WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

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Chapter 189: Say You Want to Live - 5

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"Pleasure to meet you. I'm the top-ranked student in my middle school, a rising star in the host world, a custom private tutor and matchmaker, a legend among pickpockets, and a gambler who never loses. The children's idol, a kind caretaker, and the illustrious one-time convict, Magician Hughes."

It was a flashy introduction, but every part of it was trivial when examined closely. Every title was based on a true story. I was such a pitiful petty criminal that even if I wanted to exaggerate, there was nothing to exaggerate.

Having guessed my identity, Ulfen slowly nodded.

"Magician. I've heard of you. They say you're a legendary petty criminal from the back alleys."

"You're making me blush."

"Seeing that even the kingdom's shadows could not find you, I thought the rumors might not be empty...."

My life hadn't been a complete waste. Even a Tantalus escapee had heard my name.

Rumors were like shadows and echoes. They naturally grew larger than the truth. Ulfen would overestimate my abilities too, wouldn't they?

"Strange. In my day, 'legend' was not a title so easily earned. Was the military state so lacking in mystery that it had to revere even petty criminals?"

Was that a backhanded insult disguised as praise?

Sorry, but if we were fighting with trash talk, you'd lose a hundred times out of a hundred. If the world ran on words, I'd be its only god.

Now then, let me show you how a mind reader tears into someone's heart.

"I found it strange too. I thought the kingdom's shadows might be vain, but at least capable."

I stopped there, let out a long sigh, and muttered as though disappointed.

"Who would've thought you were a rat that tucked its tail and ran, even in Tantalus? You're too pathetic to wear the Tantalus escapee brand. How am I supposed to brag about escaping Tantalus now?"

Trying to deal with me through provocation? They had a long way to go. Mind reading was an ability well-suited to winning others' favor, but it was even better at stirring up hostility.

When I mentioned Tantalus, Ulfen raised their brows slightly at the unexpected information.

"...You know about Tantalus?"

"I went there once myself. How could I not?"

Ah, right. By that logic, they were my senior.

I gave a brief salute to my senior, who had been imprisoned in Tantalus before me.

"Nice to meet you, senior. I was part of Tantalus's second class of inmates. I lived peacefully in Tantalus while you were all gone, then after about three months, I broke the Abyss and escaped. It wasn't much. How did you end up trapped there for nearly twenty years?"

"...Your boasting is excessive. Is surviving in an abandoned Tantalus really something worth flaunting?"

"Does it really sound like boasting?"

Be scared. Let my bluster scare you. The more of a monster I became in your mind, the more power I'd be able to wield.

I took light steps to the side as though on a stroll. Drawing out as much time as I could with meaningless footsteps, I chose words that would pique Ulfen's curiosity.

"Have you ever faced the Progenitor Tyrkanzyaka's Black Knight? Fought the King of Dogs? Revived an immortal left behind with all four limbs torn off, then hung on while Jiseon flipped the ground over?"

I did not tell lies. Still, even if something was true, I did not mention anything too unbelievable. It had to sound plausible.

If the other person's imagination could not reach it, boasting was nothing but empty air. Even if I said I'd driven a skewer through Tyrkanzyaka's heart and outwitted Jiseon, it would only invite suspicion.

'The Progenitor, the immortal, the Beast King. Things that were in the Abyss. This doesn't sound like something he merely heard. Only someone who saw it firsthand would know that the sorcerer tore the immortal's limbs apart.'

They made their judgment quickly. Ulfen accepted that I had been to Tantalus. At the same time, they raised their guard and began focusing on my every movement.

That did not mean they intended to turn tail and run.

Ulfen may have had stupid subordinates, but they were not as stupid as I thought.

'Now that we have met, a fight cannot be avoided. Under any circumstances.'

Right. I expected this.

Rationally speaking, fighting once we had come face-to-face was the correct answer. If I was bluffing, they needed to fight to find out. Even if I was not bluffing, they needed to resist with everything they had.

Besides, they were confident in their own skill. They would not tuck their tail just because they were afraid.

'He is an opponent I would have to face eventually if I want hegemony over the back alleys.'

Hegemony while aiming for the back alleys? Was that modest or grandiose?

I understood. They wanted to live in luxury. They wanted wealth and glory without having to watch anyone's mood.

Then they should become everyone's friendly neighbor like me. Why did they have to kill people to rule over them? What a waste.

"Was it you who disrupted my plan, Magician?"

"That's right."

"Why did you resist me?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

They had already been serious enough to be boring, but Ulfen asked with complete gravity.

