Chapter 135: Hyacinth (4)
TL: Nadu
Editor: Lesurous
From Ed Ranger"s death, Lennon seized an opportunity.
The Fire Dragon Knights were the icon of the Sun Guild"s strength and one of the biggest pillars of the Sun Guild.
However, honorable? Generous?
All of it was bulls.h.i.t. Muyoung was well aware of Lennon"s ambition.
"A greedy tiger."
Lennon was a tiger alright.
But, where Alexandro was a great tiger, Lennon was just one of the normal tigers.
Since he tried his best catching even small prey and tried his best to not give them any slack.
He was full of greed.
He was praised for the qualities he showed on the outside, but his heart was completely black.
Right about now, he would wield supreme power and secure his position using Ed Ranger"s death as the cause, due to the power vacuum left behind.
To Lennon, Muyoung"s actions would be like a lucky break.
If someone was playing it safe, of course, there would be others who would try to take advantage of the situation.
"How far will you go?"
While Lennon and the others were unaware, Muyoung"s eyes and ears were placed throughout the Sun Guild already.
Although they had no idea, thanks to this, Muyoung was able to roughly figure out Lennon"s plan.
However, even Muyoung was unable to easily determine how much of Lennon"s actions would influence him.
"Find out who was a.s.sociated with Ed Ranger"s death! Search every inch of this place!"
"Lennon! What are you doing?! How can you do this to me?!"
Everyone was each other"s enemy.
There was no law that stated yesterday"s ally would still be today"s friend.
Lennon didn"t listen to a word the brother spoke.
"Someone from inside the guild killed one of us. I can"t leave this incident to rest just because of personal feelings. What are you doing?! Keep searching!"
A fish in water.
As if he was waiting for something like this to happen, Lennon instantly dominated his surroundings.
Since he was now gaining momentum, it wouldn"t be easy for him to just stop either.
And the direction of this momentum had reached even the vice guild master.
"Abdullon."
The second in command after Alexandro.
However, Abdullon"s hands and feet were already tied.
It was because Alexandro"s siblings had greater authority than him.
Abdullon"s close a.s.sociates were instantly exiled or demoted when Alexandro disappeared.
You could say the current Abdullon was no different than a mute orator.
However, no matter how much his power was marginalized, his position still existed.
The t.i.tle of vice guild master.
Thanks to Abdullon, the Sun Guild still remained strong.
And everyone should be aware of this.
Since they had tied Abdullon"s hands and feet, everyone could have won if Lennon didn"t invade Abdullon…
But, Lennon went even a step further.
Words that Lennon invaded Abdullon"s library, house, etc. and started investigating with the Fire Dragon Knights had quickly spread.
His measures that ignored even his position as vice guild master.
Clearly, he showed the intent that he would kill anyone who interfered.
Omnipotence.
It didn"t seem like there was anyone who could stop Lennon right now.
It had already been 45 days since Alexandro disappeared.
If Alexandro didn"t return after 45 days from now, through a tournament, the next guild master would be decided.
Lennon had instantly become the number 1 candidate for the position of next guild master.
Clang!
A dagger had flown in.
Muyoung quickly moved his body and swung Anguish.
Hyacinth froze from her surprise, but Muyoung"s expression was extremely serious.
A full day wasn"t enough to fully understand Lennon"s actions, but a 3rd party had shown up.
Even more, their ident.i.ties were more concerning.
"Ninjas?"
A group of five ninjas had entered the castle in broad daylight.
"How did they get in?"
Because ninjas used a lot of bizarre methods, even Muyoung was unable to easily detect them.
But, he was still able to discover them before they entered the room.
And so, he was able to block their attacks.
Ninjas were those who came to the Underworld from j.a.pan and made an organization.
Even the name of the organization itself was "Ninja" and Muyoung knew of the woman who was in charge of that place.
Ootsuki Yuka!
The five men who stood in front of him were definitely ninjas by looking at their movements and the way they breathed.
However, why on Earth were ninjas after Hyacinth and springing a surprise attack on her?
Ninja definitely had different tendencies than the Forest of Death.
