190
genius
Knock knock.
The cold rain pounded my forehead. The heat in my body that had been rising slightly went down.
The void of heat was filled with a thick sense of helplessness.
– This is really fucked up.
‘Where did you learn all those bad words?’
I looked down and smiled bitterly.
I’d like to deny the tenant’s nagging, but unfortunately it was an accurate description.
‘It hurts so fucking much.’
It was so painful that I couldn’t help but curse. It was cut so cleanly that it looked like it had been cut below the elbow. The blood poured out and formed a puddle.
I’ve built up a decent tolerance for pain, so I can laugh off getting scratched or pricked, but this sting was so bad I couldn’t ignore it.
I forced my thoughts to roll over so as not to be consumed by the pain.
‘The sword is twisted.’
I just clicked my tongue as I recalled the situation.
The sword twisted momentarily. It seemed as if the sword was trying desperately to resist stabbing the bastard.
It was obvious that there was something wrong with the other person, since it wasn’t like Ishigol had entered puberty.
‘They say you’re the master of the sword, is that the concept?’
I thought it was roughly a pure Korean word for Sword Master, but it was a more intuitive name than I thought.
I looked at the twenty-goal stuck in front of me.
I wiped it when it got bloody, sometimes oiled it, held it at night when it was time to sleep… I did so much for it, but I felt bad that he was taking the side of such an old man.
I turned my gaze to him.
The master of the sword still stood there firmly.
He seemed a little annoyed, but still seemed calm.
Even the swordsmanship Daiso, whom I trusted, showed a gap in just one move.
The dire consequences brought on feelings of helplessness, fear and weakness.
This trend was not good.
‘He got scratched too.’
I forced the corners of my lips to rise as I looked at the blood flowing down the back of his neck.
If you cut the throat of any guy, he’ll die anyway.
The faint flow of blood was the evidence.
– Do you need arms?
The tenant was complaining.
Despite the somewhat jarring content, the guy’s deep emotions were conveyed.
‘Please give me a new one.’
I forced a smile, spitting out the blood that had gathered in my mouth.
– Stinging.
The tenant whispered with a smile on his face.
At the same time, a terrible pain came from the abdomen.
A pain worse than when my arm was cut off gripped my mind and shook me.
I couldn’t stand it anymore and screamed. It was an ugly scream, but it was not the time to save face.
An arm sprouted from the severed area. It was not regeneration, but rather the birth of an arm. I thought it was the end of the pain, but there was something beyond it.
Kkukkuk-. Erosion soon spread all over the arm that had grown fully.
The erosion was bigger, darker, and more horrifying than before.
In short, we are one step closer to the devil.
‘Your pupils have also increased.’
The yellow eyes that sprouted out from the arms were enough to induce trypophobia.
The optimal level of erosion was up to the left arm. When it went beyond that and eroded both arms, my mind became violently distorted.
The yellow eyes that looked like insect eggs on both arms moved around from moment to moment. It wasn’t a pleasant sight.
A feeling of foreign body and confusion that worsens as the eyes become more dilated.
Ironically, it was pain that helped me regain my senses.
At that moment, the sword master Daiso moved.
The swordsman Daiso, who had lost one hand, was holding a sword with both of his good hands. It was clearly a lizard.
I clicked my tongue and stepped forward.
Thud. The puddle below sprayed out in a long stream.
Beyond that, I could see the master of the sword standing there. He had a frown on his face, as if he was not pleased with something.
I focused on the scar carved into the bastard’s neck. If I cut off his neck, he would fall over just like that.
‘It’s worth doing.’
I was confident in one thing: cutting people’s necks. I forced myself to take a step forward, jokingly.
Thud. My mind shook with every step I took.
I looked around the sword shop with my expanded field of vision.
Although he was a little dizzy, he still had his eyes wide open. He was a kind person who didn’t care that one of his hands was cut off.
The sword master was concentrating on his swordsmanship. He didn’t even glance in my direction.
It was clear what I had to do.
Something to distract the guy even a little.
The swordsman Daiso made a large, round cut with his sword. The sword was fine, but it shook.
That sight reminded me of the swordsman Daiso who had been obsessed with throwing away his sword, saying things like “claws” and such.
