Episode 119
Degurrr… … .
The rolling ball happened to land on the toe of my foot and I picked it up.
It’s nice that the monster’s bodily fluids seem to disappear along with the halo of light. Because it doesn’t get dirty even if you put it in your pocket.
Purple ball.
That means that this monster we ran into on the way was the [Owner of the Cave] that Charles was talking about… … .
How is it so sturdy?
“Don’t touch me. “It’s mine.”
Charon spoke in a low tone and aimed his bow at me.
Then Hector was startled and stopped him.
“Now, wait a minute. “Stop and see.”
“Are you protecting me because I’m your younger brother? I’m disappointed, Hector Badnicker. “I forgot that I’m currently taking a test.”
“It’s not like that. for now… … .”
Hector looked at me with complicated eyes.
“you… “Is it really Luan?”
“huh.”
“You’re not undead, right?”
“Please take a look. “I’m tired of that misunderstanding.”
Although I only experienced it once.
“Was he alive…? … .”
“of course.”
“Then where the hell have you been all this time? “What happened to you?”
“… … .”
I saw Hector for a moment.
First of all, this guy is also a badnik. Unlike the other guys he covered earlier, he might be okay with telling the truth.
It might have been like that if Charon wasn’t next to me.
“We’ll talk about that later, but first I have to achieve my goal.”
“purpose?”
I silently showed the purple ball.
As he was a guy who understood the situation quickly, Hector’s expression immediately hardened.
“… “Are you not satisfied with just that ball? You’re going to take away both of our purple balls as well?”
“I’m in a bit of a desperate situation.”
“under.”
Charon sneered openly.
“I don’t know where you came from, but with your skills-.”
“Close your mouth and concentrate, Charon Woodjack.”
Hector warned in a low voice.
“If you let your guard down, all the credit you have will be taken away. That guy… “It’s stronger than the monster we just defeated.”
“… … .”
Charon didn’t seem to completely believe Hector’s words.
He looked at me with a puzzled look on his face and asked.
“… “Was it you who hurt the [Cave Owner]?”
“that’s right. Since you stole my prey, you have nothing to say if you get attacked, right?”
At that time, Hector suddenly spoke.
“Even if I just pass the ball over?”
“what?”
“What bullshit.”
Charon turned his head and glared, and I also looked at Hector with slightly surprised eyes.
If I had been Hector just a short time ago, I would never have made such a suggestion.
It’s true that I fatally wounded the man who seemed to be the owner of that cave… … .
That guy just ran away like that.
This means that the wound was not severe enough to cause complete death.
In other words, these two guys went through a lot of trouble to catch him, but they will obediently hand over to me the result of the effort they put in.
‘Of course, Hector knows my skills to some extent.’
I give up because I will fight and lose… This option would not have been available to the existing Hector.
In other words, the current Hector has learned to bend his pride.
“I’m sorry, but that won’t work.”
I said with a genuine smile.
Rather, Hector’s reaction just made me more curious.
I wanted to see for myself how this guy spent the four weeks.
“I thought so.”
Hector sighed.
Cough!
Immediately after finishing the attack, he responded to the Seven Sins Sword I swung.
Hwiyu, a whistle suddenly came out.
The force felt from the clashing swords is quite strong.
As we briefly exchanged sword strikes, I realized that Hector’s sword skills had improved significantly.
That’s not all.
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“Brother, have you ever sparred with Teacher Tanko?”
“okay.”
I knew it.
For some reason, I felt an animal-like force in Geomro.
Such barbaric movements were something Hector had never seen before, but it was natural since he had only received systematic lessons from a swordsman instructor since he was young.
‘Good?’
Flexibility was added to the previously rigid swordsmanship.
Disappearing your shortcomings is an achievement that can only be achieved by realizing and acknowledging your own shortcomings.
It is surprisingly rare for a warrior to be able to honestly accept his or her shortcomings.
On the other hand.
Piing-!
I dodged an arrow that came in during a fierce battle.
“You haven’t grown at all.”
“Are you really judging me?”
I laughed and then shouted at Hector.
Hector momentarily tightened his sword hand to defend himself, but the purpose of the palm filled with internal power was to push this guy away rather than for destructive power.
“Tsk… … !”
Hector’s body floated and flew all the way to the cave wall.
It looked like he was going to immediately adjust his stance, but before that, he had already thrown the Seven Deadly Sins Sword.
Sigh!
Of course, no matter how much I do, I have no intention of killing Hector or seriously hurting him here.
The Sword of Seven Deadly Sins pierced Hector’s clothes and became embedded in the wall.
Due to the structure of the clothes, it will take some time to break free.
Meanwhile, it races towards Charon.
Pipiping-.
Once again Charon shot an arrow. I dodged two shots and caught the other one with his hand.
“under… … ! “Try holding this too!”
Charon twisted the corner of his mouth and fired only one arrow this time.