From the beginning, they didn"t accept requests. It was an organization that moved only depending on their gains and losses.
Perhaps, there was a possibility that Ootsuki Yuka was involved with the inner parts of the Sun Guild.
Swoosh.
The five ninjas looked at each other and then started to back off.
They had realized that Muyoung"s agility was out of the ordinary.
"Wait."
He couldn"t just let them go like that.
After saying one word, he followed the ninjas.
Hyacinth slowly grasped her trembling heart.
Although she had a vague notion that someone would make a surprise attack on her, she was scared out of her wits when it really happened.
"Hya, you need to get stronger."
She urged herself.
She repeated the name her mother called her by when Hyacinth was young when her mother was still alive.
That she couldn"t shudder at just this.
It was at that moment.
Swaack.
A ninja appeared as if he popped out from the ground.
He seemed as though he was harmonized with the castle stone.
A ninja who learned the Earth Release technique.
"Sorry, but you need to die for our great cause."
He was after the moment Muyoung was vacant.
Hyacinth clenched her teeth tightly, raised her skirt, and took out a dagger tied to her leg.
Although she wasn"t much of a combative person, Hyacinth was still part of the Sun Guild.
She had developed at least some level of martial arts skills.
Even though she wasn"t a "rising star", it wasn"t like she didn"t know how to fight.
"I need to live."
She swung her dagger.
However, it didn"t reach the ninja.
Before she was aware of it, the ninja had retreated underground.
It wasn"t a cover. He really did harmonize with the ground and moved.
Hyacinth quickly looked around.
However, even though she antic.i.p.ated it, she wasn"t able to block his hand that popped out right underneath and grabbed her ankles.
"…! Let go!"
Although she quickly kicked her feet, his hand tried to drag Hyacinth down under the ground.
The ground felt like it became a swamp.
However, Hyacinth knew that she would die within the rocks if she was dragged in.
Although she knew, she couldn"t escape him.
Her strength was draining from her entire body.
"Muyoung."
Although that was the name she first thought of, he wasn"t at this place.
Stab!
Hyacinth tightly closed her eyes.
However, she no longer felt her feet being sunk in.
Then, as she opened her eyes as she felt strange about it, a man stood in front of Hyacinth.
"Ah…! Muyoung!"
It was Muyoung.
However, Muyoung didn"t reply.
After piercing Anguish through the ninja"s head, he just stood there with an expressionless face.
There was no consideration for Hyacinth at all.
But, she still liked it.
Her own bodyguard who appears when she is in danger.
She wasn"t a girl if heart didn"t tingle at this situation.
While she tried to take control of her beating heart, Hyacinth asked.
"Wh, what about the other ninjas?"
Muyoung still kept silent.
"He seems as though he has a lot on his mind."
Hyacinth didn"t think hard about it.
Perhaps, he might have just returned because he was worried about her safety more than catching the ninjas.
She was eternally moved by this.
"Thank you. B-but could you get me out?"
She had sunk into the floor to her knees. It was hard for her to get out on her own.
However, Muyoung didn"t move.
He still seemed like he was deep in thought.
She couldn"t bother him.
"I understand. I will try to resolve this on my own."
Hyacinth started to struggle with her feet.
Muyoung continued to follow the ninjas.
"Soul"s Tail."
He showed his thoroughness as he sent his clone to remain with Hyacinth.
Meanwhile, he quietly watched where the ninjas were heading to.
The ninjas swiftly dispersed and tried to prevent Muyoung from following but if they knew who Muyoung was in the past, they wouldn"t have done something like this.
They would have just taken their own lives on the spot or have died by Muyoung.
However, they didn"t know of Muyoung"s past.
So, Muyoung was easily able to figure out the final destination of the ninjas.
"Lennon…"
Surprisingly, Lennon was at their final destination.
He was unsure when he conspired with the ninjas or if they were already together on this, but it didn"t seem good.
"You failed?"
"There was an interferer. We tried to bypa.s.s and kill Hyacinth but as if he had already figured it out, he returned. We lost connection with our comrade."
"It was probably that b.a.s.t.a.r.d, Muyoung."
