Ch.260260. Competitive Spirit (1)

If this had been a miraculous victory achieved through coincidence upon coincidence, the Cult of Immortality wouldn’t have needed to modify their current strategy.

Though startled by the sudden strike, the Cult of Immortality, which controlled all of Seoul, could easily recapture a place like Hanam, and they could even make contact with those who disliked Kim Su-ho’s victory, minimizing their losses.

However, Kim Su-ho wasn’t the type to be satisfied with just Hanam.

If they had been facing Serabol until now, after occupying a city, they would have stayed to secure control. But Kim Su-ho, as if he couldn’t care less about that, used his forces deployed in all directions to fiercely expand the front lines and attack before the Cult of Immortality could respond.

“We lost again!?”

“Yes. We lost.”

It was truly a series of defeats.

Kim Su-ho’s relentless attacks showed he was a completely different type of commander from Jeong Dong-geon, who always considered casualties and rarely engaged in unnecessary offensives. Ironically, the ferocious attack style that showed no fear of death was actually the Cult of Immortality’s specialty—meaning they were being beaten at their own game.

However, the Cult of Immortality wasn’t foolish enough to simply let Kim Su-ho’s mobility defeat them. After receiving news from the Seoul branch, the Cult’s headquarters began implementing countermeasures against Kim Su-ho in Seoul.

“The biggest problem is his mobility.”

“Yes. He appears in the east, then flashes to the west. Kim Su-ho seems to be everywhere on the battlefield.”

The first thing the Cult of Immortality noticed was Kim Su-ho’s overwhelming mobility. They thought he was in Hanam, but suddenly he appeared in Gwangmyeong, and when they thought he was in Gwangmyeong, he was back causing havoc in Hanam—this terrifying mobility was the problem.

To maximize his mobility, Kim Su-ho prioritized controlling the roads connecting each city. The Cult of Immortality, after suffering a harsh defeat, realized the importance of roads and attempted to recapture them, but each time they were defeated by Kim Su-ho’s sudden strikes.

“Is it Kim Su-ho’s deception? Or have you identified if there’s an Awakened with teleportation magic?”

“Well…”

“Hmph. He’s hiding it thoroughly.”

The Cult of Immortality gradually began to suspect that either all the Kim Su-hos appearing in various battles were fakes, or there was an Awakened under his command who could use teleportation magic.

They thought the latter was more likely, and considering that many unusual abilities had manifested during this apocalypse, it seemed reasonable that Kim Su-ho, who controlled Seoul, might have at least one Awakened with teleportation magic.

Of course, the correct answer was the former, not the latter—all the self-proclaimed Kim Su-hos appearing on the battlefield were fakes. But considering that even these fake Awakened were superhumans exceeding Level 20, it was understandable that the Cult mistook them for the real thing.

In fact, by apocalypse standards, it was a perfectly reasonable assumption—first-class Awakened who would have already become rulers or established their own nations in other regions wouldn’t be satisfied merely serving as Kim Su-ho’s subordinates.

“In any case, we don’t have any Awakened in our Cult who can match Kim Su-ho’s mobility. He has informed us that there is an effective way to defend against Kim Su-ho’s mobility.”

“So there was a countermeasure after all!”

However, they couldn’t keep losing, so the Cult of Immortality began implementing their own countermeasures.

Particularly, the one they referred to as “He” seemed displeased with Kim Su-ho’s activities and decided to intervene directly.

“The undead being created this time was designed with three purposes. First, the strength to fight Kim Su-ho; second, the speed to match Kim Su-ho’s mobility; and third, an independent brain capable of seeing through Kim Su-ho’s deceptions! He has named this undead… the Death Knight!”

They actually achieved results and succeeded in creating a powerful undead.

The appearance of the Death Knight, commonly regarded as one of the strongest undead in fantasy!

The Death Knight created by the Cult of Immortality was born with three design purposes.

The first was strength and reaction speed capable of fighting Kim Su-ho. The second was speed that could match Kim Su-ho’s mobility to prevent him from escaping.

Finally, it was equipped with an independent brain that could modify strategies during battle and neutralize Kim Su-ho’s tactics, making it essentially a superhuman version of the undead.

