Chapter 107 - The Tower of the Forgotten Warrior (6)
The Skeleton Army, having ford its ranks, stood motionless, rely watching us.
As if they had no intention of attacking first, they only maintained a defensive alert posture.
Their intention was clear.
“They’re telling us to co in.”
It was a formation specialized for defense, just by looking at it.
It wasn't a very unfamiliar form.
During my ti as Johan Raven, I had faced a similar formation before.
‘I had a bit of trouble back then.’
The characteristic of such a formation was to drive the opponent into an antlion pit and then slowly suck their energy dry, killing them.
In the end, I had overpowered it with strength, but the mory of it giving a hard ti, even for a mont, surfaced.
“Those bastards!”
And on this floor too, Heo Jeong-ah was in a very angry state.
“It seems to be the Taeseong Sword Family’s formation this ti as well.”
“It's so annoying! How do those skeleton bastards know our family's secret techniques!”
“That’s not what’s important.”
“Then, what is important?”
“That the the of this tower is the Taeseong Sword Family. It’s ti for you to accept that too.”
She would soon find out.
Why this tower was built this way.
And why all the quests had to be those of the Taeseong Sword Family.
“I'm just angry. That the Abyss is playing gas with our family!”
At that mont, sparks flew in the air.
Space tore open, and a portal appeared.
Kim Jeong-rak had finally passed the 2nd floor quest.
“You ca faster than I thought.”
I greeted Kim Jeong-rak as if nothing had happened.
“It’s thanks to you, Young Master Seo.”
Kim Jeong-rak also played dumb.
In reality, nothing had happened on the 2nd floor.
I had just been a bit prickly towards him.
And he had just failed to execute his plan to kill .
“By the way, your complexion doesn't look too good, Family Head.”
His expression, his voice, and the look in his eyes as he gazed at .
Everything was awkward.
“That can’t be. My condition is actually quite good right now.”
“Is that so? I must have seen wrong.”
At my words, Kim Jeong-rak could only manage another awkward smile.
***
The Taeseong Sword Family is famous not only for its sword style but also for its formations.
This is precisely why it is said that if just thirty warriors of the Taeseong Sword Family gather, there is no dungeon they cannot conquer.
In particular, the Soul-Chasing Eight Trigrams Formation is passed down as the ultimate formation that the Taeseong Sword Family prides itself on.
“So you’re saying that is the Soul-Chasing Eight Trigrams Formation?”
“Yes. Unfortunately.”
At Heo Jeong-ah’s answer, Kim Jeong-rak wore an expression of disbelief.
“Haha! How can those lowly creatures know not only the sword style but also the formation!”
“The one who’s going crazy right now is . How can I, with my own hands, destroy the Soul-Chasing Eight Trigrams Formation...”
“Still, I would think Commander Heo would know the thod to conquer that formation. There’s no such thing as a perfect formation in the world.”
Heo Jeong-ah did not deny it.
“Yes. As you said, Family Head, no matter how perfect a formation may seem, there is always a vulnerable part.”
“That’s a relief. That Commander Heo is here in this place.”
I knew what he was expecting, but he was dead wrong.
There was no way Heo Jeong-ah would reveal the strategy to break her family’s secret technique to us.
“I'm sorry, but I won’t say anything. I believe this is sothing you should understand, Family Head.”
“Haha. Are you saying you’ll only think of your family even in a situation like this?”
“Then, are you saying I should reveal the weakness of the Soul-Chasing Eight Trigrams Formation just to clear one quest?”
“I believe you certainly should.”
“Why is that?”
“Isn’t the Taeseong Sword Family a prestigious sword family acknowledged by the whole world? Therefore, in a crisis situation like this, wouldn’t following the greater good be an action befitting the na of a prestigious sword family?”
But Heo Jeong-ah firmly shook her head.
“If it were any other formation, maybe, but anything about the Soul-Chasing Eight Trigrams Formation cannot be disclosed under any circumstances.”
“So the term ‘prestigious sword family’ is just an illusion. I didn't know you could be this selfish.”
“Even if you say that, it’s a no.”
“Then, are you saying you'll just sit on your hands on this floor, Commander Heo?”
“Well, that’s…”
It was a difficult situation for her as well.
She couldn't openly attack the formation's weak point, nor could she, knowing the weak point, attack a completely solid spot.
And as Kim Jeong-rak said, she couldn't just watch either, so she was in a dilemma no matter which way she turned.
“Then, let propose a thod.”
But if I stepped in, it was a problem that could be solved simply.
“You, Young Master Seo?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have so clever thod?”
“If you follow my words well, Family Head.”
As if the mory of the previous floor ca back to him, Kim Jeong-rak’s expression beca serious.
“I’ll listen first and then decide.”
“I wonder. If you don't trust , just listening might not be enough.”
“Just tell .”
My proposal was simple.
I would be the one to command, not Heo Jeong-ah.
“Heo Jeong-ah won’t be able to speak of the formation’s weakness with her own mouth.”
“So you’re saying you, Seo Ji-han, will find a way to counter the Soul-Chasing Eight Trigrams Formation?”
I nodded my head.
Heo Jeong-ah imdiately protested.
“Seo Ji-han. I admit that you’ve been on a winning streak! And even though it’s a bit annoying, I admit you’re good! But this ti, it’s absolutely impossible. Swordsmanship and formations are completely different fields.”
“Then, you take command.”
“What?”
“Decide. Whether you will command directly, or follow my command.”
“What if your command is absurd?”
“Does that an, if my command is plausible, you will follow it?”
“Of course, I’d have to.”
“Then, it’s settled.”
It was the first ti I was seeing the Taeseong Sword Family’s Soul-Chasing Eight Trigrams Formation, but since I had already experienced a similar formation, I had a feeling where to attack.
