Synopsis and Starting Chapter Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105 - Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
Chapter 128
Chapter 129
Chapter 130
Chapter 131
Chapter 132
Chapter 133
Chapter 134
Chapter 135
Chapter 136
Chapter 137
Chapter 138
Chapter 139
Chapter 140 - Chapter 140
Chapter 141
Chapter 142 - Chapter 142
Chapter 143
Chapter 144
Chapter 145
Chapter 146
Chapter 147
Chapter 148
Chapter 149
Chapter 150
Chapter 151
Chapter 152
Chapter 153
Chapter 154
Chapter 155
Chapter 156
Chapter 157
Chapter 158
Chapter 159
Chapter 160
Chapter 161
Chapter 162
Chapter 163
Chapter 164
Chapter 165
Chapter 166
Chapter 167
Chapter 168
Chapter 169
Chapter 170 - Chapter 170
Chapter 171
Chapter 172
Chapter 173
Chapter 174
Chapter 175
Chapter 176
Chapter 177
Chapter 178
Chapter 179
Chapter 180
Chapter 181
Chapter 182
Chapter 183
Chapter 184
Chapter 185
Chapter 186
Chapter 187
Chapter 188
Chapter 189
Chapter 190
Chapter 191
Chapter 192
Chapter 193
Chapter 194
Chapter 195
Chapter 196
Chapter 197
Chapter 198
Chapter 199
Chapter 200
Chapter 201
Chapter 202
Chapter 203 - Chapter 203
Chapter 204
Chapter 205
Chapter 206
Chapter 207
Chapter 208 - Chapter 208
Chapter 209
Chapter 210
Chapter 211
Chapter 212
Chapter 213
Chapter 214
Chapter 215
Chapter 216
Chapter 217
Chapter 218
Chapter 219
Chapter 220
Chapter 221
Chapter 222
Chapter 223
Chapter 224
Chapter 225
Chapter 226
Chapter 227
Chapter 228
Chapter 229
Chapter 230
Chapter 231
Chapter 232
Chapter 233
Chapter 234
Chapter 235
Chapter 236
Chapter 237
Chapter 238
Chapter 239 - Chapter 239
Chapter 240
Chapter 241
Chapter 242
Chapter 243
Chapter 244
Chapter 245
Chapter 246
Chapter 247
Chapter 248
Chapter 249
Chapter 250
Chapter 251
Chapter 252
Chapter 253
Chapter 254
Chapter 255
Chapter 256
Chapter 257
Chapter 258
Chapter 259
Chapter 260
Chapter 261
Chapter 262
Chapter 263 - Chapter 263
Chapter 264
Chapter 265
Chapter 266
Chapter 267
Chapter 268
Chapter 269
Chapter 270
Chapter 271
Chapter 272
Chapter 273
Chapter 274
Chapter 275
Chapter 276
Chapter 277
Chapter 278
Chapter 279
Chapter 280
Chapter 281
Chapter 282
Chapter 283
Chapter 284
Chapter 285
Chapter 286
Chapter 287
Chapter 288
Chapter 289
Chapter 290
Chapter 291
Chapter 292
Chapter 293
Chapter 294
Chapter 295
Chapter 296
Chapter 297 - Chapter 297
Chapter 298
Chapter 299
Chapter 300
Chapter 301
Chapter 302
Chapter 303
Chapter 304
Chapter 305
Chapter 306
Chapter 307
Chapter 308
Chapter 309
Chapter 310
Chapter 311
Chapter 312
Chapter 313
Chapter 314
Chapter 315
Chapter 316
Chapter 317
Chapter 318
Chapter 319
Chapter 320
Chapter 321
Chapter 322
Chapter 323
Chapter 324
Chapter 325
Chapter 326
Chapter 327
Chapter 328
Chapter 329
Chapter 330
Chapter 331
Chapter 332
Chapter 333
Chapter 334
Chapter 335
Chapter 336
Chapter 337
Chapter 338
Chapter 339
Chapter 340
Chapter 341
Chapter 342
Chapter 343
Chapter 344
Chapter 345
Chapter 346
Chapter 347
Chapter 348
Chapter 349
Chapter 350
Chapter 351
Chapter 352
Chapter 353
Chapter 354
Chapter 355
Chapter 356
Chapter 357
Chapter 358
Chapter 359
Chapter 360
Chapter 361
Chapter 362
Chapter 363
Chapter 364
Chapter 365
Chapter 366
Chapter 367
Chapter 368
Chapter 369
Chapter 370
Chapter 371
Chapter 372
Chapter 373
Chapter 374
Chapter 375
Chapter 376
Chapter 377
Chapter 378
Chapter 379
Chapter 380
Chapter 381
Chapter 382
Chapter 383
Chapter 384 - Chapter 384
Chapter 385
Chapter 386
Chapter 387
Chapter 388
Chapter 389
Chapter 390
Chapter 391
Chapter 392
Chapter 393
Chapter 394
Chapter 395
Chapter 396
Chapter 397
Chapter 398
Chapter 399
Chapter 400
Chapter 401
Chapter 402
Chapter 403
Chapter 404
Chapter 405
Chapter 406
Chapter 407
Chapter 408
Chapter 409
Chapter 410
Chapter 411
Chapter 412
Chapter 413
Chapter 414
Chapter 415
Chapter 416
Chapter 417
Chapter 418
Chapter 419
Chapter 420
Chapter 421
Chapter 422
Chapter 423
Chapter 424
Chapter 425
Chapter 426 - Chapter 426
Chapter 427
Chapter 428
Chapter 429
Chapter 430
Chapter 431
Chapter 432
Chapter 433
Chapter 434
Chapter 435
Chapter 436
Chapter 437
Chapter 438
Chapter 439
Chapter 440
Chapter 441
Chapter 442
Chapter 443
Chapter 444
Chapter 445
Chapter 446 - Chapter 446
Chapter 447
Chapter 448
Chapter 449
Chapter 450
Chapter 451 - Chapter 451
Chapter 452
Chapter 453
Chapter 454
Chapter 455
Chapter 456
Chapter 457
Chapter 458
Chapter 459
Chapter 460
Chapter 461
Chapter 462
Chapter 463
Chapter 464
Chapter 465
Chapter 466
Chapter 467
Chapter 468
Chapter 469
Chapter 470
Chapter 471
Chapter 472
Chapter 473
Chapter 474
Chapter 475
Chapter 476
Chapter 477
Chapter 478
Chapter 479
Chapter 480
Chapter 481
Chapter 482
Chapter 483 - Chapter 483
Chapter 484
Chapter 485
Chapter 486
Chapter 487
Chapter 488
Chapter 489
Chapter 490
Chapter 491
Chapter 492
Chapter 493
Chapter 494
Chapter 495
Chapter 496
Chapter 497
Chapter 498
Chapter 499
Chapter 500
Chapter 501
Chapter 502
Chapter 503
Chapter 504
Chapter 505
Chapter 506
Chapter 507
Chapter 508
Chapter 509
Chapter 510
Chapter 511
Chapter 512
Chapter 513
Chapter 514
Chapter 515
Chapter 516 - Chapter 516
Chapter 517
Chapter 518
Chapter 519
Chapter 520
Chapter 521
Chapter 522
Chapter 523
Chapter 524
Chapter 525
Chapter 526
Chapter 527
Chapter 528
Chapter 529
Chapter 530
Chapter 531
Chapter 532
Chapter 533
Chapter 534 - Chapter 534
Chapter 535
Chapter 536
Chapter 537
Chapter 538 - Chapter 538
Chapter 539
Chapter 540
Chapter 541
Chapter 542
Chapter 543
Chapter 544
Chapter 545
Chapter 546
Chapter 547
Chapter 548
Chapter 549
Chapter 550
Chapter 551
Chapter 552
Chapter 553
Chapter 554
Chapter 555
Categories Genre: Action, Adventure, All, Fantasy, Martial Arts, Ongoing, Supernatural Status: Ongoing Alternative names: HR, 영웅; 회귀하다, ______
Total Chapters in book: 555
Estimated words: 1462055 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 7310(@200wpm)___ 5848(@250wpm)___ 4874(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 1462055 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 7310(@200wpm)___ 5848(@250wpm)___ 4874(@300wpm)
______
LIST OF LAST 10 CHAPTERS:
Page No. 555 Page No. 554 Page No. 553 Page No. 552 Page No. 551 Page No. 550 Page No. 549 Page No. 548 Page No. 547 Page No. 546 Page No. 545 Chapter 138
Chapter 138: Chapter 138
* * *
Boom!
