Break something that cannot be broken. Perhaps it was possible to break this cage and fight on behalf of Lee Su-yeon with this ability. However, Yoon-seok removed his clenched fists from the iron bars.
âNo matter how smart and lucky the girl is, she will eventually die.
The King of Steel wasnât wrong. Even if she passed safely this time, what about the next? There was no way Yoon-seok could help her every floor.
âShe has to do it on her own. At least up until the 25th floorâŠ.â
The Queen and the Tower. Yoon-seok had determined the 25th floor as the time to declare war. If he wanted to use the Last Fortress item, he would have to wait until then. At least until about 300 rankers were left, he thought he should develop his power as a challenger and gather eleven trustworthy colleagues from among the duel rankers.
âAre there two more duels left after today?â
Even if he completed the selection match safely, the duels on the 23rd and 24th floors remained. No matter how good his luck, the enemies he would meet there would be much stronger than now. Therefore, Lee Su-yeon had to go through it independently, as it had been before and after meeting him.
ââŠThen again, she never asked for help.â
Yoon-seok smiled. In the end, he was the one who worried and overthought on his own. Lee Su-yeon had never tried to run away from her fights since the beginning. It was a matter of course. Although she might not be as strong as Yoon-seok or the King of Steel, she was also a challenger who had crossed deathâs path countless times.
ââŠâ
Yoon-seok decided to empty those useless thoughts and watch. Unlike the previous duel, Lee Su-yeon and her opponent stood and watched each other for a while. But the moment one twitched, they charged.
Booooom-! Whoosh!
Blood was sent flying as the seconds slowed to a tense crawl. It was such a close match that even Yoon-seok couldnât predict who would win.
âIs it the one who makes a mistake firstâŠ?â
Their desperate struggle continued for more than thirty minutes. Yoon-seok had a hunch the winner would be decided in a spur-of-the-moment exchange.
âFalling Meteor.â
It was the opponent who threw their winning move first. They used all their remaining magic to kick start the skill, and a massive burning meteorite quickly descended toward the arena. There was no place to avoid the attack.
However, Lee Su-yeon attempted to break through head-on without any hesitation. Holding her only dagger left in one hand, she flashed toward her enemyâs neck. And that moment-
Smile.
As a smile formed around the opponentâs mouth, a translucent shield unfolded over him.
Whoooooosh-!
Given no command was recited, it must be a power.
âDamn it, did he save up the magic just for this?â
Yoon-seok reached forward, feeling frustrated. His hand was reaching for the cage bars before he realized it. But then Lee Su-yeonâs lips parted-
âPower Breaking.â
At the same time the command was invoked, light emitted from the bracelet Lee Su-yeon wore. The enemyâs shield dissipated.
âDamn bitch.â
Slash-!
âI canât believe you were hiding thisâŠâ
The enemyâs head rolled to the floor. As a result, the meteor disappeared, and the arena brightened.
ăThe fifth duel has ended.ă
ăFrom now on, you can request each other for a duel.ă
Lee Su-yeon won.
âWas I worried over nothingâŠ?â
Yoon-seok felt somewhat exhausted, watching Lee Su-yeon through the cage. Lee Su-yeon smiled at him and waved her arm high. It was the arm that had been torn off during the duel.
âWhatâs with those eyes? Did you think Iâd lose?
She barely returned after a fierce battle, and yet she joked so brightly.
âStill, this is normal around here.â
They should be able to smile with one arm cut off. Without that kind of bravery, they wouldnât be able to continue these duels. Yoon-seok thought for a long time about what to say before responding.
âYou did well.
It was a short but meaningful message.
ââŠThe heck, you donât seem cool at all acting this pretentious.
âIâm not saying that to look cool. I mean it. You did well.
Lee Su-yeon scratched her cheek.
ââŠAnyway, can I say something to ruin the mood?
âAnything.
Lee Su-yeon complained as if letting out everything sheâd been bottling up.
âI thought I was going to die. Why did he have so many annoying skills? Did you see how he distorted space and dodged my dagger?
Confidence aside, she must have felt anxious. Even though she could laugh off killing someone, she hadnât turned a blind eye to the fact she could be next. However, Lee Su-yeon survived today.
âHow can he have all those fraudulent skills? If I hadnât seen Cheon-ma, I wouldnât have been able to react.
The experience of following Cheon-ma in their previous mission was a factor leading to todayâs victory. Todayâs experience would also serve as the foundation for her next. Of course, she would have to survive this selection match first.
âBy the way, I guess that macho king doesnât intend to choose anyone.
The fifth duel was over, so three challengers remained. No one asked the King of Steel for a duel. Regardless of who went first, the remaining two challengers chose each other, entering the grace period.
âAh, seriously! I went through all that trouble and still have a chance to fight that monster.
ââŠ
Yoon-seok had nothing to say. This was all because the King of Steel wanted to fight him.
âWeak ones arenât fun? What kind of thoughts does a person like that live with? Please tell me.
ââŠHow would I know?
