Turns Out To Be a Genius Duelist - Chapter 63

Kanna Blitz (2)

The man who Yoon-seok had questioned was giving him a strange look, but thankfully, he kindly answered. There were two main reasons why mission challengers were looking for partners.

“You know each mission has a special challenge. If you want to aim for it, you’d better get a partner.”

Even though it wasn’t a guarantee, it was still easier to survive with partners and operating as a squad for a mission that required many people, the man said. Anyway, did the man join a team already, so he had a lot of time and nothing to do? He answered all of Yoon-seok’s questions patiently. But, maybe because he looked like a beginner, he didn’t invite him to join his squad.

“Thank you.”

“Nah, but it seems like you’ve only made probation difficulty up till now? I can’t believe you don’t even know about this….”

“…”

Far from the difficulty of probation, this was his first time on a mission at all, but Yoon-seok didn’t say it. If he said he was a dueler, he would be treated as a mentally ill patient or receive unwanted attention. As time went by, the man returned to his group, and Yoon-seok summarized the given information.

‘So this is how the difficulty is divided.’

Different from what he’d expected, space wasn’t divided through levels. It was only that the mission must be carried out unconditionally. If the mission was Dungeon Attack, the depending on the floor level, and if it were Bounty Hunting, the number of flyers needed to be attained would increase. As for this guarding mission, the date varied depending on the difficulty level. Probation 1 day, General 3 days, Proficient 7 days, Expert 15 days, Only 45 days…

“So when they’re all gone…are you saying that I have to guard by myself from then on?’

Thinking so, Yoon-seok looked around. It seemed no one chose to be an Only challenger. Maybe it’s because there weren’t even any from duels, but they all appeared to be part of a group. While Yoon-seok was standing absent-mindedly, a man with a big beard clapped to draw their attention.

“My name is Carios Wellington! I’m a third-degree Holy Warrior of Triad who is in charge of the general affairs of this schedule. Although I know it’s your job to complete the commission, I’d like to say thank you very much for coming all the way here!”

Dressed in silver-colored plate armor like a medieval knight, he looked out and thanked them. What followed was a short briefing about the mission.

“Our destination is Jarisman Harbor, and your mission will be over as soon as you get on board the ship headed for the Levant Neutral Country.”

Murmurs erupted among the challengers. Most of them said, ‘Huh? It was Seheranbad?’ in surprise.

After hearing that, Yoon-seok also had something in mind. Levant Neutral State. Ragna Hambledon, who he’d met on the fourth floor, said that was her home country.

“I will not put your lives on the scale for nothing! We have information that evil heathens are after the pontiff. It’s going to be extremely dangerous. If you want to leave now, I won’t stop you!”

Holy Warrior Wellington confessed the difficulties to come, giving challengers time to make up their minds again. Of course, there were no drop-outs. It was only natural because they weren’t hired soldiers but challengers from the Tower.

Wellington didn’t know that, but he was thrilled.

“It was said that the spirit of Edenbahm’s soldiers are truly extraordinary, so it’s true!”

Someone in the crowd raised their hand to ask a question.

“What year is it now?”

“…517.”

Wellington answered easily, with a look on his face as if to say what kind of question was that. Again, another commotion ensued.

“So it was five hundred years ago, right?”

“I wondered why Edenbahm was so underdeveloped, so this is it?”

Most of them were from Seheranbad, with colorful hair and diverse races as humans, beast people, and elves. On the other hand, most of the people who weren’t from this area were calm except for some of the group’s challenges.

“Is it possible to go back to the past through this place? Then maybe I can find the Heavenly Devil’s copper that appeared five hundred years ago!”

“Hey, look at those bunch of punks getting all worked up. What’s so great about martial arts? It’s too late to learn now anyway. Are they going to keep risking their lives?”

There were people from Moorim and Earth. However, not a single man from Killian was seen, such as an Orc and Lizardman. It didn’t seem like a coincidence, but was there a reason?

Their departure time approached.

“Then let’s go!”

Wellington led the group on horseback to the wagon, and the challengers followed suit while guarding the area.

“There won’t be monsters coming out on the first day, right?”

“I don’t know. I just hope it’s time to camp out.”

Three or four people gathered to each group, enjoying small talk. Yoon-seok was the only one who quietly followed the march without talking to anyone. Some people looked at Yoon-seok strangely, but they didn’t talk to him. Even though they tried to approach with curiosity, the crowd next to him stopped them.

“Hey, don’t talk to him. I think he’s not good enough; he’ll only drag us down if you do that.”

That treatment was good enough. No, it was better not to approach. Yoon-seok just kept his ears perked and eavesdropped on their conversations to gather information.

They left the town-like castle and walked along a forest road that looked like an unpaved road.

“Chikkkkkkkk!”

At least a dozen Orcs descended to attack the group. The Orc that Yoon-seok had seen before was a ferocious creature but understood language and civilization. The Orcs here were different, however. They let out a high-pitched nasally sound as they attacked. Of course, their levels were terrible.

“Wow, now that’s an Orc!”

A challenger believed to be from Seheranbad sliced down the Orcs as if they were glad to return to their hometown. The others were the same. The battle ended blandly without Yoon-seok taking part, and Wellington, the commander-in-chief, led the group back without saying much.

There was no significant attack afterward. As the day slowly fell, Wellington stopped marching and began preparing for camp. In the meantime, each challenger was called in to be given a day’s allowance. It seemed like this kind of calculation was common.

“Hey, this mission is a piece of cake. I should have just picked a greater difficulty instead of probation.”

Unless another attack broke out during the camp, they considered the mission successful at dawn and would return to the waiting room.

‘Shin Sang-hyun, did he come up like this?’

That would explain why he was so weak even though he was on the tenth floor. Apparently, if the mission were completed successfully three times regardless of the difficulty level, they would get to ascend, and their rewards would accordingly.

