Chapter: 22
Watching the Sword Empress flee, Eugene wore a baffled expression.
‘Wait… why?’
This time, hadn’t he spoken as politely as possible to avoid any misunderstanding?
Yet her reaction was exactly the same as before.
‘What? What did I do wrong this time?’
No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t figure it out.
He had even made facial expressions he’d never once used before just to win her favor.
Crunch!
‘She dares respond to my goodwill like that?’
Fine.
He had already been far more patient than suited him.
Since when had he ever handled things like some gentleman?
“Kindness, my ass.”
If he wanted something, he took it.
It belonged to someone else?
So what?
He could just take it away.
They refused?
That wasn’t a problem either.
Whether it was an item, a skill, or even a person.
Steal it.
Seize it.
Take it by force.
That was how he’d always done things.
“I’ve done enough.”
Enough thinking.
From here on, he’d do things Sung Eugene’s way.
Whatever happened next would be entirely the Sword Empress’s responsibility.
His footsteps, filled with anger and irritation, moved forward.
Crack!
The ground beneath his foot caved in.
Using the recoil, Eugene shot forward like an arrow.
His speed was so overwhelming that it couldn’t even be compared to the Sword Empress and her companions trying to escape.
In an instant, he crossed the grasslands and appeared directly behind her.
Just then, she turned around.
Their eyes met.
Her face transformed from surprise into utter horror.
Grin.
Eugene smiled.
It was a terrifying smile that was about a million light-years away from anything resembling kindness or friendliness.
“Hiiiiiiiiiiik!”
A wonderfully nostalgic scream escaped the Sword Empress’s mouth.
He had heard that scream countless times during his first run.
Without hesitation, Eugene reached for the back of her neck.
Whether he persuaded her…
Threatened her…
Or kidnapped her…
First, he had to stop her.
Judging by her aura, she was around Level 2.
The only real combat she’d experienced was probably fighting those Sulfur Deer earlier.
That level of experience could never stop Eugene’s movements.
Even if they were the same level, she wouldn’t stand a chance.
And his current level was an astonishing 13.
He wasn’t even using any special skills.
Still, he was absolutely certain she couldn’t stop him.
But…
‘Hm?’
Eugene’s eyes widened.
To his surprise, the Sword Empress reacted.
That shabby reddish sword she must have obtained on the Tutorial Floor.
Even in that split second of panic, she swung her sword with perfect precision, intercepting the exact path of Eugene’s hand.
‘Oh.’
As expected.
The Sword Empress was still the Sword Empress.
No matter how low her level was, her instinct with a sword had already surpassed common sense.
‘Well, if high level alone were enough, nobody would’ve called her the Sword Empress.’
Having a title meant she was special among the tens of thousands of Awakeners summoned into the Tower.
Once again, Eugene realized she was exactly the talent he’d been searching for.
‘Though she’s still just an unpolished gem.’
The Sword Empress’s potential was so extraordinary that the word “talented” wasn’t enough to describe it.
But that was all she wasāfor now.
A rough gemstone remained a rough gemstone.
Depending on how it was polished, it could become either an ordinary sturdy sword…
Or the finest divine blade the world had ever seen.
And Eugene was more confident than anyone that he could polish this gem called the Sword Empress.
He casually twisted his wrist.
It was a simple movement.
Yet his hand slipped past her blade.
Like a salmon swimming upstream against a raging current.
Before she could react, his hand wrapped around her throat.
“Kgh!”
His overwhelming grip, combined with speed faster than an arrow, completely restrained her.
She wanted to scream.
But not a single sound escaped her throat.
Because Eugene wouldn’t allow it.
He could see fear welling up in her tear-filled eyes.
She looked as though she’d encountered a serial killer.
But Eugene didn’t care.
He had already decided to throw manners to the wind and act however he pleased.
If the Sword Empress rejected his proposal…
Then he’d make her stronger by force.
So whether she was scared or not didn’t matter.
Looking at the Sword Empress glaring at him with tears in her eyes, Eugene slowly opened his mouth.
Or rather…
He tried to.
But he never got the chance.
Her companions.
He had dismissed them as insignificant people who had somehow managed to survive long enough to come hunting.
People not even worth paying attention to.
He’d been wrong.
To his surprise, the youngest among them had turned around instead of running away and was throwing a punch straight at Eugene’s jaw.
Unlike the others, who were sprinting away as though their lives depended on it.
Fwoooooosh!
The enormous gauntlet, absurdly large compared to his frame, tore through the air with frightening force.
“Oh?”
Eugene’s eyes lit up.
A kid.
A body and face that looked completely unsuited for fighting.
Yet his gaze was wild enough to pique even Eugene’s interest.
“Let go of my sister, you bastard!”
Young voice, too.
At most, he looked like a high school student.
Maybe even just middle school age.
His stance was clumsy.
The punch itself didn’t seem particularly powerful.
But…
‘It’s accurate.’
Whether it was instinct…
Luck…
Or genuine talent…
The boy’s fist pierced straight through the opening and targeted Eugene’s jaw with perfect precision.
‘Was there someone like this?’
His movement was impressive.
