N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
C 288
Rock-paper-scissors with eggs.
Watching the forceful energy of Saihan (essence?) hitting the wall of the Upper Realm made me feel like I was witnessing the saying in action that I had only known as a proverb.
Raon let out a wry laugh.
"You're too weak."
As soon as it entered his body, the Saihan energy that moved secretly like a shadow to attack the Upper Realm was undoubtedly the Unwed Spirit.
However, the Unwed Spirit's energy imbued in the elixir seemed weak enough to sense that Merlin had made some mistake.
Just as a wooden branch hitting a steel shield thousands of times would be meaningless, his own mental strength would not be penetrated at this level.
"It's not even as strong as when I first met Wrath."
Raon felt astonished by the level of mental attack that was even weaker than when Wrath had rushed at him when they first met.
-That's only natural.
Wrath's voice came from the ice flower bracelet.
-If you, who endured the wrath and cold of the King from your days as a cold dog, were to be defeated by that kind of energy, the King would have bitten his tongue and died.
He chuckled while perching on his arm.
"True."
Raon nodded at Wrath.
"It's not the Unwed Spirit's problem... My mental strength has become too strong."
His mental strength had grown even stronger due to the accumulation from his past life and had further developed after meeting Wrath.
Now, there might not even be any elixirs in the world that could break his current mental strength.
"I could just sigh and go to sleep like this."
Without using the Ring of Fire, even if he fell asleep, the Unwed Spirit's energy seemed like it would dissipate, completely exhausted and unable to break his mind.
"There's no need to do something so wasteful."
Raon gestured toward Merlin, who was still shoulder-to-shoulder with him, pointing at the door.
"I need to concentrate on my cultivation. Leave me alone."
"Of course. I'm a patient woman."
With a final pat on her shoulder, Merlin left the room.
"She'll probably be waiting by the door."
Although it was such a strange space that he couldn't sense anything properly, given Merlin's personality that he had seen so far, she would likely be waiting by the door, not out of a sense of hospitality, but rather to keep watch.
"Phew."
Raon closed his eyes and resonated with the Ring of Fire.
As the powerful resonance spread throughout his body, the Unwed Spirit's energy faltered and came to a halt.
Huuum!
When the Unwed Spirit's energy tried to escape like a minnow, he formed a center energy to block its escape.
"Where should I start?"
He observed the trembling Unwed Spirit's mana with a calm expression.
While the shell itself was weak, the purity of the energy contained within was exceptionally high.
"Simply purifying it should be enough for absorption."
With the Ring of Fire already at the 7th level, getting rid of the Saihan energy's effects should be easy.
Since most of the mana in the elixir was cold energy, by converting the high-purity energy of the Unwed Spirit, the balance should be maintained.
Raon smiled and operated the Ring of Fire with a polarized aura.
The clear energy emitted from the seven rings began to cleanse the Saihan energy's curse.
Wooaaah!
As the rings emitted more powerful vibrations, the dark shell of the Unwed Spirit's energy peeled away, revealing the pure mana hidden within.
"Even better than I thought."
The purity of the mana within the Unwed Spirit's energy was even higher than expected.
Even if he accepted it as is, there would be no problem.
With a deep vibrational sound, he guided the purified mana directing it toward his body.
With each resonating vibration, the Unwed Spirit's energy was stripped away, and the pure mana trapped within was revealed.
"Phew."
Raon let out a breath and glanced at the window.
The sun had disappeared, and moonlight was pouring in.
It felt short, but it seemed like more than half a day had passed.
"Slow, aren't you? Quite slow."
Wrath approached, thrusting his face forward and sticking out his tongue.
"If it were the King, he would have digested that kind of elixir in a minute. Even the dirty stuff within."
He shook his head as if pitying him.
"Admitting your strength in spirit but still lacking in power."
"Know your place."
Raon smirked and nodded at Wrath.
He acknowledged his evaluation of his strength, even though he was still lacking in terms of power.
"Well, well!"
Wrath shivered, backing away hurriedly.
"You just said that! What does it mean?"
"What?"
"Why did you curse the King?"
"Cursed? I just genuinely... thanked him."
"Thanked him for what? Like hell you would say you're thankful to someone like him!"
