Chapter 198 : Chapter 198
Chapter 198 - Combo (8)
A firestorm swept in.
A storm of flames launched by Rosie.
While it could not be compared to that of a mature dragon, its power was by no means small.
If I failed to defend against that fireball properly, even I would have my entire body turned into a pile of ashes once again.
WHISH!
The sword path drawn by the Holy Sword accurately split the flying fireball in half.
Rosie wore a smirk as she looked at the extinguished fire.
"Not bad, Unit Leader Ji-han. Then, how about this?"
There was no hesitation in the dragon's magic.
She appeared to have no time lag in manifesting what she thought into an attack.
This time, a wind of ice picks began to rush in incessantly.
SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
A feast of fierce wind that could not even be seen with the eyes.
The power was not immense, but once I allowed that attack, I would be caught in an off-beat rhythm and forced to take an endless stream of minor attacks.
Since one's clothes get soaked even in a drizzle, I carefully parried each of the incoming winds one by one, defending against Rosie's attack.
SWOOSH!
The wind gradually became faster.
However, every wind that flew toward the Holy Sword was extinguished without fail.
Rosie's face turned red.
Perhaps she had become stubborn, as she continued to pour out mana, determined to hit me somehow.
A dragon's mana capacity could not be compared to a human's, but even dust becomes a mountain if gathered.
It was obvious who would be favored in such a war of attrition.
WHISH!
When I even parried the decisive wind pick Rosie sent, she stopped her attack for a moment.
"Wow. This is really disgusting! How can you not be hit once?"
"Because your attacks are just too honest."
In fact, the Red Dragon I had fought before was not much different.
In a way, it might be a characteristic of the dragon race.
Because they crushed their opponents with overwhelming magic and mana, they did not need things like variations.
This was a feature quite different from a gladiator.
In a duel between equals, we gladiators constantly mixed real and feigned moves to lure and confuse the opponent.
It was also basic to plan a strategy by looking two or three moves ahead to succeed in a single attack.
"Is it wrong to attack honestly?"
"It is not wrong. Because dragons never lose even if they do it that way."
"Correct. I have never even heard of a dragon losing to another race."
"Mana is just too much of a cheat."
"That is true. Then, shall we continue?"
As I nodded, Rosie prepared her next magic.
CRACK!
What Rosie launched was a small lightning bolt.
Each of her attacks was hair-raising.
Because if I were hit properly by that, I would be roasted whole.
I also responded to Rosie's attack by launching sword qi with the Holy Sword.
Against an ordinary opponent, I could suppress them with this sword qi alone, but compared to Rosie's magic, there was a difference in the concentration of mana.
The spear of lightning, which was not completely extinguished even by my defense, rushed toward me.
BANG!
In the end, all I could do was split it directly with the Holy Sword.
However, I did not intend to just defend like this.
Continuing to keep distance from Rosie like this was disadvantageous for me.
SWOOSH!
SWOOSH!
I threw two daggers and ran toward Rosie.
In the meantime, Rosie created a gust of wind to alter the trajectory of the daggers.
Of course, there was no way my dagger throwing would end in such a way.
The tips of the launched daggers still sharply contained mana, and they flew toward Rosie's body, drawing another elegant curve.
Rosie smirked as if she had expected that.
Acting as if she no longer cared about the incoming daggers, she launched a pillar of fire at me.
WHOOSH!!
Since I felt immense heat, I drew up cold air from my dantian.
After absorbing the Yeti's core, my mana could be converted into the ice attribute at any time.
I adjusted my grip on the Holy Sword and charged, cutting through her pillar of fire like a sausage.
The heat was more or less bearable.
And soon, the end of the pillar of fire.
My attack was unfolding through three paths.
Two daggers flying from Rosie's left and right, and the Holy Sword Bastian from the front.
In the end, Rosie reached out both hands and caught the two daggers flying from her sides.
SNAP!
And my Holy Sword was aimed at Rosie's neck.
Her gaze wavered.
"That is unfair, Unit Leader Ji-han."
"What is?"
"Wrapping your body in ice attribute energy all of a sudden. You were not like that a moment ago!"
"I hid it to catch you off guard."
"You really deceived me completely. I never thought you would have such an ability, Unit Leader Ji-han."
"Rosie, in a real fight, anything can happen. You know that such an excuse is pathetic."
I lightly pinched both of Rosie's sulking cheeks.
"I don't care. And if this had been a real fight just now, I would have aimed for your front instead of catching the two daggers."
"That would have been a sight to see."
I could not be certain what the outcome would have been.
However, I would have had a slightly higher chance of winning.
"But Rosie. Why did you suddenly ask to spar with me today?"
"I was curious about how strong your real power is. You were clearly human, but I could not gauge your strength."
I wanted to return those words to her exactly.
