Infinite Dendrogram: Volume 3 Read online

  If the conditions had been as he’d set them to be, things probably would’ve gone exactly as planned. However, there was a certain condition he’d gotten wrong.

  He’d assumed that Xunyu was merely an owner of a Superior Job from Huang He.

  Alas, there was a decisive difference between his assumption and the reality.

  “The freak got off...?” he said, raising an eyebrow.

  Just as he’d said, Xunyu was no longer sitting on the dragon carriage.

  The jiangshi’s limbs appeared to be even longer than they had seemed back when Xunyu had just been sitting.

  From a distance, the overall impression the eccentric gave off was closer to “utility pole” than “person.”

  “Are we about to get attacked?” one of the bandits cried.

  “Did the first attack give off our position?!” another yelled.

  “Be on your guard! The jobs you can take in the east of the continent are different than those in the west! You don’t know what to expect!”

  As his clan began making a fuss about the change in situation, Eldridge silently observed Xunyu.

  ...This might be bad, he thought, and not without reason. Whether it was caused by the Danger Sense skill he’d acquired or the instincts he’d been born with, he felt that he was in peril.

  However, he’d felt the same way about many a boss monster, Master, or tian he’d encountered during his entire playtime, and on countless such occasions, he’d come out on top.

  Even with the danger considered, Eldridge — owner of the Superior Job known as “King of Burglary” — didn’t think that the eccentric could emerge victorious.

  Now that the freak is off the carriage, it’s safe to expect an attack, he thought. Still, I just have to wait until the shithead enters my effective range and take their head before anything happens.

  With that in mind, he instantly switched the skill on his right hand to Greater Takeover.

  Due to the jiangshi’s long clothes, Eldridge couldn’t tell how the body looked under them, but he figured that Xunyu would die the moment he removed the head.

  There was nothing wrong with that line of thinking. Losing their vitals meant death to just about anyone. Having killed countless people like this, Eldridge knew that better than most.

  And so did Xunyu.

  “The freak’s not mov— Ghuh... Ah?”

  Eldridge began to speak his confusion about the lack of activity from the jiangshi. But before he could finish his sentence, his voice was replaced by a powerful flow of blood.

  In fact, the sanguine liquid began to flow out of every orifice on his head — mouth, nostrils, ears, and eyes.

  The blood trailing down from the seven holes painted his face crimson.

  “U-UAAAHHH!” one of his underlings screamed. “B-BOSS?!”

  “Hey! Where’s our healer?! Wait, no, someone get him an Elixir!”

  As his clan members began to panic, Eldridge was surrounded by a mysterious silence. He could barely make out even the most loudest of sounds anymore. Tilting his head to the side, he touched his chest.

  ...Oh, I see, he thought as he shifted his gaze to Xunyu. In the jiangshi’s right hand — which was more like a menacing, metallic claw — there was a dark red object.

  It looked very much like a heart.

  ...I’ve been robbed.

  A moment after he realized what it was, the man known for being one of the Kingdom of Altar’s greatest player killers was reduced to particles of light, and vanished.

  “B-BOOOOOSS!”

  “Wha...? E-eh?!”

  The sudden and mysterious death of the man they so relied on made the remaining members panic and scream.

  “Too slOw.”

  Before they could even finish doing that, however, Xunyu — who had been about three hundred metels away just a moment ago — suddenly stood in the center of their group.

  A woman hastily tried to aim her rifle, a man quickly brandished his sword, and others hurriedly tried to use their Embryo skills, but the jiangshi acted faster than anyone present.

  The action was a simple spin. Xunyu bent that tall frame and spun those long arms. A second later, the people surrounding the jiangshi were sliced into fine discs and fell to the ground like tinned chunks of pineapple.

  Some of them were wearing accessories that prevented fatal damage, but Xunyu made sure to slice them so thoroughly that it meant nothing.

  The immense damage quickly killed them, and the severe destruction of their bodies left no time for resurrection, almost instantly making them vanish.

