Chapter 187: Chapter 187

After all the commotion died down.

Choi Hyun-seok and Park Hyun-a left the cabin and walked along the trail.

“I heard your matter was resolved well?”

Choi Hyun-seok nodded and said.

“Ms. Abelson became Queen, and the kingdom is finding stability.”

“That’s good. Looks like your level went up a bit while handling that work too.”

“Huh? How did you know that? It didn’t even go up that much…”

Choi Hyun-seok’s surprised eyes widened slightly.

Though his level had gone up, it was really just a little.

This was because growth speed noticeably slowed after passing level 1000.

While at it, Choi Hyun-seok checked his status window.

▫Name: Choi Hyun-seok

His current level is 1104.

Since he was level 1096 when he last parted with Park Hyun-a, it had increased by 8 levels.

‘If I hadn’t taken down Cardinal Vincenzo, I probably wouldn’t have even gained this much.’

He gained 6 levels from killing Cardinal Vincenzo.

If there hadn’t been that battle, he would have barely gained any levels at all.

‘Ah, come to think of it, I haven’t asked about the Cardinal yet.’

Choi Hyun-seok decided to ask while he was thinking about it.

Why does the Cardinal possess such power?

Park Hyun-a might know the secret.

“Older sister. Did you know about this?”

“The Cardinal, Vincenzo, was incredibly strong.”

Park Hyun-a’s brow furrowed at the mention of the Cardinal’s strength.

“The Cardinal being strong? What nonsense is that?”

Park Hyun-a had only heard that the situation in the Mariette Kingdom was resolved.

She didn’t know the detailed circumstances.

Choi Hyun-seok told her about fighting Cardinal Vincenzo and his later hints about the Pope’s power.

“…So I was wondering if you knew anything about it.”

“Hmm, not really? I thought all the Cardinals were just old men.”

It seemed Park Hyun-a didn’t know anything about this either.

Even Park Hyun-a, who had fought against the Holy Empire of Gatren for years, didn’t know.

Come to think of it, the Holy Knights who fought together back then also seemed unaware of the Cardinal’s power.

Park Hyun-a scratched her head irritably.

“Ah, this is getting complicated. To think the Cardinals and Pope were hiding such power.”

“How many Cardinals are there in the Deusis faith right now?”

“Probably a bit over fifty.”

The number of Cardinals exceeds 50.

Choi Hyun-seok was startled at those words.

“Fifty?! Isn’t the game over already then!?”

“Obviously not all of them would have power like Vincenzo. If they did, they would have already swallowed up the continent without hesitation.”

Cardinal Vincenzo’s power was at the entrance to a legendary level.

Just looking at pure physical ability, he was comparable to other legends.

If there were over fifty such powerful individuals, Gatren would have already ruled the continent.

“There probably aren’t more than ten. Even that’s enough to be a headache though.”

Suddenly Park Hyun-a stretched big.

“Ah~ shit. Things keep getting more complicated when I already have enough headaches.”

“Speaking of which, how’s the situation here? I heard it’s not good?”

Choi Hyun-seok asked.

The letter only said the situation here wasn’t good.

Since specifics weren’t included, he was curious about the detailed circumstances.

“To explain roughly, it’s a crappy situation where we keep retreating.”

“Yeah. Even me being alone right now is because the front line got pushed back again in just a short time.”

When Choi Hyun-seok showed a puzzled expression, Park Hyun-a continued her explanation.

“After I sent you the coordinates, the front line retreated again. The others had no choice but to go first, and I stayed behind alone to wait for you.”

This is a battlefield.

For Choi Hyun-seok to use spatial movement, there needs to be a minimum level of safety secured.

But because the front line kept falling back, Ultimoon Fes also had to withdraw.

With no choice, only Park Hyun-a remained behind to wait for Choi Hyun-seok.

“Then this is enemy territory?”

“You could say that.”

“Then those guys up in the trees must be enemies too?”

Choi Hyun-seok pointed somewhere.

Park Hyun-a squinted her eyes and looked in the direction he was pointing.

“I don’t sense anything though?”

“I only discovered them by chance too.”

Choi Hyun-seok also couldn’t sense anything.

Despite having the ability to detect energy that was second to none, he couldn’t sense anything.

He just happened to spot them by luck while moving his gaze around.

“Should we take them out then?”

Choi Hyun-seok and Park Hyun-a kicked off the ground.

Their bodies shot forward like arrows.

“This one’s a dud too.”

Choi Hyun-seok dusted off his hands.

At his feet lay a soldier in camouflage uniform, face down.

The soldier was already dead, but not by Choi Hyun-seok’s hand – he had committed suicide.

“Ah, this is why those Gatren bastards are so annoying.”

Park Hyun-a kicked the dirt irritably.

She was angry that they gained nothing despite repeated pursuit.

“By the way, a magical tool that can hide magical power this perfectly. Isn’t this dangerous?”

The enemy was wearing magical tools that concealed their magical power.

That’s why they weren’t detected by either of them.

“Can’t help it. Tools that hide energy are more common than you’d think. They even sell them in the Hero Shop, right?”

“Well, while the tools themselves are quite rare, a place like Gatren probably has enough to trip over.”

They had found fifteen scouts so far.

Seven of them were wearing magical tools that concealed their power.

They had persistently clung to Choi Hyun-seok and Park Hyun-a as if determined not to lose them, but once their identity was discovered, they committed suicide .

Choi Hyun-seok shook his head at the enemy’s brutal determination.

“Are they really human…”

All living beings have the desire to live.

Yet they committed suicide without a moment’s hesitation.

He wondered what kind of training they went through to reach this mental state.

“Let’s move for now. The fact that they were waiting here means our information has leaked.”