I picked out three spots.
A number that perfectly matched our personnel.
“First, I will designate the points of attack.”
I continued speaking without hesitation.
Where to start and how to break through. And towards where and in what manner we should advance.
There was no need to organize my thoughts to speak.
I just had to replay the mories of the past.
“Young Master Seo, your story is truly without basis. Of course, I admit that the story itself is detailed and plausible. Should I say it felt very real?”
“Then, that’s enough.”
“I will ask just one thing. About the initial attack points, on what basis did you choose those three spots?”
“The basis is…”
It was difficult to reveal.
“...There is none.”
At my answer, Kim Jeong-rak let out a hollow laugh.
“Then, you just picked them based on a hunch?”
“You could see it that way.”
“Haha!”
“Didn't I tell you beforehand? That you just have to trust .”
“How can I trust your words that have no basis! Even Commander Heo Jeong-ah here is making a face as if she finds your words absurd.”
To interpret Heo Jeong-ah’s expression like that now.
I thought that his years of experience were quite futile.
“Heo Jeong-ah, what do you think?”
“...Huh? Huh?”
It was natural for her to be confused.
It would be difficult for her to react to my words in any way.
“Do you think it’s absurd?”
There was no choice; she too had to follow my command.
She couldn't go back on her word.
***
Clatter.
Clatter.
As the three of them charged towards the Skeleton Army’s formation, the motionless skeletons began to move busily.
The clattering sound grew louder, and an eerie fighting spirit and the energy of mana filled every corner of the formation.
The skeletons’ Soul-Chasing Eight Trigrams Formation had been fully activated.
“Move!”
At Seo Ji-han’s signal, the three people split into three directions towards their designated positions.
The characteristic of the Soul-Chasing Eight Trigrams Formation was that the entire formation was disorderly.
At a glance, one could find neither regularity nor symtry.
For that reason, the sight of the three people scattering in their respective directions felt like a chaotic free-for-all.
But in Seo Ji-han’s mind, the entire plan was laid out.
This was why Heo Jeong-ah couldn't help but be confused.
‘What is this!’
It was incomprehensible.
The Soul-Chasing Eight Trigrams Formation was a formation where one could only find its weak points by accurately knowing and understanding its principles.
Also, it wasn't a problem that could be solved by simply morizing and preparing for it.
Because the application of a formation is endless depending on the situation.
Nevertheless, Seo Ji-han, without a mont's hesitation, had pinpointed the core of the formation created by the Skeleton Army.
And he did it perfectly.
An even more surprising fact was that he had found it faster than Heo Jeong-ah herself.
Faced with a situation that defied common sense, Heo Jeong-ah was just dumbfounded.
‘Even if he were a genius of formations, this doesn't make sense.’
Because there is a limit to what can be discerned through human perception.
If so, the conclusion was that Seo Ji-han already knew the Soul-Chasing Eight Trigrams Formation.
‘But this makes even less sense!’
The only one who could be taught the principles of the Soul-Chasing Eight Trigrams Formation was the successor of the Taeseong Sword Family. The more she thought about it, the more she fell into a labyrinth.
“Heo Jeong-ah! Snap out of it!”
At that mont, she heard Seo Ji-han’s shout from afar.
Her mind cleared.
How sharp were that guy’s eyes and ears?
He must be busy with his own fight, so how did he know that she was spacing out? It was just amazing.
“What did I do!”
In that mont, Heo Jeong-ah’s sword lopped off the head of a Skeleton Soldier.
The role she was assigned was to chip away at one corner of the formation.
Among the roles assigned to the three of them, it was the most important position.
Heo Jeong-ah, you would know best, wouldn’t you? What to do in that position.
Seo Ji-han’s words echoed in her brain.
It was awkward.
A situation where she had to shatter the Soul-Chasing Eight Trigrams Formation according to the command of an outsider, not a mber of her family.
But she couldn't afford to not do it properly either, so Heo Jeong-ah gritted her teeth.
At this point, it was a feeling of 'whatever happens, happens'.
Crack!
In an instant, the head of a Skeleton Soldier was shattered.
Her sword did not stop there.
Crack!
It wasn't a random attack.
In her mind, every plan was laid out, from which point to start and how to deal with them.
Crack!
According to that process, the Skeleton Soldiers fell one by one.
Crack!
Even a huge dam that seems impenetrable can collapse from a single small crack.
Heo Jeong-ah’s role right now was to create a small hole in the impregnable formation called the Soul-Chasing Eight Trigrams Formation.
‘I can’t just pretend to fail!’
She erased her emotions as much as possible and carried out her mission chanically.
And then she suddenly looked towards Seo Ji-han.
He too was chipping away at another corner of the formation.
The fact that he looked very skilled was no longer surprising.
He was taking the shortest route to bring down the Soul-Chasing Eight Trigrams Formation, as if he knew the answer key.
Crack!
Bones continued to pile up on the floor.
The entire process went smoothly.
If it continued like this, they would fall below the minimum number required to operate the formation.
Crack!
It was at that mont.
[The Forgotten Warrior acknowledges the clearing of the quest.]
An unexpected ssage.
[The Skeleton Army will naturally dissipate.]
Simultaneously, all the Skeleton Soldiers stopped their movents at once.
Sssss.
And all the skeletons disappeared in an instant like the wind.
Not even bone dust remained in their place.
The ssage did not end there.
[The 4th floor quest has been deleted.]
[The 5th floor quest has been deleted.]
[The 6th floor quest has been deleted.]
[A portal connecting to the 7th floor will be created.]
[The Forgotten Warrior is waiting for you.]
The three of them looked at the portal with different expressions.
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