Author: Xerenity

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69. Final Battle with Joker (3)

-BOOM!

Almost as if his body was a bomb, he exploded.

The impact was strong enough to not only destroy the floor, but all the walls of the battlefield.

After the explosion, I looked far worse off than the battlefield.

My left arm, as well as my body that I turned away were ripped in half and blown away from the explosion.

The Lizardmen Gauntlet was sprawled out on the floor.

On top of that, the nape of my neck was branded with an unknown symbol.

‘Damn it…..’

It was a special ability from the executioner’s class that Joker possessed, known as ‘Isolation’.

Unlike what I heard from Jin, I was anxious because he wasn’t using his ability.

I was even looking down on him because I thought his attacks only reached at this level even with the ability.

But who knew he’d select his target for the ability like this.

Isolation, an ability that increased damage taken by the target. It was an ability that shined even more during 1v1s.

There aren’t many who could receive this kind of explosion and his attacks with the ability.

A massive ringing filled my ears.

Also.

“Urrgh!”

A pain filled moan came out naturally.

In my vision, now filled with splatters of red, Joker was slowly regenerating himself.

His form that had exploded was slowly coming back together, similar to the liquid human from terminator.

I had my Mana Shield, with 2 ranking shields casted on top of them.

It could’ve been a skill beyond ranking, but the self-destruct could only be explained by the passive he had.

It happened while I was casting heal on myself.

Perhaps he had recovered fully already, he began to mock me in a smug tone.

“Kuha! To think I’d have to use Isolation.”

“Urgh! I really stepped on shit this time.”

“It looks like you’re in a lot of pain. Yes.. that expression. That expression is the one that suits you the best!”

“…ugh, ur….”

‘Just a few fingers blown off… I can recover using Status Denial after I beat him down and leave… For now, let’s focus on recovering. No, first I have to prepare against his attacks.’

Continuing to cast Heal, I picked up the gauntlet and Banwol Jincheon that fell to the floor.

The bleeding nearly stopped, but the damage would take a long time to heal with a recovery skill that was of low ranking like Heal.

Even during the fight against Park Hyun where my stomach was cut open from an attack by Jin, it didn’t take this long to recover.

Perhaps it was due to the attack being used with his ability?

The gauntlet that I put my hand back in was giving off an emerald hue, mixing with the blood that was still smearing out.

-Drip. Drip.

Pain continued from the hand that held the sword.

Think about it. Despite not realizing the importance of it, just how much you’d be distracted even from a small papercut.

Now you know how important it is.

However, right now my fingers weren’t cut or ripped off, but blown off.

The overwhelming pain was enough to break my concentration.

-Stomp. Stomp.

Joker was walking towards me with his dual swords pulled out.

It’s already been a while ago since the cuts on his neck and shoulder were gone without a trace.

Even the damage from the Formless Sword Aura that he took with his whole body was gone.

I needed to buy time to recover.

Since he was going to attack again, I needed to get away from him.

If I could disappear from his sight completely so I can buy time to heal my wounds, there would be another chance.

A skill that’s perfect for this situation exists.

‘Mass Stealth Jutsu.’

Instantly, I disappeared from view.

Quickly, I casted Flash and hid myself in a corner of the ruined battlefield.

I even used Silent to hide the sound of my breathing.

Mana Shield and Reflect Shield.

I used one hand for Heal while keeping a lookout for him.

Looking at the spot where I was before, he mumbled to himself.

“Stealth… and he covered up the sound he makes.”

“Ugh.”

“At this rate, it would be difficult to find him. But…”

Joker had a smile on his face.

Almost like a predator that found its prey drinking water by the pond without any suspicion.

Once more, red smoke began to rise from his body.

Then closing his eyes, he spoke.

“But you know. Guess you don’t have any skills to cover up this heavy scent of blood. Oraa!”

-SLICE!

He turned his body towards the exact location I was stealthed at, throwing both the twin swords at me.

As the swords left his hands, it was covered in dark red flames, flying straight towards me.

It didn’t have any spin and it didn’t shake in the slightest, as the throw had an incredible amount of speed and power.

At this rate, it was going to skewer me before I had time to even prepare to react.

It would be over in a moment.

Both of his twin swords arrived right in front of my eyes.

Looking at the swords, I froze.

Even my eyes that should’ve automatically closed due to reflex stayed open.

There’s a saying that before you die, the life you lived comes all back to you in a flash.

I realized that it was true.

It was a short life of 18 years, but all the memories I lived began to pass me right before my eyes.

All the way up until the last film of a movie projector.

It was vivid, almost as if I was viewing from the sidelines.

As I returned to the present hoping that my situation had changed, I felt more hopeless than before.

Almost as if it was a slow motion video, Joker’s swords clashed with my shields.

Who would have known that this weak looking weapon toss skill would be a skill beyond ranking.

Without being able to resist at all, my Mana Shield crumpled.

Almost as if fighting to be the first, both twin swords came in at the same time.

And finally.

“……”

Without realizing, I had closed my eyes, thinking that this was the end. However, much time had passed.

One thing that consoled me was that the swords impaling my head would hurt less than my fingers did right now, but I had to accept that this was death.

Guess it’s true about what they say, that death’s door closes the slowest.

I heard a noise from where Joker was at.

“URRRK!”

‘Is that his disgusting laugh again? I had to kill him at least before dying….’

“KUUUHHH!”

‘He’s being really lou…. Wait! That’s not the sound of laughter?’

After accepting my end and letting everything go, now I gathered my resolve once more.

The pain I felt through the end of my hand. And the vivid sounds of his screams.

Opening my eyes, what I saw was enough to surprise me.

Both his twin swords had pierced his chest, straight through his heart.

With his face contorted, I saw Joker screaming as he tried to pull out the swords.

Each time he pulled at the hooked swords, sticky blood spurted out like a fountain.

It was a stupid thought, but just a moment ago, I thought I was dead for sure.

But how did it come to this.

Suddenly an idea came to me.

That was it.

“Reflect Shield…..”

That’s right. The skill he used on me was blocked by the counter effect from the Reflect Shield.

The attack had flown back towards him.

Since it was a level 200 Reflect Shield, the reflection chance was 50%.

The reflected damage was 70%.

He probably attacked me while using his Isolation ability, so the attack did twice the damage.

Not knowing that it would come back to him, that is.

It didn’t matter how this situation came to be, because it was my chance.

