Chapter 261: Charge
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 261: Charge
“Would it be alright if I sparred with Sir Adelaide?”
At Yoo Eon’s words, most of the people in the meeting room caught their breath. Murit Denshter closed his eyes and let out a small smirk, as if he had expected this.
Skaeda Justitia, as usual, was busy scribbling something in her notebook while glancing back and forth between Adelaide Margarita and Yoo Eon.
The three chief examiners began to break into a cold sweat, and the staff members assisting with the meeting stood there, utterly dumbfounded.
Adelaide Margarita, the one singled out for the duel, brushed back her bangs and spoke.
“Explorer Aven. This is not a matter to be decided by a momentary lapse into pride. Do you understand the weight of the statement you just made?”
“Oh, did I say something wrong? I just saw an opportunity to spar with an Orichalcum-grade explorer and didn't want to let it slip away.”
“How presumptuous.”
The atmosphere in the room shifted as Adelaide, her eyes narrowing at Yoo Eon’s sly attitude, rose from her seat.
“Since you have chosen me as your opponent for the promotion exam, the authority to process your advancement now falls to me. Are you aware of this?”
Normally, if he had chosen a Palladium- or Titanium-grade explorer, that wouldn't be the case. However, Orichalcum-grade explorers were the guild’s ultimate assets—there were only two of them even at the Guild Headquarters.
Originally, the chief examiners' job was to observe and record Yoo Eon as he fought against a Palladium- or Titanium-grade explorer belonging to the headquarters. His combat power would then be evaluated using complex mana measuring devices, supplemented by the advice of Titanium- and Orichalcum-grade explorers who were not participating in the duel.
“Ah, is that how it works? That’s quite an honor. It means I can earn recognition directly from an Orichalcum-grade explorer, doesn't it?”
But it was different if an Orichalcum-grade explorer stepped up as the opponent themselves. Adelaide could now judge and evaluate him based solely on her own will and decide the final result.
“Very well. Explorer Aven. I will take charge of your promotion exam. If you fail to meet the standards I expect of an Orichalcum-grade explorer, you must accept the results without complaint.”
“Of course.”
“....”
Seeing Yoo Eon’s unwavering attitude to the very end, Adelaide Margarita felt a vein throb in her forehead. However, she also saw this as a good opportunity to prove his abilities through a legitimate test.
There had been a strange aura about him since their first meeting. Even when she tried to see through him with her True Eye, she could only see a faint, faded image. She couldn't get a proper read on his combat potential.
That was also why she had tested him during their first encounter. She couldn't be certain, but she figured he was at least Cobalt Grade.
He was suspicious, hiding so much. He had rare black hair and possessed information that others didn't.
Adelaide Margarita loathed the monopolization of information and special privileges more than anything. This was because she had suffered greatly in the past due to such gatekeeping.
There was a time when one had to pay exorbitant fees for lectures or scour rare books just to learn about the labyrinth's ecosystem. As a quarter-elf, Adelaide had lived through those times herself, eventually reaching the Orichalcum Grade after a long career as an explorer.
She harbored an extreme hatred for the rotten pioneers who monopolized information and the rampant "ladder-kicking" directed at new explorers. She was currently putting a great deal of effort into fixing these issues.
‘An insolent man.’
In her eyes, Yoo Eon—who monopolized the method of surviving an encounter with the 40th-floor boss of the Calax Great Labyrinth—couldn't possibly look good.
Of course, the reality was simply that Yoo Eon hadn't mentioned it because no one else could use the method even if they knew it.
“When and where should we hold the duel?”
Adelaide answered Yoo Eon’s question immediately.
“We can do it right now on the grounds owned by the Guild Headquarters. Surely, an explorer aiming for the Orichalcum Grade won't claim he's unprepared for battle.”
“Nothing like that. I was just worried the sparring ground might be too small and get damaged.”
“Hoh, are you saying your proficiency is so low that you can't even control the range of your own abilities?”
“Well, if Sir Adelaide says I can go all out... I suppose I could hold back just a little bit from my full power?”
“...Tch.”
Yoo Eon’s expression, refusing to back down even an inch, was truly irritating. According to Murit Denshter, another Orichalcum-grade explorer at headquarters, Yoo Eon’s combat style couldn't be explained by any conventional framework.
And for good reason. In the scenes Murit had seen through his Retrospective Vision, Yoo Eon used neither sword nor bow. Instead, using overwhelming firepower and speed as his foundation, he had taken the form of a fighter jet and engaged in a war of attrition by constantly charging at Lilith Astaroth.
It was impossible to categorize his combat style within human boundaries like front-line, back-line, swordsman, or archer.
“Chief Examiner Mergert. Is there a wide enough area nearby?”
“Ah... Y-yes. You can use Palette 12... I will have someone guide you.”