Lennon rubbed his chin and continued to talk.
"Did you find out about Alexandro"s whereabouts?"
"Not yet…"
"s.h.i.t. He wouldn"t have run away after figuring out the trap we had already placed, right?"
"Lennon, don"t speak any further."
"I know. But, who would enter this place? This room is protected by I, Lennon.."
"…What are you going to do with Abdullon?"
"We can"t kill that old weasel. We definitely bound him hand and foot but he still has an odd sense of confidence. It seems like there is still a move he hasn"t used yet. Find out about that as well."
"I understand."
"When this ends, I will not forget Yuka and your service."
"Ha!"
The ninjas bowed once before they quietly left the room.
Muyoung found out how the ninjas were able to enter the castle without anyone knowing.
However, although he had kept an eye on Lennon until now, it was the first time he saw Lennon conspiring with the ninjas.
It meant Lennon was that cautious.
"The Ninja"s, the Command Clan, Lennon, Abdullon, and Alexandro."
It felt like everything was carefully put together like a puzzle.
If Muyoung"s memories were correct, Alexandro didn"t die.
However, it was definitely strange for him to not appear like this.
It seemed like the future had slightly changed.
"I need to strengthen my surveillance."
He needed to widen his scope of surveillance.
Muyoung nodded his head and quickly left the area.
Lennon was on a roll.
Muyoung thought of it as he watched Lennon.
Currently, Lennon was taking full advantage of Muyoung"s work.
"Take it."
Muyoung gave Hyacinth a seal.
He no longer had time to waste.
In her room, Hyacinth took a deep sigh before widening her eyes.
"What is this seal?"
"It"s Ed Ranger"s seal. I found it first before Lennon started to inspect his room."
Hyacinth"s jaw dropped.
"If, if someone finds out, we will be in big trouble."
"If we were to get caught now, yes. But, Ed Ranger has handed over that seal to you."
"He handed over to me?"
"There was a letter written in his own handwriting."
From Muyoung"s side, he took out a letter.
Hyacinth opened the letter right away and started to read what was written.
As she read further along, her body shook more.
"This really is Ed Ranger oppa"s handwriting. On top of that, his seal… but, I don"t understand. Why would Ed Ranger oppa hand over his seal to me?"
From the ninjas who suddenly appeared, everything couldn"t be easily understood.
There would be no better time to use the word chaos than now.
Hyacinth looked at Muyoung with slight doubt.
Muyoung just shrugged his shoulders.
He couldn"t tell her that he ordered Ataraxia to control Ed Ranger.
"He"s helpful."
Ataraxia had a lot of snakes he was able to control.
From regular venom to hallucinating venom, even venom to control the mind, he was able to use countless different types of venom.
It was a piece of cake to control Ed Ranger.
However, he couldn"t just tell Hyacinth the truth.
"There are some people who are awakened when they are about to die. Wouldn"t it be similar to how the brothers and sisters you knew of are now different?"
After Alexandro disappeared, Hyacinth"s brothers and sisters changed.
Although it was more correct to say that their true characters came to light.
After listening to this sort of comparison, Hyacinth lowered her head.
"However, if Lennon oppa knows that I have this seal, he wouldn"t let go of this."
"The seal is power. With just two it might be lacking but if you were to gather a few more seals, even he wouldn"t be able to ignore you."
It was the reason Lennon stormed in and used force.
He was trying to not give them time to gather the seals.
"How?"
"Continue to open the Trial of Swords."
"The Trial of… Swords? I have no cause."
"We just need to create a cause."
Hyacinth looked at Muyoung as questions went through her mind.
But, it was a good thing she didn"t say that "she won"t do it".
It seemed like Hyacinth had already made up her mind in her own way.
On top of this, if they were to just stay still, Lennon would be unstoppable.
Since Muyoung now knew of his conspiracy with the Ninja, it was now time for him to act.
"Things are working out interestingly."
It was true chaos.
No one could tell who their enemy was and who was their ally.
During this time, there would be nothing weird if the tables were turned in just a day.
The corner of Muyoung"s lip rose as he thought of his next move.
"I just need to make a cause."
