Chapter 89 - Holy Sword Bastian (7)

Kim Jin-seop, the youngest son of the Jungwon Sword Family, was currently in a state of mental turmoil.

‘My brother is dead?’

It was unbelievable.

Kim Joon-kyung was the next head who would lead the Jungwon Sword Family in the future.

He had never once doubted that future.

His brother's talent was so outstanding that he himself was not even a competitor.

No matter how difficult the dungeon was, Kim Joon-kyung should have been able to find a way to save himself.

And that brother died while saving Seo Ji-han?

If they had both died together, maybe, but this testimony was something he just could not believe.

Then, either Seo Ji-han was lying now, or he was mistaken.

He thought it must be one of the two.

‘I must find out.’

The reason Kim Joon-kyung had teamed up with Seo Ji-han was to secretly eliminate him.

But the one who returned alive was Seo Ji-han, and Kim Joon-kyung's whereabouts were still unknown.

However, he was not even considering the possibility that his brother had been defeated by Seo Ji-han.

No matter how much Seo Ji-han was a rising star, he was still just a rookie.

Furthermore, even if his brother had been struck down by an unexpected blow, there would be no reason for Seo Ji-han to hide it.

Rather, he had even praised Kim Joon-kyung as an excellent hunter.

Something was definitely strange.

Kim Jin-seop planned to beat the truth out of Seo Ji-han.

He had succeeded halfway.

In this quest, they had entered the dungeon just the two of them.

He planned to subdue him when the opportunity arose.

At that moment, Seo Ji-han's sword drew a magnificent straight line.

Swoooosh!

The Black Troll's neck was neatly sliced off.

A fountain of black blood spurted in all directions from the severed surface, and the headless body thrashed about, having lost its bearings.

Thus, one monster died without even screaming.

A much cleaner skill than expected.

‘What was that? A coincidence?’

The Black Troll was by no means a monster that could be hunted so easily.

Unlike its unremarkable attack power, its defense was known to be annoyingly high.

Aside from its skin regeneration, the very act of cutting through that thick skin was known to be the greatest challenge.

And yet, Seo Ji-han had easily cut down that monster as if slicing tofu.

Kim Jin-seop shook his head.

He had no confidence at all in cutting the Black Troll's tough neck in a single blow.

“Hey, what are you staring at so blankly?”

At Seo Ji-han's question, Kim Jin-seop snapped to his senses.

“That thing just now, was it a Black Troll?”

“You know what it is, why are you asking. The name of this dungeon is the Black Troll's Colony.”

“That's not it, I'm asking if it's the Black Troll I usually know. As far as I know, its neck shouldn't be cut so easily.”

“I don't know.”

“...You don't know?”

“It's my first time seeing a Black Troll.”

For a moment, he was so dumbfounded that he let out a laugh.

No matter how much of a rookie he was, to see a Black Troll for the first time.

As expected, Seo Ji-han was undoubtedly a novice.

Then, the Black Trolls in this dungeon might be different from the species that appears on Earth.

Perhaps.

“Hey, Seo Ji-han. I'll take the next hunt.”

“Go ahead.”

It seemed he had to check for himself right away.

***

Kim Jin-seop of the Jungwon Sword Family, using the name Jo Sung-tae.

Compared to his older brother, this guy was certainly lacking in many ways.

His swordsmanship level was one thing, but the aura he exuded was also somehow sloppy.

He must have entered this dungeon with me to beat me up.

He would be looking for that opportunity right now.

So, I was in a dilemma.

Whether to beat him up and torture him the moment he revealed his claws, or to take a more cautious approach.

The former was easier, but there was one thing that bothered me.

The possibility that he would die with his mouth shut tight like his brother.

If that happened, my curiosity would be forever lost in a labyrinth.

‘I can always beat him up at the next opportunity.’

For now, I decided to let him live.

Then, my job now was to exert prior deterrence so that he would not recklessly reveal his claws.

Thwack!

Thwack!

At this time, Kim Jin-seop was repeatedly stabbing his sword into the Black Troll's body.

A very inefficient method.

The troll's wounds were increasing, but its skin was also regenerating in real time.

When dealing with troll-type monsters, the goal should always be a one-shot kill.

Watching that inefficiency, I felt like thorns were sprouting all over my body.

Whoooosh!

I could not bear to watch any longer, so I threw the Reapersword without hesitation.

The troll's skin was usually as tough as steel.

But somewhere in the muscle fibers, there was always a soft point.

If you could aim for that one point, it would be a one-shot kill without fail.

The Reapersword, flying like an arrow, pierced straight through the Black Troll's neck.

Kwoooosh!!

Kim Jin-seop, who was about to stab his sword in front of the troll, was momentarily covered in a gush of black blood.

“Ah, my bad.”

“...Wha-what did you just do.”

“You saw it, you should know. I took the troll's neck.”

“You killed a troll in one go by throwing your sword?”

“Don't be surprised. I just aimed for its weak spot.”

“Hah!”

At my words, Kim Jin-seop had a look on his face as if he had seen a ghost.

“It seems the Black Troll's weak spot is in its neck.”

“That's the first I've heard of it.”

“You try it too. It's not difficult once you get the hang of it.”

With that, I patted Kim Jin-seop on the back.

The troll's blood was sticky on my palm.

***

As expected, Kim Jin-seop did not stab me in the back.

He was just confused by the sight of me hunting Black Trolls as if they were goblins.

“I-it can be sliced that easily?”

