I can't use it.
The Sa-ingeom vibrated incessantly, wreathed in so much darkness that the blade itself turned black.
Not all darkness is impure.
The Sa-ingeom is good, but it seems I'll need to get another weapon to better utilize this trait.
Confirming that enough mana had gathered, I slowly shifted my center of gravity forward.
With this one blow, I will definitively suppress Hwang Chan-jin.