Chapter 96

Chapter 21. The One-Horned Tribe (6)

People couldn't bring themselves to speak hastily.

Even those who already knew about the glutton were shocked to see this extent, their faces reflecting their astonishment.

The keen-eyed elders, who had a rough idea of Yeonwoo's strength, weren't as surprised, but they still looked at him with expressions of surprise.

Edora gasped, and Pant shook his head, muttering to himself, "He's become an even bigger monster while I wasn't looking."

Then,

"Hahaha!"

The Muwang burst into loud laughter, slapping his knees as if finding the situation hilarious.

Jang was one of his cherished children. Despite his child's defeat, he seemed more delighted than sorrowful or worried.

Yeonwoo, ignoring the gazes of the people, pushed Jang's head deeper into the ground.

Boom!

The marble floor, which had been polished clean, cracked even more.

"Ugh...!"

Jang, now looking like a frog that had been flattened, trembled all over.

He tried to muster all his strength in his arms to stand up, but the pressure from above made it impossible to move.

Looking down at him, Yeonwoo said,

"To be honest, whatever your purpose is, it doesn't concern me. It was only natural that I had to verify my strength."

A light flickered beneath the black mask.

"But at the very least, don't be a nuisance to me. This has nothing to do with me, right? And the same goes for those kids."

"Ugh!"

Jang wanted to shout.

Something was wrong.

It was absolutely impossible to be defeated by a mere novice from the 11th floor.

But his body wouldn't budge. What kind of trick had he used?

No, more than that, the humiliation of being disgraced in front of so many people was utterly shameful.

"Got it?"

"Y-You...!"

"Your ears are open, so I'll assume you heard me."

Only then did Yeonwoo release Jang and stand up.

He looked around at the Muwang and the others.

"Do you think I'm still unqualified?"

People shook their heads. Some were in awe, while others glared at Yeonwoo as if they wanted to kill him.

Jang was a promising warrior in the One-Horned Tribe. Yeonwoo's strength was now effectively proven.

Yeonwoo turned his gaze back to the Muwang, his eyes pleading to be accepted as a guest.

The Muwang nodded, about to agree, when—

"Ah... Ah! It's not over yet!"

Jang suddenly stood up.

Yeonwoo's gaze shifted back to him.

Jang spat a dusty phlegm on the ground and shouted,

"Just now! Didn't you use some strange trick?"

Yeonwoo narrowed his eyes.

"What trick?"

"Does that even make sense? Let's fight again, fair and square. I'll make sure you can't use any tricks this time."

Yeonwoo chuckled, finding it absurd.

There were always a few like this.

They had to be taught a lesson by getting a good beating.

So he wiggled his finger.

"Then come at me again."

"Arrogant!"

Jang scowled and kicked off the ground. Despite his anger, he was pouring all his mana into his sword.

Sssss—

A hazy gas swirled along the blade, coalescing into a solid form.

"Ki energy...? Are you crazy?"

"Father!"

Edora screamed and jumped to her feet.

Pant also turned to the Muwang, his tone demanding, "Why aren't you stopping this?"

Ki energy.

Also known as an Aura Blade in the tower's terminology, it was an advanced technique.

By densely compressing mana and manifesting it outside the body, and imbuing it with intense willpower, it could cut through steel like butter.

Only top-tier warriors in the One-Horned Tribe and those aiming for a ranker position in the tower could use it.

To use such a technique in this setting?

The Muwang had clearly stated that killing was forbidden, as the purpose was to verify strength.

An Aura Blade was a direct violation of that rule.

Moreover, the martial art he was using was the White Sword Sect's ultimate technique, "Zhou Xian Jian Ji" (Slaying Immortal Sword Strike).

A relentless attack that only ended when the opponent's vital points were severed.

It was nearly impossible to interrupt the flow once it started.

Others also voiced their concerns, worried about the danger.

But the Muwang only continued to laugh, without any attempt to stop it.

Yeonwoo was the same.

He watched as the Aura Blade approached his neck, then moved very quickly.

He bent his waist backward to dodge the attack.

As the sword changed direction to split his waist, he pushed off the ground and closed the distance with Jang in one swift motion.

Seeing Jang trying to back away, Yeonwoo quickly grabbed his arm, twisted it in the opposite direction, and jabbed his sharp elbow into Jang's abdomen.

Bang!

"Ugh!"

Jang's arm broke, and the sword flew upward. The upper armor he was wearing shattered, caving in deeply and leaving a trail of blood.

Yeonwoo, not satisfied, unleashed a series of strikes. Each punch caused the air to burst with a loud pop.

Jang, spitting out blood, tumbled to the ground.

"Gurgle... Gurgle!"

Jang, spitting out blood, tried to stand up.

He couldn't be so easily defeated.

He was the proud heir to the One-Horned Tribe, not a fool to be brutally beaten by a low-level player.

He managed to raise his upper body, despite his battered body, and reached for his sword, which was lying some distance away.

But,

Wham!

Yeonwoo, who had quickly approached Jang, kicked him hard with his foot, sending him flying.

Jang eventually rolled on the ground for a while before fainting.

"..."

Yeonwoo finally shook his hand lightly.

At that moment, people from the White Sword Sect rushed over, carried Jang on their backs, and quickly left the training ground.

They didn't forget to glare at Yeonwoo as if he were their mortal enemy.

Then,

The One-Horned Tribe people burst into admiration.

"Wow! He's even more impressive than I thought!"

"Did you see that? The movement just now? It was so clean, even without using martial arts!"

