Chapter 91
Chapter 91
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 91
Chapter Title: Bleeding the Boss
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No sound could be heard at all.
No presence of anyone else could be felt either.
The viscount's forces were just now attempting to push into the mountain stronghold.
There were no intruders yet.
Therefore, this place was still safe for the time being.
With that thought in mind, he simply waited for his subordinates to return soon.
But then.
Thud!
What the hell was that guy?
Drauder glared at the man embedded in the wall with utter disbelief.
'Unbelievable.'
A whirlwind of questions swirled in his mind.
These were the elite fighters he'd handpicked and stationed at the top level. Had they all been taken out?
By a single intruder?
It was impossible to believe.
No, even if one person had taken on all those members, someone would have come running to report it beforehand. But no one had.
No unit member ever came to alert him about the intruder.
There hadn't been a single sound of fighting or screams from outside.
'He must have slipped past all the members without them noticing and made it here... but that doesn't add up.'
If that were the case, his nearby subordinates would have rushed over at the sound of this crash.
He'd stationed men along these corridors in advance, after all.
And that wasn't all.
The very room he was in right now.
It was the same story here.
The intruder had even gotten right up behind his back, yet he hadn't sensed a thing.
As if a ghost had slipped in and out of the room.
The thought sent chills creeping over his skin belatedly.
What if he hadn't noticed the intruder's presence at the last second? What would have happened to him?
Ah.
This was a blunder.
He'd been far too complacent.
He'd heard that Viscount Chainver had recruited adventurers and mercenaries, but he hadn't expected anyone of this caliber.
Drauder scowled fiercely and bowed his head.
Something glowing inside his robes.
In truth, that was what had alerted him to the intruder's presence.
A security spell to prevent theft and forced contact.
The safeguard he'd placed on the map in case of emergencies had just triggered.
'He tried to steal just the map from my robes while hiding his presence.'
And yet, Drauder hadn't noticed a thing.
'How the hell is that even possible?'
Hearing.
Touch.
The intruder had fooled both senses completely.
No matter how skilled one's sleight of hand, the sensation of rummaging through pockets couldn't be hidden.
A technique he'd never heard of.
There were too many oddities to chalk it up to simple theft.
On top of that, the intruder had targeted the map from the start.
As if he'd known in advance that Drauder had it and come specifically for it.
Otherwise, the security spell wouldn't have triggered so immediately.
'The viscount's orders? Or personal initiative?'
He didn't know.
There was no way to tell.
But either way, it was dangerous.
Drauder sensed it instinctively and immediately drew his blade from its scabbard.
The intruder was still slumped against the wall.
Even so, taking a direct hit from a greatsword swung full-force up close... the damage wouldn't be light.
Splat!
In that instant.
Blood began trickling from his forearm.
White powder scattered into the air.
A fresh gash from the blade had appeared on his forearm before he knew it.
'...!'
His eyes trembled violently.
Had the intruder counterattacked in that split second?
Against a surprise strike, no less.
And reacted to it?
'What kind of...'
How fast did one's reflexes have to be to pull that off?
Even Drauder, forged through brutal training since childhood, couldn't easily gauge it.
Then.
He finally noticed the iron mask covering the intruder's face.
Come to think of it, he'd heard rumors.
There was an adventurer who'd shone in the war between Damian and Kaum territories.
The key trait? A battered iron mask over the face.
Of course, it could be someone else, but given that this guy had made it here alone, Drauder inwardly suspected it was the real deal.
'...I lacked intel.'
The adventurers and mercenaries hired by the viscount.
He should have gathered info on them faster.
In the end, that oversight was now holding him back.
'Iron Mask Man.'
The bastard who'd gone straight for the map.
He either knew about Drauder's past and goals.
Or he was another rival after the prime minister's legacy.
No, maybe he had even more information.
Either way, Iron Mask Man.
This one had to die for sure before escaping the stronghold.
With that judgment, as he approached—
Rumble!
A massive racket erupted from the floor below.
The viscount's forces.
They'd finally reached the level right below the stronghold's peak.
'Tch!'
His head whipped around.
That was when it happened.
Bang!
A table suddenly flew straight at him.
Drauder hastily swung his greatsword at the obstacle filling his vision.
The table split perfectly in half.
At the same time, the now-empty wall came into view.
He was gone.
The Iron Mask Man who'd been slumped there moments ago.
The bastard had hurled the table as a distraction and vanished again.
'Tch, he was just playing possum.'
What a sly fox.
Drauder scanned the room with a frustrated expression.
He probably hadn't gone far.
If he wanted, Drauder could chase him down and finish the job.
But he had no intention of dancing to the intruder's tune.
'He thinks I'll chase him all the way.'
That would be the normal assumption.
