Hyukjin had a hunch he knew what kind of bet it was.
âMichelleâs a sovereign. Iâm also known as a sovereign. He must be trying to pit two sovereigns against each other.â
Meanwhile, Michelle was a little puzzled.
âThat man⌠is someone who became famous as a Korean archer in Italy.â
After receiving word from Taeguk Shieldâs guildmaster Song Kiyeol that he would be participating with Kim Hyukjin, Michelle did some investigating of her own. But to her surprise, there wasnât much information floating around about Kim Hyukjin. She just knew he was an archer.
âMy opponent is an archer.â
A sovereign and an archer. What would a bet between the two look like?
[He proposes a battle between sovereigns, a War.]
[The War will take place in a field specially devised by the âHerdsman of Las Vegasâ.]
Hyukjin was already very familiar with this âWar Fieldâ. Michelle had shown it to the world many times. Most people ten years in the future knew about this field.
âThereâs a castleâŚâ
And a turret protecting the castle.
âYou can summon your contracted Guardian Tower.â
Smashing all the turrets and destroying the castle would allow you to hunt the sovereign. That was the rule behind this field. Like PVP, a resurrection authority was active here.
âYouâre a sovereign?â
âYes.â
âThatâs different from what I found regarding you.â
âYou must have thought I was an archer.â
â...â
Michelle didnât respond. She might have failed to uncover her opponentâs identity, but she was confident nevertheless.
âThe Herdsman of Las Vegas is extremely fond of betting.â
Hyukjin knew that.
âI know.â
âIâd like you to accept the wager.â
Michelle seemed to be worried that Hyukjin might refuse the bet.
âIâm glad.â This was a good chance to measure Michelleâs skill. âHas she already contracted with the Guardian Tower Tintin by now?â
It wasnât common knowledge yet. But knowing Michelle, and knowing the world of Rankers Hyukjin was experiencing right now, it was possible she had already contracted her Guardian Tower.
Hyukjin asked, âHave you contracted a Guardian Tower?â
âI donât think thereâs any reason for me to answer that.â
âYouâre right.â
Hyukjin grinned. That was because for a split second, Michelleâs summary changed.
Summary:
Master of Tintin Maintaining her Composure
He found out a little more about Michelle. This was why Eye of Perception was so good.
The disposition/state/summary only show the most representative and can change according to the situation.
Because Eye of Perceptionâs proficiency is not high enough, viewing more detailed information is impossible.
âMichelle has contracted a Guardian Tower, and she doesnât know that Iâve done the same.â
The fact that Hyukjin was the Guardian Tower Ahn Seohyeâs master wasnât widely known to begin with. The only people who knew were Guildmaster Song Kiyeol and the guild members of Giantgod.
âThatâs why sheâs so full of confidence.â
Michelle nudged him again.
âThe bets proposed by the Herdsman of Las Vegas come with extremely sweet rewards.â
There were countless Players who were intoxicated by that sweetness and driven to ruin. But Hyukjin didnât say that, because he was confident that wouldnât happen to him.
Hyukjin smiled.
âThen let me have a taste of that sweet reward.â
Notices rang in his ears.
[You have accepted the War.]
[Teleporting to the War Field.]
Michelle had experienced War several times already. Having engaged other sovereigns in America in battle to activate the War system, she was confident.
âHuh?â
But something was a little different this time.
[The âHerdsman of Las Vegasâ acts in consideration of â------â.]
[The War Field will not be visible to outsiders.]
There was a part she definitely heard, but wasnât able to make out.
âWhat is he acting in consideration of?â
She had no idea. It was also strange that the War Field wouldnât be open to public view.
[The War has begun.]
The two sides began on the northern and southern ends of the War Field. Normally in War, the Players led by the sovereign would destroy the opponentâs turrets and castle, then go on to execute the enemy sovereign.
But this War did not involve many Players. Only two people, Kim Hyukjin and Michelle, entered it.
âDoesnât matter anyway.â
This new field was isolated from the outside, and whatever happened here was shielded from the public view. And there were only two people participating. Besides these anomalies, it was no different from what she had gone through so far.
