BLBJ 16.2

[♥Shop – Skills♥]

Without hesitation, he chose the sword skill.

  [Swordsmanship – Rank F]
  ➤ 100,000 won
  ➤ Allows the user to swing a sword with proper form. 

[Swordsmanship – Rank E]
➤ 500,000 won
➤ Allows the user to handle a sword with decent skill.

[Swordsmanship – Rank D]
➤ 1,000,000 won
➤ Allows the user to wield a sword with considerable proficiency.

[Swordsmanship – Rank C]
➤ 3,000,000 won
➤ Allows the user to wield a sword with exceptional skill.

[Swordsmanship – Rank B]
➤ 6,000,000 won
➤ Allows the user to swing a sword freely and with mastery.

[Swordsmanship – Rank A]
➤ 10,000,000 won
➤ Allows the user to control the sword exactly as they envision.

[Swordsmanship rank has reached its peak, enhancing its effects]

💬Ah, swordsmanship.
💬But wait, Eizen doesn’t even have a sword right now. What’s he gonna do?
💬Can he really fight a sword barehanded?
💬Shouldn’t he learn some kind of martial arts skill first?
💬Except… there isn’t one, right?

Eizen looked around. Just moments ago, it had seemed like they were simply holding their swords at the ready, but after raising the skill to A-rank, something definitely looked different.

‘Let’s see how they come at me.’

Whether his body could keep up was the real question, but thankfully, the skill upgrade had an effect.

Eizen lowered his stance a bit more. His body reacted automatically, rather than his mind thinking it through. Just like when he’d leveled up his horseback riding skill.

“Huu…”

Eizen exhaled the air that had risen to his lungs in steady breaths.

The goal was to escape this castle.

‘If more people show up, I’ll be at a disadvantage.’

Even though he’d raised his swordsmanship skill to A-rank, it would all be useless if Jeremiah appeared.

From everything Jeremiah had shown so far, he could guess what ‘level’ he had reached.

Besides, no matter how much Eizen had boosted his abilities, he wasn’t strong enough to dominate the world. He couldn’t withstand a numbers game.

Eizen’s gaze swept sharply around him.

The first objective: break through those blocking the door.

Eizen shifted his right leg slightly back, tensing his muscles. How to attack, what attacks would come, how to defend. Such techniques surged complexly through his mind.

“Ha…”

Exhaling sharply, Eizen drew in air until his chest ached.

The tense air sharpened to the point it stung his skin.

Eizen moved first. But…

‘Damn it.’

Despite his skill being A-rank, his body couldn’t keep up. Eizen’s movements were slower than planned.

He had no choice but to slightly modify the plan he’d laid out in his head. A little damage was unavoidable.

💬Whoa, he’s moving like *that* just from leveling up his swordsmanship?

There was no time to revel in the audience’s gasps of admiration. He swiftly parried the knight’s sword to the side and dove into the knight’s embrace. Simultaneously, he drove his elbow hard into the knight’s solar plexus and brought his wrist down.

The knight let out an “Aah!” and released his grip.

Eizen swiftly snatched the sword.

Clang! Clang! The blades clashed.

Thanks to his pre-built strength, he didn’t get pushed back immediately upon impact. Still, he didn’t have enough power to hold out for long.

Clang! With a sound of the blade snapping, the sword slipped.

Eizen watched the incoming sword until the last moment, then swiftly twisted his body sideways to evade it. Next, he parried the downward strike. Every movement flowed seamlessly. Even Eizen himself was surprised.

“Huu…”

His body moved as naturally as flowing water. Should he call it surrendering to instinct?

Eizen gripped his sword tightly. The heavy, solid feel in his hand was unfamiliar, and somewhat welcome.

Realizing it wouldn’t be so simple to capture Eizen, the knights tightened their grip, their faces growing more tense as they closed in around him.

‘Taking them all down is impossible.’

Escape was the only option.

Eizen feigned caution toward the knights while slowly shifting his body toward the door.

Five blocked the entrance. Knocking one down, he seized the moment of panic from the knight behind to leap into the arms of the knight in the center. Then, parrying the sword, he spun around and shoved the knight whose body had touched Eizen’s back hard against him. That would open the door.

