Chapter 96
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: Counterattack
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Soryujang.
Its only distinguishing feature was its unusually high walls.
Otherwise, it was an unremarkable, ordinary, small-to-medium-sized estate, no different from any other.
...Or so it appeared on the surface.
"For mere bandits, they're quite brazen, using a proper estate as a secret base."
"Even bandits are nobles, after all."
But appearances could be deceiving.
That ordinary estate was, in fact, the base of the Rogue Aristocrat Alliance.
It was the estate of a mid-level noble, an executive within the Alliance, and a sanctuary that bound the other rogue nobles together.
In the days of the old kingdom, it would have been called a pirate island or a mountain fortress.
This was all the more evident from the dozens of bandits perched atop every wall, their eyes wide as they scanned the surroundings.
"To think they'd come all the way out to the middle of the Labyrinth, not even sticking to the Deformed City or a satellite station. They look like a bunch of frightened horned rabbits."
"Well, that's because the Young Master thrashed them so thoroughly..."
Naru pointed out wryly to Parsha, who was lying prone in the wasteland with Dion, observing Soryujang.
Indeed, the reason Soryujang was teeming with so many bandits was due to their intense fear of Dion's raids.
Normally, they wouldn't have packed the estate so blatantly with a band of thieves.
"So, we don't know the number of rogue nobles in there, is that right?"
"Correct. Several nearby families have vanished, so we estimate there are at least three or four... but..."
"If they came on low-grade Divine Beasts, they could have joined up even in the middle of the Labyrinth."
"Which means, in the worst-case scenario, there could be more than ten families gathered here."
"Th-that's unlikely. The Lord of Soryujang isn't the only rogue lord; they must have scattered."
"Spouting unconfirmed speculation as if it were intelligence... it just goes to show how garbage the Guild's information network is."
"Ugh..."
"Don't be so hard on him, Parsha. My slaves don't have any information either."
Dion let out a soft chuckle.
In truth, Soryujang's security was ironclad.
Even the spy slaves who had luckily managed to enter Soryujang as members of the bandit group were too busy with guard duty.
Perhaps they couldn't gather information.
Or perhaps they couldn't send it.
Either way, they had failed to relay any significant intelligence by the time Dion arrived right at their doorstep.
Even with the Guild's eyes and ears everywhere, it was bound to be difficult to dig up internal information on Soryujang.
"A frontal assault seems difficult, for now."
"I agree, it would be reckless."
"Even with the most conservative estimate of Soryujang's forces, there must be over twenty high-ranking Awakened Ones."
"Kael, son of Chavera, believes that knowing when to retreat is also a mark of a great commander."
The group was unanimous in their opposition.
Attacking the three scattered families had been easy.
In contrast, striking the three families united under House Rembhai had been a gamble, even with detailed intelligence and preparation.
They had prepared several backup plans and retreat routes in case things went wrong.
To fight Soryujang without even knowing how many were inside?
For their group of only seven, excluding the packhorses, it was a perfect suicide mission.
And so, after careful consideration.
Dion made his decision.
"Hmm, since it's come to this, we have no choice."
"...?"
"We'll infiltrate."
"...You're saying you'll sneak in there? A place with hundreds of lookouts?"
"That's exactly why."
Smiling brightly at his companions, who were looking at him as if he'd finally lost his mind.
Dion gazed meaningfully at the numerous bandits glaring down from the walls.
"Think about it. Those bandits aren't originally residents of this estate, are they? At the end of the day, they're outsiders."
"Are you suggesting it's so chaotic that one or two more outsiders wouldn't be noticed?"
"The denser the forest, the easier it is to hunt in secret. And if other nobles have come to stay, it'll be even more so."
"That's..."
Naru's eyes drifted into the distance.
An estate of that size could normally accommodate a few hundred people at most.
But what if such a small estate was now housing hundreds of lawless bandits, in addition to outside nobles?
Soryujang would be in a state of pandemonium.
It would be more chaotic than a construction site swarming with low-class laborers.
There was just one problem.
What would they do once they got inside?
"—So, are you saying you'll sneak in and try to assassinate the Lord of Soryujang?"
"...!"
Assassination.
To be honest.
In this situation, it was the most efficient and plausible method.
Killing the Lord of Soryujang alone would be enough to shake the Rogue Aristocrat Alliance, and they wouldn't have to fight every single rogue noble in the estate.
The problem was that it was just as difficult as it was effective, and the risks were enormous...
"No, there's no need for that."
"...Did you say there's no need?"
"Of course. We're not Cheonbyeonmanhwa. Why would we do something so reckless?"
"..."
Even Cheonbyeonmanhwa, the Deformed City's greatest assassin, would refuse an assassination request in this situation.
There was no reason to do something so foolish.
Dion stated calmly, adding one more thing.
"Most importantly, our targets aren't the rogue nobles."
"...?"
"—It's the bandits."
***
Limbs.
In Odobaekryeong.
It was a very common term.
Especially for nobles who commanded many residents and servants.
No matter how capable a high-ranking Awakened One each noble was, a match for a hundred men.
It was impossible to do everything alone, so they had no choice but to employ many people.
For commoners who could die at any moment, becoming a noble's limb was the greatest opportunity, a symbol of success.
But that was only from the perspective of a lowly commoner.
To a noble, a limb was a tool that could be replaced no matter how many were consumed.
They were nothing more than disposable parts.
But even if they were mere consumables...
No, precisely because they were consumables, their absence was felt most desperately when they were scarce.
Bandits were a dime a dozen in this Deformed City, but that was only under normal circumstances.