Orbital enough to be honest.
‘They’re selling traps so obviously.’
Isn’t that because I only deal with beasts and monsters?
No matter how clever they are, they are probably no better than humans.
I burst out laughing and decided to give this obvious trap a try.
He caught the flying arrow with his free hand.
“How stupid!”
The moment Charon sneered, heat was felt from the arrow he had caught.
Boom!
Then a small explosion occurred.
With the dust blocking the view, Charon’s voice was heard.
“That’s what happens when you carelessly believe what the enemy says, Luan Badnicker. “I can’t use that arm anymore.”
At that moment, I cleared away the dust and appeared right in front of Charon.
Seeing Charon’s eyes widen, he handled the other arrow he was still holding like a dagger.
“Tsk!”
Charon quickly concentrated on dodging.
“Are you desperate to avoid it? “Did you put poison on the arrowhead?”
There seemed to be no time to answer.
Meanwhile, I felt a presence behind me, and it was Hector approaching.
“… … .”
Even though they occupy the rear, there is no sign of them attacking easily. I realized that the gap that appeared at first glance was a trap.
I said, still attacking Charon.
“Brother.”
“W-what is it?”
“Brother, you could use a little less beating today. “Go away.”
“uh?”
Hector asked back in an unusually stupid voice, so I spoke once more.
“Step back. “If you don’t want to be left behind.”
Hector was silent for a moment, then took out a purple ball from his arms and put it down.
“… thanks.”
Then Charon burst out laughing and said,
“These bastards are going to give such a damn thing about being of the same blood.”
Wow!
I struck Charon’s cheek with the hand holding the arrow.
“──.”
Then this guy made a stupid expression, like someone who got slapped for the first time.
No, is this the first time I got hit at this point?
anyway.
“Since your brother is missing, you should get your share of the punishment, right?”
“f*ck that bullshit.”
Wow!
“What do you think of me?”
Wow!
“Listen to what people say!”
Wow! Wow!
Hector was silent for a moment and then spoke.
“I am… “I’ll check to see if the way out is completely blocked.”
“Please.”
“Now, wait! Hector. How does our temporary alliance-.”
“I don’t remember anything like that.”
“You bitch-.”
Wow! Wow!
Hector coldly turned away, pretending not to hear the familiar sound.
* * *
Although we finally got three purple balls.
Actually, for my purposes there is still work to be done.
It’s about keeping in check those who have similar scores to me.
My current score was 89, which is 75 points added from 14 points… … .
I have all the purple balls worth 25 points each, but there are still balls worth 15 and 20 points left.
Roughly speaking, guys with a score between 30 and 60 points can easily turn me around depending on the balls they get.
After thinking about it for a moment, I had a great idea.
“Okay, guys. “The three of us are temporary allies from now on.”
“… … .”
Charon’s mouth twitched at the mention of a temporary alliance, but he didn’t say anything because he had just received physical therapy.
Since I also often received similar treatment from Master, I was able to easily recognize such signs.
Hector asked.
“Temporary alliance?”
“huh. “You two want to stay on top, too, right?”
“Of course.”
“good. Then let’s do it like this. First of all, I will continue to take credit from you two from now on.”
Then the expressions on the two guys’ faces became noticeable.
“In other words, you will maintain your current scores until the end of this test.”
“… “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“It’s simple. “If you want to complete the course now, you will have to keep the other leaders in check to prevent them from accumulating any more merit.”
So my strategy is this.
All Youngdos who participated in the special test maintained their scores at the time of participation.
Charon spoke in a harsh voice in response to my arbitrary words.
“It’s not an alliance, it’s just that we have to clean up after you, right?”
“Do you really think that? Hey, Charon. Think carefully. My score is only 89 even with the 3 purple balls added. “Even if you die and wake up, it’s impossible to be first.”
“… … .”
“My goal is to finish in the top three. Because of personal reasons, I have to complete the course somehow. So, it’s okay for Brother Hector to surpass my score. “I won’t say anything.”
“hmm.”
Hector realized the true meaning of my words and nodded.
“understood… … . Obviously, if I want to be in the top 3 with the points I have now, I have no choice but to steal all the credit from other Youngdos.”
“that’s right. Charon, your points were 102, right? For example, if Seren gets 3 navy balls, she gets 60 points, for a total of 109 points. “You will lose first place.”
“… … .”
“In the meantime, I’m asking you to keep the other Youngdo guys in check as well.”
Only then did Charon seem to realize that I wasn’t talking nonsense, and he thought for a moment.
Honestly, there is one way to make him submit with his fists, but this guy also has his own lines that he cannot yield.
He’s not a guy with low self-esteem to begin with, so there’s a limit to making him obey by squeezing him.
Charon spoke after thinking as expected.
“… If that’s how my ranking stays, good. “I accept it.”
“Good. “Then, the three of us will work together to dominate 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.”
I smiled and held out my hand.
