Hyper Luck

“Quite formidable skills, young Inquisitor. Or should I say, the latest homunculus?”

Guinir's voice echoed low throughout the square.

The whole area had already been burning due to the flash from the White Tower, and screams and the sound of people running in haste could be heard from everywhere.

“I heard that a gigantic portal reaction happened in the White Tower. Was this also something that you players caused? Or is it something caused by the people who hate players?”

Even so, whenever Guinir spoke all the noise around seemed to stop immediately.

“Mose, how would you feel if everything you did was denied because of me?”

“Then I’d have to think deeply about why it was denied and if it truly deserved to be denied.”

“As I expected, you use the excuse of the weak.”

A moment later, Guinir began to slowly walk toward us.

“The correct answer is to eliminate the cause of denial, instead of thinking back about the reason.”

“Do you believe that the balance of the world was disturbed because of the players? Do you feel as if everything you’ve done has been denied because of the players?!”

I fiercely snapped at Guinir. Then his upper body started to tremble as he suddenly started laughing out loud.

“There was a small village located in the Garua mountains. It was a precious village that I protected 17 years ago from external threats as a beginning Sworder. It was my first mission, and I’ve learned that what I was doing was a sublime deed through that mission.”

Guinir thrust his sword into the ground.

The sword was so sharp that it went sliding into the ground even though he didn’t seem to put much force on the thrust.

“That village doesn’t exist anymore. It became the home of a guild independently established by certain players.”

“What happened to the villagers?”

“They were devoured by the external threats that I fought away in order to protect them a long time ago. There are always hungry trolls living in the mountains.”

It was miserable.

While the sparks of conflict ignited by Lidornn were still burning bright, the evil deeds of some players never ceased to continue.

“I was convinced from that incident. That the players were breaking the balance of this world, and I have come here to find you in order to correct it.”

“Not all players commit such evil deeds.”

“Yes, but there were always players behind all the evil deeds that had ever happened.”

“So, that’s why you came to kill me this time? After discarding your belief, and even the oath of the Sworder?”

“Is that question simply a deception from an immortal, or is it from your pure curiosity?”

“Curiosity.”

“Why do you ask such a question?”

“Because I’ve never done any evil deed, at least. I’ve only always tried to get the best possible outcome for the task before my eyes, given the circumstances. If those can be called evil deeds, then you’d be denying everyone else including yourself.”

“You don’t seem to understand yet.”

Guinir pulled out the sword stuck in the ground and aimed it toward me.

“It’s not about if you’ve committed evil deeds or not. It is certain that only a small fraction of players had actually committed evil deeds. But you see. What attitude have you, who speak so innocently, taken toward those few who had committed evil deeds?”

My stomach twitched at the question that pierced through the point.

“I’m asking what have you, the players who claim to be innocent, done to get rid of such a frame?”

The conflict was simple.

For us, this world of <Circuit> was nothing more than just an entertaining game.

However, for the NPCs that reside within this world of <Circuit>, every moment was a part of their precious lives, just like us in reality.

Naturally, there was an unavoidable disparity between the two in living in this world.

We were in the position of an absolute conqueror, and the victims of the aftermath in the middle must have always been NPCs.

Khea opened up her mouth to speak to Guinir.

“Stop saying such selfish remarks. What did you people do when the minority like me suffered persecution all their lives?”

“Was this something needed to preserve the balance of this world? I’m asking who among you ever did anything about the absurdity of being sold as a slave to an arena or a brothel as a half-elf at a young age!”

Then she carefully pulled out the rapier hanging on her waist.

“In the end, all you’re saying is nothing more than just prejudice. Cut the crap, all you want to do is kill us because of that burning hatred of yours, no? So you can believe that what you will do can be justified!”

“Shut your mouth!”

Guinir shouted at Khea's aggressive words and deeds.

Even though Khea was pressured and trembling by Guinir’s murderous aura, she still managed to get herself together and glared at him.

“Why do you think there are such things as hatred and prejudice? Just because we look different? Bullshit! There is no reason for the evil deeds committed by those who walk on two legs! Why? Because that’s the bare truth that I had felt deeply since I was a child!”

“Yes, there is nothing more pointless than a quarrel over an ideology. No matter how you try to portray your ideology, and how I try to portray my ideology, the ideology declared by the winner gets to become the truth.”

With those words, Guinir's health bar began to appear at the bottom of the field of vision.

At the same time, a piece of intense music that pierced my ears and my heart from its very beginning started playing.

The chorus of the men and the occasional high-pitched soprano of women made me shiver.

“Mose, to be quite honest, there’s no way to win against that man right now.”

