Chapter 53: Eyes of Death and Deception

Taehoo held the Fallen Flower Sword in his hand.

The Black and White Aura shimmered along the blade.

Taehoo glanced once each at Jiho and the twins.

The group, locking eyes with Taehoo, nodded.

“I’ve got the rear covered.”

If it were just a matter of dealing with skeletons, their force was more than enough.

In other words, Taehoo could move without worrying about what was behind him.

[That guy is almost on your level.]

Ba’al read Skebin’s skill and added.

Being on equal footing wouldn’t be enough to stop him.

Without hesitation, Taehoo leapt into the skeleton army.

As Taehoo moved, the skeletons reacted accordingly.

One skeleton swung its sword horizontally.

Taehoo lowered his stance and dodged the attack.

At the same time, he swung the Fallen Flower Sword upward.

Slash!

With the sound, the skeleton was cut down. More precisely, it crumbled.

“There’s no cutting sensation.”

It collapsed before the blade could even make contact, unable to withstand Taehoo’s strength.

Clatter, clatter.

The sound of bones hitting echoed in every direction.

In an instant, it looked like Taehoo was surrounded.

“Tch.”

Taehoo clicked his tongue sharply and looked toward where Skebin stood.

“If I waste time fighting these bone guys here, it’ll never end. I’ll break through in one go!”

Taehoo concentrated mana into his legs to break free from the encirclement.

In that moment, something grabbed Taehoo’s ankle.

Lowering his gaze, Taehoo saw that it was the arm of a fallen skeleton, which had collapsed from a previous strike.

“So that’s why I felt no cutting sensation!”

Taehoo drew a dagger from his waist.

Using the dagger as a conduit, he immediately released a burst of Aura and struck away the hand clinging to his leg.

Clang!

With his other hand, Taehoo blocked the skeleton’s sword thrust with the Fallen Flower Sword.

Seeing an opening, Taehoo leapt into the air in an instant.

There was only one target Taehoo needed to focus on.

Wave Boss Skebin.

Taehoo descended upon him.

Clang!

The Fallen Flower Sword collided with Skebin’s iron mace.

“Yoo. Are. Next.”

That chilling voice pierced Taehoo’s ears again.

Even with its dry tone, the excitement in the words came through clearly.

Skebin powered his mace, shoving Taehoo back into the air.

Taehoo took a few steps backward, pushed by the recoil.

“Can I fight like this?”

That question formed in Taehoo’s mind.

As he experienced earlier, skeletons would rise again after being cut.

Skebin likely had the same ability.

Simply battering him wouldn’t bring him down.

To defeat the enemy for good, Taehoo needed another method.

“Plain physical attacks won’t work. Something more direct…”

As he pondered, Taehoo’s eyes suddenly flashed.

There was a definite option.

[Activating skill ‘Death Eye’!]

Taehoo’s eyes glowed ruby red.

Before leaving the dungeon.

The skill Taehoo gained through training with Namjin, Death Eye.

A fatal technique that reveals the weaknesses of any being, as long as you’re alive.

The creature before him was a skeleton.

Once dead, revived and moving again.

In other words, the skeleton perfectly met the skill’s activation condition.

Taehoo’s prediction was spot on.

Through his red-tinged gaze, the skeletons’ weak points became visible.

He began to see black lines and dots that hadn’t been visible before.

Skebin’s weak point was also faintly but clearly discernible.

Now that he knew how to attack, any hesitation vanished.

Taehoo’s red eyes shone as he charged at Skebin.

The iron mace responded without delay.

Taehoo’s Aura clashed against the Demonic Energy surrounding Skebin’s mace.

Their attacks were evenly matched.

But,

[White energy consumes Demonic Energy!]

[Unleashing more powerful force!]

Taehoo’s abilities weren’t limited to just Demonic Energy.

Crackle.

With a sound like glass cracking, the Demonic Energy around the mace began to break apart.

Smash!

The Demonic Energy shattered into pieces upon contact with the Fallen Flower Sword.

