Chapter 77: If You’re Curious, Bring Me Five Million Gold (4)

The first time Luke tasted sourness was when he had an orange. At the time, he was sure that there was no food more sour than oranges. A long time after that, he became aware of lemons, which could make one’s mouth water just by hearing the name. After this, Luke redefined sourness, now knowing that lemons were truly sour and that oranges were actually sweet.

And at that moment, Luke was relearning the formula of orange and lemon. The Liqueur he felt beside Keter was orange, but separated from Keter, it became a lemon.

Even without a special ability to sense misfortune, the dirty gazes toward him were filled with all sorts of vile emotions. It felt as though his misfortune-detecting ability had broken, as waves of misfortune surged from every direction. This was the

real

Liqueur.

“Damn, what a headache.”

That careless remark Luke uttered in frustration might have been dismissed as simple muttering to oneself in Sefira, but here, it was different. The gazes toward him shifted; it was as if the prey had admitted its vulnerability.

Luke already knew how ruthless Liqueur could be, which was why he clutched his bow and arrow tightly in his hands. But he couldn’t let himself relax enough to properly scan his surroundings.

I get that you’re trying to toughen me up... but this feels like getting shoved off a cliff.

Luke threw warning glances at the Liqueurians cautiously circling him. He made it clear that he was not easy prey.

I see you. I know you’re there.

But that was all he could do. The warning seemed to work for now, but he couldn’t keep this up forever.

What kind of city doesn’t even have signs... and the streets are way too confusing.

Simply walking without a plan wasn’t a wise choice.

Luke took a deep breath. He acknowledged something crucial: he wasn’t ordinary. His ability to detect misfortune could be applied broadly.

To learn more about the Red Comet, the best bet is to find and ask a Hunter’s Guild.

A hunter guild was a gathering place for monster hunters. He had heard from the Liqueur Mercenary Guild that they had once attempted to subdue the Red Comet but failed. If that was true, a Hunter’s Guild must have some connection to it. The problem was finding them.

I don’t need signs.

Luke committed to his goal of finding the Hunter’s Guild.

Should I head that way?

He asked himself, but his misfortune detector disagreed.

The signal was faint, nearly drowned out by the countless misfortunes swirling around him, but Luke managed to catch it. It took ten times his usual mental effort, and the hyenas circling him didn’t help.

Luke’s confidence wavered slightly. It might have been different if Keter had been watching over him, but left alone in this place, fear began to creep in. Back in Sefira, knights rarely operated solo. Even when they did, it was in bustling cities, not wandering through a lawless city like this.

It’s not that I’m a coward. Anyone would be scared in this situation, damn it.

Luke steadied himself, took another deep breath, and found his direction. He began to use his ability with all his might to figure out where he needed to go. The process was agonizingly slow, but Luke didn’t mind. Slow progress was fine; what mattered was choosing the right path.

It was something Jacques, his father, always told him.

And then, it happened. Luke felt a surge of misfortune building uncontrollably behind him. He immediately nocked an arrow and turned around.

I can’t see them... They’re hidden in the crowd.

He expected people to at least try to avoid his arrow, but the crowd only glanced at him, bothered, before continuing on their way.

Luke inhaled deeply and let the arrow fly. The arrow shot into the crowd, startling them to scatter.

Clang!

The aura-infused arrow was blocked by something. Luke instantly prepared another arrow, chastising himself.

The enemy is using aura too. I can’t waste my arrows like this. If I can’t finish them off, I shouldn’t shoot.

He decided not to overthink who his assailant was. That could wait until after he had subdued them. But the mysterious attacker didn’t charge at him. Instead, they melted back into the crowd.

Luke frowned. He knew where they were, generally speaking, but not their exact location. Diving into the crowd to flush them out was out of the question—he was an archer, not a swordsman. It was also impossible to pinpoint and target his foe in such a dense crowd. And they seemed to know that too, as they were using the crowd as a shield.

This wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment attack.

Luke sighed in frustration. His original goal was to gather information about the Red Comet. Yet here he was, barely a few steps in, already stuck.

So this is what it feels like to be truly alone.

It wasn’t just loneliness. Luke was painfully aware that he was surrounded by enemies and had to protect himself entirely on his own.

Keter... You grew up surviving alone in a place like this.