For Muyoung, it wasn"t that hard to do.
Chapter 136: Hyacinth (End)
TL: Nadu
Editor: Lesurous
A person who is in a high position for a long time tends to care about the thoughts people around him have towards them.
And so, the person spares no cost in building a good public image.
Muyoung wanted the Trial of Swords to continuously open and made a plan for that to happen.
It was "rumors".
"Did you hear? Ed Ranger was involved with Alexandro"s disappearance."
"Ed Ranger was? I heard it was Lennon."
"Amanda said that he was communicating with the Forest of Death…"
"Really?! With that d.a.m.ned place?"
Malicious rumors.
However, would there only be "malice" in the rumors?
They were all stories with the truth as a basis.
They weren"t all 100% correct but the rumors would make those who knew about the truth be bothered by them.
It was already a situation where the Sun Guild was in the public eye.
The rumors spread like wildfire.
Of course, the ones involved with the rumors completely denied it.
"This is all a lie. What reason would I have to communicate with the Forest of Death?"
"I will find the person who spread these false rumors and punish him severely!"
Everyone besides Hyacinth was pressed by this matter.
In a situation like this, these rumors would only give hostile organizations a cause to act.
Even if the Sun Guild was the strongest organization, there were still a few who weren"t far after them.
As if it was a good thing, there were a lot of places wanting a piece of the Sun Guild.
And within that situation, Hyacinth started to act.
Hyacinth was the only girl who went well with the description "high integrity".
Only Hyacinth was innocent of all the dirty rumors.
In reality, this was also true.
It was the reason why Hyacinth was the only one who could act when everyone else was being cautious.
"A few days ago, there were a.s.sa.s.sins who attacked me. They were the a.s.sa.s.sins from the Forest of Death. Second oldest sister, did you really want to kill me that badly?"
Hyacinth started to counterattack.
The woman who Hyacinth called as her second oldest sister, became as pale as death.
"This is a misunderstanding. You know very well that someone spread false rumors about me."
"Would it only be a rumor? But, what about the evidence? The items found on the a.s.sa.s.sins who attacked me."
It was a ring.
An expensive and rare item made from diamonds.
The design of the ring was unique and it was a treasure amongst treasure made by a dwarf.
All the brothers and sisters knew that this ring belonged to the sister.
"How, how did that?"
"Are you still going to deny it?"
"It"s not me! I don"t know why you have that ring but it doesn"t make sense for me to a.s.sociate with the Forest of Death."
In reality, the ring was provided by Muyoung.
But, it was true that the woman was communicating with the Forest of Death.
No, when you think about it, all of the executives of the Sun Guild had some sort of connection with the Forest of Death in one way or another.
How were they going to prove it?
The woman didn"t try to kill Hyacinth through the Forest of Death.
She only tried to kill Muyoung but if Muyoung was killed, it was basically killing Hyacinth.
Hyacinth spoke with a serious look on her face.
"Sister, I request the Trial of Swords. Let"s decided who"s right or wrong there."
"Are… you crazy? Do you think you would be safe after speaking like that?!"
"I"ll see you in after a week."
Hyacinth safely left her as she ignored the malice and swearing behind her.
Shiver!
After she disappeared from the woman"s sight, Hyacinth shivered her shoulders.
Muyoung cautiously placed his hand on her shoulder.
"You did well."
"Just, I felt a slight chill. I"m not scared."
"I know."
Even if this tough appearance was just a mask, now was the time she needed to wear it.
The trial opened and the one chosen to be Muyoung"s opponent was "Lucas the Champion of Reversal".
He was someone who enjoyed throwing his spear but was a veteran who wasn"t weak in close combat either.
The "Sage"s Workshop" released a book called the "Strongest 300" every year which listed the top 300 humans they ranked and Lucas was exactly at the 277th rank.
It was a rank that the ones called the sages created by gathering together and discussing with each other.
Although the ranking was renewed every year, Lucas was within the top 300 for a very long time.
It meant he was that strong.
He was a level higher than Bastille, the last opponent Muyoung faced.
Like last time, everyone thought Lucas would win.
Slam!
Thud!
