Chapter 130: Sun Guild (End)
TL: Tay
Editor: Lesurous
However, it wasn't like he could reverse it at this point.
"Are you not giving out the talismans needed to return?"
"It's the trial of a low level dungeon. There's probably many ways to return inside. However, if you want, I will give you one talisman that you can use to return by removing one of the C rank talismans I was going to give you."
When a mercenary asked, the manager who controlled the place responded.
Usually, when exploring this kind of trial, a return talisman would be given for safety.
However, there was a condition that it should be exchanged for the existing compensation.
"Eyy, is it necessary to do that for this kind of trial…?"
"In the case of level 3 dungeon trials, it's obvious."
Obviously, only a few people made the trade.
As if it were nothing, everyone laughed and made their way into the trial.
Also, the world changed as 5 people, including Kim Taehwan, crossed the spotlight.
"There isn't much content….?"
"By the way, what is a flesh hound?"
"That's a name I've never heard of before."
There were several monsters with similar names, but that was all.
There were no monsters with the name of flesh hound.
"I'll take the lead."
At that moment, Kim Taehwan came forward.
Although he hadn't been in the Underworld for long, he was a member of the prestigious Luminescent Guild.
In addition, he lived in an underground tunnel for a year and achieved some skills.
His level was sufficient to take the lead here.
Everyone knew him and did not object.
Survival.
Because they were mercenaries, there were no words that were as precious as the word 'survival' in unfamiliar places.
"Over there… what is your name?"
After properly positioning the mercenary troops, Kim Taehwan asked the man who wore full-body armor.
The man thought for a moment and took the furthest position at the back.
"Will you be okay?"
The rear-guard was as dangerous of a place as the lead. No, it was more likely to be more dangerous than the lead.
This was because most of the hidden monsters sought and approached at the back.
But the man did not answer.
A tacit affirmation.
However, if he's like this, it was questionable as to whether he was really mute or not.
"If there isn't a problem, let's go."
But if he was truly a member of the Command Clan, Kim Taehwan didn't have to pay him any attention.
And so 5 people started to make their way into the unknown trial.
The appearance of the flesh hounds were absolutely hideous.
The flesh of its entire body was covered with blotchy tumors that bulged out and there was a seam on each spot as if someone had contrived to put them together.
'It's close to a chimera.'
Twooong!
Kim Taehwan's shield shook greatly.
One flesh hound wasn't much but they moved in groups of at least a hundred.
"Grawrrr! These sons-of-bitches want to die?!"
"Gyaaahh! My arm!"
The mercenaries violently brandished their weapons as they spoke harsh words.
But it was hard to block ten hands with one.
Occasionally they were unable to stop the flesh hounds from attacking them.
"I'll stop it! Everyone to the back!"
Thud!
Kim Taehwan's shield was embedded in the ground.
His unique Class, Guardian of Eradication!
It was time for him to exert the power he'd gained through the Shield of Eradication.
Shwaaanngg!
An intangible energy spread out in a straight line along the lines of the shield.
It was as if they were splitting the ground.
Then, even the flesh hounds were unable to cross the intangible line.
It had created an invisible wall.
Thump! Thump!
The flesh hounds threw themselves.
But the wall never broke.
The hounds studied each others' faces and withdrew.
'Do they have intelligence…?'
Kim Taehwan cast a surprised glance at the sight.
Soon after leaving, leaving only the bodies of flesh hounds, there were five people remaining in the vacant space.
"Euugghh…."
"You're injured. Let me help, just endure this."
Kim Taehwan, who took out a compression bandage, wrapped the wounds of the mercenaries and used a red potion.
"Ta-Take it off. I'll never repay you for the value of that potion."
But the mercenaries refused.
In the world of mercenaries, the concept of borrowing was rare.
If you were given, you had to compensate for it with something of similar value.
And potions were too expensive for common mercenaries to buy.
"I won't ask you to repay it. If you don't want to lose your arm, stay put."
"That, is it for real?"
"You should know well that I don't lie."
"Eugh…. Fine. Do whatever you want."
After the mercenaries gave up, the rest went quickly.
However, even though the flesh hounds were gone it wasn't safe.
"To have searched only this much is enough, isn't it?"
