Chapter 206
Over a dozen Lucanid corpses were burning, flipped on their backs, in a vast plain.
“What’s gotten these bugs so crazy?” mumbled Seong-Tae, a stocky and tough-looking man with his hands in his pockets and his Premium Clutch Bag at his flank.
“Commander, you saw the Akasha Message that Chaos Mana corrupted the insectoids’ Race Stone,” said a slender man, one of Seong-Tae’s nine teammates.
“Goddammit. I kinda feel sorry for them now.”
Insectoids were on par with the undead in terms of population, but once the Entomancy Stone was dyed in Chaos Mana, they began to change into Chaos monsters, starting from those with the lowest stats. The result was obvious; the insectoids would become extinct, and the Chaos would become even more populous and powerful. To make matters worse, insectoids were superior to humans as a race.
“I wonder where our Race Stone is? I’m sure it’s safe, right?” a short Mestizo mumbled worriedly.
“Why even worry about something like that? I’m sure the Union is keeping it safe.”
“You think so?”
“Maybe the Tortoise Emperor has it.”
“I wonder if you can become a World Ranker if you have a Race Stone.”
“Why? So you can become one, too? If you’re gonna aim for something, aim for the Master Stone instead.”
“Hahaha! Maybe I will!”
Seong-Tae smirked as he listened to his teammates’ conversation and said, “Guys, run some dungeons if you have the time to talk nonsense. You look like you’re about to fall over with just a push.”
“But Commander, you raked in a shitload of Karma at Subterra!”
“Yeah, your skills are even stronger than before.”
“Ahaha! Really? I suppose I got the hang of using mana. How should I explain it? I can more or less tell how to use it more efficiently, I guess?” Seong-Tae said as he tapped his Premium Clutch Bag.
“You always had talent in using mana, Commander. You would’ve undoubtedly been the conjuration captain if Nathaniel weren’t a healer,” the slender man said.
Seong-Tae shook his head. “Talent? The hell are you talking about? I initially put my points into Magic and Health to become a sub tank.”
“Come on, your party was part of the 3111 generation, Commander.”
The 3111 generation referred to the Edu graduates who were the first to be Lost in January of 2031. One Tree was a legend among the Lambs because the clan that reclaimed Garapan had started from the graduates of the 3111 generation.
It was also the most unfortunate generation because they had been the ones to take the full brunt of the Edu attack by Clan Trophy. Despite that, an outstanding clan like One Tree was born from such terrible circumstances, which the Lambs highly respected.
“What? Are you saying I don’t square up to that ignorant Slegdehammer and that cunning Bow?” Seong-Tae asked jokingly.
“T-that’s not what I meant!”
“I mean, aren’t Sir Park Ho-Geun and Namgung Min-Jae a little stronger, though?”
“Yeah, they’re category captains, after all.”
“Hah! What is this? A group grilling session? So much for the authority of a commander,” Seong-Tae remarked, but was still smiling.
He did not feel bad at all to be compared to the 3111 generation, especially the teammates he had been with since the Dark Forest. He was simply proud to be alongside them. Thinking about his comrades, Hwa-Yeon naturally came to mind.
“Right, let’s return to Garapan. It should be quiet for a while with all that we’ve done here.”
Then, as Seong-Tae and his teammates were getting ready to return, he heard the sound of hooves in the distance.
“Hm? Battle positions!” Seong-Tae commanded.
His teammates, who had been laughing and chatting, immediately assumed a 4-3-2-1 triangular formation with perfect discipline.
“Is that... a horse?” Seong-Tae mumbled at the vanguard.
“It’s a centaur!”
“Someone’s on him.”
Two individuals were approaching from the southern plain—a centaur with an orc lying prone on his back.
“Huff! Huff! Kurgh! P-please help us!” said the bloody centaur with an arrow embedded in his hind leg. He collapsed, likely being completely depleted of stamina.
