Master Swordsman’s Stream - Chapter 308

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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 308

Time rewinds slightly—the early hours of Day 9.
Train.
In the City of Magical Engineering and Steam, people began appearing one by one.
Most were Participants who had logged out after arriving the day before, now logging back in.
And three minutes later.
Participants who had logged out after securing their means of transport began arriving at Train by climbing aboard immediately.
The shop doesn’t open right away. It doesn’t operate at full capacity.
“It opens in ten minutes. I confirmed it at the Blacksmith.”
“I figured as much, so I haven’t budged an inch from the Plaza.”
“Ha ha ha.”
Even though they’d all anticipated this, they’d gathered early.
It was important to share information at times like this.
“Have you all been collecting Points well?”
“The Train Quests seemed pretty sparse. I collected quite a bit just from playing outside for a day.”
“I’m envious.”
“Oh? I think I saw you at Daesu Forest, Yon. Did you catch a lot?”
“Heh heh. I did reasonably well.”
“Reasonably? Looks like the hunting went great then, ha ha.”
The person responding with a chuckle to the hunting question was Yon.
Reasonably well was an understatement.
He’d been fortunate enough to earn a substantial amount of Points over slightly more than a day.
But even that wouldn’t be enough unless Seo Jun helped him out.
He’d started at a disadvantage, already robbed of everything.
The real question was.
‘What items will the shop have?’
Right on cue, the conversation among the gathered people shifted to that very topic.
“The items probably won’t be first-come, first-served.”
“Likely not. The NPC even said there’s no need to line up early.”
“No differentiation based on order.”
“Just consumables, maybe?”
“They wouldn’t start selling Runes this early as a trade-off, right?”
Runes could be purchased from a mysterious merchant who appeared suddenly in the late game.
At a cheap price.
Before that point, methods to buy them at expensive prices do emerge.
Since Runes are one of the best Stat Upgrade methods, it’s quite a valuable privilege.
“But if that’s what kept us pinned down for days… it feels a bit disappointing, doesn’t it?”
Someone said it.
And everyone present agreed.
Why would you buy Runes now if you could get them cheap later?
Normally, Runes are needed when there’s an immediate advantage to be had by killing someone, but that wasn’t the case.
Probably.
“With the Black Mask around, buying Runes isn’t necessarily a bad idea either. For survival.”
“The Black Mask—is that confirmed?”
“Right? But where is Kael? I don’t see him.”
The mention of the Black Mask naturally brought Seo Jun to mind.
Not because Seo Jun was the Black Mask. They’d been accused once before.
And he was first place. He naturally had to come up in the conversation.
“Did anyone hear information about the shop from Kael yesterday? Yon?”
Yon certainly had heard.
Items worth 300 Points.
The only requirement to enter was placing first in a Quest that spans several days, and buying an item cost 300 Points.
For an ordinary Participant, it meant spending their entire fortune.
‘The performance was insane though.’
Once you got in, it was definitely worth the cost.
But if you had to do additional Quests just to enter and then buy it, that’s ambiguous.
While lost in thought, Rachel beside him quietly poked Yon in the ribs.
“Oh.”
Everyone around was looking at him.
Should he tell them or not?
Since it’s cooperation anyway and Seo Jun isn’t the Black Mask, wouldn’t it be okay to say what items are there?
After a brief moment of deliberation, Yon reached a conclusion.
When in doubt, just don’t.
It was the essence of social wisdom learned from getting beaten by Seo Jun.
“I know, but it’s hard to say.”
They’d understand even if they gave him some looks.
They nodded and continued the conversation.
“There was mention of creating something new from materials, wasn’t there?”
“Was there?”
“Isn’t that just player speculation?”
“Still, it’s probably not Runes.”
“If something new is only visible to whoever came first, and we can only buy the same old stuff, it’s a bit deflating.”
Time passed, and one minute before opening, they moved to the Blacksmith.
And then.
The shop opened for about ten Participants who had participated in the Quest at least once.

* * *

Shin-geom’s brow furrowed.
He was on the train, and the person sitting in front of him kept bouncing their leg.
If they’d met in a test center, that would be a villain deserving of a very hard backhand.
True, anyone can bounce their leg.
But people who do it persistently to an annoying degree are definitely villains.
“Hey, Yasuo.”
“Yes, Shin-geom. But could you call me by my family name instead?”
Shin-geom readily ignored what the other said.
He just wanted to call him as he pleased.
“Stop bouncing your leg.”
Yamada Yasuo.
He was a Japanese man uncomfortable with those unfamiliar to him using his first name.
“I apologize.”
“I understand, but dial it back a bit.”
“Yes.”
And the conversation ended.
The train had now entered the Tunnel.
The scenery that had been passing quickly transformed into darkness in an instant, and Shin-geom turned his gaze from the window straight ahead.
Yamada’s face was tense.
Shin-geom sighed, and Yamada asked.
“Do you believe it?”
“Believe what.”
“That he’s the Black Mask. I went to the Ruins and confirmed it myself—saw him kill and loot. And…”
Mountain of Transcendence.
It was one of the central mountain ranges in their continent, home to a transcendent being said to guard or monitor it—a legend passed down through the ages.
Therefore, the Ruins there could be safely assumed to be mostly related to this transcendent being.
“And?”
“A new Quest appeared for us when we returned, so we can’t help but believe. But ultimately, there’s no proof. No proof.”

