Chapter 98

Chapter 23. The One-Horned Tribe (8)

Thud! Thud!

Boom-

The sound of the drum being struck forcefully echoed throughout the courtyard.

The tribe members rose from their seats, following the rhythm of the drum, and danced in circles around the bonfire.

In one hand, they held cups brimming with alcohol high.

After the duel with Zhang, the One-Horned Tribe was holding a light feast to welcome a rare guest.

Of course, the claim that it was a welcome ceremony for Yanwu was just a pretext.

In reality, they wanted to enjoy a moment of leisure before the war began.

The One-Horned Tribe loved drinking and dancing as much as they loved fighting.

Knowing this well, the Martial King had firmly instructed that they should enjoy themselves to the fullest for just one more day.

Thud-

Thud-

'There's always so much laughter here.'

Yanwu suddenly thought as he saw the smiles that never left the faces of the tribe members.

'It doesn’t suit me.'

However, since the event was held for him, he couldn’t easily leave.

He could only hope that time would pass quickly.

Some of the tribe members approached him, pretending to be friendly, and offered him drinks.

Then, something caught Yanwu's attention.

In one corner of the courtyard, people were engaging in a wrestling match. They were competing with nothing but their bare hands, without any special equipment or weapons.

As a result, some of the participants had broken noses or fractured arms, but they laughed and enjoyed themselves throughout the match.

'Was this called wrestling?'

The wrestling of the One-Horned Tribe was similar to the wrestling he knew from Earth, yet quite different.

It was a contest where the participants used only their skills to determine the winner without threatening each other's lives.

While this part was similar, the fact that they could laugh and move on even with broken bones or torn flesh made it seem more practical.

It was a game befitting a tribe that loved duels and valued honor.

Of course, it wasn’t something that particularly appealed to Yanwu, but something else caught his eye.

'Their movements are all concise, and they use the minimum amount of mana to achieve maximum efficiency.'

With his Dragon Horse Eyes wide open, Yanwu saw more than just a simple fight.

The flow of movements, the use of mana, and their thoughts and judgments were all quickly discernible.

What he couldn’t see clearly when facing Zhang was now becoming more apparent.

To Yanwu, it looked like formations and techniques clashing.

The interesting part was that the way they used mana varied greatly from person to person, and the effects produced by these methods were also diverse.

'This is what martial arts are all about.'

Yanwu’s eyes gleamed as he watched the wrestling.

He felt thirsty.

Although he had consumed many elixirs and possessed a tremendous amount of mana, he hadn’t been using it efficiently.

But if he could adopt even one of these methods,

'He could amplify the output of his current mana circuits several times over.'

If he could achieve that, he would be able to perform even better during the war.

So, he watched the wrestling for a long time.

"Are you the one? The new junior who just joined the annex?"

Suddenly, someone blocked his view.

Yanwu frowned and looked up.

It was a large man with a rugged appearance, sporting a thick beard.

The first human he had seen since entering the village.

But he wasn’t particularly interested, so he just stared at him, indicating that he wanted him to move.

The man scowled.

"Didn’t you hear me? If you’re the new junior, you should come and greet me right away. Did you get a big head just because you won a match?"

Only then did Yanwu realize who the man was.

'A guest.'

He had been told that there were already nine other guests in the annex besides himself.

This man seemed to be one of them.

However, he hadn’t heard anything about seniority.

Or rather, it was quite amusing that someone who was just a guest was trying to establish seniority and discipline.

Pfft-

Yanwu couldn’t help but laugh.

"Is this brat laughing now?"

"Move. I can’t see."

"What? Hah!"

Just as the man was about to say something, a voice came from behind.

"Is there a problem?"

It was Edo’s voice.

The man turned his head, looking slightly tense, and met Edo’s cold gaze.

"It’s not that, I just wanted to greet the new member of the annex..."

"I’ll guide the new member to the annex separately, so there’s no need for you to worry. I’d like to set aside some time for introductions later. Is that okay?"

In other words, move.

The man’s lips twitched, and he left abruptly, but not before giving Yanwu a final glare.

