Chapter 76
Chapter 76
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: Sword Dragon
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The next day.
Yuri, Ha-ryeong, and Estor left the mansion under the escort of the Oricia knights.
“To even give us a carriage.”
Ha-ryeong stood in front of the large carriage, marveling at it. The exterior wasn’t flashy, but it was enchanted with various convenience spells.
“Wouldn’t winged horses be more comfortable?”
“Don’t talk nonsense, Yuri. Heavenly Horses are a hassle to maintain. And we’re not just traveling safely within a city—we’re heading out into the wilds where anything could happen. What do you think would happen if we flew through the sky for convenience’s sake and got attacked by flying monsters or something from the ground?”
“We’d fall?”
“Of course we would. We might survive a fall from the sky if we stay alert, but why take that risk when we can just trot along the ground obediently?”
Is that so? Yuri nodded in understanding as he glanced at the two horses pulling the carriage.
“But who’s driving?”
Ha-ryeong narrowed her eyes at Yuri and Estor. When they’d been hired by Elena before, Ha-ryeong had usually taken the driver’s seat. But they weren’t employees now, so there was no reason for that.
“Well... we can take turns?”
“You’ve learned how to drive from me, so no worries there, Yuri. But Estor, who’s joining us this time... that’s concerning.”
“Speak casually.”
Ha-ryeong’s exact age was unknown even to Estor. She was a woman with scant information about herself, and her subtle aura and speech made him vaguely assume she was older.
“And no need to worry about me. I can handle a carriage just fine.”
“Alright then, Estor.”
Ha-ryeong was the type who didn’t refuse such requests.
“Good to know you can drive. Let’s see how well our little maknae Estor handles it.”
“M-Maknae?”
Estor looked at Yuri in bewilderment.
“Why am I the maknae? I’m the same age as Yuri...”
“You joined last, so you’re the maknae.”
Yuri had no desire to drive from the start, so he eagerly chimed in.
“Don’t tell me you lack confidence in driving?”
Not only did he chime in, but he added a subtle provocation. Estor’s expression hardened, and he hopped up into the driver’s seat.
“I may have lost to you in the duel, but I’m confident I drive better than you.”
He was starting to get a feel for how to handle this scion of the great Oricia family.
“So, destination?”
“Crimson Origin.”
Ha-ryeong answered. One of the eastern cities, Crimson Origin. That was where the Killing Guard Sect was located.
“Crimson Origin... that’s far.”
Estor muttered as he gripped the reins in the driver’s seat. From Pantheon here to Crimson Origin in the East, it would take over half a year by carriage, even rushing.
That was if traveling by carriage alone. Taking a ship across the sea would be faster, and if they had the means and qualifications for an airship, they could arrive in no more than a fortnight.
But airships weren’t for just anyone. The ones connecting continents rather than cities had fares so exorbitant that commoners couldn’t dream of them.
“Let’s head to Aldran first.”
Aldran was one of the few cities on the western continent with an airship port, dominated by the Haberuto Magic Tower.
“We don’t have money for an airship.”
“And airships aren’t for just anyone, right?”
Ha-ryeong’s speech shifted back to formal now that they’d been bantering. She seemed more comfortable this way.
The main customers for airships were trading merchants. Large caravans owned their own, but smaller ones booked spots to transport goods.
“No problem.”
Instead of pressing, Estor flashed a confident smile. No need to ask why—the heir of the Oricia family personally requesting would create a seat if none existed.
“This’ll be my second time on an airship.”
Inside the spacious, comfortable carriage, Ha-ryeong whispered.
“A few years ago, when I was assigned to guard the young lady, Lord Heavenly Thunder sent airship tickets. That’s how I got to ride one. It felt so strange.”
“What was strange about it?”
“That massive thing zipping through the sky—it was amazing. Looking down from the railing, the cities looked so tiny, and people were too small to even see.”
“Hmm...”
Yuri found it amusing and cute how Ha-ryeong maintained her usual calm expression while her eyes sparkled. Feeling a bit smug, he draped his arm over the window frame.
