N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
C 289
-Coo!
After eating the breakfast Merlin brought, Wrath let out a sigh of delight.
-The menu is exactly what the king wants, and the taste is superb.
He enjoyed the heavy dishes like shrimp pizza and pineapple pizza as if they were light morning snacks, and he chuckled happily.
-You should try the ice cream too. The king's mouth is dry right now.
Wrath pointed to the ice cream-filled ice cup and wiggled his fingers.
"Ugh..."
Raon sighed as he looked at the cup of mint chocolate chip ice cream.
'To go through all this trouble...'
Is she some kind of stalker?
Raon hadn't even mentioned anything about the types of food he likes to eat, but she had brought shrimp pizza, pineapple pizza, and even mint chocolate chip ice cream for dessert.
He felt that Merlin was even scarier than he had thought, but there was another problem.
'I don't have anything I like.'
Among the dishes she brought, there was nothing that he truly enjoyed.
Neither the shrimp pizza, nor the pineapple pizza, nor the mint chocolate chip ice cream were his favorites.
They were all dishes preferred by the gluttonous Demon Lord, not something he enjoyed.
"Tsk."
Although the food was right in front of him, he had no choice but to eat it since refusing would probably make Wrath go berserk.
-Uhuhuhu!
As soon as the mint chocolate chip touched his tongue, Wrath's eyes turned into crescent moons.
Is he really a Demon King...?
If the Demon King ate ice cream and smiled like that, a rebellion would definitely occur.
No matter how much he thought about it, that guy couldn't be a Demon Lord.
"Phew."
After finishing the mint chocolate chip, Raon held his head in his hands.
He had been eating it consistently because of Wrath, but no matter how he thought about it, it just didn't taste good.
He couldn't understand why Runaan and Wrath enjoyed this.
-That's because you've grown up comfortably without any hardships.
Wrath sighed as he looked at the empty ice cream cup.
-Mint chocolate chip is so sweet for the king who has gone through many trials.
'He's really something else,' Raon thought, barely holding back from saying "Give me a break." He would have said it to avoid seeing that reaction from Wrath.
-Oh well, whatever. This is heaven.
You shouldn't be here.
Raon looked at Wrath with an incredulous expression and then stood up.
-Going to see the chef?
'Why would I?'
-Then where are you going?
'If I keep this up, I'll gain weight.'
He patted his stomach.
If people saw him now, they might think she had come here not as a hostage but to enjoy a vacation.
'Guess I'll do some exercise after eating.'
-Training even here? Seriously, it's getting tiresome.
Wrath waved his hand in annoyance.
-It's not training. I just need to do something that I can only do here.
Raon left the room.
After passing through the eerie corridor where doors appeared and disappeared, she stepped outside.
He walked to the end of the corridor and raised his hand towards the wall.
Zziing!
A translucent barrier surrounding the corridor was revealed with a faint spark.
The grand barrier, adorned with depictions of the sun, moon, and stars, emitted an imposing energy that seemed to declare that one couldn't leave this place.
'Quite complex,' Raon thought.
Considering the various energies emanating from the barrier, it was clear that it was a technique created collaboratively by Masters, Magicians, Dark Magicians, and Sorcerers, surpassing even the level of a Grandmaster.
It was far too challenging for him to break it at her current level.
-Did you come to see that? It's beyond your capability right now.
Wrath scoffed, as if knowing her thoughts.
'I know.'
He knew better than anyone.
Raon sighed softly, then examined the barrier using ring of fire.
"Aren't you better off not touching it?"
A chilly voice came from behind him.
"If you touch it again, I'll cut off your hand."
Feeling the sharpness in the voice, Raon turned around.
A man with a snake-like horned helmet stood there, his arm crossed over his chest.
The Horned Viper's helmet was quite rare.
Living in the desert and possessing the power of petrification, it was clearly a Basilisk, a mighty serpent.
"Are you aware of who I am?"
"I guess you're a Guardian who inherited the power of the Basilisk."
Raon gave a faint smile.
"Are you... really a Basilisk?"
