I Pull Out Excalibur

12 – Discordance (3)

The ruler of the landfill, Alchemist Hakan.

Najin doesn’t know much about his existence. Well, Alchemist is an unknown figure in terms of gender, age, identity, appearance, and anything else.

“Do you know who I am?”

In other words, all Najin knows about Alchemist is that he is an alchemist. And the fact that he is a formidable opponent comparable to Ivan.

‘It’s minimal information, but…’

A few pieces of information were enough. It was enough to associate the woman in front of him with Alchemist and leave some information behind.

“Alchemist.”

The oppressive pressure weighing down on my shoulders and the sharp, tense sensation were revealing the answer to me.

“Medicine peddler Hakan.”

Shouting that, Nazin straightened his posture.

The sight made the woman snicker. With her lips held tight and her eyebrows raised, she opened her eyes narrow. With half-opened pupils, she stared at Nazin and spoke.

“You have a good intuition. Quick to catch on. But strangely, I’m not particularly fond of the conclusion you’ve drawn.”

She did not deny Nazin’s guess.

Medicine peddler Hakan extended his finger and pointed it towards the blade that Nazin was pointing at him.

“Aren’t you going to run away? You seem quite confident, and if I am indeed the Medicine peddler Hakan, shouldn’t you be running away?”

Ivan, Jose, and Gyunju are the strong ones.

If she had encountered a strong opponent that she couldn’t handle, would it be right for her to run away, she inquired.

“With the rules Ivan has set, it’s best to beat and eliminate any boss from another organization who enters your territory.”

“But didn’t Ivan leave his post?”

Did she know that he left his post?

The rear support that Jose trusted. Was that the Medicine peddler Hakan? Although it seems far-fetched when she recalls that a little while ago, one of Jose’s subordinates exploded and died.

···Well, whatever the case.

Nazin clenched the sword entrusted to him by Ivan tightly in his grip.

“Rules are rules.”

“You’re an unnecessarily diligent kid.”

Hakan, who shrugged his shoulders, flicked his finger.

Jjirurrurur, the resounding noise once again echoed. The ones standing behind Hakan, their heads tilting as if intoxicated, reacted to the noise.

They saw their master, Hakan, and then they looked at the tip of his extended finger.

Her finger was pointing towards Nazin. And then, they began to charge towards Nazin. Dozens of addicts who seemed to be intoxicated. Staring at them, their eyes and ears bleeding, Nazin let out a long breath.

Nazin didn’t leave this spot.

That was not solely because of the rules set by Ivan. It was because of his intuition. He sensed that the further he got away from the Medicine peddler Hakan, the more dangerous it would become.

2.

There are a lot of them.

Nazin’s pupils moved quickly.

There are at least twenty addicts pushing their way through the crowd surrounding the Medicine peddler Hakan. Even with just what he could see right now…

“There seem to be more behind them.”

This is just the first matrix.

More popularity was felt behind Hakan. Is that all? Considering the screams echoing from various parts of the city and the explosion sound I heard a while ago, the number could be over a hundred.

Ivan and Open were absent.

No support from the members of the organization can be expected.

Furthermore, there is a lack of information about the opponent.

If it’s the worst-case scenario, it’s the worst situation. It was a crisis of death, and all I had in my hands was a single sword.

“But it’s not an ordinary sword.”

The sword Ivan threw.

It was a distinguished sword that differed from the swords Na Jin usually used, and it symbolized Na Jin proving her worth to Ivan.

Na Jin’s eyes, which were rolling quickly, stopped. The place her eyes were directed was Hakan, standing beyond the addicts.

The addicts moved according to Hakan’s orders, and the mastermind behind this situation was none other than Hakan. Ivan always said, “The first thing you have to break on the battlefield is the commander and the person in charge.” For a moment, Na Jin’s twilight-colored eyes flickered.

Bang!

Na Jin kicked the ground and rushed forward.

A moment’s acceleration. Na Jin, who quickly closed the distance, swung her sword toward the addict’s neck blocking her path. Swish. Blood splattered along the smooth trajectory of the sword blade.

Rumble.

The moment she severed the addict’s neck, the body convulsed greatly. The body began to swell. Without hesitation, Na Jin kicked the decapitated corpse with her foot.

Kwaaah!

Several addicts were engulfed in the explosion. Even though their arms were torn off, and one leg flew away, they rushed toward Na Jin as if they didn’t feel any pain. Seeing them, Na Jin furrowed her brows slightly.

“It’s like watching undead from a fairy tale…”

Alive or dead.

Corpses with rotting flesh and decayed humans pierced through the nose. Some of them were corpses, but not all of them. The situation was not exactly favorable for contemplating the unknown.

Instead of thinking, Na Jin assessed the situation and acted.

“The explosion range is about three steps away.”

When will it explode?

Within 2 seconds of convulsions.

The condition for the explosion?

It exploded after definitely cutting the throat. But there was no guarantee it wouldn’t explode when they were still alive. So, at least a distance of three steps should be maintained.

