Ch.69The Gatekeeper Is – 4

“….”

Hyuk Kwak stared blankly at the spear in his hand.

More precisely, at the “broken” spear that had been split in two.

Despite the red blood gushing from his chest, he paid no attention to it.

Right now, his focus was solely on his broken spear.

‘I couldn’t read it. Couldn’t even see it. Me. Me of all people.’

Woong—!

Cutting through the wind, a cold blade flew straight at him.

Hyuk Kwak reflexively tried to block it with his spear shaft, only to belatedly realize his spear wasn’t intact.

Thus, there was only one path he could take.

None other than backing away to create distance.

It didn’t even end with just one attack.

Each time the blue blade flew at him, Hyuk Kwak had to retreat.

Once, twice, and then three times. Continuously, without rest.

After backing away for a while, Hyuk Kwak gritted his teeth.

‘Me. Me of all people, backing away?’

It was unbelievable. This, this was impossible.

His opponent wasn’t even another Elder, nor another S-rank ability user.

Just a mere C-rank youngster. Someone who should be nothing more than a pebble in his path.

Someone who couldn’t even scratch him even if they were reborn a thousand times.

Could a human flee bleeding profusely from an ant?

Even if they attacked in swarms, it would be dismissible, let alone a single one?

Impossible. If such a thing happened, then the person wouldn’t be human anymore.

Yet it actually happened.

To him, no less, and in such a miserable state.

“You bastard!”

Rage welled up inside him. Like an active volcano, with a violent explosion.

There was only one person in the world who had ever given him such humiliation.

Rina Lee. The Yellow Madwoman. A powerhouse that made even other S-ranks shake their heads.

Only against that woman had he experienced a humiliating defeat.

Other than her, he had never lost.

Not only had he never been defeated, he had never even shown signs of being pushed back.

Even other Elders avoided direct confrontation with him.

Yet here he was, being pushed back by the man before him.

That sight reminded him of his past defeat against Rina.

It brought back memories of that humiliation when he had been utterly defeated and broken.

Hyuk Kwak couldn’t bear it. He didn’t want to see the past.

Swoosh—!

Even though it was broken, even though it was shortened, a spear was still a spear.

Gripping the blade part, Hyuk Kwak thrust it forward.

Whatever trick he pulled, whatever miracle occurred, it wouldn’t happen twice.

His opponent’s balance was already on the verge of collapse.

If he could just disrupt the core once more, the man would fall on his own.

‘Let’s see how far you can dodge.’

Emitting a chilling gaze, Hyuk Kwak continued to press Seojin Baek.

And soon after creating an opening, he thrust his spear inward.

Squelch—!

The spear blade properly entered Seojin Baek’s side.

The eerie and cruel sound of the blade cutting through skin, tearing muscle, and severing blood vessels clearly reached Hyuk Kwak’s ears.

He wouldn’t be able to endure. With an injury like this, he should definitely collapse.

Even if he didn’t collapse, he should be writhing like a worm.

‘But why is this guy…’

Far from writhing, he wasn’t even slowing down. Instead, he was wearing a faint smile.

That look was like the smile of a hunter who had been waiting for this moment.

Only then did Hyuk Kwak realize something felt off about the spear that had pierced through the side.

It should have crushed the internal organs. That’s what should have happened.

But there was a very subtle feeling of hitting something.

‘…No way. Flesh sacrifice for bone gain?’

A saying about sacrificing one’s flesh to take the enemy’s bone.

In the current situation, it meant sacrificing both his flesh and bone.

In return, he would take more of the opponent’s flesh and bone.

The moment Hyuk Kwak’s spear entered, Seojin Baek twisted his body.

Then, using his ribs as a shield, he blocked the spear blade that was heading for his internal organs.

Without a moment’s hesitation, possible only because he had read the opponent’s attack.

The attack that was supposed to end it all only resulted in a severe injury that bought time.

What would happen next was all too obvious.

Woong—!

“Kuk!”

Gritting his teeth, Hyuk Kwak had to back away once again.

The sword that grazed his face, and then sliced past his neck.

This wasn’t Minseong Kang’s sword. Nor was it Hakjun Ma’s sword.

It was a sword he had never seen before. However, he could clearly feel its viciousness and malice.

Only vital points, vital points, and more vital points.

A sword with the same, no, even more killing intent than his own.

A blade he had never felt while fighting Seojin Baek before.

‘What the hell is this guy? First using Minseong Kang’s sword, then some other strange sword.’

Thoughts of continuing to retreat and thoughts of counterattacking clashed in his mind.

