Chapter 84
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: Troll Onslaught in Nobira
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A short while later, the Transmigrators who had made Audenin their base were buzzing with excitement over the emergence of a new powerhouse.
“Whoa, it's real? Nearly two million points!”
“Who is it? Park Chang-sik just got back yesterday, didn't he?”
“Who would've thought Park Chang-sik would drop to second place... Incredible.”
The man closest to one million adventure points among Audenin's Transmigrator and native adventurers alike—a rugged, handsome face framed by bold lines.
Park Chang-sik was on the verge of losing his mind right now.
“Huff... huff... Found him? Any news?”
“Nothing yet, hyung. The guild's out searching everywhere, but finding one specific Transmigrator in Audenin is like finding a needle in a haystack...”
“Yeah, I know. Still, do your best. Round up any suspicious bastards and grill them.”
“What are we, thugs?”
“I'm saying use whatever means necessary. Damn it... Got it! Keep looking!”
“Yes, hyung!”
Audenin was united tightly around its five major guilds.
It hadn't always been this harmonious from the start, but with Park Chang-sik at the forefront, the Transmigrators who drew their blades against the villains had driven them out, allowing this structure to take root early on.
Their guilds were divided by religions and various ideologies, but roughly equal in size.
The Free City of Kongori had eventually formed a similar structure, albeit later, though its Transmigrators' skills lagged slightly behind Audenin's.
And Park Chang-sik, the de facto leader of Audenin's formidable pool of Transmigrators, was now desperately searching for someone.
Even he, who had returned from an adventure and was recuperating in his guild's private grounds, had bolted out to wander the streets because of this person.
'Two million points... How the hell did they reach that score?'
Park Chang-sik considered himself exceptionally outstanding. His reasoning was clear.
A score that far outpaced everyone else's.
Even compared to rankers from nearby cities around Audenin, few surpassed him.
Sure, there were rumors of an anonymous Transmigrator in the northwest city exceeding one million, but he didn't believe unverified claims.
After all the adventures he'd undertaken.
He couldn't fathom anyone enduring greater hardships than him to amass double his score.
His first thought was cheating, or that the score itself was fake.
Yet there it was, right before his eyes—an impossible number.
The enigmatic figure who had dethroned Audenin's former rank-one, claiming first place with double the points.
'Damn it... With the info hidden too, this brute-force method is all we've got.'
Still, Audenin's tight-knit Transmigrator community would prove effective here.
With everyone interconnected, they could identify any new adventurer who appeared.
And the reason Park Chang-sik was scouring for this new rank-one was something else entirely.
A recent adventure where he'd obtained a clue.
Its scale was beyond what his current self could predict.
Not just the insane difficulty, but it was a long-term adventure with bizarre restrictions.
Entry limited to fewer than five people.
Too vague for leveraging his guild's might, yet too tough for him alone.
However, his investigations into it had yielded substantial info.
On the rewards, specifically.
'Treasures beyond imagination in there, but I can't even enter...'
Park Chang-sik always thought himself extraordinary. But separately, he didn't trust those inferior to him.
In other words, he only acknowledged the truly stronger.
'To tackle that place, I need at least one person stronger than me.'
Even leading Audenin's other Transmigrator rankers, he predicted an uncertain outcome.
They were all weaker than him, after all.
But if this two-million-point powerhouse joined, the rest of the party hardly mattered.
'That's why I need to find them fast. Confirm who they are!'
It would be a great offer for the newcomer too. Powerhouses sought trials and peril.
And Park Chang-sik had intel on a perilous trial with massive rewards.
“Hyung! Chang-sik hyung!”
A voice calling for him from afar. A guildmate.
“Yeah! Found 'em?”
“...They left.”
“What?”
“Just now, apparently. Their name vanished from the rankings.”
“Shit!”
Krunch!
The wooden wall Park Chang-sik punched in rage caved inward.
“...Check records of Transmigrators who left around this time.”
“The guards tell us?”
“If not? How much have we fed them over the years?”
“Got it. But what then, even if we find out?”
“What else? Snag 'em next time they pass through.”
“But will they help just 'cause we met once, hyung?”
“Help? No, this is a fair deal.”
“Hmm...”
Park Chang-sik's eyes blazed.
“Damn it... Won't miss next time. I'll drag 'em in.”
As Park Chang-sik and Audenin's Transmigrators predicted, Kang Seol had already left the city.
Clop... clop...
The horses pulling the carriage ambled leisurely down the quiet road. Naturally, this left Kang Seol anxious.
“Um... Could you possibly go a bit faster?”
“Takes a good ten days from here to Kongori. And it's not me pulling the carriage—it's these horses, yeah?”
Ten days.
The time it had taken Kang Seol to reach Shade Canyon from Nobira.
No—the distance was shorter, and the road better, so this schedule didn't add up.
As he thought that, choices appeared.