Clang! Rumble!
The first floor of the Gordon Tower had broken into pandemonium.
Out of ten awakeners, two had already died.
Stjepan hid, trying to avoid the battle, a single black stone held firmly in his hand.
<< Goddammit! Please, please, let someone reply before– >>
In case of emergency, the European Union’s awakeners had established a signaling system that allowed them to quickly send messages to one another. A stone with magical energy would vibrate dozens of times louder than any smartphone, allowing them to sense an incoming signal even in the middle of battle.
<< Could it be that the other side is also…? >>
Buzz, buzz.
A reply finally came. Stjepan hurriedly yanked his smartphone out of his pants’ pocket. The caller was Adel.
“Goddammit! What took you so damn long?!”
“What happened?”
“What do you mean, what happened?! This bastard. We can’t deal with him alone!”
BOOM!
“Aaaaahk!”
Just then, a scream came from behind him, causing Stjepan to hurriedly turn his head around to look. One of his allies was writhing on the ground in pain, missing an arm. With that, the number of combatants remaining in the fight dwindled to seven, including himself.
He grew even more desperate. “You have some leeway there, right? Send at least five more to this side! Hurry up!!”
“We don’t have any leeway either.”
“What’s that?!”
“I was about to ask for aid from your group. But then…”
Stjepan didn’t need to hear the rest of the sentence to know that both sides were struggling at the moment. That also meant that neither of them had succeeded in their mission.
<< Which means… >>
His eyes shifted to Su-hyeun.
<< We need to face a monster like that by ourselves. >>
Forget about an injury. They had failed to even scratch Su-hyeun up until now. At this rate, all of their efforts would be meaningless, and the hapless European Union awakeners would die for nothing.
“W-what should we do now?”
“That’s…”
Buzz, crack.
He heard the sound of something breaking through the phone, then the call disconnected.
“F*ck!!”
Crack!
Stjepan threw the phone to the floor angrily. He watched its screen shatter into pieces, and yet that didn’t make him feel any better. The situation remained as bad as it could get.
“What do we have to do so that–”
“Looks like things aren’t working out for you?”
Step, step.
Stjepan spun his head around to the voice coming from behind.
Su-hyeun was walking closer as he choked another awakener with one hand. As for the rest, they didn’t dare to approach, they were too frightened by Su-hyeun to do anything.
“I told you, didn’t I? It was a mistake to divide your forces.”
“How dare you spew out such arrogant—”
“You don’t even have the necessary skills, and yet, what’s with that ego of yours?”
Su-hyeun directed a mocking chuckle in Stjepan’s direction and let go of the awakener’s throat.
Plop.
“Cough, cough!”
The awakener grabbed at his neck and panted heavily, clearly in agony, eyes bloodshot. A short while later, his breathing settled down just a little. He looked up at Su-hyeun, and his terrified face became deathly pale.
“H-hiiieeek!!”
The awakener spun around and crawled away to escape. Stjepan, who was watching the unsightly spectacle, could only gnash his teeth. The odds of this battle were tilted against him for sure. Only six people, including himself, could possibly carry on with the battle.
“Why don’t I give you all a chance?” Su-hyeun looked at Stjepan, who seemed to be the leader of this little group, and spoke. “An opportunity for you to get out of here alive.”
“…An opportunity?”
“That’s right. So, how about it? Interested yet?”
He felt like Su-hyeun was looking down on him, but it was also undeniable that Stjepan’s ears did perk up, just a little. If they kept fighting Su-hyeun here, it would only result in their ignoble deaths. If an opportunity to save his life presented itself, then, regardless of what it was, he’d grab it with both hands.
“W-what is it?” The man who Su-hyeun had choked earlier asked first, voice trembling greatly.
