Chapter 585
Episode 151: Situation Recap (5)
Usually, when someone points a weapon at you and asks, “Who are you?” they wait for an answer.
Bang!
But this man seemed to reject that typical pattern of intimidation. Without hesitation, he fired the loaded heavy cannon.
What’s more, his target wasn’t just Jin and Siris—it was the very cabin where he had just been cooking, a humble refuge that had stood firm in this remote wilderness for over thirty years.
Jin was more shocked by that fact than by the sudden heavy cannon attack or the overwhelming power behind it.
Swoosh!
Before Jin could step forward and slash the bullet mid-air, Siris reacted first. A wall of ice erupted from her grasp, covering the cabin’s front and blocking the projectile.
Watching the powerful explosion against the transparent ice barrier, Siris clenched her teeth, her eyes instantly darkening with murderous intent.
“That bastard.”
“Um, Lady Siris? We shouldn’t kill him just yet. It seems he’s Quall Ganesto, or at least connected to him. I’ve never heard of portable heavy cannons at this level before.”
Bang! Bang! Bang! Even as Jin spoke, the heavy cannon kept firing relentlessly. Within seconds, thick black smoke filled the entire area.
“Then let’s just cut off his arms.”
“That sounds more like something Sister Yona would say than you, Lady Siris. Whether to cripple, kill, or forgive—let’s subdue him first and decide later.”
Jin threw himself beyond the ice wall. As he swept away the nearby smoke with a gust of wind, he was met with an unexpected sight.
‘They’ve already set up weapons like this?’
Among the oddly bent trees, strange blue rods jutted out, interspersed with what looked like gun barrels and cannon muzzles.
The once overgrown ground had transformed into a flat metal surface, etched with intricate lines that gave the unmistakable impression of traps—defensive mechanisms like those in a fortress.
All of this had happened in less than ten seconds.
‘This is as astonishing as when I first met Lady Amela.’
Back then, Amela was overwhelmed by chaotic energy, but the changes this man wrought were purely the product of magical engineering.
As expected, the moment Jin stepped onto the metal floor, the trap activated. The lines split open, and sharp hooks shot out, grabbing at his ankles.
There was no denying the craftsmanship. Even a typical warrior—or one ranked above seven stars—would have been caught off guard by these traps.
But Jin and Siris were no ordinary fighters.
The hooks couldn’t even scratch Jin’s spirit armor; they bent uselessly against it. Though he could have dodged, Jin deliberately exposed himself to gauge the trap’s strength.
‘The weight around my ankles isn’t unpleasant. This would be quite effective if installed in Tikan.’
What felt like a heavy pull to Jin, with his spirit armor open, would slice through the ankles of most well-trained knights like twigs.
Then a cannonball struck Jin’s back. He welcomed the sharp sting, and when a glowing net followed, he didn’t dodge that either.
‘A net so tough it’s hard to cut even with an eight-star strike… this is useful.’
Jin smiled as he tore the net apart with his hands.
In short, Jin had already decided to recruit this man.
Whether he was Quall or not, regardless of his character or intentions, none of that mattered.
He had talent. Someone like him could never be allowed to fall into enemy hands—especially in times like these.
If the man was a scoundrel, Jin would force him to work. If he was reasonable, Jin would show mercy. If he was loyal to Giple, Jin would break that loyalty.
‘He must never be part of Giple.’
Suddenly, a troubling thought crossed Jin’s mind.
If this man could mass-produce these devices with ease…
Could it mean the era of knights was nearing its end?
That bitter premonition deepened instantly.
‘Something’s interfering with the flow of aura…!’
It wasn’t severe.
Normally, Jin could gather a full hundred units of aura effortlessly, but now only about ninety-five were condensing.
Still, that was based on Jin’s level. His affinity for aura far exceeded the norm.
For an average warrior, this disruption would be fatal. Even Jin, facing a superhuman opponent, would find it dangerous.
Siris’s expression hardened as she sensed the same interference. It wouldn’t prevent them from subduing the man, but as warriors, it was a shock.
Jin quickly scanned for the source.
The rods protruding between the trees were the cause. A strange energy radiated from them, disrupting the aura’s flow.
The rods only affected aura. When Jin tested with magic and spirit energy, their flow remained unhindered.
