Chapter 293: Return of the Sword Emperor (1)

1.

He was overwhelmingly dominant, too much to be considered a hunter like themselves.

-Hey, losers? Sometimes you need to get some air to stay alive.

-Staying cooped up in a room all day like you lot isn't good for anyone.

He was too repulsive to even be considered a fellow human.

-Here, take this as a favor! I'll remodel for you today, for free! Haha.

The elder of the Mage Tower clenched her teeth. She had many subordinates under her. So far, six constellations had knelt before them, and six worlds had submitted to their rule. The 50th floor had long been their territory.

But why.

-Why can't you catch that one gorilla!

-Because I'm a d.a.m.n strong gorilla.

The elder was furious. A curse involuntarily slipped from her lips.

If he had been a warrior of some decency, she might have been able to accept defeat. Even if not respected, had he been decent enough to be worthy of respect, she would have willingly handed over the throne of the 50th floor to him.

-I won't give it up!

But she couldn't admit defeat to such a brute.

-No, I won't! Sword Emperor, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Rather kill us!

-Okay. Let's do this. From now on, for every time you call me a b.a.s.t.a.r.d, one of your towers will fall. Deal?

-What? What kind of nonsense

The Sword Emperor swung his sword carelessly. All the hunters fighting on the 50th floor realized something. Even if the Sword Emperor was a b.a.s.t.a.r.d, what came out of his mouth wasn't just nonsense.

A spire that had stood proudly for over a thousand years was cleanly sliced off.

-AAAHHH!?

The elder went insane.

-No! Stop it! My research! My experimental materials! No, ah, the constellations! At least stop the one sealed underground! And that b.a.s.t.a.r.d

-Are you okay? If you call me a b.a.s.t.a.r.d one more time, another tower goes, you know?

-...Bird Bird! d.a.m.n, bird!!

-Oh. Right. The universe is vast, so somewhere there might be a species of bird called a 'd.a.m.n bird'. I'll acknowledge that.

The elder felt like she was going to lose her mind. In fact, she had already lost it. If only she could punch that smug face, she would have been willing to lose all the research she had invested in for the past 200 years.

An ancient tree, a monster, a demon. Despite the many nicknames she had, at this moment, she was nothing more than an ordinary lunatic. The Sword Emperor had the knack of turning those who confronted him into lunatics.

-I'll kill him!

The elder swore.

-I'll definitely kill him! I'll leave the towers you destroyed as eternal evidence! And on the day you return to the 50th floor, d.a.m.n bird! I'll capture you and imprison you in the ruins of that fallen tower! Forever! I'll stake your heart!

-That's why you guys never succeed.

The Sword Emperor clicked his tongue and slung his sword over his shoulder.

-You should be thinking about chasing after me, not waiting for my return.

-What?

-I am the Sword Emperor. The number one in the world of myriad swords. And, the first righteous warrior to conquer the 100th floor in all creation!

Then, something astonis.h.i.+ng happened.

The hunters on the 50th floor, who were watching the showdown, felt something from the Sword Emperor's declaration.

Perhaps they were too complacent in reality? Weren't hunters meant to climb the tower? Hunting beginners who had just arrived on the 50th floor, conquering the worlds of the beginners, and comfortably sucking the honey of life wasn't that wrong?

Yes. There was a profound reason why the Sword Emperor demolished the spire of the Mage Tower. The power dominating the 50th floor isn't an eternal victor! Anyone can become a traitor. The Sword Emperor took up his sword to teach us, the common people, his n.o.ble intentions. Oh, praise him. From now on, we are the followers of the Sword Emperor, disciples of the Sword Emperor Sect. Let us all follow him

"Excuse me, bird."

-Huh? What? It's just getting to the climax.

"Cut the c.r.a.p and guide me."

It was all a story from Bae Hu-ryeong's past.

2.

As I listened to Bae Hu-ryeong's stories about the Mage Tower, more precisely, his own useless tales of bravado, I made my way deep into the interior of the Mage Tower.

Once I successfully infiltrated, the conquest turned out to be less difficult than I thought.

-That's because the external surveillance is excessively thorough.

Bae Hu-ryeong, seemingly in a good mood for being in a place related to his past, readily answered questions I hadn't even asked.

-There have been few cases of successful infiltration up to this point. Since there are hardly any intruders, there's rarely a chance to revisit internal security. Plus, right now, you're being guided by an insider.

"Uuuuuh If the big spiders find out, they'll kill me"

As Bae Hu-ryeong said, the insider of the Mage Tower was faithfully guiding me.

