Chapter 429
Chapter 429
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 429
Chapter Title: Opportunity for Revenge (1)
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Cage B Team arrived on the Mainland.
As the twenty-one mages occupied the road, people naturally parted to make way for them.
In a place devoid of any rules save for the unwritten laws between communities, the inhabitants of the Mainland had developed a sense for sniffing out the strong that was practically an evolutionary trait.
Not that Cage B Team was particularly flexing or trying to look intimidating.
Though a party composed of Grade 4 to Grade 6 mages, they were the kingdom's finest talents and thus mostly young. Among the twenty-one, only Team Leader Rose, Vice-Captain Horkin, and Communications Mage Wegan had ever experienced "Heaven."
"Ugh, ugh."
A woman with a petite frame, a bob haircut, and bangs tied up above her forehead was scratching herself all over.
Aroela of the Blazing Flower, an official Grade 4 fire mage.
She was a fiery woman who could conjure flames reaching 3,200 degrees Celsius, and while she had a prickly personality, she also possessed the peculiar history of being cleaned out of her entire fortune by all three men she had ever dated.
"Why is it so itchy? Is the air bad here?"
Unable to bear it any longer, she stuck a hand inside her clothes to scratch the itchy spot directly.
Summoning Mage Maloy asked with a frown.
"You've been distracting me for a while now. Why do you keep fondling your chest? Decided to become self-sufficient?"
"No... my armpits have been itchy ever since we got here. Beam, you don't think I was bitten by some weird bug, do you?"
Insect Mage Beam's reply was concise.
"It's because you don't shave."
"Don't be ridiculous! I don't grow hair like that!"
Tarvan, Cage B Team's Terminator, spoke.
"That's even weirder."
"Shut up! I'm in a terrible mood, so don't mess with me! I might just burn you to a crisp!"
Tarvan ignored Aroela and turned to Team Leader Rose.
"What's the plan now? How are we supposed to find Gaold if we don't know where he is? Why don't we just let Joner handle it in the city center?"
Vice-Captain Horkin shook his head.
"Enough. Even for a Cage-class team, the Mainland isn't a place to be taken lightly. If we carelessly open a Spirit Zone and attract the wrong kind of attention, it'll make our mission harder."
Beniphis the Carnivore said.
"Old man, isn't it time you retired from active duty? We're the kingdom's strongest elite force, capable of taking down Demon Gods. No need to be so cautious."
"A Cage-class party can take down a Demon God. But here, even Demon Gods band together like a Cage-class team."
A brief silence followed.
Team Leader Rose spoke.
"Heaven is a dangerous place. Especially since our target is Mikea Gaold, the kingdom's greatest combat mage."
Mamie the Word Mage frowned. With her irregular teeth and prominent cheekbones, she had a hysterical look about her.
"So what? Even Gaold can't take down a Demon God by himself. We won't be outmatched in combat power."
Horkin said.
"Demon Gods and humans are different. A Demon God can be defeated by following certain principles, but humans have too many variables. And..."
Horkin's face turned cold as he looked back at Mamie.
"He can, Mamie. Gaold can take one down alone."
Mamie swallowed hard.
Rose said.
"The best outcome is to eliminate Gaold without sacrificing any team members. However, it wouldn't be strange if someone died. This isn't some numbers game about being Class 1 or whatever. Gaold is special."
A grim resolve finally appeared on the team members' faces.
In all the years they had worked together, this was the first time their leader had ever spoken of a target as being superior.
Tarvan, on the other hand, showed no sign of tension. As the one who wielded the most destructive magic on the team, it wouldn't do for him to be intimidated before a fight even began.
"If a Spirit Zone is out of the question, I guess we have no choice but to do the legwork."
Tarvan suddenly changed direction and headed into an alley.
No one was unaware that they had been followed since their arrival, so the team members followed without a word.
As they entered the alley, armed figures revealed themselves.
They were as numerous as Cage B Team, and their eyes glinted with murderous intent.
"Who are you?"
Mind Mage White connected a mental channel to translate Tarvan's words, but none of the armed thugs were surprised.
The leader, a man with a sharply honed sword, approached Tarvan as if it were only natural.
"You don't know who we are? I knew it the moment I saw you looking around like country bumpkins. Did you think you'd be safe just because you travel in a pack?"
In the Mainland, where countless lifestyles and creatures intermingled, information was just as important as force.
