It had been exactly three days since Seol spread those strange rumors.

In just three days, everyone in Yocheon was talking about them.

“So you’re saying… Gwak Seong is scared, right?”

"That's exactly what I'm saying! Who wouldn’t want to avoid the fight? His opponent is the very person carrying on Dae San’s legacy!"

“But didn’t Dae Ha inherit Dae San’s legacy?”

“That’s completely different! Their fighting styles are totally opposite!”

“That’s a fair point… Dae San always filled up five minutes while Dae Ha just one-sidedly overwhelmed his opponents.”

“Gwak Seong’s done for. Is he really the same Gwak Seong who raised two conquerors?”

“It’s because he’s old. Old people always settle for the status quo.”

Seol showed no reaction to the swirling rumors.

Rather, he quietly continued to take on his assigned matches.

As the Dragon Trial approached its final two weeks, Seol had already fought over fifteen matches.

Unsurprisingly, he had not lost a single one.

Though the rumors had spread faster thanks to Shin Yo’s help, it was a rumor that would have spread regardless of her interference.

Shin Yo had simply poured gasoline onto the embers that Seol was growing, hastening things.

But… another interesting thing did happen during that time.

So Ryo, the Dragon’s Flower who refused Seol Hong’s proposal to work together, had registered her own Dragon’s Stone for the death battles.

It appeared that after hearing the rumors spreading throughout Yocheon and witnessing Seol’s impressive feats in the arena, she had devised the same plan they had.

However, her Dragon’s Stone failed to defeat his opponent in exactly five minutes. In fact, after winning two matches, he lost the third, bringing her even greater humiliation.

So Ryo, shocked by his loss, did not register her Dragon’s Stone for any further matches.

It must have been a huge shock to learn that her Dragon’s Stone was weaker than Seol Hong’s.

And now… Seol’s battle with one of the ranked gladiators was about to begin.

“Fuuuuu…”

Even now, Seol’s powers hadn’t fully returned.

Why did he have to fight like this when he was a summoner? Seol couldn’t help but let out a depressed sigh.

‘Could one of you please come back?’

Seol might have had four summons, but he hadn’t seen a single one of them since arriving in the East.

The host’s voice then began to echo throughout the Warrior’s Heart once more.

- Ah! I'm sure this is the moment many of you have been eagerly awaiting! All of you are here to see him, aren’t you? Hahaha! So am I! The newcomer who claims to be the true successor of Dae San, the Demon Flash! Undefeated with 15 wins! Ladies and gentlemen, Kang Seol!

“Yeahhhhhhhh!”

“I’m betting on you, Kang Seol!”

“Give me back my money! Hurry up and die here!”

“Shut up! What about my money then?!”

“You got this, Kang Seol! I’m cheering for you!”

Not only did the host have more to say, but the crowd also booed less than before.

In fact, some people were even showing support for him, which made Seol feel somewhat encouraged as he entered the fight.

- And facing Kang Seol… is a powerful gladiator who many believed would become the next conqueror! Chi Rang the martial artist!

“Chi Raaaaaaaaaang!”

“I only have you now! Kill Kang Seol!”

“Kill him already!”

As Seol continued his winning streak in the Warrior’s Heart, he diligently studied each of his opponents. Chi Rang, his next opponent, was someone he had been keeping an eye on.

‘Most of the people in the Warrior’s Heart are too weak to be my opponents. The ones I need to keep an eye on are Chi Rang the martial artist, Dae Ha the conqueror, Seon Yu the onmyoji, and Gyu Ho the battle god.’

When Seol observed the matches while simulating potential battles in his mind, Chi Rang, Seon Yu, and Gyu Ho stood out as individuals he deemed necessary to face himself to know for certain who would win.

As for Dae Ha, who hadn't fought anyone during that period, Seol lacked any information on which to base any analysis.

“My name is Chi Rang.”

“Kang Seol.”

There was no need for a long conversation between the two.

- Then… we shall begin!

Click…

As Chi Rang flicked his wrists, a mechanical device on his arms activated, causing a pair of gauntlets to wrap around his hands.

The Khan Empire had quite advanced mechanical engineering skills, especially in the case of weapons. In fact, their weapons were much more advanced than the West’s.

Seol had plenty of opportunities to experience that himself in Yocheon.

