Chapter 293
Chapter 293
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 293
Chapter Title: Same Time, Different Place (4)
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With a heartfelt, gentle smile and soft pat on the back, Harley created a warm atmosphere, nodding in satisfaction.
'I knew coming here was the right call. And this guy's got some real social savvy.'
His visit here was no accident.
No matter how much he'd been roaming the southern regions with spotty communication, his eyes and ears were already spread across the continent.
Naturally, he kept tabs on the Mercenary Guild's situation periodically.
'The south is mostly wrapped up now, perfect timing.'
Thanks to that, Harley had scheduled his visit without delay, allowing the guild to naturally sidestep the storm of chaos he would have otherwise brought in various ways.
Win-win, right?
'Good for both sides. Obviously.'
They'd avoided a disaster of destruction and bloodshed, and he spared himself unnecessary hassle.
It was a picture-perfect happy ending.
'Of course, they might try something sneaky behind the scenes, so I'll need to keep a steady watch.'
Better to prevent issues than clean up after they explode.
Imprinting a clear upper hand on them this time around wasn't a bad idea either.
"Hahaha! On a day like this, we gotta tear into some meat! It's on me today—let's all go grab a bite! Where's the best spot for it around here?"
Harley bellowed like a department head suggesting a team dinner for camaraderie.
Nothing beats sharing a meal to build bonds!
"Ahem."
"Well, that is..."
"We still have training today..."
"...I'm on a diet."
But as expected, the reactions weren't great.
The guild's upper echelons, Patrick aside, all wore burdened expressions, subtly averting their eyes like employees dying to clock out early.
It was obvious rejection, but Harley—who ignored others' vibes—slowly crossed his arms, furrowing his brow.
"Huh? No way—you're telling me you hate meat?"
His arm muscles twitched savagely, as if they were a separate beast displeased.
As if no such person could exist in this world.
Or as if he wouldn't tolerate it even if they did.
"...As if. I was just thinking of Drakal's best meat joint. Lucky for you, I recalled a place with top-quality cuts in huge portions. I'll guide you there."
"Heh, I felt bad eating without my subordinates anyway. I can just send them a few pigs to hunt."
"Ahem, hating meat means you're no warrior. Eating hearty is part of training..."
"Hohoho! Even for a healthy diet, you need meat now and then."
Boosted by Harley's mood-making prowess, the air warmed up again affably.
Nodding vigorously in approval, he strode confidently out of the guild building.
Patrick stuck right by his side, fawning nonstop, while the upper echelons trailed behind, exchanging wary glances and dragging their feet.
These top-tier continent powerhouses might look like they'd folded too easily from one meeting, but they had solid reasons for buckling.
'...Play it safe for now. There's still a chance. Even the Founding Mercenary King, who'd reached transcendence, fell in his final battle against the Immortal King. If this guy's the same..."
'This is hopeless. Craven's totally bought in. Time to switch sides?'
'What the fuck is that guy? Human? Wait, dragonkin? Feels like facing a colossal monster!'
'Tch, shoulda stayed away. Should've just sent some grunts... But a dragonkin who wiped out dragons? Just what kind of monster is the Immortal King?'
Harley was so accustomed to it now he didn't even notice, but ever since snatching the Seed of Madness from the revolutionary, he'd been steadily absorbing the madness spreading across the world.
It was the essence of profane power from the abyss, akin to the Immortal Heart at the core of Immortal King Hans.
No matter that madness was a lower order than death, it was still a force no living being could handle lightly.
No wonder the perceptive powerhouses were overreacting.
"Buddy! You said you'd show me a good spot—lead the way!"
"Ah—yes. This way, please."
In simple terms, these veterans who'd survived the brutal mercenary world long enough to reach their level prioritized survival instinct over pride or rivalry.
"Whoops! Forgot to grab my coin purse! What now..."
"...I'll cover it today. Meeting Harley, hero of the mercenaries, is honor enough."
"Oho! This guy's got the right spirit! Let's stay buddies from now on! Hahaha!"
"Ha, haha..."
They couldn't even protest the man they'd dismissed as a barbarian moments ago, managing only awkward laughs.
That day, Drakal's meat specialist 'Ogre's Table' hit record sales, selling out every cut.
And Craven, the aspiring Mercenary King, clutched a bill for an exorbitant meal unfit for one sitting, eyes tightly shut.
Still, he rationalized it as a bargain.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ A space brimming with fresh air.
The crisp energy around it swirled violently.
Whoooosh—
Yet at the eye of the storm, the figure remained utterly still, eyes half-lidded in deep focus.
Unlike the raging outside, his golden hair swayed gently like in a breeze, emerald irises and golden pupils half-veiled by long lashes, skin smooth and luminous as white jade.
These features harmonized perfectly, like a master's careful sculpture, amplifying his ethereal presence.
Then, in an instant.
