He was on the verge of crying. Though I didn’t hit him, his expression was distorted as if in agony. It was a sight to behold. Among the faces I had seen thus far, his was the most astonished.
I helped him stand when he was about to fall to his knees, and his intense emotions were conveyed to me. I handed him the memo with instructions I had prepared for him. At the top of the list was a reminder to exercise caution so that my current disguise was not discovered.
Kim Ji-Hoon was naturally quick-witted. He couldn’t escape being a delinquent due to his family background before the Stage of Advent, but he began to shine as the stage began. He survived me, Lee Tae-Han, and the Chinese Awakened. He led the citizens of the Savior’s City as a third power during the time he was under Lee Tae-Han, which spoke volumes of his cleverness.
He was strong against the weak and acted weak to the strong. This could be a flaw, but who wouldn’t be like that? It was one of the tactics of survival. In particular, the fact that he had successfully handled missions under the command of Lee Tae-Han, such as consistently eliminating rebel forces within Revolucion (12) and taking on dangerous quests, was evidence of his exceptional wit and intelligence.
“Are you okay?” I asked as I helped him up.
“There is nothing special to report. I have been focusing, but haven’t had any particular intuitions. I thought you might be curious, so I am reporting in advance. Are you really okay?”
He seemed to realize what I wanted, not just because of the instructions in the memo. His eyes, which were in pain, quickly regained composure.
“Who cares about whom? Go away. I am going to rest.”
Surprisingly, he didn’t even stammer. In one breath, he was back to his normal self. Then, he moved his lips silently.
I am sorry. I am so sorry. I am sorry… I will commit suicide whenever you order. Please forgive him. I didn’t know. I knew nothing. I am serious.
His lips moved incredibly fast. Meanwhile, he looked completely fine, but it appeared that he could burst into tears if slightly provoked. I hurried out, worried that he would actually start crying.
What troubled me was that the Lusea clan had been watching us, and if they interrupted my plan, I wouldn’t let them go easily. Even if they were species that worshiped Yeon-Hee.
***
The barricade that had been concentrated around the bone ring was being moved to expand the distance.
“I told you that His excellency’s mighty power is immense even in a single ring, right? Even Mr. Kim Ji-Hoon couldn’t withstand it. It makes sense since he was the one who guarded it at the closest range. It must have been hard.”
Honda was consoling himself with chit-chat due to his gloomy mood. He also mentioned that if the operation had not been canceled, then we would have joined the headquarters by now.
“In the end, it ended up like this. See, I was right.”
Honda pointed towards the barrack where Kim Ji-Hoon was with his chin. He had finished preparing to leave. The instruction I had given him yesterday seemed to have been passed on to another citizen of the Savior’s City, whom he considered his close aide.
If I considered the territory of the ancient dragons, then it made sense for Kim Ji-Hoon to hurry and leave once he found out my true identity. It was officially known that he was going back after replenishing supplies from the outpost, but in the eyes of Honda and others, it would seem like his injuries were accumulating.
Kim Ji-Hoon left Sector Twenty-Two with several citizens.
After dawn, Saeka called me as I expected.
“Do you know that his necklace has not been found yet?”
I nodded. “Yes, I heard.”
“The citizens are planning to search Sector Fifteen again. Among us, you, Safety Bureau, will join them.”
It was situated between Sector Seven, where the golden armor had been uncovered, and Sector Twenty-Three, where the fragmented spear was unearthed and the formidable forces of Doom Kaos and Old One still held sway. From here in Sector Twenty, it bordered to the southwest.
She said sternly, “I am not going to deal with complaints.”
“When do they leave?” I asked.
“As soon as the team is assembled. You are an outsider, but they highly value your trait. If you return alive, then you qualify to be part of our group. Prepare to leave and standby.”
Saeka left after notifying me. Honda clicked his tongue.
“I thought you were lucky, but I guess not. But still, you are better off. If you return, she will accept you as one of us, right? It is rare for Saeka to say something like that.”
His words were meaningless.
I was curious about the reaction of the guy who was sure to be the dragon. By now, the same instructions should have been dropped for him. He had been desperate to stay here yesterday, but so far, it had been quiet.
He no longer had excuses like yesterday. If he wanted to maintain his disguise, then he had to follow the orders of the command. However, the reason he had been quiet was probably that he had a part he believed in, which was the Sacred Tower in the elven’s headquarters.
***
The Sacred Tower, of course, had the shield that neutralized modern firearms. In addition to strengthening the elves and dropping powerful Mana explosives, it had one more effect. That was why it was dangerous to open a gate directly to Elsland.
One of the functions held by the tower was extended to the mainland in the past. The intangible barrier not only detected the opening of the Seven Demon King Corps’s gate in advance but also bought time before it opened.
That was the power of the Old One. That was how the Tower resisted the opening of the enemy’s gate as much as possible. Not only that, but a single tower also had a wide range of influence, enough to cover the entire Elsland. One of them was deployed on the battlefield.
“From the beginning, they might have completed the barrier to prevent your kind from entering. We have not tested it yet.”
What I had mentioned to Doom Kaos was coming out from the tower. Looking back, Doom Kaos seemed to have been aware of the situation. He knew that there was no other alternative without accommodating my request.
Anyway, if the dragon followed the instructions of the command obediently, it would be because he was sure that he could react to the situation within the distance between the search area and here. I was certain of his disguised state. He must have suppressed his power in some way while preparing to use it when necessary like me.