“Hah!”

[Chi Rang used Breakthrough.]

[The attack radius is increased.]

Click!

A powerful skill right off the bat.

‘That’s dangerous!’

Baaaam!

Seol turned his hips, narrowly avoiding Chi Rang’s frightening attack.

Fwirl!

Chi Rang turned his attacks mid-air.

While such a sudden shift should have also affected him, his gauntlets appeared to have somewhat mitigated it.

It was difficult to fight someone with techniques and equipment like this because it was nearly impossible to predict their next move.

However, Seol was prepared for this as well.

Fwip!

He turned his hips once more, avoiding Chi Rang’s follow-up attacks.

Baaaaaaaaaam!

Chi Rang struck the ground, missing Seol entirely.

Cruuuuuush!

His attack was more than powerful enough to break the stage beneath them.

Normally, this would have ended as a loss for both parties after falling through the floor.

“Haaaaaah!”

“Hrgh!”

The Daoists and shamans around them groaned as they displayed their skills.

Float…

The destroyed pieces of the stage began to float mid-air.

“Woahhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

“Yeah, show him, Chi Rang!”

Seol and Chi Rang both perfectly landed on the rubble, then glanced at one another.

Fwip!

Fwip!

And another clash.

“Hrgh…”

Wooosh…

Chi Rang puffed his chest.

[Chi Rang used Mountain Toss.]

[Throw strength is greatly increased. Carrying capacity is drastically increased.]

With both hands, Chi Rang quickly reached for a floating rock multiple times bigger than him before immediately throwing it at Seol.

Fwooooooooosh!

The rock flew at immense speed, covering Seol’s vision entirely.

‘Would I… be able to break that?’

Seol definitely didn’t have the luxury of dodging it.

Craaaaaaackle…

Seol gathered shadows in his hands until they climbed up to his wrists.

He activated Night Crow in response, but… this was a skill that he had adapted and refined over the recent battles.

Seol pulled back his right arm like a bowstring and…

BAAAAAAAAAAM!

…completely destroyed the rubble.

“Too sloppy!”

Chi Rang revealed himself from behind the debris.

He had used it as a cover to find an opening.

However, Seol had also predicted this.

Bam bam fwip fwoosh!

The two exchanged and blocked multiple blows.

Even Seol sweated during this interaction.

‘I have to maintain focus!’

The two fought fiercely on the small floating piece of rubble.

A single mistake could spell defeat, and using too large a maneuver would cause them to fall.

“Woahhhhhhhh!”

“A-Are you seeing this?”

- An incredible battle!

Bam bam bam!

Fwip! Fwoosh!

Chi Rang continually changed his approach, concentrating entirely on attacking faster and feinting to find an opening in Seol’s defenses.

Creaaak!

Crush!

He was like a spear trying to do whatever he could to make his attack successful.

Fwip fwoosh!

Bam bam bam!

Meanwhile, Seol was the perfect shield.

With his hand covered in viscous black shadow, he continued to deflect Chi Rang’s attacks, sometimes cutting them off before Chi Rang could even ready them.

Chi Rang began to grow frustrated.

“You bastaaaaaaaaard!”

He had grown so heated that the warmth spread from his head down to his gauntlets.

Fwoooosh…

The heat from the gauntlets burned his sleeves, revealing Chi Rang’s trained muscles.

Woosh…

His gloves began to radiate an ominous smoke.

“Isn’t that a little too dangerous?” mocked Seol.

“Shut up!”

Chi Rang had completely fallen for Seol’s taunts.

It made sense why he fell for such a light taunt. After all, Chi Rang had failed to land even a single proper hit on Seol.

But then…

Bam…

Seol used the opening created by Chi Rang’s attack to land a counterblow.

Hrgh…

“Time’s up.”

“I-I’ll kill…”

As Seol placed his hands on Chi Rang’s gloves, Chi Rang cursed him.

“Someone like you will never be able to beat Dae Ha…”

Cruuuush!

Seol completely destroyed Chi Rang’s weapons as his answer.

Fwip!

And after a light push, Seol kicked Chi Rang’s stomach.

Baaaaaaaam!

Though it was a simple kick, there was immense force behind it. Normal people would have died from such an attack.

Chi Rang then fell down, down the arena.

