I Became a Swordsmanship Genius in the Game

Chapter 72. The Gamble

Hyunwoo sat up in bed.

Turning to the side, he saw Jude staring at him while licking a lollipop.

“Don’t be nervous. I just came to talk. But… you’re not nervous, are you?”

Telling me not to be nervous and then glaring at me for not being nervous, what was I supposed to do?

I grumbled inwardly.

In truth, I had been nervous from the moment I faced him.

There was no way not to be nervous in front of a guy who was no different from a walking time bomb.

I just didn't show it.

I studied Jude’s expression.

The mere fact that he had come to talk to me in person showed a high level of interest.

The first button had been fastened successfully.

“It’s not as if my being nervous would change anything about you, sir.”

“Come to think of it, something was strange about you from the first time we met at the auction house. You.”

As I carefully chose my words and spoke to Jude, he pushed his face close.

So close I could feel his breath.

“Could it be… I doubt it, but. Do you know who I am?”

“……”

Knowing Jude and not knowing him.

There was a big difference between the two.

‘Jude Basterion.’

A man of a Demon King’s bloodline, shrouded in a veil of secrecy.

Information about him was strictly controlled.

Claiming to know Jude carried a huge risk.

But.

‘The greater the risk, the greater the potential reward.’

What Jude wanted was a chess piece that moved according to his will.

However, I wanted to be a player facing him, not just a piece on the board.

So, the answer was set.

“Yes. I do.”

“…You know me?”

As a question on Jude's face, the air in the room heated up.

Whoosh—

The breath I felt from him was brimming with killing intent.

Information about him was not something a mere gladiator from the Arena should know.

Even amidst the palpable pressure, I did not back down.

“Sir Jude Basterion. Am I wrong?”

“……”

The look in Jude Basterion’s eyes changed.

The die had been cast.

“The first time we met. That is, when I saw you at the auction house, I only knew that you were a powerful individual, Sir Jude.”

“Hmm… I did think you were a quick-witted brat back then, too. Continue.”

I didn’t know who was calling whom a brat.

It was somewhat comical hearing Jude, with his appearance of a small boy, say such a thing.

However, the power he possessed was real.

He was a dangerous man with a strength incomparable to the malice or killing intent he playfully exuded.

Therefore, I chose each and every word with care.

“…After that, I came to know your identity, Sir Jude.”

“You found out after that… It’s not because you’re human royalty. No, you wouldn’t have known in the first place, anyway.”

Observing Jude, who was sneering slightly, he seemed to be thinking of this as nothing more than an amusing game.

I took a slow, deep breath and spoke calmly.

“During the Special Match, I saw you next to Lionel. I could see that Lionel was deferential to you. An opponent that even the owner of the Arena treats with deference… It made me curious.”

“You couldn’t have known my identity with just that, could you?”

“Yes. Of course. So I had Lotus look into it separately. I apologize if it was unpleasant.”

Jude casually placed his lollipop stick on the headboard and frowned.

The atmosphere in the room changed in an instant, as if it had frozen over.

“There’s no way a mere place like Lotus could flap its gums about me. Speak straight.”

At his murderous threat, I actually felt it was a good thing.

The usual Jude would have acted immediately instead of using words.

The very fact that my tongue hadn't been pulled out yet was significant.

“Pommel. That’s the name of the Arena executive who went out to meet you.”

“So?”

“He does not move carelessly. However, for him to move just to greet a single ‘merchant’… Wouldn’t anyone find that strange?”

“Continue.”

Jude’s expression changed to one of interest.

It seemed I had succeeded in catching his attention.

“No matter how rich a merchant is, there is no merchant in the Demon World that Lionel would be deferential to. That leads to the answer that it was someone disguised as a merchant.”

“Interesting.”

“An individual in the Demon World to whom Lionel bows his head. Furthermore, the ‘Rakiter Valley’, the region where Pommel went to meet you… I believe you know better than anyone what it is connected to.”

