“Huff, huff…”
Lee Tae-sung, collapsing onto the floor, let out ragged breaths.
“Ah… I really almost died.”
While playing Dream World, he had faced many dangerous moments, but this was definitely the worst.
His left arm had been blown off, his entire body was covered in wounds, and his internal injuries were severe.
He needed to press on acupoints to stop the bleeding, but he didn’t have enough inner qi for that, so he just roughly blocked it off.
Moreover, his mind wasn’t fully intact.
Because he had overused the Black Lotus Divine Skill, madness was rising in his head.
‘This is a bit dangerous.’
It’s not to the point of crossing the line, but I think I should refrain from using the Black Lotus Divine Skill for a while and stabilize my mind.
‘Still, there are results.’
Lee Tae-sung smiled while lying down.
A combined attack from six martial artists and mages at the Peak Realm or above the 5th Circle.
Lee Tae-sung deployed the Black Lotus Divine Skill at full power and somehow managed to take down three of them.
He fell into a state of ecstasy, squeezing out every ounce of strength he had, and in that process, he even broke through to a new realm.
Now he had entered the Peak Middle Entry.
Since he had achieved results commensurate with his struggles, it wasn’t difficult at all.
Moreover, in the end, he had managed to survive.
Of course, Lee Tae-sung hadn’t taken down all six experts himself.
“Are you okay?”
Someone appeared in the corner of Lee Tae-sung’s vision as he looked at the sky.
Blue Dragon Knight Commander Samuel.
He had joined the battlefield late because he was breaking the branch’s barrier, and the first person he came to help was Lee Tae-sung.
He had taken down three and had no strength left to even lift a finger; surviving was thanks to Samuel.
“Yes. I survived thanks to you.”
“Right. Actually, it’s funny for me to ask. You don’t look that okay.”
Samuel chuckled as he looked at Lee Tae-sung’s appearance.
He looked no different from a half-corpse.
“Still, if I’m alive, that’s what matters.”
Lee Tae-sung shrugged.
He looked at Samuel anew.
He felt he understood why even the major powers of the continent bowed and greeted first when they saw a Transcendent expert.
Samuel had appeared as if diving down from the sky and turned three Peak Realm experts into bloody messes in an instant.
It was enough to send a chill down one’s spine.
Peak Realm experts are great powerhouses themselves, yet he could easily dispose of them.
However, Samuel, on the contrary, was admiring Lee Tae-sung.
“You’re quite amazing too. I knew you were a promising sprout from what Kelson said and the few missions you succeeded, but at that age, Peak Middle Entry? Until recently, I saw you as Early Entry.”
“Haha. I was lucky.”
“A few more bits of luck, and you might become a Transcendent expert.”
Lee Tae-sung smiled again without answering.
Samuel felt a strange sensation seeing that.
A strange feeling as if he had made a prophecy.
“Well, anyway, it seems we won this war thanks to you.”
Samuel said while surveying the surrounding battlefield.
The battlefield was already in its final stages.
Just by pinpointing this branch’s location, Lee Tae-sung was the highest contributor of this war, and he even infiltrated among the Blood Cult members and greatly depleted their fighting strength.
Thanks to the Peak Realm experts Lee Tae-sung had taken down, holes appeared in their formations everywhere, and the war was coming to an end.
“Sir Samuel, is it okay for you to stay here with me?”
“I have to protect the top contributor. Right now, you look like even a second-rate martial artist could kill you with a tap.”
“What if a guy like the Branch Commander escapes?”
War doesn’t end just because the momentum has shifted.
Rather, what comes after is more important.
While striking the retreating enemy from behind, you could make great achievements, and if possible, you should also capture the leader.
That bastard called war values the ending more than the beginning.
“He’s probably already fled.”
“What?”
“If he had been here, he would have stepped forward to stop me when I used my strength to break the barrier. The fact that they just relied on the barrier and held out means the leadership escaped somewhere. Leaving only the chaff.”
‘Chaff? These guys?’
Lee Tae-sung looked around.
He had struggled almost to death to take them down, and now they were being devalued in an instant.
As if reading the look in Lee Tae-sung’s eyes, Samuel continued.
“The leadership I meant is on the level of the Branch Commander. Personnel that the Nameless Blood Cult must treat as precious. They’re clearly Blood Hand level or higher, which means the Branch Commander here was an important figure.”
“I see.”
No matter how much Lee Tae-sung had rampaged from behind, there was a sense that the victory came too easily, and that makes sense if the Branch Commander had been absent from the start.
Only then could Lee Tae-sung relax a little.
“There’s no need to be disappointed. Even if the Branch Commander is gone, a branch like this has plenty to gain. You might even be able to find the headquarters of the Nameless Blood Cult, which could be hiding anywhere.”
He wasn’t disappointed.
Lee Tae-sung wasn’t the head of any faction; he was acting like a personal mercenary, so why would he care? He just wanted to receive what he deserved for his worth, gain some practical experience, and grow.
Anyway, while Lee Tae-sung recovered his exhausted body, the Continental Allied Forces completely occupied the branch.
*
The Continental Alliance had achieved a great victory against the Nameless Blood Cult.