  With them gone, all that was left was the sound of trees dancing in the wind and the ridiculously long shadow made by Xunyu standing in the morning light.

  That was how the PK clan known as Goblin Street experienced their second annihilation.

  All of it happened in less than two minutes after Xunyu got off the dragon carriage.

  “Man, that was boRing,” said the jiangshi while taking the familiar pipe out of the inventory and putting it in the mouth again. “Is this the par for the kingdom’s SupeRior Jobs?”

  Blowing bubbles and sighing, Xunyu used those sharp claws, the Superior Embryo that had just sliced over twenty people, to skillfully scratch their head. “This makes me wonder if I should expect much from the country’s SuperiOrs.”

  Yet again sighing from boredom, Xunyu, the Huang He Empire’s Superior, returned to the dragon carriage.

  ◇◆◇

  “Well done, Master Xunyu!” said Cang.

  “What a splendid display!” said one of the chamberlains. “A Geomancer said that the bandits were a group of dozens of Masters, and yet you were able to take care of them all by your lonesome!”

  “I would expect nothing less from one of the Huang He Si Ling — the empire’s greatest four!” added one of the country’s officials. “Truly, only Master Xunyu is deserving of the nicknames ‘Landmine,’ ‘Divine Speed,’ and ‘Yinglong.’”

  Upon returning to the dragon carriage, Xunyu was showered in such praise. Despite the positive appraisals, however, everyone besides Cang seemed to be somewhat afraid of the jiangshi.

  “It ain’t muCh,” said Xunyu. “Still, though, a job’s a job, and with it being so early, it made me pretty sleEpy.” Those words made the chamberlains and the officials hastily leave Xunyu’s dragon carriage. Cang, too, lightly bowed and excused himself.

  Left alone, Xunyu sat down on the custom-made, long sofa and sighed yet again. “With Cang being so genuine, the way he flatters has a certain chaRm to it, but the shameless brown-nosing from the adults is just unSightly.”

  However, no one could really fault them for their behavior. They were delivering royal blood — Cang — to the Kingdom of Altar for a mission so important that not even Xunyu had been told about it. They had expected the journey to be filled with many attacks such as the one that had just happened, and the jiangshi’s protection was invaluable.

  However, Xunyu was a Master — one of the wielders of unique powers due to which their very existence in this world was fickle. If Xunyu happened to leave this realm — to “log out” — for a long period of time, they could never complete their task. Not to mention that their heads would roll the moment something bad happened to Prince Cang.

  Originally, the role of protecting this mission hadn’t been anywhere in Xunyu’s schedule, and the eccentric would’ve surely left them to their own devices. The only reason why the jiangshi had accepted the role was the fact that the mission had headed out for the kingdom’s royal capital at the same time Xunyu had some unrelated business in the same country. Of course, it would’ve been a lie to say that the jiangshi didn’t find the reward — this custom-made dragon carriage — to be attractive, as well.

  “HmPh.” Still lying on the sofa, Xunyu reached for the inventory and took out two pieces of paper.

  The first was a written request directed to Xunyu, while the other was a leaflet.

  The written request had come thr
ough the adventurers’ guild in Huang He, and displayed a reward good enough to make the journey to the kingdom worth it.

  It asked Xunyu to have a match in the arena of the duel city known as Gideon. The requester was Count Gideon — the ruler of the city.

  It wasn’t hard for Xunyu to understand why the man had requested that. The jiangshi had the second place in Huang He’s duel rankings and was a Superior, a wielder of a Superior Embryo.

  According to the information Xunyu had gathered, the situation in Gideon wasn’t the best, so the count was probably trying to dispel the gloomy atmosphere with a grand show fit for a duel city.

  That was displayed on the other piece of paper — the event leaflet with the words “Clash of the Superiors” written on it. It informed people of the duel between Figaro — one of the Kingdom of Altar’s Superiors and the so-called king of the duel city — and Xunyu, another Superior.

