Chapter 201
Chapter 201
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 201
Chapter Title: Great Library (1)
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“As expected.”
Rokan grinned savagely as he checked the two items that had entered his inventory.
In fact, there had been one more item.
[Orb of Corruption]
It was the Orb of Corruption. He’d been certain the moment he obtained the map marking the Corruption’s gathering place, but this sealed the deal beyond any doubt.
“Would you look at this bastard.”
The reason they’d possessed it became clear once he opened Luberon’s orders.
Inside were instructions to first gain Rokan’s trust, then sabotage the plan and lure him into a crushing defeat in a major battle.
And it explained why they had the Orb of Corruption, too.
“Trying to take me down with just five guys.”
There was also an order to kill Rokan at any opportunity, using the power of Corruption if necessary.
That wasn’t all. They’d clearly grasped the Visitor’s trait of respawning, as the orders detailed waiting at his respawn location to exploit the moment of vulnerability right after revival.
Sure, now that he’d hit Master level, his level wouldn’t drop no matter how many times he died, but they likely aimed to force item drops and stall his growth.
From Master level onward, gaining even a single level was brutally tough, so recovering from one death meant days or weeks of nonstop hunting.
‘They’re trying to break my momentum, too.’
He understood the intent, but that only made Rokan’s mood sour.
It was laughable that they’d dispatched a mere five Master-level knights to take him out, and unforgivable that they’d tried to screw him over with what amounted to a cheap guild trick.
On top of that, this wasn’t a chain of battles—it was a perfect moment when he’d been hunkering down on defense.
Rokan’s eyes gleamed with malice, and he immediately returned to the castle.
“Marquis, what about the knights who went with you…?”
“I gave them separate orders.”
A few raised brief questions when Rokan returned alone after summoning the five Master-level knights, but they dropped it at his response.
Rokan had led elite squads plenty of times before, and as field commander, he’d performed flawlessly so far—no one could pry or doubt.
“Selective assembly.”
Back in his personal tent, Rokan opened the unit management window and handpicked his personnel.
Including Talran and Delas, he selected a handful of High Masters and Masters, ordering them to assemble secretly at his tent.
“Let’s go.”
There was no long explanation. The fewer who knew, the easier it was to keep a secret.
Instead of random grunts, Rokan led a core group of Masters and High Masters onto a portable teleportation magic circle.
He first returned to Kazantia, then leaped straight for Luberon’s territory.
“H-Halt. Uh… what’s this about?”
They headed straight for the inner castle, where the gatekeeper knight blocked their path.
Unsure of the situation, but faced with a flood of fully armed troops, he had no choice but to stand his ground.
“We’re here to see Count Luberon.”
“Do you have an appointment? Just a moment…”
The knight rolled his eyes at Rokan’s reply. Had he received some prior warning?
As the knight reached for a device, Rokan sprang into action.
*Whish. Thwack!*
“Charge! Capture the traitor Luberon!”
Before the man could do anything, Rokan cleaved his skull in two.
The Masters and High Masters with Rokan finally grasped the situation, but none hesitated.
They didn’t slaughter Luberon’s soldiers and knights like Rokan did, but they had more than enough power to subdue them.
They surged into the inner castle, felling every soldier and knight they encountered.
“B-Block them!”
“Buy time, no matter what it takes!”
Luberon’s territory knights and soldiers, caught off guard by the Visitors, couldn’t mount any proper response.
At first, anyway—but at some point, they began resisting desperately.
They knew why Rokan was causing this chaos.
That realization made the knights’ attacks turn lethal instead of just subduing.
“Kai!”
*Screech!*
Rokan, who’d been watching the troops pour in like a tidal wave, targeted the lord’s office first.
He mounted Kai and soared into the air, then smashed through the top-floor window.
“Barrage!”
Troops had barricaded the window, anticipating an intrusion, but they were no match for Rokan.
He swept them away with Barrage and stormed inside, swinging his battle axe mercilessly.
He cleaved through anyone in his path—weapons and armor alike—searching for Lord Luberon.
“Eek, eeeeek!”
When Rokan finally faced him, Lord Luberon freaked out, eyes bulging as he rolled them around frantically, desperately seeking an escape while feigning ignorance.
“Marquis, what in the world is this?!”
Rustle.
No lengthy debate was needed.
Rokan pulled out [Luberon’s Orders], stamped with the man’s seal, from his inventory. Luberon sputtered his final excuse.
