Chapter 149: The Merchant's Deal
Chapter 149: The Merchant's Deal
An Rui closely pursued Somjin, the merchant, as he left the eastern part of town.
However, the two didn't venture far.
Or, to be more precise, with Somjin's abilities as a merchant, he couldn't have run too far.
When An Rui caught up with him, they were only a few hundred meters away from the eastern part of town, stopping at the entrance of a warehouse slightly north.
An Rui was somewhat surprised.
Because, at this point, Somjin didn't attempt to flee; instead, he stood his ground and flashed a merchant's smile.
"Mr. An Rui."
"You killed someone. As a lord, you killed someone you were supposed to protect."
"..."
"Then, what do you think is the reason for my actions?"
An Rui, filled with anger, leaped forward and landed a punch squarely on Somjin's chest.
The merchant took two steps back, showing no signs of serious injury.
He used his merchant abilities to increase the 'value' of his defense while decreasing the 'value' of An Rui's attack.
This punch, which should have left him half-paralyzed, was reduced to a mere exchange between two adults, posing no threat to his life.
He then proceeded to purchase the impact his body had endured.
"A single punch took away 1/7th of my value. The gap between us is truly immense."
An Rui observed everything.
"Why would you make such a foolish choice?" He couldn't understand the merchant's decision at all. "A merchant, still at the 4th stage, has no chance of defeating a warrior."
As the town's lord, An Rui was well aware of Somjin's abilities. If Somjin insisted on leaving with those people, he would undoubtedly ensure that no information leaked out.
Instead, An Rui had directly intercepted his message and blocked his escape.
At that moment, An Rui drew his sword and slashed.
This attack, driven by the belief to kill, was far more threatening than the previous punch fueled by anger.
Somjin, an elderly merchant, had no chance to dodge.
He used 1/6th of his value to purchase the accuracy of An Rui's attack, another 1/6th to strengthen his defense, and the remaining 1/6th to buy off the attack's power.
The merchant took three steps back, but he was still unharmed.
However, the expression on his face was even more astonishing. As Somjin looked at An Rui, who was clearly intent on taking his life, he actually smiled.
He even spoke to himself, as if declaring victory:
"An Rui, I knew that if you saw me fleeing, you would chase after me."
"And if those people, including Alen, were here, I probably wouldn't have had the chance to finish you off myself."
"What nonsense are you spouting...?"
At that moment, An Rui felt his Origin Substance rapidly weakening, and a strange power began to spread within his body.
"Poison?"
The merchant in front of him was up to something.
An Rui reacted instantly and swung his sword again.
This time, Somjin didn't have enough value to completely negate the danger of the attack.
He strengthened his defense and reduced the accuracy of An Rui's strike.
Then, he was sent flying backward from the impact.
When he managed to get up, the value accumulated on his body was almost depleted.
But in front of Somjin,
An Rui, who had just launched an attack, knelt on the ground.
The power within him seemed like a deadly poison specifically designed for Awakened Ones.
As a user of the Origin Substance, An Rui not only endured the damage from the poison but also faced the depletion of his Origin Substance, rapidly pushing him towards the brink of death.
"Heh—"
Looking at the kneeling man, Somjin, whose plan had succeeded, shook his head and smiled.
"You said something right. How could a merchant like me possibly compete with a warrior like you?"
The merchant stumbled towards the lord.
"So, I've been thinking."
"How to get rid of a tiger like you who stands in my way."
Somjin, clutching his chest, stood before An Rui, his expression filled with emotion.
"It's an honor. A 4th stage Awakened One defeating a 5th stage Ascender."
An Rui stared at Somjin, who had approached him.
He thought back to everything that had happened, but he couldn't find a reason for his poisoning.
"You couldn't have had the chance to poison me."
A victorious smile appeared on Somjin's face.
"But I can make a deal with the people around you. I was certain you would stop us in town, and I even guessed that you would chase me all the way here and give me a good beating."
"Your usual precautions are indeed strict, and you even have a cautiousness that doesn't match your warrior's stubbornness. But against poison that combines food, scent, and the merchant's Origin Substance, you might be helpless."
"After all, you're only at the 5th stage, not those at the 6th or 7th stages."
