Chapter 103
[741 Karma obtained.]
[588 Karma obtained.]
[645 Karma obtained.]
...
[Canceling Borrowing Destiny.]
[Canceling Symbol Embodiment.]
...
Amazing, Seong-Hwi thought with a smile as he looked down at his left arm, slightly bleeding from a scratch.
He had been so drunk on swinging his sword throughout the battlefield that he had not even noticed the injury.
No wonder he’s called the greatest warrior of Goryeo.
The power of the five-card destiny, Chok Chun-Gyong the Unfortunate Martial God, was the real deal. Seong-Hwi felt like he had nothing to fear as long as he had a sword in his hand.
It felt like an upgrade of Richard the Lionheart, a five-card destiny he often used in his past life. It was no exaggeration to say that most of his weapon arts had been influenced by the legendary hero of the Crusades.
Seong-Hwi had been torn between Richard and Chun-Gyong when he decided to borrow a melee attacker's five-card destiny. He had borrowed Richard’s destiny before, but borrowing Chun-Gyong’s destiny was like delving into the unknown.
He could have chosen what he was accustomed to, but in the end, he chose Chun-Gyong and did not regret his decision. Although Chun-Gyong lacked Richard’s various weapon arts, he could do everything imaginable with just one sword.
Chok’s National Sword Technique, huh? What a peculiar name.
Chok’s National Sword Technique was the martial art Chun-Gyong developed, using the national Korean swordsmanship as its base. The exclusive skill was so exceptional that it was on par with skills from six-card destinies.
“Hah... Holy shit... That’s insane!” Frank mumbled behind Seong-Hwi, his eyes fixed on Seong-Hwi’s back.
He was a swordsman who had given up on his terrible D Weapon and honed his swordsmanship to reach this point. His fighting style was plain compared to other flamboyant D Weapon users. The only flamboyant part about his battles was the flames generated from his B-rank item, Flame Sword.
Hence, he was proud to be a cursory attacker because not many could reach the level of a Semi Ranker simply by honing their swordsmanship.
When Frank first saw Seong-Hwi, he thought Seong-Hwi was a skiller with immense innate talent. He couldn’t help but be envious when he saw him freely activating various flamboyant skills. However, he consoled himself by thinking he was at least above him in weapon arts, especially swordsmanship.
But what the hell was that insane swordsmanship?! It wasn’t even a mash of flamboyant skills! Frank shouted inwardly.
It only consisted of cutting and thrusting, but such simple movements were combined to exert fearful power. He had not been this shocked even when viewing the swordsmanship of the German Sword Emperor, Gustav von Seyffer, the Ranker he respected the most.
Seong-Hwi was not some idiot who let his skills control him, nor a braggart who luckily obtained skills with high potential. He was the perfect swordsman.
I wanna be friends with him! Frank thought, his eyes shining.
***
“I apologize for my earlier rudeness. Thanks to your help, we managed to end the battle much quicker,” Krypta said to Yuki.
“If you’re so thankful, why don’t you put us in the vanguard?” Yuki asked.
“Aha! That is a different story, human,” Krypta said as he laughed.
He realized the humans he had disrespected were much more useful than expected.
It was my mistake. One should use everything possible on a battlefield.
He continued, “We will only think about charging from now on. We want to save as much time as possible since we aren’t the only ones in this dungeon.”
“So?” Yuki asked.
“We’ve decided to break through the enemies instead of exterminating them, so our rear would become unsafe. We need those who will deal with the remnants of our charge.”
“And you want us to do that?”
“Yes.”
Yuki smirked. “Is that an order?”
“Not at all. Besides, you wouldn’t follow it even if it was, right? I’d prefer not to waste time.” Krypta shook his head and continued, “I believe humans value being reasonable. I suppose labor without reward is unreasonable, yes?”
“What do you suggest?”
“Your mission will be to secure a rear escape route. Accept it, and we will share one artifact earned from this dungeon for each of you.”
