novelburst-info
Chapter 168
Chapter 168
1.
Chaser was strong.
The gun he wielded, and his ability to match the speed of the bullets, made him formidable.
However, his opponent, Yang Gwi-ho, was even stronger.
“That was a bit tough at the end.”
Chaser, moving in an unexpected direction to follow the ricocheting bullets.
Yang Gwi-ho, who had momentarily lost sight of him due to the sharp change in his path, was in a dangerous position, but he still had some leeway.
The use of his saved awakened ability!
Though Yang Gwi-ho had held back from using his ability during the martial arts tournament, thinking it might be considered underhanded, he realized it would have been foolish to hold back when his opponent freely used their own awakened abilities.
Chaser, completely unaware that Yang Gwi-ho had been hiding his abilities for such a ridiculous reason, was taken off guard.
“Indeed, this is a skill worthy of Silent Swordmaster’s recognition. To counter my 30-round automatic fire and ricochet shots… I lost in strategy due to holding back my awakened ability until the very end.”
Chaser conceded gracefully.
The two fighters who had delivered a brilliant match were met with applause.
‘What kind of martial arts tournament is this?’
With a gentle smile, Baek So-cheon clapped, but no one knew what he was thinking.
On the other hand, people without any prejudices about martial arts were in awe of the high level of the tournament.
Even Kim Je-cheol, who had been glaring at Yang Gwi-ho, couldn’t deny that fact.
“Yang Gwi-ho!”
“Oh, the guy who was glaring from the outside.”
“I’ll definitely defeat you in the finals and prove that the man who fits Silent Swordmaster is one wearing a robe, not a training uniform.”
What is this guy trying to do?
“Really excellent matches.”
Dashman was sincerely impressed.
It was the first time he realized that awakened individuals could fight like this when they were truly determined.
Since most awakened ones avoid direct confrontation, they don’t really know their own limits either.
“Right? I hoped that even Korean awakeners would recognize it.”
The ongoing war against monsters on the Eastern European front.
Awakeners there aren’t focusing on the wealth they gain from their abilities but are risking their lives in wars for the future and safety of their country.
A completely different lifestyle than that of the Korean awakeners.
“Even in a peaceful country after the war, it’s a shame to forget the enjoyment of honing one’s abilities while living daily life.”
“Indeed, it’s a profound message that one shouldn’t neglect training, even while leading daily life for the future of the country.”
“More than that, it’s a waste. Even with superhuman abilities, not using them properly is just a waste.”
With a playful, childlike smile and sticking out her tongue, Eve looked at Dashman.
At her unexpected mischievousness, Dashman covered his face with his hand.
‘I need to eat more zinc.’
Every time the saintess struck his heart with her words, his nasal membranes seemed to be at risk.
“So when will Dashman’s turn come?”
“Oh, I... Well, I’m thinking of forfeiting.”
“Eh?”
“I’m not lacking in ability, but leaving the saintess alone here doesn’t feel right. As you saw earlier, there are some suspicious people in the tournament, right? If someone needs to watch over the saintess, I...”
“I see. Hmm... Okay... Can you extend your hand for a moment?”
Eve extended her hand toward him, looking at his face.
Dashman, almost hypnotized, reached out his hand.
Why hand, of all things?
If I take her hand, what will she do?
Suppressing his excitement, he extended his hand and grasped hers.
It wasn’t as beautiful as he imagined,
nor as soft,
but from her hand, full of scars and calluses, a warm body temperature was transmitted.
The feeling of holding the hand of such a noble person made his body melt like marshmallow, and he was lost in this blissful moment.
Whoosh.
“—Huh?”
His vision flipped,
and with a thud, his body crashed to the floor.
“Cough!”
The cold air rising from the floor cooled the heat from his head, while a cold feeling touched his ribs as his shoulder joint was twisted painfully.
The saintess, who had once seemed nothing but beautiful, had easily twisted his arm and lightly placed a foot on his chest.
“If you struggle, your shoulder will dislocate and your ribs will break. If you’re slow to respond, I could pierce your heart in an instant.”
“Ah, it hurts, saintess!”
“Pfft. I’m sorry I couldn’t give you a gentlemanly treatment, but I wanted to show you what kind of person I am. Now, Dashman, you must understand what kind of person I am, right?”
After releasing the hold, Eve extended her hand to help Dashman up and dusted him off.
Dashman, who had directly experienced her strength, and the viewers who watched through the headcam were equally stunned.
- Why is the saintess so strong?
- Is this the healer from Eastern Europe?
- Saintess is so charismatic.
- Her techniques are so artistic.
- Haha, even healers can deal damage.
“Don’t worry and go on your way.”
“…Then, I’ll shamelessly go.”
She said she was going,
but if she leaves now, will she have a place to return to?
Dashman’s heart grew heavy.
The saintess was strong.
Even without using her ability,
he had a feeling that the result would be the same even if she did use it.
His instinct, sharpened through countless battles, was rarely wrong.
Though he was doubtful about where her petite frame was hiding such strength, if they actually fought, the saintess would undoubtedly win.
He was a weak being compared to the one he was supposed to protect.
How petty it must have seemed, his pitiful appearance lingering near her side.
Embarrassing, yes.
But above all, his pride was shattered.
Tap, tap.
Someone lightly tapped Dashman’s back as he slouched toward the arena.
“Silent Swordmaster?”
[Eve is worried about you.]
“!!”
