Main Character Hides His Strength

re three of those things gathered together, it wasn’t unreasonable that they didn’t show much reaction to most threats.

However, they were unlucky this time.
Only once Sungchul had approached right in front of their noses did the creatures finally raise their bodies and roll their zippers-like eyes to glare at him.
The creatures could not speak, but they made mocking noises.
It was a strange sound similar to a deflated accordion.

Krombui targeted those creatures and drew a line in the air.

Slice.

It appeared to be an ordinary strike at a glance, but the Soldiers of Salvation could not evade Sungchul’s swing.
One of the creatures was cut through with the blade and split in two.
The Soldiers finally realized that their opponent was one not to be underestimated, but Krombui’s movements were one step ahead of them.
The Soldiers were cut apart and fell beside the corpses.
The mercilessly sliced heads glared at Sungchul and shouted in indecipherable noises.
Once Sungchul’s military boots stomped on their skulls, silence returned to the sewers.

“…”

Sungchul watched the dark aura of Calamity disappear into the sky from the deceased corpses of the Soldiers of Salvation like a puff of smoke with his two eyes.

‘The Floating Fortress.
It may need a visit there at some point.’

It would have to be some point after he felled the Seven Heroes.
Sungchul continued forward, but the road grew bumpier as he drew closer to his destination.

Sungchul continued to walk forward while facing an unending wave of corpses that blocked his path.
As he continued on, sunlight finally glimmered above his head.
It was the sunlight shining onto the city of La Grange.
He could hear the faint sound of murmurs and the rolling carriage wheels and see the shadows made by those who moved between the gaps.
Sungchul sensed that his destination was not far, but the road grew bumpier as he drew closer.

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“Uroooooh…”
“Uroooooh…”

Cries of Soldiers of Salvation could be heard from all directions.
Sungchul held his breath and began to discern their numbers through their cries.

‘They appear to be in the dozens.’

It looked as though the ones Sungchul killed were simply sentries.
The Soldiers of Salvation had completely overtaken the underground waterway of La Grange.
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that there should be a mob of them guarding every important point and alleyway.

‘Why are these creatures guarding the sewers of the city? The Floating Fortress and the Human Empire have allied, but they should be strictly separate forces.’

Even at the time Sungchul was putting his all for the Empire, their relationship wasn’t so great.
After Imperial Commander in Chief Sungchul had managed to create the World Parliament through great effort by laboring east and west, the Emperor and Aquiroa were in a deadlock regarding under whose authority it would rest.
The Emperor had a greater foundation of influence than anyone else, but other nations persistently tried to keep him in check.
Aquiroa had a weaker foundation, but she waved the banner of neutrality in order to gain the support of various nations.
Any among the sovereignty was well aware of their battle over this authority.

As a matter of course, they took on appearances of cooperation and set aside their personal feelings for important matters such as continental peace or the Calamity.
And while it was true that the Emperor had allowed talented magicians from the Floating Archipelago into the palace, but they weren’t intimate enough to allow unidentifiable monsters to roam about the underground of the capital.

It should not have escaped the Emperor’s notice that these creatures could overtake the entire city during his absence if Aquiroa had a change of heart, and yet these creatures were currently residing within the sewers of the city.
It was undeniable that the relationship between the two must have strengthened to a point beyond Sungchul’s imagination.

In any case, the appearance of the overwhelming number of Soldiers of Salvation had led Sungchul to stop for a moment.
It seemed likethe best option was to erase his presence and proceed by killing them one group at a time, but these creatures had better senses than an ordinary person.
The plan was simple enough, but if they happened to call out to their companions in the process, he would be stuck in an unpleasant situation.

It wouldn’t be difficult fighting a few dozen of these creatures, but he wasn’t confident that he could do it quietly.
Most definitely, the impact of battle would spread above their heads to the center of the city.
If that came to pass, he would have missed the point of coming here even having been mugged by mere local bandits.

‘What should I do?’

Sungchul was contemplating on these points when Krombui interrupted with his unique husky voice filled with mischief.

“What are you thinking so hard about? Let’s just keep on moving forward.
The blood of these creatures have quite a unique flavor.”

“I’m trying to proceed quietly, Krombui.”

Sungchul replied as such before looking around the sewers.
He had become familiar with the area, but he still wasn’t positive.

‘I definitely have a memory of this place… Is it because of the flow of time? It’s quite faded.’

When Sungchul grew silent again, Krombui chuckled and spoke again.

“Can’t we just take the usual path?”

“What do you mean?”

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Krombui replied in a very meaningful voice at Sungchul’s question.

“The path in which you had let me drink plenty of high quality blood.”

Sungchul’s pupils contracted once he heard those words.
His numb heart was shaken by a whirlwind of emotions that couldn’t be expressed in a single word.

“Do you still remember the path?”

Krombui shined his blade instead of replying to Sungchul.

“Straight ahead.”

“I think this sword is broken.”

Bertelgia pouted, but Sungchul followed Krombui’s word on this point.

“Left.”

Krombui lead Sungchul without a moment of hesitation as though he still had the entire area memorized.
There were moments where they were almost discovered by the Soldiers of Salvation, but Sungchul passed through without much difficulty and was soon met with a wall.

“It’s here.
Don’t you remember?

Krombui asked finally, and Bertelgia continued to taunt him.

“What do you mean? It’s a complete dead end! How can someone so young have a memory so poor!”

As the two objects continued their verbal battle, Sungchul looked toward the dead end without any expression on his face.
Unlike the other parts of the walls that held evidence of the passage of time, this wall appeared to be freshly plastered.

Sungchul held his hand against the cracks and applied an appropriate amount of strength, and when he did, the wall collapsed and revealed a new path.
It was a new path that held a crimson hue instead of the greenish tint in the rest of the sewers.
Sungchul felt something like an impact at the back of his head once he saw this path.

“…”

Sungchul gulped while in a trance.
Bertelgia who was in her pocket, could feel that the palpitation of his heart was different than usual.

‘This guy…’

At this moment, Sungchul was looking at the same place that the others were looking at, but a different scene was unfolding before his eyes.
More than 10 years in the past, within this crimson tunnel that flowed with the blood spilled in the colosseum, Sword Slave Sungchul had ventured to escape together with the princess of the Holy Kingdom of Rutheginea: Laiz Highmerr.
Sungchul walked between the stone walls soaked in blood and felt his dim memories of the path be reformed anew.

Steeped in sadness and regret, he arrived at the end of the crimson tunnel.
A crude wall made of wooden planks blocked his path.
Sungchul tore them off and continued onwards.
The familiar scenery of the colosseum that was marked with blood, death, and glory awaited him like destiny.