For the first time, Luke felt like he understood Keter a little better.

And here I was, thinking of leaving Sefira immediately. What an idiot I was. What makes me think I could wander through a harsh world like this by myself?

Luke set a new goal for himself: to catch up to Keter. Becoming as strong as Keter might be a distant dream, but at the very least, he wanted to grow strong enough to land a solid hit on him.

But first, I need to solve this problem.

Keter was likely busy searching all over Liqueur for clues about the Red Comet. Wasting time here felt like shoving all the burden onto Keter’s shoulders.

Pitter patter!

Luke, who had been moving cautiously, suddenly broke into a run. He needed to lose his pursuers. There was no time to waste fighting these mysterious attackers.

While Luke and the mercenaries were engaged in their chase, Keter was wandering around Liqueur, just as Luke had guessed. however...

Keter stopped in front of a fruit vendor, picked up an apple, and said, “I told you not to coat the apples with orc oil. People will get stomach aches eating this stuff. If you want to make them look shiny, use cottonseed oil. Just because I left for a few days, you’re already ignoring what I said?”

Unlike what Luke thought, Keter was not looking for clues about the Red Comet. After taking a nap in the square, his next move was to lecture the vendors on proper fruit-selling practices.

* * *

Hansen could not stand it any longer. He could try to understand Keter’s nap in the plaza, and he could understand selling the magic tools from the mercenaries who tried to ambush him.

But now, Keter really had to get going to find the Red Comet. Instead, he was threatening street vendors.

“You thought I wouldn’t come back? Well, time to flip the table for old times’ sake!”

“Aaah! Stop this!”

Keter overturned the fruit vendor’s entire basket. The vendor, flustered and desperate, looked pitiful, but the fruits he had brought were likely stolen or taken from someone else.

“Ha ha ha! Scatter, my apples!”

Hansen, dodging the apples flying toward him, shouted in frustration, “Keter! This is

not

the time for this nonsense!”

Keter, holding a box of apples above his head, turned his gaze toward Hansen.

Though Hansen had blurted it out in anger, the moment Keter’s eyes landed on him, it felt as if he had plunged into ice water.

“I-I’ll help you find the Red Comet. I’ve fought it before.”

Hansen barely managed to say his piece, panting heavily afterward.

“What, that’s all you had to say?”

Keter scattered the remaining apples from the box, then smashed the box to pieces with a kick. The apples had already disappeared, scooped up by onlookers.

“Messing with food is the one thing I can’t tolerate. This is your last warning.”

With that final ultimatum, Keter resumed walking down the street.

Hansen stood staring after him, confused.

“Did he... misunderstand me?”

Hansen realized that Keter must have interpreted his words as an offer to join the fight against the Red Comet. Otherwise, Keter wouldn’t have brushed him off so completely.

Hansen ran to get ahead of Keter and spoke more carefully, “I misspoke earlier. I’ve not only fought the Red Comet but was part of a pursuit team that tracked it down. I know how to find it, and I can tell you..”

“Hmm.”

Keter furrowed his brow.

To think that someone in Liqueur would dare to give me advice. There wasn’t anyone like this in my previous life. Why now?

Most of the people who crossed his path were fools or con artists. But this guy was offering to help him.

Ah, could it be one of those?

“I don’t spend money on that kind of thing.”

“I’m not trying to get money from you.”

“Are you indebted to me? I don’t think so. You’re not in my ledger.”

“Keter, honestly, I don’t even know why I’m doing this myself,” Hansen admitted. “If I’m being truthful, I think you would be a better branch leader than Cork. That’s why I want to help you. That’s all there is to it.”

“Ah, so that’s what this is about.”

Keter recalled someone similar back in Sefira—a knight eager to win his favor.

What was his name again? Halibo? Yes, I remember him.

“I don’t need your help. I can handle this on my own,” Keter replied.

“But the Red Comet isn’t something you can just...”

“I’ve heard enough of your pitch. Stop talking back. Normally, I would start with a punch, but whatever.”

Keter still looked like a young man, and he was only eighteen, meaning that he hadn’t even undergone his coming-of-age ceremony yet. However, he had the experience of a hard-lived man in his fifties. His younger days, when his temper would flare and his fists would fly at the slightest provocation, were long behind him.

