A-Rank Guild

Rio had also proven his abilities.

Pernok had no reason to refuse.

“Let’s have a deep conversation after finishing this work.”

“Yes!”

Pernok breathed deeply while checking his body’s condition.

Though stinging pain rushed in, after one sigh he could lightly shake it off.

“I’ll finish Jake in two days.”

Borden sent Pernok an interested gaze.

“I like bold methods. But can’t make interventions like today twice. Can you handle all of Flang alone?”

“No problem.”

Perhaps thanks to emptying all mana.

Recovery speed was faster than before, like a thirsty beast gulping water.

Combat drawn to the limit awakened not only Jake but Pernok too.

Mana reaching level 6 organically intertwined following Ruin’s teachings and completed preparations for even spiritual power to permeate.

“Control directly from the castle so innocent people aren’t dragged in.”

“Should I designate one zone instead? Seems better to deploy knights than bringing mercenaries as observers?”

At Borden trying somehow to plant a good impression, Pernok smirked.

“Can’t take responsibility even if you’re caught in it.”

* * *

Jake visited the castle as soon as day broke.

Intending to directly negotiate with the lord to receive Pernok, he witnessed a shocking scene.

“Lord…?”

Even rubbing his eyes and looking again, Count Bark was being escorted with retainers.

When wondering if he was dreaming, Borden on horseback approached.

“Who are you?”

Jake saw the lord’s emblem attached to Borden.

Even at the incomprehensible situation, he politely showed courtesy.

“I’m Jake of Flang.”

“Ah, one of only three A-rank guilds in this castle?”

“That’s correct.”

“I’m the new lord Borden.”

“Count Bark is…”

“That criminal will be escorted to the capital.”

“Criminal?”

“The former lord and retainers embezzled national taxes here. I’m thinking to closely investigate exactly how they fattened their bellies.”

Jake’s heart grew cold.

Flang had continuously offered bribes to the former lord while occupying positions in the mountain range.

The day even a little talk of involvement leaked, severe punishment might descend.

‘Then this person is the lord newly appointed replacing Bark?’

He’d heard no news.

Therefore the shock brought by the unexpected meeting pushed Jake into confusion.

“But why did you come here?”

“Because of the criminal the castle arrested last night.”

“Last night… Ah! That equal rank mercenary?”

A sharp light flashed in Jake’s eyes.

“Correct. The murderer who killed our guild members.”

“I forgot. Right, I received reports of clashing with Flang—that was you folks.”

Borden nodded while stroking his beard.

“I’ll punish after closely investigating why he caused commotion in the castle.”

Jake bit his lips hard.

‘New lord… won’t be easy.’

Bark was a greedy pig. Conversely, Borden seemed similar to him yet had stubborn aspects.

Not an easy type.

“Numerous people already died! Please help us handle it!”

“I received reports on that too. It’s commonly called mercenaries’ custom?”

“That’s…”

“Troublesomely, I took office at this castle today. From the first incident, I can’t unconditionally tolerate your customs. I understand what you want to say, so now await my judgment.”

Borden turned his horse’s head as if having nothing more to say.

Though trembling, Jake couldn’t catch Borden.

‘Why is everything so tangled!’

He’d thought to receive Pernok from Bark, but Bark himself was escorted as a criminal.

Since even bribery investigation is entering, Flang will also be included in targets.

He must kill Pernok and protect Flang too.

But with the support pillar called the castle disappearing, his head grew dizzy.

“Guild leader, what shall we do?”

Jake said while grinding his teeth.

“Return for now. And investigate the new lord. Don’t miss even tiny crumbs, comb through everything!”

“Yes!”

In the end Jake had to turn his confused body without securing any significant gains.

* * *

Ripples brought by midnight commotion became aftermath blowing even more fiercely.

“I heard Flang forcibly drove the Beast?”

“Right. Even mobilizing affiliated guilds to prevent quest performance.”

“Isn’t that contract violation? The association nailed down not to quarrel over positions when performing quests.”

“Flang and affiliated guilds first threatened too!”

“Weren’t affiliated guilds gathered widely in the mountain range and castle? That was all traps dug to kill the Beast.”

“Tsk tsk, how vicious.”

“Excessive greed invites disaster.”

“But didn’t the Beast start from red rank? Why is he so strong?”