The pain from my fingers? Pain from my charred blown up body?

I didn’t feel anything from these petty injuries.

Another chance had found me.

Firstly, I had to finish off Joker, who was critically wounded.

“Oraaa!”

I cast an attack buff.

Due to the attack I received, Louver’s Bracelet was fully charged for an empowered skill.

Dashing towards him, I began to throw out my Formless Sword Aura.

Pulling out his swords from his body, Joker began to swing his swords wildly.

Due to the extended fight, it appeared that he was running out of mana.

He wasn’t even using the most basic executioner class skill that strengthened his body.

He was only swinging his swords with just his bare strength.

I wasn’t sure if it was only due to chance, but he was blocking few of the invisible Formless Sword Aura attacks.

Each time he moved though, Joker was bleeding out more and more.

Some time passed like that.

“Huff… Huff. You dare! Someone like you!”

His breathing was heavy.

I wasn’t sure if he was screaming or roaring, but his loud voice filled the battlefield.

He had already received several Formless Sword Aura attacks with his body.

Blood leaked out from in between his grey armor, forming a pool on the floor.

His eyes were already unfocused and body limp, and he was no longer capable of combat.

Despite all that, he still held his sword and continued to stumble towards me.

-slice!

In one swing, I cut his arm that held the twin swords.

His arm, as well as the sword that was held, clattered to the floor.

Joker was trying to put his remaining arm into his armor.

Was it his last attempt? It looked as though he was trying to find something.

“Tenacious bastard.”

“Ku… Kuuk…. I, to be defeated by the likes of you….”

“A class and ability that are specialized in killing people. I shouldn’t stay alive.”

“It’s not over y…”

-slice!

-thud

The crescent Banwol Jincheon cleanly separated his head from his body.

Blood spilled forth from his neck, and the head had a twisted expression as it collided on the ground.

There was no information I needed from him.

To be honest, he probably had lots of information.

But I didn’t want to hear anything from him anymore.

The rage I felt against him suddenly blew up.

And that’s how Joker died.

****

I covered Joker’s corpse with Fire Shock.

It was to make sure that no evidence remained.

Even if this was a restricted area that no longer gets visitors, it didn’t hurt to be thorough.

Meteor gave out very powerful flames, but no skill can compare to this one when it comes to incinerating things to oblivion.

“Whew….”

After getting rid of the evidence, I focused solely on recovery.

Perhaps due to the injury I received being quite serious, a few levels of the Heal spell rose during the process.

The corpse was incinerated without a trace left, with only the grey armor and sword remaining.

The weapon and armor could withstand the fierce flames of Fire Shock.

I was sure that it was worth a vast fortune.

“I’ll take care of them well, Joker.”

It happened when I lifted his armor.

-clang.

Something that was in the armor fell to the floor.

The size was similar to an Awakened Essence, but the shape and color was completely different.

A transparent pearl that was perfectly spherical.

I remembered that Joker was trying to find something with his amputated arm before he died.

I couldn’t help but think that this was what he was looking for.

Since I didn’t know what ability this pearl possessed, I carelessly shoved it into my pocket.

With that, I gathered all the items and exited the association building.

****

“81 missed calls? People would believe it if I told them that this was my lover.”

-riiiiing. riiiiiing.

Even in that short span of time, another call came.

Just as I thought, it was Jong Ho.

“Hel…”

“Hey you! Are you okay?”

“Of course. I’m fine.”

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Hm…. Status Denial. Can I get it immediately through the midget?”

“What. Is it serious? Where and how is the injury!”

“It’s not that serious. Don’t worry.”

“When will you come back? What about Joker? What happened with Joker?”

“I killed him. In about 10 minutes, I’ll take Warp to get to the midget’s office. I’ll see you there, hyung.”

“Ok. I’ll head there right now and wait for you. You have to come straight away, okay?”

“Yes.”

Ending the call, I was engrossed in my thoughts.

I only survived this battle with pure luck.

It was also pure luck that I won this battle.

A 50% chance to reflect.

If Reflect Shield wasn’t able to successfully counter?

Obviously the role of the winner and loser in this battle would be swapped.

“Luck… I can’t depend on luck for my life.”

I couldn’t hope to get lucky every time.

I needed to obtain more power for the days ahead.

---

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68. Final Battle with Joker (2)

“The kitten has now become the tiger…”

It already has become a habit to cover myself with Mana Shield.

On top of that, Reflect Shield, Frozen Shield, and Spirit Armor encompassed me as well.

There was a gap between my shields due to the cooldown being longer than their duration.

To cover this gap, I was saving Iron Skin and Holy Block.

And if I did receive his attack, Louver’s set should absorb the mana to form a shield.

The gray armor that covered Joker began to emit a glow.

Almost as if his form was boiling, smoke began to rise from him.

The effect must be from an attack buff skill of the executioner class.

Stomping towards me, he spoke.

“I’m relieved that I can take you down now instead of later…”

“You think it’s possible by yourself? You should’ve at least brought one person who could take your corpse.”

“I wonder how long your confidence will last.”

-SLICE!

The shock wave seemed to cut apart the very ground, making my ears ring.

For a second, I could not follow his movements.

In a blink of an eye, his attack struck me.

He was behind me.

However, since my shield seemed fine, I figured it wasn’t an attack that was beyond ranking.

My Mana Shield was quaking like ripples of a pond after a stone was tossed in.

On top of that, with that single attack, Louver’s Bracelet was fully charged.

It was an attack that had its damage reduced by the defensive equipment I wore, which included 40% physical damage reduction and 60% magic damage reduction.

‘Even with the reduction, for the damage to be this much…”

It just showed how much power was behind that attack.

The bracelet glowed blue, almost as if asking me to hurry up and cast an empowered skill.

However, it would be useless as of now against him.

The defensive skill blocked a certain number of attacks, so it wasn’t damage I needed.

“Mana Shield….”

“Oraaaa!”

-BOOM! BOOM!

I spammed Explosion and Holy Shock at him.

I didn’t know how many attacks Dodge Aura could block, but it would eventually wear out.

And my Mana is endless.

However, he was easily avoiding my single cast attacks as if mocking me.

Power and speed.

Having both, it was as if I was looking at a wild beast.

Out of the two Banwol Jincheons that spewed out constant fire, one stopped.

And in a brief moment…

-whoosh

A frozen field enough to cover the entire battlefield formed.

