Five Time Regressor Walks the King’s Path - Chapter 30
Chapter 30
“It’s Ha Chun-Sung.”
“So you’re the one who beat Sung-Ah in strength.”
Since he didn’t complain about my presence, he must’ve already been informed.
There was an intense pressure coming from Ho Baek-San’s aura.
His aura was quite high level, but it didn’t have the slightest effect on me. Seeing that, Ho Baek-San forced out a laugh.
“You’re saying you have the ability to challenge the Preeminent Fury, is that it?”
“A thumbs up for the ill old man. Your guess is correct.”
The old man rubbed his bearded chin.
“Back in my heyday, I would’ve wanted to go against you. It’s a shame I can’t stop the contagious disease spreading through my body.”
I was certain that if he was in his prime, he’d have been strong enough to surpass Cynthia.
But right now, he was nothing more than a sick old man.
One that didn’t have many days left, at that.
“Dad, what do you think? Chun-Sung is stronger than me. Plus, he’s interested in the Preeminent Fury.”
Sung-Ah joined in.
She made a fuss, speaking happily while Ho Baek-San smiled dryly.
“Yes. I can see that.”
“Then, do me a favor.”
Favor.
Was there a deal made with Ho Baek-San?
As I was looking at Sung-Ah, Ho Baek-San answered.
“First of all, Ha Chun-Sung, will you come in front of me for a moment?”
“Wait. Could you please spare me a moment? I was the one who gained the right of challenge, and sought out the Baek-Ho family.”
Ho Baek-San was about to continue when Apsara jumped in front of me.
She seemed to have come here with purpose, and Ho Baek-San’s attention shifted to her when she spoke.
“Mm, order certainly matters.”
He lightly emitted aura. It seemed like he decided to take on Apsara, who arrived first.
Apsara immediately released her own aura, and the two powers collided.
There was nothing physical about the fight. They were trying to gauge each other’s stage using only aura.
However, it wasn’t long before Apsara’s face began to darken.
In Crown Road, stats had a great influence on aura. No matter how much of a veteran she was, even if she was on her eighth regression… Currently, she was just someone who’d only reached Floor 25.
Of course, that also meant her current magic stat couldn’t compare to what she’d achieved previously, so beating Ho Baek-San was out of the question.
Though, her abilities weren’t just aura.
“Heuk.”
Apsara groaned a little at the feeling of suppression brought by Ho Baek-San’s aura. He smiled at that.
“You’re strong. A promising newbie. You may soon be able to overcome an S-class Phantom Hunter.”
However, that smile was a smile that was talking about the future.
In other words, it meant that Apsara couldn’t reach him in this moment.
Apsara bit her lip.
Realizing that she couldn’t beat Ho Baek-San with her current stats, she pulled back.
“Thank you. I will work harder.”
“Please. I look forward to your future performance.”
With that, Apsara left and Ho Baek-San’s attention returned to me.
I had already tested my aura as soon as I entered the room.
Ho Baek-San seemed to have liked my brief showing, and he didn’t seem all that interested in Apsara to begin with.
His aura confrontation with Apsara was merely giving advice to a junior Phantom Hunter.
Apsara knew that as well, which made her feel all the more indignant, but she didn’t let it show on her face.
“I shall evaluate.”
Was he going to visualize my aura and imagine fighting with me so that he can gauge my strength?
A small smile adorned my face. Likewise, Ho Baek-San had an intrepid smile.
He was saying that since he’d checked my aura, next he would test what stage I was in.
‘Fine. I will win.’
I mirrored Ho Baek-San and drew my sword.
We stared at one another and, amidst the silence, a strange energy spread throughout the room.
Ho Baek-San swung his sword first.
The sword he wielded was three times the size of a person. I swung my own sword to counter.
Ho Baek-San’s sword swung down as if it would split the earth. It collided with mine, swinging up as if it would devour the sky.
CLANG.
I could feel the sound resonating around us. The sound of metal clashing against metal.
The aura vibrated in waves.
The old man’s eyes opened faintly.
We didn’t stop.
First Form—
Electro Epilepsy.
Baek-Ho Divine Technique—
Invincible Demon God.
Second Form—
Lightning Death Blow.
Baek-Ho Divine Technique—
Solitary Noble.
Fourth Form—
Heavenly Thunder Dragon.
Baek-Ho Divine Technique—
Finishing Touch of the Ascending Dragon.
Fifth Form—
Intangible Lightning Death.
Baek-Ho Divine Technique—
Heaven and Earth.
Sixth Form—
Ten Thousand Bolts.
Baek-Ho Divine Technique—
Undefeated Dragon Fire.
Countless sword skills were exchanged.
He was strong.
It wasn’t just his level.
His elaborate aura shone brightly.
The aura he’d honed over a long period of time was very alluring.
In comparison, my aura was like cast iron. It was crude, rough, and self-assertive.
My aura was the exact opposite of Ho Baek-San’s aura.
However, silence…
Was bound to shatter eventually.
I knew.
This man had also overcome many deadly situations.
But just as much as he had, I also faced death countless times.
So… I wasn’t going to lose.
My eyes brightly flared.
The corners of my mouth lifted.
This was fun.
He showed me this level of skill through a simple aura fight.
Then what if he actually fought?
If his skills, which were as deep as Chen Havelia’s, revealed their true colors…
Cough.
At that moment, Ho Baek-San coughed up blood.
A large drop of sweat trailed down from his forehead, and his aura shattered.