After that, it would be another chase. Of course, the knights would pursue.

But it would be far easier than clashing swords in such a narrow space like this.

Eizen gripped his sword tightly with both hands. Everyone remained tense.

Eizen strode decisively toward the door. Then, as planned, he extended his leg and kicked one knight’s knee.

“Gah!”

The knight who had staggered backward fell onto the knight behind him.

‘Just as expected.’

Next, he parried the sword and threw himself into the arms of the knight in the center. Then, using his entire body to push against that knight, he blocked the sword. Thud! With a sound, the knight’s back slammed roughly against the door.

Whether it wasn’t locked or the latch broke, the door swung open.

While the knight staggered, Eizen quickly darted outside.

💬That’s insane.
💬Whoa, that was actually kinda cool.
💬Nothing beats a good cash-in.
💬If he’s strong enough to beat the Imperial knights, that means he’s seriously OP, right?
💬Yeah, totally busted.
💬Does this mean Eizen can finally crawl out of his fallen-noble status?

Whether the spectators gasped in awe or not, Eizen ran desperately.

“Gah!”
“Huh!”

Shocked voices echoed. Whether they were startled by the sword or by his completely naked form dashing past, he had no time to ponder such things.

“Catch him!”

A commotion erupted from behind. The only relief was that the voice didn’t belong to Jeremiah.

Eizen ran desperately, without stopping.

‘I can’t keep running down the main road like this.’

This was practically begging them to catch him again.

Gasping for breath, Eizen plunged into the Central Garden. Still, he couldn’t let go of the sword.

“He went into the central garden!”
“Search that area first!”
“The target is a man with pink hair!”
“He’s not wearing anything right now!”

Did they really need to mention he was completely naked?

Eizen pouted, looking slightly aggrieved.

💬Wow, this is way more nerve-racking than I expected.
💬I was watching so tensely and just realized it’s been less than five minutes.
💬Still? Seriously?

It hadn’t even been five minutes since he escaped. Eizen pressed down hard on his heaving chest.

He’d been moving so frantically he thought an hour had passed. Eizen gripped his sword tightly once more. His body wasn’t moving as smoothly as he’d hoped. Still, he felt his skills were starting to sink in.

Eizen crouched as low as possible, hiding among the bushes and watching the people.

“Hic!”

He felt someone’s eyes meet his for a moment and quickly ducked his head.

He heard the knights searching through the bushes. The smell of crushed grass filled the air.

‘I should probably get dressed first.’

He couldn’t even remember how many suits he’d bought by now. Eizen scrambled to gather his clothes, clinging flat to the ground as he did so.

💬Phew, finally off the R-rated screen.
💬Aw, but watching him run while everything was bouncing was kinda funny though.

“It’s not fun at all.” Eizen muttered under his breath. Even dressing as carefully as possible was quite a hassle.

‘If only I had a hat.’

He was dressed, but his pink hair stood out far too much. It wasn’t exactly a common color.

He ran his fingers through it repeatedly, but his hair color didn’t magically change. There might be a spell to change hair color, but unfortunately, Eizen knew nothing beyond the basics.

Eizen let out a shallow sigh.

💬What now?
💬If he gets caught, Jeremiah’s totally snapping his ankles.
💬Hahaha you really love saying “snap snap,” huh.
💬Why not just say he’ll chop them off instead?
💬Because that wouldn’t look pretty.
💬That’s what you’re worried about?! hahaha

‘I really feel this all the time, but people just say way too many harsh things in games.’

Eizen moved stealthily. Still, should he say he felt somewhat reassured because he was wearing clothes? Or should he say a sense of peace came over him? On top of that, since he wasn’t getting cut by the grass, he could move even more smoothly.

‘How do I get out of here?’

Darting into the garden to hide was a smart move. Much better than running along the main road. The only problem was the knights steadily closing in.

Eizen moved cautiously, parting the thickets. It would be nice to float around using magic, but floating like that in the open air right now would be a perfect target for arrows. Besides, wouldn’t that just be announcing his presence?

“There’s less need for magic than I thought.”

💬Bartholomew can do literally anything with magic though.
💬Wasn’t magic supposed to make everything possible?

“I only have basic knowledge. I should have studied the grimoire.”

