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Chapter 101

“It seems they’ve managed to pull through.”

He thought An Gil-Hyun might be a bit much for them, but it appeared they’d handled him well.

With his only concern resolved, he turned his head forward again.

“...”

There, an old man was lying on the ground. His hair was disheveled, his body was covered in blood, and his right arm had been cut off. The dagger the old man had been wielding had also been broken in half, the pieces beside him.

Gazing down at the old man who was barely clinging to his life, Kwang-Soo placed the gray sword he had conjured in his right hand on his shoulder.

“I’d like to finish up things here soon, too. Is there anything else you want me to replace with a shadow beside your right arm? If so, tell me right away. I’ll immediately cut it off for you.”

Listening to Kwang-Soo’s nonchalant urging, the old man’s eyes twitched before he soon smirked bitterly and muttered, “You’re still as arrogant as before, Sword Demon.”

That nickname from the past made Kwang-Soo narrow his eyes.

From how he knows my old nickname, he must have quite a history...

As he searched through his memories for someone similar to the old man among those he had encountered, he suddenly remembered a name.

“Right. No wonder I found your movements familiar.... You’re from Darkness.”

Darkness was a group of demons that came out at night to mercilessly hunt heroes in the middle of the desert. They were notorious for turning numerous desert regions into Danger Zones.

However, they should have been no longer active, having been eradicated long ago.

“...I didn’t expect you to remember. Surprising.”

“I tend to remember all the troublesome ones. But how are you still alive? I’m sure that Ludwig and I killed all of you guys back then...”

“Well, back then, he wasn’t the Emperor of Ascension yet. He was only a mere hero known as the Sky Sovereign. Even if he was S-rank, he was still a human being at the end of the day. And, as you see, it’s not too hard for me to run away from humans.” The old man’s words were filled with venom, even bringing up Ludwig’s hero name before he became a Perfect One.

Frowning, Kwang-Soo’s expression grew even more complex.

Ludwig was never sloppy, even back then...

In fact, he knew firsthand that Ludwig had been even more cautious back then, in his less powerful days.

Staying silent, Kwang-Soo stared at the old man for a while before he eventually sighed, shaking his head.

“You know what? Never mind. It looks like you have no intention of blurting it out, so let’s just end it here.”

“You’re being far too harsh.”

“Like you’re one to talk, thinking of taking innocent students hostages while chattering about pointless things.”

“...!” The old man’s eyes widened.

He noticed the movement of the Silent Shadow Squad...?

Kwang-Soo had only just teleported them here after he had been subdued, so how could he have noticed? The old man’s mind raced as he pondered whether Kwang-Soo had really noticed or if this was all just a part of a psychological tactic.

Ding-

The clear sound of a bell abruptly rang and dozens of blue swords flew through the forest towards Kwang-Soo, neatly lining up behind him.

“What...”

Each sword was about sixty centimeters in length and elegantly shaped like a piece of fine art, all identical in form.

It was a mystical sight on its own, but upon realizing the true nature of the swords, the old man became flabbergasted.

“Sword aura...?”

The swords were all, in fact, made from sword aura. A single one wouldn’t have been surprising since any high-ranking hero familiar with handling sword aura would be able to form one, but producing and controlling dozens of them individually was another matter.

...I see. He wasn’t able to become a Perfect One... but his skills have still been advancing ever since.

While Kwang-Soo had been tying down the old man, he had simultaneously been annihilating the Silent Shadow Squad with these blue swords. Finally understanding, the old man belatedly recalled why Kwang-Soo’s nickname had changed from Sword Demon to Broken Sword.

Flee at the sight of the Broken Sword.

The Broken Sword was a nickname acknowledged by both humanity and the demons, given to tell others to avoid meaningless battles and save those who were oblivious to Kwang-Soo’s actual strength from death.

It was that monster, who once stood shoulder to shoulder with the Emperor of Ascension, that was now standing in front of him.

Looking at the dozens of blue swords aimed at him, the old man smirked and said, “I should at least get the chance to run away or something...”

Celestial Infinity Blade: Blue Chime

With a clear ringing sound, the swords pierced through the old man’s body.

Kwang-Soo then gestured with his eyes, and the swords dissolved into mana and disappeared. Not wasting any time, he quickly approached the old man and ripped off his tattered shirt.

Sizz-

Seeing the black miasma rising from the various wounds across the old man’s body, Kwang-Soo frowned upon discerning that the inside of the body was slowly being disintegrated.

