Chapter 216 – More Than Words, Sashimi
JZhThe old elf, Rog, kept his head bowed, staring only at Kang Geom-Ma’s shoes. He didn’t dare lift his gaze.P7d
rCuWvN‘It’s not that I’m afraid of dying.’5E9u4r3
ClzJIqcHe was an elder who had lived longer than any human could dream. The fear of death had long since faded. In fact, life had become tedious. He no longer had any purpose or direction.KDgC
NMmAT2And yet, this worn-out old man was sweating cold, as if he were being wrung dry—like squeezing water from a dry towel.5xp00n
SxYPAll because of the monster standing in front of him Kang Geom-Ma, who had just reawakened his trauma.sUn
eWsbp8LThe humiliation he had suffered centuries ago at the hands of the Founding Hero, Balor Joaquin, pulsed again within Rog.rLM
x07yThough this boy was not Balor Joaquin. Kang Geom-Ma, the Heavenly Sword, was still weaker than the Founding Hero. Balor Joaquin had defeated none other than the First Corps Commander, Lycan.zW5uey
W3iJKang Geom-Ma was strong, but he hadn’t reached that level yet.qipDaj
ByPwh‘He could still be stopped by Kuarne, the Second Corps Commander.’MXrByZl
JCdIt seemed he had not yet awakened his full potential.biWOOv
amQuComparing him to Balor Joaquin was still absurd. But Rog’s instincts as a demon screamed this young man would someday become an existence beyond description.ab4
pyGs“Hey.”0hXi
b1p11MoKang Geom-Ma rubbed his aching eyes. He had used the Blessing of the Sword God for nearly a full minute, and they were irritated.vazD2GX
wb3AKe“Are you done playing dumb?”D97NTGR
WzRz“….”iK1
iVxRog trembled as Kang Geom-Ma, crouched before him, looked him straight in the eye. Meanwhile, the fight between the Swordmaster and Horn had also ended. With the capture of their leader, Rog, the rest of the dark elves lost their will to fight.ZLFoR1
lyd7They knelt down, throwing their weapons to the ground. The Swordmaster came running, panting heavily, trying to stop Kang Geom-Ma.5VeX
qsUtZ“Heavenly Sword, wait a moment!”IHjM
B3SDNKang Geom-Ma tilted his head slightly. The Swordmaster spoke hastily.5ibuz5
eV1VeG“Don’t kill them yet. Look around. There are fewer than twenty elves left, and they’ve all surrendered. There’s no point in killing them.”mH2j3vJ
ZXo“I have no intention of killing them.”rKXrS5
l45VkmRog instinctively lifted his head.dT46yD
pbOHe wasn’t going to kill them?PXmc
8nx3dKang Geom-Ma finished his sentence.CIx
4Lh“Not yet.”qr4U
2OwjHe couldn’t activate the Blessing of the Sword God anymore, so if he were to start killing, he would have to leave the cleanup to the Swordmaster or the Hero Association.LBOH
JuHBesides, the old elf seemed to know something about the boss, and they still needed to find the fifth fragment hidden on this island.iQ410YD
PA2o‘I was planning to use some of them as guides anyway.’r63w
2pRAn old man like Rog should know the terrain well. It was better to keep him alive… for now. If he tried anything suspicious, he would be eliminated immediately.I2weYp
vz6yNuGKang Geom-Ma looked down, wondering if he should start by cutting off the old man’s fingers.LSVcL
eL8EBut he gave up on that idea.5I32
Hn4‘I’m not a butcher.’tUczul
bCc“Kill me already!”mOA
h8udSsRog cried out. It was his final act of resistance as the elder leader of the dark elves.nSwcF0
Z3vv“I’d rather die than tell you anything!”Tpuc
GzVs4“….”qisiK
2MEROKang Geom-Ma frowned.SBOgd0
He5A‘Even when I try to talk, it always ends up like this.’0tZ
YHTQMDemons and villains never understood at first.kBeC9a8
EAgTqIy‘As always…’WEt5bf
1UaKang Geom-Ma sighed and extended his arm. Everyone widened their eyes in shock at what they saw.bsir9m
sMIYzuO“Ugh…”L8b9oT
P2nDmT3An elf subordinate, who had a sashimi knife stuck in his neck, began to rise like a zombie—moving awkwardly, with vacant, glassy eyes.NwIqXT
8O0hRog froze in place.y3i
1qgEF“Ge… Gremfield… how… what is this…?”30wu
