LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 45
The sound of citizens murmuring could be heard from behind.
It seemed like they were startled by a huge explosion.
“Hmm.”
Park Cheol-woong dusted off the dirt from his shoulder.
“Suits get dirty easily, and the stains show right away, that’s the problem.”
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while. Suits really don’t suit you.”
“I know. But if you’re doing business, you can’t help it.”
He said this while clenching and unclenching his fists.
Kang Hyun could feel his fingers tightening.
It was the “Heartbeat of the Prey” ring.
‘Was the power that just blew up the wall just a punch?’
The destructive force was immense.
A direct hit with two punches, and it would be game over.
A quick estimation.
Would there be time to use [Open]?
Even against B-ranks, I barely managed to find an opening after all sorts of trouble and used it.
More than anything, Kang Hyun had already provoked Oh Hyuk-jun.
Now that they knew how dangerous Kang Hyun was, they wouldn’t let him go easily.
‘This is a real challenge.’
Ugh, my neck feels stiff.
“Wasn’t he supposed to have already left?”
“The plane was passing through this area.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I heard the news and jumped out.”
“…?”
Jumped out?
From a plane?
‘Crazy bastard.’
He’s crazy, both mentally and physically.
“Is that even possible?”
“I jumped out thinking I might die, but surprisingly, I was fine.”
“Why go to such lengths? What’s so special about that guy?”
I’ve got the info.
He’s a half-brother.
But that alone didn’t make his actions make sense.
“There are things in this world you can’t undo after regretting.”
“Don’t talk like you’re a hero when you’re the villain.”
“I’ve decided I’ll never regret again.”
But surprisingly, he didn’t attack right away.
He wasn’t the type to waste time talking.
He must want something.
“By the way, Kang Hyun. You—”
“Hold on. It’s a prepayment.”
“What?”
“Wait a turn, and I’ll answer your question.”
“….”
He looked at him with a bewildered expression.
But it was a silence of agreement.
Kang Hyun took out [Dried Shincheonsoo Elixir] and put it in his mouth.
Munch, munch.
“Oh.”
“Pfft. Ah, that healthy taste.”
“Interesting. You survived even after doing that. You really must have a special skill.”
“Huh?”
A sudden mention of skills?
“Alright, now it’s my turn.”
Park Cheol-woong pulled out a small crystal from his pocket.
Kang Hyun recognized it.
Wow, he carries around such an expensive thing?
“Answer to the [Crystal of Truth], Kang Hyun, the Perfect Clear Awakener and Phantom.”
Park Cheol-woong’s eyes gleamed with desire.
“What the hell kind of skill do you have? What makes you so strong, even though your stats are low?”
In the eyes, there is a thirst for power, and regret can be seen
Well, this is good.
I have something I’ve been wondering about too.
“Two skills. One is level 6.”
“Of course! If it’s level 6 at that grade, it makes sense.”
“The other one is ‘Max+2’ level.”
Park Cheol-woong, who had been excited, suddenly froze.
His eyebrows furrowed.
“This is the [Crystal of Truth]. If you keep playing games, I’ll kill you right here—”
The crystal glowed green.
It meant truth.
Park Cheol-woong’s eyes widened in shock.
“…What did you say?”
“That crystal, with that size, it’s a 3-minute one, right? Answer my question, and I’ll tell you the skill name.”
“That level shouldn’t exist… No, okay. Go ahead.”
Park Cheol-woong couldn’t hide his excitement.
Veins popped in his eyes.
Even though he stayed still, his gray suit seemed to scream.
Creak, crack.
“I heard you’re a traitor, just like Oh Jun-hyuk.”
“Yeah. That’s right. So?”
“Woah, woah. Calm down. What did you lose, your wealth and fame, that you crossed the line? What did they promise you?”
“Power.”
“Specifically?”
“Skill. Hero’s skill.”
Park Cheol-woong smiled eerily.
It seemed like just imagining it brought him pleasure.
But wait, what?
“100 years ago, the strongest of the seven. Among them, I received the martial art of Detorion.”
“That’s impossible—”
The crystal glowed.
Green.
It was the truth.
“The truth?”
“Now, answer. What is your skill?”
“….”
“Answer!”
That couldn’t be.
Detorion’s martial arts were passed down only by one person.
‘That guy died in front of me without a disciple.’
After the war, Kang Hyun had decided to personally pass on the martial arts.
To continue the martial arts legacy.
But the promise couldn’t be kept.
Detorion’s martial arts were lost.
There’s no way.
He wasn’t the type to secretly raise a disciple.
He wasn’t someone who would keep it a secret from his companions.
A sense of dread filled him.
It felt disgusting.
“Tell me! What the hell is the ‘Max+2’ level skill?”
“…Just one more. What do you want to know the skill for?”
“You little… Huh… Fine, don’t answer. If I bring your corpse to the demon tribe, the skill will be mine anyway.”
Park Cheol-woong clenched his fist tightly.
Corpses are the medium for skill extraction.
So that means.
‘He extracted the skill from Detorion’s corpse.’
The corpse that was buried in the homeland, together with everyone.
What happened to that guy’s homeland?
Is the corpse still in their hands?
After the extraction was complete, did they bury it again carefully?
The demon tribe, they must have taken the hero’s corpse?
‘Ah.’
