Matan’s Shooter

“In front.”

“I know.”

Although Bluebeard said calmly, Chiyou had to jump with all his might. What was flying towards them was a lump of snow, but the problem was its size.

“Snow falling the size of a car—”

The frozen lump of snow, the size of a car fallen from a Himalayan-like snowy mountain, exuded an overwhelming pressure that was hard to describe.

Crash!

Chiyou managed to dodge the snow lump by leaping, but then another absurd problem arose.

There was an unbelievable crevasse larger than 3 meters wide.

The snowballs that had been covering the ground and surrounding them were being sucked into the endless gap.

“It’s like I’m fated to fall here.”

“It’s always like this here. It’s good to be on edge.”

While Bluebeard chuckled and spoke, for Chiyou, each step was flustering.

Once again, the hill behind Chiyou collapsed.

This time, just before the overwhelmed Chiyou was about to be buried under the snow, Bluebeard extended his staff.

“Hold on.”

Chiyou, who was about to be sucked into the collapsing snow along with it, managed to get up with the help of Bluebeard’s staff.

“No matter how I think about it, this doesn’t seem natural…”

Bluebeard said as he retrieved his staff.

“Well, yeah. Probably not.”

“What do you mean?”

“That guy must definitely know.”

“Know…what?”

At Chiyou’s question, Bluebeard nodded his head.

The jester-like blue face of Bluebeard, which always had a hint of mockery, had lost its smile.

Bluebeard pointed towards the Castle of Bransylvania with the tip of his staff. The place was still quite a distance away from where Chiyou was present.

“This cheeky fellow… has already woken up. She might even be watching me. No, did she lead us in the direction she wanted?”

Thunk~ Bathory~.?

Chiyou muttered to herself before speaking aloud, “Excuse me, Bathory-nim… Blood Maiden, Bathory-nim. Known as the right-hand woman of the Count, so naturally, she should open the way for us-”

“The right hand?”

Unexpectedly, upon Chiyou’s words, Bluebeard one wore a puzzled expression. In response to the question about the right hand, Bluebeard suddenly burst into laughter.

“How absurd! Right hand, you say. Have she ever listened as a right hand? Ah, was that the meaning? Heh, I wonder how you know that even though you weren’t there 20 years ago.”

Chiyou still couldn’t comprehend what Bluebeard was saying. Her mention of ‘right hand’ was the only thing she could think of.

The leader on the side of Bluebeard, Bluebeard Le.

And the left hand of Bluebeard, Toon. Then what about the last one? At least based on the content of the quest, it was confirmed that Bathory was present there. Moreover, if a monster of Toon’s caliber was referred to as the ‘left arm of Bluebeard,’ then it is only natural to consider a monster of greater stature as Bluebeard’s ‘right arm.’

‘But why is he suddenly saying such things? Trying to listen to my right hand?’

Although it was always difficult to take his words at face value due to the mixture of jest and sincerity in his jokes, Chiyou could at least sense that his remarks were not just a simple jest at the moment.

“Based on just the way he describes Bathory… sinister, arrogant… right. And the expression in my quest-“

[The Crow Hidden in the Bransylvania Castle]

Chiyou glanced at his quest window before pursing his lips.

If the words of Bluebeard were to be taken literally, then the place he was heading to might truly be hellish.

“A monster that has caused trouble for Bluebeard… Not to mention, it’s not even a Demon King’s Fragment but has that level of power?”

[Condition Abnormal: Afflicted by Cold Absorption.]

[50% increase in the chance of being afflicted by Frostbite Abnormal Status.]

[The effects of the Frostbite Abnormal Status are intensified.]

*Censored term.

Cough!

“Oh no, not again?”

Cough, cough!

“Yes, that’s right. What in the world…”

“I’ve told you, haven’t I? It’ll be colder than anything you’ve experienced.”

As Chiyou’s face rapidly paled, Bluebeard shook his head, realizing there was nothing he could do to help. One of the reasons their movements were inevitably delayed upon entering the Himalayan terrain was precisely this.

“Damn it! I’m a ranker!”

As the master of information warfare, their combat skills were never weak. Aside from attacks impossible to predict, they were skilled in avoiding potential threats during the approach phase.

In a one-on-one battle, she had confidence that she would not be defeated by anyone. With her level, skills, and beyond that, various achievements and the most powerful items renowned across the continent.

Carrying an abundance of auxiliary buff scrolls and potions, she had brought everything necessary for this journey. However, all their efforts seemed futile in this place.

“I got frostbite just because of this nonsense-“

[Abnormal Status: Black Frostbite (Enhanced) afflicted.]

[All stats reduced by 30%.]

[Stamina reduced below 60%.]

[Abnormal Status: Frostbite (Enhanced) afflicted.]

[1% of max HP reduced per minute for 5 minutes.]

[Movement speed reduced by 50%.]

[All positive auxiliary skills deactivated.]

[Abnormal Status: Frostbite (Enhanced) afflicted.]

[Skill casting speed increased by 100%.]

[Skill duration reduced by 50%.]

[Skill cooldown increased by 50%.]

She too had her low-level days. Despite the distant past, she did not forget about abnormal statuses. Yet, she had never experienced such a vicious abnormal status combo that could dry up and kill a person. No, she didn’t think such a thing existed in this game.