I had cast ‘Glacial Field’.

It doesn’t do a lot of damage, but since it is a wide range magic attack, it should constantly hit him.

To top that off, I used Gravity Laser as well.

Before, when I used it on Jin, the attack was stopped because I could not find his location.

This time however, I used this skill after casting Eye of Insight, so it would hit him even if he went into stealth.

After allowing me to attack him constantly, he suddenly started to move again.

Joker slammed his sword into the ground.

It was as if he was laughing at the attacks coming towards him.

Despite the floor being made of nano material, his swords easily went through.

I guess it’s only possible because he did put all his stats into strength.

After that, Joker pulled his swords out of the ground and put them back into each of their scabbards at his waist.

I didn’t know what skill would be coming out.

It was then.

A dark hole formed behind him.

It looked like a black hole, but didn’t appear to be sucking in anything.

After forming, swords same as the ones he held came out of the hole, floating into formation.

It was an effect just like using Piercing Sword.

Immediately, he raised his hand towards me.

“Take this!”

Receiving his command, the swords poured towards me at a frightening speed.

In an instant, my head began to run at full speed.

It definitely wasn’t a warrior skill.

And it wasn’t amongst the executioner class skills that Jong Ho showed me. I haven’t seen any skills with that kind of effect.

It was highly likely that the skill was beyond ranking.

‘If that’s the case…!’

-CRACK!

Instead of trying to avoid the attack, I cast Iceberg in front of me.

A massive iceberg appeared through the ground below.

The transparent iceberg had become tinted with purple after reaching level 200, and sparkled as if it was chiseled obsidian, blocking the path in front of me.

This skill was definitely for attacking.

The skill explanation even said that it was an A+ ranking attack skill.

But right now, Iceberg was being used to block his attack as a defensive measure.

I understood that a skill’s use wasn’t limited by its rank or type, but the user’s sense of when and where is the right time to use it.

Joker’s attack that flew in began to embed itself into the iceberg.

Its destructive force caused the block of ice that was tough as steel to crumble.

My guess wasn’t wrong.

It was definitely an attack skill beyond ranking.

I stopped my attack to cast an additional Iceberg.

Seeing that his attack became useless due to being blocked, Joker couldn’t contain his rage.

“You little… Where’d you learn such tricks!”

“I think my shield is saying hi to you. What about you?”

“What! AHHH!”

Unsheathing his twin swords, Joker charged again.

Each time his feet struck the ground, I could feel the earth shake.

He allowed me to continue attacking him as he charged towards me.

He charged until he was close to me.

Canceling the shields that ran out of their duration time, I cast Iron Skin and Holy Block.

My grip on the Banwol Jincheons tightened.

He would probably continue sticking onto me at melee range with a close-quarters combat attack.

If that’s the case, I should meet him with my own.

“Come at me!”

‘Piercing Sword’

-CLANG!

Without a doubt, Joker was very powerful.

He was blocking or evading most of the countless swords pouring out.

However, it was near impossible to defend against all of them perfectly.

Like the skill beyond ranking that Joker used, thousands of swords followed my orders and flew at him.

It was enough to wonder if there was a skill better suited to getting rid of his shield.

I was casting Piercing Swords with both hands.

Thanks to Dual Casting, I was able to cast skills with a third hand.

If I gave up on Mana Shield, I should be able to end his life even faster.

However, I was not going to make the same mistake I did before.

I was already pouring a cheat-like attack towards him anyways.

“Let’s see how long you can dodge!”

“You!”

It was then.

‘It pierced!’

The cut from the Banwol Jincheon was left clearly on his shoulder.

Not missing this chance, I stopped casting Piercing Sword from one hand.

Then I cast S ranking attack skill Formless Sword Aura.

Through Formless Sword Aura, I naturally obtained the art of the sword, allowing me to strike down his neck with perfect precision.

Despite the count decreasing by half, it was taking everything Joker had to block Piercing Sword.

“Ku-uck!”

I could feel it through the sword.

It was an attack with enough force easily slices through his hide.

Surprisingly, Joker pulled his body back quickly, preventing the sword from cutting in deep.

However, the important thing wasn’t that I was unable to take him out in one hit.

It was that his Dodge Aura had run out of dodges.

He shouldn’t be able to avoid the next attack.

After a successful attack from Formless Sword Aura, the attacks that follow after cannot be defended against.

No matter how good his senses were, I thought that it would be difficult to avoid the sword aura attacks that he didn’t know where it was coming from.

“Ku-uh….”

“I’ll finish you. Joker.”

It was then.

He moved his hands like before, entering stealth.

“I think the one pulling dirty tricks is you, not me.”

“Kuha. Do you think it would be over like this. You weakling.”

“I’ll show you that what you’re doing now will only amount to buying time!”

-Clang!

‘Wha… What the!’

I had already found his position using Eye of Insight.

To close the distance once more, I rushed him.

However, as I was running, I ran into solid darkness as if a wall was blocking the way and couldn’t continue forward.

I definitely had status effect immunity due to the Titan Boots I was wearing.

It wasn’t a type of bind or illusion, but probably a very strong defensive skill.

I was blocked in from all sides by walls roughly 10 meters wide.

No matter how much I swung my sword, the walls did not break.

-Clang! Clang!

“Kuhaha!”

My surprise for his sudden unexpected attack was short lived, because something bigger happened after.

From the 4 walls that surrounded me, 3 black holes Joker cast before appeared.

The size was also different from last time.

It was big enough to cover up each wall.

“This is crazy!”

I could only cast two Icebergs.

If I gave up on Mana Shield, I’d be vulnerable to his attacks.

Blocking it with Piercing Sword?

No. It wouldn’t be enough to try to block a skill beyond ranking with Joker’s power on top with just brute force.

As if suffocating me, countless Joker’s twin blades formed.

It was obvious that no matter what shields I used, it would be difficult to even stay alive.

The sound of friction between metal. And the fear from the surrounding view.

It was brief, but the pressure was immense.

“Whew… If I meet an executioner class ahead in the future, I’d be shaking.”

“Is that really your last words? The word ‘ahead’ doesn’t seem to fit you.”

“Pfft.”

-CRACK!

Casting Iceberg to each my sides, I cast Devil Avatar for the remaining side.

Giant creatures befitting of a level 200 skill spawned.

Being in a small room with 3 giant monsters, I felt more suffocated to be honest.

“KUWAAA!”

