Chapter 121 Turning Point (3)

A precious opportunity that he would lose when he went to Moorim. He tried to ask again what it was, but he couldn’t get the answer. However, unlike before, Elle gave a hint that it had something to do with the Tower. Now that he saw it, it wasn’t that she couldn’t tell him because it was the future, but it seemed like it was because of the Tower’s restrictions.

“What are you planning to do? Are you going to Moorim?”

“I’m going to think about it a little more before deciding.”

“Yes. Do it however you want.”

Now, Elle respected Yoon-seok’s opinion without saying much and nodded. After a little more conversation and returning to the waiting room, Yoon-seok quickly checked the date and went straight to the Union Plaza.

June 11, 2019, 11:27 AM

15 days had passed during the mission. In other words, 15 to 45 days were left before something happened to Cheon-ma in Moorim. Before deciding, he wanted to hear from the Sword Demon about what else had happened since his departure. But…

“The Sword Demon died in Moorim.”

“Did he leave any words behind?”

“Yes. If Mr. Yoon-seok arrives, he only asked me to tell you not to worry too much.”

“I see.”

“By the way, it’s been a while since you’ve been here. Did something happen?”

Come to think of it; he didn’t tell Ashton that he had been on a mission. As if he was doing last-minute homework, Yoon-seok had time to briefly talk about each other’s updates. It took about 10 minutes, and he could confirm no specific events in either the Tower or the Earth.

“Then I’ll see you in a week.”

And after rushing back to the waiting room, Yoon-seok stood blankly and lost himself in thought.

‘It’s probably better not to go.’

He didn’t want to be involved with Moorim from the start. But when he heard that he was there in the future, he wondered what made him go. He was also a little suspicious about Elle’s intentions. So, he dug around. As a result, he was sure that Elle wouldn’t offer him any harmful advice.

‘I don’t know what that valuable opportunity is, but seeing how she talked about it, it must be important.’

Finally, Yoon-seok made a decision. He would stop caring about the things happening in Moorim. In addition, it seemed that Cheon-ma would return safely without his help.

‘Let’s focus on what I have to do now.’

To run without a doubt after deciding on the direction, that was the driving force behind Yoon-seok’s arrival here. Recalling this, Yoon-seok, who shook off the remnants of his regret, approached the tablet. Before using the 2.5 million MP from the mission, he first checked what he looted from the duel with Miler with b Predation}.

‘As expected, there’s nothing much.’

Although he did absorb his magic stat, the rank did not rise. b Leader} was just a Unique Skill that shone when a companion was present, and the Heretical Judge’s Punishment Hammer (Rank A) was a weapon that Yoon-seok had no reason to use. Well, it was a piece of equipment he chose based on rank in the first place.

「Equipment has been disassembled, and 1.3 million MP is refunded.」

Yoon-seok first recycled the equipment with b Metallurgy}, but was it because the previous owner purchased it using MP? It was converted into MP, not AP.

‘This is perfect timing.’

1.3 million was added to 2.5 million, resulting in a total of 3.8 million MP. He could now upgrade another Unique Skill to Rank A.

「Your purchase has arrived.」

「Please check the lower part of the description.」

Yoon-seok spent 3.75 million MP on upgrading a skill from Rank B. Since he upgraded {Predation} last time, he already decided which skill to upgrade next. But…

{Divine Ultimatum}

Rank A – You can escape from a predetermined fate.

Yoon-seok, who checked the added effect, smiled dejectedly. He invested 3.75 million points, but after paying that hefty amount, the only thing he received in return was a short sentence like this? He believed that he would never be let down by b Divine Ultimatum} itself, but he felt betrayed.

“It seems like the higher the rank; the more strange things come out….’

Being able to escape a predetermined fate. At first glance, it sounded incredible. However, there was no way to figure out how this would help. Well, there may be a day when this effect would help unexpectedly.

‘At least until then, it would be comfortable to just pretend it’s not there.’

Yoon-seok quickly put an end to his feeling of dejection. To be honest, this wasn’t the first time, so it was nothing new.

‘Oh, come to think of it, I forgot to ask about that.’

Suddenly, the presence of that mysterious man that Elle faced belatedly appeared in Yoon-seok’s mind. Who was that guy? A challenger who became an admin? Or the owner of the Tower? Why did he only show up when Elle entered?

He had no clue. In addition, due to the restraints, he didn’t think Elle could answer even if he asked. Still, he decided to try the next time they met. Now, that was enough digging around and worrying.

「Get ready. The duel will begin soon.」

It was time to start climbing again.

「Countdown is starting.」

Instinctively, his gaze was directed at his opponent. He searched for the opponent’s equipment, physique, and, more naturally, things like breathing. What skills did they have, and how would they use them during the duel? It would be nice if they weren’t boring.

Every thought intersected.

「3.」

Yoon-seok smiled as he realized something again.

「2.」

Rather than thinking for a while, this fits his style better.

「1.」

He would win and survive, or he would become a cold corpse. A duel of choice between the two options. What was right and wrong? Was that good or evil? There was nothing that gave him a headache more than thinking about this. There was only one thing to keep in mind here.

Winning.

