Chapter 200
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 200
Chapter Title: Cannon Fire Showdown
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Karen and Kang Seol stood calmly, utterly unfazed, even as they faced down the cannon barrel and muzzle.
The Ghost Swordsman Han Yeo-myeong took a step back and sheathed his blade.
"G-Ghost Swordsman... do you know that knight?"
Han Yeo-myeong glanced blankly at Bren before replying.
"Yes, Sir Bren. We're acquainted."
"Oh... so you're here to help us?"
"Well... yes."
Kang Seol hadn't come here specifically to aid Bren, but the outcome would end up helping him anyway, so it wasn't entirely untrue.
"Then... with that knight's help, can we take down Kaio?"
"...We?"
"Come on! We need intel before making a call! Ralsa says the scanner just had to crap out right now..."
Han Yeo-myeong understood what Bren meant.
'He's thinking of retreating and leaving just Brother Seol behind if things go south.'
It was disappointing from a human standpoint, but as a commander, it made perfect sense.
"You'll see soon enough."
"What do you mean by that!"
"Just stay back quietly."
"......"
Currently, on the rooftop of the fortress building, Kaio's gang was locked in a standoff with Kang Seol's group.
Karen held the center, with Kang Seol right behind her, while the others were pushed to the edges.
Kaio spoke up.
"Who's the transfer? Haven't seen him around here... anyone know this punk?"
"No clue."
"Got some guts, huh?"
"Pfft... everyone's got confidence until their body's full of holes."
"Fair point."
"Then..."
Bang!
The shot fired without warning, in an instant.
Kaio had zero hesitation when it came to killing.
This ammo, made with a special compound, had easily pierced knights' armor before—unlike arrows.
Kaio figured it would punch a nice hole through the red knight's plate.
But.
Shing...
The moment Karen drew her sword, everyone's faces changed.
They could see the entire blade, from base to tip.
A sensation like time itself was slowing.
'What kind of aura...'
And then another massive surge of energy.
The knight he'd dismissed as weaker exploded with a totally different presence the instant she unsheathed.
And moreover.
Swooooosh...
That chilling sound sent shivers down spines.
The motion producing it was even harder to believe.
The bullet was perfectly bisected by her sword.
'Insane!'
Bouncing bullets off a blade was something any powerhouse could attempt, like Han Yeo-myeong. But this woman's skill was on another level—no one could dream of imitating it.
Shing!
Shiiiing...
Kaio's gang drew their main weapons. Against a master, muskets were useless without the right skills; their blades were what had gotten them this far.
Sssshhh...
Of course, they'd still use what they'd prepped.
Whoosh...
Kaio's crew leaped off the rooftop.
At the same time, from a blind spot invisible to Kang Seol's position, three cannons roared to life.
Kaboom!
Since it was a blind angle, the shells wouldn't hit Kang Seol's group directly.
But they could collapse the entire building.
'Aiming for us mid-fall... in that case...'
Kang Seol had already processed this before the shells arrived. He bolted forward like lightning.
Toward the incoming cannonballs.
Bren shouted.
"J-Jump down!"
"You'll die!"
Easier said than done—jumping from here would shatter legs or worse.
Bren himself just yelled, hesitating to leap.
That brief hesitation saved them from major injury.
Kabooooom!
Kaboom!
Boom!
The chain of explosions rang out a bit away from the building.
The last thing Bren saw was the mysterious young man charging toward the cannons.
In other words, he'd probably tanked the blasts alone.
"Urgh..."
Transfers were a pain, but sometimes useful. Bren was moved by the youth's sacrifice.
The man, likely shredded and gone with the cannon fire.
Bren's nose tingled uncharacteristically as he told Ralsa,
"Remember that young man's name, Ralsa..."
"Pardon? We don't even know it yet."
"Not in the mood for jokes."
"Sir Bren, look over there. He doesn't seem dead."
"What?"
From the crimson inferno emerged Kang Seol, clad in pitch-black, sturdy armor.
In a split second, he'd activated Earth Armor, letting it swallow all the flames in his place.
Kang Seol yelled,
"Karen!"
"Got it. I'll handle the batteries."
"Right."
Transformed into the Night Raven, Kang Seol took a deep breath and coiled his legs.
"Huuuuh..."
Greeeak...
Then he exploded forward like a sprinter off the blocks.
Screeeeech!
In one step, several buildings blurred past.