"If I'd known this would happen, I would have taken the talisman."
They had troubled expressions.
The intensity of the trials were greater than he thought.
However there was no way to return right away.
Live or die, first he had no choice but to explore more trials.
Rumble rumble rumble!
There was the sound of countless footsteps in the distance.
Everyone knew what that sound meant.
"Crazy! They brought their comrades!"
"Fuck!"
What was originally one hundred turned into a good five or six hundred.
Whereas only five people were gathered here!
"Everyone back! Go back to the starting point!"
Kim Taehwan reluctantly yelled.
Before long they turned around and started fleeing.
Swoosh.
Only, one man walked towards the hounds.
When he raised his sword, flames rose from his body.
Roar!
Right away a strong wind blew around the man's body.
The flames quickly spread and devoured the flesh hounds in an instant.
Slaaash!
That was not all.
Dozens of ice spikes were formed in the air when the man swung his sword.
Boom! Boom, boom, boom!
The ice spikes created powerful explosions when they hit the floor.
Kkiking! Ggegaegaeng!
The flesh hounds screamed.
Overwhelming.
They simply weren't his opponents.
Everyone was looking at the scene in awe.
After this, the order of their formation changed.
As if he already knew the way, the man moved through the ordeal without hesitation.
'Who the hell is he?'
Of course, it was the question everyone had.
His main skills seemed to be at least 300.
With that amount of power, he would be treated as an elite even in a major guild .
'Command Clan…..'
The Command Clan wasn't a guild, but it was one of the Five Great Clans.
If he was an elite of one of the 5 Great Clans, there was nothing strange about him exerting this much power.
Thump!
Clackack!
Eventually, after breaking the marble-shaped 'nucleus' that was placed at the end, the trial ended.
"B Rank!"
"Shit, did they really say B rank?"
The mercenaries grinned widely.
If you received a decent, useful B rank talisman, it was possible to buy a small house on the outskirts.
If it was a B rank talisman with a good ability, you would be able to afford a bigger house.
Normally, 5 lower level talismans were equal to one higher leveled one, so it was no different from receiving 5 C rank talismans.
Afterwards, when they escaped the trial with broad smiles, the manager looked puzzled.
"O-ho! Did you break the trial?"
"We were lucky."
"No. It was because your skills are outstanding. Hmm…. Can you explain the situation inside in detail?"
The manager seemed quite interested in this part.
Why was he?
The manager seemed to have some sort of position within the Sun Guild.
However, he personally recruited mercenaries and tried to listen to their stories to learn more about this trial.
It wouldn't have been simply for entertainment.
'What should I do?'
In order to explain, it was inevitable that the man from the Command Clan would be revealed.
The manager could change his attitude when he realized the man had unusual power and was from the Command Clan.
However, since it was true that they did receive help, the words didn't easily fall from their lips.
"I'll explain that. Hehe."
At that moment, a mercenary soldier came out.
"Really? Give it a try."
"So. It was the trial called the Room of the Flesh Hound. That guy Kim Taehwan did a great job there. Let me tell you in detail……"
The mercenary appropriately mingled the truth with lies and concealed the man's identity.
With a little more time, Kim Taehwan realized the man's intentions.
'Aaah'.
It meant he would continue to have team-play with the man.
For them, the man seemed to be a rookie that was just strong, and unknowing of the ways of the world.
'Since I got a B-rank talisman, I'll take this guy with me and reap more benefits.' These were his thoughts.
'I want to know a little more too.'
Kim Taehwan condoned it.
He also wanted to learn more about the man's identity.
"….And that was how we were able to get out of there safely. All thanks to Kim Taehwan's help. Haha!"
"That's impressive."
The manager's eyes lingered on Kim Taehwan.
"I was lucky."
"Luck. Luck, you say. In that case, I would like to give you more work…. What do you think?"
"By work, you mean…?"
"Recently, similar things continue to happen in the Great City. Our Sun Guild intends to fix this problem. Perhaps the Luminescent Guild will concur on this part."
"I understand. I'm willing to take care of it."
Kim Taehwan nodded his head.
If this work was important, he wanted to move from the centre and have his skills recognized.
Since the Sun Guild was managing the problem on their own, it surely would be inconsequential.
