novelraw Chapter 103 : Chapter 103
Chapter 103 : Chapter 103
Chapter 103 - The Tower of the Forgotten Warrior (2)
Three Skeleton Soldiers for three challengers.
The math was very simple.
“So in the end, we just have to face one each.”
“The next one is you, Heo Jeong-ah?”
But Heo Jeong-ah didn't answer.
She had been staring into the air with a dazed look for a while now.
“What are you thinking so hard about!”
“Huh?”
A classic spaced-out look.
“I asked you. Are you going next?”
“Huh? Uh, uh!”
The expression on her face as she answered was quite a sight.
“By the way. Hey. Seo Ji-han.”
“What.”
Heo Jeong-ah called my name and then hesitated.
And then.
“It’s nothing.”
It's not nothing.
“It was similar.”
“Right? I wasn't mistaken, was I? The sword style that the Skeleton Soldier used was...”
At my words, Heo Jeong-ah immediately reacted vehemently.
“Yes. The sword style of the Taeseong Sword Family. It was a spitting image of yours.”
To be honest, to call it a spitting image, the bag of bones was a bit more refined.
“Actually, I was also unsure. But how did the Skeleton Soldier use our Taeseong Sword Family's sword style?”
“This is the Abyss where even Doppelgängers exist, so what’s the big deal about a sword style being the same.”
“That’s true. Now that I hear it, it makes sense.”
Heo Jeong-ah was quickly convinced by my words.
“Get ready to fight. Look, a new Skeleton Soldier has appeared over there.”
A Skeleton Soldier appeared in the air with a shower of sparks. This time too, it was holding a sword in one hand.
“Since it was the Taeseong Sword Style just now, could it be the Haewon Sword Style this time?”
“Well. It's not impossible.”
I answered like that, but I could be one hundred percent certain.
That this time too, it would be the Taeseong Sword Style.
“I'll be done in a jiffy. Don’t be too sad that I’m crushing the Haewon Sword Style.”
Heo Jeong-ah walked towards the Skeleton Soldier with a bright expression.
Clatter.
Clatter.
And then, the battle began without delay.
Claaang!
Claaang!
She said she would finish it quickly, but Heo Jeong-ah also started with reconnaissance.
She probably had to figure out what sword style the bag of bones was using before finishing it.
Claaang!
But it didn't take long to reach that conclusion.
At some point, Heo Jeong-ah and the Skeleton Soldier were reacting as if they were mirrors of each other.
‘Just a little bit...’
But there was a subtle difference.
I felt sorry for Heo Jeong-ah, but in every aspect, the Skeleton Soldier was slightly more refined.
Although its power was nothing special due to the pathetic hardware of being a bag of bones, the swordsmanship it used was the real deal.
And as expected.
Craaaaack!
The battle was bound to be decided by mana power.
Heo Jeong-ah pushed through with force, crushing the Skeleton Soldier.
[Remaining Skeleton Soldiers: 1]
“What is this? It was the Taeseong Sword Style again!”
Heo Jeong-ah returned with a puzzled expression.
“It’s the Family Head’s turn this time.”
At my words, Kim Jeong-rak nodded.
***
Kim Jeong-rak.
He replayed the battle scenes of Seo Ji-han and Heo Jeong-ah in his mind.
‘Hmm.’
The Skeleton Soldier was too weak to properly assess their full strength, but he could roughly gauge the power of Seo Ji-han and Heo Jeong-ah.
First, Seo Ji-han.
His swordsmanship was much cleaner than expected.
Although he was initially busy just blocking the Skeleton Soldier's attacks and momentarily exposed an opening, he showed the quick thinking to turn a crisis into an opportunity.
And then he finished the Skeleton Soldier cleanly.
‘He wasn't all talk.’
But that was it.
His skill in handling a sword was not bad, but his mana was below expectations.
At first, he thought Seo Ji-han might be perfectly concealing his energy, but that was definitely not the case.
He might be hiding a certain amount of power, but even considering that, it wasn't at a level to be concerned about.
What was much more concerning was Heo Jeong-ah.
She seemed to be leisurely conducting reconnaissance to confirm what sword style the Skeleton Soldier was using, and after confirming the answer, she showed swordsmanship of formidable power.
‘She’s not at the level of a mere commander.’
He could now clearly understand why the Taeseong Sword Family had broken its long-standing taboo and chosen her, a woman, as the next family head.
She was by no means at a level to be underestimated because of her age.
With this, he decided to completely discard Plan B of dealing with both of them at the same time.
There was no reason to take on unnecessary risks.
‘I must aim for the moment Seo Ji-han is alone.’
He didn't know what form the quest in this tower would take, but he could create an opportunity himself.
Seo Ji-han and Heo Jeong-ah would have no idea of his plan.
“Family Head, it’s a Skeleton Soldier.”
Seo Ji-han pointed with his finger.
Now, it was Kim Jeong-rak’s turn.
“I know. I'll take care of it right away.”
“You can't. There's something you must do before that.”
Heo Jeong-ah briefly stopped Kim Jeong-rak.
“What is it?”
“You have to confirm what sword style the Skeleton Soldier is using.”
“To be honest, I don’t know much about the Haewon Sword Style or the Taeseong Sword Style.”
“We will judge that. So you can't kill it in one blow.”
It wasn't a difficult request, so Kim Jeong-rak nodded his head.
Now that he heard it, he was curious too.
“Alright. I will watch for a few clashes.”
“Yes. Please do.”
Heo Jeong-ah was very serious.
It must be hard for her to understand this situation where the Skeleton Soldiers continuously used the Taeseong Sword Style.
Clatter.
Clatter.
The Skeleton Soldier had approached close by before he knew it.