“What’s that about?”
“What?”
“I don’t know how to put it. Your face looks really punchable right now, Yuri.”
“Now you’re making up reasons to pick on me.”
“What on earth are you thinking to make that smug face?”
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
[I’ve never ridden an airship, but I’ve ridden something similar—and better.]
With Estor up front, he used telepathy.
[Something similar but better? What’s that?]
[It’s called an airplane...]
His memory of round-tripping alone to Jeju Island back in the day. He hadn’t flown since, but it was plenty to boast about compared to Ha-ryeong’s single airship ride.
[Airplane?]
At her questioning echo, Yuri grinned and explained what an airplane was. Ha-ryeong’s brows furrowed more with every word.
[You’re spouting nonsense because I can’t go to your world to check.]
[It’s not a lie.]
[So you’re saying a giant iron bird flies through the sky?]
[Pretty much.]
[Without even a balloon?]
[Yep.]
[No balloon, and it flies? Your world has no magic either, right?]
[I don’t have the knowledge to explain it all...]
[Yeah, yeah, sure.]
Even in telepathy, the sarcasm was clear. Ha-ryeong stopped listening and snarked back. Yuri wanted to retort, but he couldn’t logically explain how airplanes flew.
[There’s this thing called an engine, and the engine...]
“Crimson Origin is a small city.”
Ha-ryeong had no intention of hearing more lies, so she spoke aloud, skipping telepathy.
“It’s in Black Dao territory, so there are other Black Dao sects besides the Killing Guard Sect, but nothing to worry about.”
“...”
“Why are you looking at me like that, lying Yuri?”
“I didn’t lie.”
“Sure you didn’t. Anyway, continuing. We might not even meet the sect leader when we get to the Killing Guard Sect.”
“Why not?”
“The sect leader is a busy person. As you know, Yuri, our Killing Guard Sect handles both assassination requests and bodyguard ones. The sect leader is our sect’s top elite assassin.”
In the game too, the Killing Guard Sect was in Crimson Origin. Completing certain achievements unlocked the option to hire bodyguard assassins there, but the sect leader never appeared in-game.
‘Faceless Slayer.’
The one who saved Heavenly Thunder Orca from a trap 15 years ago. Orca, who openly despised assassins in the game, changed her mind and assigned Ha-ryeong to Elena because the Faceless Slayer saved her life.
He’d heard the story directly from Orca, but not the details of what trap or why.
‘If I meet the Faceless Slayer, could I hear Orca’s side?’
Orca had said the rescue story wasn’t much of a secret. But the ‘trap’ details fell under secrets, so she hadn’t shared.
The Faceless Slayer might clam up too, but...
‘It seems tied to the Possessor. Or maybe... the Chaos Cult.’
By now, a few clues were connecting in Yuri’s mind.
About 30 years ago, a Possessor crossed into this world.
Around 20 years ago, the prestigious Raspeon family in Sairan was massacred.
Around the same time, the Oricia family head, the Sword Lord, cut ties with the family alongside his wife and vanished.
About 15 years ago, Heavenly Thunder Orca nearly died in a trap and was saved by the Faceless Slayer.
The timeline of events Yuri knew didn’t differ much in years. It was speculative, but they seemed linked to Possessors or the Chaos Cult.
‘Maybe those cult saints did it.’
Nothing to do but speculate for now, so he hoped to hear about the incident from the Faceless Slayer.
*
Reysi Yuzha.
She had long reached the peak of 5th Tier and stood before the wall to 6th Tier, but it wasn’t blocking her. The wall before her eyes was fragile and low—something she could shatter or climb anytime.
The simple reason she hadn’t ascended to 6th Tier was this:
At 6th Tier, all 5th Tier spells become effortless. Even without full understanding, the tier gap alone makes them easy to grasp.
Reysi hated that. She wanted to fully master every spell at this tier before advancing. Once you rise, you can’t fall back normally. Reality wasn’t a game where you could delete and reroll characters—you had to savor what you could only do now.
‘Magic is such a joy.’
Rustle.