It seemed that Kenshu Daiso was aware of that ability.
It seemed as if he had anticipated that I would face the master of the sword there, and that the master of the sword would aim for me.
My reluctance to use a sword may also be an extension of his.
‘Then please explain it to me more kindly.’
But isn’t he actually using a sword? I clicked my tongue and took a stance.
The sword of the swordsmith Daiso drew a parabola.
The semicircle drawn in a circular manner trembled.
The shaking became more severe the closer he got to the sword’s owner.
‘I feel empty without a sword.’
I timed my swing and swung my fist at the sword master’s coveted back of the head.
In front, the swordsman Daiso was stabbing with his sword, and behind him, I was swinging my eroded fist.
The sword master at the center looked precarious due to his slender physique, but his expression was relaxed.
The sword master waved his hand lightly. The bastard’s sword drew a straight line in the air.
The bastard’s sword could not be described in words like fast, slow, or accurate.
that-.
‘That’s correct.’
Yeah, that was the black answer.
Also, it was a declaration,
There was no room for objection.
I clicked my tongue at the fact that the bastard’s sword trajectory was different than before.
‘You’ve transformed. Did you notice?’
No, in the first place, it was rare for someone to show the same movement to the enemy consecutively.
Moreover, it was so natural that it looked like the bastard’s black hand, and the flow was different every time. It was to the point where just swinging it looked like swordsmanship.
I twisted my waist roughly.
Although it was an unusual movement that suddenly stopped in the middle, it enabled erosion to spread down to the chest.
Thud-. My body stopped for a moment with an eerie sound.
I thought I had clearly avoided it-.
His severed right arm rolled around in the mud soaked with rainwater.
Even though I saw it, I couldn’t avoid it. No, it was such a perfect sword that I didn’t even think about it. The overwhelming difference was somewhat hopeless, though-.
‘···There’s still one left!’
I was thinking positively. I had just lost both my arms, but this time it was just one. It was amazing progress.
The excruciating pain came late. I couldn’t bear it anymore and screamed, swinging my remaining left arm.
Pain took hold of my clouded mind.
A cool sensation. Something invisible to the naked eye was caught in the yellow eyes.
However, it was not something that could be avoided just by seeing it.
The spicy guy cut off the remaining left arm diagonally.
In an instant, both my arms were gone. If I had a sword, I could have gotten a kick out of it… I forced myself to suppress that weak thought.
‘again.’
I muttered without taking my eyes off the guy.
– As much as you want.
Before the severed arm could hit the floor, both arms quickly grew back.
It was faster, more bizarre, more terrifying, more alien than before. A different kind of sense of crisis was creeping in, but the one right in front of me was the bigger problem.
My mind was shaken even more.
A sharp pain gripped me.
The guy’s sword is visible beyond the expanded field of vision.
I didn’t back down, but crossed my arms and moved forward.
The arm that had just sprouted rolled around on the floor again.
I screamed again at the excruciating pain that came late.
Beyond that, the swordsman Daiso was swinging his sword.
The swordsman Daiso clashed with the sword master with his swinging sword. The sword master received another wound because he briefly slid the sword towards me.
It was a very small scratch, but it was a distinct possibility.
‘again.’
I gritted my teeth and shook my shoulders.
The arms sprouting again and the sense of alienation becoming clearer. An indescribable sense of crisis and a fading presence.
The once clear vision suddenly turned red.
A distant mind-.
A terrible, excruciating pain barely restrained my senses.
Black blood mixed with rainwater filled the surrounding area.
He continued to punch, screaming in unbearable pain.
The sword’s owner did not even glance at me and simply waved lightly.
This time, I was able to dodge with instinct. Then I swung my fist. The guy’s gaze turned towards me.
The bastard’s furrowed eyebrows were quite pleasing to the eye.
The sword of a guy who passes by like a gust of wind.
My arm fell off again.
The ensuing excruciating pain was welcome.
‘again.’
– ···.
The arms grew, and the vision became even redder. The pain faded. A soft pleasure and indescribable emotions filled the void.
I clenched my teeth at the strange sensation of my presence fading away – or rather, as if I was being eaten.
