The Swordmaster Wants To Live Peacefully [EN]: Chapter 18

Swordmaster Wants to Live in Peace – Episode 18

The King of Corpses (2)

He punctuated his statement with another puff of cigarette smoke.

Yoo Seong-woo, now accustomed to the harsh taste and smell of cigarettes from this other world, clicked his tongue and stubbed out the cigarette on the ground.

Turning to face the glares, he said, “What’s the problem? Can’t handle the truth? Too bad. You’ll find out soon enough once we’re inside the Abyss.”

“Who are you?”

“I told you, I’m a Diver from Meteor Industry. I’m here to warn you about the Abyss you’re about to enter. As you are now, you’re all going to die.”

“Just because you can talk doesn’t mean you can say whatever you want…”

The speaker was Sung Un-ryong, an S-class Diver.

Sung Un-ryong, who had made a name for himself with the sword, following Hong Seo-hwa and Baek Woo-hyun, was an elderly Diver in his sixties, unlike the others.

With his white hair and beard, he looked ready to draw his sword at any moment.

Yoo Seong-woo remained unfazed. “Inside the City of Evernight,” he stated, “there’s a demigod.”

The word ‘demigod’ caused a stir among the Divers.

As a 1st class Abyss, far beyond a 2nd class, they expected a strong enemy.

But a demigod?

“How can we believe that?” Sung Un-ryong challenged.

Hong Seo-hwa interjected, “You’d better believe it, for your own sake.”

“If you want us to believe you, shouldn’t you provide some proof? No one’s going to take your word for it just because you say so,” Sung Un-ryong retorted.

“That’s right. Diver Un-ryong is right. I doubt many people here even know who this person is.”

The one who sided with Sung Un-ryong was Chae Mi-ryung, also an S-class Diver.

As the only S-class Healer, she was indispensable to this raid.

The entire operation hinged on her, and they had been constantly discussing how to maximize their chances of success.

All eyes turned to Hong Seo-hwa, Yoo Ji-woo, and Baek Woo-hyun.

These three had witnessed Yoo Seong-woo’s power.

They believed they should heed his warning, but the others were not convinced.

Yoo Seong-woo addressed them directly. “What are you going to do if you don’t believe me? You’ll all go in there and die without even knowing why.”

“What did you say?”

“I’m telling you the truth. I’ve seen it myself. The undead causing the anomaly inside the City of Evernight are led by an Elder Lich. A being that transcends death, far superior to a regular Lich. That’s why it’s practically a demigod.”

“…That’s ridiculous. An Elder Lich? Do such beings even exist?”

“Some explanation is needed,” Yoo Ji-woo said. “My brother is a Returner [someone who has been to another world and returned]. He hasn’t been back on Earth from the other world for very long.”

“Right. Whether it’s the guys from where I was or the ones from the Abyss, there’s not much difference. That’s why I recognized it as an Elder Lich right away.”

With that, Yoo Seong-woo stood up.

Instantly, his aura shifted.

He transformed from an ordinary person with no discernible energy into a being radiating a power that overwhelmed everyone in the room.

An oppressive aura that felt capable of killing with mere presence.

The pressure was so intense that Sung Un-ryong and Chae Mi-ryung, who had been dismissive of Yoo Seong-woo, involuntarily stepped back.

“I’m going to the Abyss. I have a score to settle with that Elder Lich bastard, so I’ll lend a hand.”

With these words, Yoo Seong-woo turned and left the barracks.

As he departed, the oppressive energy dissipated, and Sung Un-ryong and Chae Mi-ryung collapsed to the floor.

“Are you alright?”

“…I, I’m fine.”

Baek Woo-hyun approached the collapsed Sung Un-ryong and asked if he was okay. Sung Un-ryong nodded, still visibly shaken.

Then, he asked Baek Woo-hyun, who appeared unaffected, “Why are you alright?”

“His aura wasn’t directed at me.”

“…So, he can precisely control his energy to only target the two of us in this small space?”

“Yes, Master. I apologize for not telling you sooner. He was the one who dealt with the boss when we urgently raided the 2nd class Abyss in the past,” Baek Woo-hyun said, bowing his head.

Sung Un-ryong looked back and forth between the exit and Baek Woo-hyun, as if in disbelief.

Baek Woo-hyun helped Sung Un-ryong to his feet and said with sparkling eyes, “Let’s go, Master. I believe witnessing his swordsmanship will be a great learning experience.”

‘Is this guy crazy?’ Sung Un-ryong thought.

* * *

-Currently, in Goesan, North Chungcheong Province, numerous Divers have gathered to raid the City of Evernight Abyss, which has been upgraded to a 1st class Abyss.

-A 1st class Abyss is defined as having a dimensional wave level exceeding that of past S-class Abysses.

-The currently measured dimensional wave level is similar to that of the ‘Magma Zone’ where dragons appeared in the past…….

News broadcasts were filled with reports about the Abyss.

The emergence of a 1st class Abyss was rare, and it posed a major threat, potentially destroying a major city or even the entire country.

The international community was also paying close attention to Korea, where the 1st class Abyss had appeared.

Korea’s global standing would be determined by how it handled this unprecedented crisis.

The spokesperson for the raid team began a press conference near the Abyss. “This raid on the City of Evernight is an unprecedented event. The City of Evernight, previously a 3rd class Abyss, was periodically cleared because the core could not be found…….”

