160 - 24 Hearts

Chapter 160: The Nation of Entertainment and Culture, Urun “Why?” He, who had always paid no mind to his companion's affectionate words, suddenly stopped and turned to look at his companion, questioning him. However, there was no response. His companion merely stared at the alleyway, sweat trickling down his face. “What are you staring at so blankly? Is there a naked woman…?” “……” They couldn't continue their conversation. To be precise, they couldn't move. Fear rooted them to the spot due to the silhouette in the darkness. When the figure with glowing red eyes stepped into the light, their apprehension multiplied. The wooden mask, inexplicably symbolic, was incredibly intimidating. “What the, what is that?” Seeing the enigmatic figure approach, the two instinctively stepped back and pointed the spears slung over their shoulders at him. Had they been intimidated by a kid? The eerie glow emanating like mist from the mask's eye holes was unsettling. “You’re lucky.” “What?” The voice was youthful and undeniably male. But before they could process this, the masked man's body swayed slightly, and in an instant, he was closer, striking the back of one companion's neck with the side of his hand. Though their spears had been aimed at him, they failed to track his movements. As he fell unconscious and collapsed, the other felt a blow to his stomach. “Urgh!” Despite his pride in his solid abs, they crumpled weakly under the force of the blow, the intense impact wreaking havoc on his insides. The guard, emitting a pitiable groan, felt his vision blur from the severe pain. “I wish you success in your proposal.” Damn it, I don’t have a lover, he thought. Even though he knew the words weren't directed at him, he wanted to grumble; however, unconsciousness overtook him before he could say anything. The two fallen guards were dragged into the alley by the youth in the black coat. However, the guards were discovered quickly. When they didn't return by the scheduled patrol time, another guard was dispatched, who found them unconscious in the alley. The issue was, during the search, several guards were injured by an unknown assailant. Fortunately, no one died, but the fact that the guards were attacked was critical. Reports were immediately sent to the various estates that owned elf slaves, prompting the stationed magicians to mobilize. Among them were the Nebeue and Hyssen family battle mages, collaborating with guardsmen to catch the thief. They roamed the streets at night, searching the dark alleyways and pathways for the perpetrator. “We found him!” A booming shout echoed through the peaceful night. In the dim alley, a flash of blue light erupted from where the sound came. Crackle! The electric current conjured by the magician shot towards the mysterious figure in the wooden mask like a tidal wave. He easily dodged the lightning spell by leaping off the ground, disappearing from sight. “He vanished!” “Stay on alert!” “Stop with the unnecessary actions and maintain formation! Prioritize protecting me!” The leading magician issued commands as he moved to the center of the soldiers. Then, he quickly prepared and released multiple orbs of light in all directions. Fwoosh! The alley’s darkness vanished like fleeting shadows, illuminating like daylight. “Gasp!” The front-line soldiers holding 2-meter spears inhaled sharply. The masked figure in the black coat stood before them, having approached stealthily. Reflexively, they thrust their spears, but he deftly twisted his body to dodge, smoothly advancing to strike the soldier’s jaw with his palm. The airborne soldier seemed to fall in slow motion to his nearby comrades’ eyes. That was just the beginning. Before he even hit the ground, the next soldier was attacked. His pace far exceeded their reactions. With each impactful thud, the soldiers fell. Unable to endure even a single strike, they quickly lost consciousness or became incapable of combat. It took less than 30 seconds to subdue the eight soldiers. Seeing the man's temporary pause, as if catching his breath, the magician swiftly cast another spell. “This will sting!” Crackle! As the magician stomped his right foot, electric currents surged from his toes, drawing a circle around the man, extending multiple spikes to bind him. “Ha, how about that! Level three restraint magic!” This spell would continuously paralyze him until the magician exhausted his mana. “Hmm. Well…” “Huh?” He should be unable to move. The magician stared at the man, bewildered. The restraint spell functioned correctly. Based on his knowledge, the man should be immobilized. That was normal. Yet, the man clenched and unclenched his fist, moving as if unfazed. “That stings a bit.” The snide remark left the magician aghast. Crazy! He wanted to cry out but saw the man’s arm shoot towards him and sealed his lips. The clenched fist opened and reached his face, and as his heels caught on something, he fell backward, hitting his head hard on the ground, knocking him out. With the magician unconscious, the bright orbs above extinguished. He heard footsteps approaching from afar. Instead of ducking into the alley, Yuda vaulted over the neighboring estate wall. Despite being nearly 2 meters tall, scaling it was no challenge for him. He silently ran along the path adjacent to the estate's wall, heading toward the Sebronic family mansion. ‘They said it’s in the basement, right?’ Before setting off, Yuda met with Rokshin and gleaned some vital information. Count Sernick, typically lenient with his elves, allowing them complete freedom within the estate, had changed his policy. Due to the recent elf theft incidents, he commanded that they be gathered in the basement at night. Rokshin had shared this tidbit, laughing at the notion of placing customer satisfaction above all else. Tap! Yuda dashed along a narrow section of the estate wall, free of protective enchantments. He deactivated his magical eye, using the cover of night and faint moonlight to move stealthily, without drawing attention. 'Would it have been easier if I had learned concealment?' As a player who could learn anything, Yuda had no limitations on his talents. If he had asked Tia, he could've at least learned concealment up to C-rank, if not B-rank. Realizing now that activating the Shadow Magic Swordsman skills upon acquiring the Spirit Armament was more useful than he thought he needed. 'Arrived!' Luck seemed to falter when, after leaping from one wall to another and reactivating his magical eye, Yuda was immediately spotted by a guard within the estate. The guard flinched, locking eyes with Yuda, whose sinister red glow emanated from beneath his mask. "A thief…!" Up until now, Yuda hadn’t killed unnecessarily during his approach. From here on, it would be impossible to avoid doing so if he wanted to avoid capture. The irony of having to kill a stranger to rescue someone was not lost on him. In a programmed game, he would have proceeded without a second thought or any guilt, eliminating enemies as mere obstacles. But here, these were living, breathing individuals, not NPCs. The earlier guard had dreams of proposing to his beloved, proving their undeniable humanity. Shk! Yet now, after having killed countless others, claiming he would only incapacitate and not kill was nonsensical. Yuda, his guilt now a dull feeling, summoned Artemis to his left hand and flung the dagger at the guard as he inhaled to shout. The dagger pierced through the air from the wall, striking the guard below almost instantly. "Gah!" Watching the guard slump back with a strangled cry, Yuda leapt into the estate. A heavy thud sounded as more guards rushed over, catching sight of Yuda. “A thief! He’s here!” “Call the guards! Stop him from reaching the mansion!” As Yuda bolted towards the mansion’s windows, he witnessed the flow of magic—a protective barrier being erected to shield the mansion. “Hmph.” Scoffing, Yuda drew the Bastard Sword given by Lord Pierchen of Sernya Castle from his 〈Bag〉 and swung it with might. Though not comparable to the refined elegance of the Shard, the Bastard Sword was still a prestigious weapon. Vroom! Black energy enveloped the blade, vibrating with power. ─Shadow Swordsmanship: Second Form, Slash (斬) As the skill name crossed his mind, Yuda slashed upwards diagonally. Before the barrier completed its formation to block his path, it shattered. The powerful gust from the swing demolished a massive glass window behind it, shaking shards to the ground. The sound of the glass crashing was almost musical. “Into the mansion!” Some of the armored guards from the Sernick household retreated, while others stood fast, blocking any escape. Leaping onto a windowsill and into the mansion, Yuda sensed incoming magic and turned in its direction. ‘Ice and wind magic?’ About ten ice spears flew towards him from the front while invisible blades of wind targeted his back. But that wasn’t all; they were employing beginner-level spells—a fundamental yet lethal approach. However, to Yuda, armed with Fragments that boasted high magic resistance, these spells held little threat. To engineer an oversight, he didn’t dodge but instead pushed himself against the wall and deflected some with his Bastard Sword, allowing the rest to soar past. As the ice spears and wind blades collided just before impact, flame-based spells were recklessly cast within the mansion for assurance. Witnessing fire erupt from the floor, Yuda’s eyes widened just as an explosion sent flames and rubble flying. Boom! Smoke and dust engulfed the vicinity. “Is he down?” Hearing what surely shouldn’t be uttered in battle, Yuda emerged from the blackened dust to kindly inform them. “No way.” Yuda kicked off the ground, instantly closing the distance to the magician among the soldiers, swinging the Bastard Sword with force. As if he anticipated it, the magician triggered a defensive spell, but Yuda’s speed surpassed him. There was no sound of metal clashing, but the magician’s neck severed cleanly through his robe, flying up into the air—an unearthly smoothness befitting the feat. ---------= Author's Notes ---------= Choose the number one line you should never say in battle (3 points): 1) "Did I get him?" 2) "My victory! You fool!" 3) "Once this battle is over, I’m going home." 4) "What a beautiful night." 5) "I’ll die if I get hit just once!"