Yanwu ignored the man’s gaze and turned to Edo, who had sat down next to him.

"There was no need to do that."

Edo sighed.

"I know, but I didn’t want to cause trouble during the feast."

Yanwu nodded in understanding and took the cup Edo offered.

It was a special fruit wine brewed by the One-Horned Tribe, with a unique and sweet aroma.

"His name is Brak. He’s a player known as 'Black Bull' in the 30th floor. He’s from the Bai Xian family, the same as Zhang."

"I see."

Yanwu replied indifferently. The Bai Xian family being his enemy didn’t matter much to him.

The internal affairs of the One-Horned Tribe were none of his concern.

Edo smiled, reading his expression. She had always known he was like this.

So, she changed the topic.

"I’ve already safely moved the egg to the council chamber."

"Thank you."

"Don’t mention it. We’re the ones who should be grateful. You have no idea how excited the elders were."

While Yanwu was in battle, the council had asked for his cooperation in storing the egg.

In reality, it was more like begging.

A rare subject of interest had finally appeared.

Naturally, for the elders who spent their days idly in the council chamber, it was like a drought-breaking rain. The fact that it was similar to the birth of Xu Mu Long only increased their excitement.

So, the elders asked if they could conduct various investigations while protecting the egg.

They promised not to harm the egg or cause stress to the hatchling.

The desperate look in the elders’ eyes at that moment... he didn’t really want to think about it.

"They’ve already checked the quantity of items in the medicinal storage. From the looks of it, they want to feed the hatchling various elixirs. I’m sure it will be a remarkable creature when it hatches."

"Is that so."

Edo and Yanwu continued their conversation, catching up on things they hadn’t discussed before.

What Yanwu had been doing over the past month.

Yanwu learned about the internal affairs of the One-Horned Tribe as they prepared for war, and Edo was surprised to hear about the events that had transpired while she was with Phoenix.

Edo thought that he was someone who could cause trouble in unexpected ways.

And,

She was a little happy that they could have such a small, casual conversation.

Someone who seemed to have no interest in anything other than his own affairs had come to find them, and that made her very happy.

Seeing a face she hadn’t expected to see for a while was a joy.

And the image of Yanwu pointing at her with a commanding presence, calling her "brother," made her face flush.

Would she ever see that side of him again?

Edo looked at Yanwu’s profile, her heart racing.

His indifferent gaze was fixed on the bonfire in front of him.

'What lies behind this mask?'

Edo was curious, but she didn’t show it. She sensed that there was a reason why Yanwu didn’t remove his mask.

She would wait by his side until he opened up completely and revealed his inner self, without rushing him.

"By the way, Pant?"

While his indifferent side was sometimes disappointing,

"He’s probably going to be busy for a while. He’s leading the vanguard in the Kuram assault. He’s probably sweating it out with the training."

Pfft.

Indeed, Pant and strategic thinking didn’t seem to go well together.

Yanwu chuckled, imagining Pant struggling with his new responsibilities.

"By the way, the chain on your arm, I haven’t seen it before."

At that moment, Edo’s eyes sparkled as she noticed the chain and black bracelet on Yanwu’s right arm.

Yanwu then remembered the Despair of the Black King. He had been so focused on the hatchling’s egg and martial arts that he had temporarily forgotten about it.

"I actually wanted to ask you about this."

"About what?"

"I want you to inspect this artifact with your Wisdom Eye."

"What do you want to know?"

"Just tell me everything you see. The information I can confirm has its limits. It seems to have a few secrets."

"Hmm."

Edo narrowed her eyes and looked at the black bracelet.

The chain, which emitted a dark, obsidian-like glow, looked far from ordinary.

Yanwu watched as Edo’s eyes deepened in thought.

'I hope she can figure something out.'

Actually, Yanwu didn’t want to reveal the artifacts he had obtained as rewards to Edo.

Or rather, he wasn’t ready to reveal them to the public yet.

A unique artifact with a god’s name was a precious treasure that even high-ranking players couldn’t easily obtain.

If it became known that a newcomer who had just passed the 10th floor possessed such an item,

He could become a target for many people and clans.

