298 – The Returner’s Fight (17)

The dagger is swung. BbungBbung strikes out with a move that exquisitely targets the weak point. The distance between them increases during that gap.

The whip surges. If you block it with your sword, the whip will wrap around the sword, and if you hit it with your body, your flesh will fall off with unbearable pain. In the midst of the irrational multiple choice, Choi Ji-won dodged the whip. Since the whip was swung in a line, not a point, her posture inevitably collapsed. Again, the distance widened.

The whip and the dagger. These two weapons seem completely incompatible, but Cheonma found harmony in them. The problem with the whip is that ‘the full power comes out only when there is distance.’ Since it is a weapon that fundamentally uses centrifugal force, its power is halved if the opponent digs in. There is a reason why whips are not used for self-defense. Even a single opening can be fatal. However,

Cheonma used this opening with a weapon called a ‘dagger.’ It is light, so there is no burden in swinging the whip, and it is stealthy, so it is advantageous in close combat. The dagger’s disadvantage, the range, is reduced with the whip. The whip’s weakness, close combat, was daggers. The appearance of Cheonma leading the attack and defense using two extreme weapons was not enough to describe it as experienced.

“Gulp.”

The sound of someone swallowing saliva could be heard loudly. Everyone was concentrating that much. Everyone understood that witnessing this fight right now was the luck of a lifetime. They couldn’t miss a single moment.

“But.”

In the meantime. The master tentacles let out a groan.

“It’s being… destroyed.”

Cheonma was pushed back again. Although it seemed like an invincible combination at first glance, Choi Jiwon found the answer in it.

The dagger was short. The whip was long. The gap between them. An ambiguous distance where the dagger didn’t reach, but the whip’s power wasn’t fully exerted. Choi Jiwon maintained a ‘distance where the power of the two weapons wasn’t fully exerted’ with his miraculous distance control. He filled the whip’s restraint with magic, and didn’t give the dagger any distance. A destruction method that he came up with in a split second. Common sense doesn’t apply to geniuses.

-Chae-Ang!

In the end, Cheonma missed the dagger. His right arm was cut long. In that gap, he succeeded in picking up the spear that had fallen to the ground with his whip, but a wound was a wound. Cheonma was the one being pushed back.

“…”

“…”

No. Maybe not. Judging from the expressions of the two strong men, it was clear who was being pushed back.

Cheonma had a faint smile. It was hard to tell if his smile looked fierce because he was a water man, or if it was Cheonma’s unique smile. However, his smile was definitely ‘aggressive.’ On the other hand

, Choi Ji-won was expressionless. It was not a relaxed expressionless look. It was the expressionless look of someone who was desperate and trying to maintain their composure as much as possible.

Cheonma threw the whip and grabbed the spear with both hands. It was a new stance again. Those who didn’t know would think, ‘Guntar is cornered.’ However, those who were stronger than him began to gradually understand the situation. Guntar was buying time.

“Why… it seems to have gotten faster.”

The tentacle muttered. It was true. The wolf-man’s body had many wounds, and among them, there were two deep ones. It would have been normal if his condition had worsened, but Guntar’s movements were getting faster and faster. He was growing. No, I should say he was regaining his original strength. On

the other hand, Choi Ji-won was getting tired. She had no time. More than five minutes had passed since she activated ‘Heart of Lightning’. The magical power that was burning away every moment was magical power, but the damage was steadily accumulating on her body. The price of having lightning wrapped around her entire body was definitely not small.

-Crap !

While they were talking, Cheonma missed his spear. Choi Ji-won had finished her training this time too. Choi Ji-won charged forward as if she couldn’t miss this opportunity, but she had to stop running and swing her sword.

“A secret weapon?”

It wasn’t visible here, but the camera of the high-performance drone captured it. It was a small secret weapon hidden between the fur. Although it was not filled with any magical power, the dark energy was threatening simply by being thrown at the right time and place. It was precisely timed to coincide with the moment when Choi Ji-won released the magical power she had wrapped around her body for mobility.

This time, Cheonma took advantage of the moment of hesitation and grabbed an axe. The attack and

defense went back and forth. Cheonma was pushed back. The axe split in half. A split second of opening. Choi Ji-won charged again. Cheonma sprayed dark energy this time. Choi Ji-won did not dodge. This was not an enemy that could be defeated without sacrifice. There was not much time left. In order to seize this opportunity, he could accept a small wound from the dark energy.

