The Mad Dog of the Empire Has Returned

Chapter 60. Infiltration

Adellian, with surprised eyes, looked back and forth between where she was and a place a couple of steps away. In one place, raindrops were falling, not even enough to wet the dry ground, while in the other, a downpour so heavy it was impossible to see ahead.

“I didn’t know this was possible…”

“It’s only for a moment. We have to break through within that time.”

At Nigues’s words, everyone took their positions and looked beyond the curtain-like downpour.

“They probably can’t see either… but we can’t see much either.”

Piontek, who was repeatedly wiping the area around his eyes, asked with a frown.

“Think of it as dynamic visual acuity training.”

“It’s too much of a real battle to be called training, isn’t it? If we make a mistake, we’ll just reveal our position.”

“Training is originally supposed to be like a real battle, and a real battle like training.”

“……”

Leaving the disgruntled Piontek behind, I placed my hand on Michelle’s shoulder.

Michelle, understanding my intention, nocked an arrow on her bowstring and composed her breathing.

I moistened my eyes with mana. On a clear day, it would have created ripples, but in this pouring rain, I chose to see.

‘The loosest spot.’

Dozens of guards were surrounding the warehouse. So we couldn't just rush in recklessly.

We had to break through the part where their lines of sight overlapped the least and dig in there.

“Three.”

Three arrows flew swiftly and accurately towards the spot I pointed to with my fingers.

Thwack, thwack.

The dull sounds of piercing clothes, tearing flesh, and hitting bone echoed in succession.

I raised my mana a little more and assessed the situation. The three guards were perfectly taken care of. The rain was also falling more heavily, appropriately obscuring the gazes of others. Now for the next step.

“Hey! Is everything alright over there?”

A guy with an epaulet on his shoulder said towards the fallen ones. He was the guard squad leader managing that area. If we took care of that guy, we would have secured the minimum space to enter the warehouse.

Screech.

Michelle took out a new bow.

I grabbed her hand and shook my head. She didn't have an infinite number of arrows. They had to be used in a more important situation than this. So we couldn't waste them here.

“Adellian.”

The surrounding water was overflowing. There was no better situation to utilize Adellian’s abilities.

“Got it.”

Adellian, having read my intention, gripped her sword. A faint blue light shimmered in her eyes and around her heart. That light traveled down her arm and enveloped Adellian’s sword.

I gestured for her to wait.

“Hey! I said, is everything alright over there! Are these bastards sleeping again?”

A sharp voice filled with annoyance was heard.

I opened my ears and confirmed their footsteps. The nearby guards began to move. The overlapping sound of footsteps splashing in the water was heard.

‘Five.’

The shadows of the guards approached the incident site. It was the moment the entire guard squad gathered in one place.

I counted the numbers in my head.

Three, two, one.

“Now.”

As soon as the word was spoken, Adellian’s upper body leaned forward. Her right foot was forward, her waist turned to the left. The sword held in both hands drew a diagonal line and cut the curtain of rain.

The space was split. The place dominated by rain and the place not were clearly distinguished. The falling rain was sucked into the empty space.

‘Sharp.’

The raindrops became needles and flew fiercely along the cut space.

Pabababak.

The guards, their entire bodies pierced by the raindrops, collapsed without a single sound. A large amount of blood flowed from their bodies.

‘Did she grow?’

Although it was an attack utilizing the falling rain, it was of a higher level than before. But…

‘It’s similar.’

The flow of mana surrounding Adellian was not much different from before. Though the irregular inflow and outflow were peculiar. I’d have to check the details myself after this was over.

I signaled everyone to move with my hand.

Starting with Piontek, Michelle and Odekerkh walked quickly. Adellian and Nigues followed.

“What is your circle?”

Nigues asked Adellian.

“1st Circle.”

“You’re 1st Circle and you’re this strong? That doesn’t make sense… Can I check for a moment?”

It seemed I wasn't the only one who found it strange.

At Nigues’s request, Adellian hesitated for a moment. She seemed reluctant to let someone look inside her.

“I’m not trying to do anything harmful. The sword strike you just unleashed wouldn’t be strange even if you were 2nd Circle. But since you say you’re 1st Circle, I’m asking just in case.”

“……Can’t we check that in a little bit? Getting into the warehouse is more important right now, isn’t it?”

“It’ll just take a moment. Just a moment.”

At Nigues’s words, Adellian held out her hand.

Nigues grabbed Adellian’s hand and pushed his mana into her. A characteristic blue light traveled up her arm, to her heart, and to her head, wandering around.

I watched the scene intently.

‘He’s not just checking her circle.’

Spots here and there along the path where mana flowed glittered. It felt like something was being burned and cleaned up.

And so, the blue light meticulously circulated throughout Adellian’s entire body.

“Hmm.”

Nigues, having retrieved the first mana, frowned as he sent the second mana. It seemed something was bothering him.

“Do you happen to know how to use healing magic?”

“……!”

“I see. Are you using magic with formulas?”

“How did you know?”

“There were dregs left because the mana couldn’t burn completely. It’s because the formula is wrong. Use it after correcting it. Otherwise, you won’t be able to grow.”

“Does that mean I can’t become 2nd Circle?”

“That’s not it. I burned all the dregs. You’ll become 2nd Circle before long.”

“R-really?”

Nigues smiled and nodded at Adellian’s question.

‘She might even level up during a battle.’

If that happened, it would be a great source of strength not only for Adellian but also for us who fight together. Nigues must have aimed for that point when he asked to check.

“The entrance is just 30 steps along the wall…”

Piiik.

As Nigues was speaking, a red light shot up high into the sky.

Poong!

“Emergency! All personnel move to the central headquarters! Move to the central headquarters!”

The guards protecting the warehouse began to run.