The man in the snake helmet let out a hollow laugh, his smile neither confirming nor denying.
"Whether it's a Basilisk or not doesn't matter. It's easier for you to deal with me than the Merlin."
Raon pointed towards him, who was leaning against a wall with his arms crossed.
"Are you deliberately trying to provoke me?"
The man in the snake helmet laughed dryly and turned his head slightly.
"Should I cut off your arms before the other helmeted fool does it?"
"Cut off my arms? That's fine."
Raon smiled wryly as he drew his sword.
"Did you come here to see me?"
"Not particularly."
The man in the snake helmet smirked.
"I came because it's quite boring. I don't have anything to do, and I'm not good at sitting still."
"So you're going to play around with me?"
"Would you prefer that?"
"..."
Raon was silent.
'He's a tricky one.'
The man in the snake helmet looked like a slacker, but he was quite the opposite.
'His level isn't low either. He's definitely a Master.'
There was no telling what his level was, but his aura was definitely that of a Master.
He wasn't at his best, but he had nothing to lose from fighting him.
'If I do well, I might even get some information.'
There were plenty of things he was curious about.
Such as what kind of being he was, what this place was, and how she could get out of here.
In any case, he had to fight.
Fighting was a shortcut to finding answers.
'But what if...'
As Raon gazed at the man in the snake helmet, who was laughing while scratching his chin, he smiled.
'There's something I want to ask you.'
"Are you going to ask me for a hint on how to break this barrier?"
The man in the snake helmet smirked.
"But you won't be able to get an answer so easily."
Raon smiled mischievously at the man's words.
'It seems like this guy is smarter than he looks.'
As Wrath had said, this barrier was too complex for him to break with his current abilities.
To break it, he needed to learn something, and the man in the snake helmet was definitely knowledgeable.
'Guess I'll use a different method.'
If she couldn't get an answer through intimidation, he would have to use persuasion.
"Help me."
Raon spoke sincerely.
"Help you? What's in it for me?"
"..."
Raon didn't reply immediately.
He considered what he could offer in return for his assistance.
'What could he wants?'
His eyes didn't reveal any signs of desire, and there were no hints in his aura either.
'Does he want to be set free?'
Raon chuckled at the thought.
'Even if I wanted to, I can't do that.'
It was impossible for him to release him.
And there was no way he would do something so foolish.
"I'll give you a meal."
"..."
The man in the snake helmet blinked.
"Food?"
"Isn't it good enough? If you need something else, tell me."
"..."
The man in the snake helmet seemed taken aback by his offer.
"Are you serious?"
"Of course. If you want something to eat, I'll prepare it for you."
"..."
The man in the snake helmet fell silent.
Raon looked at him with a bright smile, as if he had suggested the most natural thing in the world.
'He's serious?'
The man in the snake helmet stared at Raon with his eyes wide open.
He couldn't believe that he was willing to offer him food in exchange for information.
"Food... What kind of food?"
The man in the snake helmet asked cautiously.
"What do you want to eat?"
"..."
The man in the snake helmet fell silent once again.
Raon smiled faintly.
'Gotcha.'
He had found his weakness.
The man in the snake helmet was interested in food.
But he was also cautious, afraid that he might deceive him.
'Should I be more persuasive?'
Raon looked at the man in the snake helmet and spoke.
"Think about it. You're bored, and I'm bored too. It would be more fun if we did something together. If you help me break the barrier, I'll make you a delicious meal."
"..."
The man in the snake helmet hesitated, then slowly nodded.
"Alright."
Raon smiled happily at the man's response.
'This is better than I expected.'
As long as he was willing to help, it didn't matter how much he demanded in return.
'Though... I guess I'll have to ask Wrath for help with the cooking.'
Raon chuckled at the thought.
-You're starting to get along with others. Have you forgotten that you're a hostage?
Suddenly, Wrath's voice echoed in his mind.
"Of course not."
Raon replied with a grin.
'Being a hostage doesn't mean I can't make friends.'
As Raon smiled, the man in the snake helmet laughed as well.
"Alright, let's do this then."