It must have been disguised so as not to be discovered by me. Even at this moment, he would be waiting for me to appear.
***
He was close by. I didn’t deliberately turn my gaze, nor did I stare at him. I acted naturally.
The search team consisted of twenty people, and I was inevitably a loner. He also emitted an awkward vibe among the other citizens of the Savior’s City.
Before I knew it, our steps were in sync.
“You were too much yesterday. No matter how different our thoughts were, you shouldn’t have done that. Mr. Kim Ji-Hoon is the one closest to His Sanctuary among us.”
The one walking ahead of me spoke, ignoring my presence and only addressing the dragon guy.
“Then, is it right to leave His equipment and have everyone leave? Even for Mr. Kim Ji-Hoon, the equipment emanates His mighty power that is unbearable. If that falls into the hands of the enemy…”
“So who do you think can even touch such a thing? Mr. Kim Ji-Hoon wanted to contribute to His War. If he hadn’t united our will at every moment, we wouldn’t have been where we are now, comrade.”
It was ridiculous because this guy could touch it. Although it was impossible in his current state, it was possible if he released all his power. However, he still left the ring behind for a perfect surprise attack. He must have been thinking that there was still time to take it after getting rid of me.
Nonetheless, he was wrong. I was already here, and I had him within reach.
There was quite a distance between us and where the citizens of the Savior’s City and Saeka’s group were. From the beginning, the search was just a means to lure him out. I had no intention of really going through with it. There was no need to talk to him.
I slowed down slightly. This situation was rather advantageous for me. He was immersed in his fantasy of ambushing me and was waiting for the moment to unleash his power, but in reality, he was practically sealing his power, which was not much different from me.
The big difference between him and me was that right now, he was showing me his back, and I was behind him. I needed to be swift like I was when I beheaded the Great Green.
I chose the cliffs ahead, which began to come into view, as the spot for the ambush. The search team continued to advance toward the destination chosen for the search, and it seemed like they planned to pass through the cliffs. The moment everyone threw themselves down the cliff would be the moment to attack.
Thump. Thump.
The wind blew gently, but it was accompanied by a pain that pierced through my skin. The search leader said while walking, “This is under the influence of Sector Twenty-Three, which means we are not far from Sector Fifteen. From now on, be alert and pay special attention.”
Among them, my disguised identity was the weakest, but no one seemed to care about me. They took for granted that I was cautious and ignored me.
The same was true for him, so he only showed his back and didn’t look my way.
Meanwhile, there was an area where the land rose like mountains beyond the cliffs. From there, shadowy energies crossed the cliffs and reached us.
It was not a very bright day, so it felt like we were immersed in darkness. The cliff in front of me looked like a quagmire dragging me into hell.
All these sensations were due to the wind coming from Sector Twenty-Three, where a powerful collision between the Old One and Doom Kaos had taken place. The citizens said that a powerful energy flew from my bone ring, but the strongest energy flew from that area.
Just a slight touch of it disturbed my mind, and the pace of the party noticeably slowed down. The same went for me and him. Anxiety arose, that perhaps he had figured out my disguise and was preparing for the right moment.
However, that completely faded away as soon as the wind stopped. My vision was clearing up. The day was not getting brighter, nor were the shadows that had been covering us being removed.
Swip! Swip!
As the members of the party threw themselves off the cliff one by one, there were gaps in my field of vision. It was his mistake to have confronted Kim Ji-Hoon yesterday because it naturally pushed him to the position of an outcast like me.
Once he was about to throw himself down before me, I saw a clear path even though I had not yet released my power. It was the trajectory of the sword that could blow his head off!
However, there was no need to rush. Everything was under my control.
[You have used the Mysterious Stone.]
[Mysterious Stone has been transformed into ‘Odin’s Left Eye.’]
[You have used Odin’s Left Eye.]
[You have leveled up.]
[Level Change: 281 → 641]
…
[The Privilege ‘Second Round’ will proceed.]
…
[The Proficiency Level of the trait Man Who Overcomes Adversity has increased.]
…
Notification messages poured out in an instant. There was no way the eyepatch could handle the power that was about to explode anyway, so I ripped off the patch and hood with one hand.
He was just about to throw himself down the cliff, but his head was turning towards me. In the transcendent sensory zone, his head movement seemed incredibly slow. The way his expression changed to pure horror was also quite slow.
As expected, his disguise was so perfect that no concrete evidence that he was an ancient dragon was captured. However, his two eyes were stained with terror, and the hostility that blossomed there in an instant couldn’t possibly be shown from a citizen of the Savior’s City.
- You should die here.
I sent him a telepathic message, but for him at this moment, it wasn’t just a voice but an attack piercing through his eardrums. However, blood wouldn’t gush out of his ears right away. Right now, the section where he and I existed was different. The time he felt and the time I felt were different.
It was an instant for him, so he wouldn’t have grasped the situation immediately. By the time he was resolved to confront me, all he would see was his body bursting apart. Then, he would be writhing in the pain of a soul being obliterated, without even a moment to beg for mercy from the Old One!
High risk, high return. If his disguise was discovered, then there were consequences to be paid. It was something that I also risked.
- Die.
- Die.
- Die.
A thrilling sensation wrapped around my whole body.
[You have used Devi’s Sword.]
[You have used Odin’s Wrath.]
[You have used Odin’s Ethereal Animal.]
The onslaught of blades and lightning bolts tore through.
Woosh-!
I was in the midst of it all. Even then, the movement of his head turning toward me was not yet complete.
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