Chapter 33
The Alien (1)
The First Greatest Swordsman of Gyeongbok.
After Yeongwoo finished reading all of the system messages, the title he possessed changed once again.
Flash!
Greatest Swordsman of Gyeongbok — Epic Title
Authority of the Greatest Swordsman
Voting Rights
Gyeongbok Sword Style
"...Huh?"
"It gained another effect."
Two changes immediately caught his attention.
The first was that the title's rank had changed from Unique to Epic.
The second was the addition of a new ability:
Voting Rights.
Voting rights...
The authority to participate in decisions, like members of a council or shareholders at a general meeting.
But what exactly would he be voting on?
"If only provincial-level Greatest Swordsmen receive this authority, it must be something significant."
Whatever it was...
He would have to stay alive first before ever getting the chance to use it.
Yeongwoo fastened the bracelet left behind by Dokgo Se-hwan onto his own wrist.
Then he pulled the Early Bird Sword from Se-hwan's corpse and stuffed it into his backpack.
Only afterward did he turn his attention toward Kim Hyun-ho.
The former mayor was bulldozing through Sangju's strongest fighters.
"KRAAAAH!"
His battle cry carried countless emotions.
Hatred.
Grief.
Relief.
From his perspective...
He was slaughtering the people responsible for his death.
At the same time...
He was also murdering the very citizens he had once sworn to protect.
[Mayor of Sangju – Kim Hyun-ho]
Yeongwoo stared at the name floating above the mutant's head.
Then he tightened his grip on the Early Bird Sword and sprinted forward.
The elite fighters who had rushed in to support Dokgo Se-hwan had already begun fleeing.
Some had even turned their backs completely.
Unfortunately...
Escape was impossible.
Kim Hyun-ho's gigantic shadow already covered both of them.
BOOOOM!
The mayor swung his enormous sword toward the fleeing survivors.
At the same time—
Yeongwoo's own Early Bird Sword flew toward the mayor's back.
Yet Kim Hyun-ho twisted his body at an unbelievable angle and dodged it.
Break
Void
Break
Void
Two Break markers appeared in Yeongwoo's vision.
The attack wouldn't kill Kim Hyun-ho.
But it could break his posture.
One marker rested on the mayor's lower back.
The other appeared on the hind leg of the black horse.
According to the Gyeongbok Sword Style's holographic guide...
Both were throwing attacks.
Yeongwoo immediately hurled both the Early Bird Sword and his dagger.
Then he sprinted toward Kim Hyun-ho's left side.
The hologram itself moved in that direction as well.
"...Why all of a sudden?"
It was the first time the sword technique had used such a wide battlefield guide.
Still...
Yeongwoo obeyed without hesitation.
Because—
Kim Hyun-ho somehow sensed the attack from behind.
Instead of striking the escaping survivors...
He turned and knocked away the incoming dagger.
Both Break markers immediately became Void.
Yet the holographic guide continued.
The phantom version of Yeongwoo reached out its hand—
Signaling him to recall both weapons.
Yeongwoo followed.
Whoosh!
The Early Bird Sword and dagger instantly returned from opposite directions.
Together, they launched a pincer attack.
Only then did Yeongwoo realize something.
"Higher-level sword styles provide far more advanced guidance."
Naturally...
Remote weapon recall alone wasn't enough to seriously injure Kim Hyun-ho.
But—
If either blade merely touched him...
The battle would change.
Break
Break
As the blades closed in...
The Break markers appeared once again.
A moment later—
One changed into Void.
Clang!
Kim Hyun-ho blocked the Early Bird Sword.
Half a heartbeat later...
He knocked away the dagger using his armored left arm.
Ting!
At that instant—
The Break marker on the dagger suddenly turned bright red.
It vibrated violently.
"...What?!"
Kim Hyun-ho's massive body staggered for the first time.
The unique effect of Golden Punishment had activated.
Golden Punishment
Inflicts pain upon enemies.
"It worked!"
Yeongwoo's eyes flashed.
Drawing the Early Bird Sword once more, he prepared to charge.
Kim Hyun-ho lifted his left arm.
The severed head he carried glared directly at Yeongwoo.
"You little...!"
Despite the angry words...
His eyes trembled with fear.
Simply making contact with Yeongwoo had caused unbearable pain.
Unable to continue speaking...
Kim Hyun-ho urged his horse forward once more.
His target wasn't Yeongwoo.
It was the fleeing survivors.
"So you're refusing to fight me."
But the pain wouldn't let him escape so easily.
"Ghh!"
Even while galloping away...
His body repeatedly twisted in agony.
Yet he never slowed down.
Instead—
He accelerated.
The distance between him and the fleeing survivors vanished.
His sword descended.
BOOOOM!
The escaping fighters were sliced clean apart.
Then the black horse trampled over their corpses.
