Chapter 325: Time is Running Out (3)

Jang Geon is one of the strongest across the Kyren Zena continent.

Naturally, he's among the most powerful characters in this story, excluding a few extraordinary beings.

If he prepares fully, he can give these extraordinary opponents a good fight.

Theo looked at Jang Geon with a calm gaze.

'Let's have a match.'

It was an offer he would usually refuse, but not this time.

Win or lose, he felt like he wanted to fight.

Theo said to Jang Geon.

"Alright. But..."

"But?"

"Please fight me seriously. I want a battle that's close to real combat, not a sparring match where you go easy on me."

It was a statement that could come off as arrogant.

However, Jang Geon didn't see it that way.

To him, Theo seemed like a true genius with unmatched talent on the continent, who also worked hard.

Jang Geon nodded.

"Got it."

Jang Geon put his right hand inside his coat.

This was his own way of preparing for battle, holding a dagger inside.

Theo also got ready for the fight.

He bent his knees slightly, lowering his center of gravity, and gripped the handle of his sword.

Seeing Theo's unusual combat stance, Nay asked.

-Hmm, that's an interesting stance.

-I've only thought about it before, but now I want to try it out. It's rare to have a chance to fight such a strong opponent, and if I can do it against someone like him, I should be able to do it against others too.

-Ahahaha. Go ahead, try it. Experimenting is a shortcut to improving your skills.

-I honestly don't think I can win, but for some reason, I feel like it's worth trying.

-Isn't that guy an assassin? Just by showing himself, he's already at a disadvantage. You must win. Definitely.

-Well, I'll give it a try.

Even as he talked with Nay, Theo's eyes were fixed on Jang Geon.

It was happening automatically without him even trying.

Then.

Suddenly—

Jang Geon vanished from sight.

It happened in an instant.

If it were anyone else, they might suspect Jang Geon used teleportation.

But.

'He moved far to the left. Is he trying to get behind me?'

Theo's sharp senses did not lose track of Jang Geon's position.

And Jang Geon moved just as Theo had predicted.

Theo swung his sword behind him.

Clang!

The sound of the sword and dagger colliding echoed through the quiet forest.

"!"

Jang Geon, surprised by the failed surprise attack, quickly put some distance between them.

In the blink of an eye, Jang Geon disappeared again.

Theo looked around with a gaze as serene as the moonlight.

'This time, he went far to the right. His speed is indeed the best on the continent.'

No matter how much he boosted himself, Theo felt it was not enough to catch up with Jang Geon's speed.

'So, I have no choice but to keep defending until Jang Geon gets tired.'

But since Jang Geon had trained in qi for decades, it was clear he had much more qi than Theo.

Having lived as an assassin since he could walk, his endurance and concentration were also likely superhuman.

As time went on, it became evident that the situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable for Theo.

Theo wanted to resist this fact.

'I want to win. No, I will win.'

The thought of not being confident in winning had long since disappeared.

Now, he was filled with a desire to win the duel.

Theo's mind started working quickly.

His contemplation was brief.

'It will be difficult to win, but... this is the only way.'

Experts can gauge an opponent's skill with just one exchange.

And Jang Geon is an expert among experts.

Hiding in the darkness, Jang Geon observed Theo.

'He has even better eyesight than the guy with [Thousand Mile Eyes].'

True to his thoughts, Theo was looking in Jang Geon's direction.

There was almost no opening for an attack.

He had even blocked a surprise attack that would have succeeded 99 out of 100 times. This proved not only his excellent eyesight but also his outstanding physical abilities.

Pure admiration blossomed in Jang Geon's heart.

'It's certain. This guy is the real deal.'

According to the report submitted by Taylor, this boy ranked 181st out of 200, placing him at the bottom.

That's nonsense. With these skills, he should at least be among the top active heroes.

Even his own daughter had great talent, but compared to this boy, it was nothing.

Whatever his purpose, he was definitely hiding his true abilities.

His thoughts continued to chase each other.

At some point.

'Haaah.'

With an inward breath, Jang Geon cleared his mind of all distractions.

'I need to focus.'

The thought that he might actually lose crossed his mind.

He wasn't scared or anxious.

Instead, he was excited. A smile crept under his mask.

Then.

Suddenly, a pillar of stone erupted from the ground where Jang Geon was standing.

Though surprising, Jang Geon was not startled. He moved minimally, lightly dodging the stone wall.

The pillars of stone continued to emerge in quick succession where he stood.