“Gallion Territory. Right. That’s where I came from.”

“And you would also know better than anyone that the Gallion Territory is part of the Basterion region. Add to that your appearance, Sir Jude. With that much information, wouldn’t it be possible to deduce that you are ‘Sir Jude Basterion’?”

“Hmm… Plausible.”

It was a conjecture full of holes. Follow current novels on NoveIＦire.net

There was no way Jude was the only one in this vast Demon World who met those clues.

I had simply used the information I knew as the developer to package it plausibly.

However, it was an explanation that would be convincing enough for Jude.

‘He’s not the type to care about every little detail like this.’

As expected, Jude, after a moment’s thought, nodded his head.

“Not bad.”

Rather than being wary of me for figuring out his identity, he was purely impressed.

Jude was the type to prioritize results over process.

It was the mindset of a powerful being who acted as he pleased.

In Jude’s mind, my evaluation had been upgraded from ‘interesting vermin’ to ‘interesting creature’.

“Alright. Since you know me, this should be easier. There’s a rumor going around the Arena these days. Do you know about the royal secret repository?”

“Yes. I have been inside.”

“You’ve been inside the royal secret repository? I guess your rank in the line of succession was higher than I thought?”

“That… I cannot tell you.”

“You cannot tell me?”

“I am sorry.”

I bowed my head and made an expression as if I really couldn't.

It was a lie woven with a rather elaborate setting, but revealing too much would be troublesome.

‘There are countless members of the imperial family, but information like the order of succession makes it far too easy to identify someone.’

I had to hide as much as I could.

Jude probably wouldn't care much anyway.

As expected, Jude, after a brief pause, spoke again.

“Well, alright. That’s not what’s important. So, that elixir inside. Is the item called ‘Tenten’ real?”

“Keuk……”

“……? What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing. Something just went down the wrong pipe…”

Hearing Jude say ‘Tenten’ with a serious expression, I almost burst out laughing.

I composed myself and spoke calmly.

“To give you the conclusion first… no such elixir exists.”

“…It’s a false rumor?”

“Yes.”

“How can I believe you?”

After a brief pause to catch my breath, I spoke.

“Because I was the one who started that rumor, so of course it doesn’t exist.”

“…What?”

When humans hear something that defies comprehension, their minds freeze.

It was the same for Jude, a demon.

He spoke with a dumbfounded expression.

“What did I just hear? What did you just blabber?”

“I started a false rumor to make you come and find me.”

“You… played me? The likes of you?”

Killing intent swirled in Jude’s eyes.

I shouted urgently.

“Atemoa!”

I felt a sharp pain near my heart.

Lowering my head, I saw that Jude’s finger was already touching my chest.

Drip—

Warm blood flowed down my torn chest muscles to my navel.

If I had been even a little late in shouting the word ‘Atemoa’, I would have crossed the river of no return without even realizing I had died.

“How do you know that…?”

Jude’s words trailed off.

His bewilderment was palpable in his expression.

It was the first time I had seen him so shaken.

It was a golden opportunity.

I continued to speak calmly.

“There is no Elixir of Growth in the royal secret repository, but there is information about the ‘Kormur Dungeon’.”

“……!”

“The dungeon’s environment, information, the items needed for its, and even the reward at the end of the dungeon called ‘Atemoa’ and how to obtain it.”

“…Nonsense. Why would the human world have information about a Demon World dungeon…”

“Otherwise, how would I know of something called ‘Atemoa’?”

“……”

Jude could not refute those words.

The item called ‘Atemoa’, the reward of the Kormur Dungeon.

Even Jude himself had only barely learned of its existence.

He had no choice but to believe my words that the royal secret repository contained information on how to clear the dungeon.

Jude gestured with his eyes for me to continue explaining.

“You were at the Special Match, and after that match, I received the Kormur Dungeon request. The information I saw in the royal secret repository said that ‘Atemoa’ could solve curses related to physical growth.”

