Chapter 59 : Chapter 59

Chapter 59 - Assembly (3)

When Seo Ah-in thought about it herself, there weren't many people in the world she found difficult to talk to.

She was born into a prestigious family, and although it wasn't well-highlighted recently due to being attached to an incredibly strange man, she herself was a Climber with skills befitting an elite.

To tie her tongue, it would have to be a person who could counter each and every one of these backgrounds.

Unfortunately, the ‘sister’ in front of her was a person who met all those conditions.

“...”

“...”

At the silence that had already continued for dozens of minutes, Seo Ah-in desperately held back the gurgling sound that was about to rise from her lower abdomen.

Should I have eaten something before coming? Her face quickly became tearful.

“...”

“So.”

As she was rummaging through her idle thoughts, a low, subdued voice broke the silence that had been going on until now.

Startled, Seo Ah-in straightened her posture, and Seo Hye-in continued to speak while staring intently at the table.

She was trying hard not to even make eye contact with her.

“For what reason did you request a private meeting, Ms. Seo Ah-in.”

There were countless sentences she had prepared, but she felt her throat lock up just from the title.

This person.

It seemed she was still not ready to call her ‘family’.

“...I have something important to tell you.”

So, let's just get to the point of why I came here.

Thinking that, Seo Ah-in undid the scabbard at her waist and placed it on the table.

“...What is this?”

Seo Hye-in's eyes immediately became round.

She was probably not asking because she really didn't know. The one who gifted this was Seo Hye-in herself, after all.

“Please don't be surprised.”

Saying so, Seo Ah-in immediately drew her sword.

“...?”

Seo Hye-in also made a surprised face at this, but she didn't restrain her and just sat there.

In the first place, she didn't even feel any killing intent.

And the path was too strange to be a move to harm her.

What swordsman in the world would designate the ceiling as the target at the end of a sword strike?

“Heup!”

Soon, her sister, who had drawn her sword, swung it down with a neat motion.

Physical Reinforcement. It was a basic skill at the level of a first step for vanguard-type Climbers.

Not knowing what she wanted to show, she was just watching blankly, when her sister started doing something even more bizarre.

Suddenly, she followed up by pouring mana into her legs and stomping her foot hard.

High jump using body reinforcement. Along with physical reinforcement using mana, it was one of the most basic movement techniques.

The most basic of basics, attack reinforcement and movement technique.

“...What are you doing...?”

As Seo Hye-in was about to question her, her mouth dropped open.

In the normal structure of things, the sword should have just cut through the air, and Seo Ah-in alone should have flown up and crashed into the ceiling.

But the ‘sword’ shot up on its own like an arrow and embedded itself in the ceiling.

“Ah... I barely did it. I was worried I'd fail even after practicing so much.”

As Seo Ah-in sighed and wiped her forehead, Seo Hye-in spoke with a thoroughly confused look.

“W-what... what was that just now?”

“It’s something Mr. Kim Gyu-sik showed me a while ago.”

Whoosh, Seo Ah-in jumped up, retrieved the sword stuck in the ceiling, and replied.

‘...Come to think of it.’

That cunning man couldn't have taken her around without any thought.

He had even said that when he showed her the self-flying sword before, he had deliberately brought her along to ‘show’ it to her.

So, the realization she gained from replaying that scene countless times was this very sight.

If you overlay another skill on top of a mana-based skill at a ‘specific timing’, an effect different from the original skill occurs.

“...This is.”

And as soon as she heard that, Seo Hye-in's voice became heavy.

“Dangerous.”

“Pardon?”

At her sister's sudden change, Seo Ah-in gasped and replied.

“This knowledge, is there anyone else besides you who knows about it, Ms. Seo Ah-in.”

“Uh, no...”

“Good. You must never divulge this fact to anyone else. Do you understand?”

“I don't really plan on blabbing about it, but may I ask why...?”

Seo Hye-in sighed and replied.

“...This is forbidden knowledge that could shatter the entire existing structure.”

It was a very simple ‘rule’.

But it was a revolutionary idea that could turn the entire Climber industry upside down.

Just now, such an effect was produced with just two very simple skills, but if you expand the base to the ‘entire union’ of skills used by Climbers.

It would create a truly endless possibility of new combinations.

That man, by discovering this one simple fact, had presented a completely new paradigm.

And the one who had a ‘monopoly’ on the knowledge of such a technique was none other than Kim Gyu-sik, that man alone.

“If this were to be known to others, there's no telling what kind of accident might occur. The world's great power guilds, who don't even care about us now, might come rushing at us, foaming at the mouth. It has that much potential.”

“You think so too, right?”

Seo Ah-in sighed and replied.

“...Too? You knew this and told me about it.”

“Yes. I have a favor to ask.”

She was not in a position to say such things to her sister, but she had to say this much.

“...That man, you know. He's not that easily swayed.”

“Yes...?”

“W-well... that is... come to think of it, he's a man who keeps his word, and he said he'd stay by my side. But, you see.”

“...?”

What on earth was this about.

Seo Hye-in carefully retraced the context of the conversation so far.

And she also looked at her own younger sister, who was fidgeting with a bright red face.

Ah.

Aha.

Is that so.

“In short.”

Seo Hye-in said with a smirk.

“Mr. Kim Gyu-sik is this great a person. So make sure to keep a good watch on him so he doesn't get snatched by other guilds. He's a precious person I've already claimed, so I don't want to let him go?”

“The last part isn't true-?!”

Seo Ah-in protested with a screech, but Seo Hye-in touched her forehead with a bitter smile.

