The 31st Piece Overturns the Game Board

What flowed out of the woman’s mouth was the name of Seol’s Exceptional Skill.

- Sh-she!

- I can’t believe she just said his ultimate skill in an open location like that!

- It’s so embarrassing!

- She’s eviler than the guys from before LMFAO

- Pull out her teeth too! 😠

- Dentist: Lift your hand if it hurts~

The shocked woman quickly covered her own mouth.

“Ah… sorry.”

‘Chameli said she was a tracker… well, she definitely is one.’

Trackers were split into a variety of categories.

Whether it was the weapons they utilized or their tracking methods, there existed an endless array of tracker types, each with their own distinct characteristics and countless ways to enhance their skills.

Through her simple statement, Seol could tell one of her skills had activated.

‘She must have something like Beast's Instincts or Danger Detection.’

When a tracker possessed a skill like that, the interface displayed the skill they should be most cautious of.

‘Is this her first time seeing an Exceptional Skill? Or…’

As the mysterious woman continued to keep her gaze fixed on Seol, he simply returned her stare, his mind wandering to other thoughts.

“Excuse me…”

Chameli awkwardly stepped in between.

“This is Filia, she’s our tracker… and this is Snowman, the individual we recruited to take down the Black Knight.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you as well.”

“......”

“......”

Although Chameli wasn't usually one to initiate conversation, she soon realized the silence would linger if she didn't speak up first.

“I apologize for being late, Filia. There was an incident on our way here—”

“The square.”

“...Hm?”

“Were you not talking about the square?”

“Ah, yes, I was. How did you know?”

Tap tap.

Filia tapped on the window with her finger.

“Ah!”

The square was visible from the window Filia was sitting at.

“Were you watching everything?”

“Yeah, I was getting bored while I was waiting for you. I ended up dozing off, though…”

Filia then turned to look at Seol once more.

“It was quite… fun.”

- That was fun for you?

- I mean, it was fun for us too LOL

- TRUUUUUE

“Still, it isn’t good… to be so eye-catching.”

“Let me apologize instead. He only stepped in because I got involved…”

Seol would have certainly involved himself even if Chameli hadn't, but he chose to remain silent because revealing the truth would have been pointless.

Chameli took turns looking at the both of them.

"I know I've already explained it to you once, Filia, but now that Snowman has joined us, I'll go over it again,"

“Okay.”

"Firstly, we've recruited both of you here to hopefully repel or subdue the Black Knight. The pilgrims will be assisting you as you fulfill your respective roles."

Those were all things Seol already knew.

Even so, Seol listened carefully, hoping to catch Chameli slipping up.

‘Do they really know nothing else about the Black Knight?’

Even though they were essentially in the same boat now, the only information the pilgrims had shared with them was that the Black Knight wore armor and posed a danger to civilians.

‘It's either that, or they're hiding some uncomfortable truth.’

As Seol silently pondered, Chameli finished her statements.

"And with that in mind, we will be dividing into the 'tracking party' and the 'subjugation party’. Although, in truth, Filia has been assisting us for quite some time now.”

“Quite some… time?”

Filia responded in Chameli’s stead.

“About two months ago. My previous Adventure was also ‘Tracking the Black Knight’.”

“Hm… Have you made any progress?”

“Is it okay to tell him, Chameli?”

“Yes, of course. He has already agreed to join us, after all.”

Filia lifted her hood slightly.

She gave off a delicate impression, contrasting with the massive bow strapped to her back.

‘She must have a skill that gives her additional Strength.’

Large bows demanded a significant amount of Strength to wield effectively. Consequently, trackers, who prioritized high Dexterity over Strength despite the large bow's potential for high damage, often chose alternative weapons, deeming the Strength requirement too demanding.

Therefore, a tracker proficient with a large bow typically indicated either a disregard for stat allocation or exceptional stats capable of handling its demands.

Regardless, Filia began explaining.

"What I've gathered from my efforts in tracking him so far is that he mainly slaughters small settlements, if you can even call them villages. They were all incredibly tiny, with less than five families each. Nevertheless, I've been using the traces he left behind there to keep tracking his movements.”

“Was there anything noteworthy about his tracks?”

"There were no common points between the victims. He's like a killing machine, cutting down anything that even slightly annoys him. He's more like a natural disaster than anything.”

Chameli nodded along to Filia’s explanation.

Filia then shifted the conversation to something else.

"His tracks vanished after arriving near Illia. It's been one month since then. It would be nice if he could just vanish forever like that, but..."

“There’s a chance that he could be in Illia.”

“Precisely. And if the Black Knight really did enter the city… it would be a catastrophe.”

The citizens of Illia would be slaughtered like helpless sheep, and even the transferees might not be spared.

"If he catches onto us and leaves, tracking him will become difficult. If he really did enter Illia, then subduing him would be hard."

