Chapter 335

Chapter 335

C335 - Debt, Debts, and More Debts (2)

Neru closed his eyes as if in deep contemplation.

It wasn't that he didn't care about saving the small beastmen; on the contrary, he wanted to save them even more than Jin did.

That's why Neru and the Cat Tribe had resolved to face death.

As if making a decision, Neru met Jin's gaze.

[...Alright. But you must keep your promise. If it looks like you're going to die, you must escape.]

Jin nodded and took out the ruby.

[Nya!]

Shuri approached with a cheerful cry and rubbed her face against Jin's cheek.

In response, Neru's eyes widened.

[My goodness, it's the Witch Heluram's Cat!] (Note: It seems Shuri is female)

"I see you recognize her."

[I've read in the newspapers of the human world that you travel on a Ruby Cat, but I never imagined it would be Shuri...!]

[Nya, nya-nya, nyaa!]

Although the meaning wasn't clear, Shuri also seemed to recognize Neru. They even nuzzled their noses together as if they were very familiar with each other.

Nya, nya, nya, nya...

For a while, they communicated in their own incomprehensible language, which Jin couldn't understand. But their adorable appearance made the dire situation seem less grim.

While conversing with Shuri, Neru's expression kept changing.

When he heard the story of how Shuri had been abandoned and cursed with immortality by the Witch Heluram, his expression darkened.

And when he heard that Shuri had been alone in the Black Sea Forest for a thousand years, tears filled his eyes.

And he smiled when he learned that she had met Jin and left the forest.

Not only did Neru's expression change, but Shuri also had large watery pupils that gleamed and emitted purring sounds as if she was enchanted.

Neru, once the conversation was finished, turned to Jin with a much lighter expression.

[Shuri endured terrible thousand years as well... Jin Runcandel, maybe even Shuri meeting you was part of Solderet's plan. For moments like this.]

[Nya!]

The reason for Neru's lighter expression was none other than that.

In his view, as long as Shuri was present, Jin could escape from pursuers at any time.

[You didn't have to worry about helping the small beastmen. I'd love to have a longer conversation with Shuri, but for now, it's best to go see them.]

Jin climbed onto Shuri's back.

"Mr. Neru, will you stay here?"

[I have to maintain the barrier, so I can't leave this place. As I told you before, head to that beach over there, find Lulu, and ask her to guide you to a safe place, preferably a cave.]

"Understood."

Just as Jin was about to set off with Shuri, Neru affectionately grabbed Shuri's leg. Jin and Shuri turned to look at Neru.

[Thank you, Jin Runcandel]

Neru wanted to express his gratitude.

"You're welcome."

Thanks to riding on Shuri, Jin quickly found Lulu.

Lulu was exactly like Neru, making it difficult to distinguish between the twins when looking at them up close.

Neru, Lulu, and Miru, the triplets, formed the core of the Cat Tribe's barrier.

[What, Shuri? How long has it been, no, how is it that you're alive...?]

Lulu was visibly delighted to see Shuri, just like Neru.

However, Jin thought they couldn't have a long conversation, so he explained the situation and expressed his intention to go to the cave.

Lulu briefly greeted Shuri and led Jin back to the Cat Tribe's cave.

[Once you reach the cave, we can only maintain the barrier for a maximum of ten minutes. Taking travel time into account, be careful because the Specters will immediately enter the cave as soon as the barrier breaks.]

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Jin unsheathed his Sigmund.

"Why worry about me? When the barrier collapses, run straight to the entrance. Judging by the mana flow, it seems like the enemies enter the cave immediately after breaking the barrier. Now, go. Run to the entrance. Once outside the cave, seek protection from the Runcandels through the Zhan Kingdom. Mention that it's an order from the Twelfth Flagbearer."

When the barrier breaks, the sealed entrance of the cave will open.

"Understood. Promise to come back alive, okay? And don't think we'll blame you if we suffer because of you. It's not entirely untrue, but we already decided to accept this level of danger when we chose to work with you in the first place."

"Jin, don't hurt yourself, thank you!"

"It's not 'thank you,' it's 'thank you very much'! Alright, enough with the compliments, let's go, Watertails! We're just going to be a hindrance to our comrade."

"Excuse me."

"It's not 'excuse me,' it's 'I'm sorry'... Never mind, let's go, let's go!"

The Golden Snow Tribe pushed the Watertails forward.

Jin couldn't help but chuckle.

Even though they had every right to be resentful towards him, seeing that the small beastmen didn't blame Jin made him think it was a good decision to come and save them.

As the small beastmen fled, they looked at Jin several times.

Although they were completely unfamiliar with mana, they could sense it.

They felt the tremendous power flowing into the cave as the barrier broke.

'The mana felt beyond the barrier... I was expecting this, but there's no chance of winning in a direct confrontation.'

Three members of the Specter Corps.

They were no less formidable than three Black Knights. It wasn't an easy task even for Luna to face three Black Knights at once.

For Jin, at this moment, it was obviously impossible.

However, Jin decided that there might be an opportunity.

Beyond buying time, he could inflict significant damage on the Specter Corps or even kill them.

"They don't know I'm here."

As formidable as the Specter Corps was, they couldn't predict that Jin was inside the cave.

Of course, the Specter Corps could perfectly respond to unexpected variables.

If the enemy was "strong" in the common sense, they could handle it.

Swoosh...!

Shadow Energy spread from Jin's body, quickly extending throughout the cave and shrouding it like a curtain.

Shadow Energy expanded so rapidly that it filled the cave, completely concealing Jin.

It was the release of Shadow Energy, extended to erase his presence.

Jin, covered in Shadow Energy, looked like a shadow among the various shadows scattered on the cave walls.

Jin remembered the day he sowed terror at Mamit's Moonlit Tavern when he was in the intermediate class.

The attack Jin was about to attempt now was the same as back then. Completely hiding his presence and energy with Shadow Energy and unleashing it at an unexpected moment.

Back then, he had spent hours accumulating Shadow Energy while sitting in an inn room, but now, that amount of time was more than enough.

Especially in such a confined space as this.

Crunch, crunch...!

The barrier began to crumble completely.

Whoosh!

And within the curtain of Shadow Energy, a small spark ignited.

That spark was the reason Jin erased his own presence.

Even if they were members of the Specter Corps, they wouldn't be able to perceive the mana of that small spark beyond the barrier and the curtain of Shadow Energy.

That spark was the ignition point of Runcandel's Secret Sword Movement.

'I'll finish them off in one strike as soon as they arrive. Not even the Specters will emerge unscathed if they're hit by a surprise attack.'

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