novelraw Chapter 209 : Chapter 209
Chapter 209 : Chapter 209
Chapter 209: Kidnapping
A pitch-black darkness instantly covered the entire bar.
However, for these two at least, such darkness was no hindrance.
Swish—
The sound of the space being cut, grazing his earlobe, belatedly followed after the sword had been swung.
As the sound faded, his neck was pierced.
For a moment, an image of death flashed before Ho-cheol's eyes.
It was a threatening attack, enough to make him feel the danger.
I underestimated him a little.
I can't do this with my bare hands.
Having made that judgment, he reached out his hand.
Kang—!
The distinct sound of metal tore through the air of the bar.
Ho-cheol grabbed the pewter cup he was holding and blocked the bartender's Slasher's sword.
Kaang—!
Kang— kang—!
With the ringing of metal, the sparks that flew between them momentarily illuminated their faces and then scattered.
Slasher, who had only been smiling faintly at first, his expression gradually changed as he exchanged a few blows with Ho-cheol.
Until just a moment ago, when he had been dealing with a customer, he had had a face as if he were bored to death, as if he had lived his whole life, but now, he couldn't be more excited.
Slasher's expression was filled with joy.
For Ho-cheol, who was seeing his emotional change up close, he could only say that he was a madman.
Although he didn't attack first, the contradictory expression "battle maniac" suited him perfectly.
Even in Ho-cheol's era, there had been a few villains of that disposition.
Guys who wanted to fight with those of their own class but couldn't find a suitable opponent.
At the very least, an opponent of the same rank would have been another S-rank villain, but most of them had already formed their own forces and organizations.
Since they had a lot of subordinates, it was not easy to create a situation to fight, and would the opponent be crazy enough to fight in a situation where they had a lot to lose?
In the end, a life where only those who didn't need to be fought, and who he didn't need to fight, attacked him.
Although he had become a villain by living as he pleased, it was also natural for him to feel bored and meaningless in a situation where he could not live as he pleased.
What a guy like that needed was a fierce battle where he could throw his life on the line against an opponent of his own class, or even higher.
And for Slasher, the sudden appearance of Ho-cheol was like Santa Claus appearing in front of a child who was gradually growing up and realizing the harsh reality.
He shouted in an excited voice.
“Let’s go faster!”
The sword quickly pierced through the bottles of liquor that were lined up as decoration.
An attack that was more than twice as fast as before.
And even in that attack, he could feel a reserve of power.
It would probably get several times faster from here.
The sword stabbed through the thin gap between the bottles.
A thin rapier, with almost no blade, that you would see in fencing.
Its form was closer to a skewer than a sword.
“It’s good to be fast, but…”
Ho-cheol also adjusted his gear to some extent to match the tempo.
“What's the use of just being fast? You have to be substantial.”
He taunted him and lightly stomped his foot.
At that shock, the chair he had been sitting on until just a moment ago floated up.
He spun his body and smashed the chair with a back kick.
The fragments of the chair poured down like bullets and attacked Slasher.
Slasher re-gripped his sword and blocked them all.
However, as was usually the case, he did not block them by swinging his sword to create a ‘line’ and a ‘surface,’ but by individually piercing all the fragments to erase them through a ‘point.’
“Heo.”
Ho-cheol, who had sensed that, let out a sneer as if dumbfounded.
He had blocked all of the nearly a hundred fragments that had been shot from close range.
And in a situation where he couldn't even see?
A feat of skill that went beyond a technique that even the Sword Demon might perform.
“What a lot of crap.”
If he’s that fast and accurate, then I’ll give him credit for just pursuing speed.
Kang—!
The cup and the sword clashed again.
And before long, their attacks were more than 10 times faster than at the beginning.
In the midst of the fierce battle.
Jjeojeojeok—
A clear crack was carved into the cup Ho-cheol was holding.
Although they had exchanged hundreds of blows so far, that was the limit.
The opponent was not weak, and it was bound to be lacking compared to a proper weapon.
Jjaenggeurang—!
In the end, the cup that had reached its limit broke.
Slasher's sword did not stop with just breaking the cup, but aimed for Ho-cheol.
Since its power had been halved by breaking the cup, Ho-cheol could have easily dodged or blocked it.
But Ho-cheol did not move.
Pook—!
“Ut.”
Slasher's sword stabbed Ho-cheol's shoulder.
The sensation of cutting through flesh and piercing through muscle.
Although it was a one-sided point for Slasher, a strange current flowed between the two.
