Chapter 155: Reward (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 155: Reward (1)
After achieving 7-star swordsmanship, 7-star magic, and 5-star spirit energy…
I was now on the verge of obtaining a body immune to all poisons. And that was before I had even consumed the Ten Thousand Poison Liquor.
‘When on earth are these guys going home?’
Two days had already passed since Jin, Veradin, and Dante left Samil. It seemed Veradin and Dante had no intention of letting Jin go.
“Don’t you think it’s about time we went our separate ways?”
“No way! It was a massive pain just finding you, and what happened after we found you was even worse. If you have any conscience at all, you’ll hang out with us for a few more days before you go.”
“Veradin’s right.”
“Aren’t you two the successors to your clans? Shouldn’t this be a time when you can’t afford to waste a single day?”
“Not really. My position in the family is so rock-solid that I’ll probably be the next patriarch even if I live like a bum. And Dante’s position is already set in stone. Do you have any idea how much Sir Ron Hairan dotes on him?”
Dante cleared his throat, looking embarrassed.
“Yeah, I know all that. But unlike you two, I’m in a position where I have to bust my ass. I need to rack up achievements while I’m still a reserve flagbearer.”
“You killed Kidad Hall not too long ago. I’d say that’s more than enough of an achievement.”
“I told you, I wasn’t the one who killed Kidad Hall.”
“Look at him, playing dumb again.”
“It seems Jin has circumstances he can’t explain, Veradin. We should stop asking about it,” Dante interjected.
“Seriously, you’re always drawing lines between us!”
“Have you ever considered that you two are the weird ones for not drawing any lines?”
“Besides,” Veradin continued, “Dante says your aura has already reached the 7-star level. Your achievements seem more than sufficient. You’re practically ready to become an official flagbearer right now.”
“But if he becomes a flagbearer now, won’t he have even less time to spend with us? Not that he spends much time with us as it is,” Dante added with a pout.
Over the past two days with Veradin and Dante, Jin had realized one thing.
No matter how the conversation went, the two of them had a strange talent for hearing only what they wanted to hear.
“Just because someone has 7-star aura doesn’t mean they automatically become a true 7-star knight. What matters is the swordsmanship.”
“I heard your swordsmanship is actually better than an average 7-star knight’s. Right, Dante?”
“Indeed. That was clear even back at the Arena. To be honest, I don’t even know why Jin is still a reserve flagbearer. Didn’t your third sister, Sir Mary Runcandel, become a flagbearer at nineteen as a 6-star?”
As Dante said, the children of Runcandel usually became flagbearers around the 6-star or 7-star level. It was common for pure-blooded Runcandels to experience their true growth after becoming flagbearers, as they began to learn the clan’s secret techniques one by one.
The secret techniques of Runcandel, known as the ‘Decisive Techniques,’ possessed a power unrivaled by any other martial house.
“I don’t have the same level of fame as my sister Mary yet. As a swordsman, the name Jin Gray is still unknown.”
In truth, he could build that kind of fame in just a few months if he put his mind to it.
However, Jin had to complete himself as a magic swordsman within the five years Cyron had given him. Since he couldn’t explain those circumstances to his two friends, he had to settle for a vague excuse.
“Oho, so that’s why you came to Samil. To spread the word that a young swordsman named Jin Gray survived the holy land of assassins.”
“Exactly.”
“Then how about I help you out?”
“What?”
“Who am I? I’m Veradin Zipple. Hehe. When I get back, I’ll have our family’s newsletters run articles about what happened here in Samil.”
“Then I shall help as well. I will make requests to the newsletters indebted to the Hairan Clan. You must want to become a flagbearer as soon as possible.”
“Forget it. Don’t you dare.”
When Jin flatly rejected them, the two immediately pulled out another card.
“Then how about this? Why don’t you just come on an adventure with us right now? Dante and I will hide our identities and act as your assistants. Like your porters, basically.”
“Oh! That is a magnificent idea. If the three of us join forces, we could crush almost any den of evil. If we credit all our accomplishments to Jin, his fame will skyrocket.”
“And every time we do, we’ll get articles published. ‘Jin Gray and His Porters Uphold Justice!’ Something like that for a headline.”
“In that case, we should start by finding a major villain!”
“There are villains everywhere! The Kings of Mamit, the Mad Dog of Western Viment Jack Glow, the remnants of the Dark Magic Association, the apostate knight of Vankella Hwirok, the Red Tiger Tribe’s assault captain Panta…”
“The thought of the three of us setting out on an adventure to strike down those wicked villains… My heart is already racing just thinking about it.”
Without even waiting for Jin’s opinion, the two raised their voices, getting lost in their wild imaginations.
‘They’re really something else.’
Jin was so dumbfounded he was speechless, but he couldn’t say he hated watching the two idiots.
‘Still, they’re naming villains who would be perfect for gaining experience. From my perspective, these are such old names that they were starting to fade from my memory.’
Most of the villains on Veradin’s list were of intermediate to high-level danger. They knew better than to mention the legendary monsters of the era that even the great powers wouldn’t dare touch, as they knew they couldn’t handle them yet.
Jin, who had been listening in silence, shook his head.
“You two are unbelievable. If a novel ever comes out about the three of us adventuring, be sure to let me know. I’ll buy it and read it.”
“Does that mean you won’t do it?”
“Of course not.”
