TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 65
Nakcheon.
The sky that had fallen.
Once an idol to Raiders who reached the eighth floor of the Demonic Bastion.
A man who, in the distant past, led the top Raider team, Black Lion, in the Demonic Bastion.
But now, he was a Ghost consumed by the Demonic Bastion, guarding the edge of the eighth floor to ensure no one could pass to the ninth.
And that too with a body barely held together by the Demonic Bastion’s life-granting powers.
And the sword in Nakcheon’s possession was none other than the Rain Thunder Prime.
The synergy between the Ghost of the Demonic Bastion and the Rain Thunder Prime was undeniable.
Because of this, countless people challenged Nakcheon, either to pass to the ninth floor or to claim the Rain Thunder Prime for themselves.
But the fact that Nakcheon was still alive to this day spoke volumes about the results.
Kraush had made up his mind to defeat Nakcheon and claim the Rain Thunder Prime.
[It’s been a while since I’ve been here too.]
A voice from Crimson Garden, gazing out the window at Lavala, reached Kraush’s ears.
True to her nature as an Immortal, it seemed she had visited the Demonic Bastion City, Lavala, before.
“Crim, do you even have any servants in Lavala?”
[None. It’s not worth spending my time in a place like this.]
Hearing that, Kraush narrowed his eyes.
Just like with the First Spirit Master.
Crimson Garden seemed to have played a role in numerous historical events.
Before the Regression, he hadn’t had time to talk with Crimson Garden, so he wasn’t particularly curious.
But now, he found himself brimming with questions.
“Just asking, but you didn’t create the Demonic Bastion or anything, did you?”
The Demonic Bastion, now in ruins, was the ultimate masterpiece of a mad weapons engineer from the ancient civilization of Byzantium, which existed long before the Empire.
When Kraush asked if Crimson Garden had any connection to it, she let out a wry laugh.
[Do you think I meddle in everything in the world? I’ve only been caught up in a few incidents by chance.]
It seemed this wasn’t one of those incidents.
[I only know that some World Erosion Being was quite close to that weapons engineer.]
“You’re talking about the Dwarf, right?”
The moment Kraush casually mentioned it, Crimson Garden froze.
[This damn Regressor.]
Crimson Garden’s expression showed her annoyance at having her attempt at a cryptic remark stolen.
She must have felt like she’d been blindsided while trying to act mysterious.
As Kraush let out a slight chuckle, the carriage jolted to a stop.
“We’ve arrived.”
At that moment, the coachman’s voice accompanied the sound of the door opening.
And as expected, Aliod was there.
Aliod stepped back to allow Kraush to disembark comfortably, and Kraush stepped out of the carriage.
Perhaps it was his recent growth spurt, but he had grown noticeably taller.
The carriage, which had seemed so tall before, now posed no challenge.
When he last checked the mirror, he noticed that even the baby fat on his face had begun to fade.
Kraush had always hit growth milestones early.
Now, he had shed his childish appearance and was more of a boy on the brink of adolescence.
“Bianca.”
Kraush, who had stepped out first, extended a hand to Bianca, who naturally took it and followed him out.
“It’s big.”
Bianca gave a succinct evaluation as she looked up at the building.
As she said, the building before them was indeed massive.
The Demonic Bastion was designated as a neutral zone by both the Empire and the Kingdoms.
This was because the products from the Demonic Bastion were too far for either the Empire or the Kingdoms to monopolize.
To ensure equal distribution of these products, they had designated this area as a neutral zone.
And the place established through the cooperation of the Demonic Bastion was the Raider Guild.
Kraush opened the guild’s doors and stepped inside.
As Kraush entered, a few Raiders cast glances in his direction.
Even from their outfits, it was clear: two noble children accompanied by a butler.
It was unmistakably the image of a Young Master visiting the Demonic Bastion for some amusement, so the Raiders quickly averted their gazes.
Even in this neutral zone, everyone knew better than to pick a fight with a noble for no reason.
Without paying them any attention, Kraush walked straight to the reception desk at the back.
The receptionist immediately recognized Kraush as a noble and greeted him with a very polite smile.
“Welcome. I’m Chelloe, the guide of the Demonic Bastion Raider Guild. What can I help you with today?”
“I’d like to issue a pass.”
“Ah, a pass. I’ll need to verify your identity. Is that alright?”
Without hesitation, Kraush presented the crest of Balheim.
At the sight of it, the receptionist flinched belatedly.
“B-Balheim.”
In that instant, all eyes in the room fixated on him.
The Raiders here weren’t ordinary folk; they were a capable bunch.
There was no way they wouldn’t recognize the name Balheim.
As they stared in astonishment, Aliod turned his head toward them in warning.
At that, the gazes scattered quickly.
“Ah, it’s been confirmed. Please wait a moment.”
“While you’re issuing the pass, I’d like to make one more request.”
“Oh? Yes, of course, go ahead.”
Hearing that, Kraush slowly smiled.
And then, he added a statement that would undoubtedly cause a stir.
“I’d like to post a recruitment notice for an eighth-floor raid team.”
It was time to leverage the name of Balheim.
＊ ＊ ＊
Eighth-floor Raid Recruitment Notice.
Normally, such a notice would’ve been met with scoffs, but this time was different.
And for a good reason—this notice came from none other than a direct descendant of Balheim.
“A direct descendant of Balheim is raiding the eighth floor?”
“What the hell, why is Balheim suddenly doing this?”
