Episode 153 No. 471 Correspondence Table (3)
The core rule of the response table is [Escort].
Success depends on whether the target is safely transported to its destination without being captured by the enemy.
Of course, this is the most basic of the basics, and veterans should always aim for more.
To get additional rewards, you must also pay attention to other factors.
The next most important thing to consider in a dungeon is,
‘He’s a person.’
The head of the table, the signboard, and the number of characters that accompany the table.
How many of them you bring alive to the destination determines your additional reward.
And it goes without saying that the stronger an individual’s military power, the higher the chance of survival.
That’s why there was a fuss about selecting only the capable people from the response team, and the results were now being revealed.
– Crunch!
The giant sword of the evil spirit was swung at an incredible speed.
The man in black who was rushing at him was unable to react to the speed that was far beyond his expectations and ended up being torn in half.
Jwidol also continued to swing his twin swords at the man in black without stopping, and eventually stabbed him in the chest with his twin swords.
However, the enemies they are facing now are not the haphazard ronin from the countermeasure country, but highly trained elites.
The mindset is also not as light as a raincoat.
The man in black grabbed Rat-dol’s arm with his chest pierced.
I can see the venom in his eyes as he tries to make a companion out of me somehow.
“this……!”
As the rat tried to free his captured arm, another man in black aimed his sword at his neck,
– Boom!
The next moment, I was hit by an outstretched palm and fell backwards.
He pretended to use a long sword and secretly mixed in Windforce to strike.
During that gap, the rat took out his arm and crossed his daggers, cutting the black-clad man’s neck.
“Thank you, Mr. Kim. Are you skilled in the art of divination?”
“All I’ve learned is a few tricks of the household arts. As you can see, my power isn’t that great.”
“No, I survived thanks to you.”
– Crunch!
It was a rat that expressed its gratitude and passed on the next black man.
This time, be careful not to get your arm caught.
‘This side has stabilized to some extent.’
Our trio’s defense has become quite solid, so from now on we should focus on other areas.
I started using magic secretly, like I was doing when I was wreaking havoc at the countermeasure bureau.
Looking around the battlefield, the locust ronin is cornered and his life is in danger.
Let’s cast a one-point explosion towards you,
– Boom!
The compressed mana exploded from the abdomen of the black-clad man who was attacking.
The guy didn’t show any sign of pain, but he couldn’t help but feel his posture collapse for a moment due to the explosion.
“… … !”
The locust ronin’s eyes caught the small gap and flashed, then blew off the black-clad man’s head.
I immediately targeted my next target and cast Windforce.
-Whew—
The black-clad man’s body momentarily swayed in the wind filled with physical force, and he too became easy prey for the other ronin.
I searched around here and there while secretly casting Windforce, Twister, and Point Blast in this manner.
‘Let’s see what Go Hyun-woo is doing.’
– Kagagagagak!
The area around Go Hyun-woo was littered with the torn corpses of the black-clad men.
It was to the extent that those fearless men in black had difficulty approaching him.
To make matters worse, Go Hyun-woo was overwhelmingly pushing back against the black-clad general.
Within moments, the iron sword flashed a gray light, and the captain’s head rolled off his frozen body.
– Beep!
Then a sharp whistle rang out from somewhere.
Just as the men in black had attacked, they retreated in unison, quickly collecting the corpses and leaving.
The room was empty as if there had never been an attack in the first place.
Only the bloodstains scattered on the floor told me that what had just happened was not a dream.
The shouting of Cho Pyo-du woke up the minds of those who were standing there blankly.
“There’s no time to hesitate! Let’s quickly clean up and move on!”
Then the flag bearers and the squires began to move about busily.
Meanwhile, Kang Pyo-du exclaimed in admiration as he looked at Ko Hyeon-woo.
“You are a greater master than I thought.”
“You are too kind.”
“No. It seems like he had the situation in his hand when he was stuck on the signboard.”
Kang Pyo-du praised Ko Hyun-woo, saying that if he had shown his true skills, the match would have been decided in just a few moves.
Go Hyun-woo let out an awkward laugh and then changed the subject.
“Fortunately, the damage seems to be limited.”
“I see. Considering how fierce the battle was, there were few casualties.”
Kang Pyo-du also nodded in agreement.
There were no casualties, and only a few injured.
On the other hand, the men in black collected all the bodies, so the exact number is unknown, but at first glance, the number of casualties was quite large.
It was a level that could be considered a great victory.
‘Because they are a carefully selected elite.’
In general, the skills of Ronin are somewhat inferior to those of warriors who have received systematic training in a sect.
However, if you pick out only the most skilled among the ronin who are far more than a hundred in spirit, they are all capable of protecting me.
Of course, there were some who were weak against the men in black, but I made up for it by secretly casting magic.
Of course, no one other than Ko Hyun-woo could have figured out the inside story.
For example, Cho Pyo-du became very proud, saying that his prediction was correct.
