Chapter 84 - Holy Sword Bastian (2)

[The quest will now begin.]

[Move to the location indicated on the map within 72 hours.]

[The linked quest will be revealed after 72 hours.]

When the world found light again, I was in a small, shabby room.

The problem was that there was one other person besides me.

“Seo Ji-han, you crazy bastard!”

“Heo Jeong-ah?”

“I knew it would come to this. Why have you been ignoring my calls all this time?”

Before this trip to the Abyss, Heo Jeong-ah had bombarded me with text messages.

It was almost at the level of spam, so I had just ignored them.

The content was all pretty much the same, too.

“You couldn't have expected a reply from me, could you?”

“That's a given! Who contacts someone knowing they'll be ignored!”

I pointed my finger at Heo Jeong-ah.

“You.”

“What?”

“Weren't you the one 7 years ago? The one who kept sending texts while being ignored.”

At my words, Heo Jeong-ah's lips trembled.

“...You bad bastard!”

“I apologize for what happened 7 years ago.”

It was not my fault, but it was something Seo Ji-han should have apologized for back then.

At that time, both Seo Ji-han and Heo Jeong-ah had genuinely considered each other friends.

“You're only apologizing for what happened 7 years ago?”

“What else did you expect.”

“You've been ignoring my messages for the past few days! Isn't it common courtesy to reply when you receive a text?”

“Continuously bothering someone isn't considered common courtesy either, as far as I know.”

“What? Bothering?”

“In any case, I won't make a particular issue of it. Since I was also at fault in the past.”

“You bad bastard! It wasn't bothering, it was because it was obvious you'd die if you came here, so I was trying to…”

“Warning. If you call me that one more time, it won't be fun.”

Heo Jeong-ah's eyes wavered.

Whatever she thought of Seo Ji-han, the current me was not the Seo Ji-han of the past.

There was no reason for me to listen to words that crossed the line anymore.

“Hey, Seo Ji-han! Don't be arrogant! It's when rookies don't know how scary the world is that they're most likely to get hurt.”

“Enough. I find it difficult to listen any further.”

As I released a bit of killing intent, Heo Jeong-ah's expression stiffened.

“...Seo Ji-han. You've changed.”

It was the story I heard most often.

How a person could change so much.

“A long time has passed.”

Heo Jeong-ah just gave a hollow smile.

“Well, 7 years is a long time.”

“I have something to ask.”

“You've become shameless too. Ignoring all my texts and now you have something to ask?”

I ignored her and continued speaking.

“Why did you choose this starting point? Was it because of me?”

“Don't get the wrong idea! The reason I chose this starting point is because I hate boring things.”

“A zero-point answer.”

“What?”

“If that was the reason, you could have just swapped maps with me in the first place.”

“Th-that's ridiculous! Why would I be crazy enough to swap maps! For whose benefit!”

The way she stuttered made it seem like I had hit the mark.

“Seo Ji-han, I'm warning you in advance, don't even think about relying on me here. From now on, we're on our own!”

Of course, that was my plan.

Although we started from the same point, only one person could obtain the final reward.

In that respect, Heo Jeong-ah was the most bothersome competitor.

“For now, let's go outside together.”

We were given 72 hours.

The quest was one thing, but there was something else I was curious about.

Curiosity about the being we would face as soon as we opened this door and went outside.

It had been a long time since I had felt an aura of this level.

At least on Earth, there were no powerhouses of this level.

‘Amazing.’

For now, I could not feel any killing intent from outside the door.

Rather, this being had perfectly contained its aura and was maintaining only tranquility.

It must have felt me and Heo Jeong-ah invading its home.

When I turned the creaking doorknob and went outside, the scene waiting for us was completely unexpected.

“An island?”

This place was a small island.

And a vast, blue sea stretched out.

Seagulls were peacefully flapping their wings in the sky, and an old man, assimilated into this scenery, was leisurely fishing.

“Excuse me.”

I felt that he was not an enemy, so I offered a greeting.

“That doesn't seem like something a person who just came out of my house should say.”

“You have a point.”

Only then did the old man put down his fishing rod and turn his head.

The eyes of a king, exuding dignity even in tranquility. I had known it since I was inside the room, but he was by no means an ordinary fisherman.

“How did you get onto this island?”

The old man looking at us was surprisingly calm.

There was no reason to beat around the bush.

It would be impossible to sneak onto this small island while avoiding this old man's senses. Rather, a roundabout story would have less credibility.

“We came from another world. The first place we arrived was this house.”

At my unvarnished honesty, Heo Jeong-ah, who was listening beside me, her mouth fell open.

It was the old man's reaction that was rather calm.

“A plausible answer.”

“Do you believe it?”

“It's not that I believe it, but any other answer would have been harder to believe.”

As expected, he was no ordinary old man.

