I Became a Veteran Who Has to Stir Up Trouble to Survive - Chapter 86

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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[086] The Legend of Belheim
The moment I saw that creature towering over two meters tall, I knew for certain.
‘It’s the same one who invaded Belmont’s Mansion!’
Simultaneously, I realized the equipment he wore was far from ordinary, and I clenched my teeth.
But before I could even warn them, Radi fired his crossbow.
“Wait…! Be careful!!”
「The opponent’s equipped [Echoing Wind Breastplate] reflects the Bolt!」
「It’s an extremely rare item! Exercise caution!」
In an instant, an invisible blade materialized along the exact trajectory of Radi’s shot and came hurtling back.
“What—what is this?!”
Radi barely twisted his body to evade, blood trickling from his cheek as he retreated, and then Karen’s fireball from her staff struck the creature directly.
For an ordinary adventurer, that alone would have rendered them incapacitated….
「The opponent’s equipped [Degraded Cerulian Gauntlet] absorbs the flames!」
As the creature hastily defended with the crystal gauntlet on his left hand, Karen’s attack proved futile.
“What kind of monster is this?!”
“Watch out!!”
The Giant Warrior roared and kicked off the ground, leaping high to bring his gauntlet crashing down.
I immediately retreated to evade, searching for an opening to counterattack.
I attempted a coordinated assault with Malton simultaneously, but the creature merely smirked.
My strike clearly connected—
「The opponent activated the [Standard Achilles’ Blessing Rune] effect! Damage is significantly reduced!」
Both Malton’s and my weapons sparked and slid across the creature’s skin the instant they made contact.
When the creature swung his arm in a powerful strike, we had no choice but to fall back.
The Giant Warrior raised his guard and sneered.
“Little rats crawling in… How did you breach the security system to get this far?”
“Damn it….”
I glared at the Giant Warrior through my mask.
His actual combat skill wasn’t particularly impressive.
His movements were broad and predictable, and even when he absorbed the flames with his gauntlet just now, his reaction was consistently a beat too slow.
‘He’s the type who relies on his equipment…!’
The problem was that he didn’t have just one or two pieces of gear.
‘The Echoing Wind Breastplate has a cooldown if it reflects continuously… The Degraded Cerulian Gauntlet reaches saturation if hit with the same attribute repeatedly. The Standard Achilles’ Blessing Rune….’
As I searched my memory, the answer surfaced.
I issued instructions to my companions in a low voice.
“Radi, Karen. Fire your crossbow and magic staff as rapidly as possible in succession. Don’t worry about accuracy—even if you miss, keep firing.”
“Huh?! We just saw it bounce back!”
“Keep hammering him with attacks and it’ll change. The reflected attacks… I’ll handle dodging them.”
Radi and Karen began firing in unison, though doubt lingered in their eyes.
Click! Click! Whoosh—!
The Giant Warrior immediately raised his gauntlet to defend.
At first, I managed to deflect the initial barrage of attacks with relative ease.
But then, at a critical moment, something shifted.
「You have exceeded the reflection limit of [Echoing Wind Breastplate]! Cooldown activated!」
「[Degraded Cerulean Gauntlet] has reached saturation! If you absorb any more flame spells, it will explode!」
“Damn it…! How do you know the weaknesses of this equipment?!”
As the Giant Warrior panicked and dodged Bolt’s attacks and fireballs, I caught Malton’s eye with a subtle signal.
‘Malton, draw his attention. As fast as you can.’
‘Got it!’
Malton swung his mace in wide, thunderous arcs and shouted.
“Let’s see you block this one!”
“Grrk?!”
The Giant Warrior raised his gauntlet to guard against the attack, but that was his fatal mistake.
‘Burst Step!’
In a flash, I circled behind him and drove my steel boot-clad heel into his Achilles tendon with all my strength.
「You have struck the weak point of [Basic Achilles’ Blessing Rune] with precision!」
「Damage tripled!」
“Arghhhh! You bastard!!”
The Giant Warrior swung his arm and immediately withdrew from the line of attack, but that too was part of the plan.
This time, Malton kicked his Achilles tendon from the opposite side.
“Ugh…! You little gnats, working in tandem…!”
「Your opponent has activated the effect of [Iron Troll Rune]!」
As he staggered and slammed his fist into the ground, a powerful shockwave erupted.
Malton and I were sent flying but quickly regained our balance mid-air.
We’d dealt meaningful damage, but there was one problem.
“Damn reinforcements!”
“We’re joining in!”
The ones who had been playing cards in the room burst out and entered the fray.
They too were equipped with gear that was far from ordinary.
‘That longsword requires at least level 80 to wield properly…!’
The Giant Warrior grimaced and muttered.
“Why did you take so long? I thought I was dying here! …Now that reinforcements have arrived, you’re finished!”
As he laughed mockingly and pointed at us, two swordsmen slowly approached.
One of them, a gaunt man, strutted forward and spoke.
“Hmph, the fact that you infiltrated this far means you’re a transmigrator too. Surrender quietly and I’ll spare your life. What do you say?”
“Nonsense! Don’t lump me in with undead!”
“Inflexible, aren’t you? Well, regardless, you’ll eventually kneel before me. Once you know who I am, you’ll change your mind.”
“Surely not…”
“Hehe… Yes, you’ve probably heard of me before.”
