6kv Chapter 291
Chapter 291
Chapter 291
"Huff, huff! Fuck, what is this? What is this?!"
An unknown opponent was chasing Yu-Hyun. Based on their movements and presence, it seemed like a fierce beast. It would pass through the trees, glide along the ground, and chase after Yu-Hyun at a crazy fast speed.
Its movements were so agile and powerful that it made Yu-Hyun wonder whether the movements were from a human. Yu-Hyun panted heavily as he desperately ran from the thing.
When his legs trembled so much that he couldn’t move any further, he used a blessing to remove the fatigue from his legs temporarily. And then he continued to run again.
When he was so out of breath that it felt like knives were stabbing his lungs, he used another blessing to forget the pain.
However, continuing to escape like this was only momentary.
"Huff, huff... Ugh, ugh...!"
By the time his legs could no longer move, breathing became difficult, and he could no longer use blessings due to using up all his remaining divine power. He stopped running. After that, he hunched over and vomited.
Nothing came out because he hadn't eaten anything. He just kept vomiting gastric acid on the ground before sitting down.
Crunch, crunch.
The thing that had been chasing Yu-Hyun approached him as he was sitting down. Dry leaves crunched loudly under its feet.
Yu-Hyun slowly backed away while still sitting on the ground and said, "Why? Why are you doing this?"
"..."
It did not respond to Yu-Hyun's words. It just gripped its sword even tighter.
"Aaaargh!"
Thud.
Yu-Hyun's scream echoed through Eiden Hill. 'It' mercilessly shattered his shock detection device with their sword.
Beeeep—!
The noise from the device echoed throughout Eiden Hill.
***
After Dae-Man and Su-Ryeon were eliminated, Eiden Hill was enveloped in even deeper silence.
Previously, they could hear sounds of battle occurring in various places, along with screams and loud noises, but now it was completely silent.
At this point, the only people left on Eiden Hill were probably the elite, such as Jin-Seo or Yu-Hyun.
We weren’t sure when or where they would attack us. Thinking about it made me nervous and tense, but a strange sense of upliftment spread throughout my body. Honestly, I didn't have high expectations before the exam, but it turned out to be more fun and exciting than I thought.
[Really?]
"..."
No, I actually wasn’t sure. I didn’t respond to Legba’s words and instead turned my head toward Min-Seo.
"Min-Seo. Who is left now?"
"We probably only need to be on guard against Jin-Seo from now on."
Whoosh!
Min-Seo quickly turned her head and stared at something.
I gripped my spear and followed Min-Seo's gaze. She stared intently at a point in the distance.
There was nothing in the direction she was looking toward. More precisely, there was no one. I could only see the lush forest and numerous large and small rocks.
"What are you doing? There's nothing there?"
"I thought I heard something. Must be my imagination...!"
Boom—!
An attack came rushing in before Min-Seo could finish speaking.
"Nevermind! Jin-Seo, you’re finally showing your true colors!"
Min-Seo bent down to dodge the attack and then raised her head.
I looked at Jin-Seo who appeared in front of us. She was tightly gripping a sword. Although the blade was quite dull since it was a practice sword, in her hands, it looked quite threatening. The worn-out edge of the blade hinted at how many battles she had fought.
I gripped my spear, and Min-Seo drew her bow.
Jin-Seo looked at us. Her expression was so blank that it was terrifying.
"That’s what pisses me off."
"Pisses you off?" I repeated her words in irritation.
The words 'pisses me off' bothered me. What exactly was pissing her off?
I tried my best at the beginning of the semester, but I didn’t do so anymore because there was no need to. I could get good grades without doing my best, and there were many other things that required me to give it my all.
I had a lot to think about, such as Yu-Hyun and Joseph, Ha-Yeon and Sung Yu-Da, my father and mother, the Holy War, and the underground prison. I also had to think about Yoon-Ah, In-Ah, Ji-Ah, Uncle, Soo-Yeong, the executives of the cult, Yuk Eun-Hyung's mercenary corps, Noah's Ark, the underground chapel, Voodoo spells, and the power of the Loa. Besides all those things, I had many other things too.
