Chapter 131
Chapter 131
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 131
Chapter Title: Reunion After Thirty Years
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“Y-... you...”
Forgetting all about the battlefield, Luen stared at Woojin, her voice trembling.
“Long time no see.”
While riding on Pensir's back all the way to the Central Continent's border, Woojin had racked his brain for the perfect greeting. But in the end, faced with her right there, all he could manage was something plain and simple.
“What in the world happened?! You vanished just like that on the day Camilla went berserk... Do you have any idea how shocked everyone was?!”
Luen shouted at Woojin.
Shock had come first, then worry. Now, after all those emotions had swirled and settled, what remained was hatred directed at him.
“Out of nowhere...! You disappeared without a trace and scared us half to death!!!”
Thwack—!!!
A fist laced with sobs slammed into Woojin's chest.
“...Guh.”
For a split second, it felt like his breath had been cut off.
After thirty years, she had changed beyond compare from back then.
Feeling the gap between them anew, Woojin gripped her fist tightly—he couldn't afford to take another hit like that.
“Sorry.”
Confusion flickered across Luen's face at his reaction.
“Wh-what's wrong?”
“This isn't the time.”
Tzzzzz...
As the pouring lightning gradually faded, the remaining demons began closing in cautiously, on guard.
“S-sorry!!”
Luen yanked her hand free and snatched up her bow.
“We've got a lot to talk about, but let's clean this up first.”
Woojin slowly drew his sword as he eyed the demons, who weren't charging as recklessly as before—likely thanks to Pensir's lightning.
“I heard Irurin is setting up the magic circle to connect the continents? How much time left?”
“About an hour now.”
Woojin nodded at Luen's reply.
“I'll hold the front. Cover me.”
“A-are you sure? These aren't ordinary monsters. Each demonkin is on par with the Ratan that Khan fought.”
“It's fine.”
Unlike her worried expression, Woojin answered confidently.
“I've picked up a few things here myself.”
Fwoosh—!!!!
Woojin's form blurred and vanished.
“...!!”
Luen's eyes widened in surprise as she hurriedly chased after him.
Kaboom—!!!
Dodging the demonkin's attacks, Woojin swung his sword.
Thud...!
Crackle...!!
With every swing, arms and legs flew from the demonkin without resistance.
How...
Thirty years had passed, but Luen could hardly believe Woojin's growth.
To change this much...
His appearance was the same as before, but the swordsmanship he wielded now was utterly different.
Back then, Woojin's swordplay had been powerful but crude beyond measure.
It lacked finesse, failing to fully realize its potential strength.
But now, he was different.
What is that sword art...?
She found herself mesmerized, unable to tear her eyes away for a long moment.
“Luen!!!”
At Woojin's shout, Luen hurriedly nocked an arrow.
Screeeeech—!!!
An arrow so powerful it seemed to rip the air apart flew past Woojin.
[Keeeaak—!!!]
One shot pierced three demons and still had enough force left to embed itself in the ground, quivering.
Power Shot...?
A basic archer skill, nothing special.
But in her hands, it became something extraordinary.
Not to be outdone, Woojin laid his sword horizontally and assumed a stance.
Clink—.
He slid it back into the sheath,
then yanked it out with all his might, slashing sideways.
Martial Valor - First Sword.
The sword art Aswell had comprehended while hunting Fenrir, Breaking Army, consisted of five forms.
Woojin had compressed it down to three.
Thus, the first sword was born.
As he slashed, Woojin's body surged forward, and the demons in his path were neatly bisected.
Crack—.
When he halted after dashing several meters, a dull sound came from the wrist gripping his sword.
“...”
Woojin's cheek twitched.
A throbbing pain radiated from his wrist.
Cracked, huh.
Twisting it sent a sharp sting through him.
Behind him, five demonkin lay scattered in two pieces each.
“...My body can't keep up.”
Ironically, even though it was a sword art he had created himself, Woojin's flesh was still far too inadequate to wield it.
Well, the foundational sword arts of Martial Valor were born from the Sword Emperor's enlightenment, after all.
Aswell's techniques had been crafted to match his rigorously trained body.
Even when they met in the game, he was already over level 90, so at the time he devised the art, his prowess must have been even greater.
Naturally, the essence Woojin had distilled from it demanded even higher requirements.
-Don't worry!
As the flower crown on Setsuna's head glowed, the pain in his wrist vanished.
“Thanks. Looks like I need some fine-tuning. Mind helping me out a few more times?”
-Ugh... I meant don't go making situations where you need help!
Woojin chuckled at Setsuna's retort and began swinging at the demonkin.
[Kaaaaang—!!]
With Pensir joining the fray, Woojin quickly dispatched the oncoming demonkin.
Individually weaker than the elf forces, the demonkin had gained the upper hand through sheer numbers—but
Kraka-boom—!!!
Pensir's barrage of lightning and Setsuna's bullet hell rapidly thinned their ranks.
Stab—!!
By the time the last demon breathed its final breath,
Waaaaah—!!
Waaaaah—!!
The elf soldiers erupted in cheers as one.