Park Hyun-a frowned as she continued.

“It’s impossible to get anything out of these guys anyway. We should at least speed up and shake off the pursuit.”

Choi Hyun-seok and Park Hyun-a began running in earnest.

When those who had reached legendary level ran with determination, no one could catch up unless they were at a similar level.

The pursuers spread throughout the forest and eventually had no choice but to give up the chase.

Hound Commander Kuan O’Brien.

He sought out Pope Orban IV.

There was something urgent to report.

“Choi Hyun-seok appeared at the front line?”

“Yes. We confirmed he was with Park Hyun-a near Swordrica Castle.”

Pope Orban IV tapped the armrest.

“Then that means he escaped from the Mariette Kingdom…”

“What would you like to do? Should we handle it?”

“No. Leave the Mariette Kingdom as it is.”

The Pope shook his head as he spoke.

“We still don’t have clear information about the enemy using dark magic and necromancy. Refrain from hasty actions until that becomes certain.”

“Hmm… Things have become troublesome.”

The Pope’s brow furrowed.

“I heard Choi Hyun-seok’s power recently entered the legendary level.”

“Tsk. To reach legendary in just over a year since coming to this land…”

It’s a growth rate that defies common sense.

Generally, one enters the realm of legends around the age of 100.

Even those with the most remarkable talents in history took 40-50 years.

Of course, since Choi Hyun-seok is a hero, he can’t be measured by this world’s standards.

However, even accounting for being a hero, his growth rate is abnormally fast.

“That’s why I’ve been telling you repeatedly. We need to kill him before it’s too late.”

The Pope knew the dangers of heroes better than anyone.

Among such heroes, Choi Hyun-seok is an exceptionally unusual case.

Having grown far stronger than expected, he had already developed enough to become an obstacle to their grand plan.

“At this rate, he might soon become too strong for us to handle.” This update ıs available on 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩✶𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚✶𝕟𝕖𝕥

“I will handle him before that happens.”

Kuan O’Brien bowed his head as he spoke.

“Can you even handle it?”

“Currently, Choi Hyun-seok’s one-on-one combat ability is judged to be one level below Park Hyun-a. It’s completely possible.”

“That may be true now. But have you considered his growth rate?”

A light of distrust shone in the Pope’s eyes.

It was an understandable reaction.

After all, everyone who had confidently stepped forward to hunt Choi Hyun-seok had failed so far.

“Lord O’Brien. Based on the data so far, his one-on-one combat ability will surpass Park Hyun-a within months.”

“His overall combat ability will also completely catch up to Park Hyun-a within a year at most. The hunt will become even more difficult then.”

The Pope’s words weren’t far-fetched.

Even this prediction was made as conservatively as possible.

Choi Hyun-seok’s most frightening aspect is his growth rate which defies imagination.

While Choi Hyun-seok’s power is currently at the entrance to legendary level, no one knows how long he’ll stay there.

“Within half a year, he’ll be in the upper-middle ranks among legends, and in a year, he’ll be too strong for the Empire to handle.”

The Pope heaved a deep sigh.

Hound Commander Kuan O’Brien bit his lips tightly.

“I will handle it personally before it’s too late.”

“I stake my life on it.”

The Pope suddenly smiled kindly at his resolution to die.

“There’s no need to go that far. Lord O’Brien is a valuable talent of the Empire. You shouldn’t stake your life so carelessly.”

Kuan O’Brien didn’t respond, only bowing his head.

Because he knew better than anyone that the Pope’s current words were just empty flattery.

‘He’s someone who instantly discards anyone who becomes useless.’

Kuan O’Brien had served Pope Orban IV for over 20 years.

How many close aides had lasted by the Pope’s side during that time?

He could say with certainty that they could be counted on one hand.

No matter how capable they were, they couldn’t last even 5 years before being thrown out.

That’s why Kuan always wanted to serve the Pope from a distance, but…

Finally, his turn had come.

“I will bring results that will satisfy Your Holiness.”

Best effort? Try hard? Process?

The Pope only needed the best results.

Perhaps his answer was satisfactory.

The Pope nodded with a content smile.

“I’ll trust you, Lord O’Brien.”

Choi Hyun-seok and Park Hyun-a arrived at the location where Ultimoon Fes was waiting.

They would have arrived earlier, but it took longer as they took detours to confuse any possible pursuers.

“Welcome! Good to see you again!”

The leader of Ultimoon Fes, Kerbe Cowell, greeted them.

Choi Hyun-seok nodded and looked around.

“Were you in a meeting?”

In a temporarily erected tent.

Several executives including Sullivan were gathered inside.

Duke Orlaben Grimier of the Drason Empire, whom they met last time, was also there.

“We were just about to start. If you’re okay with it, join us.”

Choi Hyun-seok and Park Hyun-a nodded and sat down on the dirt floor.

“First, let’s check the current war situation with the map.”

Sullivan was in charge of conducting the meeting.

She conjured a huge map with magic and continued speaking.

“As you can see, the front line keeps moving south. It’s much faster than expected. At this rate, the enemy will reach the Demon King’s castle within this week.”

“This week… That’s too fast.”

The atmosphere became heavy from the start.

Not even two months had passed since the holy war began.

Already, the holy war army had reached the center of demon territory.

“It can’t be helped. They’re pushing back the Demon King’s Army without any real battles. It’s essentially just marching.”

“Indeed… We should assume our prediction was correct?”

The executives nodded at Kerbe Cowell’s words.

‘Prediction? What prediction are they talking about?’

Just as Choi Hyun-seok was about to ask about this context-lacking conversation.

“Yes. It seems that’s the only explanation.”

Shocking words flowed from Sullivan’s mouth.

“The Demon King’s Army is intentionally clearing the path.”

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