Drawing his sword, Jae-Hyeok ignited all the mana he’d accumulated in his muscles at once, and Iyarugt—along with Jae-Hyeok’s entire sword hand—disappeared in a blur. A loud buzz filled Krellon’s ears, as if multiple high-caliber bullets had flown by. The sound snapped Krellon out of its daze, but it was too late. Krellon’s chest burned, and it looked down to see three crisscrossing red lines. Krellon staggered backward. How? The power and speed of Jae-Hyeok’s last attack were unlike anything he’d shown in previous exchanges. Not only had Jae-Hyeok recovered from his injuries, but his stats felt completely different. Just when that question crossed Krellon’s mind— —One more bloodstain appeared on Krellon’s white fur. Every strike of Jae-Hyeok’s was lightning-fast and struck Krellon in its blind spots. He was pushing the Kang-style sword-drawing technique to the limit. This is just like the Yaksha! The boy’s strength was a mystery to Krellon, but one thing was clear. It was useless to consider age when evaluating him. One year for this guy could be equivalent to someone else’s ten years of training. Jae-Hyeok’s mentality and swordsmanship were no less than a master’s. How much effort did it take for him to reach this state? Krellon felt ashamed. Every time a new sword mark was engraved on its skin, every time its counterattack struck empty air, Krellon regretted revealing its identity as the White Tiger King. Others would treat the White Tiger Tribe’s martial arts as a joke if they learned a boy had turned its noble pelt to ribbons. Of course, Krellon had some excuses. Great Master Lee So-Yeong hadn’t been idle this whole time. She released waves of mana that interfered with Krellon’s senses and slowed its movements. Her Demonic Hands also materialized on the ground and in the air, grabbing at Krellon’s ankles or striking at vitals. It was a two-on-one fight. Tsk. Krellon clenched its jaw. Two-on-one? At its peak, it could’ve slaughtered dozens of these lower-level players. Krellon!You’ve lost your qualification to be king! Fifteen years had passed since leaving its hometown. In that time, Krellon had used loss and guilt as an excuse. Although its stats and Skills remained the same, its techniques and instincts had dulled greatly. Seeing itself now, Krellon felt ashamed of calling itself king and expecting others to treat it as one. While Krellon wallowed in self-blame, Jae-Hyeok thought differently. This beastman is experienced. [The Unbroken One Level 2.] Every time you fight an enemy with a higher level than you, all your stats are increased by 15%.] The moment Jae-Hyeok had established his fifth Code of Chivalry, all the Skills derived from his Code of Chivalry Skill had leveled up. Among them, the synergy between The Unbroken One and All Mastery made Jae-Hyeok far stronger than he had been before. And yet, still every attack he aimed at Krellon’s vitals missed—and this was even while he had Lee So-Yeong’s support. This is the skill of an S-class player! Before, he had been confident in his grasp of the S-class level after watching Captain Byeon Cheon-Ju’s fight, believing that he had a chance of winning after becoming stronger, but he was wrong. Jae-Hyeok narrowly avoided Krellon’s paw and moved to counterattack. Before he could fully draw his sword, Krellon bent low and struck the hilt with its elbow, driving his sword back into its scabbard. Jae-Hyeok reacted immediately and changed the position of the hilt by moving the scabbard. Meanwhile, Krellon grabbed Jae-Hyeok’s neck and unleashed a grappling technique, slamming him back-first into the ground. The breath rushed out of Jae-Hyeok, and he coughed. Don’t tell me that it’s getting stronger? Jae-Hyeok’s suspicions weren’t wrong. After a period of self-blame and reflection, Krellon was steadily regaining its old mindset and skills. Lee So-Yeong had also noticed it. This beastman is a monster. True to her role as a professor of Mana Studies, Lee So-Yeong had been the first to sense the anomaly at school. After understanding the situation, she had tracked and chased after Loren ahead of the armed forces and then followed Jae-Hyeok’s mana traces into the depths of this tunnel. At that time, she hadn’t been particularly worried about Jae-Hyeok and was more so investigating the tunnel for herself. However, what she’d discovered was more terrible than she’d imagined. This unidentified white tiger beastman was overwhelming beyond compare. “Shockwave!” Lee So-Yeong unleashed her ultimate move as soon as the white tiger beastman pinned Jae-Hyeok to the ground. From her perspective, Jae-Hyeok was a figure who triggered her old trauma. Honestly, it would be better for her if he disappeared from the world. Lee So-Yeong couldn’t ignore Jae-Hyeok’s crisis, not because she felt indebted to him for killing Mudal—that seemed trivial now. Rather, it was out of instinct. Dragging his dying body— —This boy had fought against an overwhelming enemy without retreating. He achieved one miracle after another. Just as the first human to discover fire fought desperately to keep it from being extinguished, Lee So-Yeong also instinctively knew that she had to save Jae-Hyeok. Under the onslaught of surging Lee