Still, the punch lacked enough power that Eugene could have simply taken it head-on.
Even so…
Without hesitation, he released the Sword Empress’s neck.
Tap.
He lightly kicked off the ground and stepped backward.
Whoooosh!
It missed by barely a single strand of hair.
The metal gauntlet grazed past Eugene’s chin.
‘Hmm.’
He examined the boy’s face.
It was unfamiliar.
Which could only mean one of two things.
Either the boy had died before reaching the Tower’s upper floors…
‘Or he’s someone I’ve never met.’
A gauntlet user.
A fist fighter.
Someone with insane talent for combat.
And someone Eugene had never met.
One person immediately came to mind.
‘Could he be the Martial Demon?’
He looked nothing like Eugene had imagined.
He’d expected some muscular gym addict with messy hair.
Instead…
“What the hell?
He’s just a kid.”
Eugene tilted his head.
“Jihoo! Run! If he catches you, he’ll kill you!”
Now free, the Sword Empress shouted.
“Kill? Who said I’d kiā”
Slash!
As Eugene frowned and tried to refute her words, the reddish sword flashed through space once again.
A clean, flawless slash without a trace of wasted movement.
Had it been anyone other than Eugene…
Their head would have been severed before they even realized they’d died.
To think she could produce a strike of this caliber under such sudden circumstances.
Once again, Eugene felt satisfied with choosing the Sword Empress.
Creating some distance between himself and the pair, he looked at the boy with growing curiosity.
“Who are you?”
He thought he’d heard the name Jihoo.
But that alone wasn’t enough.
After all, he didn’t even know the Martial Demon’s real name.
“Noona, are you okay?”
There was no answer.
The boy merely supported the Sword Empress.
Even then, however, he never lowered his guard against Eugene.
Despite his frail appearance and small frame…
His eyes were those of a wild beast.
“Hmm.”
After thinking for a moment, Eugene nodded.
Whether the boy was the Martial Demon or not didn’t matter.
Someone with this much talent was absolutely worth raising.
“Hey, you two.”
No more polite speech.
Originally, he had planned to slowly build trust…
Treat them kindly…
Gradually earn their goodwill…
“I’ll train you.
Come with me.”
But that plan had clearly failed.
So he’d simply train them by force.
“Cut the crap! Who’d follow a lunatic like you?!”
The Sword Empress shouted with a deathly pale face.
The kid simply raised his fists instead of answering.
“So that’s your answer?”
Eugene curled the corner of his mouth upward.
The dried blood of the Red Goblins stained his face, making him resemble the Joker.
“Of course!”
Whatever she was imagining…
Her body trembled violently.
“Murderer! Psychopath! Crazy bastard! Who’d ever travel with someone who swings a sword at people without warning?!”
This was why first impressions mattered.
Because of what had happened inside Terra, the Sword Empress now saw Eugene as nothing less than a deranged serial killer.
“We’re not traveling with a criminal, so get lost!”
Her intent to cut him down if he came any closer was practically tangible.
The sharp killing intent prickling against his skin was almost admirable.
Too bad it was directed at him.
“That’s a misunderstanding.
Though honestly…
I don’t really feel like explaining myself anymore.
There’s no need.”
Eugene raised Black Wing [A], the gift he had prepared for the Sword Empress.
“My mood’s a little foul right now.
Let’s continue this conversation later.
After you’ve suffered a bit, your misunderstanding will probably clear itself up.”
He didn’t even bother drawing the sword.
At their current level…
There was no chance they could withstand his blade.
“…What?”
The Sword Empress blinked in confusion.
As a final act of kindness, Eugene spoke.
“You’ll pay the price for making me go through all this trouble.
It’ll hurt a little.
But since you brought it on yourselves, don’t think it’s unfair.”
Eugene’s smile widened.
It was all a misunderstanding.
Everything she’d believed until now had been wrong.
Isia desperately screamed those words in her mind.
Because otherwise…
She genuinely felt like she was going to die.
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
“Gaaagh!”
Where had she even been hit?
She couldn’t tell.
All she saw was a black flash.
The next instant, unbearable pain exploded throughout her entire body.
“I’VE! GONE! THIS! FAR!
SO! LISTEN! WHEN! PEOPLE! TALK!”
She had no idea what he was saying.
But she needed to understand.
Because she never wanted to feel this pain again.
Park Jihoo felt exactly the same.
Normally, once he lost control, he would charge recklessly without thinking.
But…
‘S-save me…’
Against overwhelming violence…
Madness meant absolutely nothing.
The uncontrollable rage that had consumed him inside both the Tutorial Floor and Terra had completely disappeared.
The only cure for a madman…
Was an even crazier madman with a bigger stick.
The two of them remained trapped inside a hell that seemed as though it would never end, groaning endlessly.
“Oh?
You’ve already given up?
You’re not even trying to block anymore.
Then I guess you’ll have to get hit even more.”
Their despair vanished.
Survival instinct took over.
‘I-I have to block!’
Realizing they might actually die, the Sword Empress and the Martial Demon instinctively moved their bodies.
Neither of them realized it…
But this was Eugene’s very first lesson.
A little rough, perhaps.
