Only I Am A Reader

"Geochin also seemed interested in getting to know you and Baekho, but…"

Even when things turned out well for him, the protagonist suddenly left with the motivation to grow stronger so that things would seem so far away from him like this. Moreover, he had to make his own preparations to deal with the new threat as well.

"It's okay."

Although she only spoke a few words, Yeon still appeared to be accepting of Pung Miyoung's approach. It wasn't a very reactive friendship, but a silent bond had formed between the two in that battle.

"Gran- Master also invited you to spend some time on Mount Hua to discuss the situation. We have also received quite a few reliable pieces of information. If you would…"

"Unfortunately, we can't. We also have to head back as we already went out of schedule. We will send someone to Unnam soon so that communication would be possible."

Pung Miyoung turned to Cheon Jeong to suggest a 'sleepover', but she also followed the novel's script on refusal. Regardless of whether they had a pleasant exchange or not, two of the four pillars couldn't stay outside for long in a situation like this.

"...We will try to relay as much information as possible."

Seeing the Blade Spirit's stern gaze, Pung Miyoung didn't press any longer as her great-grandfather had told her. Having the Heavenly Strength Society at Mount Hua in times like this wasn't that great either.

'He must have already spilled some beans.'

Catching the hint of confidence and pride in Miyoung's voice, Leo confirmed his interference didn't stop the protagonist from following the rest of the script. Even if he missed one of his objectives, he had more or less done half what he came here for.

Considering that the monsters' invasion was related to the mysterious events of the Murim Lord's death, Geochin was mutually helping him search into this matter using the information that Namgung Geom gave him. Having also found a few leads, he could guess that the rushed Mount Hua Sword Conference had something to do with it.

Other than hearing the rumors that something that greatly suited his needs like the Violet Plum Core would be one of the prizes. Geochin had hoped to come on top to get a chance of having a conversation with the Sword Sage and relay some of the information that the Murim Lord found necessary to tell.

In the end, even though he missed his tailored item, he still managed to tell what he had in mind thanks to the urgent situation created by the surprise monster wave…

"Alright, let's get going."

"Yes master!"

The one who was the first to follow Cheon Jeong's hurried steps was Cheon Sohee who had been silently watching the two rise to the sky. Cheon Yong awkwardly followed suit as the only one lacking his teacher. Moreover, it seemed like something else was at play.

'He is strangely in good shape.'

Cheon Yong's thirst for battle was something that should have earned him quite a few injuries, but it seemed like Cheon Sohee had somehow made the situation different. Leo thought it would be tougher since Baekho wasn't helping them this time… It was likely that the protagonist's participation in the cannon-fodder sweep had also been of help.

"Just a sec."

As the group of six approached the stairs under the stares of the students that were trying to clear the rubble, Cheon Jeong suddenly paused. She flashed behind one of the towering plum trees, walking back while dragging a large headless figure on the ground.

'A Wyvern…'

Looking at the lizard-like creature that had wings attached to its arms, Leo was slightly surprised. According to the times it was mentioned in the novel, wyverns were monsters that possessed strength surpassing that of Transcendent Masters, for its head to be severed so cleanly was to be expected from one of the Heavenly Strength Society's pillars!

"We need to take something back, these scales should be good for making stuff as well."

Effortlessly lifting the corpse and putting the head on the top, Cheon Jeong took the lead once more. Cheon Chang looked at that, but refrained from doing the same in the end. His opponent's corpse was likely already crushed into a meat paste or too big to bring along. Either way, it made sense for the two of them to have arrived late since these were the 'nuisances' that they had met…

'This is still better.'

As one would expect from reversing the situation, going down Mount Hua's stairs still felt more motivating than going up. Other than the strange sight of the petite Blade Spirit obstructing her own vision by holding the huge corpse, the tension built up from the unstoppable sequence of events was slowly melting away.

'They really didn't miss the chance…'

The sights in Unnam weren't that much better from the top of Mount Hua. Compared to what Leo and the others witnessed before ascending the mountain, the cheerful atmosphere that encompassed the whole city was now replaced by a halo of depression.

Death, destruction, blood… The corpses of humans and monsters alike filled the streets. Just like any other invader, exterminating potential threats was one of the basic strategies that monsters adopted…

Although walking around with a dead wyvern grabbed quite a bit of attention, everyone was busy dealing with their own problems. After marching through a few streets, Cheon Jeong stopped in front of a relatively undamaged shop before dropping her package.

"Senior!"

The black-robed man standing in front of the shop hurriedly reacted to Cheon Jeong and the others' arrival, guiding them inside as two other men exited the shop to handle the corpse. Leo could already tell that this was one of the Heavenly Strength Society's hidden 'checkpoints'.

"Your transportation has already been prepared!"

As soon as they walked from the other end of the shop, the group was met with a medium sized carriage attached to the backs of four sturdy horses.

Neigghhh!

It was finally time to go back home…