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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Zap, zap, zap.
[Aaaaagh! I’m an idiot!]
Na-kyung teleported frantically through the Leviathan’s vast underground facility, the Subterranean Dragon Palace, perched precariously on top of a long case, screaming inwardly.
Stealing a target right from under the nose of a Liberation Brigade Specter… it was an act of madness, something only a dove desperate to end its life by diving into a vat of boiling oil would do.
Of course, Na-kyung had her excuses.
It was instinctive, not premeditated, it just happened… but these sounded more like the ramblings of a bird with an empty head than valid justifications.
[If it weren’t for Team Leader, I wouldn’t have to do this!]
Limon had often said that the Black Abyssal Violin was the best way to dissolve the Constellation’s power solidified within his body, practically the only solution for now.
Na-kyung didn’t fully understand what that meant, but she knew that Limon would be in trouble without it.
That was why she had acted reflexively, snatching the violin the moment she realized it was in danger.
[Damn it! Why are those Liberation Brigade lunatics after this thing?!]
If they had just robbed the vault, she could at least admire their audacity. She cursed their pettiness, risking so much for a single violin.
Then a thought struck her.
‘Wait a minute. Why are they after this?’
Objectively, the Black Abyssal Violin wasn’t that valuable. It was a magical violin that played itself, but if the user couldn’t handle its power, it was more of a cursed item, as Limon had said.
In this Iron Age, overflowing with rare items, it would be considered junk. Its only unique feature was its ability to dissolve the Constellation’s power absorbed by the user.
‘Do they know about that? Does this violin have some kind of secret?’
What was so special about this violin that the Liberation Brigade Specters, rising stars of the criminal underworld, would risk attacking the Seven Dragons Association, the established power, to obtain it?
She pondered for a moment, then shook her head.
‘I can worry about that later! Right now, I need to run!’
Zap, zap, zap.
Her teleportation speed increased, like a writer’s typing speed nearing a deadline. Her range was limited, but by teleporting repeatedly, she could cover considerable distance quickly.
It was a speed only possible for a former high-level player skilled in teleportation, who had also spent her free time exploring the Leviathan.
‘At this rate…!’
She could escape, even from a Liberation Brigade Specter, unless they had a teleportation skill. Just as she felt a surge of hope…
“You’re quite fast.”
…a voice echoed through the hallway, and a hand reached out towards her just as she finished teleporting.
[Eek?!]
Zap!
Instinctively teleporting a short distance, she narrowly avoided the hand. Vellus, the man with braided hair, chuckled at his miss.
“My, my. Two misses in a row. My comrades will never let me live this down.”
He muttered, his tone a mixture of amusement and disbelief. Na-kyung’s eyes widened in terror.
[How… how did he…?]
“I could ask you the same question.”
Vellus narrowed his eyes, looking at the small, fluffy Na-kyung.
“A telepathic, teleporting bioweapon… how did the Seven Dragons Association create something like you?”
[I’m not a bioweapon!]
“Hmm? Are you a player in disguise?”
[…Not exactly.]
“Then you are a bioweapon.”
[No, I’m just a cute and capable pet!]
“Very well. A cute and capable bioweapon.”
[You…]
Ignoring her indignant squawking, Vellus continued with a smile,
“Frankly, I don’t care whether you’re a bioweapon or a future chicken dinner.”
[A future chicken dinner?! You monster! I’ll have you lynched by every animal lover in the…]
“So, how about you stop trying to time your teleportation?”
Na-kyung froze, sweat dripping down her feathers.
[…You’re perceptive.]
“I have a comrade who’s also fond of chattering and exploiting openings.”
[Ahaha, is that so? Oops!]
Zap!
Na-kyung teleported instantly. Her chatter had been a distraction, buying time for her teleportation. But the moment she arrived at her new location, she was horrified.
“You have quite the impatient personality. It’s rude to teleport away while someone is talking.”
[Gah?!]
She had teleported to a higher floor, yet Vellus appeared before her less than a second later.
