Chapter 93
Editor: Ytho, LaidBackGuy
Lee Sungmin approached the corpse on the floor . It had been quite a long time since the last time he had seen a dead body . The corpse was wearing the robes of the Volcanic Sect, but its condition surprised Lee Sungmin .
“This… what… ?”
Lee Sungmin muttered those words, feeling flustered . The cause of death[1] was from a deep sword wound on the chest, but that wasn’t the only issue .
The body was dry and twisted like a mummy . The moment he leaned down to take a closer look, Kim Jonghyun stepped forward to stop him .
“Don’t touch it . ”
“Yes . ”
He didn’t intend to touch it . There was no knowing what would happen after touching a strange corpse like this . When Lee Sungmin stepped back a few steps, Kim Jonghyun stepped forward and looked at the body .
“Indeed . ”
Kim Jonghyun, who looked at the body in contemplation, said while stroking his chin .
“I heard Ghost Blade was practicing the dark arts… Hu-hu! I thought they were all simply put under a hallucination spell, but it wasn’t that simple . Indeed . That’s why I’m going to say this was Ghost Blade’s doing . ”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you know about energy drain?”
“Yes . ”
“Energy drain abilities come in very diverse forms . Vampires also use a form of energy drain, and what was that thing with the qi called… The absorption method for that is also an energy drain . There are many different types of methods . But the common point is this . Energy drain takes energy from the opponent and uses it as their own . ”
Kim Jonghyun said, holding up an arm of the malformed body .
“I’m not sure what kind of energy drain Ghost Blade uses . However… I know one thing for sure . He will still be strong, even at this moment . ”
While saying so, Kim Jonghyun stood up .
“I need to change the way I’ve been pursuing him . Until now, I was just divining his location and letting the Volcanic Sect Warriors chase him based on that . But if he’s draining them of energy, this kind of method only works out in favour of Ghost Blade . I have to drive him into a corner and kill him for sure . ”
(t/n: he’s directing them and the volcanic sect follows?)
The conversation he had with Dok Bejun yesterday passed through Lee Sungmin’s mind .
‘Have you ever faced a wall?’ Dok Bejun faced the wall and despaired . Could he take it lying down? No . Dok Bejun used a means other than the sword to cross the wall .
He could not blame Dok Bejun . He did not have the right to do so . Lee Sungmin and Kim Jonghyun started moving again . The corpses … their numbers kept increasing . It wasn’t just the bodies of volcanic factions warriors .
“He has crossed the line . He has crossed too many lines . This will no longer end with the Volcanic Sect simply killing Dok Bejun . ”
The corpse of a mage wearing a robe . The corpse of a mercenary in armor . The bodies of guild members in black clothes clinging to their bodies .
“I can’t understand the basis on which he’s running . Is he confident that he can take them on all that once? Or is it that he’s letting out a final struggle now that he’s been driven into a corner? Eventually, only the ruin awaits him on this path . ”
Lee Sungmin was forced to sympathize with Kim Jonghyun’s murmur . Dok Bejun … He was heading toward ruin . Even if he succeeded in killing only Master Sungha and escaped, he would still be the Volcanic Sect’s target and be pursued forever . The situation had already escalated from being a mere fight between Ghost Blade and Master Sungha alone . Significant damage had occurred to the magician’s guild as well as the mercenary and information guild .
“Even if he’s lucky enough to escape from here . Ghost Blade will not be able to live in Eria . ”
Kim Jonghyun waved his hand as he said that . A crow that was wandering in the sky came down and approached his ear . Kim Jonghyun whispered with a small voice in the crow’s ear . As soon as he stopped speaking, the crow flapped its wings and soared upward .
“It’s nearby . ”
How far had they traveled? Kim Jonghyun stopped moving . The sun was fading, and fist-sized black spheres were orbiting around Kim Jonghyun’s back in the sunset .
“Since we traveled much faster, it will take a little longer for the volcanic faction’s warriors to arrive . As a matter of fact, I played a small trick in the information delivered to them . So that they come a little late . ”
“Why?”
“Did you not want to meet with Ghost Blade?”
Kim Jonghyun said so and smiled .
“I’m going to let you both meet . I’m curious . Just what the hell do you want to do when you meet Ghost Blade . I”m also curious what will happen to the flow of time when you both meet . I’m really curious about that . I can’t merely remain an observer . ”
Lee Sungmin could not understand all of Kim Jonghyun’s words . However, he could sense that Kim Jonghyun was deeply interested in this .
Ghost Blade Dok Bejun was standing tall . Lee Sungmin thought he would be running away in a hurry and didn’t expect him to be standing tall like that . He felt quite surprised . Lee Sungmin stepped forward quietly .
“You’ve never learnt stealth, have you?”
Ghost Blade, standing with his back straight, muttered those words . Surprised, Lee Sungmin stopped walking .
“No need to be surprised . Although, I never thought you would come here . ”
“… Did you wait for me, knowing I was coming?”
“That’s right . I remember your spirit . If it was someone else by chance… I wouldn’t have been waiting like this . ”
Ghost Blade muttered like that, turning his body . He stood in front of him with an extremely calm expression .
“Are you also here to kill me?”
Ghost Blade asked .
Lee Sungmin hesitated to answer . Should he hold the spear behind his back? Looking at Lee Sungmin, who stood there with fidgeting hands, Ghost Blade no longer asked . Right . He was Ghost Blade . The person in front of Lee Sungmin now was not a martial artist called Dok Bejun, but the heretical practitioner Ghost Blade .
