Sung Joon swung his sword and dozens of blades moved gracefully, as if it were a sword dance. The swords moved according to his combat swordsmanship, surprising the Blood Knights in the forefront, and cut them down, giving them a gruesome end.
âH-Heâs a monster,â the Sacred Blood Knight Leader said, astonished.
Even the weakest of the vampire nobles of the Sacred Blood Knights could raze a small castle to the ground.
Yet, dozens of those elites had been defeated by one man.
âHoo!â
Sung Joon swept the blood off his bloodstained blade in a single stroke.
âIâm the strongest knight of the elite Thirteen Knights! If you want to kill me, youâll need to bring the Thirteen Knights!â Sung Joon roared.
Nobody could refute his claim. It unexpectedly flustered the entire ambushing force.
He turned his attention to the throne, but the emperor had already escaped through a secret passageway. Only Riopelle had remained behind.
Sung Joonâs past self, Roukel, thought that he had to kill Riopelle, who could use interdimensional cloaking magic, without fail.
âWould you all please get into position and attack? I need you to buy me some time, so I can cast my Arcane Magic,â Riopelle said in an overwhelmingly confident voice.
He thought he would be able to take care of Sung Joon with the Arcane Magic he was so proud of.
âWeâll cooperate with you.â
The Sacred Blood Knight Leader nodded his head.
They had a secret agreement with the emperor and more importantly, they needed to avenge Duke Arkellâs death, so they wholeheartedly supported Riopelle.
The Sacred Blood Knights formed a defensive position around Sung Joon while the royal guards got into battle positions.
âDo you think Iâm just going to sit by and let you cast your Arcane Magic?â
He recollected his past memories. Riopelle didnât have much combat experience. Thanks to his earnest explanation and the flow of his fluctuating mana, Sung Joon pinpointed Riopelle as a prime target to be killed.
âThe Sword Saint is coming!â
âCountermeasures!â
Dozens of aura slashes flew at Sung Joon, and dozens of the royal guards attacked Sung Joon. However, Sung Joon wasnât concerned and simply advanced.
âHeâll be cut apart by the aura!â
Several dozens of aura slashes flew at Sung Joon from the front. Everyone thought that he was crazy, but they soon denied it.
âHa!â
Sung Joon let out a battle cry and lunged forward powerfully.
His sword caused a giant storm, which poured out hundreds of sword gusts. He aimed at the front and the sharp tempest tore through the dozens of the Sacred Blood Knights that had been maintaining their defensive positions.
âI-Itâs Roukelâs Tempest Sword!â
âOh my god! I didnât think itâd be this much!â
His enemies were shocked by the might of his tempest sword. However, Sung Joon didnât stop there.
âGale Sword.â
He moved forward with high-speed movements and swiftly swung his sword, producing a gale of sword wind. The Sacred Blood Knights that had narrowly survived his tempest sword were knocked down like scarecrows without any resistance.
âH-How!?â
The Sacred Blood Knights had instantly been annihilated, so Riopelle was largely taken aback. He halted his casting, casted an offensive spell that required no incantation, and harassed Sung Joon.
Colorful flames embroidered the sky. As expected of an Archmage; although he had casted his spell without an incantation, it was just as powerful as a normal magicianâs spell at full power.
However, Riopelleâs flame disappeared uselessly before Sung Joonâs sword slashes.
Even Riopelle, who wasnât very familiar with swordsmanship, knew what Sung Joon had just done.
It was the  enemy of all magicians; the Spell Breaking Sword.
âFire Blade!â
Riopelle formed a fiery blade on his staff. He urgently decided to attempt close quarters combat, but he didnât have any combat experience, so it was definitely the wrong call.
âYou dare to challenge the greatest knight of the Empire with swordsmanship?â Sung Joon roared, and Riopelle belatedly realized that he had made a huge mistake.
But it was too late for him to retreat or cast another spell.
Sung Joonâs high-speed movement was rare, even amongst the Empire. He had already closed the distance between them, such that they were only an armâs length apart.
âUgh!â
Sung Joon swung his sword before Riopelle could react. He severed Riopelleâs right arm, eliciting a groan from Riopelle.
The hand that had firmly grasped his staff rolled on the floor. Eventually, Sung Joon pierced Riopelleâs heart.
âAH!â
Riopelle spurted blood and collapsed.
âMy lord!â
The doors opened and a familiar man rushed in. It was his ever faithful aide, Rishubalt. His armor was ruined and he was also stained in blood.
He had sensed that something had unexpectedly changed inside, had killed the Royal Guardâs Captain, and had rushed in.
âThe Imperial Army is coming! We have to leave quickly!â Rishubalt advised.
Sung Joon grit his teeth. He had wanted to kill the emperor, but for now, he had no choice but to be satisfied with killing Riopelle, who had command over the menacing interdimensional cloaking magic.
âAre you planning on betraying his majesty?!â someone screamed.
Sung Joon stopped walking and turned his head towards the direction of the voice.
âThe emperor that I had sworn loyalty to doesnât exist anymore.â
* * *
âAH!â
As always, his dreams ended suddenly. Sung Joon, who had awoken from his dream, turned his head and examined his surroundings.
Now he was in his familiar bedroom.
âThose bastardsâŚâ
Now he was even surer of the emperorâs betrayal. Sung Joon felt enraged. He had awoken from his dream, but he still felt like crap.
These were his past self, Roukelâs, feelings.
âDid you dream of your past life?â
Rishubalt had sensed that Sung Joon felt unsettled, like a torrent, and asked.
