Chapter 1185. The Demon King of Sunset’s Castle (5)

It wasn’t really a dream match, but it was worth watching. In some ways, it was a good way to check Woo Hyo-Yeol’s potential.

Will had already defeated him once, but Woo Hyo-Yeol had changed compared to how he was back then. I couldn't quite describe the change, but he was being fueled by his loss, and it made him train daily.

His growth rate was so rapid that it was impossible to ignore.

Since the final battle with Kim Hyun-Sung was near, he needed to defeat Black Butler Smith to save face. Actually, even if he ended up failing to defeat Black Butler Smith, he needed to show that he could hold up on his own, at the very least.

‘If he gets defeated here like an idiot, it’ll all be for nothing. Seriously, if you’re going to die, at least die with honor.’

If he ended up losing here without showing how much he had changed, then the Doom Evolution would be meaningless. His potential was low anyway, so what good would an evolution do? Perhaps he would be good for a supporting role.

In order to get his lead role back, it was time for Woo Hyo-Yeol to prove his worth.

"I’ll stab that disgusting face of yours."

"I’ll put holes in that empty head of yours, you useless thug."

Right after provoking each other, Woo Hyo-Yeol attacked first, which wasn't a surprise at all. After adjusting his dual blades, he immediately swung them. He probably didn’t expect the winner to be decided so early.

He attacked to test the waters, but I was sure he was surprised when his blades were blocked so easily.

Schwik!

Black Butler Smith blocked Woo Hyo-Yeol’s wrist using his arm and then...

Bang! Bang! Bang!

He fired magic bullets at close range; Woo Hyo-Yeol leaned back as if he had expected it, and then he moved his feet.

Rip!

I heard the sound of leather getting torn apart, but Woo Hyo-Yeol couldn't even inflict a lot of damage, let alone a decisive strike. Colonel Smith blocked Woo Hyo-Yeol's kick using his arm, and he used his other arm to block Woo Hyo-Yeol's follow-up attack.

It was loud, but Woo Hyo-Yeol’s attacks were easily countered.

"

Ha!

"

‘Colonel Smith always had sharp eyes. His eyes are probably better than yours.’

They practically started face to face, almost point-blank... so in a way, it was a distance that gave Woo Hyo-Yeol the advantage, but it was hard to say that he truly had the upper hand here. Normally, Colonel Smith preferred to fight from mid-range, but he was doing fine even in close-range combat.

‘There’s a reason why I recruited him.’

I couldn’t really say that he was like Kim Hyun-Sung, Cha Hee-Ra, or Jung Ha-Yan, who had overwhelming power. I also couldn't say that his combat prowess would put him in the top 0.01%, but if I had to rank him, I would say he was in the mid-to-high rank within the Blue Guild.

‘Actually, maybe he’s lower than that.’

He lacked stats when compared to Kim Ye-Ri, who had crazy stats, but he knew how to use his experience and years of expertise to make up for the things he lacked.

Being weak in close combat wasn’t an issue when dealing with someone at Woo Hyo-Yeol’s level. His keen eyesight, which allowed him to target so many enemies at the same time, allowed him to easily track oncoming attacks.

Woo Hyo-Yeol’s gaze, the faint trembling of his muscles, and his footwork...

Even the trajectory of Woo Hyo-Yeol's attacks was captured in Colonel Smith’s eyes. Although it was impossible for him to instinctively get information like Mind’s Eye, his eyes saw through all of Woo Hyo-Yeol’s movements.

‘Of course, it’s probably not that easy for him to see through all those.’

Woo Hyo-Yeol was one of the most cunning people I had ever met, and by "cunning" I wasn't talking about how good he was at faking things. To put it simply, his attacks were hard to read at a glance. He didn’t have any set patterns, and even if people could read his moves, they would find it difficult to understand his intentions.

Even if people could understand his intentions, their assumption could be wrong.

As expected, Colonel Smith was feeling uncomfortable with the physical contact, and it was proven by how his mustache was twitching.

"You’re weaker than I thought."

‘Hyo-Yeol, you always get beaten up after that. Don’t put your guard down and give it your all, damn it.’

Bang!

"Die, you bastard!"

"..."

Fists, feet, dagger, elbow, and shoulders... After performing a few more attacks, a fight of deception and wit ensued. The explosions and the whizzing of magic bullets pervaded the air.

Bang! Boom! Boom!

Colonel Smith grabbed Woo Hyo-Yeol's wrist and fired a magic bullet, but the latter spun like a top and made the former let go of him.

Colonel Smith tilted his head to dodge Woo Hyo-Yeol's attack, and then he lashed out with his leg, forcing Woo Hyo-Yeol to lean back and dodge.

Black Butler Smith moved back a little. The retreat wasn't that far, but it was enough distance for Colonel Smith to draw a bead on his opponent.

"Die."

Bang! Bang! Bang!

I heard clicking noises from Black Butler Smith's finger, and a hail of bullets swept toward Woo Hyo-Yeol. The mana-infused "muzzle" spat fire one after another as if they were determined to put holes in Woo Hyo-Yeol.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

‘This is bad.’

I felt like nothing would be left of Woo Hyo-Yeol if he were to get hit by so many bullets. I couldn’t really see Woo Hyo-Yeol due to the smoke, but I knew he was safe. The muzzle was moving up and down, relentlessly firing at Woo Hyo-Yeol, who was running away.

