Chapter 91 - Holy Sword Bastian (9)

Heo Jeong-ah held her breath and looked inside the boss room.

Seo Ji-han had just entered the stage. And opposite him, the Tyrant Hydra.

Since the barrier blocked her from feeling the monster’s mana, her anxiety could only grow.

‘Should I have tried to stop him one more time?’

A belated regret washed over her.

If that monster inside the barrier was on the same level as the Tyrant Lizard she had faced, Seo Ji-han would be defeated without even being able to lift a finger.

But then, she shook her head.

Right now, the only one who was anxious and nervous was Heo Jeong-ah herself. Seo Ji-han, who was actually inside the boss room, wore an indifferent expression as if he had transcended the world.

There was no trace of tension in his demeanor.

‘What on earth is he thinking?’

The die was cast anyway.

Only one person could enter that boss room, and no matter what happened from now on, there was no way for Heo Jeong-ah to intervene.

All she could do from outside the barrier was to quietly cheer for a miracle to happen.

[The quest will now begin.]

Along with the message, the Tyrant Hydra’s attack began immediately.

The hydra’s tentacles, which covered its entire body from head to toe, stretched out toward Seo Ji-han.

‘I really hate it!’

If she were in the middle of a battle, she wouldn't have time to be disgusted, but looking at that monster from a third-person perspective, it had an appearance she never wanted to face.

Her clenched fists were already drenched in sweat.

However, Seo Ji-han's first strike was dry and simple.

He took a step back from the direction of the approaching tentacles and lightly swung his sword upward.

It was an incredibly leisurely movement.

‘Still, not bad!’

The tips of the tentacles fell to the floor like severed twigs.

At the same time, the Tyrant Hydra let out an angry roar.

Seo Ji-han’s attack had clearly worked.

Heo Jeong-ah felt a sense of relief, but the severed tentacle pieces began to squirm on the floor like earthworms.

‘What is that thing!’

Then, they all shot up at once, flying like poison needles.

A sudden surprise attack.

Moreover, it was by no means an easy task to defend against a shower of tentacles pouring down from that distance.

In times like these, the standard procedure was to block the most fatal attacks, even if it meant giving up on some parts. The problem was whether Seo Ji-han could finish all the calculations and act within this short amount of time.

After all, improvisation came from experience.

For starters, Seo Ji-han’s sword moved very busily.

Swish-swish-swish-swish-swish-swish-swish!

But the sword path seemed to have no order or rule.

Contrary to Heo Jeong-ah’s hopes, Seo Ji-han’s sword seemed to have no plan.

Usually, such unplanned swordsmanship came out only when one was flustered. But.

‘……Huh?’

For someone who was just flailing around, Seo Ji-han looked far too comfortable.

The sword paths that had seemed disorderly were gradually becoming neat.

And it didn’t take long to see the outcome.

When Seo Ji-han stopped his sword, the severed tentacle pieces were no longer visible.

“Don’t tell me he didn’t get hit even once?”

At least, that’s how it looked.

But it was unbelievable.

It was a situation she couldn’t be sure of even if she had been in his place.

‘No way.’

That guy, Seo Ji-han, was sticking to a concept of aloofness, so he might just be pretending it didn’t hurt.

She came to that conclusion.

Along with the thought that she must check on him after the quest was over.

***

It was a rather annoying monster.

Each of the numerous tentacles on its body attacked me disorderly as if they were independent life forms, and what was even more bothersome was that even the severed tentacles were still a threat.

Thus, I had to be cautious with every move.

If this frail body allowed even a single tentacle attack, recovery would be difficult.

Swish-swish-swish-swish-swish-swish-swish!

Most of the severed tentacles still had life in them, so I decided to slice them into tiny pieces.

If I had enough mana, I would have burned them with a single strike, but unfortunately, my body hadn’t recovered to that extent.

I steadily broke down the Tyrant Hydra.

The speed was a bit disappointing, but in terms of stability, there was not a hint of anxiety. And so, finally.

[You have cleared the quest.]

I met the expected end.

Since I didn’t allow a single attack, I wasn’t injured at all, just a little sweaty.

The barrier that formed the boss room lifted, revealing Heo Jeong-ah’s slightly dazed face.

With that blank look on her face, she asked me.

“……Was that the Haewon Sword Style?”

But what I had used was not the Haewon Sword Style.

“You must have never seen the Haewon Sword Style before.”

“Your family is so cheap, you don’t reveal anything.”

“Unfortunately, what you just saw wasn’t the Haewon Sword Style either.”

“It wasn’t?”

“Right. It hasn’t been long since I properly learned the Haewon Sword Style.”

In fact, what I had used was the Raven Family’s secret sword art.

If swordsmanship could be graded, it was a supreme sword art that should be ranked a notch higher than the Haewon Sword Style.

“Then what on earth was that just now!”

Heo Jeong-ah perked up her ears and waited for my answer.

I couldn’t tell her the truth, so I had no choice but to vaguely gloss over it.

“Muyoung Sword Style.”

“Muyoung Sword Style?”

“There’s such a thing. Everyone in the Haewon Sword Family learns it.”

“No way!”

“What’s so unbelievable about it.”

“I felt a strange sense of dignity from your swordsmanship. But you’re saying anyone can learn it?”

“If you want to learn it, you can join the Haewon Sword Family.”

“What are you talking about!”