“A bomb, some poison, and even a curse, all meticulously attached.”

He had tried to remove as many hidden devices as possible as soon as he killed the old man, but it seemed the opponent’s preparation was superior this time.

“Only Tuner would be as thorough as this...” muttered Kwang-Soo, looking down at the old man’s body—now just a husk—with a complex expression.

First the Puppeteer and now the Tuner.... Whether it was a coincidence or not, it was the first time he had encountered a freshman who was entangled with two of the Ten Evils in such a short period.

“Tsk... what a nuisance...”

He had intended to leave the instant he was done dealing with the old man, but it seemed he needed to keep an eye out until Se-Hoon returned all the way to Babel.

Continually grumbling, Kwang-Soo put the body into a void box and resumed his walk through the forest.

***

“Hmm...”

A clean black edge was formed on the red spear blade.

Se-Hoon admired its pattern, which was engraved on the edge of the new blade of the Sun Piercing Spear, as it looked neatly made for something carved by chance.

To think he managed to engrave a mana circuit in one go.

It was only possible because of a phenomenon that occurred when the assimilation rate of a piece of equipment reached over ninety percent.

Usually, equipment only reached such an assimilation rate when the wielder considered the piece a part of their body, and Sung-Ha had managed to do just that on its first use, turning a hastily made spear into the Sun Piercing Spear.

“It looks like you can just use it as it is. Take it with you,” Se-Hoon said, returning the Sun Piercing Spear.

Receiving the spear, Sung-Ha looked toward the direction they were running—where the workshop was.

“Are you sure nothing would have happened?”

“I’m sure about it. Don’t worry, and just... ah, there it is.”

Finally exiting the mountain, Park Jin-Hwan’s workshop came into view, along with the sight of two other people confronting the four undead assassins in the yard.

Upon seeing their uniforms and the emblems—proof they had reached the state of Seven Rings—on their shoulders, Se-Hoon figured out they were mentors from the Flame Sect.

He narrowed his eyes and asked Sung-Ha, “Do you know these guys?”

“That’s Kang Hyun-Woon and mentor Jean-Paul. They’re both A-rank heroes who serve directly under the Sect Master.”

“Kang Hyun-Woon... ah, that guy.”

Remembering the fool who had left with a broken spear after coming to test Sung-Ha’s skills, Se-Hoon watched them with interest.

“Tsk...”

Upon noticing the two running over, Kang Hyun-Woon adjusted his expression to greet them.

“Glad to see you’re safe. We were worried we were too late.”

“Just get to the point. Did the Sect Master send you?”

Sung-Ha’s blunt question made Kang Hyun-Woon’s eyes twitch, but he still nodded as if nothing was wrong.

“Yes. The Sect Master thought you would struggle against the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter alone, so he sent mentor Jean-Paul and me as support.”

Upon being mentioned, mentor Jean-Paul, a Westerner with short brown hair and a height of over two meters, nodded slightly in greeting.

“But it seems we were too late, seeing as how you’re injured. Are you alright?”

Though there were concerned expressions on Kang Hyun-Woon and Jean-Paul’s faces as they checked his condition, Sung-Ha easily sensed their underlying intentions.

“I’m not injured enough to die in your hands.”

“...Your jokes are a bit too much, young master,” replied Kang Hyun-Woon solemnly.

Ignoring him, Sung-Ha indifferently turned his head to Se-Hoon.

“Bring out the crescent moon glaive.”

“Yes, yes.”

Pulling out the crescent moon glaive from his void pocket, Se-Hoon smugly extended it forward. Upon recognizing it, Kang Hyun-Woon’s eyes widened.

“This is...”

“The Flame Dragon Glaive of the expelled former mentor, An Gil-Hyun. That guy was pretending to be the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter and tried to attack the workshop. We just finished dealing with him on the way here.”

As he listened to Sung-Ha explain, Kang Hyun-Woon’s expression grew more and more bewildered.

He took down An Gil-Hyun...?

How could the A-rank An Gil-Hyun, the hunting dog that took care of all of the traitors who defied the Sect Master, lose to someone who had only recently become a mentor? Unable to believe it, Kang Hyun-Woon’s eyes were drawn to the two short spears Sung-Ha was grasping in his hands.

I’ve never seen those before.

