Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: Bell Kaluan (1)
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“What?”
The man rested his bloodstained sword on his shoulder and looked at Regin and Greg.
“First time seeing an explorer? Why are you on guard like that? You’re no fun.”
Sharply narrowed eyes.
A twisted smirk.
His unkempt long hair added to his intimidating presence.
‘At least a Rank 2 swordsman. Maybe right at the edge of it….’
Above all, the pressure emanating from him indicated that his level and skill were no joke.
That alone was enough reason to be wary, but the problem was that he wasn’t containing his aura—he was letting it spill out in all directions.
‘He’s radiating killing intent everywhere. How could we relax?’
He looked less like a swordsman or knight and more like a thug.
Greg eyed him and spoke bluntly.
“Berserker… or maybe a magic swordsman?”
“What?”
“You’re not containing your energy, so we can’t exactly lower our weapons either.”
“What, should we have been polite even if you might be an enemy?”
“At least a proper knight would have some knightly honor, don’t you think?”
The man burst into a chuckle and spat to the side.
“A fancy dwarf, huh. So picky.”
“……”
“Hey, cut me some slack. I’m in a foul mood after what happened. Hard to put on a friendly face from the start in a situation like this.”
Whoosh!
He casually pulled aside the cloth robe he was wearing and continued.
“I’m looking for the bitch who stabbed me in the gut. Think you’d be so kind if you had a hole in your belly?”
A thick scar came into view.
Less a hole and more two long gashes.
…Exactly like the work of two daggers.
‘If he hadn’t treated it with a potion, it could’ve been fatal.’
The wounds had healed somewhat, suggesting he’d used a potion, but untreated, they were severe enough to threaten his life.
“So anyway.”
“……”
“Seen a brown-haired assassin? Wields twin daggers in reverse grip. About this tall… pretty face… but personality, heh, total bitch.”
“What happened?”
“Happened? That thieving slut backstabbed me good.”
He laughed incredulously and went on.
“She stole my stuff.”
“Stuff?”
“That bitch took something precious of mine. That explain it?”
Wouldn’t it help to know what exactly was stolen?
Either way, the man’s rage was clearly abnormal.
Regin and Greg exchanged glances and nodded.
‘…So that’s what the twin-dagger woman was hiding.’
It was a bit hard to grasp how a crystal ball could drive someone to this.
“If you’ve seen her, I’d appreciate any info. If it’s solid, I won’t hold back on the reward.”
Sniff sniff—
The man twitched his nose, sniffing the air around them and at the two.
It was a somewhat manic gesture, but Regin ignored it and spoke.
“No idea. Haven’t seen any woman traveling alone. If we do, we’ll tie her up for you.”
“…Heh heh. Good plan.”
He didn’t mention they’d already met her.
Even if she was a thief, he didn’t want to give her up easily.
‘She might be that twin-dagger assassin I saw. If I tell this guy now…’
Before he could even check her future, she’d be dead for sure.
* * *
“Where are those guys headed?”
The moment Regin and Greg left the ruined cathedral.
A mage watching their retreating backs asked while glaring.
He was one of the man Regin had just faced off with—his party member.
“Why didn’t you call me? I could’ve interrogated them more.”
The mage had been hiding, listening to the conversation.
He’d been ready for combat in case things went south, but surprisingly, the two had simply said they knew nothing about the woman and left peacefully.
“Heh heh. Hey, Ivan.”
“Yes, Kaluan.”
“Didn’t I tell you? I can find that woman no matter what.”
“But still…”
“Killing those guys would just get their scent on my blade. Then I’d lose her trail, right?”
The man’s name was Bell Kaluan.
The party leader kept his sword drawn, maintaining his killing intent.
Sniff sniff—
Inhaling the scent of crusted blood through his nose, Kaluan continued.
“Her blood scent is still fresh. I can track her to the ends of hell.”
* * *
A short while later.
Regin and Greg had moved away from Kaluan’s location and found a new campsite.
Greg tore into a strip of jerky and said.
“That guy had some killer eyes.”
“The swordsman?”
“Yeah. And the one he’s after is definitely… that assassin we saw yesterday, right?”
“Seems like it. The details line up.”
“So it wasn’t just about some crystal ball… She even stole that ghost swordsman’s cloak.”
“You know something about the cloak?”
“Not details, but I’ve heard of it. At least the nickname. Ghost Swordsman.”
Munch munch.
Maybe he’d been tense during the earlier standoff without showing it, because Greg kept chewing the jerky nonstop.
“Who’d have thought we’d run into a guy like that. Name was… Kaluan, I think?”
“……”
“If he really is the Ghost Swordsman, he’s dangerous. Been active about a year? Climbed high in that short time, so he’s skilled…”
“Rumors aren’t good, huh.”
“Yeah. Doesn’t care about methods or means, they say. Probably a berserker… Famous for his rough temper.”
In DAT, nicknames come from achievements.
Once fame hits a certain point, it’s based on playstyle and traits.
Earning one in a year meant serious skill.
‘Or you’d need massive feats or misdeeds… But to get a nickname that fast, you need the power to back it.’