And as if rewarding their victory, a dazzling golden wave began pouring from the distant magic circle.
Crackle...
Crrrackle...
The golden light emanating from the circle disrupted the barrier enveloping the Central Continent.
Soon, the pure white mist dividing the Central Continent from the Dark Forest began to dissipate under the light.
“Finally...”
Luen watched the vanishing mist with tension etched on her face.
Once the fog that had made the Dark Forest's edge look like a cliff cleared away, an astonishingly ordinary plain appeared in its place.
...So the Central Continent and Dark Forest were just one continuous landmass?
It was a shocking revelation.
Not just Woojin—the elves seemed to be learning this for the first time too, murmurs rising from all around.
“A nasty trick, wasn't it? They made dimensional gates to convince us the continents were split for good.”
A woman stepped forward before the murmuring elf army.
Shedding her rust-red robe that had covered her head, she looked at Woojin.
“How come you haven't aged? Lucky you.”
Unlike his own agonized deliberations over greetings, hers was pure her—no beating around the bush.
“Irurin.”
The little girl who hadn't even reached his chest was now eye-level with him.
Her youthful face had given way to wrinkles here and there.
But they weren't mere traces of time.
Her mana had deepened far more than the added lines suggested.
-Whoa—.
Setsuna's eyes widened in admiration of Irurin's achievements.
“How's the spot Camilla hit?”
She placed a hand on Woojin's cheek.
Thirty years had passed, yet she spoke of it as casually as if it had happened moments ago.
“You've grown a lot.”
“Heh.”
Irurin chuckled, stroking his cheek.
“That's a you kind of greeting.”
She was no longer the young girl Woojin remembered.
Nearing fifty, she gazed at him now with affectionate eyes.
“You look like time stood still... but it has caught up to you a bit, hasn't it, Khan?”
She glanced at Setsuna.
“You hatched the egg. Must not have been easy gathering the materials.”
“It was surprisingly simple. In my world.”
Woojin gave a wry smile.
Grrrrr...
Storm clouds began gathering like a monster's growl.
“We've got a lot to talk about. Questions to ask, stories to share.”
Woojin nodded.
On the day the severed continents rejoined,
they who had lived in their separate worlds finally met again.
“...A way back?”
The mage's tent was piled high with experimental tools and books, as expected.
“Yeah. Truth is, that's part of why I came here.”
Woojin suddenly wondered if speaking casually to Irurin—who was now older than him—was appropriate.
“You seem to already know, but Sarbandin and Camilla... their common trait is wielding a god's power.”
She guided him to the table.
“You'll probably need that power to send you back to your original world.”
“That's what I think too. Which is why I came to see Camilla.”
But at that moment, silence fell over the tent.
Irurin glanced at Luen beside her.
A look that said you tell him.
“...Khan, I'm sorry to say this, but...”
“What is it?”
“Camilla's gone now.”
“...What? What do you mean, gone? She was supposed to turn Ratan's lab into her turf.”
Luen couldn't hide her troubled expression at Woojin's urgent question.
“That was thirty years ago.”
She let out a low sigh.
“A lot happened while you were away. The demons overran the Central Continent and took the Dark Forest. We lost so much.”
He didn't need to ask further.
Camilla... was dead.
“Pensir was too young to fully awaken his powers.”
And Kelduan's egg hadn't even hatched yet.
“Is there any primal spirit left?”
Woojin asked them in a despairing voice.
“I'm sorry, but aside from Pensir, there are no living primal spirits in this world.”
The answer was worse than despair.
“We only learned today that Pensir was even alive. The continents have been cut off from the Central Continent and Dark Forest all this time...”
“So... no way back?”
“Not quite.”
Unlike Woojin's desperation, Irurin spoke calmly.
“You need power beyond mortals. And you already have someone who can wield it better than anyone.”
“...Me?”
Her finger pointed at Setsuna.
“I smell Camilla on her. Can't she use spirit powers?”
At Irurin's question, Woojin looked at Setsuna in surprise.
Sure enough, as she said, Setsuna could use spirit skills.
“She was made in our world, but born in yours, Khan. With her help... our worlds might connect.”
Gulp.
Woojin swallowed dryly, tension gripping him at Irurin's words.
“Connect the worlds...”
Hadn't he been tirelessly searching for a way in and out of this otherworld?
If she was right, he might never again fear sudden trips here or being trapped forever.
“How?”
“We'll figure it out starting now. Researching spirit powers isn't a one- or two-day job.”
“But... I have reasons to get back urgently.”
Woojin thought of Luen as he replied.
“Don't rush it. Your world's time probably flows differently from ours.”
Irurin remained composed.
“If it was faster, you wouldn't have arrived looking like that.”
As she said, only a few dozen days had passed in the game world, while thirty years had flown by here.
“How about this? I'll research a way to send you back starting now. In exchange... help us out in the meantime?”
“...Help you? With what?”
“Hmm... Saving the world?”
“Me? No way.”
“Right? So let's say it's half of that.”
Irurin grinned at Woojin.
“Save us.”
She meant it.