Yuki thought, Artifact distribution, huh? That confirms it. They have no idea about the Elixir.
As Yuki remained silent, Krypta continued, “Since there are ten of you, this is your chance to earn at least ten artifacts. Additionally, if we Honor Knights clear the dungeon quest before the birdfolk, we will not forget your achievements.”
“I’d like to know in what way you won’t forget.”
Krypta confidently answered, “If Demon Lord Taizet grants us a reward, we will share ten percent of it with you.”
The Honor Knights participated in the dungeon excavation in the demons’ place. Their victory was naturally the demons’ victory, and the demons would shower the Honor Knights with immense appreciation to boast about their victory. The ten percent could be Coins, items, or even information.
“Very well, we’re in. You’ll of course guarantee your word with a quest, correct?” Yuki asked as she extended her fist.
“Of course,” Krypta answered as he bumped her fist with his, over three times as large.
The deal was established.
***
“Tweet—!”
“Caw!”
Birdfolk warriors rapidly dove from the air, their wings fluttering, and pounced on the Failure Bodies in a place labeled Cafeteria. Their rock-hard claws destroyed the Bodies’ heads, and they also grabbed the Bodies to fly up and throw them down on the ground.
“Hoot! Hurry up! I will break all of your wings if we’re later than those putrid corpses!” the owl birdfolk Saurix shouted.
Just then, a calming and benevolent voice sounded behind him, “You need not rush, Saurix.”
Saurix turned around and saw a faintly smiling man sitting in a cafeteria chair. He was beautiful as if he had been woven with light. His golden hair and eyes shone like the sun, and a pair of white wings protruded from his robe. The man, who one would expect was a dove or white pigeon birdfolk at first glance, was commanding Saurix, the leader of Clan Gliders.
“Hoot. But Master Seriel, I fear that falling behind those undead will tarnish the honor of the great angels,” Saurix said respectfully.
Seriel smiled, finding Saurix commendable, and replied, “Thank you for thinking of us, Saurix, but it is alright. This dungeon holds an item far more important than a battle of pride against the demons, so finding that comes first.”
A golden circle appeared above the crown of Seriel’s head and exuded an aura so mystical and warm that it instilled awe in anyone who laid eyes upon it. The aura was Holy Force, the secondary force of angels, which meant the wheel of light on Seriel’s head was a halo, which acted as a link between angels.
Seriel was an angel; not just any angel, but a fourth-grade angel, the point at which an angel would be deemed to have a high-ranking position. The angels had broken the agreement and directly participated in the excavation.
Seriel’s halo spun faster and faster, its golden light growing even brighter.
[Activating Race Skill: Holy Spirit’s Influence.]
“Ahhh, O Almighty God of Heaven! Worry not and trust in your son. I, Seriel, will lay down my life to exact your heavenly will on this land!” He acted as if he had received a revelation and fervently prayed. “I will obtain the Elixir for your next plan, no matter what!”
***
The party members gathered and took a break once the battlefield was cleared.
“Urgh... I’m sore all over,” Yuri said as he regained consciousness and stretched.
“Sore? Half my mana is gone because of you, crazy mutt,” Gardner remarked as he finished healing Yuri while he was asleep.
“Whoa! That’s some ability. What clan are you from, Gardner?”
“Clan Watercolor.”
“I’ve heard that clan is practically a mercenary clan.”
Yuri and Gardner got along rather well despite not seeming like they would.
“Sonya, Sonya! I’ve thought of a great idea!” Khanh said to Sonya as she fixed her cone hat.
“A... great idea?” Sonya asked.
“You’re the best at wind magic, aren’t you? We’d go great together!”
“I’m... the best?” Sonya said as she blushed.
“Yeah! When I fire my bullet, push it with your wind magic. That should boost my attack range. What do you think?”
“I think... It’s a... good idea.”
