Only I Am A Reader

"Baekho orabeoni, take it!"

Just as the situation was starting to get out of Leo's hand, Cheon Sohee's shout entered his ears as something entered his line of sight.

'Finally!'

Thud! Wo!

Grabbing hold of the Silver Dragon with all of his might, Leo spun it in his hand to increase its velocity before suddenly swinging it at the line of oversized bats in front of him!

Bang! Screee!

Black lightning crackled, turning the Silver Dragon even darker as Leo momentarily let go of the White Tiger. With both his hands grasping the shaft, the spear exploded with electricity as it cleanly sliced through over a dozen monsters!

"Thanks! Sohee!"

Feeling the rush as black smoke rose from the melted endings that met his spear. The White Tiger was extremely strong, but it was simply too unsuited against a large number of enemies… At least not when it's alone.

"Yong! you can now fight to your heart's content, just make sure you don't get too tattered!"

Long before he and Yeon took the stage, Leo had reminded Cheon Sohee to help him get his spear if something wrong was to occur. It didn't sound weird back then as they were technically on foreign grounds. However, now that she witnessed the chaos that had descended upon them, Sohee's thoughts grew complicated. It was as if her orabeoni knew this would happen!

"Don't worry, Orabeoni, I will watch over him. We will come over to help once we are done with this!"

Although they weren't specifically targeted, both Cheon Sohee and Cheon Yong had been opening up a path to deliver the Silver Dragon. Having neglected the elimination of enemies for the sake of speed, they were now surrounded by a swarm of their own. It couldn't be compared to the one on the stage, but the monsters were even aggressive after being aggroed for a while…

"Just focus on surviving!"

Swish!

Cleaving the neck of a harpy that got too close, Leo threw the two a hint. Desperation wasn't exactly a bad motivation at some times, but it wasn't always the case. After all, rather than being the finale, this was merely the opening act of the second arc!

They weren't members of the so-called Righteous Faction, so there was no need for valiance. However, Leo knew that the three of them, himself included, would end up being caught up with an even larger swarm just for the sake of the plot.

Although they still managed to survive the opening act, they suffered from grave injuries. Both Baekho and Yong would end up recovering with time, but Sohee lost a limb and was left unfunctional for combat…

"Will do!"

Considering that Cheon Yong was too excited to think properly, Sohee had to be the one to direct the fighting machine. She originally trusted and respected Leo a great deal, but his recent 'prophecy' made her trust him even more!

'Should I…'

Swish!

In the meanwhile, Geochin was quickly getting used to the Blue Dragon and its passive attribute ability as he killed his way through the field. However, unlike how smooth his sword was, his thoughts grew complicated as his mind kept running in two directions…

"Support sister Pung!"

On one hand, there was his childhood friend and the various geniuses who were spreading out through the field in order to save more lives and reduce the number of the enemy's army. While on the other, the girl that he was strangely attracted to was surrounded by dozens and dozens of monsters!

He had quickly sorted out his need for a weapon, but he couldn't sort out a decision as fast. Just what was he supposed to do with the strength that he obtained after suffering for so long?

'Those so-called geniuses…'

Unlike the pampered head students that had their values and pride to hold on to, Geochin had no fondness for the Martial Community that rejected his whole being. Why did he have to save the ones that did nothing but ridicule him his entire life?

'I could have been already standing there…'

At the same time, he didn't even know why he cared so much about the girl from the Heavenly Strength Society, but it was obvious that she didn't share that sentiment. Things might have been different if he was the one to advance to the last round and stand next to her, watching each other's backs as they killed their way out of the encirclement, but…

Thud!

The same person who deprived him of this chance was doing just that. It was an atypical battle style, but he was somehow skillfully wielding two incompatible weapons, exchanging them in a very smooth manner as he efficiently maximized the damage that he could output!

'Ugh…'

Both sides didn't look like they actually needed his help. He was sure that he would provide an extreme amount of support, but why and for whom? Geochin felt like he lost his place as the chaotic battlefield turned silent in his mind…

To impose himself on the already harmonious pair from the Heavenly Strength Society? Or to join the group mixed with hypocrites and children with hero complexes?

'Perhaps…'

"Miyoung, watch out!"

'I really don't have a place in this world.'

