Chapter 762: Chapter 762: The Secret Garden (3)

Ibaekho was watching the duel with gleaming eyes.

Lips tightly shut, neck craning forward, completely focused.

Rek Aures found the sight deeply unfamiliar.

“Baekho, who do you think is going to win?”

But Ibaekho, in his deep-focus trance, gave no reply—as if he hadn’t even heard the question. Thinking he’d been ignored, Rek Aures repeated himself.

And then—

Slip.

As if he’d just now registered the words, Ibaekho snapped out of it and slowly turned to look at him.

But his eyes were... odd.

Like he was staring at him thinking, What’s this idiot’s problem...?

“...Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Just wondering if you seriously don’t know.”

“Well, I’m not a god. How would I know who’s going to win?”

“You don’t need to be a god. How’s he supposed to beat someone we couldn’t kill even with a gang-up?”

“H-he’s the Evil Eye, though...”

“I was Ibaekho, wasn’t I? That old man was the Scholar of Ruin.”

“Well, enduring is different from winning... and you never know what might happen.”

He genuinely seemed to believe that, and Ibaekho clicked his tongue in disgust.

“Yeah, don’t ever do sports betting.”

“Sports... betting...?”

“Forget it. Don’t talk to me.”

Cutting him off with ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) all the annoyance of a cat swatting a fly, Ibaekho turned his gaze back to the duel.

Time passed.

Eventually, Rek Aures couldn’t hold his curiosity any longer and timidly spoke again.

“Uh... Baekho?”

Still staring straight ahead, Ibaekho answered flatly.

“What. Make it quick.”

“Why are you watching so closely? You said you already believe Baron Yandel’s going to win.”

Rek Aures thought this question might stump him, make him feel the contradiction.

But—

“Exactly why I’m watching. Wouldn’t you? What if our baron’s still got some hidden card I don’t know about?”

“Ah... w-well, I guess...”

There was nothing more to say after that. Because Ibaekho was right—he did play a hidden card.

“A circlet...?! Was there an item like that? Escaping the illusion the moment he wore it... it’s gotta be a mental-resist item...”

Eyes sparkling, Ibaekho whipped out a notebook and furiously began scribbling.

His pen hand moved like lightning. He was so excited, ragged breaths came through his nose—huuu, huuu. At one point, he even licked his lips like he’d just seen a gourmet dish.

Watching him, Rek Aures couldn’t help but think—

'No... it’s not right to talk bad about your comrades...'

...But he really felt sorry for Baron Yandel.

***

Watching a man’s expression change is a source of great amusement.

Even more so when it’s your enemy—and their expression is breaking.

Grin.

I savored the look on his face.

When I broke out of the hallucination and stared into those white eyes with the help of the “Crown of Anguish”...

His face said it all: Denial.

'...You broke out? No, you must be confused or mistaken...'

It was obvious.

Though, reality hit him pretty fast.

“...What is this...?!”

Roland had the brains to understand the connection between the circlet and my breaking the illusion.

And that’s what made him furious.

He’d devoured countless Essences just to specialize in the [White Evil Eye]—sacrificed so much—and I shattered it with a single item?

He must’ve felt utterly cheated.

But—

「Character has used [Aegis Dragon Scale].」

「Reflected accumulated damage.」

The moment the Dragon Scale effect activated.

A towering ethereal warrior raised its greatsword high—its head nearly scraping the mage-cast barriers—and instead of losing his temper, Roland composed himself.

Because, of course, survival takes priority.

「Roland Banossant has used [Green Evil Eye].」

Panic-casting a defensive shield.

Craaaack—!

But when that shield shattered like paper, his eyes turned blue as he hastily triggered his mobility skill.

Did he really think I was a dumb brute?

「Roland Banossant has used [Blue Evil Eye].」

[Blue Evil Eye] was a blink-type skill, capable of short-range instant movement. Cast time: less than a second.

But it has a fatal flaw.

It cannot be activated while the caster is in a restricted state.

Sure, I don’t have any direct crowd control abilities.

But I’ve played this game long enough to know that “restricted” includes more than just stuns and roots.

「Character has used [Transcendence].」

「Character has used [Eye of the Storm].」

This combo applies a temporary restriction during the grab animation.

In simple terms—

「Roland Banossant is immobilized.」

「[Blue Evil Eye] casting cancelled.」

Evade skill? Cancelled.

“......?”

Trapped before a massive spirit warrior’s descending greatsword, fear finally flickered in his eyes.

And I found that hilarious.

“Evil Eye,” huh?

In the end, his eyes were just regular human eyes.

Fwoooosh—!

The greatsword tore through the air toward him.

The last expression he made?

A smile.

No—more like...

“Heh.”

A dry laugh. As if he couldn’t believe it.

That was the end.

BOOOOOOM—!

The explosion kicked up a dust cloud as violent as a collapsing building, shattering the surrounding magical barriers like windows in an earthquake.