As the man folded his arms and laughed smugly, I swallowed hard, unable to suppress my tension.
‘He’s definitely a ranker…!’
My level is low, and there are few targets left to trigger Chaos on. The only advantage I have to overwhelm them decisively is the knowledge from my past life.
But if my opponent is a fellow Ranker, that edge loses its luster.
Exploiting equipment weaknesses to bring them down like before would be difficult.
However, I froze entirely when I heard what the man said next.
“That’s right, I am that famous…
Doran
!!”
* * *
In that instant, an eerie silence descended upon the mansion.
In the dim corridor, only the arrogant man’s armor clanked hollowly, echoing into the void, and no one dared speak.
Radi turned to look at Doran, the words “You know him?” rising to his throat, but he forced them down with all his might.
Glancing to the side, both Malton and Karen wore the same bewildered expression.
Doran stared at the man silently, but his mind was in absolute turmoil.
‘I’ve been exposed… exposed… exposed!!’
Where and how did he find out?
At the Adventurer’s Guild?
When I faced Leviathan in Liberta?
‘Or could it be… another me who fell into a different timeline?’
But the body shape and appearance were completely different….
“Haha! You’re so scared you can’t even speak! That’s right, I am that famous Doran!!”
“Wait, hold on….”
Remembering that my companions were watching, I quickly composed my expression.
“…I’ve never heard that name before! Or rather, it’s so common I mistook it! It’s the same as the baker’s name near our house!”
“You’re telling me you don’t know Doran, the legend of Belheim?”
“…I don’t think so?”
Playing dumb so brazenly, the man erupted in fury.
“The legend of Belheim and the greatest of all Rankers! The one who single-handedly destroyed the Guild and defeated the lava earth dragon! The legendary player who stormed the Demon Realm alone and vanquished demons!”
“Did that demon perhaps misstep and plummet into the lava?”
“Uh, um… probably?”
Watching the man scratch his head, I relaxed my grip on the sword hilt slightly.
‘An imposter.’
During my gaming days, because I was so famous, many players created usernames similar to mine.
Dorin, Doron, Dorn, Norn, and so on.
‘Did he really think I’d be intimidated if he impersonated me?’
The problem is my companions… but I can make excuses to them later.
What’s urgent now is bringing down the enemies in front of me.
“Malton, I’ll draw their attention from the front….”
“Got it. I’ll land a hit from the blind spot.”
We whispered our strategy and were about to rush forward simultaneously—.
CRASH─!!
Suddenly, the ground beneath my feet trembled as a massive explosion erupted from the mansion.
“Ugh…?!”
Doran squinted against the dust cascading from the ceiling and steadied himself.
At first, I thought the enemies before me had orchestrated some trick, but their bewildered expressions suggested otherwise.
“It’s Uncle’s magical power!!”
Karen cried out and spun around, sprinting toward the epicenter of the explosion.
Doran and Malton exchanged a quick glance.
‘If we rescue Belmont….’
‘We can eliminate them all at once…!’
As everyone bolted forward, the kidnappers panicked and gave chase.
“Damn it…! Stop right there!!”
“Radi! Smoke screen!!”
“Yes!”
The pursuers were momentarily hindered by the tear gas canisters Radi threw, but they pressed forward relentlessly using their equipment’s effects.
“Hell! At this rate we’ll be caught…! Any ideas, Malton?!”
“Topple that statue to block their path!”
“Good thinking! One… two… three!!”
Doran and Malton knocked over a massive plaster statue standing in the corridor.
Without looking back, I rushed past the corridor and descended the staircase, eventually reaching the ominous underground dungeon.
And in one of the cells….
“Uncle!!”
Belmont lay crumpled in the corner of the prison, his entire body covered in wounds.
Karen rushed forward and gripped the bars, sobbing, but when Doran saw the scene, his spirit sank completely.
“…What exactly are you doing, Belmont?”
“….”
“Quickly, dispel the illusion. We went through considerable trouble getting here.”
“Tsk… you really have no flexibility whatsoever.”
The moment Belmont snapped his fingers, the prison’s appearance transformed entirely.
The once-solid bars were twisted like taffy, as if caught in a massive explosion, and the barren prison floor was now arranged with various books and parchments.
He had used illusion magic to feign helpless captivity.
When Belmont walked out of the prison without a scratch, the kidnappers gasped in horror and retreated hesitantly.
“H-How?! We definitely sealed your magical power with a supreme-grade rune prison artifact…! Even for an archmage, escaping on your own should be….”
“Ah, you mean this?”
Belmont casually brushed his hand, and a blue shackle fell from his wrist, melting away with a hiss and smoke.
“An archmage isn’t so easily restrained by such trinkets. You spirits seem rather clumsy for undead.”
Just as the three were about to flee in panic, Belmont gestured, and they were slammed against the wall as if struck by an invisible force.
“I didn’t kill them. I still have questions for those fools.”
Doran looked down at the three, their limbs bent at unnatural angles, unconscious.
Passing the stunned Karen, I approached Belmont.
“So, why stage an abduction and cause all this chaos? Depending on your answer, even Belmont, I might….”
“Ah, well, you see.”
As Doran fixed him with a piercing gaze, Belmont retrieved a letter from within the prison cell and handed it over.
The moment Doran examined its contents with confusion, he froze solid upon reading the first paragraph.
Belmont spoke with measured calm.
“There are those who seek to assassinate the King.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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