Still, her keen eye was worth acknowledging.

“And what’s important isn’t which sword style you’ve learned. Even if it’s a third-rate sword style, if you fully grasp its essence, there’s nothing in the world you can’t cut.”

“Anyone can say something that sounds like it’s from a morals textbook.”

“Even if it’s the same words, their weight differs depending on who says them.”

“Seo Ji-han, you’ve become quite a jerk since I last saw you. Anyone who hears you would think you’re a Sword Master.”

I was saying it because I was a Sword Master.

“Oh, right! Seo Ji-han. There was something I wanted to ask you.”

“Go ahead.”

“In the fight just now, don’t tell me you didn’t get hit even once?”

“Yeah.”

“Don’t lie.”

“Are you hoping I got hit?”

“No, that’s not it, but it doesn’t make sense that you blocked all those tentacles flying like a downpour!”

“That’s when you think from your level.”

“What? My level?”

Heo Jeong-ah wore a dumbfounded expression.

And at that moment.

[The challenger’s qualifications have all been verified.]

[Both survivors will now move to the final stage.]

A message from Abyss was transmitted.

***

Just before embarking on this trip to Abyss, I had asked Rosie to appraise the map.

I thought that with the ability of a dragon, the sovereign of magic, she might be able to figure out the magic surrounding the map.

As expected, Rosie touched the map for a moment and seemed to have figured something out.

She didn’t tell me the specifics, but she left me with a few meaningful words.

About the map Unit Leader Ji-han brought, it’s complete trash.

To think she called it trash when I spent so much to win it at the auction.

In any case, the gist of what Rosie said was simple.

If I were to pass through the portal following this map, the beginning and end of the journey would be hell.

Since my starting point’s difficulty was SS-rank, half of Rosie’s prediction had already come true.

Maybe Unit Leader Ji-han will die in the early part of the journey. Then who will teach me swordsmanship?

Still, this concern was completely off the mark.

By making good use of Claude, who could be called an NPC in this world, the difficulty of escaping the island had plummeted.

Moreover, with Heo Jeong-ah joining in, it wouldn’t have been that difficult even if I had attempted a frontal breakthrough.

Well, Unit Leader Ji-han is a mysterious person, so maybe he can break through the initial difficulties and survive. Even so, this map is still trash.

She meant that while the beginning was hell, the end would be even more ridiculous.

The discrimination one would receive in the final stage would be enormous, depending on which map’s portal one passed through.

[‘Runes of Empathy’ will be randomly distributed to the two challengers.]

[Seo Ji-han: 1, Heo Jeong-ah: 99]

Random, my foot.

The moment the message was delivered, I knew it was Abyss’s trickery.

But it was a completely meaningless setup for me.

[Become the master of the Holy Sword.]

[The runes you have just received can be used to empathize with the Holy Sword Bastian.]

[Time Limit: 2 hours]

Holy Sword Bastian.

It would surely recognize me.

***

The destination of this journey was exactly what I had hoped for.

My beloved sword from my days as Johan Raven, with whom I had always been. Holy Sword Bastian.

Its resonance and cry, calling out to me, felt as if it were tickling my ear.

‘Just one chance.’

Since I had received only one rune, I had to find the real Bastian among these numerous replicas in a single try.

“Seo Ji-han! I’m going to try using one rune first. Is that okay?”

“As you wish.”

I thought there was no way she could succeed on her first try.

Tens of thousands of swords filled this space. If she were to find the genuine one on her first attempt among these, perhaps Bastian’s true destiny was Heo Jeong-ah.

[Consuming 1 ‘Rune of Empathy’.]

Heo Jeong-ah gently closed her eyes and listened for the sword’s voice.

Then she went back and forth, contemplating over and over again.

At first, her serious expression made me feel a bit anxious, but the very fact that she was taking so much time was proof that she wasn’t hearing the sword’s voice properly.

I waited for her choice with a calm mind.

“I’ve finally made up my mind!”

In fact, making up her mind was probably not that grand a deal.

She had been given a whopping ninety-nine chances.

This was just the first attempt among those many chances.

“I think I got a real feeling! It’s like this one is screaming for me to pick it up?”

Saying that, Heo Jeong-ah unhesitatingly pulled out a sword embedded in the ground.

Srrrr.

However, the sword in Heo Jeong-ah’s hand instantly vanished without a trace.

Meaning it was a replica.

She stuck out her tongue with a look of despair.

“What’s this! I definitely felt something!”

“Next time, you can just avoid that feeling.”

“Hey, you’re not in a position to say that. You only have one rune.”

She grumbled as she continued.

“I’m going to try again this time, is that okay?”

“I don’t care if you use all hundred of yours in a row first.”

“Really?”

I nodded.

“Do as you please.”

It wouldn’t be easy even if she tried not a hundred, but a thousand times.

That’s how many replicas existed here right now.

If she couldn’t hear the proper voice of the sword, she wouldn’t be able to succeed no matter how many times she tried.

“Ah! Failed again!”

As I expected, her second attempt also ended in vain.

It was a natural outcome.

Although Heo Jeong-ah herself didn’t seem to think so.

“I really felt it this time!”

“You can just avoid that feeling next time too.”

“Always acting all cool. Then you try this time.”

“Shall I?”

In terms of simple probability, it was one in tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands.

But the fact that the real Holy Sword Bastian existed here. This one premise was enough.