Half the remaining defenses were blown out just by the shock traveling through the ground—

Fssssshhhhh—

Wind swept through the gaps where the barriers used to be. Dust began to settle.

And then—

“......”

Everyone saw it.

The unmoving, crushed remains of what used to be the Deputy Commander.

“UOOOOOOH!!”

Ainard broke the silence with brutal clarity.

“Bjorn Yandel crushed the Evil Eye!! He’s the strongest warrior on the surface now...!!!”

That was the trigger.

“A-a-attack!!”

One of the higher-ranking Noark officers screamed the order.

The Orkulis and Noark forces swarmed forward—and the mass brawl began.

It was expected.

After all, in war, a one-on-one duel’s true purpose is to kill the enemy’s best officer and boost your own army’s morale.

'That must’ve been the Evil Eye’s plan, too.'

He thought he’d beat me in a duel—thanks to Ibaekho’s stage—and then carry that momentum into a full assault.

But once he lost the duel, the plan was meaningless.

“Let’s go!!”

As Orkulis elites and Noark soldiers surged from all directions, Ibaekho finally jumped down from the rooftop.

And then—

“Been a while?”

Landing beside me, he greeted me like we were old friends.

“...What the hell are you scheming?”

“Scheming? That’s kinda rude to say to someone who came to help.”

Yeah right. Like I’d believe that.

“But more importantly, he’s probably not dead yet.”

“...What?”

“Oh, you don’t know his Essence?”

I didn’t.

When I was locked in the dungeon, one of the royal knights mentioned that some people could survive even with their heads caved in, thanks to their Essence. But I never got specifics.

I assumed it was a survival-type Essence with a long cooldown—one he wouldn’t be able to use again yet.

But then—

“He’s got the Hellase Essence.”

And with that, it all made sense.

'Ah... so it’s that one.'

Hellase’s passive skill is a bizarre survival mechanic.

It doesn’t boost defense. It doesn’t boost healing.

「Roland Banossant’s HP is at 0%.」

「[Grace Period] activated.」

「Countdown set to 900 seconds.」

「All self-healing effects disabled during countdown.」

That passive doesn’t make you invincible—it just prevents you from dying for 15 minutes.

Like a last-second death cancel.

But even that only matters if you have allies to heal or revive you.

'...And this guy isn’t even a tank. Why the hell did he pick a survival Essence?'

Now I was starting to get a feel for this Evil Eye guy’s personality.

'All flash, no spine. One of those types...'

If it were me, I’d rather bring offensive Essences to avoid ever needing a survival skill in the first place—

“Oh hey, look. They’re carrying him off.”

Ibaekho nodded toward the Orkulis soldiers quickly retrieving what was left of the Deputy Commander.

The evac team looked like lightweight mage-types—far too nimble for me to chase down.

So I looked at Ibaekho.

“What? Me? Why?”

“I didn’t even say anything yet.”

“But you were gonna.”

“......”

God, if you’re gonna help, do it properly.

While I silently fumed and smashed a Noark skull in with my hammer, Amelia arrived with Elthora slung over one shoulder.

Ainard was nearby too, carrying Auyen.

“Yandel.”

Okay, looks like we’ve gathered everyone—

“Hey, long time no see?”

Ibaekho tried greeting Amelia, too, but she didn’t even look at him.

“Let’s go. Leave this place to them.”

“...Huh? You’re just leaving us here? Hello?”

Ibaekho grumbled, but Amelia ignored him again.

As did I.

“Yeah, let’s go. Get on.”

Once everyone was on my [Giant Form] shoulders, Ibaekho clicked his tongue.

“Tch. God, these selfish bastards... How did my life turn out like this...”

When I stared at him, Ibaekho just chuckled.

“Fine, don’t say thanks. Just go. We’ll wrap things up here and vanish—”

“I wasn’t planning on thanking you.”

“...Eh?”

I gave him a cold glare that said I’ll be watching, so don’t pull anything, and left the battlefield.

Then—

Thud—! Thud—!

Using Elthora’s navigation, we reached our destination.

And I froze.

No guards. No troops.

'Of course... it’s the marquis’s recovery building. Why was it so empty?'

'...Shit.'

The marquis had already fled.

Makes sense. I wasted so much time in the duel with the Evil Eye—it’d be stranger if he were still here.

But I still had one card to play.

“...Hey.”

I turned to Elthora.

“Where’d your old man go?”

“Uh, well... I wonder? Hmm... where could he have gone?”

“Don’t joke.”

“M-maybe while we were delayed, he moved somewhere else...?”

Like I didn’t know that already.

“Think hard. Where would your father go? This might be your last chance to prove your worth.”

A gentle reminder that failure meant abandonment.

She quickly answered.

“Ah! I—I think I know a place...!”

The location she mentioned wasn’t far, so we immediately changed course and dashed over.

And there—

“......Huh?”

I ran into someone I never expected.

“Been a while, Baron Yandel.”

Harin Suevi.

My ex-girlfriend.