Episode 4: The Great Colonizing Age / Chapter 55: Investigation (6)
TL: emptycube
Editor: Obelisk
{T/N: Unique skills are now innate skills. Example, Choi Hyuk’s ‘Eyes of Distinction’ is an innate skill.}
He activated Mind’s Eye to its limits. Ryu Hyunsung’s karma became as sensitive as eardrums. Sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch, and even senses living beings on Earth weren’t aware of; his sensitive karma could capture all of them.
All sorts of information were transmitted to Ryu Hyunsung, the locations of the 50 people surrounding them, the direction they were looking in, as well as how tense their muscles were. This was ‘Mind’s Eye’. Unfortunately, that was all. a.n.a.lyzing the given information was up to the individual. Mind’s Eye was like a pearl. One could create fine jewelry with it while another could drop it down a drain.
Because of this, it became frightening when the Mind’s Eye trait was given to those who had a talent for it.
Ryu Hyunsung, who was a national saber athlete, was a ‘Battle Addict’ who had experienced the most intense missions over the past 2 years. Of course, he had the talent and experience to use Mind’s Eye to its extreme.
Ryu Hyunsung and Chu Youngjin didn’t communicate through words. With only the angle Ryu Hyunsung held his blade, Chu Youngjin was able to know which direction to charge at. At the same time, he was able to understand the speed of the charge and their target by looking at the weight shifted on Ryu Hyunsung’s legs.
‘No killing, a fast speed breakthrough.’
Chu Youngjin nodded his head and a rumble sounded out as he shot forward. Both his trait and innate skill sharply increased the output of his karma. As he lacked precision, fights were relatively more dangerous when fighting against strong enemies, but against weaker ones, he was able to crush them easier than anyone.
Clink!
However, his opponents were also elites who represented an organization. There were no cases, like with the slave traders, where they would be split in two. Still, all they could do was narrowly parry Chu Youngjin’s crashing strike and even then, they would be pushed away due to the differences in their strength. At Chu Youngjin’s charge, the encirclement seemed to ripple as if it had been hit by a cannonball. Ryu Hyunsung quickly followed behind him.
It was the same this time as well, there was no need for words. Chu Youngjin was able to determine the direction by looking at Ryu Hyunsung’s footsteps and his sword.
Rumble!
Ruumble!
Each step Chu Youngjin took, and each time he swung his sword, enemies would scatter.
“Keep your positions! Endure! They won’t be able to keep this tempo for long!”
The leader, Cha Ohjin, tried his best to keep the scattering encirclement enclosed. Although he couldn’t be said to be Sovereign Lao Ban’s right hand, he was someone who could at least be his right thumb. He was a leader who followed the orders of the executives. He had rushed here when he heard a commotion as he was hunting ‘sacrifices’ for the ‘festival’ that was held every half year.
His judgment was correct as he had a lot of experience in battles as a leader. Chu Youngjin was showing off his incredible skills, but the encirclement only wobbled, there were no casualties. If they just stuck to them like rabid dogs, they would undoubtedly win.
{Explosive Blood}
All stats, excluding Control, increase explosively. The amount of increase depends on the user’s apt.i.tude.
The karma, excluding Control, goes crazy and you feel an extreme pain. Although your Recovery stat increases as well, the burden on your body was greater, and thus, you acc.u.mulate more damage the longer you fight.
There was a limit to Stamina. On top of that, because his Control couldn’t keep up, the explosiveness accelerated his rate of exhaustion.
Because of this, Cha Ohjin’s judgment was correct. If only Ryu Hyunsung wasn’t present.
Chu Youngjin wasn’t moving without thinking. He moved precisely according to the signals Ryu Hyunsung was giving him. Ryu Hyunsung’s orders, which were supported by Mind’s Eye, were marvelous. They weren’t piercing through one direction but were instead charging in various directions, tangling their enemies’ movements and collapsing the encirclement itself.
The elites, who attempted to stick to their role and position, had, at some point, become jumbled together like a herd of sheep without a shepherd.
And in the opening created by this confusion,
Slice!
Ryu Hyunsung’s Karma Blade sliced into the neck of the enemy leader, Cha Ohjin.