eSF5His mind went blank. In nearly a thousand years of life, he had never seen anything like this a corpse being revived.9oY
EBLPKWas this boy really human?wmpn
j40JOr a demon? Even the Swordmaster, Director Sung, and the other heroes had turned pale. It was their first time witnessing the Power of the Underworld King.1iAAA
4B1spEven Horn, who had already seen it once, shuddered.UxJndE
fHzOG5‘Even seeing it a second time… it’s still horrifying.’wI2yt
Gj8And that wasn’t all. Kang Geom-Ma waved his hand, and the corpse turned into stone like a statue.6vd3
u1QLxHorn felt a chill run down his spine.olzq
rnDE‘Petrification Eye…?’i1J8
SYGypIt was a power obtained after defeating the basilisk and enhancing his knife, Murasame—to turn anyone it wounded into stone. Though difficult to use under normal conditions, here he had found a way to make it terrifyingly effective.yhnUmxT
OZf2RUS‘It feels dirty to use it like this…’FLp
QlCgqBut it was necessary to instill fear.A3i5OO
iSw0It was a shock tactic. Kang Geom-Ma withdrew his hand and stared at the old elf.wXD
DjlkTu“They say the dead tell no tales… but I can make them talk.”pdmnT
560He stretched his neck from side to side.vdxbAuF
a97i0“I don’t need to argue with you if I can make your dead speak.”sm6ANh
N2WVIplOf course, it was a lie. Resurrected corpses couldn’t actually speak.b52Qq0r
ITzgFaBut they didn’t know that.FeRqpX
91VdhQU“I can cut down every elf here, revive them one by one, and interrogate them.”sYcM
lENRau“….”cfh1Yj7
u3ljxKang Geom-Ma spoke calmly.JnhM
een“I’ll give you a choice. Cooperate, and you and your people will live. Though you’ll end up imprisoned by the Association.”Epkw
v3A5KL“…If you can revive the dead, why offer me a deal?”TA7q
73IHe responded curtly.2L6
BDM“Compassion.”hW3NqO
jm4eIOld elf Rog clenched his teeth. Kang Geom-Ma raised his eyebrows and shrugged.JUroFW8
vKyF“If you’d rather throw away your chance…”P7MSCsD
5EfkgHCHe turned toward a nearby hero.cvHX8
xgWO0Rp“Hey, Hero.”i4G5
NiPlXeM“Yes, Heavenly Sword?”SQFB
izEhKang Geom-Ma nodded toward the man carrying a massive greatsword.lEcV
FrXKGED“If the old man stays silent, execute one elf for every minute he refuses to talk.”972
75A“B-but…”1uQ
A7wpBiThe man hesitated. Executing surrendered enemies? Was that really okay?l4NzI3Q
vjMkWxKang Geom-Ma spoke with authority.fHj
p0X2“I’m ordering you as a member of the Seven Stars. If you refuse, be ready to face the consequences. Besides, you saw how I gave them a chance.”7GQGI7
u0MMrW“…”iwOx
eEByyhm“If we let these bastards live, they’ll be a danger later. Do you know what a berserk demon can do?”R5O
suUb3MeThe man swallowed hard.m9DOx
lYb“…They could cause more casualties if they lose control.”BuXe
gaT“Exactly. Better to nip the threat in the bud.”vky
YoqFinally, the man nodded.Qc1
cbZWO“You’re right. That was my mistake.”prGULVW
xJvblMHe raised his sword and approached one of the kneeling elves.B9mg29
qnR“I will carry out your command, Heavenly Sword.”QNUP
QuUGAt that moment—uLa
X2qCT“Noooooo!”Wpijvb
x3FThe old elf dropped to his knees, sobbing and beating the ground.ttKt
Pdsw4DCHe had surrendered. Kang Geom-Ma looked down at him without expression.5VG
I9V‘I must look like the villain here.’EmU
VWdIBBut there was no helping it.fXWKF3
6QZNTo humans, demons would always be villains—and vice versa.O9tarb
AFoG3iBesides, dark elves were cannibals.eFR
xBaThey were inherently treacherous.jART3t
jPKJTheir bad reputation was not undeserved.GyZKF2C
hoI“I-I’ll cooperate…”YZPvqU
Bu67hRog wept. He seemed to have aged two hundred years in mere seconds.orqrJu
VkONObEKang Geom-Ma nodded to the swordsman, who lowered his weapon, sticking it into the ground near the kneeling elf.7LT9
GjthBfFinally, Kang Geom-Ma sat heavily on a log.hWpXVc
sG7“Well then.”25e8vYY
fa0NFMXAs he cleaned the blood from his knives, he said,ALsSTNj
FYi“The deal starts now.”wBpH
9lO***1odiSc1