“Sir Wellington, I’m going to wander around for a bit. Do you mind?”

It was a request from a member that had received attention for choosing the Expert level. Wellington approved and admired their professionalism.

“I guess he’s looking for a challenge.”

“They come here to lead a hard life.”

The eyes of the challengers who saw them leaving the camp weren’t very good. Funny enough, while they treated them like fools, there was deep envy in their eyes.

“You’re back! Was there anything I needed to take care of?”

“No.”

“Anyway, thank you for your hard work! I’ll postpone the night watch today, so rest comfortably.”

The challengers giggled as they returned empty-handed about an hour later.

“It must have been a waste today.”

“Will it be easy to find a challenge?”

Yoon-seok couldn’t understand such feelings from the bottom of his heart. If you’re going to be jealous and whisper behind their back, shouldn’t you do the same?

“Now, I’m going to set the night watch, but I want you to bear with me even if you have some complaints! You’re going to take turns doing the dirty work together anyway, no?”

Soon after the schedule was set, the challengers slept easily with the distributed blankets wrapped around them. Yoon-seok followed suit and laid himself on the floor, but he couldn’t sleep at all. Not because the floor was uncomfortable, but because of {Bloodseeker’s Ultimatum}, he didn’t feel tired at all.

‘It’s awkward to suddenly go to sleep…’

When was the last time he’d slept? At least not since he was brought to the Tower. Although he fainted dozens of times during his duel with the Heavenly Devil, it was far from being the same as having a good night’s sleep.

‘I guess I’ll just practice until dawn.’

Of course, he couldn’t do sword exercises alone in the middle of the night, so he replaced it with meditation. There were some negative aspects since it was an unexpectedly long-term mission, but it was okay to spend time like this. However, Yoon-seok’s concentration was bound to be cut off soon.

This was because of the filthy conversation he couldn’t help but be bothered about as challengers spoke around the bonfire.

“Kanna Blitz, she’s a woman, isn’t she?”

“Who knows? I wouldn’t say I like it either way. I don’t know why the pontiff is always in the wagon. I can’t even see their face.….”

“That’s right, so…why don’t you go check and come back? The mission will end tomorrow morning anyway, so we should have fun before then.”

“But isn’t the Wellington or something Holy Warriors guarding them?”

“That’s the kind of guy you can just kill. You don’t have to worry about other challengers. There’s a magic-blocking spell. Everyone will sleep tonight without knowing anything.”

The man, who was initially negative about the wizard’s proposal, brightened up, thinking that there’s nothing to lose. It was the same for the other men who just listened next to them. Soon, the wizard chanted the command, and magic spread widely in the air. At the same time, all the noise disappeared, and silence descended.

Yoon-seok quietly got up from his seat. The five men on watch were creeping up to the wagon in the heart of the campsite.

“…”

Why was there trash everywhere? Or did everything look that way to him because he was seeking a reason to kill?

‘No way.’

He was aware of it since returning from Earth. That was why he tried so hard to suppress his emotions until he rid himself of the side effects of {Bloodseeker’s Ultimatum}. There were a few people with judgment marks among the group, but he had left them alone so far because of that.

But now, his mind changed.

Yoon-seok had constantly been suspecting himself, but he was lured forward as if the world was telling him over and over again that there was no need for such doubts. Eventually, Yoon-seok decided not to think about the future. It was better to regret what he’d done in the past when the side effects disappeared.

It was better than the regret of turning a blind eye to their behavior today.

“…”

Yoon-seok looked at the men approaching the carriage with mixed emotions and swung his sword in the air. Was it because the noise was muted?

No sound was made. It was just…

Flop.

It wasn’t long before their bodies fell to the floor in front of the wagon. The wizard died, and the effect was lost. Fortunately, the sound wasn’t that loud. Relieved that there were no light sleepers here, Yoon-seok quickly approached them and began to clean up.

Screeeeeeeeech-!

Their blood was absorbed through {Bloodseeker’s Ultimatum}, and he removed the bodies neatly by using his skills. There were subtle traces on the ground, but no one would think that it was from a human. It was time to go back to his place.

Click.

The wagon door opened, and a young girl in her early teens poked her head out. Did she think she saw a ghost in the middle of the night? The girl saw Yoon-seok standing in front of the carriage and was stunned, breathless.

“…Gasp!”

As if she’d woken up recently, the girl’s voice was hoarse.

“Hey, who are you…?”

“Ms. Kanna! H-here’s the d-demon…”

Not a ghost, but a demon…

While he couldn’t even smile, a girl dressed in a white robe appeared in the carriage. It was Kanna Blitz, the pontiff they were guarding. As it was their first face-to-face meeting, Yoon-seok grew curious and glanced over her. But when he saw the woman scolding the girl for a short while, he couldn’t help but go blank.

“Elle, I told you not to get off the wagon. And to wake me up no matter what.”

“But…you’ll be tired, so…”

Pontiff Kanna Blitz called the girl Elle. He didn’t know if it’s a nickname or a name. He didn’t even know how common the name was in this world. It might just be a position or a nickname.

‘Is it just a coincidence…?’

Yoon-seok didn’t know much about Elle. Gorgeous body curves lined through the silhouette of her robe with shiny scarlet hair cascading down. That was the only thing he’d observed on the outside.

Yoon-seok looked at the girl again. She was disheveled, maybe because she’d just woken up, but her hair color was the same. As for her body, he couldn’t make any judgments because of her youth. Moreover, her voice was much softer, and even their auras were completely different.

After all, only their hair color matched. But when he heard the name Elle, she looked different in his eyes.

“Elle…?”

Yoon-seok muttered quietly.

And the only thing looking back at him was cold, harsh gazes.