âYeah, I remember being ambushed in the audience chamber.â
Rishubalt sifted through his memories. As Sung Joonâs synchronization rate increased, Rishubalt was also gradually recovering his memories, so it didnât take long for him to recollect a similar memory.
âAre you talking about the day the Sacred Blood Knights set foot in the imperial palace?â
âYeahâŚâ
âThat was the most humiliating day in the history of the empire. They not only allowed those dirty monsters into the honored imperial palace, but they even dared to aim for your life, my lord!â
Rishubalt was sincerely angry.
âEven if you get angry, it doesnât change what happened in the past. We just have to remember that day until we meet them again.â
Being angry at events of the past was just a waste of time and strength. Sung Joon would just remember the events of that day. That was all.
If he remembered his rage from that day, when the time for his vengeance came, he wouldnât hesitate.
Sung Joon got out of bed, took a shower, and hurriedly prepared to go out.
âAre you planning on going to the auction house that Team Leader Kim Hyun Sung told you about?â Rishubalt asked.
Sung Joon shook his head.
âNo. Iâm going to pick out a car.â
He already had a driverâs license. He felt that if he neglected his license any longer, it would just become a âpaper licenseâ, so he felt anxious, but if he was behind the wheel, he thought heâd remember what he had been taught. (*A paper license is a term that describes a personâs license when they barely ever drive.)
âA car?â
âYeah.â
âI believe thatâs a great decision.â
Since Rishubalt had absorbed modern knowledge from things like radio and TV, words like automobiles or cars were no problem for him anymore.
âLetâs go.â
Sung Joon went to a nearby store and bought a foreign brand car worth $100,000 on a five month installment plan.
Sung Joon abstained from dungeons runs for a few days and rested until his car arrived.
Before long, he had received his foreign brand car, and Sung Joon drove to the location that Hyun Sung had written. He had thought that  it would be outside Seoul, but it was quite close to his studio apartment.
âThe road conditions are great,â commented Sung Joon.
âI had heard that there are always a lot of cars on the road in the capital, but itâs nice today.â
âI think weâll make it in ten minutes.â
Sung Joon conversed with Rishubalt as he drove. When he held the steering wheel, his anxiousness disappeared.
After ten minutes had passed, Sung Joon had arrived at a building and parked his car. Then he went through the entrance of the building.
âHe said it was in the basement.â
Sung Joon sifted through his memories, and remembered his conversation with Hyun Sung. He started walking towards the basement. Hyun Sung had told him to definitely use the stairs in order to get to the second level of the basement.
A suit-wearing guard was guarding the second level of the basement.
âAre you a customer?â the guard asked cautiously as he spotted Sung Joon.
With a calm expression, Sung Joon nodded his head.
âCould you please tell me the password?â
He spoke the password that Hyun Sung had taught him and the guard stepped aside. Sung Joon carried his weapon inside, but there were no special restraints. This was the easiest auction house to enter and it had a fixed password that was just a simple word.
The door opened, revealing a vast clearing within.
There was a large electronic display attached to the wall that showed the schedule in detail.
The next scheduled auction was in an hour. Sung Joon went to the second auction house, sat in a chair, and waited for the auction to begin.
âSomeone is coming,â Rishubalt reported.
Sung Joon nodded his head. There was no way he wouldnât sense the oncoming presence.
âIs this your first time?â The man sat down next to him and asked cordially.
âIs that important?â Sung Joon asked.
âIâm just bored. If it was your first time, I was simply going to tell you how the auction works.â
âDonât you just have to press the bell and send your offered price through the tablet?â
He knew how the auction worked because Hyun Sung had explained it to him.
âWhat, I thought this was his first time⌠It wasnât?â the man muttered to himself.
It seemed like the man had some sort of ulterior motive, but he left. Besides, Sung Joon didnât have the time to worry about him right now.
âHello! Youâve waited for a long time!â
When it was time, the auction MC and two armed guards appeared. One of the armed guards put a storage box onto the middle of the table.
They removed the cloth and opened the box. There was a key adorned with luxurious ornaments inside.
âTodayâs main star is the âUnknown Keyâ. If you look at your tablets, youâll be able to magnify the related picture.â
Just as the MC said, there was a picture of the auctioned item uploaded onto the tablet. Sung Joon enlarged the picture and examined it.
The large key was decorated with jewels, had a luxurious design, and gave off a fantasy vibe.
âWe tried to appraise it with a measuring tool, but the only thing it could tell us is that itâs an A-rank item. As you well know, the rank doesnât matter here, but the appearance does!â the Mc spoke cheerfully.
After he checked his watch, the MC opened his mouth again.
âThen, letâs officially start. The starting bid is $100,000!â
Ding.
As soon as he had announced the start of the auction, a bell rang out.
âWe have $150,000!â The MC shouted into the mic.
Sung Joon waited until the small fry had all dropped out.
â$200,000! Is there anyone else?â
When they passed $200,000, the small fry all dropped out. Sung Joon pressed his bell and pressed bid.
âItâs at $210,000! Do we have another?â
Sung Joon thought the game was over. However, someone else bid higher, shaking his calm expression.
The competition between the top bids began and the prices rose to an exorbitant level.
There was no limit to an auction for an illegal item. It didnât seem like it would end at this rate. Sung Joon grit his teeth.
âHe dares to bid on an item Iâve laid my eyes on? Does he want to die?â
Sung Joon grit his teeth and placed his largest bid.
âW-Weâve got a bid of $320,000!â
He wanted to call out $1 million, but it was a rule here that they couldnât raise their bids  by more than 50%.