My alter ego is becoming a big shot - Episode 103
#103
mountain range escape (1)
It has been four days since Harley and his party entered the northern mountains..
After another battle, Harley brought the magic stone he had just picked up to his mouth..
-Destroy everything, tear it all apart, kill them all!
Crack! Bye bye—
And, ignoring the mad impulse ringing in my head as usual, I chewed it down and swallowed it diligently..
I've been taking magic stones consistently for a while, and now I'm seeing some significant results..
Metabolism became more active, and physical ability also increased..
As a side effect, changes were expressed externally, such as bloodshot eyes and excessively swollen veins.···.
「For Harley, who could control her entire body through “body mutation,” such things were nothing..
If he didn't have this ability, he would have been showing the same symptoms as the monsters that litter the mountain range by now..
“Damn, it really doesn't give me any time to rest. How many times in a row has this happened?.”
“Kahaha! Sorry for complaining, but there's another group approaching! It doesn't seem like we found this place thanks to the veil of shielding, but if we keep quiet like this, we'll run into each other soon..”
“···I really don't have time to fix it anymore..”
The deeper you go, the more likely you are to encounter monsters, and the level also increases, making it increasingly difficult to move forward..
This time, the party had no choice but to remove the scent of blood from their bodies with a cleaning magic tool and quickly move on..
It is said that Ranger Charlton of the Iron Citadel was behind the scenes, erasing as much as possible any traces of their movements, but this was a very dangerous act.···.
It was inevitable because as soon as the magic was lifted, we would be surrounded by monsters from all directions..
To avoid an endless fight, the best thing to do is to leave the spot as quickly as possible..
“I think there are quite a few in that direction too. The distance is···.”
“···Then it would be better to go back this way. Everyone follow me carefully..”
Even so, if it weren't for Harley's sensing ability and guide Marcus' skillful guidance, we wouldn't have come this far..
“Mr. Marcus, is it still far to your destination? I think you said earlier that we were almost there, but now the day is slowly getting closer..”
Fabiella screams as she dies with a grim face due to the continued forced march..
No matter how much he trained, as a wizard, he was bound to have weaker physical strength than others, and it was not unreasonable since he began to lack magical power due to frequent use of magic..
Then Marcus, who had been silently leading the way, took out a magic tool that looked like a pocket watch, looked inside, and looked back at the group with a slightly brightened expression..
“It's around here. There really isn't much left now.”
“Phew... I can finally see that handsome face. Oh my god, no matter how many dwarves, this many people would be mobilized to rescue a craftsman..”
Mikel raised his crossbow, looked out for the surroundings, and whispered softly..
As she said, although only a small number were mobilized due to the nature of the mission, the ransom of those here was by no means cheap..
They were all the best talents in the Tarak mercenary world..
However, they offered all kinds of additional allowances for that price, and weren't even the knights of the territory mobilized?.
‘Well, I did say that Robin was from a commoner background..’
The group, who had overcome adversity together and became close friends with the client, were able to talk about many things while camping..
He didn't go into detail, but thanks to him, I was able to understand the general situation.···.
‘Did you say he was the chief craftsman of the territory with whom he had a connection since the previous lord? Well, in that situation, this kind of request fee is nothing..’
Isn't the price of a weapon usually rising sharply as the level increases?.
In that respect, he was a precious person who could not be compared with a small amount of money or a knight who was a commoner..
Perhaps, if the problem of stopping the monsters had not been more urgent, there would have been a more extensive rescue operation..
In the first place, the dwarves were isolated because of the uproar..
“Arrived. It's here.”
And finally, they were able to arrive at the place indicated by the magic tool's signal..
“hmm···.”
The brief silence that follows.
The group was alert to their surroundings and patted the floor..
“···It's a cave and there's nothing there. Where are they hiding? First, find the entrance···.”
That moment.
hilarious—
I felt like the roots of the tree growing on one side were shaking..
Suddenly!
“oh! It's already here! It came earlier than expected.”
The floor opened and a shaggy face popped out..
***
“I came here to explore for minerals and suddenly there was an uproar! I have been in and out of the mountain range several times in the past, but this time I found it impossible to get out on my own.!”
The party who followed the dwarf into the cave was surprised to find an underground space that was more comfortable than expected..
‘I think I heard that they've only been isolated for about a week..’
Even after all of them had entered, the remaining space was neatly manicured, and there were even several pores throughout the ceiling where tree roots were tangled..
In addition, there are dirt beds on one side, a workbench, and various other miscellaneous items..
“Oh, this? I had nothing to do while waiting, so I tinkered with this and that, and this is what happened! It was a good thing I expanded in advance! Hahaha—!”
The dwarf, Zaonic Steelstone, bursts into laughter looking at their surprised expressions..
The interior was already surrounded by a high-level barrier with the magic tools he had brought with him, so he didn't have to worry about being caught by the monsters outside if he made a little noise..
‘They must be quite expensive, so much so that they fool my senses..’
Even though Harley knew that it was hiding nearby, he only sensed a slight sense of strangeness and was unable to immediately determine the exact location..
Maybe if he had been given more time, he would have been able to notice, but monsters that don't know anything would not even notice and would just pass by..
