Episode 147
Chapter 49: An Unexpected Victory (Part 1)
Morning of September 8, 1796.
The three of them had managed to fend off the senior cadets’ attacks throughout the night and finally found refuge in an inn room.
What was strange was that after wreaking havoc across the city all night, they had deliberately returned to that very same restaurant and left behind a gold coin.
The restaurant where they first met was half-destroyed and burned down during the chaos…
“Ughhh!”
As soon as the tension eased, Veradin buried his face in a wooden basin and started retching violently.
He had accidentally swallowed about half a mouthful of the poison the cadets had scattered in the streets the previous night, which they hadn’t fully cleaned up. Unlike Jin or Dante, Veradin wasn’t blessed with a body of steel—he was a mage, and notably frail even among mages.
“Veradin, are you alright!? Here, drink some water. Take deep breaths; you need to purge the poison from your system.”
Dante patted Veradin’s back with a worried expression. Even while vomiting, Veradin kept casting healing spells on himself, and as he gradually improved, he gave a thumbs-up.
‘This scene feels oddly familiar. Those two really do work well together,’ Jin thought, reminded of Murakan, who always lost it when passing through teleport gates, and Gilly, who had a fear of heights.
Jin shook his head.
“I can’t stop breaking out in cold sweats. Jin, is there anything we can do to help Veradin?”
“Yeah, Jin. You should worry about me too! It’d be even better if you took care of me.”
Jin stared at Veradin intently.
‘I really can’t figure that guy out.’
Unlike Dante, Jin knew Veradin was doing this on purpose. No matter how weak his body was, with Veradin’s level of healing magic, a mild poison like that should have been wiped out instantly.
What was his intention?
Jin stopped pondering and walked over, pulling some herbs from his pocket. He began crushing them with the handle of his dagger, preparing an antidote just as he’d read in a book borrowed from the library recently.
“Here.”
“Wow!”
Veradin’s eyes sparkled as he took the antidote and swallowed it in one gulp, nodding in satisfaction.
“Now I feel alive again. I didn’t know you could do this.”
“Oh? Feeling better now?”
“Thanks to you, Jin. This is the first time I’ve ever taken an antidote from a friend.”
Veradin emphasized the word ‘friend’ unusually.
He was putting on an act to create a sense of camaraderie. Without this, Jin always kept his distance, so Veradin had no choice.
Of course, Veradin didn’t think of Jin as just a friend. He simply didn’t want to miss moments where they could be closer.
“Everyone, get some rest now. There won’t be any attacks from the cadets until sunset.”
“How do you know?”
“I’m in a sort of wager with someone important in Samil. The rule is no attacks during the day, but at night, they send squads.”
“What do you get if you win?”
“Experience and growth.”
“You came all the way to Samil risking your life just for that!?”
“Why not?”
Jin answered calmly, and Veradin let out an admiring sound while Dante clenched his fist, saying, “That’s our Jin.”
In truth, Jin wasn’t risking his life. Thanks to some items from Quikantel, he had safety measures in place. And he hadn’t come just for experience and growth.
He simply didn’t intend to share the deadly poison with the others, so there was no need to mention it. It wasn’t something guaranteed to be obtained.
‘I don’t dislike those two, but that’s one thing I can’t share.’
If he gained anything else, he was willing to share. Despite their stalker-like persistence, they had only offered a few gold coins and volunteered to help fight the cadets.
Who else in the world could move these two with such terms?
“Thanks.”
Jin’s casual words made the other two shiver with a thrill in their shoulders.
‘Did you hear that?’
‘Did you just hear that?’
They exchanged looks, both thinking it was worth coming here, while Jin turned away, closed his eyes, and began meditating.
‘More than anything, this proves once again that real combat is the best training. After a few days fighting cadets, I can feel myself one step closer to the realm of True Sight…’
See with the mind’s eye.
It was something Luna had told him hundreds of times during his cadet days. Only now, years after starting True Sight training, was the realization becoming clear.
Jin was impatient, but it wasn’t too late. In fact, if Dante knew Jin was nearing True Sight, he’d be shocked and probably faint.
Most martial artists only awaken True Sight in their mid-7th rank, and even then, only those with exceptional senses. Even at 8th or 9th rank, it required constant honing.
True Sight was the foundation and advanced skill of so-called ‘top-tier’ or ‘outlier’ martial artists.
Jin was approaching it even before reaching 7th rank, thanks to his innate talent, Luna’s early training, and the life-or-death moments he’d pushed himself through.
Life-or-death moments.
Though he spoke lightly, the fact that a sixteen-year-old 6th rank knight had survived days of brutal combat against Samil’s senior cadets was something no one would easily believe.
“Get some rest first. I’ll check your equipment, including yours.”
“Thanks!”
“Awesome!”
The two immediately fell asleep, exhausted from the sudden intense fighting.
‘Dante’s still physically weak. But he’ll overcome it. Now… starting tomorrow, I need to figure out how to use them and how to protect them.’