Audenin's folk are notorious for their laid-back pace. The coachman's schedule could have been far shorter on a carriage from another city. How will you respond to the coachman?
1. You're insane, old man. Crawling this easy road like a snail?
2. Slow as a grub! Might as well chop off your limbs and make you a real one for fun.
3. Could you possibly go a bit faster?
4. They say Audenin's people are laid-back, and you sure are. But does death come so leisurely?
...
Ferocious choices scrolled up, and seeing them, Kang Seol pondered briefly.
'Audenin's people are laid-back, but once relations sour, they get spiteful as hell.'
How many tales had he heard passing through southern Audenin? Plenty who'd mocked their slowness and paid dearly.
Kang Seol chose his words carefully.
“Coachman, how about this?”
“Persistent, aren't ya? Told you, it's not me pulling.”
“I'll double the pay for each day we shave off the schedule.”
“...What?”
In short, arriving just two days early meant quadruple the fee. Kang Seol alone covering four passengers' worth.
The coachman paused, then replied.
“Ahem... Still tough. Horses need rest. And the other passengers? Can't decide solo.”
“Then include theirs too.”
“...You sane?”
“Yes.”
“Got that much coin?”
Clink.
Kang Seol lightly nudged the gold pouch in his bosom.
Not wise for an outsider, but no threats around.
“Uh... fellow passengers. Bit of a situation...”
“Fine by me.”
“I'm good.”
The coachman nodded and addressed the horses.
“When's the last time we galloped? Put your backs into it. I'll mix corn and boiled beans in your hay.”
Neigh!
Crack!
Startled by the whip, the horses broke into a gallop.
“Hold tight—gonna be bumpy.”
Kang Seol sat back in the carriage with a sigh.
This should get him to Kongori—the city nearest Nobira—faster.
'What the hell happened in Nobira?'
He'd chatted briefly with the coachman earlier, but the man knew no more and backed off.
Kang Seol wanted precise info on this crisis pronto.
Then, the old gentleman ahead spoke to Kang Seol and Karen.
“Excuse me, do you two have family in Kongori?”
“Pardon?”
“What?”
“Rushing there in these dire times suggests a compelling reason.”
These dire times.
Sensing the old man knew of recent events in nearby northwest cities, Kang Seol asked.
“Sir, do you know what happened in Nobira?”
“Sure do. Back in the day, I was a big trader—old connections keep the info flowing.”
“Could you... share?”
“Nothing else to do till Kongori. I'll tell ya.”
“Thank you.”
Kang Seol felt lucky meeting this old man.
Without him, he'd waste time gathering intel even after arriving.
“So... where to start. You a Transmigrator?”
“Yes.”
“Figured. You know this is the Kingdom of Nebenia, right?”
“Yes, sir.”
Kingdom of Nebenia.
Encompassing Kongori, Nobira, Audenin, and even south to Yugo.
Not vast, but home to the vast Great Forest—the largest southern woodland—its name rang far.
“Know the bordering lands?”
“South: Adelin. East and north: Setena. Oh, northwest: trolls.”
“Right. Trolls steadily grew, nibbling at Setena's territory. Now they've claimed Nebenia's northwest.”
“I knew Setena's lands were shrinking. Why bring this up?”
“Reason. Heard of Wigletung before this?”
“Wigletung... Yes.”
Keybo's words before Kang Seol left.
A village raided by mysterious foes, no witnesses left.
—Smart enough to slip fortress watch. Lucky half the villagers were away on foundation work, survived. Returned to ashes, though.
Kang Seol sensed a link and asked.
“Don't tell me Wigletung was the trolls?”
“Yep. They looted it, killed all survivors. No clue how they infiltrated.”
“Then... Nobira too?”
The old man nodded.
“Next target. They torched it, ate or abducted many.”
“Abducted? Trolls?”
Trolls didn't enslave humans.
Far superior physically, they just ate captives or toyed them to death.
'Why?'
The old man wrapped up.
“Survivors fled to Kongori. That's all I know—no updates from there.”
“...Thank you for telling me.”
Kang Seol, deeply shocked, stayed silent the whole trip.
'Damn it... Ha Moon and Cha-o are there.'
Cha-o might be fine, but Ha Moon resided in Nobira.
Weak in combat, high chance he'd perished.
'Please... be alive, Ha Moon.'
If Ha Moon was killed or compromised, it'd hit Kang Seol hard. Skilled blacksmiths were rare, and he'd completed related adventures.
'If the trolls got him...'
Kang Seol's eyes blazed.
He raged at anything touching what was his.
If trolls had done this, they'd pay dearly.
A week passed.
“Here we are—three days early! Don't forget our deal?”
Clink, clink.
Gold coins dropped into the coachman's hand.
“Th-this much...”
“Thanks. Farewell...”
The carriage reached Kongori.
Kang Seol headed straight into the city without delay.