"And to be honest, it was also because I was worried about you, Unit Leader Ji-han."
"Worried?"
"You keep trying to do dangerous things. Not content with bringing back a map to the Red Dragon's nest, you even got a map of the Demon Realm recently. So, I was checking your skills."
My Rosie had changed quite a bit.
Even when she first came to Earth, she said she would not bat an eye even if I died.
"Now that you have checked my strength, have your worries lessened a bit?"
I asked nonchalantly.
However, this was a very important question.
Whether it was the Demon King or the Red Dragon, I had no means of gauging their true power.
Of course, I did not think Rosie would know the exact answer, but it was clear that she was currently the most reliable source.
"It is certain that you are the strongest on Earth, Unit Leader Ji-han, but not to the extent that you can go to the Demon Realm or a dragon's nest."
I could certainly acknowledge the dragon's nest.
Even in the days of Johan Raven, I could not defeat the Red Dragon.
"But is the Demon King also that strong?"
"There are numerous demonic species in the Demon Realm. The power of the Demon King himself is considerable, but the fact that he rules over all those demonic species is even scarier."
"Anyway, in your opinion, Rosie, it is an assessment that it is impossible for now."
"To be honest, yes."
Indeed, the conclusion was that I had to recover more strength.
However, that day would not just be a far-off future.
Now that the treatment of my body was finished, the restoration of my strength was becoming faster and faster.
***
The Spring of Elixir.
It was a place where I did not need to come every day as before, but there was no better place for clearing my head.
Sitting alone by the spring and meditating often helped organize my complicated thoughts.
I visited the place today with the same intention.
"It has been a while."
The person who greeted me at the spring was old man Heo Gyeong-woo.
"What business brings you here, sir?"
"I just had some things to think about. Memories of treating your body here and having conversations suddenly came to mind."
It seemed the old man also had things to think about.
"It seems the two of us are on the same wavelength today."
"Since you and I are secret friends."
"I do not know what that is, but have you organized your thoughts a bit?"
"No. Seeing you in person like this makes my head even more complicated."
The old man wore a slight smile, but he did not seem to be joking.
"It must be because of me."
"Since we met like this, I have something to ask point-blank."
"Speak."
"That bizarre incident in Busan a while ago. Was it you who handled it?"
"Yes."
"That is unexpected. I thought you would deny it."
"Since you would be certain if you saw the video. Is it not that your eyes, if no one else's, cannot be deceived, sir?"
And there was no reason to do so.
Heo Gyeong-woo was a person who lived completely disconnected from the world.
We were in a relationship where we could talk openly about almost anything.
Though I did not quite like the old man's expression 'secret friends.'
"As I thought."
"It seems you were confused because of that."
"Because all the common sense I knew was crushed. People do not seem to feel much even after seeing that video, but that figure was definitely a Sword Master."
"As expected, you are sharp."
"How old did you say you were this year?"
"Twenty-four."
"A Sword Master at twenty-four. Furthermore, your aura feels different again compared to a short while ago."
"Because I met a miraculous opportunity and treated my body."
"Does that not mean that if your body had been normal from the beginning, you could be at a much higher level than you are now?"
"I suppose so."
The old man shook his head while looking at me.
"Thanks to you, I have made up my mind."
"What kind of decision?"
"I must go back to the Abyss."
I did not expect the old man's conclusion to flow in this direction.
"Usually, hunters retire at a much younger age than you, sir."
"Does age matter in an adventure! Furthermore, because I was trapped in that damn tower, there are too many places I have not been able to look around."
But since you gained more insight in that tower, isn't it fine? I wanted to say that, but I decided to hold it in.
"Most places would not even suit your level, sir."
"I suppose so. Therefore, I should find a map and go, rather than an ordinary quest area. That is why..."
It was not very difficult to guess what would follow.
Since a map was not something one obtained directly; one could only get it by participating in an auction with a quite high price.
"I will get it for you."
"As expected of my friend! I knew you would say that!"
Color returned to the old man's face.
"However, I have one proposal to make."
"A proposal?"
"You may refuse. Because it can be dangerous even for you, sir."
"What on earth is it!"
"In fact, I have an interesting map. I am putting off going there for later, but once you have recovered your combat senses to some extent, sir, let us go together."
"I wondered what it was. Since you say it that way, my pride is hurt, and I feel like going right this moment."
The place where the Demon King lives, the Demon Realm.
Because Rosie had repeatedly warned me, the person who came to mind was the old man.
The only Sword Master besides me.
Furthermore, he was the only being who could become a practical force.
"Since it is not yet time, please wait a little. First, I will get you a suitable map."
I also had something to finish right now.
Family Head Kang Jae-gu of the Gwangun Sword Family.
It was time to go check if he would take the bait.