“Ack!”
Cha Ohjin screamed as he pressed his hand on his half-cut neck. However, no matter how hard he pressed, his blood splurged from his neck like a geyser. Not only that, but a part of his nerves had been cut too, making him unable to move his left arm and he began to lose strength in his legs as he flopped to the ground. Because his karma acted to maintain his body structure, he didn’t die immediately, but he began losing brain functionality due to the heavy loss of blood.
His eyes became muddled and saliva dripped down his lips. It was a fatal blow that even a Recovery Potion would be hard pressed to cure.
“Huh?”
The enemies froze at the unexpected turn of events. During this time, their attention had been on Chu Youngjin instead of Ryu Hyunsung. The enemies were unable to take their eyes off Chu Youngjin because of his frightening sword strikes that would split their weapons and body in two if they weren’t careful, accompanied by the rumbling sounds emitted by his body.
That was how Ryu Hyunsung, who had erased his presence by quietly following behind Chu Youngjin, was able to slash the enemy leader, Cha Ohjin, at a critical moment. The hole in their mindset, their textbook approach and attack, the confusion amongst the enemy after their tactics, and the Karma Blade of the Berserkers that was known to be the best amongst all colonizers. Once all these factors came together, Cha Ohjin, who was known to be an expert, was wounded.
After slicing Cha Ohjin’s neck, Ryu Hyunsung turned around without hesitation and created a path. They escaped. Now that they had weakened their enemy’s tracking abilities, it was now time for them to leave. It was skillfully done. While Ryu Hyunsung and Chu Youngjin were going further away from their sight, their enemies were simply a mess.
Yet, what was most surprising was what happened next.
“Leader! d.a.m.n it…”
The vice-leader Ye Chu placed his hand on Cha Ohjin’s drooling head.
Blaze!
As he did, a fiery haze covered Cha Ohjin’s body. The haze surged towards his head and pa.s.sed through Ye Chu’s hand. Ye Chu absorbed Cha Ohjin’s karma.
“… My karma isn’t returning to me.”
Ryu Hyunsung said as he glanced sideways at the scene behind him.
“Well… They plunder their opponent’s karma. The rumors about the ‘Plunderer’ were right.”
There was a rumor like that. The fate where the individual would become stronger the more intense battles they fought, ‘Battle Addict’, the fate which would make the individual increasingly stronger over time, ‘Surviving One’, and the fate where the individual would get stronger the more respect and thanks he received from others. There were many different types of fates in the world, but amongst them, there was a rumor about the existence of the ‘Plunderer’ fate. They said that it was a fate where the individual would get stronger by directly absorbing the karma of whoever they killed. And that the owner of this fate was the Sovereign of Dark Secrets, Lao Ban.
Looking at the situation, it seemed as though those rumors were true.
“… Would the disappeared Berserkers have also met that fate?”
“There’s a good chance. Strong immigrants were probably absorbed like that too.”
From absorbing the Leader Cha Ohjin’s karma, Ye Chu’s actions changed. He commanded.
“You, immediately go tell the sovereign. Two enemies. The Sword Demon Chu Youngjin and the Knight Captain Ryu Hyunsung, Chu Jung… No, Chu Youngjin and Ryu Hyunsung. Report this to him. As for the rest of you, chase after them!”
At his command, a single person jumped into the fog while the rest chased after the distant Chu Youngjin and Ryu Hyunsung.
“It’s dangerous… This isn’t the end. Let’s leave quickly.”
Ryu Hyunsung bit his lip as he sped up.
An area where blue rocks emitted a thick fog. It wasn’t a great place to live, but as it was a good place to avoid monsters, quite a few relatively large villages were founded and immigrants survived here.
It was a region that was filled with a thick fog and the silence of the immigrants living here. However, today was different.
Today was the festival day of Lao Ban and his forces. This foggy region was chosen to be the location of the festival. As if it was always like this, a search operation, that was as tight as a net, was being conducted here. Lao Ban’s faction attacked immigrant villages they discovered and separated the immigrants into either slaves or sacrifices. Colonizers, who were exploring remote places alone or those with no connections, were kidnapped and prepared as sacrifices as well.
