Etranger
Chapter 95

“By the way, this place calledSiridSquare is a very strange place,no? It’s said that it’s an area controlled by mercenaries who are affiliated with the Ki-Jang Clan. So, I came by to check it out. I was very curious. Why did you come here? I heard that Archon material caught in the previous hunting event was shared with someone named Dongye of the Dong-Myung Clan. This old man has a lot of curiosity, it’s hard to bear for an older person,you know.However, no matter how much I think about it, it doesn't seem like a friendly treatment toward the Han-Sung Clan,” Hanyoung continued.

Hanyoung’s eyes began to shine stronger and stronger. A little bit of his aura was flowing out, but that small amount of aura alone would make one’s entire body tingle.

As expected, San’s body trembled for a moment. Nevertheless, his reaction was very different from what Hanyoungexpected.

“Would you like to go with me?”

San slowly moved away from Hanyoung.

“Where?” Hanyoung opened his eyes wide and asked.

Hisbody turned a little so that San had room to pass by. Hanyoung frowned.

The aura that he had put out was easily scattered by his opponent. Furthermore, his opponent had gently pushed him aside with his own aura.

“I’m going to start with the Dark Guilds. I need to make sure the goods were delivered properly. I need to also rethink whether I should transact with such a rude customer. Anyway,the Dark Guilds are probably scratching their heads right now because they don’t know what credit-based installment payments mean. If grampswants,you cancome with us,” San offered.

“You can say no if you want…” Biyeon said lightly while following San.

The two were passing by the Han-Sung Clan warriors without asking for Hanyoung’s consent. They passed by the warriors with the smallest of margins, but no one resisted.

“Phew- these rude people.”

TheSecond-level Awakened Warriors,Sounand Sohun, snuck in front of the pair and blocked their path.

“…?”

San paused and looked at the 40-something-year-old second-level Awakened Warrior, Sohun Han. Biyeon also raised her head and looked at Soun Han, a second-level Awakened Warrior in his40’s as well.

San took a step back, turned to his side, and moved forward slowly. Sohun blocked his path again. Biyeon took a step back and followed San.Sounstepped next to Sohun.San turned again and took a step in another direction. Their steps were blocked by the Han siblings once again.

For a while, like children playing a game, they each spun around in a ridiculous manner, one couple trying to get out and another couple blocking their way.The other Han-Sung Clan warriors, with slightly amused expressions, were lined up behind the Han siblings with their swords drawn.

It was like the Han siblings were fooling around with a trapped puppy. With heavily sunken eyes, Hanyoung was staring at the shape San and Biyeon were creating with their movement. While observing he kept rubbing the back of his hands…

San stopped. Biyeon stood behind him.

“Should I go on?”

“Three more laps.”

“Is it meaningful?”

“We have plenty of time right now, no?”

“And next?”

“I’ll followyour lead.”

Sohun frowned while Soun was fiddling with hishilt.

The mission was an assignment handed down by their clan, but the two Han siblings were more interested in the young people who caught the eye and respect of their elder, Hanyoung. The siblings respected Hanyoung highly, so they wanted to meet theseexceptional young people. However, they didn’t know why San and Biyeonwere acting so strangely and ridiculously.

Thus, they decided not to speak with the rude youngsters in front of them.There must have been enough time and opportunity to speak with each other during this silly game, but the siblings just decided to block the pair’s pathwith their bodies. However, what the siblings didn’t know was that their actions were similar to the gangsters who operated in Korea, people that San and Biyeon hated with a fiery passion.

“We’ve finished the last three laps,” San said.

“I guess it couldn’t be helped,” Biyeon responded.

“What’s the operation?”

“Breaking through would be good.”

“Then let’sbreak through! We’ll do whatever we want. Is it done?”

“Yes, the status is good.”

San started squatting. Next, he wiped his gloves and looked forward.

His right hand held an Archon sword and his left held his sheath. Biyeon stuck to San’s back. In front, a dozen Han-Sung Clan warriors were blocking the road as if they were preparing to scrum in a rugby match. The Han siblings were two steps ahead of these warriors. The siblings had mischievous expressions as they stared at San and Biyeon.

San and Biyeon started to let out their aura. The atmosphere suddenly became different, filled with a different dominating aura than the one’s the Han-Sung Clan members had been putting out. The size and shape were also changing into something darker and more insidious.

“Be vigilant. They’re different,”from the back, Hanyoung shouted out.

Sohun tilted his head. He looked to his side. Soun Han frowned a little but hardened hisface and widened hisstride while he strafed back and forth. Hanyoung’s fingertips trembled as he felt an ominous foreboding feeling. This was his instinct that preceded his mind and heart.And when the mind interprets instinct…

Sounopened hiseyes wide. Sohun clenched his fist. Hanyoung had already unsheathed his sword and was preparing to jump into the fray.

Episode 2. Book 5: Investment – Chapter 2

Kwang-

The first sign of their breakthrough operation was a heavy bass sound. It was the sound of San rolling the ball of his feet on the ground and Biyeon stamping the ground.

Pa-Pat-

Before the sound, one could see arc discharges on the tips of their swords. The discharges caused white plasma light to pulse in their surroundings. Then, dazzlingly white light exploded out.

“With delicious freedom,”in the chaos of exploding lights, San’s clear voice rang out.

“For a pleasant liberation!”Biyeon’s cheerful voice followed.

“Let’s go!”“Let’s punish these assholes!”

Thetwo voicesrang together.

