Chapter 403 |
The 10th floor of the tower wasn't much different from the 9th. No, while the scenery was quite different, it was similar in that it was a wide, open space with no obstructions.
"Sis. It feels especially cold here."
Han-na muttered, hugging her ample chest tightly against the sudden, intense chill.
I instinctively turned to look at her, my eyes stolen by the sight of her breasts, slightly squashed by her arms. Even with her arms wrapped around them, her bosom couldn't be fully concealed, flaunting a gentle abundance.
If I buried my face in that chest, it would be incredibly warm.
As I was lost in such a silly fantasy, I suddenly felt someone's intense stare on me. I followed my instincts and turned my head, clearing my throat once or twice.
"..."
After a brief silence, Ha-yeon's cool voice drifted over.
"My, my. All that flesh, and still so melodramatic..."
"Han-na? I was just joking. And for the record, I'm not that small, you know?"
"Sis, I was joking too. And of course. Of course, you're not."
"Hohobobo."
"Hehehehe."
The two women looked at each other and let out bright laughs, but the aura swirling around them was anything but bright.
"H-Hyung. For some reason, it keeps getting colder."
Ahn Hyeon, who was standing next to me, approached with a look of profound injustice on his face.
I shook my head with a sigh and simply stared straight ahead.
The Ice Tower didn't end on the 9th floor.
After dealing with the grudgeful spirits on the 9th floor, I had used the Third Eye to find a secret passage leading to the 10th. I'd asked Ha-yeon to use her Scan magic, and that was how we found the passage and made our way up.
The 10th floor, like the 9th, was a vast, open space, but it didn't feel empty.
There were several structures visible at the far end and large blocks of ice arranged neatly throughout the room. There had to be at least a few hundred of them.
Moreover, the block of ice in the center of the room was at least three or four times larger than the others. The reason the 10th floor was so unusually cold was likely due to the chill radiating from these ice blocks.
So this must have been their main base.
After using the Third Eye to check for any potential dangers, I slowly walked toward the ice block in the center. As I did, I examined the surrounding blocks and discovered an interesting fact.
Inside the countless blocks of ice were 'people.'
No, it wasn't just people. In some ice blocks, I could see various humanoid races like fairies and beastkin.
"Oho. Now this looks like quite an interesting piece of research."
Vivian, her alchemist's curiosity piqued as expected, let out a series of impressed exclamations.
"What do you think? What kind of research do you think was being done here?"
At my question, Vivian hummed, "Hmm," and looked around before answering with a prim expression.
"Well, I'll need to take a closer look later, but for now, the research itself feels very profound."
"I see."
"However..."
Vivian stared at one of the nearby ice blocks with a frown.
I followed her gaze and saw a male beastkin trapped inside. He was glaring out at us from within the ice, his eyes wide as if in protest of some great injustice.
A moment after we had passed him completely, Vivian's bitter voice continued.
"It seems the person in charge here stepped into a forbidden domain."
A forbidden domain.
A flicker of curiosity made me want to ask for details, but I had to swallow the words that rose to my threat. We had already arrived at the massive block of ice in the center. I stopped right in front of it and activated the Third Eye.
[A Native, Ianor Ra Erahel (Deceased).]
"Wow. She's gorgeous."
Just as Ahn Hyeon said, trapped inside the largest block of ice was a woman whose beauty could easily be described as capable of toppling nations.
Sky-blue hair cascaded over cheeks as white as snow. Long, slender eyelashes framed plump, pale pink lips. Her beauty was such that it was a shame I couldn't see her eyes, as they were closed.
"She's a princess."
Vivian, who had been watching quietly, suddenly blurted out. I turned to her with a questioning look, and she gestured with an arrogant tilt of her head as she continued.
"The clothes she's wearing are a priestess's robes. The kind only permitted to very special people, you could say."
"Then she might not be a princess. She could be a queen, or a noble."
Vivian calmly shook her head at my rebuttal.
"The necklace she's wearing has the royal insignia on it. And the white she's wearing signifies an unmarried, pure woman. So the possibility of her being a princess is the highest. Well, if not, whatever."
Vivian finished with a shrug, and I looked back at the ice. A princess.
It doesn't really matter.
They were all dead anyway. It might be a different story if they were naked, but they were trapped wearing the very things they used in life. Besides, someone of a princess's stature was bound to have some decent items.
Looking at the field of high-potential lottery tickets spread around me, I fell into thought, wondering how I should deal with all this ice.
Do I have to smash them one by one...?
It was then.
As I was carefully examining the ice, something strange caught my eye.
The strange object was a gem that looked like a crystal, embedded in the lower part of the ice. I hadn't noticed it before because I had been focused on the central area. Its color was also similar to the ice.
