The Healing Solaris Cleric-Chapter 293: One Who Holds a Grudge (2)

Crunch, crunch.

A strange sound echoed through the Celestial Garden.

Kai, who was crouching in the flower field, scratched his eyebrow with one hand and asked, "Hmm. So you're saying it's best to avoid demons whenever possible?"

"Yeah! They're strong. And they're also quite persistent... Give me more."

"Alright."

Kai pulled another long biscuit from a bag and handed it to Helik. Helik, clinging to his hand, chewed on the Pepero, making small crunching noises.

She munched happily as if she had the whole world in her grasp.

"Alright, I understand. Since you said you don’t know any tracking skills... I guess I’ll have to figure it out myself. Still, it’s a relief that I’ve roughly identified the culprit."

Kai looked down at Helik’s small hands gripping his own, then patted her head.

Just as she was debating whether to lick the chocolate off Kai’s fingers, Helik lifted her head. "If you want tracking skills, go visit the Sky God."

"Sky God...?"

That was the very same god who had gifted him Hawk’s Witness.

He definitely had the upper body of a bird.

More precisely, he was an eagle-human with red feathers.

"Is he skilled in tracking?"

"Yeah. We weren’t particularly close... but thanks to the banquet you hosted, we’ve had occasional interactions."

"That’s good to hear."

Was this how a parent felt when their daughter suddenly announced she had made a friend?

Watching Helik with a slightly embarrassed expression, Kai smiled in satisfaction and stood up.

"For now, I’ll try searching on my own. If that doesn’t work, I’ll go find him."

Currently, Kai had good relationships with multiple gods. However, one banquet alone wouldn’t be enough to befriend them as closely as Helik had.

If I ask for a favor once, they’ll probably consider the debt settled.

Kai's honest feelings were that he wanted to save the gods’ assistance as an absolute last resort.

As Kai stood up, Helik wore a sad expression and urgently grabbed his sleeve. "...Are you leaving?"

"Helik..."

Just how lonely was she to look at him so desperately and hold onto him like this?

Just as he was filling up with emotion, Helik said, "You can leave, but at least give me the Pepero I was eating before you go..."

Kai left the Celestial Garden without giving her the Pepero.

***

Ding!

[The Solarian God Helik is feeling depressed.]

[The intensity of sunlight across the continent weakens.]

"Oh, our goddess became sad."

The deep smile that had been on Kai’s lips vanished the moment he took in the sight of Libertia, where restoration work was in full swing. The soft, cloud-like smile he had worn instantly transformed into a cold and emotionless one.

You launched a preemptive attack on me and expect to end things here? That won't do.

Although he had been living somewhat peacefully lately, Kai had once been a man feared as a relentless force. As an example, not a single guild that had crossed paths with him in a bad way remained standing with its name intact. Crimson Sunset, Crimson Fist, Black Bee, Titan. From small guilds in rural areas to globally recognized ones, Kai had always ensured that anyone who picked a fight with him was utterly crushed, down to their very foundation.

"It’s been a while since I’ve felt this pissed off."

However, he didn’t dislike the sensation of blood rushing through his body.

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"Shadow Shift."

The place Kai went to after leaving Libertia was none other than the Information Guild.

Once again, the branch manager rushed out to the front desk to welcome Kai. "Oh, if you had sent word, I would have come out to greet you."

Guiding Kai to his office, he took a seat and said with concern, "Is there some issue with the information we provided last time...?"

"No. The information about the instructors was incredibly useful. The students are also highly satisfied with their lessons."

"Phew. That’s a relief. Our guild prides itself on handling the best information, but information is always fluid and ever-changing, so we can never have absolute certainty."

Realizing his concerns had been unnecessary, the branch manager looked a bit embarrassed as he asked, "So, what is the purpose of your visit this time?"

"I’m here to purchase information. I want details on certain adventurers."

"Adventurer information, huh... The price varies greatly depending on their rank."

"How is an adventurer’s rank determined?"

"Primarily based on their reputation and strength."

In other words, their fame and level.

"Could you tell me the names of the adventurers you’re interested in?"

"There are quite a few, so I prepared a document in advance."

Kai handed the branch manager a list he had downloaded from the internet, containing the names of all former members of Titan and Black Bee guilds.

Taking the list, the branch manager looked a bit overwhelmed as he said, "Kai, at a glance, this list has over a thousand names..."

"Don't worry about the cost and proceed. Especially for these four individuals, I want every piece of information your guild can obtain on them."

The ones Kai pointed out were Goliath and Sting, and their respective right-hand men, Senji and Ice Emperor Raos.

"Hm. Understood. One moment please..."

As the branch manager rummaged through the shelves, he furrowed his brows.

"There isn't much material on them here. It looks like I’ll need to contact the main headquarters and deploy guild members to investigate further."

"How long will that take?"

After a brief moment of contemplation, the branch manager said with difficulty, "If you can give us three days..."

"I’ll give you one."

Kai’s firm voice caught the branch manager off guard.

