Solo Swordmaster - Chapter 4

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B

Chapter 4: Choice

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Anyone could become a Player.

All they had to do was form a contract with a Constellation.

But not all Players were the same.

A Player's level was determined by the stature of the Constellation they contracted with and the skills they received from it.

At the pinnacle stood the Monarchs.

Ten superhumans who had reached level 100 by contracting with the greatest Constellations and developing their Unique Skills to the utmost limit.

That was why a Monarch's name carried such weight in the Age of Iron.

Even a nation's president could not treat a Monarch carelessly, and every faction bowed their heads before them.

True to their title, they were absolute beings who ruled over everything in this age.

“Why? Are you only realizing now that you made a mistake?”

Having one of those ten Monarchs as a brother-in-law was an enormous advantage on its own.

And Seo Yong-chan was a high-level Player whose level was in the eighties.

No wonder he acted as though no one else mattered.

Once someone reached the heavens, those on the ground no longer looked like fellow human beings.

“You shouldn't have pulled something like a sneak attack. Why'd you make me angry by doing something so underhanded, huh?”

“...A sneak attack?”

“Fuck, you ambushed me while I was drunk and defenseless!”

Rimon blinked.

Then he glanced at Yoo Na-gyeong and asked with his eyes.

‘Hey, is riding a bull around and going on a rampage considered defenseless these days?’

‘If that's defenseless, arson would be fireworks.’

‘Then why is he spouting this nonsense?’

‘Maybe he blacked out?’

‘Even if he doesn't remember it himself, he must've heard about it. There'd be piles of CCTV footage alone.’

‘Maybe someone told him something weird?’

After briefly conferring with Yoo Na-gyeong, Rimon failed to find an answer and finally asked the person involved directly.

“Just to be clear, what is your basis for claiming that I ambushed you?”

“Who needs a basis? If you hadn't pulled some underhanded trick, there’s no way my summon would've lost to some has-been like you.”

Rimon frowned without meaning to.

It was not because of Seo Yong-chan's absurd answer.

He had realized the real reason Seo Yong-chan had come all this way to make such a ridiculous claim.

‘Aha. His pride was hurt.’

He had probably spent his whole life throwing his weight around as someone in the heavens.

Then a summon that had been one source of his confidence got destroyed in a second.

It was something he simply could not accept.

Especially since the opponent was Rimon, who was treated as a has-been among Players.

And from experience, Rimon knew exactly how people like this tried to restore their pride.

“A civil servant beating up an innocent citizen? Does that make any sense?! It gives me chills, chills, to think people like you live off my taxes!”

What was that method?

It was very simple.

Crush the person responsible for damaging their pride.

For some reason, people like that believed ruining the other person would somehow restore their pride as well.

“You think this will end with compensation? Not a chance! If I put my mind to it, taking down a has-been like you would be nothing!”

In that sense, Seo Yong-chan's threat could not be dismissed as mere bluster.

CCTV footage, dashcam recordings.

All he had to do was erase anything that could serve as evidence.

It would not even be difficult if he brought in a single high-level Player with electronic abilities.

Witnesses?

They would be even easier.

Unless they had a death wish, they would shut up on their own if he so much as hinted at his connection to a Monarch.

And with a little money, he could even create witnesses where there were none.

That alone would neatly erase the incident titled:

[The Infinite Monarch's Brother-in-Law Rampages Through City Center!]

Instead, reports of Rimon's assault would be splashed everywhere.

But the person most sensitive to Seo Yong-chan's threats was not Rimon.

“Mr. Seo Yong-chan, are you threatening a PAB agent right in front of me?”

“Why? Am I not allowed to?”

“Don't be ridiculous!”

Kang Jeong-su's face twisted.

Kang Jeong-su had endured this much because of Seo Yong-chan's connection to the Infinite Monarch, but there were limits.

Seo Yong-chan had gone too far, and Kang Jeong-su snapped.

“If you keep acting like this, I'll call the Infinite Monarch and speak with him myself! Is that what you want?”

Seo Yong-chan flinched at those firm words.

Even to a relative, a Monarch's name carried weight.

Especially if this matter made someone as important as the PAB director contact him personally, Seo Yong-chan would receive a severe scolding no matter what.

“Tch, fine. Fine.”

After hesitating between his pride and fear for a moment, Seo Yong-chan reluctantly backed down.

“Since the director is begging and pleading like this, I'll make a special exception and settle for compensation this time.”

‘When the hell did I beg and plead, you bastard?!’

Kang Jeong-su frowned at the arrogant tone.

But Kang Jeong-su did not argue.

Dealing with a Monarch was burdensome, after all, and if the matter could be settled with a little money, that was fortunate.

“On one condition. That old man over there gets on his knees and apologizes to me.”

That was the moment Seo Yong-chan pointed at Rimon.

Kang Jeong-su froze, Yoo Na-gyeong's eyes widened, and Rimon tilted his head slightly.

“...You want me to get on my knees?”

“Of course. If you harmed someone, you should at least show some sincerity!”

“Mr. Seo Yong-chan, that's...!”