Assessment of the situation. Sorting of information.

All that remained was to move.

Na Jin lowered her sword. Dealing with multiple opponents was one of the first things she learned from Ivan.

“No matter how talented and skilled you are.”

“Even if you have talent and senses, in the end, you’ll still end up stabbed and dead before you start handling mana properly. So, what should you do?”

Tactics etched into the body through countless experiences as a frontline.

“First, block the approach.”

Swinging the sword low, it swept past the ankles of the addicts. Slicing sounds echoed, some ankles were completely severed, and others were deeply cut, rendering them unable to stand. Four addicts fell, blocking the path.

“Second, lead them into a narrow space.”

A narrow alley with no way out.

Enemies approached only from the front, and with the fallen four delaying the rear, their advance was impeded.

“If you’ve done that, what’s left is easy.”

“Don’t you know? You’ve already learned it.”

Do what you do best.

Judge each situation and make the best move.

As the rear tried to advance over the fallen addicts, Najin’s sword swept past the necks of those they had trampled. Right after swinging the sword, Najin leaped backward.

Kwaaah!

Limbs or ankles of those caught in the explosion nearby flew. Bodies piled up, once again blocking the path. The deafening noise and the splattering blood. And the flesh that used to be human.

It was not a sight worth opening one’s eyes to.

Najin, who had seen people die so many times since childhood, found the scene nauseating. Wiping the splattered blood off his face with the back of his hand, Najin struck the ground.

In the narrow alley, Najin’s sword flickered. Trying to cut down those approaching within three steps or kicking them away, Najin tried to narrow the distance with Hakan.

But the distance did not shrink at all.

“They’re coming. Continuously.”

The numbers continued to increase.

Pushing them away, they kept pouring in like a flood. Despite pushing, they relentlessly pressed forward. Najin, who had been steadily moving forward, suddenly started to step back.

One step, two steps, three steps…

If this continues, he’ll be pushed out of the alley.

Into an open space. If pushed into a space where they can surround him, it’s all over. Najin gritted his teeth. If it were half, it wouldn’t be like this. If it were half, it would be a little faster and more certain…

So.

Thud.

Like this.

Slicing sound.

In an instant, Najin, who had swiftly plunged forward, wielded her sword like Ivan. Following the optimal path she had envisioned only in her mind, her body moved, and the blade flashed. Najin’s eyes widened.

‘Again.’

A peculiar sensation, as if something was wriggling through her body.

It was not something Najin could control. It was unconscious, an instinctive reaction.

‘But…’

To remedy the situation, that movement was necessary.

Najin glanced beyond the approaching horde of addicts at Hakan standing there.

“…”

She simply gazed up at the sky without uttering a word. It meant she didn’t even recognize herself as a proper adversary.

Without exerting her full power.

Pupils that gazed at ‘what comes next,’ not herself.

Najin was irritated, albeit slightly, by the sight of a formidable opponent who didn’t even acknowledge herself.

‘Let’s see how long you can remain at ease.’

Conscious of the sensation from a moment ago, Najin moved. Drawing the optimal path in her mind, she took steps. Just as the flow was about to engulf her.

Abruptly.

A sensation of something catching in her throat emanated from within.

“…!”

The flow engulfing her back disappeared.

Her accelerating body returned to its original speed. In that moment, a disparity arose between the movement she had envisioned in her mind and the movement of her body.

What Najin had envisioned in her mind was ‘plunging in, wielding the sword, and stepping back.’ However, when Najin’s body, freed from acceleration, swung the sword, it stiffened.

rrr.

A corpse rising with spilled blood. A prelude to an explosion. Najin hastily threw her body backward, but it was too late.

Kwaaang!

Pushed by the explosion, Najin rolled on the ground.

She narrowly escaped the range, but due to the close call, she was swept by the shockwave. Najin stood up, breathing heavily. Her entire body was tense.

‘What was the problem?’

Suddenly, a catching sensation.

It wasn’t a physical impediment but something closer to a psychological factor. The moment Najin realized it, a voice echoed in her ears.

Do not cross the line.

Live as you are given.

“Do not reach for the unattainable.”

It was a phrase Iban had always uttered.

Words I had pondered over countless times when resigning and letting go. Now, those words had become shackles tightly gripping Nagine’s ankles.

…Shackles that Nagine herself had fastened.

Mana and the sword were things not meant to be handled.

Even if you knew how to deal with them, reaching out for them was forbidden. Nagine had always thought that way. Those were things existing beyond the line that Iban had drawn.

Even though she had the ability to cross the line.

Nagine had feared Iban and never crossed the line.

Unconsciously limiting her own actions.

If she took just one step forward, she could reach for things in front of her. However, without crossing the line, certain things remained out of reach. What Nagine needed now were those things.

What a boy needed was the courage to cross the line.

But the shackles were not easily broken.

The shackles filled over the years had become a part of Nagine. Nagine felt the scars engraved on her shoulders. Stepping back, Nagine exhaled.

