Chapter 173
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 173
Chapter Title: Kingdom - Lv. 116 Warrior's Nation (3)
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Most of what the angel had told me was the kind of common knowledge you'd pick up from reading the newspaper or chatting with neighbors.
Still, she proudly declared that she'd subscribed to the paper for eight whole years just to gather it.
What was I supposed to say to that? She seemed genuinely pleased with her own efforts, so I let it slide.
It definitely could've been a disaster if she'd been tasked with digging up critical intel or leveraging her angel status to infiltrate some guild's upper echelons.
I didn't sigh or anything. With her simple, unambitious personality, she'd managed to live quietly for eight years—and that made her perfect for handling the little mage.
Besides, there'd been plenty of time to stab me in the back if that's what she wanted.
As I'd predicted, the angel just wanted to live peacefully.
What she'd sobbed about on the seventh floor had all been true.
Anyway, according to her utterly mundane stories, Hardrock was running on fumes, pretty sloppily at that.
The "kingdoms" in the Kingdom weren't proper nations by any stretch.
They were basically alliances of guilds.
And at the top of those guild alliances sat powerful Exiles.
You couldn't expect a slick, modern administrative machine here.
Sure, Exiles who'd worked in government back home might pitch in as bureaucrats and patch things together somehow.
But at its core, it was still a pseudo-state ruled by half-baked superhumans.
The fact that similar-tier Rankers kept each other in check, preventing outright dictatorship, was probably the best you could hope for.
It was an inevitable state of affairs.
Exiles only learned about statecraft from some kingdom in a previous Run anyway.
Same old slop, round and round.
Most kingdoms ended up with similar structures.
That's why I decided to bundle up my errands and handle them all at once.
Once things dragged on, word of us would inevitably reach the high Rankers' ears.
Better to make contact with Hardrock's leadership first.
Hanging out with Hiu was just a bonus.
In the middle of enjoying a delicious meal, I spotted someone sliding into the seat at the neighboring fairy couple's table.
It didn't look suspicious. His gear was ordinary, and he seemed to know the old couple. His public title was downright pedestrian.
But contrasted against that natural averageness were his gait and posture.
Those weren't things you could hide.
I wasn't confident I could conceal mine either.
Without a disguise skill, masking ingrained technique was one of the hardest things out there.
Hiu was inhaling pasta, tears streaming down her face nonstop.
"I-I never knew pasta could taste this good!"
"Yeah, yeah. Now that we've got easy access to ingredients and proper equipment, I'll make you all sorts of tasty stuff."
Truth be told, I could whip up better than this restaurant.
"I thought having you was enough, Uncle... but I guess I couldn't escape the wonders of civilization after all? I'm so ashamed of myself."
"That's taking it a bit far."
For now, let's order another bowl. Make it two—double portions.
Even as tears poured down, she was slurping up Aid's pasta too, devouring steak with the angel's nimble hands.
The pizza vanished into her mouth at an invisible speed.
The rock dwarf server watched in fascination as he took the new order.
Not that it mattered if he was a server—plenty of eyes were on us anyway.
Thanks to our deliberate glam-up.
With her flawless base and fairy race boosting her, Hiu's heavy makeup had her positively gleaming.
Even while stuffing food in her mouth with tears flowing.
I sat across from her, flashing a refined smile that acknowledged our surroundings.
The kind of demeanor I'd use for nobles or royalty.
Elegance and class oozing out—it'd spark just the right rumors.
And that aggro wouldn't draw high Rankers.
High Rankers were maniacs obsessed with getting stronger.
A high Ranker fussing over looks? Hilarious.
We waddled out belly-full, our figures distorted, paid up, and left.
Hiu glanced at me, then stifled a burp as quietly as she could. Tsk tsk. I heard it all. Loud and clear.
The guy who'd pretended to join the fairy couple stood up too.
I deliberately ducked into a dim alley. The tail approached with an "I knew it" look.
"Should I call you Senior?"
"Let's go with that."
Might makes right.
And tenure meant might, even before the tutorial.
In the Kingdom, the strong—or those who could get stronger—were the seniors.
"I'll assume that was intentional. You... drew just enough eyes to reach our ears without spreading further."
"Figured the rumors wouldn't have spread yet, so only the brass would know. Anyway, human—makes sense you're Mayer, the one who conquered the Dream Forest?"
"Hah, don't embarrass me like that. Mind if we relocate for a chat?"
"Nah, not planning a long talk. You know you can't force me anyway."
Mayer looked a bit awkward as he raised his head.
"You think not?"
"Three behind, four ahead. Two watching from the rooftops."
"......Grab him!"
Ranker standards varied slightly by kingdom.
In a typical kingdom, level 1,000 was enough to qualify.
You might scoff that it was barely hero unit territory, but reaching that as an Exile took serious time and effort.
If you hadn't been ejected to the next Run along the way, you'd proven your chops.
The [Rift] provided hunting grounds, not safety guarantees.
But this Run's Kingdom had way more population, so you needed higher levels to be called a Ranker.
All nine gathered here were monsters hovering around level 1,500.
