Chapter 244: Chapter 244 Branch Point (4)

Branch Point (4)

Hans Aiphreya.

To be precise, the man who attended the title bestowal ceremony, borrowing his name and face, splashed cold water on his face.

Splash!

Every time the water touched his skin, the bits of meat stuck to it were washed away and flowed down the drain.

It was enough to make him gag.

‘…It’s been a while since I felt this disgusted.’

He had experienced worse things during the early days when he was struggling after falling into this unfamiliar world, but those days were long gone.

‘…I should just observe from afar without approaching him.’

The man returned to the banquet hall and checked the table where he had talked to the barbarian.

It was empty.

He approached a servant and asked a few questions, and it seemed like the barbarian had already left in a carriage.

‘…I don’t really feel like going back to the Magic Tower.’

The man hesitated for a moment and then left the royal palace.

And he flew above the city, using Invisibility and Levitation magic simultaneously.

It was the Stealth Flight Mode.

‘There he is.’

He soon found Bjorn Yandel’s carriage as he looked down from the sky, dozens of meters above ground.

There was no way he had mistaken the carriage since there were knights on horses guarding it.

‘It seems like he’s going home.’

The man deduced the destination based on the carriage’s direction and then followed it.

Well, his expectation that the barbarian might be the person he was looking for had faded…

‘Maybe he’s acting.’

…but it wasn’t impossible yet.

Even he had never seen a barbarian act so mindlessly.

It actually made him even more suspicious.

‘…If he has that person’s understanding of the game, he would have quickly figured out how to act in this world and moved more ‘perfectly’ than anyone else.’

It could be interpreted either way.

Therefore, he needed more information.

What kind of person was Bjorn Yandel?

‘He’s living with three women…’

The man diligently followed the carriage, ignoring his envy.

They must be close if they’re living together.

He thought he might be able to find more concrete clues if he observed his daily life at home.

That’s when, as he was following the carriage at a distance…

Kwaaang!

…the carriage exploded.

__________________

It was an explosion reminiscent of the pillar of fire from that day.

But fortunately…

…its power was incomparable.

「Character’s health is below 50%.」

「All resistance and defense stats are increased due to the passive skill [Hero’s Path].」

My vision was blurry, as if my retinas were damaged by the heat.

And my skin was burning and tingling as it peeled off.

It seemed like my muscles were also severely damaged.

But…

“Assassin! An assassin is here!!”

…I didn’t die in one shot.

And my body was still moving.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

‘Damn it.’

I suppressed my rising nausea and quickly pushed myself off the ground. And I activated the subspace ring I received when I left the palace.

‘Phew, I should have put on my equipment as soon as we left the royal palace.’

Regret is always too late.

I first took out my shield and equipped it.

That’s when something exploded, emitting black smoke.

‘Is it a smoke grenade?’

I wasn’t flustered, as I had experienced vision being blocked many times, and I quickly focused on my hearing.

“Kyaaaaaak!”

Screams of civilians echoed from everywhere, as expected of an incident that occurred in the middle of the street.

“Insolent!”

“Eliminate those evil rebels!”

I also heard the clash of weapons as the knights fought back.

But that wasn’t what I should be focusing on.

I had to distinguish the sound that threatened my life from all the other noises.

For example…

Tadat.

Right, like this.

I turned my body and lowered my stance towards the direction of the sound as soon as I heard it.

And at that moment…

Kwaaang!

…an impact hit my shield.

Phew, so you can see me even in the smoke.

There was no reason for me to stay quiet anymore.

“Keplo! Are you alive?!”

I shouted with all my might, checking on him, who was right next to me before the explosion.

There was no answer.

Was he dead? Or just unconscious?

Swoosh.

I quickly reached into my subspace pocket and took out my mace.

That’s when I heard another whooshing sound.

Whoosh!

Based on my experience, this kind of sound usually came from ‘slashing’ attacks.

I trusted my instincts and angled my shield.

Thud!

An impact hit the left side of my shield.

It didn’t matter if I couldn’t see.

