Chapter 192

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Translator: Ryuma

Chapter: 192

Chapter Title: The Grave Robber's Tomb

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Kwaaaaa-!

Like tree branches torn away by a storm, everyone within range of the black wave burst apart.

The mansion had literally been cleaved in half.

No, at a time like this, even calling it cleaved in half wouldn't be appropriate.

It had vanished.

That was the right way to put it.

"Hah... huff..."

Marcelo's subordinates, stunned by the astonishing sight before their eyes, staggered backward in shock.

Flash-!

"Urgh..."

Splat-!

"Ugh..."

They were little more than stragglers, even if you gave them the benefit of the doubt.

And since they belonged to the cartel, Han Yeo-myeong cut down the remnants without mercy.

By the time the dust raised from the mansion's collapse had settled, everything was over.

"Let me go! Let go of me!"

"Shut your mouth, Marcelo. If you want to die a little faster, keep yapping for all I care."

Han Yeo-myeong had caught Marcelo, who had tried to slip away while everyone's attention was fixed on Karuna and the twins' clash. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

He had predicted the outcome before the fight even ended and attempted to flee.

But he got nabbed by the scruff of his neck by Han Yeo-myeong.

Even if it hadn't been Han Yeo-myeong, Kang Seol had already clocked his presence, so escape was never an option anyway. Marcelo's getaway had failed.

"You crazy bastards... You dare touch us? You're dead men walking now."

Han Yeo-myeong slammed Marcelo's face into the dirt and pried the item from his clenched grip.

"This rightfully belongs to me..."

"You damn bastard... You blew everything up over one little item?"

"One little item? No, this is payback for everything you've done."

Kang Seol glanced at Karuna, who seemed lost in lingering afterthoughts with no sign of snapping out of it anytime soon, then turned and approached Marcelo.

"...Hey."

"You... you!"

"You know something?"

"What... You mean the goats?"

"Yeah, those grass-munching pests who keep getting in the way."

"You think I'm gonna tell you?"

"Nope."

Marcelo's eyes darted around. After a brief silence, he spoke up.

"If... if I tell you everything, you'll let me live?"

Kang Seol replied calmly.

"As if."

"Ptoo! Then eat shit, you son of a—"

As Marcelo thrashed about and reached for a weapon in his pocket—

Slash-!

Han Yeo-myeong drew his sword and severed Marcelo's neck.

"The nerve of him..."

"Surprisingly resilient in some spots."

"He would've been executed by the cartel anyway if he'd survived this. He knew that better than anyone..."

Karen set Mari down from her back.

Swish...

"Ugh..."

Mari seemed to be stirring awake.

"Mari!"

Kang Seol pulled an antidote from his inventory and poured it into Mari's mouth.

"Ugh... It hurts..."

As Mari groaned in pain and showed signs of waking, Han Yeo-myeong supported her.

"Mari, you okay?"

"Too... loud... idiot."

Fortunately, her life wasn't in danger.

Kang Seol turned his careful gaze back to Karuna, who had just pulled off that shocking stunt.

'Something feels off...'

As if sensing his worry, Ur explained the situation from within the shadows.

- Relax. It's probably just the aftermath of smashing through that wall.

'Isn't it dangerous?'

- It could be. But it's unavoidable. When something suddenly fills an empty space, you're bound to freak out.

Ur seemed to have already realized that Karuna's sense of self was incomplete.

- I gauged it during the realm check. He felt like a stiff puppet on the outside, but inside it was churning. Completely tearing down the wall might change his personality a bit.

Kang Seol wasn't too worried about that part.

He wasn't going to turn into a rampaging Black Knight or anything.

And honestly, he hoped Karuna would return to normal, even if it meant that.

Whoooosh...

Contrary to Kang Seol's concerns, Karuna was in a remarkably serene state.

After unleashing his rage, he felt a profound sense of relief, almost exhilarating.

Absorbing the Black Knight wasn't exactly the wisest move.

It was like swallowing a lump of lead—increasing his weight without the ability to digest it, creating an imbalanced state.

And the massive rage now lodged in his heart would inevitably gnaw at him from within, given his muted emotions.

But fortunately, there was a wildcard.

Thanks to the Resonance ability Kang Seol had passed on, Karuna could feel his emotions too.

The gentle ripples of emotion from Kang Seol cooled the scorching rage and melted it away.

That refined fury exploded outward instead of imploding inside.

Without Resonance, problems would have arisen during this process.

Even seemingly trivial abilities have their uses.

Shrrrr...

The black wave that had obliterated the mansion began retracting toward Karuna.

Finally, the wall blocking the twin knights' realms crumbled.

Whooooosh-!

Karuna rippled with black waves.

He had always carried a heavy aura before, but now an overwhelmingly solid energy swirled around him, dense and flawless.

And that ripple extended to Karen as well.

"...Huh?"

She was suddenly engulfed in flames.

Messages piled up relentlessly.

- He finally broke through the wall.

As Karuna underwent his change, Karen followed suit.

Partly due to their linked souls, but truthfully, Karen had been ready even sooner than Karuna.

