novelraw Chapter 65 : Chapter 65
Chapter 65 : Chapter 65
Chapter 65: The First Mission (9)
At that moment, as the villain—agitated to the extreme by Choi Yu-seong’s provocation—began to charge, Ryu Jin-oh was focusing more of his attention on Choi Yu-seong than on the villain itself.
‘What on earth is this guy?’
It was only natural for him to feel that way. The actions Choi Yu-seong had displayed felt so incongruous that they could hardly be considered a typical villain hunt.
From the way he scammed the villains to the way he provoked them with a cold smirk, his behavior was on an entirely different level from the villain hunt Ryu Jin-oh had envisioned.
‘But there is no denying the results.’
If there had been no significant results from those actions, he would not have been watching him so intently. However, Choi Yu-seong had eventually succeeded in eliminating the archer.
It was a bruise to his pride, but Choi Yu-seong had certainly produced more meaningful results than he had. Thus, such interest was an inevitable consequence.
‘It has been a long time since I have taken such an interest in someone else.’
Ryu Jin-oh entertained such thoughts without hesitation—thoughts that might make an onlooker think he was far too narcissistic.
However, it was only natural for Ryu Jin-oh to think this way. From the moment he was born, a noble life had already been predestined for him; he was, quite literally, a modern-day aristocrat. Furthermore, along with that lineage, Ryu Jin-oh possessed a level of skill that could truly be called top-tier.
How could it be strange for such a man to show an air of looking down on others? Rather, it would have been stranger if he did not. At any rate, the important point here was that such a man had developed a degree of interest in Choi Yu-seong.
“To think another interesting fellow my age would appear besides Kim Su-hyeok.”
Until now, there had been only one person he was interested in: Kim Su-hyeok. He was the one who always stayed ahead of Ryu Jin-oh, an existence that could not be caught no matter how much effort was put in.
Of course, just because Ryu Jin-oh had taken an interest did not mean Choi Yu-seong was on the same level as Kim Su-hyeok. To Ryu Jin-oh, Kim Su-hyeok was someone he viewed as a rival, while Choi Yu-seong was merely an interesting individual—nothing more and nothing less.
However, the significant point here was that there were countless people who could not even pique that small amount of interest from Ryu Jin-oh.
“I did not have high expectations at first, but I suppose he did not catch Shin Yu-hwan's eye for nothing.”
To be honest, rather than not having high expectations, it would be more accurate to say he had not liked him very much until now. After all, for someone chosen by his idol, Choi Yu-seong had not shown a single outstanding quality.
Of course, it was true that he was superior compared to ordinary people. Starting with the tag of 899th place and climbing up to this point would have been impossible without talent in some form.
‘But that is only the case when compared to commoners.’
Even if someone was outstanding among mediocre talents, was it fitting for someone like Shin Yu-hwan to take an interest? Figures like Shin Yu-hwan or Cha Yu-na were existences who shone even among geniuses.
The fact that such attention was given to a guy who had not shown anything particularly great was why Ryu Jin-oh had truly disliked Choi Yu-seong's existence. That was, of course, all in the past now.
“There is no reason to dislike a man who has proven himself with results.”
Ryu Jin-oh did not know what kind of move Choi Yu-seong had used to take down the archer. He only knew that it was not a conventional method, based on how the perfectly healthy villain suddenly began to stagger, but he lacked any other information. It could have been a method involving a talent or perhaps an artifact.
But that was not the important part for Ryu Jin-oh. To him, the only fact that mattered was what kind of results were produced—nothing else.
“Since my father always said the same thing.”
He recalled the words he had heard from his father, Ryu Jin-seong. His father had told him that once a battle began, there was no need to show human emotions; one simply had to derive a result using any means necessary.
However, he had been unable to do so, whereas the guy in front of him had succeeded. While he had failed to look ahead because of his desire to defeat the man before him, Choi Yu-seong was seeing everything, unlike himself.