Was his name Charumu?

The young magician trembled as he walked ahead, his long bangs obscuring his expression, but he seemed to be very fearful by nature.

"I've betrayed the Mage Tower If I get caught, no, I'll definitely get caught and have my belly skin peeled off while still alive. The big spiders will say they want to see how beautiful my mana is, chop off my duodenum, marinate it in a potion, and then grill it on a torture hotplate I'm scared! They'll definitely record my pitiful screams in harmony and play it back as an acapella song while torturing me! Scared, scared, scared"

"...."

Is this boy cooperating with me after imagining all that in such detail?

Rather than being fearful, doesn't he have the courage of a fearless warrior who's lost his sense of fear?

"Ah please, stop for a moment"

Just as I was slightly nauseated by my companion's unusual behavior, the young magician, hugging his staff, abruptly stopped.

"There are guards up ahead"

Struggling with the weight of a staff taller than himself, the boy s.h.i.+vered.

"If we go further, they'll notice us"

"There are guards?"

"Yes, yes"

The young magician shrunk at my questioning. He nervously fiddled with a strand of his bangs.

"They're not very strong, but they're responsible for imprisoning and monitoring the followers of Hamustra A spider with sensitive senses has been chosen as the jailer. And, and, you can't just recklessly kill the jailer. If they lose their life, it will automatically trigger an alarm throughout the entire Mage Tower"

"Hm. Really. That's somewhat tricky."

I touched my chin, pondering. The straightforward approach would be to approach and knock them out before they notice, but I wanted to avoid risky methods if possible.

Seeing my contemplation, the young magician Charumu hesitated.

"There's, there's a way"

"Oh?"

"I'll go and distract the jailer You must be a great master, right? While the jailer is busy with me, you can certainly finish the job"

Oh?

That's unexpectedly proactive for an insider who just latched onto me begging for his life.

I tilted my head.

"If you really do that, it would make things much easier for me. Are you sure?"

"It's not okay Not okay at all Huhuhu. But now, my life is linked to yours If you succeed, I live; if you fail, I, I die too."

"Hmm."

Even if he's just a lowly magician, he still is a magician, isn't he?

He surrendered just a few minutes ago, but as soon as his fate was decided, he was quick to strategize.

Pleased with my companion's proactivity, I continued to listen as the young magician kept muttering.

"If you fail, my intestines will be skewered and crisped over a fire fueled by dog feces that the Cerberuses have excreted Sob. My duodenum will be skewered with yours In a way, you and I are already bound by the intestines"

"...."

What kind of connection is that?

It's extremely unpleasant

Besides, this boy is definitely not normal.

Honestly, it's a bit scary.

"Then I'll go ahead first"

The young magician walked, dragging his cloak behind him.

['The Lone Seeker of Truth' watches your infiltration with interest.]

['The Eye Living in the Labyrinth' predicts that your companion will betray you.]

['The Incarnation of Love and l.u.s.t' gives generous points to the boy with the bangs.]

After a few steps, the young magician turned a corner. Splash. Splash. For a while, the sound of the boy's bare feet stepping into puddles echoed from beyond the corner.

A little later.

"Hey! Stop! What's that?"

A stranger's voice addressed the boy.

"Get any closer and I'll shoot"

"I-I'm sorry! Please don't kill me!"

"What? It's just a bug."

I pressed myself against the corridor wall, eavesdropping on their conversation. The owner of the voice seemed to relax their guard upon recognizing the young magician, displaying an unmistakably condescending att.i.tude.

"What's a bug doing here, huh?"

"I-I was cleaning the sewers and lost my mop. I just um, maybe, do you have a spare rag I could borrow?"

"A rag, you say? Haha."

The voice chuckled.

"There's a rag right there."

"Y-Yes?"

"You. You're the rag. Look at your cloak. Just roll on the floor and wipe it. You're born to be a rag. If something like you loses something, why come all the way here to borrow it?"

Thump!

A sound of a short beating echoed.

"Ow!"

"Rag bug, bug rag. Fits you perfectly. Quite poetic for a bug. Hey, it's lucky for me. I was bored guarding the prisoners. I couldn't hit anyone. The big spiders strictly forbid any personal torture of prisoners. They enjoy it themselves while forbidding us!"

Thump, thump. Familiar sounds of beating continued from beyond the corner.

"Yikes, ugh. Sob!"

"Just thinking about guarding prisoners and not getting to vent, huh, it's a waste of my precious time. I should be focusing on my research! I can clearly see those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds in my group getting ahead! This is troublesome, you know!"

