How A Mythical Holy Knight Lives As A Villain (Novel) - Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Discord
Slash!
With a swing of Choi Ji-O’s sword, a Centaur-like beast, resembling a fusion of a bull and a horse, was sliced apart.
It was one of the more powerful magical beasts, now torn to shreds.
[Centaur]
[Level 249]
The level was displayed on the new item provided by the Association.
They said it was a miniaturized version of the massive equipment used to build the ranking system, a privilege to use an item soon to be commercialized.
Grip.
Strength surged into the arm holding the sword.
That surging strength coursed through his entire body.
“Haa.”
It granted an indescribable sense of omnipotence.
‘They called it a demon tool, didn’t they?’
He had never heard of or touched such a thing before.
“Now I understand why it’s so enticing.”
If a demon tool granted power like this, or even greater, no player could resist it.
But to be clear.
[Master’s Longsword]
[Unique]
These blessed items were certainly not demon tools.
Renel and Goldian, who had appraised demon tools until now, had guaranteed their authenticity.
Grip.
So, wasn’t it fine to use them freely without worry?
Slash!
It felt as though his level had risen by dozens.
There was nothing he couldn’t cut down.
Flare!
Just swinging the sword unleashed flames of mana and sword energy, ravaging the Centaur.
“Haa!”
Even these monstrous beings-no, monsters themselves-were no match for him.
And the ones wielding such power.
“Guild Leader!”
Numbered as many as fifty.
Geo Guild members followed Choi Ji-O, tearing apart Centaurs alongside him.
Moreover, these so-called blessed items even had resistance to the curses and dark mana of Black Gates.
[Curse of the Kantara Mountain Range takes effect.]
[All stats are decreased.]
[Skill power is reduced.]
Though not entirely negated, they reduced the extent of the debuff and allowed sealed skills to be used at reduced power.
That alone.
“Annihilate the Centaurs!”
“Yes, sir!”
Was enough to grant them the strength to face this immense threat.
And that wasn’t all.
[Blessing of the Spirit, Fellonil, takes effect.]
[All stats slightly increase.]
[Skill power is slightly enhanced.]
Turning his head, he saw the beautiful Kim Do-Ha winking at him.
[Special Skill, Fellonil’s Blade, can be temporarily used.]
Spirits.
He had heard stories about Viren.
Swoosh!
Their power surpassed imagination.
‘They called them spirits, didn’t they?’
Their abilities were clearly distinct from ordinary supporters.
All stats, all skills-it was a power that seemed to enhance the player themselves.
Moreover, the special skills made available through this.
“Kyeeeek!”
Seemed to elevate the power of the blessed items to another level.
All of this felt like pieces of a perfect puzzle coming together.
“…”
For that reason.
“Hyung-nim, what’s wrong?”
“…”
“Hyung-nim?”
He felt uneasy.
“Are you thinking about that arrogant brat Go Johan’s words again?”
The warning Go Johan had given, and the change in his demeanor.
Was it really just his overbearing nature revealing itself?
If not.
Grip.
Was this power truly something Go Johan had cautioned against?
“Hyung-nim.”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Choi Ji-O snapped out of it.
There was a trace of unease, an inexplicable sense of foreboding.
But hadn’t these items been appraised and confirmed not to be demon tools?
“Hyung-nim, don’t even pay attention to what that punk says. Why are you so worried about it?”
By now, most of the Centaurs in the area assigned to Geo had been dealt with.
“Just… a passing thought.”
“Hyung-nim.”
Choi Ji-Woon spoke with a contorted expression.
“Even if these are demon tools or whatever?”
“What?”
“So what if they are?”
Choi Ji-Woon continued.
“What are we doing with this power right now? We’re hunting demons, aren’t we? For the safety of people, for the world.”
Smirk.
“They call us heroes, don’t they?”
“You…”
Choi Ji-O’s unease and foreboding grew stronger.
“Then that’s all that matters.”
“What do you know?”
It wasn’t Choi Ji-O who had brought these blessed items or arranged the meeting with those referred to as ‘they’-it was Choi Ji-Woon.
Given his brother’s inferiority complex and longing for power since the past, this foreboding feeling lingered.
“Hey, it’s nothing. I’m just saying, so what if they are?”
“…”
It was at that moment.
“We’ve finished clearing our side too. Those look pretty tempting, huh?”
Kim Do-Ha and Viren Guild approached and spoke.
They weren’t just mere supporters-their individual combat prowess was considerable as well.
He had heard that when a spirit inhabits them, it moves their body at will, unlocking unknown martial arts and skills.
Moreover, the closer they became with the spirits, the greater the increase in stats, and even the effects of curses could be negated.
“Could we hear more about those?”
The blessed items were still exclusive to Geo Guild.
“…Let’s sort out the situation first.”
Choi Ji-O deflected the request and spoke.
“Go Johan. Where is he?”
Geo and Viren had split up to tackle the swarm of Centaurs that appeared.
