novelraw Chapter 26 : Chapter 26
Chapter 26 : Chapter 26
Chapter 26: Unexpected Development (4)
And so, we entered the boss room.
It did not look much different from the boss room I had seen during the cooperative training. The interior of the gate was a vast meadow, but the boss room itself was located within a cave.
However, how should I put it… a chilling sensation washed over me.
‘It is too quiet.’
Usually, when you enter a boss room, the boss appears immediately to welcome the players. But in this boss room we had entered, only a heavy silence flowed. Nothing was in sight.
‘An irregular? No, that cannot be.’
Irregulars are things that only appear in C-Rank gates or higher. This was the author's official setting, and I had never seen an exceptional situation myself, so I was certain. If that was the case, only one possibility remained.
‘There is something—’
However, my thought could not reach its conclusion. A sharp light suddenly flashed from a corner of the cave. The moment I saw that light, I reflexively drew the sword hanging at my waist.
SKREEEEEE!
A repulsive sound of friction constricted my ears. As I parried the mysterious attack, I checked to see what had attacked me.
‘A dagger?’
A dagger was flying at me in an E-Rank gate? Moreover, it had moved at a speed that I might not have been able to handle if I had been even slightly slower.
‘It is someone else!’
This was not the work of a monster within the gate. As soon as that thought occurred to me, I immediately checked on Ha Eun-ha’s safety. Fortunately, the dagger had not been aimed at her, and she appeared to be unharmed.
However, the other two cadets were not so lucky.
“Aaaaah!”
A female cadet's painful scream echoed through the cave. Judging by the blood gushing from her abdomen, it seemed the dagger had pierced through her. As for the male cadet…
‘Has he lost consciousness entirely?’
The male cadet lay collapsed, bleeding just as much. Judging by the slight movement, he did not seem to be dead yet. However, he was in a state where it would not be strange if he lost his life at any moment. This meant the attacker had carried out the strike with the mindset that it did not matter if they died. Once my thoughts reached that point, I had to admit my mistake.
‘Damn it, I was careless.’
There had been a significant commotion regarding villains not too long ago. Therefore, I thought things would be fine for a while even if there was something suspicious, but I was wrong.
‘Even though I know what kind of world this is!’
This was a world that forced heroes to fight while showing them absolutely no hope. Even though I knew that, I had harbored the naive thought of simply watching Yu-hyeon. It was a grave mistake for which there was no excuse.
‘That son of a bitch!’
I whipped my head toward the spot where Yu-hyeon had been standing just a moment ago. But of course, Yu-hyeon was not there. All I could see was the moss growing in the cave. I was barely calming the anger rising within me when she spoke.
“Yu-seong? What… what is going on?”
Ha Eun-ha spoke to me while grabbing my sleeve with a trembling voice. It seemed her thoughts, which had frozen at the unbelievable situation, were finally starting to move again.
“It is likely a villain. Do not move from behind me.”
“What? Then what about the instructor?”
“I do not see him.”
At my words, Ha Eun-ha looked around, muttering, “No way.” However, upon confirming that Yu-hyeon was indeed gone, a look of despair washed over her face.
“Then… what do we do now?”
“We have to defeat the villain first.”
“But how can we do that?!”
Shouting, Ha Eun-ha turned her head toward the two fallen cadets. It seemed the female cadet had also lost consciousness in that short interval.
“Everyone has collapsed! How are you going to defeat a villain?!”
“I will handle it myself, so you just stay still.”
“What do you mean… Ah!”
At that moment, Ha Eun-ha looked at the spot where the two were lying again. She probably intended to treat them, but that could not happen. In a situation where the enemy's location was unknown, I could not let her move recklessly. Therefore, I grabbed her hand.
“What are you doing?! We have to treat them quickly!”
“If you move in this situation, you and I will end up just like them.”
“Ugh…”
It might sound like a cruel statement to abandon the two of them, but it could not be helped. The reason I attended Glory was not to become a righteous player. In this gate, my only priority was to put Ha Eun-ha first. Just as I was about to stop her once more, as she still had not cast aside her hesitation, a voice rang out.