[As per the number of participants, the number of turrets will be restricted to 1.]
The number of turrets was cut down to one. It was because there werenât many participants.
[As per the number of participants, the durability of the castle walls will be reduced.]
As she expected, the castle walls were weakened to the point that a lone Player could easily break them. Michelle uttered the âactivation phraseâ.
âTintin. Summon.â
The location at which Guardian Towers were summoned was set to the center of the War Field. In order to reach the opponentâs castle, you had no choice but to cross the central area once. Which meant, Kim Hyukjin would have to get past her Tintin.
âA sovereign with a Guardian Tower and a sovereign without one is heaven and hell apart.â
At least here, in the War Field.
She walked towards the center of the field. But her leisurely gait was soon disrupted by the incomprehensible situation that unfolded before her.
* * *
Reaper Scans
Translator - Lei
Proofreader - Ash
* * *
Hyukjin heard a voice.
âWhere am I?
Hyukjin answered inwardly. Weâre in America. LA.
âWhoaa. Itâs my first time coming to LA.
After becoming a Guardian Tower, Seohye was far more honest about her feelings. Because they were mentally connected, her excitement was relayed directly to Hyukjin.
âBut whatâs that Guardian Tower?
That moment, Hyukjin had the impression that Seohye was growling, kind of like a savage beast coming face to face with another beast.
âCan I break it?
Hyukjin nodded. You can. But do you think itâll be easy?
The Guardian Tower Seohyeâs soul went into was also called Tintin. The one Michelle had summoned was probably a Tintin as well. That meant the Guardian Towers themselves were about the same level.
âOf course. Youâre talking to Ahn Seohye here.
From her prideful tone, she seemed very confident.
Really?
Seohye continued speaking.
âNemesis Doom Barrier.
The barrier that had once squashed Fire Giants was deployed. It wasnât visible to Hyukjinâs eyes, but he could see what was happening through the âRed Eyeâ above Tintin.
Seohyeâs surroundings turned red. The Irregularâs countless red threads of predation wrapped around the opponentâs turret.
The gunports opened on both Tintins, and they fired at one another.
Bo-bo-bo-boom!
Hyukjin heard explosions from afar. Despite the considerable distance, they were so loud they rocked his eardrums. Hyukjin smiled.
How is it?
âWeak. Its attack wasnât strong enough to penetrate my barrier.
And yours?
âIt barely blocked the barrage from my gunports, but itâs taking continuous damage from my Nemesis Doom Barrier.
Seohye seemed completely at ease.
On the other side, Michelle was baffled by the explosions going off far in the distance.
She was suddenly reminded that Korea also had a Guardian Tower, and it was a Tintin. The interesting thing about it was that it apparently had a red marble-like thing floating above it.
âNo way. Heâs the master of that Guardian Tower?â
Her opponent was a man significant enough to get the guildmaster of Taeguk Shield to seek permission for his participation in the auction.
âSo thatâs how it is.â
If he was truly the Korean Tintinâs master, he was indeed worthy of such regard.
âThat really surprised me.â
But she decided not to let herself be shaken anymore.
[Using the innate ability Inject Funds.]
Inject Funds. It was her ability to use money in order to âinvoke Guardian Tower-related authoritiesâ.
[Use Inject Funds to enhance the Guardian Tower?]
[$10,000 used.]
Ten thousand dollars. Michelle spent the sum like it was nothing.
Hyukjin also noticed the change from his mental connection with Seohye.
âShe enhanced it.â
As he knew she would. Michelleâs âTower Enhancementâ was famous in the past, too. The enhancement was within the calculated range. Hyukjinâs gait was as leisurely as ever.
Michelle relaxed a little.
âThere werenât many chances for Koreaâs Guardian Tower to grow.â
That was why it wasnât very famous. She did hear three dangerous monsters had appeared around it, but monsters of that level could be found all over the States, or so Michelle thought.