  A match between two Superiors. It was an unprecedented event that had yet to happen in any duel city in any country, giving it lots of attention from both in and out of the kingdom.

  Count Gideon is probably thinking of having the local hero, Figaro, win and heighten the spirits of his people... Sadly for him, my loss isn’t part of the request, thought Xunyu as a grin spread across that terrifying face.

  Though the talisman hanging down from the hat and covering what passed for a face made it hard to see, the grin was brimming with ferocity.

  I don’t know whether he just didn’t think this through or if he simply trusts Figaro’s strength, but I’ll do the same thing regardless — fight with all I am, enjoy it for all it’s worth, and beat him with all I’ve got. Still covered by the talisman, Xunyu laughed in a menacing manner.

  “Khahahahah. Here’s hoping you can entertAin me, Altar’s SuperiOr.”

  That was how the dragon carriages carrying one of the east’s mightiest and the Empire’s prince crossed the border and entered the Kingdom of Altar.

  The Clash of the Superiors — Figaro and Xunyu — was just a few days away.

  Unknown to most, however, the battle would act as a trigger to an even greater happening.

  Chapter One: Lectures and Reunions

  Paladin, Ray Starling

  It was the morning after the hellish day during which I’d fought the Gouz-Maise Gang and the Revenant Ox-Horse.

  Before dawn broke, Nemesis and I were dashing through the Nex Fields on Silver’s back while talking about what we would do from now on and hunting the local monsters.

  Defeating Gouz-Maise had made me level up to level 39, and this hunting had increased that number to 40. My HP now crossed the 5,000 mark.

  Becoming able to ride Silver increased my speed and hunting effectiveness with him. What I found particularly effective was firing Purgatorial Flames at groups of monsters as I passed them by.

  “A red-black man on horseback releases a stream of fire without as much as a ‘hello’ and leaves, just like that,” said Nemesis. “No matter how you look at it, that seems like a description of a real villain.”

  “I’m aware,” I said.

  Still, I feel that killing a large number of normal monsters is a better way to level up than going through the hassle of killing a single boss monster, but whatever, I thought.

  Momentarily satisfied with my level, I stopped the hunt and decided to do some tests. Specifically, I wanted to see what Silver and the Grudge-soaked Greaves, Gouz-Maise could do. The stats bonuses on the Greaves were exactly what the item said they were, while the energy gathering caused by Grudge Conversion seemed to work just as intended.

  Also, I noticed that it wasn’t necessary for the grudge to come from the dead. The negative emotions released by the living were significantly weaker than those of the deceased, but they could still be converted to MP and SP.

  That meant that keeping the enemy alive and torturing them was a good way to stock up on both of those stats. As useful as that seemed, however, the idea of actually doing it just freaked me out.

  The other skill on the greaves — Rider and Horse, As One — had proven to work just fine yesterday, when I’d begun using its Horse Riding skill bonus to ride Silver. Thus, it was time to test Silver’s own skills.

  There were a total of three — Running, Wind Hoof, and one unknown skill that showed up as only “???” on there. The Miasmaflame Bracers also had an unknown skill on them, so I could only assume that unknown skills weren’t that rare.

  First up was Running, which — as it said in the name — was a skill that allowed Silver to run while someone was riding him. The speed and quality of the running was dependent on the rider’s Horse Riding skill level. How horse-like, I thought.

  Then there was the other skill, Wind Hoof. It could only be used when the rider’s Horse Riding skill level was above 3 or Riding skill level was above 6. The description said that it “Allows air-travel by compressing the air under the hooves” and “Uses the rider’s MP to create a barrier of compressed air.”

  The difference between Horse Riding and Riding was the fact that the former was exclusive to horses and thus allowed better use of them for less levels, while Riding could be used with anything ridable in exchange for needing more levels.

  With all the riding I’d done while going back from the Mountain Belt to Gideon and the dashing we did since predawn today, my Horse Riding had reached level 2. The +1 bonus from Rider and Horse, As One made it level 3, allowing me to use Wind Hoof.

