Master Swordsman’s Stream - Chapter 307

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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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Chapter 307

There are far too many incomprehensible things in this world.
The seven greatest unsolved problems in mathematics.
These mathematical problems, known as the Millennium Prize Problems, would grant a million dollars to anyone who solved even one of them, and professorships would come flooding in from universities across the globe.
Greater fame and prestige would follow automatically, and one could be immortalized in the pages of human history itself.
Quantum mechanics.
This bizarre field of study, which examines the microscopic world we cannot perceive in our daily lives, is famous for Richard Feynman’s pronouncement that no one truly understands it.
And.
More urgent than understanding any of these was a problem Shion faced right now.
‘Why on earth is this person doing this?’
It was Seo Jun.
“Ah, brother. The training is going well, yes?”
If you want to live, he said, let’s have an absurd sparring match.
He hadn’t said “if you want to live” directly, but his expression and face screamed it.
His actions, everything he’d done so far, his words and deeds.
It was all a threat.
Sparring without using Skills, relying solely on weapons.
Naturally, Shion lost. He couldn’t land a single blow.
He could accept this. He’d known from the start that his abilities weren’t enough.
“But this is too much!”
“What is?”
Though not quite public humiliation in front of the entire world, it certainly made clear that he was beneath Seo Jun — and he didn’t think that was entirely fair.
Repeating it over and over like this.
It’s not as bad as killing him, you say?
Do you know what social death is?
Still, there was one saving grace.
‘Bradley must have gone through this first, right?’
And since it had happened in Atura too, the public opinion questioning why he couldn’t do the same would be a minority.
Thank goodness.
That person acts so consistently insane.
“Yes. I’m truly grateful for it.”
“I’m not sure what you mean, but I too am relieved, brother. Do rest easy now. Mustn’t you recover your stamina soon?”
If someone saw him now, they’d think he was a rural priest volunteering at a fantasy-world orphanage for children.
Shion looked around with a pouty expression.
Mountains. Beautiful. He liked them.
Mountains are mountains, and water is water.
‘Have I… achieved enlightenment?’
Soon, his comrades’ voices drifted over.

-But what about our Quest? Master Aba?
-If just the two of us gather resources intensively?
-It won’t work. The quantity isn’t enough. Wow, we’re failing this just like that. In an instant.
-Insane.
-How did such a Black Mask even appear? I’m sure they wouldn’t have created a Quest we’d lose so helplessly.
-Right?
-Master Aba. I’m just going to leave the mountain as is. I don’t want to meet them.

“Wait! Don’t go!”
Shion activated his radio and communicated his intent to his comrades.
Seo Jun, sitting quietly beside him, showed interest.
“Are you speaking to your comrades?”
“Yes.”
What’s the point in denying it?
“I wonder what you mean?”
Right, what could it mean?
By their calculations, catching Hounds to reach the target without interference would take four people two hours.
Three people would take two hours and forty minutes.
Two people would take four hours.
The Quest time limit is three hours and thirty minutes. It’s over now. No matter how well they catch them, it’s impossible.
So they’re running away.
Two hours. Three hours and thirty minutes.
Even so, they shouldn’t be caught by the Black Mask with these numbers.
If they were caught this easily, the time limit should have been set to thirty minutes.
‘What is it? What am I missing?’
First possibility: luck.
Perhaps Kael was simply lucky and this result appeared.
It was possible, but the probability was very low.
Second: they could know their location.
This splits into two again.
Either they simply know, or through resources or a specific mission, they learned their location.
The latter would make sense.
First of all, it’s common knowledge that Kael is rich in resources from raiding Shin-geom’s warehouse.
Plus, he did something suspicious involving hunting, didn’t he?
Even if it were a special mission, with that physique, he’d excel at anything.
‘That’s probably it.’
Or, if not.
They could simply know, which would make the problem easier.
It was his hope, too.
‘The reason I wasn’t killed. And the reason Bradley wasn’t killed.’
It wasn’t that he didn’t kill them.
He couldn’t kill them.
It wasn’t impossible to consider.
“Hahahaha.”
He laughed powerfully.
His stamina was recovering, but he was still at death’s door. One hit and he’d die.
Yet still, this man waited for his recovery.
Continued to let his stamina recover and displayed his physique under the pretense of sparring.
Was he really trying to show off his physique?
Or was he trying to bully him?
It was petty.
No matter how optimized this streamer was for streaming, thinking about it, this was far too petty.
“Why are you laughing? Your stamina hasn’t recovered yet?”
A serene expression.
Now that he thought about it, it was an almost excessively serene poker face.
‘Is this facial control to hide the fact that he can’t kill me? Hahahaha. Let me test it.’
If he continued to read the air and act accordingly, he might survive, but if he tested it here and learned the truth, he could succeed in the Quest.
He could corner his opponent.
“Kael.”
“Yes?”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Hmm. Unlike Bradley, you’re giving up rather quickly. If you continued this sparring to the end, you could become stronger.”
“I understand. This is only the third time, but I’d lose even if I were the only one who could use Skills.”
“Aren’t you being a bit too pessimistic?”
“No. I know myself well.”
“I see.”
“Tell me what you want. I’ll comply.”
“….”
“Even if it means abandoning the Quest.”
“Hmm?”
A reaction came.
Ask. If Kael asked, he was prepared to execute a Provocation immediately.
Even if it meant death, it was worth gambling with his life.
“How is it?”
“You will abandon the Quest voluntarily.”
The bait was being taken.
“Brother?”
“Yes. Kael, honored judge.”
“Do you wish to live?”
He asked directly. Shion hadn’t expected that.
“Yes. I wish to live.”
He truly wanted to live.
He hadn’t yet had his moment to shine. He’d shown his abilities in a few trivial Quests, but they wouldn’t be remembered.
So he wanted to gamble here and succeed.
He wanted to survive.
“Very well.”
Seo Jun chuckled and spoke.
“Abandon the Quest. I’ll send you off specially.”
He’d asked!
His expression was perfectly merciful, but that made it all the more suspicious.
There was definitely a hidden delight in sending him away like this.
Shion raised his chin and launched a Provocation at Seo Jun.
A Provocation to confirm whether he could truly kill or not.
“Kael. You can’t kill people, right? You can’t, so….”
“Then die.”
But his answer came quick.
Seo Jun’s movement was the same.
Not a moment’s hesitation. His target was clear.
The point of the blade in his opponent’s hand traced a parabola toward his throat.
Fast.
Without hesitation.
Whoooosh!
The instant the blade point reached him, Shion didn’t need to think — he knew death was coming.
His opponent really meant to kill him.
“W-wait…!”
Am I dead?
His eyes had been clenched shut, but when he opened them, his throat — the Hit Scan just inches away from the blade’s edge — remained untouched. His lips moved without a sound.
“Gasp… gasp… I’m sorry.”
“Repenting, I see, brother.”
“Please, just… I’ll abandon the Quest. Just spare me.”
He’d lost control.
Insane.
“Understood, brother. Anyone can make a mistake.”
He’d nearly died.
But hearing that desperate cry, his opponent had stopped the blade.
This too was a skill bordering on the miraculous.
“You’re so merciful.”
He survived because it was Seo Jun.
“Think nothing of it, brother.”
Shion felt genuine gratitude toward Seo Jun and abandoned the Quest.