“Grr….”

‘Loud voice and look at that size. Perfect for a meatshield. Joker’s skill lasts for roughly 1 minute. Just hold out until then.’

“Defend. Block the attack with your whole body, with your lives!”

“KUWUHHH!”

Understanding my command, the avatars blocked the black hole with their bodies.

On top of that, the Iceberg I cast on both sides made his attacks useless.

All around me were covered with the blood from the avatars.

It was true that they had great defensive capabilities, but it looked useless in front of Joker’s attack.

Shattered bits from both icebergs joined the fray as well.

“Just have to block for a bit longer!”

“KUWAACK.”

The three avatars lost their lives with pierced bodies at the same time the black hole ceased.

I felt sorry for them as they were butchered pathetically, but in a situation where my life was in danger, that kind of compassion was useless.

“You did well.”

As soon as I said those words, the darkness the trapped me cleared.

Joker had approached me already.

The end of his sword was bent.

Using that as if it was a hook, he latched onto me.

It wasn’t a skill, but instead brute force he used to bind me.

Since I had my shield, I didn’t receive any damage, but it was an insane amount of power.

At the same time, my Formless Sword Aura began to cut him apart.

“Ku.. KU-URK!”

Joker was letting a terrifying scream out while leaning in next to my ear.

However, it didn’t seem like he had any thoughts of letting go.

Suddenly feeling worried, I cast all of my shields.

And with all my strength, I pierced his heart with my sword and pushed him away with my left arm.

Then.

-BOOM!

“KUWAAK!”

---

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67. Final Battle with Joker

That day was nearing.

The day Joker spoke about.

Due to my fast leveling, I distributed all the stat points that have been piling up.

It’s true that I didn’t bother with it much because the stats really wouldn’t affect my hunting speed.

I even put on the skeleton ring with its +20 strength that has long become obsolete to me.

Both hands held tightly onto the Banwol Jincheons that were returned to me by Jong Ho.

 

Strength: 1788

Mana: ∞

Dexterity: 10

Stamina: 910

 

It was kind of disappointing that I did not have any armor or gear that would raise my Stamina or Dexterity.

However. I had an item that makes one immune to all status effects, Titan Boots.

Louver’s set, which allows me to cast empowered skills and turns absorbed mana into a shield.

Lich King’s armor set, which reduces all damage taken by 40%.

And lastly, an item that I recently received, the Lizard Gauntlet that reduces magic damage taken by 20%.

I had obtained as much as I could in the short time I had.

These weren’t all of it.

Meteor and Iceberg were both level 200, which allowed me to cast them endlessly.

Countless shield skills, all of which were Awakened.

Reflect, Groggy, and Holy Damage. Powerful S ranking shields with additional effects.

First, I checked if there were any gear I forgot to equip.

After that, I opened up the stat window to look at all the skills I’ve obtained and Awakened.

No matter how well I was equipped with the best skills, if I wasn’t able to use them at will, it would be as useless as not learning them in the first place.

Noticing how nervous I was, it finally sunk in that the fight with him was near.

****

It was around the time when the sun is about to set.

“Thank you for the dinner.”

“Oh? Why are you saying that all of a sudden. Did you mature?”

“The stew’s deep taste of beef broth really moved me.”

“Hoho! Did you taste it? I didn’t think you’d notice it.”

“What! Was it really from the beef broth?”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. It’s not bad for you.”

“After 18 years, Mrs. Park’s secret recipe is stolen. Looks like it’ll make the headlines tomorrow?”

Being serious isn’t really my style.

If worse comes to worse, this could be my last goodbye.

With that, I told her that I was off to hunt and left the house.

Surprising, he had come to my exact location before.

If he had information about me, he would’ve waited in front of my house. Instead, we met for the first time at the midget’s office.

It was possible that he used the executioner’s class skill ‘Searching Eye’ or used the unique accessory ‘Searching Necklace’.

No matter where I was, he was going to find me anyways.

This wasn’t a fight between just any run of the mill Awakened.

No matter where we fought, the shockwave and the sound of destruction would fill the surrounding areas.

Just like the fight with the Noblesse before, I wanted to fight in a separate battlefield that was already prepared.

There would be no benefit to drawing attention, after all.

With that reason, I left home and decided to head for Yangpyeong.

It was an area with lots of mountains, with a high chance that there were hidden portals in the valleys.

Because of the dangerously high possibility of portal explosions from the hidden portals, it wasn’t an area fit for people to reside in.

It was so dangerous that the Awakened association in the area was dissolved, and all the residents were forced to relocate.

I headed for the abandoned association building to use the battlefield that was located underground.

In front of the house, Jong Ho’s car was waiting.

The ruins of Yangpyeong was an area that even taxis feared to tread.

And since I was never there before, it wasn’t possible for me to use Warp.

Jong Ho was leaning on the car, smoking a cigarette.

At his feet, there were at least 10 cigarette butts.

Seeing me, Jong Ho quickly stamped out his cigarette and spoke.

“So you’re here?”

“Yep.”

“Both morning and evenings are rather cold. Only a few days ago, it felt too hot.”

“I guess so.”

“Guess it’s true that spring and fall are going away.”

As if we were awkward with one another when alone together, he was only giving me polite greetings that strayed away from the main subject.

It was like him to do that, so in this situation, I thought this was better than for him to give me pity or encouragement.

I would probably do the same as well.

Picking up the cigarette butts, he got in the car.

“Whew. It’s cold, let’s get in quick.”

“….”

I went in Jong Ho’s car as well.

In the backseat, Ho Jin was already there.

“Oh? What if surveillance followed you here?”

“It’s okay. Shouldn’t have one today. Seems that Se-Jin isn’t mediocre at his job.”

“Ah. I see. Guess I should at least treat him to a nice dinner later.”

“Of course. Haha.”

Just in case, I used Eye of Insight, but just like Ho Jin said, there was no surveillance on him.

Ho Jin and Jong Ho. They knew each other well already due to party hunting together.

That’s why, today, Ho Jin had contacted him ahead of time to meet together.

As the car started, a silence settled for a long time.

It seemed that it was a difficult situation for anyone to speak up.

I was the first one to break the silence.

“Old man.”

“Yes.”

“If I lose to Joker, will you tell everything to the world like you said before?”

“That’s unlikely, but if it really does happen, I plan to do so.”

“Do you think things will change?”

“Huh?”