  I tried it out and... sure enough, we flew. Though it was less like “flying” more like “running on invisible platforms in the air.”

  “Whoa.” I couldn’t help but be moved.

  “What a view.” Nemesis shared my sentiment. It was something that I could never have experienced in real life.

  As great as the experience was, however, the act’s similarity to riding a horse over glass made me feel a bit anxious and scared. Still, I got somewhat used to it after about an hour or so. Thankfully, Silver himself covered the cost of this air-running ability, leaving my MP completely untouched.

  However, the skill could be used in a way that did drain my MP.

  It was the barrier of compressed air. According to the skill’s description, I could use it to protect myself from attacks.

  There happened to be a Goblin Archer right below me, so I used it to see how well it worked.

  “Go on, shoot!” I shouted. The result was simple — the arrow broke through the barrier as if it wasn’t even there and sunk into me.

  Slightly panicking, I used Purgatorial Flames to burn the Goblin Archer below.

  Man, I know I’m the one doing it, but hanging in the air and raining fire on those on the ground is pretty messed up, I thought.

  The Goblin tried fighting back, but all its arrows got burned before they could reach me.

  Once I overcame this unexpected predicament, I began to analyze what had just happened. The problem was obvious — Wind Hoof’s barrier was just way too weak.

  I began thinking about why it was like this, and it didn’t take too long for me to find the root of the problem.

  I simply hadn’t used enough MP. With my maximum MP being so low, I had subconsciously used it sparingly and — naturally — hadn’t gotten the results I’d wanted.

  When trying it again, I used all of my MP. My next opponent was a Goblin Warrior.

  “Bring it on!” I shouted.

  The result was simple — its ax broke through the barrier as if it wasn’t even there. I’d expected there to be a wall-like patch of air, but the ax had cut through it like it would paper.

  By a hair’s breadth, I avoided getting split in half and began fighting the Goblin Warrior. Naturally, I emerged victorious, but not having any MP made it a harder battle than it should’ve been.

  “It’s no good,” I said.

  “No good, indeed,” agreed Nemesis.

  Wind Hoof’s air-running effect was great and all, but with my meager amount of MP, the barrier aspect seemed completely us
eless.

  “The efficacy seems quite poor, if you ask me,” she added.

  Yeah, seriously, I thought. Miasmaflame Bracers — a special reward — allowed the use of powerful skills such as Purgatorial Flames and Hellish Miasma for far less MP than Wind Hoof. I could only assume that it was a testament to just how great special rewards were, and...

  “Ah,” I said as an idea came to my head. I had a certain combo available to me.

  So I tried it. And the result was simple — a great success. Not only did the barrier stay intact, it increased my defensive ability so much it was immense.

  The only problem was an unexpected side effect that got me all covered in mud.

  Also, there was something I had to keep in mind.

  “I can’t use this in the city,” I said.

  “It’s a quick way to get on the wanted list, no doubt about it,” commented Nemesis.

  This new way of using the skill was so dangerous that we decided not to touch it unless the situation called for it.

  ◇

  After we were done with the testing, we went back to the city, I took a shower at the inn, and then I made my way to Gideon’s knight offices. I went there because Liliana had told me to report the destruction of the Gouz-Maise Gang to them.

  I entered the offices in Gideon’s first district and saw many Knight-like people busily running around. They seemed about five times busier than high schoolers getting ready for a school festival.

  It appeared like there was some event coming up soon, and they were hard at work preparing for it.

  Trying not to get in their way, I went through the less crowded hallways and made my way to the office Liliana had told me about.

  However, before I could get there...

  “Ah.”

  ...I ran into a white armor-clad knight whose face I recognized — the one that Liliana had referred to as “Sir Lindos.” From the way he stopped and stared at me, it was fair to say that he recognized me, as well.

  “Hello,” I greeted him. However, all I got in response was silence.

  Well, I already know that he doesn’t think too highly of us Masters, so whatever, I thought.