Chapter 160 – Nekarion’s Castle (4)

Swaaaaaak!

A sharp sound of the air being cut.

Just from the sound, I could feel it.

The years of perseverance and relentless training contained in that simple sword strike.

‘Amazing.’

A horizontal cut so concise yet so full was something I had never seen in my entire life.

The man’s words that I might die.

Although I couldn’t agree, I could fully understand.

Because although it was an extremely simple attack, that sword carried enough power to be difficult for even considerable masters to block.

The man’s gaze was the very definition of indifference.

He seemed to have no feelings for my life or death, nor for this match.

Just that he would pour his enlightenment and will into this one strike.

That was all that seemed to be on his mind.

I raised the Holy Sword Bastian.

Chaaeeeng!

The two forces clashed, and once again, fierce sparks of mana flew up.

The energy I felt through the sword was no different from my expectations.

His sword was sufficiently excellent.

To the point where my hand holding the sword felt a tingling sensation, even if for a fleeting moment.

“Let’s have one more.”

I immediately urged for the third exchange.

It wasn’t just because of the quest condition.

I wanted to receive his sword one more time.

He seemed to think the same as me.

His sword did not stop and created a new sword path.

The trajectory of the sword, which had bent like a snake, began to draw a simple straight line again.

Swaaaaaak!

This time, a thrust.

A single point. All the power he had poured out gathered at the tip of his sword.

This was also the culmination of 9 years of time.

I, too, faced his sword with all my sincerity.

Kwaaaaaak!!!

The tips of the two swords met at a single point.

A quiet silence followed, and the two forces achieved a perfect balance of power.

Without being pushed to either side, we stood facing each other.

Beads of sweat formed on the man’s forehead.

I thought he was a dry towel from which not a single drop of water could be squeezed.

‘In any case, he’s incredible.’

Horizontal cut, vertical cut, thrust.

He had honed these three basic movements, which only young children learning the sword for the first time would do, for a whopping 9 years to reach this level.

Sword Expert.

It wasn’t an amazing level by my standards, but I couldn’t help but pay my respects to the years of obsession he had spent.

[You have received all three exchanges.]

[Quest cleared.]

[As a reward, a Mana Rune and the key to the shackle will be given.]

The man still stood there, looking at me.

Although his eyes were completely lifeless, I felt as if I could sense some kind of emotion.

This was something I couldn’t find in the other old men here.

“I… need… to train… more.”

Although it was like a speck of dust, a certain resonance could be felt in the man’s laboriously spoken words.

Hwik.

I threw the key to the man.

He just stared blankly at the key that had fallen on the ground.

“Open it yourself. It’s the key that can unlock the shackle.”

But the man just looked at me again with unfocused eyes.

“What are you doing. Not opening it.”

“I have not yet… gained… enlightenment.”

A hollow laugh escaped me.

The Lord of Illusory Dreams. Just what had this guy done to people.

“I, who have received your three exchanges, guarantee it. That you have gained sufficient enlightenment. Of course, that has nothing to do with opening the shackle.”

But he showed no reaction.

A slight hint of confusion. That was all he showed.

“Excuse me, Unit Leader.”

Yoon Joo-hee, who had been silent until now, spoke for the first time.

“You must be curious about this situation.”

“That’s right. It’s difficult to guess why you are showing special interest only in this man, Unit Leader.”

“It’s best to reveal this kind of thing dramatically.”

Yoon Joo-hee looked as if she had no idea what was going on.

But because I was acting all serious, she too was sensing that the atmosphere was unusual.

“Please tell me.”

I didn’t drag it out and answered right away.

“The heir of the Jeongjin Sword Family, and the sole survivor of the tragedy 9 years ago.”

“Pardon?”

“Ask him his name yourself. I don’t know it either.”

I slightly stepped aside for her.

***

The man’s name was Lee Ji-gwang. Age thirty.

As I had been certain, he was a descendant of the Jeongjin Sword Family.

After the shackle was undone, a surprising change occurred in him.

His face, which had been like dry hay, regained its color, and his mental state, which had been half-zombie-like, returned completely.

The Lord of Illusory Dreams had been influencing the people here through the shackles.

“Are you really Joo-hee? The Family Head’s niece, Yoon Joo-hee?”

“…Yes.”

Yoon Joo-hee looked dumbfounded.

Even though the moment she had so wished and longed for had come true, she still couldn’t believe it.

Rather, it was Lee Ji-gwang who was shedding endless tears at this unexpected meeting.

I decided to give these two a little more time.

Because both Yoon Joo-hee and Lee Ji-gwang would have a lot to say to each other.

In truth, the two had nothing in common from 9 years ago to reminisce about, but the name Jeongjin Sword Family had the power to bind these two tightly.

Before long, the two had become like fellow disciples who had known each other for a long time.

“In the end, our Jeongjin Sword Family had to close its doors like that.”

Lee Ji-gwang couldn’t help but make a bitter expression at this news.

“That is why I intend to rebuild the Jeongjin Sword Family.”

“From scratch, all by yourself, Joo-hee?”