The two short spears looked extraordinary at a glance. If they were both Hero tier and An Gil-Hyun had underestimated Sung-Ha’s abilities, then perhaps, it wasn’t completely impossible that he would be defeated.

It’s unlikely that a has-been like Park Jin-Hwan could have forged such spears. That means...

Realizing who might have forged those spears, Kang Hyun-Woon naturally looked at Se-Hoon, who was holding the Flame Dragon Glaive.

When they first met, he thought Se-Hoon was just another cocky honor student. However, that cocky student had become an authentic supporter of Sung-Ha, who had now acquired both fame and skill.

If this mission becomes known, it will only result in both Yeom Sung-Ha and Lee Se-Hoon attracting more attention than before.

He then recalled the Sect Master’s order.

Eliminate them neatly whenever there’s an opportunity.

Hesitating now would mess everything up. But right before Kang Hyun-Woon was about to tighten his grip on his spear and reassess the two in front of him, he heard Sung-Ha’s voice.

“Those eyes.”

Sung-Ha looked at him coldly.

“You should stop rolling them... unless you want to be sliced apart.”

Gazing at the tips of Sung-Ha’s two short spears that were pointed downward, Kang Hyun-Woon felt the pressure exuded by Sung-Ha and stiffened.

Recovering his senses a mere moment later, Kang Hyun-Woon’s eyes enlarged.

I was... intimated?

Before, Sung-Ha merely seemed like a wild stray dog, but now, there was a sense of madness in him—one that was fierce enough to kill anyone even at the risk of his own life.

Trying to understand how much Sung-Ha had transformed in just a few days, Kang Hyun-Woon stared back for a while before sighing.

You underestimated him too much, Sect Master.

If he had sent three, no, four mentors, they might have been able to deal with Sung-Ha right here and then. But since he hadn’t, they stood no chance against Sung-Ha in the current situation.

Thus, Kang Hyun-Woon put away his killing intent and bowed his head.

“I will be more careful in the future. Also, we will need some evidence to report back to the Sect Master; could you please hand over the Flame Dragon Glaive?”

“As you wish.”

Before handing it over, however, Sung-Ha spun the Sun Piercing Spear half a turn and flicked the Flame Dragon Glaive upwards with the spear shaft.

Whoosh!

The Flame Dragon Glaive soared high into the air, and Sung-Ha spun the Sun Piercing Spear another half turn then swung the blade with all his might.

Slice!

Like butter, the blade and shaft of the Flame Dragon Glaive were separated.

“Take it.”

Thump!

As the spear shaft fell, Sung-Ha kicked it toward Kang Hyun-Woon, who caught it with a contorted face.

“What are you doing......”

“An Gil-Hyun told me he was close with the Sect Master, so just the shaft should be enough for him to recognize whose it is.”

“...”

At the ambiguous statement, Kang Hyun-Woon stared intently at Sung-Ha for a while before finally looking toward Jean-Paul.

“Let’s go.”

Without further ado, the two left promptly like they thought spending any more time would be a waste. But as they left, Sung-Ha opened his mouth once again.

“Go and tell them,” he said to their backs.

“...”

The two stopped.

Then Sung-Ha continued, his tone calm and filled with resolve, “Even if my master leaves my side... his will shall be carried by my spear.”

Even if Yeom Jin-Hyun were taken hostage or even killed, Sung-Ha would never back down.

“Don’t regret this,” replied Kang Hyun-Woon calmly.

Leaving behind those words, they continued on their way and disappeared. Sung-Ha then turned to Se-Hoon.

“You can take the blade.”

“What...”

Though initially surprised that Sung-Ha was offering to give him the Hero-tier blade of the Flame Dragon Glaive, Se-Hoon soon chuckled upon remembering something.

“Is this also considered part of your payment?”

In the past, such obvious schemes might have worked, but not anymore. Yet to his remark, Sung-Ha just looked at him with an incredulous expression.

“I’m just splitting the spoils of the fight. Do you not even know such basic things?”

“...”

It was a reply that made Se-Hoon’s expression stiffen. Forcing himself to take a deep breath, Se-Hoon smiled.

“Right... thanks a lot.”

He then picked up the blade of the Flame Dragon Glaive from the ground and lightly inspected its condition.

It’s basically broken... but it’s not completely unusable.

Planning to use it with other materials in the future, he put it away in his void pocket and looked back at Sung-Ha.

“So, what are we going to do next?”

