Trap (1)
I never imagined they’d actually find me, so for a moment, I was caught off guard. It seemed the other users around me felt the same, as a mild commotion arose and a few turned to look my way.
“Mercenary Lord…? Why is he suddenly…?”
“Here I am.”
I had already stepped forward to the front lines. Hearing the murmured voice of Goryeo Lord nearby, I raised my hand in response.
“Hmm. So you were here after all. By ‘wanderer,’ I assume you mean a vagrant… If you don’t want to, you don’t have to respond.”
“I want to.”
“Very well. But don’t engage too deeply. They’re dangerous people…”
I nodded a couple of times at Goryeo Lord’s advice. Soon, he signaled to the wizard standing beside him. With a brief incantation, the voice amplification magic was reactivated.
(Are you the Mercenary Lord?)
It seemed they could see us clearly from the fortress wall. As soon as I stepped forward, a low voice addressed me.
(Indeed.)
(You caused quite a stir in Mule. It was rather impressive.)
(It seems you have a misunderstanding about the definition of ‘stir,’ wanderer.)
(…Heh.)
‘If they know about what happened in Mule… Did they hear rumors? Or did they come through the warp gate?’
The words made me tilt my head in curiosity, but I decided to set those thoughts aside for now.
(Alright. Let me ask you one thing. My subordinates were tracking you back then… What happened to them?)
(They’re dead.)
(All of them? Not a single one left?)
The voice, still low and calm, carried a subtle undercurrent of anger.
I wasn’t sure how much they knew about the situation. But what mattered here was that there was no need to divulge details like capturing prisoners or public executions.
(Yes. They’re all dead.)
(The…)
The wanderer’s voice trailed off after “The.” It seemed there was more he wanted to say, but with at least 30,000 people listening, personal questions were likely out of the question.
For some reason, I wondered if he wanted to ask about Baek Seoyeon.
(…I see. Thank you for answering, despite us being enemies.)
(Is that all you needed?)
(Yes, that’s all. And as a token of appreciation for your answer, I’ll give you something nice.)
‘Something nice?’
I was already on high alert, with all my senses heightened. As I scanned the fortress wall again, I noticed a long rod being raised between the battlements. The peculiar thing was that something round and blunt was attached to the end of it.
“Be careful, Mercenary Lord. Wizard! Stop the voice amplification magic now…”
Goryeo Lord seemed to be saying something beside me, but his words didn’t quite register. My attention was entirely focused on the rod. Initially standing upright, it slowly tilted to a horizontal position, then further downward, eventually pointing directly at me.
As if preparing to launch, the rod was pulled back.
(Mercenary Lord, consider this a gift for the chaos you caused back then. You’ll like it. Hup!)
With a low grunt, it was launched with force.
Whoosh!
Perhaps because my senses were heightened, the sound of the rod slicing through the air towards me was particularly menacing. But having anticipated their actions, I instinctively gripped ‘Caligo Abraxas.’ I had no intention of being an easy target, regardless of what was attached to the end.
The initial distance was about four or five hundred meters. Yet the rod closed the gap with astonishing speed, reaching me in the blink of an eye.
In that fleeting moment, I gauged the distance and bent my knees slightly, ready to cut it down with my sword technique as soon as it entered range.
Then it happened.
Flash!
In an instant, a bright light flared.
‘Huh?’
It was a phenomenon where the light appeared and vanished in a heartbeat.
Murmurs.
A faint commotion followed.
If I had seen it with the naked eye, it might have been vague. But with my senses heightened, I clearly saw it. A brilliant beam of light shot forward, striking the end of the rod with precision.
Yes, it was like a flash of lightning.
Boom!
As evidence, the rod, which had been flying swiftly, exploded in mid-air, scattering into pieces along with a spray of dark red liquid. It seemed the object attached to the end of the rod was a part of a human body, likely a head.
‘Whose head it was, I don’t know.’
I brushed aside thoughts of the head and shifted my focus to the source of the arrow. I had a rough idea, but I turned my head to confirm. Not far away, I saw a familiar yet strangely different woman.
Gone was her usual gentle face and kind smile. Im Hanna was glaring fiercely at the fortress wall, her eyes narrowed. In her left hand was ‘Brilliant Flash, Laura Phyllis.’
Whoosh! Fwoosh!
