I Woke Up as the Villain

Chapter 177

Yu-Seong's instincts kicked in.

‘We’ve caught up. Do-Jin is close by.’

Given the circumstances, a fight was unavoidable. Although it could be considered the worst-case scenario, Yu-Seong was not flustered. Instead, he focused more on what he could feel from his surroundings.

‘If multiple people move, someone's presence is likely to be detected.’

In that case, the side lying in ambush would naturally have the advantage in the fight. It was the moment when Yu-Seong, the knights, and the soldiers held their breath…

Pashh-!?

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, causing the tall reeds to sway wildly. Beyond the bushes, a man—Do-Jin, with a Pentagram drawn on his left hand and a sword in his right hand—briefly emerged before quickly disappearing.

‘He’s alone?’

Yu-Seong was surprised for a moment.

"Keughhh-!"

A scream erupted from the front.

"The opponent is alone! Everyone, gather together and back each other up!" Yu-Seong quickly shouted as he pursued Do-Jin, who he could catch glimpses of through the bushes.

‘Stupid...!’?

Why hadn’t he considered the possibility that Do-Jin would move alone?

The reason was simple. Even if it were Do-Jin, it would be challenging to venture into the mine alone without any knowledge of the monsters inside, even more so if they assumed a boss monster was inside.

‘He caught me off guard because I assumed. This crazy man must not even care whether the mission succeeds or fails.’

.

From the beginning, Do-Jin had been seeking a fight with Yu-Seong, and this certainly forced him to fight.

‘Right, because I won't fight Kim Do-Jin without a reason…’

Yu-Seong was now certain that if he knew Do-Jin, then it was highly likely that Do-Jin also knew him.

‘Huh, so you’re also saying you know what I’m thinking.’?

Do-Jin had deduced Yu-Seong's intentions and understood that he would not move alone but would proceed with caution and at a slower pace. It meant that Do-Jin had not been chasing after him from the start.

‘He got here first and has been waiting for me. Damn it, he saw right through me.’

After that, Do-Jin must have realized that no matter how strong he was, fighting against Yu-Seong, along with two knights and thirty pretty fast and skilled soldiers at the same time, would be virtually impossible. However, if the battlefield was an area like this dense reed zone or inside a mine, the situation would be different. Where would be the best place for a battle? Yu-Seong could clearly sense Do-Jin’s intention.

‘There are unpredictable variables in the mine—the monsters.’

However, there were no such variables in this dense reed zone. That was why Do-Jin had chosen this place as the battlefield. And now, he was provoking Yu-Seong.

"Keughhh-!"

Another soldier screamed and writhed on the ground.

Yu-Seong quickly went after Do-Jin, but he had already fled the scene. He was seemingly daring Yu-Seong to pursue him.

‘I shouldn’t fall for that.’

Yu-Seong tried to stay calm and predict Do-Jin's movements. If he waited to see Do-Jin before reacting, he would always be too slow. This was because, without using Wind Flow, their speeds were similar.

‘If it were Kim Do-Jin….’

In fact, the answer was obvious. Amid the confusion, Yu-Seong noticed Kyron drawing his sword with a sense of tension. Yu-Seong moved quickly toward Kyron’s side, and then he lowered his body and threw his spear toward Do-Jin's sword.

"Mr. Kyron!"

Clang-!

Simultaneously with Yu-Seong's shout, there was a metallic clash as Do-Jin’s sword struck the spear. Do-Jin clicked his tongue as he tried to retreat. Kyron's eyes flashed as he advanced toward Do-Jin, swinging his sword.

Do-Jin was momentarily thrown off by the unexpected speed of the knight's reaction, but it didn't last long. Still, it wasn’t disappointing. Yu-Seong had already pulled his spear out of the ground and was chasing after Do-Jin, launching his attack.

"Kim Do-Jin...!" Yu-Seong shouted.

"Choi Yu-Seong," responded Do-Jin with a cold smile.

"Sir, I'll attack from the side!" Kyron shouted as he moved to Do-Jin’s side.

Whenever Do-Jin tried to obstruct Kyron’s attack, Yu-Seong's spear danced to block Do-Jin’s movement. Yu-Seong could feel his fingertips buzzing with sensation. Though, even amidst the trembling feeling, Yu-Seong felt a strange exhilaration.

‘I was expecting it, but really… I can do this.’

Yu-Seong was fighting on a level comparable to Do-Jin, who was the protagonist of the novel. On top of that, Kyron, a rather agile knight, intervened, and the bewildered soldiers regained their composure and began to surround him.

Do-Jin's eyebrows furrowed in frustration as he found himself on the defensive.

‘If I can seize this opportunity, being alone would rather put you at a disadvantage!’?Yu-Seong thought gleefully.

Here, Do-Jin’s choice was obvious. He conjured an ice arrow with his magic and hurled it at Yu-Seong while simultaneously swinging his sword.

Having been prepared for magic, Yu-Seong was able to evade both of Do-Jin's attacks. However, Kyron was caught off guard when Do-Jin suddenly turned his body and was unable to withstand his attack.

Keugh-!

When Kyron groaned in pain and stepped back, Do-Jin slipped away through the soldiers forming the encirclement and vanished into the bushes.

"He's getting away!"

"Catch him!"

The soldiers desperately shot arrows and chased after Do-Jin.

"Don’t pursue him! We could possibly get ambushed!" Yu-Seong urgently shouted.