Whoosh!

I swung my mace with all my might towards where I thought the enemy was.

Kwagic!

I felt the satisfying impact.

Hmm, so he blocked it.

I thought he would be an agility-based character since he’s an assassin.

“Keugh!”

Something screamed in the smoke and was thrown back.

That’s when…

Swaaaaaaaaa!

…a gust of wind, clearly artificial, swept through the area and cleared the black smoke.

‘Magic? Who?’

There were no mages on our side.

And there was no way the assassins would clear the smoke for us.

Then who cast the spell?

I dismissed my brief question and checked my surroundings.

“Viscount Yandel! Are you alright?!”

Only four knights were still standing.

On the other hand, there were over thirty masked figures surrounding the shattered remains of the carriage.

‘Is Amelia… not here?’

I scanned the masked figures, looking for someone with a similar build to Amelia.

There were about three candidates, but I wasn’t sure.

“We weren’t told there was a mage!”

“What are you waiting for! Kill him!”

The assassins resumed their attack after a brief moment of confusion from the spell that cleared the smoke.

They knew.

That they had to finish this quickly since it was an ambush in the middle of the street.

“Protect Viscount Yandel!!”

The knights who were fighting individually also quickly approached me and formed a protective formation as soon as they saw me.

I could understand why nobles were so obsessed with training knights.

How loyal and reliable they were.

‘It seems like there’s no time to put on my armor.’

I cleanly dismissed my regret and activated an ability, assessing the situation. It was the one I was planning to try out at the training center tomorrow.

‘Transcendence.’

Bion’s ability, [Transcendence].

It’s a unique skill that’s both passive and active.

When deactivated, it enhances the performance of all passive skills by 1.5 times.

[Acidic Fluid] becomes more potent.

The stat increase from [Hero’s Path] and [Iron Hide] is amplified, and the Manticore’s [Inheritance] is also affected similarly.

It’s a good skill even with just that.

But…

「Character has cast [Transcendence].」

…the true value of this skill is revealed when used as an active skill.

「The next skill used is enhanced.」

It’s not just a simple enhancement, but a unique additional effect that’s temporarily added to each skill.

「Character has cast [Gigantification].」

「The inherent ability of the skill is unlocked by the power of the Transcendent.」

That’s why a 5th-grade [Gigantification] is the core of the Shield Barbarian build.

「Size increases proportionally to Strength.」

It’s a size bonus that’s applied proportionally to Strength, not a fixed value.

‘About 5 meters?’

It’s the Gigantification (Transcendence) Mode.

‘This should be… about the same size as when I fought Riakis.’

I roughly estimate my new size based on my different eye level. It’s about the same size as when I was 1.5 times bigger, using Misha’s brother’s [Unholy One] with the Vampire skill [Blood Master].

Although I have the Ogre essence, my setup isn’t complete yet, so I’m not completely satisfied.

But…

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!”

…there’s no denying that I’m much stronger now.

[Gigantification], which increases physical stats and threat level proportionally to height.

And [Wild Release], which further increases physical stats proportionally to threat level.

Strength surges through my body as the two are applied simultaneously.

Therefore…

‘Leap.’

I push off the ground with all my might and soar into the air.

My intended landing point is where a masked figure is aiming at me with a bow.

Kwaaang!

The masked figure, still holding his bow, is thrown high into the air as soon as I land.

「Character’s total weight is over 500 kg.」

「The special terrain effect [Recoil] is additionally applied to the damage radius.」

Fortunately, my weight met the requirement as I grew taller.

I was worried because I wasn’t wearing armor.

“Huh?”

The masked figure lets out a dumbfounded sound in midair, as if he doesn’t know what’s going on.

What, you didn’t expect me to attack first?

I swing my mace like a baseball bat, and his neck bends at a grotesque angle.

Kwagic.

Okay, one down…

‘Huh?’

Just as I’m about to turn my head and look for my next target, a masked figure jumps out from my lower right side.

It’s a blind spot that I wouldn’t have been able to see before.