“We will leave the island immediately.”

“Leave the island? By what means?”

“Please lend us a boat. We have nothing at the moment, but we will surely repay you.”

At my answer, the old man just chuckled.

“It must be one of two things. You either really came from another world, or you are putting on the performance of a lifetime.”

“We have no reason to act.”

“Your eyes seem to suggest so.”

We exchanged glances and smiled.

“What are your names?”

“Seo Ji-han. And this is.”

“I am Heo Jeong-ah.”

“My name is Claude. By the way, did you ask me to lend you a boat?”

“Yes.”

“I'm sorry, but there are no boats on this island.”

And what Claude said next was surprising.

***

Claude was the only resident of this island.

He said it had been about 2 years since he came to this once-uninhabited island.

“I was the leader of an organization called Karma.”

Then he confessed to us.

That he was a murderer who had stained the world with blood 2 years ago.

But it was not surprising at all.

I could already feel the smell of blood behind the seemingly peaceful atmosphere.

Especially his deeply wrinkled eyes.

“In two days, the sea path will open. That day is when the waters of the Crimson Sea part, which happens once every two years.”

That was the reason there were no boats on this island.

Claude had also walked the sea path to get here 2 years ago.

“Then we will leave this place in two days.”

We were given 72 hours.

We were now stuck on this island for two-thirds of that time, but it could not be helped.

“I won't stop you. If you can, that is.”

“What do you mean?”

“I must tell you something unfortunate.”

Claude spoke with a faint smile.

“When the sea path opens, an assassination squad will rush in from the mainland to kill this old man. It is an extension and the final chapter of the war that took place 2 years ago.”

The reason our starting point was SS-rank difficulty was revealed.

A war between Claude and the forces opposing him was scheduled.

“Since we are with you, we will undoubtedly be caught up in that fight.”

“The explanation that you came from another world won't work on them.”

Claude seemed to have already foreseen his own end.

“Do you intend not to resist, as a sign of repentance?”

“Repentance….”

“Just in case.”

“I know this is where I will die, but I have no intention of going down meekly. I plan to meet a final end that is most befitting of a warrior.”

This was not bad, but Claude's effort would determine the intensity of this quest.

There would surely be an opening for me to exploit.

Above all, I still had two days.

***

In the end, we decided to stay for two days.

In exchange for being provided a house to stay in, we agreed to do simple chores.

For instance, gathering fruits.

Claude had no reason to refuse either.

Above all, Heo Jeong-ah and I were serving as his last conversation partners.

“Rock, paper, scissors!”

In the end, it was decided that Heo Jeong-ah would be the one to hunt and gather fruits today.

“I'm going today, so it's your turn tomorrow!”

“If we're going to be that fair, why did we play rock, paper, scissors?”

“Wow! Seo Ji-han, you've gotten so petty over the past 7 years!”

“If you feel it's unfair, just win tomorrow.”

“Alright. I'll win out of spite!”

I was sorry, but there was no way I would be going to pick fruits tomorrow either.

It was not that difficult for me to predict what my opponent would play.

“Well then, off you go.”

I sat next to Claude, facing the sea, in a cross-legged position.

Although there was no Spring of Elixir here, I planned to heal my body even a little by practicing the Mana Breathing Technique.

Claude was just fishing silently, so for a long while, only the sound of the waves and the cries of seagulls could be heard.

This silence was finally broken after about an hour.

“You said your name was Seo Yohan.”

“Yes.”

“You give off a very mysterious feeling in many ways.”

“In what ways, if I may ask?”

“It's a feeling like your mind and body are playing separately. I've been watching you silently for an hour, and your mana manipulation is astounding.”

I thought someone of Claude's level would recognize it immediately.

I had no intention of hiding it either.

“You weren't just fishing, I see.”

“I couldn't concentrate with you next to me.”

Claude looked at me and smiled faintly.

“I apologize. Come to think of it, you haven't caught a single one.”

“How is that your fault? It's because of one cunning fish.”

I immediately knew what Claude was talking about.

A large fish loitering under the fishing hook had not left the area for over ten minutes.

As he said, for a fish, it was playing hard to get.

“An insolent one, isn't it.”

“Still, if we wait, we'll see a conclusion soon enough, won't we?”

“Your style seems to be very different from mine, elder.”

“What type are you?”

“A fish I've targeted once, I must catch no matter what. Just waiting doesn't suit my disposition.”

“Not waiting… that's a story that deviates quite a bit from the essence of fishing. Then, according to your method, how do you plan to catch that one?”

“If it won't bite the hook, I'll have to force it into its mouth.”

“An interesting story. Can you show me now?”

At Claude's question, I nodded my head.

Moving the fishing hook itself was not very difficult, but the water and the current were hindrances.

On top of that, I had to factor in the fish's movements, so a more delicate mana control than ever before was required.