The Han-Sung Clan warriors shut their eyes tightly. The white light continued to burst and pulse, temporarily paralyzingtheir sight.The two second-level Awakened Warriors of the Han-Sung Clan were also blinded by the lights. As soon as their visioncame back, they turnedontheir senses.However, a heavy shock wave soon arrived, pushing their bodiesbackward. Their sturdy bodies were easily pushed back from just the shockwave.

‘Extraordinary!’

Sohun Han and Soun Han lowered their postures at the same time. With their eyes closed, they were readying themselves for the enemy’s follow-up attack.This kind of visual confusion technique was a familiar technique on the battlefield. In particular, the combination of electric attacks and remote weapons was the same specialty as the Dong-Myung Clan warriors.

Kwang-

Instead of continuous attacks, another roar rang out once more.Sounopened hiseyes wide.

In front of him, a man and a woman with incandescent light all over them were walking ‘slowly’. They were slowly yet quickly advancing one step at a time.Hefelt that there was plenty of time and room to fight.

“Block!”

But there was nothing that could prevent San and Biyeon from moving forward. All space and all beings were stepping back one step at a time, in line withSan and Biyeon’ssteps forward.

“Keu-Keuk-”

Sohun, who had been blocking from the front, took a step back while unsuccessfully trying to swallow his groans.All the warriors and even their horses staggered backward.Everyone and everythingwas pushed backward, their feet scratching against the ground. It was as if there was a balloon in between the two parties that was pushingone sideaway.

Sounwiped the sweat off hisbrow.

‘Are you competing against us with aura…?Against fifteen warriors, including two Second-level Awakened Warriors?’ he thought. The idea of two people taking on an entire group of warriors with only aura seemed absurd.

San took another step forward. The Archon sword in his right hand started emitting flashes of light. Biyeon followedcloselybehind. She was holding her sword upside down, the tip towards the ground. She raised her sword to eye level before turning it horizontally, parallel to the ground.

All the Han-Sung Clan warriors were breathing heavily. They settled down and took out their blue, metallic swords.They put their backs against each other and started getting into a formation. The ground began to shake at the energy and aura they were collectively outputting.

Thump-thump-thump-thump-

San and Biyeon continued to move forward, one step at a time. The Han-Sung clansmen kept retreating. However, the space between them started tonarrow.

Theareawhere the two auras collide was filled with powerful energy, causing explosions to ring out here and there. The ground was cracking. Through the gaps, strong winds whipped by. Sohun andSounsupported each otherby pushing back on San and Biyeon’s aura, trying to stop the two fromadvancing any further.

Heuk-Heuk-

The smiles and laughs disappeared from the Han-Sung Clan warriors’faces.Theirfacial muscles,whichhad been used to smilejusta moment before, were now rapidly changing to something entirely different.Tendons, veins, and blood vessels start protruding from their skin, ready to explode outward at any minuteas theyreachedtheir physical limits. Their faces were pale due to a lack of blood circulation. Sand and broken stone fragments started whipping around them, creating thick and thin red lines on their faces as they tore off their skin. The wind was already turning into a misty red from the atomized bloodthat was caught up in the whirling winds.

Though the warriors were all veterans that had fought in many battles, they had never faced such an absurd situation before.The single-stage difference in Acceleration capability meant a difference of four times the combat force and four times the speed.What were the Han-Sung Clan members thinking about the two in front of them now?

San clenched his jaw and took another step forward. Thepressurizedspace in between the two parties becamemore chaotic. The Han-Sung Clan warriors clenched their teeth as they tried to hold their ground.They were striving to endure the pressure, but they couldn’t help but be pushed out. They all thought, ‘Why!’

All sorts of questions were dancing in their heads. Why didn’t the captains take charge and swing their swords? However, the Han-Sung Clan captains had no intention to do so. Since the Han siblings complied with the rules set by the opponent, changing the rules was not their style.Currently, there was one understanding.Both sidesimplicitly agreed to duel through aura. However, the collective aura of all the Han-Sung clan warriors was losing out to these two people’s. Also, they belatedly realized that they couldn’tcontend with their adversaries.

“Coming at us like a pack of dogs…”

San’s voice was filled with anger. However, it was not anger that was harsh but tragic.

“You can’t even handle these few steps…”

Biyeon’s voice followed from behind San.

“Wasn’t it you all who dared to block our path? That’s funny. What the hell, Han-Sung Clan!” San shouted out.

The two suddenly stopped moving forward. The Han-Sung Clan warriors rearranged themselves into battleformations. The space that was filled with white light just a moment agocleared up.The sudden vacuum and the unfamiliar silence frightened the Han-Sung Clan warriors.

San raised his head. He looked into Sohun Han’s sharp eyes.San smiled wide, showing off his pearly white teeth. For a very short time, the tight balance broke like glass.Sounopenedhiseyes wide withhismouth half open.Hecrossed his arms and covered his face. Withone foot hastily pulled back…

‘The Philosopher’s Sword’

Hanyoung clenched his fists.Uncommon sense was beating up on common sense.Thepoint in time whenhe could intervene in this battle had already passed. He was anxious about something. He still felt the itch on the back of his hand.Hanyoung opened his eyes wide.When he wastryingto shout out a warning…

‘That’s it! It’s an Archon bone sword…! Surely, they don’t know…?’ Hanyoung thought.

San and Biyeon raised the handle of their swords to eye level before laying them down horizontally, parallel to the ground. Another light burst out from their bone swords.Like a prism that scatters sunlight, the light was split into the visible light spectrum. The rainbow-colored light turned into a wave and swirled around their blades’ leading edges.

San’s sword had a dominant blue color while Biyeon’s was red. The rainbow waves were changing colors and shaking like a whip.

“No!”

Hanyoung opened his mouth to say something. But…

“We’re leaving now.”

“Goodbye…”