“If you do that, do you think the world would change?”

“That….”

“Truth be told, I’m going there to take care of personal business. I’m not going there for some noble reason like taking down one of the radical faction leaders because they possess a threat to South Korea.”

“I’m aware. However, whatever the reason may be, it has to be starting point for the world to change. If it is possible with my life, I would sacrifice myself hundreds and thousands of times to make it possible.”

There was a glint in Ho Jin’s eyes, just like the time when he was giving his all to catch me.

Eyes that were clear and determined, looking directly at his goal.

For some reason, I couldn’t help but trust him.

“I see. You’re holding onto the Awakened ID, right? I’ll be back for it soon.”

“Yes. You have to.”

As the heavy air in the car dissipated a bit, Jong Ho asked.

“Hey, did you plan to meet him at this hour?”

“No. That’s not it.”

“Then I hope that Joker doesn’t appear even after we arrive.”

“Do you think that makes any sense? Old man, is there any reports of Joker having a serious case of forgetfulness?”

“N.. No. No reports like that…”

“Hyung. It seems we can’t hope for that?.”

On my left was an exemplary model citizen even without laws, who couldn’t throw away a single cigarette butt without disposing of it properly.

Behind me was an ex department head of the association who burned with righteousness.

It almost felt like I was the bad guy.

A long drive later, we arrived at Yangpyeong.

There were checkpoints set up on the way to Yangpyeong that prevented vehicles from passing, but with the use of Mass Stealth and Silent, we were able to pass without any issues.

If that battle here ends, all I would have to do is use the Warp skill.

To the two who said they’ll wait in front of the building, I turned them around saying they could take collateral damage.

Once again, Jong Ho took a long whiff of his smoke.

His expression was filled with many conflicting emotions.

“Then, we’ll be going. Call me after it’s over.”

“Yes. Don’t worry about me and take care on the way back. Ah! What about the checkpoints?”

“I didn’t think about that.”

“Don’t worry about that. We just need to get some grass in a bag and it’ll be solved. A lot of herbalists come to dig up herbs here.”

“As I heard from rumors, the association really works hard. Security is tight too.”

“… I’m ashamed.”

“Then, please take care.”

With that, the two left.

****

There wasn’t a single flicker of light in the association building of Yangpyeong.

I was heading towards the battlefield underground, sure that Joker would be coming there.

The hallways rang loudly with my footsteps.

It was then, while I was traversing through the empty dark hallway.

-thud thud

.

.

-thud thud

-thud thud

In the hallway where I could only hear my footsteps, I suddenly felt his presence.

And the presence kept closing in.

Joker, without any warning or making any sound, was next to me.

“As expected, you found me? Joker.”

“Kuhuhu. It seems this kid has a lot more secrets than I expected. Even making me travel this to this remote location to find you.”

“It’s because I’m very shy.”

“Seems like you chose this place for battle. Since you came all the way here, I guess I can take your answer as a no?”

“We just have to go down one more level, you know? I’ll give you the answer you want without leaving room for regrets down there. Let’s stop talking up here and go down.”

With Joker, we were heading for the same place.

A short time passed, and we were in the underground battlefield.

Without any words, Joker and I faced towards each other.

The light coming off from each of our swords were the only indication of where we were.

Then.

-CRACK!

As Joker snapped his fingers, the dark battlefield was lit brightly.

The darkness was similar to a dungeon.

There was nothing that gave off light, but you could still see each other clearly.

I could tell that the skill was similar to the one he used to pull me into complete darkness before.

Joker spoke.

“You chose death. Why?”

“….”

“Don’t you feel that it is unfair how those with incredible power are treated as the same with those regular humans? If you come to me, we could step on them and command them at will.”

“This is a famous saying in a movie, and it feels like it was made so I can use it here. I’ll only say it once, so listen well.”

“….”

“How can a wolf cub go under a dog? You dog shit!”

-CRASH!

-BOOM!

In a split second, a massive black condensed ball of flame headed towards Joker.

Meteor Call had reached level 200.

The intense flames that were red before had now completely turned black.

Two Meteors that I casted with each of my hand struck him directly without any delay.

With that massive impact, the floor of the battlefield, which was made of nano material, was now a massive crater.

It was a destructive force that not even rankers that represented their nations could reproduce.

The surrounding area was burning in black flames.

However, he walked out from the intense flames swinging his dual blades, as if nothing was wrong.

As expected, he has a shield that isn’t affected by how much damage it takes.

With a sinister smile, Joke spoke to me.

“Kuhaha! Did you cast the skill while walking over here? I’ll applaud you on hiding the casting motion from me. But that’s too bad. Out of all the skills you have, it’s probably the strongest right? Now, what will you do?”

Ignoring him, I asked him.

“How did you come here?”

“…”

“Did you use Warp? If you run away later using Warp, I think I’ll be very angry.”

“Running away? Pfft! Do you think I’ll give you time to cast another Mete…!”

-CRASH!

-BOOM!

“Did you not notice it yet?”

The Banwol in my right hand was pointing at the flames he walked past.

Even he wouldn’t have any information regarding a Meteor Call that had reached level 200.

It was because no one had reached this skill level yet.

He looked towards the black flames.

“No… No way…”

“Isn’t it surprising? It’s magic, shithead!”

His expression was filled with shock as I continued to rain down Meteor.

Of course, he hadn’t taken any damage yet, but it would be the first time he has seen a level 200 Meteor.

Suddenly, the smile on his face disappeared.

Then, Joke fixed his posture and gripped his dual swords tightly.

“Even if you say you want to come under me now, I’ll decline! Your grave will be here!”

---

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66. Joker

“I need those swords again.”

Hearing my words, Jong Ho remained silent for a while.

I could not even hear the sound of breathing over the phone.

“What. Did the call end? Hello?”

“Has it begun?”

His voice was far heavier than all the times when he declined the rare items I was offering to him.

It was almost as if I was talking to someone else entirely.

“Hm… I guess so?”

“You probably wouldn’t go after them if you don’t know where they are and you aren’t ready to do so.”

“Yes. After meeting with Mr. Kim Ho Jin, I was heading to the midget’s office to use Warp when he came to me.”

“Joker?”

“Yes. Since he himself appeared, it doesn’t look like it’ll end until I settle things once and for all.”

“Do you have a plan?”

“Of course. I have a strategy that would shock even Zhuge Liang.”