To think that as a ranker, she would lose almost a third of her capabilities to just three enhanced ice attributes abnormal status combos!

“Gee, this is a tough spot. Can you make it?”

Bluebeard plopped down beside the visibly slowed Chiyou.

In the distance, another snowball was flying towards Chiyou. She scrutinized the snowball carefully. Behind the snowball was the Bransylvania Castle.

Chiyou realized at that moment that Bluebeard’s speculation was a ‘hint.’

“Lady Bathory… This snowball was deliberately thrown by Bathory in the Bransylvania Castle to kill those who approached her castle.”

Chiyou had to make a decision. Although the Bransylvania Castle was right in front of her, she couldn’t make it there.

“As long as I can’t resolve the ice attribute abnormal status… there’s nothing I can do.”

If Bluebeard had mentioned coming to a place like this, she would have prepared better items and better abnormal status remedy potions.

“No, the items may not work at all. I might need to bring a few guys from Yamato related to ice.”

Summoning helpers strong in the ice attribute would be of great help. After entering the Bransylvania Castle, another strategy might need to be found.

However, that is only after reaching there, isn’t it? Chiyou bit her lip and gazed at Bluebeard.

“Count?”

“Yes?”

“We should go back.”

Her fixation on Leeha was the only exception.

She knew when to step back, which had successfully led the Shinobi-Gumi until now.

“Haha, that’s how it should be, right?”

“I apologize for causing unnecessary steps. However… I will definitely resolve it next time.”

“Oh, good. With Ghibrid in a frozen state, don’t forget that I need that evil woman’s power as soon as possible.”

“I will do my best.”

“Yes, yes, that’s right. As long as that guy comes back… I can finally relax and search for Pyrot-Cocri.”

“Chiyou bowed her head.

Bluebeard held her waist tightly and leaped.

Poof!

A huge wad of ice shattered over the spot.

They were already disappearing toward the mountain below.

“Noeanen – crush that guy!”

“Noeanen, probably not… you are not the same person back then, right? So, please deliver the message next time. We owe a lot at the World Tree Forest. I told Noas, did Noeanen hear it too? The ‘Seed of the World Tree’ is growing well.”

Prea and Leeha called out Noeanen’s name simultaneously.

The tog-grade earth spirit gazed back and forth between the two who called his name, but had no choice but to listen to Leeha.

“The Spirit King… I see. The seed of the World Tree, the seed sown across the continent beyond the sea—”

“I’d prefer to keep the location a secret. Of course, you knew I had sown it. If I hadn’t, we would have been in big trouble.”

With an exaggerated gesture Leeha expressed his distress. Noeanen, who was together with Prea, was a different being from the Noeanen whom Leeha had once encountered in front of the World Tree Forest. However, Gnoas, the Earth Spirit King, as well as the earth spirits, certainly thought that he, a being both the same and different as Noeanen, would know about the matter concerning the seed of the World Tree that the earth spirits considered “most valuable.”

And that was indeed an accurate prediction.

“This is… unbelievable! Noeanen! You won’t leave that guy alone, will you!?”

“Sorry, Prea. Our greatest mission is to germinate the seed of the World Tree. I can’t harm the one who is carrying out our duties in the mortal realm.”

Prea seemed on the verge of crying.

The fact that she had formed a contract with a top-grade spirit was a secret she had kept hidden until now. Though the plan for this occasion was to reveal it all and kill Leeha in one blow!

“Instead of killing him, this is… he was just suppressed all three attributes! It’s ridiculous, Chiyou has never faced such a thing! And if he wasn’t hiding… Then does it mean that Chiyou never fully understood his abilities?”

Prea was someone who never backed down in a battle of wits. In terms of the relationship dynamic with Bluebeard, she was actually in a superior position to Chiyou.

Because she could figure out what Chiyou was concealing or hiding through her unique intuition and information exploration using her spirit, she always lived confidently.

In other words, Prea was acknowledging Chiyou to that extent. It was only her failure to acknowledge Leeha that was her downfall.

“Celestine!”

“Yeah, yeah. The only one left is Celestine. Although I’ve seen someone at the entrance of the World Tree Forest, it couldn’t have been him… There’s no connection with Field or any contact with Celestine. So what can we do?”

Leeha reached for the Black Bass’s trigger.

Watching the flow of events, Celestine, who had been waiting for what Leeha would say, could only show a momentarily bewildered expression.

“Blaugrunn. Finish him.”

“[Electric Jael.]”

During that moment of carelessness.

Leeha, who had been aligning his position with Blaugrunn through whispers, abruptly—”.

“Aw, it’s my ‘partner.’”

Blaugrunn’s praise for Leeha was unmistakable. There was nothing left to be said anymore.

“Celestine. The top-grade wind spirit, annihilate.”

No triggers were pulled, no particular intimidation was exerted.

However, Prea and the top-grade fire spirit already “knew it;” the other top-grade mystical creatures likewise understood it well enough.

Leeha’s words were by no means a bluff. The moment Leeha pulled a finger, Celestine would be annihilated and return to the spirit realm.

And as for themselves, unable to touch Leeha, they would have to watch as the dragon under Leeha’s command, and Leeha, act to kill their contractors. At this moment, the battle was over.

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