It wasn’t that Keter had grown more patient. Rather, after countless fights, he had simply grown tired of it. He had come to understand that indiscriminate violence only dulled its own edge. This realization tempered him somewhat, but not entirely.

Waving Hansen away dismissively, Keter said, “Leave while I’m still in a good mood.”

𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

“...Alright,” Hansen replied reluctantly before stepping away.

He didn’t want to risk his life to help Keter.

Watching Keter walk off, Hansen let out a deep sigh.

“How in the world does he plan to find the Red Comet...?”

Hansen couldn’t contain his curiosity.

“Ugh, I can’t stand it. I have to find out!”

He began tailing Keter, but he was more just following him from behind. Hansen, having fought the Red Comet before, was too intrigued to let this opportunity pass. He had to know how Keter planned to find the creature, let alone fight it.

Who’s the strongest among the Five Lunatics of Liquor?

It was a topic of endless debate among the people of Liqueur, but there was no clear consensus. Opinions were divided. Some insisted that the Maran, who had special abilities, was undoubtedly the strongest. Others believed the title belonged to Balt, the Blade Demon, who had beat a six-star Grandmaster. Ragnon, the Bomber, and Jenny, the Chain Scythe, also had their fair share of supporters.

But almost no one ever claimed Keter was the strongest. At best, Keter was considered troublesome, but strength, people said, was not his defining trait. In the end, the general agreement was that Maran and Balt were evenly matched as the top contenders. Balt, after all, had once fought the Red Comet to a standstill, though he ultimately failed to capture it.

But if Keter managed to succeed where Balt had failed?

“That would mean Keter is stronger than the Blade Demon.”

Of course, fighting a monster and fighting a human were entirely different matters. But if Keter succeeded where Balt had failed, it would undoubtedly be significant.

Hansen spent the entire day following Keter, even skipping meals to keep up. Finally, as night fell, he came to a stark realization.

“Keter... doesn’t care about finding the Red Comet at all!”

* * *

In the Liqueur branch of the Hunter’s Guild, a young man trudged through the already-open door, his steps weary. Unlike the mercenaries, the hunters glanced at him briefly before returning to their business, paying him no further attention.

“Is this... the Hunter’s Guild?” Luke asked, exhausted and scanning the room.

It had taken him three hours to get there. It wasn’t because it was far, but because he had been constantly ambushed along the way. Luckily, while he looked beat-up, he was unscathed, thanks to his ability to automatically reflect damage. But his mental energy was utterly drained. Luke stood quietly, waiting for a response, yet none came; there was only silence. He was being ignored.

“I’m here to ask about the Red Comet.”

Normally, Luke would have started by introducing himself as a knight of Sefira and explaining his story. But he was far too exhausted for pleasantries and got straight to the point. This time, the hunters took notice.

“And who are you to be asking about the Red Comet?”

A middle-aged hunter, seemingly an archer like Luke, stood up.

“First, has Keter been here?”

“The Solver hasn’t come by.”

“My name is Luke. I’m a knight of Sefira. Do you know anything about the Red Comet?”

“A knight of Sefira? What madness brought you here to ask about the Red Comet?”

The hunter’s sharp tone signaled to Luke that he indeed knew something. Still, Luke was cautious enough not to reveal too much.

“I can’t share all the details, but I intend to capture it.”

“Nonsense. Why would a prestigious house like Sefira send a knight to Liqueur to hunt a Named Monster? You won’t even make it back home alive to boast about it.”

Luke silently berated himself for the misstep of introducing himself as a knight. Anywhere else, it might have been fine, but not in Liqueur.

“You’re right... Things just ended up this way. So, about the Red Comet...”

Fumbling for a cover, Luke pulled ten gold coins from his pocket and held them out.

The middle-aged hunter chuckled as he pocketed the coins.

“Well, this is amusing. A knight from Sefira comes to our guild alone, asking for information about the Red Comet? Not even a prophet could have seen this coming.”

He turned and motioned for Luke to follow.

“Come along. I’ll tell you about the Red Comet. It’s not as big a deal as you think.”

As the hunter walked ahead, chuckling to himself, Luke hesitated.

Isn’t this a little too easy?

