The Samsung Family Slave (Pseudo) has discovered you.
A massive, fully armored man rode a crimson horse three meters tall. A bird's feather adorned his helmet, and he wielded a spear with blades on both sides a weapon renowned throughout China.
Samsunggano. It means "slave with three surnames."
The red horse and the Heavenly Halberd. These alone made identifying the man's identity effortless.
The greatest warrior of the Three Kingdoms.
L Bu Fengxian.
The man with the most formidable martial prowess in the Three Kingdoms.
No need to panic. This is just a pseudo version.
In Atlantis, there existed a fragment of the Divine Throne. However, this fragment lacked the full power of the true Divine Throne, its strength restricted by the System.
I glanced sideways at Kang Myungjin, who stood beside me. His expression was rigid as he watched L Bu slowly approach us. He was likely calculating our escape route in his mind.
In the original story, Kang Myungjin eventually defeats L Bu and claims the Heavenly Halberd.
But that moment wasn't now.
I quietly said to Kang Myungjin, "...Don't you think we could defeat him if we fought together?"
"...That's Lu Fengxian, the strongest warrior in the Three Kingdoms. Even if he's a fake and his power is weakened by the System, he's still L Bu Fengxian. We should run."
Kang Myungjin was clearly terrified.
...Has he still not fully grasped how strong he's become?
I can understand. Before being possessed by the protagonist, he was just an ordinary person, not a Hunter. The enemies he faced in the tutorial were mere fodder. Knowing about the Divine Throne, he harbors a vague sense of dread.
If he defeats L Bu, Kang Myungjin will gain some confidence. I should let him handle this one alone.
The Heavenly Halberd he'd get for defeating L Bu? I don't even know how to wield a spear. It's not like it's an overwhelmingly powerful weapon that I absolutely need to use.
"...It's best to flee in opposite directions simultaneously. If you head downhill, you'll see a village. If you get lost, head toward the tallest mountain you'll find the village that way."
"Even L Bu is just an ordinary human, isn't he?"
"He's not an ordinary human; he's a Divine Throne. I'll give you the signal. When I do, run left."
Thump. Thump. Thump!
L Bu approached us and spoke:
"Exiles? You look weaker than I expected. Hmm. No matter. I am L Bu. I've been tasked with killing any exiles who enter Sunset Mountain. Meeting me is your fate."
L Bu swung his Heavenly Halberd.
Clang!
Kang Myungjin, wielding his spear, blocked the halberd and shouted:
"Now! Run toward the trees, not the path!"
I sprinted left, while Kang Myungjin, having deflected the halberd, bolted right.
A quick glance back revealed L Bu standing leisurely, his gaze shifting between us.
"...I've decided," he declared, and began pursuing me. The massive Red Hare moved, its pace deceptively slow yet matching my full-speed sprint.
Fuck. Why me? In the original story, he chased Kang Myungjin.
In the original story, Kang Myungjin had come here alone, leaving L Bu with only one target to pursue.
Telling me to run toward the trees was because Red Hare can't properly gallop through dense mountain forests.
If this had been flat terrain instead of mountainous terrain, I would have been caught in less than a minute.
"According to the lore, L Bu is at his strongest when riding Red Hare, fully utilizing the horse's capabilities."
To fight L Bu, you must either dismount him from Red Hare or engage him in terrain that restricts the horse's movements. Dismounting L Bu also diminishes his physical prowess.
I merely turned my head to glance behind me.
Red Hare was still relentlessly pursuing me. L Bu, perched atop the horse, drew the bow slung across his back and nocked an arrow.
I used a tree as a shield to block the incoming arrow.
Being on the defensive didn't suit my temperament.
"Manroe."
I unleashed a bolt of lightning.
L Bu swung his Heavenly Halberd, cleaving the lightning strike in two.
So, he can just deflect lightning coming straight at him?
I thought I could make him hesitate for even a second, but I was wrong. I decided to focus solely on escaping.
Boom! Crack! Bang!
The sounds behind me were deafening.
L Bu, frustrated by his inability to catch me, was swinging his Heavenly Halberd, smashing the surrounding trees to splinters.
"Stop! If you're a true man, face me in honorable combat!"
"You dare say that while riding Red Hare!"
"Fine! If I dismount Red Hare, will you fight me honorably?!"
L Bu would actually dismount. In the original story, he had dismounted Red Hare after Kang Myungjin's taunts, only to die in a one-on-one duel.
"I'll fight you if you dismount Red Hare!"
L Bu leaped off Red Hare, landing heavily on the ground. He leveled his Heavenly Halberd at me.
"There. I've dismounted. Come!"
"He actually dismounted. What a fucking idiot. Heh heh heh."
After mocking L Bu, I fled with all my might, seizing the opportunity to put as much distance between us as possible. Fighting him? Never crossed my mind. That fool would be dead in a few hours, killed by Kang Myungjin.
"Stop right there!"
L Bu hastily mounted Red Hare and began chasing me.
"Who the hell stops when someone tells them to?!"
The Lord of the Heavens frowns.
The Lord of the Heavens clearly wasn't pleased with this situation.
Doesn't matter. The formal contract's already been sealed.
Besides, Zeus would undoubtedly approve of me getting involved with women.
An Exile shouldn't be dragged around by a Divine Throne.
Just because I'd contracted with a Divine Throne didn't mean it was necessarily on my side. Like the King of the Demonic Heavens, it might try to manipulate its contractor.
I arrived at the village.
