The Crazy Battle God Has Returned - Chapter 153

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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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A Mad Swordsman Returns – Chapter 153

The next day.
Han Yu-sung visited the Player Alliance.
Jain, the Alliance Leader, regarded Han Yu-sung’s sudden arrival with a bewildered expression.

“So you’re asking me to look into some real estate for you?”
“Yes. I need a suitable building.”
“Hmm….”

It was understandable.
To make such a request of someone as important as the Player Alliance Leader—merely to scout for real estate?
But that was only momentary.
Jain answered calmly.

“Wouldn’t it be better to consult a licensed real estate agent?”
“Since it will be a residence for my sworn servants, wouldn’t it be more reliable if the Alliance arranged it?”
“Sworn servants?”

Jain’s expression shifted upon hearing the response.
She had assumed he was speaking of a building for personal use, but he actually needed a hideout for his sworn servants.
That changed everything.

“I thought you had no intention of revealing who your Lord is.”

Han Yu-sung smiled silently.
Until now, hadn’t his actions suggested he was trying to conceal the identity of his contracted Lord?

“Does this mean you no longer need to hide your Lord?”
“To be precise, it would be more accurate to say I can no longer hide it.”
“I see, so that’s how it is….”

After a moment of deliberation, Jain nodded.

“Understood. The Alliance has several buildings under temporary management. I’ll select some suitable ones and provide them to you. I’m sure you’ll be satisfied.”
“Excellent. I’ll review them later.”
“Do you have somewhere else to be?”

Han Yu-sung did not answer.
He was a man who enjoyed moving in secret, telling no one of his whereabouts.
His security detail, assigned separately, had even complained about the difficulty it caused them.
This time, too, he must have had something to do alone.

“Ah, I also need a magic scroll. It’s called 【Walker of Waves】. Do you have it in stock?”
“Well, we do have it, but why do you need that?”
“I have a use for it.”

Jain tilted her head in bewilderment.
【Walker of Waves】.
A spell that allowed one to walk upon water, true to its name.
It wasn’t a frequently used spell, so she remembered it as an item that always had surplus stock.
But judging from Han Yu-sung’s expression, he clearly had no intention of revealing his reasons.

“…I’ll have it ready for you to take when you leave.”
“Thank you. I’ll make good use of it.”

Han Yu-sung vanished as abruptly as he had arrived.
Watching him depart, Jain let out a soft laugh.
Han Yu-sung was surely the only person who would treat her—holding no ordinary position but the very rank of Alliance Master—like a mere broker.
Yet the encounter was far from meaningless.

“The Lord can no longer be hidden.”

Why suddenly?
Conversely, it was all the more remarkable that she had been able to conceal the Lord until now.
A Lord was not an entity that could be hidden simply by wishing it.
That it had been possible was because…

‘Perhaps the Lord was not particularly strong in power.’

A Lord possessing great strength could not conceal their presence.
But a weaker Lord could be hidden with sufficient effort.
Typically, these were Lords without epithets, and among them, the weaker ones.
And the fact that concealment was no longer possible meant…

“Han Yu-sung’s Lord has accumulated sufficient power…”

Jain tapped her fingers on the desk, lost in thought.
Several names of Lords surfaced in her mind.
Even the name of a Lord who had recently been receiving assessments that their potential seemed to be growing.
A sigh escaped naturally from her lips.

‘Regardless, I’ll find out soon enough.’

And if Han Yu-sung’s Lord was indeed the one Jain was thinking of.
Jain turned her back and gazed beyond the window.

“Han Yu-sung and Lee Su-ho… This is giving me a headache.”

From Korea’s perspective, troublesome circumstances would unfold.
When that time came, what should the Alliance do, and how should they respond?
Jain sank into deep contemplation.

* * *

The East Sea in the dead of night.

Whoooosh!

A man walked across the fierce waves.
Enveloped in shadow from head to toe, advancing at tremendous speed.
Needless to say, it was Han Yu-sung.

[Mmm, excellent! Move faster! Quickly!]
“Do you think I’m some kind of amusement ride?”

A faint blue light shimmered around Han Yu-sung’s legs.
It was the effect of the magic scroll 【Walker of Waves】.
Not a particularly useful spell. It allowed one to walk on water, but the price was continuous consumption of enormous mana.
Even an ordinary mage would struggle to endure it.
Naturally.