[Are you going to abandon the trust you’ve built up just because you’re not strong enough to protect the one you want to?]
“No. That was never my intention.”
[Do your best. I expect you to go far, given your abilities.]
Unexpected encouragement from Silent Swordmaster.
Dashman suppressed the tears rising in his eyes and lowered his head.
“Thank you.”
[Go to the stage. It’s time for you to show your skills.]
The final match of the preliminaries.
Dashman stepped onto the stage.
Dashman’s opponent was a dangerous-looking man with scars on his face.
“Gwang-A Sword, Lee Jeong-un. I thought he had retired after being expelled from the Myunho Guild.”
“Dashman. It’s surprising that you’re still active after experiencing ‘that incident.’”
In the narrow awakener industry, it wasn’t uncommon to know someone by name, but these two knew each other well.
Once, they had been partners in a party, fighting side by side.
‘How unfortunate. Of all people, it had to be him.’
Dashman forced a casual smile and joked.
“Did you watch any broadcasts after retirement?”
“Practice wasn’t bad. And what about you? Did you enjoy being the saintess’s bodyguard?”
“Heh, bodyguard? I just got a big slap in the face trying to act all proper.”
The faint laughter was shared between them.
As the horn for the match began to sound, they both stood still, their eyes locked, sharing the same emotions.
Those were the days when they were low-tier awakeners,
exchanging insignificant jokes,
laughing over trivial conversations.
The days they thought would last forever.
‘There was no eternal friendship.’
Though he celebrated his friend's success,
he was left alone in a cold basement room.
The shocking scene where his friend, now in a famous guild, committed an unimaginable atrocity under the guild’s orders.
From fighting side by side to facing off as enemies.
Their paths diverged, and as time passed, the tension between them started to build.
“You haven’t changed.”
“You haven’t either.”
“That’s what makes me so uncomfortable.”
“Guess we both feel the same way.”
As soon as Lee Jeong-un drew his sword, three sparks exploded from different heights in rapid succession.
Dashman’s sword twisted his wrist and quickly deflected the three strikes in a three-part counterattack.
- Oh, wow.
- Dashman was this strong?
- I always thought he was just the neighborhood fool, why is he so strong?
- He’s always been quietly strong.
- I’ve heard that name, Gwang-A Sword, somewhere before.
“You’re so arrogant. You couldn’t handle me five years ago, and now you want to test me with just raw swordplay and no abilities?”
“Just wanted to confirm. I’ve been wondering how much I’ve closed the gap between us in the last five years.”
“Well, I’ll tell you now. The gap hasn’t closed one bit.”
Gwang-A Sword’s blade didn’t care about its wielder.
Would it risk a counterattack to slash at the waist, or retreat and threaten the hands with pressure?
Take a step forward and risk being hit in the chest, or take a step back and lose posture?
The rhythmic clashing of blades.
Between every clash,
in every swordfight,
he kept pushing the battle, relentlessly forcing a war of attrition,
risking his own safety.
The maddened swordplay,
that’s why it was called Gwang-A Sword, the Mad Sword.
Its domain had not changed after five years.
No, it had become even more ferocious than five years ago.
Step forward.
“!!”
In an instant, he closed the gap,
deflecting the sword aimed at his weak spot,
overcoming the danger.
If he stepped forward, he would strike,
if he stepped back, he would lose his arm.
At that perfect moment of vulnerability.
<Awakened Ability - Dash>
Following his evasive move backward,
Dashman added a precise 50cm of retreat.
Clang!
The swordplay after the evasion barely deflected the strike aimed at his abdomen.
“You’ve dulled. You’ve been playing the fool all this time, but you haven’t progressed in swordsmanship or ability.”
“Dulled? I can’t accept that. I’ve grown enough. I’m not some idiot who can’t protect what I should.”
“Now, what’s left for you to protect? Your only friend? Your precious younger sister? Didn’t you lose them all?”
“Shut up. You don’t have the right to mention her. You never showed up, even once, during the funeral.”
Lee Jeong-un’s sneer grew bitter.
Dashman’s eyes hardened.
The atmosphere was charged with tension.
- What the hell? What happened between them?
- Why are they talking only to each other?
- I remember now. Gwang-A Sword was part of Myunho Guild but was kicked out after the Myunho department store collapse incident five years ago.
- What, is he a criminal?
- It’s not exactly a crime, but people did die, and one person became paralyzed.
The mood in the chat room shifted.
- Isn’t this too dangerous?
- Is it okay for our guy to continue the match?
- That guy is practically a villain.
An anti-social awakener.
A dangerous person unwelcome in society.
A member of an awakener criminal organization, stripped of his immunity and murder license, hunted by the state — a villain.
Gwang-A Sword was a person likely to be a villain.
“Guild leader! We need to stop the match right now. There are rumors that Gwang-A Sword might be a villain. I believe the rumors are quite credible.”
Even Ujiuma, the organizer of the tournament, rushed to the judge’s seat in a hurry.
[Eve, what do you think?]
Instead of declaring the match stopped,
Ha Eung Eung turned to look at Eve.
[Do you think this match should be stopped?]
“Normally, yes, it should be.”
But if Dashman was the one participating in this match,
someone who also had the expectations of others,
“I don’t mind the greed. I want to see Dashman’s fight a little longer.”
Meeting past enemies,
proving that the time spent wasn’t wasted,
through his sword and skills.
She didn’t want to take away that precious opportunity for Dashman to grow as a warrior.