"There have been no records of him entering the city, but we must still be careful. Another important factor is how the lord of the city would respond when the worst-case scenario happens..."

Seol and Filia both opted not to reveal their true names, addressing each other simply as Snowman and Filia. Since it appeared that Filia preferred this anonymity, Seol followed suit without question.

Since their conversation solely revolved around work, it didn’t take long for the meeting to conclude.

The three then decided on their method of contact and brief future plans before separating.

[(NEW) [’s Post]

[Post Date: Just now]

[Title: The flagellant showed up, it’s OVER!!!]

He just destroyed those three annoying bastards LOL

Everyone at the square almost pissed themselves from how scary he was.

- He almost made a water park LMFAO

- 3 Bastards? Not the 3 Brothers?

- Not the triplets?

- It’s kind of funny seeing you guys act up now LMFAO. I remember seeing all of you keep your heads down when Gyeongsu walked around. It must be real easy hiding behind a screen, huh? Kind of gross if you ask me.

- Sehyeon, are you still in Illia? You should go soon, you might miss your flight. Ah, I’m busy so I can’t take you to the airport, sorry~

- Do you really want to die? LMFAO, Man, I wish the flagellant just killed you today.

- I doubt it’s any of them, though. I watched them all leave the city LOL

- These guys only listen once you beat them up.]

[(NEW) [’s Post]

[Post Date: Just now]

[Title: I’m so glad they’ve fucked off now. Someone get the salt!]

Those assholes, seriously…

But hey, they totally deserved everything that came to them. Of all people, they just had to pick the one person who was friends with the flagellant LMFAO!

- There are already rumors about them in different locations, so I bet they won’t even be allowed to enter a city LOL!

- There isn’t a place that would let them do whatever they wanted to like Illia. I bet they’re kicking and screaming right now HAHAHA

- No one’s taking pity on them at all. I guess that's what you can expect when you're a bully.

- Pity? I fucking saw Gyeongsu beat someone at a bar until he died. I still get flashbacks about it at night.

- Gyeongsu was annoying, but so was Taerim and Sehyeon. They were like leeches that thought they were all that because of Gyeongsu.

- This is starting to get me pissed off again. I should just recall what happened during that day~

- I seriously hope they don’t come back.]

[(NEW) [’s Post]

[Post Date: Just now]

[Title: But did the flagellant really fight for his friend?]

From what I heard, they’re close enough to call the other hyung.

- I heard they were high school friends?

- Nah, girlfriends.

- What do you mean girlfriends? LOL, They were both guys.

- Not triplets?

- Why are you guys so obsessed with triplets???

- I’m honestly so jealous, though. It must be nice to be friends with the flagellant. You could just be like, ‘Do you know who the flagellant is~’ whenever you want.

- We’re all really just high schoolers at heart, huh? That’s so fucking high school.

- I’m friends with that senior~

- I'm glad the flagellant seemed like a quiet person. He literally just appeared out of nowhere like a hero, took Sehyeon's tooth, and then left.

- Is he the tooth fairy? LMFAO

- starring Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson…]

The community was in an uproar from the events that transpired in the morning.

Seol, after finishing his meeting with Filia, left to go find Gyeongtaek.

Gyeongtaek hadn't fully recovered yet, so he couldn’t stay for long. However, Seol still managed to hear all of the important information before he had to depart.

- I was originally in Timbrian when a noble there asked me to acquire something. I came to Illia for it after hearing that a trader who frequently crosses national borders was visiting and...

However, Sehyeon’s party tried taking the item from Gyeongtaek after recognizing it.

It appeared that the noble who made the request to Gyeongtaek was quite famous in Timbrian, judging by how rumors about it had spread to different cities.

- Hyung, I’m sorry… I’ll make sure to pay this back later!

Seol smiled bitterly as Gyeongtaek bowed before wobbling away.

Seol realized that if he hadn't stopped by the square then, he might not have had the opportunity to speak with Gyeongtaek like this now.

Nevertheless, upon returning, Seol opted to stay at the accommodation with the Black Pilgrims.

The lodging they arranged consisted of a main building and an annex, with Seol choosing to stay alone in the annex.

“Haah, it’s been forever since I was out. I feel like I can finally breathe.”

Karen had been walking around the annex for a while before Seol returned to the accommodation. Nonetheless, she now mostly remained in the Shadow Space compared to before.

It was all possible thanks to the Blood of Origin that Seol had acquired.

Being connected by blood seemed to grant more control than usual, further solidifying their hierarchy.

- Phew… Karen almost became like Pikachu.

- At least Pikachu is a small rat. Karen’s huge compared to it LOL

However, it wasn’t just Karen who was out of the Shadow Space.

Jamad and Karuna were also walked around in the annex’s garden.

"Your Shadow Space is larger than before, but I still find it much more comfortable outside. Honestly, if I weren't so eye-catching, I'd ask you to keep me outside. That useless red-headed elf wasn't complaining for nothing,” said Jamad.

