Chapter 299
Chapter 299
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 299
Chapter Title: No Grand Conspiracy
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It wasn't some grand conspiracy or a long-winded backstory.
At least, it was a commonplace occurrence in Massive Guardian.
"Brother's nemesis..."
The middle-aged man's younger brother had been one of the countless soldiers in Massive Guardian.
And during the previous subjugation, he had lost his life to a Drakeas that appeared out of nowhere.
'One of the soldiers who died back then?'
As the time of the Demon King's descent drew near, bizarre phenomena began to occur.
The appearance of a Drakeas near Massive Guardian was one such event.
A creature they would never have encountered under normal circumstances showed up, and the soldiers, caught off guard without proper preparations, were swept away.
Fortunately, Eileen and the other knights stepped in and held it back...
'But the casualties weren't light.'
Dozens of soldiers lost their lives at that time.
Those caught in the charge of the ten-meter-tall beast had their bodies burst apart, not even leaving proper corpses behind.
And the middle-aged man's brother was one of them.
'He said he'd at least bring back the beast's head in place of his brother's body.'
Of course, the Drakeas from back then had long since been dismantled by Testron during the subjugation.
So there was no way to find it even if he wanted to.
The middle-aged man knew that fact well.
That's why he wanted the head of any other Drakeas.
To honor his brother's soul.
'It won't be difficult.'
He could hunt them solo even at level 10.
Now, well over level 100, he could probably crush one with a single hand.
Finding one might even take longer than capturing and decapitating it.
They were Ruler-class monsters, after all, so there weren't many of them.
Still, he was due to go out with his comrades for another round of leveling up anyway, so he could handle it on the side.
As Seo Woo-jin accepted the request, the middle-aged man nodded solemnly and quickly brought over a bundle of papers.
"You prepared this in advance?"
"The moment I got word from Yohan, I sorted it out. Didn't know when you'd show up, so I got it ready ahead of time."
Seo Woo-jin nodded at his words and took the papers.
They detailed the process of tracking Juda-in at length.
'Not interested in this.'
He quickly flipped through to the end.
"Here it is."
Surprisingly, in this short time, Yohan had pinpointed Juda-in's current location.
"It's not confirmed yet. He's still on the move. But we're tracking him continuously, so no worries about losing him."
Seo Woo-jin nodded.
Yohan's network and the intelligence guild's capabilities were reliable.
"Got it. Please tell him to keep up the good work."
"Will do."
His calm demeanor inspired trust somehow.
His attitude was a bit rough around the edges, but not off-putting.
"By the way, what's your name?"
Seo Woo-jin asked the middle-aged man's name.
"Me? Just call me Alex. Everyone does."
A common name.
Whether it was his real name or an alias to hide his identity didn't matter.
"Alex, mind doing me one more favor?"
Seo Woo-jin called him by name.
"What is it? Yohan said to grant any reasonable request, so spit it out."
"Could you pass a message to the Aier Holy Order?"
"Sure."
He nodded without a second's hesitation.
Using their communication network, it was a trivial task that required no real effort.
"Who to, and what message?"
At Alex's question, Seo Woo-jin chose his words carefully.
"To Freyja. I've found a way for her to shine in the Descent War, so she must come to Massive Guardian without delay. Oh, add that she shouldn't be late."
Alex tilted his head.
He knew the name Freyja well.
She was too famous not to.
He even had intel that she had broken her seclusion and reemerged.
But the latter part puzzled him.
"...That it?"
"Yes."
Alex was curious about the meaning but didn't pry.
"Got it. I'll make sure the word gets out within a few days. Let me know the results when the time comes."
"Thanks."
Seo Woo-jin gave a slight bow and stood up.
"Uh..."
Then Alex hesitated and called out to Seo Woo-jin.
"When can I expect that head?"
He asked cautiously.
Worried it might come off as nagging.
Noticing this, Seo Woo-jin smiled faintly and replied.
"It won't take long."
* * *
"Sssuuup, how long's it been?"
Goo Dong-hwan spread his arms wide and took a deep breath.
"Escaping that stifling place feels like a breath of fresh air straight through the chest."
Gazing at the endless snowfield, everyone nodded in agreement.
"Better to war with a monster horde than train under Grandpa Ban."
Lee Ji-ah shuddered dramatically.
"But we did get stronger, right?"
"But unnie, it was too much. How does someone even work people that hard?"
At Kye Soo-ji's words, Lee Ji-ah made a miserable face.
It wasn't exaggeration.
It really felt easier fighting the ancient orcs.
"Anyway, doesn't it feel great to be out after so long?"
Goo Dong-hwan grinned and ruffled Lee Ji-ah's hair.
"Yeah, it does."
She quickly cheered up and let out a hee-hee laugh.
