Chapter 115 – Nesos (1)

After meeting Rosie, I immediately summoned Yoon Joo-hee.

Of course, the matter at hand was the conquest of Nekarion’s Castle.

If I had my way, I would have gone alone, but this Abyss portal map was ultimately Yoon Joo-hee’s property, so I had to hear her opinion and make a decision.

“This is too sudden, Commander.”

Yoon Joo-hee had a dazed expression as if her thought process had stopped.

She hadn’t been this surprised even when I asked to borrow the portal map for a moment.

“The reason is simple. It’s because I’m confident that we can conquer it even if we go right now.”

But Yoon Joo-hee’s face showed no agreement at all.

Nekarion’s Castle was the place where the Jeongjin Sword Family had lost its entire force after staking its fate on the challenge nine years ago.

So what I was saying now would only sound absurd to her.

“Right now is too sudden. To be honest, Nekarion’s Castle is a goal I’ve set for the long term……”

“I’m curious. How long a term are you looking at.”

“I believe my strength needs to be greater than the entire force of the Jeongjin Sword Family from nine years ago.”

Yoon Joo-hee had a somewhat solemn expression.

But I immediately shot back at this.

“That’s a contradiction.”

“Pardon?”

“I think you’re forgetting the purpose of your visit to Nekarion’s Castle. Weren’t you planning to find traces of the Jeongjin Sword Style there and rebuild your sword family based on that?”

“……That’s right.”

“Then by what means do you plan to build up strength equivalent to the Jeongjin Sword Family’s force from nine years ago before you even rebuild the sword family?”

“Th-that is. I was planning to slowly gain experience in the Chamryongdan and think about……”

I cut Yoon Joo-hee off.

“You’re thinking too complacently. The standard you’ve set as a goal is too much of a pipe dream. Did you think something grand would happen if you joined the Chamryongdan?”

“That’s not it. Everything depends on what I do……”

“Right. The choice regarding the proposal I’m making now also depends on you. I’ll say it again. I’ve judged that Nekarion’s Castle is sufficiently conquerable. So all that’s needed is your decision.”

At my words, Yoon Joo-hee hung her head low.

“To be honest, I don’t quite understand, but since you’ve said it’s conquerable, Commander, I believe there must be grounds for it. And I am grateful.”

“Grateful for what?”

“Because it means you are willing to bear a huge risk for my sake.”

In fact, it was for my own benefit.

But there was no need to reveal that.

“Because you are my person.”

“Pardon?”

At my words, Yoon Joo-hee lifted her bowed head.

Her eyes held a hint of being moved.

A brief silence hung in the air.

And a short while later, she opened her mouth with a trembling voice.

“I know that the forces of the Chamryongdan are strong. Above all, you, Commander, are a true genius recognized by Min Ha-rin. The other members are also few in number but boast solid strength. That is why I consider it a great fortune and honor to have joined the Chamryongdan.”

“That’s enough build-up. Shall we get to the main point now?”

“What I just said was from the heart.”

“I know.”

She swallowed dryly and continued.

“It is presumptuous of me to say this, but I am not convinced that the current Chamryongdan is stronger than the Jeongjin Sword Family of nine years ago.”

“So that was the main point.”

Yoon Joo-hee avoided my gaze as if she had committed a crime.

A smirk naturally formed on my lips.

“But why are you comparing the Chamryongdan to the Jeongjin Sword Family?”

“No matter how great you are, Commander, as long as the Chamryongdan’s forces do not surpass those of the Jeongjin Sword Family, I believe it will be difficult to conquer Nekarion’s Castle.”

It seemed Yoon Joo-hee was gravely mistaken.

“You don’t need to worry about that. The Chamryongdan won’t be going to Nekarion’s Castle.”

“What? What do you mean by that……”

“I was planning on going there with just you and me anyway.”

For a moment, her gaze wavered violently.

Then her mouth fell open, her face showing that she had lost her words.

It seemed she had never expected that only the two of us would go.

“Did you say you believe in me?”

“Y-yes.”

“Then all you have to do is have that faith and follow my lead.”

“I-it’s just that what you said was so sudden, Commander……”

She couldn’t bring herself to say no.

Her behavior made me feel as if I were extorting her.

Yoon Joo-hee finally voiced the conclusion she reached after much deliberation.

“Please give me some time to think. Commander.”

“Alright.”

I understood.

Although she said she believed in me, her faith in me was probably still lacking.

Even Ho-joong took several months to fully trust me, so Yoon Joo-hee would also need time.

If I had my way, I would have liked to go quickly, but I decided to take it a little easy.

***

The Spring of Elixir.

For some reason, Heo Gyeong-woo was already here today.

The fog was thick and he was far away, so I couldn’t see well, but he seemed to be engrossed in something.

When I extended my senses to check, I found he was flicking water droplets from the spring into the air to create water spheres.

Thwack!

The water drop flicked by his finger flew into the air and floated.

The shape of a perfect sphere.

Heo Gyeong-woo then infused it with more mana and flicked the water sphere far away.

Even as it flew rapidly, the water sphere maintained its original form without the slightest distortion.

Then, at a certain moment, Paaat!

It scattered like a firework.

An amazing level of mana control.

But his face was full of dissatisfaction.

It seemed he was trying to imitate what I had done, but to do so, his mana control needed to be a little more precise, and he couldn’t lose even an iota of control even as the water sphere’s distance increased.

No matter how much of a Sword Master Heo Gyeong-woo was, it was not easy.

“You’re out early.”

“You’re here too.”

After acknowledging me like that, he once again created a sphere in the air.

“The flies aren’t bothering us today, for a change.”

