Chapter 306: Reunion (2)

Chapter 306: Reunion (2)

3.

I thought it was strange.

Hey, who are you?

Can you see me?

At first, I simply considered it good luck.

Having an expert who had climbed up to the 99th floor by my side.

As I climbed higher, I began to truly appreciate how remarkable Bae Hu-ryeongs achievements were. The 99th floor. A realm only legends among legends could reach. Although Bae Hu-ryeong often adopted a bystanders attitudeI was undoubtedly lucky.

But then.

Huh, this is odd. This shouldnt be happening.

Where did Marcus Calenberry go, and why is a greenhorn like you in front of me?

Cant you send me back to Marcus Calenberry right now!?

Thats why it was strange.

How could Bae Hu-ryeong so easily accept the fact that he had split into two?

You dont steal skills, you just copy them.

Meaning, theres another me attached to Marcus Calenberry as Bae Hu-ryeong.

The unparalleled in ancient and modern times. Peerless under heaven. Arrogantly believing himself to be the strongest in the world, a reckless and irresponsible martial artist who wouldnt tolerate another being the strongesthow could he so nonchalantly accept the fact that [I have been split into two]?

Between you and Grandpa, I wonder who will achieve greater success as a hunter. Its a bit intriguing.

Just out of mere curiosity, as Bae Hu-ryeong said?

Ill help you.

Because helping others is in Bae Hu-ryeongs nature?

Lets conquer the tower together!

No.

Either of us reaching the 99th floor would suffice, wouldnt it?

I said.

Either Sword Saint or I. If just one of us reaches the 99th floor, your goal is achieved. You dont care about the means; just reaching the 99th floor is all that matters to you.

-.

So even though youve attached yourself to Sword Saint and to me, multiplying yourself you werent flustered.

I had been mistaken.

It wasnt luck that found me.

Because the possibilities had doubled.

It was Bae Hu-ryeong who had found luck.

Sword Saint and I are different in nature. He is the heir to a wealthy family. I am an orphan with no parents. He, having achieved everything in his old age, plunged into the tower for another challenge and I, who had achieved nothing in my youth, threw myself into the tower. A master of life, Sword Saint. Familiar with death, me. We were, literally, worlds apart.

So, Bae Hu-ryeong must have thought.

This is great.

You possessed two completely different humans. As you can see, I tried my best to prove myself by tackling the tower, while Sword Saint is still stepping back, immersed in training like a hermit. Two types. Two methods. Two possibilities. You, you could experiment with them all.

Why?

Why undertake such an experiment?

Your goal isnt just to take me to the 99th floor. Well, it is, but to put it more precisely. Its to get either Sword Saint or me, it doesnt matter who, to the 99th floor. Thats your objective.

-Huh.

Bae Hu-ryeong laughed.

-Haha! Ahahaha!

As if extremely delighted.

-Ahahahaha!

With his arms crossed.

-Yes! Thats right!

His hair red as the sun cascaded down.

-I cant hate you for this! Kim Gong-ja, you know how to calculate goodwill. No, you have to. Youre convinced to your bones that people wont help you without any reason!

Its probably a personality developed since childhood.

-While you create a plethora of reasons for helping others! Kehaha. Fine. I dont mind. No, Im impressed you didnt treat me with unconditional goodwill.

How boring it must have been.

Not having a body of his own.

I couldnt roam the streets at will. Talking to other people was, of course, impossible. I could only follow where he went, and drift only in the places where he stayed.

Such was the daily life.

If a human endures such a life, if they willingly bear it, theres only one reason.

Well done, Gong-ja.

Because theres a purpose they desperately want to achieve.

Taking someone to the 99th floor. Thats my job. Thats my 99th-floor quest. But theres a misconception that needs correcting.

What is it?

Its not just about reaching the 99th floor. If that were the case, I would have readily agreed when [Devil King of Fall Rain] tempted you. Theres a particularly nasty condition

You.

Someone murmured.

It was the elder.

No, [you all]. What are you talking about?

-He wont die.

Should I show you how many times a human skull can be chipped away? Ill finely scrape your brain, starting from the edges. Your muscles. Bones. Organs. Nerves. Ill cut them thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of times.

-In the end, you will be the one defeated.

Youre so calm. Or pretending to be. Maybe youre underestimating me. Fine. They call you the Death King, right? Ill ask you then. Answer me properly. I can inflict the worst pain on you. Speak.

Eyes that seemed to have decayed for a thousand years.

Are you truly not afraid of death? You? A thing like you?

.

I looked down for a thousand years.

Im sorry.

Threatening me like that wont work. It doesnt change anything.

.

The Sword Emperor told me.

You.

You have talent.

An immense talent at that.

Of course, you have no talent in martial arts.

But completely unrelated to those things, you have one very rare talent.

I have no fear of death.

Precisely, I have overcome it.

I have overcome it until now. And I will in the future.

Thats why.

Because he recognized that.

The Sword Emperor chose me.

.

I could feel it.

The strength in the hand holding my neck was fading.

Bit by bit.

The Sword Emperor never betrayed you. Grey Spider. He never once broke his promise with you.

I

I waited six years. I waited a whole six years for the Sword Emperor to clear the 99th floor. That should be enough, and I thought it would be more than enough to give up on myself.

So,

It just took a little longer than that.

I thought you were dead.

A voice minced into pieces.

Of course Its natural to think that you were dead. No. Its as good as being dead. What is this? Dont lie to me. You, it didnt even take you several years to reach the 99th floor. You are the Sword Emperor. Invincible. Said to conquer the tower alone. But why, why did it take so long? Dont lie to me. Why

Skill card, open.

I reached out my hand towards the elders face.

Right in front of her.

Her pupils must have been engraved with letters along with a bit of light.

+

[Sword Constellation]

Rank: A+

Effect: A ghost from another world. He cleared the 99th floor but failed the 100th floor and died. The resentment remained, causing him to become a ghost. He cannot interfere with the physical world, but it is possible to tamper with the owners mind. Seek advice from his rich experience and amazing skills!

However, no one except the owner can recognize Bae Hu-ryeong.

This skill is copied from Hunter Marcus Calenberry.

+

An undeniable truth.

.

First, the strength in the grip loosened.

No. This is your failure. Your defeat. Constellation? Whats the point of conquering the tower even as a Constellation? You became a god. You are a god.

-Thats why.

Next, the sharp angle of her eyebrows crumbled.

-I never used the power of the Constellation. Not until now. Not in the future either.

Every time I relayed Bae Hu-ryeongs words out loud, one by one, slowly, the pillars supporting what had been known as the Grey Spider for a thousand years collapsed.

-I didnt use the power of messages. I discarded the faith that gathered. You can think of it as an excuse. But, I sprinted doing my best. Even becoming a ghost, I wanted to remain human. Its a funny story, isnt it?

The expressionlessness on her cheeks crumbled.

-Grey.

.

-Im quite late.

Finally, the sneer at the corner of her mouth crumbled.

-Im sorry.

*****

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