It was a bow without a string or arrow. Yet another dazzling arrow formed, radiating a terrifying aura. Im Hanna seemed quite enraged, as the arrow’s tip exuded a force that seemed capable of splitting the earth.
“User Im Hanna. Stop…”
Rumble, rumble.
I was about to instruct her to stop, thinking one shot was enough for now. Suddenly, a thunderous noise echoed as clouds clashed.
I quickly turned to look at the fortress. This time, there was a flurry of activity on the wall.
‘What now…’
Before I could identify the spell and tell her to stop…
Crackle! Crackle!
From the darkened sky, a massive bolt of lightning zigzagged down.
Crackle! Boom!
“Shit!”
A deafening explosion rang out, and Simon clutched his head in shock. As the acrid smoke filled with a tingling aftermath reached him, he flared his nostrils and glanced sideways.
“Oh My God…”
In that fleeting moment before the lightning struck, a barrier had indeed formed. But it was torn apart in an instant, and the lightning struck the fortress wall without mercy.
As a result, several people lay sprawled, groaning amidst the black smoke.
Given the size and thickness of the fortress wall, it was incredibly sturdy. Yet where the lightning had struck, a deep hole was gouged out, and black smoke continued to billow.
Simon swallowed hard, his face bewildered, and sighed in relief when no further attacks came.
“Whew.”
“I’m sorry. I apologize sincerely for acting on my own, Simon Grimes.”
Hyun, standing beside him, spoke. He, too, bore the marks of the lightning’s aftermath, his face smudged with soot.
“It’s fine, wanderer. I didn’t expect the people outside the fortress to accept the proposal willingly anyway.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“I heard that to be recognized as a mage class in the Northern Continent, you need to master rapid incantations and magic circuit applications… Wow, it was true.”
”…”
“Anyway, that’s that… Wanderer, don’t you have something to say to me?”
“Something to say?”
Hyun asked back, puzzled, and Simon nodded.
“The situation feels a bit strange.”
“What’s strange? I’d appreciate it if you could be specific.”
“Several things. Surprisingly, you didn’t bring many people… And despite saying you breached the fortress, you don’t seem very surprised. We’ve talked about various things, but it feels like you know our situation inside out.”
”…”
“Wasn’t the situation supposed to be the opposite? I thought you had spies planted among them. Ah, the field effect isn’t an excuse. It’s definitely deactivated now.”
The translation magic wasn’t perfect, with awkward phrasing here and there, but it was enough to understand.
Yet Hyun remained silent, simply keeping his mouth shut.
“Hmm. Maybe you don’t know since you just came over from Mule… Anyway, I understand. And please refrain from acting on your own in the future.”
”…Understood.”
Hyun replied with a sigh and turned away heavily.
As he glanced back at the fortress, he saw the Eastern users slowly starting to move. Some remained, but others were repositioning in different directions.
As he prepared to move in step with them, a chilling voice called out from behind him.
“I’m not just talking about you, but all the wanderers. If this happens again… we’ll abandon all plans and return through the warp gate immediately.”
At that moment, Hyun’s steps came to an abrupt halt.
Night had fully descended upon the plains.
The East had clashed with the West Continent and the wanderers as soon as they arrived in Barbara.
Though it felt almost embarrassing to call it a clash, the first skirmish ended with the East holding the upper hand. The East suffered no losses, while Hyung’s “Thunderbolt” had clearly struck the vagrants.
Morale was higher on the Eastern side. Had they met on open plains, a full assault might have been tempting. However, the East decided to retreat for the time being.
They needed to buy time until the South and North could reclaim the city, and launching an attack without a forward base was risky. Not to mention, the massive magic circle surrounding the city was a significant factor.
Currently, the East was meticulously preparing for an invasion.
Four units began moving towards their assigned gates, and my unit was repositioning towards the western gate.
Once relocated, the unit immediately started constructing a forward base and resumed deciphering the magic circle around the city.
Meanwhile, the leadership wasn’t idle.
“Our biggest weakness is that our forces are split into four. This weakens both our offensive and defensive capabilities. If the enemy focuses their attack on one unit…”
“True, one side might be pressured, but the other can unleash their firepower freely.”
“Perhaps the unit under attack should focus on defensive magic and retreat if necessary, then re-engage when the situation calms.”
In the newly established command center, a heated discussion was underway. Previously, some had been indifferent, but today, everyone was serious. The first attack by the dawn mages had set the tone. After all, the mages’ firepower was crucial to the war’s outcome. Given that this was the first real battle, the excitement was understandable.