“If they aren’t, that’s good and comfortable. I guess.”

Contrary to Heo Gyeong-woo’s wish, when I extended my senses, I couldn’t feel the presence of any flies nearby.

The optimal conditions to focus solely on my treatment.

“Then let’s start right away. After the treatment is over, I plan to leave for the quest area directly from here.”

Lately, I had somehow only been conquering the Abyss through maps.

I was planning to go through a quest area alone for the first time in a while.

To quietly solve quests and experience the mysteries of the Abyss, and if I happened to obtain something like a Mana Rune in the process, that would be even better.

“A quest area……. Which one is it time to tackle now?”

“This time, it’s Nesos.”

“It seems you haven’t been conquering the Abyss for long. I remember that being an early quest.”

He was indeed an extraordinary old man.

To still remember that despite having been away from the world for 40 years.

“It’s because I got my license not too long ago.”

In fact, my pace was quite fast.

What was needed to enter a quest area was an Abyss Rune.

Ordinary hunters would sometimes grind dungeons to obtain that rune, but I had already acquired the infinite Abyss Rune and was free from such hassles, and I could make progress whenever I wanted.

I was probably the fastest among my license class peers.

“Anyway, Nesos, huh. You’re in for a tough time this time around. You know the superstition related to that place, right?”

“Yes. That the difficulty of the quest given is determined by reflecting the challenger’s potential.”

“Right. That superstition isn’t always accurate, but I had a hell of a time there too. To the point that I remember it vividly to this day.”

Heo Gyeong-woo smiled to himself as memories of that time seemed to flood back.

“Still, the Abyss is a place that rewards you as much as you suffer.”

“Right. That’s true. So you’ll come back with a very good reward.”

“It sounds like you’re wishing for my suffering.”

“Kekeke.”

“Then, please help me with some intense treatment. I have a rough road ahead of me now.”

“Alright.”

I submerged my body up to my neck in the spring and began the Mana Breathing Technique.

Heo Gyeong-woo also immediately placed his hands on my back and matched his breathing with mine.

Still, he seemed to have gotten used to my Mana Breathing Technique to some extent now, as the fumbling period felt significantly shortened. We were able to get on track just a few minutes after starting.

Usually, we would continue the treatment like this for about an hour to an hour and a half without a break.

Then, we would take a short break and after the second treatment session was over, all our schedules in the Abyss would be concluded.

But today was a little different.

Was it about 30 minutes after we started the treatment?

Heo Gyeong-woo, without warning, stopped assisting the treatment and removed his hands from my back.

“You were going at a fast pace today. Are you tired perhaps?”

I asked, but I hadn’t felt that way at all.

Today, Heo Gyeong-woo seemed more energetic than usual.

“Tired? What a disappointing thing to say. To be honest, I could have gone for two hours without a break, no problem.”

“Then why……”

“Look over there.”

Heo Gyeong-woo pointed his finger at the empty air.

Where his fingertip was pointing was a single fly.

Heo Gyeong-woo was smiling triumphantly.

“Now, shall we give it a try?”

“Try what? Don’t tell me……”

“Yes. That thing you did yesterday. Last night, that scene kept replaying in my head and I couldn’t even sleep properly.”

I placed a hand on my forehead.

He was a Sword Master in his own right, yet he was fussing over a mere fly.

But Heo Gyeong-woo had already completed all preparations.

Thwack.

Heo Gyeong-woo shot out a drop of Elixir water.

The water drop, in the shape of a sphere, flew in an instant and captured a single fly.

Inside the sphere, the fly flapped its wings violently and struggled, but it was no match for breaking the barrier of this water sphere.

The water sphere maintained its perfect spherical shape while floating in the air.

Thwaack!

Along with the mana shot out by Heo Gyeong-woo, the water sphere began to fly rapidly.

And a stable flight began.

Of course, after flying a certain distance, it had to burst at an appropriate spot.

Paaaaa!

I clapped for him.

It was a much more splendid display than what I had seen before.

But this time too, Heo Gyeong-woo’s face was hardened.

“A failure.”

“In what way?

“The moment it burst wasn’t very beautiful. It’s a minus in artistic points.”

I could only place a hand on my forehead once more.

The only problem was that his comparison was me; every part of the process was perfect.

***

The Human Skin Mask, worn for the first time in a while.

At first, I used it to hide my identity, but now it had become a habit.

It felt somewhat awkward not to wear the Human Skin Mask when going to a quest area.

I followed the guide message and moved quickly towards the portal.

[Proceed straight for 2km to Nesos.]

I cut down numerous monsters on my way to the quest area.

It had been a while since I had done this kind of mass hunting.

Monsters that appeared endlessly, no matter how many I cut down.

In the past, it would have been quite burdensome due to my limited amount of mana, but now my mana had increased dramatically.

Moreover, having just warmed my body in the Spring of Elixir a moment ago, I felt even more energetic.

Swish!

Swish!

As the Holy Sword Bastian danced, the monsters fell with a single stroke.

It felt like I had cut down an unusually large number today.

Surely, monsters would have appeared in large numbers when I headed to quest areas in the past as well.

‘Come to think of it.’

At those times, the one who stood at my forefront and took care of the monsters was Min Ha-rin.

A series of coincidences had led me to meet her in the Abyss every time.

She seemed to feel indebted to me, but in fact, I was the one who benefited more from being with her.

I didn’t have to deal with bothersome monsters like now, and she was always useful when my mana was running low.

Swish!

Swiiish!

An endless stream of monsters.

There was no telling how much more blood would have to be shed on the way to Nesos.

I had come with some knowledge, but this felt a bit excessive.

What I needed right now was someone to take care of the bothersome things for me.

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