This was Liqueur, after all. Luke had faced endless ambushes and pickpockets just to get here. And now, they were giving him information so readily? Even someone as naive as Luke couldn’t help but feel suspicious.

Still, he had no choice but to follow. If he couldn’t get the information here, where else could he turn? Though utterly drained, Luke remained alert and followed the hunter.

“Here’s the information you wanted about the Red Comet. Read it as much as you want, but you can’t take it with you. You’ll have to finish it here.”

The worst-case scenario Luke had feared didn’t happen. It wasn’t a trap. The hunter genuinely handed over a thick ledger filled with details about the Red Comet.

It wasn’t fake, nor was it a scam. The book was a meticulously detailed journal documenting the pursuit of the Red Comet.

“Thank you.”

“No, thank

you

.”

“...?”

The cryptic remark left Luke puzzled as the hunter exited the room, leaving him alone.

Dismissing the comment, Luke focused on the journal. The hunters’ jargon made parts of it difficult to understand, but he managed to infer most of it. The journal included a meticulous timeline and location details, as well as sections that required careful interpretation. Reading through it took hours.

By the time he closed the final page, dusk was falling. Luke stared blankly into space, his mind overwhelmed by the weight of what he had just read.

The journal was genuine and informative, but it only created a larger problem.

“It’s impossible to catch the Red Comet in two days...”

The journal detailed the previous pursuit of the Red Comet. Even a team of fifty seasoned veterans had taken two full months to locate it. While Luke could potentially save time by avoiding their trial-and-error, finding it within two days was still unrealistic.

“I need advice. Those who’ve tried before might know a better way.”

Luke had also learned about the Red Comet’s unprecedented strength. However, he believed that Keter’s Amaranth and Demon Arrows would somehow suffice. After all, the first step was to find it—there could be no fight without that.

Luke came out to the lobby and looked for the middle-aged hunter.

“So you’re finally out. Just in time—we’re about to close. Get going.”

“Wait a moment. I’ve finished reading the journal, but it seems to take an awful lot of time. Isn’t there a way to compress the process? You’ve done this before, and you’re a veteran, aren’t you?”

“Were you seriously planning to capture the Red Comet?”

“Of course.”

The hunter chuckled darkly.

“You’ve worked hard to get here, so I’ll let you in on a little secret: give it up. It’s impossible.”

“I’m not asking you to fight it. Just help me find it. I’ll pay whatever you want.”

“Doesn’t matter. Even with tens of thousands of gold, no one can find the Red Comet.”

“What do you mean? Are you saying it’s disappeared entirely?”

“You’re more naive than you look. Did you really think you could buy information on an A-tier Named Monster like the Red Comet for just ten gold?”

The hunter’s tone was full of mockery, and other hunters in the room shook their heads. Luke’s heart pounded. He didn’t want to believe it, but the meaning of the man’s words slowly dawned on him.

“You mean to say...”

“Exactly. The Red Comet hasn’t left a single trace since the first failed hunt. Do you think we would have given up on a wounded Red Comet? We tried dozens of times to find it, and every attempt ended in failure. Now you understand why I sold you the journal for ten gold?”

“Because finding it is impossible. It didn’t matter either way.”

“Exactly. So, are you done now? Our guild can’t offer you any more help.”

“I understand.”

Luke left the guild without protest. He knew there was nothing more to gain by insisting.

“I got information, sure, but...”

All he had accomplished was adding another reason why Keter’s mission was doomed to fail.

“But now I know that ordinary methods won’t work. That’s useful, isn’t it?”

Luke tried to stay optimistic, but frustration and negativity weighed heavily on him.

By the time the night passed, he would have barely a day and a half left to locate the Red Comet. Despite the overwhelming odds, his priority was to find Keter and relay the information.

“Keter hasn’t come to the Hunter’s Guild. He must have something up his sleeve.”

Frankly, Luke didn’t care whether the Red Comet was defeated or if Keter missed the Sword of the South Tournament. While they were partners and friends, Keter was ultimately someone else’s responsibility. Yet, watching Keter’s nonchalant attitude made Luke feel even more pressured.

Maybe that’s why I’m so stressed and working harder than I should.

The night deepened, and there was nowhere else to turn for information. Luke headed toward Keter’s office.

But someone was following him. The pursuer’s presence eluded even Luke’s misfortune detector.