And I also had to think about Jin-Seo. I simply wanted to save my strength when doing things that didn't require my best effort. I knew I would quickly get tired if I gave my all in everything.
I just wanted to rest comfortably when I could.
"Do you think you can beat me by taking it easy?" she asked.
I thought for a moment and then nodded. Honestly, I could probably win even if I half-heartedly fought against her. With Jin-Seo holding a practice sword instead of a real one, I could easily defeat her with my bare hands.
"Shall we make a bet then? The winner grants one wish to the loser."
"I've made too many bets. I'm getting tired of them."
"Tired? Not up for the challenge?" Jin-Seo teased me with a small smile.
Seeing her provoking me with a smile, it slightly triggered my competitive spirit. My pride was slightly wounded as well.
Normally, I wouldn’t easily succumb to such provocations, but Jin-Seo's provocation felt different. I stared intently at Jin-Seo smiling relaxedly and then nodded.
"Alright, let's do it."
It wouldn't hurt to fight against her for once properly.
I pushed Bossou’s power to the limit. My heart raced, and my vision blurred. I could feel my blood boiling.
I hadn't felt this sensation ever since I got the hang of how to use the power of the Loa after recovering the Altar.
***
Jin-Seo held onto her sword and glared at Sun-Woo as she prepared for battle when she suddenly felt the atmosphere around them turn icy.
The birds perched on the branches spread their wings and flew away. Sun-Woo emanated an ominous and eerie energy.
"..."
Sun-Woo no longer said anything. Instead, he looked at Jin-Seo with empty eyes.
Jin-Seo clenched her jaw and glared at Sun-Woo. She then waited for an opportunity, a moment when his posture faltered or his vision lost its focus. If she attacked during such an opportunity, she could win in most fights.
However, Sun-Woo did not easily show any openings. His gaze seemed empty, but it was precisely aimed at Jin-Seo, and his posture, although seemingly sloppy, had no gaps.
Jin-Seo felt a strange tension as she swallowed her saliva.
Boom!
Then, the wind blew. Jin-Seo reflexively closed her eyes as dust flew toward her, only to belatedly open her eyes after realizing she had made a mistake.
Sun-Woo had already disappeared from her sight. Jin-Seo’s eyes darted in all directions in an attempt to follow Sun-Woo's movements.
However, it was difficult to track him with her eyes. She had to trust her instincts, and so she raised her sword defensively.
Clang—!!
Sun-Woo appeared out of nowhere and swung his spear. The clash between Jin-Seo's sword and his spear created a loud noise. It was too noisy to be a collision of mere training weapons.
Jin-Seo was holding the sword with one hand, but Sun-Woo's attack was so powerful that she wasn't able to block it with just one hand.
As Sun-Woo briefly withdrew the spear to prepare for a second attack, Jin-Seo switched to holding the sword with both hands. She aimed to block his attacks more stably and launch a stronger, more daring counterattack.
"Huh...?"
At that moment, a gasp escaped Jin-Seo's lips. The instant she switched to holding the sword with both hands, Sun-Woo dropped his spear and reached out to firmly grasp Jin-Seo's hands.
He then pushed Jin-Seo's body towards a tree. Jin-Seo was immobilized against the tree, unable to move with both her hands bound. She tried to resist, but it was futile.
Jin-Seo felt Sun-Woo's strength through her immobilized hands. No matter how much she resisted and struggled, she couldn't overpower his overwhelming strength.
Sun-Woo firmly pressed Jin-Seo's hands against the tree trunk and said, "Is this enough?"
“...”
Jin-Seo remained silent and looked into Sun-Woo's eyes, which were fixated on her. She could sense a sharp and rough desire simmering within his gaze.
It felt strange and frightening to see his eyes, which were usually gentle, contain such an unfamiliar emotion. But she didn’t feel that it was entirely bad either.