“…”

Retreating, Nagine suddenly looked at the sword in her hand.

The sword left behind by Iban.

“Ha.”

Unconsciously, Nagine let out a laugh.

What was she hesitating about?

Accepting this sword was a permission in itself.

‘A permission to cross the line.’

Nagine lifted her foot. With that raised foot, Nagine firmly stepped on the line she unconsciously drew. Shattering the shackles on her foot, Nagine took a step forward. At that moment, Nagine’s body accelerated.

Keeng.

The flow propelled Nagine’s body.

No sudden stops or hindrances. Her body moved smoothly and swiftly. The imagined movements in her mind perfectly overlapped with the movements of her body.

Sgeuk.

The cleanly drawn path opened by the sucked-in sword. As the falling corpses tried to explode while trembling, Nagine was already gone by the time they showed signs of lifting their bodies. Yet, she didn’t step back.

Nagine leaped.

With a thud, she kicked the wall of the narrow alley and jumped. A movement impossible for a human’s agility. Possible only with the help of mana.

Upon landing, she swung the sword, and as the addicts lifted their bodies, Nagine kicked the wall again and leaped. Without stepping back, Nagine overcame the approaching addicts and closed in on the drug dealer.

Kwajik.

Najin jumped high, driving her sword into the sky. It resembled Ivan’s sword ceremony.

The boy who crossed the line reaches out his hand.

There is light where the boy reaches out his hand.

Although considered unworthy of grasping in his subconscious, he did not hold on even though it was in sight.

Snap.

As he reached out his hand and gripped it, the grasp tightened in Najin’s hand holding the sword. The flow that pushed Najin’s body flowed through her fingers and settled on the blade.

Flash.

Najin’s sword glowed fiercely.

The light on the sword was pure white.

It has yet to have its own color and hasn’t completely covered the blade, but the white radiance on the sword is undoubtedly a sign of its sharpness.

Najin consciously drew it out.

A light powered by her own will, not by subconsciousness, coincidence, or instinct.

In a dark alley where even the light from a lantern doesn’t reach, the white glow on the boy’s sword shone brightly.

3.

The drug dealer Hakan sneered.

The boy who had rushed towards him eventually disappeared behind the crowd of addicts. His movements seemed quite convincing, but they were insufficient to overcome Hakan’s forces.

He’ll probably put up a little resistance before falling.

According to the rumors, he was someone Ivan valued, so he would surely be pleased to receive his corpse.

‘There is no interruption in the plan.’

He gathered the bodies that fell into burial grounds and created a living bomb. Over a long period of time, he took over Hossen’s territory, addicted Hossen to be under his control.

And finally, he succeeded in luring Ivan and Open by using Hossen as bait.

It was a plan that had been prepared for a very long time. However, Hakan did not think that he would be able to finish Ivan off with just that trap. Ivan didn’t know Hakan, but Hakan knew Ivan.

‘Ivan, the knight of Atangga.’

Hakan knows how persistent and relentless the knights of Atangga are. They will definitely break through the trap and come back here.

‘So I’ll conquer before that.’

He would occupy the central area where Ivan resides and force Ivan into a war of attrition. In doing so, victory would be his. He would have all the territories of the underground city Artman under his rule.

A plan prepared for a long time.

If only he could fulfill that plan…

“······.”

Hakan lifted her head without saying a word.

She gazed at the ceiling of the underground city. Expelled from the workshop at a young age, she had fallen into the underground city. But once, she was called a genius and mentioned as the next workshop master.

As is often the case with those living in this city.

She, too, could not forget the glorious days.

Hakan, the alchemist of the Alchemy Workshop, wants to shine once again. Occupying the entire city is just a process; it is not her final destination. She smiled, looking a little further.

It won’t be long now.

The day to leave this city full of abandoned and trash-like things is approaching. That’s when she’ll be looking at the high places.

Thud.

Jin, leaping by kicking off the wall of the alley, blocked Hakan’s view as she looked towards the passage leading to the upper town. Without a chance for her to feel discomfort about that fact.

Flash.

Jin’s sword gleamed.

In a place full of abandoned things, in a dark alley covered in darkness, in this city filled only with trash, the boy’s sword scattered a pure white radiance.

Like a star hanging in the sky.

The moment Hakan faced the light, she opened her eyes wide. Shining things. Things that could act as variables in her plans. She thought she had excluded all such things, yet there was still one light left here.

“I didn’t think about this.”

I never thought he would hide such a thing.

Thinking that she had scored a point against Ivan, Hakan let out a bitter laugh.

The boy a moment ago was nothing more than ordinary trash.

But now, the boy who brought forth light is undoubtedly a clear variable.

Alchemist Hakan no longer looked at the sky or the next steps of her plan. Staring directly at the boy in front of her, she slashed her forearm with a dagger. The spilled blood on the arm hit the ground, making a sound, and vaporized.

A moment filled with the strong scent of the alley.

It meant that Hakan had brought out the secret she had hidden and recognized the boy in front of her as her opponent.