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Chapter 287: Time Is Short

“Time is short.”

Suddenly, that thought crossed my mind. What a ridiculous statement it was. How could I complain about time being insufficient when one minute in the outside world equated to twenty minutes in this space?

No matter how hard I thrust my sword at the faintly visible flow of time, I had no confidence that I could sever it.

It felt like the flow of water. Even if I tried to cut it away, it would quickly reconnect along the current somewhere.

The same went for those trapped in the past.

The flow of the past was extremely alien. It seemed to flow backward, yet it still looked ahead.

When Michael Jackson did the moonwalk for the first time, was this how people felt? Something so bizarre that it tickled my comedic bone was right before my eyes.

“How on earth can I defeat this…?”

Gasping for breath, Yeon-woo ruffled his sweat-drenched hair.

Just as the weight on the bar doesn’t lift itself, concentrating didn’t mean his stamina remained intact.

Time management and stamina management were entirely up to Yeon-woo himself.

He felt he wasn’t managing either properly.

“Lady Lunaria, is there any god who can cut time?”

[Why would a god bother cutting time? Even if they fought against other gods, they usually don’t go that far. Do you think they don’t know what might happen to the divine realm?]

“That’s true….”

In reality, even if a god could cut time, it wouldn’t be of much help. Divine power is entirely different from mana; it possesses a quality closer to a miracle.

Still, at least it has basic principles, and mana provides some level of plausibility; divine power is like trying to get a taxi in the middle of a marathon.

When it comes to unique mana, even that distinction begins to feel irrelevant.

“Damn, if I had known this would happen, I should have gone to check earlier.”

[Check? What do you mean?]

“Well, the Gate that crossed over from the martial arts world, the traces of the Sword Saint cutting dimensions.”

[Ah, right. Such a thing existed. You should have gone to see it when you had the chance.]

“I didn’t expect things to get this complicated.”

[The opponent is the Demon King, you know. You can’t say you’re careless; you were too arrogant.]

There was nothing Yeon-woo could retort to Lunaria, who spoke in a serious tone.

Indeed, it was true. Until now, everything had gone too smoothly. Because of that, he had become careless against an opponent he should never have underestimated.

“Hitting it with facts is lame.”

Muttering that, Yeon-woo shifted his gaze. The cracks in shattered time wouldn’t return just because he looked at them with longing eyes.

If he thought everything was due to his arrogance, it almost made him want to look away.

“Is that really going to work?”

“Someone who doesn’t know the first thing about swords is giving advice??”

“Should I just close my eyes completely?”

“Which part do you think isn’t working, oh wise one?”

“I don’t know? I’m confused here.”

Was this how this senior generally was? Watching Ain roll on the floor while giggling caused Yeon-woo’s expression to sour. Isn’t a two-on-one attack a bit cowardly?

“No, but really, this is a huge problem.”

“Hunters are slowly coming into the city. Regardless of the cause and progression, this time rift is also a kind of Gate. It seems like they’re fearless, even with the Demon King watching.”

“You can’t succeed in this job if you panic.”

“I wonder what those fearless guys were doing when the Demon King showed up.”

Ain spoke with a sour face, but all Yeon-woo could do was smile ambiguously.

He felt that the situation now was a bit different than before; could it be that the job of a Hunter inherently came with baseless confidence that they wouldn’t die?

“No matter how well things go, even if the Demon King retreats, it’s going to take some time to approach this area. Until then, these people will remain as they are.”

Of course, there weren’t supposed to be any problems for Yeon-woo.

While it was true that there had been a massive mana reaction near the city, it was merely a simple Gate. Even if Yeon-woo knew that, he had no authority to punish anyone. After all, having good intelligence is also a virtue of a Hunter.

Yet, Yeon-woo couldn’t shake off the rising guilt. The people he had drawn here amounted to five, and if you counted the Crescent Moon Knights, there were even more trapped here.

Considering the precedent of the “Stopped Thursday” incident, approaching the city would take a few more months.

Based on events before his regression, access to the city was restricted a bit earlier than that, but they would still have to wait a couple of months.

So, did Yeon-woo have any way of compensating for their months?

No matter how much he thought about it, there was none. Thus, in terms of external time measured in days, he needed to wrap things up within six months based on his current location.

Even that seemed to be a daunting challenge, which was the main issue with this task.

“How do I cut water? I want to ask the First Sword…”

“Isn’t that the rumor about the guy who split the seas? Is that for real?”

In response to Ain’s question, Yeon-woo stroked his chin. Well, many doubted if that was just a rumor…

“I don’t know if it’s true, but I could at least get some helpful advice, right?”

“Ugh… I wonder if it would actually help.”

Turning at a sudden interjection, Yeon-woo looked over.

*

The First Sword of the Sword Saint, Mukgeom. What kind of person is he?

The easiest term to describe him is not even his titles of Sword Saint or Mukgeom.

The term used in the realm of martial arts to describe someone who’s neither righteous nor evil is what best reflects him.

‘He’s not a complete jerk, but definitely not a good guy…!’

Well, putting it simply, that’s it.

So, why the heck is he here? He’s notoriously elusive, rarely staying in one place.

Could it be that the early resolution of the incident in the city before regression was due to Ray’s presence?

As Yeon-woo looked up at the man before him, reflecting those thoughts. A sturdy frame and a beard that looked haphazardly grown.