"I'm sorry, so sorry Sob! I'm sorry"

Okay.

His attention isn't just drawn; it's completely glued.

I immediately darted around the corner.

On my first step, I entered the corridor, and on my second, I pa.s.sed the magician who seemed to be the jailer.

"Huh?"

The magician, noticing my form, uttered a dumbfounded sound. He looked not much older than Charumu. As I had guessed, the jailer was in the process of kicking Charumu, who had fallen, and was frozen in that posture.

"What the."

On the third step, I was behind the jailer. Flick. I tapped the back of his head with my finger and poured aura into it. By forcibly injecting aura into his spine, "Huh!?" the jailer let out a groan and pa.s.sed out.

Thud.

The jailer collapsed next to the young magician who had been beaten. The obstacle was resolved in an instant.

The young magician, who had been crouching like a hamster, then looked up.

"Ah"

"Well done. Thanks to you, it was easy to subdue him."

I patted the young magician's head once. Then I searched the fallen jailer's pockets. Clink. A bunch of old keys came into my hand.

"From now on, I will take good care of your ident.i.ty."

"R-Really?"

"Of course. It's only right to take care of your own people. You betrayed the Mage Tower you've been with for life to join me, and even actively helped me like this. It's natural to ensure your safety. I'll help you settle down properly in this world."

"Really? Are you serious? Can, can you swear it to the constellation you believe in? I mean, uh, of course I believe your words, but so to say"

"He's been deceived all his life."

I smiled.

"I don't particularly wors.h.i.+p any constellation, but there is someone important to me Yes, I swear on the name of the Ivansia Ducal Family. Just so you know, this is a serious oath, okay?"

"Ah, ah, ah"

The young magician covered his face with both hands and sobbed.

"Thank you Thank you, invader Thank you"

"It's nothing."

Feeling an inexplicable warmth, I turned around.

Before me was a typical prison. The inside of the cell was dark and hard to see, but I could definitely sense the presence of prisoners.

Among them must be the [a.s.sistant Writer] Hamustra mentioned.

"Alright. Now that the jailer is unconscious, let's slowly release the followers"

That's when it happened.

Screeeeeeech!

A grating sound tore through the entire prison, the corridor, and possibly the entire Mage Tower. It was a noise that instinctively made one cringe. I reflexively raised my aura to protect my hearing, then looked around in confusion.

"An alarm? Is this an alarm? What's going on"

And then I saw it.

The young magician was plunging a dagger into the unconscious jailer.

"...."

"Huuk, huk. Haaah"

The young magician was covered in blood. The already unconscious jailer was undoubtedly dead without putting up any resistance. The magician, his hands smeared with blood, wiped his sweat-drenched bangs.

"I finally killed him"

I was stunned.

"Excuse me."

"Yes? Invader?"

"Why did you kill the jailer?"

"What?"

The young magician blinked, seemingly not understanding my question.

"Well, because he deserved to die?"

"...."

"He was 30 years younger than me, yet he was favored by the big spiders and acted so arrogantly. I've been cleaning sewers for 131 years, 10 months, and 21 days, and he's already working as a jailer Then, sob, that's unforgivable"

"...."

"Oh, and he beat me up He hit me a lot. He deserved a bit of death It's just cause and effect, I suppose"

"That."

I barely managed to speak.

"Didn't you tell me not to kill him earlier? You said that if the jailer's life was lost, an alarm would be triggered. So, be careful."

"What? No?"

The young magician tilted his head.

"I said [you] shouldn't kill the jailer"

"...."

"It was necessary for me to kill him"

Right.

My intuition is always spot on.

Whenever I felt like this guy is kind of crazy, he was definitely crazy.

Not once has it ever been, "Hey, relax! He was actually normal!" No, it's always been like this, and it will continue to be so, even in this moment. Insane. Why did I trust a human being? Did I believe in a bald chimpanzee because there was nothing else to trust?

"Oh, of course, the alarm did go off But think of it as a small price for realizing a bit of justice in this world. Now the chances of you and me being skewered together have increased, but isn't it a cheap cost considering"

Screeeeeeech! Screeech!

The unpleasant alarm kept blaring.

Bae Hu-ryeong spoke to me, lost in my sage mode.

-I told you. There's nothing but crazies on the 50th floor, right? Why do you ignore the words of a heavenly senior like me and treat them like c.r.a.p? Keep it up and you'll become c.r.a.p too, zombie.

You're the craziest of them all, you lunatic.