Chapter 135 : Legion Spawning Ground (3)
Chapter 135: Legion Spawning Ground (3)
[Sacred Relic ‘Hundred-Year Centipede Mold’ is released!]
[Unique Ability ‘Crimson Wings’ is activated!]
[Item ‘Foam-Spitting Shellfish’ is used!]
“Attack together!”
“His mana can’t be infinite either. Charge! Bite him to pieces!”
A desperate struggle for survival.
The Grade 2 Combat Species brought out everything they had to confront the approaching disaster.
As all kinds of abilities were unleashed, a storm swept through the area.
“What a filthy mood I’m in. At least that little Collector brat was cute.”
Arianne’s expression turned ice-cold.
At the same time.
Craaaack!
The ground began splitting apart from side to side.
Fwoosh!
Magma hot enough to seemingly burn away one’s skin surged upward.
[Arianne activates Skill ‘Throne of Hell’!]
What followed was a natural disaster beyond comprehension.
“Kieeeeee!”
A high-ranking species melted alive.
The Lower Parasites following behind it also had their entire bodies roasted by the heat.
“Hmm.”
Yohan swallowed dryly.
He knew painfully well that Arianne was an existence far beyond the norm….
But seeing it firsthand made his knees feel weak.
‘Well. At least her performance is guaranteed.’
It was so one-sided that even calling it a massacre felt insufficient.
Every time the flames spread, hundreds of Parasites turned to ash and disappeared.
Right. This is definitely overpowered.
The problem was.
How he would deal with the consequences afterward.
Arianne would never forget being used as a Dungeon Guardian.
Horrific experiments and torture disguised as training would surely be waiting for him.
Hmm. Just thinking about it sends chills down my spine.
-Kyaaaaaah!
Seeing Arianne breathing fire from her mouth made the emotions of the past surge even more intensely.
Hmm.
Well. It’ll work out somehow.
Arianne would soon become entangled in an enormous power struggle and become overwhelmingly busy.
She wouldn’t have enough breathing room left to concern herself with him.
Pat. Pat.
Yohan stood up while brushing off the dust.
The test just now had proven the stronghold’s level of completion to a certain extent.
There shouldn’t be any particular problem even if he left.
‘Shall I start moving?’
Defend at the front line to accumulate the maximum contribution.
At the same time, cut off the Queen’s head, fulfilling the other Clear Condition.
Normally, it would have been impossible, but with the cards of Arianne and Vivian in play, a new path had opened.
A dangerous gamble.
But also an opportunity with an even greater reward waiting at the end.
For a veteran who had devoured the Forbidden Books….
There was only one obvious choice.
＊＊＊
At the same time.
The Administration Bureau was monitoring various developments related to this Episode.
“Hmm. Kang Yohan… He’s been unusual since the First Episode. He continues to surprise us.”
Pendolf, a Mid-level Administrator of the Western Branch, smacked his lips.
He wore an expression as though someone had snatched away an incredibly delicious prey and the frustration was killing him.
“Well. It isn’t easy to find talent of that caliber. Isn’t it all thanks to our Branch. No, thanks to me personally working so tirelessly?”
White Spirit added with a giggle.
That brief exchange alone was enough to divide the joy and sorrow of the two sides.
Naturally.
For Administrators, their greatest achievement was discovering exceptional talent.
Whether it was to protect the System.
Or to conduct transactions with Great Divinities and Champions of the Abyss.
There was no such thing as having too many good cards.
“You should probably be nervous about the upcoming performance evaluation. You know, right? If you receive an ‘Insufficient’ rating, you’ll have to pay an appropriate price?”
The laughter among the Administrators standing on the Eastern Branch’s side grew louder.
In contrast, a heavy silence settled over the Western Branch.
That was because performance evaluations within the Administration Bureau were on an entirely different level from those of an ordinary company.
Dismissal meant death.
Demotion directly resulted in the loss of body parts.
There were even horrific public tortures and executions waiting to make examples out of them.
But right at that moment.
“The Collector and the Plague Lord will clash. Within a few days.”
A metallic voice resembling iron scraping against steel echoed from within the shadows.
Instantly.
A chill swept through them.
The voices of the Administrators, who had been noisily chatting, disappeared all at once.