In the midst of the music, Khea opened her mouth with a resolute look on her face.

Her body was no longer trembling. She was standing alongside me calmly with a rapier in her hand.

“Even so, may Adiath advent upon our blades.”

She tapped my greatsword with the rapier she was holding in her hand.

It was like a prayer of some sort.

I grabbed my greatsword with both my hands firmly after hearing her prayer.

However, Zaire suddenly squeezed in between me and Khea.

“With my ability, I could lead you to the Bypass.”

At his words, My and Khea’s eyes met.

“My Flashing Eyes can manipulate half of a second. Considering my and your physical abilities, this half of a second holds great value to us.”

Surely, that brief difference would decide everything.

Guinir was a master Sworder.

Although I was unable to measure the limit of his powers, if Khea and I were given 0.5 second of advantage, then we may stand more of a chance than having no advantage.

“However, there is one problem.”

Zaire tapped on his right eye with two of his fingers after stating that.

“During the battle against the one called Larife, one of my eyes was damaged. Therefore, it will take at least 3 minutes to activate my ability.”

“And if we could just withstand that 3 minutes?”

“Then we can at least try for the plan.”

Zaire nodded his head at my question.

3 minutes,

That was the minimum requirement needed for us to have at least a chance of ‘survival’.

“Khea?”

“Let’s do this.”

Khea decisively turned back to face Guinir at my question.

I swallowed a dry gulp as I stood right next to her.

If I were to lose her here, then that would be my last moment to ever come to the world of <Circuit>. With that in mind, I grabbed my sword.

“I’m curious to know what your final prayer was.”

“It was more like an ignition for our fighting spirit than a prayer.”

As soon as Khea finished speaking, I opened my mouth as I couldn’t control my burning spirit.

“Hotter than the warmth of Bellica himself.”

“Excellent.”

Guinir expressed his sentiments simply and clearly, then spurted the ground and flew towards us.

A golden afterimage wavered around his bright, deep golden eyes with his black cloak and dark hair fluttering.

In an instant, the blade of a sword, the same color as the night sky, flew towards my throat.

I thrust my greatsword with all my might to block his blade that appeared without any preparation as if the blade had bloomed from his body.

Then, to relieve the impact as much as possible, I leaned back as much as I could.

Bam!!!

I felt a huge shock on my back.

All I did was barely manage to lean back in order to parry his blade, but I was knocked down to the floor.

And after that,

Bam!!!

Another noise resounded through the square.

This time, it was the sound of Khea breaking a tree planted in the square by being knocked into it.

I couldn’t just lie there like that.

Khea and I had to fight him with no mistakes in order to withstand 3 minutes in the battle against him.

“Agh!”

I rushed toward Guinir with a battle cry.

However, I had no choice but to back off because of Gunir’s sword technique that he masterfully wielded with his long sword.

I wasn’t able to know where the strike began and ended because of his blade blending into the darkness of the sky, and not to mention his dark cloak and hair.

“Go’h!”

I immediately ejected the engraving swords.

I had to make him move.

The steps he would make to move will take him at least one second or two.

But in that instant, Guinir immediately put the blade back into his scabbard, then bowed his body very low.

Then immediately after,

Two waving flames appeared on both his eyes.

“Mose! Duck!”

As soon as the screaming shout from the Khea was heard, an echoing voice erupted from Guinir’s mouth.

“7th form, Feather!”

All of these sequences happened in less than a second.

At the end of Guinir's words, a perfectly black sphere appeared around him, and covered his entire body.

Then that thing started getting bigger as it covered the entire area.

I was finally able to realize what it actually was when it came close to my nose.

That sphere was sword strikes itself made from his strong swings.

I was able to notice that what I thought was a sphere was in fact a tiny net made with hundreds and thousands of swings.

The floor had already been hit and devastated by the sword, and the size of the sphere began to expand exponentially, so I hurriedly ducked down.

Nevertheless, the remnants of the floor, which had been blown off in front of me, were nailed all over my body.

The sword strike rising through the sky soon disappeared as it scattered, and the area around the square became a mess as if a net-like rake had swept through it.

And in the middle of that devastation, there stood Guinir.

I was unable to see the expression on his face as it was covered in the shadow.

< You have 50% of your HP left. >

The phrase that appeared in front of my eyes made my eyes go numb for a bit.

My two shoulders and lower back were getting insanely hot.

All of this was just by encountering the aftermath of Guinir's sword strike.

Even so, I had to buy as much time as possible. Time was the light and the salt to my vitality and the chance of survival.

“Go’h!”

I called in the engraved swords once again.

