Kwarurururu.

Kalz Morenn was standing within the blazing jungle.

“Hooh. This rat of a bastard…”

Boooom!

Five days.

He had searched around this area, looking for Hansoo, for five days.

He wouldn’t have been this mad if there weren’t any traces in the first place.

But the most annoying thing was that there were very faint traces of him left behind.

Sometimes a faint scent could be smelled and sometimes the traces of the Forgotten Sword he had stolen from Gyesoo were left behind.

This made him even madder.

Since he was just tailing his back even if he was chasing with all his might.

‘Goddamnit…’

It would’ve been easier if he had brought some of his subordinates here but he had come here for a vacation.

But then he’d rather commit suicide than receive Ailen’s help.

Since he’d lose face.

Then Gyesoo spoke cautiously towards Kalz Morenn.

“How about… catching Camille Rowe?”

“Camille Rowe?”

Kalz Morenn slightly frowned as he heard this.

This was something that Gyesoo had been suggesting for a while.

Since Hansoo’s main goal was the Calamity Fish, he would naturally be dragged in if you catch his comrade.

But there was a reason why Kalz Morenn had not done this yet.

‘Damnit. Not being able to catch a single newcomer is enough face lost but for me to take people hostage?’

If Amil Stadan, from one of the Six Pillars , heard this then he will laugh at him while holding onto his stomach.

No, he would become a public object of ridicule to the clans of the twelve roots.

But his rage was currently exceeding his pride.

There were instances in his plan where he would not be able to catch a guy for 5 days.

‘Well if I take care of things well…. There won’t be rumors.’

Kalz Morenn asked Gyesoo.

“How do you want to do it? You told me you couldn’t use your trait yet.”

Gyesoo laughed.

“Hansoo might erase his tracks but why would she. She would not think that someone will be chasing her.”

“Hooh.”

“Since we almost finished the sightseeing preparation, we’ll separate to find her and then send a Blue Carrier Pigeon once we do.”

Kalz Morenn made a satisfied expression as he nodded.

“You be careful. You are the main actor of the 2nd part of the tour. Remember why I take care of you so well.”

“…I know very well.”

“You guys find Camille according to your plans. I shall continue searching for Hansoo.”

If he gave up like this then his pride would be damaged.

Camille was a last resort.

‘I will catch him before that.’

Gyesoo nodded as he saw Kalz Morenn grind his teeth and send Blue Carrier Pigeons in every direction.

……………………………………….

“Hooh.”

Hansoo looked at his food jar container.

A container that was full of the Nutritional Fluid and the Kukulja heart extract.

‘I’ve almost collected all of the materials for the Hardening Fluid too.’

Since he had some time left until Camille would finish gathering all the materials, he had gathered a few extra materials that he would use on the boat.

As he saw flames exploding from place to place, it seemed like that Kalz Morenn had been enraged to no extent.

‘It is pretty annoying.’

But it seemed like that Kalz Morenn wasn’t that talented despite being the captain of the shock troopers.

If Kalz had raised his chaser skill then it would have been harder to hide his tracks.

‘Let’s have a peek.’

Hansoo adjusted the shape of the formless energy of the Forgotten Sword so that light would be diffracted.

It wasn’t that hard. He just needed to change the thickness a little bit.

He then proceeded to apply mud onto his face as he started to look over the cruise ship in the distance along with his transformed sword that acted like monoculars.

He knew of the cruise ship’s location due to the heat that had come off during the Gertas incident.

In order to not get caught within their eyes he had to stay this far back to look over them discreetly.

Hansoo frowned after looking over the location of where the Blue Carrier Pigeons were flying and Kalz Morenn’s movements.

‘Look at these guys. They changed the target.’

He didn’t think that Kalz would’ve done such a thing due to his pride of being the captain of the shocktroopers of Lighthouse but it seems that his rage had overcome his pride.

‘Let’s move.’

He had collected all the materials anyway.

The time had come for him to reunite with Camille.

‘Let’s see… she would be around the Erum Mines or Kukuru burrows by now.’

A dumb person wouldn’t know but Camille was rather smart so she would choose the most efficient route.

Which meant that she had to be in one of these two.

‘I have to find Camille before them.’

Otherwise it’ll become troublesome.

