Chapter 13: Necromancer (2)
TL by Myoni
Edited by Myoni and Yoni
A massive castle.
A man was sitting on a throne built by the bloodshed of countless men.
The man, who had a scraggly beard and was wearing silver armor, was the leader of the ‘Sun’ Guild and also the one who placed top 10 amongst humans, Alexandro.
Alexandro Quintart.
It had been decades since the Underworld started to summon humans, but even among them, he was exceptional.
He had the most achievements in Solomon’s Hall of Fame after the Adventure King Orgo and was responsible for solving a few major dilemmas in the Underworld by himself.
As a man who started from the bottom, he forged a path for himself and his grandeur was recognized by all the people in the Underworld as a leader of one of the Nine Great Guilds.
However, he was currently looking at his Status Viewer with a solemn expression.
“Someone broke my record.”
There was no one near the throne.
Growl.
If the humongous lion-like beast, Giant Leo, was excluded.
Only people who had permission from Alexandro were able to enter the throne room.
And Alexandro would not let anyone in unless it was of utmost importance.
Basically, he didn’t trust anyone.
No matter how faithful a man who had taken an oath was, he was ultimately ‘human’, therefore he would not trust them.
A risk of an assassination attempt… that was his biggest worry.
Although he was ranked in the top 10, that didn’t mean that he was impervious to powerful curses or skills.
As it hadn’t been long since he had become the guild leader, the guild wasn’t completely united.
They were split into a few different factions and if they saw a chance, they would devour Alexandro.
‘I can use this.’
He was not sure if he was able to use the ‘novice hero’ to his advantage.
The record he held in the Blue Temple hadn’t been broken for over 20 years.
But now someone who had broken that record appeared…
After advancing rapidly, this was the golden opportunity for the talented individual to gain the attention of many.
If he could use this person to earn a bit more time, he believed he could seize control of his guild.
‘No-name.’
The problem was the new record holder did not reveal his name.
In approximately 20 days, the newly summoned individuals would be sucked into the gate and arrive in the Underworld, but no one will be able to know who the record holder was.
Alexandro knit his brows.
It was great news that a new hero had appeared, however he couldn’t help, but feel a little uncomfortable as well.
For what reason did he not reveal himself?
Was that even possible considering the human psyche?
It was ‘normal’ for people who gathered in the Blue Temple to reveal their names.
It was because there was a reward, a reward that was only given to people who accomplished the impossible!
Humans would try to leave their trace behind after they overcome something.
Of course there were people in the Underworld who would intentionally hide their names after a particular achievement, but wasn’t that place the Blue Temple?
It was a place where people were newly summoned. They didn’t know anything.
Alexandro pondered as he rubbed his chin.
‘Ootsuki Yuka. That bitch probably knows by now.’
Solomon’s Hall of Fame only revealed the top 3 record holders and if the records were changed, they would be notified on their Status Viewers.
Ootsuki Yuka who led the ninjas would have noticed the appearance of a new talent.
She would definitely keep track of the movement of this new seedling.
The man who placed 3rd had already died so there was no need to worry about him.
If, by any chance, Ootsuki was to secretly snatch the talent, it would make things difficult.
However, even for the Great Alexandro, it was hard to win an ‘information battle’ against the ninjas.
‘If he is deliberately trying to hide himself, I guess I’ll have to make this welcoming ceremony especially grand.’
Alexandro decided to change his plans.
Someone who concealed his name.
That meant that he didn’t want to reveal himself.
However, if he was to publicly announce this information, no matter how hard he tried, he would be unable to hide himself any longer.
There was no way to openly take him away, but if he could tie up Yuki for a while, he would be able to exercise his right of speech to snatch that no-name away.
After he organized his thoughts, his shoulders relaxed.
‘The arrival of a new hero, huh.’
Smirk!
Alexandro smirked.
No one hoped for that.
None of the ones who held any influence in the Underworld hoped for it.
It was just something they could use when they needed to…
Before Muyoung left the temple, he left traces around the forest.
It was so that he could find the way back even if the areas changed.
With Kking Kking’s extraordinary sense of smell and Muyoung’s experiences, they were able to explore the forest with ease.
