The World After the Fall
Chapter 52: Last hope (1)

A week after the speech to retire from being the Master, the word spread throughout [Chaos].

-Anyone who wishes to become a Master, challenge me! But if you lose, you will go to the [Depth]!

It fueled the fire in the minds of the people of [Chaos]. Anyone powerful enough was going to have a chance to become a Master of the fortress. It was very tempting. The rumor that the new Master was a [Non-Adapter] served to fuel the fire even more.

'No way! How can the Master be a Non-Adapter?'

'It's true! The elders and officers of the Ten-Clan confirmed it!'

The rumors spread quickly.

'How did a Non-Adapter become a master?'

'Is he from the Palace of Reincarnation?'

'No way. Lords or Renowned families are not allowed to interfere in [Chaos].'

There were some who were suspicious of Jaehwan's intentions.

'What is he up to?'

He had stated a condition for when he won. Any normal man would fear death, especially when he was only 50 years old. He must have a reason for such a gamble, and that he must be certain of his victory. Some of the Ten-Clan thought this.

'Maybe he is trying to use the Guardian Horn.'

If the Guardian Horn was called upon, even the Leaders had no way to ensure victory. However, Jaehwan clearly said that it would be fair one-on-one fight, so it didn't seem that Jaehwan would use it. Besides, the Guardian Horn, which could only be used by the Master's right, was not made to fight against individuals.

Thus, people came to one conclusion.

'This new Master is mad!'

But as always, people loved mad things.

'We'll go to Gorgon anyway!'

People did not realize that it wasn't the condition after winning that they were excited about, but the condition after losing.

Euren thought as he walked to the gate of the inner keep.

'What is going on?'

Euren trusted, not Jaehwan, but the former Master's choice. Even if Jaehwan seemed like a mad man, he would not do something that would harm Gorgon's future…

"OPEN UP!"

"We have the right to fight with the Master!"

"The Master should keep his promise!"

Or so he thought.

'Dammit.'

Euren shook his head as he watched the crowds gathering in front of the keep gate.

'Master, what are you up to?'

The people in front of the inner keep numbered over four thousand. There were reports that the people were waiting to fight Jaehwan. Including the ones outside the fortress, there was about twenty thousand. All the inns in Gorgon were fully packed, and the citizens of Gorgon were having a great time because of the sudden wave of visitors.

"Cheap room! Half a unihorn for a night!"

Half a unihorn was about 30 thousand horuns. This amount was the average cost of a week's stay in most hotels. But inns were now receiving such a price for one night.

"That's pretty cheap. I'll stay for a week."

"Thank you!"

Yet the ones coming to fight had more money. They were the most powerful warriors among [Chaos] who could easily kill unihorns with just a few skills.

Euren became confused.

'I'm not sure if this is a good thing or not.'

The profit Gorgon was earning because of such visits was very high. Through the history of [Chaos], changing of Masters meant hardships within the fortress as it normally underwent a complete change in systems.

'Did he also expect this?'

He wasn't sure if Jaehwan intended to become a Master or not. However, no one could guess what he was thinking anyway. Just then, he saw some guards holding a booklet and laughing.

"What are you doing?"

The guards quickly straightened up in fear as the Chancellor yelled. It seemed that discipline had fallen to an all-time low as four out of the five military commanders had perished in the recent events.

'This must be fixed.'

Euren began reading the [Law] to punish the guards. He then snatched the booklet guards were reading and looked at it. It was a monthly magazine.

[Chaos of this Month]

Exclusive 1. Master of Gorgon, declaration to quit!

Exclusive 2. Master of Gorgon "I can kill the Clan Leaders of the Ten-Clan with one finger!" The Truth?

Interview: "I have fought with the Master!" - From a long time slasher

Euren shook as he read.

'Kill who? With what? When did he say that?'

The magazine, [Chaos of this Month] was the most sold magazine in [Chaos]. Even if the headline was a lie, he was sure that the Ten-Clan would be outraged. And it wasn't only that. Euren quickly flipped the pages to look into the details of the interview.

'When did the Master fight…'

Euren was controlling guests to stop any unneeded trouble, so he knew Jaehwan had not fought with anyone yet. As Euren turned the page, the hologram began to float up, showing a masked man talking with the host.

-How are you doing? I'm Maishark, and welcome to the special interview! We have a special guest today! He claims that he has fought with the 'Master of Gorgon,' the most talked about figure in recent events. Nothing about the Master has been revealed by Gorgon officials. We have rumors that he is as powerful as the Ten-Clan Leaders or that he is a Non-Adapter. As such, we have-"

-Hey, wait. If I do this, are you really going to introduce me to the Leader of the Divine Lady Clan?

-Uh… Can we talk about that later-

The video stopped for a second.

-Haha, sorry, it seems there were some technical difficulties. Please introduce yourself.

-I am the 'Long-time Slasher'.

Euren frowned.

'…It's the doctor.'

Why is he in such an interview?

-I see! That's interesting. So the Master of Gorgon can only use [Stab]?

-That's right.

-A fight between a slash and a stab! Amazing!

-It sure is.

-So, as our investigative team have found out, you lost that battle?

-I didn't lose!

'Long-time Slasher' began to make a ruckus and the interviewer asked,

-Is it not true?

-No way! We tied!

-But how…

-No, I can say I won. I was holding back a secret skill! If we fought more, I would have won!

The doctor then began talking about different subjects, boasting about himself, so the interviewer quickly changed subjects and asked the most important question.

-Then, how strong do you think the 'Master of Gorgon' is?

The doctor then answered with certainty, as if he were waiting to answer this.

-Well, no one can beat him. Not even with all of the Ten-Clan.

-D-do you mean you can handle the Ten-Clan too?!

-Huh? Uh… M-maybe, maybe not…

Euren was infuriated and began shaking.

'What the heck are you doing, Doctor?!'

Euren knew Jaehwan was strong, but to fight the entire Ten-Clan? This was not a matter of truth or lies anymore. Euren quickly ran to the Master's room at once.