"The merchant was also extremely weak now.
But dealing with the dying An Rui was not a problem.
Somjin took out his travel staff, the one he used as a traveling merchant. The staff's head gleamed with a sharp metallic luster, pointing directly at An Rui's heart.
'If you don't stop me, if you don't pursue me...'
'Then you can linger on with this town, waiting for your burial...'
Boom! Just then, a thunderous bowstring sound reverberated.
An arrow shot out, instantly pinning Somjin's arm to the ground, and the travel staff was flung aside.
Somjin fell to the ground, clutching his injured arm.
The arrow brought more than just a simple wound.
Around the injury, a force of decay caused the skin and muscles of his arm to turn dark and dilapidated.
His only remaining value was to stabilize his injuries; he couldn't manage any other actions.
And aside from his Awakener skills, he was just an old man.
'Lindsey!'
Somjin glared at him.
He turned his head, and the owner of the thunderous bowstring was naturally Lindsey, who had returned just in time.
Lindsey stopped Somjin from killing An Rui.
He approached with his bow and arrow, his appearance and clothes tattered from the long journey through the wilderness and the unexpected encounter in the meteor crater, covered in dust and bloodstains.
But when he looked at Somjin, Lindsey's pupils held both fatigue and determination.
'Thanks to the plants you provided, I've cultivated crops that can grow in cold environments. So this arrow is aimed at your arm, not your head.'
Somjin questioned loudly:
'You choose to stand by An Rui's side, like a dead dog waiting to be slaughtered, lingering here?'
Lindsey shook his head:
'I have a way to deal with the Dragon Beast, and I'm about to set out.'
Somjin didn't believe Lindsey's claim and even felt that the young man before him had gone mad:
'You say you have the power to defeat a seven-stage monster?'
'Don't be ridiculous. We can figure out a way to get through the Black Mountain together. Put down your bow and arrow!'
'My explanation is sincere.' Lindsey walked up to Somjin, drew his longbow, and almost pressed the arrow against the other's head. 'Now, give me the antidote to the poison on Uncle An Rui.'
Somjin, unafraid of death's threat, refused without hesitation:
'I refuse!'
He was determined to die with An Rui.
Since he had no hope of escaping this world of despair, he would use this despair to trade for An Rui's life.
Ding!
A clear sound rang out, and a walnut wood coin engraved with the Twin Serpents emblem was tossed in front of Somjin.
This simple coin did not shine with the golden glow that symbolized wealth.
But it contained the power of a merchant's skills.
At this moment, Somjin was extremely weak.
Although he didn't want to in his heart, he couldn't resist the temptation of this coin, made by himself.
The merchant succumbed to his own power, to the power of trade.
He replied:
'The antidote is in the warehouse, in a brown glass bottle.'
Lindsey nodded and retrieved the antidote from the warehouse for An Rui.
Seeing his carefully designed plan crumble, Somjin's hope of dying with An Rui also ended.
Somjin shouted in frustration:
'Lindsey, why can't you understand!'
'Do you want us to die with this foolish warrior in this foolish, hopeless place?'
At the same time, An Rui, who had just taken the antidote, took out a small jade scale from his pocket.
The poison targeted the source quality, leaving his body almost depleted, and he couldn't possibly recover in a short time.
But he held on to his frail body, gripping Lindsey's hands tightly:
'Lindsey, do you really have a way to kill that Dragon Beast?'
An Rui's eyes held a conflicting hope.
Reason told him that Lindsey couldn't possibly defeat a seven-stage enemy, but his experience in the Black Mountain made him have an unrealistic hope in the young man's abilities.
'That's right, I have a way.'
Lindsey answered like this.
Under the influence of the Law Capital Balance, the other two people present could tell that this was a sincere answer from the heart.
It was at this moment that Lindsey turned his head.
He looked at Somjin with calm eyes and answered the merchant's earlier frustrated question:
'It's just unfortunate that the Elemental Realm is not a place of despair.'
'On this trip, I found a place where I can survive safely.'
'Even if the Dragon Beast enters this world from the Black Mountain, it will never be able to harm that place.'
(End of Chapter)
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