âPlease tell me thatâs a joke.
Lee Su-yeon scoffed. Feeling uncomfortable, Yoon-seok turned away. He thought he was different from King of Steel, who liked fighting for the sake of fighting. But before he knew it, he could already imagine being matched with the King of Steel.
âSee? I can feel it through your mask. Youâre smiling while thinking about fighting him, arenât you?
ââŠUh, the duel is starting.
He wanted to explain that the King of Steel and him were different, but unfortunately, the duel started. As a result, it became evident that the King of Steel would be randomly assigned with an opponent at the end. If he knew this would happen, he would rather fight the King of Steel instead of choosing the Orc, butâŠ
âNah.â
Yoon-seok shook his head. After fighting with the Orc and watching Lee Su-yeonâs duel, he could tell. If Lee Su-yeon fought against the Orc, she wouldâve 100% lost.
âAside from her ability, their compatibility is really bad.â
Yoon-seok abandoned his regrets. He made the right choice in choosing the Orc, although it was a little unfortunate that everything depended on luck in the end.
âAll I can do is pray that Su-yeon wonât be chosen.â
Yoon-seok focused on the duel. It ended almost instantly. There wasnât that much of a gap, and both challengers fired off their winning move from the start, and as always, that slight difference determined who survived.
ăThe sixth duel has ended.ă
Without having time to think, the moment everyone was worried about came. The King of Steelâs large form appeared in the center of the vast arena.
âPlease, donât get oneâŠâ
âSo one of us has to fight one more time? With that monsterâŠâ
âHe ranked higher than that masked man, so Iâll lose if I go.â
Visit wuxiaworld.eu for extra chapters.
The challengers in the cage muttered.
ăFinal challenger, please roll the dice.ă
The King of Steel, picking up the dice, glanced over everyone behind bars before fixing on Yoon-seok.
âWhat should I get to fight that guy?â
ââŠI should have said I didnât know from the beginning, damn my frivolous mouth.â
âSpeak so I can understand.â
At the King of Steelâs question, Blue Meadow sighed.
âThat man had the third duel, so you just have to roll three.â
âSure, threeâŠâ
The King of Steel hefted the die in one hand. At the same time, the challengers watching gulped.
Rolling. Thud.
The dice bounced and rolled over the floor before coming to a stop.
âDid I make itâŠ?â
The challengers who were watching breathed out sighs of relief. On the other hand, Yoon-seok froze.
[5]
ăGet ready. The duel will begin soon.ă
The most problematic situation occurred.
After the countdown, which felt like forever, ended, the King of Steel smacked his lips.
âJust think of it as bad luck.â
That both of them were unlucky, he wasnât wrong. The King of Steel didnât get paired with Yoon-seok.
âShitâŠâ
He couldnât help but swear. The worst-case scenario was happening at the very end? Was the Tower playing a sick joke on him?
âIâm the one who made this happen. I have to do something about it.â
Of course, Yoon-seok sat on the sidelines in the battle earlier. He always thought he should let her get through it. But now, if she died here against the King of Steel, it would be a meaningless deathâŠ
âOppa, keep watching. You got it?
With the King of Steel before her, Lee Su-yeon sent a message to Yoon-seok. Did she have a scheme against that guy?
âYeah, sheâs a returnee. She must have a wayâŠâ
â I can at least find out about his weaknesses.
ââŠâ
Lee Su-yeon had already accepted her fate and wanted to help Yoon-seok until the final moment.
âIâm rather glad that I was chosen, not you.
He didnât understand. She was glad? Why?
âIf you fight here now, one of you will die. And youâre going to kill the queen, right? It would be better to have this person as a colleague rather than me.
Still, Yoon-seok didnât understand. Even if the King of Steel killed her, she would smile and tell him to target the Queen like they originally planned.
âColleague? Donât make me laugh.â
ââŠâ
âIf you die, that man dies, too.â
Yoon-seok had spoken before he realized it. As a result, Lee Su-yeon made a strange expression that couldâve been either of happiness or sorrow, and the King of Steel smiled behind her.
âThatâs still a relief. Doesnât it mean that if I kill this woman, you will eventually come to find me?â
The King of Steel took a step forward.
âDonât be nervous, kid. Iâll give you a painless death.â
Yoon-seok didnât hesitate any longer. He immediately drew his sword and cut down the iron bars that separated the arena from the cages. It didnât matter whether it was about recruiting colleagues or not anymore. Since he wanted to fight with him so bad, he would do as he wished.
Boom, boom, boom-!
As expected, the iron bars were easily destroyed by {Divine Ultimatum}âs effect. However, Yoon-seok grew still.
ââŠ?â
There was nothing beyond the broken bars. No sun, no shiny soil, no King of Steel, and no Lee Su-yeon. Only complete darkness.
Like the dimension gap he passed through while escaping from Cheonma-dong.
âThe iron bars and the arena were separated?â
The moment Yoon-seok realized, his method to help Lee Su-yeon completely disappeared.