As the enveloping storm halted, his long ears twitched several times.
His eyelids slowly lifted fully, revealing star-shaped pupils sharply.
"...It's done."
A drowsy whisper escaped—he, High Elf Harris Grandwood of the Elven Kingdom, with lips slightly upturned.
Gazing at the entity floating before him.
Splash—splish—
Each twist of the amorphous blue form yielded clear water sounds.
Harris admired it briefly, then slowly extended a hand.
After contact and communion...
"...From today, you're 'Liter'."
He smiled softly at the water stream coiling serpent-like up his arm across his body.
This marked his third contract since returning from the Kanghwan Realm—or seventh including priors—thoroughly satisfying.
'Talk about reliable effects.'
The unexpected gains, Infinite Eight Trigrams Secret Art (Revised) and Natural Body, vastly boosted his affinity for nature.
Even High Elves had preferred elements per individual, but the harmony-seeking art freed him from such limits.
'The aggressive tendencies from the Kanghwan Realm side effect vanished cleanly upon return to Outerica... Though things got even more annoying somehow.'
A necessary trade-off for deeper nature assimilation.
Thus, he could now wield lightning spirit Watt, fire spirit Kali, wind spirit Pascal, sound spirit Decibel—
plus earth spirit Hector, light spirit Lumen, water spirit Liter.
An all-weather spirit user reborn.
'The new ones grow fast too. They evolved to low-grade on contract, and first-contracted Hector's nearing high-grade already.'
Normally, spirits and users grew together, but exceptions ruled now.
He was an irregularity himself, so no surprise.
"...You really pulled it off again. What did you even do to make this possible?"
As Harris basked in quiet感慨, an admiring woman's voice came from behind.
There, blue-eyed, blue-haired elf girl Sapphiron squatted on the ground, clutching a basket woven from branches.
"Hm, something like gaining insight... Hard to explain. I just kinda stumbled into it."
"...The world's so unfair..."
She pouted at the vague reply, muttering complaints.
When Harris first arrived at the Elven Kingdom, he'd handled just one lowest-grade lightning spirit—an entry-level spirit user.
Sapphiron had been top student, commanding mid-grade spirits.
'And now...'
His spirits evolved repeatedly like they'd eaten something special, and he'd bonded extras: fire, wind, sound.
Even her father Rafolio managed only three elements like typical High Elves!
'Seven now.'
The current queen with five was rare; seven was unprecedented.
And he showed no signs of stopping!
'I'm still stuck on one high-grade...'
At her age, high-grade mastery alone screamed genius.
Forest Keepers, the next tier up, proved it.
Single element was a flaw, but she'd qualify as elite post-graduation.
'...So what.'
It didn't satisfy her.
Her new benchmark was overwhelmingly superior, making it feel lacking.
Especially since she'd once seen him as a rival.
'Can I really become a true High Elf?'
A sigh slipped out unwittingly.
As Sapphiron slumped in self-pity...
Tap.
A hand softly landed on her head.
Startled, she whipped her head up, blinking at Harris averting his gaze.
She hadn't expected him—the one who rarely approached others, spending most time listlessly—to act this way.
But Harris felt more awkward.
'...What do I even say?'
He'd stepped in lightly, pitying her dejection versus his outlier self, but his life lacked practice comforting others.
What good was empty encouragement now?
'Wait, I heard girls hate head pats.'
After freezing wordlessly a bit.
Recalling some hearsay, he realized his mistake and yanked his hand away.
Awkwardly raised hand, wandering eyes, strained smile to escape the moment.
Not the untouchable absolute, but a clumsy young man bad at people.
"Pfft!"
Sapphiron, squatting and staring up, burst into unintended laughter.
'...He looks kinda dumb now.'
Somehow, endless moping felt pointless.
It didn't solve her worries, but her heart lightened anyway.
She wriggled, set the hugged basket aside, and looked back at Harris.
"...Brought snacks. Want some?"
"...Sure."
Truth be told, she was just as bad at people.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ A deserted mountain range.
Crack.
An alien noise leaked from somewhere.
Its source: a thin rift in empty air.
It widened gradually with small pops—
Crackle!
Then shattered partly, forming a small hole in the void.
From there, the rift ballooned rapidly.
Sizzlecrack—
But soon, it paused mid-expansion and halted.
Bzzz—
Then, under some external force, it began shrinking slowly.
Space restored like patching a live bug: fine cracks vanished, thick lines faded.
Only a coin-sized hole remained at center.
Even that filled from edges, diminishing.
In that moment—
"...A shame. A bit short."
A voice drifted from beyond.
Blurred yet sharp, sturdy yet frail—an elusive man's timbre.
"Still..."
It echoed as the hole shrank to pinhole.
"This is the last."
With those final words, the rift sealed fully, silence reigning.
The wilds grew still, as if nothing happened.
—The calm before the storm was ending.