Newcomers to the Mainland were prime prey, a case of 'finders keepers' for whoever got to them first.
"I'm asking because I don't know. Who are you?"
"Heh heh, in that case, I'll give you some valuable information. First, on the Mainland, when someone calls you, you come running and kneel. Second, you hand over everything you have. Third, the men leave the women and run with all their might. Now, begin."
Tarvan looked back at his teammates.
Seeing that no one was eager to step up, he sighed and approached the thug.
"Sigh, it's the same everywhere..."
Five minutes later.
The twenty thugs were sprawled on the alley floor, every one of their faces smashed in.
They were such small fry that Tarvan hadn't even needed to use his specialty, the Kaiser Blast.
"Ugh! P-Please, spare me...!"
Tarvan grabbed the leader by the collar and lifted him up.
"Let me ask you one thing."
"Yes, yes! Anything you want to know! No, even if I don't know, I'll find out for you!"
It was almost laughable.
At least they were quicker to change their tune than the thugs back in their own world.
Communications Mage Wegan stepped forward with a bright smile and opened a magical vision in front of the leader.
When Gaold's face appeared, the color drained from the terrified leader's face.
"Have you seen this man?"
"Ah, uh, well..."
From the leader's reaction, Cage B Team knew. He had seen Gaold.
Mind Mage White approached.
"A lucky break, Tarvan."
"Hmph, it was all part of my plan."
Tarvan was lying, but in hindsight, the outcome was almost inevitable.
They were the lowest rung of the Mainland's food chain, preying only on newbies.
If they lacked the skill to even gauge their opponent's strength, they would have surely tried to tail Gaold as well.
"Hey, you. Spill everything you know."
Upon hearing White's words, the leader's mind began to race, a fact transmitted through the mental channel.
'The value of the information he possesses. Weighing his life against the reward.'
"I-I don't know anything. But..."
White didn't even listen to the leader's words and turned back to the team.
"It's over. Let's regroup."
As Tarvan grinned and raised his fist, the leader, realizing things had gone wrong, screamed in despair.
"W-Wait! I did see him! I saw him!"
"I know."
The leader's face was smashed as he was slammed into a wall.
Tarvan stood up, unclenching his fist, and looked at Horkin.
"How boring. For a place where Demon Gods roam like Cage-class teams, this is pretty pathetic, don't you think?"
Just as Horkin was about to reply, a new group appeared at the end of the alley.
Tarvan's head snapped around at the presence, his gaze turning unnaturally calm.
'What are they?'
"Huh?"
Etella, who had been walking while examining the hunting list Frankwine had given her, looked up at the strange feeling.
Twenty-one people were occupying the alley.
Without a second thought, Kuan placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. Just from their auras, it was clear they were all masters of their respective crafts.
The tension skyrocketed as dozens of pairs of eyes rapidly scanned each other, taking in every detail.
Tarvan was forced to take back his earlier words.
He had thought this was a place where people lived, but the Mainland was also a place where you could run into inhuman beings like these in an alley.
Horkin stroked his beard with an interested smile.
'Hmm, what to do about this?'
For the group wanting to leave, this was a dead end.
If they weren't going to fight, they would have to back up and open the path, but no one in Cage B Team had any intention of doing something so ridiculous.
Realizing the other party had no intention of moving, Kuan slowly started walking forward.
A limp.
Twenty-one pairs of eyes simultaneously followed Kuan's leg before moving up.
'Is he planning to take us on alone? Is he insane?'
Unless he was here for a hug and a kiss, there was no reason to approach them on a blocked path.
'You've got to be kidding me. If you want to leave, you turn back.'
As Tarvan projected his hostility to block the approach, Kuan's demeanor amplified in an instant, as if by a chemical reaction.
"Whoa..."
Someone on the team let out a gasp of admiration.
Tarvan didn't even have the presence of mind to scold them; his own lips were trembling.
'Damn, that's some bloodlust.'
There was no such thing as friendly killing intent, but to unleash it without a hint of hesitation meant one's resolve was already set.
'Right, this is more like it. This feels like a proper job.'
Kuan limped forward with an even gait. All the while, his eyes were fixed on Tarvan, unblinking.
'One more step.'
At that point, he would have no choice but to cut.