Screech!
The second step vaulted him over the fortress rooftop.
"Th-This..."
"What in the..."
Bren and Ralsa clutched each other, mouths agape.
Humans leaping that high was the stuff of legends—or so they'd thought, until now.
Crunch!
By his third massive stride, Kang Seol collided with the fleeing Kaio gang.
Kaio whipped around.
"He's coming!"
The group of five, Kaio included, felt fear at this monster of a transfer closing the gap instantly.
But if flight wouldn't shake him, fight they must. They shifted to combat stances in a flash.
"He's fast!"
Whoooosh!
Before they could react fully, Kang Seol's fist smashed one of them.
Crack!
The man's body shattered like a dropped cracker.
Blood and bone fragments sprayed everywhere, casting death's shadow over Kaio's crew.
Kaio marveled.
"Strong!"
"Blast him!"
Kaboom!
Boom!
The remaining batteries targeted Kang Seol.
Whoomph!
Whoomph!
Two of Kaio's men got caught in the blaze too.
Sssshhhh...
From the flames strode Kang Seol, encased in unyielding armor.
"Tough as nails too! Hahaha!"
"Kaio! He's a monster... run—"
Splat!
The last goat besides Kaio exploded like a ragdoll, dying like a fly.
Kaio murmured in rapture.
"Crazy... this is insane..."
"......"
He said,
"You gonna kill me? Hey... hear me out..."
Wham!
Kaio's words met the same fate.
Kang Seol swung his palm, smashing him into a meat patty against the wall.
"Busy right now. Talk later."
Kaio couldn't even complain why the hand came before the ear.
Kang Seol walked a path utterly unlike other transfers.
Not even their superior strength could withstand a single move from him.
"He... he sliced the whole battery apart."
"Sir Bren."
"You see that? Ralsa, did you see it?"
"Saw it plenty. You mean how he cleaved the entire building?"
"Y-Yeah... that."
"Sir Bren, calm down first. The squad's coming."
Bren shot to his feet, composing his flustered face.
"Ahem... good work, everyone. I can't imagine where they got this much gunpowder, but rooting it out is our job—don't forget that."
"Yes, Sir Bren!"
"Thanks for fighting so bravely. I, Bren, will etch your valor deep in my heart."
"Thank you!"
Bren nodded solemnly and continued.
"I'd love to head back to the castle now, but the damage is severe. Let's stay here tonight, assess civilian casualties, then return."
"Understood!"
"Prioritize the wounded first, then..."
"......"
"Find a good spot, unpack, and drink up!"
"Woooooh!"
"I'll cover the tab—go ahead and start without me."
"Thank you!"
The squad took pride in having handled this with Bren.
Only Bren and a few transfers knew the full story, so they assumed he'd taken down Kaio.
"Hoo... Ralsa, you go on?"
"Yes..."
Han Yeo-myeong and other transfers approached Bren.
And then.
Step...
Step...
Kang Seol, who had single-handedly slaughtered Kaio's gang, arrived before Bren.
Gulp...
Bren extended his hand.
A handshake.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Bren, chief knight of the Beregeon Knights, fifth order of glorious Adelrin."
"......"
Kang Seol stared at Bren.
A prompt appeared before him.
Chief Knight Bren of the Beregeon Knights requests a handshake. How will you respond?
1. Your pathetic actions made things worse.
2. Is it trendy these days for knights worse than their words to mount their high horses?
3. This is all thanks to you, Sir Bren.
4. My boots are muddy—mind if I borrow your tongue to clean them?
...
Insulting options scrolled up.
While Kang Seol pondered, Bren wiped the sweat from his hand and offered it again.
He mistook the hesitation for reluctance to grip a sweaty palm.
"An honor, Sir Bren. I've heard much of your fame."
A blatant lie.
He wasn't even familiar with Adelrin Kingdom, let alone its fifth knight order's rep.
But the line struck Bren's heart like a critical hit.
"H-Hoh... hohum... is that so?"
"The wounded..."
"No worries! The squad's handling cleanup. They'll all get proper care!"
Bren had his narrow-minded flaws, but his core wasn't rotten.
Kang Seol nodded gratefully.
"Thank you for your consideration."
"Haha! Of course! Aren't they all Adelrin citizens?"
"Well said."
"That said... my rep's a bit tarnished, and I haven't heard your name around here. I heard you're friends with the Ghost Swordsman, but... got anything to prove your identity?"
