Chapter 62
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: The Fact Only I Know
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Rat bastard. Chicken head.
That fucker's ability is probably just provocation designed to piss people off, huh?
'Sigh... That son of a bitch is dragging out Kim Jang-gun's temper.'
I've held back for a long time.
I'd been focused on running through these treacherous cliffs and mountain paths, inwardly worried about whether the thieves were keeping up or if any dangerous monsters might appear.
But the essence that united me and Luke was that of warriors.
Not picking fights we couldn't win was a matter of reason, but wanting to beat down an annoying prick like that was pure emotion.
Emotions have always been more important to me.
Luke's temperament was the same.
He was never one to act all high and mighty in front of someone worth fighting.
"Get the fuck outta here—!"
But Ibu beat me to it, charging ahead first.
"You little shit! Say that again! Rat, ra—."
"Ho ho, looks like you picked up some crazy bitch along the way."
"Cra, cra—. Agh!"
Ibu, who had been about to cleave him with her axe, clutched the back of her head.
Her rage must've shot straight to her hair, because her broom-like locks puffed up like crazy.
"You fucking piece of shit. Wanna taste my axe, you? Axe don't taste good! It'll hurt like hell!"
Ibu aimed her axe at Steron, fumbling her words. She really did seem like a madwoman. Never thought I'd agree with Steron.
Still, the fact she wasn't transforming into a dragon meant the Insight Ability was properly keeping her impulses in check.
According to Ibu, dragon transformation was the awakened power of the dragonkin.
But she hadn't awakened through training or enlightenment or any real effort.
One day, her emotions boiled over, she let out a roar, and before she knew it, her clothes had ripped and her body had swollen to mountain size. What, was she the Hulk or something?
'She called herself a half-dragon or whatever, right?'
As long as the Insight Ability transferred from me was in her, she wouldn't go berserk.
She already seemed pretty crazy, but anyway.
"Come back, Ibu. I'll handle these guys."
Ibu had only just woken up, and her body wasn't fully recovered yet.
'That idiot, at least stop your hands from shaking.'
Whether out of pride or whatever, she wasn't saying much, but Ibu was drained from extreme hunger.
The aftermath of sprinting full-tilt right after waking up couldn't be ignored either, and adapting to the Toolsep had sapped her vitality too.
'Her mind was never exactly normal to begin with...'
Her eyes darting every which way made her look like a pickpocket.
That was why I had to step in.
As I approached Steron, I glanced at the fallen men.
'Weird. Even for Holy Knights, Requiya and Fred went down without putting up a fight?'
They were knocked out so cleanly there weren't even scars or bloodstains—just lying there neatly.
'What is this, a joke...?'
Relief that they were unharmed mixed with a surge of disgust.
Suspicion laced with disgust became certainty when paired with the Insight Ability.
I warned Steron in an annoyed tone.
"If this is some test for me, you won't be leaving in one piece."
Not that I planned to send him off nicely anyway.
"Such arrogance. Fake Captain."
Up close, I could tell why his speech sounded so off.
It was like a bad actor reading lines from a script.
His amateurish acting made me want to laugh.
But I didn't laugh.
Right now, I was the dignified Holy Knight Captain, Luke Seid.
"Cut the bullshit. I despise punks who test me like this. Who the hell do they think they are, poking and prodding at people? It hurts my pride. Don't you agree? Even a god wouldn't do that. And they shouldn't."
Steron was a Silver-grade Holy Knight.
A top-tier expert that no ordinary person could stand against.
But he wasn't someone I couldn't beat in this body right now.
'It's not like fights are only about Divine Power. Plenty of guys who relied on brute strength and muscle got their asses handed to them by me.'
Of course, he had his own backing.
An ability specialized enough to earn him the Sacred Gatekeeper position.
'They say his swordsmanship is top-tier in Hellite, right? Top two, maybe?'
A Holy Knight recognized by the 1st Holy Knight Captain through raw martial prowess, not Divine Power or magic.
In other words, I—Luke—was the one who put this guy in the Gatekeeper seat.
'Let's see...'
I'd already sensed it, but I confirmed his presence once more with Blue Eye.
'If I gauge the full output I can muster, I can go easy on him, yeah?'
No matter how skilled his martial arts, there was a clear gap in tiers between us.
I could see exactly the speed and power he could draw from that body.
Steron had no idea.
It was a fact only I knew.
Those arrogant eyes gleaming from his helmet were born of ignorance.
Steron raised his sheathed sword to eye level, like he was sighting down a gun, and gripped the hilt.
"To think a blasphemer against the gods would not only masquerade as a Holy Knight but dive so deeply into playing fake that they'd dare stand bare-handed before Gatekeeper Steron."
"I said cut the bullshit, Steron. You fucking prick."
Steron's eyes narrowed inside his helmet.
"I am the Sacred Gatekeeper. A name not for fakes to utter."
Oh man, scary~.
I've seen guys flip out over curses, but freaking out over someone just saying their name? First time for everything.
I dug in my ear and sneered.
"Quit your whining. Tell me why you call me a fake, and maybe I'll go easy."
"Hmph! Beat me, and I'll tell you."