He appeared as if a sage had come down from the mountains, but the aura surrounding him clearly screamed delinquent.

[You’re still in rags, huh, kiddo.]

“Oh, who were you again…? Anyway, nice to meet you, Lady God. This is style, you wouldn’t understand it.”

Ray was decked out in what could only be called vintage attire. How vintage? You’d think, “Huh? Is that vintage?” just by looking at him. In other words, he looked like a beggar.

“So, what were we talking about…? How did you cut the sea?”

“Uh, why are you here…?”

Yeon-woo’s tone and actions smoothly became more polite.

He may seem like a normal person, but Ray was notoriously known for his foul temperament. If he got caught up in something trivial, it could become troublesome.

“Just came.”

“…Just came?”

“I heard there was a Demon King and thought I’d come to see. Why? Is it a problem?”

Though it sounded like a casual inquiry, it felt like Ray was holding a knife to Yeon-woo’s throat.

Even though both were Sword Saints, Ray felt entirely different from Yuri.

If Yuri stood straight like a sword, this man was like a rock that moved on its own to hunt down enemies.

His aggressive demeanor didn’t just suggest he would seek out enemies, but also that he could create foes himself.

“…Could you really tell me how you cut water?”

“I can’t say anything that wouldn’t make sense. But why do you want to cut the water?”

In response to Yeon-woo’s question, Ray replied as if it were no big deal. Yeon-woo gulped and nodded.

“Then please tell me. How do I cut the flow? I have my reasons for needing to do this now.”

“…Hmm.”

At Yeon-woo’s answer, Ray stroked his chin. There seemed to be no strong emotions reflected on his face. Yet, Yeon-woo couldn’t help but feel an undeniable sense of unease.

“Can you lend me a dagger?”

“Uh?”

Startled by the sudden demand, Yeon-woo hesitated but eventually fetched a dagger from the storage and handed it over to Ray.

Only after the dagger was in Ray’s hand did Yeon-woo realize to whom he just handed a weapon, and he swallowed audibly.

As Ray inspected the dagger as if evaluating its craftsmanship, he finally spoke.

“Don’t worry; I’m not going to swing it at you.”

Using bare hands for shaving isn’t very clean, he muttered as he casually twisted his wrist a few times.

Swoosh!!

“Kyaaa!!”

Startled by the sudden action, Yeon-woo let out a bizarre scream as he pushed Ain away, rolling on the ground.

Ain’s brilliant eyes rolled around, bewildered by the unexpected assault.

“W-What’s going on!! Did you mean to attack me, Choi Yeon-woo!!”

“No, it’s not that! We almost died, Senior!!”

“Huh? Oh, right. It’s been a while since I held a sword, so I messed up the strength control.”

It sounded like a joke, but for Yeon-woo, it was serious. Breathing heavily as he stood up, he placed a hand on a nearby tree trunk.

With a creak, the tree began to shift. Boom!! When a trunk so thick Yeon-woo couldn’t wrap his arms around it fell to the ground, the impact caused the nearby trees to slide and all fall over with a crash.

“A bit too much, don’t you think…?”

“Ahh, my bad.”

Ray replied disinterestedly. Turning back, he appeared remarkably different from the ragged figure just moments ago, now looking like an impressive middle-aged man.

“So, it seems I shouldn’t grow my beard without thinking it through.”

“Stop with the nonsense. Instead of just explaining, wouldn’t it be better to see it in action? But don’t let that old man know; he’ll come at me with a sword.”

“Are you talking about Master Yuri?”

“Oh, so you get it right away. Seems you’ve been secretly calling him that too?”

“I hadn’t thought about it, but everyone else said so. It’s just a result of learning. Anyway, you knew?”

“Of course, I know. His actions are just like that old man’s. Well, enough chatter. Should I show you right away… oh, can I keep this dagger?”

As he spoke, Ray playfully tapped his shoulder with the dagger, looking just like an uncle. Who uses a blade to pet oneself?

I never expected such a decent item would be used to shave. Well, I could part with it.

“Just to be clear, I will do this by hand; the big branch can be similar with a sword. How much you get from this fully depends on your perception. Understood?”

“Understood.”

At Yeon-woo’s signal that he was ready, Ray stuck the dagger into the ground and got into a natural stance. He wasn’t holding anything in his hands; he simply spread his arms wide.

There was no flashy movement or even a hint of mana swirling around. Ray just slowly raised his arms and set them down as if placing them on an object.

Yeon-woo couldn’t detect anything meaningful with his eyes either. Perhaps it was the strange aura of chi he felt from his hands.

‘Is that how you use a sword?’

Just because you wield a sword barehanded doesn’t mean it’s a true sword master; there’s no difference between wielding a sword when barehanded.

Both felt like nonsense, but Ray had made both his own.

That’s why people don’t call Tia Rebein, who perfectly wields all weapons, Yuri, who has mastered every sword, and Ray, the sword saint who doesn’t use a sword, just any crazy term.

And starting at that moment, Ray’s stance slowly transformed into an Aura Blade. Given its lack of unique characteristics, it seemed like he had every intention of teaching.

But how on earth could he cut the flow with that? As Yeon-woo pondered, something caught his eye.

‘Wait, could it be moving…?’

A level of minute movement that Yeon-woo could hardly recognize with normal eyesight was visible. It resembled the subtle motion of Ray cutting with his Aura Blade.

If he could cut like that, was it even real…?

(To be continued in the next episode)

 

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