Because of that, the orc, whom the centaur had been carrying like baggage, tumbled in front of the humans.
“Who are you guys?” Seong-Tae asked.
“H-human! Please tend to him! He is the eldest son of Bodonchar, the ruler of Fortitudo! T-there was a rebellion!” the centaur shouted.
“Fortitudo? Isn’t that the orc capital?”
“Gasp, Commander! Bodonchar is the patriarch of the orcs! He’s a World Ranker!”
“What?!” Seong-Tae shouted as he looked down at the grey orc in serious condition, barely holding on to his breath.
Just then, they felt vibrations and saw a dust cloud from afar.
“Kurgh... The pursuit squad is here already... Human! Please help us!” the centaur pleaded.
“Commander! Let’s just leave them and retreat!”
“He’s right. We’re not even sure they’re telling the truth. Why bring them with us?”
“Let’s stay out of this! We have no obligation to help them!”
Seong-Tae’s teammates urged him, pale-faced as they stared at the dust cloud.
Seong-Tae stared at the centaur and orc on the ground and thought, Think! Think!
Shin Jun was not here to make the final judgment. Neither was Min-Jae, the cautious thinker, nor Ye-Ji, the information gatherer. He needed to decide as the commander of this party and take responsibility for whatever happened.
Fortitudo, Bodonchar, World Ranker, rebellion, eldest son, pursuit squad... Seong-Tae smirked as various thoughts swirled inside his head. Hah, I have no idea what to prioritize. A stupid guy like me can’t become smart just by thinking.
Seong-Tae simply commanded in a way that seemed right to him. “Take those two and retreat to Garapan. Go and tell the others to prepare for an invasion.”
“What about you, Commander?”
“Someone has to keep them at bay. Since we saw them, they must have seen us, too. Not just that, but at the speed they’re traveling, they’ll catch up to us in no time,” Seong-Tae said as he opened the Premium Clutch Bag.
[Activating Unique Skill: Fiery Gloves.]
[Activating Unique Skill: Dark Suit.]
Gloves made of fire were conjured around his hands, and a black suit made of darkness wrapped his body.
“You can’t! Let’s retreat together!”
“They trespassed One Tree territory. In this world, it’s over if you’re looked down upon. Not only that, but Lambs are hunting behind us,” Seong-Tae remarked.
“Then we’ll stay, too—”
“Go! Evacuate as many people as possible as you retreat! What do we say the orders of the commander are?”
“Absolute...”
The party members bit their lips and lifted the unconscious centaur and orc. The hoof sounds got closer and louder. From the sound, there seemed to be over a hundred of them.
“We’ll return with reinforcements!”
“Please, hold on!”
As he sensed his teammates retreating, Seong-Tae wondered, Did I make the right choice? Sheesh... Does Jun feel like this every day?
As he had expected, he was not cut out to be a leader. He had not sent his teammates away and remained alone to act cool, but because he didn’t believe he could handle the responsibility of them dying because of his decision. A physical burden was far preferable to an emotional one; he had learned that lesson as a secondhand car dealer.
In that sense, I can’t be as strong as you, Jun. I’m too scared of taking responsibility.
He could clearly see the pursuit squad now, each exuding thick bloodlust.
“After them!”
“Chwik! Kill all witnesses!”
“We can kill humans without worrying about consequences!”
“Chwik! Let’s just frame all this on the humans!”
Seong-Tae assumed a battle stance as flames raged from the Fiery Gloves. He shouted, “I’ll show you a premium fiery spirit!”
I’ll hold on for as long as possible until reinforcements come!
***
Several humans, who had been waiting for an opportunity to enter Forestis from Manaus, a city filled with Portuguese-style buildings, stared at a certain area of the forest.
A Western blond man, a dark-skinned man in a red cape, an Asian man in only shorts, someone who had concealed themselves with a robe, and a tiger beastfolk with orange, black, and white stripes walked out of the forest with about a hundred fairies following behind them. They were Seong-Hwi and the others who had just escaped the forest, who couldn’t help but draw attention.