Eizen tore his gaze away from the chat window and listened intently to the sounds coming from the other side.

His senses, sharpened through mastering swordsmanship, keenly discerned where people were moving and how many. He slowly walked toward the group with the fewest members.

‘Can’t be helped.’

True to form for the Imperial Palace Knights, there were no gaps. No encirclement, no search.

So he had to find a way through. Eizen took a deep breath and set his sword down with a thud. Then, raising both hands high, he slowly stepped forward toward the two knights.

“Stop.”

The knights tensed, swords drawn. Eizen approached slowly, wearing the most harmless expression he could manage.

“I don’t intend to fight.”
“But –”

The male knight, seemingly uninterested in what Eizen was saying, raised his voice to call for backup. In that instant, Eizen swiftly covered the knight’s mouth and drove his knee into his solar plexus.

“Guh!”

With a short gasp, the male knight doubled over.

The female knight beside him swung her sword. Eizen ducked lightly to avoid it, then grabbed her sword-wielding hand and yanked it back.

“Ah!”

She cried out, seemingly surprised he’d lunged to pull her arm.

Eizen struck the back of her neck with all his strength.

“…”

One was unconscious, and the other couldn’t even scream, choked. It was the perfect moment to escape.

Eizen instinctively started to run, but quickly stripped the fallen man’s outer garment off. Then, he hurriedly slipped his arm through the sleeve and ran.

💬And he even grabbed his clothes in the middle of all that hahaha
💬Eizen’s totally becoming a master of escapes at this rate.

Though he couldn’t hide his hair, few paid much attention to Eizen as he hurriedly dressed – perhaps because the news was that he’d fled naked.

To leave the Imperial Palace, he had to take the main road anyway. He shifted his pace, trying to avoid areas with knights.

The ground trembled lightly. Dozens of horses galloped by, their hooves clattering.

“He might have escaped outside!”
“Block the exit from the capital!”
“Expand the search perimeter!”

It seemed the discovery of the two fallen soldiers had already been made.

Eizen quickened his pace. He had to get out before they noticed he was wearing a stolen knight’s uniform. He hurried toward the Imperial Palace gates.

Normally, those leaving weren’t scrutinized closely, but perhaps because of the commotion, the guards were scrutinizing each passing person with fierce eyes. His hair color bothered him, but he forced himself to appear calm.

“We have orders to search the grounds,” Eizen said in a stiff tone and passed the guards.

Wearing the knight order’s uniform, and thanks to the knights riding out on horseback just moments before, it wasn’t too difficult for Eizen to follow them out.

Walking at a quick pace, Eizen immediately darted into an alley.

“Haah… Haah…”

He gasped for breath, shedding his outer garment and tossing it to the ground. Wearing the Knight Order uniform here would only draw more attention.

💬That chase was seriously intense.
💬It’s getting harder and harder to escape each time. I wonder what’ll happen with Pike.
💬Can’t believe he actually made it out of the Imperial Palace.
💬Honestly, I thought he’d get caught halfway through.
💬Same here.
💬I was sure Jeremiah would pop out of nowhere.

Eizen strode briskly down the alleyway. A few people glanced at him.

He had a memory of nearly getting into trouble in a dark alley once before, but he wasn’t particularly worried now. He knew magic. He knew how to wield a sword.

‘What should I do? Should I go home?’

Going home wouldn’t provide any answers anyway. From Christian, who had first kidnapped Eizen, to Tennes, Bartholomew, and Jeremiah – weren’t they all frantically searching for him?

💬Are we going to meet Pike now?
💬Or maybe Pike will come find him first?
💬I wonder if he even knows all this chaos is happening.
💬Such a loner.
💬He is not a loner! Who keeps calling our Pike a loner?
💬 Mr Penis, you’re seriously pissed off, huh?

Eizen walked through the alleyway, still in the middle of the day. Perhaps because of the long, drawn-out walls casting shadows, it felt a little dark. Somehow, it seemed to bring back memories of when he had met Pike.

