Chapter 24

Chapter 24: [Knight Soul] I Just... Did It Because I Could? (4)

Halkenburg.

“You- seem like you would be worth teaching...... You defeated Trinex, that patient fool of a bastard, did you not...? Good, good... How about it?”

The white-haired old man showed the few teeth he had left... and grinned as he made a bizarre proposal.

“Do you have any intention... of receiving instruction from me, Halkenburg...? If it is you... I think you may become... this old man’s... finest masterpiece......”

?

???????????

Pardon?

Fuck?? 

You could get a Disciple Quest from this crazy monster old man??????????

Fuck??? 

Halkenburg?? 

It’s possible to get a Disciple Quest from that Halkenburg?? 

What is this??????

The viewers who saw that lit the chat window on fire in shock, and Ju Seo-yoon, who stood behind him, also went, “Ah- Aaaah-!” in surprise.

= A-Ama-zing! 

I-Is this real? 

Halkenburg? 

Th-That Halkenburg is giving a disciple training quest? 

I-Is this real? 

It’s real, right? 

I-It’s really real, right?

“.......”

However, that was only the reaction of the viewers watching [Knight Soul] and Ju Seo-yoon. 

Ju Seo-jin simply stood still, faced Halkenburg, and slowly opened his mouth.

“...Just now. How did you do that?”

“...Hmmmm? Ghh-urgh! Good grief, what kind of irrelevant answer is that? Ghhuh- brat, just answer whether you intend to become this old man’s disciple or not───”

“-That wasn’t you moving your body directly. What principle is it based on? Leaving aside the fact that it should be an impossible method of movement based on the human body’s structure... accelerating like that and then stopping immediately is strange.”

“...What? Brat, what did you just say───”

“If something like that is possible, then isn’t it closer to being a puppet than a person? At the very least, that’s how the principle behind the movement seems......”

“.......”

And at the same time, Halkenburg’s unpleasant smile faded... and gravity began to settle over his aged face.

“...Huh. Oho- I see, so that was how it was. In other words- you ‘saw’ it and then ‘understood’ it. This old man’s movement, that is.”

“To some extent.”

“Kuk- ghhuhuh- Ah, how amusing. What kind of monster is this? Enough to make one doubt whether you are truly human. Fuck. The world really is worth living long enough to see.”

“It’s not particularly that impressive.”

“No. In this old man’s eyes- you do seem to be a monster of ‘that’ degree. Brat, just as this old man thought... you certainly seem capable of becoming my finest masterpiece.”

“.......”

?

What the hell does that mean?

?? 

What kind of bullshit is this...

Teacher Seo-jin, stop talking about things only you understand!!!!!!!!

?? Why did Grandpa Halkenburg suddenly get so serious? 

What is it? 

What are those two talking about?;

I seriously don’t understand even one bit of what they’re talking about.. I’ll just stay quiet.. yeah;;

What the hell is that, you damn nerds? 

Explain it so we can understand, please!!!!!!!!

However—

That lasted only a moment.

Ju Seo-yoon looked back and forth between Ju Seo-jin and Halkenburg as they exchanged words that sounded vague to everyone else... and revealed her curiosity with a reaction that seemed to embody a question mark in body language.

“Um... Oppa? What are you talking about with Halkenburg... Grandpa...? What happened?”

For real.

What; Is this an encrypted conversation?? 

I can’t understand a damn thing, fuck;

So what happened..

No, seriously; please explain, Teacher Seo-jin..

Hmm.. I see.. So that? is how it is? I understand.. As expected, I knew it would be like that...... So that? was what happened..!

Myangbangwool, go over there and translate that alien language for us..................

Somehow ending up sharing the same thought(?) as the viewers, Ju Seo-yoon asked that with a somewhat dazed face. 

At the same time, a similar question burst out from the front.

“Urgh. Wh-What...? What are you talking about? Old Man Halkenburg! What happened? What kind of conversation are you two having, huh?”

?

Why don’t you know, you bastard? 

lololololololololololol

Fuck; What are you..? You should know at least a little, you bastard.. sigh..

?? No.. Shouldn’t he know what they’re talking about..?

Confused Cory lol

Ah lol Tell me too lol I don’t understand even one bit of what those two are talking about lol

If even a Knight Soul native doesn’t understand the conversation, isn’t it basically just an encrypted message.. yeah?;

Legendary lololololololololololol

Hartan.

