Chapter 173
Chapter 173
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 173
Chapter Title: God's Atlantis
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"The Fake Lu Bu has discovered you."
A massive man clad in armor rode atop a three-meter-tall red horse. His helmet was adorned with bird feathers, and he gripped a spear in his hand. A double-bladed spear. A weapon famously known in China.
'Fake Lu Bu. The slave with three castles.'
The red horse and Fang Tian Hu Ji. Guessing the man's identity from just that wasn't hard.
The greatest warrior in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
Lu Bu Fengxian.
The man with the strongest martial prowess in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
'No need to freak out. It's a fake.'
In Atlantis, there existed avatars of the Divine Seats. However, these avatars didn't possess power on par with the true Divine Seats. They were restricted by the system.
I glanced at Kang Myung-jin beside me. He stared with a stiff expression at Lu Bu slowly approaching us. He was probably racking his brain for an escape route.
'In the original story, Kang Myung-jin eventually defeats Lu Bu and claims the Fang Tian Hu Ji.'
But not right this instant.
I quietly spoke to Kang Myung-jin.
"...Don't you think we could take him down if we fought together?"
"...That's Lu Bu Fengxian, the strongest warrior in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Even if it's a fake and weakened by the system, it's still that Lu Bu Fengxian. Running is the better option."
Kang Myung-jin was way too scared.
'...He still hasn't fully grasped how strong he is.'
I could understand. Before possessing the protagonist, he was just an ordinary guy who wasn't even a Hunter. The foes he'd faced in the tutorial were small fry. Knowing about the Divine Seats filled him with vague fear.
'If he defeats Lu Bu, he'll gain some confidence. Better to let him handle this one alone.'
The Fang Tian Hu Ji I'd get from beating Lu Bu? I didn't even know how to wield a spear. And it wasn't some game-changing weapon I needed to use.
"...We should split up and run in opposite directions. If you head down the mountain, you'll see a village. If you get lost, head toward the tallest peak—that'll lead you to one."
"Even that Lu Bu is ultimately just a mortal, isn't he?"
"No, he's a Divine Seat. I'll give you a signal—run left on my mark."
Thud. Thud. Thud!
Lu Bu, now upon us, addressed us.
"Exiles? You look weaker than I expected. Hmph. Doesn't matter. I am Lu Bu. I've been tasked with slaying any exiles who enter Mt. Nakil. Facing me is your fate."
Lu Bu swung his Fang Tian Hu Ji.
Clang!
Kang Myung-jin blocked it with his spear and shouted,
"Now! Not the path—head for the trees!"
I bolted left, while Kang Myung-jin, having parried the spear, dashed right.
A quick glance back. Lu Bu stood leisurely, eyeing us alternately.
"...Decided."
Then he pursued me. The massive Red Hare moved. It seemed to trot slowly, but it matched my full sprint.
'...Shit. Why me? In the original, he chased Kang Myung-jin.'
In the original, Kang Myung-jin came alone, so there was only one target.
'Telling him to run toward the trees was because Red Hare can't maneuver well in dense forest.'
If this were open plains instead of mountains, he'd have caught me in under a minute, no doubt.
'By lore, Lu Bu is strongest when mounted on Red Hare, fully utilizing its abilities.'
To fight Lu Bu, you had to dismount him or lure him somewhere that hampered Red Hare. Off the horse, Lu Bu's physical prowess dropped too.
I turned my head just enough to check behind.
Red Hare still chased. Lu Bu, atop it, grabbed the bow from his back, nocked an arrow.
I used a tree as a shield to block the incoming arrow.
Just taking it wasn't my style.
'Thunderbolt.'
I fired lightning.
Lu Bu swung his Fang Tian Hu Ji to swat the lightning away.
'He just bats away frontal lightning like that.'
I'd hoped it'd make him flinch even a second. No such luck. I focused solely on fleeing.
Boom! Crash! Bang!
Chaos erupted behind.
Lu Bu, frustrated at missing me, irritably smashed surrounding trees with his Fang Tian Hu Ji.
"Stop! If you're a true man, fight me honorably!"
"Says the guy on horseback!"
"Fine. If I dismount Red Hare, will you fight fair?!"
Lu Bu would actually do it. In the original, he fell for Kang Myung-jin's taunt, dismounted, fought one-on-one, and died.
"Dismount Red Hare, and I'll fight!"
Lu Bu leaped from Red Hare to the ground and aimed his Fang Tian Hu Ji at me.
"There. I've dismounted. Come on!"
"He actually did it. Dumbass. Heh heh heh."
I mocked Lu Bu, then sprinted away at full speed. No intention of fighting—I aimed to widen the gap while he was on foot. He'd fight Kang Myung-jin in a few hours and die anyway.
"Halt!"
Lu Bu hastily remounted Red Hare and gave chase.
"Who stops when told?!"
The Lord of the Heavens apparently didn't like this situation.
'Doesn't matter. The formal contract's already done.'
Zeus would probably love it if he saw me with a woman.