So-Yeong’s mana waves, Krellon was forced to let go of Jae-Hyeok and move back. “Are you crazy?” Krellon growled. Although Lee So-Yeong’s successive use of her ultimate Skill had driven it back, dark blood trickled from Lee So-Yeong’s mouth, and she was unsteady on her feet. “I don’t want to hurt this kid. I have business with him, and now I owe him a debt. So don’t throw away your life for no reason.” Jae-Hyeok had made a fierce impression on Krellon and had even inspired it. In the boy, it saw a reflection of its own prime and had regained some of its forgotten skills and instincts. Krellon wasn’t exaggerating when it said it owed the boy a debt. Krellon’s eyes, which had once been filled with arrogance and fury, were now deep and calm. “Boy, it is true that I covet your sword, but... As I promised in the beginning, it is enough if you tell me the whereabouts of the dragon harpoon. Then you and your friend here can live.” A benevolent smile spread across Krellon’s face. “I’m in a good mood. It seems you are quite lucky.” Jae-Hyeok laughed. “Lucky? Who are you calling lucky? Nothing about you or those like you is my good luck.” Was he lucky? Good luck meant good fortune; good fortune led to happiness. But what part of his life was fortunate? Family crumbling—people left, and people took; that was the sum experience of Jae-Hyeok’s childhood. Who dared to say he was lucky? Even if the heavens granted him ten lives, it wouldn’t make up for what he’d lost. Krellon went silent. That’s right, this boy is the same as me. Having lost everything, what would sparing his life matter? There’s only one thing he’d want... “I misspoke. I’m sorry.” Krellon felt the approaching armed forces and stepped back. It glanced at Do-Jin, who lay at its feet. Jae-Hyeok warned, “You will be added to the list if you touch him.” “By list, do you mean a kill list? I’ll pass.” Krellon had wanted to retort, but it held back. This boy’s personality was just like the Yaksha’s. Getting into an argument with him would only lead to a loss for Krellon. Moreover, the boy was also too skilled to suppress with force. If Krellon wanted something from him, there was only one way. It said, “...Next time, I will come as a guest. I will prepare a gift that will interest you.” “If you want to be treated as a guest, you’ll have to pay for your sins first.” “I will keep that in mind. This will count as part of the repentance. It will help you and your friend.” Krellon threw a pouch at Jae-Hyeok before vanishing down the tunnel. What is the dragon harpoon for him to go this far? Jae-Hyeok felt the need to meet Elder Song. I’ll go home during vacation. Once Krellon left, Do-Jin’s moans stood out in the quiet. Jae-Hyeok threw aside other thoughts and rushed to Do-Jin while withdrawing a potion. The moans turned into snoring. He had felt it many times during the thunder tribulation training, but Do-Jin’s body was strangely strong. Jae-Hyeok suppressed his sudden urge to slap him awake and instead approached Lee So-Yeong. “What are you doing here?” Lee So-Yeong’s big eyes were bloodshot, and her complexion was pale. It seemed the cost of using Shockwave was no small thing. That made sense; originally, the stronger the Skill, the longer the cooldown time. It was typically impossible to use it continuously. She must’ve paid a heavy price. “What am I doing? Is that what you should say to someone who helped you?” Lee So-Yeong retorted. “Of course, I am fine. A few cream puffs and I will be back to normal quick... Huh?” Lee So-Yeong fell over with wide eyes. Her consciousness seemed fine, judging by the scream, but her body was unresponsive. Jae-Hyeok tried a potion, but there were no signs of recovery. “I’m okay... You go check on that tomato.” “He is completely fine. Can’t you hear him snoring?” “As expected of your friend... Gasp! Hmm hmm!” “I-In any case, I’m glad! As a professor, I would be a laughing stock if I couldn’t protect a single student! Aha...” “Th...” The rightful source is NoveI-Fire.ɴet Jae-Hyeok was about to thank her when the attack squad arrived. ”Why the hell is this place a mess?” Surprisingly, it was the Second Attack Squad that was said to compete with the First Squad for the number one spot. Squad Captain Kwon Sa-Cheol examined the scene with sharp eyes. Finally, his gaze fell on Jae-Hyeok. “Are you Kang Dae-Seong’s younger brother? Hm. Are you just unlucky, or is it your fault that arrogant brat Loren threw a fit and caused a scene? Tell me, is this the result of you arguing with everyone, just like Kang Dae-Seong?” “Why aren’t you answering me? It looks like you have something to hide. Hey, I think there is a lot to talk about, so take them back to headquarters.” Kwon Sa-Cheol... Jae-Hyeok knew the name well. It was on his kill list. Kwon Sa-Cheol was among those who’d risen to prominence after the fall of the Kang family and had become the henchman of the president of the Association. Jae-Hyeok fought to suppress his killing intent. It felt real then: just how much blood would be on his hands in the future. Jae-Hyeok left the tunnel under the guidance of the attack squad. Along the way, he overheard that Loren’s group had been successfully captured and imprisoned.