The Overlord of Blood and Iron

Chapter 181: Swordmaster Tuzenbach

An old man that was hunched over so much that it seemed like he was about to fall over greeted Kang Chul-In.

“Hello!”

The old man greeted Kang Chul-In, running towards him.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

But Kang Chul-In wasn’t so naive.

He was in the boss room right now, so that meant that this old man was the boss.

Even Dorian Explorer wouldn’t allow the boss to close the distance so easily. 

Actually, I’m pretty sure he would get tricked.

Thinking that, Kang Chul-In threw a fist towards the old man.

Whik!

But the old man easily dodged his fist.

“...!”

Astonishment filled the eyes of Kang Chul-In.

His fist was almost as fast as a bullet, but the old man had dodged that? This meant that this man wasn’t as simple as he looked.

Pzzt, Pzzt!

Turning on Overdrive, Kang Chul-In immediately began to relentlessly pour down attacks on the old man. Who knew what would happen to him if he gave the old man a chance to close the distance.

“Ahh!”

Screaming… the old man cleanly dodged all of the attacks that Kang Chul-In threw. With a few backflips, he widened the distance between Kang Chul-In and himself.

It was a ghostly movement.

“Ow… My back…”

The old man groaned.

“Why are you so violent…? I think I’m going to die…! My knees hurt too…”

“...”

“Hmph. You rude bastard. Why are you trying to attack someone that’s greeting you…? What a terrible personality…”

The old man stared at Kang Chul-In, while rubbing his knee as if in pain.

“Old man.” 

Kang Chul-In opened his mouth.

“Are you the guardian that guards Mitra?”

A guardian was a named-monster that guarded the treasure of a dungeon.

“Guardian? Me?”

“Of that.”

Kang Chul-In pointed towards the stone coffin that was placed in the middle of the room.

Terrifying waves of energy were being radiated from the stone coffin, where there was also art that seemed to describe the sun.

“The guardian that guards Mitra, isn’t that you?”

“Hmm… Well, I guess you’re half-right. Don’t consider me as a monster that guards treasure, however.”

“Then?”

“Though I am a guardian, I came into the dungeon of my own accord.”

“And the reason for that?”

“In order to get a powerful disciple!”

“...”

“After all, someone that’s able to get through this maze that’s crawling with terrifying monsters must be strong. I would like to have a strong person like that as my disciple. 

“Idiot...”

Kang Chul-In laughed at the old man, speechless.

“So what!?”

“You might as well just search the continent inside and out or just forcefully make other strong people into your disciple.”

“I have thought of doing that as well. However, it is too late. All has gone to waste, as I didn’t have many days to live once I had decided to take in a disciple. That was… maybe a week before my death? That’s what I think.”

“A week before your death?”

“I’m already dead.”

“So you’re an undead?”

“Don’t call me an undead, you rude bastard!”

The old man swore.

“How am I something like an undead?”

“I thought you said you were dead?”

“I’m not dead yet!!”

“You’re crazy.”

Kang Chul-In said, shaking his head.

“What happened is that I made a deal with the ones that serve the sun god, Baldur. I was able to extend my life in exchange for defending Mitra. While I’m here, I don’t age physically or mentally.”

“You should have just died.”

“What?!”

“Why do you want to extend your life in order to receive a disciple? Are you even that special?”

“Ha…”

This time, the old man shook his head sighed.

“Do you know who I am?”

“Of course not. I'm not curious either.”

“You’d be surprised if you knew, though.”

“I doubt it.”

Kang Chul-In responded coolly.

“Hu… Arrogant bastard, to think that I’d have to say who I am through my own mouth…”

“Shut up and tell me who you are.”

“I am Tuzenbach.”

“...?”

“Kuku! It seems like you can’t even speak now because you’re so shocked? Well, that makes sense. Huhuhu…”

It was just like the old man had said.

Kang Chul-In was so surprised that he turned speechless.

Who did this guy think he was for him to expect Kang Chul-In to know who he was?

“Just die.”

Not feeling the need to mix words with the old man anymore, Kang Chul-In started to run towards him.

“W-Wait!”

“What is it now?”

“I told you, I’m ‘the’ Tuzenbach!”

“So?”

“I’m Tuzenbach!”

“I know that’s your name, but what do you want me to do with it?”

“Swordmaster Tuzenbach! I’m the famed ‘most powerful swordsman in all of Pangaea’!”

As expected, what the man said was bullshit.

Swordmaster and whatnot, Kang Chul-In hadn’t ever heard of a name called Tuzenbach.

-----------

While Kang Chul-In was meeting ‘Swordmaster Tuzenbach’ in the dungeon and Kwak-Jung was talking to the government officials, the Bone Dragon was busy destroying Seoul.

While they dealt with Kwak-Jung on one hand, the Korean government also made a secret deal with the U.S., asking them for help to take down the Bone Dragon.

-We have news. Currently, ten F-22 fighter jets are headed towards Seoul from the Okinawa Kadena air base, and the army has told citizens from the Seoul/Gyeonggi region to stay indoors…

However,

The U.S., which attracted the Bone Dragon towards Gwanaksan and tried to shoot it down, had to face the shame of losing three of their F-22 raptors, and running away.

