âSo, what do you think of him? The First Prince?â
The woman finally asked after being lost in thought for a while.
âHis mind was extraordinary, to say the least. I have no idea how he got the information about our clan. Itâs beyond my limited intelligence.â
Jegal Geon answered, and the woman put her hand on her forehead.
âI know, right? Where did the leak come from?â
She also wondered about that.
Could it be that another of the four martial clans deliberately leaked the information?
She asked the next question that intrigued her.
âHow about his martial arts? They say heâs quite skilled for a prince, and it seems to be true. I couldnât figure him out at all.â
âActually, neither could I.â
Jegal Geon replied with an embarrassed expression.
The woman looked surprised.
âYou couldnât? Youâre one of the best martial artists in our clan, except for father. How could you not gauge his level?â
âItâs true. He clearly had the aura of a martial expert in his bones and movements, but his exact realm was obscured like by a fog.â
Jegal Geon fell silent for a moment, then cautiously concluded.
âIâm not sure, but he might be a master who reached the Heart Realm.â
ââŠâ
This time, the woman was speechless.
The way the easterners divided the stages of martial artists was different from the western continent.
If they said someone reached the Heart Realm in the east, it meant they were a Transcendent in the west!
They were the top martial artists in the eastern continent, and this brat prince who just turned twenty was one of them?
But she soon accepted it.
She always considered the worst-case scenario, which was her greatest strength.
âIf you say so, Iâll have to take it into account.â
The man who was assisting her now was one of the strongest martial artists in her clan, except for her father and some elders. There was little chance that he was wrong.
âIâve never seen anyone who could fool my eyes like that, except for father.â
But another question popped up in her head.
âEven if heâs such a martial artist, why does he want to see the Azure Dragonâs Breath?â
The Panacea Scroll was a treasure that was no different from their clanâs lifeline.
No matter how skilled a martial artist was, they couldnât steal it by just glancing at it a few times.
âCould it be that he really wants to study the players under the pretext of asking for it?â
Jegal Hwayoung, the eldest daughter of the Jegal clan and a renowned beauty in her clan, who was overseeing their clanâs migration plan to the western continent, couldnât help but tilt her head.
âŠ
âYour Highness, did anything happen?â
âThey were more polite than I expected. Nothing happened. They just said they would appreciate my cooperation.â
Eurius returned to his residence and thought about the people of the Azure Dragon clan (Cheongryong) who were probably racking their brains by now.
He came up with this plan after he got some information about âThe Playerâs Legacyâ.
âI need to clear quests to raise my achievements. And the only clue I have is the legacy.â
âOpen help.â
[Help â The Playerâs Legacy: Opening Lee Cheongmun.]
[Lee Cheongmun: A player who was proficient in all weapons and unarmed combat. Among his four special martial arts skills, he called them âThe Four Death Artsâ. Your achievements will increase every time you collect one of the Death Arts.]
[The Four Death Arts: Azure Dragonâs Breath (Not Acquired), ???, ???, ???]
âThe secret of the players and the way to become stronger are all tied to my achievements.â
He was still lacking in power compared to the strongest people on the continent. He was working hard, but the fastest way was to follow the [System]âs guide.
âTheyâll have to accept it if they have any sense.â
Of course, he wasnât a genius who could master one of the Death Arts, the Azure Dragonâs Breath, as soon as he got it. But he had something to believe in!
[Help â Traits, Skills: Players can acquire skills or traits written in the legacy immediately. However, if proficiency is required, you need to train.]
Thatâs right! The playersâ characteristic was that they could store the contents of the legacy as soon as they got it. They could learn it slowly.
âAll they have to do is show me, and they can watch me while I look at it. They wonât refuse such a condition!â
He threw out the bait.
Now he just had to wait for them to contact him.
And he had a task to accomplish in order to achieve the condition he offered.
He had to reach the northern mountains and meet Nuada.
âI wonder if I can subdue Nuada.â
Nuada, the king of the northern mountains.
As far as Eurius knew, he was the most talented martial artist he had ever seen, except for Beatrix. He was probably in his prime now and must be unifying the northern forces.
Thatâs why Eurius trained desperately to reach the Transcendent Realm. He had to either subdue him in one go or at least earn his respect.
âI need to become stronger!â
Collecting Lee Cheongmunâs legacy would open a new path for him.
Meanwhile.
âThe First Prince has just arrived in Stefan.â
When Wallace heard the news, he quickly made an excuse that he had urgent business in the upper echelon and headed south.
And when Eurius finished his business with the Azure Dragon clan and was preparing to head north, Wallace was in a city that was a contact point with the southern desert kingdom.