‘First I’ll go to Kukuru burrows.’

Hansoo carefully got out of his seat and quickly headed off somewhere.

……………………………….

Kaaaaaak!

Camille madly slashed her short spear towards the Erums running towards her.

Hoooong.

The short spear endlessly slashed through the air.

The respiratory holes of the Erums, who had the shape of a beetle, were sliced apart as they dropped down.

Kwadududk.

Camille split the stomach of the Erum, took out the secreting gland and then squeezed the liquid into a small bottle.

‘I collected it all.’

Camille cracked the joints on her body.

She had collected all of 14 ingredients out of the 17 ingredients Hansoo had asked.

‘My progress is faster than I expected, it seems like I’ll finish in about a day.’

Camille started to head out of the mine after looking at the bottle of liquid.

But at the same time she could feel somebody coming into the mine with her acute battle senses.

Camille tensed up and focused.

Erum Mines were quite difficult for newcomers.

Which meant that whoever came here was not a newcomer.

But she sighed as she recognized the footsteps and breath and climbed up.

“You’re here. Why are you here already though? I haven’t collected it all.”

Hansoo shrugged at Camille’s words and spoke.

“The situation changed a little. Some annoying guys seem to have gotten on our tail.”

“Annoying guys?”

Camille made a confused expression.

If this guy, who didn’t recognize how high the sky was, thought of somebody as annoying then that person would be far beyond that.

“Who is it?”

“Kalz Morenn.”

“…What did you just say?”

“Kalz Morenn. He seems to be the captain of the shock troopers of Lighthouse.”

“What the hell have you done while you’ve been away from me!”

Camille shouted with a flustered expression.

She was a third year too but Kalz Morenn was at a different level.

If she fought him then she’d just melt down without being able to do anything.

‘No, why is such a guy on the End Root?’

But there was only one important fact.

That those guys will chase them.

Camille made an expression full of despair and then spoke towards Hansoo.

“Let’s start up the boat. There’s no time.”

She hadn’t gathered all the ingredients but if they waited here and then encountered Kalz Morenn then they would both die.

No matter how strong this guy was he could not go against Kalz Morenn.

“Did you gather all the materials?”

Camille shook her head at Hansoo’s words.

“Not the Kukuru Scales, Mixblood Fairy Breath and Arantal Lights.”

Hansoo started to pull some things out of his pockets after hearing Camille’s words and spoke:

“It’s Kukuru Scales. I’ve gotten it on the way here. Focus on getting the other two for me.”

“…What are you going to do?”

Hansoo looked at Camille and spoke.

“I’m going to buy some time while you gather the materials.”

Not a single material could be left out.

Since an unstable Hardening Liquid will be made.

“Let’s meet at this location after you gather the materials. I will bring the boat there.”

Hansoo then told her the place they would meet up at.

Camille looked at Hansoo with a worried expression and asked.

“Isn’t it better to collect the materials quickly with me?”

Hansoo shook his head at these words.

He had seen it on the way here.

The net had been closed up much more than he had anticipated.

At this rate they would be caught by the time they gather the materials and get to the boat.

One person had to buy some time.

‘There’s no need to lead the others astray.’

He just needed to get Kalz Morenn distracted.

Since Camille could handle the rest.

Hansoo then thought of Kalz Morenn.

He had left traces around wide open spaces on purpose while running away.

Very faintly.

Only so that one could find them if they had a chaser skill.

He had left olfactory traces sometimes and other times he left temperature related traces or footsteps.

And he saw Kalz Morenn chasing him from afar with the transformed sword and then checked his reaction.

The result was clear.

‘The chaser skill he had learned… is a type of scent chaser.’

That guy was chasing his direction with the changes of scent.

Hansoo thought up to this point as he ripped a piece of his clothing off, ripped it to shreds and smeared blood onto it.

He then held onto it tight with his hands as he spoke to Camille.

“I’ll leave it to you.”

Hansoo ended with those words as he quickly started to run towards the jungle and Camille looked at Hansoo with a complicated expression but then also ran off to gather the materials.

…………………………………….

‘…Mmm?’

Kalz Morenn frowned at Hansoo’s scent which had suddenly gotten stronger.

‘He had hidden so well up to this point, why is this?’