Stjepan got angry, and he glared daggers at that awakener. But Su-hyeun made his reply a step faster than Stjepan could react.
“All you have to do is to run away.”
“R-run away?”
“Correct. It’s easy, right? If you run away, I won’t come after you. I’ll even forget about what happened here, too. That is, as long as you don’t come up with yet another underhanded scheme later on. But…”
Shudder, shudder.
The tone of Su-hyeun’s voice, as well as the light gleaming in his eyes, changed rapidly and caused his magical energy, spreading out through the first floor, to roil and seethe ominously.
“But, if you insist on attacking me, I’ll just kill you all right now.”
Grrr.
Stjepan clenched his fists and gnashed his teeth in pure rage.
Run away.
As logical as the suggestion was, nothing would be so humiliating.
The suggestion was a sign of generosity that the ‘strong’ would always display to the ‘weak’.
<< No, wait. >>
It was then that an idea flashed through Stjepan’s head.
<< He wants us to run? But, why? >>
Up until now, Su-hyeun had displayed more than enough strength to overwhelm everyone present. There was no doubt about that.
There was also no reason to be generous here and let his attackers live to cause future trouble. That meant that there had to be another reason he was so willing to let them go.
<< Could it be…. >>
A smirk spread across Stjepan’s face.
Su-hyeun saw that and his brows furrowed. “What are you smiling about?”
“The one who needs to run isn’t us, but you, isn’t it?”
“…?”
“I’m guessing that the price to pay for all that power is weak stamina, isn’t it? I knew it. I was wondering how a punk who got his powers only three years ago got this powerful.”
The atmosphere, filled with choking fear, quickly shifted with Stjepan’s accusation.
“Stamina?”
“Maybe his fitness level isn’t so good?”
“That makes sense, considering that he was fighting while pouring out this much magical energy…”
Indeed, the idea sounded logical. Even without Stjepan’s accusation, questions of “how could he?” had been circling in their heads for a while already.
How could he be this strong?
How could he not be tired yet?
And now, Stjepan had just put forward a plausible theory. Judging from Su-hyeun’s reaction, it looked credible too.
“So, I’m right, aren’t I?”
Stjepan was flustered until a few seconds ago. He smiled triumphantly once more, as he regained his composure.
His attitude also helped others to regain their confidence, as well.
“Phew.” Su-hyeun sighed softly under his breath.
Stjepan saw that and became even more convinced that he was right. He began walking toward Su-hyeun, “Hah. You should’ve run away while you had the power to spare, you little–”
Suddenly, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and his voice froze in his mouth. He grabbed at his throat in a furious attempt to find his voice, but there was no use. His voice had been sealed away, as if something was blocking him.
<< What’s going on?! >>
[Third Eye- Predator.]
Shuwuwuwu.
When he met the gaze from Su-hyeun’s third eye, Stjepan finally realized it.
It was because of that eye.
He instinctively grew fearful and his entire body froze stiff. He had sensed some sort of restriction binding him a little during the fight, but this was the first time he had felt such intense, constricting pressure.
“It would have been better if you had run away in one piece while I was willing to let you go.”
Stab.
Su-hyeun’s sword plunged into Stjepan’s head. Stjepan’s eyes grew wide as he felt the cold metallic sensation coming from the inside of his head.
Never mind reacting on time, he couldn’t even tell just when Su-hyeun had appeared before his eyes.
“What… kind of a… skill…”
Slice.
Even before he had finished speaking, a thin red line appeared, running vertically on Stjepan’s body, top to bottom.
Right afterward…
Splash!
Stjepan split in half and his blood splattered everywhere.
It happened in the blink of an eye. The remaining six awakeners fell into a state of unbridled panic. They had been convinced that Su-hyeun was exhausted, but, unfortunately for them, he looked even more energetic than ever before.
Su-hyeun looked down at Stjepan’s corpse and asked again, “Anyone else?”
The European awakeners stumbled backward before they took off running. He lowered his sword while he watched them escape. It didn’t look like there were any other idiots with a death wish still trying to attack him.
<< What a mess. >>
The fight itself didn’t take long, but the entirety of the Gordon Tower’s first floor was now completely ruined. It seemed that the building’s official grand opening would have to be postponed for quite a while.
