Chapter 136
Chapter: 136
-----------------------------------------------------------------
>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 136
>Chapter Title: Labyrinth (5)
>-----------------------------------------------------------------
>That massive purple beast was undoubtedly a formidable opponent even for Sungjin.
Upon entering Phase 2, it unleashed attacks far surpassing Blata Mentis in power. On top of that, its speed was so immense that even Orden, who was near upper-class knight level, couldn't react in time.
Thus, Sungjin had to draw upon every ability at his disposal.
He maximized his aura concealment to prevent his aura from dissipating outward.
He scraped together every bit of aura he could muster, concentrating it on minimal areas to compensate for his lacking strength.
Using assassination techniques, he blurred his presence, making it harder for the beast to detect his position, thereby offsetting his inferior speed.
And he utilized every piece of terrain around him.
-The more I watch, the more amazed I am at how you move. Just what kind of spatial perception do you have?
One of his comrades from his early days as a hunter had once evaluated him that way.
Just as that comrade said, when fully focused on combat, the simplest paths for attacks and evasions would form stereoscopically in Sungjin's mind.
As long as he followed those images, he rarely got hit, and most of his attacks landed.
And that meant, as long as his body could move properly, he always had some chance of victory.
Boom!
Finally, the massive Lycanslope's body collapsed to the floor.
"Hoo...."
Only then did Sungjin stop and exhale the breath he'd been holding.
'...It's been a while since I really cut loose.'
It had been a fairly intense battle.
He'd been so cautious with his aura usage that, even after swinging it around wildly, his muscles didn't burst like they used to.
Of course, his legs were inevitably worn out from darting all over the place, now stiff and barely movable.
Even so, toward the end, his aura had completely depleted, forcing him to draw on some of the aura that had been blocking the passageway.
[You really took that thing down all by yourself?]
The Demon King surprisingly expressed genuine admiration.
'See? I told you it'd work out somehow.'
In any case, thanks to his efforts, text windows were now popping up incessantly before Sungjin's eyes.
〚Cle□r!〛
〚Successfully defe□ted Lyc□□slope Lord!〛
〚Calc□ulating re□wards....〛
Hm? Were rewards actually coming out like in a game?
〚Success r□nk exceeds registered rec□rd.〛
〚Requ□ring re□ward update from Str□.〛
〚Str□ movement adjustment function acti□vated.〛
〚Curren□ly lo□ding....〛
Then, with a cheerful beep, a relatively intact text appeared, unlike before.
〚Some systems successfully restored.〛
Oh, unbroken text for the first time.
〚Rewards issued matching completion rank.〛
〚Return portal generated.〛
And whoosh. Suddenly, a multicolored beam of light appeared in the center of the cavern.
"...Portal?"
His intuition told him that was the shortcut back to Delcros.
[Hmm....]
The Demon King seemed to examine it cautiously from all angles before affirming.
[I don't know where it connects, but it's definitely some kind of gate. As expected of something from the regular world—looks extremely stable.]
Alright, let's take it.
[But we don't know the destination. Isn't that a bit risky? Why not just call your dad instead?]
'Tsk tsk. You only know one thing and not the other.'
Sungjin shook his head.
Think about it, Demon King.
If this portal connects to Delcros, we can avoid getting caught by Dad for the mess we made.
If it takes us somewhere else?
Then we call Dad at that point. Whether here or there, calling him once is the same.
The Demon King was deeply impressed by Sungjin's utterly reasonable explanation.
[...Wow, are all kids like this? Willing to risk their lives just to avoid a scolding from their parents?]
One life or one smack on the head—same difference!
Meanwhile, the fallen Lycanslope on the floor had already reverted to its original size.
Seeing its body gradually fade, it looked like it might just evaporate like in a game.
As he approached slowly with that thought, the beast suddenly turned its head toward Sungjin. Its glassy blue eyes, clear with intelligence, stared at him.
'......?'
Startled by the sudden situation, Sungjin froze and looked at it, when an unfamiliar voice echoed in his mind.
[■■■ ■■? Why are you here....]
...What?
Sungjin perked his ears in confusion, but the twitching beast, as if trying to say something, soon weakly closed its eyes.
Its massive form soon grew faint, turning into a small cluster of light that vanished without a trace.
Dumbfounded, Sungjin stared blankly before asking the Demon King.
'Hey, did you hear that just now?'
[What? Hear what?]
The Demon King genuinely seemed oblivious.
'...Hallucination?'
By then, in the spot where the beast had vanished, only a small accessory remained, glimmering.
When Sungjin picked it up, a beep sounded, and the item's name appeared before his eyes.
〚Lycanslope Lord, Nebraska's Summoning Amulet〛
Was that beast's name Nebraska? Or just a name slapped on the item.
Somehow, it felt like the beast had recognized him at the end—what was that? Just his imagination?
As he examined the item with those thoughts, more small texts popped up.
〚4 souls bound to Player ■■■ ■■.〛
〚Open List〛
...Bound souls?
Puzzled, Sungjin hesitated before saying.
"Open."
Then, a selection window scrolled up before him.
〚List of summonable souls as familiars 2/4〛
〚1. □□□□ (Inactive)〛
〚2. □□□ □□ (Inactive)〛
〚3. Hayes Martin (Active)〛
〚4. Reddy (Active)〛
〚Select a soul?〛
〚Accept / Decline〛
...Huh?