Upon hearing Yu-Seong's shout, the excited soldiers quickly regained their senses. Indeed it was true that if Do-Jin launched a counter-attack from within the bushes, the number of casualties would increase exponentially.

After Do-Jin escaped, a blanket of silence fell upon the bushes. Kyron slumped over helplessly, his fists pounding the ground. He yelled, expressing his intense anger, "Damn it… It's my fault...!"

'I was stupid… I've completely lost this time.'?

Yu-Seong also shared similar feelings of disappointment with Kyron.

***

After losing Do-Jin, Yu-Seong kept an eye on the special operations team’s morale. He approached Kyron, who had calmed down quite fast, and asked, "Kyron, can we talk for a moment?"

"I'm sorry, sir. It's because of my weakness that we missed the attacker,” said Kyron.

Perhaps misunderstanding the intention behind Yu-Seong's words, Kyron's face turned red from shame as he bowed deeply.

"No, that's not what I meant. In fact, if you hadn't reacted, Mr. Kyron, there could have been even greater damage," Yu-Seong said.

"But..."

"Kyron, you did everything you could do," Yu-Seong said.

While this might have been an obvious statement for Yu-Seong, it could have been a significant cultural shock to Kyron.

Kyron looked at Yu-Seong with eyes full of gratitude. He said, "I don't know much about foreigners, but I've heard a lot of stories. I’ve heard that most of them are selfish and self-centered, but Mr. Yu-Seong, you are really different. You're brave, merciful, and intelligent. If I were a free knight, I might have sworn to follow you.”

"In the first place, it’s impossible since I’m a foreigner," said Yu-Seong.

"Still, you never know what might happen in this world, do you?"

Kyron managed to smile somewhat, and Yu-Seong patted his shoulder in relief. Yu-Seong then said, "You're right; you never know. Speaking of which, Kyron, could you lead the soldiers back to base?"

"What? Is it because I’m slowing you down…?"

Yu-Seong shook his head slightly in response to Kyron's wide-eyed question. "That's not what I mean. I'm actually asking you for a favor."

"A favor?" Kyron asked.

Yu-Seong nodded. "I have an important message to deliver to Count Monte. The sooner, the better. So, from the middle point onwards, it would be best for Kyron to move alone."

No matter how strong and enduring the soldiers may be, they would not be able to do better than Kyron, who could use magic even to a small extent.

"I understand; you are asking me to take on the role of the messenger," said Kyron.

Yu-Seong hesitated for a moment as he looked into Kyron's eyes.

‘Normally, it's better to keep this kind of thing a secret, but….’

However, Yu-Seong was confident that this was the best approach.

"The message is..."

As he listened to Yu-Seong's story, Kyron nodded quietly at first, but soon, his eyes widened in surprise. And then, as if he were becoming serious, he looked at Yu-Seong with a gaze full of trust. He said firmly, "Please trust me. I will definitely accomplish it.”

"I appreciate it."

As soon as Yu-Seong finished speaking, Kyron started to lead and order the soldiers to retreat. As mentioned, the sooner, the better.

‘Now it's my turn.’

Yu-Seong was in a position where he had already been attacked by Do-Jin once. He prepared for a counterattack.

***

Hiding in the bushes, Do-Jin watched as Kyron and the soldiers left.

‘What's your plan, Yu-Seong?’

He had a hunch. That was why Do-Jin initially considered attacking the knights and soldiers to block their escape route. However, a flash of light burst out of the nearby bushes and rapidly moved forward.

‘Light magic?’

As far as Do-Jin knew, it was the only magic that Yu-Seong, who had just started learning the basics of magic, could use. Yu-Seong was clearly showing off his movements, provoking Do-Jin.

‘So, he's indicating his presence there, which means there is likely a trap set up over there.’

Do-Jin's eyes scanned the light back and forth. In fact, it was an obvious trap and a provocation. In fact, in this situation, Do-Jin's choice was almost certain.

"Choi Yu-Seong, I'll play along with you."

It didn't matter what kind of trap Yu-Seong was planning to set up. From the start, what Do-Jin wanted was a match with Yu-Seong. And even more than that, Do-Jin wanted Yu-Seong’s real secret.

‘Did he say he’s a prophet? Did he really think I’d believe that?’

Do-Jin was going to take this chance to expose Yu-Seong’s underlying reality.

***

It was obvious that Do-Jin would follow him. Yu-Seong was sure about this after he had sent Kyron and the soldiers away.

‘In fact, the provocation would only make him more eager to catch up, considering his strong self-esteem.’

Sometimes, the more visible the opponent was, the more it provoked. With one hand, Yu-Seong lifted the light magic while moving and continued to create the Pentagram magic circle.

‘Please, just once….’

The principle of the magic that Do-Jin had taught Yu-Seong was simple. It was a matter of making a pact with this world through the language of the runic alphabet. In other words, it meant that, by expressing language, one could unfold a form of magic that did not originally exist in this world.

‘Also, Kim Do-Jin showed me that several times before….’

Generally, the magics that were commonly used and unfolded were called Formal Magic by the magicians.

Formal Magic had been created for a simple reason. Runic alphabets were different from common languages, and therefore, there were many words that were difficult to express through them. Formal Magic was officially designated as a way to convey intent through runic alphabets because it was easier to use. Therefore, beginners were educated to learn Formal Magic according to their own level of magic expertise.

However, what Yu-Seong wanted right now was not such Formal Magic.

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