<< What’s happening downstairs, I wonder? >>
Su-hyeun headed in the direction of the elevators.
Gordon Rohan was currently fighting below.
* * *
Clang!
Thump! Clang! Pow!
Gordon Rohan and Adel continued with their contest of strength, their hands firmly locked in their own weapons.
A single smartphone lay shattered nearby— the phone that had to defend against Gordon Rohan’s attack just now.
“That was a pretty sharp reaction. Didn’t expect you to use the phone as a shield,” said Gordon Rohan.
“Well, it was quite an expensive device, you see.”
“I know. After all, my company makes them.”
That smartphone was considered to be the best on the market, with a single Ether stone used as the phone’s energy source. The device was sold for an enormous amount of money. It was known for its incredible hardness and an everlasting operational lifetime that would never need a recharge.
“I should’ve told my people to make it a bit softer. If I had done so, your head would be on my spear by now.”
“I’m grateful that you didn’t.”
Thump! Pow!
Adel frowned from the pain shooting up his hands. They somehow ended up grabbing each other’s hands and started a contest of strength but, as expected, fighting head-on wasn’t going to work.
Thump! Pow!
Suddenly, dozens of spears shot up from the ground Gordon Rohan was standing on. He quickly released Adel Castle’s hands and leaped up from there. His gaze was already scanning the three or four awakeners that had closed in on them.
“You, damned small fry…”
For a moment, his eyes gleamed pure-white and the spear in his hand emitted a blinding light once more.
At the same time, two of the awakeners roused their magical energy and activated their defense skills.
Purple-colored walls spread out all over the place, and Gordon Rohan’s spear pounded on them, creating ear-ringing ripples of exploding noises.
RING!
CLANG!
The walls shattered in an instant. But, in that brief moment, Adel created distance between himself and Gordon Rohan.
The Briton shook his hand lightly, as if it ached from the strength contest earlier. “I see that your physical strength is also ridiculously strong.”
“You’re better than I thought.” Gordon Rohan too clenched and unfurled the hand not holding the spear repeatedly, before asking a question. “Wait, now that I think about it, you were a fist-fighter, weren’t you? I shouldn’t have used my bare fists.”
He then fell into thought for a moment before continuing to fight.
“If that’s your level, then let’s see. You won’t even touch Kim Su-hyeun, so forget him. Maybe you’re about the same level as Thomas or Bak Yun-gyu? No, wait. Maybe you’re a bit worse than them?”
His words caused Adel’s expression to tense up just a little.
The Briton already knew he was nowhere near Gordon Rohan’s level. But the assertion of him being weaker than Kim Su-hyeun, Thomas, and even this unknown Bak Yun-gyu was no different than spitting on his pride.
“You truly are filled with boundless ego, aren’t you? Just for how long do you think you’ll remain the—”
“Nah, not yet.” Gordon Rohan shook his head at Adel’s words.
Did the one and only Gordon Rohan deny that he’s the best?
“Right. That’s something I’ll prove soon enough.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I told you, didn’t I? I’m hosting the Ranking Wars to prove that I am indeed the best in the world. To prove to the much, much wider world whom I haven’t met yet—to prove that I’m truly the best,” said Gordon Rohan, before smirking deeply. “Kim Su-hyeun.”
“Kim Su-hyeun?”
“That guy has shown me up before, you see. Only by defeating him, can I claim to be truly the best in the world.”
This was the very first time Gordon Rohan had acknowledged someone’s skills this much.
Adel thought to himself. <>
To think that a man who possessed this level of might wasn’t sure of his chances against him.
“Were you publicly declaring something deeply embarrassing just now?”
“…!”
Adel hurriedly spun his head in the direction of the voice coming from behind him. His eyes caught the figure of Su-hyeun leisurely walking into the arena where the battle was still ongoing.
Total Chapters in book: 555
Estimated words: 1462055 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 7310(@200wpm)___ 5848(@250wpm)___ 4874(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 1462055 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 7310(@200wpm)___ 5848(@250wpm)___ 4874(@300wpm)
______