Kang Seol pulled something from his pocket.
Bren's eyes widened.
"Th-That's... an Honor Scale Badge?"
"Correct."
"I see! You're from the Mage Tower. Knew you didn't drop from the sky."
Ralsa whispered in Bren's ear.
"He's a transfer."
"......"
Bren wiped sweat and said,
"W-Well, that happens. Haha... a transfer with a Scale Badge, though? Rare. Know someone there?"
Kang Seol tilted his head before answering.
"Acquainted... probably just Fran-nim."
"Oh? The recent addition to the Scales! How do you know him?"
"He's my master."
No actual teachings, but a master was a master.
Fran called him disciple anyway—no guilt there.
He might even laugh heartily.
Bren's face paled.
"......"
Kang Seol was essentially speaking as the transfers' rep.
So he had the right words ready.
"Sir Bren. A word."
"Speak."
"Thanks to the Beregeon Knights, we easily shoved the enemy into Parte."
"Mm... not wrong."
"You provided a steadfast focal point. If anything like this happens again, the transfers will wholeheartedly aid Adelrin."
It sounded like pure praise at first, but dug deeper—it meant they'd help if he stepped up first.
"Of course! With transfers like you—no, all the transfers here—lending strength, we judged these vile scum! Heaven and earth know it! I'll bring it up at court for sure!"
"Grateful for your boundless grace."
"Haha! Mingling with good transfers is always a joy. Well, we must be off..."
"Yes, Sir Bren. Learned much."
Learned what?
Yeah, what exactly?
Flattery skills?
Shamelessness?
Tenacity to survive?
Bren said to Ralsa beside him.
"Ralsa."
"Yes, shall I note his name for you?"
"No need. I'll remember. Ah, what was it again?"
"Snowman."
"Snowman... got it."
Bren and Ralsa walked off into the distance.
Bren asked Ralsa,
"Ralsa, that..."
Ralsa strolled casually, the scanner in hand.
"Ah, still need to report the anomaly to the Mage Tower, so I grabbed it."
"Hm... how high was the reading?"
"Don't worry. It was zero with an extra one... tacked on."
"What? That's totally busted... wait..."
Bren thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"No, we'll check it back at base."
"Yes."
"But..."
Bren fumbled in his pockets and stepped back.
"Ralsa, seen my coin pouch?"
The left-behind Kang Seol stood expressionless, clutching a gold-threaded coin pouch.
Marie and Philia, back from mopping up stragglers, along with Han Yeo-myeong, froze at the sight.
"So... um..."
"Bro..."
"...Yeah, my bad."
The coin pouch never made it back to Bren.
In the end, it went to reward the hardworking transfers.
For about a week, the city buzzed with festival vibes.
But Kang Seol, Han Yeo-myeong, and Philia couldn't join in.
"Yeomyeong, can't I come too?"
Marie pleaded with Han Yeo-myeong, who scratched his head awkwardly.
"Bro says this adventure requires peerless gear—no exceptions."
"Discrimination!"
"Yeah, total discrimination."
"...You'll be back soon? I'll be here?"
"Yeah, Marie."
And so Han Yeo-myeong joined Kang Seol.
"Me too."
"Pardon?"
"I mean... me too."
"What..."
"Take me with you."
"......"
Philia suddenly joined the party.
The adventure Kang Seol planned didn't care about group size.
But it required someone with ghost-related abilities and at least one peerless-grade item for rewards.
Kang Seol explained clearly.
"Great! I've got one!"
Philia held up her bow.
"...Understood."
As Philia joined and Kang Seol's break neared its end.
"Around here?"
"Yes, definitely nearby."
Vrrr...
"Huh? My bow..."
"My sword too..."
Philia's bow and Han Yeo-myeong's sword vibrated.
Vrrrr...
Kang Seol's whole body—from shadows to core—trembled. He turned to Philia and Han Yeo-myeong.
"This seems to be the spot."
[Peerless : Breath leads you to an unknown place.]
[Peerless : Ember leads you to an unknown place.]
[Peerless : Fire Monkey leads you to an unknown place.]
[Peerless : Atonement leads you to an unknown place.]
He slowly moved toward where the peerless vibrations intensified.
[Acquired additional info for hidden adventure 'Glory to Seize'.]
[Sudden adventure will trigger if conditions met.]