#103 I Don't Like the Look in Your Eyes.
The morning sun rose over Bukhansan Mountain. The crisp early spring air seeped deep into his lungs, refreshing enough to cleanse his entire body.
"Hah, haaah, haaah..."
King gasped for breath. Even the muscles he thought were fairly well-trained were contracting and relaxing in dizzying spasms.
What the hell is this speed?
Right in front of him. The Sword God's movements, clearly belonging to a man in his eighties, were like some ghostly footwork.
I can't shake him off.
King, wielding wind magic to create distance, poured out his mana each time—but the Sword God closed the gap in just two steps, leaving no opening for an attack.
Suddenly.
Whoosh!
A wooden sword flew at him. The Sword God's strike was utterly ordinary, a simple horizontal slash. But in King's eyes, it was—
Boom!
A colossal single flash, massive as a mountain.
Before his eyes could react, the wooden sword was at his throat, tapping his nape with a light thwack.
"Ack!"
In that instant, King slammed into the ground with a thud. His body shuddered violently before he went limp, passing out.
This was his thirty-fourth blackout.
"..."
Park Jun-woo gazed down at him impassively, then cracked a small smile. He gently rolled the fallen King onto his back, sat on a flat rock at the summit, and stretched languidly.
Suddenly, he spotted an old man approaching from afar. Dressed in similar training robes, but with a recurve bow slung over his shoulder.
Park Jun-woo waved, and the man nodded back.
"Bow Guy, seeing you personally here means this kid's got a bright future ahead."
"Kids these days are such weaklings."
The approaching figure, Kim Ho-young—the Bow God—swayed over with a bottle of liquor in hand.
"Kang-ho said he's got potential, so no holding back."
"Yeah, that's rare coming from Kang-ho."
Rare indeed.
Suddenly, both old men thought of the same person.
You're a good guy.
Always calm, maybe even someone who didn't know how to smile? That's what they'd thought. A weirdo with unkempt hair tied back haphazardly because cutting it was a hassle, utterly devoted to brutal daily training.
The tale of Im Cheol-bae blocking a monster wave in Busan and saving millions was already legendary. Rumors of the sword-and-bow duo slaying the monster legions in the West Sea spread like wildfire. Even amid the war, the two felt a swell of pride.
The witch on Seoul's outskirts halting a massive monster horde, the Beast King's legend of purging Cheorwon before Incheon's defense—no one who didn't know it was a spy. Back then, the Beast King had solo-raided three or four raid dungeons from Cheorwon through the northern regions, especially around Geumgang Mountain, making him wildly popular.
They'd felt a strange rivalry.
But when they all heard that rumor, even they were stunned.
The Weapon Master of Seoul! Right in the heart of the city on the brink of falling after Daybreak, a lone figure who sliced through seven demons.
They knew demons' strength all too well—the Weapon Master became an object of envy and competition.
And curiosity. Just how strong was he?
As they slowly made their way from the provinces to the capital, they met in the ruins near Yeongdeungpo.
They knew the moment they saw him. An overwhelming presence just from existing. A man chugging vodka straight from the bottle, eyes colder than ice.
This is the guy.
The one everyone's talking about!
Snap back to reality—Jun-woo grinned.
"Kang-ho was pretty tolerable back then. Almost a total psycho, right?"
"Yeah, a complete bastard. Now he's practically human."
"Kang-ho's in his eighties now too."
That punk's eyes rub me the wrong way.
Who could've guessed he'd charge in cursing on their first meeting with Kang Jun-seok?
It didn't take long for Kang-ho to get wrecked.
The hot-blooded sword-and-bow duo challenged him too, only to get thrashed just as quickly.
Jun-seok's voice still echoed vividly.
You guys are solid. No mercy from me.
After days of beatings, Jun-woo had to admit it. This guy was on another level.
Ho-young acknowledged his defeat too. Cheol-bae declared he wouldn't bother with such pointless fights. Only Lee Min-ah stopped the brawl.
"Yeah, Min-ah was the smart one."
"Cheol-bae too. They saw it differently."
"Kang-ho was the wild one."
After getting insta-killed by Jun-seok, Kang-ho challenged him daily. Endless losses, but his tenacity drove him on.
By then, he'd defended Seoul multiple times. Once stable, he toured the provinces.
Two years of pure ass-kickings later, when Kang-ho sheepishly asked for sword lessons—"This ain't working"—they'd laughed their guts out.
