That colossal purple beast was undoubtedly a formidable opponent even for Seongjin.
Upon entering Phase 2, it displayed an attack power that far surpassed Blatta Mantis. Moreover, it possessed incredible speed that even Orden, who was close to being a senior knight, couldn’t react to it in time.
Thus, Seongjin had to draw upon every ability he had.
He maximized his aura concealment to prevent any leakage of aura to the outside.
He gathered all the aura he could muster, focusing it on the smallest area possible to supplement his lacking strength.
By employing assassination techniques to blur his presence, he made it difficult for his opponent to detect his location, compensating for his comparatively slower speed.
And he utilized every aspect of the surrounding terrain.
“The more I see, the more incredible your movements seem. What kind of spatial awareness do you have?”
Hadn’t one of his comrades, with whom he fought during his early days as a hunter, made such a remark?
True to that comment, during combat, the most straightforward paths for attack and evasion would vividly form in Seongjin’s mind in three dimensions.
All he had to do was follow those images, and he would hardly ever get hit, and most of his attacks would land.
And that meant, as long as Seongjin’s body moved correctly, there was always a chance for victory.
Boom!
Finally, the massive body of the Lycanthrope collapsed to the ground.
“Huff…”
Only then did Seongjin stop and release the breath he had been holding.
‘I really ran around to my heart’s content for the first time in a while.’
The battle had been quite intense.
He had used his aura so cautiously that, despite the reckless swinging, his muscles didn’t burst as they had before.
Of course, there was no helping that his legs, having been busy darting in every direction, were worn out and had stiffened up, barely moving now.
Yet, by the end, his aura was completely depleted, and he had no choice but to draw upon some of the aura blocking the passageway.
[Did you really take that down all by yourself?]
The Demon King expressed admiration, a rare occurrence.
‘See? I told you it seemed doable.’
After all his efforts, Seongjin was now faced with a barrage of new text windows popping up incessantly before his eyes.
[Clarity!]
[You have successfully defeated the Lycanthrope Lord!]
[Calculating rewards…]
Huh? Is something like a game reward actually coming up?
[Your achievement exceeds the registered records.]
[Requesting update from the system.]
[The system’s adjustment function will be activated.]
[Currently loading…]
And beep. A cheerful notification sounded, and for a change, a perfectly legible text appeared.
[Some systems have been successfully restored.]
Oh, this is the first time the text isn’t broken.
[You have been granted rewards appropriate to your completion grade.]
[A return portal has been generated.]
And whoosh. Suddenly, a long beam of multicolored light appeared in the middle of the cavity.
“…Portal?”
Does this portal means that it’s a shortcut back to Delcross?
[Hmm…]
The Demon King seemed to scrutinize it carefully for a moment before affirming.
[I’m not sure where it leads, but it’s definitely some kind of gate. As expected, it’s a product of the main world, seems very stable, doesn’t it?]
Alright, let’s take it and see.
[But we don’t know where it leads. Isn’t that a bit risky? Better to just call your father.]
“Tsk, tsk. Knowing only one thing and not the other.”
Seongjin shook his head in disapproval.
Think about it, Demon King.
If this portal is connected to Delcross, we can avoid getting caught by my father for causing trouble.
And if it leads somewhere else?
Then we can call my father at that time. Whether we’re here or there, calling him once is all the same.
At Seongjin’s utterly logical explanation, the Demon King was immensely impressed.
[…Wow, are all kids like this? Going to great lengths just to avoid getting scolded by their parents?]
A scolding is just a scolding, but a slap is just a slap!
Meanwhile, the Lycanthrope that had collapsed on the ground had returned to its original size at some point.
As its body gradually became fainter, it seemed like it might just evaporate into thin air, just like in a game.
As he slowly approached, thinking this, the creature suddenly turned its head towards Seongjin. Its eyes, clear as glass and blue, stared intently at Seongjin with a discernible purpose.
‘…?’
Caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, Seongjin stared back at the creature when an unfamiliar voice echoed in his head.
[■■■ ■■? Why are you here…?]
…What?
Seongjin listened intently, puzzled, but the beast, which seemed like it wanted to say something, soon weakly closed its eyes.
Soon after, its massive form faintly shimmered and then disappeared without a trace, turning into a small cluster of light.
Stunned, Seongjin watched the scene unfold and then asked the Demon King.
“Hey, did you just hear that?”
[Huh? Hear what?]
The Demon King seemed genuinely clueless.
‘…Was it just my imagination?’
Where the creature had vanished, only a small accessory remained, twinkling.
As Seongjin picked it up, a beep sounded, and the name of the item appeared before his eyes.
[Lycanthrope Lord, Nebraska’s Summoning Amulet]
Could it be that the creature’s name was Nebraska? Or was it just the name given to the item?
It almost seemed like the creature recognized Seongjin at the end, but what was that about? Was it just his imagination?
With those thoughts, he examined the item, and small texts began to pop up one after another.
[There are 4 souls bound to player ■■■ ■.]
[Open list]
…Bound souls?
Puzzled, Seongjin hesitated for a moment before saying, “Open.”
Then, a selection window rolled down in front of him.
[List of souls available for summoning as familiars 2/4]
[1. □□□□ (Inactive)]
[2. □□□ □□ (Inactive)]
[3. Hayes Martin (Active)][1]
[4. Red (Active)]
[Would you like to select a soul?]
[Accept / Decline]
…Huh?
***
Huff huff huff!
Amelia, who almost seemed to leap off her trotting horse, entered the Scarcepino mansion with a worried expression.
‘Morres…!’
Strangely, today was a day filled with heart flutters and an inability to concentrate on anything.