「START!」

The moment the duel started, the elf swordsman that was his foe in the Great Battle rushed in. His stride was irregular, his posture was neat without any flaws, and the aura from their sword was sharp.

Cling.

Yoon-seok pulled out his swords without making a sound. The duel would be over with one Judgment of the Ruined Monarch or b Demonify}, but those skills were all about ranks. The experience didn’t accumulate following proficiency. Therefore, Yoon-seok planned to fight this duel only with his swords if possible, unless he had no choice.

Suppose the time came when all of those skills became unavailable. The only thing he could trust then were these two swords.

‘Well, I think that’s what there is, after all.’

The elf was paying close attention to each of his movements. He didn’t know what skills he would use, so he had done all the preparations he could and put his guard up. But, regardless.

Whik.

Yoon-seok drew his sword in the air in a simple slash that was neither fast nor sharp. At first glance, it might look like that, only if the space around the gray energy over his sword wasn’t distorted.

Slash!

When Yoon-seok’s sword stopped in the air, the elf’s body was divided into two. However, Yoon-seok was rather curious and corrected his posture.

‘He can avoid this?’

Shifting, a technique that pursued extreme speed to the point of leaving an afterimage. It wasn’t surprising that the elf had this talent. It wasn’t a very difficult technique if he had some agility to support it. However, Yoon-seok was curious about something else.

‘How on earth did he spot it?’

The second tactic of Heavenly Sword, Traverse. An extreme spatial sword combined from the dominant and blunt paths. When Yoon-seok was attacked with this technique, he didn’t even know what it was. He could recognize that it was dangerous, but there was no way to avoid it.

But that elf warrior did what he couldn’t.

‘Do I just trust my instincts and avoid it by guessing?’

He didn’t know, but it was worth checking one more time. Sooner or later, the afterimage divided into two disappeared, and he caught the elf in his sight. He was still leaping into the air.

Whoosh!

Again, his sword cut through the air. It was the same technique as before, but the target point was much wider, unlike then. Yoon-seok grew curious and watched closely. If this were all about luck, this would be the end of the duel. Otherwise, he would get to find out about his secret.

The results concluded in the blink of an eye.

Slash.

Again, the elf’s body was divided into two.

‘I don’t think it’s a coincidence. What is it? How did he see that?’

Yoon-seok didn’t ask aloud. There was no way that this opponent would teach him gently just because he asked, and even if he didn’t, there were other ways to find out. As always, if he watched repeatedly, he would be able to find the answer by himself.

Whik! Whik! Whoosh!

Repeating the same technique over and over again. The elf’s eyes slowly turned to his opponent.

“…”

A challenger covered his face with a bizarre mask and used two swords. He was very surprised to see him. The remarkable magic inside him was far beyond himself. Of course, such a surprise couldn’t be compared to when his sword cut through the air.

‘I’m sure of it. It’s that person’s swordsmanship.’

Before the Coins disappeared, he met a female challenger in the duel. He didn’t learn her name, but she was a challenger with swordsmanship that exceeded a human. She was unpredictable.

—You can’t compare to him, but you still seem promising. Hoho!

That’s what she told him after cutting off his arm. He didn’t know who he was being compared to. However, she spent three days in the arena and taught him one thing or another, and that was how he was able to break through and make steady progress day by day.

Because of that, he became greedier and asked her about the method that cut his arm despite the shame, but…

—Oh, hush. You can’t learn that anyway.

Her answer was firm. He quickly noticed that she wasn’t refusing but stating the truth. If not, she wouldn’t have said this.

— I’ll tell you how to watch it, though. Learning one thing will let you do ten. It will help you.

He learned silently, the method on the way to see, as she mentioned. It saved him from numerous crises, just like now. If it weren’t for this, he was sure he would’ve been hit by the first attack just like before.

‘Did he perhaps become her apprentice?’

His heart was heavy. If so, it would be like revenge for that grace. Of course, he didn’t intend to lose this fight, now that there were no coins to revive him even if he died.

‘But how long is he planning to go on like this? Is this the only thing he has?’

The elf focused on avoidance, narrowed his eyes. He thought it couldn’t be, but it didn’t sound ridiculous at all. First of all, there was no argument that it was the same swordsmanship, but the depth was different compared to her. Should he say that it was clumsy?

If it were her, he wouldn’t have seen it no matter how hard he tried.

‘Maybe it hasn’t been long since he became her apprentice…’

He gradually changed to offense.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Booooom!

As such, a fierce battle broke out as they sought each other’s flaws. No, at least that was what he thought until he felt like something was out of place.

‘What’s this…?’

Blocking what was to be blocked and avoiding what was to be avoided. At the same time, he observed his sword leisurely. And as if the judgment was over, one emotion was revealed through the eyes beyond the mask.

‘He’s disappointed…?’

He couldn’t understand. If there was a lack of duel opponents, wasn’t he supposed to be happy? No, aside from everything, those eyes contained arrogance that only those who looked down from an overwhelming position could possess.

Whik! Whoosh! Booom!

Fierce… a meaningless battle continued. As time went by, the opponent wasn’t even looking at his sword. He was only focused on one thing.

‘What’s he doing? Why does he keep looking into my eyes?’

As for him, there was no way to know. Right now, Yoon-seok was learning the Way to See by watching.