"Don't get complacent, everyone. I know you've gotten stronger, but underestimate the monsters or demonic beasts, and you'll regret it big time."
Seo Woo-jin warned his excited comrades.
Enjoying the long-awaited freedom was fine, but they were out here for monster subjugation.
Get too lax, and they could end up in real trouble.
"Where to this time?"
Kye Soo-ji asked.
"Hm, planning to link up with the subjugation forces first."
Massive Guardian was currently running a subjugation operation.
With reinforcements from Oien and Aier, the subjugation force must be quite large now.
"They plan to push much deeper than before, so we'll decide after meeting them."
They needed to check the subjugation progress to set their course properly.
Wandering blindly might just mean touring empty snowfields and heading back empty-handed.
"Then let's get moving. Everyone looks itching for a fight."
As Kye Soo-ji said, the comrades seemed eager to jump into battle right away.
They'd grown stronger under Ban Slane's training, but they were also keen to try out the gifts from Seo Woo-jin.
"Shall we?"
Seo Woo-jin smiled and glanced at Kang Byung-gyu.
"Hold on."
Catching the meaning in Seo Woo-jin's gaze, Kang Byung-gyu immediately activated his skill.
Mana spread out, enveloping the surroundings.
Tracking the traces of a large force's movement was easy for him.
Even buried under snow, nothing escaped Kang Byung-gyu's 'Search'.
"This way."
He pointed northeast.
"They've gone pretty far. Not even in 'Search' range."
Two weeks had passed since the subjugation force set out.
Plenty of time to cover serious ground.
But no need to worry.
They were a small group, and their travel speed dwarfed the subjugation force's.
'Three days at most?'
With the subjugation ongoing, no time wasted on monsters—they could catch up easily.
"Let's hustle then. The sooner we meet them, the sooner we start subjugating."
At Seo Woo-jin's words, excitement rippled through the group uncontrollably.
It had been ages since they had a chance to level up.
Everyone dashed ahead eagerly.
Everyone except one: Kim Da-hye.
As usual, she stood blankly beside Seo Woo-jin.
'Well, that's her character.'
Imagining Kim Da-hye bouncing around excitedly like the others was impossible.
Seo Woo-jin turned to her.
"Shall we go?"
"Yes."
The two followed after their comrades, who had already raced far ahead.
"Did you try the gift I gave you?"
Nod.
At Seo Woo-jin's question, Kim Da-hye just nodded without a word.
"How was it?"
The gift was called 'Guardian'.
A necklace inscribed with magic that completely severed space, creating an impenetrable barrier.
Kim Da-hye hesitated at his question, then answered.
"Thank you."
It was an out-of-the-blue thank you.
"...You like it? Glad to hear."
Somehow understanding her, Seo Woo-jin smiled faintly.
She didn't show it much, but she clearly liked it.
Seeing that made the effort worthwhile.
"It's a once-a-month use spell, so use it wisely. Waste it carelessly, and you might not have it when you really need it."
"Got it."
Kim Da-hye nodded with a determined expression.
'She's cautious by nature, so she'll be fine.'
Not flighty like Lee Ji-ah, nor mood-driven like Goo Dong-hwan.
Despite appearances, she was thoughtful and prudent.
Kim Da-hye would surely deliberate and use it only when absolutely necessary.
"Yeah, I trust you'll handle it well."
Seo Woo-jin patted her head once and looked ahead.
"Was it a race?"
In the brief chat, the comrades had pulled even farther ahead.
"Let's pick up the pace. Don't want to lose them."
Seo Woo-jin sped up a bit.
He could catch them in seconds if he wanted, but he matched Kim Da-hye's speed.
And so, they all raced across the vast white icy plain.
* * *
"This is troubling."
Testron scowled as he surveyed the scene unfolding in the distance.
"...Heard the rumors, but is the North always like this?"
Oien asked Testron with a grave expression.
"Don't know how the rumors spread, but most are true. This isn't normal, though. What a mess."
The subjugation force numbered 20,000 in total.
Ten times the usual.
He thought it more than sufficient—overkill, even.
But ahead of the subjugation force was an uncountable horde of monsters.
A number that made their own forces look pathetic.
"At least 50,000. Maybe more."
Each one far stronger than any soldier.
Outnumbered and outmatched, fighting seemed suicidal.
"We must retreat."
A knight in blue armor suggested cautiously.
"Who doesn't know that?"
Testron snapped irritably at his subordinate.
Head-on, it was annihilation.
No question—they had to fall back.
The problem was the monsters wouldn't let them withdraw easily.
"They're moving!"
As they pondered the retreat, the monsters began to advance.
Everyone's faces hardened.
"Battle stations!"
"Prepare messengers! Head to Massive Guardian—report the situation here! We need reinforcements!"
Testron drew his sword and bellowed.
No escaping the fight now.
'Damn it.'