A drop of sweat flowed down his forehead.
“How…”
He muttered as if he couldn't understand.
The sword was not coming out.
Even though there was nothing for it to be caught on, it did not budge, as if it were caught in a press.
Ho-cheol frowned at the pain he felt in his shoulder, but he grinned.
“Got you.”
An opponent who was as fast as a monkey.
And since his weapon was not good, it was not easy to catch or subdue him in a one-sided way.
He had to endure this much of a loss.
Ho-cheol kicked Slasher in the stomach.
Kwaang—!
For just a kick, it was a sound and a shock as if a bomb had gone off.
The entire bar shook with a single kick.
Kwadeudeuk—!
Slasher, who had been pushed back, stabbed his hand into the wall to fix his body, and the entire wall was torn off, revealing the bare steel frame behind it.
Patsjjeujjeut—
As if the shock had had an effect, the lights on the ceiling regained their light.
“Ouch.”
Ssuuk—
Ho-cheol pulled out the sword that had been stuck in his shoulder.
He pressed his bleeding shoulder and let out a groan while nonchalantly stopping the bleeding.
Watching the exchange so far, Ho-cheol finished his short evaluation.
Just below the Sword Demon?
If he was in perfect condition, there was no way the Sword Demon would lose, but it was also a difference that could be overturned at any time depending on his condition and the surrounding situation.
Slasher, who had been sent flying, staggered but glared at Ho-cheol.
“You Keoheup.”
He was about to say something, but the moment he opened his mouth, a metallic taste rose from his lower abdomen, and he coughed up a black lump of blood.
What kind of shock was that from a simple kick that didn't even have much power in it?
After spitting out a bucketful of blood, he wiped his mouth with his sleeve.
His lips, which were now even redder from the blood, would not go down at all.
“It’s been a while since I’ve had so much fun. Shall we get serious!”
He grabbed his collar and tore off his bartender's uniform.
The overwhelming speed of the sword came from its lightness, so such clothes were naturally a hindrance.
He, who had taken off his shirt, got into a stance.
First, it was a priority to get back the sword that Ho-cheol had taken.
The difference between having a dedicated weapon and not having one was overwhelming in terms of combat power.
However.
“Let’s stop here.”
Ho-cheol said and threw the weapon he had just taken right in front of Slasher.
“What?”
The flustered Slasher couldn't even think of picking up the sword that had rolled right in front of him and blinked his eyes.
“In the first place, I just came to see your skills and condition, not to have a match.”
If he had really wanted to fight to the death, he would have brought his Purple Crystal Sword.
He had just come with the thought of a light test.
His skills, his personality, and whether this side could control him.
“D-don’t be ridiculous! Let’s fight quickly!”
Slasher urged him, but his trembling pupils were already full of anxiety.
“I told you I’m not going to.”
Ho-cheol pulled another chair instead of the one he had just smashed and plopped down.
“But I can fight you later. Not just a sparring match where we sweat a little, but a life-or-death fight where we bleed.
“When?”
“I don’t know. When the work I’m doing now is roughly over? But if the work I’m doing now goes wrong…”
Ho-cheol rubbed his chin with his index and thumb and then twisted his fingers.
“I might get kidnapped. The enemy is quite dangerous.”
Slasher's expression was again one of incomprehension.
He's this strong?
Slasher's question was natural.
He knew because he had crossed swords with him directly.
The opponent in front of him was surely a monster that would be counted on one hand in this country.
Not just killing such a thing, but kidnapping?
Ho-cheol tapped the tattered bar counter with his fingertips.
Now for the main point.
“So listen. I was gathering some useful guys. You too…”
“I’ll do it.”
Before Ho-cheol could even finish his words, Slasher answered immediately.
“Uh, ah. Right.”
This time, it was Ho-cheol who was flustered.
He had prepared several possibilities and countermeasures, persuasion, threats, deals but they had all become useless.
It was a good result, but to say it was alright was also a bit…
Something’s off.
As if he had read his feelings, Slasher gathered his torn clothes and said.
“A strong opponent I’ve never seen before, and such a person is admitting that he’s at his limit with his own power and is gathering people. How strong must that enemy be?”
He had already understood Ho-cheol's situation and had seen through its essence.
“An attractive opponent that I might only have a chance to meet once in my life. And an enemy that such an opponent considers dangerous. I’m not such a fool as to miss such an opportunity.”
A boring villain's life.
No joke, he had spent a period so boring and terrible that he had even felt the urge to commit suicide.
