Chapter 200

Chapter 200

Karen and Seol maintained their calm expressions as they stared down the barrels of cannons and guns.

Seeing them, Yeo-myeong took a step back and sheathed his sword.

“H-Haunted Swordsman... Do you know that female knight?”

“Yes, Sir Bren,” said Yeo-myeong while looking back at him. “I do know them.”

“O-Oh... She’s here to help us, right?”

“Well... yes.”

Yeo-myeong understood that Seol's decision to help wasn't specifically for Bren's sake, but because he believed it would ultimately benefit Bren, he saw nothing wrong with stating it as such.

“Then... will we be able to defeat Kaio if she assists us?”

“...We?”

“Quickly! I need information to make a decision! Lalsa told me that her goggles are broken too, so...”

Yeo-myeong quickly understood the intent behind his words.

‘He’s planning on deserting them in the worst-case scenario.’

Though Yeo-myeong was a bit disappointed in him, he also recognized that it was natural for a leader to want to retreat if victory seemed impossible.

“You’ll see soon enough,” said Yeo-myeong.

“What do you mean?!”

“Just take a step back and keep quiet.”

“......”

Kaio’s cartel and Seol’s party faced off against each other.

Karen stood confidently at the center with Seol behind her, while the rest had backed off to the edges of the roof.

“A transferee?” asked Kaio. “I haven’t seen you around here... Does anyone here know who he is?”

“I don’t.”

“He seems to be confident, though.”

“Pfft... Everyone’s confident until they have a hole in them.”

“That’s true as well.”

“Well then...”

Baaaam!

Kaio fired his gun, his expression remaining unchanged.

He had no qualms about taking anyone’s life.

Furthermore, the gunpowder he had specially made was different from the arrows that had been used so far. It was more than powerful enough to pierce through a knight’s gloves.

Expecting his bullet to pierce through the red knight’s armor, Kaio smiled.

However...

Unsheathe...

The moment she pulled out her sword, everyone’s expression changed.

It felt as if time had slowed, but only around them. Their eyes tracked the sword from its hilt to its tip.

‘What energy...’

And then, her energy rampaged once more.

The knight they had perceived as weaker than them exuded an entirely different aura the moment she unsheathed her sword.

Furthermore...

Slice...

An ominous, spine-chilling sound.

What they couldn’t believe was her attack that caused the sound.

She had perfectly split the bullet in half.

‘That’s insane!’

While someone of Yeo-myeong’s caliber could deflect a bullet, Karen's expertise was something they couldn't even fathom attaining.

Unsheathe!Unsheathe!

The other members of the cartel quickly drew their weapons. They had concluded that their muskets would be useless against her and instead armed themselves with weapons they could use skills with.

Fsssssss...

Well, they had one more trick up their sleeve before they completely swapped over, though.

Fwip...

The cartel members quickly leaped off of the roof.

And at the same time, three cannons, which had been hidden by their bodies, all exploded.

BOOOOOOM!

It was too close range to aim for Seol’s party directly.

However, it was just the right distance to destroy the building itself.

‘They’re trying to take down the building... Then I should...’

Reaching a conclusion before the cannonballs landed, Seol moved like lightning.

He rushed straight toward the flying cannonballs.

“J-Jump down!” shouted Bren.

“We’ll die, though!”

Though they were at a considerable distance from the ground, leaping from the building would probably only result in a broken bone or two, not death.

Despite this knowledge, Bren could only shout. He hesitated to actually take the plunge, fearing for his life.

But in the end... his hesitation was what kept him safe.

Baaaam!

Baaaaam!

Baaam!

The chain of explosions reverberated from a distance, not from the building itself.

The last thing Bren saw was the unidentified young man dashing toward the cannons.

He believed they had survived thanks to the young man's sacrifice.

“Krgh...”

Though he despised transferees, they had undoubtedly been helpful. Bren was moved by the young man’s sacrifice.

Bren then imagined the young man being torn to shreds by the explosion, his limbs scattering everywhere.

Turning red with shame, Bren then turned to Lalsa.

“Remember his name, Lalsa...”

“Huh? I don’t know his name either.”

“I am not in the mood to joke.”

“Sir Bren, look over there. I don’t think he’s dead.”

“...What?”

* * *

Seol emerged from the fires, clad in sturdy, black armor.

His Earth Armor had activated at the final second, absorbing the damage intended for him.

“Karen!” shouted Seol.

“Got it! I’ll take care of the cannons,” shouted Karen back.

Now entering the Night Crow form, Seol took a deep breath before gathering energy in his legs.

“Fuuuu...”

Creaaak...

And like a short-distance runner, he sprinted forward.

Fwooooosh!

He lept past multiple buildings with just one step.

Fwooosh!

By his second step, he had already returned to the fortress’s ceiling.

“Wh-what the...”

“How is he...”

Bren and Lalsa held onto each other, their jaws agape.

They had only heard of people moving like that in legends, they had never expected to see such a sight in real life.

Crush!

With just his third step, Seol had already closed the distance between himself and Kaio, as well as the other cartel members who were attempting to flee from him.