“…I do not want to admit it, but I am still lacking, and that is something I must learn from him.”
What Ryu Jin-oh said was, in a sense, obvious. Feeling jealousy toward someone with superior qualities was an act reserved for those at the bottom. Everyone knew that it was more constructive to think about catching up even by a little bit rather than wasting time on envy and jealousy.
However, while many people had such thoughts, very few actually put them into practice. Yet, despite being in a position that reigned over others, Ryu Jin-oh was someone who never became complacent about his skills and always put those thoughts into action. That was what made Ryu Jin-oh an existence worthy of being called a future hero.
It was just as Ryu Jin-oh was staring at Choi Yu-seong with eyes that held warmth, rather than his usual cold gaze.
“How long are you just going to stand there watching? Give me a hand!!”
Choi Yu-seong shouted in a desperate voice toward Ryu Jin-oh, who was still just observing the situation. At that voice, Ryu Jin-oh raised his sword once more and spoke to Choi Yu-seong in a low tone.
“Do not order me around. It looks to me like you can still hold out anyway.”
“I feel like I am going to die of exhaustion right now, so what do you mean I can hold out?!”
“Is there some kind of restriction on using your talent… or perhaps you are saving it. Well, it does not particularly matter.”
Choi Yu-seong looked at him as if he were being absurd, but Ryu Jin-oh ignored his expression and began to charge toward the villain.
“Stay out of my way while you wander about. If you get in my way, I will cut you down as well.”
“What do you mean, get in your way? Like I said at the start, I will match your movements, so just do your thing.”
“Hmph. I was planning to do that regardless.”
CLANG!!
With those words, the two-on-one battle began. Within it, as the combat repeated, Ryu Jin-oh had no choice but to continuously raise his evaluation of Choi Yu-seong.
‘I suppose he did not receive a good evaluation in the cooperation training from the instructor for no reason.’
Ryu Jin-oh had heard Choi Yu-seong say he would match his movements, but he had not held high expectations. Coordinating movements was practically impossible unless they were partners who had moved together for a long time.
Therefore, Ryu Jin-oh had expected Choi Yu-seong to enter the fray occasionally when an opening appeared, but once they actually started, it was not like that at all.
‘It is not perfect, but he is certainly fighting according to my movements.’
He said it was not perfect, but at a cadet's level, it was practically a flawless performance. Every time a small gap appeared, Choi Yu-seong filled it reliably, and in every dangerous moment, he accurately blocked the enemy's openings for attack. It almost felt as if they had been working together for a long time.
“Interesting. I think I finally understand why Players work in guilds.”
“What did you just say?”
“Be quiet. Swing your sword one more time instead of chatting.”
Ryu Jin-oh responded to Choi Yu-seong's question in a cold voice, but there was a clearly perceptible difference in his tone compared to before. If meeting him at the Horizon Guild headquarters felt like the chill of a Siberian winter, this felt more like the start of winter in Korea.
This was clear proof that Ryu Jin-oh's feelings toward Choi Yu-seong had improved. After all, Ryu Jin-oh was someone who still maintained a cold demeanor even toward Kim Su-hyeok, whom he had known for a long time. This alone could be considered a huge leap forward.
After roughly exchanging words with Choi Yu-seong, Ryu Jin-oh took his stance again and began to charge toward the villain.
“I will make you regret baring your teeth at me and this fellow.”
Within his words, Choi Yu-seong was now included alongside himself.
***
“He really is impressive.”
Ever since I started fighting alongside Ryu Jin-oh, a series of surprising situations continued. That was because Ryu Jin-oh's learning ability could only be considered to be in the realm of a genius.
‘How can he adapt so quickly?’
When we first started fighting together, it did not feel like a team at all. Usually, a team should create a synergy where one plus one equals three or four, not two, but our synergy was barely at 1.5.
