Chapter 68
How did someone with such a tiny amount of mana manage to climb all the way up here?
That was the butler’s first thought when he encountered the intruder.
At a glance, the man looked like a human who couldn’t even defeat the run-of-the-mill demons roaming the streets.
How on earth had he made it all the way into this mansion?
Even as he drew his sword, curiosity stirred within him—but today was not a day leisurely enough to indulge personal feelings.
I should finish this as quickly as possible and return to assisting.
Today was the day to inspect the modified demons stationed as guards.
Count Garisto was considered a genius even among demons, but inspecting that many on his own in a single day was no easy task.
“I’ll be going ahead.”
The butler spoke with the confidence of the strong.
No matter what tricks the intruder had used to get this far, they wouldn’t work against the overwhelming difference in mana.
Dealing with him would be as easy as a child crushing an ant.
There was no need to overthink it.
The butler opened a subspace, grabbed whatever was closest at hand, spread his wings, and took off.
I should be careful not to splatter blood too much.
If too much blood got on the floor, cleaning would become troublesome.
Adjusting his strength, he flew forward and thrust his blade toward a vital point.
He intended to end it in a single strike—
Clang—!
It was blocked.
Deflected cleanly—almost absurdly so.
In both speed and raw power, the human shouldn’t have been able to keep up.
Yet he blocked the attack perfectly and countered, striking at the butler, who had been careless.
“Ghk!”
Relying on a demon’s innate reflexes, the butler barely twisted his head to avoid the blade.
Startled, he leapt backward and quickly widened the distance between them.
“…You.”
“You’re fast. Honestly, I thought it was over.”
Drunk on arrogance, the butler hadn’t even considered his next stance.
Taking advantage of that opening, the man had redirected the blade and aimed straight for his head—but unfortunately, it hadn’t landed cleanly.
“So there was a reason you made it all the way up here.”
“I was hoping it’d end cleanly without knowing that reason.”
This time, the butler gripped his sword properly.
Tension filled the air.
“My turn now?”
“Please, do as you wish.”
This man was different.
There was a weight to him that couldn’t be judged by mana quantity alone.
Juhyeok kicked off the ground, mana flowing into his legs, and in an instant closed the distance, slicing through the air.
A light horizontal slash followed.
It might have worked if the butler had been careless like before.
Clang—!
But now, the butler was clearly on guard.
A man with so little mana that even common demons would scoff at—
Yet the same man had blocked his sword.
He wasn’t like those who relied purely on overwhelming mana.
He fought with refined swordsmanship and a body honed through sheer training.
Naturally, the latter was a far more troublesome opponent.
Such fighters always carried an element of unpredictability—and this man was no exception.
I should’ve realized it when he dismantled every trap on the way up.
That pitiful amount of mana had lulled him into a false sense of conclusion.
The butler had blocked a sword strike filled with Juhyeok’s true intent.
It hadn’t broken his bones—but it shattered his prejudice.
His mana control is top-tier.
The way he manipulated mana just now—
He had applied exactly the right amount to precisely the needed parts.
With such a tiny mana pool, producing that speed should have resulted in obvious mana depletion.
Yet his mana felt virtually unchanged.
“Exceptional physical ability and outstanding mana control… the fruit of blood and sweat. Truly admirable effort.”
“Glad you can tell.”
“Then I shall face you with due respect.”
The butler reached into empty space once more.
This time, he resolved to give his all.
Not some ordinary blade lying around—but the so-called true blade he only used when being completely serious—
“Now.”
“What?”
In the brief moment his hand fumbled in midair, Juhyeok didn’t miss the opening and lunged, swinging his sword.
The butler panicked, yanking his hand back and flying backward, barely evading the attack.
“W-What is the meaning of this?!”
“What do you think? Attacking the opening my opponent showed during a duel.”
Drawing a new sword while your opponent already has one in hand?
What could be a better moment to strike?
The butler shouted in fury at the shameless response.
“Do you have no sense of honor?!”
“I value victories earned while alive more than honor left behind in death.”
A rule drilled into him countless times at the Hunter Academy:
The one who survives is the strong one.
Even if you have to roll through filth, you must live to become anything.
Don’t cling to pride in front of monsters far stronger than you—run.
If you can win, use any means necessary and survive.
Juhyeok agreed with that wholeheartedly.
Of course, he wasn’t the type to win through clever tricks—
But he wasn’t stupid enough to ignore an opening blatantly presented to him.
“Hah… This is why humans are—”
“Not sure that’s something a demon should be saying.”
“That’s enough. There’s no need for further chatter.”