For that, he needed to retrieve his spear first.

The spear still remained lodged in Seojin Baek’s side.

But he couldn’t get it back for free.

He had to pay a price. Humiliating as it was, he had no choice.

With that thought, Hyuk Kwak bit his lip and lunged forward.

Slash—!

A long line of blood was drawn across Hyuk Kwak’s left shoulder.

His arm dangled as if it might be severed at any moment.

But thanks to that, Hyuk Kwak was finally able to retrieve his spear.

“Kuhak!”

As the spear was roughly pulled out, Seojin Baek staggered.

Had he finally reached his limit after enduring for so long?

Yes, that’s how it should be. That’s normal.

How could anyone endure more against him?

That’s right. Everything until now had been impossible!

Once again, he draws out the killing intent that had been submerged deep within.

That filthy and vile emotion reserved for just one person.

He aims it not at the one he had been targeting all along, but at someone else.

The spear is broken, his left arm is unusable, and there’s a large wound on his chest.

But nothing changes. He is still a murderer, and he doesn’t deny it.

And this attack will surely take the opponent’s life.

“Kyaaaa!!”

A beastly roar erupts from Hyuk Kwak’s mouth.

It was evidence that he had staked quite a lot on this strike.

It meant that if he failed to achieve his goal this time, there would be no next time.

*

“Keuruk.”

Red blood gushes from his mouth.

So this is what it feels like to cough up blood. Wow, to think the day would come for me too.

The fact that such thoughts cross his mind makes him wonder if he’s really been pushed to the brink of death.

The pain that had been tearing his body apart until just a moment ago.

But now even that pain has faded.

It felt empty. Numb. Just, everything was blurry.

Was it because he had lost too much blood? Or was he exhausted?

Or had he subconsciously given up because there was no other way?

He couldn’t tell. He could only see Hyuk Kwak flying towards him.

It seems like I might really die at this rate. I should do something.

But my body has been pushed to its limit. It’s already a miracle that I’ve fought this far.

Just once, if only a miracle could happen one more time.

It feels like I’ve already borrowed all the miracles of a lifetime.

‘Should I just stop here?’

Unconsciously, such a thought briefly crossed his mind.

This isn’t real anyway. This is all just part of a novel.

Who knows? If I die, maybe I can go back to the world I came from.

Yeah. That might really be possible. If I stop here, that’s it.

I’ll go back to where I belong. Everything will return to normal.

To the place where my real life is, not as Seojin Baek…

“Let’s make a promise. Let’s promise not to die!”

“Everyone, promise. We all must survive!”

Amidst his fading consciousness, something appeared clearly.

Children huddled together. And hands tightly clasped.

Wearing identical clothes, in a space filled with nothing but gray, they were saying those words.

What could that be? Who are those children? Why are they saying such things?

Is this also a dream? But it seems too vivid for a dream.

Suddenly, there were many things I became curious about.

So unconsciously, I held onto my sanity.

“Kyaaaa!!”

Hyuk Kwak, who had been speaking in a low voice until just a moment ago.

But now he’s making sounds like a beast would make.

Yes. That bastard was quite desperate too. He was cornered in his own way.

Thinking that made me feel better. And, it seems like I might be able to do this? Such a.

A hope with quite a rational basis emerged.

‘I can do this.’

Yes, I can do it. It’s enough. How can I not do something I’ve already done once?

My body is in a mess, and even moving is difficult, but it’s worth a try.

Even as the world was turning red, I could see clearly.

The eerie, sticky, damp stench of death.

It was disgusting. I wanted to get rid of it quickly and breathe in fresh air to my heart’s content.

Just once, let’s try once more. How hard have I lived until now?

It’s too unfair to think about giving up now.

If I have to die, then so be it, but I can see a way to survive, can’t I?

All the sword trajectories that Minseong Kang taught me, that Hyunwoo Lee showed me, and.

The ones that Soohyun Kim almost forcibly told me about recently.

I traced the path that the old masters of the past taught, the path that the aces of the future would unfold.

There was nothing difficult, complex, or profound about it.

Right now, this was just a simple swing.

To survive? Well, I don’t think that’s it.

What am I doing this for?

To kill that guy? That doesn’t seem right either. What was it?

…Ah, right. That’s it. The reason I’m doing this is, that.

‘You bastard, to stop you from passing through.’

They’re all students who will take the exam again someday.

So don’t even think about touching them. They’re mine.

Earlier, I slashed from the upper right to the lower left.

This time, the opposite. From the upper left to the lower right.

Towards Hyuk Kwak who had flown right up to him, he swung his sword with all his might.