Click!

As I pulled the trigger, the cock of the gun collided with the firing pin and the bullet was fired. There was no reverberation. Well, even though it was taking the form of a revolver, I guess it would have been rather ridiculous if a gunshot was heard upon firing Shadow Stalker.

“…What did you do just now?”

The old man who introduced himself as Aegis looked around the room with a puzzled expression. The bullet I fired had passed over his shoulder. No one had been harmed by the projectile. If I had to say, the target of the bullet was Gyeonghoeru.

“Wasn’t it pretty obvious? I shot a gun.”

“Haha. Don’t get agitated. We’re just here to talk.”

“Just talk my ass. What do you think you’re doing when I was having my meal? Moreover, if you wanted to hold a conversation, one person could have come quietly. You’re wanting to have a conversation with 1,000 people surrounding me?”

There was no chance in hell that these people wanted to have a simple conversation with pure intentions. On the off chance they did, they barged in with the wrong attitude.

“S, sir! All the gates of Gyeongheoru have been sealed off! We can’t get out!”

“What? How could this… Is that gun a magic weapon? But I couldn’t feel the manifestation of any energy. How could this be?”

“The temporary channel has been blocked! We’ve been completely separated from the outside!”

They quickly grasped the situation. I guess they weren’t complete idiots after all. But what did it matter? The space-time quarantine had already isolated the temporary channel they created from the real world.

Time-space isolation has been confirmed to be operating normally. There is 31 minutes and 55 seconds remaining until the limit.

Please note that the dimension is separated temporally from the physical realm during the isolation.

Shadow Stalker transformed back into a watch as a guide announced the details in my head.

“Well, if you have something to say, say it quickly. What do you want?”

“How magnanimous. Lift the blockade right now.”

“You want to tell me your intentions first?”

“First, lift the blockade! This is a warning, not a suggestion! Even if you sealed this dimension, did you forget that there are currently 1,000 Guards in this place?”

I was dumbfounded by the old man’s shouts.

“Hey, old man. You need to smarten up. You were the one who kidnapped me here to talk, but if I was going ‘Where did you drag me!? Send me back now! This is a warning, not a suggestion!’, think of how frustrating that will be for you. Why are you being such a blockhead?”

“I did not kidnap you. I simply took measures to take you out of other people’s sights.”

“If you do something like that without permission, it’s called kidnapping.”

“It seems I can’t get through to you!”

Gwooooh--!

Spiritual energy began to surge around Aegis when he stood up. Behind him stood a translucent giant, but the appearance of the giant was unexpectedly familiar. I spoke while looking up at the translucent figure.

“Wow, is that Guan Yu?”

Guards

Level 11(15)

Necromancer Aegis

Strangely enough, I could see two separate levels. One of them would have been considered world-class a while ago but was now quite common. The other one would still be considered top-class. In addition, I could also see the player level.

Level 19

‘Oh my, it seems you’ve taken quite a few potions.’

However, even though he had received enough stat points to reach level 19, he was actually only level 11. It meant he wasn’t a particularly strong person. In addition, the translucent giant towering behind him explained why there was another level being displayed.

Zenon the Great Wizard

Level 15

Guardian Spirit Guan Yu

He was a legendary man. You could grab anyone off the streets, and they would tell you exactly who he was. Guan Yu was a powerful man who rose to power during the chaotic times of the Three Kingdoms, and he was even deified and worshipped near his death. He was a true one-man-army.

‘Come to think of it. All of these Guards… they’re all necromancers.’

It wasn’t just the man named Aegis who possessed a guardian spirit behind his back. Rather, all 1,000 guards in Gyeonghoeru possessed similar spirits. There were mythical beings, such as Arthur and Solomon, to historical figures, such as Alexander the Great and Napoleon. In addition, I could even spot some unidentifiable killers and figures like Jack the Ripper.

I could not help but raise my eyebrows at the sight.

‘…This is a little weird.’

Rather strangely, all of the guardians were level 15, regardless of their type or name.

‘How does it make sense that Arthur, the master of Excalibur, and Napoleon are on the same level?’

One was a mythical hero of legends, and the other was a good tactician, but a regular human. Anyone would frown to find out they were being placed on the same level. But Ares said in a disinterested voice.

Why doesn’t it make sense? Isn’t it the same with gigas? The Human-rank Gigas Napoleon and Human-rank Gigas Arthur are both similar in performance as well.

‘No… but they’re necromancers. I thought necromancers bring back the spirit of the dead. Is that not the case for them?’

In other words, the guardians here were not actually real figures that lived and died in the past, but rather created from concepts that existed under the common perception of humans. Naturally, their maker was the Great Wizard, the master of arrangements.

“You… You aren’t listening to me.”

I came to my senses after hearing the cold voice. I had been busily observing the different guardian spirits around the room.

“Oh, it was just refreshing to see legendary heroes of the myths.”

“I guess words just won’t do.”

Guan Yu’s spirit permeated into the old man’s body as he gnashed his teeth while glaring at me.

Gwoooh--!

Aegis’ body swelled greatly after accepting the spirit of Guan Yu. The atmosphere around him changed immediately and a storm of spirit swirled around him.

But I wasn’t nervous at all.

“Words won’t do? You really are slow at grasping the atmosphere, old man. Killing all of you here would take less effort than lifting a single pinkie.”

“Arrogant bastard! We are the Guards. How dare you utter such mockery! We are the shield and the strongest guardians of all mankind!”

Other guards stepped up and took their place beside Aegis.

“Iron Mask. I know you are strong, but your arrogance knows no bounds. Even if you can summon your giant in this place, you can’t take on all of us.”

“To think you would take things this far without even listening to our words.”