This is fucked up.
“Die, Kang Hyun!”
His blood turned cold.
He wanted to kill the demons.
When he regained his senses, a massive fist filled his vision.
It was an unavoidable punch.
A punch filled with tremendous power.
In that instant, the murderous intent in his heart caught something.
He felt something unpleasant hidden within that power.
‘Demon power.’
In a split second, his anger accelerated the realization.
He traced the source.
The magic energy emanated from Park Cheol-woong’s heart.
“…You dirty traitor bastard.”
He muttered instinctively.
He wanted to kill Park Cheol-woong.
“Die and become my power!”
The enormous fist struck his whole body.
In an instant, Kang Hyun’s consciousness was cut off by the massive shock.
When he came to his senses, he was flying through the air, outside the building.
“… [Open]”
Swish—
A portal opened in the direction Kang Hyun was flying.
“I won’t miss you!”
Park Cheol-woong reached out.
Kang Hyun was flying through the portal.
Their eyes met.
Park Cheol-woong saw Kang Hyun’s cold eyes.
Eyes full of murderous intent.
Instinctively, he raised his guard.
It was an automatic reaction.
And then, the portal closed.
Kang Hyun vanished.
‘…’
He didn’t escape.
He was coming.
He had to prepare.
He didn’t know what was causing this sense of unease.
But Park Cheol-woong no longer let his guard down.
Hastily, he headed toward his half-brother, Oh Hyuk-jun.
“Tell me his ability. Now.”
###
On the outskirts of Seoul, in a remote area.
A portal opened and vomited out Kang Hyun.
Kang Hyun rolled on the ground for a while before finally coming to a stop.
“Ugh!”
Damn, that punch was so damn strong.
Blood was pouring from his eyes, nose, and mouth.
Even as he stood up, his arms were trembling.
He was already in a half-dead state.
Despite that, Kang Hyun staggered forward.
He muttered in a chilling voice.
“Dirty traitor bastard…”
S-Class. An opponent he could not possibly defeat at the moment.
However, Kang Hyun’s mind was focused on only one thing.
Killing the demon.
He limped forward.
Towards the gate ahead.
Towards the strange dungeon, Providence.
Kang Hyun stepped into the gate.
###
“Do you think she died just because he told to? are you joking?”
“Really, Guildmaster! I saw it!”
“This bastard, still soaked in alcohol-”
“There, lying down, is Song Hyun soo! That bastard died like that! It’s true!”
Park Cheol woong scowled as he checked Song Hyun soo’s pulse.
“She died… but…”
He examined the body.
There were a few shallow cuts.
No fatal wounds.
No traces of poison, no internal injuries.
Too clean.
How did she die?
“Did he have a power that materializes words?”
He clearly saw it.
The moment the bastard said “open,” a hole appeared in the air.
“【Vera】”
“【Blind】”
“【Gara】”
“【Open】”
“【Die】”
It was like…
“Word Magic?”
But that was impossible.
Word Magic were last seen with Kyle.
“It’s only speculated that an S-Class Word Magic user inherited Kyle’s legacy.”
But could he really be…?
No, that was strange.
Whether or not he’s S-Class was secondary.
The commands, “【Open】”and “【Die】” simply didn’t exist.
There was no record that even Kyle used them.
A Word Mage surpassing Kyle?
That was nonsense.
“Then what was that space? Was it a skill he possessed?”
The opponent was a Perfect Clearing Awakend.
He shouldn’t judge based on common sense.
Word Magic.
S-Class Word Mage.
Kyle’s legacy.
“【Open】,【Die】”
“What the hell was that?”
Then suddenly, the words Kang Hyun had muttered earlier came back to him.
“Dirty traitor bastard.”
It was a famous line.
It appeared in every movie, fairy tale, and biography starring Kyle.
It was a phrase Kyle used often.
It was also Park Cheol woong’s favorite line.
A story from his younger days.
He clenched his left chest.
It was a story from before he had the demon heart transplanted.
It was his greatest regret.
Park Cheol woong had always sought power since his F-Class days.
He had long admired the seven strongest people in history and their strength.
“…But why? There’s no room for him to be showing off now.”
The more he thought about it, the more mysterious the bastard seemed.
Then, at that moment.
Swoosh—
“…!”
That sound again.
Above his head.
He immediately looked up.
A much larger hole than before.
Intense light poured from it.
“Ugh!”
Park Cheol woong crouched down.
As the light hit him, his heart tightened uncontrollably.
The heart he had transplanted from the demon.
“Ugh, aaah…!”
What the hell was this?!
It wasn’t over.
“…!”
A life-churning bell rang.
He forced himself to look at the hole.
A massive light.
No, a sword of light.
An enormous sword of light was descending rapidly.
He hurriedly tried to roll away.
But his movements slowed because of the light.
The sword grazed his chest as it slashed through.
“Argh!”
The sword stretched endlessly from the hole, tearing through the building’s floor.
KABOOM—
Park Cheol woong clutched his chest.
The shock sent him flying outside the building, his eyes tightly shut.
The sword, with enough force to split the building in two, kept extending.
On the sword, Kang Hyun was perched.
Blood was dripping from his eyes, nose, and mouth.
He gave a chilling smile and glared at Park Cheol woong.
“Die, you dirty traitor bastard.”