“Pfft. What’s the point of asking. Your plan probably amounts only to something like ‘Go in and kill them all,’ or something like that. Is there anything I can help with?”

“Correct! You already know well. If there is one thing you got wrong, it’s that the plan is more like ‘Kill all those that come to me,’ or so? Thanks to Proof of Oath, my mother should be safe. It’ll be tough for you to take them on, so I don’t really have anything to ask of you.”

“Let’s have dinner together today at least. I’ll finish up hunting early today and contact you.”

“Perhaps… the final supper?”

“You’re a real piece of work. Cracking a joke at a time like this. Sigh….”

“What about you hyung? You’re so cruel! Trying to send me off right away, I guess I don’t need to worry about the funeral.”

“Shut up! Don’t say stuff like that! I’ll see you later. I’ll bring the swords.”

“Yes. Gotcha.”

I pretended that I was carefree as best I could in front of Jong Ho, but in reality I was slightly worried.

One of the three leaders of the radical faction who even has a subclass, Joker.

I had fought the Noblesse guild as well as Jin.

It was obvious that he was going to incomparably tougher compared to what I’ve faced before.

In case this happened, I poured effort in many ways, and grew as strong as I could. However, I couldn’t know how strong he was until I fought with him.

If there is one good news, it’s that the only person who knows of my existence is Joker.

Not sure what made him seek me out in such a hurry though.

If I can take care of him cleanly, I shouldn’t be bothered for a while.

****

The next day, I received a call from Ho Jin.

With a promise of becoming allies, I was satisfied.

After receiving his call, I immediately headed towards him.

Since the fight with Joker will be tomorrow, I needed every bit of useful information I could obtain.

Since he was in the association for 20 years, I was sure that he’d have some useful advice at least.

After meeting him, I entered stealth with him and headed for the level 13 dungeon.

Using the fake IDs, of course.

“Whew. Finally, away from prying eyes.”

“Guess you’re quite upset.”

“Yes. I think I’ll be holding onto this grudge for a while. Here is what you requested of me from before.”

Ho Jin brought out an Awakened ID.

He had already left the association, but by using his contacts, he was able to obtain it with great difficulty from Se-Jin.

This ID looked identical to a normal ID, but it wouldn’t send data to the association even after scanning it on the scanners located in front of the dungeons.

It also did not require any fingerprints, so you could think of it as a universal key, really.

“With this, you should be able to enter any dungeon of any level as you please. Without leaving a trace, of course.”

“Thank you.”

“It was made to test out the scanners when they malfunction, and there are only a few of them in existence. This could cause Se-Jin problems, as they do regular inspections. Whenever that happens, please lend it back to us for the brief duration of the inspection.”

“Don’t worry about that, I’ll do as you say.”

“Here. Take it.”

“Hm… This proof of our alliance, I’ll take it two days from now. I don’t think I’ll need it right now. Or it could be that I won’t need it at all.”

“What do you mean?”

It’s already decided that we’re on the same boat.

There was no reason to hide it from him.

There’s a saying, two heads are better than one.

I continued to speak.

“I’ll be meeting with the radical faction. To fight them, of course.”

“What….”

“You probably know already, but there are 3 leaders underneath the overboss in the radical faction.”

“……”

“Out of them, a person named Joker is gunning for me. To be concise, he wants my ability.”

“Ability?”

“Yes. I’ll reveal it to you after this.”

“I also know Joker as well. Back when I-jin Han was the president of the association, my primary task was to investigate Joker of the radical faction.”

Previously, I received a text that the association was purchasing Manticore’s Soulstone that dropped from the level 12 dungeon.

On the text, the name I-jin Han was on there.

It’s been only a few months, but I guess a new association president took office.

“Joker, Ghost, and Dark Lady. Only a few in the association and government know of their existence. The previous president I mentioned before, he was planning an attack on them before they attacked first. However, before his plan could be carried out, he went missing, and some rotten man by the name of Choi Man Seo took office.”

“The classified mission that targeted the radical faction was canceled, and the president of the association that pushed for it disappeared? Doesn’t it look like the radical faction had a hand in this?”

“Yes, I think so as well. Seeing that many association members tried to gloss over his disappearance, I couldn’t even predict just how many of the radical faction members were hidden in here.”

“I see. Can you tell me more about Joker?”

Then Ho Jin told me information I already knew.

Out of the three leaders, he had the greatest combat capabilities, with the rare executioner class to boot.

However, the information he told after that, seemed like it’ll be useful in the fight to come.

“Joker is a person who only focused on his offensive capabilities. It shows that he has no talent for any defensive abilities.”

“What do you mean?”

“From the information I gathered back then, I was able to learn that the three leaders fight amongst one another to determine who is on top.”

“Strength is political power. Seems exactly like something they would do.”

“That’s right. And this was decided by the overboss, so there’s nothing more to add. There is no information on Ghost, as far as I know. He really is a ghost. Not even his ability… That leaves Dark Lady and Joker.”

“…..”

“Dark Lady, like the other leaders, also has a secondary class. Tanker, as well as the assassin class.”

“Defense and offense. Not lacking in any field.”

“Yes. But the important thing is that Joker was able to get through her iron clad defense. Not sure if she wanted to look good in front of her boss, but she used a lot more assassin class skills rather than tanker skills. Guess she wanted to show the boss her offensive capabilities.”

“…..”

“However, unlike Dark Lady who was a mess after taking countless hits, Joker didn’t receive any damage. Even though Dark Lady gave up on defense to go on the offensive, she could not inflict any damage on Joker. It was because he used the Dodge Aura skill from the executioner class. Seeing that, she began to focus on her defense. Her offensive capability would go down, but she was aiming for an extended fight. It was also to recover the damage she took, most likely.”

Listening to his explanation, instead of finding out the weaknesses, I was only learning about his strengths.

It was as if he was trying to cut down my fighting spirit even before the fight began.

Stopping him, I asked a question.

“Wait a minute. Didn’t you say his defense was weak? From what you told me about Joker so far, doesn’t he sound like someone who is strong in both offense and defense?”

“Sorry. My explanation was too long. The point is that the shield Joker uses is different from regular shields.”

“Does it not have a cooldown and cast time?”

“No. It doesn’t get affected by the amount of damage absorbed. It blocks a certain number of attacks.”

Regular shields break apart faster the stronger the attack it absorbs.

To increase the amount absorbed, the shield skill would need to be leveled up.

