Chapter 23: Sampo: "Oh no, I've run into a real superior!"

Sampo watched Theresa rise to her feet, his expression shifting abruptly. As a Masked Fool of The Elation, he could clearly sense the overwhelming Power of Elation radiating from her, along with other, unrecognizable forces. He secretly compared his own power to hers and realized he possessed less than one percent of her capabilities.

(In the game, Sampo is shrouded in mystery, and might betray established lore later. For now, we'll treat him as an ordinary Masked Fool.)

Despite his shock, Sampo skillfully concealed his surprise. Clutching his stinging buttock, he feigned agony and glared at the group.

More merchant than prankster, Sampo wailed, "Ouch, my butt! Seriously, what did I do to deserve this? I was just hiding in the snowdrift, minding my own business, and then—bam!—right in the butt? That was way too accurate!"

His exaggerated pain and theatrical grimace made everyone visibly uncomfortable.

"Erm, sorry about that," Theresa said with an embarrassed smile. "I was just trying to poke the snowdrift with a branch, but I tripped and accidentally stabbed you in the backside."

Her adorable face and lavish attire made Sampo's eyes dart around involuntarily, sizing her up.

"Alright, you can compensate me. After all, with this butt injury, I can't exactly continue treasure hunting. How about a thousand Shield?" Sampo suggested with a sly smile, testing the waters.

"We only have Credit Points, and we're not locals," March 7th blurted out bluntly. Dan Heng and Theresa sighed at her naivety.

"Huh? What do you mean? Are you aliens or something?" Sampo exclaimed, scrutinizing them in astonishment.

"Have you ever seen any locals dressed this lightly in this frozen wasteland?" Dan Heng countered calmly, his gaze steady. He instinctively sensed a mischievous aura in Sampo, reminiscent of Theresa's own playful, devil-may-care attitude.

Sampo scrutinized them more closely. He definitely couldn't afford to provoke Theresa; he had a wild guess that she might be an Emanator of Elation. Dan Heng and March 7th watched him with detached amusement, while Stelle crossed her arms, wearing an arrogant, "What's your problem, you idiot?" expression.

Sampo's initial bravado crumbled instantly. "Credit Points... I think I have a terminal. I salvaged and repaired it a while back," he offered sheepishly.

Sampo brazenly lied through his teeth as he swiftly pulled out his terminal. Dan Heng watched him with a knowing look, amused by Sampo's clumsy attempt to cover up his lie, but chose not to expose him. Theresa, however, narrowed her eyes, studying Sampo intently, sensing a strange kinship in their demeanor.

"How many Credit Points do you need?" Stelle asked innocently, her naive expression subconsciously prompting Sampo to rub his hands together in anticipation, a sudden surge of confidence coursing through him.

His eyes darted around. "One thousand Shields equals one hundred thousand Credit Points. So, just give me one hundred thousand Credit Points, and we're square!"

"Ouch! My butt hurts so bad!" Sampo whimpered dramatically, stealing glances at the others.

"Do you think we're pushovers? Need another stab?" Dan Heng glared at Sampo, who was shamelessly trying to inflate his price and scam them.

"Ah, my mistake! I'm not entirely sure about the Shield-to-Credit Point exchange rate. How about ten thousand Credit Points?" Sampo offered with a placating smile, genuinely intimidated by their capabilities.

"Agreed, on one condition: you take us to Belobog. This snowfield is too harsh!"

Theresa tilted her head back to look at the towering Sampo, realizing for the first time how much she had to crane her neck to shout up at him.

"Ah, well, fine," Sampo conceded. "I could use a few days to rest and recover from my... injuries."

He figured it was a decent deal—escorting them to Belobog for ten thousand Credit Points wasn't bad. It would have been even better if his backside hadn't been so badly wounded.

Clutching his injured rear, Sampo slowly led the group toward Belobog.

"Damn it! It's the Silvermane Guards!"

Perhaps today was just his unlucky day. First, he got his rear violated, and now they'd run into the Silvermane Guards.

"Everyone, scatter!"

"Ouch! My ass! I can't run!"

Sampo tried to flee, but the pain from his injured rear forced him to collapse to the ground, howling in agony.

"Help me up! We have to run! I don't want to get arrested!" Sampo shouted frantically.

"Suspect and accomplices located. Initiate arrest!" barked the Silvermane Guard captain.

"Looks like we have no choice but to fight. Let's move," Dan Heng said with a resigned glare at Sampo. He, March 7th, and Stelle moved into action. Theresa, however, seemed to have realized Sampo was a member of the Masked Fools.

"Aren't you going to help?" she asked.

Sampo was trying to sneak away when he noticed Theresa smiling at him with an amused expression.

"Oh? Trying to slip away, Masked Fool?"

Theresa's words made Sampo's face pale. His eyes darted around frantically, searching for an escape plan.

"Don't even think about it! Oath of Judah, bind him!"

Theresa tossed the Oath of Judah onto the snow. The Soulium spears shot out, instantly ensnaring Sampo in chains and pinning him to the ground like a wriggling caterpillar.

"Mercy, auntie! I don't want the Credit Points anymore! Just let me go! If the Silvermane Guards catch me, I'm doomed!" Sampo cried out in panic.

Ignoring his pleas, Theresa yanked on the chains, dragging him across the snow to her feet.

"I'm done for..." Sampo whimpered, his face contorted in despair.

"Now, taste my power!" Theresa declared.

Meanwhile, Dan Heng, Stelle, and March 7th were preparing to subdue the Silvermane Guards. Suddenly, a handsome young man stepped forward, his left hand clutching a guitar case, his right hand outstretched. A transparent layer of the Power of Preservation materialized, blocking all of March 7th's ice arrows.

"We've got a tough one here!" March 7th warned.

"Theresa!"

"Hey!" Stelle called out urgently.

The handsome young man, his face grim, strode toward the group. He was about to attack when he noticed Sampo sprawled at Theresa's feet. He stopped abruptly, positioning himself between them.

"I am Gepard Landau, Captain of the Silvermane Guards!" he declared solemnly, clutching his guitar case. "I order you to cease this futile resistance!"

"We're sorry, Captain," the defeated Silvermane soldiers mumbled, heads bowed in shame.

"What matters most is that everyone is safe," Gepard replied. "Go back and rest. As for you," he barked at the group, "hand over the suspect and explain yourselves!"

Gepard hesitated to attack, sensing that these people didn't seem like criminals. After all, what kind of criminals would tie up their own accomplice?

"Being mistaken for a co-conspirator for no reason is infuriating!" March 7th snapped angrily.

"Surrender! Cease your resistance!" the guards chorused.

"Being treated like a criminal is even worse!" March 7th retorted. "Why do we always get misunderstood the moment we arrive?"

"You'd have to ask him," Theresa muttered, nudging the sprawled Sampo with her foot.