Wrath shouted as if he didn't understand and demanded a lecture.
"Take it back! Why did you curse the King?"
"...I take it back."
"Huff!"
Wrath let out a relieved sigh and nodded his head.
"Even if you're grateful, you wouldn't say you're thankful to a demon like him!"
"...."
Raon looked at Merlin, who was still holding onto his shoulder.
Given that Merlin had entered immediately after her cultivation was over, it was clear that she had been waiting outside the door.
"Is it over?"
Merlin entered with a smile, gently taking his arm.
"...How about one more?"
Merlin's smile deepened as she looked at him with gleaming eyes.
"What? Again?"
Raon's heart raced, but he raised his voice.
'Can things really go as I'm thinking?'
To make his head feel dazed, he pretended to be in a state of confusion after his cultivation.
Being affected by the Unwed Spirit was a characteristic sign of that.
He faked his condition, making it seem like his mental defenses had shattered from the impact of the wall of the Upper Realm.
"Feeling a bit dazed?"
"Yeah."
"The elixir was heavily infused with cold energy. It could be the cause."
Merlin approached and looked into his eyes.
She stared deeply into his gaze, just like Runaan, as if trying to release some hidden power.
"Hmm."
Merlin used her finger to gently tap his lips.
'Is she really going to give me another one?'
Feigning a bit of dizziness and loosening his gaze slightly, shllhe pretended to be affected, hoping she might offer him another elixir.
"Sure. Just one more. This time, I'll adjust the dosage."
Merlin leaned in closer, a mysterious fragrance emanating from her.
She brought her face close to him.
-Is he really giving another one?
Wrath looked at Merlin with a bewildered expression.
-Why is he giving you more elixir? To the one he's holding as a hostage?
He yelled, asking for clarification.
"Don't you want it?"
"Well, fine."
Raon sighed internally and reluctantly nodded his head.
"Such a pushover."
Merlin chuckled as he came closer and gently caressed her face with his fingers.
"I am just well aware of my situation."
Raon swatted Merlin's hand away and turned his head.
* * *
A rectangular workshop with no windows.
Under the soft light descending from the ceiling, about twenty people sat at their desks, engrossed in crafting accessories such as rings, bracelets, and necklaces.
Everyone seemed to be intensely focused, so much so that not even a whisper could be heard.
At the forefront, an elderly man with white hair stood up from his chair.
"It's complete."
He held a red ring that he had personally crafted and approached Dening Rose, who was in the center of the workshop.
"Hmm!"
Dening Rose, wearing her half-moon glasses, examined the ring and nodded in satisfaction.
"The skills of Master Carol are still impressive. Didn't you retire a bit too early?"
"Hmph. Of course my skills are still the same. I retired because I felt like I was going to die without even being able to spend the money I earned."
"Thank you, sir."
"Don't say that. I can't repay you with things like this for all the help you've given me."
Carol shook his head slowly.
"So, it seems like this is an urgent matter, right? You wouldn't have called all of them otherwise."
He gestured towards the people working behind him.
They were all well-known artifact craftsmen whose names would come to mind just by looking at their faces.
"Yes. There's someone we absolutely need to rescue."
Dening Rose nodded her head heavily.
'By any means necessary.'
Raon wasn't just the life saver of Dening Rose , he was the hero who saved the lives of everyone in Granseville.
Even in the face of the Ten Apostle and monsters like Merlin, she was willing to sacrifice herself until the end to save that man.
"I will do everything to rescue him."
Dening Rose possessed the necklace that could locate Raon in Zieghart, and with that and this tracking artifact, they could find him no matter where he was.
"Well, then it's not time to leave yet."
Carol glanced at his trembling hands and returned to his original seat.
"I'll make the same item for you, so don't worry."
"Thank you. We will definitely compensate you adequately."
"Did you think I would work for free?"
He smiled faintly and started on his second task.
Dening Rose took the ring that Carol had given her and got up from her seat.
'I should inform the others first.'
She left the workshop to meet the people who were undoubtedly waiting more eagerly for news of Raon than anyone else.
However, as she was about to head upstairs, her secretary came rushing in with an urgent expression.
"A guest has arrived."
"A guest?"
* * *
The members of the Light Wind squad gathered in the lobby of the accommodation Dening Rose had arranged near the village of Granseville.