The handsome middle-aged man with disheveled brown hair, who had the highest status in the Order of the Star and had been scolded after speaking down to Ju Seo-jin and Ju Seo-yoon, had asked that. 

However, the answer he received was cold.

“Ghh- hhuuugh- I told you to keep that mouth of yours shut, but this brat refuses to listen. Good grief, what would a bastard like you do even if you knew? Your father ended up hanging from a tree because you devoured that many Runes and still kept spouting idiotic nonsense.”

“...Wh-What did you say? Y-You damned old man─! What did you just say───”

“Ghh- hhuuugh- What, shall I say it again? I said your father ended up hanging from a tree because you were stupid enough to devour that many Runes and still act like an idiot. And... I told you not to speak carelessly, Hartan.”

“.......”

“Tsk- I have already given you as much as I can. You would do well not to act any more insolently than this.”

Halkenburg spoke to Hartan in a tone that was distinctly different from the way he treated Ju Seo-jin, warning him with considerable coldness.

“If not for the ‘Non-Aggression Alliance’ I made with the former king... your father, why would I have raised a fool like you until now? Know your place, Hartan.”

With a chilling glint in his hollow eyes, Halkenburg continued with words full of ridicule.

“This world is intricately well woven. The age of gods, the age of humans. I do not believe in such things. Only overwhelming power decides everything. You too know why your father merely ended up hanging from a tree as an example.”

Eyes steeped in regret. 

A gaze filled with something close to anger, or resentment. 

Halkenburg spat out each word in a boiling voice.

“That day... if I had not been fooled by the cunning words of that utterly foolish former king- if I had not taken the Non-Aggression Alliance as a shackle, I would have been the one to win. Had that happened... those fellows would not have been cursed, nor would they have fallen.”

“.......”

“Hmph. Do you not know that the reason you are alive and plotting for the future is also thanks to this old man? You will not claim that you do not know why those sinister pieces of trash from the Order of the Sun do not take the lead in seeking us out, will you?”

“Damn it...”

Hartan furrowed his brow, sat back down, and ground his teeth.

Then Halkenburg snorted, glanced at Ju Seo-jin, and added as if explaining.

“...‘Soul Power.’ Or a power called Aether or Mana. It is an ability obtained by gathering ‘Soul Pieces’ that dwell in living beings or ancient natural objects and turning them into ‘Runes.’”

Halkenburg grinned mischievously as if asking whether he understood, then spoke.

“Brat. The judgment you thought through and reached is by no means wrong. The reason this old body could move faster than you and perform movements that should normally have been impossible was thanks to this Soul Power obtained by gathering Runes.”

At that, Ju Seo-jin opened his eyes slightly wider.

It seemed to be part of [Knight Soul]’s worldbuilding... but it did not look ordinary. 

The things being said in the chat window among the viewers were the same.

Ah.

I was wondering what they were talking about, but it was about Aether?? 

Now I finally understand a little;

?? Ah lol Now I get it; This was about Virtual Energy Operation, yeah.

For real; If you know how Halkenburg’s A.I. was made, you can understand it.. That’s what they were talking about.

Now that I think about it, that insane old man.. from [Gun Ground].. He’s a monster trained with Player Stain’s premium data pack and all kinds of reinforcement learning for Virtual Energy Operation;

Ah, so when he teleported in front of Teacher Seo-jin, that was Virtual Energy Operation? Then.. Teacher Seo-jin saw Virtual Energy Operation once and noticed it??; What the hell is this??

This is fucking insane..

‘Virtual Energy Operation...’

He felt like he had heard of it before.

In virtual reality games like [Eternal Saga] or [Gun Ground]... unlike the Martial Skills of [Limitless War], there existed something called “virtual energy,” or, to shorten it, “Virtual Energy.”

This was one of the game elements used in most high-level games besides [Eternal Saga] and [Gun Ground]. 

That was why a similar function existed in [Knight Soul] as well.

‘-Was that why Halkenburg’s movement earlier showed marionette-like motion without even the slightest Startup?’

The moment Ju Seo-jin had been unable to endure Hartan’s insulting words and tried to launch himself forward, Halkenburg had moved at tremendous speed without any warning signs, arrived before him, and stopped his action.