But I clearly see it and dodge.

It’s thanks to the base stat of the new essence.

[Bion]

Soul Power +100, Soul Regeneration +30, Strength +25, Pain Resistance +30, Bone Density +30, Magic Resistance +20, Field of View +25

Field of View +25.

This stat widens your field of vision.

So in the game, it gave a bonus to detailed stats like evasion rate.

Kwagic!

I kick the jumping bastard in the stomach and then get ready to leap again.

But did they finally come to their senses?

The knights shouted in panic at my sudden actions.

“Th, this way!”

Geez, who’s protecting whom?

I ignore them and leap towards my next target. And I take them down one by one with the same combo as before.

There haven’t been any strong opponents yet.

Kwagic!

Just like when I killed that guy in the smoke earlier, their level was strangely low.

‘Is there really no one at Amelia’s level?’

I was even planning to use [Leap] to escape if it got dangerous, but my anxiety soon disappeared.

After fighting them firsthand, I knew.

They were at a level that the knights could have easily handled if it weren’t for the initial explosion.

But what’s this?

“…We, we were only supposed to deal with the knights!”

Internal conflict started among the masked figures as I started rampaging and the knights also started pressing them with individual battles.

“You said he would die from that one explosion!”

“I’m going back. We weren’t told he was this strong!”

As one or two of them started to retreat, all the masked figures chose to run away.

It was ridiculous.

‘What the hell are they?’

They didn’t seem to have any sense of purpose.

____________________

‘…Are they really from Noark?’

That doubt even crossed my mind, but I diligently moved my body and captured the fleeing masked figures.

I caught a total of four.

Unfortunately, the rest all escaped.

“…Thank you for your hard work.”

The knight awkwardly saluted me, as if it was his first time seeing a noble being carried by his escorts.

“Ah, you guys also worked hard. Are there any casualties?”

The knight answered that three knights had died at my question.

Fortunately, Keplo wasn’t among them.

Although he was caught in the explosion with me, it seemed like he was durable enough to survive.

He would probably regain consciousness soon since I gave him a potion in time.

‘Then shall we interrogate them?’

The battle was over, and the guards were probably coming, so I grabbed one of the captured guys and took off his mask.

It was a man I had never seen before.

“…Huh!”

The man trembled, unable to even make eye contact with me, as if he realized he was screwed.

I reached out and shoved my hand into his mouth.

“Keu, keugh, keuheok!”

I searched thoroughly, but there was no poison capsule.

Hmm, so reality is different from cartoons?

No, shouldn’t an assassin have at least one?

‘Ah, in the first place, those guys wouldn’t have run away if they had that much resolve.’

What the hell were they doing?

I wiped the saliva on my hand on his clothes and asked,

“Who sent you?”

“…….”

He didn’t answer.

It wasn’t a big deal.

He would talk if I beat him up a bit.

That’s when, as I was raising my fist…

Flash!

…a white flash erupted from the dark sky.

And…

Kwoom!

…something crashed into the ground like a meteor.

At first, I thought maybe the assassins had escaped and shot a catapult…

“Keugh…!”

…but it was a man.

He was surrounded by a spherical barrier, and his face was all too familiar.

Because I had just met him.

“Hans Aiphreya…?”

No, what the hell.

Why is he falling from the sky?

Just as I was flustered by the unexpected turn of events…

Tadat, tadat, tadat.

…another man jumped down from the sky where Hans A. had fallen. And he approached Hans A. without even glancing at me.

“…….”

No one, not even the knights, dared to say a word at the strange sight.

The changed atmosphere didn’t allow it.

“Mister, just make it easy for yourself. Okay?”

“I told you, you misjudged—”

“Ha, you can’t lie to me.”

The barrier around Hans A. was effortlessly torn apart as the man reached out his hand.

Crackle.

Hans A.’s face turned pale at his overwhelming pressure.

The man grabbed him by the collar.

And he said,

“As expected, it’s you. GM.”

“…….”

“Unban me. Or you’ll die here.”