He dug his finger into the unrepaired wound. Blood sprayed out roughly, and the pain that had been fading grew stronger.
My hazy mind came back.
‘Do not covet, tenant.’
– Arrogant guy.
He desperately focused his gaze on the master of the sword.
At that moment, the severed hand of the swordsman Daiso rolled on the floor. A large puddle of black and red blood rippled beneath the sword’s owner.
A small, audible popping sound of air.
‘You’re late.’
My head spun at the familiar sound. I forced myself to continue my thoughts so as not to get lost.
I had to create an opening. I swung my fist in time with Kenshu Daiso’s attack.
The raindrops burst out with a force stronger than before. It was quite a cool sight, but it was not enough for the strange sword of the bastard.
“You’re tenacious.”
This time, the sword’s owner turned his head towards me, as if he was quite threatening.
In an instant, the excruciating pain that had faded arose again.
The arm was cut off, all the way to the breastplate. The expensive Dwarven armor was split in half.
Although I felt regretful, I did my job exactly. I drew aggro properly.
Pot-.
The moment the sword master turned his gaze to me, the sword of the swordsman Daiso was subtly bent. It shot out quickly as if it was a swordsmanship that had been hidden until now.
Thud. Hot blood soaked my face through the cold raindrops.
Another gash appeared on the sword master’s nape. This time it was deeper, longer, and a very lovely gash.
The sword’s owner twisted the sword, seeming angry and showing emotions unlike before.
At the end of it was a swordsmith Daiso.
‘This is dangerous.’
I hastily aimed my severed arms at the guy and braced my shoulders. Black blood sprayed out of my arms like a cool fountain.
The guy’s face was splattered with black blood.
The guy who got hit by blood looked back at me.
The confusion on his face was quite delicious.
“Isn’t it cool?”
I chuckled as I met the look of disgust in his eyes.
“Tsk.”
The one who clicked his tongue briefly swung his sword long.
A long slash of air was cut along the sword.
It was a strange sword that was hard to understand even after seeing it, as if it could cut through the air. However, it was certain that it had drawn aggro.
At that moment, there was a burst of air. Something pulled me back. It was the five eldest sons.
‘You’re late, kid.’
Thanks to that, I was able to pull myself out. My arms were cut a little shorter, but I was used to it now.
Objective achieved.
Across the cut space, the swordsman Daiso stabbed deeply with his sword.
It was amazing how he could cut through space, but it was also amazing how he could stab his sword through it.
Then, a louder popping sound than before-.
The claws of the five eldest sons were not affected, and reached roughly.
The master of the sword furrowed his eyebrows a little more.
‘A great trick… no, a strategic strategy.’
I looked at him with satisfaction and fell back.
‘Claws and swords···.’
I thought for a moment as I looked at the twenty-gol rolling around next to me.
Then, a brilliant idea suddenly occurred to me.
***
‘Blood is sprayed from the severed arm, blocking the view.’
The sword’s owner frowned in pain.
It was a fighting spirit that was beyond understanding.
The bastard managed to draw her gaze.
Because of that, I ended up allowing a blow to be dealt.
Chaeng-. At the sharp sound, the sword’s owner lightly shook his hand.
It was a great advancement to be able to swing a sword this straight at yourself, but it wouldn’t have been that difficult without that weirdo.
“This is all I have.”
It was nothing compared to what the sword’s owner had expected.
The old man’s eyes were cloudy and dim, unlike before. Those were not the eyes of a transcendent being.
“How long has it been since you transcended, yet you still can’t let go of the past?”
The sword master snapped his fingers in annoyance. The old man’s sword shook even more.
However, the old man did not put down his sword, but rather took a step forward.
It was stupid. The old man was just holding on to the strings of the past.
That was only a half-way transcendence.
“I’m starting to get tired of it.”
I’m starting to get sick of it.
To challenge oneself with a sword.
Maybe it’s because it’s been so long that my memory is hazy.
The sword master glanced at the old man’s sword. It seemed like he had put in a lot of effort, as his swordsmanship was sharper and more varied than before.
The reason he changed his swordsmanship, which had been straight, was probably to deal with himself.
Every movement of the sword was sharp, as if it was aimed at its master.
Well, that was about it.