âThis wayâŠâ
A person wearing a black hood led him to a basement of a building.
âWhat a gloomy place.â
Wallace thought that they really set the mood for assassins and grumbled inwardly.
It wasnât his first time here. His main source of income for his Ryan Trading Guild was trade with the southern desert kingdom, and naturally, he heard some secret information from them as well.
An assassination group that could kill anyone for a price!
The southern powerhouses called them the Assassination Guild.
Count Wallace had received their help quite a bit to rise to his position.
But as he gained more power, he didnât need to use such means as much, and coming here meant that he was really desperate.
âLong time no see.â
There was only one person sitting in the dark room, wearing a dark hood as well.
ââŠâ
Count Wallace sat down and greeted him lightly, but the other person didnât move at all.
When he felt awkward, the hooded person finally opened his mouth.
âWho is your target?â
His voice was always like a snake hissing, disgusting.
Count Wallace shuddered inwardly as he answered.
âKill the first prince of the empire.â
ââŠâ
The hooded man closed his mouth for a moment, as if thinking, then replied with a rustling sound.
âThe target is top-class.â
This assassination guild had two criteria for determining the price of a request.
The first was the status of the target. The first prince of the empire was undoubtedly among the top-class.
And the hooded man asked the second question.
âWhat is the level?â
The level referred to the targetâs escort force and the targetâs own strength.
At this point, Wallace pondered for a while.
âCount Carlos said he was about the level of a royal guard knight.â
Royal guard knights were among the top-ranked warriors in the empire. They were at least in the third stage of the super-entry level.
But how high would the level of the prince, who was only twenty years old, be among them?
Wallace, who had been gauging Euriusâs strength for a while, decided to invest a little more.
âThe escort force consists of northern knights, but due to the nature of their mission to develop the north, they wonât always be with him. And as for the princeâs strength levelâŠâ
Wallace cautiously continued, thinking that it was unlikely but possible.
âAssume itâs master-class and send enough people. Just in case.â
Wallace had to cut off Euriusâs life this time. Thatâs why he offered a large amount of money.
The hooded man answered without hesitation this time.
âThen itâs first-class.â
Even though he was told to assume that the target had a master-class strength and was escorted by elite knights of the empire, the hooded man judged it as first-class.
âThen who would qualify for top-class?â
He had actually asked that once out of curiosity.
âHeh, then are those who get top-class levels superhumans or something?â
No matter how much they flew or crawled, could they assassinate the strongest ones on the continent?
Wallace joked, but the reaction of the other party was surprisingly cold.
A flash of murderous intent in his eyes shot at Wallace.
âNothing is impossible for our Assassinâs Guild.â
âAh, I seeâŠâ
Wallace felt such a terrifying aura for the first time, except for Wilhelm Grand Dukeâs anger.
âThey are really unpleasant people.â
But their performance was too solid.
Wallace had never seen any of his designated targets alive within the period they casually spat out.
âWell, then, top-class target and first-class levelâŠâ
The hooded man wrote down a simple amount on a piece of paper and handed it over.
Wallace expected it, but he couldnât help but feel bitter when he saw the amount.
At this rate, even he, who was one of the richest men in the empire, would have to pull out from above and even spend some of his personal assets.
âBut if they can assassinate the first prince of the empire, this much is worth paying.â
âThe money will be in by the deadline.â
âWeâll move as soon as itâs confirmed. The deadline is six months.â
It took a long time to get from the southern desert to the northern part of the empire.
And since there was a strict escort attached to the target, they had to consider the moment when their guard was thin, so they had to think about that time as well.
âIâll rest assured if you do it. Then Iâll go back.â
Wallace wanted to get out of this gloomy place as soon as possible.
The hooded man didnât seem to care about that at all, and looked at the note with the assassination target written on it for a moment.
âFirst prince of the empire, Urius.â
In fact, a top-class target and a first-class level were rare even by his guildâs standards.
âThe day of prophecy is not far away, and such a good request came in. The Dark God has blessed us.â
This was a request that required direct action from above.
Soon after, the hooded man began to write a report to send to his superiors.
And in Stefan, finally came the day when Eurius left for the northern front.
âI wish I could go with you, Your Highness, but I have too much work to do here.â
âYouâll catch a cold if you go to a colder place than here at your age? Haha!â
Eurius laughed off Mariusâs worries and held his hand.
âDonât worry too much. You know Iâve lived up to your expectations all this time, right?â
âOf course.â
âExpectations, youâve exceeded them.â
Marius looked at him with pride.
After finishing the greetings, Eurius gave the order to depart. The destination was finally the northern front, Valdes Fortress.
There he had to start the real power grab in the north.