Regin mulled it over and murmured.
“Ghost Swordsman…”
He chewed on the nickname.
Seeing Regin’s unexpectedly serious expression, Greg asked.
“First time seeing someone with a nickname?”
“Yeah.”
“…Nicknamed folks are usually big deals.”
Greg studied Regin’s face and continued.
“Don’t worry too much.”
“Huh?”
“You’ve got this mad axe Greg in front of you.”
“…What axe?”
A nickname he’d never heard in his life?
Greg added sheepishly as Regin stared in disbelief.
“Kidding, kidding. First time meeting a nicknamed explorer, so you might be spooked.”
“……”
“That’s why I said having someone like me around… Never mind. Jeez. Can’t we joke between us?”
“Puhaha. No, it’s fine. Solid, Mad Axe. Good nickname. I’ll spread it around for you someday.”
“…Forget it.”
“But Mad Axe, huh. You won’t accidentally chop my head while hunting, right?”
“I said forget it!”
“Just kidding.”
“……”
Only then did Greg smirk and down some beer.
“Heh heh. If I give you one, how about Mad Bomber Regin?”
“…What bomber?”
“That black flame explosion spell you showed in the rabbit den. Still vivid. The one where the skeletons melted away.”
Come to think of it, he’d used a special bomb scroll in front of Greg once.
It must’ve left an impression.
Regin grimaced, fully getting why he’d say that.
“…That bad?”
“Mad Bomber is a bit…”
Still, no wasn’t no.
People might think he only did explosions.
Greg chuckled and nodded at Regin’s sour look.
“Got it. You’ve got plenty of mysterious sides anyway, so folks’ll pick a good one for you.”
“Haha. Yeah. If they’re worse than Bomber… I’ll reconsider your take, Greg.”
“That works. Anyway, Regin.”
“Yeah.”
“What about the woman?”
Greg’s ever-smiling face turned serious.
“We could ignore her and do our thing. Or tip her off if we can find her.”
“……”
After pondering and sipping some warmed milk, Regin replied.
“Let’s find her first.”
“For real?”
“Yeah.”
“They might come after us. A Ghost Swordsman-level guy might have sharp instincts.”
“If my guess is right, the swordsman will catch her anyway.”
“…What?”
“So we need to find her before that Ghost Swordsman does.”
Ghost Swordsman. Truth be told, he’d decided the moment he heard the name.
He’d only seen the twin-dagger woman once, but the Ghost Swordsman was different.
‘…We kept running into him.’
Not a welcome face. Every encounter had been a pain.
‘Before I even check the twin-dagger woman’s future…’
He couldn’t just watch her get sacrificed to that Ghost Swordsman.
* * *
“But that swordsman hasn’t found her yet… How are we supposed to?”
After resting, as they walked, Greg asked.
“Remember the house ruins where we met her?”
“Yeah. As deserted as this cathedral. Perfect hideout.”
“There’s actually a gimmick nearby. That’s why foot traffic’s low.”
“……”
“She’s skilled with gimmicks too. Knows spots like that.”
Proof she was a capable assassin. She knew how to hide on the 6th floor.
“We search places like that. Ones with lots of gimmicks.”
That’s when it happened, after moving for a while.
Crack!
“Hup!”
They finally reached a clearing.
A woman was fighting a skeleton there.
Brown-haired, twin daggers in reverse grip.
The woman from yesterday.
‘Found her.’
She hadn’t noticed them yet.
They watched her hunt.
‘Skeleton Mage is a bad matchup for assassins.’
The lightning bolt it used was best dodged by keeping distance.
But assassins had short range, so they had to close in.
“Hup!”
‘Fast.’
Regin watched in surprise at what followed.
Kill before the lightning struck. Or stay out of range.
An assassin couldn’t do either easily, but she dodged purely on reaction speed.
Crack—!
Her dagger finally pierced the Skeleton Mage’s skull.
Clean moves, no hesitation in the finishing blow.
As they watched in admiration—
“……!”
Having finished the Skeleton Mage, the woman glared at the forest where Regin and Greg were.
“…Come out.”
She pulled the dagger from the skull and gripped it reverse.
Regin stepped out, hands raised.
“It’s us. No intent to fight.”
“You’re the ones from yesterday… How’d you find this place?”
“Studied gimmick-solving. Reading’s my hobby.”
“And that led you to me?”
“No time, so straight to the point.”
Regin continued right away.
“The Ghost Swordsman’s after you. Bumped into him this morning. He’s still chasing.”
“…Sent by them?”
“No.”
He put on a serious face. Convincing her from here was key.
“We’re targets now too. We need to team up.”
“What?”
“Didn’t hear details, but he said he smelled you and attacked. What’s the story?”
“……”
It was just a shot in the dark.
Bait made from what he knew and the situation.
“…You really met him.”
Seemed like it hit perfectly. The woman continued in a slightly trembling voice.
“But how’d you escape here? Shake their pursuit?”
“Who knows. Help each other, and I’ll tell.”
Regin gave a friendly smile.
“Your call. Distrust us and get caught by the Ghost Swordsman. Or team up and kill him.”