“What did I tell you? Our power is strong enough.”
“Hmm… … . That’s definitely true.”
“If you show them this much of an example, they won’t be able to do anything for a while. Just keep pushing through.”
* * *
however…….
Contrary to expectations, the men in black quickly gathered their strength and gave chase.
Another battle broke out.
Everyone was amazed at the enemy’s organization and tenacity, but soon they fought back with burning fighting spirit.
The strength that helped us overcome the attack just now was not lost, and we were able to defeat them without difficulty this time as well.
The newly introduced leader, the man in black, was also hit by Go Hyun-woo’s clear stream and was shattered into pieces.
– Beep!
And then, as if they had been waiting, the horn blew and the enemies retreated in an instant, just as they had appeared.
While cleaning up the room with the signboards, Eokul-i frowned even more with an even more resentful expression.
“That’s strange… … .”
“What are you talking about?”
In response to Jwidol’s question, Eokul-i pointed to Go Hyeon-woo with her eyes.
“I don’t mean to belittle that young man’s skills, but didn’t the so-called leader go down too easily?”
“Now that I hear it, that’s true. I also get the feeling that they’re being used too much like consumables.”
If the two black-clad men above had really held important positions in the group, they would not have been sent away so carelessly twice.
That means,
“It means that he is used as a focal point, but not as the actual leader.”
“I think the same thing. If I do… … .”
“Way below that, wouldn’t it be something like a leader?”
“Probably so.”
Before they knew it, the ronin nearby were also eavesdropping on their conversation with frozen faces.
The fact that the man in black who had collapsed a little while ago was not a ‘captain’ but a ‘team leader’ was a very serious problem.
Because it meant that the size of the group they were dealing with was several times larger than it was revealed.
And then,
“This is!”
At someone’s shout, everyone’s heads turned in that direction.
As the crowd gathered there, one of the ronin looked down at his forearm lying on the floor.
It was one of the pieces of debris that had been torn to pieces by Go Hyun-woo’s sword, and it seemed like the men in black had not been able to collect it in time.
Of course, a person’s arm being cut off was nothing to the unmanned people who lived off of knives.
Still, there must have been some reason why the Ronin let out a surprised voice, so everyone looked closely at his arm.
“… … !”
And soon everyone had no choice but to open their eyes wide.
Looking at the word ‘Yamwang (閻王)’ stamped like a brand on one side of his forearm.
“Yamwangdae (Yamawangdae)… …!”
The Cheonma Shingyo was divided into four groups after losing the previous Jeongma War.
The King of Hell, one of the powerful groups of the Demonic Cult, appeared in this remote mountain area.
If that’s the case, then it would explain how the Black-clad Men were so trained so terribly, and how they were able to push back against those considered to be the best among the Ronin.
“… … !”
“… … !”
A heavy silence fell over the room for a while.
Then, all of a sudden, the rat raised its head from its severed arm and started walking towards a place.
His footsteps were directed towards the carriages loaded with tokens.
Then the ronin also immediately noticed his intention and followed him.
They want to confirm.
What on earth is the true identity of that object that the Demonic Cult is so obsessed with?
However, as they approached the carriage, the leaders, including Kang Pyo-du, blocked their path.
“Stop.”
“Please let me check the sign.”
“I can’t confirm.”
“We are also in a position to protect the target with our lives at stake. I think we have the right to know this much.”
Kang Pyo-du shook his head firmly.
“Your opinions are valid. However, I ask for your understanding as I cannot tell you anything.”
“Then tell me frankly why it won’t work.”
“… … .”
Kang Pyo-du closed his mouth for a moment and hardened his face.
He seemed to think about it for a moment, then sighed and answered as if he had no other choice.
“… … If what’s inside is revealed, everyone here will have to be killed to keep their mouths shut. Of course, that includes us.”
“… … This is fucking shit.”
“I got the wrong idea.”
The ronin spit out curses.
It was only then that they realized why they had recruited so many ronin, rather than masters of other sects, and hired them as temporary agents, and why the promised reward for a successful agent was so eye-poppingly large.
Kang Pyo-du continued speaking in a calm tone.
“Listen to me. What matters is not what the object is. What matters is that whether or not you check inside, the Demonic Cult is trying to kill us all.”
“… … !”
“So now is the time to put aside our curiosity and join forces.”
“… … Okay, I understand.”
“I apologize for deliberately avoiding mentioning it. However, I have not lied one bit about the conservatives.”
Kang Pyo-du made a bold statement.
He said that he would pay the promised reward without fail, if only the flag would arrive at its destination safely, and that the head of the corresponding flag country had pledged his name.
At that moment, one of the ronin who was watching the rear shouted.
“Here it comes again!”
The black-clad men approach from afar, like shadows.
In the meantime, King Yeom has gathered his strength again and is attacking.
Everyone prepared for battle, wielding their weapons.
But their complexions were darker and heavier than before.