"When will it be completed?"
Martha, her shoulders wrapped tightly with thick bandages, clenched the armrest of the sofa as she spoke.
"Isn't it taking too long?"
Clearly anxious, she chewed on her lips.
"Dening Rose is doing her best to prepare. Let's wait patiently."
Burren clasped his hands together and nodded, although he seemed to be occasionally trembling, perhaps due to tension.
"..."
Runaan remained silent, her gaze fixed on empty space in a corner. Unlike the other, her wounds were untreated, and her hands and nails were still stained with blood.
"Sigh..."
"It's been two days..."
"Damn it!"
"It's frustrating that there's no solution."
The members of the Light Wind squad held their heads with bandaged hands, expressing their frustration and powerlessness.
They wanted to do something, but they felt hopeless due to their lack of options and strength.
Thump!
As the voices of the Light Wind squad members gradually subsided, the door to the lodging opened, and Dening Rose entered.
"The tracking artifact is complete!"
She ran up to the Light Wind squad members and held out a ring in her hand.
"We've taken longer due to expanding the Continent Devotee network, but now it will increase rapidly!"
Dening Rose's complexion was as pale as the Light Wind squad members', as if she had been through a lot of mental turmoil.
"Now we can start tracking..."
"I'll go."
Runaan raised her hand.
Her blood-stained nails were strikingly visible.
She focused her gaze as if determined to participate in the tracking.
Her violet eyes were filled with strong determination.
"I'm going too."
Martha stood in front of Dening Rose, holding her injured shoulder.
"Even if I have to die, I'll die there."
The fervor in her voice was so intense that it couldn't be dampened.
"No need to push yourselves too hard. We've already recruited the best experts in the continent for this purpose. They'll be departing soon. Please don't worry too much..."
"Please!"
"Let us go too!"
"We can't just leave Raon and Dorian. Even if we can't fight, please allow us to help in finding them!"
"Yes. Please let us assist!"
Not only Runaan and Martha, but all the Light Wind squad swordsmen stood up and bowed their heads before Dening Rose.
"Well..."
Dening Rose bit her lip and stepped back.
'I understand their feelings, but...'
They were cursing themselves for not being able to do anything when Raon and Dorian were kidnapped.
They were disappointed in their powerless selves, so she couldn't bring herself to refuse them.
"Don't trouble the Guildmaster."
Burren sighed and stood in front of the swordsmen, blocking their way.
"Bringing us all would only hinder the tracking experts. Let them handle the tracking."
"We don't know the condition of Raon and Dorian. We can't just sit still like this!"
"I'm going."
"We're burdened with luggage right now! Heavy luggage, too!"
"That's right."
Suddenly, a cheerful voice sounded, and everyone turned their heads.
"Huh?"
"That voice..."
"Squad leader!"
"Long time no see."
Rimmer, his red hair securely tied, leaned against the doorframe and waved his hand.
"You seem quite injured."
He clicked his tongue lightly and stood in front of the Light Wind squad.
"How did the squad leader come here..."
"Of course I would come with you here. Riding a dimensional portal made me a bit nauseous, but seeing your faces makes me happy."
Rimmer scanned the faces of the swordsmen one by one, starting from the three captain, and nodded his head.
"Burren is right. It's best to leave tracking to the tracking experts. You won't be of any help. It's a waste of time."
His sharp voice left the Light Wind squad members bowing their heads deeply.
His words about being unhelpful struck a chord deep within them.
"But we can't just stay like this."
Rimmer raised his lips into a warm smile, the same kind smile he often displayed in training.
"Your task isn't tracking; it's drawing your swords. Prepare for battle."
"Get ready to fight?"
"We couldn't do anything against the Ten Apostle."
"When Merlin and the Ten Apostle were fighting, we could only watch without being able to intervene..."
"We entrusted everything to Raon!"
"We tried so hard, we really did, but we couldn't do anything..."
The Light Wind squad members voiced their pent-up emotions, biting their lips in frustration.
"Prepare yourselves for your own battle. The monsters will deal with the monsters."
The pupils of Rimmer's eyes sank into a dark, intense light that seemed to hold resolve.
"Zieghart is making a move."