Enrique and Nakivarro were also talking up a storm.
“How far can you control your drones, Enrique?” Nakivarro asked.
“It depends on the drone. The further a drone’s manipulation distance, the worse its capabilities. That’s why I’m always at the vanguard to add to their distance as much as possible.”
Next to them, Frank asked Seong-Hwi, “Have you heard of Clan Martial, Seong-Hwi?”
“I have. It’s the clan led by the Sword Emperor Gustav, eleventh in the human ranking, isn’t it?” Seong-Hwi replied.
“Exactly. I’m a member of Clan Martial. Would you perhaps be interested in joining?”
Seong-Hwi chuckled. “Is that a scouting offer?”
“Yes! With your swordsmanship... You could easily pass the entrance exam.”
“Not interested. I don’t want to be tied down.”
Once Seong-Hwi turned his head away, Frank fervently persuaded, “Clan Martial is just a gathering of martial artists, so clansmen don’t necessarily have to stick together. You could even register as a member and forget about the clan completely.”
Members of a party often got along, but others also preferred to stay quiet, such as Leo and Yuki. Leo was seated with his eyes closed, with a massive lion lying down beside him. It was what Leo’s D Weapon, Rhodes, looked like with Armification canceled. Yuki blankly stared off into space as if she had something on her mind.
“Come on, Seong-Hwi. Think about it. There’s nothing that’s a hassle about it—”
“You’re the one being a hassle right now, Frank. More importantly... Do you believe there’s an Elixir in this dungeon? I’m starting to doubt it now that we’re in here.”
Seong-Hwi’s voice reached every party member, and they turned to stare at him.
“What do you mean?” Nakivarro asked with a gentle smile.
Seong-Hwi answered, “I mean, don’t you think so, too? We’re here in search of an Elixir, but... is one truly here? All we have to go on is Kabuka’s word.”
“Then are you saying that Kabuka lied?” Khanh asked.
Seong-Hwi shrugged. “Who knows? He might have used us as bait and is planning something else. If not... perhaps there’s someone among us that he wants to kill.” He blatantly stared at Yuki and continued, “For example, the Dark Human Onie Yuki, whose infamy is on par with the Black Merchant Kabuka.”
Yuki turned to Seong-Hwi when her name was mentioned. Not even Seong-Hwi could tell what she was thinking from her indecipherable expressions.
“What are you trying to say, Wing?” she asked.
“Haha. Don’t you think it’s strange, too, Commander? If an Elixir is truly here, why did he send you instead of coming himself?”
Enrique nodded in agreement. “I wondered about the same thing. One billion Coins is astronomical, but I’m sure you could earn that much without Kabuka’s help, Onie Yuki.”
Yuki scanned her teammates, who were staring at her as if desiring an answer.
“You have a lot of questions for mere mercenaries,” she remarked.
“Well, our lives are on the line here, so I hope you understand,” Seong-Hwi replied.
Yuki smirked and said, “Kabuka has a reason for not taking part in the mission, and he trusts me. No, I suppose it’s more accurate to say that he trusts my weakness.”
“Weakness?”
“I was promised something instead of Coins. He promised to give me what I want if I get him the Elixir.”
The teammates nodded. Unlike them, the High Ranker Onie Yuki had a dual contract with Kabuka. It might seem unfair at a glance, but it served to relieve the teammates. After all, this world had always been unfair to the weak.
Although everyone else was satisfied, Seong-Hwi smiled meaningfully and asked, “And you believed the words of a war profiteer like Kabuka?”
Just then, Leo, who had been quiet until now, widened his eyes and punched the ground. Concrete powder dropped from his fist as he raised it from the ground.
“The more you speak... the harsher your words become, Cheon Seong-Hwi,” Leo muttered.
“What? Did I say anything wrong? I’ve been curious since the mansion, Leo. Why do you have so much trust in Kabuka?”