Tremble. Tremble.
Their hands and feet shook involuntarily.
Their mouths went dry, and their eyes became so parched it felt as though they might fall out.
A High-ranking Administrator.
Beings possessing a rank fundamentally different from Mid-level Administrators, and the Administration Bureau’s ultimate weapons for keeping the Champions of the Abyss in check.
One of those beings, whom they feared to even face, had participated in this meeting.
“…….”
Even White Spirit, who had been so triumphant moments ago, visibly tensed.
The other Mid-level Administrators weren’t much different.
“Are you saying the Champions of the Abyss are going to war with one another?”
“Could it be, a revelation… has appeared?”
Questions filled with disbelief.
“Yes.”
And an answer confirming them followed.
It was a matter every bit as important as the progression of the Main Episode.
A territorial conflict between Champions of the Abyss was an issue capable of placing the entire Administration Bureau on maximum alert.
However, that wasn’t the only reason the High-ranking Administrator had come to this meeting.
Three individuals who warranted the attention of even the exalted Guardians of the System.
The first was ‘Kang Yohan.’
A promising talent who recruited beings of higher astral rank through peculiar eloquence and rhetoric while achieving tremendous feats throughout various Episodes.
Among them was even Arianne Ignite.
‘He has gone far beyond the range we anticipated.’
Interesting.
And therefore dangerous.
A variable was a fragment that damaged perfection itself.
The High-ranking Administrator’s gaze shifted to the side.
There, a strikingly handsome man who looked as though he had been sculpted was fighting monsters.
‘Seo Changhee’.
A Ranker who wielded the authority of Spirituality and had absorbed top-tier Traits and Abilities from the very beginning.
This one was likewise beyond the norm.
And lastly.
Right.
There was this girl.
Park Somang.
Another individual the Eastern Branch had warned about. She was said to have entered the restricted area known as the ‘Dark Continent’.
Up to that point, it wasn’t particularly extraordinary.
There were always fools going there to commit suicide.
However. Not long ago. News had arrived that she had returned alive.
A Forbidden Zone where even a Subordinate Manager couldn’t guarantee their survival. Yet. She had returned from there completely unharmed.
‘Troublesome beings keep appearing.’
Hopefully, they would grow well and become brilliant supporting characters in the Episodes.
Yet why?
An inexplicable sense of unease slowly began to grow.
As though heralding a great upheaval.
＊＊＊
Click.
Having completed all his preparations, Yohan went over the plan one final time.
Even thinking about it again, the odds weren’t particularly high….
But this was the only method capable of producing the best possible result.
“Please return safely. ”
Vivian saw him off beneath the Maple Tree.
“Right. Protect this place well. I trust you with it.”
“What? You trust… me with… it….”
Vivian’s body trembled faintly upon hearing Yohan’s words.
Joy and ecstasy showed openly across her expression.
But only for a moment.
Clench.
Vivian tightly clenched her fist.
“I will. I will perfectly carry out the mission you entrusted to me, Mr. Yohan. I swear it on everything I have…!”
“Kieeeeee!”
“Keeee!”
The Greeds roared from the shadows spreading across the floor.
As though determined not to let even a single one escape, they expanded the size of their Domain with tremendous momentum.
Hmm.
Well. This should be more than enough.
He almost felt sorry for the Parasites foolish enough to enter this place.
A short while later, Yohan emerged from the Ant Nest and surveyed his surroundings.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
Numerous Parasites, including gigantic Large Species, were on the move.
They were follow-up forces advancing farther inward after breaking through the strongholds near the beginning.
‘Are they ignoring our stronghold for the time being?’
They had left only a small force around the outskirts of the entrance and otherwise abandoned it.
Considering that a force of 10,000 had been annihilated, it was only natural.
Thanks to that, things had become easier.
Quickly and silently.
Tap.
Yohan approached the rear of a sentry.
“Kegh!”
“Keegh!”
He used his dagger to cut down the ones on the outermost perimeter first.
Since he cleanly severed their spinal cords, there was little resistance.
However, before he could finish eliminating all of them, one noticed him.
“Who goes there!”
It was an intelligent Grade 3 Support Species.