“At this pace, I’ll reach my destination without issue.”

It was irrelevant to Han Yu-sung.
The mana regeneration of 【Heart Like a Dragon】 was not depleted by maintaining a single spell like this.
He advanced across the sea at a rapid pace and soon reached his destination.

[Hmm, the island is smaller than I expected.]

The Sunken Treasure Vault—a Difficult Realm that appeared in the East Sea.
A small island lay a short distance away from it.
An uninhabited island where no people came and no animals dwelled.
It was the rendezvous point where Han Yu-sung and Ran had agreed to meet without anyone knowing.

[It seems no one is here. Has she not arrived yet?]
“No, she’s here. It looks like she’s been watching this place.”

A sharp presence was felt from within the darkness.
Han Yu-sung withdrew the shadow concealing his body and raised his arm.
Then someone emerged from the darkness beyond.

“…You arrived faster than I expected.”

It was Ran.
She gestured to Han Yu-sung and moved her steps toward the interior of the island.

“How did you get here? You weren’t spotted by anyone, were you? If you came by boat, it would have drawn attention….”
“I walked.”
“…You walked?”

Ran frowned.
Walking across the sea—did that mean he used magic?
Her suspicion was correct.
Traveling across the East Sea by boat could draw unwanted attention. So he concealed himself in shadow and walked across the sea.
He did so under the cover of night when the waves were fierce.

“To that extent, yes… You wouldn’t have been spotted then.”

Ran spoke in a tone of resignation after hearing his explanation.
What more could she say to a monster who casually spoke of walking across the sea?
It was better to simply accept it and move on.
Han Yu-sung and Ran reached the safe house located in the interior of the island.

“So, what happened?”
“I’ll explain quickly. The Zanwol Guild discovered a Difficult Realm called the ‘Sunken Treasure Vault.’ Or rather, it would be more accurate to say they ‘seized’ it.”
“Seized it… You mean someone else found it first?”
“Exactly. A player from Korea showed suspicious activity within the Zanwol Guild’s information-gathering network. So we tracked them, and in the process, we discovered a Difficult Realm hidden in the East Sea.”

Han Yu-sung clicked his tongue.
Whoever it was, I felt sorry for that player.
At the same time, an inexplicable sense of déjà vu washed over me.
This situation, and the name of the Difficult Realm—both had felt familiar from the start.

“The Difficult Realm is called the ‘Sunken Treasure Vault.’ True to its name, it’s a warehouse full of treasures. However, no one has managed to enter it yet.”
“There must be a reason for that.”
“There is. You’ll understand once you see this.”

Ran handed me a piece of paper.
It was a document describing the Sunken Treasure Vault Difficult Realm.

[Difficult Realm: Sunken Treasure Vault.]
[A Difficult Realm opened by a Lord who has perished and lost their name.]
[A warehouse containing numerous treasures. Among them are rare treasures hidden in ways that cannot be discovered through ordinary means.]
[Within the treasure vault exist multiple ‘Guardians’ and ‘Traps’ that protect the treasures. One must defeat these, find the treasures, and then locate the exit.]
[The Difficult Realm has been neglected for so long that it exists in an extremely unstable state. The Lords cannot observe or intervene in this Difficult Realm.]
[The moment anyone first enters, the Difficult Realm begins to collapse. Those caught in the collapse are expelled and suffer massive damage.]
[Entry Restriction: None.]
[Entry Fee: None.]

It was quite an intriguing Difficult Realm.
Finding treasures and escaping from a collapsing vault—fascinating.
At the same time, I understood why Ran had called me here.

“Indeed, the perfect opportunity.”
“Right. A Difficult Realm where even the Lords cannot intervene. If we can only lure Linjo inside…”
“We can deal with him without anyone knowing and leave. Not bad at all.”

Originally, I had planned to eliminate Linjo in a different Difficult Realm, not here.
A similar Difficult Realm where the Lords cannot intervene will open soon.
However, an unexpected stage has unfolded instead.
This isn’t bad either.
Since it’s a treasure vault, there will be plenty of things to take along the way.