"It seemed purely practical. It was quite good. I'd like to learn it someday."

"Someone who can pin down Prince Jang to this extent. Well, there's no need to observe him further. I'd actually like to fight him. How about it?"

The tribe members, except for the White Sword Sect, didn't seem particularly concerned about Jang being defeated by Yeonwoo.

They had undergone rigorous training from a young age, so injuries like this were seen as minor as a scraped knee.

Moreover, using an Aura Blade in a simple sparring match was Jang's mistake.

They were more impressed by Yeonwoo's skill in cleanly subduing him without flinching, even against such a technique.

They finally understood why the Muwang wanted to accept him as a guest.

The One-Horned Tribe didn't often interact with outsiders, but they were open to sharing martial arts if it could strengthen the tribe.

Yeonwoo's movements, while not martial arts, showed many things they could learn.

They wanted to absorb as much as possible from him while he stayed as a guest.

Yeonwoo, having sensed this, felt at ease in subduing Jang.

Most importantly,

The One-Horned Tribe followed the law of the strong.

It was natural to favor the victor in a sparring match conducted with a warrior's honor.

Yeonwoo looked at the Muwang, his eyes asking if it was over.

The Muwang nodded vigorously.

The moment Yeonwoo became a guest of the One-Horned Tribe.

* * *

As people left the training ground like a receding tide,

Pant and Edora approached Yeonwoo.

Edora carefully examined Yeonwoo for any injuries, while Pant pouted and grumbled,

"How much stronger have you become? You're a real monster, you know."

Despite his words, Pant's lips were curled in a smile. He was relieved to see Jang, who had been a thorn in his side, get a good beating.

Yeonwoo's words also resonated with him.

The words of a brother.

He had never felt a strong sense of brotherhood from his other siblings, except for Edora, so it felt strange.

Yeonwoo chuckled and patted both of their shoulders.

Then he sensed the Muwang moving with the elders behind him.

"Wait a moment."

Yeonwoo quickly approached the Muwang.

The Muwang, about to leave with the elders, stopped and chuckled upon seeing Yeonwoo.

He told the elders to wait and then remained alone with Yeonwoo.

"You have a lot to say, don't you?"

"I'd like an answer."

"To what?"

A sly response.

Yeonwoo's frown deepened beneath the mask.

He had briefly considered pretending to know nothing about the connection between him and the Arangdan.

But this was a statement from the Muwang, and he seemed confident about what he knew.

It wasn't something that could be easily brushed off.

The Muwang chuckled and replied,

"Alright, alright. You're a tough one to joke with."

Shaking his head, the Muwang continued,

'You're asking how I knew about the Arangdan, right?'

Thinking others might overhear, he used his mana to convey his words.

"Yes."

'Actually, I didn't know. I just heard about it.'

What does that mean?

"Who, exactly?"

The Muwang smiled mischievously.

'A spirit medium.'

"..."

'The spirit medium said that the stars indicated a major incident would happen soon, and it would be closely related to us.'

"..."

'So I thought about it. What could be a major incident? War isn't an incident, so what else could it be? The Arangdan's annihilation in the tutorial.'

"..."

'And if it's related to us, it must be you. That's how I traced it back.'

Yeonwoo felt a chill down his spine.

He knew the spirit medium was powerful, but was it this dangerous?

A being that could observe and deduce so many things from a distance. Was that even possible?

Even in the tower, where all sorts of phenomena occurred, the spirit medium was beyond his comprehension.

'But don't worry. I won't spread this story. Even if we side with Qinghua, it's a strategic alliance out of necessity. We gain nothing from it. Most importantly,'

The Muwang chuckled.

'I won't harm someone my children follow. I'm not that weak.'

Yeonwoo sensed an arrogant confidence in the Muwang.

The ease of an absolute being.

To him, Yeonwoo's affairs were just one of many events in the tower.

And,

He also gained another certainty.

'At least, he has no idea about my true identity.'

He only knew that Yeonwoo was hostile to the Arangdan, likely due to Kan and Doyle.

If he knew the truth, he wouldn't react this way.

'As long as my connection to Jungwoo remains hidden, I can cover up the rest.'

Whether the Muwang knew this or not,

'He continued his explanation.

'I revealed that I knew to see what kind of person you are. That's all. No other reason.'

'The Dragon Eye shows... the truth.'

Yeonwoo narrowed his eyes.

'There's no lie. But is this all there is?'

It seemed difficult to delve deeper into his true intentions.

But,

One thing was clear.

The Muwang wanted to see something in him.

What that was, he would have to observe over time.

So he shifted his thoughts to another direction.

"Thank you for the explanation. Then, who is the other person among the three you mentioned?"

'All for One.'

A name he hadn't expected.

Why was he mentioned here, being on the 77th floor?

'That guy is sitting on the highest floor players can reach, observing everything and mimicking a god. Compared to him, I, the Muwang, and the spirit medium are nothing. You won't be able to avoid him either.'

Yeonwoo nodded, recalling the other skill revealed with Shukji.

'The千里眼 (Thousand Mile Eye).'

If it could observe the law of cause and effect, it could 'look down' on everything happening in the tower as if it were on the palm of his hand.

Yeonwoo put aside all his doubts and asked one last question.

"When do you plan to join Qinghua?"

The timing of the war.

If their participation as mercenaries was confirmed, they needed to be fully prepared by then.

But the Muwang, sensing Yeonwoo's thoughts, gave a look that suggested time was tight.

"Not long now."

The Muwang's smile revealed sharp fangs.

"In five days."