“Who are you calling useless?!”

“Ah, she must have heard.”

“You’ve been acting like you’re all that just because you’ve been hanging around Master more…”

Jamad and Karen began bickering and shouting at each other, their voices filling the cool night air.

Seol turned away from them and looked at Karuna.

Karuna was looking at the moon.

“...Karuna?”

“Urgh…”

“Karuna? What’s wrong?”

Karuna gripped his chest and grimaced.

“There’s a pain… in my chest…”

It seemed like it was only for a moment, as Karuna’s face quickly returned to a normal, relaxed state.

“My chest has been feeling stuffy and numb ever since we arrived in Illia. Master, why do you think this is happening?”

As there was no way for Seol to know either, Karuna couldn’t find the answer he wanted.

“Karuna, are you alright?” asked Karen.

“Ah, yeah. I’m fine now.”

“See? He’s sick because you force him into the Shadow Space all day, Master!”

“I’m fine, though,” interrupted Jamad.

“Trolls should just shut up! It’s an elf thing, alright?!”

“You make it sound so awful to be an elf.”

“Argh… No more! You think you’re allowed to say whatever you want just because you’re big, huh?!”

Karuna smiled while watching the two bicker.

He then looked to Seol.

“Don’t worry, Master. I’ll probably feel better soon.”

* * *

Two days later, in Emild, a small city near Illia…

Though it was quite a distance away from Illia, it wasn’t particularly close or far.

“Are we really going to leave?”

“Who cares about the flagellant?!”

“Both of you, shut up. Why are you two shouting when you both messed up?”

“Still, isn’t it too lame to just run away like this?”

In a bar in Emild, Gyeongsu and his party were trying to calm their anger after hastily departing from Illia.

However, Sehyeon couldn’t control his anger. He threw his oak cup down on the floor, shattering it to pieces.

Crack!

“Wh-what the…”

“What’s wrong with them…”

Other customers began murmuring after being startled by the sudden noise.

“What are you looking at? Do you want to die, huh?!”

“......”

“Ahem…”

Even though Sehyeon couldn't do anything but tremble in fear in front of Seol, he became furious at the other people at the bar without hesitation.

Well, truthfully, he was still trembling. His left hand shook on the table, causing the table itself to vibrate with it.

"I can't believe I have to live like this for the rest of my life... Gyeongsu. Your friend ended up like this. So why did you—"

Gyeongsu shot Sehyeon a glare. Even if Sehyeon was drunk, he knew when to stop. It was the kind of look Gyeongsu only gave when he was furious.

“And? You want me to end up like you?”

“That’s…”

“Why the fuck are you talking after getting everyone else caught up in your mess? Huh? Answer me.”

“......”

“...Do I sound like I’m joking right now? Answer me. Why don’t you repeat what you said just now to the other people who also ended up like you?”

Taerim stepped in to stop Gyeongsu.

“Stop it, Gyeongsu. I’m sure Sehyeon’s just frustrated right now and…”

“The person who’s most frustrated right now is me, Sehyeon. Do you have a disease that prevents you from being still? Why do you always have to do this shit? Why can’t you just keep to yourself?”

“Fucking…”

“Fucking what? Try saying that again.”

“...I’m going out to smoke.”

As the mood shifted, Sehyeon bolted outside, desperately clinging to whatever authority he had left.

Gyeongsu chugged his beer, trying to relieve his frustration.

“That fucking bastard… How long is he going to keep acting like that…”

“Gyeongsu, I know Sehyeon talks like that, but his heart is…”

“What? In the right place? My fucking ass… I thought we already knew we were all assholes. Stop playing coy.”

“...Are you done, asshole?”

“I wonder if it would have ended this way if you didn’t keep stirring the pot…”

“Why the hell are you bringing that up now?!”

“Because you two do the same–”

Suddenly.

Crush!

A large foot kicked down the door.

Gyeongsu and Taerim flinched before immediately turning around to face the door.

They initially thought it was Sehyeon seeking attention once again.

“Haah… Haah…”

Drip…

Drip…

However, standing in front of the broken door was a knight. Blood ran down his sword, dripping onto the wooden floor.

The knight wearing black armor took a bow after raising Sehyeon’s severed head.

“Kyaaaaaaa!”

“R-Run away…”

The Black Knight’s voice split as he opened his mouth.

“...ser.”

Slice!

Splaaaatter!

In an instant, four people's torsos were severed from their bodies.

“The backdoor! Escape through the backdoor!” shouted Gyeongsu.

Everyone hurriedly tried to leave the bar.

Gloooow…

The Black Knight gathered ominous energy in his sword before releasing it as a horizontal line of energy.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

The bar exploded in a violent eruption.

“I am… slowly… getting closer…”

Fade…

After finishing his slaughter, the Black Knight's body waned before disappearing completely.

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