“I-I don’t know what that is, but it’s a misunderstanding! If you do this, His Imperial Majesty will…”
“His Imperial Majesty delegated full authority over this war to me. You tried to sabotage that—which means you’ve rebelled against him, doesn’t it? No need to report processing a traitor. Preemptive execution candidate. Handy term, isn’t it?”
“…Attack!”
Realizing no excuse would work, Lord Luberon ordered his guards to charge.
He’d sent five Master-level knights after Rokan and still had seven more under him. The depth befitting a powerful count’s house.
They unleashed their power in unison and lunged at Rokan.
“Still pretending. Berserk!”
Rokan unleashed his own power immediately.
The lord’s office didn’t have high ceilings, so Storm Incarnate was out.
Using it would force him to hunch over, limiting his power, and unless he wiped them out in one go and canceled the skill, catching any runners would be tricky.
But even without it, he was plenty strong. Bolstered by title effects and item buffs, Rokan’s raw strength could crush Master levels without Master skills.
“Rampaging Chariot.”
Rokan ignored them entirely, attempting a straight charge.
Exploding forward with the enhanced power of the Lion King’s Sealed Armguard, he bowled through the blockers like pins.
*Boom!*
That wasn’t all. A spellcaster Master with weak defense and health burst like a balloon, his slimy body disintegrating as blood sprayed everywhere.
“P-Please, spare my life at least…!”
Less than 30 seconds later, Rokan snatched the nape of Lord Luberon, who’d been using his men as a barricade to flee.
“I’ll talk! I’ll answer anything, so…!”
*Thwack!*
Cowardly or weak-willed? Whatever the case, Lord Luberon surrendered the instant he was caught—but Rokan didn’t stop. He split the man’s head open, not allowing so much as a drop of blood to flow.
“Lord…”
“Chains of Annihilation.”
*Thwack!*
His guards, who’d stepped up in his place to block Rokan, froze—but Rokan pressed on.
Anyone willing to defend him knowing full well was an accomplice, no question.
Even if they were loyal, persuasion wouldn’t work on that level of devotion.
The storm of chains battered and shattered them.
“The criminal Luberon is…”
“…Marquis.”
*Boom.*
Knights burst through the lord’s office door. But all they saw were cold corpses and steaming pools of blood.
“Search every inch.”
Rokan issued the order casually, then got to work. That was why he hadn’t cleared Luberon and his men’s bodies.
“Summon assistant, Soulmancer.”
Rokan kicked Luberon’s corpse over and activated his investigation squad bracelet.
The summoned assistant was a Soulmancer.
Grand name, but a mediocre class with weak offensive power.
That was only for combat, though—its utility skills told a different story.
“Use Spirit Speaking.”
“Yes. Spirit Speaking.”
Spirit Speaking—also called Ghost Speaking—was a technique to connect with and converse through a target’s soul.
It let you talk to dead NPCs or even players before revival. But it got interesting with NPCs.
[Soulmancer Haryakga connects with Luberon’s soul.]
[Luberon’s soul is subjugated by Soulmancer Haryakga.]
[While connected, Luberon’s soul will speak only the truth. Duration: 600 seconds.]
Once connected and subjugated, a faint, misty soul only Rokan and Haryakga could see appeared.
-N-No, how could I…
“Shut up.”
-Gasp!
Haryakga had subjugated the soul, but as his assistant, the authority transferred to Rokan automatically.
Luberon’s lips sealed shut at Rokan’s word, like they were glued. Satisfied, Rokan continued.
“Answer only what I ask. Who’s involved in this? Spill every name.”
-T-That’s…
Luberon hesitated briefly but soon spilled everything. Subjugated, his soul had no choice but to regurgitate the imprinted information, willing or not.
“I see.”
Rokan nodded as the list of fiends poured out. Most were exactly who he’d suspected.
It made sense, given Luberon’s ‘faction.’
He’d risen high on their backing—a count with influence rivaling most marquises.
“Then I’ll ask again. Where’d the ‘Orb of Corruption’ come from? What’s ‘your’ goal?”
-The Orb of Corruption came from the Corruption priests. And ‘our’ goal is to rule the world using Corruption’s power. Everyone rejects it, but properly harnessed, it’s a force that lets you control powerful monsters and conquer the world. It’s not…
Luberon’s soul spilled it all, resigned. Resistance only brought the agony of a wrung-out soul.
The first answer was vague—almost insultingly obvious. The second was just as Rokan had guessed.
Like how Emperor Kaisman had tried to manipulate the ancient emperor to elevate humanity and unify the world, there was a group aiming to conquer via controlled Corruption.
He already knew that.
“I see. Does Duke Hustape know about this?”
-No.
“…”