The Swordmaster Who Lives Twice

Chapter 191 - Combo (1)

Although I had resolved many of my questions in Hardeon, there were still facts that remained shrouded in mystery.

The primary issue was exactly what the Gwangun Sword Family intended to do with the zombies and how they planned to do it.

If their plan truly involved subverting the world, I had to crush the Gwangun Sword Family immediately.

It was my firm belief that not only should their family name be stripped away, but everyone involved in this scheme should also be beheaded.

The problem was that I currently had no way of knowing how far the Gwangun Sword Family had prepared this plan.

How many zombie seeds had they secured, and where had they deployed them?

What did they plan to do with those creatures in an emergency, and to what extent was the Demon King assisting them? Many things remained lost in a labyrinth.

Therefore, what I wanted to know was whether there was a way to treat those infected by the zombie virus.

As of now, there was no telling when or where a zombie outbreak might occur.

"Zombies?"

"Yes. Monsters created by the Demon King. Do you happen to know anything about them?"

Rosie was once again indulged in her soup, not even sparing me a glance.

"Well, I think I might have heard of them."

I placed the Zombie Rune on the table.

Rosie continued to use her spoon with her right hand while immediately picking up the rune with her left.

She rubbed the rune, sensing something within it.

SLURP!

She was an excellent hatchling capable of impressive multitasking.

"Unit Leader Ji-han. However, we need to move to a different location."

"…Why?"

"I have finished my soup. Now, I must have dessert."

Of course, the bill was on me.

A short while later, Rosie wore a satisfied smile as she looked at a large container filled with mint chocolate ice cream.

"Do you think you can remember something now?"

"Yes. My head starts spinning in a good way whenever I smell mint chocolate."

Rosie took a large spoonful and continued speaking.

"I have heard of a world that was destroyed by zombies. If zombies were to be released on Earth…"

"If they were?"

"It would depend on where they were released, but most places would be completely helpless."

"Why?"

"There are few worlds where people live as densely as they do on Earth. Well, things might be different around the Abyss where the sword families are concentrated."

Perhaps feeling she had spoken for too long, Rosie stopped talking for a while to focus on eating her ice cream.

In truth, I shared the same thought.

The zombies I had seen were all stronger than they had been in life, and the speed at which they produced new zombies was remarkably fast.

If even a few zombies were released in a few major provincial cities, the world would fall into chaos in an instant.

It would be no different for other countries.

"A world destroyed by zombies would eventually be incorporated into the Demon Realm. Only the demons would be happy about it."

"Is the Demon Realm that vast then?"

"I do not know. I have never heard of any dragon who has been to the Demon Realm and returned. And that is not because I am a hatchling with limited knowledge."

"Then why?"

"As I said before, the Demon King and dragons are like tigers and lions. There is no reason to provoke the other unnecessarily."

Since it was a logical explanation, I nodded.

"Then, is there really no way to turn an infected person back?"

That was the most important question.

If it were possible, the burden would be lessened regardless of when or where a zombie outbreak occurred.

However, Rosie immediately shook her head.

"There is no such method. Becoming a zombie means you are already dead. Turning someone back to their original state is impossible, even for a dragon."

"…I see."

In the end, it meant I had to stop the situation before it erupted.

I had found another reason to hurry and crush the Gwangun Sword Family.

"But why are you suddenly asking about zombies? Have zombies appeared on Earth?"

"Probably soon."

"What? Then that cannot happen!"

Rosie shouted, putting down her spoon.

"I did not know you cared for Earth so dearly."

"If a zombie outbreak occurs, I will not be able to eat mint chocolate anymore!"

Of course.

If I filled her nest to the brim with mint chocolate, she would not bat an eye even if the world ended.

Dragons were that kind of race.

"Do not worry about it. I plan to handle it immediately."

"I believe in you, Unit Leader Ji-han! Is there anything I can do to help?"

This was an unexpected gain.

This brat, who seemed like she would not involve herself in the world's affairs even with a blade at her throat, was offering to help personally.

"Follow me, Rosie."

"Huh?"

"Let us return to the sword family for a moment."

In truth, I did not need Rosie's martial power.

What I wanted from her was the dragon skills that could be useful in various situations.

They would certainly be a great help.

"Unit Leader Ji-han. In exchange, I have a condition."

"What is it."

"The mint chocolate. Let us pack some to go. A lot of it!"

"As much as you want."

If I handled this matter well, I could even set up a franchise branch inside the Haewon Sword Family.

***

"Unit Leader. It is Ho-joong."

"Come in."

Choi Ho-joong held a bundle of documents in his hand.

All of this data pertained to the Gwangun Sword Family.

Among them were general materials available to the public, but there were also high-level intelligence reports that our family had secretly gathered about other families.

"May I ask the reason? Why the Gwangun Sword Family all of a sudden…"

"It is not for a duel, so do not be nervous."

"Nervous? Have you forgotten that it was not long ago that I crushed Kang Su-ah of the Gwangun Sword Family?"

"If you are not, then you are not. No need to get defensive."

"Honestly, I am confident against anyone you pit me against."

"Even against Yoo Seong-jin?"

"…Pardon?"