Since Go Johan was alone, they had agreed beforehand to let him move as he pleased.
“He headed that way.”
“Alone? He’s insane.”
“Seems confident.”
Choi Ji-O’s comment was met with a shrug from Kim Do-Ha.
The direction she pointed to was where the Centaur herd had been.
“Apparently, he can clear Black Gates solo, right?”
“I’ve heard the rumors, but like I said, they’re just rumors, aren’t they? That brat.”
Choi Ji-Woon chimed in.
“So, aren’t you curious? Let’s go see. Maybe he barely survived and is running away.”
Or perhaps.
“Does he really have that kind of strength and power?”
Kim Do-Ha seemed to have deliberately left Go Johan to head into enemy territory alone.
Though he didn’t like that approach.
“Let’s hurry. If the precious young master of divinity dies here, we might end up making unnecessary enemies.”
When Choi Ji-O spoke, a flicker passed through Choi Ji-Woon and Kim Do-Ha’s eyes.
But Choi Ji-O didn’t notice it and quickened his pace.
He was curious too.
‘Go Johan.’
Just how much of the rumors about him were true, and how much was false?
As is often the case, most rumors are mixed with exaggeration and lies.
‘I’m curious, indeed.’
And why an organization as powerful as the Association was so wary of a mere individual.
Of course, it must be because of his divine background.
“This…”
It was at that moment.
“What… is this?”
Kim Do-Ha, who had moved ahead using the power of spirits, let out a cry of astonishment.
*
*
*
“Damn it…”
Choi Ji-Woon cursed under his breath.
“This is…”
Below the hill was the area where the Centaur herd had been spotted, the direction Go Johan had headed.
“What the hell… did he do?”
Looking down at the scene, both Geo and Viren shared a common emotion.
Gulp.
Fear.
There were nearly a hundred Centaurs.
Geo and Viren had split up to hunt half of them, and the remaining hundred were here.
But.
“…This isn’t… a dream, right?”
As Kim Do-Ha’s voice suggested, it all felt like a dream.
A hundred Centaurs, all torn apart as if mauled by some unknown beast, formed a mountain of corpses.
“What…”
It was a sight so shocking that words failed them.
Above all, they had fought Centaurs themselves.
Though they thought they had hunted them relatively easily, getting stabbed by those horns would undoubtedly cause severe injuries, and the speed of the other Centaurs attacking in between was like the maximum output of a hypercar.
And yet.
“There’s no way… there’s footage of this.”
“How on earth did he do it?”
A hundred Centaurs, alone.
And in roughly the same amount of time it took Geo and Viren to hunt their share?
“Huh.”
They truly realized it.
“…A monster.”
This was a true monster.
Moreover, Go Johan stood out clearly amidst the mountain of Centaur corpses.
Silver-white hair, sky-blue eyes.
A beauty so otherworldly, so out of place in this world.
Swish.
When he turned his head to look at them.
Thump.
Everyone present felt a shock as if their hearts had dropped.
And then.
Smirk.
When the corners of Go Johan’s mouth curled upward.
“That, that… bastard…!”
Unable to overcome his fear, Choi Ji-Woon cursed and lunged forward.
Tap.
Go Johan lightly kicked off the ground.
Boom!
A sound like a storm roared through the air.
And in the blink of an eye.
“I’ve been waiting.”
Go Johan appeared right in front of them, looking at Choi Ji-O as he spoke.
“…?”
Choi Ji-O, looking at Go Johan, felt something had changed.
‘His tone.’
The tone that once dripped with contempt, as if looking at filth, had somehow shifted to polite speech.
And.
“Centaurs are quite tough magical beasts, aren’t they?”
It felt as though he was looking only at him, Choi Ji-O.
“You must have worked hard.”
With that, he turned his back.
“…Doubting is a good thing. However, the outcome of that doubt depends on oneself.”
Though the words were cryptic.
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
Choi Ji-O felt his heart pounding fiercely.
‘When? No… how?’
It was chilling, as if Go Johan knew about his unease and foreboding.
“Impressive.”
Kim Do-Ha’s voice echoed.
“When players kept chanting Go Johan, Go Johan, it wasn’t for nothing.”
She had thought there must be exaggerations, but there wasn’t a trace of exaggeration to be found, even if she searched for it.
If anything.
‘It feels understated.’
No, it was beyond words.
Even if described, no one would have believed it.
“This Black Gate seems larger than expected. Unlike the ones we’ve cleared so far, it feels ‘real’ to me.”
Kim Do-Ha said.
“How about we scout ahead and take a rest at a suitable spot before moving on?”
“Let’s do that.”
Choi Ji-Woon replied.
“As you wish.”
Go Johan also responded.
“It’s decided then. We’ll handle the scouting. Geo, could you set up a campsite?”
“We will.”
Even still.
Thump! Thump!
Choi Ji-O’s heart was pounding like mad.