“I told you. It's easy if you just know exactly where the weak spot is.”

Swoooosh!

Black blood spurted again as a Black Troll's neck was severed.

Of course, he could not even imitate it.

Instead, he just poked at useless spots, only angering the troll.

“The first time is always the hardest. As for me, well, I was lucky.”

“...Luck?”

Being born with a heavenly talent is also a form of luck.

“By the way, you said you were curious about how Lee Tae-sung died?”

“Yeah!”

As I changed the subject, his eyes widened for a moment.

“Why are you so curious about it?”

“He was right next to us just a moment ago.”

“Did you grow that fond of Lee Tae-sung? I thought you said you just met this time.”

“...Lee Tae-sung was a good person.”

“Well, I'll admit that, but.”

I gave Kim Jin-seop a sly smile.

“So tell me. Honestly.”

His expression was desperate.

Those eyes waiting for me to tell the truth.

“To be honest.”

“Yeah!”

“I don't remember well.”

“What?”

“It all happened in an instant.”

Kim Jin-seop was currently unable to accept his brother's death.

So, if I used this point well, it might be beneficial for me.

“You don't remember?”

“Who knows. Maybe I'll remember at some point.”

“What! Are you kidding me right now?”

It was only natural for Kim Jin-seop to get angry.

But I continued to speak calmly.

“You know about PTSD, right? Post-traumatic stress disorder. Maybe because of that, I can't seem to remember a certain part.”

“Hah!”

He was frustrated.

In truth, what I wanted was not that great.

The map I obtained from Kim Joon-kyung. I planned to find out where this item led.

For now, I planned to keep this guy alive and watch for an opportunity.

“So, Seo Ji-han, did you actually see Lee Tae-sung's body?”

“To be honest, I don't remember seeing a body.”

“Then it's possible he didn't die!”

“Now that you mention it, that might be true.”

For now, I just instilled a sliver of hope.

But sometimes in life, one reaps unexpected rewards.

Kim Jin-seop told me something surprising.

“By any chance, did Lee Tae-sung fall into a suddenly appeared portal or something?”

“A portal?”

A sudden train of thought.

But Kim Jin-seop's expression was utterly serious.

“If Lee Tae-sung didn't die but disappeared somewhere, I thought that might be a possibility.

So think hard!”

It felt a bit too specific for a simple guess.

In such cases, it was highly likely that there was a basis for it.

For example, having had a similar experience.

‘Or having heard such a story.’

This was a reasonable suspicion.

“A new portal might have appeared inside the dungeon?”

“Yes, Seo Ji-han. This is a special place even within the Abyss, so anything can happen, right?”

“Well, I'm sorry, but I don't remember well.”

“Try to remember!”

I felt my suspicion hardening.

Perhaps he was talking about the story from 40 years ago right now.

That back then too, a portal appeared inside a dungeon during a quest, and someone might have fallen into that portal.

At that time, two hunters from the four-map mission did not return to Earth.

One of them was Heo Byeong-doo, the greatest genius in the history of the Taeseong Sword Family, who was something of a great-uncle to Heo Jeong-ah.

‘A coincidence?’

The unidentified map I had obtained from his brother Kim Joon-kyung's Inventory flashed in my mind.

It was still uncertain, but I felt like the puzzle was about to be completed.

***

“Seo Ji-han, I have a proposal for you.”

Kim Jin-seop was talkative throughout the quest.

“What is it.”

“How about forming an alliance with me until we get the final reward?”

“The reason?”

“Only one person gets the reward. So, shouldn't we keep the strongest, Heo Jeong-ah, in check?”

To still be thinking of getting the final reward, he had big dreams.

In truth, the moment his brother Kim Joon-kyung died at my hands, all possibilities for the Jungwon Sword Family had vanished.

This guy Kim Jin-seop was just not up to the task.

“I'll think about it.”

“What's there to think about! Weren't the Haewon Sword Family and the Taeseong Sword Family always rivals?”

“You seem to have forgotten. Who I escaped the predicament with at the starting point.”

“Th-that was just a temporary alliance on the same boat!”

“I need something certain to accept your proposal.”

“What do you want!”

“Well. I'll have to think about that a bit more.”

This conversation with him had taken place just an hour ago.

After clearing the dungeon and returning to the abandoned house, I took a walk in the front yard with Heo Jeong-ah.

“How was it?”

“What was?”

“Jo Sung-tae, who went into the dungeon with you. Doesn't he seem somewhat insidious?”

It seemed Heo Jeong-ah's judgment of people was not completely off.

“He asked me to form an alliance.”

“He said that when you two were alone? Wow! Not just insidious, but cunning too.”

“Because he's lacking in skill.”

“To keep me in check, right? So what did you answer?”

“That I'd think about it.”

“What? You'd think about it? The truly insidious one was here! Aren't you playing both sides right now?”

“You're gravely mistaken. I don't care if you form an alliance with Jo Sung-tae right now. I'm more comfortable alone anyway.”

At my words, Heo Jeong-ah tilted her head.

“I don't know what you're trusting in, but you're still so confident. If I'd known, I should have gone into the dungeon with you earlier to check your skills.”

In truth, Heo Jeong-ah had never properly seen me fight.

Even when escaping the island, the one who played the biggest role was Claude.

At that moment, there was a message from the Abyss.

[A quest has been generated.]

“Hey Seo Ji-han, this time you're going into the dungeon with me. Got it?”

Without even hearing what the quest was.

She sure was impatient.