It was worth getting directly involved.
The man was capable of breaking through the hard trials on his own.
Thanks to him, the work was incredibly easy and the mercenaries who were with him were almost sitting on gold cushions.
"This is really insane. If this keeps going well, I can retire."
"Exactly. I would also be able to get a small store in the centre!"
"That black warrior is a perfect lucky charm."
The soldiers looked at the man in full armor that they called the 'black warrior'.
They had dealt with five trials.
It had only been a month.
During that time, they had received huge rewards and were agonizing over how to use them.
Of course, through that their guard increased.
There were people who would attack them seeking to steal their compensation.
There were signs that they were trying not to be too close to each other.
This job, it was unusual. The Sun Guild was using mercenaries even though they have the manpower to handle it without being disadvantaged.
However, Kim Taehwan hardened his expression.
They had already completed five trials but everyone wasn't happy.
First, there were lots of chimera type monsters in all of the trials.
They were similar in goals in that the trial ended when the 'nucleus' was destroyed.
Like a Box of Trial, someone seemed to have made these trials on purpose.
Such suspicions arose.
"When I return from this one, I'll look for a woman first."
"I want to soak my body in hot water."
Their last trial took place on the outskirts of the Great City.
They were returning to the Great City after finishing the trial.
Just imagining things after returning seemed to relieve fatigue.
But there were people who blocked them.
"…….Who are you?"
Kim Taehwan went ahead and spoke.
They were dressed in orthodox costumes and wore animal bone helmets.
They were exactly ten in number.
"You were too cocky. The Death God is angry. You must pay with your life. I, under the name of Hyungbish."
An awkward way of speaking.
A man who looked like their leader raised a small dagger.
Then, he drew the dagger across his wrists. There were countless stab wounds on his wrist.
Chwaak!
When the blood gushed out, it sprayed onto the ground.
Rumble!
A short moment later, the blood swelled up beneath the earth and level 5 monsters burst out.
"Jiangshi [1]……! The Command Clan!"
All of the five spirit monsters were jiangshi.
They also were very dark in colour.
Kim Taehwan immediately recognized that they were Command Clan elites.
'So you have something to do with this!'
It was a gut feeling, but he was almost certain.
The fact that the Sun Guild was moving all its troops was related to the Command Clan!
"It's the black jiangshi. The birth of the Great One. They are the followers who will become the foundation."
The man, Hyungbish was confident.
If it was five black jiangshi, they were strong enough to defeat the mercenaries and be unharmed.
Even Kim Taehwan knew that.
He'd never personally dealt with a black jiangshi, but he knew what he'd heard when people spoke about the Command Clan.
―If you see the Command Clan's black jiangshi, don't look back and run away! No matter who it was.
It was said to be that strong.
"Everyone, draw your weapons!"
Kim Taehwan shouted urgently.
Snap.
The thread was broken.
"Muyoung, why do you do that?"
Muyoung turned his head.
An elegant girl.
She was dressed in an all-white dress and was sitting on top of the castle while drinking tea.
Muyoung shook his head.
"You're as taciturn as ever. Indeed, you probably hate having a conversation with someone like me……."
The girl grew sulky.
Pat.
Muyoung put his hand on the girl's head.
"It won't be good to stay with me. Are you really okay? Right now the guild is in a total emergency. Because Alexandro went missing."
Muyoung nodded.
The girl smiled.
This place was the Sun Guild's main castle.
The girl was Alexandro's seventh daughter.
She had no power or strength, but she was the perfect girl to use as a shield if something was to happen.
"Thank you. If anything happens I'll at least protect you. If my marriage is successful…..it will definitely be possible."
The girl sighed.
Muyoung removed his hand.
The girl showed slight disappointment, but it couldn't be helped.
After this he looked down from the castle.
'The clone's senses have been cut off and finally the informant has appeared.'
Right now he was concerned about other things than the girl.
The clone burst. And the clone's memories came into his mind in detail.
'The Command Clan.'
The corner of Muyoung's mouth twitched.
The ones who interfered with the work this time.
The clone he'd dispatched after earning Hamel's Rune Ring for more gains finally had them by the tail.
[1] TL/Editor's Note: Jiangshi is a kind of Chinese hopping zombie…