Chapter 205 – Twisted Desires (2)

Siegfried watched the panting man.

“Huu, huuk. One more round!”

“My shift’s over.”

“Agh. I’ll cover tomorrow’s session, next week’s session, all of it! Let’s go again!”

The blond punk, looking vexed, requested another sparring match.

It had been like this for weeks.

Despite being on the receiving end of a one-sided beating, the blond kid kept challenging him.

Contrary to his appearance, the kid had some serious grit.

“The blond is reckless. Must you touch the fire to know it burns?”

“Agh. You shut your mouth and stay out of it!”

The blond and the black man bickered as usual.

Reckless. That was the perfect word for him.

The difference between Siegfried and the blond was clear.

He was a genius.

Everyone acknowledged it, everyone knew it.

It wasn’t that the blond kid had no talent. But the gap between them was too vast to even compare their talents.

It was like the difference between heaven and earth.

“Fine, I’ll take care of you first!”

“Your fists are like cotton candy. All your swings do is taste sweet.”

The blond kid and the black man began a spar that was hard to distinguish from an actual fight.

Smack! Crack!

The angles and movements of the blond’s punches were sharp.

The black man had good durability and strength, but he couldn’t keep up with the blond’s agility and sense.

“Wow, a regular punching bag. Should I put a coin in? It’s been a while since I fought a scrub, this is a great stress reliever.”

“Why are you hitting me with cotton? I was talking about your fists.”

“Fuck off.”

He was reckless, but not without reason.

Before, his movements were full of unnecessary actions. But now, he displayed perfectly controlled motions.

He didn’t waste power on useless moves, instead pouring all his strength into where it was needed.

The blond kid was, knowingly or not, absorbing Siegfried’s movements.

Thanks to that, he had grown considerably stronger. In just a few weeks.

If the Captain had handled the basic training and guided them to shed their shells, then he was the one peeling off the stubborn remnants.

The blond kid was quite strong even by modern standards. At least, in one-on-one combat.

He had talent.

But having talent didn’t guarantee strength.

The blond kid was lucky to have someone like the Captain by his side.

“Sieg. If you have some free time, maybe you and I could…”

A man had approached him at some point.

He had an unassuming image, but his talent was surprisingly outstanding.

However, that talent wasn’t for one-on-one combat.

“I suppose I’ll have to find more part-timers.”

Siegfried let out a sigh.

Because of the damned Captain, he’d been dragged into the guild and was constantly saddled with tedious tasks.

Sieg liked to train alone, but that was no longer possible.

By now, he’d repeated it so many times that it felt like a natural part of his daily routine.

He began babysitting.

“Your movements are simple.”

“Yes.”

Kim Tae-yang liked things flashy and eye-catching.

Thanks to that, he had too many unnecessary movements.

Kim In-ho, on the other hand, had a patterned attack style.

The two were polar opposites. A mix of both would have been just right.

“Unlike that fool over there, you’re the type to fight with calculation.”

“Oh yeah!”

Kim Tae-yang was running wild.

Seeing their youngest in danger, the three foreign brothers had all jumped into the ring at once, and a brawl had broken out.

“You are not the blond. You cannot beat the blond.”

“…I know.”

Kim In-ho knew it too.

From the moment they first met at the Hunter test, he had realized the overwhelming difference in talent between him and Kim Tae-yang.

He called himself an all-rounder, but that was just another way of saying he was a jack of all trades, master of none.

Kim Tae-yang was getting stronger at a rapid pace.

Already strong to begin with, he was showing a steep upward curve while sparring with Siegfried.

The two of them would never be on parallel lines.

“Give me the spear.”

“Yes, sir.”

Taking the spear from Kim In-ho, Siegfried casually spun it to get a feel for it.

“Well broken-in.”

Siegfried said, then unleashed a thrust.

Swish!

The moment he saw it, Kim In-ho felt like he was frozen solid.

He hadn’t even seen the swinging motion. But the spear had already struck its mark with precision and been retracted.

“You can use a spear as well?”

“I originally used a spear.”

“…!”

Siegfried was a master of the sword.

But his skill with the spear was no less impressive.

Watching him, Kim In-ho once again felt the overwhelming gap in their talent.

Seeing Kim In-ho, Siegfried was reminded of his older brother.

His brother, who had silently honed his spear skills while being compared to his genius younger sibling.

It was for his sake that Siegfried had deliberately chosen to wield a sword instead of a spear.

“Every swing of the spear’s tip must have meaning. Every step forward must be tactical. There are things you can only see when you acknowledge what’s different.”

“Yes…!”

“And…”

Siegfried thrust swiftly into the empty air.

A silence so profound that not even the sound of parting air could be heard.