But from what Ho Jin was telling me, Joker’s Dodge Aura did not have a cap on the damage it could block.

No matter how powerful that attack was, it would be counted as a single block of an attack.

Ho Jin continued.

“Even though there is not much information out there about the executioner class, information on most of the skills the executioner class has can be found in the association. However, I could not find any information or any similar skills to his Dodge Aura.”

“I see.”

“Since their fight ended in less than 5 min, I do not know if he has any more hidden skills.”

“Definitely a tough one to face against.”

“However, Dark Lady’s continuous attacks towards Joker eventually went past the Dodge Aura’s number of dodges, and when it did, apparently Joker took a massive amount of damage, even though Dark Lady focused more on defense so that the attack wasn’t particularly strong. Thus, I cannot figure out what the hidden skill is, but I know that he only put stat points into strength.”

“Now I understand what Jin meant. An ability solely focused on 1v1.”

“Huh? Jin?”

“Ah. Nothing.”

“Are you really going to respond to Joker’s taunt tomorrow?”

“That’s right. I have the information I need to take him down, so I should face him.”

“There are some rankers with righteousness similar to General Yoon Jong-sun, but they aren’t strong enough to face them. That’s why I’m counting on you.”

“I understand what you mean. The day after tomorrow, I’ll be back safely to receive this ID.”

“Okay. I’ll hold onto it well until then. Please be careful.”
“Then, I’ll be off.”

Entering stealth, I left the dungeon.

There was nothing else to prepare.

I had to face off against him at some point, but the time to do so had just arrived a little bit earlier.

Clearing my head, I headed home.

****

In the room filled with darkness like the skill he used, Joker was deep in thought.

He was thinking about making Min-Cheol submit so that he can use him for the dungeon portal explosion project.

He did not even think of the possibility of defeat.

Even if he had infinite mana, he had a few skills beyond ranking that could penetrate the mana shield after all.

It would only be a matter of time before he could win back the trust of Zekill that he lost to Dark Lady.

It was then that someone knocked on his door.

“Enter.”

“Sir Joker. It’s 21:00, as you said.”

“Right. It’s already time.”

Joker grabbed his weapon.

As if to prove his class, each hand held Executioner’s Sword.

Twin swords known for their smooth curves.

The edge on each sword had teeth like a shark’s.

In front of the swords that chilled most blue with fear, it seemed that no one could stand in front of them without cowering.

Unless it’s something serious, he usually does not bring weapons with him.

Seeing as he did now, his subordinate became tense as he spoke.

“We’ll follow. Should we ready up about 20 of our members?”

“I’m fine. Take care of your individual tasks.”

“Yes, Joker.”

The subordinate left the room.

Joker planned to use Min-Cheol solely as a mana tank.

If Zekill found out about Min-Cheol’s existence, he would see the unlimited potential he has and would probably raise him as a leader.

With a crazed smile, Joker grabbed onto the handles of his swords.

---

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65. Ally? Foe? Ally!

Report of Kim Ho Jin after 5 days of surveillance.

-06:30 Wakes up.

-After waking up, feeds pet: Dumpling. (Not very cute for a dog.)

-07:20 Personal care before leaving. (The type to eat breakfast no matter what.)

-07:30 Says goodbye to daughter Kim Jeong-yeon and wife before leaving. (Wakes up earlier than expected. Guess the entire family is one of those morning people types.)

-08:00 Arrives at the level 13 dungeon to find a party to join.

-Afternoon. Until Jong Ho and his group of members arrive, tags along with other Awakened who seem decent enough to hunt. (Hunts for over 12 hours, like I do. Seems he has some goal in mind.)

-20:00 Finishes hunting, returns home.

-22:00 Sleep. (This looks more like how a soldier lives.)

“What the. Did he really leave the association?”

Too much time had passed to call it a vacation period given from the association.

It was nearly 2 weeks since he had hunted with Jong Ho, after all.

Eavesdropping on Ho Jin and his wife, I was able to confirm that he really did quit.

While I was keeping up surveillance on Ho Jin, Jong Ho informed me that Ho Jin asked about me.

Following my instructions, Jong Ho avoided the questions by changing the topic or made up stories about me as needed.

For very specific personal questions, he just replied that he didn’t know.

From what I’ve seen so far, Kim Ho Jin appeared to have left the association and was living the life of an average Awakened.

That’s why today, I’ll be appearing in front of him.

It was for the information I wanted from him.

And it seemed that he was hoping for me to appear before him anyways, so there was no reason to delay.

The hunting was finished deep into the night due to the delay cause by the surveillance I kept on Ho Jin.

Obtaining information and an ally is important, but growing stronger took priority.

Like keeping a knife sharp, I kept up my daily hunting routine to the dot.

After a short nap, I headed towards Ho Jin’s house so I can meet him as he left for his daily hunting.

I could see him leaving his apartment.

-beep

He was walking towards a white SUV.

‘Why is an Awakened using a vehicle to get to the hunting grounds?’

I myself had used a similar method until recently, but he could just use the Warp skill to get there.

Ho Jin stopped walking towards the vehicle, and facepalmed.

A monologue followed.

“Ah. I’m out of it… This is why habits are scary.”

“Mr. Kim Ho Jin.”

While he was looking blankly at the vehicle, I went towards him and spoke.

Turning his head to where he heard the voice, he didn’t seem that surprised seeing me standing there.

But hiding his expression again, he played stupid.

“Who…?”

“It’s Kim Min-Cheol. We met at the level 13 dungeon before.”

“Ah! Now I remember. Sorry about that. My memory isn’t the best. What business brought you here, I wonder…”

“We also met at the level 28 dungeon, right?”

Seeing my smirk, there were beads of sweat running down his face.

“Huh? Haha… No way. Since I Awakened later than others, I’ve just started to run the level 13 dungeon, you know?”

“Drop the acting please. You don’t seem to have any talent in doing so. Don’t have time to waste either.”

“W… What do you mean…”

“Sorry to say this now, but I’ve been watching you for the past few days.”

“….”

“Let’s change locations. Looks like a fly is amidst us.”

Looking through the Eye of Insight I casted beforehand, I was able to find someone using a stealth skill to spy on us.

The radical faction?

No. There was no way that they’d put someone as green as this person to a target that had taken out Jin.

Probably to keep tabs on Kim Ho Jin.