“I don't need it, so assign someone to Explorer Aven instead. I'll be going now.”
As Adelaide Margarita left the meeting room, the people remaining inside let out a collective sigh of relief.
“Haha, she’s usually not like that. Strange.”
“No, Murit. I must have done something to get on her nerves.”
“I have a question. May I observe as well?”
Skaeda Justitia was interested in this potential new Orichalcum-grade explorer. According to the information she had gathered, wasn't he a solo explorer who didn't belong to any clan?
“Ah, you should ask him...”
“Yes, Skaeda. Please feel free to watch.”
“Understood.”
The chief examiner, put on the spot by Skaeda’s question, passed the decision to Yoo Eon, who readily gave the okay.
Of course, there was a chance he might be utterly defeated by Adelaide Margarita and end up with a lower grade than expected. Still, the mere fact that he had become a 'candidate' for promotion to Orichalcum was an incredible feat.
He was a young explorer with a promising future. Skaeda was already thinking that it might be a good idea to recruit him into her clan.
“Then I guess I... wait, I’m supposed to watch anyway, right?”
Murit stood up nonchalantly, cracked his neck, and walked out of the meeting room.
“Aven, do your best, okay? Adelaide is definitely not weak.”
“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”
* * *
One of the vast properties owned by the Guild Headquarters. This place, officially named the ‘Artificial Mimic Labyrinth,’ was commonly referred to as the "Palette."
From a distance, the large rectangular plots of land, each designed with different environments, glowed in various colors. It looked like a painter's palette, which is how it got its nickname.
Among them, Palette 12 was a high-difficulty environment consisting of incredibly hard basalt, forming a complex and craggy stone mountain.
No plants grew there, but the terrain was so hideously jagged that it was difficult to keep track of an opponent. Furthermore, strong winds blew constantly, and the holes in the basalt created a continuous whistling noise.
It was a treacherous terrain where one's sense of hearing—crucial for detecting danger—was rendered almost useless.
“Oh, impressive.”
The Guild Headquarters' Palettes were located quite far from the capital, Veritas. Naturally, since they mimicked the dangerous environments of the labyrinths, many of these settings were too hazardous to be near the city.
Yoo Eon and Adelaide stood at the north and south ends of Palette 12 after arriving via the Teleportation Gateway.
The moment they entered the Palette, a high-level barrier magic was activated, and the two figures were summoned into a subspace that infinitely replicated the 12km x 12km rectangular area.
—Static...
:: Testing, testing... Can you hear me? It is currently 4:27 PM. As of this moment, entry to the Basalt Mountain Mimic Labyrinth is restricted. We will now begin the duel between participants Explorer Aven and Adelaide Margarita. ::
The voice of a Guild Headquarters employee echoed loudly throughout the stone mountains. Yoo Eon and Adelaide, summoned 12 kilometers apart, listened to the voice as they prepared for battle.
:: The duel duration is limited to two hours. It will continue until one of the two participants is incapacitated, declares defeat, or the time limit is reached. If you understand, both participants please raise your right hand. ::
Hearing the voice, Adelaide and Yoo Eon raised their right hands in turn.
:: Then, let us begin. ::
—Ping!
With a clear chime, the employee's voice cut off, and an analog clock high in the sky began to tick slowly.
Watching the subspace from the outside were dozens of Guild Headquarters employees, Orichalcum-grade explorers Murit Denshter and Skaeda Justitia, and eight other explorers of Palladium Grade or higher.
“Sir Murit. You said you’ve seen Mr. Aven’s combat before?”
“Hmm? Ah, yes. Only for a very brief moment, though.”
Skaeda, blinking her silver eyes that contrasted with her deep navy hair—reminiscent of a mysterious night sky—asked Murit.
Murit scratched his head. Because Yoo Eon’s combat style was so difficult to describe, he simply told her to watch.
“Is he very strong?”
“Retrospective Vision only reproduces visual effects. It’s hard to judge just by looking.”
Those who have reached a certain level of strength can judge an opponent's power through the mana they emit during battle. However, Retrospective Vision could not reproduce the actual fluctuations of mana.
“Ah, they’re starting to move.”
Adelaide Margarita moved first. Knowing she was in the north and her opponent had entered from the south, she immediately began moving rapidly toward the south.
And then, Yoo Eon began to move as well.
“Wh-what...?”
Yoo Eon’s form began to distort bizarrely, eventually taking the shape of the fighter jet Murit had seen before. He then began to warm up, emitting intense waves of mana.
“Wh-what is that?!”
For Yoo Eon, who had been summoned at a relatively low altitude, the terrain could have been a disadvantage. However, that didn't matter to him at all.
—BOOM!!!!!!
The fighter jet, clad in Aura, began to charge toward Adelaide in a perfectly straight line, obliterating the incredibly hard basalt mountains in its path.