It was pure revenge.
Watching the massacre...
Yeongwoo suddenly wondered.
"Maybe..."
"Maybe Kim Hyun-ho really was innocent."
"Mayor Kim Hyun-ho!"
"I heard there were allegations against you!"
"Were they true?"
For the first time—
Kim Hyun-ho hesitated.
Only for a moment.
Then he charged toward another area.
Most likely...
Somewhere with even more people.
He clearly intended to kill as many as possible before disappearing.
Yeongwoo increased his speed.
"Kim Hyun-ho!"
This time—
The mayor finally looked back.
"It doesn't matter whether the accusations were true."
"You people already killed me."
"So now..."
"I only have one purpose."
"To destroy every last one of you."
Anyone hearing those words could tell.
He truly meant them.
"Talking him into returning peacefully is impossible."
Yeongwoo sighed.
Dark energy still radiated from the mayor's back.
It looked like making another mutant ally was impossible this time.
Meanwhile...
The pain inflicted by Golden Punishment slowly began fading.
Kim Hyun-ho's movements steadily recovered.
"I have to finish this here."
"If he reaches the residential district..."
"Every swing of that sword will kill dozens."
Apartment buildings had already come into view.
As expected of a mayor...
He knew the city's layout perfectly.
Yeongwoo accelerated again.
Preparing another combination attack.
Kim Hyun-ho noticed immediately.
"Leave me alone."
"After I've finished my business..."
"I'll gladly die."
"You expect me to watch while you slaughter civilians?"
Yeongwoo had already thrown his dagger.
The blade whistled past Kim Hyun-ho's shoulder.
At nearly the same moment—
The Early Bird Sword flew toward the severed head.
Kim Hyun-ho blocked it with his black greatsword.
But...
Yeongwoo had one more surprise.
The instant he threw the first Early Bird Sword—
He drew the second Early Bird Sword from his backpack.
Kim Hyun-ho's face darkened.
The previous pincer attack had already been troublesome.
Now...
A three-sided attack closed in simultaneously.
"Damn it!"
He gripped his sword.
Yeongwoo recalled his thrown weapons while charging with the second Early Bird Sword.
Naturally...
Yeongwoo himself posed the greatest threat.
Kim Hyun-ho had no choice but to block him first.
That left the other two blades to evade as best he could.
Unfortunately...
Half of his senses had already been stolen.
He blocked Yeongwoo's sword.
Then desperately twisted his body to minimize his exposed area.
The joints of his armor creaked from the strain.
But it wasn't enough.
Because of the height difference between horse and rider...
The incoming blades approached from impossible angles.
Kim Hyun-ho dodged them.
But...
That exposed the neck of the black horse beneath him.
"...!"
He realized it too late.
Both the Early Bird Sword and the dagger pierced deep into the horse's mane.
Then—
"AAAAARGH!"
Instead of the horse collapsing...
Kim Hyun-ho screamed.
Yeongwoo tilted his head.
"So..."
"The horse is actually part of him."
There would never be a better chance.
For the first time—
A new marker appeared.
Kill
Only one.
It floated directly above Kim Hyun-ho's severed head.
"So that's the only weak point."
Yeongwoo raised his sword.
Kim Hyun-ho immediately sensed the danger.
"Wait!"
"Please!"
Even while begging...
His eyes instinctively drifted toward the apartment complex.
If only he could have reached it...
If only this madman hadn't stopped him...
He could have fulfilled his revenge.
Unable to understand Yeongwoo at all, Kim Hyun-ho shouted.
"What are you?"
"Why does someone like you even exist?"
He couldn't accept that a human stronger than a mutant could exist.
The mysterious Voice had told him mutants were sent back into the world to judge humanity.
But now...
He was the one being judged.
His revenge unfinished.
His hatred unresolved.
Yeongwoo simply shook his head.
"Why do I exist?"
"I don't know either."
"I've just survived."
"And surviving made me stronger."
"I actually thought you mutants would know the answer."
Looking at Kim Hyun-ho trembling in pain...
Yeongwoo slowly raised his sword.
"But it seems..."
"You don't know anything either."
The sword pointed directly at the severed head.
Kim Hyun-ho's eyes widened.
"It's time to die."
"Let's see some Golden Rain."
WHOOSH!
The silver blade cut through the air like lightning.
"No—!"
Too late.
CRACK!
The sword pierced straight through Kim Hyun-ho's skull.
His severed head shattered like fragile glass.
A brilliant white pillar of light shot into the sky.
"This makes the third Golden Rain already."
As Yeongwoo stared at the golden sphere left behind...
A new system notification appeared.
The Second Mutant of Sangju has been defeated.
Basic regional benefits have now been activated.
Time until Daily Quest begins: 20 minutes
Time until Merchant appears: 5 minutes