Chapter 626

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Chapter 626: Slaughterhouse (4)

Myth.

Cosmic-grade superior equipment that can only be forged by one who has written a myth themselves.

Because of this, myths were usually passed down as heirlooms of great noble houses, royal families, or entire clans.

In other words, they were items one could not easily encounter.

Which meant that here, in the Slaughterhouse, two holders of myths clashing against each other was……

—The Typesetter’s joke goes too far. Just who are you, exactly?

As the three-eyed man questioned Yeongwoo’s identity again, Gehika lay half-collapsed on the ground, mouth hanging wide open.

—A-Answer already! Let’s end this nicely, okay?!

Having already lost an arm to the three-eyed man in another room, Gehika’s fighting spirit had been completely shattered.

That was why he was trying to resolve things through words while there was still room for conversation.

However, after confirming that the opponent possessed a myth, Yeongwoo was already launching his next attack.

Shwaaaak!

“You think I’d know who you are just because you tell me your name? Then who the hell are you?”

If the opponent had a myth, that also meant the myth could be taken.

That was why Yeongwoo, despite appearances, was extremely calm and operating at peak concentration.

To steal a myth, he had to completely suppress the opponent first.

Kaaang!

Yeongwoo’s second attack was once again blocked by the three-eyed man’s blade, and at that moment, both wielders of myths realized something.

The one in front of them was absolutely not an easy opponent.

—Me? I am Sezail Hrihotsuma Gaelorf.

From beyond the crossed mythical blades, the three-eyed man spoke his name in a low voice.

Of course, it meant nothing to Yeongwoo.

“Fuck. Yeah, still no idea who that is.”

At that, Gehika let out a near-scream, his mouth opening even wider than before.

—Y-You’re Hrihotsuma?!

Someone had finally recognized the name—yet the person himself didn’t look proud in the slightest.

“Hrihotsuma? Is that famous?”

—Famous? Hrihotsuma is a title granted only to prince candidates of the Gaelorf royal family.

“Prince candidate? What the hell is this insane universe, why does it keep inventing things?”

A prince was a prince.

How could there be a candidate?

As Yeongwoo alternated his gaze between Sezail and Gehika with a headache-ridden expression, Gehika cautiously retreated while continuing.

—Gaelorf doesn’t pass the throne through direct lineage.

“Then?”

—The strongest takes the throne.

“Ah.”

His temples throbbed again.

So the three-eyed man before him was one of the candidates competing for the right to claim the throne.

After all, one had to become a prince first to challenge for kingship.

“You can become king just by being strong? What kind of fucked-up royal family is that? Does the royal line change every time?”

When Yeongwoo asked, Gehika once again answered in Sezail’s stead.

—O-Of course the current royal family prefers bloodline succession. That’s why legitimate princes exist. But some seats are opened to the entire Galactic Army, and the one who earned that right is…

“So that’s what this Hrihotsuma thing is.”

—Y-Yes.

As Gehika spoke, he subtly glanced at Sezail—an unspoken plea that surely explaining his prestige might spare his life.

—A Hrihotsuma is someone who crawled up from the bottom and earned the right to compete with the existing princes. In a way, even that process itself is mythic.

Of course, the myth in Sezail’s hand hadn’t been born from that process.

“Uh… but no matter how powerful the Gaelorf royal family is, they wouldn’t hand out myths to prince candidates, right? That thing—you already had it, didn’t you?”

Sezail answered for the first time.

—This is my family’s heirloom. Strictly speaking, my former family’s.

In other words, Sezail had already been a scion of a great house before becoming a prince candidate.

“So your original family was loaded too, and you still defected? Is Gaelorf really that big a deal?”

At that, Sezail frowned with all three eyes at once and shoved away Yeongwoo’s Bastard.

Pae-at!

—Then how great is the place you come from?

“Hah. Pretty great, actually. Ever heard of Renaissance?”

—Renais… what?

“If you don’t know, you’ll learn! I am the head of Renaissance—Jeong Yeongwoo!”

As Yeongwoo shouted with a wicked grin, Sezail sensed killing intent and took half a step back, assuming a defensive stance.

But what followed was not a slashing attack.

“One-Hundred-Seventy-Seven Sword Mountain!”