Unfortunately, Drauder had no such plans.
Why?
Because escaping the stronghold was his top priority right now.
With the viscount's forces already on the floor below, wasting time here gained nothing.
Whoosh.
So, he would escape.
Via an escape method they likely overlooked.
The top-grade return stone.
'Send me back to my original base.'
Drauder activated the return stone with strong intent.
In response, the crimson stone began to glow brightly.
'...I'll never forget what happened today.'
Viscount Chainver.
Iron Mask Man.
And all the soldiers and hires besides.
The price for obstructing his noble cause would come someday...
Whirr...
'...?'
In that moment.
The brilliant red glow faded away.
The top-grade return stone reverted to its original state.
Stunned by the sight, Drauder frantically tried activating it again.
But.
Whirr...
The result was the same.
'It won't activate?'
That was right.
A top-grade return stone that should teleport to the designated zone in seconds.
Yet it kept canceling before those seconds even passed.
Why?
Drauder desperately searched for the cause.
Drip. Drip!
Then.
He noticed the earlier slash wound.
A shallow cut.
Blood should have stopped flowing long ago, but it kept oozing from the spot.
Only then did Drauder realize why the return had failed.
Even a tiny amount, continuous bleeding from the wound.
Thus, the caster's abnormal status kept canceling the activation.
'Why is the bleeding this persistent... No, heal it first!'
No time for questions.
He had to stop the bleeding and activate the return stone before the viscount's forces burst in.
He hurriedly pulled a vitality potion from his robes.
But someone was there to interfere.
Clang!
The adventurer who'd shattered the potion vial with a thrown dagger.
Iron Mask Man himself.
This was the first time I'd triggered a Steal penalty.
Del Mark's secret map.
The security spell on it.
The success rate had plummeted to 0% in an instant, exposing my presence to the target.
Your body trembles from the intense shock!
Movement speed reduced for a duration!
HP has fallen to 20% or below!
That was the price.
'Even taking a hit from the sheathed greatsword, and it's only this much damage.'
As expected.
This was a level 154 named NPC.
If the blade had connected, I might have died on the spot.
The revolutionary leader, Drauder, was that strong.
But I hadn't been one-sidedly beaten either.
The moment I'd been smashed by the sheathed sword.
I'd reacted in that instant and swung my kukri along with it.
From my perspective as Luke, it was a solid counterstrike.
He'd resisted the paralysis poison, but it didn't matter.
The kukri's bleeding effect never stopped once applied—not until healed.
That alone was enough to block his escape.
Right now, the continuous bleeding marked him as in an abnormal status.
His return stone wouldn't activate until he healed it.
So, keep disrupting him.
Prevent him from healing the bleed.
'Can't steal the secret map anymore anyway.'
With the security spell active, transfer was impossible, and so was forcing it away.
The only option left was killing him for a direct drop.
Of course, solo? No chance.
But I wasn't alone here.
'If I just buy time, we've got a shot.'
No more poison.
No more throwing daggers either.
But plenty of objects around to harass him with.
Parkour (Active)
Shadow Step activated!
Presence and footsteps reduced!
Balance heightened!
I hurled furniture and objects around the room, darting through the chaos.
Slash!
Every thrown piece split in two.
Drauder demonstrated monstrous strength swinging his greatsword one-handed while pulling out another potion with his free hand.
Desperate to heal the bleed somehow.
He was stubbornly trying to drink it.
Fat chance.
I pelted him relentlessly, even flinging floor debris.
Every attempt to sip the potion met interference.
His drinking animation canceled each time.
Grit!
His face hardened coldly.
Done holding back, perhaps.
Suddenly, Drauder stowed the potion and locked eyes on me.
"Damn, you're scary."
"So, I can't escape without killing you, huh? Fine then. I'll tear you to shreds until there's no corpse left!"
Killing intent surged from his entire body.
The whole room began to shake.
This pressure.
His aura alone crushed the space around him.
Dangerous.
If he came at me now, I'd be dead before I could struggle much.
But Luke wasn't afraid.
Instead, he smirked at his minimap.
'...Worth assassinating every last one on the way up.'
The top floor was completely empty now.
Why?
Because I'd killed every unit member guarding the rooms and halls.
In other words, it was just Drauder and me here.
What did that mean?
Simple.
The late arrivals could come straight here without any obstacles—a free pass.
Boom!
A deafening explosion.
The door shattered inward.
A blonde woman stepped into the room first.
Rookie ranking 1.
Incarnation of the undefeated.
Home to the first solo raid by a brawler.
Explosive Fist Master Roxy.
"......"
She turned her head straight to Luke the moment she entered.
Her eyes sparkled as she spoke.
"I've come to help."
Her voice sounded oddly excited.