The Player Who Stands Above All

Chapter 22

'We won.'

Looking at Lee Shin, everyone, including Choi Seok-ho, thought so.

This was not the arrogance that came from ignorance, like at the beginning.

It was a conviction born from thorough calculation.

Choi Seok-ho and Jo Yu-hyeon were blocking the front, and the other areas were filled by Ja Yi-hyeon's magic and Shin Ye-eun's arrows.

On top of that, their movements were now one step faster thanks to Ja Yi-yeon's buff.

Even if Lee Shin were to deflect one attack, the remaining attacks would continuously overwhelm him and sink him.

The word 'victory' began to slowly rise in their minds.

But none of them let their guard down and relaxed their strength.

'One humiliation is enough.'

Rather, because they thought it was the end, they composed themselves even more and added strength to their attacks.

They did not let their guard down until the very end.

Literally, they focused all their senses on Lee Shin's movements so they could respond at any time.

That's why they could see it.

Hwareureuk-

'Flames?'

Just before Choi Seok-ho and Jo Yu-hyeon's swords were about to overwhelm Lee Shin, they saw candle-like flames bloom from the tips of his feet touching the ground and the fingertips of the hand holding the sword, scattering into the air.

It was as if new leaves were blooming on bare branches.

At that moment, Lee Shin, who had been bowing his head, raised it, and only then did the two realize that he had been smiling.

The situation hadn't changed at all from a moment ago.

But the two who were facing him up close could feel that the atmosphere had completely changed in an instant.

His voice, full of laughter, quietly pierced the ears of the flustered two.

"Flame Leaf Returning Step."

In that instant, his body swayed like leaves facing the wind.

Hwoooong-

And then, he disappeared from that spot.

***

Before Pantheon came out, Lee Shin had invested most of his boring real-life time in forgetting reality.

The means he chose for that were novels, comics, and games.

As he encountered such things many times, a trivial question arose in him.

"Why do they stick with the martial art they first used until the end? Isn't it better to just create a new one? It would be more believable if they said they became the strongest with the Three Talents Sword Art."

At the time, it was something similar to a small complaint.

Since he knew it all happened only in imagination anyway, he decided to just accept it without thinking too hard.

But the situation changed when Pantheon appeared.

Lee Shin, who had once again brought out the question he had in the past, began the work of creating his own martial art with the help of the system.

And as a result, he created one cultivation method that contained what he wanted, and a martial art and footwork that were its pair.

"I didn't use it before because I lacked internal energy, but after defeating the Black Horned Rabbit and eating the elixir, I thought I could somehow use it."

Lee Shin whispered to himself and moved his body.

The internal energy in his dantian turned into [Flames], a facet of the [Flame Lightning Tree God Art], and flowed out.

He extended his foot.

At the same time, the three people who were watching the situation from a distance widened their eyes at the strange sight.

Like a heat haze appearing over a flame, like a mirage seen in a desert, his body shimmered.

Even though they were looking with their own two eyes, they couldn't clearly grasp his true form.

And receiving such astonished gazes, he disappeared from the two's sight all too easily.

Hwoooong-

The attacks of the two, who had become blind, could never reach him.

He easily dodged their attacks and, at the same time, passed between them and swung his sword lightly as if shaking off his hands.

And thus, he cut their necks.

Seomtteuk-

In that instant, Choi Seok-ho and Jo Yu-hyeon, clutching their necks, collapsed on the spot and gasped for breath.

There was not a speck of pain.

There was no way a wound could be made by being cut with a bladeless sword.

"Keoheok! Heueup!"

"Keulleok! Heok!"

But the moment his sword grazed their necks, the two could clearly see it.

The scene of their necks being cut, a stream of red blood gushing out like a fountain, and soaking the leaves of the flames in the air.

An all too certain image of death stuck in their minds and showed no sign of leaving.

"Damn it!"

"Hyungs! Are you okay?!"

"Brother!"

At the sight of the two, the remaining three were surprised and were about to run toward them, but that was the wrong choice.

The best action they should have taken was to defend or run away.

'Well, even if they had run away, they would have been caught quickly, so it probably wouldn't have meant much.'

Even while thinking so, instead of just subduing them with a sword, he brought out another hidden card.

Since his excitement had risen, he didn't want to have a modest ending.

Chuckle-

"Since I've already shown it once, it probably doesn't matter."

The first ones he aimed for were Shin Ye-eun and Ja Yi-hyeon.

They happened to be running from the same direction.

Looking at the two, he lowered his stance.

"Keuk!"

"Damn it!"

Only then did they recall the current situation, realize their mistake, and hurriedly prepare to defend or evade, but it was too late.

The internal energy in his dantian turned into [Lightning], another facet of the [Flame Lightning Tree God Art], and flowed out.

From the tips of his feet, which were crouched like a wild animal just before a charge, to his fingertips, a crackling golden lightning bolt appeared.