Small drops of blood flew. A red line was drawn on Choi Ji-won’s cheek. The gap between Cheonma and Choi Ji-won narrowed. Boongboongi swung. The last chance. Now was the time to end it all…

“It’s too late.”

-Ppeuuung!

With a sound like a drum exploding, Choi Ji-won’s body was thrown back hard and slammed into the wall.

“…!”

At that terrifying sound, I jumped up from my seat without realizing it. The dust cleared, and Choi Ji-won stood up with a jerk. The flesh on her side was torn. After a while, the clothes that had been repaired covered the wound, making it less horrible, but the red marks that spread in an instant made my hands tremble.

Wounds are a daily occurrence for players. Whether mine or the enemy’s. So blood and flesh were not unfamiliar at all. That was my misconception.

No. ‘Choi Ji-won’s blood’ had a special meaning to me. It was the first time I saw her being cornered. I wanted to return right away, but we had promised to send a ‘return signal’ before the fight. Not yet… It meant that I still wanted to fight.

“Whew.”

Black energy was overflowing from the corner of Cheonma’s mouth as he exhaled contentedly. Magic power. No, to be exact, ‘Cheonma Shingong’. Here I realized. The time limit was over.

Choi Ji-won was strong. She fought well. However, she was one step short of completely finishing Cheonma off. And that Cheonma… regained her strength through this fight. It must have been even faster because it was a fight with Choi Ji-won. The strong grow bigger in a fight against the strong.

While Cheonma was stretching, Choi Ji-won took the elixir out of her bosom and drank it in one gulp. The fading blue lightning regained its vitality, and her pale lips turned red again. However, a black line remains on the cheek where the weapon was used. It is the aftereffect of using the elixir.

“I want to call you… master, but my level is still low and I am not qualified. I can handle all weapons.”

Cheonma repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fingers as he spoke.

“At first, it was just for the sake of victory. You need to understand your enemy to increase your chances of survival. After that, it was interesting. There was depth to the techniques that humans had developed over generations, and it was fun to learn them.”

“…”

Choi Ji-won aims at Boongboongi. Cheonma did not respond and continued speaking.

“Later… I felt disgusted. I was disgusted that there were people who looked similar to me alive. It was disgusting that those who were infinitely inferior were training their techniques to survive. I hated the fact that I was born as a mere human, while there were those born from the heavens in the world. Weapons are for the weak. The strong are only born with their bodies.”

A crimson flame forms on Cheonma’s fist. Only then does everyone realize. Cheonma has not used magic until now. He has only used the outstanding physical abilities of Suin to withstand Choi Jiwon, who used ‘Heart of Lightning’.

“I hated the human race. I killed everyone I saw. After killing and killing again, I finally came to a realization. I was on the verge of transcending humans. If only I hadn’t died.”

Choi Jiwon’s blue lightning flashes. Cheonma’s black flames burn. Defeat is already certain. From now on, it’s a battle of how much information we can take. The trigger for regression has already been activated. Just hold out as long as possible and then return.

“A new opportunity has come. I will become the most precious being. I will escape this cursed tower. You are the historical rock, so consider it the greatest honor a mere human can enjoy.”

I wanted to close my eyes. I wanted to turn away. But I couldn’t do that. I had to engrave this moment into my brain until the end.

“Come.”

“I’m going.”

The two figures clash. A loud noise that was hard to believe was a person fighting another person rang out. The sound spread even outside the stadium, so the gangsters were lurking. It was obvious that something was happening. I

will spare you the description of what happened afterward. Choi Ji-won fought hard. Cheonma was even stronger than that. Boongboongi couldn’t break through Cheonma’s magic. Every single one of Cheonma’s attacks was a fatal blow.

When I thought I had seen enough, I bit my cheek.

Next time would be different.

[You took damage.]

[You return to the point where you first entered the 28th floor.]

***

I thought Choi Ji-won might have despaired. If she had been frustrated and locked herself away somewhere, I was ready to comfort her.

“I knew how to win.”

Choi Ji-won was actually very excited. She smiled broadly and grabbed my hand.

“It’s you.”

“Huh?”

“I think you can win.”

“… What are you talking about?”

Her finger poked my chest.

“Hangi and return. We can win with this.”

Choi Ji-won declared.

“I’ll explain from now on.”

If it were me, I could defeat that Cheonma.