At Yeongwoo’s call, the air split apart and blades poured down.

As expected, Sezail’s gaze snapped upward.

—Sword Mountain? Interesting.

Having clearly seen such techniques before, Sezail reacted swiftly.

He knocked aside the falling blades and slipped sideways in one smooth motion—preparing for Yeongwoo’s ambush.

‘This bastard’s fought plenty of Sword Mountain users.’

No wonder he’d beaten so many rivals to become a prince candidate.

Of course, Yeongwoo wasn’t about to let him off easy.

“Go!”

Using sword energy, Yeongwoo chased Sezail with the Bastard, and once again, one of the man’s eyes glowed blue.

Paaat!

As Sezail’s pupil turned vivid blue, his blade collided with the Bastard, which was being controlled by sword energy.

Kaaang!

This time, for the first time, Sezail’s upper body was pushed back, signs of strain showing.

‘Ah. This is it.’

「Weapons affected by Sword Energy gain +25% attack power. The bonus is lost immediately when Sword Energy dissipates.」

The Bastard, currently under sword energy, had its attack power increased by a massive 25%.

That was the limit of what Sezail could endure.

“Hey, prince candidate! Hand over that sword nicely, and I’ll spare your life.”

As Yeongwoo spoke, he bit his tongue, corrosive blood filling his mouth and amplifying his physical strength.

—You want this sword…? You’re rushing toward your own execution.

“Obviously I didn’t expect talking to work!”

Yeongwoo spat the blood violently, summoning golden trajectories at the same time.

Piaaang!

Sword-energy-infused Bastard, the auto-combat greatsword Golden Trail, and corrosive blood all struck from three directions at once.

—W-What the hell is this lunatic?!

Gehika recoiled in terror.

This wasn’t just domineering—it was grotesque combat.

Meanwhile, Yeongwoo summoned Frost Aegis into his right hand and charged Sezail, who was already busy deflecting Bastard and Golden Trajectory.

‘I can’t kill him by mistake. Just beat him enough to break his will.’

And yet, paradoxically, only killing intent could inflict meaningful damage.

“Die!”

As Yeongwoo swung with clenched teeth, Sezail’s third and final eye ignited.

Its pupil filled with violet light.

Piaaang!

A massive energy wave erupted from Sezail.

BOOOOM!

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The deafening explosion swept through the entire arena, and only then did Yeongwoo understand why Sezail wielded a myth.

Naturally—he was strong even without it.

—Jeong Yeongwoo of Renaissance. You are extremely troublesome.

As Sezail turned his head, three pupils—blue, red, and violet—shifted across his forehead.

‘That’s his full power.’

Yeongwoo re-stored all weapons into the catalog and re-equipped Bastard and Aratubank.

“Honestly, if you lose while holding two myths, you deserve to die.”

With resolve akin to a last stand, Yeongwoo gripped the Bastard.

He summoned Sword Mountain once more above Sezail’s head and infused the Bastard with sword energy.

Shwaaak!

This time, Sezail burst straight through Sword Mountain and charged directly at Yeongwoo.

—The same tactic won’t work twice! Pay the price for your foolishness!

His momentum was overwhelming.

Yeongwoo raised Aratubank defensively and immediately activated the Gambler’s Overload.

【Overload】

| For 5 seconds, attack power doubles.

| After Overload ends, the Gambler detaches from your body.

Chiiaaah!

The moment Overload activated, Yeongwoo’s prosthetic arm glowed red, venting steam.

Sezail’s blade slammed into Aratubank.

KWAaaang!

“Shit—why are you this strong?!”

But his attack power was amplified too.

When Yeongwoo countered with Bastard, Sezail’s mythic sword was blown clean from his hand.

—…!

With attack power doubled, the force exceeded Sezail’s expectations.

Paaeeeng!

The mythic sword shot into the wall, and shock spread across Sezail’s face.

—Impressive.

Yet despite the calm tone, he desperately lunged after the sword.

At that moment, Bastard severed his right arm.

KWAaat!

First confirmed hit.

As the white arm spun through the air, Yeongwoo smashed Sezail’s head with Aratubank.

THOOOM!

—…Kuh!

Sezail’s skin instantly turned violet.