The Master of the Sword was a man who knew a hundred swords when he saw one.
Just by looking at the swinging posture, I could see what would happen next, and a better direction and flow came to mind. To me, it was foolish to bet on a sword.
The claw of the sword master, who moved late, blocked the old man’s sword.
Kang! The old man’s sword shook violently. The old man’s eyes took on color.
‘You’re quite strong.’
The sword master savored it and waited for the old man’s next move.
The old man did not give up and continued to draw his sword.
The sword’s master moved later.
But the result was the same.
Kang! With a crisp sound, the old man’s sword was pushed back.
The sword master did not chase after her, but waited again. He intended to hang out with her until she realized her own stupidity.
The old man moved his sword again, even though his attack was poorly blocked.
This time, the old man’s sword moved just before it reached his neck. As expected, it was the old man who was pushed back.
The sword master clicked his tongue and stared at the old man. He looked thinner than before and his eyes were hollow.
It was ridiculous how much I expected.
“You didn’t prey.”
The old man readjusted his grip on the sword without answering, but the sword’s owner was known.
The old man did not prey.
“Predators do not prey.”
What a stupid sentence. It was like cutting my own toenails. It was not even a half-way transcendence.
‘No, it’s not that I didn’t do it.’
Still, the level has improved compared to before.
But compared to those years, it wasn’t a remarkable development. That means······.
“You ate it.”
A deep disappointment seeped out.
People are all over the place, so how can you pick them out?
Moreover, the number of elderly predators will increase even if they eat children.
“You still don’t get it.”
The sword master clicked his tongue. Even though he had transcended the northern lad and the old man, he was still bound to the past.
There was no need to say anything more.
He gave him motivation, opportunity, and time.
There was no need to look any further.
·········!
Just then, a terrible scream was heard from behind.
When I turned my head towards him, the ignorant guy from before was standing up.
The already ugly appearance was now covered in a shell.
The presence the guy gave off wasn’t bad.
“It’s a river.”
The sword’s owner, who knew its identity, clicked his tongue.
The visible presence and the speculation were outstanding, but if it was someone who used the spirit, the end was certain.
However, it would be more suitable for relieving boredom than the elderly.
At that moment, the guy started to wiggle violently. His shell trembled violently as if he was breathing.
The yellow eyes scattered all over the place opened their eyes one by one, as if they were spreading out. It looked like flowers in full bloom.
Of course, it was a flower that would only grow in hell.
[ah.]
The guy who had been shaking for a moment let out a small groan. He spoke awkwardly, as if he had just learned to speak.
The bastard picked up the sword that was under me.
‘It’s a sword.’
The excitement that had been building up over the bastard’s stupid behavior suddenly died down.
At that moment, the guy suddenly raised his right hand.
The hideous, shell-like right arm moved as if breathing.
The guy’s right arm slowly opened up like a bug’s shell. Through it, I could see his flesh covered in scars.
The bastard was breathing heavily in that state. His yellow eyes sparkled and sparkled.
And then- the bastard put the sword hilt into his right hand.
·········!!
The scattered bark and black blood. The eerie screams that resonated loudly. The concentration was so thick that just hearing it was painful.
The bastard continued to thrust his sword without stopping, even though his body was trembling. The sword’s owner squinted his eyes, forgetting to react to the meaningless action.
So the bastard managed to insert the sword more than halfway into the body.
Then he laughed frivolously, swinging his right arm, which was covered in black blood.
‘What is that···.’
The sword master was dumbfounded by the incomprehensible actions.
Why are you suddenly putting your sword in my hand?
I could tell from the moment he started laughing and spitting blood that he was a weird guy. He was clearly crazy.
At that moment, the bastard’s yellow eyes flashed one after another.
The skin around his face twitched violently.
Then the shell cracked roughly, forming something like a mouth.
[iced coffee.]
The guy muttered for a moment, cleared his throat, and then chuckled.
[Okay, whose toenail is this now?]
A man who was aiming at himself with a sword-stabbed hand and smiling proudly. Blood was pouring out of his hand in a rough manner.
The swordsman felt ‘sick’ for the first time at the sight of that bizarre sight.
***
“He really is a bad guy.”
I knew it was terrible, but I put the sword in my own hand.