Until now, the alliance had been sluggish since its establishment without any proper achievements, but this time, there was a tangible accomplishment.
The high-ranking officials dispatched to Demenmark from various major factions were delighted.
Since they had made a great achievement, great rewards would follow when they returned! Therefore, regardless of past grudges, all of Demenmark was in a festive mood.
“Hahaha! Hey, Lee Tae-sung! This victory was definitely thanks to you. I admit that. We also relieved our stress thoroughly, so I’ll at least say thanks.”
A banquet hall where the high-ranking officials gathered.
Lee Tae-sung had also been invited and was drinking in a corner when, surprisingly, the Branch Manager of Mortu Nocturn came over with a drink and said that.
He offered his glass as if to toast.
Lee Tae-sung clinked glasses, took a sip, and then complained.
“Then does this mean you’ll stop glaring at me like you want to kill me every time we meet?”
“Of course not. Someday, we’ll have to collect the debt from Mortu Nocturn.”
“No… I’m from the Flying Dragon Clan, so I was just following orders.”
“Kuhahaha! That’s none of my business!”
Branch Manager Gederic laughed heartily and slapped Lee Tae-sung’s shoulder.
Even though he said that, Lee Tae-sung thought that Mortu Nocturn had almost let go of their grudge against him through this incident.
‘…? No, maybe not entirely?’
Because the Vice Branch Manager Luban was glaring at him with terrifying eyes, Lee Tae-sung flinched.
Branch Manager Gederic and other Mortu Nocturn executives all had good expressions, but only that one had cold eyes.
When Lee Tae-sung actually looked at him, he turned his head, avoided his eyes, and went elsewhere.
Wondering why he was like that, Lee Tae-sung watched him, and then as people left and the surroundings grew quiet, he fell into thought.
‘I gained a lot from this incident.’
The reward from the successful level-up quest, an enormous amount of Contribution Points.
He had survived, and those things came with it.
Moreover, they hadn’t fully sorted out the property inside the Nameless Blood Cult branch, but once it was done, Lee Tae-sung, as the top contributor, would get some good stuff.
For now, Lee Tae-sung planned to spend his Contribution Points generously.
‘I’ll think about the magic circle materials for the Great Spirit Realm later. First, let’s get Stealth.’
How many times had he regretted not having a stealth skill this time? He wanted to avoid similar regrets again.
Lee Tae-sung stayed in the banquet for a while, and when people started to slip out, he moved along with them.
Actually, people like Samuel kept seeking him out, which was annoying.
He walked down the main street in the night breeze, and the place he stopped was the Shadow Swordsmen.
A major faction belonging to the righteous and unorthodox sects, specializing in assassination contracts and information sales.
Yet funnily enough, they selectively took requests, filtering out evil or malicious ones, and occasionally did righteous deeds, so they weren’t classified purely as an unorthodox faction.
‘They should have the stealth skill I want.’
Even a child knows that stealth is the most important thing for assassination and ambush.
The best stealth skill obtainable with Contribution Points was probably here.
Of course, the Shadow Swordsmen wouldn’t give out their best skill, but for the Continental Alliance, they would hand over something decent.
Trusting that, Lee Tae-sung came to the Shadow Swordsmen.
It was a bit late, but for these people, this time was actually their active hours.
“Oh?”
“This… Sir Lee Tae-sung?”
But in front of the building used as the Shadow Swordsmen’s branch, he met a familiar person.
In the midst of the festive atmosphere, there was someone in Demenmark who wasn’t caught up in the mood and was attending to other business.
“You were… Mr. Yoo Baek, right?”
“It’s Falling Star Sword Yoo Baek!”
A Peak Realm expert from Seongrak Tower, Falling Star Sword Yoo Baek.
This was the person Lee Tae-sung had inadvertently saved while running around hitting the Nameless Blood Cult from behind.
He had said to come find him at Seongrak Tower to repay the life debt, so Lee Tae-sung planned to visit, but he never expected to meet him here.
“What are you doing here?”
“Starting tomorrow, I’m going on a mission to track the Nameless Blood Cult, and I’m working with the Shadow Swordsmen. So I came to talk to them in advance.”
“Not enjoying the festival?”
“How can I do that when I barely survived, having almost died?”
Yoo Baek smiled bitterly and changed the subject.
“By the way, what brings you here, Sir Tae-sung?”
“Ah, I came to learn some stealth martial arts from the Shadow Swordsmen using the Contribution Points I earned this time.”
“Contribution Points… I see. You must have accumulated a huge amount.”
Then Yoo Baek was silent for a moment, as if thinking about something.
Lee Tae-sung stayed quiet to not disturb his thoughts, and after a while, Yoo Baek spoke again.
“Aren’t there limits to what martial arts you can get with Contribution Points? You probably can’t get anything like secret techniques.”
“That can’t be helped.”
“Hmm… Then come to Seongrak Tower.”
Yoo Baek said confidently.
“Due to its nature, Seongrak Tower possesses a variety of martial arts and magic. Among them, there are some that I can confidently say are the best on the continent. Since you saved my life, I will give you whatever you desire.”