“Before long, the Death Knight will be deployed to the Seoul front. That will be Kim Su-ho’s end.”

While the Cult of Immortality was preparing countermeasures against Seoul’s hero, Seoul wasn’t sitting idle either. Support troops from Serabol had just begun arriving in Seoul.

There were about 15 of them—a small number, but each one belonged to the Hwarang, the elite Dragon Priestess Guards of Serabol, and their commander was none other than…

“What? This doesn’t seem as bad as I thought?”

“Ah, it’s Jin A-yeon.”

It was Jin A-yeon.

Known as Serabol’s strongest Awakened, she had arrived in Seoul—specifically in Seongnam City, Kim Su-ho’s base—as the advance party, and upon arrival, she assessed that the situation wasn’t as bad as expected.

She had heard that Seoul had collapsed and the refugee situation was serious, but in reality, the refugees were evacuating in an orderly manner, and while Seongnam City’s atmosphere was subdued due to Seoul’s collapse, it still retained some vitality.

Choi Yu-na, the Dragon Priestess, came out to greet her, and the Hwarang quietly bowed their heads to their lord’s arrival.

“Yu-na. The situation doesn’t look bad. It feels like nothing happened.”

“Well, Kim Su-ho is stronger than expected. He’s currently decimating the Cult of Immortality.”

Jin A-yeon scratched her head at the scene that was completely different from what she had imagined, and when she said that Seoul’s situation wasn’t bad, Yu-na honestly replied that it was all thanks to Kim Su-ho.

Indeed, whenever Kim Su-ho went out to battle, the Cult of Immortality was being decimated. In just the past few days, he had recaptured Hanam City and ravaged three cities that had been threatening Gunpo, and his momentum alone would surely spread his valor throughout the Korean peninsula.

Kim Su-ho’s achievements were that brilliant, and as he pushed himself so hard, casualties began to mount. However, Yu-na could quickly heal the wounded and return them to the front lines, so it seemed like Kim Su-ho was free to rampage as he pleased now that the issue constraining his movements had been resolved.

“He’s decimating them?”

Jin A-yeon, being a war hero who had fought against the Cult of Immortality, knew the danger they posed better than anyone.

But if Yu-na was using the word “decimate,” it meant the Cult of Immortality couldn’t handle Kim Su-ho alone and was continuously being pushed back.

“Yes. He recaptured Hanam in a day, and Siheung, Anyang, and Gwangmyeong cities are completely devastated.”

“What?”

It was truly an incomprehensible statement.

Even Serabol needed months to recapture a single city from the Cult of Immortality, and ultimately, when it proved impossible with Serabol’s power alone, they had to use the Dragon God’s power, resulting in the Ulsan Disaster.

Yet Yu-na was saying that Kim Su-ho had recaptured Hanam, which was slightly larger than Gyeongju, in a day and devastated three cities controlled by the Cult of Immortality. Jin A-yeon’s expression showed she could hardly believe it.

“Ah, there he is.”

“…”

As Kim Su-ho returned to his base, Jin A-yeon and the Hwarang curiously observed him.

Just by looking at him, Jin A-yeon and the Hwarang could recognize that Kim Su-ho was a stronger being than themselves, feeling the overwhelming magical power flowing from him.

‘He’s strong!’

‘Could we win even if all of us in dragon armor attacked together?’

‘I can’t see any openings.’

The Hwarang tensed up and remained vigilant toward Kim Su-ho, a powerful Awakened against whom they saw no chance of victory even with their dragon armor.

Of course, their dragon armor wasn’t invincible, and its performance varied depending on the wearer’s level. With individual levels between 15-19, it was natural that the Hwarang couldn’t defeat Kim Su-ho. Nevertheless, even the Hwarang who hadn’t been intimidated by Jin A-yeon couldn’t help but feel intimidated when seeing Kim Su-ho in person.

‘He’s stronger than me. Yes, definitely stronger.’

Especially in Jin A-yeon’s case, considering she was a superhuman who had surpassed Level 20, this was the first time she had met someone stronger than herself, and because of that…

“Are you the famous Hero of Seoul?”