“By the way, are you okay? I didn't know that such a big friend would come, so I didn't pay much attention to the entrance passage..”
“Hmm—my skin isn't so weak that it barely scratches the dirt wall. never mind! Hahaha—!”
Zaonic said worriedly as he looked at Harley, but it really was nothing more than forcing his way through a narrow passage..
Rather, the hardened passageway was scratched by his body and was deeply dug up..
“ah! Bordeaux, Hans. They were both alive.!”
At that time, Ranger Charlton, who had been quietly following the group, smiled happily and headed towards the place where the dirt bed was..
Of course, Zaonic did not enter the mountain range alone..
Two more Rangers from the Steel Citadel who accompanied him were also in this space..
“ah! Senior Charlton, you are here.!”
“Seniors···.”
But one of them didn't look very healthy.···.
Unlike the man who greeted Charlton happily, the ranger, whose body was covered in bandages, only struggled to get up from the bed..
“Write a story: When something unexpected suddenly happened, I was the first to react and deal with it, and I got injured on my shoulder..”
As the party looked towards the rangers, Dwarf Zaonic scratched the back of his head and explained the situation..
“I gave him the potion I had and took action right away, so it wasn't that serious. After just a few months of treatment, you will be able to shake it off and wake up without any aftereffects..”
But that was assuming it was a safe place..
This is something that cannot be avoided in these northern mountain ranges, which can be said to be the center of the monster madness incident..
In the current situation, injuries that made it difficult to move were a serious threat to one's life..
“Hans! Are you okay? I can move?”
“Yes, I didn't hurt my leg. Climbing a mountain is no problem. don't worry.”
Hans, the ranger who nods his head seriously with an expression full of determination that he will never be a burden..
And Harley, who was looking at them, fell into trouble with her arms crossed and a somber expression on her face..
‘Hansra···.’
No, I knew it was a common name..
In fact, I have encountered it several times while living in Outerica..
He looked again at Hans, ‘Extremely Ordinary Soldier 1’ sitting on the bed..
‘···It won't work either..’
And I was convinced again.
The name of the immortal king recorded in history should not be Hans.!
Village youth, village chiefs, carpenters, blacksmiths, farmers, etc., the number of Hans I have known so far was in double digits..
Excluding Immortal King Hans, who can be said to be the best output among them, the injured Ranger Hans is currently in the most extraordinary situation..
‘It's not bad to be the best Hans among Hans, but it's also not very impactful..’
While Harley was in serious agony while looking at the rangers, Zaonic, who must have interpreted his gaze, stretched out his arm high and patted his waist..
“Well, Hans can move at least, and he is a member of the elite rangers. Plus, he had such great warriors come to help, so wouldn't it work out somehow? Hahaha—!”
“hmm? iced coffee! yes. If you're Hans, you should be able to overcome this level of hardship! Pahahaha—!”
“Hahaha... Yes?”
“Hahahaha—!”
For a moment, the slightly out-of-focus conversation and laughter continued, and the group decided to take a day's rest here and leave the next day, and each prepared for bed..
Because it was an underground cave protected by all sorts of high-level barriers, unlike usual camping, only one person could stand on watch..
‘No matter how much of a barrier there is, you never know what might happen, so staying alert is a must..’
Still, it was a much better situation than when two people, excluding the wizard Fabiella, were on watch for three shifts, so no one complained..
After such a peaceful night.
The day of the great escape has finally arrived..
***
Duke Bright, Kingdom of Thalia.
Even today, King Heinz II was looking at documents uploaded from various places to understand the situation on the continent..
This time, Hans acquired the Banshee Queen Olivia and added a new route to acquire information, but that did not mean that Heinz's work was reduced..
In the first place, low-level undead ghosts, incapable of higher thinking, only moved as instructed and were unable to obtain complex information..
Olivia's ability to process advanced information based on fragmentary facts gathered by the ghosts under her command is impressive enough, but it still has its limits..
She was extremely capable in understanding real-time information on the battlefield, movements of military units, and movements of shadowy forces, but it was much easier to rely on the power of the Brokoslag Clan when it came to the national situation and political situation..
‘Well, each has its own pros and cons. It is my job to synthesize all the information and make a decision..’
To ensure the reliability of information, cross-verification of facts received from various sources was basic..
As he was organizing the newly acquired information,.
“Heinz.”
Mulo Brokoslag's voice was heard along with the knock..
“Come in. What's going on?”
When Heinz took his eyes off the documents and raised his head, he entered the office before he knew it, bowed politely and opened his mouth..
“It was reported that the monsters had begun to stir up a little while ago..”
“Hmm... did that happen in the end?.”
Mulo commanded the vampires scattered around the world using blood magic, and was also responsible for disseminating emergency information from them..
This time, it seems that related information was received from those dispatched to the Forest of Monsters..
“Since two Jinhyeols are gone, it shouldn't be that dangerous. Tell the troops guarding the outside of the forest to intervene just enough to not cause too much damage and not to overdo it..”
“Yes, I understand. But not only there···.”
“hmm?”
Even under Heinz's puzzled gaze, he continued speaking in a calm tone..
“It is said that even in the northern mountains, monsters have begun to move south in earnest..”
It was the beginning of chaos.
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