X0lPruuLate, when the twilight was already brushing the horizon, the Swordmaster gazed at the sunset with a distant look.HSJVvV
gqzoPQDirector Sung approached, limping slightly. He still hadn’t fully adjusted to his prosthetic leg.Xqp
h9a2“Swordmaster. We’ve finished tying up all the dark elves.”1l8g5
XGMSx“Good work.”t1Jp5f
72qv“Good work for what? This kind of cleanup is the Hero Association’s job. The real effort was made by you and the Heavenly Sword.”WxW
gyDbmAfter exchanging a few brief modesties, they moved on to the main topic. Director Sung proceeded to give his report.FBSlf
tuY8“We collected all the dark elves’ weapons, and after analyzing them, we found they were made from rare materials impossible to obtain in the human world. If we sell them, their value will be considerable.”ZOZZDk
BzWY“I see.”L8N
J99kThe Swordmaster thought for only a moment before answering.K58g
SAAl“Let’s keep half for the Association and sell the other half to deposit the money into Kang Geom-Ma’s account.”2EC
M6ua“Ah! Of course. According to the Association’s rules, the spoils obtained from defeating magical beasts or demons belong to the hero who defeated them. There shouldn’t be any problem.”fKXsMXo
VCnXB“Then handle the official sale and deposit the money into Kang Geom-Ma’s account. Being one of the Seven Stars comes with a lot of hidden expenses. Even this kind of extra income is necessary. Do you have a rough estimate?”300Y
o6iDirector Sung thought for a moment. For something called “extra income,” the amount was enormous.xVh
MuR05“Let me calculate it.”ktCQM
VtdHe hurriedly pulled out his smartphone and started working on the calculator. A long figure appeared on the screen.Jm5
vVjWE“…The amount that will be deposited to the Heavenly Sword will be approximately 31.6 billion won.”7rm2
epWq“Well, considering he saved our lives, it’s a fair price.”iqIu
1DYc1YThe Swordmaster let out a hearty laugh as he looked up at the early night sky.DRT
AZrhBLA faint crimson hue tinted the old man’s face.BExug
FsPKang Geom-Ma, appearing at the most critical moment alongside a dragon disguised as a human.G58cgSE
Uw0aYXThere were many questions he wanted to ask, crowding his throat.2jpq
BSmwJaGHe had thought of asking for explanations once things had settled down. But in the end, he decided against it.3qGoZ
2IDcDragon, resurrection of corpses, petrification—there were too many questions. So he chose to simply accept the results.xqzWGH
bcdGPu‘When the time comes, he will surely tell us himself.’wTz
AUp2Suddenly, he recalled how Kang Geom-Ma had handled the negotiations—how he had extracted all the information from the elves.88WdUtD
4hO6When Fermush would appear, whether there were any special places around the Gate of Gehenna, and what was happening inside the Demon World.rdPSKU
QLzawAnd in return, all he offered them was soy-based prison food.ZJDlXij
NznrBecause, after all, elves should eat vegetables and fruits…iVMS
obWdyfThe dark elves could only nod silently. It was called a “negotiation,” but they had been left with no other choice.2ZCz
uvPRecalling that scene, the Swordmaster sighed.yMAcm
CcRKx“A negotiation based on terror…”kJPz
V2FpkHe said to himself, and smiled bitterly.VndKRo
FXc2zYiAt his age, a boy had still managed to teach him a new lesson. The Swordmaster slowly walked, heading toward the temporary shelter where Kang Geom-Ma was resting.jZNNP51
SWtXi“The place the Heavenly Sword said we should visit tomorrow.”1Zndxu
WgrsaThere was something important they needed to discuss about it.09kCEns
What did you think of this chapter?
Report comment
Please select the reason for reporting this comment. False reports may result in account suspension.
Haimiya_cutie.
MahayanaLooks like something serious topic to discuss
Haimiya_cutie.
MahayanaThis is extra money… wow 👌
Haimiya_cutie.
MahayanaNo you look cool as f*ck.
Haimiya_cutie.
MahayanaThis always happens to Kang geom