The eighth floor, where countless attempts had failed due to Nakcheon.
It was no surprise that the news spread like wildfire throughout all of Lavala.
Most people reacted with skepticism.
The Demonic Bastion wasn’t a World Erosion but a remnant of some past existence.
For ordinary nobles, the byproducts of the Demonic Bastion might be enticing enough to catch their eye.
But Balheim, a name renowned across the world, had no reason to bother with it.
Yet Balheim had declared an eighth-floor raid in the Demonic Bastion.
“Are they after the Rain Thunder Prime?”
“But it’s Nakcheon we’re talking about. Is it even possible?”
Nakcheon, a Ghost at the Master level, of whom there were fewer than a thousand in the world.
While Masters were common in the Skyborne Generation, few reached that level within the Demonic Bastion.
And all of Nakcheon’s former comrades had succumbed to the passage of time, leaving him the sole survivor.
There had been challengers to the eighth floor in the past, but that was ancient history.
Currently, the Demonic Bastion operated only up to the seventh floor.
Of course, if the Empire or the Kingdoms decided to commit fully, it would be possible to defeat Nakcheon.
However, deploying Master-level talent outside their borders was not a cost-effective decision.
What if their forces failed and perished against a Master-level Ghost like Nakcheon?
Not only would it be a massive loss of human resources, but it would also tarnish their nation’s prestige.
That’s why no one was willing to take the risk.
Thanks to that, Rain Thunder Prime had remained firmly in Nakcheon’s grasp until now.
“But Balheim, you say?”
A long time had passed since Nakcheon had occupied the end of the eighth floor.
Now, a direct descendant of Balheim had appeared, declaring their intent to defeat Nakcheon.
“Wouldn’t the raiders who once attempted the eighth floor all gather?”
At that time, when everyone’s hopes were pinned on one individual—
Kraush was yawning lazily at the guild hall.
‘Slower than I thought.’
Were they just testing the waters?
Kraush lightly tapped the desk with his finger as he observed those hesitant to gather, despite the recruitment notice.
It had been an announcement aimed at descending to the eighth floor as quickly as possible.
Who would have thought the raiders would be so reluctant to move?
[Do you know the defining trait of those just about to step onto the threshold of a Master?]
At that moment, Crimson Garden, resting on the table, sneered.
[They delude themselves into thinking the world lies beneath their feet.]
Kraush didn’t particularly deny the statement.
Between an Expert and a Master, there existed a wall.
And countless people found themselves unable to overcome that wall, no matter a lifetime of effort.
Now, they were standing right before that wall.
And what did that mean?
It was akin to declaring oneself a genius unparalleled in the world.
[Without realizing that this is where true geniuses and mediocrities are separated.]
A Master’s levels were far more intricate than an Expert’s.
Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Peak, Perfection, and Zenith.
That single wall was far taller than the one breaking into the beginner stage of a Master.
[In the past, we only had terms like Beginner, Perfection, and Zenith, but heavens, these days people love adding so many embellishments. Do you know how laughable it is that your generation doesn’t even understand the romance of being the best under heaven?]
Kraush looked at Crimson Garden incredulously, as if asking what era she was talking about.
‘She really is like that old man. Well, they must’ve lived through the same times.’
Whenever Kraush looked at Crimson Garden, he often recalled an old man who had once helped him.
An individual who had taught him to handle curses just enough to protect himself and had long since retired, waiting for his final days.
‘I wonder where he might be now.’
That man’s habit of rambling about things like the Yongbong Assembly or measuring aura in units of “gap” was so reminiscent of Crimson Garden.
Not that Kraush had any need to meet him now, as he had become the greater expert on curses.
“So, what’s your point?”
[The riper the rice, the more it bows its head. Conversely, unripe rice doesn’t know how to bow.]
Crimson Garden spoke as if it were a self-evident truth.
[Then wouldn’t it make sense to force them to bow?]
Force them to bow, huh.
Kraush responded with mild disbelief.
“If you think about it, I’ve only just stepped into the Peak stage of an Expert.”
It wasn’t long ago that he’d been thoroughly beaten by Charlotte, who had entered the beginner stage of a Master.
At Kraush’s self-deprecating comment, Crimson Garden reacted with exasperation.
[Thanks to Lunar Body, isn’t it relatively easy for you to sustain Annihilation Erosion? Staying in that realm, there’s no way you’d lose to those you like to toy with. By now, even those at the beginner stage of a Master are no real problem for you, and everyone knows it.]
Not that Kraush outright denied it.
Still, if it was purely about his level of mastery, the reality was that he was still far from a Master, and Kraush couldn’t help but react awkwardly.
“You used to say I was miles away from it.”
[That’s because, by my standards, you were far away.]
Such arrogance was typical of Crimson Garden.
Meanwhile, Kraush noticed Bianca, who was nodding off as though she might soon rest her head on the table.
She had insisted on waiting with him and had been sitting beside him the entire time, clearly drowsy.
Kraush gently cradled her head, letting her rest on his lap as he sat on the sofa.
Bianca wriggled slightly, nestling deeper into Kraush’s embrace.
“Well, if they won’t come…”
Kraush shaded Bianca from the sunlight streaming through the window and spoke.
“…Going to find them myself wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
After all, making others bow their heads was his specialty.
That meant the first target had to be chosen carefully.
Scanning through the list of those who had reached the eighth floor, Kraush made his decision.
It’s this one.