“It’s an adventure! An adventure! Do you have no sense of romance?”
“My life is already full of more than enough romance and adventure.”
“Ugh…!”
“Jin, I cannot yield on this. I really want to do this!”
Jin swallowed a sigh.
The two had clung to him like this countless times over the past two days.
‘Once they get hooked on something, they never know when to give up.’
The fact that they had come all the way to Samil just to find him was proof enough.
Fortunately, Jin was gradually learning how to handle them.
“I understand how you feel, but it’s impossible right now.”
He intentionally emphasized the words ‘right now.’
“Right now?”
“Does that mean it will be possible later?”
They took the bait.
Jin smirked and met their eager eyes.
“Yeah. To be honest, I don’t hate the idea of hanging out with you guys. But I have my own situation to deal with, right? I actually have a prior engagement, so I have to get back quickly. I’ve already kept the person I’m meeting waiting for two days because of you two.”
Of course, there was no prior engagement. Only his comrades in Tikan were waiting for him.
“An engagement with who?”
“Asking that is crossing a line, Veradin. Respect my privacy. Anyway, let’s go on that adventure later.”
“When is later?”
“I’ll write to you.”
“Where?”
He felt like an uncle placating his nephews. But while children could be appeased with vague promises, these were nineteen-year-olds.
“Give me an address.”
Veradin immediately scribbled an address on a note and handed it over.
“It’s my villa. My family doesn’t monitor or interfere with anything that happens there.”
“I do not have such a villa, however.”
“If a letter comes from Jin, I’ll contact you too, Dante. Don’t worry. Since it’s come to this, let’s use this villa as our official hideout. I’ll give both your names to the butler so you can visit anytime without any trouble.”
Veradin’s villa was, surprisingly, located on a deserted island in the West Sea. He had intentionally purchased an island under the influence of the Secret Palace to avoid his family’s surveillance.
Even though his position as successor was stable, Veradin was still being watched by his brothers and other opposing factions. That must be why he had prepared such a secret space.
“Is it really okay for you to tell me this?”
“It’s not like you’re going to report me to my brothers. Just like I’m not going to report to your siblings that Jin Runcandel is hanging out with us.”
It was a subtle warning.
Jin shrugged and tucked the note into his coat.
“Well, that’s true. So, are we settled now? I really have to head back today.”
“Tell us where you’re going. I even gave you a hideout. Besides, this means Dante and I are ready to come running whenever you call.”
Veradin and Dante didn’t know that Jin was living in Tikan.
“You at least have some conscience. With the power of Zipple, it wouldn’t have been hard to find out where I live.”
“I’m well aware that the three of us shouldn’t be close. Especially you and me. The moment I use my family’s power to find information about you, I lose my autonomy. Then the pressure would start—either I’d be forbidden from seeing you, or I’d be ordered to fight and kill you if we met.”
“It is a regrettable reality… In truth, my grandfather doesn’t know I’m close with Jin, either. He only knows that I’ve made a friend whose name he doesn’t know.”
Seeing the two of them suddenly turn gloomy made Jin feel a twinge of guilt.
“When you put it like that, you make me feel bad. Fine. Before I go, I’ll buy you a beer to celebrate our new hideout.”
*
It was only after a long night of drinking that Jin was finally able to slip away and return to Tikan.
As always, his comrades in Tikan welcomed him warmly. However, Casimir, who had left for the Black Sea in response to Cyron’s summons, had not yet returned.
‘He must be having a rough time in the Black Sea. Knowing my father’s personality, he wouldn’t have provided a friendly guide or any other courtesies.’
Jin went to find Quicantel first.
This time, she was the one he had to thank before anyone else.
“Thank you, Lady Quicantel. Thanks to you, I returned safely.”
“What’s with the sudden formality? Did you accomplish something in Samil? Oh! That… that’s the Ten Thousand Poison Liquor!”
When Jin pulled the liquor from his robe to show her, Quicantel shot to her feet and shouted.
“I wanted to show it to you first before I drank it.”
“My goodness. How on earth did you get that? Even if they consider the Silver Dragon’s claw a sacred object, they wouldn’t have just handed it over, would they?”
While Jin explained in detail everything that had happened in Samil, Quicantel could only blink in amazement.
“The more I see of you, the more incredible you are. Not only did you get the Ten Thousand Poison Liquor, but you even played the current Nameless King… and earned a favor to borrow his strength once.”
“None of that would have been possible without your claw, Lady Quicantel. If I had gone empty-handed, I would have had to reveal all my hidden powers. Thanks to you, I avoided a very difficult situation.”
“Heh, enough with the thanks. It makes me proud. My hundred years were well spent.”
“A hundred years?”
“That’s how long it takes for the claw to grow back.”
“Ah…”
She had given it to him so casually that he hadn’t realized it was such a profound sacrifice.
But a claw was to a dragon what a finger was to a human. Quicantel had essentially sacrificed one of her fingers on the off chance that Jin might die.
“It’s a lifetime by human standards, but it’s not that long for a dragon. So don’t take it to heart. Now give me that liquor. I’ll refine it so you can absorb it faster.”
“You’ve sacrificed too much for me.”
“No. If it weren’t for you, Enya would have died long ago. Because of that, I’m the one who owes you a great debt. So stop making that sorry face, you brat.”
While Quicantel began handling the Ten Thousand Poison Liquor…
Jin wondered why, in this life, he was so loved.