He started with a general overview.

Then, he addressed the question of ‘how’ the City of Evernight would be raided.

“Currently, we have formed a reconnaissance team. After the reconnaissance is completed, if we are confident that we can raid from the inside, we will proceed. If that is not possible, we plan to use external firepower to eliminate the monsters that emerge.”

“Are you saying you’re going to turn Goesan into a battlefield?” a reporter asked.

The spokesperson gave a practiced answer, “The residents in the vicinity have been evacuated, and we will try to minimize the damage as much as possible. That’s all.”

“Wait a minute! How is the reconnaissance team currently organized?”

“I will not comment on that.”

The spokesperson ended the press conference.

The composition of the reconnaissance team was a secret, even within the raid team itself.

Because all the S-class Divers were currently inside the Abyss as the reconnaissance team.

* * *

The Abyss, now a 1st class threat, the City of Evernight.

The Plains of Death, leading to the entrance area and the first district, Baekseong (White City), were teeming with low-level undead.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been here, but it’s swarming. These corpse bastards,” Yoo Seong-woo muttered.

“It’s definitely… different from when I came here before. The undead are concentrated in the entrance area,” Hong Seo-hwa observed.

Yoo Seong-woo pointed towards Baekseong (White City) beyond the plains. “The Elder Lich is in Heukseong (Black City) beyond Baekseong. I’ve confirmed it myself.”

Yoo Seong-woo omitted the fact that he was responsible for this situation.

It was inevitable anyway.

If he had ignored it for much longer, something even stronger than the Elder Lich might have emerged.

Yoo Seong-woo also shared the information he had gathered about the Elder Lich.

Its ability to freely control bones and summon undead, etc.

“The most important thing to be careful about is the aura of death it emits. If you can counteract it with your own aura, there’s no problem, but none of you are at that level yet.”

He pointed at Chae Mi-ryung. “So, you’re the most important person in this raid. Can you use the power of purification?”

“P, power of purification? Like healing…….”

“That’s enough. You need to spread the aura like a humidifier so that the aura of death doesn’t overwhelm the others.”

“H, humidifier?”

“What, can’t you do it?”

“The Elder Lich will be strong, so I don’t think I can maintain it alone…….”

“If you can’t… you’ll have to die.”

“……I’ll try my best,” Chae Mi-ryung said, biting her lip at Yoo Seong-woo’s blunt words.

“Don’t think of them as simple undead. They have a commander, and they’re more cunning than humans. That’s what makes an Elder Lich so dangerous.”

Yoo Seong-woo, after his brief explanation, started walking forward.

The others followed, heading towards the undead horde.

As they approached, the undead, drawn to the aura of the living, turned towards them.

The creatures, emitting an eerie blue energy unlike anything they had seen before, charged towards them.

A zombie rush. A terrifying scene straight out of a movie unfolded before their eyes.

Facing a sight that would exhaust even S-class Divers, Yoo Seong-woo reached out his hand.

A blood-colored sword materialized in his grasp.

Now, it was time to prove his strength to those who still doubted him.

Yoo Seong-woo lowered his stance, drew his sword, and prepared for a sword drawing technique.

Sung Un-ryong frowned.

An extremely low stance.

As an elder of the Bonkuk Sword Association (本國劍會) [a fictional swordmanship association], he disapproved of such a form.

A low stance compromised balance and left one vulnerable to attack.

If any member of the Bonkuk Sword Association adopted this stance, he would have reprimanded them severely.

However, he couldn’t intervene now, given the immense energy emanating from Yoo Seong-woo.

He saw the blood-colored energy, like the sword itself, swirling within him like a storm.

Yoo Seong-woo remained calm in the eye of the storm, as if his body was about to explode.

The next moment, the storm of energy surged through Yoo Seong-woo’s sword, unleashing a powerful force forward.

In the blink of an eye.

Yoo Seong-woo’s sword moved at a speed that no one present could follow.

Yoo Seong-woo’s sword technique, ‘Drawing Sword – Storm Split,’ repainted the plains, transforming the colors of death into something new.

Under the perpetual night, the blood-colored energy spread like a sunset, sweeping across the earth.

The undead army was cleaved in two with a single stroke, its power extinguished.

“W, what is this?”

“No way…….”

A single swing.

Yet, the result was unbelievable.

The plains were utterly devastated, as if a multitude of mages had unleashed powerful magic.

No one would believe that a single swordsman could create such a scene.

Yoo Seong-woo, sheathing his summoned sword, spoke, leaving behind the ravaged landscape. “I’ll take care of the Elder Lich. Your job is to stop the undead army it summons.”

Stopping the undead army while fighting the Elder Lich.

That would be difficult even for Yoo Seong-woo.

The reason Yoo Seong-woo had decided to confront the Elder Lich directly in the Heukseong underground was to avoid being surrounded.

What was the greatest strength of the undead?

Their sheer numbers.

A relentless horde that would revive and attack endlessly, never tiring.

Moreover, the more enemies they killed, the more the undead numbers grew, creating a truly immortal army.

Yoo Seong-woo needed someone to hold back this undead army while he hunted the Elder Lich.

And that was the task for the S-class Divers standing before him.

“Then, let’s end the reconnaissance here. Let’s head back. We don’t have much time left.”