"Magician. I heard that you have not built up a faction of your own. Then was it not also your wish for the existing powers to be pushed aside?"

"That's ridiculous. Let me ask you the opposite. Why are you trying to clean out the back alleys? Why go after people who have nothing to do with you?"

"Strange. Is it not natural to tear down what is already there if one wishes to build a new foundation?"

Within Ulfen's worldview, there was no reason for them to bow their head or tread carefully for anyone's sake. They were stronger than anyone in the back alleys.

I was reminded again that Ulfen came from the kingdom era.

The kingdom was a harsh world ruled by survival of the fittest, where the strong claimed everything through duels.

For Ulfen, who had been born, raised, and ruled there, the strong taking from the weak was as obvious as the sun rising in the east.

Astonished, I asked again.

"Yet someone like you learned the energy art of a coward? You hide when someone looks stronger than you, then try to win through ambush when they seem evenly matched?"

"That is the law of the world. The strong take, and the weak lose. For the weak to survive, they have no choice but to hide themselves. But I am stronger than them, and they did not hide. I will take everything from them."

There was no getting through to them. Haa, people like this really were...

Boring.

"How one-dimensional. Maybe you'll come to your senses once the military state cracks your skull open."

"Unfortunately, that opportunity will not come. Not for you, nor for the military state."

The moment they finished speaking, a dagger flew at me without warning. In a military state alley lit only by faint streetlamps, it was a killing dagger wrapped in murky darkness, impossible to see or hear.

'Let's test him.'

Its target was my right foot. Human eyes were slow to notice things that did not come straight at them, so Ulfen intended to exploit that blind spot.

'The right foot first. An invisible dagger. How will you respond?'

It did not matter if I was already reading them. I lifted my right foot slightly, then put it down again just before the dagger struck the ground.

Thud. The dagger embedded in the ground beneath my right foot trembled faintly. I spread my arms leisurely and shrugged as if to ask whether that was all.

Standing lightly atop the dagger, I must have looked as though I had caught a flying dagger with my foot.

Ulfen became even warier after seeing that.

'He is no ordinary petty criminal. Be cautious. Treat him as a knight and crush him thoroughly.'

The time I could buy with words had passed.

From here on, buying time depended entirely on my own ability.

"Ulfen Fenstein, legend of a bygone era. Isn't it about time for a generational change? Please fade into history now."

"If you have the right to make that happen."

Ulfen drew their main weapon, a short sword. It was an awkward length, longer than a dagger but shorter than a long sword, and it seemed to symbolize who they were.

The instant they raised their energy arts, murky energy surged over the blade and soon made it invisible.

The symbol of shadows and the finest technique for close combat. The Shadow Blade, which never showed an opponent its range.

Even knowing the sword was there because I could read Ulfen's thoughts, I tensed up. If anything went wrong, the invisible blade would burrow into my body.

"You will need to perform an extraordinary magic trick to survive, Magician."

In response, all I had was a deck of cards.

I spread them out. In an instant, around fifty cards fluttered through the air. When I pretended to shuffle them and clapped my hands, the dozens of cards vanished without a trace.

Only the short spear I had converted beforehand remained.

Gripping it with both hands, I faced them.

"Let's have a round, has-been."

Ulfen's figure vanished. The invisible blade came at me immediately after.

The short sword, whose length I could not judge, aimed for my shoulder. If I did not have mind reading, the fight would have ended there. I had no way of knowing how far the blade reached.

'Attack by the narrowest margin and watch his reaction. Magician, can you discern the sword's range?'

With mind reading, though, I clearly sensed their intention. It was a light slash delivered from a distance, allowing them to retreat at any time.

Then I had no reason to be afraid. I twisted my shoulder slightly and thrust my spear forward. Its blade shot straight toward Ulfen.

'Sharp. His reaction is fast. But....'

Clang. The short sword easily knocked my spear aside. For an instant, it felt as though someone had grabbed my spear and yanked it away.

The difference in length between the short sword and spear was overwhelming, yet I was the one shaken more violently. It had only been deflected, but my grip throbbed and the spearhead swayed weakly.

As though that too had been a trick, I steadied the trembling spear and thrust again. Ulfen no longer overreacted to my attack.

'He is sharp, but his strength and speed do not seem impressive. Then shall we test our strength against each other?'

With that thought, black, sticky energy clung to their short sword. The energy, like black mud, touched my spear, coiled around it, and refused to let go.

They intended to turn this into a contest of pure strength.