“It’s Le-Yeyo, not Leo. Also, Sir Kabuka is the benefactor of my people. It is only natural as a man of the Maasai to repay the debt.”
Seong-Hwi clicked his tongue inwardly and thought, You’re too innocent, Leo.
Leo’s words in the past echoed in Seong-Hwi’s head.
“I still believe, Seong-Hwi. Although we live in a world like this, we have yet to lose our humanity. Humans are selfless creatures, right?”
Seong-Hwi trusted Leo deeply because Leo trusted in humanity, but it was also frustrating at times.
“The benefactor of your tribe, huh? It’s the complete opposite of the rumors I’ve heard about Kabuka,” he remarked.
“What?” Leo asked.
Seong-Hwi continued, “He was a filthy human since Earth. Does anyone know about the Rwandan genocide?”
He looked around. Most of the team members expressed confusion because they had never heard of it, except for one man: the overweight African man, Nakivarro. His usual gentle expression was gone, replaced by a grimace.
“The Rwandan Civil War arose from the dispute between the Hutu and Tutsi groups. Eighty-five percent of Rwanda’s population was Hutu, and their supremacists massacred over eight hundred thousand Tutsi in a hundred days, accounting for ten percent of their population,” Seong-Hwi explained.
“I had no idea, but what does that have to do with Kabuka?” Frank asked.
Seong-Hwi answered, “Kabuka was the wealthiest businessman in Rwanda at the time, and he funded the supremacists with weapons and provisions.”
“What?”
“Trucks were filled with hundreds of thousands of machetes and were distributed to every supremacist. Yes... It looked exactly like that one,” he said as he pointed at the machete on Nakivarro’s waist.
Nakivarro, a sweeper, wielded a shield and a wide black sword that resembled a machete.
“Not only that, but he owned a broadcasting station that spread anti-Tutsi propaganda to incite the genocide. He also assassinated the information minister, who tried to shut down the broadcasting station, and his family.”
Leo’s expression grew somber as he silently listened to Seong-Hwi. This was the first time he had heard about this.
Seong-Hwi continued, “And you say the man who tried to exterminate an entire culture is your benefactor? I can’t believe that, Leo.”
“What... do you...” Leo trailed off in confusion, his emotions in flux.
Filipe Kabuka was an infamous Dark Human, but was a benefactor to Leo. Kabuka had extended a helping hand to the Maasai when they were still drifters. He built them a village and still provided them with items and daily necessities to this day.
Because of his support, Leo and a few Maasai warriors worked for Black Market under Kabuka, and Leo was Kabuka’s keeper as the greatest tank of the Maasai. Although he knew Kabuka was a cold-hearted businessman from the time he had spent by his side, Kabuka never crossed the line.
Could he truly have... Leo trailed off in his thoughts.
“So, Nakivarro. Are you a Hutu, or a Tutsi?” Seong-Hwi asked.
Nakivarro unsheathed his machete with a ferocious grimace, ready to cut Seong-Hwi into little pieces.
Yuki sighed and remarked, “Huuu... That’s enough. Cheon Seong-Hwi, I’d like you to keep your word about devoting yourself to the party. Stop picking fights at any chance you can get, like a chihuahua.”
Seong-Hwi shrugged and sat back down.
“Son of a bitch!” Nakivarro mumbled as he gritted his teeth.
Frank, who was sitting beside Seong-Hwi, asked, “What are you doing, Seong-Hwi? Why do you keep irritating our teammates?”
“I’ll tell you once I’m sure. At the very least, I don’t think you’re one,” Seong-Hwi remarked.
“What?” Frank asked in confusion.
Seong-Hwi ignored him and examined his teammates’ reactions.
They’re phenomenal actors. They would’ve won Academy Awards on Earth. However, I won’t give up the Best Actor award, he said inwardly with a faint smile.
Just then, Yuki said, “I suppose this is the perfect time to explain the plan going forward. We’ll split up the team into two.”