Skebin, flustered, hastily backed away.

Clatter.

Attention

Sounds of bones misaligning came from all around.

Skebin calmly kept his distance from Taehoo and refilled Demonic Energy into the swinging mace.

Despite Taehoo’s constant pressure, the energy’s recovery was faster than expected.

It was a result of borrowing Demonic Energy intended for the summoned skeletons.

A clever improvisation.

But even once the energy had been broken once, the tide of the battle had already turned.

The difference in the density of power being wielded was undeniable.

Skebin surely knew this as well.

That’s why Taehoo pressed on before Skebin could think of another strategy.

Relentlessly following the backward steps, Taehoo swung the Fallen Flower Sword faster and harder.

Each clash of sword and mace rang out with a shatter!, tearing apart the Demonic Energy like paper.

As the fight continued, Skebin’s energy restoration began to slow.

“If he can’t keep up with the speed at which I strip away his energy, the fight’s over.”

Taehoo repeated his assault.

There were three weak points revealed by Death Eye.

The heart, the brow of the skull, and the spine supporting that skull.

At first, the weak points were only faintly visible, but as the fight progressed, they became clearer.

“It seems the accuracy of Death Eye increases in proportion to the enemy’s vitality.”

Skebin kept surrounding his mace with Demonic Energy that should have gone to the skeletons.

Naturally, the skeletons’ movements became sluggish as a result.

“I’ll finish this.”

That’s what Taehoo decided.

Pwooooh!

Suddenly, the sound of a horn blast filled the battlefield.

But Taehoo paid no mind to it.

The Thunderstorm Sword Dance.

The sword dance Taehoo created.

[Activating skill ‘Single Stroke Severance, Form 1’!]

[The effect of skill ‘Shadow Blade’ sinks deeper into the Aura!]

The destructive power of Single Stroke Severance and the subtle energy of Shadow Blade blended into one.

Though explosive force was contained, Taehoo’s sword looked no different than before.

If anything, it appeared even more ordinary.

Skebin failed to notice the change in the sword.

Bang!

The realization came after his entire hand, holding the mace, was severed and fell away.

By then, it was already too late.

Skebin’s detached arm and mace turned to dust instantly.

Taehoo’s sword had erased even the power within his body in an instant.

“This power…”

Skebin’s words were cut off.

Taehoo pressed the attack on the now defenseless Skebin.

Spinning clockwise, Taehoo’s body followed through.

Skebin’s heart and spine were cut in half.

Losing support, Skebin’s body crumbled like a mere skeleton.

The skull rolled on the ground last.

Thud!

Taehoo’s Fallen Flower Sword dropped and embedded itself precisely between the skull’s brow.

[Second boss Skebin defeated!]

[The final wave begins in one day!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

The aftereffects of activating Death Eye washed over Taehoo.

•Seongcheol had been waiting for an opportunity since the fight began.

He conserved his strength by casually fighting skeletons.

Taehoo, by contrast, had thrown his full power into breaking through the skeleton horde and was now facing the boss.

Even at a glance, the fight was at a level far beyond what Seongcheol could catch up to.

The children participating in the Coming-of-Age Ceremony were hovering around level 10, so this was expected.

Still, Seongcheol held on to hope.

Taehoo was dedicating all his strength to battling Skebin.

“When he runs out of strength, I’ll take care of the rear.”

Once Taehoo was defeated, the next target would be Jiho.

Nam Jiho.

The boy who considered himself the only family in the clan.

The moment to drive a sword into his heart was drawing near.

Seongcheol felt pangs of conscience.

He had spent as much time with Jiho as Taehoo had.

It was more than enough time for bonds to form.

But Seongcheol could not give up on his younger brother.

From the moment Jiuk grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, Seongcheol had no other choice.

To end everything and die together.

That was the least Seongcheol could do to apologize to Jiho.

Steeling his resolve, Seongcheol turned his gaze toward Taehoo.

By now, the fight between Taehoo and Skebin was nearing its end.

