NoveLight ™
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Axion asked, his face stiff with tension.
“Th-that’s...!”
He had to grit his teeth in frustration as he awaited the answer.
Crack!
After hearing that Axion was destroying the bases of other factions, Theo and Ray decided to change their strategy.
“I just had a thought.”
“...?”
“What if we turn the tables on them?”
“Turn... the tables?”
“Yeah. If they realize their base is constantly being raided, they’ll get pretty pissed off. Plus, it’ll let us rack up points quickly.”
Ray nodded, considering it a good idea.
She was filled with rage after barely escaping the brink of death while dealing with Axion and the Cultivation Society.
Moreover, Axion was maintaining his first-place rank by stealing the scores that the participants from the Cultivation Society were supposed to earn.
As someone who had always remained in second place, Ray wanted to pull Axion down somehow.
“Besides, it’s not just Axion who’s targeting us, right? Who knows what else might pop up, so if we’re going to clean house, we might as well do it all at once.”
“That’s a good point.”
“Let’s do it, then.”
Theo nodded.
What he desired was not simply victory.
One that would make everyone fear him, bow before him, and automatically lower their heads.
A definite victory that everyone would have to acknowledge.
The Cultivation Society, the Plum Blossom Palace, the Central Security Bureau, the Senate... even those who looked down on him would have to accept his triumph.
For that, Axion needed to be the scapegoat.
If this plan succeeded, the name Theo Ragnar would no longer be merely recognized as the heir of the Rose Palace, but as the “Heir of the Camellia Palace,” firmly etched in people’s minds.
“Alright. I’ll help with whatever you need.”
Ray nodded, seeing the cold smile on Theo's face.
She was already internally promising to repay the debt she owed him again.
Thus, the alliance between Theo and Ray began.
And...
“What’s going on here?”
“Theo Ragnar! Ray Ragnar is also here!”
“What the hell...! Why are they here of all places...!”
From that moment on, they began to swiftly raid the safe zones occupied by the Cultivation Society.
The safe zones, with minimal personnel left behind, stood no chance against Theo and Ray.
Totems were shattered, and monsters were summoned.
After hunting them, all the stocked supplies were thoroughly destroyed.
This was why Theo and Ray were able to rapidly accumulate points.
Thanks to this, as each day passed, their mid-term ranks rose swiftly.
<Mid-term Rankings>
1st. Ray Ragnar (611 points)
2nd. Axion Ragnar (590 points)
3rd. Wellington Narcio (526 points)
4th. Theo Ragnar (500 points)
...
Theo, who had been in the mid-tier, had suddenly surged to 4th place.
<Mid-term Rankings>
1st. Ray Ragnar (654 points)
2nd. Axion Ragnar (600 points)
3rd. Theo Ragnar (573 points)
4th. Wellington Narcio (531 points)
...
Now, he had reached 3rd place.
<Mid-term Rankings>
1st. Ray Ragnar (674 points)
2nd. Theo Ragnar (612 points)
3rd. Axion Ragnar (610 points)
...
He had now surpassed Axion to take 2nd place.
“Find them! We have to locate those bastards somehow!”
From that moment on, Axion began to rage in search of Theo and Ray.
However, it was difficult to find them due to their small numbers and their elusive movements.
Even if he managed to find them, they had likely left long ago by the time he arrived.
<Here we are>
<Too late, just wiped my feet and left>
<Can’t you all try harder? Even slugs are faster than you guys.>
Moreover, Theo and Ray left mocking phrases at the places they had stayed, driving Axion to despair.
As a result, nearly 70% of the base that the Cultivation Society had painstakingly built crumbled away,
And their strength was scattered, causing many to retire.
But the bigger problem was.
In chasing after Theo and Ray, Axion had wasted significant time, causing him to fail to accumulate points properly.
In the end,
<Mid-term Rankings>
1st. Theo Ragnar (721 points)
2nd. Ray Ragnar (718 points)
3rd. Axion Ragnar (622 points)
...
Theo had unexpectedly claimed the top spot.