The engraved swords that bloomed on my shoulders rushed to Guinir, but it was deflected away by the scabbard that was held in his other hand.

In the midst of that sight, another phrase appeared in front of my eyes.

< Skill level of Go’h was increased. >

“I admire your fortune, you’ve avoided many critical strikes.’

“Because it’s not completely over yet!”

I jumped back on to my feet, as if responding to his cynical remarks

And at the same time, Zaire, who was concentrating on making his ability bloom despite being hit by the aftermath, opened his eyes with twinkling lights.

And at that moment, Khea and I were pushed into Zaire as if we were kicked from behind.

Guinir, after confirming that, instantly caught up to us, but because we were waiting for the moment this whole time, our superhuman instincts were faster than his speed.

Soon, Khea and I threw out bodies as if we were diving once we got to the arms distance from Zaire.

In accordance with this, Zaire’s pupils began to rotate rapidly, and the various characters engraved on his eyes moved intricately and began to create a certain magic circle.

And when I blinked for a split second, Zaire was already running past Guinir with Khea and I in his arms.

***

In half a second, he had achieved the inspiring deed of running past Guinir with Khea and I in his arms.

“We did it!”

“We have to get to Bypass right away...!”

And after we were almost thrown on the tiles, we tried to operate the Bypass. But I felt something strange about Zaire so I turned my gaze to him.

“Zaire...!!”

Khea’s scream passed right by me.

Then it immediately turned into a muffled sound.

I couldn’t even tell if what I was witnessing was real or not.

Ziare,

His face was half gone.

Starting from the crown of his head his face had been cut diagonally to the right as there was nothing but only his thin smile left on it.

“It seems that half a second wasn’t enough. Though it’s still a relief that it was enough time to save you two.”

His voice in multiple tones resounded softly.

Something came out of Zaire's chest with crimson blood.

It was a pitch-black blade that wasn’t even stained with a single drop of blood. The blade rushed at us as if it was trying to pierce me and Khea at the same time.

I was in a state of panic and couldn't come up with any thoughts in my head, but nonetheless, my body moved very naturally and quickly.

“M...Mose... No...!!!”

I could hear Khea’s cry.

Even so, the relief comforted my heart enough to keep it beating.

Since I was able to figure out that she was still safe from hearing her cry.

I had thrown myself into Guinir’s blade without thinking.

However, thanks to that, his blade was stuck somewhere in my body thus never reaching Khea.

< Your HP is under 1%. >

< Warning. >

< You are in danger of dying. >

An abnormally enlarged heartbeat, a red and hazy vision, a strange feeling of power draining from the body, and the feeling of a piece of steel colder than ice inside my body,

All of this felt so real.

I could see Guinir over the shoulder of Zaire who had kneeled down to the ground.

Even though we had acquired an overwhelming advantage of 0.5 seconds, we weren’t able to escape from his monstrous hands.

“Mose... Mose... Please, wake up... Please...!”

All I could hear was Khea’s weeping from my back.

At that moment, I could feel Guinir putting strength into the blade in his hand.

Then a second later, the blade stuck in my body started moving.

The blade began to slowly move toward Khea. I screamed with all the strength I had left.

“Go... Go! Go! Khea!! Leave now!”

“Mose... Mose!”

She fell into the abyss of complete panic, only calling out my name over and over again.

Meanwhile, the sword began to move closer and closer to Khea.

“Kheaa!!!!”

I cried out loud.

With voice gradually cracking, then Khea stopped crying.

“Go! I’ll find you again! I promise! You have to survive!”

“Mose... Okay... I promise!”

Then I could hear her back off.

At that moment, the sword of Guinir began to receive tremendous power.

My whole body shivered at the sensation of a new sword piercing through my body in an instant.

“Go’h!!!”

Barely managing to shout out loud with my trembling jaw, I summoned the engraving swords.

The engraved swords summoned behind my back at my will crossed each other and grabbed Guinir's sword that protruded through my back.

At that moment, a bright ray of light appeared behind my back, and after a while, it disappeared.

And I could no longer feel any presence from my back.

Khea successfully got away.

And as I felt that,

I silently closed my eyes.

< Your HP has reached 0. >

< You have died. >

< You may not reconnect back to the world of Circuit for 7 days. This is equal to 21 days in Circuit time. >

* * *

“Huff... Huff...”

I jumped up from my spot like I had a seizure.

My whole body was wet with cold sweat, and my heart was beating like crazy.

I carefully placed my hand on my chest.

I could still feel the cold sensation of the blade in my body. I carefully looked around.

My room, which has now changed to the point where it feels unfamiliar, welcomed me.

I was back to the real world.