Chapter 195
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 195
Chapter Title: Kingdom - Lv. 463 Blanche (5)
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Life is always a tightrope walk between returns and risks.
Plundering Server 43 one more time through Jenny wasn't advisable right now.
Those who had their base there were on high alert, eyes peeled for anyone suspicious.
Even if the Healer Councils vouched for me, I couldn't fool the records or the watchful eyes monitoring everything.
One or two times might pass as coincidence, but repetition would make it inevitable—too much risk.
Unless I completely avoided foreign rifts, I needed to space things out a bit.
Besides, there were plenty of key items that led to other places anyway.
Entering a pocket space that wasn't any particular server—one corresponding to the 'odd floors' learnable in the tutorial—let me farm without drawing attention. Solid choice.
It would also let me adapt to the spec boost from that massive level-up burst.
Plus, I had a ton of wind elemental crystals.
Offering them at the altar would take me somewhere similar, maybe even a materialized spirit realm like that dark spirit's cosmic domain.
I needed combat experience against spirits anyway.
Perfect destination.
Fortunately, before entering the altar, the Goddess sent word.
An assassin had broken in—one who had to be Blanche.
Remi hadn't left the temple, but they'd forced their way through.
"I can't lose the sister who gave me her love wand!"
The moment I heard that relayed, Hwi shot up from the middle of the city.
No time to even speak.
Luckily, the swift angel's flight was so blindingly fast that almost no exiles got a good look at the situation.
Word of another angel appearing would be a hassle.
But I couldn't stop her.
The little one and I slipped into a shadowy spot to teleport out.
The spatial transfer was blocked by the national mages' barrier, so breaching it took a little time.
Still faster than running on foot.
Through the flashing light of the portal, the temple came into view.
Explosions billowing smoke, flames raging.
A total disaster.
Hwi was already there.
The old man arrived pale-faced, rushing over.
"Damn it all. Have we drawn too much attention lately? They came with certainty."
"I didn't think of it either. Should've realized they'd been watching from the start."
That much was foreseeable.
What threw us off most was Blanche herself.
"Wait, what if it's not Blanche?"
「The odds are slim. The bandages hid burns that twisted the face—not an accident. It was deliberate, meant to ruin just the face.」
"What was the fighting style?"
「Used a lot of fruits. Weapon was a dagger. Efficient moves, perfect for killing. Not something you'd pick up in the labyrinth.」
"If the Goddess saw it that way, it's fact."
All signs pointed there, and the chance of a convenient coincidence? Near zero.
Remi had been in real danger but hadn't died.
And exiles don't end up crippled unless they're dead.
Remi came to, pale as a ghost, realized the sky was blue—not darkness, not Floor 1—and sighed in relief after spotting me.
"Not the dark. Not Floor 1. Thank goodness..."
"Sis! You gotta take the bouquet!"
"What are you even saying..."
Right then, angels took to the sky. What bystanders thought didn't matter.
If Blanche vanished now, she might never be found again.
"Huh? Aren't those the Goddess's followers from last prayer visit?"
I'd heard about the old physician too.
He didn't want his background known.
The Goddess played along but casually told me anyway.
The old man grumbled about gods spilling secrets, face like he'd never imagined it.
"Just fixed her up, and now she's smashed again. Lucky our patron didn't get scorched. You lot from that angel guild, huh?"
Remi was now this doc's precious sponsor. Even left alone, he'd make a fine bodyguard, right?
And if the Goddess's account was right, he'd noticed the extra angel too. The way he played dumb showed real poise—or worldly wisdom.
I chimed in, feigning ignorance.
"Close call. We need to catch the perp. So our master never risks it again."
"Usually the guild master is the strongest. Odd guild."
"It's all about right person, right place."
"Anyway, thanks. Coming to the rescue like this... Back in the day, I'd have ignored a blaze."
He'd actually put out the fire—not the other guilds that rushed in amazed.
To become a proper sword master, an exile typically needed around Level 500.
The Goddess pegged this old doc near 1000.
Pure aura extended sword-length from a short messer? Rare for a sword master.
Friendly for now—best not to poke.
Not every exile chases fame and fortune.
Some, like Angel, chase their own dreams.
Probably some conviction from outside.
No promise of return from exile, so they live like this.
Rankers are defined by rift clears anyway. Hidden monsters in kingdom corners? More than you'd think.
Even past-run rankers might sicken of it and carve their own path.
The old doc bowed and returned to his clinic.
I'd felt suspicions a few times. This hospital district was his domain.
Among foes Blanche could've predicted, it was a power angel.
Power angels were the brute-force type among warrior angels.
Sturdy wings doubled as auxiliary weapons via feathers.
But they weren't nimble.
Raw top speed was decent with wings, sure.
But that was just travel—combat agility was surprisingly low.