Tch. They could smell weakness perfectly. If we competed in strength like this, my pathetic physical power would be exposed.

It could not be helped. The spear was a shame to lose, but...

I released the unmoving spear and drew a card from my sleeve.

Diamond 9, Hand Axe.

A hand axe shaped perfectly for throwing appeared in my left hand. I kicked the stuck short spear upward with my knee, then hurled the axe while concealing it behind the spear's shadow.

The razor-sharp axe spun through the air and flew at Ulfen's chest as though to split it open. Ulfen reacted to the axe that had appeared without warning.

'A card turned into a weapon. Alchemy?'

Should they deflect it with bullet-deflecting energy or dodge it?

Their deliberation was brief. Ulfen did not gamble with their own safety. The spinning axe thrown from so close was too awkward to deflect with bullet-deflecting energy.

'Dodge.'

Ulfen turned their body sharply. Their cloak billowed, and both spear and axe slipped uselessly past their shoulder. They landed lightly, their sharp eyes examining my hands and feet.

'The spear is not his main weapon. Alchemy? Or another weapon?'

None of them were my main weapon. I did not have one to begin with.

I had already used up two cards. It would be nice if I could retrieve them, but I would not have the leisure.

This opening was my chance. As they stepped back, I took off running into the alley.

When I showed them my back and ran, unbearable confusion appeared on Ulfen's face.

'Running away? I cannot understand his tactics at all. He cannot be unaware of how disadvantageous it is to show one's back in a fight.'

Showing your back in a fight was disadvantageous because you could not see behind you. If you could not see behind you, you could not grasp your opponent's attacks. Running away was disadvantageous, whether on a battlefield or in a duel.

For me, with mind reading, there was little difference between showing my back and facing them. I could read their attacks either way.

No, showing my back was better because it made the other person let their guard down.

'Throw daggers and approach cautiously.'

Why did they have an endless supply of daggers? It was not as though they made and carried them with cards like I did.

I grumbled only briefly before the two daggers Ulfen fired came straight for my back. The instant the daggers left Ulfen's hand, I rolled forward. A chill brushed across my back. Part of my cloak was torn away.

It was made from fairly expensive materials, but Ulfen's energy arts were especially sharp. I probably should not expect much protective power from it.

'He sensed the daggers flying at his back. His energy sense is excellent. Then what if I spread my energy everywhere? Let us see if he can still sense it.'

Darkness suddenly bloomed. Energy spread in every direction, filling the street like fog as it approached. If someone unfamiliar with the situation happened to see it, they might have thought dust was pouring down because of a landslide somewhere.

Ulfen concealed themself within the rolling shadows and tried to rush me from inside them.

Then they saw the revolver hidden beneath my cloak and hesitated.

'A gun? Can alchemy create guns as well?'

Diamond 6, Revolver.

Five diamonds remained after I had fired one shot before. The opportunity would be gone unless I acted now, while they had thinned out their bullet-deflecting energy to spread their power.

Click, click. I brought the secretly converted revolver to my waist. Holding down the trigger, I struck the hammer and fired five bullets in an instant.

Bang bang bang bang bang.

At short intervals, I fired accurately through the darkness at their real body. Arm, leg, chest, forehead, leg. Bullets struck all over Ulfen's body.

Ulfen staggered for a moment from the rapid string of impacts.

'I do not know. I cannot accurately gauge his skill. One thing is certain. His energy sense is unnaturally outstanding.'

Yet even thinned bullet-deflecting energy easily stopped something on the level of bullets. The rounds failed to pierce not only their body but even their black clothes, falling helplessly to the ground.

Ulfen gathered their energy. The power that had spread in every direction seeped back into their nose and mouth.

It looked as though Ulfen were swallowing darkness.

'Then I will give up concealing myself. A crude head-on fight... It is not my specialty, but it is the only option.'

Having finally recognized their advantage, Ulfen chose to become stupid instead of thinking.

Black Shadow Qi Art was an assassination energy art that swallowed light and sound to conceal the user, then sought the opponent's openings. That was why it was normal to use it as Ulfen had, spreading it all around to deceive the enemy's senses.

Ulfen boldly abandoned that method.

They drew the energy they had been uselessly spreading back into their body. Rather than scatter it everywhere to obscure my sight, they concentrated it within themself to strengthen their power.

It was a brutish use that had nothing to do with its original purpose. But...

'I will settle this with strength and energy arts alone.'

That was exactly what I could not handle.

Ah, I was doomed.

Footnotes:

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