Chapter 10
Blood gushed from the cleanly severed stump.
Yoo Taeseong was stunned for only a moment by how suddenly it had happened. Then he immediately contracted his muscles to stop the bleeding.
Clench.
“Phew….”
His ragged breathing slowly stabilized again.
But the trembling in his remaining hand would not stop.
Just standing face-to-face with Suhyeok was enough for his instincts to scream a warning.
Damn it! He fell behind ages ago, so I thought he was barely clinging to life in some corner somewhere….
Just moments ago, his arm had been cut off before he could even realize what had happened.
Yoo Taeseong couldn't understand it.
This was the first time since entering this place that he had encountered such an overwhelming difference in strength.
For the first time in his life, he was feeling fear.
A crushing fear so intense that it almost stopped him from breathing.
Suhyeok pointed his sword toward him and mocked him.
“You looked like you were having quite a lot of fun until a moment ago.”
A faint smile appeared on his face.
“Has the situation changed a little now?”
“…Ha!”
Clench.
Yoo Taeseong tightly clenched his trembling hand until blood began to drip from his palm.
He forced himself to regain his composure.
Since when have I ever thought like this? In the end, all I have to do is kill everyone.
He picked up the axe still gripped by his severed arm and transferred it to his other hand.
Whoosh! Wooong!
Every swing created a sharp sound as the axe tore through the air.
A bloody, eerie smile filled Yoo Taeseong's face.
“Kukuku, yeah. This is fun.”
His grin widened.
“This is how it should be. Killing someone is much more satisfying when they actually fight back. I was getting so bored earlier that I thought I'd die.”
Suhyeok replied with a cold smile, as though looking at something pathetic.
“A frog in a well.”
Yoo Taeseong flinched.
“…What?”
“You only chose weak people to kill.”
Suhyeok's gaze remained arrogant and indifferent.
“You've never actually faced someone stronger than yourself.”
He tilted his head slightly.
“A frog in a well. I can't think of a better description.”
That utterly arrogant gaze—
Perhaps because it seemed to look down on him as though he were beneath even contempt, Yoo Taeseong's face twisted with endless rage.
“…Fine. I've decided.”
His smile became vicious.
“As payment for taking my arm, I'll crush all four of your limbs and carry you around properly.”
Suhyeok's expression didn't change.
“A dog that doesn't know manners is nothing more than a beast.”
He lightly pointed his sword forward.
“Before I kill you, I'll at least teach you some proper etiquette.”
Suhyeok crooked a finger, gesturing for him to come.
Yoo Taeseong immediately kicked off the ground and charged.
He unleashed attack after attack.
Slash.
Thrust.
Smash.
A relentless barrage without a moment of rest.
Skaaang! Clang! Craaash! Crunch!
For the first few seconds, his axe came crashing down with tremendous force.
But as time passed, something gradually began to feel strange.
…My attacks aren't reaching him.
What the hell?
Every time he swung, the only thing he cut was empty air.
Again and again, he thought,
This time I got him.
Yet Suhyeok's body didn't even have a scratch.
Clang!
“……!”
Suhyeok casually deflected another blow.
“Too shallow.”
His expression was bored.
“You're so slow that waiting for you is difficult.”
Whoosh—
Kagagak!
Another attack came.
Suhyeok stepped aside effortlessly.
“That one was deeper.”
He smiled faintly.
“Try a little harder.”
Watching the fight from a distance, Bong Taesu couldn't help but worry.
He turned toward Lee Yumi.
“Miss Yumi, isn't this dangerous? It's not that I don't trust him, but… it looks like he's only defending.”
Lee Yumi shot him an annoyed look.
“If you don't understand, then stay quiet and move farther away.”
She pointed behind him.
“If you keep standing here, you'll get caught up in it too, Mister.”
Bong Taesu looked hurt.
“That's rather harsh. Couldn't you explain just a little…?”
Kim Hyeona, who was standing nearby, answered in her place.
“Nothing Mister needs to worry about is going to happen.”
She pointed toward the fight.
“Look over there.”
At first glance, it looked like Yoo Taeseong was attacking one-sidedly.
But the reality was completely different.
Suhyeok was deliberately refusing to counterattack.
He intended to watch Yoo Taeseong swing uselessly until he exhausted himself and collapsed.
Unlike Yoo Taeseong's increasingly desperate expression, Suhyeok remained perfectly calm.
Watching Suhyeok's smooth movements, Bong Taesu trailed off in admiration.
“Good grief… just how much of a monster did you become before coming back?”
He shook his head.
“I thought I'd finally caught up to you a little, but this is….”
A helpless laugh escaped him.
“As expected, you're incredible….”
Kazit! Clang!
Yoo Taeseong's movements slowed.
Little by little.
Slower and slower.
Ragged breaths constantly escaped his mouth.
“Haah… Hah…!”
Even the axe he swung kept getting knocked away.
The madness-filled grin he had worn earlier was long gone, replaced by confusion.
He felt like livestock desperately struggling to escape from a predator.
“Uaaaaagh…!!”
Whoosh—
No matter how many times he attacked, the distance remained just barely out of reach.
Grinding his teeth, he swung again.
Claaang!
Suhyeok easily blocked it.
“Didn't I tell you?”
His eyes were cold.
“You're nothing more than a frog in a well.”
“……!”
The result didn't change.
If anything, watching himself become more exhausted only made Yoo Taeseong feel even more pathetic.
…What the hell is wrong?
Why can't my attacks even touch him?
Why?
Questions piled endlessly in his mind.
Those endless doubts slowly dyed Yoo Taeseong's vision black.
In the end, the expression hidden behind his madness finally surfaced.
It was fear.
“You fucking monster…!!”
He screamed desperately and swung.
But his balance had already collapsed long ago.
His movements had become so slow that even the others could clearly see them.
At this point, watching him swing was almost embarrassing.
Clang!
Suhyeok lightly knocked the axe away.
Then his sword drew a half-circle through the air and slashed toward Yoo Taeseong.
“……?”
The blade stopped at his neck.
For a moment, silence fell.
Then, as though they had made some unspoken agreement, Suhyeok pulled his sword back.
Only then did Yoo Taeseong understand.
Whether this fight continued or stopped was no longer his decision.
It could only end when Suhyeok allowed it to.
Thud.
His knees collapsed.
Even the axe in his hand dropped weakly to the ground.
Yoo Taeseong looked up at Suhyeok, who was staring coldly down at him.
For a moment, he fell into thought.
A frog in a well….
Yoo Taeseong's eyes were already filled with helplessness.
He didn't even feel like moving anymore.
“Cough, cough.”
The sensation around his severed arm was fading.
Even the skin around the wound had turned bluish, losing all signs of life.
[ The condition for Trait Plunder has been fulfilled. Please select the Trait you wish to plunder. ]
[ Trait - Yoo Taeseong ]
- Ruler of Madness (S)
- Butcher (A)
- Strong Body (A)
Suhyeok looked down at him.
“Where are your followers?”
His voice was flat.
“They should've been beside you by now.”
“Cough… Who gives a damn about guys like that?”
Yoo Taeseong gave a bitter smile.
“They're all going to die to you anyway, aren't they?”