What they were saying certainly made sense. The power of 1,000 level 15 was rare, even in the Great Universe. Even if I could call Napoleon, I would have to be prepared to die if facing all 1,000 of them at the same time.

‘If all of them were to use guerrilla tactics, even the Albatross would be endangered.’

It was only natural, considering that anyone possessing the power of a Compléter was qualified to become an officer in the Leonhardt Empire.

But I shrugged my shoulders.

‘But none of it matters in the end. I am an entirely different being compared to when I am in the stage.’

Specifically, the difference stemmed from equipment.

I was overgeared.

Pat!

I raised my right hand’s index finger, and a talisman rose into the air. The surrounding Guards immediately reacted and rushed in like lightning. It was a completely different reaction compared to when I took out the pistol.

But they were already too late.

Bobae-rank. Heavenly Spirit Transformation Talisman.

Heavenly Space.

Time stopped.

This applied not only to the guards who were rushing toward me, but also the guards who were watching from afar. Everyone here was caught in the grand passage of time. It was a powerful deterrent force, something that one could not escape unless they were well-versed in the attributes of space and time. Even emperor-class beings would have difficulty escaping.

“W, what the.”

“I can’t move! What!? Even the Guardian Spirits are being suppressed! How could this be?”

I stood up from my seat. Heavenly Space was a powerful technique that suppressed the owner’s freedom as well, but that was only the case when it was utilized to its maximum potential. When being used at an appropriate level, just as I was doing, I could move freely.

‘Of course, I could not launch any attacks in this state. It goes against the basic structure of Heavenly Space.’

Heavenly Space was an absolute peace zone. But only I was aware of the fact. How could the Guards know? As I strode around, the Guards’ faces turned pale.

“Wait, wait, wait! Please! We didn’t come here to fight! Please calm down and listen to our story!”

“Old man, if you wanted to make a deal, you should have done it right! Look what you got us into!”

“Hey, I’m Korean! I Have been watching your guides for a long time. I really respect you!”

“I apologize in his stead! It’s because the old man can be a stubborn geezer sometimes!”

Aegis’ expression distorted horribly by the screams erupting from all over the place. It was a complete turnaround from how they had been posing just a few minutes ago.

“All of you! Quiet down!”

“You should have taken care of it better, senior! Then we could be quiet. You picked a fight with him and landed us in this state. What do you expect us to do?”

“I told you that Iron Mask was on a different level from everyone else!”

I observed the noisy Guards for a moment.

‘Look at them suddenly changing their position. You should have spoken up earlier then.’

Crunch. Yum yum. Kyah~!

For about 10 minutes, I stuffed myself with sushi and tempura I received from the restaurant lady.

“Every time I have her food, I can’t help but be amazed by how good her cooking is.”

I finished my meal by rewarding my stomach with a juicy, tender piece of salmon sushi. The Guards had been forced to watch the entire process while frozen.

“Whew~ Thanks for the great meal.”

“…Could you let us go now?”

“Why?”

“…I apologize. I was at fault. I had been treated with respect for so long that I forgot myself.”

I dusted my hands and stood up as Aegis apologized politely.

Then I replied.

“Well, you can go ahead and speak your mind.”

“In this position?”

Currently, Aegis had his hands held above his head. He had been positioned to strike down with the Eonwoldo, the famed spear of Guan Yu.

“Speak.”

I walked over and placed my hand on the shoulder of a nearby Guard.

Pat!

The Guard disappeared instantly. I clicked my tongue.

“Damn it. The Guardian Spirit isn’t transported as well. So it wasn’t considered an individual’s possession after all, but a being under the Great Wizard’s system.”

“W, what did you do just now? Where did Michael go? D, don’t tell me you sent him to the real world!? You can’t take Guard to the real world!!”

I checked the status of the Guard in the Unique World at Aegis’ flustered shout.

“I didn’t send him to the real world, but someplace else. He seems perfectly fine, so talk.”

Pat!

Another Guard disappeared.

As if feeling threatened by the gesture, Aegis hurriedly spoke.

“We located your spaceship outside Earth!!”

‘Genie. How could you allow it to be discovered by a sub civilization?’

…My apologies. But as you know, this Earth couldn’t be considered a regular Type II Civilization…

I asked while listening to Genie’s excuses.

“So what?”

“W, well. It’s… um…”

Aegis suddenly became flustered and stammered. I could see shame and embarrassment on the face of the old man, but instead of being considerate and waiting, I urged him.

“And so~?”

“T, take us out of the earth. We can’t withstand the stage anymore.”

“What?”

I became dumbfounded and jerked my head at the unimaginable request.

Pat!

Meanwhile, Guards were disappearing one by one.

“What the hell are you talking about? Don’t tell me you want to run away from Earth? The greatest guardians of mankind?”

The face of Aegis turned red at my words. He must have felt ashamed.

But soon, his expression distorted and he shouted with frustration.

“But what do you expect us to do? More than 20,000 Guards have died already! Dammit! I’m already 180 years old, but I spent 150 years in the stage! Could you possibly call this a human life? No, this isn’t human life!!”

He shouted with frustration, then even started sobbing. Similar lamentations were being blurted here and there.

“My grandmother and grandfather, and both my father and mother died in the stage. It’s my turn next! I can’t take it anymore!”

“Heuk heuk. Huaahh! I don’t want to anymore! I don’t want to!”

“How long do we have to sacrifice ourselves for the human race?”

“At this rate, the entire clan of Guards will be destroyed! How could this be the fate that awaits us after we spent long years hiding and protecting the world?”

The wailing and complaints started to increase, and the surroundings instantly became noisy.

“What in the world is going on?”

I touched another Guard while expressing my astonishment.

Pat!

Leaving the empty space behind, I stepped forward and asked.

“Explain it in detail.”

I would listen to their story first.