However, that was only for a short while; Ryu Jin-oh adapted to team play with incredible speed. It was a change that was hard to believe could occur over the course of a single battle.
‘This is why I cannot help but like Ryu Jin-oh.’
Even though he occupied a high position, he always strove to move forward rather than being satisfied. That was a sufficient condition to make me admire Ryu Jin-oh.
Think about it. He was born into the life of a high-ranking noble, yet he felt the need to learn from a commoner’s actions and put it into practice. It is easier said than done, but honestly, is that even plausible? I could confidently say it would have been absolutely impossible for me. A person's nature usually changes according to the position they hold.
‘But the important thing is that Ryu Jin-oh is not like that at all.’
That was why I could not help but like him. Usually, those born with such status were destined to play the role of a villain, but Ryu Jin-oh showed an image that was significantly different from them. I had seen this many times while reading the novel, but seeing it with my own eyes was a different feeling altogether, was it not?
It was just as I was feeling joy while watching the hero I admired realize his shortcomings and continue to develop.
“Guh… Damn it……!”
The villain Sang-woo finally collapsed to his knees, unable to withstand the two-on-one fight. Looking at the villain Sang-woo, I could see the numerous wounds Ryu Jin-oh and I had carved into him.
“Tch.”
However, I did not feel sorry for him at all. Rather, he felt even more abominable. It was obvious that while he showed such human emotions when his comrade died, he must have enjoyed himself while harming others.
Of course, thanks to him becoming so agitated, I was able to save many of my hidden cards, but I could not help the irritation welling up. Seeing more of this guy would only make my mood worse.
Therefore, I turned my head away from the loathsome villain Sang-woo and asked Ryu Jin-oh.
“So, how are you going to handle him?”
“Why are you asking me that? Were you not planning to kill him like you did the other one?”
“That was an unavoidable situation because I had to reduce any potential variables. Right now is different.”
Of course, regardless of how the situation changed, I was going to kill the villain Yuri the moment I used Blue Nightmare. But if I said I was planning to kill him unconditionally without mentioning Blue Nightmare, I would look like a total murderous maniac, would I not?
That was why I passed the baton to Ryu Jin-oh, and after contemplating my question for a moment, he spoke.
“He is just trash that cannot be recycled anyway, so it does not matter if I deal with him now or later.”
Ryu Jin-oh spoke in a firm voice. It might sound cruel coming from a 17-year-old cadet, but it was not like that at all. In the first place, how can one blame a person for being part of such a world?
Rather, this decisiveness was a very significant strength of Ryu Jin-oh. In the original work, whenever Kim Su-hyeok showed indecisiveness, Ryu Jin-oh would step up and handle things cleanly.
Having made his decision, Ryu Jin-oh slowly brought his sword toward the villain Sang-woo’s neck. If that was the case, it was about time for a predictable reaction to appear…….
“I, I also have the right to be judged by the law……!”
As expected, the villain Sang-woo’s predictable lines poured out without fail. To talk about the right to be judged by the law after doing all those things; it seemed he wanted to live just a little longer, even though the result would not be much different anyway.
Of course, Ryu Jin-oh did not seem to have any intention of allowing that.
“Nonsense.”
SLASH-!
Acting as if it were not even worth a long conversation, Ryu Jin-oh immediately swung his sword. Perhaps he had not expected this level of decisiveness, as the villain Sang-woo lost his life miserably without even being able to leave any final words.
Was it a rather hollow end, considering the trouble we went through to take down the villain Sang-woo and the villain Yuri? However, unlike that hollow ending, the reward given to me was not hollow at all.
[Ryu Jin-oh is recorded in Embodiment of Admiration.]
[A new ability has been unlocked.]
“…Eh?”
Through the system notification, I learned that Ryu Jin-oh had been added to the heroes I admired, and along with that came the opening of a new ability. My EX-Class talent, which had been silent for quite a while, had finally come to visit with a big gift.