After walking for three days, he arrived at his destination.
“It’s been a long time since a human has come here.”
Within the overgrown vegetation, there was a small wooden house.
A black skinned, long eared man who was in front of the house looked at Muyoung.
“Dark elf.”
“Yeah. I am a dark elf and you are a human. Did you lose your way in the forest? But you came too deep for that to be the case.”
“Guide. I came looking for you.”
He didn’t get lost.
Muyoung had precisely wandered through the forest to find this dark elf.
The dark elf widened his eyes.
“Me? Hmm… That’s strange. It’s normal for the ones who had just arrived at the temple to not know the existence of a guide. I wonder if you have a special skill? Or you just came here using your senses.”
He looked at Muyoung for a second before shrugging his shoulders.
It was not in his place to care about that.
Just like his name, the Guide, his role was to simply guide people.
‘This is the best way to save time.’
Only this dark elf knew the geography of the forest.
The former necromancer coincidentally found the cliff, but Muyoung had no time to wait for coincidences.
So his solution was the Guide.
If it was the Guide, he would be able to efficiently and quickly take Muyoung to that cliff.
“Well if you know about me, you should surely know about the rules as well?”
“Are you talking about the three wagers?”
He replied as if it was something insignificant.
There were quite a few people in the past who were able to find the Guide, who lived in the center of the forest.
Usually they would find him accidentally while exploring the forest or getting lost in it.
The existence of the Guide was quite well known in the Underworld.
The Guide clapped his hands together.
“Oh, you really do know quite a lot. That’s right. If you are able to beat any of the three wagers I suggest, I will take you to wherever you wish. Ah, by take you anywhere, I mean within the boundaries of the forest and the temple.”
That meant if he wanted, it was possible to be guided to the other temples as well.
The massive forest was connected to every temple.
However, there was no need to travel to another temple.
The remaining survivors will meet when they travel through the gate anyways.
The real competition would start then.
“I have no objection.”
Only, the wagers were always different.
He could only adapt to the following circumstances.
As Muyoung gave him a look, the Guide said, “It’s good that you’re so open-minded. Then should we start with hunting? The winner will be whoever catches a ‘Dwarf Squirrel’, that lives throughout forest, first. The time limit will be by midnight.”
“Isn’t that too advantageous for you?”
“I will start 6 hours after you.”
The Guide stated with ease.
He looked confident as if he could never lose.
Hunting was second nature to him.
He was one of the few predators that hunted day and night.
It was daytime at the moment, but due to the characteristics of dark elves, he would be able to see clearly in the dark. He had to catch the squirrel as fast as he could.
‘I have to use his composed attitude to my advantage.’
Muyoung started to move after he nodded his head.
Since he said he would start 6 hours later, Muyoung planned to hunt it down before then.
Although it does live throughout the forest, just like its name, it was only around the size of a thumb.
Unless one had extraordinary senses and sight, it would be very difficult to hunt them.
However, Muyoung knew what Dwarf Squirrels liked to eat.
‘Dwarf Squirrels like to eat Dark Red Fighter Ant eggs.’
It wasn’t hard.
In the past, he used to catch a lot of them for assassinations.
Since these squirrels were small and fast, they were quite useful for information warfare.
Muyoung searched for an ant hill and lit a fire. Once the ants were dazed, he swiftly took out their eggs.
He then made a simple trap and waited for a Dwarf Squirrel to come.
‘Now.’
Thud!
After waiting around 2 hours, a cowardly Dwarf Squirrel slowly approached the eggs.
He didn’t lose that chance and dropped the grass woven basket. He had successfully captured the squirrel.
He waited for the allotted 6 hours to pass before returning to the Guide. When he arrived, the Guide opened his eyes widely and trembled.
“Th-this… is invalid. I didn’t even get to start!”
“I have the same thoughts as well. My luck was just good.”
“Of course it was like that! Haha, quite the flexible fellow. Then, let’s forget about hunting and do a treasure hunt. I placed a few strips of red fabric around this place. If you are able to find 3 of them before the sun rises tomorrow, it will be your win. If you fail, it will be my win.”