"Th-that sudden of a deadline reduction is impossi—"

Kai placed a chest filled with gold coins onto the table and tapped the lid. "I already told you, didn’t I? Don’t worry about the cost. Mobilize all of the guild’s resources."

This was an investment to track down those who had endangered him and his people. There was no way he would consider any amount of money wasted.

Overwhelmed by the sheer financial pressure Kai exuded, the branch manager broke into a cold sweat.

Just what the hell did these guys do?

For someone as seemingly good-natured as Kai to have eyes that sharp and merciless...

Clearing his throat, the branch manager slowly nodded. "Are you sure... the cost doesn’t matter?"

"Yes.”

"Understood."

Gaining confidence from Kai’s response, the branch manager took out a magical crystal ball from a drawer.

Infusing it with mana, he immediately began a conversation with someone.

"Yes. Please locate and gather basic information on the individuals listed in the document I’m about to send. It’s a major request. Yes, of course. It’s for Kai. Yes, deploy all available guild members. Thank you."

Once the crystal ball's light faded, the branch manager smiled brightly and said, “We’ll see you in a day."

***

As the alarm he had set rang, Kai reached for the door of the Information Guild. However, before he could even grab the handle, the door opened from the inside.

"I couldn’t repeat yesterday’s mistake."

Wearing a wide grin, the branch manager strode confidently toward his office.

"First, here is the information on everyone except the four individuals you requested separately."

Ding!

[You have obtained the Adventurer Information Book.]

Kai looked at the thick book the branch manager handed him with a slightly surprised expression.

It’s this thick? Well, I guess it does have over a thousand names...

Normally, when information was purchased from the guild, it was delivered on a tiny slip of paper, like the one inside a fortune cookie. Most of the time, that was the standard size for such data. Of course, when Kai had previously bought information about the instructors, he had received a single sheet of parchment.

But even for him, this was the first time receiving such a thick book. As he opened it, he found detailed information on individuals, neatly arranged in alphabetical order.

[Gadel]

Class: Wizard

Level: 283

Affiliation: Chronos Guild

Notable Information: Recently purchased [Burning Ashen Robe] at an auction.

Equipped Gear: Burning Ashen Robe, Suspicious Wizard’s Staff, Mung Bean Crown...

Last Known Location: Kingdom of Aldebaran, Botan Territory, Moving Labyrinth.

[Garvia]

Class: Spearman

Level: 271

Affiliation: Beast Guild

Notable Information: Confirmed acquisition of Rare active skill [Seven Consecutive Thrusts].

Equipped Gear: Modified Knight’s Spear, Shining Ron’s Armor Set, Low-ranking Knight’s Cloak...

Last Known Location: Kingdom of Rashion, Iceberg Territory’s Western Hunting Grounds.

Kai quietly marveled at the quality of the compiled information.

Impressive.

With this level of detail, no price seemed too high.

As he quickly skimmed through the book, his gaze suddenly changed as he noticed that several players were affiliated with the same guild.

Revenge Guild, huh... Look at these guys.

Kai smirked as he could easily guess what they had in mind when naming their guild.

Interesting. Were they that desperate for revenge?

If they weren’t all grown men, he might have even found the naming sense adorable.

He then closed the book and requested additional information.

"Here you go," the branch manager provided the special information without hesitation.

"As expected," Kai nodded.

Just as he had anticipated, Raos, Senji, Goliath, and Sting were all members of the Revenge Guild.

"But how come Goliath and Sting's levels and classes are marked with question marks?"

"Oh, that is...” At Kai’s question, the branch manager wore an apologetic expression. "I’m sorry. Hundreds of guild members scoured every trace of them... but we couldn’t uncover anything."

"You mean you couldn’t even find their location?"

"I apologize. The last place they were sighted is listed in the document."

"The Illusory Forest... That is a perfect place to hide."

The Revenge Guild members had last been seen resupplying in a city near the Illusory Forest before completely disappearing. All except for one.

Raos.

Kai's eyes narrowed. He was Sting’s right-hand man, known as the Ice Emperor for his exceptional command over ice-based magic.

So he’s the one handling supplies.

Since Raos was the only one who appeared periodically near the Illusory Forest, it was almost certain.

That means he’s the one I need to track.

Having reached a conclusion, Kai turned his gaze toward the branch manager. "How much is the price?"

"Ahem. Hundreds of guild members were mobilized, the initial three-day deadline was shortened to one, and the number of targets exceeded a thousand. However... given that the investigation on the individuals you specifically requested was insufficient, our guild has decided to charge 14,200 gold."

A staggering sum equivalent to 1.42 billion won! But Kai retrieved the massive amount from his inventory without hesitation and handed it over to the branch manager.

"Oh, and given the cost, I assume I can expect after-sales service?"

"Of course. If we obtain any new information, we will contact you immediately."

"Great."

Having completed a satisfactory transaction, Kai left the guild and headed to a nearby café. Seated on the terrace with a view of a grand fountain, he sipped a cold, refreshing drink and began analyzing every detail of his enemies’ information.