Thud…

Thankfully, the Daoists lightened his body, preventing him from sustaining any serious injuries.

“Ch-Chi Rang…”

“L-Lost as well.”

“Chi Rang lost that easily?”

- The winner of this death battle is Kang Seol! He really did defeat Chi Rang easily!

“Yeahhhhhhhhhh!”

“Kang Seol! Kang Seol!”

“Thank you! Thank you!”

* * *

Translator - goguma

Proofreader - Karane

* * *

After defeating Chi Rang, someone who many believed would become the next conqueror, Seol’s popularity exploded.

In fact, it reached the point where he had to hide himself whenever he went outside.

Seon Yu the onmyoji and Gyu Ho the battle god both canceled their matches against Seol, blaming their condition.

Now… there was no one who could stop Seol’s storm other than the conqueror of the Warrior’s Heart.

‘I guess the plan is nearing its finale now, then.’

Seol’s plan had been going well. The only thing left was for Gwak Seong to play his hand.

However, that didn’t mean Seol had no worries.

‘There’s still the possibility that Dae Ha is stronger than me.’

Seol then recalled how powerful Dae San was at his peak.

‘Even if my stats are much higher than his…’

Seol reached the conclusion that without his summons, there was the possibility that he could lose to Dae San.

That was just how powerful those with combat-based classes were. And there was a possibility that Dae Ha, his brother, had inherited his prowess.

As Seol continued to think to himself, Cheon Ju came to see them.

“Lady Seol Hong…”

“Huh?”

“Someone came to see you.”

“...to see me?”

Seol and Seol Hong exchanged glances.

The only people who knew about them in Yocheon were the other Dragon’s Flowers and the archivists.

Stand…

Seol stood up in her place and walked to the door.

When he opened the door, no one was there, contrary to what Cheon Ju had said.

However, there was a note.

Seol read it, then turned back and closed the door behind him.

Creak…

“Lady Seol Hong.”

“What is it? Where’s the guest?”

“They left after leaving this behind.”

After reading the note, Seol Hong began nodding her head.

“So Gwak Seong’s finally making his move.”

In the note, Gwak Seong had requested a meeting.

* * *

The place where Gwak Seong wanted to meet was near the center of Yocheon.

However, Seol Hong wasn’t the only person he had invited.

“E-Elder Sister So Ryo?”

“Seol Hong? Did he send you a message as well?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Haah…” sighed So Ryo. With a disappointed expression, she then continued, “I came here because Gwak Seong sent me a note saying he had something to discuss. But judging by how you were invited as well… Elder Brother Bae Yu will be joining us soon.”

So Ryo continued to mix in sly comments that seemed to suggest that Seol Hong was beneath her and Bae Yu.

However, Seol Hong didn’t mind it at all. In fact, she was more preoccupied with a worrying feeling.

“But how… did Gwak Seong know that the three of us were here?”

“It may be possible that Elder Brother Bae Yu managed to make contact with Gwak Seong.”

“Do you really think he did that?” asked Seol Hong.

“I don’t know either. We’ll have to go and find out.”

Seol Hong, with a worried expression, looked at Seol.

“I can get you out no matter what,” said Seol. “Don’t worry.”

“...Okay.”

“Be confident. He will pick away at you if you show any signs of weakness, Lady Seol Hong.”

Nod…

They then nervously climbed up the flights of stairs to the third floor of the pavilion.

“Over here, kiddos.”

“Haah… What a foul way of speaking.”

A middle-aged man appeared to be having a meal with someone at a table with four seats.

Two of the seats were already occupied.

The first was obviously Gwak Seong, while the other seemed to be Bae Yu, seen from the back.

“Haah…” sighed So Ryo. “So Elder Brother Bae Yu made the first move in the end…”

“......”

“Didn’t I tell you that you could try all you want, but you’d never be able to do anything on your own, Seol Hong? Will you finally accept it now? Elder Brother Bae Yu already—”

“...Unni.”

“Don’t cut me off, Seol Hong. Listen to what I have to—”

“Elder Brother Bae Yu… appears to be dead.”

“......”

So Ryo quickly shifted her gaze from Seol Hong to Bae Yu.

Even now, Bae Yu remained silent, not turning around to face them.

Gwak Seong then spoke in his stead.

“Why don’t we have a seat?”