This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened.
There had been days in the past when a bad premonition had tormented her all day, and on such days, something would invariably go wrong, resulting in Morres getting seriously hurt.
Eventually, in the evening, Amelia put down the book she was reading and went looking for Morres. Hearing from Edith that he hadn’t returned from his outing yet made her heart sink.
That’s why she had ridden her horse to the townhouse, leaving her escort knight behind.
‘Why? Why do I feel so anxious?’
Trying to suppress her trembling heart, Amelia was led by the servants to the second-floor lounge.
There, she found Masain-orabeoni shaking the poor old butler by the scruff, demanding answers.
“Can you not speak the truth at once! The meeting has been over for ages; why has His Highness not shown himself? Where exactly is His Highness now!”
“I’m sorry, but I too am not sure…”
“Then summon Young Master Scarcepino at once! Wasn’t it said that he was accompanying His Highness?”
“That’s the thing, his excellency Riccardo has also unexpectedly left…”
“What? Left His Highness alone? Does that even make sense!”
Normally, Marquis was a kind older brother who only showed a gentle face to his siblings.
But now, baring his teeth and growling at the butler, he seemed like a completely different person, exuding a menacing aura.
At this, Amelia realized.
‘As I thought, something has happened to Morres!’
Biting her lip anxiously, a desperate voice called out to them from behind.
“Masain-hyungnim! Amelia-noona!”
Just then, Logan, dressed in the uniform of the White Knights, entered the lounge.
A long Henesys longsword was strapped to his waist, and on his left arm, he wore the small buckler used during the conquest of the Sea Witch, fully armed.
“I received a message from Sisle that something serious might have happened to Morres. I rushed over immediately upon request, but what in the world is going on?”
Since Sisle wasn’t one to talk nonsense, he must have come fully armed, just in case.
And his response touched the heart of the Knight Commander, who had always been concerned about the discord between the two.
“Prince Logan, to come in person for Prince Morres like this…”
Masain’s eyes reddened. Of course, he still had the old butler by the scruff.
And the butler, dangling from his grip, silently sweated as the situation began to escalate.
‘Why… Why has it come to this?’
Until now, Prince Morres had been nothing more than a secretive guest who passed through quietly as if a mouse.
But now, with the appearance of the renowned Knight Commander from the imperial family pressing for answers, the Princess whom the Holy Emperor cherishes the most, and Prince Logan who is now the most probable candidate for the next Holy Emperor’s seat, it was an unexpected turnout for the imperial family members to rally for that notorious prince.
“So, where is Morres now?”
As Logan asked again, a bright beam of multicolored light suddenly appeared before them.
“…!?”
The light quickly brightened and then vanished, but everyone’s eyes widened in shock as they stared at the spot where the light had passed.
Incredibly, in a place where no one had been, the figures of two people appeared as if by magic.
“Sir Masain?”
What had happened in the meantime was unclear, but there stood Orden, covered in blood, being supported by Seongjin.
“Huh? Amelia-noona? And Logan too? What’s everyone doing here?”
Seongjin asked as he helped Orden sit on the ground.
Logan, noticing the severity of Orden’s condition at a glance, rushed over with a stern face. As bright holy power burst from Logan’s hands, Orden’s face, which had been tightly scrunched up in pain, visibly relaxed.
After all, wasn’t he a leading candidate for the next Holy Emperor? Seeing the wounds heal so quickly, it was clear that Logan possessed an extraordinary holy power.
Meanwhile, Amelia approached Seongjin with a worried face and asked.
“What exactly happened, Morres? Did he cause you trouble again?”
“…Excuse me?”
Feeling the nuanced misunderstanding, Seongjin asked back, and Amelia continued in a cautious tone.
“Of course, Young Master Siegmund isn’t someone I’m particularly fond of, but I’m worried this might have been a bit too harsh this time.”
Seongjin was so dumbfounded that he just gaped in disbelief.
Was the Princess under the impression that I had dealt with him?
Sure, it wasn’t unreasonable to think that way since the two had disappeared together and one came back bloodied…
“…”
And Orden, having heard the blunt expression of disfavor from the Princess, sullenly lowered his head in silence.
Although his physical condition had greatly improved, his complexion seemed even worse than before.
“It’s all a misunderstanding, noona.”
Just as Seongjin was about to protest, Logan, who had finished the healing and approached Seongjin, glanced towards Orden and then whispered in Seongjin’s ear.
“What exactly happened, Lee Seongjin? No matter what, why would you beat someone to that extent?”
“…Huh?”
“For now, I’ve done a rough patch-up job, so if the Siegmund family lodges a complaint, just deny that you hit him that hard, okay?”
“No, that’s what I’m saying, I didn’t do it!”
Seongjin was flabbergasted.
What do these people take me for!
And Orden, an exceptional aura user who had caught every whisper of the siblings’ conversation without missing a beat, felt utterly dejected.
Of course, the actual skills he had witnessed of the Prince were indeed admirable.
But even so. He was known as the most promising swordsman on the continent, having swept through every prestigious martial arts tournament with authority!
Regarded alongside Prince Logan as the strongest youth in Delcross, did these people truly believe without a shadow of a doubt that Prince Morres had unilaterally beaten him?
“We just got caught in Riccardo’s trap together!”
“Trap?”
“Yes. Orden did nothing wrong. He just got involved while trying to help me!”
Seongjin explained the situation while also defending Orden, who had suffered alongside him.
“Of course, it was needless effort, and he ended up being more of a burden that needed my help!”
Cough.
Orden’s face turned a sickly shade of green as Seongjin’s explanation dealt him a critical blow to his pride.
Footnotes