The somewhat quiet atmosphere began to swirl.

“N-no. How could this…”

“This is not the time to question that. Just run for now.”

I pushed Nigues’s shoulder and told him to run towards the warehouse entrance. There was no time to be comfortably flustered. If we were discovered by the frantically running guards, it would become a struggle for survival, not a struggle for rescue.

“Why are those guys suddenly acting like that?”

Piontek asked, looking at the guards running in the opposite direction from us.

“M-maybe something h-happened at the c-center?”

“What do you mean something happened? It’s happening right here. Is something worse than this happening?”

“I-I think so?”

“What could that be? Don’t tell me this is a trap?”

Piontek slowed down and tilted his head.

Is it really a trap, as he says? But there were too many troops guarding the warehouse for that.

Of course, they could have deceived us with numbers. The merchandise for the auction might be stored elsewhere, but they could have disguised it as if it were here. That way, Nigues and others targeting the goods wouldn't be suspicious.

‘Even so, it’s strange.’

After luring us in, they withdraw all their troops? Without even leaving a minimum force to tie us down here? These questions remained unanswered.

Rather, it felt like the game was changing.

“Fog?”

The downpour had stopped at some point, and fog had taken its place.

I looked at Nigues. He shook his head, saying it wasn't his doing.

In that case, it meant new vermin were coming out.

“Quality over quantity, is it?”

I stopped my moving feet. I gripped Dawn and sharpened the edge of my senses. Beyond the fog, the guards were running around chaotically. The enemy was probably hiding among them, aiming for us.

“Nigues, Odekerkh.”

I told Nigues to clear the fog and Odekerkh to prepare a stone wall for defense.

“Front.”

Michelle, having seen the enemy’s movement, said.

Odekerkh’s sword dug into the ground. With a dull sound of kwageuk!, a stone wall rose up.

Kwang!

But a hole was punched through it by the enemy’s fist.

Kaang!

And it struck my sword.

To be precise, I blocked his fist with Dawn.

“There was one with good eyes, huh?”

A bald man with a large scar on his left eye sneered.

I pushed away his fist and corrected my stance.

“Ah! Damn it! What’s the rush?”

A woman’s voice full of irritation echoed from behind.

“Why are you blaming me? You should blame your short legs.”

“What? You bald bastard! I told you not to mess with me about my legs!”

The woman spat out her anger. Then she leaped high into the air and gripped a weapon the size of her body with both hands. It was a giant axe.

Kwakwang!

This time too, Odekerkh blocked her attack.

“Ah! Damn it! Annoying.”

The axe-woman stood next to the fist-user and looked at us with a face full of dissatisfaction.

At this, Nigues stared at them with fierce eyes.

“Gwon (Fist), Bu (Axe).”

“What? You know them?”

“They are the ones called the Hobiyukyeong. There are six of them, and two of them have come.”

“Only two? What about the rest?”

“They will come. They always move together.”

Kang!

As soon as Nigues’s words came out, the sound of metal rang out. Thɪs chapter is updated by N()velFire.net

Zzzzt.

Piontek was blocking the incoming attack with all his might, spreading a net of lightning.

“Geom (Sword)!”

Nigues said, looking at the opponent.

Gwon, Bu, Geom. It seemed they were named after the weapons they wielded.

“What are the other three?”

“There are Gung (Bow), Chang (Spear), and Sul (Art).”

As if on cue with Nigues’s explanation, the rest of them pushed through the fog and revealed themselves. A fat man holding a bow, a woman as thin as a skewer with a spear on her shoulder, and a middle-aged man stroking his shaggy beard were the main characters.

“It’s been a while.”

The middle-aged man touched the bridge of his nose and smiled wryly. Since all the others were holding something like a weapon, that man must be Sul.

“I will definitely kill you.”

“Didn’t you say that last time? But what happened? Only this was left. Right?”

At Nigues’s words, Sul pointed to the bridge of his nose. Then he quickly scanned me and my companions.

“Since you’re no match for the Gwanju, you’ve brought some riff-raff. Pathetic.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. It’s not for trash like you to judge.”

“What need is there for judgment? I just have to say what I see.”

At Sul’s ridicule, Nigues clenched his fists tightly. He circulated his mana and created a small water pillar. A water pillar that was rotating at an incredible speed.

Gwaaaang.

An enormous sound echoed from the water pillar. It seemed that if one were to even graze it, not only their clothes but also their flesh would be torn off.

“Are you trying to do something to us with just that? You’ve become pathetic.”

Sul clicked his tongue and looked at Bu and Chang who came with him.

“The Moonlight Festival is starting, so move the key merchandise.”

“I’m not fighting? Why? Why not?”

“I just want to rest.”

There was not a single favorable reaction. Sul let out a big sigh and glared at the two of them.

“I said the Moonlight Festival is starting, are you planning to say you didn’t hear me?”

“Got it.”

“My bad, captain.”

With Sul’s gesture, Bu and Chang launched themselves towards the warehouse entrance.

Seeing this, Nigues shot the water pillar at the two of them.

Paang!

The fiercely flying water pillar was blocked by a stone pillar and disappeared.

‘Not even a scratch?’

It was an attack launched with all the power of a 3rd Circle mage. And yet, the stone pillar maintained its form.

Kurururu.

The stone pillar descended. And Sul, who had used it, clicked his tongue and looked at Nigues.

“You’ve gotten weaker. You used to break stone pillars like that with ease.”

“Shut up.”

“Still as unpleasant as ever. But there is a difference from before. Before, you were just unpleasant, but now you’re pathetically unpleasant.”

“……”

Nigues’s face was filled with rage. He opened all the circles he could and raised his mana.

Tuk.

I extended Dawn in front of such Nigues and signaled him to calm down.