Baek Eun-seong glared at me with eyes full of hatred.
Even with a hat and mask on, he recognized me at a glance.
It was probably because I was dressed the same as I had been during the “Cup of Life” incident in Incheon.
Still, the words Baek Eun-seong had said kept echoing in my ears.
A descendant of the Rune clan? Me?
“Grrgh!”
Baek Eun-seong clutched the stump of his missing arm, groaning in pain.
I stared at him in silence, lost in thought.
Calling me a Rune clan member was likely because of the rune bindings I used.
Theresa…
Did she pass on information about me when she was captured?
Even so, linking the “Incheon Cup of Life” and “Pioneers Night” incidents just from a single beard strand—That’s some imagination.
Though, it’s not entirely wrong.
No, that’s not the point.
Things are going badly.
I tried to assassinate Baek Eun-seong to save Ellin, but I failed.
I even hid my mana, but he dodged my attack on instinct.
Truly insane animal-like reflexes.
“Hoo…”
At least I managed to blow off one of his arms.
If he were a manifestation-type mage, it wouldn’t mean much, but he’s an enhancement-type mage who uses a spear.
And his weapon is pretty heavy. That should limit his movement quite a bit…
But then, Baek Eun-seong gripped the spear one-handed and casually spun it in the air.
As if to show he had no trouble using one hand.
“……”
“Good thing I lost my left arm.”
Then he looked at me and curled his lips into a smile.
“Heh. I missed you like a lost lover. Not only did you screw me over, but you made me lose a precious comrade. Honestly, all I had was that beard clue, but now I’m certain.”
He dropped the smile and spoke coldly.
“You’re the Rune clan member Theresa talked about.”
I didn’t answer. I simply stared at him, keeping my guard up.
“Wait a second. What are you talking about?”
At that moment, Elin wiped the blood from her lips with the back of her hand and spoke up.
Then, she looked at me with trembling eyes.
“…He’s a Rune clan member?”
Elin’s words made Baek Eun-seong raise an eyebrow.
“He is. Why are you so surprised?”
Then Baek Eun-seong’s gaze moved to the back of Ellin’s hand.
“Oh, right. Now that I think about it, there were a few Rune clan members who engraved magic circles on their bodies like that.”
Then, as if realizing something, he clutched his stomach and burst into laughter.
“Kuhuhu. What the hell? You’re a Rune clan member too? What kind of crazy coincidence is this? Hahaha!”
After laughing for a while, Baek Eun-seong wiped away his grin and looked at me again.
“Amusing. Let’s end the chit-chat.”
In that instant—
An overwhelming wave of mana burst from Baek Eun-seong’s body, and he vanished from sight.
In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of me, thrusting his spear.
I had somewhat anticipated such a sudden attack and calmly activated “Instant Acceleration.”
Swish!
The spear narrowly missed my waist and pierced through empty air.
At the same time, I activated Fighting Spirit and Heart of Nature, manifesting a spell.
I then dashed toward the exposed area inside his severed arm.
“Grrgh!”
The opening caught Baek Eun-seong off guard.
He hastily activated Body Reinforcement, but that alone couldn’t fully block magic.
I fired an electric-type spell straight into his side.
Zzzzt—!
“Aaaargh!”
Baek Eun-seong’s body flew back violently.
Instant Acceleration ended.
Time returned to normal, but I didn’t stop—I launched dozens of magic projectiles at him.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As I bombarded him, I kept thinking of how to deal with him.
I had already used one of my trump cards.
Instant Acceleration had a 3-minute cooldown.
What could I do to hold out for 3 more minutes?
“Hyaaaah!”
Baek Eun-seong spun his spear, blocking all my attacks, then charged at me.
I calmly activated my next skill.
It was a bit uncomfortable using “this ability” in front of Elin, but I had no choice given the situation.
Wooooooong!
Light burst from the ground, and dozens of beams of light shot upward.
At the same time, Baek Eun-seong’s spear reached right in front of my nose.
It was literally right in front.
His spear stopped mere inches from my face.
If Runes Binding had been 0.5 seconds slower, my face would’ve been skewered.
“Grrgh!”
The beams of light wrapped tightly around Baek Eun-seong’s body.
“This is the magic Theresa talked about?”
The light gradually bound his whole body. It clamped tightly around his hand, forcing him to drop the spear.
Clang!
“…Grrgh! What the hell kind of magic is this?!”
Baek Eun-seong thrashed wildly, trying to escape the light.
But Runes Bind was one of the strongest restraint spells in all magical history.
Not even Baek Eun-seong could break out of it alone.
Hssssss…
Then, my mana began draining rapidly.
Training and acquiring traits had greatly extended its duration, but Runes Binding still consumed an insane amount of mana.
I couldn’t maintain it for long.
I turned to Elin.
She was staring at me in shock.
“What are you doing?!”
At my shout, Elin snapped out of it.
“Huh, uh? What?”
“Don’t just stand there—do something!”
“O-Okay! Elder!”
…What? Elder?
Elin’s eyes sharpened again, and she activated the magic circle on her arm.
Swoooosh!
Dozens of ice spikes formed in the air and shot toward Baek Eun-seong.
Flash!
“Gaaah!”
The spikes continued firing. Baek Eun-seong used Body Reinforcement to minimize damage, but that only helped reduce it.
The damage kept piling up.
Then, as my mana ran out, the Runes Binding was released.
“Gah!”
Baek Eun-seong dropped to his knees, his body ragged and torn.
I used Nature’s Grasp to pull the Bangcheon Hwageuk on the ground toward my hand.