Na-kyung’s heart skipped a beat as she realized how he had caught up to her so quickly.
‘T-teleportation? He’s a Spatial-type player?!’
Na-kyung felt a wave of despair. Her only advantage as a chick was her ability to escape with teleportation. But if Vellus was a Spatial-type player, that advantage was gone.
“Normally, I would punish you for interrupting me… but I’m rather fond of birds.”
[Thanks, but you’re not my type.]
“…I meant in a pet-loving way, not a romantic way.”
[Oh really? And your point is?]
Na-kyung retorted.
She was a former PAB agent, not some rookie who would cower before a criminal, even in a dire situation. Vellus seemed impressed by her defiance.
“Hand over the case. I’ll let you go in exchange for your courage.”
[You’re joking. You think I’d believe that?]
“It doesn’t matter if you believe me or not. If you don’t hand it over, I’ll just kill you and take it.”
Na-kyung narrowed her eyes.
She wasn’t considering his offer. If she were the type to surrender easily, she wouldn’t have lasted a day working under Limon. And that was precisely why she noticed something.
[If you can just kill me and take it, why haven’t you?]
“I told you, I like birds.”
[A murderer who likes birds? That’s ridiculous.]
“I’m disappointed you find my kindness ridiculous.”
Ignoring his nonsense, Na-kyung racked her brain.
A ruthless criminal, a Specter of the Liberation Brigade, wouldn’t show mercy without a reason. And the only reason she could think of was to prevent her from teleporting away.
‘Why?’
But that didn’t make sense.
‘Why can’t I run away?’
‘Because it would be difficult to catch me?’
‘A Spatial-type player should be able to handle that easily…’
‘It would be faster to just kill me…’
Suddenly, it hit her.
[You’re not a Spatial-type player!]
“What are you talking about?”
[Don’t play dumb!]
It sounded absurd, considering he had just teleported. But Na-kyung was certain. Vellus could teleport, but he wasn’t a Spatial-type player. That’s why it took him time to catch up to her.
He wasn’t confident in chasing her through teleportation, so he was pretending to be merciful to capture her. And if that was true, it explained another inconsistency.
[And you can’t use that skill you used on the guards on me, can you? That’s why you haven’t killed me!]
If he couldn’t catch her, he could just kill her. But he hadn’t. Not because he didn’t want to, but because he couldn’t. If he could have killed her instantly, like the guards, he would have done so already.
Vellus’s eyes turned cold as he listened to her surprisingly accurate deduction.
“You’re quite perceptive for a future chicken dinner.”
[Hmph, I’m an elite bluebird, you know.]
Na-kyung thought furiously. If her guess was correct, she could escape by repeatedly teleporting.
It was a gamble, a deadly game of tag, especially with the added burden of the violin case draining her energy.
‘I’ll just have to tough it out!’
She didn’t hesitate. She just had to hold out until Limon returned.
“I didn’t want to use this…”
Perhaps sensing her resolve, Vellus sighed and opened the book in his hand. He ran a finger across a blank page and spoke,
“Anti-Teleportation Law, enacted.”
Na-kyung froze, not just because of his words, but because she finally got a good look at the book.
Despite its reduced size and weight, it was something she recognized, something she had studied diligently to join the PAB,
‘A law book?’
Why would a Specter of the Liberation Brigade, a group that lived outside the law, carry a law book? Then it hit her, and she paled.
‘Wait, a skill that uses a law book… don’t tell me…?!’
She tried to teleport, but nothing happened. She was stuck. And then she realized, with dawning horror, what Vellus’s skill was.
[Oh my god…!]
A skill that belonged to a Grand Duke-level player who had vanished a few years ago, after reaching Level 99 and being on the verge of becoming a Monarch, a skill that had spawned countless conspiracy theories, a skill that was practically an Absolute Skill…
[The Lawful Grand Duke’s ‘Rule of Law’ ?!]
Na-kyung was horrified, staring at the skill that had allowed a mere Grand Duke to fight the Summoning Monarch to a standstill.
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[Your Text Here]
Thanks fusion!