Though it was obvious, the attacks of the F-22 jets didn’t work on the Bone Dragon at all, and this led to the Bone Dragon getting enraged once more and wreaking even more havoc onto Seoul.

Due to this, the entire world discovered that against high-leveled monsters, only ‘raids’, done by other high leveled adventurers, would be effective.

“Oh, the raptor has been taken down??? Ho…”

Kwak-Jung had to give some kind of reply to this deal between South Korea and the U.S. that happened without him knowing.

“It looks like they want me to add even more conditions, huh?”

Kwak-Jung laughed, after checking that the U.S had completely failed.

To be honest, Kwak-Jung had expected this to happen.

Which meant---

“We’ll add in extra conditions.”

He had also planned extra plans in preparation for the failure of the U.S.

Tuk.

Kwak-Jung threw down a new piece of paper, which had two more conditions added to the one from before. These were the additions: 

9. 6,000,000,000 Korean won will be given to every person that has lost members of their family, and 2,000,000,000 of that money will be given under the name of the Galaxy Corporation.

10. The government will not intervene with the dealing between Pangaea and the Galaxy Corporation at all, and will make laws based on trading between Pangaea and Earth after talking with the Galaxy Corporation.

“...!”

“...!”

The faces of the officials paled after reading the new conditions.

It made sense.

These 10 conditions were definitely more than enough to change the Galaxy Corporation, which was still a mid-size corporation, into a massive conglomerate.

And not only that, but they could make their image as a company extremely positive through all the money they “donated”.

“Please, give us some time to…”

“Nah.”

“A-At least give us time to tell the president…!”

“5 minutes.”

“Thank you, director Kwak.”

After getting Kwak-Jung’s approval, the man who was prime minister called the president, and 5 minutes later…

“Very good.”

After getting the approval, Kwak-Jung smiled.

“10 minutes later, our adventurers will go and start taking the monsters down. The Bone Dragon case will be the hardest, and will take maybe 3 days to handle. Now, good luck on handling what comes after~!”

Kwak-Jung.

A former gangster.

Currently the strategist of the ‘great Laputa territory’.

This was the moment where this man, who lived a third-rate life, created a miracle.

Ah… my body still aches…!

Even though in actuality, he was just a man who got beaten up when Kang Chul-In got bored.

-----------

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You don’t know me? Me?!”

“I don’t.”

“Ah… has time really passed that much, for even the great me to be forgotten? Huhu… to think that you don’t know me… the great Swordmaster Tuzenbach…”

The old man that had revealed himself as the Swordmaster Tuzenbach muttered.

“Let me ask one thing.”

“What is it?”

“When is it now? The time I came in here… Was when the Emperor of the ‘Mad Night’ was ruling.”

“I don’t even know who that is.”

“Has time really passed that much? Do you not know about the Ancient Republic either then?”

“I do.”

“Then why don’t you know the 26th emperor, Shatronus Berlinetta Pon Aurangzeb?”

“I do know the Emperor of Blood and Iron.”

“Has the emperor changed since then?”

“I mean the 27th Emperor, Julius Berlinetta Pon Aurangzeb.”

“Ahh, so it seems that little kiddo has managed to defeat his grandfather and become emperor, huh.”

“Kid?”

“As you know, Shatronus is a famed tyrant and is also a crazy bastard. He killed his children from birth because he was so obsessed with power. Even though I don’t know what exactly happened, I guarantee that when the kiddo became emperor, he had cut his grandfather’s neck off. Now, am I wrong?”

“It’s similar. I don’t know that well because I read it in the history books too. It’s been a long time since then.”

Kang Chul-In tried to play along with what Tuzenbach said, as he didn’t want to spend forever talking.

“Is that so…? That’s why you don’t know my name… It seems like time really has passed…”

“Probably?”

Kang Chul-In didn’t necessarily state that it had been a thousand years since the Emperor of Blood and Iron ruled, and that the Pangaea continent had been destroyed altogether a long time ago. Once again, it was because he couldn’t be bothered.

“Well… if you don’t know me, then I’ll show you with my skill.”

Tuzenbach exclaimed,

“Now, let’s start.”

And laughed while looking at Kang Chul-In.

“What?”

“Beat me.”

“And if I do?”

“Then you’ll be able to learn this Swordmaster Tuzenbach’s abilities, and become the owner of the Holy Light Sword, Mitra. Isn’t that perfect?”

[A quest has occurred!]

A message popped up in front of Kang Chul-In.

[The teachings of a veteran]

Receive acknowledgment from Swordmaster Tuzenbach!

Reward: [Epic] The Holy Light Sword, Mitra.

-Warning: If you do not get acknowledged by Tuzenbach, you will not be able to obtain Mitra.

Tuk.

At that moment, a sword without an edge fell in front of Kang Chul-In. It seemed like it was a practice sword.

“Now, show me, disciple. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

“...?”

“I told you, come at me!”

At Swordmaster Tuzenbach’s taunts, Kang Chul-In,

Pajik!

Grabbed the practice sword, with veins bulging from his forehead.

He had become pissed off at Tuzenbach’s attitude of treating him as a mere disciple.

“Get ready for a beating, old man.”

Kang Chul-In grabbed the sword like a club, and started to walk towards Swordmaster Tuzenbach.