From Sovereign Lao Ban to the lower ranks, it was an important event where the majority of Lao Ban’s followers were gathered here, killing sacrifices, absorbing their power, and checking the unity amongst each other. They called this event that took place twice a year, a ‘festival’.
It was a day where the ones who killed and absorbed others without the slightest hesitation would watch those who were hesitant, checking their spirit and courage, as well as observing their transition into fellow accomplices. It was also a day where they would perceive themselves as special existences above others as they gazed at the pleading sacrifices.
Ever since Lao Ban had received the fate ‘Plunderer’, the ‘festival’ was always packed.
However, a troubling mood hung in the air today.
“Berserkers?”
Lao Ban frowned.
“Yes. They were the top executives of the Berserkers, Chu Youngjin and Ryu Hyunsung.”
“… You said Cha Ohjin died?”
“Yes. The position was pa.s.sed down to vice-leader Ye Chu and he is currently in pursuit.”
“Why would the top executives come to a remote place?… Novices are definitely the unruliest. Ye Long!”
“Yes.”
“Personally lead my personal guards and bring them here. Don’t kill them.”
“I understand.”
“I will take them as sacrifices as well. The festival will halt momentarily until the new sacrifices arrive. Ye Long! Two days should be enough?”
“More than enough.”
‘Cruel Killing Sword Ye Long’, who was known to be the most skilled amongst Lao Ban’s followers, brought the personal guards and left.
Lao Ban left the Berserkers to Ye Long and started to direct orders concerning the preparation of the festival once again. As he had more time now, he was preparing slowly. Looking at Lao Ban’s relaxed demeanor, his follower who was famous for being careful, Tsu Chin, cautiously suggested.
“Still… They are famous Berserkers. Wouldn’t it be better for you to act personally to make sure we don’t create any trouble in the future? I think it would be best to deal with the matter thoroughly to prevent information about us leaking and to weaken our enemy forces.”
Yet, Lao Ban reacted indifferently.
“It’s fine. If we do that, the festival mood will be completely broken. Even if we lose them, this festival is more important.”
Tsu Chin was still nervous. Lao Ban comforted him. His cautiousness had helped him several times, but there were times when Lao Ban thought he was exceedingly cautious.
“Don’t worry. We are already in bad relations with the Berserkers. Since we don’t have anything to gain from them, we don’t have anything to lose by our relationship becoming any worse. Also, they can’t do anything. Koreans are going to invade Macau, a Chinese territory? Then a war will break out. And, even if they did invade, as long as we’re in our territory, there isn’t anything they can do. What if they are strong? If I don’t open the portal for them, they can’t do anything.”
“Still, the Berserk Sovereign is an enemy we need to be wary of. No matter what anyone says, wasn’t he the first sovereign to colonize a land?”
“I don’t know… I’m more scared of the ‘Sovereign of Balance’ than the Berserk Sovereign. I can’t comment on his fighting skills, but the Berserk Sovereign’s political ability is zero. To be honest, as long as there isn’t a way for the Berserk Sovereign to use his military power against us, he isn’t a threat. People like the ‘Sovereign of Balance’ are scarier than him. Those who have the potential to isolate us with just a few words… In the end, there’s a limit to physical strength. Tsu Chin, I understand you’re worried. However, I don’t feel that a sovereign’s provocation is serious enough that I need to stop the festival and handle it myself. Instead, that would be falling for their ploy. As it would mean letting our biggest event fall apart because of two b.a.s.t.a.r.ds. Since I’ve sent Ye Long and my guards, that’s already enough.”
As Lao Ban went this far to explain, Tsu Chin eventually backed down.
“I understand.”
To be honest, any more words would be useless. The Berserk Sovereign was ultimately known for his military strength. However, if he wasn’t able to use that force, wasn’t it useless? If that was the case, then there was no need to fear him. And, didn’t Lao Ban already dispatch his best experts? Logically, he believed he handled it appropriately.
‘But… Why am I so nervous?’
Tsu Chin tried to recall if he missed anything. However, he was unable to come up with anything.