Chapter 140: Practical Combat 9
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 140: Practical Combat 9
Title: So Loki, you son of a bitch, how do you save Sepia?
You said we could save Sepia if we fought another Necromancer at the same time, and now you’re just going MIA? If you don’t tell me how to do it right now, I’m setting your house on fire.
LOL, what are you gonna do if Loki doesn’t tell you?
Is Loki-bro your friend? He’ll come out when he feels like it.
That bastard Loki has posted bait and then ghosted for three months so many times. You think he’s actually coming back?
Do you even know where Loki lives to set his house on fire?
OP: No, I’m gonna set fire to my house.
Damn, we got a real psycho over here.
But is it even true that Sepia can be saved? Feels like he’s just trolling.
Honestly, Sepia has to die for us to find Betzdo’s location. Does it even make sense to find him first?
If anyone else said it, I’d ignore it, but since it’s Loki...
I know how to find Betzdo.
OP: For real? Please tell me. If it’s true, I’ll send you a gifticon.
? I was asking because I don’t know either.
OP: Put a damn question mark on it then, you son of a bitch!!!
LMAO
LOL, I bet that’s Loki’s alt account.
I wonder how far Loki has progressed by now.
He said he reset his account three days ago, so he’s probably still on the early Academy quests.
Still, if it’s Loki, he’s probably reached the early Betzdo quests.
Does that even make sense? I’ve been struggling with the Academy entrance exam Golem for two months. Reaching the Betzdo quest already? Is he even human? If he’s already caught Betzdo, I’ll shave my head and post proof.
That’s just because you’re... ahem...
I know the Golem is tough, but two months is a bit much...
Seeing how he’s a Ranker but reset just because his favorite character died, he’s definitely not normal.
Loki: It was a bit tough. Just finished off four Necromancers. (Attached Photo)
Holy shit, you cleared that far already?
Do you even sleep?
Loki: What’s that?
Ah...
Rankers think differently than us, but Loki thinks differently even from other Rankers.
Loki: Anyway, the guy who said he’d shave his head if I caught Betzdo, step forward.
Yes, sir!
Loki: Get back in line.
Thank you, sir!
LOL
LMAO
So, who do you have to fight alongside Betzdo to save Sepia?
If it’s someone you fight with Betzdo, it’s obviously that guy.
True, lol.
I mean, there’s no one else connected to Betzdo besides him.
Who is it???
You a newbie?
Yeah.
Katsudo.
They really phoned it in with the names. After Betzdo comes Katsudo?
Well, they’re brothers.
But is it really possible to save her? If there’s no proof, you know what that means.
Loki: (Photo of Sepia alive and attacking Mordor)
It was real! LOL
OP: Hurry up and share the info on how you did it, hehe.
Loki: Trying to get info for free? =͟͟͞͞๑و•̀o•́)‾͟͟͞ว)Д´);､;’.･
He’s been dumping info no one even asked for until now, but the moment someone asks, he acts like this lol.
OP: You want money?
Loki: Don’t need that. I’ll tell you if you give me the info I want.
OP: What do you want?
Loki: Tell me how to save my favorite character, and I’ll tell you.
OP: Who’s your favorite character, you prick?
Loki: Trying to get info for free? =͟͟͞͞๑و•̀o•́)‾͟͟͞ว)Д´);､;’.･
OP: Then how am I supposed to tell you, you motherf@cker! asdfjkl;
* * *
In front of me stood Katsudo’s lackeys and a swarm of skeletons.
Behind me were Betzdo’s remaining lackeys, still dazed, and Katsudo himself.
“I’m actually out on an errand for my mom right now and I’m in a bit of a hurry. Could you just let me go?”
Ignoring my words, Katsudo lowered his head and began muttering an incantation. As the seconds ticked by, the number of skeletons in the area began to multiply.
This is why Katsudo is such a pain. If it were Betzdo, he would’ve fallen for a provocation immediately, making him easy to manipulate. Despite being twins, Katsudo was silent, composed, and efficient.
“That guy... he's the one from before...”
“Then we were killing each other because of that bastard?”
The ones I intended to provoke were Katsudo’s group, but some unexpected fish bit the hook. It was Betzdo’s lackeys—the survivors who had been slaughtering each other after being deceived by my words. Honestly, the fact that they only realized it now proves they really are just low-level Necromancer fodder.
They glared at me with intense killing intent, looking ready to tear me apart at any moment. Well, since I’m in a hurry, I might as well put them to use.
“What do you mean, you died because of me? You’re the ones who killed each other. Anyone listening would think I gave the order. I’m not that bad of a person.”
“Don’t give me that bullshit! You transformed into Lord Betzdo and made us fight each other!”
“Ah, did I? I have a habit of forgetting minor details. Thanks for letting me know! I’ll make a note of it in my memo pad so I don’t forget again.”
Before I could even finish my sentence, the lackeys lunged at me, their hands shrouded in black mana.