🏰 [Christian – Imperial Palace]
📚 [Bartholomew – Imperial Palace]
⛪ [Pike – Temple]
🏛️ [Tennes – Imperial Palace]
👑 [Jeremiah – Imperial Palace]
  ➤ Detailed location information will be displayed when moving to the respective point

💬Wait, why’s everyone still in the Imperial Palace?
💬And Pike’s the only one in the Temple hahaha
💬I said he’s not a loner!
💬No one even said he was 😭
💬You totally meant it like that though!

“Don’t fight. I don’t think it’s a good idea to run into any other capture targets right now anyway. It’s actually good that we can meet Pike alone.”

Eizen stepped forward to placate I’mBuyingAPenis. He’d spent a lot of money for Pike’s sake; he couldn’t just ignore him.

‘Come to think of it, I spent quite a bit trying to escape.’

He’d spent nearly a billion. He’d worked his ass off to earn it, and now it was just flying out in chunks.

With a low sigh, Eizen opened [♥Shop – Skills♥].

[♥Shop – Skills♥]

[Etiquette F]
[Swordsmanship A]
[Magic A]
[Archery F]
[Dance F]
[Singing F]
[Horsemanship A]
[XX A]

Still, it’s a relief that swordsmanship, horsemanship, and magic skills stayed.

‘It would be nice if I could check the stats too.’

Unfortunately, it didn’t show them as numbers.

Still, he could guess which one was the highest.

His ability to charm. That skill only good for capture targets.

Eizen scowled and closed the shop.

💬So we’re heading to the Temple now?
💬Yeah, time to give Pike the full three-piece set.
💬Wait, you mean give it, not receive it?
💬At this point, I think Eizen’s kinda enjoying it himself…
💬Hahaha okay, fair 😆

It hurt even more because he couldn’t argue back. It wasn’t so much enjoyment as knowing it was ‘inevitable anyway’. But still, walking right into the kidnapping-confinement-sex triple threat on his own two feet was undeniable, wasn’t it?

Eizen swept his hair back.

‘Escape is getting harder and harder.’

How was he supposed to escape from Pike again? His head throbbed painfully.

He tried recalling the items from [♥Secret Shop – Pike♥], but not a single one was useful. And what skill or ability would he need this time?

Checking his remaining donations, Eizen bought more potions and gulped them down.

💬He’s doping again?

“I’m exhausted from running around so much.”

There were no serious wounds, but there were cuts that stung slightly from facing the sword naked. And from rolling around the garden completely naked, there were also cuts from branches and grass.

💬At this rate, he’s gonna get addicted to potions.
💬Isn’t he already?

Every time he drank a potion, he got this potion addiction thing. Eizen gave a bitter laugh.

‘Well, I guess I’ve gotten too used to potions. Now, without them, I’d be at a loss.’

Should he boost his stamina?

Eizen tilted his head this way and that, lost in various thoughts. As he slowly walked toward the temple, Eizen came to an abrupt halt.

💬What’s wrong?
💬Did something happen?
💬Knew it… total addiction.

“The earth is shaking.”

💬I can’t see anything.
💬If it’s just a faint vibration, it probably wouldn’t be visible.

This was exactly the same vibration he felt in the Imperial Palace. The rumble of dozens of horses galloping.

It seemed they’d been searching for Eizen in the Imperial Palace and ended up outside.

“We absolutely can’t go by the main road. His Majesty the Emperor seems to have sent out people.”

💬For real?
💬Wait, then what happens? Are they gonna catch him?
💬He just escaped, he can’t get caught again!
💬Go meet Pike already, hurry 😭😭😭😭

💎ImBuyingAPenis donated 30,000 won — sob sob, please take care of our Pike 😭

Anyway, if he wanted to end the broadcast, he had to meet him no matter what.

Eizen hid as deep into the alley as possible. In the past, he would have only used the main roads out of fear. It seemed his confidence had grown now that he’d leveled up his skills.

Hiding his body in the darkness, Eizen turned to meet the eyes scanning him.

Like beasts, they wouldn’t attack if you didn’t look away.

How much further had he walked down the dim alley? He was getting closer to the temple. The moment the faint outline of a pure white building came into view in the distance, someone’s presence drew near.

The movement was incredibly light and agile. This was no easy opponent. No, it was clear this was an opponent he wasn’t confident he could defeat.

Just as Eizen tensed up, a low voice echoed from the darkness.“Brother.”
“Pike.”