The old man’s sick body couldn’t fight any longer.
His eyes held a bit of disappointment, just as mine did, as our brawl was cut short.
He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and let out a mixture of a sigh and a laugh.
“What…”
Apsara’s astonished voice entered my ears.
Her eyelids fluttered, then she glared furiously at my back. Possibly out of anger, she whipped her head around and walked out.
It was because she realized how strong I was from the fight.
She’d heard about me from Sword Queen, but I was sure she couldn’t have expected this.
“I have no idea where a man like you came from, but it was fun while it lasted.”
Ho Baek-San finished wiping his mouth and he spoke with a smile.
“I would have won if we continued.”
“If only I was in my prime, I could’ve proven that statement wrong. It’s a pity.”
He sure was a prideful man.
“The Preeminent Fury is stronger than me. Stronger than me even when I was in my prime.”
“I don’t care. I’ll win.”
“I hope those aren’t just empty remarks.”
Even though he spoke like that, Ho Baek-San’s eyes already acknowledged me.
He had already glanced into my aura and guessed my stage.
At the very least, he must’ve realized I was the strongest Phantom Hunter he’d met.
“What do you think, Dad? Pretty good, right?”
Watching us, Sung-Ah asked carefully.
In response to her question, Ho Baek-San kept silent for a while, and then he slowly nodded.
“Yes. A little rough around the edges, but a hard iron. You’re quite soft on the inside, as well. At least, I know you aren’t trying to trample through our world however you like.”
At that moment, with his words, my gaze focused on Ho Baek-San.
This guy…
“Nice to meet you, challenger. Welcome to our world.”
“You’re an Apostle.”
Apostles. The managers and tools for the world, created by the Constellation.
Unlike those with roles instilled, who had to follow through with them, the Apostles knew the laws of the world.
And Ho Baek-San was an Apostle.
‘I see why Apsara couldn’t begin to compare.’
The Apostles were strong.
Most of the time, they held the position of strongest in their world.
It seemed like it wasn’t a lie that he was the strongest Phantom Hunter.
Despite that, Ho Baek-San appeared to be different from an ordinary Apostle.
“You know the laws of Crown Road.”
It sounded more like a statement than a question.
“That is my curse.”
He gave a weak laugh.
“But can you say that in front of your daughter?”
“Well, what I said will sound a bit different to her ears, so don’t worry about that.”
Those on this Floor cannot escape the rules of this Floor.
Ho Baek-San knew that and lightly laughed.
“What about the Preeminent Fury?”
“I do want to answer you, but unfortunately, this Floor has rules. I will tell you in accordance with those rules.”
Having said that, he looked back at his daughter.
“Alright. I approve.”
“Good. So I can marry Lee-Han, right?”
He spoke as if he was giving up, and Sung-Ah’s unexpected reply surprised me.
“My dad would always say that I had to stop the Preeminent Fury someday. Being pregnant as a Phantom Hunter is difficult. My dad said to never get married until someone who could handle the Preeminent Fury came along.”
So Sung-Ah was the next generation prospect of the Phantom Hunters, was what they were saying.
I came along and lifted that restriction, and now she looked like she wanted to dash out of here as soon as possible.
“Yes, Sung-Ah. I’ve got more to talk about with this man here, so you can go.”
“Okay!”
Sung-Ah gave a loud reply and ran off, leaving me alone with Ho Baek-San, who laughed out loud.
“Isn’t it funny?”
“What?”
“My daughter will never marry. To be exact, that sort of future doesn’t exist. When you all clear this Floor or give up, we’ll all go back to square one.”
Occasionally, they existed.
Apostles who moved, realizing the laws of Crown Road.
Most of them considered their lives to be miserable. They didn’t regard themselves as living beings, but rather as objects, as items.
Ho Baek-San was the same.
Whether they were errors born when the Constellation created the world or were created with purpose, their eyes were always devoid of hope.
“My memory is forever bound here. When I next open my eyes, I’ll have forgotten about our meeting, and will be lamenting my life.”
Even Apostles lost their memory and returned to the beginning when the Floor was reset.
Thus, even though Ho Baek-San was an Apostle, the only life he had was with a body riddled with disease. Forever experiencing a slow death.
“How many times have you climbed Crown Road?”
“This is my fifth time.”
“You’ve climbed for quite a while. It’d feel ironic when everything disappears for the fifth time. You’ll remember everything, while I’m at least glad that my memories are erased.”
Ho Baek-San lamented that he wouldn’t even remember the world that would soon disappear.
“Whatever you may bring to our world, it will mark the end for me. I’d just slowly die from this disease.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
He was an Apostle, and I was only a regressor. There was no reason for him to tell me all this.
When I asked, he looked at me and answered.
“It’s because of my special ability. If I clash with another’s aura, I can understand what sort of person they are, to an extent. With this, I’ve been fighting the Preeminent Fury for quite some time, though I don’t know if it’s my own memory or a made-up memory, but they’re vivid memories.”
Then Ho Baek-San sat down on the bed as if he was tired of standing.
“Of course, there’s also the fact that you are stronger than me. I’ve not met a challenger stronger than me on this Floor.”
That was the same as saying he didn’t tell anyone else this story.
At least, in this regression.
“Can you tell me a story about the Preeminent Fury?”
“Do you need it to clear the Floor?”
“Well, personally, I’m just curious.”
“Alright.”
And so, the story of a Phantom Hunter who devoted his life to fighting began.
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