And then...

"You’ve got a sharp eye."

‘What’s with that line that only Villain Song would say?’

With a

crackle,

the glowstones illuminating the sewers shattered. Actually, it was more like Woo Hyo-Yeol was breaking them. The faint lights that brightly lit the sewer faded away before being replaced by darkness.

My vision went dark.

Bang!

Whenever a magic bullet was fired, there would be a flash of light, but besides that, everything was dark. It was actually because of that flash of light that my eyes started hurting.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The blade in Woo Hyo-Yeol's hand flew toward Black Butler Smith’s arm amidst the darkness.

Bang!

I saw a magic bullet piercing Woo Hyo-Yeol’s stomach, and then it turned dark again.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Every time there was a flash of light, I would see the two wrestling with each other. Colonel Smith attacked Woo Hyo-Yeol’s chin using his elbow, and Woo Hyo-Yeol attacked Colonel Smith’s abdomen with his knee.

It turned dark again.

Bang! Bang! Boom!

Black Butler Smith was pushed back.

Bang!

Colonel Smith frowned.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Woo Hyo-Yeol’s eyes were bloodshot. I wasn’t sure if he entered some kind of zone, but I saw his body getting hotter.

Just like Colonel Smith, Woo Hyo-Yeol's two daggers were no longer in his hands.

It seemed that he could no longer use them, as he had been using them to block the magic bullets. Obviously, he couldn't care less. Swordsmanship wasn’t something one could put into a mold, and in Woo Hyo-Yeol's eyes, swords were simply a means to kill, nothing more, nothing less.

As if they were glued together, the two exchanged punches, refusing to separate. At some point, I heard a loud

thwack

and the sound of hands punching leather.

There was a grotesque

crack

, and I was sure someone’s bone had shattered.

Bang!

Another faint light flashed, and I saw one of Woo Hyo-Yeol’s arms bending in a strange way. Despite the scary sight, he was smiling.

"

Ha... hahahaha!"

I heard a loud peal of laughter.

"Punch me harder, you bastard!"

"..."

"

Tch!

Damn it!"

"Hyo-Yeol oppa! Are you okay? Hyo-Yeol oppa!"

"Stay back."

"What?"

"I said, stay back!"

Thwack! Crack! Bang!

‘Yeah, stay back. No one can get close anyway since it’s dark.’

He was trying to overcome his limits. Actually, I was not really sure whether that was what he was trying to do or not, but the important thing was that the current situation was affecting him in a positive way.

Just like how Hee-Ra noona overcame her limits with her fierce battle against Jung Ha-Yan, Woo Hyo-Yeol was learning something from Colonel Smith.

What he needed was malice and hatred...

An opponent he could fight without relying on tactics or intellect, but on sheer animal instinct. Normally, Colonel Smith, the Black Butler, fought with his calculated and calm persona... but in this case, his rare fury was becoming an advantage for him.

"

Hahahaha! Hahahaha!"

I heard a peal of uproarious laughter.

Bang!

There was a flash of light, and I saw a magic bullet piercing Woo Hyo-Yeol’s side.

Despite that, he was clearly cornering Colonel Smith.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Light flashed, and more holes appeared in Woo Hyo-Yeol's figure, but Colonel Smith was being pushed back.

It turned dark again.

"You bastard!!!"

"Die, you thug."

"

Aaaargh!

"..."

"

Tch! Ack!"

Crack.

Boooooooooom!

"I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you!

"You’re the one... who’s going to die..."

"I’ll kill you if it’s the last thing I do, you mustache freak!"

"Right back at you."

‘Ahh, who should I cheer for?’

The answer was obvious.

‘I’m sorry, Colonel. I’m sorry...’

Rooting for Woo Hyo-Yeol was the right thing to do because Colonel Smith wasn’t going to die anyway. Boosting Woo Hyo-Yeol’s growth and confidence was the top priority, so I had to cheer for him this time.

"

Aaaaah!!!"

A deafening silence descended. The silence lasted for so long that the people nearby felt uncomfortable. I was sure that was the case, as a mage in Party Three cast a spell to illuminate the place.

I saw Colonel Smith covered in blood, and he was leaning on Woo Hyo-Yeol.

‘He’s always so dramatic.’

Thud!

Black Butler Smith fell to the ground.

"I told you that I would kill you."

Woo Hyo-Yeol lifted his foot to crush Colonel Smith’s head, but a bright light engulfed Colonel Smith and—

[You have encountered Elena, the Cursed Elf Queen of the Demon King of Sunset’s Castle.]

[You have encountered Arkimo, the Blood-crazed Holy Knight of the Demon King of Sunset’s Castle.]

[You have encountered Eryel, the Queen of Succubi and Mistress of Seduction of the Demon King of Sunset’s Castle.]

[You have encountered Barkdeku, the Gatekeeper of the Dark Shield of the Demon King of Sunset’s Castle.]

[You have encountered Hwang Jung-Yeon, the Collection Manager of the Demon King of Sunset’s Castle.]

[You have encountered Yoo Ah-Young, the Armory Manager of the Demon King of Sunset’s Castle.]

[You have encountered Lian, the Shadow Assassin of the Demon King of Sunset’s Castle.]

Gatekeeper of the Dark Shield Barkdeku swung his arm and—

Boom!

Craaack!

Blood burst out of Woo Hyo-Yeol, and he was sent flying into a wall.