“He’s even a Double!”

Ominous rumors toward Flang and gazes praising Pernok began spreading.

Flang had no time even to threaten.

When two days passed, expected bad news arrived.

[The former lord not only used national taxes privately but secured profits while backing A-rank guild Flang.

Judging this is the reason Flang came to ‘monopolize’ free adventure spanning the mountain range’s east and west.

Flang’s guild master Jake must explain his collusion relationship with the criminal at the castle.]

Mercenaries watched the scene of knights emerging from the castle to escort Jake.

Jake’s appearance with handcuffs on both hands was terribly cold.

But they were feeling it.

Jake was now driven to a state where he’d explode at the slightest touch.

* * *

“I know nothing.”

Jake repeated only the same words for half a day.

Borden said formally without showing annoyance.

“Speak truthfully and I’ll lower the sentence.”

“The lord’s terrible demands once shook my heart. But site fees? Do we look like low-grade guilds that would offer such bribes?”

“The period Bark increased wealth and the period you, Flang, stepped up as an A-rank guild overlap quite a bit.”

“That’s conjecture. Please bring evidence.”

“There was testimony from close associates who captured you quietly meeting in a separate room.”

“I want to see the witness directly.”

“You’ll see them in court.”

“You’ll punish me with just one word?”

“Doesn’t matter if you deny it. Because a stern royal command to execute Bark in the capital has fallen.”

Jake’s eyebrows twitched.

“You became quite famous too. Bark spouted your name so much before the throne. No noble won’t know Flang’s name.”

“Lord…”

“Would I have brought a level 6 mage without any evidence? Even all those subordinates?”

“…”

“I tried giving a chance to repent, but if you hate it, can’t help it. I’ll engrave your heart well.”

Borden left the prison with a cold smile.

Elite executives imprisoned together pounded iron bars and shouted.

“Guild leader! What’s happening!”

“Are we all being executed!”

Jake just sat there with his mouth firmly shut.

No matter how he thought, it was strange.

Pernok who should be imprisoned here wasn’t even slightly visible, and until Jake was captured with elite executives, hostile rumors about Flang kept flowing.

‘Everything happened at once. Like thoroughly trying to erase me…’

It absolutely couldn’t be coincidence.

Someone exists.

Forces who instigated even the castle to erase Flang…

When Jake’s worries deepened.

Squeeeak!

An unpleasant sound breaking Jake’s thoughts flowed into the prison.

Jake raised his head.

“Pernok…?”

He who was first captured to the castle stood before the iron bars in perfectly fine condition.

“You’ve rested enough?”

That moment, all thoughts organized into one.

“You bastard… was it you?”

The moment he saw Pernok’s smile, Jake felt chills all over his body.

“Right. No matter how I thought, it was strange. You who I thought was a physical enhancement mage were a ‘Double’ using even doppelganger magic. The reason you could strut around confidently despite having no forces was because you placed Borden behind you.”

Jake’s speculation was all wrong.

“Are you Borden’s knight?”

Apparently Jake considered Pernok as Rezhen Kingdom’s secret agent dispatched from the castle to devour Flang from the start.

Since Borden escorted Bark to the castle and imprisoned Flang instead, such a mistake was understandable.

“A high-level mage wouldn’t jump into mercenary work overnight. Everything was planned from the start! Rezhen Kingdom is finally trying to establish a mercenary corps! By devouring everything I built!”

“If that’s mental illness, it’s high-level.”

“Shut up! You shameless bastard!”

Jake ground his teeth.

“The association will never overlook this.”

“What can they do if they don’t overlook it?”

“Kill you and reveal all truth!”

If fierce combat enough to destroy the prison occurs, naturally responsibility will fall on both.

But the dead don’t speak.

Can drive the dead claiming he exercised defense rights.

The victor is justice.

Jake stood up.

“Didn’t need to go around difficultly from the start. The winner survives, the loser dies.”

“First time you’re saying something sensible.”

When Pernok smirked, Jake’s anger surged to his head.

Lightly infusing mana, shackles tore off.

“All executives listen.”

Iron bars shattered.

In space with nothing blocking, the two faced each other.

And Jake exploded mana while shouting.

“Kill Pernok and escape this castle!”

Mana bursting from all directions concentrated on Pernok.