The Rogue Aristocrat Alliance may be a powerful organization, but what if the bandit groups they worked with, and even those called to defend their base, were all crushed?
Even common bandits would start avoiding the Alliance, and the rogue nobles would suffer a more fatal blow than ever before.
From that perspective.
Instead of targeting the rogue nobles.
He would crush the bandit groups under their command.
Dion's plan was one that struck at the Alliance's weak point.
Moreover, since most of the bandit groups were an undisciplined rabble with no training, it would be an exceedingly easy task.
*Crack.*
"...?"
*Thrust!*
"Guh!"
Dion and Parsha.
That was why the two of them had infiltrated Soryujang alone.
Not only were they the only ones who could handle chakra and thus slip past the eyes of numerous lookouts.
But against mere bandits, master and servant were more than enough.
"Just as I thought. This is even sloppier than I expected."
Indeed, as he approached the bandits roaming inside Soryujang from behind.
Breaking their necks with his steel gauntlets.
And plunging a knife into the nape of their necks.
Dion handled the entire process cleanly, without a sound, and muttered leisurely.
Parsha spoke coldly.
"Do not let your guard down. No matter how sloppy they are, if we are discovered, it's all over."
"Oh, come on, it's not the end of the world. We can just turn tail and run."
"To speak so lightly of being chased by dozens of high-ranking Awakened Ones in the middle of the Labyrinth... your fool... your astounding audacity is truly admirable."
"I've always had a lot of nerve."
Dion took out some mana stone powder.
He dipped his finger in it, drew a magic circle on the wall, and then embedded a large mana stone in its center.
He had already drawn a dozen such magic circles covertly within Soryujang.
Perhaps because they were drawn in a hurry.
Their power wasn't that great.
And even though they were only installed on the outer walls.
If ten magic circles were activated simultaneously, the destructive force would be terrifying.
It might not be enough to reach the inner quarters where the nobles were, but it was more than sufficient to blow away the hundred or so bandits standing guard in the outer sections.
"It would be nice if we could install a few in the inner quarters too."
"If you don't wish for others to say you have a death... wish, please restrain yourself."
"It's fine. You're the only one who says things like that to me, Parsha."
"Everyone else is thinking it, even if they don't say it."
"Hmm, maybe I should restrain myself then?"
*Pfft.*
Dion let out a chuckle.
His high-level bandit class, 【Rogue】, was already at the [Expert] level.
With a little more growth, he would reach Lv10, the [Master] stage. He was confident he could venture deeper without being caught.
In his second life, he had even infiltrated the Baekdaesega.
But Dion readily accepted Parsha's advice.
It wasn't just because the goal of this plan was the bandit groups, meaning there was no need to push their luck.
It was because he knew The Voice would have said the exact same thing as Parsha.
"Alright, let's just set up a few more magic circles and head back."
[A regrettable sentiment.]
"...!"
*Fwoosh!*
In that instant, Dion and Parsha moved reflexively.
Each drew their sword.
And clenched their steel gauntlets.
The time it took for them to get back-to-back and scan their surroundings was but a fraction of a second.
It was a response so swift that even a high-ranking Awakened One would have been speechless with admiration.
But after that initial reaction, the two of them could take no further action.
As chakra users, the most subtle and sensitive of all supernatural abilities, they had heightened all their senses, yet.
They could not feel the presence of anyone else nearby.
Only a single voice echoed quietly.
[Though I did not extend an invitation, it would not do for a guest to depart without seeing the host's face.]
"I'd love to stay longer, but the hospitality seems a bit lacking."
[You need not worry on that account. From this moment on, I shall entertain you to your heart's content.]
It was right after that.
A massive change engulfed Soryujang.
*Rumble, rumble, rumble.*
"Wh-what's that?"
"What's happening?!"
The walls crumbled.
The ceilings cracked.
Hallways connected one after another.
It was a sight so surreal it made one doubt reality, reminiscent of the Labyrinth's encroachment during a dungeon break.
But they knew.
This was no illusion, no hallucination.
It wasn't just because of the sight and sound of the bandits, who were thrown into confusion by the sudden change.
The red energy that filled the entirety of Soryujang along with that change.
A cursed power so thick it seemed ready to drip blood, and a spine-chilling sensation.
It was clearer than any evidence that this was reality.
"Allow me to introduce myself properly."
And there, at the center of the now wide-open Soryujang.
At the end of a long, long corridor, upon a high dais, he was seated.
Sitting on a throne carved from stone.
With eyes as large as saucers.
Looking down upon them.
Drool dripped from a mouth filled with massive fangs.
A gigantic figure, nearly five meters tall, draped in a magnificent robe embroidered with gold thread.
A two-headed troll.
"We are Lar Arga."
"...!"
"—The master of this small organization called the Rogue Aristocrat Alliance."
"And also, a starving... hunter."
Name: Lar Arga.
Race: Twin-Headed Troll.
Title: [Lord of the Rogue Aristocrat Alliance (False)], [Lord of the Strange Rock Fortress]
Class:
【Rune Master】☆☆☆☆ LV7
【Barbarian】☆☆☆ LV10
【Gourmand】☆☆ LV10
【Scholar】☆☆ LV7
【Brawler】☆ LV10
Trait: 【Two Heads, One Body (SR)】, 【Super Regeneration (SR)】, 【Herculean Strength (R)】, 【Cold Heart (R)】, 【Tough Body (Un)】, 【Gluttony (N)】...
The Lord of the Rogue Aristocrat Alliance.
A high noble, a Twin-Headed Troll.
As he looked at the [Expert]-level super-Awakened One who was openly radiating killing intent towards them.
Dion muttered unconsciously.
"Ah, we're screwed."