There was no doubt that some kind of power had bounced his body like a rubber ball, gaining propulsion through repulsive force and accelerating him... then forcibly cut off the inertial continuation of his motion the moment he reached the desired target point. 

Strangely enough.

Rather than using his body to its limits, it felt as if he had used a strange, invisible power. 

That was why Ju Seo-jin had been certain and asked Halkenburg whether he had not moved his body directly. 

In the end, that had been revealed to be true.

‘Halkenburg... Is he a character created by taking the real-combat data of a top-class pro-gamer and reinforcement-training it with all sorts of technical elements......?’

In other words, the [Knight Soul] NPC standing before him─── “Halkenburg,” possessed skill comparable to that of an actual pro-gamer.

Perhaps, at least within this [Knight Soul], he might even surpass that. Ju Seo-jin felt tremendous interest in that fact.

When he had faced Crack, who was evaluated as a high-level active pro-gamer, in [Limitless War], honestly speaking, it had been difficult, but he had not felt any great sense of crisis.

However, Halkenburg’s sudden action... the operation method of Soul Power called “Virtual Energy” was different.

‘If I hadn’t consciously activated Divine Energy to some extent and kept my sixth sense open... it isn’t entirely impossible that I might not have reacted properly.’

Before the first sense of crisis he had ever felt... Ju Seo-jin began to feel immense interest.

He imagined such an opponent pressing him with such techniques and abilities. 

Even if he saw fate and matched the answer he wanted, he would probably not be easy to deal with.

And... that was why he could not help feeling great interest. Before Ju Seo-jin realized it, he opened his mouth and accepted Halkenburg’s proposal.

“Instruction... I’m willing to listen to a little of it.”

Kya.

Huh... A Halkenburg Disciple Quest, fuck; Receiving a Disciple Quest from that monster old man..? 

This has legendary content written all over it..????????

In Knight Soul, even getting a Disciple Quest from complete pushovers requires talking your ass off or doing all kinds of crazy shit.. and he got it like this..?

Getting a Disciple Quest from that insane psychopath old man is seriously legendary;; So this kind of thing is possible if you open the Hidden Route..

Holy shit, I’m seriously trembling.

And at the same time, Halkenburg tilted his head slightly backward and laughed, heh-heh-heh, before thrusting his face forward and speaking in an excited voice.

“Kuk-! Is that so? Very well, good......!! Do not worry, brat. I shall personally make you this Halkenburg’s finest masterpiece...! A few months will be enough───”

However.

“Mm- is that really necessary? ...I don’t think there’s anything I need to learn for that long. I’m also starting to get a feel for it. Just transmit everything to me in one go.”

“?”

In contrast, Ju Seo-jin spoke calmly, as if he had no intention of learning for that long.

When he learned the Larkranz Style in [Limitless War], had it not been enough to face Crack in only two matches?

Virtual Energy. 

Even if it was a systematic method of operation, he had a strange feeling that if he got the hang of it once, it would not be that difficult to learn. 

That was why he made a concise demand.

“Simply, through a spar.”

“............”

“That will be enough.”

“Kuk, puhahahahahaha!”

Halkenburg lowered his head briefly and trembled, then suddenly burst into loud laughter.

“Wuhaha-! As expected, the world is worth living long enough to see! Truly- truly- you are a properly mad bastard!! I have caught a real madman...!! Very well, now I am certain!! You are the one who will become this Halkenburg’s finest masterpiece......!!”

Crazy old bastard;

Wow.. 

That psychopathic old fart’s attack button got pressed again.. Scary;

No.. seriously, every time I hear that laughter, the fucking PTSD comes back, fuck;;

Teacher Seo-jin, who says he’ll learn all of Virtual Energy Operation in one go through a 1:1 spar, and the old man, who hears that and laughs because he likes it.. Neither of them seems normal, yeah;

That was... not anger, irritation, or displeasure, but a madness closer to delight.

***

《 Achievement Unlocked 》

‘Halkenburg’s Last Disciple’

Achievement Rate: ‘One and Only’

Description: You have been accepted as ‘Halkenburg’s’ last disciple in ‘Nightmare’ Mode. Beyond this, great instruction awaits.

At the same time the hologram window that appeared in his vision announced that he had cleared a hidden achievement in [Knight Soul]... Halkenburg gulped down the bottle of alcohol in one go, then wiped his mouth and spoke.