The moment came in an instant, and Kuan's foot crossed the line. At the same time, Horkin, after long deliberation, finally spoke.
"Now, now..."
Simultaneously, Kuan's sword slashed out, leaving an afterimage, and Tarvan's body transformed into a flash of light as he was pushed back.
"Phew!"
A swordsman's physical reaction speed is faster than a mage's. It was a single, swift strike that might have yielded a different result had Horkin not cut in at the perfect moment.
'Did he dodge it? No, was I cut?'
The bridge of his nose felt cold, as if frozen.
It could have been the wind pressure, or he could have actually been cut. But checking with his hand was a matter of pride he couldn't afford.
"Oh? Are you perhaps from the continent?"
Etella pointed at Horkin with a surprised expression.
Hearing a language they knew, Cage B Team's killing intent subsided slightly.
Of course, that was by no means a reason for them to step aside or turn back the way they came.
But all twenty-five people in the alley instinctively knew that making use of this common ground, more insignificant than dust, to end the situation peacefully was the best course of action.
The resourceful Horkin stepped forward.
"My, my, to think we were about to come to blows without realizing we're from the same parts. A pleasure to meet you. Are you on a mission as well?"
Etella shook Horkin's hand with a kind smile.
"Yes. We nearly ended up fighting our own side."
'Heh, our own side?'
The corners of Horkin's lips curled up slightly.
They weren't so dull as to see twenty-one mages gathered together and not think of the Cage.
'Are they from the Red Line?'
Wegan took advantage of the conciliatory atmosphere and approached. Of course, it was a move backed by complex psychological calculations.
"We were looking for someone. By any chance, have you seen this person?"
When Gaold's face appeared in the magical vision, Etella's eyes widened in surprise.
"Oh? Isn't this Mr. Mikea Gaold?"
Shina added.
"I believe he's the chairman of the Tormia Magic Association. But why are you looking for him on the Mainland?"
'Hmm, so that's how it is...'
Horkin blinked, lost in thought.
To be precise, he was the *former* chairman of the Tormia Magic Association.
'Do they really not know? They don't seem like they've been on the Mainland for long. Then again, it's been less than a month.'
Tarvan said bluntly.
"It's nothing. Just something needed for a mission."
Since they had run into each other in a place like this, it was highly likely they were both on confidential missions, so the atmosphere was one of refraining from prying too deeply.
"I see. Well then."
Etella showed the courtesy of dropping the subject and bowed her head. It was a request for them to clear the path.
A slight resistance stirred in the hearts of Cage B Team's younger members, but Rose cleared the air with a cold voice.
"Let them pass."
Cage B Team parted to the left and right, and Armin's group passed through the gap.
Most avoided eye contact, but Aroela of the Blazing Flower glared at Shina until the very end.
'That woman is definitely an ice user. I'm sure of it.'
It was Aroela's subjective belief that only a natural enemy of fire could make her feel so instinctively awful, and strangely, her accuracy rate was high.
Once Armin's group was out of sight, Rose immediately turned to White and asked.
"Well?"
"What do you mean, 'well'? It was a failure, of course. They all blocked their thoughts, so I couldn't read anything. And it wasn't a situation where I could probe aggressively."
Rose didn't seem disappointed and moved on to the next matter.
"What about that man?"
White looked back at the leader of the thugs and said.
"It's true they tailed Gaold. But it seems Gaold didn't react and left the Mainland right away. He had two companions, one was Kangnan, and the other was an unknown woman."
"An unknown woman? Hmm."
Although Julu was the world's greatest summoning mage, she was from another country and had such a reclusive personality that few knew her face.
"But that's strange. If he left the Mainland right away, he would have had no reason to stop here, would he?"
"According to that guy's memory, he never entered a building or took a break. He arrived and left within an hour."
"I see. Finding out why will be the fastest way to reach Gaold. From now on, we backtrack his movements."
As Rose left the alley, the remaining team members followed in a rush.
Just then, Horkin suddenly stopped and looked back down the street.
"Old man, what's wrong?"
"That woman I shook hands with. I'm sure I've seen her face somewhere, but I can't remember where. I don't think it was at the Magic Society."
Tarvan didn't think much of it.
"With skills like that, you've probably seen her somewhere. Anyway, let's get going. I'm starving."
"..."
As Horkin followed Tarvan, his gaze lingered for a long time on the street where Etella's group had disappeared.