“The problem is how to get Linjo inside the Difficult Realm. He’s no fool—he won’t willingly venture into its depths. Besides, he has the means to escape.”
“There might be a way to handle that.”
“A way? What kind of way?”

Ran tilted her head in confusion.
As she rightly worried, getting Linjo into that Difficult Realm was the crux of the matter.
Fortunately, I had a method to resolve it easily.

[Hmm… If the Difficult Realm has deteriorated to the point of abandonment, I can’t even guess how long it’s been neglected.]

The Sunken Treasure Vault could be considered an “Abandoned Dungeon.”
The difference was that most abandoned dungeons had their contents stripped bare by the Lords, leaving nothing but hollow shells.
But this Difficult Realm had never been cleaned out.

‘It seems the Lord vanished suddenly.’
[Leaving a Difficult Realm of this caliber untouched would be unthinkable. It must have been an unforeseen circumstance.]
‘Could I exploit the instability of this Difficult Realm?’
[Exploit it? How?]

At my sudden remark, Kakasha fell into thought.
But only briefly.

[You truly are skilled at devising wicked schemes…]

He spoke in a tone of exasperation.
I had experienced countless Difficult Realms in my past life. I knew all too well what kind of catastrophes an “unstable” Difficult Realm could unleash.
Kakasha had grasped my intention.

‘Our thoughts align. Prepare for it.’
[Well, if we’re spending coins, it shouldn’t be too difficult.]

With this, I had devised a way to force Linjo into the Difficult Realm.
A terrible way—one he would never choose for himself.

“Setting Linjo aside for now, what happened to that player?”
“…He’s being interrogated through rough methods. We need to find out how he discovered this Difficult Realm and what information he might possess about it.”
“Brutal. Do you know his name?”
“His name…”

Ran furrowed her brow, searching through her memories.

“His name was… yes, I believe it was ‘Chu Gyu-il.'”
“Chu Gyu-il?”
“Why? Do you know that name?”

Han Yu-sung’s expression shifted at the mention of that name.
That strange sense of déjà vu that had been nagging at me since earlier suddenly made sense.

‘That thief, it’s him.’

In other words, The Great Thief.
When I first returned, I had conquered the Library of Knowledge and obtained the Windcloud Manual.
He was the man who had originally possessed that technique.
He was also the first to expose the secrets of the Library of Knowledge.

‘No wonder I’ve felt this nagging sense of familiarity.’

In my past life, he was the one who discovered and conquered the Sunken Treasure Vault.
After clearing that Difficult Realm, Chu Gyu-il had posted boastful threads across numerous communities, drawing the ire of countless people.
That was why I felt this sense of déjà vu.
But there was something strange about it.

‘In my past life, I don’t recall him ever being captured.’

He had supposedly shaken off his pursuers and looted all the treasure from the Difficult Realm.
Yet this time, instead of escaping, he was caught.
A sudden possibility flickered through my mind.

[It was because of you.]
‘That seems to be the case.’

The difference lay in the Windcloud Manual that I had acquired.
It seemed he had failed to find a technique to replace it.
As a result, he was caught by his pursuers.
And if you were to ask whether I felt any pangs of conscience about it—the answer was no.

‘Why should I feel anything for a man who committed countless atrocities and was publicly executed as a criminal?’

But.

“In the current situation, he’s certainly useful.”
“Useful? You mean that Chu Gyu-il?”
“Yes. If possible, I should attempt a rescue. Do you know his location?”
“For now. But… you understand, don’t you?”

Ran, who had been watching Han Yu-sung, spoke in a cool voice.

“Our objective isn’t the Difficult Realm…”
“It’s killing Maezato Rinzo. I know. I wouldn’t have come here otherwise. Are you ready?”
“…Of course.”

Ran nodded with a resolute expression.
When Linjo died, the Major Japanese Conglomerate he led as chairman, the Maezato Group, would be shaken, and Zangetsu would be shaken as well.

“Once Linjo is dead, the hyenas will swarm in… I’ll use that opportunity to gather everything and leave Japan.”
“A satisfying answer. Very well then.”

Han Yu-sung gazed across the sea.
In the distance, an island rose prominently into view.
The island where the Zanwol Guild stood, and where the Sunken Treasure Vault lay.

“Shall we devise a plan for how to proceed?”

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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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