“Ah, you do not have to worry about that. Hehe.”
It was a repulsive laugh. I immediately pointed my sword toward the direction of the sound. Then, a man revealed himself from the place where the light had flashed. The mysterious man walked toward us while spinning a dagger on his finger. Given the circumstances, he was undoubtedly the villain who had put the two cadets in that state. The man spoke to us with an amused face.
“I have no intention of doing anything to that girl, so you can rest assured.”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
“Unfortunately, my client told me not to touch that girl. Hehehe!”
It was the same repulsive laughter as before. However, I focused more on what the man had just blurted out than on his laughter.
‘A client, and he said not to touch her?’
The mention of a client meant that he was a villain commissioned by someone else. And the instruction not to touch her meant…
‘Does it mean they value Ha Eun-ha?’
There were many people who fit that description. Ha Eun-ha’s ability was a healing power that was extremely rare among supporters. But among those, if it was a group that would plot such a thing even while killing other cadets…
‘I can only think of one.’
However, as far as I knew, it was not yet time for them to be active. They were supposed to reveal themselves properly much later.
‘No. Even that might have changed.’
The events currently taking place had already deviated from what I knew. Even so, it was wrong to be certain that they would move exactly as they did in the novel. Therefore, I made up my mind to think while keeping all possibilities open. Still, there was one thing that remained certain. It was the fact that I had to deal with the villain in front of me.
“Hey, trash.”
“What? Are you calling me?”
“Who else is here besides you, a piece of trash that reeks?”
“Hahahaha!! You have lost your mind because you are in this situation!”
The villain was easily provoked by my cheap taunt. I had felt this when dealing with the first villain I killed or when facing Lee Ho-jae, but it seemed trash could not stand being called trash. I had heard that the truth can be even more hurtful; perhaps that was the case here. It was incredibly disgusting, but looking at the situation itself, it was not bad.
‘In the end, excitement leads to a decrease in judgment.’
If I used all my talents, there was a high probability that I would win. Still, it was better to approach as cautiously as possible. Although he was not visible, Yu-hyeon would still be watching us from somewhere.
‘Eventually, I will have to face that guy as well.’
Of course, that was only after I cleared away the trash in front of me. Thinking this, I gripped the sword I was pointing even tighter. Then, I emphasized it to Ha Eun-ha once more.
“Never come out from behind me. He says he will not touch you, but you cannot trust the words of a villain.”
“I… I understand.”
Since I had said this much, it should be fine. Now, it was time to clear away this trash.
“I have seen someone who resembles you before.”
“Oh? There are not many people like me, so I am a bit curious.”
“You do not need to be curious. I will let you meet him soon.”
“What?”
“That guy is already dead.”
The best defense is a good offense. With those final words, I lunged toward the villain. At my charge, the man immediately drew his dagger and laughed heartily.
“Fine! Let us see if you can make that happen!”
Yes, you still have the leisure to laugh.
‘Let us see how long you can keep that smirk on your face.’
Before I knew it, the distance between us had become extremely close. It was a distance where we could see each other's faces clearly if we looked straight ahead. In that close proximity, my sword and his dagger collided.
CLANG!
The meeting of sword and dagger echoed loudly. In that brief exchange, I could feel it.
‘This is doable.’
I had not even used my talents yet. Even so, the fact that I was not pushed back was a very good sign. Of course, the fact that the sword and dagger were at a stalemate meant that my strength was slightly inferior, but that was fine.
‘I am stronger in this kind of fight anyway.’
My combat style is based on reflexes and agility. Even if he attacked quickly, I had the confidence to block everything. Furthermore, it was even better because the opponent would have gauged my level to some extent with that one exchange.
‘He is likely looking down on me.’
After all, we were even despite him blocking with only a dagger. As expected, the man wore a deeper smile than before.
“Hehehe!! You talked big, but you are just a pathetic brat with no skill!”
Yes, keep looking down on me like that. The more your guard drops, the eventually, an opportunity will present itself to me.
***
The fight between the man and me continued for a long time without rest. Fortunately, I was able to save my talents during that battle. Although the progress was slight, this was the result of consistent training without giving up. When the fight, which felt like it would never end, continued, the man finally shouted in a voice filled with spite.
