BXBX NOVEL Chapter 195: Predator (5)
It had been seven days since they came to Seheranbad. When they reached an agreement to assassinate the Crown Prince, Lee Su-yeon said she’d go back to Earth for a while. This was to inform Ashton about b Planet Guardian} and to guide him safely. However, Yoon-seok tilted his head.
“How?”
She could go back to Earth and the Tower without tickets. But, this place was Seheranbad, not the Tower. First of all, she had to return to the Tower after the ticket deadline had expired and then return to Earth.
“Ah, did you perhaps buy a week-long duration?”
“…Wasn’t that what you said?”
Lee Su-yeon asked back as if it was a matter of course. Yoon-seok, who tore twelve days’ worth of tickets at a time in the Tower, was speechless.
“…Then you might not know. If you reserve tickets in subspace, you can extend the period just by tearing them here.”
He didn’t know. Lee Su-yeon seemed to think that he knew, seeing how Yoon-seok traveled to Moorim.
“On the contrary, even if there’s still time left before the expiry date, it’s possible to tear the ticket and return to Earth. But it’s useless without a subspace.”
She knew a lot of useful, trivial knowledge.
“Anyway, I’ll be back. It will take a few hours to properly check and contact Mr. Ashton. Don’t cause any trouble for the time being, okay?
“…”
“And you, you should follow what I said. What did I tell you to do first when you arrive?”
“Find someone, borrow a phone, and contact the number you gave me.”
Afterward, Lee Su-yeon gave a whopping one-year ticket to b Planet Guardian}, who muttered like he was brainwashed and left with her to Earth.
‘When I go back, I’ll have to put tickets in my bag.’
Yoon-seok sat still on the sofa. Ragna left first, saying she had something to discuss with her father, and the Princess, who was hesitating awkwardly next to Yoon-seok, also left, saying the knights would be worried. It wasn’t that bad, though.
‘Come to think of it; I don’t think I’ve been training these days properly.’
He was busy trying to survive the mission, and after that, he had a lot of things to do.
Time passed by quickly as he sat and meditated. Was he being impatient until now? Focusing on acquiring good skills and items. There wasn’t any other efficient way to become stronger quickly, but that wasn’t all there was to the Tower.
‘After this is over, I’ll have to train hard.’
Yoon-seok quietly opened his eyes to an approaching presence. At some point, the day had passed, and Lee Su-yeon now stood in front of him.
“Did it go well?”
“Yes, I even checked with Mr. Ashton. It took me a little longer because he started in a strange remote area in Africa.”
“So, how did Ashton react?”
“Well, just as I expected. He said it needs to be upgraded to Rank S faster, and he’s already trying to team up with 19th-floor exploration challengers. Anyway, he said don’t worry and sent his regards.”
Ashton was a person who did more than required, so he didn’t think he needed to worry about Peter Remus. Now, it was time to move on. Lee Su-yeon first called the Princess.
“If you hear the news that the Crown Prince is dead, please take action then. You’ll only be a burden if you join us, and it will be safer if you stay.”
“…I understand.”
He wondered if she had to phrase it like that, but the Princess accepted without opposition. Following that, Yoon-seok immediately flew to the Katlan Empire through Lee Su-yeon’s Base Movement. It was a utility-type power that allowed up to seven people to move together to a pre-determined place regardless of distance. The cooldown time was five days, and they hadn’t used it before because Yoon-seok didn’t know where he would start.
But without this ability, killing the Crown Prince wouldn’t be possible as it required five days to cross the ocean.
‘It would be nice to have a skill like this…’
Yoon-seok, whose abilities were all about battles, and only battles, checked his surroundings with envy. They were in a basement without a single window. There was only one chair and no other furniture. It wasn’t a normal chair, either, with restraints attached to it and old blood stains marking the wood.
Lee Su-yeon quickly explained.
“It’s not mine…”
It was obvious even if she didn’t mention it. Yoon-seok decided to move on without further inquiry. As he followed Lee Su-yeon from the basement and headed out the building, he found himself on a busy road. This was Rapine, the capital of the Katlan Empire.
