Chapter 10: Living Knight (2)
Boom!
Without a word, the Living Knight charged straight at Kim Suho.
It wasn’t just any monster — this was a Living Knight born from a fusion of cursed weapons and spirits, evolving into a higher-tier being. Suho had expected at least a moment of tension or a cautious probe… but this thing just rushed in.
Clang!
Steel clashed. Suho’s blade met the Living Knight’s, both men and monster nearly flung back from the sheer impact — but neither yielded. They held their ground, blades locked in place.
The first to move was the Living Knight.
Unlike Suho, who gripped his sword with both hands, the Living Knight held his in one. With the other, it swung a buckler toward Suho.
"Maah!"
Perched on Suho’s shoulder, the Sword Demon conjured a sharp arc of energy to deflect the incoming buckler.
“Sarang!”
Fwoosh!
A flaming arrow curved beneath Suho’s legs and streaked toward the Living Knight’s abdomen. The knight, seeing no way to block it in time, gathered black mana around its stomach and launched itself backward.
Boom!
An explosion midair.
With both feet lifted, the Living Knight was blasted away. Its landing was messy — it tumbled across the ground several times before scrambling upright.
Covered in dirt, the knight regained its stance without hesitation.
"Nyaaang."
We have to end this quickly.
Sarang’s warning was clear — they could wear it down, but it’d be better to finish the fight fast, even if it meant taking risks.
“Are they on their way?”
Grrrr... Sarang gave a small nod and growled low at the Living Knight.
There are three total.
Judging from the size of the castle and how only one had shown up despite the disturbances, the others must still be far off.
Suho kicked off the ground.
Divide and conquer — that’s the strategy.
If it fails?
Doesn’t matter.
Boom!
The Living Knight charged again.
“If it gets rough, we just retreat. At full speed.”
Sarang conjured another flaming arrow and a fireball. The Sword Demon summoned a long, razor-sharp energy slash.
They had to find a weakness.
This wasn’t a game. There were no status windows, no skill trees, no levels, no potions — and no HP bars.
But a well-placed strike could still end things in one blow.
Sword met sword. Flaming arrows slipped past the shield, fireballs struck true. The knight’s dense mana trembled.
Suho felt it — that flicker in the monster’s aura. He focused his own mana, searching for the crack.
“The heart.”
The Sword Demon nodded and swung its blade, now wrapped in cutting energy.
The weak point was the left chest, where the core — the heart — resided. But the Living Knight was protecting it well. They needed to force an opening.
The Sword Demon feinted at the head. As expected, the knight raised its blade, wreathed in black mana, to block.
“Hup!”
Suho moved — right foot sliding back, both hands gripping his sword, driving it forward.
Clang!
The buckler blocked it.
The attack failed. But now, both of the Living Knight’s arms were occupied — a brief, precious moment of vulnerability.
Fwoosh!
Another fire arrow.
The knight ducked, trying to shield its core. The arrow, flying straight, curved ever so slightly…
Thud!
"Nyaaang!"
Missed!
Suho pushed off the ground, regrouping. The Sword Demon, Sarang, and the Demon King were all perched on his shoulders and head.
"Nyaaang!"
Watch out!
Boom!
He tried to leap back, to escape the blast, but the explosion threw him farther than expected.
Rolling across the ground, Suho jumped up and looked to the knight.
A blade — wreathed in pure black mana.
“It shot out an aura slash, didn’t it?”
Both Sword Demon and Sarang nodded.
This is a low-tier gate...? Seriously?
Suho couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief. It was absurd. But still — they had their own aura user. It wasn’t hopeless.
But now came the big decision: fight or fall back?
Crack.
“What was that?”
Snap!
“Damn it.”
His weapon broke.
All that remained was the hilt.
“Guys… do we retreat?”
Click.
The video paused, and all eyes turned to Team Leader Lee Yowon.
“Let’s take a short break.”
“Oh… okay.”
“Ugh, I was way too into that.”
“I’ve watched these gate videos dozens of times, but why does this one pull me in so hard?”
“It’s the mascot, isn’t it?”
They needed something sweet to shake off the tension. Yowon headed out of the meeting room, nodding to the comment about the “mascot.”
“Aha.”
Every time the association issued a mission or reviewed hunters who had purchased rights to a gate, they watched the activity footage. It was routine — and yet, everyone in the department had been glued to the screen.
Mascot.
Unlike most hunters, Kim Suho had someone — or rather something — that fit the term perfectly.