'Exiles shouldn't be dragged around by Divine Seats.'
Even contracted Divine Seats weren't necessarily on the exile's side. One like the King of Demons might scheme against their contractor.
???
I arrived at the village.
A small settlement of about 200 souls. Houses built of wood, reminiscent of ancient Chinese architecture. Their clothing matched too.
I looked back.
Lu Bu on Red Hare halted at the village boundary, unable to approach. He glared once, then turned Red Hare and vanished into the mountains.
'Lu Bu's treated as a monster in this sector.'
Safety zones only blocked monster attacks and intrusions. They didn't stop attacks from people.
I trudged into the village. Villagers gawked at me in surprise.
"Two exiles...?"
"What day is it today?"
"Maybe we'll get to move to another sector."
Continentals living in unconquered sectors had basic Atlantis knowledge but couldn't leave for others.
'Continentals can conquer Atlantis sectors too... but it's damn tough.'
One of the Continentals' secrets: most were people who died in other worlds, revived here by divine power.
'And some retain memories of their past lives.'
It came up naturally in the original. Those with influence in Atlantis probably already knew.
'From their perspective, it's a sweet deal. Died and got reborn.'
I scanned the area and boldly shouted,
"I'm Sung Yu-jin! Has a short-haired man come to the village? He's an exile like me!"
From the crowd, an elderly man emerged, tapping the ground with a staff. White beard, hunched back. The village elder and representative, it seemed.
"Welcome to Nakil Village. The exile you're seeking arrived about ten minutes ago."
"I see. Where is he?"
"He went down that alley."
The elder pointed to a narrow path between buildings. I nodded. Just like the original.
"Thank you."
"Have you come to conquer this sector?"
"No. We stumbled in by chance. And we're too weak to conquer it anyway."
"...I see."
The elder sounded disappointed.
'Makes sense. Trapped here 12 years—gotta be frustrating. And they don't look well-off.'
Kang Myung-jin and I knew this sector's conquest conditions.
Lu Bu was just a named monster, game-wise.
To conquer, you had to climb the tall mountain behind the village—Mt. Nakil—and defeat the Sun's Adversary at its peak.
'Sector 406 is on the easy side. It's unconquered because other exiles haven't found it.'
Easy didn't mean we could do it.
Once Kang Myung-jin achieved his goal, he'd head straight to the Temple of Beginnings in Sector 1 via the mirror. He'd only return here much later to conquer it.
I headed down the alley the elder indicated.
There, I bumped into Kang Myung-jin emerging.
"You made it to the village. Any injuries?"
"Perfectly fine. But what's that in your hand? A flower?"
A common-looking yellow flower. I knew exactly what it was, of course.
Sunflower.
A special bloom granting flame immunity for one hour. Also an elixir that boosted strength and stamina on first consumption.
"There's a special shop down this alley, exclusive to exiles. Bought it there."
"Special shop—one where you use AP for unique items, right?"
Special shops had varying conditions: exiles only, open to Continentals, key-required, etc.
"Yes. If you have enough AP, check it out. As for me... I have personal business, so I'll be gone about six hours."
"If it's urgent, I can help."
"No need. I can handle it alone. Please wait here, Sung Yu-jin."
Kang Myung-jin bowed deeply in request.
Of course, I had no plans to follow. My goal wasn't to hinder him.
"Got it. Raise your head. I'll wait in the village."
"I'll be quick. Feel free to head back if you want. Pour hot water on the mirror we came from, and it'll link back to the Temple of Beginnings."
"I'll wait here. Don't wanna run into Lu Bu outside."
Kang Myung-jin left the village.
I entered the alley he'd come from. As I ventured deeper, space rippled, and the surroundings shifted. I was in a whole new area.
"Oh. Second customer in a row."
I turned toward the male voice. A robed figure stared at me. Face hidden in the hood—magically concealed, probably.
"I'm Ropu, the shop clerk. If anything catches your eye among the displayed wares, just tell me. Ah, you do have AP, right?"
"Plenty of AP."
"Then browse freely. Items you won't find easily in Atlantis. Note, I'll move to another sector in a month. Miss this, who knows when it'll return?"
"Hope something catches my fancy."
I looked around. Every item screamed rarity.
[Fruit of the World Tree - 1,500,000 AP]
[Spellbook of the Secret Garden - 450,000 AP]
[Spirit-Purifying Sword - 600,000 AP]
[Sword of Impartiality - 300,000 AP]
[Darkness Blade - 50,000 AP]
[Skill, Explosion (A) - 30,000,000 AP]
Key thing here: risk of rip-offs.
Take the Fruit of the World Tree. Other special shops sold it for 700,000 AP.
Pretending to browse, I picked one.
"This looks good."
I pointed to black gloves.
"Demon Subduing Gauntlets. Fine choice. 200,000 AP. Buy?"
"Yes. I'll take them."
"Extend your hand."
I silently offered my hand. He grasped it with his white-gloved one, holding for five seconds.