Chapter: 17
He’s scared. Completely scared.
Eugene could clearly see the fear reflected in Tailun’s eyes.
It was only natural.
His level might be low, but his swordsmanship had reached a level capable of tearing apart the apocalypse itself.
Unless Tailun was blind, there was no way he hadn’t realized that.
Though if we actually fought, I’d probably be the one to lose.
Even so, levels couldn’t be ignored.
Traits and skills could reduce the gap, but overcoming a tenfold difference was still nearly impossible.
Despite that, Eugene drew his sword without a moment’s hesitation.
With my skill, I can at least cut off one of your arms. You know that too, don’t you?
Even if Tailun won the fight, he would almost certainly lose one of his limbs.
And after that, only ruin awaited him.
The other four lords would never leave the crippled King of the Trash alive.
Smirk.
After beheading one of Tailun’s subordinates, Eugene smiled at him.
Through the spray of crimson blood, he could see Tailun’s stiff expression.
In just a few moments, eight of the trash had fallen.
About twenty remained.
Every single one of them was over Level 20.
Even so, Seong Eugene was confident he could wipe them all out in less than ten minutes.
So… what are you going to do?
After slicing off another man’s arm, Eugene looked back at Tailun.
Even while his men were falling one after another, Tailun showed no intention of fighting.
Which meant only one thing.
He had no intention of continuing the battle.
As expected… he’s got a good head on his shoulders.
He had no confidence in winning without paying a devastating price, so he chose not to fight.
Eugene felt relieved…
And at the same time, irritated.
Tailun had dared to show hostility toward him.
A mere Level 100.
A pathetic fool playing king in the First Floor.
The fact that he had to let someone like that live was humiliating.
If only I were Level 20…
He would have chopped that bastard’s head off in a single strike.
I really need to level up.
Clicking his tongue inwardly, Eugene swung Black Wing [A] once more.
“Enough!”
Tailun’s shout exploded with tremendous magical power, sweeping through the surroundings.
KRAAAACK!
Spiderweb-like cracks spread across the walls of nearby buildings as clouds of dust billowed into the air.
Tch.
Eugene frowned.
No matter that this was only the First Floor.
No matter how much of a lowly idiot Tailun was.
A Level 100 wasn’t someone to be underestimated.
Well… not yet.
Half by choice and half by force, Eugene stopped attacking.
Only then did time, which had seemed to crawl, begin flowing normally again.
SPLAAASH!
Blood rained down from the sky.
“AAAAAAAH!”
“M-My arm!”
“Grrrk…”
The men cut down by Eugene’s sword let out desperate screams and agonized cries.
Those who could still scream were the lucky ones.
The ones who had lost their heads couldn’t utter a single word.
Sliding Black Wing [A] back into its sheath, Eugene turned his head.
Tailun stood there, his face completely frozen.
“You…”
His lips moved as though he wanted to say something, but after a long sigh, he simply shook his head.
“You said you wanted information?”
Just as Eugene had expected, Tailun had decided there was nothing to gain by continuing the fight.
Even while his subordinates lay groaning on the ground, he didn’t say a word about them and instead changed the subject.
“That’s right.”
Knowing this would happen, Eugene nodded without hesitation.
“Fine. I’ll tell you. Instead of three Coins, I’ll only charge you one.”
It couldn’t have been an easy decision for Tailun.
He had just lowered the price to one-third of what he’d originally demanded.
And not because of negotiations.
Simply because of a brief fight.
That alone would damage the prestige of Tailun, the King of the Trash.
Yet he still made the decision.
He must have judged that the losses from fighting a lunatic like Eugene would be greater than the losses from lowering the price.
Unfortunately…
Tailun had underestimated Eugene.
“One Coin? What are you talking about? You’re the one who picked a fight with me first. The information should be free. And for the emotional distress you caused me, hand over three Coins as compensation. That’s what I’d call a fair deal.”
Eugene wasn’t just crazy.
He was completely insane.
Clop. Clop.
The sound of horse hooves echoed pleasantly.
“I wish it were a higher-grade one.”
Eugene chuckled as he stroked the neck of the black horse.
“But I got it for free, so I shouldn’t complain.”
On top of that, he’d also earned three Coins.
Tailun’s “gift” had been quite generous.
Granted, the murderous glare Tailun had given him at the end could hardly be called friendly.
If Tailun had been even a little foolish or impulsive, things never would have ended this way.
Ironically, it was only because he was intelligent and exceptionally calm that this outcome had been possible.
“Still… I should be more careful from now on.”
Tailun had backed down today, but he was still one of the Five Lords who ruled Terraāthe King of the Trash.
He would definitely seek revenge for today’s humiliation.
“I’d better level up before he decides to come after my life.”
Eugene had two choices.