At the point where she had admitted the first two parts were true, well. There was no need to argue about it.

Right. Let's say the last part wasn't true. For now.

“I was planning to do so even if you didn't say anything. You can rest assured.”

She was already planning to throw all the support she had and cling to him passionately. She had a plan for that too.

“But I think I should give Mr. Kim Gyu-sik a hint that it would be better to stay out of sight as much as possible. If all this kind of knowledge gets out, Mr. Kim Gyu-sik's own safety will be in danger-”

“...That won't work on him at all.”

“Pardon?”

“That technique just now. It took me a whole day of practice to succeed even after understanding the principle.”

That crazy man had done it as easily as whistling.

It was with a natural air, as if he were breathing. It was definitely not the atmosphere of using a finishing blow or something.

But, that thing.

Thinking about it conversely.

“To that person, this is just a ‘prank’ that he can show to anyone.”

“...This, you say?”

“He'll probably go around showing off even more amazing things in front of other people.”

“...”

Suddenly, Seo Hye-in.

Found herself agreeing that it really seemed plausible.

***

Sepia was a person with unusually good intuition.

It was no exaggeration to say that her instinct was the ability that had helped her the most in climbing to this position.

In that respect.

It was not a common occurrence for her to be genuinely surprised by something she had not anticipated.

The title of a bishop of Daeshinjeon prevented the vulgar act of showing raw emotions on the surface, but that did not lessen the surprise of the current situation.

“You could have messed with me. But you shouldn't have messed with him. You bitch who deserves to be torn to shreds.”

Everything happened after the Saintess of Gusegyo said those words and brought her hand to the rosary around her neck.

Sepia was a competent Climber, holding a key position in a large guild, and thus she could immediately recognize what kind of equipment that was.

‘...Is she out of her mind?’

At the ominous mana gathering inside the equipment, Sepia frowned and prepared to cast a defensive spell.

That was an item that belonged on a battlefield, not a party hall. If it was activated, there would probably be chaos.

She wanted to avoid it as much as possible, but it seemed she couldn't avoid a clash with this vulgar woman. It was a rule that a completed spell would inevitably be activated.

She had certainly thought so.

But.

At the phenomenon that followed, she could only widen her eyes.

“...?”

The mana gathered in the rosary simply scattered in an instant.

At the same time, Darien, the caster of the mana, also suddenly sat down weakly.

Without any warning, without any spell, without any sign.

Just, naturally but suddenly.

“There's no need to go that far.”

Such a voice interjected.

It was said by the man who had been sitting at the next table, smiling with his chin propped on his hand.

“It's a party hall, a party hall. Meeting new people, getting along. Isn't that what it's for?”

Then, his gaze turned precisely towards Sepia.

And upon meeting that gaze, Sepia instinctively realized.

The ‘phenomenon’ just now was initiated by this man.

She didn't know how, but he had pulled some trick to nullify the already completed spell.

Without any exchange of mana, just from his seat. As easily as blowing his nose.

‘...Is that even possible?’

Destroying a completed spell was one thing, but erasing it as if it never existed was impossible according to the ‘rules’.

Seo Hye-in of the Hunting Alliance could imitate a similar feat, but that was only achieved through a crude method of touching it directly with her hands.

And even that was a matter of forcibly ‘breaking’ the mana, not a principle of ‘nullifying’ it like this.

Considering the difficulty, it was like the difference between catching water in a bowl and putting spilled water back into the bowl.

“...”

But, after meeting the man's gaze a little longer.

Upon meeting his eyes, which seemed hazy at first glance but were clearly focused underneath.

Sepia could say with conviction.

At least, the intuition that had supported her until she reached this place was telling her.

This guy... has something.

He's hiding something very dangerous.

So much so that it wouldn't be strange even if he had caused that unbelievable phenomenon himself.

“So, Archbishop.”

As Sepia was flinching at that thought, the man opened his mouth again.

“It was nice to meet you. I'll give you a proper greeting next time.”

“...”

It was a calm tone, as if nothing had happened just now.

To be precise, it meant let's make it as if it was an ‘event that never happened’.

“...Yes. By all means.”

She replied, gritting her teeth.

Even though Darien had just spat words at her like ‘bitch who deserves to be torn to shreds’ and was about to actually harm her, she couldn't even properly voice her complaints about it.

Because she clearly understood that the one holding the knife was that man.

***

“...She's gone?”

I let out a sigh of relief watching Sepia quietly turn and disappear.

Hmm, well.

I had expected Darien to suddenly explode, but.

I didn't expect her to suddenly try to plant an attack spell with the real intention of killing.

Thanks to that, I ended up using the second secret technique of the veterans, Equipment Cancel.

In fact, it's nothing special; if you physically strike the caster at the exact moment the skill embedded in the equipment comes out, the casting breaks.

That... is a bit tight, though.

I think the allowed time was 1/60th of a second.

I've done it so many times I can do it with my eyes closed.

Just now, all I did was throw a spoon and hit Darien's shin.

“...Avatar of the Savior. Why did you do that. It hurts...”

Darien whined while rubbing her shin, but I sighed and ignored her.

Hey, you punk.

If I had left you alone there, a major accident would have really occurred.

‘...Well, it's fine though.’

At least with what just happened, I think I've achieved my purpose for coming here.

I met one of the gazes looking down at us from the second-floor terrace.

It was a face I knew too.

Kim Kang-in.

The dean of Boot Camp. Korea's strongest Climber in history.

And.

‘My future sponsor.’

The ‘sponsor’ who would give wings to our guild's growth.

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