Simultaneously Pernok raised Mana Reinforcement.

BANG!

Mixed magic collapsed the prison killing four elite guild members and floating survivors in the air.

Powerful mana to the degree elite guild members were helpless.

Pernok had perfectly refined level 6 mana as his own in two days.

Dimensionally different from the pathetic appearance unable to even respond to combination magic until two days ago.

But Jake no longer panicked.

As if thinking to break through even numerous variables, he immediately generated a black sphere.

“No way to dodge in midair!”

He caused commotion in the castle.

The moment the knight order arrived, Jake became disadvantaged.

Having no thought to delay time, he gathered all mana and burst the absolute destruction sphere.

“Be locked!”

Darkness swallowed the sunset.

Not a single point of light passed as if a curtain draped over the world.

Jake who saw Pernok devoured by complete darkness was certain of victory.

‘The moment you’re trapped in the sphere, your life and death are all in my hands!’

Jake’s unique-type magic starts from a dot.

Everything touched by dots is controlled, and the moment forming a sphere, this ability’s limit rises to space domination.

The opponent receives space’s pressure in their body and is crushed.

This was why Sallio and Enri desperately tried to escape.

Thanks to that, Pernok realized this unique-type magic’s breaking method.

‘Decisive blow.’

Not ordinary mana tug-of-war, but must break space with massive mana collision.

Must cast intense magic to the degree space feels uncomfortable.

‘Even counting all magic I possess, there’s no means comparable to this.’

When Pernok tightly clenched his fist, flash bloomed from the glove.

Sheeeeek!

Darkness refined like thorns from all directions shoots.

Like pouring rain with no gap.

In the sphere even gnawing mana, the flash’s light dims and Mana Reinforcement breaks.

The moment pressure penetrated bone joints to completely swallow mana inside his body.

‘What?’

Jake witnessed something grayish, not mana.

‘Mana is swallowed by this space as soon as used. Unless he’s a level 7 mage, he absolutely can’t break this law. But what’s that? Why on earth…?’

When that thin thing like smoke was absorbed into Pernok’s glove, light fiercely blazed as intense flash.

Over Impact.

Forcibly raising the artifact’s limit by gathering all spiritual power at 19 percent synchronization rate.

The flash blazed like fire.

It was like pure white eyes blooming in darkness, erasing everything touching vision.

BANG!

When the karma incarnation spat pure white flames, darkness broke like puzzle pieces.

“Spare me…!”

Not enough with Jake’s curtain, it devoured even Flang’s elite executives and burned the ground.

“Uaaaagh!”

Though Jake screamed and scraped together remaining mana, he couldn’t block it.

Thud!

A chilling sound climbed up his spine.

As Jake reflexively turned his body.

Thud!

Pernok’s hand blade penetrated his chest.

“…”

Jake looked at his hollow chest with bewildered eyes.

Ordinary magic requires the caster to continuously inject mana.

Because mental power consumption to maintain principle bestowal is extreme.

But Pernok poured intense magic from the front while piercing Jake from the opposite side.

Mental power to simultaneously deploy magic, maintain it, and move it organically like different organisms.

That was mental power comparable to a Magus.

“Huff.”

Death’s breath penetrated his ear.

Before Pernok could withdraw his hand, Jake crumbled forward.

Blood flowing from his gaping chest made a puddle on the floor.

[Night Lv.6]

Dots expanding with mana as food control all objects.

Dots expand into space and are maintained by absorbing trapped ones’ mana.

Everything belonging to dots except the caster is crushed.

Good magic.

But what excited Pernok more than this was precisely spiritual power.

Synchronization Rate – 20%

Spiritual power that was drawn out thinly now broadened Pernok’s limits to the degree it flowed like a stream.

“Am-amazing!”

When the situation settled, Borden came leading the knight order.

“Casualties?”

“None. Thanks to emptying surroundings as you said. However…”

Borden couldn’t continue words while looking down at Jake’s cooling corpse.

Though Pernok said he’d rampage in the prison, he hadn’t expected such a one-sided result.

Even the knight order prepared just in case was shocked at Pernok.

“As you see, I created justification for castle intervention. The knight order gathered too, so this worked out well.”

Pernok said indifferently while thinking of Flang’s remnant soldiers outside the castle.

“Clean up everything.”