…It was a shame that the person who just flew off was not Muyoung but Lucas.
Muyoung raised his fist after confirming that Lucas, who just smacked against the wall, had fainted.
It was a sign of victory.
However, the battleground was still quiet.
Muyoung had even won against a "true strong man" who was ranked 277th.
Was he really a Prestige Knight?
Although Lucas, who was called the Champion of Reversal, was winning at first, he lost by a close call.
Everyone knew. That Lucas was more favorable until the halfway mark.
"This is the limit without using acceleration."
Muyoung wasn"t uninjured.
However, he didn"t try to read the grains or accelerate time.
He won against Bastille and Lucas just using his pure fighting skills.
"This, this is a lie! This can"t be possible!"
The defeated sister cried out loud.
She didn"t want to believe in the results of the trial.
However, it already happened and the sister lost everything.
Hyacinth quietly shuddered. However, she didn"t forget her duty.
To stare at others provocatively.
To give others" the feeling that "they are the next target"!
That was what Hyacinth needed to do.
The expressions of her other brothers and sisters also changed as if they each eaten a bug.
Among them, there would be someone who might challenge her next by seeing Muyoung"s injuries.
"I"ll slaughter you all."
Muyoung inwardly laughed.
The Sun Guild.
This place was an impregnable fortress when Alexandro stood by.
There was no way it could be swayed just because of Muyoung"s meddling.
However, the Sun Guild without Alexandro was like a hollow fortress.
Swoosh!
A red jiangshi body crumbled.
As Bae Sungmin spread his arms out, a black ring popped out and tied up the surrounding red jiangshi.
The red jiangshi was a level lower than black jiangshi and even though their numbers were great, they couldn"t do anything against Bae Sungmin who was an arc lich.
"Who are you guys? Who are you to disturb our work?"
Tacan interrogated the jiangshi sorcerer.
However, there was no way for him to willingly give them a reply.
"I"ll find out after I kill you then."
Tacan announced his death.
Within a short period of time, the jiangshi sorcerer"s whole body was slashed before he even noticed.
His body was slashed into dozens, then into hundreds of pieces.
After wiping out all of the enemy, Bae Sungmin spoke while he watched the display of skill.
"Your swordsmanship took a major step forward."
"Hmph, this is nothing compared to what I want to achieve."
"By the way, from what I heard, you originally agreed to leave. Why aren"t you leaving?"
Tacan sheathed his sword and stared at Sungmin threateningly.
"At first, I was going to leave. Muyoung, he was originally much weaker than me, and I took pity on him while being thankful for being freed."
"But, now?"
"I was instantly left behind. Even more, the guy learned extraordinary skills. I can"t leave even if I want to until I make those skills my own!"
Tacan grounded his teeth.
Muyoung, his strength, had become Tacan"s weakness.
He was going to leave without any lingering attachment once he learned and made the skill to manage time and the skill to see grains his own, but it was impossible for him to learn those two skills no matter how much he tried.
Just, that in the process, his swordsmanship had improved.
"It"s a knight"s sorrow."
Bae Sungmin uttered a short phrase.
As he wasn"t a knight, he wasn"t able to fully understand Tacan"s feelings.
"Besides that, let"s hurry. We need to find out the next location before the mark disappears."
As if it was useless, Tacan shook his head and searched the jiangshi sorcerer"s body.
Their enemies" bodies each had a different mark, and if they were to interpret it, they would be able to find out their next destination.
However, they couldn"t just scan the whole picture.
The Command Clan strictly moved in cells.
After confirming the mark on the jiangshi sorcerer"s body, Bae Sungmin nodded his head.
"Next… is the Sky Library."
Six.
It was the number of seals Hyacinth had collected.
It wasn"t a majority but six seals was enough power to sway everyone"s opinions.
It was because the ones who thought Muyoung had reached his limit, and moved to open the Trial of Swords, had all lost.
By now, they couldn"t help but realize that something was off.
During his last fight, Muyoung had used "4 times acceleration", and the siblings still left realized that Muyoung"s strength wasn"t shown in its entirety.
Afterwards, they spared themselves from opening the Trial of Swords.
