Ch.150The Worst Always Comes in Layers – 1

The most urgent problem to solve right now.

I need to change the dynamic where Sujin Hyun attacks while I focus solely on defense.

Even though that woman’s body isn’t in normal condition.

Even though one’s skill can only manifest up to the limits of their physical endurance.

I must consider the very real possibility that I’ll tire out first.

‘A powerful fighter among the powerful, active long before me.’

Just as she doesn’t know much about me, I don’t know much about her either.

If this stalemate continues until we reach our absolute limits, it could lead to my downfall.

So before that happens, I need to change the flow and prevent her from adapting.

After tiring her with attacks, I must now burden her with the greater challenge of defense.

Currently, Sujin Hyun overwhelmingly dominates in spatial utilization and ranged attacks.

I need to seize at least one of these advantages to inflict meaningful damage.

Crack!—

I deliberately swung my sword as widely as possible, cutting through the shadow.

Simultaneously, I destroyed part of the wall blocking my side.

This momentarily blocked both vision and hearing with noise and dust.

‘Now.’

I quickly recovered my sword and turned it inward.

At the same time, I unleashed the magical power I had been carefully conserving.

There’s no way I can beat Sujin Hyun in spatial utilization.

All I have are my two arms and one shadow I’ve kept in reserve until the end.

In contrast, Sujin Hyun has dozens of shadows at her disposal.

Trying to dominate the space would be suicidal.

But in a battle of distance, I also have advantages.

Techniques that others consider ultimate skills.

Minseong Kang wielded them effortlessly under the name of “Wind.”

And now, I too can utilize that wind without much difficulty.

I don’t need to execute it perfectly. Just making contact is enough.

When she thinks she has the advantage in distance, I just need to give her a warning.

That way, she’ll reflexively feel threatened about maintaining distance.

“You, again!”

Yes. Her remembering and being surprised is enough to achieve my first objective.

She must be tense after taking a direct hit from this wind last time.

And unlike Minseong Kang who couldn’t control it perfectly, I can actually control it!

Rumble!—

As if determined not to allow me to summon the wind, shadows swarm toward me.

No tricks this time. She purely, overwhelmingly occupies the entire front.

Forcing me to either block or dodge without alternatives.

This is the sincere attack of a former S-class, now called “The Elder.”

One should either grit their teeth and block it or flee without looking back.

All other S-class fighters except Rina Lee would have done exactly the same.

Ah, not just Rina Lee anymore. There’s also me now.

Whoosh—

This is exactly what I was waiting for. I wanted Sujin Hyun to respond with full force.

She was properly defeated by the suicide technique—no, the killing technique—that Minseong Kang taught me.

Naturally, I expected her to react this way again at the first sign of it.

But what I had prepared wasn’t the previous “storm” but a “breeze.”

Rumble!—

I suddenly reverse the flow of magical power that was disguised as a storm.

The recoil sends excruciating pain throughout my body.

The pain is so intense that I involuntarily cry out, “Ugh!”

I almost lost concentration completely, which would have ruined everything.

‘Endure it. Damn it, just endure.’

I didn’t go through all that suffering just to crumble from this pain.

Reversing magical flow like this is nothing. I can do it.

Others would call me crazy for saying this, and they’d be right.

I am crazy. I never thought I was normal in the first place.

“Ah!”

Sujin Hyun finally realizes what I’m trying to do and lets out a gasp.

She frantically tries to withdraw her shadows, but how could that be easy?

Even though Sujin Hyun can control shadows like her own body.

It’s difficult to recall something already launched with maximum magical power.

I’ve been waiting for precisely this moment, casting my fishing line.

‘And you’ve taken the bait completely!’

I create a gust of wind toward the shadows that were rushing to crush me.

This isn’t an attempt to cut or shatter them like before.

Instead, I’m making them get caught in the current and return in the direction they came from.

It would have been troublesome if Sujin Hyun had noticed earlier.

But she realized only after that moment had passed, and now it was my turn.

This was the moment when the defensive position would shift from me to her.

CRASH!—

RUMBLE!—

…Huh? Shit? Wait. This wasn’t expected.

I didn’t think the entire area would collapse.

‘I thought it would hold up since it withstood Sujin Hyun’s rampage, so a breeze would be fine.’

Damn. I’ve dug my own grave again.

CRASH!—

“…Gasp!”

Huff, huff. Wow. That was close. I never expected to be buried by my own attack.

This is too embarrassing to tell anyone. Self-burial, seriously.

After barely digging myself out of the debris, I see movement ahead.

A moment later, a woman’s face pops up.

She’s as tough as I am. I thought she might play dead and not come out.

I looked for my sword to finish this, but couldn’t see it anywhere.

Even if I had found it, my body wouldn’t move properly, either because of reversing my magical flow.

Or because of the impact my body had taken.

“Cough, cough!”

Glancing at the coughing Sujin Hyun, she looks quite a sight.

