Chapter 331
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 331
Chapter Title: This Bastard?
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“Wow……”
When they decided to accept the Utopia Guild’s invitation, the first thing Rose and Rimon did was select their companions.
The more companions they had, the better their chances of tracking down the seven-colored bird.
But they couldn’t just drag along their entire tribe, either.
So, they chose two: Shu, the Masai tribe’s healer, and the Lukuma tribe chief.
They were the most reliable options—personality-wise and skill-wise—for investigative work.
Yet, the very people they trusted were proving utterly useless at the search.
“Hey, have you ever seen anything like this before?”
“……As if.”
In response to Shu’s half-dazed question, the Lukuma chief answered with a blank expression.
Was it because the banquet hall prepared by Utopia Guild was so extravagant?
That was part of it, sure.
The venue, which used the entire garden of an impossibly grand mansion, was lavish enough to overwhelm even the Lukuma chief, who’d lived quite luxuriously himself.
But what truly left them dumbfounded wasn’t the venue itself—it was what filled it.
“My god, all of those are summons……”
Griffins.
Wyverns.
Manticore.
Cerberus.
Cyclops.
Spirit Wolves.
Blade Rabbits.
Twin-Headed Bears, and more……
The vast banquet hall brimmed with all manner of summons: some carrying trays, others spewing water or fire to mimic fountains.
A rough count put them at least in the thousands.
Every one a high-level monster over level 60.
Shu asked with a queasy look as she stared at the monstrous army.
“How much would that be worth in money?”
“Don’t know. Don’t ask. It’s scary……”
The Lukuma chief shuddered.
High-level monsters had abysmal taming or summoning success rates, so even the cheapest one here was worth tens of billions without breaking a sweat.
And considering most summons rivaled players of the same level in power?
Just thinking about it made her dizzy.
The good news was they weren’t the only ones frozen stiff.
The heads of Africa’s top military regimes couldn’t hide their own stunned faces.
‘As expected of a former top guild…’
‘Even if dozens of warlords teamed up, they couldn’t win against this.’
‘No wonder only the Paradise King can stand against Africa’s tyrant.’
The attendees swallowed hard.
Not just the ambitious warlords eyeing hegemony.
Even those agonizing over how to fend off Egypt’s invasion.
Before this overwhelming army of summons, everyone was powerless.
If Utopia’s goal was to crush spirits through a show of force, it was a resounding success.
“What are you guys doing?”
“Mommy!”
“Gah!”
That’s why Shu and the Lukuma chief nearly jumped out of their skins at the voice from behind.
“……Why the freakout? You’re embarrassing the guy who called you.”
“Oh, it’s Rimon?”
“You can’t just sneak up and talk to people like that.”
“If you’ve got complaints, grow eyes in the back of your head.”
The blond, tanned young man.
Seeing Rimon, Shu and the Lukuma chief looked sheepish.
They’d been too busy gawking at the summons to do their actual job.
“Sorry for spacing out. We’ll look into the seven-colored bird right away, so just give us a bit—”
“No need.”
“Huh…… No need? You’re not seriously sending us back just for getting distracted for a minute, are you?”
“I mean it. No need.”
“……?”
Rose, who had appeared with Rimon, gave a calm answer to the baffled pair.
“We found the seven-colored bird.”
“What?”
“You’re serious?”
Their eyes widened.
They knew how much effort Rimon and Rose had poured into the search.
And how fruitless it had been so far.
So, it was hard to believe.
“Well, technically, we know where it is.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Earlier, I met the vice guild master here, and she said she’d seen it at someone’s house.”
“The vice guild master? You mean you met Namim?!”
“Why are you acting like a fangirl who just spotted her favorite idol?”
“Because I am a fan!”
“……Oh. Right.”
Rimon felt awkward seeing Shu’s sparkling eyes.
Players idolizing high-level ones wasn’t rare, but still—depending on who.
He hadn’t expected fans for Namim, whose face screamed ‘tired, annoyed.’
The Lukuma chief, meanwhile, focused on the info itself.
“Either way, that’s great. If we know who owns it, we can just negotiate directly—no more wandering around.”
“……Yeah, pretty much.”