“Fine.”
“Then I guess I’ll go prepare my dinner. Huhu.”
This time, the Guide was certain Muyoung was going to fail and felt confident.
‘Luckily it’s a wager I know.’
Muyoung had sufficient past knowledge about this wager.
‘If I win twice, it said that he would give me a useful treasure.’
There was a reason why he didn’t end it at the first wager.
He once assassinated a man who won two wagers against the Guide.
In his history, there was detailed information about the events that unfolded and once the man won twice, he received the ‘Glass of Fire’.
The Glass of Fire contained a mid-ranked fire spirit which could spit out an unlimited amount of flames.
However, what would happen if he won all three wagers?
As there weren’t even rumors about anyone who won three times, even Muyoung was slightly curious.
Muyoung grabbed a magical item and summoned Kking Kking.
“Kking Kking, avoid places with lots of mana and find the dark elf’s scent that’s on the ground.”
Kking. Kkiiiing.
The man who won this wager in the past used a tracking skill to look for the fabric, but Muyoung had the Shrewmouse Emperor, Kking Kking.
Kking Kking was especially specialized in finding magical positions and tracking.
Its nose was more advanced than a dog’s and was able to distinguish even the smallest difference in scents.
It was largely due to Kking Kking that he was able to safely arrive at this place.
‘The problem was the explosive magic traps. If I mishandle them, I will die.’
The Guide hated losing to an extreme.
He would rather see Muyoung die than lose.
Unfortunately, Kking Kking was able to avoid those places and only find the strips of red fabric.
Knock knock.
After an hour, Muyoung knocked on the door of the wooden house.
“Huh? Are you giving up already?”
“Three strips. I found them.”
“What…?”
The Guide blinked his eyes and stared at Muyoung’s hand.
There were exactly three strips of red fabric.
“Hu…”
“Are you going to call this wager invalid as well?”
“Th-that, that’s not it, but I casted stealth magic on the fabrics. It’s just surprising to see you found them already.”
“If you want, I can do the next wager as well.”
“Is that true!”
The Guide cheered.
His pride wouldn’t let him lose like this.
“When the sun rises tomorrow, let’s have you hide and I’ll try to find you.”
“Can’t you use magic? It should be easy to find me.”
“I vow in the name of Solomon to not use magic during this wager! I will simply use my physical capabilities to search for you.”
“How long do I have to hide?”
“I will admit defeat if I can’t find you by sunset. How about it?”
“Good.”
It was pretty much hide-and-seek and Muyoung was most confident in this field.
It won’t be as perfect as what as he could accomplish before, but he definitely had the skills to fool one dark elf.
As soon as the day passed, Muyoung stepped out into the forest.
After climbing a suitable tree, he closed his eyes and slowed his heartbeat.
‘Become one with nature.’
There were different stages of stealth.
If one practiced to an extreme like Muyoung, they were able to become one with nature at will.
However, without a practiced body, it was uncertain if he could hide from the dark elf for a long time.
Fifty-fifty.
He was gambling everything on that fifty-fifty chance and he even constricted the movements of his organs.
He even controlled the unconscious movements any living creature would make.
In the past he could move in this state, but currently if he was to make even the slightest movement, he would be caught by the Guide.
He was motionless like a grass swaying from the wind.
A few hours have passed.
And… dinner time arrived.
Thud!
As soon as the agreed time had passed, Muyoung dropped from the tree.
Thereafter, he went inside the Guide’s house and started to eat the prepared food when the Guide opened the door.
“Why are you here…!”
Gulp!
After swallowing the meat he stabbed with a fork, he answered, “They say it’s easy to miss what is in front of you.”
He acted like he left the central area, but in fact, he didn’t even leave the center.
From the beginning, hiding was the field Muyoung was most confident in.
The Guide never thought he would lose due to the special traits of dark elves, but as soon as he chose this wager, his loss was determined.
Unaware of this fact, the Guide searched the area where he expected Muyoung to hide.
As he realized this, his legs wobbled.
“… I, I lost.”
Only then did he acknowledge complete defeat.
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