“AAAH!”
Clatter!
Axion, driven mad, began to throw everything within reach to the ground.
“Theo Ragnar, Theo Ragnar, Theo Ragnar...!”
His eyes were bloodshot with rage.
Ed’s words about rescuing Theo from the Senate Director’s hunting dogs had long been erased from his mind.
It felt like he would be satisfied only by killing Theo.
“Ax, Axion...!”
At that moment, one of his subordinates cautiously called out to Axion.
As Axion’s irritated gaze fell on him, the subordinate began to sweat profusely and spoke slowly.
“People from the Plum Blossom Palace... have arrived...”
“From the Plum Blossom Palace?”
Axion frowned in confusion.
“Y-yeah... And also from the Senate...”
From the Plum Blossom Palace to the Senate?
It was an odd combination.
However, the common factor here was the name Theo Ragnar.
Axion stood up.
“Call them over.”
“Lately, it’s said that your face has become quite a sight because of Theo Ragnar. Is it really that bad?”
Felix, a training swordsman affiliated with the Plum Blossom Palace, was exceptionally talented and was considered a top candidate to be accepted as a disciple by the Palace Master if she ever took in students.
But such speculations had vanished completely with the appearance of Theo.
Because of this, Felix harbored intense animosity toward Theo.
So much so that he ignored the message delivered through the examiner from the Plum Blossom Palace.
This was the reason he had come to visit Axion.
Thud!
The blades of the training swordsmen from the Cultivation Society were pointed at Felix’s neck.
The glint in their eyes was fierce.
“Hey, take it easy. If you pull this off twice, I won’t be leaving here with my life.”
But Felix did not take such threats seriously.
Though hidden behind the genius of North 4, he was indeed quite a talent in his own right.
And across from him...
“Enough with the small talk, let’s get to the point. Everyone here is aiming to stop Theo Ragnar, right?”
The words of Morgan, from the Senate faction, made Axion and Felix turn their gazes toward him.
“Now that we’re sure the Hydra gang is dead, we must catch Theo Ragnar. It’s unacceptable for some filthy commoner to tarnish the noble lineage.”
Morgan continued with a cold, hardened expression.
“So I want to confirm if you’re willing to join forces. Of course, the target of this punishment includes not only Theo Ragnar but also Ray Ragnar and Wellington Narcio, who are helping him.”
Morgan was poised to charge at Theo immediately.
‘Those damn fanatics.’
Axion scoffed at him.
He had a deep disdain for the purists who referred to themselves as “The Order Police of Ragnar.”
Of course, he took great pride in being a direct descendant of Ragnar.
But that was only because he had the skills and talents that befitted a direct descendant, not merely because of his bloodline.
If someone had an outstanding bloodline but lacked skills and talents?
He would have dealt with them himself.
It would be a disgrace otherwise.
But purists didn’t understand this.
For them, what mattered was merely background, status, and bloodline.
Their only merit was that kind of nonsense.
That was how Axion viewed those people.
So he had a deep contempt for Felix along the same lines.
Blinded by envy, he was nursing animosity toward Theo without understanding his position.
A hunting dog must act like a hunting dog and shouldn’t try to become the master.
If he really wanted to be in that position, he should’ve lived thinking for himself... but Felix clearly lacked that kind of ‘thinking.’
Yet, he was in a situation where he needed a helping hand.
Axion decided to quietly watch as those two went wild for a while without knowing their place.
Once it was all over?
‘They’ll have to be dealt with. I’ll make them understand their position.’
Axion’s eyes glinted ominously.
But that was for a brief moment.
Soon, one side of his mouth curled up into a smile.
“Ultimately, whatever our goals are, we can shake hands for now. So, tell me, what’s your plan?”
Felix gulped nervously, feeling the malice emanating from Axion.
He knew very well what happened to those who fell out of Axion’s favor.
That was why he cautiously spoke up.
“There’s a hidden piece in the totem.”
Axion and Morgan didn’t respond, silently urging him to continue.
“I heard that there’s a totem that can summon a purple monster. Let’s set a trap.”