The creature, which had the appearance of a human woman, swung its enormous tail.
Didn’t it inflict [Sleep] on enemies while granting [Fatigue Recovery] to allies?
It was a highly useful ability, but all he had to do was avoid the droplets scattered from its tail.
Yohan used the ‘Ghost Step’ he had learned in the Martial World to evade every droplet.
At the same time, he cast a newly learned spell.
A hand seal completed in approximately 2.8 seconds.
[Upper-Intermediate Magic ‘Wave of Bitter Cold’ is activated!]
Roooooar!
An enormous wave swept over the Support Species’ entire body in the blink of an eye.
Its attack power was a staggering 1,100.
A dual-attribute spell combining ice and water.
“Aaaaaagh!”
A nightmare in which its body froze alive before being sliced into pieces.
The Grade 3 Support Species died without lasting even a few seconds.
“This… is even more incredible than I expected?”
Yohan exclaimed in admiration as he looked at the spell he had unleashed.
Upper-Intermediate Magic, reached after steadily climbing the Skill Tree.
Calling its power exhilarating wasn’t nearly enough.
It was the moment he properly savored the reward for having learned primarily ice-type magic until now.
At the same time, his desire to obtain Advanced Skills and Highest-tier Skills as soon as possible burned even stronger.
‘If I can handle a Grade 3 Support Species this easily, one platoon led by a Grade 2 Combat Species shouldn’t be much of a problem.’
He had drunk plenty of the tea Vivian had prepared before leaving, so he had more than enough mana.
His confidence continued to rise.
Right then.
“Aaaaah!”
“Run!”
“This way, this way!”
Numerous voices echoed from afar.
Familiar marks.
Various symbols representing different Guilds entered his sight.
‘Did a nearby stronghold fall?’
Yohan’s eyes narrowed.
A small number of survivors were fleeing from something.
However.
The ones pursuing them weren’t Parasites.
Dududududu!
Mounted knights lowered their long lances.
The magnificent golden embroidery symbolizing the Imperial Central Army Knights glittered dazzlingly beneath the sunlight.
At their head was….
“I command you in my name. Do not leave a single one of the Empire’s treacherous enemies alive!”
The Emperor.
More precisely, the Parasite that had devoured the Emperor appeared.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The knights charged in a wedge formation and pierced through the feeble group of survivors.
What followed was a one-sided slaughter.
As though taking prisoners wasn’t particularly important, they showed absolutely no mercy.
‘This has become troublesome.’
Yohan’s expression twisted sharply.
He had naturally assumed the Emperor would make his move only after the stronghold defense had progressed somewhat further.
If he acted this early, the Hunters would quickly realize that the Hestia Empire had betrayed them.
Yet if he was willing to make such a drastic move regardless….
Either he had a method of blocking the information.
Or.
He didn’t care even if it was discovered.
It had to be one of the two.
Either way, things had become extremely troublesome.
In the meantime, the battlefield had already been cleared.
Only around twenty people remained alive.
Out of more than several hundred people, only a handful had survived.
And even that wouldn’t last much longer.
Because Yohan could see gallows being constructed.
‘It’s unfortunate, but rescuing them would be a loss.’
If he allowed himself to be swayed by a little sympathy, hundreds of times more people could die.
That was the lesson he had learned while exploring the Forbidden Books over 1,000 Runs.
However, Yohan’s eyes rapidly widened as he examined the prisoners.
Huh?
No, why the hell is that guy there?
“Hmph! You seem to be misunderstanding something, but I’m a hero who saved the Empire. Before long, they’ll build an enormous statue of me in the central plaza. All kinds of songs and heroic epics will keep appearing one after another.”
Seo Changhee waved his hands dismissively.
Damn it.
He really does get himself into everything.
That hopelessly naive idealistic protagonist still seemed convinced there was merely some minor misunderstanding with the Hestia Empire.
‘Can’t be helped.’
Seo Changhee was an indispensable key figure in clearing every Episode.
Naturally, he absolutely had to be saved.
Moreover, if he could properly utilize Seo Changhee, who had suddenly appeared before him….
It might even be possible to eliminate the Emperor here and deal a fatal blow to the Parasites.
Clunk!
“Hang the criminals!”
The gallows were completed.