“…And that’s why you started such an insolent rumor? To make me come and find you myself?”

“I apologize once again for that part. However, I thought you would not come to see me unless it was a rumor of that magnitude…”

As I bowed my head, Jude took out a new lollipop.

“That part is settled now.”

Crack—

He bit down on the lollipop as if to chew it and spoke again.

“Alright. I understand now that you’re clever enough to have figured out my identity and made me come to you directly.”

“It is merely a small talent.”

Jude nodded, uttering words that acknowledged my ability.

But soon, he spoke again with a hardened expression.

“I understand your ability. However, you haven’t told me what I need most.”

“Which is…?”

“The method to clear the Kormur Dungeon. You will die as payment for playing me. If you tell me the information related to it, I will grant you a painless death.”

Jude raised a finger.

I vividly remembered what had happened when his finger had touched my chest.

Honestly, I was scared to even make eye contact with Jude.

However, I was already riding the tiger.

If I stopped here, only death awaited.

“Why should I tell you that?”

I let out a smirk, feigning composure.

Jude slowly began to build up his killing intent again.

“Do you think it would be difficult for me to force your mouth open?”

“If you want to live in that body for the rest of your life, then by all means, do as you please.”

“…How dare you!”

Jude’s finger dug into my chest and lightly pierced it.

It felt like his finger would pierce my heart at any moment.

But Jude had to stop.

No, he would definitely stop.

Because he could never kill me.

“Do you think you can clear the dungeon without me? You can’t even enter the dungeon, can you, Sir Jude?”

“…How do you know that?”

“There’s no way a dungeon that a strong person like you cannot break through could exist, could it? Therefore, I concluded that there must be some kind of restriction.”

“……”

Of course I knew, because I was the one who created the restriction that prevented Jude from entering the dungeon.

‘Celestial bloodline.’

As long as Jude possessed even half of a Celestial’s bloodline, it was impossible for him to enter the ‘Kormur Dungeon’.

From now on, it was a matter of emotion, not reason.

It was time to stimulate the desperation he had held for so long.

“For decades, you have sent gladiators, yet the dungeon raid has failed. Surely, the great Sir Jude isn't harboring the complacent thought that if you just keep repeating this, it will one day be possible?”

“……”

“I won’t stop you if you wish to wait for a vain hope without a guarantee. However, I can definitively bring back ‘Atemoa’. Do you not wish to break your curse?”

The only clue to solving the terrible curse that had bound Jude for decades.

Faced with the goal of his entire life, his madness subsided.

Swoosh—

In the end, his finger retreated without achieving its desired goal.

This, for me, was the gamble of a lifetime.

If he had used methods like torture, I was confident I would have begged like a dog and confessed everything.

But all the plans I had built up until now had made Jude see me as a ‘useful guy’.

A value that made even his impetuous self think twice, three times.

It was only possible because I mentioned Atemoa.

And that gamble, thankfully, seemed to have succeeded.

Jude’s mouth slowly opened.

“Hoo… So. You must want something, to have pulled such an insolent stunt, right?”

“Not at all. I merely wished to be of more help to you, Sir Jude…”

“Stop with the useless talk now. I’ve seen enough of your tongue-wagging skills, so just tell me what you want.”

Jude scowled in annoyance, but I inwardly cheered in relief.

‘It worked! I got through.’

I had succeeded in rising to a position where I could negotiate with him, not just as a simple disposable pawn.

Now, he would listen to what I had to say.

“Please become my sponsor.”

“That much is…”

“I was asking you to become my sponsor in the Demon World, not just in the Arena.”

Not just a sponsor in the Arena, but a sponsor in the Demon World.

Simply put, it was the same as asking Jude to become my ‘guardian’.

As expected, Jude’s reaction was just as I had anticipated.

“…What did you say?”

Jude stared at me, his expression even more dumbfounded than before.