"His line back then was gold."
"Yep."
The two elders shared the bottle, chuckling.
Hey, teach me some swordplay or whatever. If not, fine.
The proud, foul-mouth Kang-ho mumbling awkwardly to Jun-seok had everyone in stitches.
I'll teach you.
Jun-seok taught willingly. Two more years, and Kang-ho switched to hand-to-hand.
Then another monster wave hit.
Years passed. Dozens of cities stabilized. Awakeners banded together against monsters.
More years. Time flew like the wind.
Despair, but always hope. Crying, yet striving to laugh.
Distant memories now. The war had been endless.
Twenty years erased old civilizations, blurred family faces.
By then, Kang-ho had grown, occasionally winning against Jun-seok.
Family. Twenty years turned six strangers into kin. Slaying demons, purging hordes, endless time together.
War ended, peace returned. White hair crowned their heads. Six became five.
"..."
Park Jun-woo downed his cup and spoke lowly.
"Kang-ho said."
"Yeah."
"He misses Jun-seok?"
"He said that."
"Said he doesn't."
"Good man."
The two stared silently into the distance. Thoughts swirled unspoken.
Suddenly, Ho-young tsked at the fainted King.
"He's out too long."
"Already awake, just slacking."
Twitch!
King finally stirred upright.
"I-I'm good now, sir."
This full-course regimen—sparring with ten weapon types until victory—was bizarre and brutal.
But.
King's eyes sparkled.
Hyung-nim Kang-ho...
His idol, Choi Kang-ho, had endured this for over a decade.
Amazing.
Still, the name Kang Jun-seok nagged him—the man these heroes revered.
Handling all these weapons so freely that even someone like Kang-ho-hyung barely wins...?
Unbelievable. How strong was he? And where was he now?
King had never seen the name Kang Jun-seok anywhere. No Weapon Master codename in textbooks. Erased from history!
"Alright, let's go."
The Sword God's wooden sword resumed stance.
King's eyes lit up.
"Yes, sir!"
......
Bassago channeled his mana, etching a magic circle.
Glancing sidelong at Theo.
The necromancer stared pitifully, so he gritted his teeth.
[What, what?!]
[Just thinking how'd you end up like this.]
[Tch...]
Bassago disliked Theo. Not just for holding Agareth's demonic sword Apophis.
Something about his changed aura stirred inferiority.
And...
His gaze shifted to Theo's side—his father, holding Apophis.
The sword felt oddly transformed. The thick demonic energy gone, replaced by gentle, vibrant power.
Just like Choi Kang-ho's power.
This was originally Lord Baal's sword. When gifted to Agareth, Bassago had coveted one himself.
Like it's been purified...
Demonic energy cleansed into pure, different force.
A power that purifies demonic energy...?
As Bassago's mind tangled—
[Not that I wanna badmouth kin, but slack off and Kang-ho might actually kill you.]
[......]
Bassago pouted and accelerated the circle.
Line by line, the complex geometry took shape.
Zzt—
Suddenly, his body jerked. A strange vision filled his eyes.
Huh...?
He knew this aura well. A mental link with the lord he'd sworn loyalty to—Baal.
Baal traversed the abyssal realm slowly.
Everywhere, bizarre corpses littered the ground!
He's broken through the demon sea...!
Bassago nodded unconsciously. A majestic demonic aura surged from him.
Even stronger now...!
He bit his lip. His already mighty lord had conquered the sea and gained more power.
Bassago shot to his feet.
Roooar!
Demonic energy boiled around him. He etched the circle far faster.
[Kuh, kuhehehe...]
A weird smile crept across his face.
Choi Kang-ho.
Strong, sure—but his lord Baal now held superior might. No contest.
His pace quickened.
Pop pop pop!
The circle rapidly completed.
"How long?"
[Kuh, kuhehehe... At this rate, two days tops.]
"Yeah?"
[Y-yeah... Huh?]
He turned. Choi Kang-ho stood expressionless.
A mud-caked fox panted atop his head, like it'd rolled in filth.
"I don't like the look in your eyes."
Kang-ho murmured flatly.
But in that moment, Bassago swore he heard a monster's growl from Kang-ho's entire being.
[Eek...!]
As Bassago convulsed, Kang-ho shook his head.
"One day."
[O-one day?]
Bassago nodded promptly.
[U-understood.]