She turned the page of the worn grimoire. A 5th Tier spellbook recently bought at the Leseun auction house. Not her specialty of lightning magic, but magic was joy regardless of specialty.
‘Is magic a joy for you too?’
Her junior left in Lutran, Elena, came to mind.
Reysi couldn’t be entirely proud regarding Elena. They’d once shared a room, but Reysi hadn’t put much effort into filling Elena’s emotional voids from then.
It was Tower Lord Orca’s will, and Reysi hadn’t defied it. Truth be told, obsessing over spellbooks and research was far more fun than babysitting a 10-year-old’s fragile mind.
‘Never expected her to grow like this.’
Not mingling well with other tower mages? Reysi hadn’t seen it as a big issue. She herself hadn’t mingled much either. In the end, towers valued proven ability.
‘That man...’
Elena’s childhood friend, Yuri. Without him, Elena wouldn’t have twisted this much. Reysi sighed shortly and closed the spellbook.
She couldn’t focus. Thinking of Elena had led to him too.
‘Who is he?’
Yuri was definitely a Possessor. Elena still denied it, but Orca and Reysi were certain.
But his ‘name’ eluded them.
It had been 17 years since Reysi possessed into this world. Now, she barely remembered the users left in that community. Among faded memories, only a handful of names stood sharp.
New possessors had joined post-possession, making it impossible for current Reysi to guess Yuri’s identity.
‘FUCKINGSEXY, Cat Panties, and USAUSAMI₍ᐢ.ˬ.ᐢ₎. possessed before me.’
Ones grouped with Manwol Yuehui as notorious in the community. They’d already hit Hall of Fame #1 and crossed over.
‘Could it be Padrip Immunity?’
Haberuto Magic Tower’s Silverwood. Before Yuri’s possessor status leaked, Silverwood was the last one Reysi knew. Padrip Immunity had languished at the bottom of the Hall of Fame even when Silverwood topped it, yet the community treated him like a game-master mystic.
‘But probably not Padrip Immunity...’
Just a hunch. If she knew his game skills, maybe, but that meticulous guy almost never shared builds publicly. Early board screenshots as ‘character proof’ were faked with edits...
As far as Reysi knew, Padrip Immunity was Korean, like Manwol Yuehui and Cat Panties.
Yet Yuri had met Manwol Yuehui early without batting an eye. And Manwol herself freaked out at Yuri being a possessor—spitting tea, ranting about vomiting, denying fellow countryman vibes.
‘His personality doesn’t match either...’
Reysi glared at her trembling fingers. To her, ‘Padrip Immunity’ was pure hatred. Her strategy guides, written in pure goodwill, mocked and dismantled; every comment on others’ posts met with sneers—unforgettable even after 17 years.
Someday, someday... if Padrip Immunity came to this world. She’d dreamed countless times of subduing and tormenting him.
Why she chose Derusia Magic Tower here too, mastering lightning magic: not just love for Derusia spells, but a small wish to teach magic to that guy who always called it ‘trash.’
‘How’s it feel mastering the Derusia magic you called trash?’
She’d force the thrashing Padrip Immunity to kneel, make that filthy, insulting mouth call her ‘Master.’
Reysi hadn’t abandoned that wish. That’s why Yuri’s identity gnawed at her. Maybe, just maybe, he was Padrip Immunity?
‘But... he subjugated the Chaos God’s bishop too...’
Hunch again, but Padrip Immunity was suspected as a Chaos God apostle. Reysi was ambivalent, but Haberuto’s Silverwood was convinced—as were his possessor contacts. Most recent 10-ish year possessors thought so.
“Phew...”
An unsolvable worry. Reysi sighed deeply and opened the carriage window, poking her head out.
Airships floated clearly visible even from this street, protected by the tall city walls.
Aldran.
Reysi rarely went out, but every year at this time, she left Lutran for Aldran.
To sightsee the annual magic expo—and meet Haberuto Magic Tower’s Silverwood.
“Wish you’d come along for once.”
Recalling Elena, who hadn’t even pondered before refusing, Reysi gave a wry smile.