“… I have something to ask . ”
“This is not a very good place to share a story, and I don’t feel like it either…”
Ghost Blade muttered that and turned away . The sun was setting .
“I guess … it doesn’t matter . It will be night soon . ”
“If . What if . I… If I hadn’t met you . If I hadn’t met you at the volcano’s entrance . ”
“What do you want to say?”
Ghost Blade tilted his head at Lee Sungmin, who couldn’t organize his words . What do you want to say? I don’t know . Lee Sungmin chewed his lower lip . Nevertheless, he had to ask .
“If I did not meet you at the volcano’s entrance, and told you … If I hadn’t told you why Master Sungha refused to duel . You… What would you have done?”
“You’ve asked something strange . ”
Ghost Blade murmured in a small voice . He couldn’t easily answer this ‘strange question’ . Ghost Blade opened his mouth after a while .
“If that had been so, I would have given up on Master Sungha . ”
After hearing the answer, Lee Sungmin hesitated not knowing what expression to look at him with .
“I would have thought that I still had insufficient qualifications to fight Jang Mun-in of the Orthodox Sects and stepped back . However… When I heard you say the reason why Master Sungha refuses to duel with me – that my qualifications were not important, and the fact that I used unorthodox methods was more important . ”
As Ghost Blade muttered, he lifted his head and looked up at the sky . The night was approaching .
“For that reason alone, no matter how long I waited, I knew I wouldn’t ever have the chance to fight Master Sungha . So I crossed the volcano’s entrance at night . And even though I knew it was offensive, I fought against him . Because he rebuked me instead of fighting … I ended up committing a greater offence . ”
“Why did you kill him?”
“The sword has no eyes . Master Sungha was strong . He was an opponent who couldn’t be beaten without having the intent to kill . But… But of course . ”
Ghost Blade looked towards the sky . Looking at his expression, Lee Sungmin felt his hair stand up .
Ghost Blade was smiling . As if he couldn’t be feeling any more joy, as if he couldn’t be more satisfied than that . He was smiling that way .
“I enjoyed the fight against Master Sungha . ”
Ghost Blade shook his head .
“I knew the world was wide . Among the opponents I’ve fought before, Master Sungha was the strongest . It was a sudden fight, but it was worth it . Probably Master Sungha also died with satisfaction . ”
It was distorted . Ghost Blade’s words were twisted with madness such that no trace of reason could be found . As he listened to those words, Lee Sun-min felt like he had swallowed poison .
Because of me . Because of my words, Master Sungha, who should not have died, was dead .
“But . Why are you asking that?”
Lee Sungmin did not answer . He thought about whether or not to pull out his spear and stretched his hand toward his back . He held the spear firmly .
“He has died because of me . ”
“You are speaking nonsense . It’s me who killed Master Sungha . My sword killed Master Sungha . ”
“If I hadn’t met you, Master Sungha would not have died . ”
“Haha! That’s funny . Why would you feel responsible for this? It was a coincidence that you and I met at the entrance of the volcano . ”
“Not for me . ”
He brought the spear forward . Ghost Blade’s eyes narrowed when he saw it .
“You… You really overestimate yourself . I must admit that you have far surpassed your age . But you can’t beat me . Though I was desperate, I still crossed the wall . Do you think that you, who hasn’t even reached the peak of transcendence, can knock me down?”
“I know I can’t win against you . ”
Lee Sungmin did not trust himself . Rather, he knew himself better than anyone else . He was not at all confident in his abilities, and also had a lot of self-hatred .
At the same time, he was afraid of death . He knew what death felt like, so he was even more afraid of it . Nevertheless, Lee Sungmin did not retreat . The reason was simple .
Responsibility .
Lee Sungmin couldn’t wrap his head around this strange feeling . He had lived before, so this case must have existed before as well . Since Lee Sungmin lived a different life from his previous life, there must be a person who was caught up in these changes and deviated from the original flow . Since Lee Sungmin acquired the Martial Skeleton Physique in Genavis, the no-class, who should originally have it, did not get it . Lee Sungmin also took the Genuine Heavens Cultivation Manual from the bookstore .
There was no end to it . During the eight years that Lee Sungmin lived, many people would have lived different lives because of him .
He knew there was no end to thinking that way . He also knew it was contradictory to turn a blind eye to those things . It’s no big deal . That’s what Kim Jonghyun said . After all, it is self-satisfaction . Lee Sungmin also knew . Your actions, your thoughts . In the end, he only sought a sense of self-satisfaction that was full of contradictions . It was nothing more than an impulsive act that couldn’t be explained logically .
He admitted it was rather difficult to face this sense of responsibility that he was feeling right now . He wanted to meet Ghost Blade and talk to him . But there was no need to do it anymore . He knew that it was because of his own existence that Ghost Blade deviated from his original path . Because of this, Master Sungha died .
So he had to take responsibility .
[Are you going to fight Ghost Blade? I’m telling you in advance . I can’t help you . I’m not very good at combat . ]
[I am going to delay him to buy time . ]
He lowered his stance . Ghost Blade raised his arm and held the hilt of the sword hanging at his waist as he watched Lee Sungmin stand in front of him, holding his spear .
[I will hold him off until the Volcanic Sect’s warriors arrive . ]
[What… In that case . Stay strong . ]
Kim Jonghyun did not stop Lee Sungmin . Rather, he seemed to be quite pleased by his actions . Ghost Blade pulled out his sword .
“I don’t avoid any fights . ”
Ghost Blade murmured .
Lee Sungmin ran forward .
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