Covered in blood and dust, she looks worse than a beggar.

As I sit down waiting for my magical power to subside.

Suddenly, I hear a sound completely inappropriate for the situation.

“Puhah!”

…What’s that about? Why is she laughing? Did she hit her head?

Or is it a trick to pretend she’s lost her mind and escape?

“Wow. You look so bad even beggars would shake their heads in disapproval.”

Beggars? No. Does she think she looks any better?

I couldn’t just listen to Sujin Hyun’s words without responding.

“You look like the king of beggars yourself.”

“Ah. What? I look terrible too? Sorry. I can’t see my own condition, you know.”

After saying that, Sujin Hyun tries to stand up but plops back down.

The situation seems similar to mine. So we tacitly agreed to a temporary ceasefire.

Let’s rest just a little bit, recovering magical power to fight again.

“It’s awkward being quiet, so let me ask you something.”

I turned my gaze toward Sujin Hyun at her question.

“Aren’t you afraid of dying? No, that’s not it. Don’t you have regrets? You seem to just charge in recklessly.”

“I am afraid. And I do have many regrets. I’m finally just starting to be treated like a human being.”

“For someone who says that, you don’t show any fear or regret at all.”

At those words, I unconsciously recalled my own behavior.

…I don’t think I’ve ever acted like someone who’s lost all fear?

“What about you? Don’t you have regrets about dying?”

“No. I don’t.”

“You should. The person you loved, who loved you back, wouldn’t want that.”

I hope she doesn’t take this as taunting and charge at me to kill me.

With that thought, I cautiously observed Sujin Hyun, but fortunately she showed no such signs.

“…How would you know to say something like that.”

She just asked how I would know such a thing.

“Tell me. How do you know that person would feel that way?”

She seemed to want an answer.

I thought briefly about how to respond.

“Because that’s the minimum obligation of those left behind for those who have departed.”

“Obligation?”

“To live. To cling to life. That’s why I’m telling you to have regrets.”

I saw it. Sujin Hyun flinching momentarily at my words.

She seems to have had similar thoughts, however vaguely.

Whether everything she’s doing is truly for him.

What she should do if he’s crying in the underworld.

“…I told you.”

After some silence, Sujin Hyun finally parted her lips.

“I will never stop. I won’t give up or regret anything.”

“I see.”

Well, I expected this. Not bad. A villain without laundering.

It would be awkward if she started showing regret now. After I’ve made up my mind.

“By the way, you were speaking informally earlier, why the formal speech now?”

“Oh. You’re right. Well, it’s become a habit that’s hard to break.”

Damn civil service life. I haven’t even seen mountains change, yet I’m like this.

It makes me realize how much stress I’ve been under.

I’m lucky I didn’t go bald. If that had happened, I would have half-killed my boss.

“Let’s end the chitchat here. Your magical power has recovered, right? Let’s finish this.”

Sujin Hyun stands up and raises her shadows again.

The number of shadows is incomparably fewer than when we first clashed.

Even the magical power contained in those shadows is visibly depleted.

As she said, this will be the finale. A few more clashes and it will be over.

“Fine. Let’s end this quickly. Being buried alive isn’t my preference.”

“Agreed.”

As I gripped my sword tighter, preparing to squeeze out everything for one more path.

Suddenly, I felt a strange vibration and stopped.

Is the underground facility finally collapsing? No, that’s not it. This isn’t that kind of vibration.

This is the magical power in the area vibrating.

And what follows such a phenomenon is only one thing.

Roar!—

Damn it, why a gate at this timing of all times!

Getting swept into that would be truly disastrous. It would mean banishment outside the world.

As I hastily backed away, Sujin Hyun across from me cursed, “Shit.”

“Hey, Seojin Baek. I think we’re screwed.”

“I know that!”

“No, not that. Don’t you feel it?”

Just as I was about to ask what she meant.

A chilling energy emanated from beyond the gaping abyss.

It was reminiscent of when I first encountered The Elder.

“This gate. It seems S-class?”

…Wow. We really are screwed.

*

“So where exactly did the examiner go, Soohyun?”

No matter how much Hyunwoo Lee demanded an answer, Soohyun Kim remained unmoved.

Saying she wasn’t told to reveal where she was going.

Thanks to that, the team members learned that The Elder had attacked the branch.

And additionally, that Seojin Baek had gone after her.

Naturally, they were worried about Seojin Baek and wanted to provide support.

Yet Soohyun Kim, who seemed to have the information, was shaking her head.

“The examiner said he’d return when he finished his business. There’s nothing to worry about.”

“But still…”

Hyunwoo Lee’s words were cut off there.

Suddenly, with a tremendous roar, the magical power in the area began to churn.

And an ear-splitting alarm sounded from all directions.

“Hana unnie. Could this be…?”

“I think you’re right, Dasom. A gate has appeared.”

Without further discussion, the team members immediately rushed outside.