When I mentioned the person who had operated under the name 'K' in Hardeon, Choi Ho-joong momentarily froze.

"Why are you so surprised?"

"Unit Leader. Even so, Yoo Seong-jin is still a bit…"

After returning to Earth, I realized that he was apparently a much stronger individual than I had thought.

It was just that I had no memory of him before.

"Forget it. Just find the section about Yoo Seong-jin in those documents and read it now."

Wearing a look that suggested he had no idea what was going on, Choi Ho-joong began flipping through the papers urgently.

I did not know to what level the Gwangun Sword Family was involved, but Yoo Seong-jin was at the center of everything.

After all, he was the one who had directly signed a contract with the Demon King.

"I found it."

"Read it. Every single word."

Yoo Seong-jin.

His connection with the Gwangun Sword Family traced back to his grandfather's generation.

For three generations, they had served as the inner circle of the Kang family.

"However, there is an unusual detail. Regarding the death of Yoo Seong-jin’s father, Yoo Jong-yoon, our security documents state that the current Family Head, Kang Jae-gu, secretly eliminated him."

"Kang Jae-gu did? Why?"

"It seems to be related to the succession of the Family Head position. It is noted that Yoo Jong-yoon was friendly with Kang Jae-gu’s older brother, Kang Min-gu, rather than Kang Jae-gu himself."

Something was definitely strange.

If the contents of this record were true, Yoo Seong-jin should not have been able to remain in the Gwangun Sword Family.

Unfortunately, there were no further details regarding that incident.

"Anyway, good work. Leave the documents and head back."

"Yes, sir."

"Oh, right. Since we mentioned dueling earlier, let us have you spar with Ah-yeon soon."

"Me, with Ah-yeon?"

He wore a relaxed smile.

It was an expression that suggested he was now on a different level compared to Shin Ah-yeon.

There was a time when that might have been true.

"The two of you are rivals, aren't you?"

"Oh, come now, Unit Leader. You know better."

"Do I?"

In truth, it was no longer certain.

Although Shin Ah-yeon had not experienced an awakening like Ho-joong had, I knew how hard she had worked throughout our journey in Hardeon.

And her growth was nothing short of dazzling.

It was about time to humble Ho-joong, whose arrogance had been reaching the skies lately.

***

I had never envied a magician before.

In fact, there was no reason to.

Born as a son of a sword family, I picked up the sword at a young age, loved it more than anyone else, and walked the single path of the sword until I reached its pinnacle. I had no room to look at other fields.

Moreover, since all magicians had eventually knelt before my sword, my pride in the sword was higher than anyone else's.

This remained true even when I was defeated by the Red Dragon.

That match was not a defeat of the sword against magic; it was simply me losing to a dragon.

'But I am a little envious.'

After seeing Rosie's magic, I felt that way slightly.

When I showed her video footage of Yoo Seong-jin's face, she polymorphed into his exact likeness within seconds.

Magic was such a convenient thing.

"Unit Leader Ji-han. But is there really a need to do this?"

Rosie looked quite displeased with her transformed appearance.

"Why?"

"Rather than such a cumbersome method, wouldn't it be easier to just storm in there and kill everyone? Wouldn't that be simpler?"

If someone were listening to this, they might scoff.

The Gwangun Sword Family was one of the pillars of the existing 10 great sword families.

Furthermore, the Family Head, Kang Jae-gu, was one of the strongest beings in the world, known as one of the Three Sword Gods.

And yet she talked about the two of us storming in and wiping them out.

"Rosie. Sometimes you have to take the long way around instead of the easy path."

"Why do we have to do that?"

"Because we do not know the full story yet."

That was the reason I had Rosie polymorph into Yoo Seong-jin.

I needed to know who was involved in this situation and how much they had prepared.

If everyone from the top to the bottom of the Gwangun Sword Family was participating in this, I was indeed considering wiping them all out, just as Rosie said.

And that would not be impossible.

"But about that mask you are wearing, Unit Leader Ji-han. Do people really not recognize you?"

"People's senses are not like a dragon's."

"Are you an exception?"

"Of course."

Before long, we arrived at the main gate of the Gwangun Sword Family.

The two gatekeepers standing there saluted us.

To be precise, they were saluting Rosie.

"Hey, is there something on my face?"

"N-no, sir!"

"Then why are you staring so intently?"

Rosie, feeling guilty for no reason, seemed to be overreacting.

She ended up snapping at the innocent guard.

I wanted to sigh, but I had to hold it in for now.

"My apologies! It just seemed like you returned earlier than we were told."

"Earlier than you were told?"

"Yes. We expected it would take at least two more hours for you to return!"

This was useful information.

I did not know if Rosie had intended it, but it meant we could safely act as Yoo Seong-jin for about two hours.

As long as Rosie did not make a major mistake.

"Keep up the good work."

"Yes, thank you, sir!"

Seeing the guards so tense, I could guess Yoo Seong-jin’s usual character.

Even though I had an unfamiliar face, thanks to Rosie, we passed through the main gate without issue.

First, there was a place we had to go.

'The 10th floor was the restricted area.'

That was the place where I had briefly felt the energy of a zombie before.

Today would be the day the truth was revealed.