Seo Jun looked at the Map.
The two remaining enemies were leaving the mountain.
After losing contact with Shion, they’d abandoned the Quest.
Had Bradley and Shion met?
At this rate, the Quest would simply succeed.

“Is it?”
The attack that drove Shion away.
Seo Jun had attacked with the thought that it didn’t matter if he really killed him.
Eventually he’d stopped, but for that brief moment, he’d even deceived himself.
Because without even a shred of hesitation, suspicion would never fade.
It was Decisiveness.
Seo Jun’s ability.
“Good result.”

“If it hadn’t been me, they would have done well. Since it was me, they suffered for it.”
Seo Jun felt slight regret and covered for the assailant.
He still didn’t know who they were.
“So what now?”

Seo Jun headed straight for the Train.
He was curious whether there would be many people there, since he arrived a bit late, or if everyone had already packed up and left from the shops.
News from Darahn probably hadn’t spread yet.
‘It might be fun if it does.’
Unfortunately, no emergency alert sounded on the Train.

“Wow, both of you are alive. Thank goodness.”
The four-member coalition met inside a building next to the Guild Branch in the City.
They were hiding. In case that existence found its way to the City.
“Master Aba?”
“Yes.”
“When does the identity get revealed?”
“A day has to pass before it spreads across the entire region at once. That’s how the Guild System works. And even when it spreads, only those who ask directly will learn of it.”
It wasn’t a public revelation. It was adding one fact to the Thief Guild’s database.
“Will that be enough?”
“That’s why we have to leave Darahn.”
We need to meet with Participants and spread word.
By gathering them like this, we can mount Opposition and survive.
This Black Mask is on an entirely different level from the ones we’ve faced before.
Especially their character.
“Spread the word quickly and surely. If there’s a Quest among us to destroy a Gateway, help out.”
“We might die doing this. But we have to. Sigh. I’ve never faced a Black Mask this terrifying.”
Shion, who had collapsed the moment they met and later been moved by their character, muttered this.
The thought of opposing them ahead filled him with a fear so deep it was almost dizzying.
Then it happened.
A soldier maintaining order entered their building and spoke to Shion.
“Your Lordship.”
“Yes?”
“A message came from Astheros. They say a Prophecy has come down warning that something massive is approaching Kabero, and that you must quickly assemble forces to prepare.”
At that moment, all four faces went rigid.
Of course there were connections between the upper echelons of the two nations, but for Astheros to warn so directly?
The situation wasn’t ordinary.
The failure of the Quest was punishment they’d naturally accept.
“The council of Darahn is also treating this seriously and has already dispatched forces to the fiefdom!”
Moving troops without Shion’s permission was something that should never happen.
Unless the nation itself was on the verge of destruction.
And.
A Quest window appeared before their eyes.
After reading it, they all let out a long breath.
“There’s no time to go around gathering Participants.”
The beginning of a continental invasion and the crisis of Darahn’s destruction.
Two hours.

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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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