Since he had no hobby of tormenting the weak, he had to find an opponent who was equal to or greater than him.
He had become too strong.
His instinct, which pursued a fight with a strong opponent, was telling him.
This would give him the greatest pleasure of his life.
“So are we going right away?”
“Right?”
Ho-cheol readily nodded his head, even though he couldn't hide his disappointed expression because things had gone too easily.
“Alright. Then finally…”
Slasher bent down and took something out from under the counter.
Temporarily Closed
“To think I’d be putting up this sign.”
Although his words sounded disappointed, his expression was full of anticipation for what was to come.
***
Ho-cheol's newly created organization, ‘Unhappy.’
With Ho-cheol at the center, Ha-rin and Wolf Fang, the four former executives of the organization, and on top of that, the newly joined Slasher.
There were already 8 of them.
Just yesterday, there had only been three of them chattering away, but now they were properly formed.
And their next goal was already set.
“This time, we’re hitting the academy.”
Ho-cheol tilted his chair back and swayed his body.
Although he had put it off to the very end at Ha-rin's request, the academy's turn had finally come.
In fact, although it was called a meeting, for the 4 executives and Slasher, who still didn't know much, they were just listening to Ho-cheol's plan.
And Ho-cheol had also called them with that intention.
“Well, any good ideas?”
Ha-rin stealthily offered an opinion.
“Should we paint the academy building with lacquer? Graffiti terror?”
The one who reacted first to her nonsense was not Ho-cheol, but the 4 former executives sitting opposite her.
They were momentarily startled and looked at Ho-cheol at the same time.
Contrary to their expectations, Ho-cheol just chuckled.
“Do you think that’ll work?”
“I guess not.”
Although they had let it slide casually, the former executives could not accept that scene.
They were still not used to the changed Ho-cheol.
And 10 years ago, in their memory, if someone had said such a thing in a meeting that included Ho-cheol?
That guy would not be attending the next meeting.
He would probably be cleaning with an arm or a leg missing.
They were so awkward and even afraid of the changed Ho-cheol.
Wolf Fang raised his hand and asked.
“In any case, since the academy is under construction, there’s not much to do there, is there?”
“That’s true too.”
The academy had not even broken ground for the restoration work yet.
In fact, if it was just a matter of putting up the building, it would have been restored in a few days, but the inside was a collection of the latest technology.
Special devices for education, including a time accelerator and a space expander.
You couldn't buy them even if you had the money, so it was not easy to restore them.
And the scale of the construction was also absurdly large.
It was on the level of rebuilding a small city, and since so much money was involved, problems were occurring in a messy way.
After that, the executives and Wolf Fang had offered a few opinions, but they were all rough, crude, and dangerous.
“Ehyu. What can I expect from you guys?”
Ho-cheol let out a sigh and waved his hand.
In the academy, his personality was at the very bottom, but when he came out here, it was the complete opposite.
It seemed best for him, who was at least acting like a person, to decide.
“Well, the core of the academy is not the building or the land, but the people.”
He tilted his head left and right.
“Let’s kidnap someone.”
“A student? A professor? Or just a related person? Which one will it be?”
“Well, it has to be a person with a standing that can't be dismissed as a simple disappearance.
A person who is well-known both inside and outside the academy is perfect.”
At the same time, a few candidates came to his mind.
“It would be a pain to manage if we kidnap all of them. And in any case, there won't be much of a difference.”
Let's just pick one.
Ho-cheol, who had made that judgment, rubbed his temple with his index finger.
After a long deliberation, he chose one.
“I know who it is. But why this person?”
Wolf Fang, who was familiar with the target, asked for the reason.
It seemed that another candidate would be better.
Ho-cheol smiled awkwardly.
In fact, there was no great reason.
“She’d probably be sulky if I didn't explain in advance. And while I’m at it.”
It was a very trivial reason for a kidnapping, but it was rather important to Ho-cheol.
***
Ding-dong—
At the sound of the doorbell, Se-ah, leaning on a crutch, opened the front door.
“Who is ah?”
Looking at Ho-cheol standing in front of the door, her eyes widened.
“Ah? Huh?”
Looking at her, who could not understand the situation, Ho-cheol took out a gift set of drinks that he had hidden behind his back and grinned.
“I came for a hospital visit and I'm thinking of leaving with a kidnapping. How about it, will you be cooperative? Or should I do it properly?”
Before Se-ah could say anything, Ho-cheol reached out his hand first.
He covered her mouth.