‘You’re sticking your claw into my hand…’
The old man clicked his tongue, guessing the reason for his actions. The ignorant thoughts that only a child would have, were actually carried out by the man.
[·········!!]
The yellow eyes that sprouted all over the bastard’s body flashed.
The bastard rushed towards the sword’s owner roughly.
However, unlike when he attacked me before, it had a formality. It was not a random attack.
‘Are you conscious?’
Although he didn’t seem to be fully conscious, he seemed to be vaguely conscious.
The old man, who was hurriedly trying to swing his sword to meet his opponent, realized that the sword in the bastard’s hand was not shaking even though it was pointed at its owner.
‘The sword doesn’t waver even when aimed at its master?’
Why is it that I swing my sword at its master without it shaking?
The only thing that had changed was that I had put the sword into my hand.
The old man’s eyes narrowed.
‘Is it possible to simply put it in your hand?’
That couldn’t be true. There was definitely something going on.
I couldn’t understand why he put a sword in my hand after hearing the story about the claws, but the result was even more unbelievable.
The old man questioned the consequences of his horribly ignorant actions.
The question kept going on and on, raising a fundamental question.
‘What on earth is a sword?’
Where does the sword begin and end?
If you can get away with this stupid thing of sticking your fist in and calling it a claw-.
‘Oh, I see.’
The ripples from the stone thrown by an ignorant man led to the creation of a family.
Even a cheap sword couldn’t stand up to its master. How could a cheap sword have a will?
In that case, it was more likely that the repulsive force directed at the sword’s owner came from the one wielding it, not from the sword itself.
‘Wasn’t the bastard’s transcendence something that touched not the sword, but the spirit of the one holding the sword?’
Transcendence is something that is difficult to describe in a definitive way.
Some say it is attaining enlightenment and reaching God. Others call it God’s choice, but even those who have reached transcendence do not know what the conditions are.
The old man reached transcendence by eating the master’s corpse.
Until now, I thought that the sword master’s transcendence was ‘control over the sword itself,’ but now it seemed different.
The eyes that had been clouded by hatred opened up as a result of something trivial. The vision that had been clouded as if by dark clouds became clear.
‘···It was cognitive.’
Isn’t this how you end up making a fool of yourself?
The old man looked down at the sword in his hand. It was a sword he had carried since a very long time ago. It was definitely a sword.
I tried to think differently, but I guess I got old and my mind became rigid, so it just didn’t work out.
Unfortunately, there was no simple realization.
Kwaaang-!
With a loud noise, the thing rolled towards the old man.
The creature’s hard shell was split in half. The face revealed through the gap was twisted in agony.
However, his face was clean, without any of those ugly scars.
The man who made eye contact with the old man grimaced and spat. A lot of black blood came out.
[Why are you playing around? I’m fucking around.]
The guy spoke in a dull voice.
The old man focused on the bastard’s face rather than his insolent words.
What had been hidden by the hatred that filled the air like dark clouds on a cloudy day came into view.
‘······They look alike.’
That guy looks like my daughter.
How could I not have known this until now?
From that day on, I recalled the faces of the knights and the masters of their swords. The faces of my enemies were clear, even down to the wrinkles in their eyes, but ironically, the faces of my blood relatives did not come to mind.
It was so buried that I didn’t even notice it was right in front of me.
“······Master!”
The old man turned his eyes at the sorrowful call.
The old man, with his eyelids peeled off, now remembered who the man was, his ugly face filled with guilt and defeat.
“Five eldest sons, Skatarf.”
“Master!”
Just calling his name made Skatarf burst into tears and fall to his knees.
The old man did not understand the clear guilt of the Skatars. They were not at fault. The Emperor had been targeting them from the beginning.
At that moment, the insolent bastard extended his ugly hand.
It looked like he was handing something over.
The old man frowned, unable to read the meaning.
[Arms fall off.]
The old man put his hand on the bastard’s grumbling.
What he handed me was a large piece of flesh.
[It’s a gift.]
When he raised his head, he saw the sword owner with a distorted face. The sword owner’s shoulder was torn off.
‘···Flesh.’
It seemed as if he was being targeted by the word predator from the moment he heard it.
