Could he be tired already?
Sa-yoon’s brows twitched each time the sound of blades clashing rang out with a clang, as he intently spectated the battle.
Even though he used his skills to float in the air and earnestly advised Geon-joo to swing upward, slice horizontally, use skills, and step back, it didn’t seem to stick at all. Geon-joo’s performance had been somewhat tolerable in the Unbelieving Tower, but now that he was matched against an A-grade, his clumsy combat was evident.
Even innate talent has its limits.
No matter how talented someone is, a kid who just picked up a brush couldn’t possibly create a masterpiece. At best, they might instinctively grasp the shape and perspective of the painting.
Han Geon-joo’s current state was exactly like that.
To be honest, considering that the number of times he had been to a gate could be counted on one hand and he had only recently awakened, his skills were quite good.
Judging from his attempt at overturning the opponent earlier, he definitely had both sense and talent.
It seemed like he instinctively knew how to respond to different situations, but the problem was that even if his head understood, his body couldn’t keep up, and Geon-joo’s reactions were repeatedly half a beat too slow.
If the opponent were of the same grade, the speed would have roughly matched and worked out, but since it was a higher grade, he kept doing things that would get him beaten to death.
Sa-yoon, who had been offering unsolicited advice several times, feeling like a thousand Buddhas would appear in his stomach if he waited for Geon-joo to directly realize and swing his way out of the situation, fell silent when Geon-joo successfully fended off the charging mutant and managed to drive his sword into its mouth.
“Ugh!”
The mutant barely managed to tear off a piece of clothing. Blood dripped down the white forearm, likely grazed by teeth.
Sa-yoon’s expression darkened.
Should he just bring one more creature?
Although Geon-joo already seemed to be struggling enough, it didn’t feel urgent to the point of being life-threatening. One could achieve rapid growth by swinging the sword and squeezing out mana to the limit while teetering on the brink of death several times.
To emphasize it repeatedly, if he had wanted Geon-joo to grow by taking step-by-step stages, he wouldn’t have come to the field.
Ka-ga-gang!
Even while Sa-yoon was lost in thought, the clash between Geon-joo and the mutant continued without rest. Sparks flew between the metal, and the sound of slicing was heard occasionally, and sweat poured down Geon-joo’s forehead like rain, drenching his handsome face.
“Hup!”
Geon-joo, holding his breath for a moment before exhaling, deflected the mutant’s attack with all his strength and tripped the charging creature. Excited and with a narrowed field of vision, the creature fell for the shallow trick and stumbled.
Geon-joo wasn’t one to miss that golden opportunity.
Immediately adjusting his grip on the sword, he drove it into the exposed back of the mutant’s head.
“Chi-e-e-ek!”
The scream, as if struggling, gradually faded away.
Hwi-ik.
Sa-yoon whistled at Geon-joo, who had managed to land a decisive blow after continuously throwing jabs as if playing house.
No matter how tenacious a creature’s regenerative power was, it would be difficult for it to get back up if its weak point was attacked in such a manner. Geon-joo, kicking the mutant’s torso to pull out his sword, breathed heavily.
It was the end of a battle that was as messy as a mud fight.
“Make sure it’s dead. The back of the head is at the perfect angle.”
As Sa-yoon descended from the air to the ground and pointed it out, Geon-joo examined the fallen mutant. The creature’s diaphragm was rising and falling slowly. It was evidence that it was still breathing, so his sword moved again.
Three times.
Geon-joo, who had stabbed it a total of three times to confirm the kill, raised his head as if asking, “Is this enough?” Sa-yoon, observing the man wiping away the sweat pouring down like rain and taking deep breaths, flinched.
The sensation of the protective barrier he had set up being broken was transmitted through the connected senses.
It meant that the horde of monsters he had temporarily blocked was now rushing towards them, so he clicked his tongue. He had indeed intended to push Geon-joo a bit more, but this was too much.
It wasn’t a life-threatening situation; it was straight-up death.
No matter how much he bit and licked and doted on his pretty boy, what was the point if he didn’t intend to fight while holding him in his arms? If it wasn’t for that, it would be right to betray expectations regarding Geon-joo’s survival in the upcoming battles.
However, it wasn’t an option to set up the wall again and pick up a few creatures to throw at him.
Now that the distance had become quite close, he had to devise another plan. While Sa-yoon was immersed in his thoughts, Geon-joo, who had been staring at the mutant’s corpse, suddenly examined the man who had fallen silent.
“What’s wrong?”
A faint sense of ominousness could be felt in his questioning voice. To be precise, it was a voice tinged with distrust.
Sa-yoon, realizing that he had no particular talent for teaching people, even if he didn’t know about killing them, stroked his chin once and looked beyond the hill.
With an S-grade’s dynamic vision, he could see a cloud of dust rising from far away. It was a sight of higher-grade monsters stampeding with their feet pounding, so he alternated his gaze between Geon-joo and the area in front of them.
The man, who had no way of knowing what was happening ahead, tilted his head to the side. In the end, Sa-yoon put the dagger he had been clenching into his pocket and strode towards Geon-joo.
Thump, thump.
Slither, slither.
Thump, thump.
Slither, slither.
“…?”