It was a small settlement of about 200 people, with houses built of wood in a style reminiscent of ancient Chinese architecture. Even their clothing resembled that of ancient China.
I glanced back.
L Bu, mounted on Red Hare, remained at the village boundary, unable to approach. He glared at me once before turning Red Hare around and disappearing into the mountains.
So L Bu is treated as a monster in this territory.
Safety zones only prevent monster attacks and intrusions; they offer no protection against human aggression.
I trudged deeper into the village. The villagers stared at me in astonishment.
"Two Exiles have come..."
"What day is it today?"
"Perhaps we'll be moving to another territory soon."
Continentals living in unconquered territories possess basic information and knowledge about Atlantis but are unable to travel to other territories.
Continentals could conquer Atlantis territories too, but... it's quite a difficult task.
One of the Continentals' secrets is that most of them originally died in other worlds and were resurrected in Atlantis by Divine Power.
And some even retain memories of their past lives.
This fact is revealed naturally in the original story. Those with influence in Atlantis likely already know it.
From their perspective, it's a sweet deal. They died and were reborn.
I scanned my surroundings and declared confidently,
"I'm Sung Yujin! Has a short-haired man come to the village? He's an Exile like me!"
An elderly man emerged from the crowd, walking with the aid of a cane. He had a white beard and a hunched back, appearing to be the oldest and most respected figure in the village.
"Welcome to Sunset Village. If you're looking for the Exile, he arrived here ten minutes ago."
"Really? Where is he now?"
"He went down that alleyway."
The old man pointed to a narrow passage between the buildings. I nodded. Just as in the original story.
"Thank you."
"Have you come to conquer this Territory?"
"No, we just happened to enter this Territory. We're too weak to conquer it anyway."
"...Is that so?"
The old man spoke with a hint of disappointment.
"I understand. Being trapped here for twelve years must have been stifling. And judging by the appearance of the people around you, life isn't exactly prosperous here."
Kang Myungjin and I knew the conquest conditions for this Territory.
In game terms, L Bu was merely a named monster.
To conquer this Territory, we needed to defeat the Sun's Adversary atop Sunset Mountain, the towering peak behind the village.
"Area 406 is relatively easy to conquer. The reason it hasn't been conquered yet is simply because other Exiles haven't found it."
But even if it was considered "easy," it was still beyond our current capabilities.
Kang Myungjin planned to achieve his objective here and then immediately use the mirror to return to the First District, the Chapel of Beginnings. Only after some time had passed would he return to conquer this Territory.
I started walking down the alley the old man had pointed out.
Suddenly, I ran into Kang Myungjin as he emerged from the alley.
"You've arrived in the village. Are you injured?"
"I'm perfectly fine. But what's that you're holding? A flower?"
It was a common-looking yellow flower, the kind you'd see anywhere. Of course, I knew exactly what it was.
The Sun's Flower.
A special flower that grants fire immunity for one hour. It's also a potent elixir that permanently increases strength and vitality upon first consumption.
"There's a Special Shop inside this alley, accessible only to Exiles. I bought it there."
"A Special Shop? That's where you can get unique items using AP, right?"
Special Shops each have their own unique conditions. Some are exclusively for Exiles, while others are accessible to Continentals. Still others require special keys to enter.
"Yes, that's correct. If you have enough AP, I recommend trying out the shops. As for me... I have some personal business to attend to and will need to be away for about six hours."
"If it's urgent, I'd be happy to help."
"No, I can handle it myself. Mr. Sung Yujin, please wait here. I appreciate it."
Kang Myungjin bowed deeply as he made his request.
Of course, I had no intention of following him. My goal wasn't to hinder Kang Myungjin.
"Understood. Please raise your head. I'll wait for you in this village."
"I'll be back soon. If you want, you can just head back. The mirror we used to get here earlier will reconnect to the Chapel of Beginnings if you pour hot water on it."
"I'll wait in the village. I don't want to run into L Bu outside."
Kang Myungjin left the village.
I entered the alleyway he had emerged from. As I ventured deeper, the surroundings shimmered, and the space shifted. I found myself in an entirely different realm.
"Oh, another guest. You're the second one today."
I turned toward the male voice. A robed figure stood before me, its face completely obscured by the hood. It seemed to be magically concealed.
"I'm Ropu, a shopkeeper here. If you see anything you want among the items on display, just let me know. Oh, and you do have enough AP, right?"
"I have plenty of AP."
"Then feel free to browse. These items are hard to find even in Atlantis. By the way, I'll be moving to another territory in a month. If you miss this chance, who knows when I'll be back?"
"I hope I find something I like."
I looked around. Each item was extraordinary.
World Tree Fruit - 1,500,000 AP
Scroll of the Secret Garden - 450,000 AP
Regular Spirit Inspection - 600,000 AP
Heartless Sword - 300,000 AP
Darkness Blade - 50,000 AP
Skill, Explosion (A) - 30,000,000 AP
A crucial point to remember here is the risk of being overcharged.
For example, the World Tree Fruit, which sells for 700,000 AP in other Special Shops.
I pretended to browse before selecting an item.
"This one seems good."
I pointed to a pair of black gauntlets.
"Ah, the Subduing Demon Gauntlet. An excellent piece. 200,000 AP. Will you purchase it?"
"Yes, I'll take it."
"Give me your hand."
I silently extended my hand toward him. He took it with his white-gloved hand and held it still for five seconds.
200,000 AP has been deducted.
Mr. Sung Yujin currently has 227,630 AP.