Perhaps he had also noticed, because he nodded his head and followed me to the alleyway next to the entrance of the apartment complex.

Turning the corner to get out of the line of sight of the spy, I casted Mass Stealth Jutsu and Silent.

The range was enough to cover both Ho Jin and me.

“Now we can proceed. Let’s continue talking. What do you want from me? Why are you trying to find out about me?”

Ho Jin let out a heavy sigh, and then began to speak with a serious expression.

“Whew… Before I answer your question, let me first talk. I don’t know who you are. The only thing I know is that you can hunt things over your level. Not sure what ability you have, or how strong you are, I have no clue. And…”

He paused a moment as if to gather his thoughts.

As if coming to a decision, his words were heavy.

Perhaps it was a form of resignation.

But for some reason, his expression looked different, almost calm.

“I’m not sure which side you are on.”

“You are saying that you don’t know if I’m with the radical faction, right? Perhaps even hoping that I am?”

“Haha. Glad you’re straightforward. That’s right. I’ll speak without hiding anything. There was something I decided on this morning as I left the house.”

“What would that be?”

“I was on my way to expose the truth behind the association. The truth that the association is aware of the radical faction, yet all they’re trying to do is to turn a blind eye to the whole thing. Both association and the government.”

“If that’s the truth, and I was of the radical faction? You could be killed here right now, without a sound. Is that your choice? No regrets?”

“If I can stand proudly in front of my family, and if it is just my life, I do not have any, not in the slightest.”

I could tell from the surveillance I’ve carried out so far, but now I was sure that he had nothing to do with the radical faction.

And I just realized today that the association is keeping tabs on him too.

He’s probably similar to Yoon Jong-sun, a man of righteousness.

“I understand your resolve, but please think of your family when you’re risking your life. I understand. First off, I’m not of the radical faction. Actually, I’m more like a threat to them?”

“Really?”

From his eyes, I could feel desperation.

“Yes. I think I answered your question well. Now can I expect you to answer mine?”

“What I want from you is… strength.”

“Strength? I expected as much, but for what do you need it?”

“Currently, most of those who hold power in this country are connected to the radical faction.”

“I knew it…”

“If they continue to hide the truth from the national organization as well the citizens, something big is going happen for sure.”

“So you’re asking me to give you the strength to smash the radical faction?”

“Yes. That’s correct.”

“What can you do for me then? You know that a one way trade is unfair.”

“That…..”

To Ho Jin, who was mumbling, I spoke with gusto.

“Information. I need all the information you have on them, as well as how to prevent the association from knowing about my growth as well. Is that possible?”

****

I finished our conversation that continued on for a while.

To avoid being discovered by the association’s assassin, he headed for the level 13 dungeon using Warp.

I planned to head to the hunting grounds myself as usual.

If Ho Jin agrees to my plan and finds a way for me to enter the dungeons without any data being sent back to the association, I was planning to head to dungeons above the level 28 dungeon.

If the dungeons didn’t work, I was planning to enter even if I had to smash open the portals.

Until I was able to achieve the level of strength I wanted.

I moved towards the midget’s office to use the portal and head to the hunting grounds.

I rushed to catch a taxi, and was able to arrive quickly.

-beep. Ending ride.

“It’s 14,000 won.”

“Okay.”

Paying my dues, I left the taxi.

Then.

-glop

I heard a mushy glopping noise that seemed to echo through a small alleyway, giving me the chills.

The world around me began to turn dark.

Pitch black darkness covered my vision.

Almost as if in a room completely isolated in darkness, I could not see in front of me as there was not a speck of light coming in.

In that short time, I was trapped.

“What….”

I casted my shield spells out of instinct, and then casted spells with both hands so I could see with the light coming off of them.

But I still couldn’t see anything.

I didn’t know where I was or what happened, so I looked about.

A man’s voice began to reverberate from all directions.

The voice echoed as it would in a cave, so I could not tell exactly where the voice was coming from.

“It was you, you bastard. The one who killed Jin.”

Hearing his words, I could immediately tell who it was.

Joker, one of the three leaders of the radical faction, had appeared before me.

Knowing my existence as well as Jin’s, I was sure it was him.

 

“Joker? Oh boy. I got to meet a lot of people today. Did you come here because you wanted end up like Jin?”

“Funny. This is your last chance. Lend your strength to me.”

“Did any of you lend your strength to me? Stop talking shit and get over here.”

“2 days. I’ll be back in 2 days. Think carefully about your answer. Submit or die. One of these two answers will be the equivalent to anything you spit out, after all.”

‘Eye of Insight.’

From far away, I could see his form.

However, the distance was too far to see anything but a red dot.

Too far for me to attack.

“ORAAA!”

I began to run at full speed so I could take him down.

I felt that I wouldn’t be satisfied until I smash Meteor on his face at the least.

However.

-glop

I heard the same sound from when I exited the taxi, and the darkness cleared.

The red dot I saw was no longer there.

“Crap….”

After leaving the darkness, my vision was filled with light again.

My regret of letting him escape only lasted a moment, as the taxi was still next to me.

It was the same taxi that I rode to get here after finishing my talk to Ho Jin.

Looking at it carefully, I could see that the driver was still counting the money I handed to him.

I was sure that at least 3 hours passed since I was surrounded in darkness.

But this scene, it was same as the moment I handed the driver the money.

‘Did he stop time or something?’

It seemed that he teleported me to another dimension that was not affected by time.

It was likely that it was an executioner class ability.

“Two days….”

Joker was moving faster than what Jin told me.

Turning away from the direction of the midget’s office, I began to walk.

I called Jong Ho on the phone.

“Hello?”

“Hey, hyung.”

“Yeah. Did you meet with Mr. Kim Ho Jin?”

“Yes. Just finished talking with him.”

“How did it go? Pretty sure he did quit the association. What about the other thing? Do you think he’ll help out?”

“Not a hundred percent sure, but he did want something from me, so it looks like it’s likely to happen.”

“Glad it went smoothly”

“Yeah. Things did work out smoothly.”

Perhaps he noticed that something was off, because Jong Ho asked me.

“What’s up? Why are you sounding so glum?”

“Hyung.”

“Yeah. You can tell me.”

Banwol Jincheon. I had lent them to Jong Ho.

I was planning to take them back when I had to face Joker and the radical faction again.

Jong Ho knew it as well.

Mustering up as much of a serious voice I could, I spoke.

“I need those swords again.”

---

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