When she shook off Yog-Natoth's lingering afterimage in Yog-Natun, she might have ascended to an even higher realm.

But Karuna's own realm had held her back, and now that he had advanced a step, her grade rose smoothly as well.

Kang Seol skimmed past the intuitive abilities, focusing only on what mattered.

The viewers questioned the Great General path, but Kang Seol knew what it was.

An ability knight classes gained upon reaching ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a certain realm.

Similar to inclinations.

Like the Path of Divinity for heavy armor and shields, or the Path of Valor for two-handed greatswords.

'Does it get chosen naturally later?'

Just like Jamad gained Root Power upon becoming a Grand Sorcerer, they would acquire new abilities too.

'Hm?'

Finishing his check of the abilities, Kang Seol spotted something near Karuna.

'That's... the hourglass?'

The clock that had stolen time from Lunch and Dinner.

Now it was in Kang Seol's hands.

"It was a bit weird from the start."

A clock that devoured lifespan was eerie enough, but that wasn't all.

This clock didn't just drain life—it accelerated aging.

Meaning, using it might fast-forward the user's own time?

Amazing that a mere consumable could manipulate time like that.

Kang Seol gripped the clock.

Its surface was cracked.

"...What?"

Kang Seol pocketed it for now.

Ur stared at the clock he'd tucked away for a long while.

Thankfully, Mari recovered quickly.

She had recovery abilities, and the poison that had paralyzed her seemed like standard fare.

With the situation sorted, Kang Seol spoke to Han Yeo-myeong.

"Glad you're safe."

"...Thanks to you, bro."

"You feel a bit different, though."

"Huh?"

"In a good way."

"Oh... R-really?"

His aura and skill had changed drastically from before, so it wasn't strange for Kang Seol to say that.

'Felt it last time too, but he's grown a lot.'

Scratch scratch...

Han Yeo-myeong sheepishly scratched his head.

"Looks like you've been through some ordeals too."

Nod nod...

He acted like a kid proudly showing his test scores to his big brother home on leave from the army.

Kang Seol smiled at the sight.

"You've grown, at least. That's good."

Twitch... twitch...

Han Yeo-myeong couldn't control his grin.

Poke-!

"Ow!"

Mari jabbed his side.

"Yeo-myeong, you look like an idiot."

"Do I?"

Mari glanced at Kang Seol after saying that.

She seemed confused by the current situation.

That while she'd been out, Marcelo's gang had been wiped out and vanished from Azel Fog.

"Summoner... Summoner..."

"What's up, Mari?"

"He was a summoner?"

"Oh, you mean bro? Yeah. You read the letter from Noeul together, remember? Back when you said it was a lie that a transfer could clear the labyrinth."

"You mean the Penitent?"

"Yeah, that Penitent. Bro! Was that you?"

Nod.

Kang Seol nodded.

Mari's eyes widened at his reaction.

"D-did you really clear the labyrinth? How was it?"

"It was just..."

Mari peppered Kang Seol with questions, clinging to him.

"So what was your score exactly?"

Questions like that.

"11 million points? How did I miss it? How? How?!"

Mari nodded and said,

"I see... No wonder Yeo-myeong kept going on about 'bro this' and 'bro that'... Didn't know he had a bro like you."

Han Yeo-myeong asked Kang Seol,

"Did you happen to see me fight?"

"No, I didn't."

"...I see. You didn't."

Despair washed over his face.

He was visibly disappointed.

"But I can tell how much stronger you've gotten. Right, Karen?"

Karen, who had been ignoring the conversation while dealing with Coco, replied.

"Why do you keep clinging... Huh? Oh... yeah. He used to be sloppy. Fixed that soft side, I guess?"

"Heh, been through some rough stuff. Felt like his mind was weaker than his body..."

Images of Han Yeo-myeong's changed self flashed through Kang Seol's mind.

Ruthlessly cold demeanor, decisive actions.

'But the good parts are still there, so it's fine?'

Mari spoke up.

"Seol! What're your plans now? If you haven't picked an adventure yet..."

"I've got one set for the time being."

"Oh..."

Mari's shoulders slumped. She looked genuinely disappointed.

Kang Seol told Han Yeo-myeong they'd meet in Azel Fog after his current adventure and wrapped things up.

A few days later, Kang Seol awaited transfer.

It had been quite a while since he'd calmly anticipated an adventure's start like this. Until now, adventures rarely went as planned.

This was the first time since getting the compass from Lian that he was tackling a horse search.

A good start sets everything smoothly in motion.

Before the clash with Marcelo, he'd slipped out of the inn to preset his adventure.

"The arrow was pointing to Gorrun after all."

- Gorrun?

Ur voiced curiosity at the unfamiliar name.

Kang Seol brushed it off with a laugh.

Ziiiiing-

His body, wrapped in light, transferred to a damp cave.

Fwoosh...

Kang Seol lit his prepared torch.

He furrowed his brow.

'This place... brings back bad memories.'

This was the resting place of Gorrun, one of his horses—the grave robber.