After taking one last look at Leo and Yeon, Geochin ran towards Pung Miyoung. As the first person to break through the monsters' fear tactics, she had similarly become a prime target. Without any more hesitation in his heart, Geochin dashed to her side to provide support!

"Ah! Geochin, you are okay!"

Swish!

A smile bloomed on Pung Miyoung's face as she saw that her childhood friend was unscathed. A streak of lightning passed by as the circle of monsters surrounding her broke into pieces.

'I have to do it myself.'

Although Geochin knew that she likely would have remained safe with the support of the other geniuses, he denied still being left out after all the suffering that he endured reaching this point. If he didn't have a place in this, he would have to forcefully make one for himself!

Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish…

Plum blossoms danced to the rhythm of the blue sparks as their swords assimilated, eliminating every monster their eyes laid their sight on! They didn't achieve a close to perfect synchronization like that of Leo and Yeon, but with a little time investment, their movements smoothly complemented each other!

'They should be coming soon…'

Thud!

With both weapons in hand, Leo didn't hold back as he displayed the true style of the Sword Spear Unity Lord! Undoubtedly, the large sweeping range of the spear was the best when confronting armies, but only relying on it was the limit of normal people! Only by using both weapons could he truly turn into a monster annihilation machine!

Swish! Thud!

Rather than simply focusing on exchanging weapons, Leo grasped both at once. Using the spear with one hand usually ended up sacrificing both control and force. However, Leo could easily make up for that deficiency as a 1st rate Martial Artist!

With some foundation in dual swordsmanship supported by harmonious relationship between his two main martial arts, the Silver Dragon smoothly flew to meet enemies at range while the White Tiger bit anything that came closer to him. In this manner, Leo achieved a relaxed combination of defense and offense, but he still couldn't afford to let his guard down.

Taking the place of a protagonist wasn't as simple as dealing with a group of cannon fodder, the real battle was just starting!

Gwaaaa!

"Be careful!"

Thud!

Just as the swarm surrounding them started to thin out, an ugly cry came out as something suddenly fell to the ground. The deformed corpse of a Peak Martial Artist fell to the ground, dying it in blood as a ferocious gargoyle shot towards the main stage!

'Here he comes!'

After he promptly warned Yeon of the incoming danger, Leo overloaded his spear with Black Dragon Energy as he focused on pushing back the last wave of monsters. Such nuisances couldn't remain around during the imminent battle!

Gwaaaaaa!

The hideous face of the stone gargoyle came into view as soon as Yeon followed suit by cleaning the annoying pests on her side. Compared to everything else, their new opponent was no joke! This was a monster that possessed a strength comparable to a Peak Martial Artist!

To make matters worse, he also happened to be the only monster that got rid of his human equal. No matter how talented a person could be, fighting a similarly 'talented' opponent on a higher stage was too much of a challenge!

'It should be possible, right?'

[ Book 2 ]

Name: Cheon Baek-Ho (Leo Lock)

Age: 15 (18)

Role: Reader

Reading Points: 2995

Personal Statistics:

Internal Energy: 411/588 (Scarlet Sky)

Physique: 4.39 (+ 4.99)

Mind: 0.92 (+2.29)

Personal Skills:

'Advanced Swordsmanship' - Chapter 3 - page 5/10

'Advanced Spearmanship' - Chapter 3 - page 2/10

'Advanced Footwork' - Chapter 3 - page 1/10

'Advanced Close Quarter Combat' - Chapter 3 - page 1/10

'Intermediate Smithing' - Chapter 2 - page 0/10

'Basic Horsemanship' - Chapter 1 - page 9/10

Personal Abilities:

- 'Scarlet Sky Breathing' - 1st Rate - 10/10

- 'Internal Energy Channeling' - 7/10

Personal Talents:

- 'Cleared Energy Channels' -

- 'Body of Accelerated Recovery' -

- 'Expanded Dantian' - 2/10

Events:

- Suffering Delayment - Unique

- A Star's Emergence - Unique

- Sleeping Dragon - Unique

- Twin Star Rising - Unique

- Chance Exchange - Epic

- Reverse Victory - Legend

Taking one quick look at his Personal Book, Leo did his best to reassure himself. If the 2nd rate Geochin had managed to overcome this challenge with the help of Yeon… Then shouldn't his chances at beating this threat be quite good?