Ch.128Chapter 128. First Meeting (2)

“Who are you?”

“You’re not any different.”

“What are you talking about?”

I carefully examined the man who was giving irrelevant answers to my questions.

His black hair, the same as mine, was the first thing that caught my eye.

Other than that, his appearance could be described as ordinary.

The look of a reasonably handsome human male.

“I mean your obsession with meaningless things.”

The black-haired man said this and then smirked.

Then he turned his gaze away from me and stared intently at the dead wolf cub.

“What a shame. It missed accepting my power by a hair’s breadth.”

“…!”

Woong-

While listening to the man’s words, I instinctively gripped the Black Shadow Sword from my subspace.

I had been suspecting the man’s identity since earlier.

“You caught my eye the most.”

Hwoong-

As soon as the man finished speaking, I immediately pointed my sword at him.

The man showed not the slightest sign of agitation despite having a sword aimed at him.

“You resemble that guy too.”

“That guy…?”

Hwooong-

The black-haired man, just like me, gripped a sword in his hand.

He definitely wasn’t wearing a sword at his waist, yet one appeared from somewhere.

“Shall we see if your skills are similar to his too?”

Chaeng-!

It was a sudden attack.

The man who had drawn his sword swung it toward me in that very stance.

Though it was a light swing, the weight of the sword was by no means light.

With a heavy weight, the sword rang out, and the man soon began to press forward.

Chaeng- Chaeng- Chaeng-!

The somewhat crisp sound of swords clashing echoed incessantly.

The man’s sword was dense and heavy without any openings.

It was definitely a sword style I seemed to have experienced somewhere before.

Chaeng- Chaeng-!

“At least you know how to move.”

“Tch, so sudden.”

Chaeaeng-!

I deliberately swung my sword strongly to create distance between us.

By the time Elaine had moved to a spot somewhat far away after the man and I began our full-fledged battle.

I was worried about Elaine being here with me, but this guy didn’t seem like he would target her over me.

So I could focus solely on the battle without worry.

Woong-

The exploratory phase ended after a few exchanges.

Next was serious mode.

I unleashed a sword strike that transcended space against the guy who wouldn’t properly reveal his identity.

Though it was clearly an attack that shouldn’t reach him, my sword flew precisely toward his body, transcending space.

Chaeaeng- Chaeng-

‘Huh?’

Despite it being an attack that would surprise anyone experiencing it for the first time, the black-haired man showed no signs of being flustered by my attack.

Rather, he skillfully defended against my attack as if he had anticipated such a move.

Chaeaeng-!

‘Does he have good reflexes?’

It seemed too much for that, as he blocked my attack as if he had been waiting for it.

Wooong- Shwaek-

Then it was time for the next level.

In fact, distance control was little more than a minor technique.

Even if it worked, it would be difficult to inflict a fatal wound, just enough to cause an injury.

But this method was different.

I moved to the blind spot of the guy who had blocked my attack and sharply penetrated the opening.

A quick thrust cut through the air, and my sword aimed precisely at his chest.

Hwaak-

“Huh?”

“Predictable.”

Woong-

The sword that had clearly pierced the guy’s chest didn’t transmit the sharp sensation that should have followed.

Instead of the feeling of piercing something, what was transmitted to my hand was like stabbing smoke.

The man’s body spread like smoke when the sword touched it, then disappeared as if it had never been there.

‘What is this?’

It wasn’t an illusion spell.

My mind was clearer than ever, and there had been no trace of mana movement from before I met him until now.

Moreover, I was essentially immune to illusion magic.

Even over short distances, one spatial teleportation could escape the influence of mana.

That meant this was also one of his abilities.

Hwoong- Chaeaeng-!

This time, the guy attacked first.

Being startled, I reflexively blocked with my sword without even thinking of avoiding it with spatial teleportation.

The man’s sword had become even heavier than before.

“I must have misjudged.”

“What?”

“I thought you stood out the most, but…”

It was strangely irritating.

Actually, I shouldn’t care at all about being evaluated by someone like him, but it somehow felt unpleasant.

After several exchanges, a momentary standoff followed.

“Perhaps I didn’t need to be cautious.”

I couldn’t help but get provoked by the man’s taunting words.

‘Huuuu.’

I took a deep breath to calm myself for a moment.

I needed to get serious now.

Wooong-

With the sound of space vibrating, mana rose from the Black Shadow Sword.

Additionally, the space around me began to vibrate, creating a kind of barrier.