[Salvation]
==
A sinister existence is targeting the world, obscuring someone’s vision.
Objective: Gather clues and lift the veil.
Reward: Varies based on timing.
==

It was ambiguous at best, but they had already found clues.
They had been placed in the Ruins from the start.
And the clues they found spoke like this:
Close a certain number of Passages.
How? And which Passages?
There were many questions, but they already knew of one Passage.
Train.
The moment they arrived at Train, they rushed to Cresit’s Blacksmith.
Fortunately, they’d learned that the Black Mask couldn’t kill others freely—though that left the question of why he did it last time.
‘Right. If four people attacking him can barely win, he should have that much.’
Otherwise, they’d all be sliced to pieces without any preparation.
“Let’s hurry.”
“Yes. But what could the item be?”
“I just hope it’s not something that bastard can use well.”
“Kael should be there, right?”
“Probably. Ha, laughing and merry, hiding among the people in comfort. Claws hidden away.”
The inside of Cresit’s Blacksmith is a Neutral Territory.
So they’d have to decide things there. Convince him.
‘This time I have this bastard Yasuo, so I can trust him.’
Shin-geom suddenly found Seo Jun repugnant. The thought wouldn’t leave his mind—abhorrent.
How could he live like that?
If you’re the Black Mask, you should hide.
There was still an unresolved question. When he and Tae-san were killed, his materials were being looted outside.
‘Ugh, thinking about it makes me angrier.’
Now it was time to face that Seo Jun.
“Let’s go convince him.”
“Yes. No matter how well he smooths things over or agitates with persuasion, there’s no escaping it. Let him take one hit.”
They entered the Blacksmith.
And inside, they met ten clamoring Participants.
Seo Jun was nowhere to be found.

* * *

“So, you’re seriously the Black Mask?”
Yon approached Shin-geom in shock.
Shin-geom’s neck withdrew like a turtle’s—he had PTSD from what Yon had done to him in the real world.
Yamada Yasuo appeared between them, blocking Yon.
“Calm yourself. It’s true. I confirmed it. Really.”
“But…”
Yon’s face looked deeply shocked.
Shin-geom clicked his tongue inwardly.
‘This guy’s been screwed over just as much as I have.’
In a way, the shock had to be greater.
“Then when your storehouse was raided—you were attacked? That doesn’t make sense.”
Rachel asked sharply, and Shin-geom answered simply.
“I don’t know. But that bastard being the Black Mask is 100% certain.”
“Hmm…”
“Think about it. Three others died that time too, and there was a witness besides me. This is serious—doesn’t it seem stranger that I killed them all and recruited him instead?”
Shin-geom wasn’t excited.
Truth be told, dying like this would’ve been fine. It was Yamada Yasuo and lingering revenge that half-dragged him here.
And that attitude conveyed trust to the Participants.
Even if that despair was an act, they could applaud it and be deceived by it.
“So what do you want us to do? Confirm it? But Kael isn’t coming right now?”
“He’ll come here eventually.”
“But we don’t know when.”
“I know. At least by today.”
“How are you sure?”
“That bastard is diligent. He’s definitely off causing trouble somewhere, and then he’ll show up here all relaxed and nonchalant. I’d bet two hours on it.”
“What’s with that confidence?”
Rachel was baffled.
“For you to be the Black Mask… thinking about personality and skills, I can’t find a better-suited Participant. But still, you being the Black Mask… no… no…”
Watching Yon’s mind break, all the Participants in the room fell silent for a moment before lifting their heads.
Bernard spoke.
“Practically speaking, we can’t waste a day… or can we? Maybe we can. Listen, Shin-geom and Yasuo.”
“Yes.”
“Why.”
“Did you check the items in the shop?”
“No.”
“A potion that recovers by percentage of health, and an elixir that temporarily grants effects. That’s the reward. And the price is decent.”
“Hmm…”
“That bastard Kael will find those effective.”
“Right. So if we’re going to catch him…”
“We have to catch him before he goes into the shop. Absolutely. Otherwise, when we fight later, that fight will drag on endlessly.”
“I’ll wait here. Out front. Seems like I should.”
Bernard also didn’t think Seo Jun would put off checking the shop until the next day.
And if he was truly the Black Mask, they absolutely couldn’t let him use this shop.
Shin-geom asked.
“When does the shop close?”
“Until tomorrow’s session.”
“Then if we confirm he’s the Black Mask today, let’s set up a barrier by tomorrow.”
“Right. If it’s confirmed he’s the Black Mask.”
Gert from Germany, who had been quiet, let out a dry laugh.
Gert didn’t think Seo Jun was the Black Mask, but he decided to follow the majority opinion to wait out front of the shop anyway.
And Seo Jun, wherever he’d been, appeared at Train less than two hours later.
“Hey, Kael!”
“Seo Jun!”
“Just one hit. One hit only.”
“Really not the Black Mask?”
The Participants blocked Seo Jun in front of the shop.
‘Look at that expression—all refreshed. He’s been causing trouble somewhere again.’
Now he wouldn’t be able to do as he pleased, Kael.
Shin-geom laughed quietly from behind the Participants.

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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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