What Yanwu wanted was attention, not to be a target. Despite passing the beginner’s area with a high score, he still had many shortcomings compared to the top-tier players.

So, he had wrapped Aegis in leather to hide it as a regular shield, but the black bracelet was too conspicuous to hide.

It also wouldn’t come off his arm.

'It’s helpful for controlling familiars, but I need to investigate it more thoroughly. I also need to find out who the Black King is.'

The more he knew about the artifact, the better. It would allow him to discover more ways to use it.

Moreover, the chain and bracelet being connected in a certain way was intriguing.

'The more I look at it, the more it seems like handcuffs.'

A type of restraint used in ancient times to immobilize prisoners who had committed heinous crimes.

The information he had seen also mentioned that it was a "restraint for the Black King."

So, he wanted to confirm it.

"This."

After a long observation, Edo finally looked up, her eyes deeply set.

"It seems to be handcuffs. Very old ones."

Indeed, that was correct.

"Is this a reward you received after passing the 10th floor?"

"Yes."

Yanwu nodded.

He didn’t mention the Olympus treasury. It was true that he had entered the treasury after passing the 10th floor, so he wasn’t lying.

Edo continued, stroking the chain with her hand.

"The material... if I only consider the characteristics, it seems to be divine iron."

Divine iron?

"No, that’s not right. They say there’s only a small amount left in the tower, and there are almost no witnesses, so it couldn’t have been made entirely of it..."

Edo muttered to herself, then shook her head.

"First, it’s definitely handcuffs used to restrain prisoners in ancient times. Specifically, for extremely dangerous criminals who were impossible to handle. The material, I need to examine it more closely to be sure."

Then she asked Yanwu.

"Can you use it?"

"Only the basic options. But there are more hidden options."

"Those are probably still sealed because the artifact is incomplete."

"Incomplete?"

Yanwu’s eyes lit up.

Edo nodded.

"Yes. I’m not sure, but it seems to be missing parts."

Yanwu recalled the line in the description that said "one of three restraints."

Edo was indeed seeing through the black bracelet, but he pretended not to know and asked.

"Really?"

"Based on the design, there should be at least two more parts. Once the remaining parts are combined, the chain should separate completely, and the artifact should regain its true function."

Yanwu clenched his fist.

Edo continued her explanation.

"Common restraints for prisoners usually come in three forms. The first is the handcuffs, like the one you’re wearing."

She pointed to her wrist.

"The second is the ankle chain."

Then she pointed to her ankle.

"The third is a collar, often called a 'ga' or 'hangsul.' I think all three parts are needed."

"I see."

She pointed to her neck last.

Yanwu nodded heavily.

'Three restraints.'

This information was very helpful. He was glad he had asked Edo directly.

His mind, which had been clouded, felt a bit clearer.

Two remaining parts. Two sealed options.

The numbers matched, so finding the remaining parts would allow him to unlock the seals and enhance the artifact’s functions.

Considering it was an artifact created from the destruction of Astra, he was excited to see what it would be capable of when complete.

'The question is where to find the other parts.'

Yanwu asked Edo, hoping her extensive knowledge might help.

"Have you heard of the Black King?"

Edo tilted her head.

"Hmm? The Black King? Is this related to the artifact?"

"Yeah, it’s called the Despair of the Black King."

"Since it has 'king' in the name, it’s probably a former ruler... but I’ve never heard of such a name. However, if they were restrained with something like this, they must have been a significant figure."

Her eyes sparkled.

"There are many old records within the tribe, so I’ll investigate. The elders owe us a favor, so they’ll be happy to help."

"By the way..."

Yanwu was about to say something, but Edo smiled as if she already knew.

"I know. You want me to keep it quiet, right? Don’t worry, I’m very discreet."

Yanwu chuckled at Edo’s smile.

She was indeed a helpful person.

"And I have one more favor to ask."

He felt a bit guilty but thought he should ask for more help.

Yanwu paused, then turned his gaze back to the wrestling match.

The circulation of mana, the clash of formations, and the collision of martial arts were all happening intensely.

"I want to learn martial arts. Is there a way?"