SWNOVELXO Chapter 41
[“The ‘Unique Ability Seal’ has been used.”]
Just like the camcorder, the Unique Ability Seal must be a special item as well. Seeing that its use was broadcasted across the entire field immediately.
As I ran through the dark, sloping cave, I thought about another special item that had put me in this predicament—the camcorder.
I searched for it on the status window and, despite my frantic sprinting, managed to read and understand it.
Special Item
Has two functions:
1: The user records desired scenes directly onto the camcorder. It transmits to the intended target.
2: The broadcaster and recipient are both under the camcorder’s broadcasting function. The scenes from both sides are transmitted to all participants in the field.
So everyone in the field, not just the viewers, was watching me run like this? Let them. The more intense my situation, the more engaged the viewers will be.
As long as I win in the end… as long as that poor kid reaches me safely.
Breathless, I finally arrived at my destination.
A vast, open space. Small fires lit various spots, casting the waiting figure’s shadow on the cave walls, making it look like a giant monster.
“Long time no see?”
Ispan lowered the camcorder he had been holding and smiled.
My eyes quickly assessed the distance between us and the red-haired boy behind Ispan.
Too far. With my unique ability sealed, it seemed impossible to bypass Ispan and reach Akata.
Moreover, someone was guarding Akata. Probably one of Ispan’s lackeys, who averted his gaze as soon as our eyes met.
The smell of Akata’s blood was overwhelming, reaching all the way to me.
I tried to avoid looking at him, but it was nearly impossible.
Seeing my reaction, Ispan laughed again.
“Akata, the one who caused your misery is here. Shouldn’t you welcome him?”
“……”
Hearing Ispan calling out to the boy he had relentlessly beaten as if they were friends made my insides churn.
When Akata didn’t respond, Ispan signaled to the lackey, who then prodded Akata’s back.
Akata flinched slightly but didn’t even groan.
Wait, Akata seemed in worse condition than I had known.
“Oh, was I only supposed to break bones every three minutes outside the cave? But I got so bored waiting for you to arrive.”
Both his ankles and wrists were shattered.
I finally lost my composure and lunged at him.
* * *
There were three men waiting indefinitely without their leader.
Two were top-tier players, and one was a lower-tier player who had just been invited to join the guild.
To pass the time, the three hunted repeatedly while waiting.
When Gio ambushed a wolf from behind and dragged it over, Nahean would finish it off with his sword to gain experience points.
“Does this even have any meaning?”
Nahean, after killing the eighth wolf, looked back at the blond man.
With his killing stat being ‘Low,’ Nahean found the sensation of killing wolves creepy and unpleasant, eventually expressing his reluctance to continue.
“Once we gather those who weren’t chosen on the second day, you’ll undoubtedly have the best stats among them. Rudel is considering appointing you as the squad’s commander.”
“Me??”
Nahean dropped his sword. The idea was so unexpected that his face went pale.
“If you’re going to give me such a burdensome position, I can’t do it. Find someone else—”
“Don’t worry too much. We’ll think about it later.”
Unahar had no intention of boosting Nahean’s confidence. That part would be up to Rudel. If Rudel treated Nahean the same way he had treated Unahar when they first met, even the unmotivated boy would soon be shouting, “I’ll take the position!”
‘Rudel will do to Nahean what he did to me…’
The thought made Unahar’s eyebrows twitch, but he tried not to show any other outward sign. He needed to fix this habit of getting irritated at random moments.
The next moment, Unahar turned sharply to Nahean. His golden eyes scrutinized the boy with a calculating, almost petty gleam.
‘Even if Nahean grows up, I’ll still be more captivating.’
He had already made similar assessments with Kanel and Aleon.
So, the three of them each fell into their own thoughts.
Nahean disliked hunting wolves, Unahar was lost in his musings, and Gio was simply hungry.
Aside from these minor issues, their atmosphere was relatively peaceful.
[“The ‘Camcorder’ item has been used.”]
[“With the power of the ‘Camcorder’ item, a real-time video is being transmitted.”]
Until they witnessed the graphic violence unfolding on the screen before them.
Nahean, frowning as he watched the video, suddenly recognized someone on the screen and opened his mouth in shock.
“Yes, that’s what Rudel looks like…”
He muttered in a daze.