I took another step forward, bent down, and heightened my senses.
...Hmm.
A very cold air was flowing from it, so I crouched down to feel it more closely.
After a short while, I was able to figure one thing out. The crystal gem was about the size of a fingernail, and it was connected to the flow of cold air that permeated the area. And that flow enveloped the entire block of ice.
Without delay, I reached for the gem, and soon my index and thumb pinched something hard and cold.
Shaaa... Shaaaa...
Just as I thought. As if it had no intention of being pulled out so easily, a chilling sensation instantly stained my fingertips. I immediately summoned the power of EternalFire and quickly regained feeling.
Applying a bit of force in that state, I managed to pull the crystal about halfway out. It wouldn't come out all at once, likely because it had been embedded for so long.
It was then.
Crack!
The moment I tried to apply more force, a sharp noise struck my ears. I glanced up to see a large vertical crack running down the block of ice. It seemed this gem was the medium that maintained the surrounding ice.
"Be careful."
I gave a low warning to the clan members waiting behind me, then pulled on the gem with more force.
C-crack! Crackle!
I could still feel the resistance. I applied even more strength, and finally, I saw the gem come completely free.
And, in that instant.
CRACK! CRA-CRACK!
As I straightened up, clutching the crystal gem, I saw the block of ice, now covered in cracks spreading in every direction, looking as if it would shatter at any moment.
Thump!
Shatter...! Shaaaatter...!
Then, with a sudden thump!, the blocks of ice shattered into pieces.
I calmly looked around. The sight of several hundred ice blocks shattering all at once was beautiful enough to be called a spectacle.
Watching the ice powder scatter and the bodies become fully exposed, I turned to my clan members.
"I'm sure everyone wants to get out of this tower as soon as possible... So let's hurry up and get this over with."
"Yes...?"
"Huh? What?"
Han-na and Shin Jae-ryong, having joined relatively recently, seemed unable to grasp the situation and questioned me with puzzled faces.
But Ha-yeon was already setting down her bag. Vivian was also rushing toward a bookshelf with terrifying intensity.
And Ahn Hyeon was grimacing at the body of a burly beastkin male, then gulping as he looked at a beautiful fairy next to it... What was with that kid?
I clicked my tongue, lowered my gaze, and looked at the princess lying peacefully.
A headband studded with gems, the printless robes that only special people could wear, white lace gloves, a ring on her left ring finger, and the necklace around her neck.
Alright. Five items to start.
Deciding to leave her underwear on as a courtesy, I took the Baby Chaos Mimic that Ha-yeon handed me. When I tapped it as a signal to open its mouth, I felt the creature clamp its entrance shut even tighter.
With a sigh, I grabbed both sides of its mouth, yanked it open in one go, and continued.
"Ppyek!"
"Let's strip them."
As if my words were buried by the Baby Chaos Mimic's shriek, the two newcomers just kept tilting their heads in confusion.
"Ppyii... Ppyeech..."
I dropped the crystal gem into the mimic's mouth and nodded at Ha-yeon. She was already handing Magic Backpacks to the other two.
I spoke once more.
"There's equipment everywhere. So strip them, and take what you can."
At my words, Ha-yeon offered a bitter smile.
"So we took all that equipment... and returned safely."
Perhaps because I'd been talking for a while, my throat felt quite dry. As I picked up a glass of water from the table to wet my throat, I felt the gazes of two people, their eyes sparkling.
One was the 'Butcher,' Kim Deok-pil, and the other was the 'Tarot Card Magician,' Seon-yul.
"Wow. That's awesome. You must have gotten a ton of ancient equipment, then?"
"Mercenary Lord, by any chance, was there anything the Magic Tower might be interested in? I'll give you a good price."
Kim Deok-pil and Seon-yul stared at me with pleading eyes, but I was in a rather foul mood. Wanting to tell them some of it, I just scoffed and turned my head away.
I was currently in the Central City of Barbara, at the Golden Lion Clan House.
This was because, a few days after returning from the 'Frozen Forest,' a meeting hosted by Lee Hyo-eul had been scheduled with truly coincidental timing.
The meeting was running a bit long, so we were given a short break. I had planned to quietly leave, but those two pests had prevented me from even stepping outside.
Reporting to the temple as soon as I got back had been the cause of all this. After a few days, the news that we had discovered a new ruin had spread far and wide, and during this precious break, these two had pestered me to tell them about the expedition.
As I was amusing myself with Seon-yul's grumbling, I heard Kim Deok-pil's excited voice.
"Mercenary Lord, Mercenary Lord. But listen. You said you originally went there for a request, but the client backstabbed you."
"That's right. So?"
"Shouldn't Istanbul Row show some sincerity then? Even if they didn't know... one way or another, they have a moral responsibility."