Unlike before, he swiftly pulled a sword from the void.
This blade was nothing like the plain ruby-studded sword from earlier.
From empty space, a snake slithered rapidly along his arm, coiling around his wrist.
The serpent burrowed into his palm, and the butler grasped it, pulling something out from the void.
“If you’re coming at me that seriously, I’ll respond in kind.”
His true weapon revealed itself.
The blade emitted a dull sheen, giving off an ominous aura—as though flesh would rot upon being cut.
“Come, then.”
“….”
Even with the earlier ambush, he hadn’t landed a decisive blow.
If the opponent had evaded that, this wouldn’t be an easy fight.
I’ll have to clash directly.
To understand his opponent, blades had to meet.
Juhyeok infused mana into his legs once more and charged.
Clang—!
This time, the sound was heavier.
The difference in the sword’s weight changed even the echo reverberating through the mansion.
The butler blocked skillfully and pushed him back.
Then, with a powerful flap of his wings, he accelerated explosively and thrust forward.
Ting—!
The speed was manageable.
But a moment’s lapse in focus would mean missing the timing—and getting hit.
Unlike recent battles where he held an overwhelming advantage, this was evenly matched.
Facing a true rival after so long made his heart pound.
His chest burned with excitement.
His mind, however, cooled sharply, just as he’d been trained.
This time, Juhyeok deflected the blade lightly and calculated the optimal attack route.
Thoughts racing in a span too short to measure even a second.
Almost instinctively, he chose the method with the highest chance of success.
It would’ve landed cleanly on a modified demon—
Clang—!
But the butler was no such easy opponent.
A fierce exchange followed.
Even when Juhyeok tried to parry and break his stance, the butler had already anticipated every counter, attacking along routes that remained safe even if disrupted.
Despite knocking the blade outward, the butler used the momentum to block again.
“…”
“…”
Silence filled their duel.
There was no defensive posture—only relentless offense.
Unlike the foreign S-rank who had fought defensively, the butler attacked nonstop.
As if to declare that a sword exists not to defend, but to strike.
Juhyeok fought the same way.
Before growing stronger, he had relied on endurance battles, blocking and outlasting opponents.
But in the training chamber, his style had grown increasingly aggressive.
As his power grew, his approach changed.
Now, Juhyeok fought like the strong.
Clang—!
Their blades collided endlessly.
The hilt grew hot in his hand.
Despite the relentless exchange, not a single clean hit landed.
A true rival.
Not a tedious sparring match of probing and waiting.
They clashed sparks from blade to blade, intent on finishing the other.
Time slipped away as the two danced atop a narrow bridge of steel.
When would it end?
He didn’t even have time to think that—
A cold third voice shattered their focus.
“That’s enough.”
At the sound, the butler leapt back, widening the distance.
Lowering his sword, he turned and bowed deeply.
“The sound of blades is distracting.”
“My apologies. A stronger opponent than expected arrived.”
The one he addressed—
A boy with a youthful face, barely half Juhyeok’s height, looked exhausted.
At most, he seemed younger than a middle schooler, yet he spoke with mature composure.
“I’ve been watching. You’re strong.”
“Garisto.”
The man from his memories.
[Mercy? Isn’t what I’m doing right now mercy?]
From voice to appearance, he matched perfectly.
Though his short stature was more surprising than expected.
Regardless, he had appeared before the duel even ended.
“Yes. I am Count Garisto—the one you’ve been so desperately seeking.”
Garisto walked forward casually.
If not for his inverted pupils, he could’ve passed for a child actor in the human world.
Despite holding a sword, Juhyeok sensed no caution from him.
Garisto stopped mere inches away.
“Interrupting on such an important day—there must be an interesting reason?”
“Not interesting, but there is one… though before that.”
“Before that?”
“Clean up the weird thing behind me.”
“…What? That wasn’t yours?”
Juhyeok pulled out a bolt and casually tossed it over his shoulder.
A sizzling sound followed, and a small mass of wings fell to the floor.
The presence behind him vanished instantly.
Knew it.
Who planted it was obvious.
I’ve felt it since crossing the gate. So he was watching from the start.
He’d ignored it until now—but after meeting Garisto, information leaks were unacceptable.
Juhyeok crushed the winged mass underfoot.
It turned into smoke and formed glowing letters in the air.
[Cheap.]
The letters dispersed into nothingness.
The risk was gone.
“So… now that the nuisance is gone, shall we talk?”
Turning around, he saw Garisto yawning in boredom.
Covering his mouth, Garisto said,
“If it’s a boring story, I’ll use you as an experiment.”