“Yes. Though it’s an undeserved title, I am Kim Su-ho, called the Hero of Seoul by the citizens. And you are…?”

“Jin A-yeon.”

“So you’re the Hero of Fukuoka.”

She spoke to Kim Su-ho first, showing interest in him, and Kim Su-ho seemed to know about her as well. When she gave her name, he mentioned one of her titles, the Hero of Fukuoka.

Even though it had been a year since that event, Jin A-yeon turned her head away as if embarrassed by the mention, but her curiosity still wasn’t satisfied, so she looked back at Kim Su-ho and spoke again.

“You’re strong. Incredibly strong. I heard you were the first person in Korea to reach Level 20?”

“Haha. I was just lucky.”

“Luck. Just luck…”

If reaching Level 20 was merely a matter of luck, the three guild leaders in Serabol would have already surpassed Level 20 and entered the realm of superhumans.

However, even with the help of the training grounds built by the Dragon God for Serabol, reaching Level 20 after achieving Level 19 was truly a matter of talent.

It wasn’t something one could achieve just by being lucky—it required both talent and effort. Therefore, Jin A-yeon thought Kim Su-ho’s words were just lip service due to his position.

“I’m curious about something. What level have you reached? My eyes can’t determine how far your abilities have progressed.”

“I’ve heard it’s impolite to ask about an Awakened’s level.”

She then asked about the realm Kim Su-ho had currently reached—in other words, his level. Kim Su-ho mentioned the implicit rule among Awakened that it was impolite to ask, but his expression showed he found Jin A-yeon interesting as he gazed at her.

Seeing Kim Su-ho’s attitude, Jin A-yeon smiled brightly and spoke.

“That’s why I’m asking directly. Say whatever you want, Su-ho. Even if it’s a lie.”

“If I speak directly, my adjutant will scold me… I’ve already surpassed 30 a while ago.”

And the answer was that he had surpassed not just Level 20 but Level 30.

Jin A-yeon was inwardly surprised that Kim Su-ho had reached a realm she herself hadn’t attained, but she pretended to be calm and continued questioning him.

“You’ve surpassed 30? Did you gain any new powers?”

“No. Nothing in particular. There were no signs of becoming dramatically stronger like at Level 20. I think I might need to reach Level 50 before seeing some new path.”

She had thought there might be special bonuses when reaching Level 30, just like for superhumans who reached Level 20, but Kim Su-ho’s answer was that there was nothing special.

However, he mentioned that something special might happen if he reached Level 50, which made Jin A-yeon look at him with genuine interest.

The fact that he specifically mentioned Level 50 rather than Level 40 suggested that Kim Su-ho had probably…

“Now I understand why Gyeon Gwan-im, who used to dislike you, has come to acknowledge you more than anyone else.”

He had likely reached at least Level 40.

With this intuition, Jin A-yeon recalled the advice Gyeon Gwan-im had given to the cabinet before she came here, and acknowledged Kim Su-ho as the strongest in Korea.

She didn’t know how he had reached such a realm, but she thought that if someone with such talent and determination continuously threw themselves into battle, it was possible. She resolved to become stronger herself, following Kim Su-ho’s example.

“Gyeon Gwan-im? Who is that?”

Of course, Kim Su-ho didn’t know who Gyeon Gwan-im was, so he questioned Jin A-yeon with a puzzled expression.

Jin A-yeon smiled bitterly at the fact that a warlord who had proven his reputation and skills in Serabol was treated as a nobody in Seoul, and slowly explained about Gyeon Gwan-im to Kim Su-ho.

“Ha. If the Governor heard this, his blood pressure would rise. He was one of the marauder groups you eliminated.”

“Haha. I’ve easily eliminated hundreds of marauders. It’s hard to remember each leader individually.”

“Is that so? Looking forward to working with you.”

Even after the explanation, Kim Su-ho still had no idea who Gyeon Gwan-im was, saying that he had eliminated too many marauders to remember them all.

Thinking that the Governor would grab his neck if he saw this scene, Jin A-yeon still considered it the natural arrogance that someone with such power should have, and slowly began to feel competitive.

Yes, with the appearance of a new realm, she too desired to reach that level.