A chill ran down his spine.
If this man was Quall Ganesto, then the reason he was making these rod artifacts was to help Giple more easily counter Runcandel—just like the mass-produced ships, teleportation devices, and so on.
Jin had confirmed the man’s magical engineering artifacts.
He exploded his aura, shattering the traps and bullets that tried to bind him.
As he charged forward, the ground beneath him exploded, sending shards flying—not from the trap detonating, but from the force of his strike.
Blue lightning from Sigmund crackled fiercely against the man’s artifacts.
Most of the devices quickly went offline or were destroyed, but the rods—clearly a different class of artifact—held firm.
Jin had no intention of breaking them. Damaging such valuable items would be foolish.
“Tingen Bauer.”
Before Tingen could blink, Jin’s voice echoed behind him, though he had been looking forward.
Naturally, as someone capable of instantly fortifying an entire area, the man was surrounded by numerous defensive artifacts.
But while Jin’s figure was in front, his voice came from behind—and before the sentence finished, a black blade pierced the man’s left side.
As soon as the left shield shattered, the same happened on the right.
Lightning spread like light, striking him from all directions.
“Who are you?! How did you find this place?”
The man admitted he was Tingen, and Jin smiled inwardly once more.
The worry that things were going too smoothly had vanished. He’d hit the jackpot and wasn’t about to let go.
“A kind of headhunter?”
As all the shields burst, Tingen’s body was thrown back.
Normally, such an impact would injure the person inside the shield.
‘He said not to kill him, yet he’s handling the guy more aggressively… Wait, he only destroyed the shields?’
Jin’s attacks had astonishingly targeted only the shields. Tingen’s body was lifted solely by the blast of air.
Before Tingen could hit the hard metal floor, Jin caught him gently.
Siris clicked her tongue silently, feeling the gap widen once again.
‘Jin Runcandel is always leagues ahead whenever we meet…’
Siris no longer felt jealousy at Jin’s rapid progress.
She genuinely cared for him and understood the paths he had taken to gain such power. It was bittersweet, but that was how it was.
“You can’t afford to get hurt, Tingen Bauer. Or should I say, Quall Ganesto.”
A shiver ran down Tingen’s neck.
To his knowledge, no one but himself knew that name. Not even the Giple leaders he had served until recently.
“What did you just say?”
“I’m Jin Runcandel, the current Runcandel’s twelfth knight and rightful heir of the old Runcandel.”
“What nonsense is this? What do you want?”
“Then I want to ask—why is a descendant of the ten knights working for Giple?”
Despite Jin’s overwhelming power that rendered artifacts useless, Tingen showed no fear.
Only surprise that Jin knew his real name.
“I don’t think I owe you an answer.”
“Even after a thousand years, the ten knights remain the ten knights, and their descendants the same. By working for Giple, you’ve already committed treason.”
Jin didn’t truly believe that.
After all, a thousand years had passed. If the family they once swore loyalty to neither protected nor remembered them, survival might have forced betrayal.
“Hey, do you really think that makes any sense? Even a passing dog or the trees and grass would laugh at that.”
“You don’t need to bring up something from a thousand years ago. You’ve contributed a lot to G-PL. That alone is more than enough reason for you to meet your end by the sword of Runcandel. But like I said, I’m a headhunter. Whether that means recruiting you or actually cutting off your head is up to you.”
“Hmph, then I refuse. Go ahead and kill me if you think you can.”
“You give up too easily.”
“You must have felt it when you attacked me just now. There are a few skills I have that you’d want to get your hands on, right? I’m quite valuable, you know. You’ll never be able to kill me. What did you say earlier? That a precious body shouldn’t get hurt?”
“That’s right. So I’m thinking about how we can work together more smoothly. Forced labor is always miserable, isn’t it? Judging by how you live, it seems like you have some issues with G-PL too. The saying ‘it’s better to keep things peaceful’ comes to mind.”
“You want to talk?”
Jin nodded.
“Unlike you, who started by firing magic cannons without warning.”
“Let’s have a smoke first, then talk.”
“Anytime.”
After chain-smoking five cigarettes in a row, Tingen finally said, “Answer a few questions and meet the conditions I set, and I’ll consider letting you leave this cabin.”