Like a bomber that's fast but can't dogfight.
Power angels suited slower, heavier warriors.
So a swift angel pursuer? Unthought-of.
Zero intel at the time. Thoughts flashed: guild weirdly flush with talent. Master oddly weak.
Puppet leader maybe.
Real boss elsewhere.
Then this swift angel was...
Right then, she appeared before Blanche in golden radiance.
Blanche drew a disbelieving breath.
The slums were abandoned city sprawl.
Beyond shanties, ruins aplenty.
Years as a contractor meant she knew the layouts cold.
From the sky, cover everywhere—hard to spot.
Angels had great eyesight, but analysis? Not so much.
Unless specialized recon build.
Tracked this fast? Beyond expectations.
"How...?"
"What color is the God of Time's divinity?"
The swift angel chirped cheerfully, pointing to traces around her.
Blanche got it, bitter.
"Blessed by the Goddess of Luck, huh."
She drew her weapon. No surrender.
Despair? She'd endured plenty. Wouldn't last 8 years otherwise.
Upside: swift angels traded durability for speed—not very tough for angels.
Still a monster. Against a power angel, might not even scratch—but relative mercy.
Then.
Flashing light, angel closed in.
Chill shadow of death brushed her mind.
Reaction was pure instinct.
Spinal reflex to flee death.
That alone positioned her weapon against the strike.
Deflected. Power overwhelming. Used [Dash] to absorb momentum, ducking low.
The charging angel pierced the bandaged, cloaked figure flying at her—empty air.
Angel realized: afterimage.
Skill combo probably.
Emergency evasion type—leave dummy, auto-stealth.
Gathered mana, burst detection.
Post-angelhood, mana pool huge. Mages-only no more.
Location: right behind.
Whirled, reacting to attack.
Daggers clashed.
Mid-spark of dark flames, Blanche felt the gear gap.
Straight blade-on-blade? No win.
Fruit flew: purple, slashed open.
Angel ignored explosion fruit.
Ruined building boomed.
Blast wave and fire propelled her back.
Injury? One potion swig.
Stuff even outside lacked.
Ground shook, vision blurred, ears rang.
High-explosive ordnance level.
But first direct angel view. Effective?
High races like these? Kingdoms had few.
Blanche, mere 17th run, never hit ranker.
Unknown specs.
So she sighed seeing the angel stroll from the blast.
Magic resistance that high?
[Explosion] equivalent—not weak.
Burst inside a big beast? Instant kill.
Angel didn't fly. Wings stayed folded. Casually drew dagger.
Blanche recalculated.
Attack fruits mostly magic damage.
Some physical splash, but secondary.
Opponent's resist: beyond norms.
Her turn to charge.
Angel raised mana-infused adamantine dagger to parry.
Light motion, terrifying speed.
[Stealth]
No telltale black smoke. That visual was a penalty.
Labyrinth skills had cooldown-passive links.
Cooldown one of them.
Max agility dagger spam built ambush kit.
Stealth hid motion. No shadow burst, but flicker-fade.
Won't fool mages, but mana-sight warriors? Rare masters.
Blanche didn't know high-end prereqs, did her best.
Weak vs. strong.
Outside-honed skills.
Combo: this style.
Clash, [Stealth] again—blur.
Not invisible, but no-cooldown chain warped senses.
Flickering assassin rattled even angelic senses.
Skills environment-sensitive. Masters especially hate info distortion.
Foe's moves dulled.
Mana dispel? Useless, no cooldown.
Unorthodox CQC.
But high races no pushovers.
Angel blocked blurry—or half-seen, trickier—attacks with raw reflex.
Yet Blanche sensed laxness.
Foe's speed capped.
Forced opening possible. Strike true? Over.
Going easy? Why?
Arrogance, probably.
She knew—she'd been there. 17 years that way.
That one chance.
Foe's strike whiffed slight—she poured mana, smacked it aside.
Guard flashed open.
Not charge—grab armed limb, burrow in. Back-push spin.
Clean bind complete.
Arm damaged slight, elbow lungs. Hard stamp, but muffled.
Angel's free hand grabbed.
[Stealth] blur, [Dash] erratic move.
Off-axis motion skill combo.
But angel snagged the arm—like done. Pin-wings flared, thin screech-vibe.
Explosive accel nullified visible or not.
Blanche's world spun.
Impact expelled lung air—she realized sky above.
"Cough. Hack. Spec gap... too huge."
Body cratered pavement.
Cracked concrete split wider.
Man-shaped dent maybe.
Fading sight: angel approaching.
Squatted over her head, staring down.
Braced for death, but...
"Right? Spec gap so bad, not a fair fight. Rematch next time, sis."
That "sis."
Moment's doubt.
Next: realization.
Blanche blacked out.