“We’re going to prevent the neutral factions from being used as hostages by joining forces with them. Even if the Sect Master uses extreme methods, he won’t be able to pull something like this too often.”

“The missions he commissions for you seem dangerous, though.”

“I’ll regularly go out on monster subjugation missions to prevent that. By accumulating achievements, I should be able to refuse his missions soon enough.”

“Monster subjugations, huh...”

Would there even be anyone within the Flame Sect who was willing to join forces with Sung-Ha? Even if they managed to find someone, it was uncertain what the details of the deal would be.

We would need people whom we can absolutely trust and those who won’t fall for Lee Won-Ryong’s manipulations.

Pondering who might fit the description, Se-Hoon soon thought of someone.

“Do you know Professor Kasar?”

“Everyone in Aqar Quf knows him.”

“I’ll talk to him and try to introduce you so that you can get monster subjugation missions through him. It’s much safer than getting them from the Flame Sect.”

“...”

Upon hearing his plan, Sung-Ha looked at Se-Hoon with a strange expression. He was taken aback that Se-Hoon had even had connections with the Mist Battalion Sword.

He’s quite resourceful...

Though he didn’t want to admit it, he thought that Se-Hoon was superior in aspects other than combat. This was the first time he purely acknowledged Se-Hoon’s non-combat strengths.

Apart from this spear... the things I owe him have only increased.

The sum he had to repay had accumulated into a mountain, especially now that the spears he received this time had become triple the price. Yet, Se-Hoon still showed no intention of collecting the payment, which made Sung-Ha feel slightly uncomfortable.

Is this really a transaction...

As Sung-Ha contemplated if he was indeed only incurring debt, having unilaterally caused all sorts of troubles, he heard Se-Hoon’s voice.

“If you get any rare monster drops there, try to bring them to me right away. If there’s something good, I’ll take it as payment. Got it?”

“...”

After a moment of silently watching Se-Hoon try to emphasize that their relationship was still purely transactional, not one of help or sympathy, Sung-Ha chuckled.

“Don’t worry. I’ll bring back something good.”

[A transaction with the subject ‘Yeom Sung-Ha’ has been established.]

[A Fatestone has been formed for the subject ‘Yeom Sung-Ha’.]

***

Now that everything was settled, the villagers who had been evacuated returned, and Park Jin-Hwan, left alone in the workshop, fell deep into thought as he began looking around the workshop.

“...Is this the end of this workshop, too?”

He had stayed here tenaciously since it was a place he could concentrate well, but it was far from a good place to learn anything new.

Going back to the Flame Sect would make me a thorn in their side... maybe I should try joining Meisters instead.

Meisters was a community of non-major blacksmiths that gathered to exchange ideas. They were protected by the Pilgrimage Church, so it was difficult for anyone to touch them easily.

I might just be a flashy old man, but they should still accept me.

Now that he decided on his future, he began to pack up his workshop, but he heard a voice that stopped him.

“Excuse me.”

A shadow appeared at the entrance of the workshop.

“I heard the owner here is skilled in making fire-attributed equipment.... Do you take commissions?”

The man at the door had long hair down to his chest and a grizzled beard, giving him a gloomy appearance. His cloak hid the worn light armor, and the red scabbard fastened around his waist. And just his stance, allowed Park Jin-Hwan to deduce that he had a considerable amount of skill.

“If you’re looking for such a person, sorry about that. I’ve resigned from business as of today.”

“Is that so? It’s not easy to find someone who can properly forge Hero equipment....”

The man’s response carried a hint of regret, to which Park Jin-Hwan responded with a wry smile and shook his head.

“Those are just stories of the past. Now, even if I spent half a year on a single piece of equipment, it might still come out as junk.”

For a moment, the man just quietly observed Park Jin-Hwan before nodding in understanding.

“Then there’s nothing I can do. If an opportunity arises, I’ll ask you again.”

Done saying his regards, the man departed the workshop and Park Jin-Hwan resumed packing. Then suddenly a thought occurred to him.

The sword at his waist... seemed to be of the Hero tier.

A possibility flitted through his mind, but he quickly shook his head.

I must be getting too sensitive.

If that guy really was the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter, why would he come looking for him, who only forged spears?

With his thoughts sorted out, he went back to packing as if nothing had happened.

“Another wasted effort...”

The man who had been watching Park Jin-Hwan the entire time as he contemplated then disappeared into the darkness.