* * *
Neigh!
Amelia practically leaped off the snorting horse and hurried into the Scarpino mansion with an anxious face.
'Mores...!'
For some reason, her heart had been pounding all day, unable to focus on anything.
This wasn't the first time something like this had happened.
Previously, she'd been plagued by ominous premonitions all day, and sure enough, something had gone wrong, leaving Mores badly injured.
Finally, in the evening, Amelia set down her book and went looking for Mores. Hearing from Edith that he still hadn't returned from his outing, her heart sank.
So she'd galloped straight to the townhouse, abandoning even her escort knight.
'Why? Why am I so uneasy?'
Suppressing her trembling heart, Amelia followed the servants' guidance up to the second-floor lounge.
But there, Masain was grabbing the elderly butler's collar and shaking him violently.
"Out with it already! The meeting ended ages ago—why hasn't His Highness shown up? Where the hell is he right now!"
"I-I'm sorry, but I don't kn...."
"Then fetch Young Master Scarpino at once! Didn't he say he was attending His Highness?"
"Well, suddenly Lord Ricardo also stepped out...."
"What? Leaving His Highness alone? Does that even make sense!"
Masain usually showed only a gentle face to his siblings, the kind older brother.
But now, baring his teeth and growling at the butler, he exuded a ferocious aura like a completely different person.
At that, Amelia realized.
'Something's happened to Mores after all!'
Biting her lip in anxiety, a urgent voice called from behind.
"Brother Masain! Sister Amelia!"
Just then, Logan entered the lounge, dressed in his white Knights Order uniform.
A long Henesis longsword hung at his waist, and on his left arm, he even wore the small buckler from the Haesu subjugation.
"I got a message from Sisley that something big happened to Mores. She asked me to check, so I rushed over fully armed, but what the hell is going on?"
Sisley wasn't one to joke around, so he'd come prepared just in case.
And his response touched the heart of the Knights' Commander, who'd always worried about the discord between the two.
"Prince Logan, coming personally for Prince Mores...."
Masain's eyes reddened. He still gripped the butler's collar, of course.
And the butler dangling from his hand began silently sweating as the situation escalated.
'Why... why did things turn out like this?'
Until now, Prince Mores had been just a secretive guest who came and went quietly like a mouse.
But now, a famous Knights' Commander of imperial blood hounded him desperately, followed by the Holy Emperor's most beloved princess, and even the prince touted as the next Holy Emperor.
Who could've imagined the entire Holy Imperial family mobilizing for that wastrel prince?
"So, where is Mores right now?"
As Logan asked again, suddenly a multicolored brilliant beam of light appeared before their eyes.
"......!?"
The light brightened instantly then vanished, but everyone stared wide-eyed at the spot.
Incredibly, where no one had been, two figures now stood as if by magic.
"Sir Masain?"
It was Orden, covered in blood, supported by Sungjin.
"Huh? Sister Amelia? And Logan too? What's everyone doing here?"
Sungjin asked as he helped Orden sit on the floor.
Logan rushed over with a hardened face, instantly grasping the severity. As radiant divine power burst from Logan's hand, Orden's pain-twisted face visibly relaxed.
What can you do? He was a top candidate for next Holy Emperor. Seeing the wounds heal rapidly proved his divine power was exceptional.
Meanwhile, Amelia approached Sungjin with a worried face.
"What on earth happened, Mores? Did he do something wrong to you again?"
"...Pardon?"
Sensing the subtle nuance, Sungjin asked back, and Amelia continued cautiously.
"Of course, Grand Prince Zigsmunt isn't exactly likable usually, but this time, it seems his hand was a bit too heavy, and I'm worried."
Sungjin gaped in disbelief.
Did this sister think he'd beaten up the guy?
Well, they vanished together and one returned drenched in blood, so it wasn't unreasonable....
"......"
And hearing the princess's blunt admission of dislike, Orden hung his head dejectedly in silence.
His condition had improved greatly, but his complexion looked even worse than before.
"It's all a misunderstanding, sister."
As Sungjin tried to protest.
Logan, having finished treatment, glanced at Orden then whispered in Sungjin's ear.
"What happened, Lee Sungjin? Even so, why beat him up that badly?"
"...Huh?"
"I patched him up roughly, so if the Zigsmunt family complains, just deny hitting him that hard. Got it?"
"No, I didn't do it!"
Sungjin was at a loss.
What do these people think I am!
And Orden, an expert aura user, overheard the siblings' whispers perfectly, feeling utterly deflated.
Of course, the prince's skills he'd witnessed were truly impressive.
But still. He was the continent's most promising knight, sweeping every major martial tournament!
Evaluated as Delcros's strongest youth alongside Prince Logan, yet these people believed without a doubt that Prince Mores had unilaterally thrashed him?
"We just got caught in Ricardo's trap together!"
"Trap?"
"Yeah. Orden did nothing wrong. He tried to help me and got dragged in for nothing!"
Sungjin explained the situation, not forgetting to defend Orden who'd suffered alongside him.
"Of course, he was just uselessly flailing around and ended up a burden who needed my help!"
Cough.
Orden's face turned deathly pale at Sungjin's explanation, suffering a critical emotional wound.