Felix called over one of his companions who had been with him.
Thud!
As he unpacked the bundle he had been carrying, Morgan let out a light gasp.
It was filled with more than a dozen totems.
“We’ll trade this for that.”
Axion chuckled as he read Felix’s mind.
“First, we lead that idiot into a trap with a totem that can summon a purple monster, and then we can summon a bunch of monsters with these totems to attack him?”
“Exactly.”
As Felix nodded heavily, Axion clapped his hands and burst into laughter.
“Wow! Our Felix has grown some guts! I never knew!”
Theo and Ray had been able to rack up points so quickly not only by stealing the Cultivation Society’s totems but also by selectively hunting high-grade monsters.
In other words, if they were to present a totem that could summon a purple monster, Theo would be unable to resist.
Felix was suggesting to set a bomb right here.
No matter how skilled he was, there was no way Theo could handle being surrounded by monsters.
“The goal is to catch Theo Ragnar, no matter what. So, what’s your answer?”
“Sure. Let’s get rid of the remaining totems. The more monsters, the better.”
Axion laughed heartily, then turned his gaze toward Morgan.
“Now that they’re doing this, shouldn’t you be doing something too, Morgan?”
Then he tapped the hilt of his sword with his fingers.
It was a warning that if he refused, he would act immediately.
The implication was that he wanted Morgan to join the conspiracy that would not get out.
Morgan frowned, but soon twisted one side of his mouth and replied.
“Let’s also put up twelve totems. With that, we’ll probably summon over thirty monsters.”
“Oh, big spender, huh?”
“And.”
“Is there more?”
“I’m thinking of bringing two more people into this operation.”
“Who? If you’re bringing in someone who doesn’t know their place, forget it. It’ll just complicate things.”
“You don’t need to worry about that. Axion, you’ll actually like these guys.”
“Who are they?”
Axion tilted his head, trying to recall anyone that would fit the description.
“Hol...!”
Just as Morgan was about to say something, they all felt a chill run down their spines.
At that moment, their gazes turned upward, as if they had agreed upon it.
“What a predictable movement. What should I do?”
From a hill overlooking the woods where Axion, Felix, and Morgan were gathered for their scheme, Theo stood at the edge with a smirk on his face.
They were being overly cautious, apparently trying to keep a close watch on their surroundings, but to someone like Theo, who had spent his life conducting intelligence operations, they seemed utterly clumsy.
Most importantly,
His enhanced vision through spiritual energy was far superior to any ordinary telescope.
From this distance, he could keep an eye on all their movements.
“P-please just let me go...! This is enough, right? It’s enough...!”
At that moment, Orien, bound tightly behind them, was pleading.
It was all thanks to him that they had discovered the hidden safe zones of the Cultivation Society.
His fear of Theo had broken his loyalty to Axion.
Now, however, he had revealed Axion's position.
All he wanted was to flee from this place immediately.
The problem was whether that strange Theo would actually let him go...!
“Alright. A promise is a promise, so I’ll let you go.”
Contrary to his expectations, Theo readily cut the ropes binding Orien with Drake’s blade.
For a moment, Orien was stunned, but then he quickly began to run in the opposite direction.
Just in case Theo would change his mind immediately.
“Is it alright to let him go like that?”
Ray watched Orien’s back and tilted her head, but Theo merely shook his head dismissively, smiling.
“Don’t worry. That guy can’t go anywhere. Regardless of Axion, the Senate Chief won’t just let him go.”
Ray nodded silently.
Surely, she knew that Ed, the man she was familiar with, would not forgive a traitor.
“Then you’ll use that now?”
Theo nodded as he opened the bag he had placed at his feet.
“Let’s show them that we can set traps too.”
Inside were more than thirty disposable artifacts piled high.
These items had originally been placed to hunt the summoned monsters, but what Theo had was brand new and had never been used.
What would happen if a thunderstorm rained down from the sky like fireworks?
Theo thought as he reached into the bag.
The heir of the Sword Clan is living his life.
Good
Nice