Chapter 636
Chapter 636
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 636
Chapter Title: God's Atlantis
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We left the city and entered the forest.
"The bandits erased their tracks here."
Reilsne pointed at the ground. All I could see were leaves and dirt. But there was no reason for her to lie to me, so her expert tracker eyes must have spotted something different.
"Do the tracks end here?"
"No. Even professionals struggle to erase tracks completely. And these bandits aren't that skilled anyway. They laid some decoys, but they're ultimately headed west."
"Let's move."
Reilsne took off running. She changed direction a few times along the way.
"We've arrived at the Alborg Bandits' hideout."
"There's nothing here?"
"There's a barrier 50 meters ahead. That's why the guards keep failing to wipe them out—they can't find the hideout because of it."
"They haven't spotted us yet, right?"
"Yes. If they had, they wouldn't just sit there; they'd come charging out from beyond the barrier."
"Makes sense. Bandits probably don't have much in the way of strategy. Good for us. Let's head back to the city and get the guards."
"......"
Reilsne didn't respond.
"Reilsne?"
"Yu-jin. There's a 62 million penni bounty on the bandit leader's head. We can claim it all if we capture him alive or bring his head to the guards after killing him."
I felt relieved. I'd worried she might actually suggest calling the guards like I said. But no, she was blinded by the bounty, just as I'd planned.
"Can't you handle a bunch of bandits easily, Yu-jin?"
"......I'm not as strong as you think."
"The Master once told me you're as strong as him. The two of us—you and me—can definitely take down the Alborg Bandits."
"......I have a bad feeling about this. Let's play it safe."
"Opportunities like this don't come often. Yu-jin, if we just report it to the guards without catching them ourselves, do you know how little we'd get as a tip-off reward?"
"I've never done bounties before. How much do they give for tips?"
"For bounties over 10 million, it's 0.5%. We'd get a measly 310,000 penni. Just 310,000!"
It was less than I'd expected.
I pretended to mull it over. I couldn't just accept her proposal outright. The real acting started now. I had to fool her completely—she was a ranger, after all.
"Yu-jin, please. You can take 60% of the bounty. So...!"
"......Let's split it half and half. I might handle the fighting, but finding this place was your skill."
"Thank you!"
Reilsne's face lit up.
From her perspective, today was a lucky day. A free dress worth a house, plus a bounty on top. But her luck wouldn't hold out till the end.
"Should we charge in right now?"
"From what the guards said, the Alborg Bandits number over 30. I recommend a slow hunt."
"What do you mean by 'slow hunt'?"
"We set up an ambush and wait for them to come out on their own. Then, when they do... we pick them off one by one."
"They might sense something and flee in another direction. If they scatter all at once, it'll be hard to catch them."
"Our goals are to recover the stolen clothes and get the leader. As long as we achieve that, we can let the small fry go."
"They might all rush us at once. It might be better if we sneak inside the barrier ourselves."
"Most barriers alert them if someone intrudes. Sneaking in is tough."
"Come to play, have you? Huh?"
A stranger's voice cut through our discussion. We both whipped our heads to the side.
A man in his 40s appeared, with frizzy black hair and a scar across his mouth. Alborg Madekas. He looked exactly like his wanted poster.
His underlings followed, surrounding Reilsne. All the bandits except Alborg wore face masks.
I drew my Hwaryeon Sword, and Reilsne nocked an arrow to her bowstring.
"Here for your lost goods, I bet. You idiots. Do you even know where you are?"
"......"
Reilsne loosed her bow first. A mana-infused arrow sliced through the air toward Alborg's head. He raised a hand and blocked it barehanded. Reilsne's face paled instantly.
I stepped in front of her. A bluish sword aura and red lightning crackled along my blade.
"Consider this a warning. Even if I can't get you all, I can take half."
"The Thunder Cutter of the Aeflan Legion, huh. Oh no, I'm so scared. But here's the thing?"
Alborg fanned his palm toward the air.
"We're not idiots who just wander out. The gas should be kicking in about now, right? Feeling dizzy yet?"
"Dizzy, my ass... Huh!?"
My legs buckled. My stance crumbled.
"Wh-what the...?"
"Expensive stuff—sleeping gas that'll make you curse the price. But damn, it works like a charm. Heh. Thunder Cutter and an elf... Big haul today."
Thud.
I heard the sound of falling and glanced back. Reilsne was already down, her green eyes darting wildly. She'd be out soon.
I collapsed to the ground too.
"Kahahahahahaha!"
Alborg's booming laughter rang in my ears.
About a minute passed like that before Alborg spoke.
"Get up. The elf's out cold."
I rose to my feet.
The sleeping gas I'd handed to Alborg a few days ago had worked perfectly. If I hadn't blocked my mouth and nose with mana, I'd be asleep too.
'Good thing I used mana to block the gas successfully.'
Of course, if it had failed, I'd have used Complete Recovery and scrapped the whole plan. I couldn't trust these bandits in front of me.