“If only the Jeongjin Sword Style is intact, it will be possible someday. If it’s something I can’t do, then perhaps the next generation can. That’s why there’s something I’d like to ask.”

Now, the most important part.

Whether Lee Ji-gwang knew the latter half of the Jeongjin Sword Style.

9 years ago, the still young Yoon Joo-hee had only learned up to the first half of the Jeongjin Sword Style.

Lee Ji-gwang, who had heard Yoon Joo-hee’s words, opened his mouth with a grim expression.

“I know it.”

“Is that really true?”

Yoon Joo-hee’s voice trembled slightly with emotion.

Because her long-cherished wish was right here.

But Lee Ji-gwang couldn’t continue speaking with confidence.

“…I’m sorry.”

“Pardon? Why are you sorry?”

His expression suddenly darkened.

“I know it, but I can’t be sure if I know it correctly.”

“W-what do you mean by that…”

“I learned all the forms of the Jeongjin Sword Style after coming here.”

Lee Ji-gwang continued in a heavy voice.

The Family Head, who had foreseen the annihilation of the Jeongjin Sword Family, and his direct descendants, just before meeting their end, had guided Lee Ji-gwang through all the oral secrets and forms of the Jeongjin Sword Style.

“After my survival was decided, everything happened too quickly. What should have been learned over several years, I only learned through my eyes and ears in a short period of time.”

Lee Ji-gwang recalled the memory of that day and gave a bitter smile.

“For the past 9 years, I have fiercely repeated and repeated it in my mind so as not to forget the memory of that time. But I still can’t be sure. Whether this is right or wrong.”

He was carrying a huge burden.

A burden that was suddenly thrust upon him, without any warning.

“You look very tormented.”

“Because the Jeongjin Sword Style might be lost forever due to my inadequacy.”

“Please share that burden with me now.”

The two continued their conversation.

Since no quest had been generated yet, I watched the two of them leisurely.

Yoon Joo-hee conveyed her plans and ambitions to Lee Ji-gwang.

“Amazing. So in the end, you entered the Haewon Sword Family, Joo-hee?”

Lee Ji-gwang’s gaze turned to me for the first time.

Seeing his normal gaze head-on felt a little different.

“You, you were an incredible person. To know all of Joo-hee’s plans and still accept her.”

“Well, I have that much magnanimity.”

I’m not the type to be petty by nature.

I accepted Yoon Joo-hee because I judged that she would be useful in raising the Chamryongdan.

I was also curious to see how far she would go.

“And if you want, I’m thinking of helping you restore the Jeongjin Sword Style. I’m a bit confident when it comes to putting puzzle pieces together.”

Of course, at my words, Lee Ji-gwang flinched.

Because in order to receive my help, there was the problem of having to pass on the forms and oral secrets of the Jeongjin Sword Style to me.

“You can think about that later. For now, getting out of here is the priority.”

“Are you saying you’ll take me to Earth?”

“Then, are you planning to just keep striking the steel stake here?”

“That’s not it, but whether it’s really possible for me to get out of here is…”

“Speaking of which, let’s collect the remains first. We don’t know when another quest might be generated.”

At my words, the two nodded.

Yoon Joo-hee paid her respects to the burial mounds of the Jeongjin Sword Family warriors.

And not long after I had spoken, a reaction came from the Abyss.

[A quest has been generated.]

[Escape Nekarion’s Castle with Lee Ji-gwang. The escape route is the rear gate of the castle.]

[Reward: ???]

At that moment, mana flickered from the undone shackle.

This shackle was a medium between the lord and the slave.

The fact that Lee Ji-gwang had been freed from his restraints had now been conveyed to the Lord of Illusory Dreams.

“Yoon Joo-hee. Hurry.”

“Understood, Unit Leader.”

The two busily collected the remains.

A surprising change occurred inside the castle walls.

The aura of monsters began to be felt.

This, of course, must be a machination caused by the Lord of Illusory Dreams.

‘An interesting ability.’

The ability to plant illusory dreams in the slaves, and now, summoning a large number of monsters like this.

This was something that no archmage could ever do.

‘Demon King.’

It was a word that suddenly came to mind.

Demon Kings were beings that only appeared in legends.

But the authority shown by the lords here was close to that of a demon king.

The Mad Lord was like that, and now the Lord of Illusory Dreams was the same.

Of course, compared to the demon kings of legend, they were far from it, but I thought that if their abilities evolved to the extreme, it wouldn’t be out of place to call them demon kings.

“It’s done, Unit Leader.”

“Then let’s go.”

We ran along the path.

The increasingly strong aura of monsters and their growing numbers.

And far away, near the rear gate, I could feel a single powerful aura.

‘That must be the Lord of Illusory Dreams.’

If he hadn’t shown himself by the time the quest ended, I would have been disappointed.

Because he was a worse guy than the Mad Lord.

‘Rather than dealing with the monsters and him at the same time…’

I thought it would be better to clear the surroundings and then face the lord.

Because he might have more power than what I was feeling now.

“Yoon Joo-hee.”

“Yes, Unit Leader.”

“Let’s do some cleaning before we go.”

Of course, the cleaning duty would be happily shared by the two fellow disciples of the Jeongjin Sword Family.

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