“That’s the palace.”
Lee Su-yeon pointed to a huge castle that could be seen in the distance.
“It looks more like a fortress than a palace.”
“Because this is a place where war breaks out when you’re bored. It’s a culture that exists in any royal family. You’ll be surprised to know how many magic squares are engraved in each one of those castles.”
Lee Su-yeon led Yoon-seok with familiarity across the streets to a restaurant. And after ordering food, she looked up at the palace and continued explaining. The structure of the imperial palace, layout and unique environment are magic squares. This was all the information she thought was essential to assassinate the Crown Prince.
“Seems like they prepared well.”
Yoon-seok showed his admiration for the strict security. There would be countless secret devices in the palace that Lee Su-yeon didn’t know of, but it wasn’t enough to call it an impregnable fortress, from what he heard.
“Isn’t it too much to enter with a disguise?”
“Five days. No, it’s evening now, so there are only four days left, but if you look carefully, there might be away.”
Lee Su-yeon encouraged him. But, Yoon-seok smiled. He didn’t say that to gain her encouragement. He glanced up to the bright full moon.
“Then let’s get going.”
When Yoon-seok stood, Lee Su-yeon pushed back her seat.
“Yes. It’s late. First of all, I’ll find the nobleman I mentioned earlier. And threaten him. No, as long as we make a good deal, we might be able to enter the palace.”
Yoon-seok shook his head. He didn’t get up to make preparations. On the contrary, he was ready.
“Let’s go.”
“…Where to?”
“To the palace.”
When Yoon-seok activated Invisibility and ran across the roof with Lee Su-yeon in pursuit, and when Yoon-seok stopped in front of the palace’s main gate, he made an unsure expression.
“It could be dangerous, so go back there.”
“…What are you going to do now?”
“I just thought it was hard to enter by disguise.”
“So…?”
That was a strange question. If it was hard to sneak in, wasn’t there only one way left?
“What are you doing this late at night?!”
The knights who discovered Yoon-seok despite his invisible state. Yoon-seok raised his sword instead of answering, and he slashed forward with his full magic.
Boooooooooom-!
The thousand-year-old wall, a masterpiece with hundreds of magic engraved onto it, collapsed in a mess of falling debris and blooming dust.
“Enemy!”
The knights immediately drew their weapons and began to rush Yoon-seok. Lee Su-yeon quickly brainstormed. A feint operation? Disturbance? Shaking the bushes to drive the snakes out? She tried to understand somehow, but it was all meaningless.
Rather than running away from the knights, Yoon-seok confidently walked forward as if this were the original plan. Only then did Lee Su-yeon realize what Yoon-seok was trying to do.
“I thought you said assassination…!”
Yoon-seok knocked on the mask he wore without saying a word. Was it because Lee Su-yeon was an expert in this field? Perhaps his philosophical views on murder were slightly different from hers. And then…
Who, how, and why. If no one knew those things, it was an assassination. In front of him, the door to the palace opened.
It was different from the time in the Tower of Truth-seeker. He couldn’t destroy the entire fortress for his purpose. Aside from whether that method worked for these magical fortresses… he wasn’t going to just simply kill him. He would have to meet the Crown Prince, slap him on the cheek, and take him to the duel arena. Therefore, Yoon-seok chose a head-on approach to assassination (?).
They didn’t have time anyway, and he didn’t think he could reach the Crown Prince’s with a few days prep.
“Devil! It’s the devil…!”
A knight shouted. A devil…? He didn’t have a retort. The moonlight had turned gloomy, and under the power of the Dark Knight, the dead rose to fight. In addition, most of them had lost any sense of reason.
“Grrrrrrrrrrrrr. Our enemy…!”
Yoon-seok ordered the deceased.
“Don’t kill them, just fight.”
“Fight. Without killing them. How?”
The dead seemed confused by the contradictory order. But-
“Just do it.”
“Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…!”