At the same time, the skeletons’ strength was visibly waning.

Once Taehoo was dead, Jiho would be next.

Nam Jiho.

The boy who considered himself the only family in the clan.

The moment to drive a sword into his heart was drawing near.

Seongcheol felt pangs of conscience.

He had spent as much time with Jiho as Taehoo had.

It was more than enough time for bonds to form.

But Seongcheol could not give up on his younger brother.

From the moment Jiuk grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, Seongcheol had no other choice.

To end everything and die together.

That was the least Seongcheol could do to apologize to Jiho.

Steeling his resolve, Seongcheol turned his gaze toward Taehoo.

By now, the fight between Taehoo and Skebin was nearing its end.

At the same time, the skeletons’ strength was visibly waning.

“That’s as far as you go.”

It was a difference of a single sheet of paper.

Just before Seongcheol’s sword was about to pierce Taehoo’s heart, two blades appeared first at Seongcheol’s neck.

Woobin and Woojin. The twins’ blades.

Seongcheol’s eyes trembled as if on the verge of a spasm.

The levels of the participants in the Coming-of-Age Ceremony, except for Taehoo, were all similar.

The twins might be slightly stronger than him, but they couldn’t have caught up to him had he really gone all out.

Especially not in this situation, where people suddenly appeared from underground and he unexpectedly aimed for Taehoo’s back.

It was absolutely impossible without having foreseen this outcome.

Just as he thought this,

Seongcheol realized Jiho had quietly approached his side.

“No way…?”

Taehoo turned toward Seongcheol, who was letting out a hoarse sound.

“Yes, I knew everything.”

The village chief, who had been leading the villagers, froze like a statue upon witnessing the scene.

“This… this can’t be.”

Seongcheol’s eyes filled with despair. He had believed everything was proceeding exactly as he planned.

He thought Taehoo was just a foolish kid, strong but unaware of what was going on.

Jiho too.

But to find out he had been nothing more than a pawn?

Taehoo approached the trembling Seongcheol.

Their eyes met.

It was a gaze he had seen before.

More precisely, one he understood.

Taehoo stared into those eyes.

The same eyes he had seen when he was struck in the back before his regression, in front of the Dantalion House Head.

Taehoo saw his past self in Seongcheol.

Now, Taehoo was standing where the Dantalion Head once had.

The situation was completely reversed.

Without averting his gaze, Taehoo looked around at the villagers.

They were all stiff as stone, debating whether to move or not.

[Activating skill ‘Intimidation’!]

Even if some of the villagers lost vitality, now was the time to dominate the atmosphere.

“You’d better stay still.”

“Hic!”

No one moved at Taehoo’s command.

A skill useful during interrogations could be applied this way against ordinary people.

“Ji, Jiho… this is…”

Seongcheol was stepping back from the twins’ blades, approaching Jiho.

There was no ulterior motive or plan behind his movement.

He was simply cornered, relying on Jiho.

Taehoo stopped the twins from following and fixed his gaze on Jiho.

Jiho looked steadily at Seongcheol approaching him.

Clenching his teeth, trembling with rage.

In Seongcheol’s eyes, his built-up world had just turned to ashes, but he saw none of that in Jiho.

“You should have just left your family to me.”

Jiho spat at Seongcheol.

It was said with sincerity.

“I-I didn’t want this…”

It was an inevitable truth.

Seongcheol, surviving day by day in the sewers.

How could he have escaped the grasp of the Nam Clan’s eldest?

Now Jiho stepped closer to Seongcheol, one step at a time.

“Jiho, hey…!”

Thud.

The last “hey” was a death rattle.

Jiho embraced Seongcheol and drove a blade into his heart.

Gurgle…!

Seongcheol leaned against Jiho’s shoulder, coughing up blood.

“I’ll get your family out for you.”

Even without Jiuk, this was to prove that Seongcheol still had a chance.

That was his stubborn will.

Jiho whispered to the fading Seongcheol.

Seongcheol met his end just like that.