The World After the Fall
chapter-39

Vicious energy filled the room. Jaehwan finally felt danger for the first time.

'It's powerful.'

Chunghuh's blade moved. Quick and powerful, that one attack was enough to blow this building away. The two swords clashed and created a terrifying energy wave. Warriors ran out from the room while the building shook with the tremor. Jaehwan had to take 7 steps back from the clash and his right arm felt slightly numb after the attack. Chunghuh had taken 3 steps back.

"HAHAHAHA!"

He seemed very happy.

"SEE?! I knew you couldn't take this!"

"…"

"But kid, you're good too. I was worried that you might die."

Chunghuh seemed to be surprised that Jaehwan was unharmed. Yet it was Jaehwan who was really surprised. He had to admit that the old man was quite strong. What Jaehwan just used was [Normal Stab]. He had been pushed back this much even though it was just a normal stab.

Jaehwan asked, "What is the name of that skill? It's quite powerful."

"It's 'Powerful' slash."

Chunghuh put his hand on his waist and proclaimed the name proudly. He seemed to think that he had won.

"Your skill was good too. What was the name?"

"Normal stab."

Chunghuh's eyebrow flinched.

"Normal? What an arrogant name! It makes it sound like you have a stronger skill!"

"Yeah."

Chunghuh laughed as if he didn't hear that.

"I will give you another name for your skill. You can call it a 'Powerful Stab' from now on. So…"

"I have a stronger skill."

Chunghuh narrowed his eyes.

"What?"

"I have a stronger skill than the one I just used."

Jaehwan then fixed his stance. He had never used this skill in [Chaos] yet and Chunghuh became alert. Ominous energy began to radiate from Jaehwan.

"What…"

Chunghuh knew this kind of power. Was it from the Leaders of Ten-Clan? No. Was it the Masters of the Four Fortress? No. Then what was it?

'Dead Man!'

It was the power of Dead Man. However, it was strange since the power of Dead Man and Awakener had similar power, but they did not originate from this world's foundation. It was the intensity of the power that was the problem.

Chunghuh remembered the days of his youth when he traveled to the entrance of the [Depth] looking for [Fruit]. He then encountered the 'King of Chaos' at the [Palace of Dead Man].

The sole King of Chaos. The calamity that destroyed everything.

This man was not like the King of Chaos, but Chunghuh felt the same fear he felt when he faced the King of Chaos in the past.

Could he slash against that attack? His body shook. How could one fight against such power? He then spoke frantically.

"S-Stop! STOP!"

He could not imagine what might happen next if that skill were unleashed. Everything would be in ruins, leaving one man standing in the center.

"STOP IT!"

If the attack was unleashed, half of the palace would be left in ruins. Or even…

"DON'T USE IT!"

Jaehwan did not lower his power. Chunghuh ran to him and begged.

"I-I LOST! I LOST!"

Jaehwan then relaxed at once and Chunghuh panted.

"Ugh… what in the world…"

He could not understand. He could not believe it. This man had only stabbed for 30 years and had achieved that sort of power.

Jaehwan opened his mouth as Chunghuh seemed to be relaxed.

"Old man, you admit that I won?"

"No."

"Why?"

"You fooled me."

Jaehwan became confused and looked at Chunghuh.

"You told me you lived for 50 years."

"Yeah, I'm about 50 years old."

"And that you stabbed for 30 years."

"Yeah, for about 30 years."

Chunghuh glared and shouted, "DON'T LIE TO ME! You've probably lived for at least two thousand years!"

"You know that's not true."

Chunghuh gritted his teeth. He too knew if Jaehwan had lived for 2000 years, Chunghuh would've known him.

"How many times can you even stab in just 30 years to do that?"

Jaehwan answered, "About 10 billion times?"

"LIES!"

It didn't even make sense. Even if he took each second of his life for all 30 years without sleeping and eating, that would not have equaled 1 billion.

"That's impossible to do in 30 years!"

"You can if you try."

"LIES! IT'S ALL LIES!"

Chunghuh began calculating in his head.

'Uh…'

He couldn't calculate so he ordered one of the warriors that was watching them dumbfoundedly to calculate for him.

"I-it's done, sir!"

"Yeah, tell me."

"If you want to do 10 billion stabs in 30 years, then you would need to stab 11 times in per second for 30 years. This is considering the fact that you don't sleep or eat or rest."

The warrior spoke, thinking it was pointless to even think about it. Chunghuh asked, "So you can't do it with just 10 in one second?"

"No, it's not possible."

"Then do you think a man can do 11 stabs within 1 second for 30 years straight?"

"Absolutely not, sir."

Chunghuh then became satisfied and turned back to Jaehwan.

"SEE! It's not possible!"

Jaehwan then spoke.

"Old man."

"WHAT!"

"Can't you slash 10 times in 1 second?"

"Of course I can!"

"Then you can do it too."

"It's not as simple as that!"

"No, it's that simple."

"NO!"

"Old man, I can stab 100 times in a second."

"I just said it's not that kind of problem…"

"I can do 1000 times."

"…What? How can you stab 1000 times in a second?"

"Why do you think you need to stab it with a sword?"

Chunghuh then realized something. He then turned doubtful.

"Wait…"

There was something he felt the moment he met Jaehwan. Energy that pointed out from within him like a spike. Chunghuh just thought it was Jaehwan's character, but when he felt it more carefully, the energy was more like thousands of energy spikes. Chunghuh then placed his hands on the sharp energy radiating out from Jaehwan.

Blood came out as he was poked. That was when he realized that it was not energy.

It was a real [Stab].

The stab that had overcome the form of an image. The man, through his countless stabs, had become a stab himself.

"You… you really…"

The will against the world itself. The man's 10 billion stabs was the product of the hatred of the world. Even now, this man was stabbing the world.

"Like I said, 10 billion times."

Chunghuh felt his leg giving out and kneeled. He could not believe it. There was no way such a man could be still sane.

'Wait… this kid was…'

Chunghuh felt like he could understand everything, but he was suddenly too tired for using too much energy for the day and fell unconscious.