âBut our Guardian Tower is different.â
Michelle used her innate ability âGuardian Tower Summoningâ to summon her Tintin in places with monsters. She treated Tintin like a summoned creature, and as such, her Guardian Tower became stronger and stronger. She was also able to strengthen it using her money.
âOurs is a growth-type.â
Was the other sideâs tower also capable of growth? Even if it was, it hadnât had the opportunity to grow.
Hyukjin asked again, How is it?
âItâs become a little stronger, but itâs still a weakling.
He didnât ask anymore. Tintin with Seohyeâs soul in it was fundamentally different from a regular Tintin. Ahn Seohye was an Irregular. In addition, the tower had absorbed the âRed Eyesâ the Shepherd Boy had sought so desperately. Its prowess was incomparable to a regular Tintin.
âIâm doing good, right?
Yeah. Youâre strong.
Hyukjin could see it clearly with his own eyes. The opponentâs bullet attacks were completely unable to penetrate Seohyeâs barrier of red threads. On the other hand, Seohyeâs bullets were putting crack after crack in the opposing Tintin.
In the end, Michelle reached the center of the field before Hyukjin. Her footsteps had quickened.
âHow can this be?â
She hastily used her innate ability.
[Using the innate ability Inject Funds.]
The target was her Guardian Tower.
[Using Inject Funds to commence âGuardian Tower Restorationâ.]
[The âGuardian Tower Restorationâ fee will be charged depending on the level of damage to be restored.]
The cracked Guardian Tower began to steadily heal.
[$13,000 used.]
Michelle couldnât believe what was happening. Before she could get her bearings, Kim Hyukjin arrived. The two came head to head at the central field.
âWhat do you think about my Guardian Tower?â
âYou were the master of the Korean Guardian Tower?â
âYes. Some way or another, it turned out like that.â
âWhy is that completely unknown to the world?â
âBecause thereâs nothing all that special about being a Guardian Towerâs master?â
â...â
Michelle chewed her lip a little. Nothing special about being a Guardian Towerâs master? Sheâd never heard something more ridiculous in her life. Being a Guardian Towerâs master was a special thing. But she quickly smoothed out her expression.
She kept her voice soft, like she was talking to a friend. âCan I ask you one thing?â
The fight between the Guardian Towers was taking a short pause. Hyukjin nodded.
âYes, ask away.â
His expression was utterly relaxed. It was true that he was feeling relaxed, but he exaggerated it. While they talked, even more Guardians would enter the channel, which would cause Americaâs flagship Guardians to turn their attention to him a little more. His every move was calculated to achieve that end.
âThat Guardian Tower is also a Tintin, correct?â
âYes, thatâs right.â
âWhat is that red marble at the top?â
âI donât know, either.â
Lies!
The word almost sprang from Michelleâs lips, but she didnât show it. How could a Guardian Tower Master not know about their own Guardian Tower? That was a lie. However, she didnât press the issue.
âThen am I correct in assuming your Guardian Tower experienced great growth because of that red marble?â
âMost likely, yes. I think so.â
It was something even the Shepherd Boy was antsy to get his hands on. It probably had a big influence on Tintinâs strength.
âIn that case, would you sell that red marble to me?â
That moment, the two of them heard a series of notices.
[The âHerdsman of Las Vegasâ takes notice of the proposal.]
[The âMerchant of Veniceâ watches the situation with interest.]
The two Guardians were paying close attention.
[The âHerdsman of Las Vegasâ declares a temporary ceasefire.]
[The âWar Fieldâ has been changed to the âCeasefire Fieldâ.]
Hyukjin smiled to himself.
âThe Herdsman of Las Vegas seems rather excited, doesnât he?â
Not only that, but the Merchant of Venice was heated up as well. A sudden trade? And with the Red Eyes on the line?
âI wonât sell it anyway.â
The two Guardians would likely get directly involved to make the Red Eyes sellable. However, Hyukjin had zero intent to sell it.
âWell, letâs just listen to her opening bid.â
The two Guardians were worked up. He would twist this situation as much as possible in his favor, just as he had done all this time.