Steron snorted derisively.
Even his snort was awkward.
Like he'd voice the sound effects for a fart.
Let's see some of that famed Hellite swordsman's skill.
I slowly drew up my aura.
Muscle fibers writhed from soles to scalp.
A power no one else could sense.
That was why, even as my blood boiled and bones and muscles hardened, enemies couldn't read my state or presence.
Not even Holy Knights.
It wasn't some feint or deception tactic.
Just a side effect of scarfing down Toolsep from hunger in the Sanctuary, changing my constitution.
Silver Star fine-tuned it, and meeting Ibu activated it, sending power surging through me.
My boiling blood, fused with Luke's warrior spirit and my own twisted grit, had sublimated into sheer presence.
Now, where to channel this overflowing strength?
For starters, mimicking Steron's awkward speech.
"Calling the Captain a fake, prattling about Holy Knight games... Your name hardly sounds so noble. Guess this Captain will have to educate you personally. Ahem—."
"Hmph! Acting like the real Captain."
An eye for an eye, a snort for a snort.
I countered Steron's snort with a smirk.
"What's with the provocation, huh? Inferiority complex? Rumors flying that Hellite's Star fell, some random asshole steals the Captain's body and just runs away, making you look ridiculous? You slave away as a mere gatekeeper no matter how hard you try, while I've got all these followers—makes your stomach hurt? A Holy Knight and Gatekeeper can't control his emotions like that and expect to catch thieves? Huh? Speak up, you dumb fuck."
I tilted my head inwardly at Steron's utter lack of reaction.
'Sigh, not that either?'
Shouldn't he be pissed at taunts like these?
Steron showed no displeasure.
He just looked thoughtful, pondering what it meant.
'He should be raging and charging by now? Goddamn, no normal people around here.'
The one who reacted to my taunt was the wrong person.
"You fucking shit! Nice one, Kalruk! Kahahahaha!"
Ibu, who'd been sniffling and listening, clapped like a baby, grinning ear to ear.
'Someone please calm her down first.'
Looks like hunger dulled her sense too.
Sheesh, reeks of idiot.
I turned to the kneeling thief ragtags.
"Take the downed guys and fuck off. And don't kneel like idiots in front of pricks like these. Run instead. You followed me just to show off that pathetic sight? Ever think about how disappointed I am? You're not slaves or thieves. You're free men, got it? Don't give up your freedom so easily. If you're gonna lose it without a fight, just die, you fucks."
"Y-Yes, Boss."
"Sorry."
The thieves bowed their heads deeply.
Scolding them more felt pointless, so I waved them off.
"And give that one—Ibu, yeah, her name's Ibu from now on—give her some food."
After entrusting that, I turned to Ibu.
"Ibu, you go with them too. Make sure that shield guy doesn't mess with our boys."
"You fucking shit. Got it. Means kill the shield fucker if he comes at me with an axe. Ibu super noble, understands everything Kalruk says."
Even as the thieves and Ibu withdrew, Steron kept glaring only at me.
I didn't avoid his gaze either.
"Honestly, I was looking forward to seeing just how impressive Holy Knights' presence and personalities were. At least Luke acted like one. Old man Asperan was a bit grumpy but had dignity. So I wanted to check out the other Holy Knights, see how cool they were. But you're just... meh. Deeply disappointing. Makes me wonder how you even became such a great Holy Knight."
I'm weaker than Luke.
I don't know shit about Hellite, and I couldn't care less about Eaar.
And I'm an idiot.
But if I had to pick one thing where I beat Luke, it'd be trash talk.
Know how to deal with someone who doesn't bite at provocations easily?
Keep provoking until they snap.
"Must've won Gatekeeper through parlor tricks. Strip show for the old ladies? Or maybe you set Luke up with your sister for the gig?"
Steron's fist finally trembled, his composure cracking.
Good. Provocation successful.
"Why you shaking like some lost old geezer? Come at me, you fuck! It's what you wanted! Do your damn job!"
Steron looked ready to lunge any second, but he let out a deep sigh instead.
I could almost see his face under the helmet.
A bemused laugh, yet eyes sharply observing me.
The guy who'd knocked out Requiya, Fred, and Yuderg—our best fighters—in one go.
No, not even knocked out—put to sleep? Not sure.
That's where my disgust came from.
Insulting and slandering me wasn't befitting a Holy Knight.
Even Roginin, pretending to inspect broken rocks while ignoring Steron's yapping, made it clear something felt off about this.
'Whether he's doing it on his own or someone ordered him.'
I hated punks testing or probing me.
Separately, I was purely curious.
I'm pure like that. No, not that.
About his skill.
How strong I'd gotten.
How much power I could draw out of him.
How far the Toolsep churning inside me would take me.
Man, so curious.
I wanted to tie back my disheveled hair, but I couldn't move rashly.
Steron's gaze, his invisible pressure, wove around my every move like a spiderweb.
'Alright. Let's play along.'
I focused, immersing in the standoff.
Without Blue Eye, I read his presence and anticipated attacks.
A duel without direct clashes—
'Time for some fun sparring.'
That's what I named it.