“Why? Don't want to? Then forget it. I can just take a scolding from my brother-in-law.”

‘You idiot!’

Kang Jeong-su swallowed the curse.

Negotiation, damage control, it was all over now.

Still, Kang Jeong-su turned his gaze toward Rimon just in case, only to see him throw a fist with a murderous expression.

Thud!

* * *

‘Just as planned.’

Seo Yong-chan wore a triumphant smile as he watched Rimon's fist fly at him.

‘What an idiotic old man, falling for such a minor provocation.’

From the moment he entered until now, Seo Yong-chan had not acted arrogantly merely because of his pride.

He had deliberately provoked Rimon to make him attack like this.

The reason was obvious.

To beat Rimon down head-on and get his revenge!

Of course, that plan only worked if he could overpower Rimon one-on-one, but Seo Yong-chan was confident.

Yesterday, he had been drunk and not wearing his equipment, so he had simply failed to stop that surprise attack.

Now that he was fully equipped and thoroughly prepared, there was no way he could not handle one has-been.

Seo Yong-chan had no doubt about it.

At least, until Rimon's fist slammed into his solar plexus.

“Urgh?!”

Seo Yong-chan was startled.

He had thought he blocked the fist, but it had somehow buried itself deep in his stomach.

Still, as a high-level Player, Seo Yong-chan endured the pain and tried to counterattack.

But that was nothing more than wishful thinking.

Smack! Smack! Smack!

“Hey, you son of a bitch.”

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

“If you did something wrong, you should know how to reflect on it.”

Smack!

“What was that? Compensation? Get on my knees? You really have a death wish, don't you?”

‘Th-This can't be happening.’

His cheeks swelled from the slaps.

He was kicked all over.

His face was hammered by fists.

Unable to even breathe, much less fight back, Seo Yong-chan was beaten relentlessly by Rimon. Yet more than anger, he felt bewilderment.

High-level Players were superhuman.

The level bonuses made their bodies as tough as steel, and their reflexes fast enough to snatch arrows out of the air.

And with his current equipment, Seo Yong-chan could smash a tank with his bare hands.

So why did the punches of someone who was merely an ordinary person hurt this much?

Seo Yong-chan could not understand.

But that bewilderment did not last long.

The pain of the seemingly endless violence drove him wild.

“Y-You bastard! Do you think you'll get away with this?! If I tell my brother-in-law about this...!”

“What are you going to tell him when you'll be dead soon, bastard?”

“What?”

Only then did Rimon stop punching him.

He grabbed Seo Yong-chan by the hair, pulled him close, and met his eyes with a chilling smile.

“Did you really think you could say something like that to me and walk out of here alive?”

“...!”

Seo Yong-chan felt a chill run down his spine.

He considered himself something of an expert at going off the rails.

That was why he knew the instant he saw Rimon's golden eyes gleaming with murderous intent.

Rimon was a crazy bastard with a personality so fucked up that Seo Yong-chan did not even compare.

‘This bastard means it!’

At that moment, Seo Yong-chan forgot all his anger and resentment.

Following his rising survival instinct, he hurriedly opened his mouth.

“W-Wait. Let's talk...”

“Too late, asshole!”

“Aaargh!”

As though he would not even give him the chance to speak, Rimon drove his knee into Seo Yong-chan's jaw.

He hit him so hard that broken teeth poured from his mouth from that one blow alone.

Rimon did not stop there.

He pinned Seo Yong-chan's writhing body to the floor with his foot and smiled coldly.

“You're going to die anyway, so you don't need this anymore, right?”

Even as he writhed in pain, Seo Yong-chan's eyes flew open.

Rimon's murderous gaze was aimed at his lower body, specifically his groin.

“N-Not there...!”

“Yes there, you bastard!”

Ignoring Seo Yong-chan's desperate cry, Rimon mercilessly kicked.

Crunch!

“Aaaaaaagh!”

It was a man's scream.

* * *

Seo Yong-chan eventually passed out.

Naturally.

There was no way he could remain conscious after such a horrific impact.

What was even more horrific was that Rimon's violence did not stop despite that.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

“Where the hell do you think you're passing out, you bastard?! Do you think this is your bedroom? Huh? Fine, sleep if you want! I'll make sure you sleep forever!”

“S-Sir! Please restrain yourself. He's really going to die at this rate!”

Unable to watch any longer, Kang Jeong-su hurriedly tried to stop Rimon.

But in the next moment, Kang Jeong-su froze.

“I really am going to kill him.”

“...Pardon?”

“I'm beating him because I'm really going to kill him.”

The person who had stunned Kang Jeong-su with that casual response was Rimon.

He continued indifferently.

“What? Did you think I was joking when I said I'd kill this bastard?”

“N-No, but...! This man is the Infinite Monarch's brother-in-law! What are you going to do if the Infinite Monarch finds out?!”

“Then we make sure he doesn't find out. Our people are experts at erasing evidence like that.”

“Do you think the PAB is some criminal organization?! And dozens of people saw this bastard barge in here. How are you going to hide it?!”