Then, a messenger burst into the command center.
“News just in! A mage has deciphered the magic circle around the city!”
“What? That huge circle, so quickly? Which unit?”
“The Western Gate unit! They’re waiting outside the command center.”
“That’s our unit? Well, bring them in.”
At Goryeo Lord’s pleased command, the messenger dashed out.
Soon, a woman entered the command center. Upon seeing her face, I inhaled sharply.
She had a graceful and intelligent demeanor, with light blue eyes and hair.
It was Jeong Ha-yeon.
She met my gaze briefly, then smiled gently. She bowed politely to everyone and spoke.
“Hello. I’m Jeong Ha-yeon from the Mercenary Clan.”
“Oh, Jeong Ha-yeon from the Mercenary Clan. I’ve heard your name. What’s your class?”
“Secret class. Mage of the Blue Moon. It’s related to ancient magic, so I could identify the magic circle quickly.”
“Ah, Mage of the Blue Moon. I heard you were one of the contingency members. Proficient in ancient magic… things are looking up for us.”
The room was buzzing, though not as loudly as before. Some male members were discreetly eyeing Jeong Ha-yeon, her beauty enhanced by her secret class.
Goryeo Lord spoke up.
“User Jeong Ha-yeon, can you tell us what the magic circle is?”
“Yes, I’ll explain. The circle around Barbara is called a Guardian Magic Suppression Circle.”
“Guardian Magic Suppression Circle?”
‘Correct.’
I already knew, but the others looked puzzled, hearing it for the first time.
“I’ve never heard of such a circle. Do you know its effects?”
Jeong Ha-yeon, thorough and meticulous, wouldn’t have come unprepared.
“Of course. Simply put, when activated, the circle prevents any external magic from affecting the inside. It’s a large-scale anti-magic circle.”
“A large-scale anti-magic circle? That’s… overpowered.”
“It’s not overpowered. While its effects are strong, it wasn’t widely used even in ancient Hall Plain. It was eventually abandoned due to a critical flaw.”
“A critical flaw?”
In response to someone’s question, Jeong Ha-yeon answered in a clear voice.
“Yes. While it blocks external magic, it also freezes all internal magic.”
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
I’m sorry. I haven’t forgotten my promise to make up for this weekend with extra chapters. I sat down at 4 PM today, but 18K was my limit. As the end of Part 1 approaches, my energy is waning.
I sincerely apologize for not keeping my promise. (__)
I don’t know when my writing pace will pick up again, but for now, I’ll focus on recovering and maintaining it.
It’s strange. I have everything planned out, but writing takes so long. -_-a
PS. The user’s head that exploded belongs to a member of the Golden Lion Clan. A rather notable one, at that.
Do Young-rok
Seong Yu-bin
The former Golden Lion Clan Lord, still not recovered after the Steel Mountain
Park Hyun-woo
Who could it be? :)
『 Reader Comments (Episode 356) 』
Rayam: Congratulations on being first. Haha. I’ve had that experience too. Finished reading and clicked for the next chapter, and it was right there. :)
Shijin: Shin Sang-yong is not a traitor. His tendency is ‘safety,’ so he’s extremely fearful of the current situation. I’ll describe it in more detail in future content.
Sensitive: I initially considered including it. But it turned into a comedy, so I removed it. Haha.
Uigi2010: Sharp observation. You almost got it right. However, I have a different view on the last part about An Sol. It’s not about being wrong; it’s about differing opinions. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the readers’ interpretations. :D
Gayun Lee: While there may be relationships with multiple women, the number of heroines will be strictly limited. I dislike the idea of collecting or sidelining characters. ㅜ.ㅠ
『 Reader Comments (Episode 357) 』
Sea Monster: Congratulations on being first. I’m very late. I’m truly sorry. ㅜ.ㅠ
Blami: The war is starting now. There won’t be comedy during the war, and I’m not sure about after. :) Haha. I’ll work even harder!
Aililia: Long time no see. I’ve made the corrections. Thank you! I look forward to more advice during your travels. :)
Deblan: If you’re referring to the Naked Queen card, that character hasn’t appeared yet. Hehe.
123Ora: I’m sorry. Please scold me. ㅜ.ㅠ
Thank you for always reading. I hope you enjoy the story with a relaxed mind.