The continuously rising stone pillars soon surrounded Jang Geon.

'He's trying to limit my movements.'

When facing a fast opponent, block their path.

A straightforward tactic based on solid theory.

However, Jang Geon was experienced in dealing with such situations.

'And then he'll wait for me to try and escape from the pillars.'

It was all too predictable.

Perhaps it was because his expectations were too high.

Jang Geon felt his anticipation for Theo diminish somewhat.

Jang Geon did not emerge from between the pillars.

'I need to finish this quickly.'

Instead, he took out a case from his coat and opened it. Inside the case were thin needles.

These black needles were the artifact [Black Piercer].

While not as powerful as [Moonflower], it was one of the treasures passed down through generations in the Jang family.

Jang Geon slipped a needle between his fingers and infused it with qi.

Then, he threw it towards the wall.

Whoosh!

The needle pierced through the wall as if it were tofu.

The needle was relentless. It pierced through a large tree in its path without losing any speed.

Its target was various important points on Theo's body.

Scream──

The needle was so fast that the boy didn't move until it was almost upon him.

Jang Geon sensed victory at that moment, a plan he had executed successfully over a hundred times.

'If he faints, I'll have to leave him in front of the mansion.'

Beyond the hole in the pillar, the boy seemed about to collapse onto the cold ground.

However, intuition did not become reality.

'What the hell is that?'

Clang!

A large shield appeared in front of the boy, blocking all the needles.

It was unclear where it came from. The shield had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

'Am I seeing things?'

The shield, not seeming of this world, was emitting a mystical moonlight.

There was no time to be captivated by its unknown beauty.

As the boy swung his sword towards him, Swoosh──!

The trajectory of the sword created a blade of energy that flew towards him.

The blade, shimmering with a faint moonlight like the shield, felt like it held formidable qi.

Normally, he would have rolled to the side to avoid it, but now he was trapped within the pillars, limiting his movement.

'I must not block it.'

His instincts warned him that blocking it would cause severe bleeding.

Therefore, Jang Geon had no choice but to duck low.

His instincts were correct.

Swipe!

The blade energy easily cut through the thick pillar.

Continuing without losing strength, the blade energy cut down a large tree behind it.

Boom!

The sound of the tree falling raised a cloud of dust.

'Now's my chance.'

The limitation on his movement was gone, thanks to Theo cutting through the pillar.

This was an opportunity for Jang Geon.

Tatat─

In the blink of an eye, Jang Geon reached Theo's front.

Theo swung his sword precisely at the spot where Jang Geon approached.

Jang Geon's beaded bracelet sparkled.

'I didn't expect to use this.'

The identity of the beaded bracelet was the artifact [Shape Shifter].

Like [Moonflower] and [Black Piercer], it was one of the treasures passed down through the Jang family.

Its effect allows the wearer to teleport within a 1-meter distance, once per day.

Whoosh.

Jang Geon teleported behind Theo's back.

'It's over, boy. I was looking forward to more.'

Jang Geon gripped his dagger.

His target was the boy's right scapula. Piercing it would render the boy unable to hold a sword.

Thud!

The dagger pierced the boy's scapula.

The familiar sensation of piercing human bone and flesh rose up to his fingertips.

Jang Geon murmured.

"This is it."

Theo responded in a pained voice.

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

"What?"

Jang Geon didn't hear the answer.

Whoosh!

Because the boy, who shouldn't have been able to hold a sword anymore, swung one.

"!"

Jang Geon hastily tried to retreat while retrieving the dagger stuck in the boy's body, but the dagger showed no signs of coming out.

Jang Geon gave up on retrieving the dagger and immediately distanced himself from the boy, but,

Swipe!

That moment of misjudgment had a high price.

Jang Geon's severed right hand floated in the air.

[raei: Alright guys this is the last chapter! Hopefully you guys read my tl note a week back and this doesnt take you by surprise. The author often disappears and comes back saying he took a break for his wrist so i'm assuming the same for this one. I'll be continuing the novel when he comes back but I have no idea when that'll be.

He takes breaks for months at a time, it has been 5 months since this chapter was posted and 5 months isn't out of the norm of this guy. You'll see chapters posted for this novel again when he's back as well as a notification in discord.

Thanks for reading guys! We've come a long way since the first chapter was posted on a wordpress site. Though this site would be a lot further along if I wasn't so busy+lazy. Anyways come say hi in the discord and hopefully I'll get to new novel pick ups soon. cya for now!]