As Sa-yoon took a step forward, this adorable pretty boy took two steps back with cautious steps. In a situation where they should be filming a drama or playing a familiar OST, Sa-yoon narrowed his eyes drowsily, and Geon-joo’s eyes also narrowed in response. As their gazes met, Geon-joo moved his lips, saying, “What?”
Sa-yoon let out a snort at the brazen attitude.
“What’s wrong?”
“What are you approaching me so ominously for again?”
“When did I ever approach you ominously?”
“You’re doing it right now. I’m asking just in case, but you do know that I just finished a battle, right?”
“Yes, I know.”
“Then…”
Geon-joo, who had been looking at Sa-yoon as if he were a lunatic who couldn’t be reasoned with, brightened up. As he was about to say something with a voice that had become a tone lighter, Sa-yoon quickly cut off Geon-joo’s hope before the misunderstanding deepened.
“But our pretty boy also went to face another creature right after finishing one in a C-grade gate, didn’t he?”
“…”
The battle he had shown at that time was still impressive. Even if he was showing a very disappointing side now, it was because it was a higher-grade gate, but his pretty boy was still the best among those of the same level.
The more he thought about it, the more strangely regretful he felt. Sa-yoon, regretting that he should have taken a video with his cell phone back then, uttered the words that came to his mind.
“You’re the same person as you were then, so why can’t you do it this time?”
Sa-yoon spoke as if singing. The gaze that held absurdity clearly conveyed the will of not being able to do it, but the senses that saw and heard what they wanted to ignored Geon-joo’s signal.
Of course, he had no intention of throwing Geon-joo, who was tottering like a newborn fawn, into a field of rushing monsters.
Since he only had one life, he intended to take him to a slightly safer place.
Yes.
To a “slightly” safer place.
Sa-yoon recalled the terrain of the field he had visited half a year ago and grabbed Geon-joo’s clothing. As he moved while holding the area near the neck, the man who had been resisting and putting strength into not following along eventually grabbed Sa-yoon’s hand.
“I’ll walk on my own, so please let go of this.”
“I’m doing this because it doesn’t seem like you’ll go on your own. Can you go directly?”
“Where are we going?”
“Where else would we go?”
Since Geon-joo said he would walk with his own feet, Sa-yoon changed his grip from the nape of the neck to the wrist and headed towards the outskirts. The ground seemed to gradually become steeper, and soon, a cliff appeared.
A height from which falling would not be surprising if it led to death.
The fog was hazy below, making it difficult to see properly.
Gulp.
Hearing the sound of swallowing saliva, Sa-yoon turned to Geon-joo with a kind smile on his face.
“What are you doing, pretty boy?”
“…?”
“Didn’t you say you’d go with your own feet?”
“Are you crazy?”
“Oh, yes, I’m in love.”
Sa-yoon, casually brushing off the words that now sounded like aegyo, grabbed Geon-joo’s shoulder and pulled him towards the cliff. Heuk! Geon-joo, letting out a short groan, resisted with all his might at the edge of the cliff. He hurriedly grabbed Sa-yoon’s arm.
“If I fall from here, I’ll really die!”
“You won’t die, you won’t die. I’ve tried it.”
This was true.
Although Sa-yoon had been blackmailing, threatening, and deceiving his pretty boy for a long time, this was the one thing he could swear on his money, honor, and Jong-sik, so he replied nonchalantly and bulged the veins on the back of his hand.
With a single forceful pull, the man who had been resisting with all his strength slipped helplessly.
“I’m telling you, I’ll die!”
“It’s dangerous enough to die, but you won’t, so try climbing up well.”
“No…!”
“Be careful, there are monsters below.”
Just in case, Sa-yoon took out two recovery potions from his inventory and generously put them in Geon-joo’s pocket. Then, with a gentle smile, Sa-yoon pushed Geon-joo off the cliff.
“…!”
Pa-seu-seu. The pile of dirt at the edge of the cliff fell below, and a void lay beneath Geon-joo’s feet.
The man, whose face had turned pale, looked at Sa-yoon.
Sa-yoon, commending the man who had dissipated the annoying composure he had when they first met without Sa-yoon having to discipline him, let go of his hand that was holding Geon-joo.
“You crazy bastard!”
“Yes, yes, make sure to climb up from there and come punch me. Don’t die, pretty boy!”
Sa-yoon waved his hand in response to the echo that grew louder as the distance increased.
The small dot that had become Geon-joo fell downward.
Sa-yoon, who had squatted down and watched the scene, brushed off his hands and stood up, feeling the vibration from behind.
“Still, it should be safer down there than here.”
Although the cliff top was swarming with S-grade monsters, the Valley of Lamentation was the main habitat of A-grade monsters, so it was more livable than this place.
Sa-yoon, who had sent Geon-joo down as a form of consideration, looked at the S-grades rushing towards him and drew his sword.
The pretty boy who had been intently picking apart his every move with innocent eyes was also gone. Now, it was time to fight as he pleased without any reservations.
“You guys should have some fun too, right?”
Sa-yoon, muttering under his breath, scratched his hand with his sword, drawing blood. As the blood dripped, a system window popped up, indicating that the Murder Play skill had been activated. A cynical smile hung on the corners of Sa-yoon’s mouth.