“Hic! ...Huuuu. Brat, once the matter is over and you receive the Rune’s Blessing from the Saintess, come to the training ground behind the temple. I will be waiting, so come when your resolve is set. Do you understand?”

Whoosh—

And then... as if he had said everything he needed to say and had no further interest, Halkenburg turned around, opened the door without hesitation, and left the conference room.

Step, step.......

Then, around the time Halkenburg’s footsteps could no longer be heard, Hartan struck the round table lightly with a thud and ground his teeth.

“That- dogshit old man. ...Now he says he’ll take a disciple? Not me, but that bastard? Damn it!”

At the same time Hartan spat those furious words, the young man who resembled a hunter in a felt hat responded lazily.

“Finest masterpiece... Since Lord Halkenburg said that... there seems to be no room for disagreement that they truly are the Ones Who Reclaim the Light....... Lord Hartan.”

The woman with a grotesque face stitched together with all kinds of colored thread also expressed the same opinion with a pale smile.

“Hmmm-. In the first place, wasn’t their authenticity already confirmed the moment they recovered a Knight’s Soul? I don’t understand why we have to keep doing this. There are no other choices either.”

The rag-like woman whose face was stitched with thread spoke in a somewhat cold voice.

“Prince Hartan. Three bishops of our Order have already died. The Knight Soul of ‘Temperance,’ which we barely succeeded in securing, also flowed into the hands of the Order of the Sun.... If you consider the meaning held by the ‘Ones Who Reclaim the Light,’ what we must do should be clear, no-?”

Swoosh—

“You there. Do you not think so as well, sir? Huhut.”

“.......”

Fuck..

This is enough to make ghosts step aside.. fuck..?

Am I the only one getting chills from seeing her smile with that face?;

Is she maybe liking Teacher Seo-jin because he’s handsome..?

Ju Seo-jin did not answer. 

He merely stood still.

After silence flowed for a moment like that... Hartan frowned in displeasure, but spoke in a much softer tone.

“...Haa. It cannot be helped. Out of respect for Old Man Halkenburg, I will specially forgive your rudeness just now and appoint you as knights.”

Tsk—

“...Both of you, just say your names and leave. From here on, after you receive the Rune’s Blessing from Grandis, you will be able to hear what you must do next.”

Hartan roughly scratched his disheveled brown hair and continued speaking half-heartedly.

“Hoo. You there, pretty-boy bastard- your name was Ju Seo-jin... was it? What is the name of the mute-like bitch behind you───”

The next moment.

WHACK───!

Suddenly. 

All at once, a rough impact sound rang out and cut off Hartan’s words. 

A small groan of pain, “Khhuup-,” slipped out.

And... as the handle of some longsword dropped in front of Hartan’s face with a thud, his nose swelled red and blood began to flow.

?

Uh..?

Insane..?

?? lolololololololololololololololololololololol

...It was the handle of Ju Seo-jin’s longsword, the one whose blade had been shattered before coming to the Temple of Twilight and could no longer be used.

??

What was that?? 

Did I just see that right????

Is this real?? 

lolololololololololol

Teacher Seo-jin.. 

Did he just take out the handle of the longsword that broke earlier.. and throw it..? 

At the cult leader’s face??

No.. If you do this here.. you are so.. fucked............??? How are you going to fix this???????

Fucking cathartic lololololololol Teacher Seo-jin, you’re a legendary manly man, huh lolololololololol

Swoosh—

“Didn’t Halkenburg already say it earlier? Not to speak carelessly. Yet you’re still doing it.”

“You...”

“Please- watch what you say.”

“.......”

Before anyone realized it, Ju Seo-jin withdrew his right arm, which had been stretched forward, and calmly moved his lips while receiving every gaze in the room.

“If I make a mistake and kill you for no reason, it’ll be my loss.”

??

Madman lololololololololololololol

Myangbangwool talked until her mouth went dry telling him not to fight earlier, and he just completely ignored it lololololol

“If I kill you for no reason, it’s my loss, so don’t get cocky” and shit lololol What kind of guts does he have, fuck lolololololololololol

Fuck, that sudden escalation is legendary lololololololololololololololololol

...In a tone filled with genuine difficulty, as if he truly did not want to suffer a pointless loss.