Chapter 86
Chapter 86
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: The Rising Star of the Sun Buffalo Guild
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The rising star of the Sun Buffalo Guild.
The emerging prodigy.
Oberizel, bearer of many titles.
The moment he appeared, the man who'd been picking a fight with Leyzon lit up with smug satisfaction.
"Hey, pointy-ears, you've heard of Lord Oberizel too, huh?"
Leyzon turned to Oberizel with a look of utter pity.
Who in their right mind walks around with that attached to their name?
Oberizel cleared his throat awkwardly, clearly embarrassed.
"...I'm the son of a merchant who sponsors the Sun Buffalo Guild."
"Ah."
Leyzon got the picture.
Makes sense—he couldn't rough up the boss's son.
But that was his problem, not Leyzon's.
"Not my business."
Crack!
Daewun's hand whipped out, sending the merchant's son flying.
Crash!
The kid tumbled through several tables, splintering them all.
Strike.
"Damn idiots—fight your own battles."
"Don't mess with our food!"
The pioneers whose meals had been ruined jumped to their feet.
Shhh—
But they froze the instant they saw Daewun.
His overwhelming aura enveloped them in a heartbeat.
And Hanok Wilbria, standing behind him, casually shifted a hand to his waist.
Hanok's tail swished lazily.
His usually meek eyes now burned with battle-ready intensity.
The pioneers sensed it instinctively.
One wrong word here, and their heads would roll.
"Ahem, no big deal—we can reorder."
"Haha, our drinks were getting warm anyway!"
The pioneers muttered nonsense as they hastily gathered their things and shuffled away.
Oberizel quietly covered his face at the sight.
In the distance, his cronies fled in terror from the merchant's son.
"Don't worry. Didn't kill him."
"...That's not what I'm worried about."
Oberizel started to say more but trailed off.
He'd already been thoroughly crushed by Leyzon once before.
He knew just how unreasonable the guy could be.
"Anyway, if you're done, shouldn't you be going?"
Leyzon had zero business with Oberizel.
So he dropped the hint: scram.
Oberizel cleared his throat again.
"We've got a connection here—mind chatting a bit?"
"What connection do you and I have?"
"...Come on, don't be like that."
Why's this guy suddenly so persistent?
Something's up.
Right then, Leyzon felt a familiar surge course through his body.
Hanok jolted sharply too.
Behind Hanok's back.
A tail sprouted.
Ascension.
"Here you go—both of you have completed your ascensions."
A staff member emerged, handing over their Pioneer IDs.
They'd finally broken into the upper-tier pioneer ranks.
High-level dungeons were now all accessible.
Leyzon pocketed his Pioneer ID and turned to Oberizel.
"Get to the point."
He hated wasting time.
"You've hit 10 ascensions, right?"
Oberizel's eyes sharpened instantly.
"And?"
"That makes you an upper-tier pioneer."
Leyzon stared back, expression screaming so what?
"Duke Imperba is hosting a tournament for upper-tier pioneers."
"To motivate the elites."
"Hm. Go on."
"Win it, and they say you'll get rarities like an SS-grade skill generator."
Now Leyzon's eyes changed.
SS-grade skill generator.
A dungeon rarity whose value went without saying.
With necromancers hunted by the empire right now.
Most skills on the market were imperial traps.
He'd left his skill slots mostly empty on purpose.
Was willing to take risks for one.
But here one dropped in his lap.
"Ho. And?"
"Entrants must be below hero-grade. Care to join?"
Leyzon, who'd been listening quietly, tilted his head.
"If I enter, you won't get that prize either."
Leyzon had already demolished Oberizel once.
Oberizel knew it too well to deny.
"It's fine. I'm not competing this time anyway."
Leyzon blinked.
Then he noticed Oberizel's condition.
"...Did I hit you too hard back then?"
"Still suffering because of it."
Oberizel hadn't fully recovered from the wounds Leyzon inflicted.
"Besides, I'm only at 10 ascensions."
No matter how skilled, no one beats a 14-ascension entrant.
"No guarantee I'd beat a 14-ascension upper-tier either."
Oberizel just stared at Leyzon.
One who'd taken a beating knew.
Leyzon had hidden depths.
"Fine, but you're not sharing this for nothing. Conditions?"