Feeling that sensation, he moved his feet.

Pajijik-!

"Lightning Wood Thread Step."

In that instant, his form, which had been a point, moved quickly and created a single, long golden line.

That line extended at a high speed and reached the place where Shin Ye-eun and Ja Yi-hyeon were.

The two had no time to react.

Lee Shin, who had closed the distance in an instant, put speed into his sword and cut their stomachs.

"Keulleok! Keulleok!"

"Keulleok! Keoheop!"

The two collapsed, coughing up as they couldn't breathe properly from the impact that struck their stomachs.

"Still, I just hit them, so there shouldn't be a problem."

He muttered to himself and looked at the last remaining person.

"Heueup!"

The last remaining person, though trembling at the fact that she was the only one left, tried to resist by pointing her staff at him.

And looking at Ja Yi-yeon's appearance, he smiled.

Because if she held on tenaciously, he would have the satisfaction of continuing.

'If I had my way, I'd like to go all the way, but...'

Swoosh-

'I've enjoyed myself enough, and since today is the first day of the contract, I should probably maintain my image.'

Lee Shin, who had briefly looked at the team leaders who were collapsed on the floor, catching their breath, faced Cheon Yuhwa, who was looking at this place from a distance, with a broad smile.

"Hmm, from the looks of it, four of them seem to have given up, and with the remaining one, it's probably obvious what will happen..."

Cheon Yuhwa's face was stiff, as if she had seen an unpleasant black comedy.

"Should I just call it my victory?"

"...Let's do that."

Taeng-

Taenggeurang-

At her words, he smiled brightly, threw his swords on the ground, and walked toward the door.

And before leaving the door, he turned his back and looked at the four who were struggling on the floor but sending him fiery gazes, and the one who was trembling but facing him squarely.

When their eyes met his, they flinched, but he just said one thing with a broad smile.

"It was fun. As the guild master said, let's see each other again if we get the chance."

Kkiiik-

With those words, he went out the door.

But the eyes of everyone inside the training room showed no sign of leaving that door.

***

"...What happened?"

Kim Jae-hyun, who had been standing there blankly for a moment, turned his gaze to Cheon Yuhwa, who was biting her candy as if she didn't like it.

"The moment he slit their throats with his sword, he infused them with killing intent. The blade wasn't sharp, but the feel of the cold steel was real."

Of course, since he had emitted the killing intent for a fleeting moment and then withdrawn it, a little rest would be enough to prevent any trauma.

Cheon Yuhwa could guess as much because the Lee Shin in her memory had used a similar technique several times.

'...But does that even make sense?'

Killing intent was a power more difficult to handle than simply accumulating military force.

To accumulate killing intent, one needed to continuously kill something and engrave that sensation into their bones, and to handle killing intent, one needed even more time.

In other words, it was impossible to show such a clean appearance now, when dungeons had just appeared and they had just started fighting monsters.

It was normal not to even have killing intent, let alone handle it, and even if one did, it would be a clumsy killing intent.

But just now, he had created a killing intent so intense that Choi Seok-ho and Jo Yu-hyeon had momentarily seen death, and had controlled it cleanly.

Just like the future Lee Shin had enjoyed doing, in the same way as back then.

That was the point that confused her.

'What is it? When I investigated, I couldn't find any connection to the past, let alone any suspicious circumstances. Surely he wasn't born with such killing intent in his body.'

The moment she was about to be lost in thought, Kim Jae-hyun spoke to her from the side.

"By the way, I've never seen a technique like that before... do you know about it, miss?"

"......"

"...Miss?"

"Huh? Oh?! What did you say?"

The sight of Cheon Yuhwa, who had suddenly come to her senses and was looking at him.

It had happened a few times in the past, so looking at her, he realized he had disturbed her, and seeing him shut his mouth tightly, she also realized his thoughts.

"Ah, no. I wasn't lost in thought, I was just spacing out a bit. But what did you say just now?"

"Sigh, I asked if you knew anything about the technique Mr. Lee Shin showed just now."

"Ah, that guy's technique."

At his words, she forcibly suppressed the annoyance that had risen from recalling an unpleasant memory and said.

"It's a technique that shows his twisted personality as it is."

Kim Jae-hyun felt a slight thorn in her voice, but since she was always like this when talking about Lee Shin, he just ignored it and moved on.

"So what kind of technique is it?"

"I haven't properly learned martial arts myself, so I can't explain it in detail. I'll just tell you what I heard from an acquaintance a long time ago."

She stopped in the middle of speaking and looked at where she felt a gaze.

There were the five of them, listening to their conversation and staring intently.

At that, she chuckled and stood up.

"Vice Guild Master, you recorded the spar just now, right?"

"Yes, I recorded it meticulously from beginning to end."

"Then it would be more convenient to talk while watching the video."

Saying so, she stood up, and he moved to follow her.

And the five who had been hesitating bit their lips and followed her out of the training room.

(End of Chapter)