Kalz Morenn deducted the reason after a brief thought.

The answer had come out.

‘He has been watching me.’

The reason why Hansoo had shown himself was clear.

Since it was after they started chasing after Camille Rowe.

‘If I knew that he would come out like this then I would’ve done this sooner.’

Kalz Morenn didn’t actually have a lot of expectations against that Camille girl.

Since he hadn’t thought that Hansoo was a person who would jump out because of one hostage.

He had told Gyesoo to do this because he was so fed up but for such a thing to happen.

‘I’ll gladly kill you.’

Kalz Morenn laughed maniacally as he chased the traces.

The traces were very clear unlike the ones so far.

He had thought that these were traces to lure him in but such a thing could be clearly seen.

All his senses and the skill were telling him clearly.

That Hansoo had just gotten past this area.

Kalz Morenn made a cold expression after chasing these traces for a long time.

‘If he set up a trap then…’

Hansoo might not even be at the end of this chase since he was much more formidable than he had expected.

If that happened then he was really going to find that Camille and rip her to shreds.

Hansoo might be different but she can’t run away from him.

It would be quite a nice target to vent his anger on since it seemed like Hansoo valued her greatly to come out like this.

‘I should tell the guys to find Camille first.’

Kalz Morenn flinched momentarily while he was just about to send a Blue Carrier Pigeon to tell them to keep chasing Camille’s traces.

And then he changed the message of the Pigeon as he saw somebody standing in the distance.

Kalz Morenn walked towards Hansoo who was standing with a leisurely expression by the Kukulja Lake after sending the Blue Carrier Pigeons.

“I really wanted to meet you. Friend. I would’ve been really disappointed if I wasn’t able to meet you this time along.”

Hansoo chuckled towards that Kalz Morenn.

“I could only help you since you could not find me after all that. I even left hints.”

Though the hints had not been left behind to help him but saying this was enough to stimulate him.

And as expected, veins appeared on Kalz Morenn’s forehead as soon as he heard Hansoo’s words.

Because everything from having to run after a one single newbie to worrying to get disturbed for the sightseeing and faking a hostage wielding replayed in his memory.

‘This fucking son of a bitch…’

But soon after, Kalz Moreen took a deep breath in and out.

This guy was a fish that was a already caught.

‘Even if you have a boat that you left somewhere… I won’t allow you to get over there.’

As long as one comes into his sight, they can’t escape by running.

He just needed to catch him and slowly smash him apart.

“You brat. Let’s see if you can still say that while you’re getting burnt.”

As Kalz Morenn approached him with flames surrounding his body, Hansoo threw the Ghweche seeds in his pocket onto the lake as he ran away on the lake.

And then he sliced his thigh.

Then blood started to pour out as it spread out in the Kukulja Lake.

Pududadadak.

The Kukuljas were madly rushing towards him since he had covered the sword again.

Kalz Morenn flinched at this and then mocked him.

“What are you trying to do? Are you trying to hold on over there?”

Others might be different but he wasn’t scared away from going towards the lake from the fear of getting bit by Kukuljas.

He just needed to burn them all.

Kalz Morenn stopped atop the Kukulja’s bodies as he madly started to run atop on the lake.

Everytime Kalz Morenn stepped on the Kululja’s head, their skulls were crushed like tofu.

Hansoo looked at Kalz Morenn and then laughed.

Of course he couldn’t lead him astray and then get to the boat on top of the water.

That guy was clearly much stronger than him.

Since he was on a different level from Gyesoo or the other Quadratus guys.

But there was no need to go atop of the water.

The breeding lake was something that the Kukuljas, who originally lived on the sea, had dug out.

The underground passage here is connected to the sea.

Hansoo finished his thoughts and then looked at the artifact on Kalz Morenn’s neck rapaciously.

‘If he has something like that then he would definitely follow me right?’

“Keep my item safe.”

Hansoo smiled at Kalz Morenn, who had the survival-type artifact that was extremely hard to acquire, as he jumped down towards the lake where the Kukuljas were swarming in.

“This crazy bastard…”

Kalz Morenn grinded his teeth as he saw this.

Proofreader’s note

Regular chapter 1/3.

It seems maximum effort is put into breaking Ekdud! The sponsors even make jokes with the amount of money listed…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep