Chapter 53 - The Eldest Son's Return (2)

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!

The tips of the two swords collided at a small point, creating a deafening roar.

In a contest of strength against strength, I couldn't win from the start.

There was a huge gap in the amount of mana I could pour out at once.

But the Guyeopcho necklace continuously replenished my dantian's sesame-seed-sized mana capacity, so there was no burden of mana exhaustion.

In that fleeting moment when the swords met, I infused mana towards the tip of my sword one more time.

The mana flows along the sword and creates a wave at the final point.

Paaaaa!

It was Choi Ho-joong who was pushed back by the repulsive force between the swords.

For a moment, his eyes widened.

“U-Unit Leader!”

“What’s so surprising?”

“I was sure I had you pinned down!”

“Are you crazy? Who’s pinning who down?”

“I must have been mistaken! I’m sorry!”

“Stop with the nonsense and come at me again.”

“Yes, Unit Leader!”

Choi Ho-joong corrected his stance and attempted another attack.

The way he loaded mana into his sword became even more daring.

He was now convinced that I wouldn't get hurt.

Of course, that wouldn't change much.

Chaeng!

Chaeng!

If we were on a battlefield using killing techniques against each other, it might be different, but in this kind of duel where we were just exchanging blows, there could be no variables.

I could predict Choi Ho-joong's next move just by looking at his preparatory motion, so all I had to do was match it.

Chaeng!

The gap in mana was still burdensome, but I could handle it.

Therefore, it was no coincidence that similar scenes were repeatedly produced.

Paaaa!

Choi Ho-joong was pushed back once more, a blank expression on his face.

For a moment, his concentration wavered.

In a real battle, even such a momentary gap leads to death.

I lightly broke into Choi Ho-joong's territory.

Then I thrust my sword toward his left flank.

Choi Ho-joong hastily turned his sword to block my Reapersword, but this attack was a feint from the start.

The real one came after.

Swaaaaaa!

The blade cut through the wind, and Choi Ho-joong just stood there like a wooden doll, unable to react.

The tip of the sword stopped in front of Choi Ho-joong's neck.

The beads of sweat that had formed on his face trickled down his cheek.

“I have lost!”

“That’s a given.”

Even if it had been a real battlefield, the final result would have been the same, though the process might have been a little different.

I smiled and lowered my Reapersword.

“I am no match for you!”

“You’re only realizing that now? Don’t you think you’re a little late?”

“You were too fast. Your change, Unit Leader!”

“Well, that’s that. Now tell me what you felt while we were sparring.”

“I was wrong, and you were right, Unit Leader.”

“A little more detail.”

Choi Ho-joong touched his unharmed neck and continued his answer.

“The Muyoung Sword Style I learned and the sword style you taught me today could be harmonized.”

This guy might seem foolish at times, but he had a sharp side when it came to swordsmanship.

If he could even pinpoint where he felt that, it would be 100 points.

“In the duel just now, Unit Leader, you fought me with the Muyoung Sword Style as a base.”

“Keep going.”

“But every time our swords clashed, I felt an unidentifiable repulsive force, and the feeling at that time was not that of the Muyoung Sword Style. I’m sure it was definitely the Muyoung Sword Style right up until that point.”

“So, did you find the answer?”

Choi Ho-joong nodded.

“The flow of mana transmitted through the sword was different. Unit Leader, you only sent out a handful of mana, but I thought that was the way mana was operated when performing the new sword style I learned today.”

“Are you sure?”

“We-well, not entirely sure.”

98 points.

He explained it almost perfectly but mumbled at the end, so I deducted 2 points.

“So what’s the conclusion?”

“That even sword styles that seem to be polar opposites can be harmonized, that I must train the sword style I learned today until I bleed, and finally, that I must trust you unconditionally, Unit Leader!”

“But that last comment, are you saying you haven't until now?”

“N-that’s not it! But from now on, even if you say you made fermented soybeans with red beans, I will believe you, that’s what I meant.”

Shin Ah-yeon, who was listening beside him, also nodded in agreement.

“I’ll give you both one week. Within that time, get to a point where you can at least roughly mimic what you learned today.”

“One week, you say?”

“Why? Too long?”

“No, sir! I will do it.”

“I’m not asking you to be perfect, just to mimic it. You have to at least be able to do that to teach the other unit members, right?”

“Yes, sir!”

I liked the sound of their voices as they answered.

At that moment, seven auras were felt from the family's main gate.

“Looks like they’re finally here.”

“Pardon? Who do you mean?”

Among those seven, one aura stood out exceptionally.

That must be Seo Ji-hoon.

***

“Young Master Seo Ji-han. The Family Head is looking for you.”

I was immediately summoned by my father.

It was expected.

Now that Seo Ji-hoon had returned, it was natural for the whole family to gather.

“Alright. Tell him I’ll be there soon.”

Before going, I reviewed the basic information about him once more.

The eldest son of the Haewon Sword Family, Seo Ji-hoon.

He was a very different character from the second son, Seo Ji-won.

In particular, he was said to have taken good care of the sickly Seo Ji-han, but I wondered if he would be the same now that I was healthy. In fact, this was the part I was most curious about.

Because I was now in a competitor's position who could threaten him.

At the dinner table, all four family members except me were gathered.

My father, with his always stern expression.

My mother, who was overbearing but affectionate.

Seo Ji-won, who looked prickly just by his appearance.

And with them was the eldest son, Seo Ji-hoon, whom I was seeing for the first time today.

“You’re here, youngest.”

I could feel Seo Ji-hoon’s aura, which I couldn't tell from the photos.

His appearance was one thing, but his aura, in particular, was the spitting image of our mother.

“Congratulations. On returning from the Abyss.”

“I heard. That your illness is improving?”

“It’s still a long way to go, but, well, for now.”

I didn't know in detail how the previous Seo Ji-han had treated Seo Ji-hoon.

So for now, I planned to hold my tongue and read the atmosphere.

I didn’t have much to say anyway, and I was just slightly looking forward to the stories about the Abyss that Seo Ji-hoon would tell.

The atmosphere at the dinner table was harmonious.

Unlike Seo Ji-won, the eldest son Seo Ji-hoon treated his parents and brothers warmly, so with him joining, the family atmosphere became much brighter.

Seo Ji-hoon was definitely the material to become the Family Head.

If I hadn't been there.

“But why was only your return delayed by two days? Your subordinates returned long ago.”

It was Seo Ji-won who asked the question at the right time.

“Ah! I was about to talk about that. Is it okay? Father?”

When our father, Seo Joon-wook, nodded, Seo Ji-hoon continued his story.

“I should start by talking about the quest first.”

I had only cleared two quests so far, but Seo Ji-hoon was said to have already advanced to the unexplored regions of the Abyss.

The Abyss had many branching paths, and it meant Seo Ji-hoon was at the forefront of one of them.

The area he challenged this time was called the ‘Lich's Tower’.

“The tower has a total of 7 floors, and since there was no information, it took longer than I thought. Especially the 6th floor, which was hellish……”

It was a less interesting story than I had expected.

According to Seo Ji-hoon's description, no formidable enemies or monsters appeared there.

The reason the raid time was delayed was because the storyline was long and there was no information about the Lich's Tower.

And so, my concentration on his Abyss story was about to waver.

Until I heard about the quest reward he received.

“Because the quest took so long, I thought there would be a great reward, but something very absurd was waiting for me.”

“What was it?”

Seo Ji-won's tone also showed he was starting to lose interest.

“The reward I received was a single old map.”

“So, what kind of map was it?”

“That’s what makes it more absurd, that there's no explanation for it. The only information available is the map's name, [Hatchling's Nest].”

“Hatchling? What’s that?”

The moment I heard that, I almost dropped my spoon.

A hatchling refers to a baby dragon.

It was an unfamiliar existence on Earth, but for me, it was a name I couldn't forget even in death.

Because it was a dragon that had killed me, the greatest genius of the Kalia Continent.

***

Even after the family dinner was over, the words Seo Ji-hoon had left behind remained as huge ripples in my mind.

-My return was delayed by two days to receive this map. It took quite some time for the picture to be completed on the blank map.

‘Hatchling's Nest…….’

The memory of that most intense day of my life resurfaced.

It felt as if the heat of the breath that had turned me into a handful of ash was enveloping my whole body again.

A dragon was that powerful an existence.

So much so that even I, the greatest swordsman in the history of the Kalia Continent, had to yield to it.

But one question arose.

The map Seo Ji-hoon brought was a ticket that allowed entry to the Hatchling's Nest.

It was too dangerous to be called a reward.

No matter if it was a baby dragon, it was an extremely dangerous existence for a mere human.

Perhaps not in my Johan Raven days, but no one on Earth would be able to enter the Hatchling's Nest and come out alive.

This would not be much different for Seo Ji-hoon either.

It seemed I would need to meet Seo Ji-hoon personally tomorrow.

To hear more details about the map, and also to hear about his future plans.

***

Around nine in the morning.

In Seo Ji-hoon's training ground, a group of six was in the middle of swordsmanship training.

They were familiar faces since I had already met them at the Spring of Elixir.

The Wolyeong Knights.

If I were them, it wouldn't be a very pleasant title, but surprisingly, they were said to have given themselves that name.

‘By the way, it seems Seo Ji-hoon hasn't come out yet.’

Well, he had just returned to the family yesterday after a months-long Abyss raid, so it was understandable for him to be lazy for a day.

Though I wouldn't have been.

“What brings Young Master Seo Ji-han here?”

As I approached the training ground, they stopped their movements at once.

Their coordination was impeccably good.

“Call me Unit Leader. I prefer that title.”

“……”

Not a single one of them answered.

As if by agreement, this coordination was also impeccable.

“Didn't you hear? That I created a sword unit?”

“We just heard yesterday.”

The one who answered was Chae Su-ji.

The image of her at the Spring of Elixir, pointing out that I seemed full of lies, overlapped.

“Then why are your reactions like that?”

“It’s just a bit unfamiliar that you created a sword unit, young master.”

“Did you not hear what I said? Or do you not want to acknowledge me as the Unit Leader?”

“It's because it’s unfamiliar. And your demeanor seems to have changed a lot as well.”

Look at her changing the subject.

“Unfamiliar? Does it perhaps not look like a false appearance?”

“Of course not.”

Seeing that the mana in Chae Su-ji's necklace was stable, it seemed she really didn't see any falsehood in me.

Perhaps at the Spring of Elixir, that necklace had reacted to the Human Skin Mask.

“Anyway, when is my older brother coming out?”

“Unit Leader Seo Ji-hoon will not be coming out this morning.”

The one who answered this time was Mun Jung-hak.

Judging by mana alone, he was the leader of the Wolyeong Knights.

“Can’t be helped. I’ll just have to go into his private quarters and meet him.”

“You cannot enter.”

“Why not?”

“Because the Unit Leader is resting. When he comes out in the afternoon, I will tell him that the youngest young master stopped by.”

These bastards.

They must be crazy as a group.

I didn't know if they were doing it unknowingly or trying to mess with me, but they wouldn't call me Unit Leader to the end.

Whatever the reason, it seemed I needed to set things straight.