Yes, come on. That makes it easier for me to move. I waited for them to get close, but things didn’t go exactly according to plan.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
The heads of Betzdo’s lackeys, who had just started charging at me, all exploded simultaneously. Beyond the corpses of the fallen men, I saw Katsudo with his hand outstretched.
It seemed Katsudo had realized I was trying to use them as a distraction and took immediate action.
“They aren’t even your subordinates; they’re your brother’s. Is it okay to just kill them like that? What if your brother gets mad later?”
At the mention of Betzdo and Katsudo being brothers, Katsudo’s eyebrow twitched.
“Just how much do you know?”
“I know a lot more than you think. Curious how I got this information, aren’t you?”
Katsudo ignored me and spoke while looking at his own subordinates behind me.
“He is someone who knows about us. Do not kill him.”
“Yes, sir!”
Perhaps he only picked subordinates who took after him, because unlike Betzdo’s men, Katsudo’s lackeys were dead serious.
I guess I have to fight, then?
“The weather forecast today said to be careful because of heavy fog. Did you happen to check it?”
As soon as I finished speaking, I pulled a smoke bomb from my Pocket Dimension and slammed it onto the ground.
Smoke instantly enveloped the area, blinding everyone. Of course, that wasn’t my problem. Everyone here was my enemy anyway.
Katsudo wouldn’t die easily, so I had to deal with the lackeys first. I lunged toward them, swinging my cane. They might be different from Betzdo’s men, but they were still just lackeys. They panicked in the sudden fog, and I took out as many as I could in that opening.
Besides, this way, even Katsudo wouldn’t be able to attack easily—wait, he’s just attacking anyway?
Through the thinning smoke, I saw Katsudo preparing an attack. I kicked off one of the lackeys with all my might, using the recoil to dodge. Katsudo’s attack accurately pierced the throat of one of his own men.
He really is Betzdo’s twin. His regard for his subordinates is exactly the same. What’s even more annoying is that his lackeys didn’t even flinch after seeing Katsudo kill their comrade; they just kept charging at me.
This should be enough.
The perimeter that had completely surrounded me at first had loosened thanks to the smoke.
“I’m not the protagonist today, so let’s meet again next time.”
I threw my remaining smoke bombs at the ground and used Shadow Step to break through the encirclement.
* * *
Seeing Loki escape through the smoke, one of Katsudo’s subordinates shouted loudly.
“We’ll pursue him!”
“No, there is no need. Half of you surround the forest to ensure he cannot leave. Even if you encounter him, do not engage hastily; send a signal first.”
“Yes, sir!”
“The rest of you, follow me. We track him.”
“Yes, sir!”
After giving the orders, Katsudo began tracking Loki with the remaining half of his men.
Though there were several opportunities, Katsudo did not attack rashly, choosing instead to follow cautiously. Considering Loki’s slippery abilities, he spread as many skeletons as possible throughout the area to prevent him from hiding, while herding Loki toward a specific location.
After a persistent pursuit, he finally succeeded in cornering Loki at the edge of a cliff.
“This is why sasaeng fans are such a hassle. Chasing me all the way here, really. And it’s not even a fangirl, but a fan-grandpa. Gross!”
“There is nowhere left to run.”
“Don’t tell me you lured me here?”
“Realizing it now changes nothing.”
Katsudo believed capturing Loki was now only a matter of time. In a dead end like this, even if he used those strange tools to create smoke or some odd ability to hide, Katsudo could counter it all.
That was why he couldn’t believe Loki’s next words.
“If it was going to be like this, we should’ve just held hands and come here together.”
“What?”
“I lured you here too. Doesn’t this mean we both went through a hell of a lot of trouble for nothing?”
Katsudo dismissed Loki’s words as a mere bluff. He believed that escaping from this situation was near impossible.
“Everyone, do not be swayed by his words. Do not rush; tighten the noose slowly so nothing goes wrong.”
Loki smiled behind his mask as he watched Katsudo’s subordinates slowly closing in and Katsudo preparing an attack from a distance.
Loki had refused Johanna’s help and faced Mordor alone. Because that was his rightful revenge against Mordor, who had killed his younger siblings.
Sepia was currently facing Betzdo alone, having refused Loki’s help. Because that was Sepia’s rightful revenge against Betzdo, who had killed her family and fellow villagers.
“But you aren’t anything to me, are you?”
The moment Loki finished speaking, a chill ran through Katsudo’s entire body.
It was instinct. He immediately wrapped himself in a shield of skeletons. The shield shattered instantly.
Crrraack!
As his shield broke, Katsudo looked around, unable to believe his eyes.
His subordinates, who had been approaching Loki shrouded in black mana, and every single skeleton he had summoned, were frozen solid.
“So those are the skeletons summoned by a Necromancer. There are more than I thought.”
The man who had taken first place in the entire Academy as a first-year, possessing the Innate Magic to freeze space itself. The person whom even Johanna—whom Duke Freya had claimed was far more talented than himself—could not yet defeat.
Joden Adelian.
“This isn’t revenge or anything, so I’ll make this a bit easy.”
After all, connections are meant to be used.