Having earned the qualification by killing the Earth Dragon, he could either ascend to the Second Floor…
“Or stay here and keep hunting.”
During his first run, there wouldn’t have been any reason to hesitate.
He would have chosen the former without question.
His greatest goal had been to climb the tower as quickly as possible.
But things were different now.
Even if I climb alone, I’ll only end up with the same result as before.
It was more important to build a solid foundation, even if it took longer.
“Hmm…”
To do that, he’d need to find the Sword Empress and a few other capable people as soon as possible and recruit them as slavesā
No…
As companions.
The inside of the tower was vast, and there were countless players.
“No need to rush. One step at a time.”
First, levels.
Fortunately, the First Floor had plenty of hunting grounds suitable for beginners.
They were quite far from Terra, but that was precisely why he’d extorted a horse from Tailun.
“Alright.”
He would reach at least Level 20 before setting out to search for talented people.
Maybe he’d even meet some players at the hunting grounds.
Anyone who was out hunting instead of cowering inside Terra at this stage probably had potential.
Someone like that would be worth recruiting.
With that thought, Eugene tugged the reins of the massive black horse and headed toward Terra’s southern gate.
The commotion was over.
The three men beaten into bloody pulp by the boy had lost consciousness and could no longer even groan.
Watching the gruesome scene, Isia quietly observed the boy known as the Battle Maniac.
It’s a little disturbing…
To be honest…
It also felt satisfying.
His methods had been brutal, but the men had started it.
They were simply paying the price for their own actions.
Thinking of it that way, it wasn’t so unpleasant.
If I had the strength, I would have done the same thing.
In fact, she found herself growing fond of the boy who had overcome his physical disadvantage and fought his way to victory.
With that much determination… he’s not bad.
He had beaten three grown men into unconsciousness with nothing but his fists.
Yet he didn’t seem evil by nature.
If anything, he appeared timid and gentle.
Still…
His combat ability was unquestionably reliable.
I’ll recruit him.
He was the perfect companion to go hunting with.
Slowly, Isia walked toward the boy.
The people watching nearby stared at her in surprise.
She felt a little nervous because of the attention, but she didn’t turn back.
“Um… hey, kid?”
She called out to him carefully.
Flinch!
Perhaps because of what he had just done…
The boy, who had been staring miserably at the unconscious men, jumped in surprise and quickly backed away.
“N-No. I’m not here to fight.”
She waved both hands to show she meant no harm.
But the boy’s eyes remained full of caution.
Isia spoke even more gently.
“Would you like to come with me?”
Rather than beating around the bush, she asked directly.
She thought honesty would be the best way to lower his guard.
Fortunately…
It seemed to work.
The wariness in his eyes lessened slightly.
“…Together?”
“Yeah. Together. Isn’t it safer to travel with someone than to wander around a strange place all alone?”
She wasn’t wrong.
If the boy had been with other adults, those men probably wouldn’t have attacked him so recklessly.
Even so, the boy didn’t immediately nod.
To him, traveling with Isia didn’t seem like it would make him any safer.
If anything, traveling with such a beautiful woman would probably attract even more trouble.
“I’d rather be aloā”
The boy was just about to refuse.
“Die, you little brat!”
Someone suddenly burst out from the crowd of spectators, swinging a vicious-looking axe.
Was he one of the fallen men’s companions?
Or simply someone who coveted the boy’s gauntlets?
No one knew.
But one thing was certain.
No matter how agile the boy was…
There was absolutely no way he could dodge that axe.
The attack was simply too fast and too sudden.
“Ah…”
The startled boy hurriedly raised his arm.
But it was too slow.
Despair filled his eyes.
He had realized he couldn’t escape death.
Meanwhile, the man swinging the axe wore a triumphant grin.
Thenā
Slash!
A long, crimson line appeared across the man’s neck.
“Huh?”
The man’s movements stopped.
Not because he wanted them to.
The body beneath his neck simply no longer obeyed the commands of his brain.
The red line slowly widened.
His head separated from his body.
“W-Who…?”
His neck had been cut.
But he never saw who had done it.
Or when.
Or how.
No one present had.
Except for one person.
The boy alone stared wide-eyed at the sword in Isia’s hand.
“You son of a bitch! I’m talking here, and you decide to swing an axe?”
At some point, Isia had already drawn Crimson Lotus [E].
She stood there fuming, cursing at the top of her lungs.
She hadn’t even realized what she’d just done.
The boy looked back and forth between Isia and the man’s collapsing corpse before slowly nodding.
“I’ll come with you.”
She had cut off a man’s head with a sword swing too fast for him to even see.
If he traveled with her, she would undoubtedly be a tremendous help.
Besides…
Isia casually decapitating someone while shouting profanities terrified him.
Gulp.
Without realizing it, the boy swallowed nervously.
And so…
The Sword Empress and the Battle Maniac met for the first time.