"Sincerity... I was the one who accepted the request. I don't really care."
I answered as if it were no big deal.
In truth, now that I had reported it to the temple, there was a 100% chance the news had already reached Han So-yeong's ears.
But she hadn't attended today's meeting. She wouldn't be absent without reason, which was proof that she had been extremely busy lately.
In any case, I considered it something beyond my control, and I had no intention of accepting anything even if she did offer some form of "sincerity." I hadn't suffered any losses; on the contrary, I had returned with a massive profit.
"No, think about it. Maybe..."
"Then let's end the break here and resume the meeting. Is that alright, User Kim Deok-pil?"
Just in time, Lee Hyo-eul seemed to have returned. She stood at the podium, looking in my direction. Kim Deok-pil, who had been chattering, already shut his mouth, and for the first time, I felt a sense of gratitude toward her.
Lee Hyo-eul gave me a brief, bright smile and spoke in a cheerful voice.
"As I mentioned earlier, thanks to all of you, the Northern Continent is gradually returning to its former state. First, I want to express my deepest gratitude for that... Of course, don't worry, I don't intend to thank you with words alone."
She seemed to be in a good mood today, smiling brightly as she looked around the conference room.
"Normally, I'm not supposed to tell you this... but just this once, I'll share a special piece of good news."
At the words "good news," I opened my eyes slightly and looked at Lee Hyo-eul.
Her lips parted.
"In three weeks, new Users are scheduled to arrive. And on a scale that has been unprecedented in recent years."
A straightforward announcement with no preamble.
Murmur, murmur.
The conference room was instantly engulfed in a commotion.
The fact that new Users were coming wasn't surprising. Everyone had been expecting them to arrive around this time.
However, the phrase "on a large scale" was certainly enough to make the hearts of existing Users flutter with excitement. Especially in a situation like the current one.
"Personally, I'd like to give the opportunity to clans that have suffered significant damage or those that have made outstanding contributions..."
Lee Hyo-eul trailed off, as if to build suspense, and made eye contact with me once.
Then, still smiling, she opened her mouth.
"For now, shall we hear what all of you think?"
On the way back to the Mercenary House after the meeting concluded.
After teleporting to Monica, I walked slowly through the bustling streets, lost in thought.
"Of course, once the damages of the clans on the priority list are somewhat restored, the opportunity will be distributed fairly."
"Give priority negotiation rights to the clans that participate as instructors, like with the FA, and allow those two posts to be bought and sold? That sounds good too."
"We still have three weeks, right? Instead of deciding right now, let's take our time and think it over slowly."
The User Academy. And new Users.
These were words that raised many important questions for the mercenary clan's current state.
In short, cutting to the chase, it meant that we needed right now was 'talent.'
It was a problem I had been feeling acutely lately, especially after returning from the 'Frozen Forest.'
Until now, the Mercenary clan had discovered many ruins and had also secured a hefty share from the war. What more needed to be said when our warehouse was so full of equipment there was no more room?
But the important thing here was that I had no hobby for collecting.
What was the point of gathering Secret and rare classes or good equipment if they just sat in storage? Their true value was only realized when they were actually used.
However.
The equipment is one thing, but...
I had to be cautious when it came to Secret and rare classes. Those were difficult to retrieve once given out, so the standard procedure was to distribute them only to truly trustworthy Users.
It's complicated.
I looked up and stretched lightly, and the Mercenary House began to come into view up ahead. I roughly organized the countless thoughts swirling in my head and quickened my pace.
In any case, while we had to be careful about clan succession, I was sure no one would disagree with recruiting talent to increase the clan's overall power.
I can't rely solely on new Users.
There had to be promising individuals among the already active Users. I couldn't just wait for them; I had to go out and find them myself.
There were many ways. There was promotion, scouting them out myself, or even extending an invitation like Han So-yeong did.
In any case, I decided I should make an official announcement about expanding the clan's roster soon, and I walked toward the front gate, which was now just ahead.
Just as I reached out to push the door open, I heard a click, and the right door swung open.
The person who opened the door and appeared was none other than Han-byeol. I called out to her immediately.
"Han-byeol."
Han-byeol turned with her usual chilly eyes, which then widened in surprise like a startled rabbit's.
"Oh. Oppa. Are you just getting back?"
"Yeah. The meeting just ended. What about you?"
"I got a summons from the temple. I'll be back in a bit... Oh, wait. Oppa."
Thinking it was nothing important, I nodded. Just as I was about to pass by her, Han-byeol's voice stopped me.
"What is it?"
"Come to think of it, some people came by about 30 minutes ago."
"They came by? Who?"
Han-byeol seemed to think for a moment, then shook her head and answered.
"I'm not sure who they were. They just said they came here on your introduction."