“Let’s go, let’s go, fighting!”
“… … .”
“… … .”
However, the two most blunt leaders among the people at this retreat did not respond to my slogan.
* * *
Leaving Charon and Hector behind, I left the cave.
It wouldn’t be a bad idea to hang out with those guys, but for some reason, I suddenly felt like I wanted to be alone.
‘Today is Friday… … .’
The exam ends on Monday morning.
In other words, I still have three days left.
Three days is both short and long, and in my personal opinion, it was the most appropriate time to take a break.
When I was focusing on my training in Yeongsan, I often received leave from my teacher, and even then, I only took three days off.
– After all, Master knows something. Basically, a 3-day, 2-night vacation is the best. 2 days and 1 night is too short, and 4 days and 3 nights is too long.
The talkative third brother also strongly agreed with my opinion.
Somehow, I thought that there would be rare opportunities to see [Butterfly Forest] like this in the future, so I decided to treat this place as a good vacation spot.
First, we used a cabin to the east of the camp as our vacation home, and briefly escaped regular life.
I took 3 to 4 hour naps, but at night I couldn’t sleep and stayed up until dawn.
I also lay down on a thick tree branch and counted the stars visible between the leaves.
I forgot everything, including the fact that I was currently on a retreat, the demon king I met in hell, and even the mission given to me.
I didn’t even think about flying.
I was satisfied as it was my first lazy life in a long time, but the only thing that was disappointing was the meal.
When I was hungry, I caught fish from the stream, grilled it, and ate it, but of course it wasn’t delicious.
I wanted to treat myself with some other meat or fruit, but… … .
Monsters disappear as soon as they are killed, and although late winter has passed and the first month of the year has arrived, the weather is still chilly and it is difficult to pick and eat fruit.
Anyway, emotionally, I felt very peaceful.
‘Now that I think about it, I haven’t had such a peaceful time since I returned.’
I am not talking about returning from the retreat.
After waking up as 15-year-old Luan Badniker, there was little time to rest.
When I first opened my eyes, I almost cut my tendon.
Afterwards, he was in danger of death in the Jewel Mountains, and even after returning to his hometown, he was caught up in various incidents.
Actually, maybe because I am a warrior by nature, such an intense life wasn’t bad, but… … .
I also thought that people need rest.
Sometimes I think it’s good to be alone like this.
Whenever I felt the presence of another spirit, I deliberately avoided it and did not touch the monster first unless it invaded my territory.
Like that for a day or two… … . Finally, the morning of the last day of the retreat.
“… … .”
I watched the rising sun and performed the first ball of Chloride for the first time in a long time.
And I was a little surprised.
I don’t know the reason, but the internal energy of the Danjeon was stabilized in an ideal shape.
What should I say?
It occurred to me that my external and internal skills, which had been creaky since my return, were finally in harmony at this moment.
“ah-.”
I suddenly realized.
The body also needs a period of time to adapt. Sometimes you need time to take a breather.
Hwareuk… … .
I started flying, enjoying the morning sunlight.
Harmonious body.
And Cheil Chloride has reached this stage.
The total amount of internal energy accumulated through the sky has greatly increased.
While I was at it, I also tried melting Youngok once.
“oh.”
As expected, the work speed has become much faster, and at the current rate, the spirit prison will be able to completely melt within half a year at the latest.
“today… “I think I’ve made two steps forward?”
I giggled and got up. The exceptionally refreshing air reaches my lungs.
Just four weeks ago, the early morning in the forest was very chilly, but now the weather has warmed up considerably.
Will spring come soon?
“… … ?”
At that moment, a presence that could not be ignored was caught in the developed sense.
The looming owner was running secretly but quickly through the forest, getting closer to me.
First off, I don’t think there’s any hostility.
Pot-.
Soon, a neatly dressed man appeared in front of me.
It’s a familiar face.
“You must… … .”
“This is Jane the collector.”
“It did.”
Jane greeted politely.
Somehow, he seemed much more polite than when we met before.
“Do you have something to do with me?”
“Master Luan, the general situation was relayed to me by the teaching teacher. I also heard the story during the delivery process. First of all, I would like to express my respect for your accomplishments.”
“… … .”
Saying that, Jane bowed once again.
When he looked up again, I could see his kindness towards me, but even though I was the son of an iron-blooded master, receiving the collector’s favor was a completely different matter.
Just like Keian, these people are hunting dogs who, in some cases, point their swords at even direct blood relatives of their family.
‘As expected, he is a user of Badknicker.’
As a family where skill and performance are everything, the subordinates also have similar tendencies.
I nodded and said.
Somehow, I felt like I knew what this guy had come to see me for.
“Outsiders are prohibited from entering during the retreat.”
“yes.”
“But the fact that you showed up proudly… … .”
“… In Badniker, only one person can stand above the additive law.”
Jane said with a faint smile.
“The head of the family is calling.”
fantasy,