The man in the snake helmet extended his hand towards the barrier, and his hand turned into a snake.
Zziing!
The barrier let out a faint noise and began to shake.
Seeing the barrier react to the man in the snake helmet's touch, Raon smiled even wider.
'Now, let's see what kind of information he can give me.'
A strike heavy with weight overlapped with another heavy strike, falling as if to crush the head of the man in the snake helmet.
"Fine. Come."
The man in the snake helmet turned his shoulder.
His movement was rough, as if a statue was coming to life, but the fierceness within transcended the strike he had just executed.
This strike, too, clearly contained his secret techniques.
Kwaaaah!
With a blinding flash, a terrifying mass of energy erupted from below.
Kuuuuuuuuung!
The ground was shaken by a shockwave so powerful that all the spirits of Eden nearby were sent flying.
"Can you still do more?"
The man in the snake helmet gripped his sword with both hands.
A sphere of condensed energy formed above his sword, growing larger and larger until it filled the air.
"Don't worry. Even if I got hurt, Merlin will heal me."
"Is that so?"
Raon chuckled coldly as he thrust his sword forward.
A powerful current of energy gathered above his silver sword, generating a crimson sphere.
Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation: Baekhwa
Chungcheong Strike.
Though smaller than the energy sphere that emerged from the man in the snake helmet's sword, the compressed power in Raon's strike created a dense thunderstorm in the air.
"Let's see it through to the end!"
Both the man in the snake helmet and Raon prepared to unleash their strikes simultaneously.
Whooong!
A wave of deathly energy cascaded down between them, accompanied by a blinding flash.
Kwaaaang!
The fiercely rotating black energy disregarded their techniques and shockwaves, remaining unwavering even as it absorbed the impact.
Ttdeudeuk.
As the black light dissipated, the form of the Jolhong Sword, which had been swinging down, was revealed.
It seemed to signal the end, as if hinting for them to stop at this point.
"You're adding pepper to a finished dish."
the man in the snake helmet clicked his tongue as he sheathed the Jolhong Sword.
"At least this uninteresting fellow."
He furrowed his brows slightly and lowered his sword.
"Hmm."
Raon also took a deep breath and sheathed his sword.
"Let's postpone it for next time. If we keep going past this point, Merlin will surely make a fuss."
The man in the snake helmet twirled his hand and disappeared just like when he first appeared.
It was unclear whether he was at the same level as him or even stronger, given that he seemed to call Merlin, similar to how he did.
"..."
The Jolhong Sword remained in his right hand, and he observed Raon as he entered the room.
His gaze, devoid of any emotion, remained on heim until he vanished inside.
"..."
Without turning his body, he continued to watch Raon's entry until the end.
* * *
"Sigh."
Merlin sighed softly as she applied ointment to Raon's shoulders and waist.
"You really can't stay still for a moment, you're quite the troublemaker."
He tilted his head and let out a dry laugh.
"It's you challenging the man in the snake helmet to a duel and provoking him. Everyone was surprised, you know?"
"I just wanted to see how strong he is."
Raon turned his head slightly and closed his eyes.
Since it was impossible to deceive Merlin, ge spoke honestly.
"The residents are talking."
Merlin stepped back a bit after applying the ointment.
The intense pain in his bones and muscles was relieved as the ointment took effect.
"Can injuries be resolved with elixirs?"
With a sigh, she placed a box of elixirs on the table, identical to the one she brought yesterday.
"I adjusted it a bit since you said your head was feeling heavy. It should be much milder than yesterday."
Raon opened the box.
A slightly milder chill tickled her nose compared to yesterday.
"She did adjust it."
She added more Soulwater.
Judging from its appearance, it seemed the coldness was lowered and more Soulwater was added.
If you combined yesterday's amount with today's, the feeling of fogginess and heaviness in the mind probably wouldn't occur.
"And also."
Merlin extended her right hand forward.
A blue light radiated above her white hand, conjuring up a helmet.
With two horns, diamond-shaped blade scales, and sky-blue spikes extending from the back. It was unmistakably the shape of a helmet.
"A dragon's helmet…"