I couldn’t tell if he was stupid or smart.
However, it was in a way the old man had not thought of. The bastard did not simply give flesh, but also gave direction.
‘I thought I didn’t have claws.’
Although it was only a small piece of flesh, the old man was a predator, just as he was the master of the sword.
He could not completely abandon his sword, but he was still a predator.
“Go.”
The old man turned around lightly and looked down at his sword.
It only looked like a sword.
Unlike that ignorant and simple-minded guy, he would definitely consider it a sword even if he put it in his hand.
It couldn’t be helped, since it took countless years.
Then I had to touch something else. It wasn’t just that the sword wavered in front of him. Whenever I attacked him, the sword resisted.
In fact, it was not a matter of the sword, but a matter of will that he himself did not notice.
‘then···.’
The old man muttered and turned his head. When he saw the master of the sword, memories of that day came back to him, his blood rushed to his head, and his heart twisted.
I figured out the method, but that didn’t make it easy to kill the enemy.
Even though I transcended as the sword master said, I was unable to transcend.
“······Master!!”
[Grandpa said to fry it… First, fry it…]
“Be quiet! Master!”
I heard a really annoying conversation behind me.
‘Grandpa.’
The old man chuckled at the voice that was so charmingly charming.
After a long time, I saw my daughter’s face clearly. I was sad that I had forgotten about it.
Buried feelings came back to me. If I were to ask which was heavier, the hostility or the longing for that child, the answer was already clear.
The root of the anger was the longing to be forgotten. The causal relationship between the two was clear.
“I won’t die to that bastard.”
The old man nodded.
According to the prophecy, he was destined to be eaten by the bastard. So he will not be killed by the master of the sword.
However, it was also certain that they would not win.
According to the prophecy, his role was not one of revenge.
“It’s dangerous, stay away.”
The predator put a thick piece of flesh into its mouth.
It was my first time eating the flesh of a transcendent being, and it tasted truly disgusting. It was even more disgusting than that of a knight.
‘That guy is going to have a hard time.’
The predator chuckled as he watched the creature that resembled his daughter pat Scataf’s head.
It was really fun to imagine the guy making me vomit.
The predator laughed for the first time in a long while and readjusted his grip on his sword.
On the other hand, the sword’s owner had a very distorted face.
It was clear that he was not happy with the current situation. It was quite refreshing to see him like that.
A pale blue light shone neatly from him.
‘Three times… He really is a nuisance. Watch him carefully.’
A blue light flickered wildly on the predator’s sword.
This was a gift to his not-so-cute, clever, and ignorant grandson, who was still observing the sword’s master and his own weaknesses.
If it was him, he would definitely laugh out loud and be happy.
***
‘···That’s dangerous.’
First, Balhar Khan muttered softly.
Balhar Khan’s gaze was fixed not on the sword’s owner or the third eldest son, but on the man carried by the fifth eldest son.
The bastard’s strange, irresistible presence was still vivid.
That was dangerous.
Even more than those transcendent beings···.
Balhar Khan took out a ring that connected him to the imperial knights. He touched it for a moment, thinking about it.
His command was to bring a vessel and seeds.
This was clearly an arbitrary judgment that went against His will.
Balhar Khan knew how much he valued the vessel and the seed. He sent him away even though he knew the sword’s master was headed for it.
But if he were to give such an order, it would be no different from rebelling against Him.
It was an action that the previous Balhar Khan would have never imagined.
‘······That guy is dangerous.’
He was clearly the king of demons. I couldn’t accept that he was the king of demons.
I had a feeling that if I missed it now, I wouldn’t be able to catch him.
Balhar Khan took a deep breath and pressed down on the ring.
– Marshal Balhar Khan? Where are you? The young lady you mentioned······.
“I command you. Aaron, the leader of the 4th company of the Cassidy Outer Wall Guard, is a great evil. Concentrate on his destruction.”
– I obey the order.
The answer was short.
‘If it’s not him, it’s better not to have him at all.’
Balhar Khan stared at the man walking away, brushing away the cold rainwater. Only then did he notice that his hands were shaking.
Balhar Khan interpreted him not with fear, but with anger.
However, the shaking of my hands did not stop.