“Hey, you said you’d let me meet Rudel? Were you lying to me? It doesn’t seem like Rudel is in a position to come here.”
The muscular man staring blankly at the video, and the handsome man with golden eyes wide open, both flinched simultaneously.
Then Nahean added another remark.
“Also… Rudel looks to be in great danger. Should we just stand here doing nothing?”
For the first time, the three of them learned the whereabouts of their guild leader through the video.
They had wondered why he hadn’t communicated. They had no idea he was enduring such humiliation alone while they were off hunting and enjoying themselves.
“So that’s why you didn’t contact us!”
Unahar sprang to his feet, yelling, seemingly forgetting that Nahean was next to him. His golden eyes blazed with cold fury.
However, the video only showed the situation on the other side and did not transmit their conversation.
In the video, their guild leader, Rudel, was fighting with clenched teeth but was getting beaten helplessly.
When the video broadcasted a clear sound of impact, “Thud!”, Unahar closed his eyes tightly and fell to his knees.
Although it was Rudel who was hit, it felt as though Unahar himself was enduring the pain. Blood drops formed on his tightly clenched lips.
He glanced at his comrades with wavering eyes and saw their shocked expressions.
Gio was trembling.
This was the second time Unahar witnessed the burly man losing his composure.
The first time was when he had disguised himself as a monster to threaten Lilith. But now, Lilith wasn’t even on the screen.
Unbelievably, Gio was shaking as he watched the video.
“That guy… I killed him! Buried him in the ground, with my own strength! But now—”
With a voice that sounded as if it had been scraped raw, the man couldn’t continue.
Nahean interrupted him urgently.
“Whoever is attacking Rudel, if he died in the first round, he must have revived. That’s why I’m here too!”
At that moment, a tremendous roar echoed from the ground.
Boom!
Nahean recoiled in shock.
Gio had smashed his fist into a rock, creating thin cracks that spread from the point of impact.
The rock soon split apart, with blood trickling down Gio’s knuckles.
When he raised his head, his expression was revealed. Nahean, stepping back, unconsciously fell to the ground.
The man, who used to leisurely climb trees in the forest, was now filled with intense emotions, gritting his teeth and spewing anger.
‘Rudel is the one who took me out of that small forest and showed me the world, and let me meet Lilith.’
‘I won’t let him die.’
Thud!
The beast leaped off the rock and sprinted madly in one direction.
He didn’t know exactly where the location from the video was or which direction to go.
He just needed to find the cave he saw in the video. He would search the entire field if necessary.
With that thought alone, the man vanished in an instant.
“Where is he going…?”
Nahean asked in a daze, while Unahar’s mind also clicked.
Since Gio went east, he should go in the opposite direction.
They needed to find the cave. Even if it was a foolish endeavor, it was better than doing nothing.
With a bit of luck, they might actually find it.
Their desperate hearts might miraculously lead them to Rudel.
“Should I help search too?”
Nahean’s question made Unahar pause.
This boy wasn’t a formal member of the guild yet.
If they scattered to search for Rudel and Nahean disappeared, either by choice or by force, what then?
If someone found Nahean’s unique appearance appealing and decided to recruit him into their guild, it would prevent him from fulfilling the mission Rudel entrusted him with. However, Nahean had insisted that he wouldn’t enter the guild’s quarters until he met Rudel in person…
“Understand that this is an emergency.”
“What do you—oomph!”
With no other choice, Unahar pressed his palm firmly against Nahean’s forehead.
[Guild Transfer]
[Guild Subordinate: 1/50]
As a result, Unahar essentially kidnapped Nahean and forcibly brought him into the guild.
* * *
Thud!
Blood trickled down my forehead after colliding with the cave wall, turning my vision red.
‘Even as a respectable guild leader, I always end up in pathetic situations.’
I’m probably the most beaten-up character in the entire game.
It’s not a surprising outcome.
Without my unique ability and with unimpressive stats, charging at Ispan was futile. There was no way I could land a proper hit.
While I gasped for breath, a large shadow loomed over me.
If I accidentally let out a pained groan, it would just give Ispan more reason to mock me.
Having cursed me so much after Gio killed him, he must be enjoying this moment of lynching me more than anything else in his life.
This scoundrel, who had once cursed me to death at Gio’s hands, was now thoroughly enjoying beating me up, his grin long gone, replaced with a sinister focus.