Before he could respond, Bastard’s dark crimson blade pressed against his neck.

KWAat!

“Hey. Don’t move.”

—…….

The blade had already dug slightly into his throat.

Sezail slowly raised both shoulders.

—Calm down. You won’t kill me anyway. If I die, that sword disappears before your eyes.

“Bold words from a guy with a myth. But I can still cut off another arm. Don’t try anything stupid.”

Sezail’s gaze drifted to Yeongwoo’s prosthetic arm—the Gambler—now lying on the ground after Overload ended.

Clank.

—Did you lose your arm like this too?

“No. I cut it off myself.”

—…What?

All three of Sezail’s eyes widened.

—You abandoned your arm on purpose…?

“Don’t know about other races, but humans are pretty fragile.”

Then Yeongwoo changed the subject.

“Alright. Let’s talk about the myth.”

—Regrettably, I cannot hand it over.

“Then you die.”

—Then kill me. If I can’t become a prince, I was dead anyway.

“Jesus Christ, another lunatic.”

Yeongwoo shook his head.

But Sezail was probably telling the truth.

Prince candidates—Hrihotsuma—were threats to legitimate princes.

Failing meant inevitable retaliation.

“Then… I’ll spare you, return your arm, and send you back. Just lend me the myth.”

Yeongwoo chose the second-best option.

Sezail didn’t even blink.

—What have you been listening to? If I fail to become a prince, I die. And without the myth, I cannot complete my duties as Hrihotsuma.

“Ah, fuck.”

Yeongwoo understood perfectly—and that only made him angrier.

Like Alden Miras, Sezail was undergoing a trial.

—At this point, I’ve already failed as Hrihotsuma. I lost to someone I met in a dungeon like this. The only thing I can do is return the myth to my family…

“No, hold on. Can’t you think about this a bit more positively?”

—…?

“You seriously don’t see it yet?”

At that moment, all three of Sezail’s pupils turned gold.

Shwaaak!

His prestige score increased.

From his duel with a Planetary Shipmaster.

—…This is.

“What you’re facing right now is a cosmic anomaly. It only turned into bad fate because you met me here today.”

Sezail stared at Yeongwoo in shock.

—Planetary Shipmaster.

“Yeah, idiot. There’s no way your mission includes something like ‘defeat a cosmic anomaly,’ right?”

—Yet this too is fate prepared by the Typesetter. And still, I have no means to preserve the myth.

He meant dying and returning it to his family.

So Yeongwoo quickly covered his mouth.

“Shut up. I’ve got another way.”

—…….

“First, I’ll return the myth to you.”

Top-tier treatment.

“And I’ll spare your life. Same thing, really.”

Sezail stared at him in complete confusion.

—And after that?

“After that? You complete your mission as planned. Become a prince, just like you want.”

—I don’t understand. What do you gain?

“The myth.”

—…What?

“We write a transfer contract. If you become prince—or die during your candidate missions—the myth transfers to me.”

If Sezail died, the contract might become void, since whoever killed him would likely take the myth anyway.

It was a gamble—betting on Sezail becoming prince.

—That’s an absurd proposal.

“Then you die here. The myth returns to your family, but your shot at kingship vanishes.”

—…….

A man without ambition would never have challenged for prince candidacy.

To Sezail, overflowing with ambition, this was an irresistible temptation.

—You’re telling me to wager my family’s heirloom for one more chance.

“Exactly. You get another future as a king. Honestly, it’s not a bad deal.”

As Yeongwoo spoke, he casually tried to store Sezail’s sword in the catalog—but was denied.

「You do not have priority ownership of this equipment.」

‘Damn it. The dungeon’s binding equipment.’

Which meant Sezail had to accept the deal.

“So? Die here as a cursed candidate—or challenge kingship one more time?”

Yeongwoo tilted the Bastard.

Sezail finally closed all three eyes.

—…Fine. I’ll sign the contract. But there’s one condition.

“Condition? What is it?”

—A lease. I can’t give you the heirloom forever. I’ll lend it to you for one thousand years.

“Hah.”

Yeongwoo couldn’t stop himself from laughing.

“Idiot. A thousand years for you is a hundred billion years for me. Just sign.”

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