That's why they were confident.
Eight years of leveling?
Impossible in the Kingdom's tiered structure with its limited resources.
They must've hit some time-warped spot like the [Abyss], or gotten mangled somewhere.
So the Rankers figured subduing this presumed high Ranker senior wouldn't be too tough.
The real worry was traps.
High Rankers wielded bizarre tricks and never shared them—that was their defining trait.
It wasn't about specs; it was the methods.
But dodge that, and their raw stats wouldn't lose.
Especially against someone fresh to the Kingdom.
The charging warriors planned to pound him before he could pull anything.
As long as it wasn't instant death, a Healing Potion would revive them.
They even held back on full active skills to avoid killing themselves.
Then stars exploded in everyone's vision.
Mayer, who hadn't rushed in and just observed, caught what happened.
He just watched, though.
The beauty standing beside the ridiculously handsome guy moved.
Or... could you even call it moving?
He swore she hadn't used some [Time Stop] trick.
They'd sense that; otherwise, they weren't Rankers.
No skill activation—she just dashed forward on foot and kicked the two lunging at her into the air.
The two flying like cannonballs bowled over two more charging from the front.
The pair diving from above got grabbed and hurled.
The rear two couldn't stab allies, so they lowered weapons—and got subdued.
Precise strikes to the nape dropped them cold.
It wasn't that they were slow.
No skills fired, but she was arrow-fast.
Mayer's superhuman perception caught it all.
But even he wasn't sure if his raw physicals could've reacted.
A belated gust whipped up—strong enough to tousle hair.
All that happened at speeds compressing the air.
Mayer showed Triad-worthy reflexes.
"......My apologies, Senior. Please don't be angry—understand our position, and we'll make it worth your while. Give us the chance."
His mind raced.
Damn? How?
No skills from either side, yet the physical gap was glaring.
And these attackers were all warriors.
Did they massacre in the [Abyss] for a century and emerge after just eight years?
Even if the reported titles were real, four-digit levels were impossible.
Experience didn't spawn like that.
Free PK floors? Still couldn't hit 500.
Faith? Nah, no divine power vibe.
Angels? Right, two angels. But level 200 scrubs couldn't do that.
Lightning insight struck.
Whatever the method, she wasn't level 200.
Don't know? Trust what happened.
"We're grateful you spared our lives without skills......"
Nothing left to say. Dead.
Damn. No next Run for me. Should've brought everyone. No—call a high Ranker.
Panic set in. But even as he trembled, nothing happened.
"Calm down, Junior. We're not bad people."
"Of course!"
Her warm smile was so kind it chilled him.
Rankers too hooked on skill fights fell for it easily.
Exiles typically leaned on skills over basics anyway.
Polishing technique took effort; one more level meant an extra active—easier power.
After minimal basics, they ignored fundamentals.
Only perverts honing those basics became high Rankers.
In that light, Angel Hiu's physicals and technique were otherworldly—like some unique active was on.
Even barehanded, anyone could tell.
The overwhelming physical gap was enough to mislead on our levels.
They could've prayed to a god for confirmation, but our Goddess was too busy for instant replies.
This poor guy was deep in delusion.
To accelerate it, I spun the title roulette for him.
What to pick?
"See this?"
Pointing above my head was kinda funny.
It spun smoothly.
[Dragon Slayer]
[Avatar Adversary]
[Planet Destroyer]
He could buy Dragon Slayer.
Avatar Adversary puzzled him.
Planet Destroyer? What even is that—no, he knew but didn't want to imagine.
Hiu could've shown one.
[Angel of Time]
Barring the relatively common Abyss god, high-divinity faith holders were rarer than angels.
So what did Angel of Time imply?
The dump truck of this luck-shitshow game.
People... die to angels!
After the title show, he lost all will to fight.
No will left—his negotiation prep wiped blank.
Just dazed mumbling.
"Whatever you want, it's yours...... Please spare our guild......"
Watching total resignation in his eyes was secretly fun.
On the way back, Hiu asked.
"If they'd really gone all-out, we'd have lost, right?"
"We haven't leveled or farmed, so if they'd burned all their skills, even running would've been tough."
"Even with teleport?"
"Leaves a nasty spatial rift. At their speed, they might track it. You could too."
"Whoa...... But you were so sure they'd fall for it."
How to explain? She couldn't replicate knowing.
"People give away more info from nonverbal cues than words. Expressions, posture, eyes—even hand shapes."
"Isn't that for psychologists?"
"Nah, instinct. So I tailored every move to fit his image of some lofty high Ranker. Stuff him with material to fuel his imagination, and anyone buys it."
"Ooh...... Can I do it too?"
No need to act.
"You don't need to. Bursting with confidence like always? Anyone'd fall for it."
"Really?"
Always a sunbeam of confidence.
Forward over frustration.
Hope over despair.
Occasional sulks were cute on the Angel of Time.
The walk back capped the date.
Hiu beamed, grabbed my hand absentmindedly—minus the burns, perfect.
Back at the mansion, I briefed the little mage.
One of this nation's brass was cooperating now—her turn.