“He’s a transferee.”

“......”

Bren wiped his sweat.

“O-Of course, you could be a transferee, haha... However, I’ve never heard of a transferee having an honorary Libra emblem... it’s quite rare. Could you perhaps tell me who you are close with?”

“Close with...” murmured Seol, pretending to think. “I guess Frannan?”

“Oh, the newly appointed Libra! How do you know him?”

“He’s my master.”

Though Seol hadn’t learned anything from Frannan, he was still considered his master.

There was nothing to worry about, as Frannan often referred to him as his student as well.

In fact, Frannan would probably laugh and enjoy it if he had heard it.

However, Bren’s face was turning paler by the second.

“......”

Currently, Seol was essentially talking to Bren as the representative of the transferees.

And for that same reason, his next words had already been decided.

“Sir Bren, I have something to speak with you about,” said Seol.

“What is it?”

“Thanks to the Veregion Knights, we were able to corner Las Cabras into Parte extremely quickly.”

“Hm... You aren’t wrong.”

“Furthermore, thanks to your crucial role as a sturdy pillar, if something like this happens again, we transferees will do our best to assist you and Adeline.”

At first glance, it might seem like Seol was attempting to claim Bren's accomplishments, but his true intention was to reassure Bren that he would assist him again in the future. Seol was encouraging Bren to stay proactive and get to work quickly.

“Of course, of course! It was thanks to transferees like you, no, every transferee here, that we were able to defeat such an evil organization quickly! The heavens and the earth know this truth! I promise to properly report this in my letter to the royal palace!”

“I thank you for your generous understanding.”

“Haha! It is always pleasant to talk with kind transferees such as yourself. Well then... We are busy ourselves, so...”

“Yes, Sir Bren. I have learned a lot thanks to you.”

- Learned what?

- What???

- The way he was going to run away?

- His biases?

- The way he treats his underlings?

“Lalsa,” said Bren while turning toward her.

“Yes, would you like me to remember his name?”

“It’s fine, I will remember it myself. Ah, what is your name?”

“Snowman.”

“Snowman... I’ll remember it.”

And like that, Bren and Lalsa went off, toward the other knights.

“Lalsa?” asked Bren as they were walking. “What’s that in your hand...?”

Lalsa was holding the goggles from earlier, which told how strong someone was.

"Ah, I thought I should at least take this to report to the magic towers that there was an error."

“Hm... What number came up?”

“You don’t need to worry about that. Essentially, there was an additional zero...”

“Then it must be completely broke... Wait...”

Bren thought for a second before shaking his head.

“It’s fine, we can check it once we return.”

“Yes, sir.”

“But...”

Bren then rummaged through his pockets.

“Lalsa... did you see my wallet anywhere?”

* * *

Seol expressionlessly held a leather pouch tied with golden silk in his hands.

Marie, Filia, and Yeo-myeong, who returned after taking care of the remaining cartel members, paused at the pouch in his hands.

“So... Um...” began Seol.

“Hyung...”

“...Yeah, my bad.”

* * *

In the end, Seol failed to return Bren’s wallet to him.

However, he did use it to help the transferees who were injured because of the battle.

And after roughly a week, the city was in a festive atmosphere.

Despite that, Seol, Yeo-myeong, and Filia were not able to enjoy it.

“Can’t I go with you as well, Yeo-myeong?” begged Marie.

Yeo-myeong turned his eyes away and scratched his head.

“Hyung said that people without Peerless-quality items can’t join this Adventure...”

“This is discrimination!”

“Yeah, it is.”

“...You’ll be back soon, right? I’m going to stay here, alright?”

“I will, Marie.”

Like that, Yeo-myeong joined Seol’s party for the next Adventure.

“Me too,” said Filia.

“What?”

“I’m saying... me too.”

“Huh...?”

“Take me with you on your next Adventure too.”

“......”

Filia was suddenly trying to force herself into Seol’s next Adventure.

In truth, it didn’t matter to Seol how many people joined his next Adventure.

However, the Adventure did require someone with an ability related to ghosts, and to receive rewards, a member had to have at least one Peerless-quality item.

Seol explained this to Filia.

“That’s good then,” said Filia, lifting her bow. “I have one as well.”

“...Then okay.”

And like that, Filia joined as well.

As the rest period was nearing its end...

“So it’s around here?”

“Yes, I am certain it’s somewhere near here.”

Hum...

“Huh? My bow...”

“My sword as well...”

Filia’s bow and Yeo-myeong’s sword began to vibrate.

Hummmmm...

Seol’s entire body, as well as his shadow, began to vibrate.

“We’re definitely here,” said Seol, turning around to them.

[Peerless: Breath leads you to a mysterious location.]

[Peerless: Flare leads you to a mysterious location.]

[Peerless: Fire Monkey leads you to a mysterious location.]

[Peerless: Atonement leads you to a mysterious location.]

Their Peerless-quality items began to vibrate more intensely the farther they advanced.

[You have received additional information on Hidden Adventure 'Glory to be Gained'.]

[Once the conditions have been met, a Sudden Adventure will activate.]