I hadn’t planned to use this much power just to test him.

“So I asked, who are you?”

“I don’t think there’s any need to tell a meaningless name to someone like you…”

Chaeng-!

I rushed at him immediately, not wanting to listen to the man’s irritating words anymore.

The man also received my sword as if he had expected it, cutting off his words.

However, it was different from before.

Woong-

The space where my gaze fell vibrated violently.

And just as I was about to cut that space itself—

Pabat-

The man quickly withdrew and moved away from me.

At this point, I had to wonder if he had the ability to read minds.

To think he would anticipate and avoid even this attack.

It requires tremendous concentration, but it’s truly the ultimate technique.

I cut the “space itself” where my gaze falls and send it to another space.

Whatever is contained within that space.

“You’re annoyingly quick-witted.”

Paat-

My finishing blow had failed, but the attack wasn’t a complete failure.

Although he had hastily withdrawn, his posture was quite disrupted due to the urgency of his retreat.

I pressed on immediately without giving the man time to prepare.

Woong-

I moved right behind the man and swung my sword.

Hwaak-

Again, just like before, the man’s body scattered like smoke, but my attack wasn’t over yet.

Woong-

I focused while looking directly at the scattered body of the man.

Soon, the space where my gaze fell began to vibrate violently.

Along with the guy’s body that had scattered like smoke.

Hwoong-

‘Oh, he’s avoiding it.’

With this, I discovered one thing.

Although the man’s body scattered like smoke, his true form was still there.

Otherwise, there would be no need to roll on the ground to avoid my attack like he was doing now.

Puhuk-

“Damn.”

I quickly thrust my sword at the man who was hastily rolling on the ground to avoid the spatial cut, but unfortunately, it missed.

The Black Shadow Sword, which had strongly pierced the innocent ground instead of the man’s body, was vibrating intensely.

I immediately rushed at the man who hadn’t yet gotten up from the ground.

My instinct was telling me.

I shouldn’t give the man even a moment to think.

Chaeaeng-

The man somehow managed to block my sword even while rolling on the ground.

Paat-

‘He must be scared.’

It was worth using spatial cuts consecutively, even if it was a bit excessive.

The man retreated immediately after crossing swords with me, as if wary of where my gaze would fall.

“Huuu.”

With a short sigh that seemed like self-affirmation, I rushed at the man again.

I had to push as much as possible while I had momentum.

The guy seemed to realize the situation had changed from before, as he was frowning with a heavy expression.

“Let’s see how long you can keep running.”

“Perhaps… I did need to be cautious after all.”

Wooong-

The man muttered to himself as he pressed his knee and got up from the ground.

His attire, which had been spotlessly clean when he first appeared, was now thoroughly soiled with dirt.

A very pleasing and satisfying sight.

“Shall we continue?”

Wooong-

I shouted while glaring at the man with all my might.

**

“Haa, haa.”

“Huuuu.”

‘I can’t keep up.’

Elaine was hiding behind a tree, watching the breathtaking duel between the two men without taking her eyes off them.

At first, it seemed like Ryuyeong was being overwhelmed, but the situation quickly reversed.

Once Ryuyeong decided to press forward, the black-haired man was helplessly overwhelmed.

From then on, it was nothing short of a chaotic battle.

Ryuyeong attacked the man more aggressively than usual, and the man somehow managed to avoid Ryuyeong’s attacks while mixing in sharp counterattacks.

Ryuyeong seemed to have a slight advantage, but it was a situation where anything could happen if he let his guard down even a little.

Gulp-

Elaine could only watch the two men with a dry swallow.

“You…”

The man muttered toward Ryuyeong in a voice mixed with anger and confusion.

“Huuu. So you’re not going to tell me your name?”

“…”

The man didn’t answer Ryuyeong’s question.

Due to the long battle, the forest around the two was in shambles.

Tree trunks with missing centers, ground and rocks gouged out here and there.

“You’ll find out soon enough anyway.”

The black-haired man said this and then let out a deep sigh.

At the same time, Ryuyeong was rushing toward the man.

Hwaak-

“Let’s end it here.”

This time, the man’s entire form spread like smoke.

It was completely different from the pattern so far, where only the part about to be touched by Ryuyeong’s sword would scatter.

“See you next time, or rather, soon.”

“Hey, wait!”

Pueong-

And with a sound like something bursting, the man who had spread like smoke disappeared.

The surroundings, which had been dark, were gradually brightening.