“You damn brat! You are like a fly! Do you even have the intention to finish this?!”
It was a truly disgusting voice. Still, I could tolerate this much. I had finally caught the opportunity I had been waiting for.
‘I should settle this now.’
While fighting, I realized that he also had a fairly cautious style. However, if he was that agitated, he would not avoid a challenge but would strike back. Therefore, I spoke to him in a calm voice.
“You are right. It is about time to finish this.”
No further conversation followed. We were both struggling to take each other's lives. I swung my sword down toward him, and he raised his dagger to counter it.
CLANG!
Once again, my sword in my right hand was blocked by his dagger. This was all within my expectations. What followed was the important part. As he blocked my attack, the man wore a villainous smile and thrust another dagger in his other hand toward my side.
‘Now!’
The moment I had waited for while enduring everything had come. It was the timing when he was most certain of victory and thus most off-guard. Before that dagger could reach my side, I used my talent.
‘Ability Reproduction, Do Gang-ho!’
What I used was Do Gang-ho’s ability, which had the lowest point consumption. It was a choice made because I could borrow power of higher efficiency compared to the number of points invested. Although I had some leeway with points for now, no one knew what the future situation would be. Immediately after using Ability Reproduction, I activated Do Gang-ho’s talent, Physical Enhancement.
STAB!
The dagger plunged into my side at the same time I activated the talent.
‘Ugh! This much is fine.’
With the power of Physical Enhancement, it was manageable. Since I had endured the attack, it was now my turn.
“W-What?!”
My strength had increased through Physical Enhancement. Unable to withstand that strength, my sword, which had been blocked, headed toward his head.
“Holy—!!”
Startled, the villain hurriedly twisted his body. However, it was impossible to completely avoid the attack from that position.
THUD.
The villain's arm was severed and fell to the ground where my sword had passed.
“Aaaaahhhhh!”
Immediately after, a scream that filled the entire cave erupted from the man. I had not killed him, but the fight was essentially over. Gasping for breath, I supported my body by using my sword as a cane.
“Pant, pant.”
“Choi Yu-seong!! Are you okay?!”
I heard Ha Eun-ha’s urgent cry from behind. I tried to tell her I was fine, but before my mouth could open, Ha Eun-ha ran toward me. At that same time, I could see it. I saw the villain looking at Ha Eun-ha with a face distorted like a demon.
“Do not come this way—!”
However, before my shout could finish, the villain lunged toward Ha Eun-ha.
“I will at least kill you!!”
I had to stop him. That thought alone filled my head, and just as I was about to hurriedly use the talents of Shin Yu-hwan and Im Seong-cheol—
FLASH!
A beam of light, whose origin I could not even discern, grazed my cheek and passed by.
SPLAT!
It hit the villain directly and blew the head off his shoulders.
THUD.
The villain's corpse collapsed, devoid of life.
“Kyaaa!”
Ha Eun-ha lost consciousness and fainted upon seeing that sight. I could not help but be flustered by the situations unfolding in an instant, without time to understand them.
‘Damn it! What on earth!’
The target I had to stop was dead. But the person I had to protect had also fainted. What was that light that created this situation? My question was soon answered by a familiar voice.
“Brother, you should always clean up after yourself properly. Is that not so?”
It was a voice I had heard just a moment ago. However, although the voice was the same, the tone exuded a chilling aura. At that sound, I had no choice but to wipe the blood flowing from my cheek and grimace.
‘I suspected as much, but to think it was actually true.’
The instructor in charge, Yu-hyeon, was approaching. However, the appearance of an instructor was nowhere to be found. That disgusting way of speaking, calling me "Brother," the black priest robes, and the blue inverted cross hanging around his neck. There was only one group of people who dressed like that.
‘The Reverse Heaven Sect.’
A villain group formed by fanatics, which I had thought would not be active yet. They were people I wanted to avoid encountering because their motives were completely inscrutable. A member of the Reverse Heaven Sect, who had cast off the guise of an instructor, now stood before my eyes.