Leyzon cut straight to it, no dodging.
As expected, Oberizel nodded.
"Just enter as a Sun Buffalo Guild member."
"I'm with Steel Wolf Guild."
Technically co-leader of Steel Wolf.
"I know. That's why I'm asking you to go undercover."
Leyzon narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
Steel Wolf and Sun Buffalo had bad blood for ages.
For him to beg like this meant serious circumstances.
"Recently, most of our upper-tier pioneers mass-defected."
Oberizel rushed to explain before Leyzon lost interest.
"A bunch joined Moon Buffalo Guild, another major guild operating under Duke Imperba."
"Poached, huh."
"...Yeah, our guild leader isn't the sharpest."
Makes sense—what savvy could a buffalo have?
"Sun Buffalo's upper-tiers are gutted now."
"At this rate, we won't even field a team on tournament day."
"Why force it if you can't?"
"If we can't compete, fine."
"But Moon Buffalo's our ancient rival. We'd like to save face if possible."
Leyzon got why he was pleading so hard.
Tournament hosted by the duke of their main turf.
No-showing would shrink their major guild status.
Spotting Leyzon—who'd never shown up except at the major guild summit—Oberizel pitched this on sight.
No one would recognize him competing.
Leyzon tapped his chin.
Prime chance to snag a skill legit, no strings.
Not bad for me.
One issue, though.
I'm a necromancer.
Leyzon wouldn't sweat using skills freely.
But necromancer status clipped his wings.
Eden's puppet brew could work, but it'd wreck my body.
Still, options exist.
Plus, he'd discussed poison spiders and manuscripts with someone.
Needed high-grade Poison Necromancer skills for that.
"If I join as one of yours, what do you offer?"
"Prize plus signing bonus."
"Skip the bonus."
Money? He could make plenty.
Leyzon grinned, baring teeth.
"What've you got?"
Time to raid the warehouse.
Sun Buffalo Guild.
One of the ten majors, symbolized by a sun-emblazoned buffalo.
Key trait: packed with martial artists.
Largely the guild leader's influence.
Feels a lot like Steel Wolf.
Leyzon followed Oberizel, thinking that.
Oberizel looked tense.
Sun Buffalo had been humiliated by Leyzon once.
Oberizel crushed in front of major guild leaders and merchants.
Tarnished their rep.
So he worried bringing Leyzon to the buffalo.
But it was all for Sun Buffalo.
Oberizel gritted his teeth and led Leyzon to the leader's office.
A massive buffalo head loomed over the door.
Told you his tastes.
Knock-knock.
Oberizel rapped on the door.
"Come in."
A weary voice drifted out.
Oberizel opened it, revealing a familiar face to Leyzon.
Water Buffalo, slumped in his chair.
Real name: Barcabaras.
Ferocious tattoos, nose ring and all.
What a freakish look.
Water Buffalo always seemed more phantasmal beast than man.
"Haaah."
He let out a long sigh.
Glassy eyes—rough shape.
"Why's he like that?"
"...Ever since the summit. Probably my loss to you."
Oberizel eyed Water Buffalo bitterly.
But to Leyzon, that seemed way off.
That guy's not the type to brood over something like that forever.
Plus, those mopey eyes grated oddly.
"Guild leader."
Oberizel called, and Water Buffalo finally glanced over.
His eyes locked on Leyzon—and bulged.
Crash!
Chair toppled.
"Y-you!"
Water Buffalo recognized him and yelped in alarm.
Oberizel inwardly cringed again.
Bad memories resurfacing.
But Leyzon just narrowed his eyes.
Intense reaction in Water Buffalo's gaze.
"Leyzon! It's Leyzon, right?!"
Leyzon instinctively stepped back.
Weird wariness prickling.
"Yeah."
"Introduce her to me again—please?"
Her?
Confusion flickered across Leyzon's face.
Then he remembered.
From the major guild summit.
Water Buffalo's reaction clicked.
"Oberizel."
Leyzon called the relatively sensible one.
"...Step out for a bit."
Friendly advice.
No need to witness his leader's idiocy.
Oberizel thought Water Buffalo moped over guild prospects...
Dead wrong.
One reason for the funk.
One glimpse of Syria Nosferatu at the summit.
And he was lovestruck.