“With the thrust alone, the spear is supreme.”

“…!”

It was just a basic step and a basic thrust. But it was like a one-hit kill.

“Thank you!”

Diligence is also a talent.

It was only because his point of comparison was Kim Tae-yang; Kim In-ho’s talent was not to be underestimated.

“You’re truly amazing. The Director is one thing, but for you to be this strong as well, Sieg.”

Kim In-ho let out a quiet laugh.

Siegfried had seen Kim In-ho practice until his hands were covered in blisters more than once.

In that image, he felt the memory of a common man striving to surpass his brother’s genius.

“What I just showed you was the Maseanian Spear and Sword Style: Fang.”

It literally meant a powerful, hidden blow, kept inside the mouth.

“Now, I will help you master it.”

“Yes…?”

There was something Siegfried had learned from the Captain.

The fastest way to learn anything is through your body.

* * *

“Hah, hah. Thank you…!”

Kim In-ho said gratefully after finishing the spar.

“Starting tomorrow, you’ll be threading beads.”

With those words, Siegfried stepped down from the ring.

“Heheh.”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Siegfried saw Katrinne smiling at him.

“With you here, Your Grace, my profits have been increasing.”

“…Please don’t use the power of a saint for such things.”

He let out a quiet sigh.

Anyone who sparred with the Captain was left half-dead.

Reviving such people was Katrinne’s healing ability.

In the other world, she was revered as a saint for her miraculous power, but here, she was playing the role of a healing vending machine.

“Still, this is all I can really do.”

Katrinne said with a lonely smile.

“No one thinks that way.”

“You think so?”

“Yes, no one thinks you’re being a nuisance.”

“Did you just say nuisance?”

“If anyone dares to imply that my lady is a nuisance, I, Siegfried, will cut them down.”

“But you’re the one who keeps saying nuisance…”

“Me? Certainly not.”

Siegfried looked at Katrinne with a reverent expression.

“Alright, I’ll believe you.”

Saying that, Katrinne hugged her piggy bank, which had grown quite heavy.

“I wonder how much is in here?”

“Please do not ask me about such an uncountable sum.”

“Time for chicken.”

“Are you planning to break the piggy bank today?”

“Are you crazy? Of course we’re using the Mister’s card.”

Siegfried’s eyes clouded over slightly.

Perhaps she really was a nuisance.

“There is no need to worry.”

Siegfried knew what she was worried about.

Katrinne L. Ellevell.

Her very existence was a symbol that bred greed.

In the other world, wars were fought just to possess the saint.

“Your existence alone will be a source of strength for the Captain. The very fact that you are here, safe, is a symbol that the life he led was not wrong.”

At Siegfried’s words, Katrinne let out a small laugh and showed him her hand.

“What am I supposed to do with this? Ugh, how can you say such embarrassing things so easily? My hand’s all curled up like a chicken foot. And speaking of chicken feet, now I’m craving them.”

“A knight sees only the truth and speaks only the truth. Please eat in moderation. Overeating is bad for your health.”

He knew the problem she was facing.

She was worried that compared to what she had received from the Captain, she had nothing to give back.

‘Like a guardian, I suppose.’

The Captain never forgot a debt.

He had sworn to protect Katrinne until she became an adult.

“…?”

In that moment, Siegfried felt a sense of dissonance.

He could feel a vicious killing intent.

“Uh…?”

Katrinne’s face showed she had felt something as well.

“Stay here.”

“W-wait…!”

“There’s no need to worry. For times like these, I’m getting a special allowance of fifty thousand won an hour.”

“…?”

Katrinne’s face was a mask of confusion, unable to tell if Siegfried was joking or being serious.

“Ah. I was hoping to get healed by Seo-yeon and go one more round. Are you leaving?”

Kim In-ho approached them with an awkward smile.

“An enemy is coming. From here on, it’s a real battle.”

“What?”

Without answering Kim In-ho’s bewildered question, Siegfried headed outside.

-I can get the achievements on my own.

The Hero had told Siegfried before he left.

-If I’m not here, that pervert might show up.

Siegfried had actually thought there was no need for the others to be strong.

Himself and the Hero.

The two of them could handle everything.

-Don’t let your guard down for a second.

For him to say not to let his guard down meant they were dealing with a considerable monster.

Indeed, the magical power emanating from the killing intent was incredibly strong.

It was enough to make even an ordinary person feel pressured and want to flee.

Siegfried stepped outside the Hanul Guild building.

He saw the monster, scattering its magical power.

A woman in a red outfit reminiscent of a Power Ranger raised her hand forward.

Thrum, thrumm.

Dark gates opened up all around.

Seeing this, Siegfried felt something was wrong.