"Oh. That elf's top-tier."
"We could get good money selling her."
"Wanna sample her first?"
The bandits snickered at Reilsne. I unleashed killing intent, lightning crackling from my body, and they recoiled in terror.
"She's mine. Touch a single hair, and you all die."
Reilsne had made a mistake. She'd pegged me as Kang Myung-jin's equal, but I was stronger. At full power, I could wipe these bandits in five minutes.
"Calm down. You're scaring the boys."
"Talking like they're kids."
I scooped up Reilsne from the ground. She was light.
"You haven't forgotten the deal, right?"
"You better uphold your end too. I paid the advance."
"Something more important than the advance?"
"I'll deliver in a week, as agreed."
"Break the deal, and I'll smash your skull myself. Don't forget."
"That's my line."
I carried Reilsne deeper into the forest. Our destination was a secret spot I'd prepared in advance.
'Smooth so far.'
???
'About time.'
I stowed the manga I'd been reading in my inventory and stood from the chair. A mirror stood directly in front of me. Mirror Tunnel.
'First, change clothes.'
I switched to bandit garb. It wasn't my style, but necessary for perfection.
I activated my unique trait, Deception (SS).
My face began to change.
'More like overlaying an illusion with Deception (SS) than actually transforming.'
The new face resembled Alborg's—a man with darker skin and scars on his neck and forehead like sword cuts. It looked plenty menacing.
'Now for the build.'
I made myself a bit bulkier than usual, toned down the muscles a touch, and adjusted the important parts down there too.
In the mirror, I was no longer Sung Yu-jin but someone entirely different.
But it was all deception.
I stroked my face with my right hand. I felt my real features beneath.
'Using Deception (SS) here...'
Even the tactile sensation changed—or rather, deceived.
I'd underutilized it before due to low mana stats.
'Max two hours upkeep. With a mana potion, maybe three.'
After thoroughly checking my altered body by touch, I opened the door and stepped out. I walked a pitch-black hallway without windows.
Creeeak.
I opened the iron door at the end. A single candle flickered quietly in a wall sconce, illuminating the area.
It was a vast, eerie space. The back was walled off, the right side lined with brutal torture devices. In the center lay the blonde elf girl, Reilsne, on the floor.
Her wrists were bound behind her back with rope connected to the ceiling, severely limiting her movement.
Moments later, her body twitched. Her heavy eyelids fluttered open.
"Awake, huh? Sweet dreams?"
"......!!"
Reilsne jolted upright in shock.
"...Where am I? Who are you?"
Reilsne stayed composed. Bluff. Her eyes trembled faintly. Few could keep calm in this situation.
"Here? Slave training room. These days, you gotta train female slaves a bit before selling to fetch top price."
"......What's your relation to Alborg?"
"Alborg? My brother. He brings the slaves, I train 'em. You're the first premium one in ages—really looking forward to this. Wonder how much you'll fetch after."
"Where is he?"
"Oh, that guy? Not worth as much as an elf chick, so I told the boys to dump him somewhere. Since he's strong, gotta starve him a few days so he can't crawl, then finish him off."
"......"
Reilsne tried something quietly but failed, her face darkening.
"Trying to use mana? Heh. Useless. Gave you a special drug. Won't use or sense mana for days. Kek."
Lie. I'd hit her pressure points instead. She didn't know acupoints, so she'd buy it.
"Wh-what are you gonna do to me?"
"Said it already: train you. And remember this—my name's Alboju. What's yours?"
"I won't tell scum like you."
"Oh? Really now?"
I pulled a knife from my pocket. Its razor-sharp blade pointed at her cheek.
"One warning: scream all you want—no one's coming to save you."
"W-weren't you gonna sell me to slavers? If I'm merchandise, who'd buy damaged goods at full price?!"
"Fair point. But there's this great thing called potions. Skin a patch, pour one on—bam, good as new."
"......"
I tapped her cheek with the cold blade. Reilsne swallowed hard.
"Don't wanna waste potions—they're pricey. So, elf slave, let's get along. And... your name?"
"Ri... Reilsne...."
Fear laced Reilsne's voice. Deception (SS) and [Acting] were working perfectly.
"Good. Reilsne. First, let's check your body's condition."
I yanked the rope binding her wrists. It forced her to stand. I rebound her differently—arms raised overhead looked better visually than behind the back.
The knife slid from her neck downward, slowly slicing her leather top. At her chest, pink underwear appeared. B-cup, perfect for my grip.
"Wh-what the hell?!"
"Just said it: checking your condition."
Weeeeoooooo!
A siren blared.
"Tch! Barrier tripped? What're the guards doing? Stay put—I'll check what happened."
"What...?"
I burst out into the hallway and rushed to my room. I released Deception (SS), reverting to my original body. Stripped naked, I used Deception (SS) to add wounds, then entered the cell with Reilsne.
I feigned shock at her bound form.
"Reilsne! Thank god! You're safe!"
"Yu-Yu-jin?! What happened to you?!"