The deceased seethed through the Gate of Hell to fight. It was exactly what Yoon-seok wanted; he only called them for a distraction. It was best to avoid unnecessary killing as much as possible. Perhaps these knights would be allies one day.
“Just in case, I’ll follow you as far as I can. Don’t worry too much. I’m confident that I can take care of myself.”
He told her to go back, but Lee Su-yeon changed her face with Reverse Technique and followed Yoon-seok. Was she confident that she could take care of herself? Honestly, he didn’t quite believe it when he thought back to her being beaten up before, but he decided not to worry too much.
It was probably because there was at least one thing she hadn’t shown him yet. First of all, wasn’t she a 21st-floor ranker?
Pang-! Pang-! Pang-! Pang-!
A warning bell rang urgently, and the magic square drawn on the wall emitted blue light, and instantly, the palace became as bright as if it were day. It wasn’t just a magic trick to secure sight, however.
「The eyes of the ancient monarch are on you.」
「All stats drop by four levels.」
「All recovery effects are lost.」
「All types of teleportation are impossible.」
「Your location will be shared with the Guardian.」
「More than one random status is given once a minute.」
Was it the heart of the Empire? A field-effect several times more advanced than Kanna Blitz’s Declaration of Sanctuary covered the fortress.
「Body adapts to the new environment.」
「All environmental penalties are reduced by 50%.」
Environmental Adaptation was more useful than he thought. Deciding that he would upgrade it once he got back, Yoon-seok sprinted down the hallway.
“Catch him!”
“The main hall is this way!”
Did she decide to commit? Lee Su-yeon quickly changed her attitude and guided Yoon-seok to the Crown Prince. Of course, knights appeared to block them wherever they went…
It didn’t matter.
“That’s it! Invader! Hurry up and throw away your weapon…”
He just had to make a new path if the old one was blocked.
“Is this the right direction?”
“M-maybe?”
Boooooooooom-!
Yoon-seok’s fists broke down the palace walls that not even an earthquake could scratch.
“I should’ve done this from the beginning.”
He continued to break them down to cut a swath to the Crown Prince. The knights quickly realized Yoon-seok’s goal.
“He’s going toward his highness…!”
“Stop him no matter what! Stop him!”
The troops began to focus on Yoon-seok. Numerous Unique Skills, arrows, and spells were fired. Most of them couldn’t make a scratch on Yoon-seok, but some were different.
“Guardian! The Guardians of the Empire are here!”
Duel rankers, or those just as strong. The Princess was sent practically alone overseas, but was this the true might of the Empire?
‘Twenty. No, is it more than that?’
The number was considerable.
“That’s it, the devil.”
“Oppa, what should we do?”
Lee Su-yeon was flustered when dozens of powerful rankers blocked the Crown Prince’s residence. Even Yoon-seok felt that every one of them was formidable.
Creakkkkkkkk-!
The door opened, revealing a prince with platinum blonde hair. Everyone screamed at his appearance.
“Your Highness, why are you here…!”
Today’s prey walked out to greet him face-to-face.
“Isn’t it just two people? Also, there are guards around, so what’s there to worry about?”
“But…”
“Stop; the Empire isn’t afraid of anything.”
Did that mean that he was the Empire? It was arrogant. Yoon-seok could feel the man’s desire for power.
“Please understand that I can’t offer you a cup of tea. Who are you?”
“…”
“You must have risked your life to come all the way here because you wanted something. Tell me. I can grant you anything.”
Arrogant yet relaxed. Perhaps that was why it sounded like everything would come true if he requested it.
‘Teleportation is ineffective, so I can’t use it…’
Yoon-seok quietly lifted his eyes to stare at him. Everyone was watching him silently, waiting for his answer.
“What I want…”
Yoon-seok muttered and smiled. If he knew what he wanted, he would never have asked. Besides, that wasn’t his style.
“I tend to get what I want, so.”
When the Crown Prince looked at Yoon-seok as if it was a pity-
‘Demonify.’
Yoon-seok transformed.