Using them was simple. The three had an uncanny synergy in battle, covering each other’s blind spots.
But from now on, Jin had to think about protecting them.
‘Yona will definitely start sending higher-level cadets soon. I have to prepare for real killers too. Those guys are strong in brute force and magic but lack experience with assassination threats.’
He’d felt it during last night’s fight. They survived only because they were overwhelmingly stronger than the cadets. If stronger assassins came, they’d be overwhelmed quickly.
Just as Jin was deep in thought, he suddenly stiffened and looked around.
‘Someone’s here?’
Turning his head forward again—
“Huh!”
A man wearing a pure white mask stood before him.
The Nameless King, Owl. But Jin couldn’t immediately recognize him since he’d come without his black sash.
Owl stared silently at Jin through the mask for a few seconds. His eyes gleamed with a cold, refined killing intent.
Eyes that could crush even inanimate objects like rocks or trees.
Jin knew instantly.
This was someone who could kill him a hundred times over without missing a single shot. The transcendent gaze of the greatest martial artists Jin had ever seen.
‘He deliberately revealed his presence. To see if I’d recognize him.’
One of the Nameless’s top assassins?
No. Except for Yona, the top assassins had no reason to test him.
“Your humble junior, number 85 of the Nameless Kings, pays respects.”
Though polite, Jin remained seated in formal posture. Owl was slightly surprised but kept his stance, looking down at Jin.
“Sir Siron obtained a jewel in his later years. Indeed, a spirit worthy of marriage talks with the Bowmaster. But seeing you not rise even knowing it’s me, I think you’re a bit too much.”
Jin almost foolishly replied, “Excuse me?” It wasn’t surprising that the Nameless King knew his identity.
But the talk of marriage was irrelevant now.
First, Jin had to consider why he came and what he could gain from this meeting.
“Perhaps the owner of the White Jade might take my life, so I dared to be reckless. I assume you came to hold me accountable for destroying the city over the past two days.”
“You’re quick to assume I won’t kill you. You ravaged my land and have the audacity to be so brazen.”
“Since you added my father’s name, I consider it an undeserved courtesy.”
Though a mere apprentice knight, there was no need to mention Siron’s name and threaten Runcandel with a blade—especially when the Nameless King had to play a delicate game between Runcandel, Ziphl, and Bimont.
‘As long as he treats me as Jin Runcandel, not just Jin Grey, it’s better to act a bit bold and take the lead in this conversation. Showing fear would only put me at a disadvantage.’
Even if he didn’t know the relationship between Yona and the Nameless King, Jin was well aware of the ties between Runcandel and the Nameless.
He planned to use that to seize control.
Fighting him sword to sword was unimaginable for now, but bargaining with conditions was a different story.
Especially when he was certain the Nameless King had come in a hurry.
From the start, Jin hadn’t believed Owl came to hold him responsible for the city’s destruction.
If that were the case, Owl would have sent the top assassins or summoned him to the Nameless Hall to punish him.
Instead, Owl had sneaked into Jin’s room like a thief.
‘Why would the Nameless King come so urgently and even guarantee he won’t take my life?’
As Owl’s deep gaze weighed on him, Jin’s mind raced wildly. If he failed to guess the reason, the conversation would go entirely according to Owl’s will.
‘If it’s not about the city’s destruction, it must be something related to Lady Yona.’
Jin spoke first.
“If you have any orders regarding Lady Yona, please tell me.”
“Haha…”
Owl let out a low chuckle, but it was laced with a razor-sharp menace that sent a chill down Jin’s neck, making the fine hairs on his skin stand on end.
“Sir Siron, even he wouldn’t dare recklessly exploit our weaknesses on the land of Yubaek. And yet, you—mere scum from Runkandel’s lowest ranks—dare to…!”
Gasp!
Jin instinctively grabbed at his throat.
The kind of fighting spirit he was experiencing was unlike anything he’d ever felt before—it was suffocating.
Siron’s fighting spirit carried a boundless power that shook heaven and earth. Talaris’s was a cold force that blanketed the land in a chilling aura. Luna’s fighting spirit, the moment you faced it, gave you the undeniable certainty that there was nothing she couldn’t cut down.
All the absolute warriors Jin had encountered so far had fighting spirits that radiated outward like that.
But Owl’s fighting spirit was like a pitch-black night where not even an inch ahead could be seen. Whether eyes were open or closed, it was an impenetrable darkness.
As his consciousness blurred in an instant, Jin desperately clung to one word.
“Weakness…!? Yona noona’s weakness?”
Owl was mistaken.
He knew why Jin had smashed through the city like that, why he still stood so confidently despite it all, and why, despite being nothing but a bloody mess, he dared to maintain the arrogant pride unique to Runkandel when facing him now.
It was because he knew that Mumyung relied on Yona.
“This isn’t a negotiation—it’s a threat, and it’s not even a bad one.”
Wheezing, Jin forced out a breath and straightened his posture.