Kim Jeong-rak raised his sword and composed his breathing.
And then he immediately began to unfold the sword style of the Jungwon Sword Family.
Claaang!
As soon as they began, their swords clashed.
For now, he planned to lightly exchange a few blows and observe the Skeleton Soldier’s swordsmanship.
But at that moment, the skeleton's eye sockets glowed blue.
The Skeleton Soldier’s magic power went berserk.
A phenomenon that had not occurred in the previous two encounters.
‘What is this?’
What was more surprising was that the surge of magic power showed no signs of ending.
This was not just a change within the Skeleton Soldier.
This surge happening now was due to power transmitted from the outside.
‘Hoh.’
Seo Ji-han crossed his arms and watched this scene with interest.
The two swords clashed once again.
Claaaaang!
A completely different feeling from before.
In that moment, Kim Jeong-rak’s pupils dilated.
His hand holding the sword trembled violently.
The change caused by the earlier magic power surge. It was by no means trivial.
‘Why on earth.’
In fact, the Abyss was originally such a place.
Not everything that happened here could be explained rationally, and sometimes it was unreasonable and illogical.
But this time, for some reason, it felt like there was a reason for it.
Seo Ji-han had such a premonition.
Craaaaack!
As the conversation of swords continued, the Skeleton Soldier’s attacks grew even fiercer.
The answer as to what its sword style was had already been revealed.
“It’s the Taeseong Sword Style again!”
Heo Jeong-ah shook her head from side to side.
“It seems so.”
“Something feels off. So now, tell me. Seo Ji-han, who did you come here to find?”
“You'll find out soon enough.”
It wasn't the time to tell yet.
To perfectly deceive the enemy, one must even deceive one's own side.
It wouldn't be long before the truth was revealed, so she should be able to suppress her curiosity for a little while.
“Just like Seo Ji-han, you really are a cheap guy.”
Heo Jeong-ah then shouted towards Kim Jeong-rak.
“Family Head! You can finish it now!”
Since they had confirmed what they needed to, there was no need to drag it out.
But Kim Jeong-rak’s own situation was different.
‘What is this!’
He already wanted to end it desperately.
But the problem was that it wasn't going as he wished.
After the Skeleton Soldier’s magic power suddenly went berserk, he felt like he was being slowly drawn in.
But that alone couldn't fully explain the situation.
Not only was it unlikely that his magic power was inferior, but the proficiency of their sword styles should have been worlds apart.
‘Could it be that it’s incompatible with the Taeseong Sword Style?’
If he had to find an answer, this was it.
The Skeleton Soldier’s Taeseong Sword Style seemed to be exquisitely dismantling his Jungwon Sword Style.
In fact, Kim Jeong-rak didn't know much about that sword style.
The first and last time he saw it was in the Abyss 40 years ago.
The one thing that was impressive at that time was that the Taeseong Sword Style was the best among all the sword styles he had seen in his entire life.
Of course, the fact that the owner of that sword style was Heo Gyeong-woo, the greatest genius of his time, probably played a big part.
‘The Taeseong Sword Style...’
He never dreamed that he would see that sword style again here.
Craaaaack!!
As his thoughts deepened, the Skeleton Soldier’s vertical slash pressed down on his entire body with intense force.
His plan to leisurely match it was already a thing of the past.
It was a disgraceful situation even in Kim Jeong-rak's own opinion.
To struggle like this against a Skeleton Soldier that the two much younger kids had easily handled.
He couldn't use the Skeleton Soldier's magic power surge as a petty excuse, considering his pride as a family head.
‘Just one blow.’
He intended to put his full power into this next attack.
If he dragged this out any longer, he would only be endlessly embarrassed.
Swoooooosh!
Kim Jeong-rak’s sword cut through the air and shot towards the Skeleton Soldier.
***
[You have cleared the 1st floor.]
And then, a new portal appeared before us.
“This must be the entrance to the next floor.”
“How many floors are there? Seo Ji-han, do you know anything?”
“How would I know?”
“I’m just confused. Because you sometimes knew things you couldn’t possibly know.”
But right now, I had no idea.
There was no choice but to follow the quest presented by the tower.
[As a reward, you have each acquired one ‘Mana Rune’.]
“Oh!”
I didn't know how many floors there were, but it seemed there was a clear reward for each floor.
Mana Runes were always satisfying.
I immediately put the Mana Rune in my mouth.
I had become stronger, even if only by a speck of dust.
“But Family Head Kim Jeong-rak doesn't seem very happy?”
His complexion was practically rotten.
Although the Jungwon Sword Family's name value fell short compared to the Haewon Sword Family or the Taeseong Sword Family, his status was still that of a family head.
It was fitting for him to show greater martial prowess than me or Heo Jeong-ah of the next generation, but the result was completely different from what was expected.
He himself would know that, so it must be embarrassing for him to even lift his face right now.
“We each just took down one Skeleton Soldier, what’s the big deal about that.”
Kim Jeong-rak said, trying his best to act cool.
“Indeed, that must be it. I suppose I was only thinking from my own perspective.”
The scene where he launched a decisive blow at the very end was still vivid in my mind.
He must have intended to end the fight with that single attack. But Kim Jeong-rak’s sword was completely blocked.
The Skeleton Soldier had assumed a defensive stance as if it knew everything, and succeeded in deflecting the blow.
At that time, Kim Jeong-rak’s eyes had shaken violently.
In fact, it was a situation that I too had not anticipated at all.
‘A Skeleton Soldier that is unusually strong against the Jungwon Sword Style...’
With this, it became even more certain who the master of this tower was.
The Tower of the Forgotten Warrior.
At the very end, I would surely be able to meet Heo Gyeong-woo of the Taeseong Sword Family.