Whoosh, clack!
Elin’s eyes widened again when she saw it.
“Hoo…”
At least I managed to deal some damage.
Though considering how monstrous he is, it probably didn’t hurt him that much.
Just then, Baek Eun-seong gritted his teeth and stood up again.
“Grrrgh! If only I still had my arm! I could’ve killed you all in five minutes!”
His face twisted in rage and frustration.
“You look like someone who’s never swum before being told to dive in!”
This guy is completely insane.
Even now, he could just run away, but it seemed like the idea of fleeing didn’t even exist in his head.
As I stared at Baek Eun-seong in disbelief, my “Killing Intent Detection” trait suddenly activated.
But it wasn’t Baek Eun-seong’s killing intent.
It was coming from far away—somewhere in the distance.
At the same time, I sensed a powerful surge of mana from the darkness beyond.
My body reacted instinctively. If you wait to see the attack and dodge, it’ll already be too late. I had to predict it and move ahead of time.
Flash!
I concentrated mana into my legs and quickly darted to the side.
In the spot where I had just been, something crackled with thunderous energy—then vanished.
BOOOOM!
A tremendous roar erupted from far off in the distance, out of sight.
“…Haaah!”
Cold sweat dripped down my face.
I had never seen magic fired with such velocity in my life. It was like lightning—so fast it couldn’t be followed by the naked eye.
There was only one person aboard this ship who could use such magic.
“You were taking too long, so I came to get you. What’s with your arm?”
“Heh. Bert.”
From the darkness emerged a dazzlingly blonde woman—Bert.
She glanced between Elin and me, then locked eyes with me.
“…Impressive. You’re the first one to completely dodge that.”
Well, technically, I didn’t dodge it—I predicted it and moved ahead of time.
“Baek Eun-seong. Let’s go. The Association will be here any second.”
“…What about them?”
“We’ve achieved our goal. There’s no benefit to wasting time.”
“…Tch. Fine.”
Baek Eun-seong glared at me.
“I’ll kill you myself next time. So stay alive until then.”
He reached out his hand.
The Bangcheon Hwageuk I was holding was suddenly yanked away, flying into his grasp under a powerful force.
It was the special effect of the weapon’s “Master Recognition.”
“What the hell? Is this thing broken? It didn’t even recognize its master and flew to that bastard. Tch…”
With those final words, Baek Eun-seong vanished into the darkness with Bert.
Now, only Elin and I were left in the silence of the underground chamber.
“Should we not chase them?”
Why is she suddenly speaking so formally? In the original story, she never used honorifics—not even once.
“Forget it. What’s the point of chasing them?”
Not like I could beat them anyway.
“…Then I’m off.”
I felt uneasy having used the Runes Binding in front of Elin. I wanted to get out of here before any troublesome misunderstandings cropped up.
Just as I was about to move on—
“W-Wait! E-excuse me! Sir! Please wait! I’m also from the Rune Clan!”
I stopped walking.
…Sir?
So I hadn’t misheard earlier after all.
I turned to face her in disbelief. Elin spoke again, this time with a more respectful tone.
“No, not sir. That was rude of me. I meant Elder!”
“…What? Eld—what?”
“I saw you use the Runes Binding! That’s a secret art of the Rune Clan—only those of elder rank or higher can master it!”
I had no idea the Binding Rune had such lore.
“Since you’re an Elder, you must know Elder Douglas, right?”
Who the hell is that?
“I was raised by her—the only known survivor of the Rune Clan. She passed away eleven years ago due to illness. Her dying wish was for me to find the Runes Binding, our clan’s secret art.”
A headache was starting to throb behind my eyes.
She was clearly caught up in some serious misunderstanding.
Just as I was about to deny everything, I bit my tongue.
If I said I wasn’t from the Rune Clan…
I’d have no way to explain how I could use their secret magic.
Worse, she might think I experimented on the clan or something and turn hostile.
Wouldn’t it be easier to just play along?
“Ahem. To hear that he has passed… how tragic. He was a strong man.”
“Elder Douglas was a woman, though?”
“…She was a woman as familiar to me as any man.”
“…Ah. I see.”
Thankfully, Elin nodded without suspicion.
“Also, I overheard earlier that you already took down one of Jaun’s members. Does that mean… you’re avenging our clan?”
“…Let’s go with that.”
“T-Then please let me fight alongside you, Elder!”
She shouted it so earnestly that I was taken aback.
Elin, using honorifics…
No matter how many times I hear it, it’s just bizarre.
“You’re not ready yet. I have pressing matters. I must go.”
The Association would be arriving soon. I had to leave quickly as well.
As I turned to go, her voice rang out again.
“Wait! At least show me your face!”
“No can do. Oh, and today’s events? They never happened. That’s final.”
Using what little mana I had left, I bolted out of the area.
The mana exhaustion from the elixir I drank before attempting to assassinate Baek Eun-seong was beginning to hit.
I needed to hide before I ran into another villain and things got messy.
And then it happened.
[You have achieved the title: “Con Artist.”]
[You have earned 4,000 points as a reward.]
[Character “Elin” has taken deep interest in you.]
[You have earned 1,000 points as a reward.]
[Character “Elin’s” favourability toward you has increased.]
[Character “Elin’s” favourability level: Lv. 2]
[You have earned 3,000 points as a reward.]
A flood of system messages popped up before my eyes.
That Elin’s favourability had jumped two levels at once was surprising enough.
But “Con Artist”?
What the hell kind of achievement is that?
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