“What’s with the tone?”
The chief was puzzled.
It was good news, after all.
But Rose’s reaction was oddly hesitant.
And Rimon, though not as much, clicked his tongue like it was a headache.
“The problem’s the guy.”
“Some military head? Even then, most people we can handle……”
“What if it’s not most people?”
“Pardon?”
Before he could process it—
Whoosh!
A shadow blanketed the sky.
The wind whipped up.
And in the center of the banquet hall, a massive bizarre bird crashed down, followed by a booming shout.
“Garuda, what the hell are we gonna do about this! The banquet’s already started! This is all your fault!”
Kreeek!
“What’s innocent about it? If your master’s got important business, it’s obvious you wake her up on time—even if she’s napping!”
Kreeee.
As everyone gawked at the man arguing with the monster bird from its back—
Someone strode right up to it.
“Guild master, get down.”
“Huh, vice? What brings you here? I told you to come to the party, but you said it was too much hassle!”
Namim didn’t reply.
Her sleepy face gone, eyes blazing, she repeated herself.
“Get. Down. Now.”
“Why so cute when you’re mad? I’ll get down, I’ll get down.”
Like flaunting his level 100 prowess—
The man leaped off the bird’s back in one bound, landing before Namim.
Wham!
“Kyaa!”
He clutched his shin, rolling on the ground.
She’d kicked him full force.
Her high heel snapped clean off, but Namim didn’t care.
She kicked off the other one and slammed it into his head.
Splat!
“I’m done. Handle the rest yourself.”
Like she was washing her hands of it—
She left the writhing man behind and strode barefoot out of the hall.
As the others watched with jaws dropped—
The man staggered to his feet.
“Ow ow, guess she snapped ‘cause of the unscheduled overtime…… Gotta give her a nice long vacation.”
He glanced around.
At the attendees staring at him, he grinned.
“Anyone not know who I am?”
His booming voice echoed.
The attendees awkwardly shook their heads.
Only one person could take a strike from a top-tier player that would kill an ordinary man and still be ‘relatively’ fine.
“Good, makes it simple. Skip the intros and greetings—straight to the point.”
Since he was late anyway—
No time for formalities.
His face turned serious.
“You all know about the conquest war up north. And you’re all wondering what to do next.”
The attendees’ faces grew grim.
Africa had started with 392 nations; now, fewer than 270 remained.
Over 100 conquered since Egypt’s war began.
Some fell to infighting or absorption, but most to Egyptian forces.
“I hosted this banquet to form an alliance against Egypt.”
That’s why—
Every face changed at his words.
“You mean as equals, not vassals?”
“Yep.”
“Any conditions……?”
“Conditions between allies? If anything, just unite to fight Egypt.”
“……!”
“Call it the Continental Alliance.”
The crowd buzzed.
No one was surprised; rumors of Utopia’s grand coalition had circulated.
But Utopia—one of Africa’s two superpowers—treating them as equals? That was unexpected.
The terms were so good, it sparked suspicions.
“Well, if we beat Egypt, we get first dibs on the spoils. Fair enough, right?”
As if sensing their unease—
His addendum eased their doubts.
Egypt beaten, Utopia would rule Africa anyway.
To maximize allies, generous terms made sense.
“Some of you might need time to think, heads spinning from this sudden talk. We’ll continue tomorrow.”
No pressure.
He grinned.
“So tonight, eat, drink, and party!”
Enjoy the banquet as one.
With a hearty declaration, he called a Snake Monkey with a tray and grabbed a wine glass.
Others edged closer.
Alliance or not—
Schmoozing him wasn’t an everyday chance.
But their plans fizzled before starting.
He ignored everyone, heading straight one way.
Toward a group chatting at a table.
“Well now, where’d such a pretty young lady come from?”
“……”
“Bet you’d be even prettier without the mask. No intention of showing that flower-like face to a passionate gentleman like me?”
Striking a pose.
Flashing a suave smile.
This level 100 player, infamous for over 50 wives.
The owner of the seven-colored bird they sought.
Summon Lord Branga chuckled, oblivious to the high heel still stuck in his head.
Rose could only wear an indescribable expression.