She was tearing open dimensional gates without any offering, without any price.

That was only possible for one of two reasons.

Either she possessed a special artifact, or her reserves of magical power were just that immense.

Several gates opened at once, and from within them poured out purple Demonic Beast Soldiers.

“Kyaaaah!”

“Uwaaaah!”

People’s screams intertwined, and the Demonic Beast Soldiers, having spotted their prey, forgot their purpose and began to hunt.

Siegfried hesitated for a moment.

Should he save the people in immediate danger, or should he go straight for the enemy leader’s head?

Normally, he would have chosen the latter.

But seeing a mother fleeing with a terrified child in her arms, his body moved on its own.

Slice.

The Demonic Beast Soldier didn’t even realize what had happened to its body.

“Siegfried.”

The woman who had single-handedly created eight gates spoke.

An opponent who recognized him.

Siegfried looked at her face, but red static obscured her eyes and nose.

All he could see were her lips.

“Yes. I thought you would be the one to come out. The strongest sword the Hero boasts of.”

The woman muttered under her breath.

“An incompetent, useless knight. A pitiful man who deludes himself into thinking he’s strong.”

Siegfried let out a dry laugh at her words.

Incompetent. And weak.

Words that had absolutely nothing to do with him.

“If you were going to investigate me, you should have done it properly.”

“I wonder. I think I know you quite well.”

The Demonic Beast Soldiers waiting behind her were howling.

As if they were eager to fight.

At their bizarre and eerie howls, the city fell into chaos.

It was a natural reaction, given that monsters had suddenly poured into the middle of the city without any warning.

“Today, I’ll strip away your gilding.”

She gestured with her hand.

At that moment, as if they were tired of waiting, the Demonic Beast Soldiers charged forward.

The beasts, reminiscent of gorillas, began to swarm towards the Hanul Guild.

Siegfried loftily raised Balmung and poured his magical power into it.

Vwoom—!

A somber light flowed from the blade, which had turned black from its master’s magic.

A demonic sword, the opposite of a holy sword.

Each time it swung, a black arc of light sent a Demonic Beast Soldier’s head flying.

“Kuaaargh!”

Slice, slice.

Every time a steely cry rang out from his swinging blade, another beast’s head fell to the ground.

He walked leisurely, as if on a stroll, swinging his sword every now and then, yet the Demonic Beast Soldiers charging at him were being completely wiped out.

“Kieeeek!”

“Kuaaangh!”

Less than a minute had passed.

Dozens of Demonic Beast Soldiers lay decapitated, rolling on the ground.

“Incompetent. Weak. I have no connection to those words.”

Any other Hunter who saw this situation would have been dumbfounded.

“You look incompetent to me.”

The Regressor said, snapping her fingers.

In that instant, the supposedly dead Demonic Beast Soldiers’ corpses suddenly rose.

Siegfried swung his sword reflexively.

Once again, the beasts’ bodies were sliced apart. But one of them, even as its body was torn, managed to plunge its claws into Siegfried’s stomach.

Blood welled up past Siegfried’s clenched lips.

“See? Incompetent.”

“…!”

Siegfried cut down the Demonic Beast Soldier that had torn his stomach once more.

“…A healing factor…?”

Siegfried muttered under his breath.

He had definitely killed the beasts.

Even if they were under a spell like undeath, being cut by Balmung should have broken the curse.

Which meant his opponent had revived the corpses in a split second.

It was something that defied common sense.

Seeing the injured Siegfried, the Demonic Beast Soldiers charged again.

“It seems your investigation was indeed lacking.”

As he said this, Siegfried swung his sword as leisurely as before.

Shlick, slice!

The long, drawn-out screams of the Demonic Beast Soldiers.

“Because I have a body that does not die, even when killed.”

The wound in Siegfried’s abdomen began to heal in an instant.

“I know.”

The Regressor said, issuing a new command.

Kuaaar!

This time, the Demonic Beast Soldiers didn’t attack Siegfried but ran past him.

They were heading for the main entrance of the Hanul Guild.

Siegfried immediately tried to turn. At that moment, he heard the chilling sound of something slicing through the air behind him.

Siegfried spun around and raised Balmung.

Clang!

The resonant sound of swords clashing rang out.

Siegfried’s brow furrowed slightly.

The Regressor had somehow gotten behind him and swung her sword.

A holy light clung to her blade.

“Holy Blade?”

A divine-type buff.

One specialized against the undead.

“With my own hands, I will let you rest in peace.”

The Regressor smiled as she began to pour a massive amount of holy power into her blade.

Siegfried felt his entire body begin to melt.

For a Ghoul Knight, this was the worst possible matchup.