But it wasn’t just about being cute.
Sarang was practically a fire mage — highly skilled with flame-based spells.
The Demon King? Adorably powerful. Its playful antics often turned the tide of battle.
And the Sword Demon? Its swordplay rivaled that of any skilled human fighter.
Yowon returned with a bottle of orange juice from the vending machine. A few others were still out — bathroom or smoke break — so the viewing had to wait.
Still...
They could win this.
Judging by the footage so far, they had a real shot at clearing the gate.
“Everyone’s back.”
Yowon hit play.
Suho blocked the Living Knight’s aura slash — barely. If he’d infused his sword with more mana to reinforce it, maybe it would’ve held. But it was too late now. He’d looked away for a second to check the integrity of a mana stone, and that’s when the knight had struck.
“My 999,000 won…”
A single mistake, and his sword — nearly a million won — was gone. He let out a sigh of disbelief, then quickly snapped back to focus. The Living Knight was coming straight for him.
Smack!
Suho launched himself backward, scanning the area.
There — an old longsword, once the host of a specter. The Living Armor's weapon.
He dashed over, grabbed it, and took his stance. The blade was cracked and worn, but better than nothing.
The Sword Demon rushed the knight. Sarang loosed another flaming arrow.
"Ma!" "Nyaa!"
Check that sword!
Whoosh!
Maybe it wasn’t just any sword.
Suho stepped back and activated his appraisal skill.
“Appraise.”
Name: Old Longsword Once Possessed by a Specter
Description: A worn blade that once housed a specter. Its mana conductivity is high, but due to years of neglect, it's at risk of breaking.
It was fragile — but powerful. When Suho channeled his mana into it, he could feel it. It absorbed more energy than his original sword.
The expensive sword accepted only 4 out of 10 units of mana.
But this old, cursed blade? It took in 6.
“It’s free anyway!”
They got it from the Living Armor. Suho launched himself forward, pressuring the Living Knight alongside the Sword Demon.
Clang! Clang!
Steel on steel. Shield on blade.
Again and again, they hammered the knight’s defenses — one with pure mana force, the other with sword aura.
Crack!
The buckler gave way first.
"Ma!"
Even without Sarang’s translation, Suho understood.
Now!
Gritting his teeth, he twisted his blade and drove it into the knight’s left chest.
Fwoosh!
Of course, the Living Knight struck back — but Suho’s blade found its mark first.
He felt the impact in his fingertips, planted his feet, and shoved forward.
Crack!
A sound like something breaking apart.
Groooaa...
The specter faded. The knight collapsed into a pile of armor — breastplate, gauntlets, greaves, and helmet all scattered across the floor.
“Haa…”
One down.
But no time to rest.
Clank.
The second Living Knight stepped out through the castle gates.
Two hours.
That’s how long it took to take down all three.
When the last one fell, Suho slumped to the ground, catching his breath for thirty minutes before exiting the gate. He quickly messaged his boss at the BBQ joint to say he'd be about an hour late — then reentered the gate.
Thanks to Sarang and the Sword Demon, he now knew the castle held only one threat left — the Gate Boss.
And so, they headed toward the second floor of the castle, where both the boss and the gate’s core were located.
A massive door stood in their path.
Suho paused. If they entered, battle could start immediately. He carefully examined the door — then noticed a small gap between the top right corner and the wall. He gestured upward.
A drone, floating silently, hovered over.
Suho pointed to the gap, and the drone slipped through.
Five seconds later, it returned and hovered before him.
He could leave now. Call it done.
But he had to see it through.
Suho manipulated the drone, projecting a small hologram.
A vast chamber.
A massive black crystal hovered in the air — and before it, a monster stood, eyes glowing, facing forward.
“Living Knight.”
But not like the others. No metal armor. This one wore leather gear — armor and helmet. Its weapon was different too — not old and rusty, but a sleek black sword.
Dark mana visibly seeped from it, even through the screen.
"Ma."
The Sword Demon pointed to the knight’s eyes.
“Huh?”
Not gray. Not hollow.
A deep, ominous red glow shone from beneath the helmet.
“Sword Demon… do you think you can handle it alone?”
The Sword Demon stared at the knight, then shook its head. But then, it pointed to Sarang, the Demon King, and Suho — then nodded.
“If we work together, we can do it?”
"Ma!"
“…You sure?”
"Ma?"
“You’re saying that calmly, right? Not out of pride or blind hope?”
This wasn't the time for heroics — they needed a plan grounded in reality.
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