Either way, with six seals, it became possible to even enter the "hidden room".
"Normally, this place is only accessible by the guild master. The information collected from the special intelligence branch of the guild is all placed here."
Hyacinth spoke tensely.
Underneath the guild.
The place they reached after gaining access pa.s.sed the numerous security and obtaining certification.
In front of Muyoung"s eyes, dozens of doc.u.ments flew around.
They were connected to pipe like structures, and even now, doc.u.ments that were heavily secured moved around continuously.
"It"s here."
The place Muyoung wanted to enter so much.
The place where all manner of information was contained!
As Muyoung returned from the future, his memory was imperfect.
It was because Muyoung wasn"t active during this period.
It was around the time he first came out into the world after being kidnapped by the Forest of Death and spending ten years in training.
He only had information right before the start of the great calamity and any other information was only from looking at people"s status viewer histories.
"I will be able to figure out the exact whereabouts of Alexandro."
The Sun Guild had an uncountable number of intelligence branches.
Every branch was independent and neutral, and each had a different authority.
Only the guild master, Alexandro, was able to make them act.
"Muyoung, please… take this."
Hyacinth cautiously handed an earring.
Muyoung couldn"t help but be surprised as he looked down on it.
"Was this in the Sun Guild?"
As he concentrated on the earring, information regarding it popped up.
Name: Conqueror"s Earring
Rank: A++
Cla.s.sification: Equippable type
Endurance: 55,000
Effect: A necessity for a conqueror.
* Only equippable when pure intelligence and wisdom stats are above 400
* The higher the number of territories conquered or the level of territories, the recovery ability increases. (+177%)
* Intelligence +20
* Wisdom +20
** When worn with Contempt for the Weak, "Magic Resistance +50" and "Wilderness" skill is usable.
"I found it by chance when I looked around the A rank storage room. The ring you are wearing is Contempt for the Weak, right? Ah, don"t get me wrong. I can see information as a picture."
Hyacinth cautiously spoke.
She meant that she brought it after confirming how the Contempt for the Weak ring looked like through a picture and because it was the same thing as the one Muyoung wore.
However, it wouldn"t have been simply by chance.
The storage rooms the Sun Guild possessed were all ma.s.sive.
It was no different for the A rank storage room.
All A rank equipment were within the same storage room even though not all A rank equipment was outstanding.
She would have spent days and nights looking for equipment that would help Muyoung.
The dark bags under her eyes told the truth.
"Thank you."
It would have taken a long time if he was to try and look for it on his own.
As he wore the earring, he felt that his body became a bit st.u.r.dier.
A reality marble!
It meant that it was a unique type that was matched to Muyoung.
A "reality marble" had the power to reverse any situation depending on how it was used.
An unexpected gain.
After placing his hand on Hyacinth"s head for a moment, Muyoung continued to look for doc.u.ments.
He looked through the mountain of papers for a quarter of a day.
"Huh."
And he found out about an unexpected truth.
"I didn"t think I"d find this here."
Muyoung"s gaze became deeper.
Tacan and Bae Sungmin went up the Sky Library.
It was easy to avoid everyone"s attention.
However, the person Bae Sungmin and Tacan met was enough to completely outrun their expectations.
"I can feel Asura"s energy. Are you guys Asura"s underlings?"
Ding ding ding.
A man appeared as he played the lute.
He wore a turban and gave off an uncommon vibe.
"It seems like you guys were the ones who disturbed our great work. Hoho."
His face was young but his voice and his tone were no different than an elderly man.
As the man played the lute, the surrounding environment changed and a barrier was created.
"A reality marble…"
Bae Sungmin spoke as if the man got him.
Even Bae Sungmin didn"t think he would be able to make a barrier so quickly.
"Who…are you?"
Tacan asked.
He wasn"t able to get the gist of this strange energy.
It was an energy Tacan felt for the first time.
The surrounding world slowly changed into the man"s color.
Then the man who held the lute spoke as he smiled.
"I am "Moon", the sect leader of the Sky Devil church and the successor of Makura, one of the Eight Deva Guardians of Buddhism."