“I thought it was the end for us, but Seong-Hwi suddenly got on a scrawny horse, armed himself with an old suit of armor and a lance, and shouted, Get out of the way! I’m gonna charge through the cage!“
“Whoa! And then, what happened?”
“I saw the madness in his eyes, but that’s why I could trust him. Lo and behold, Seong-Hwi’s charge went through the Cage of the Rixes. Not only that, but he even pierced a tunnel through the cliff.”
“Holy hell! I wish I had been there to see it!”
Leo and Tae-Jin were chatting, having already gotten close, but most of it was Tae-Jin giving prompts and Leo chiming in. Leo couldn’t help but continue speaking because of how immersed Tae-Jin was in his storytelling.
Tigrinus, who had been listening, asked, “Grrr, does that mean Thumper is in the Capital right now?”
“Yeah, he’s practically become the Fence Hotel’s mascot.”
“I can’t wait to see him again. It’s been a while,” Tigrinus said as he nodded.
Leo asked, “Are you guys coming to the Capital, too?”
“For now, since we failed to bring Chlor with us,” Tae-Jin replied.
Tigrinus frowned and remarked, “Keh, damn that Chlor. He was in a daze all that time, but he chose to stay with his kind.”
“Of course, he did. The elves who followed the Tortoise Emperor all know the truth about the World Tree.”
Chlor, who had simply watched as Elvenheim was attacked, followed the elves who had escaped Domen so that he could be a part of the new city they would create. It wasn’t just Chlor; every elf who had qualms about Sefirot also joined the group, hopeful for a new start.
Sefirot did not stop such elves, likely thinking they would return after experiencing the finite nature of their freedom, or they might have seen their separation as the perfect opportunity to filter the seeds of disorder.
“You said you needed Veritas Oculus, right?” Leo asked.
“Yeah. We’re hunting down a certain black clan known as Blood Cross. They’re highly secretive, so I thought Chlor might be able to help us.”
“Grrr. Not we, Tae-Jin. It’s just you.”
“Wahaha! What’s wrong, Tig?”
“Do you seriously have to ask? I was imprisoned again after trying to help you! I hate being caged like an animal more than anything!” Tig shouted, his tail straightening diagonally upward.
The fairies who had been following behind them giggled as they slid down the tail like a slide.
“Come on, Tig. I need your help. My sense of smell is nowhere near as good as yours.”
“Growl! Forget it!”
Leo nodded as he stared at Tae-Jin and Tigrinus bickering, and thought, They’re so close. It’s not easy to befriend a beastfolk to this extent.
He then looked forward and saw Seong-Hwi, who had transformed into Smith using the Myriad Cheoyong Mask that Kang-San had returned to him, walking with a stiff expression. He couldn’t quite describe it, but Seong-Hwi seemed different somehow. He had never seemed easy to approach, but now, he carried an aura so sharp that Leo felt like he would be cut just by approaching him.
What in the world... happened in Elvenheim? Leo wondered as his eyes sank deeply.
***
I failed to bring Elementum with us... Oh, well, it couldn’t be helped, Seong-Hwi mumbled inwardly.
He had arrived at the Spirit Land and met Elementum as planned. She had become a completely different being compared to her former self as Ellaim. Although she was not on the level of Keter or Curiositas, she carried the same level of pressure as Bafor.
Seong-Hwi had tried to bring Elementum to the Capital. She had garnered attention during the war, so he believed that having her join Underground and reside in the Capital would greatly benefit humanity. However, there had been a slight miscalculation. Seong-Hwi remembered what she had sorrowfully said as she stared at the empty, miniature city.
“As promised, I will join Underground, but I will not leave the Spirit Land.”
All she had left now was the Spirit Land; hence, she had no intention to leave it behind. She planned to recover her strength in the Spirit Land as she mourned for her fellow spirits. Seong-Hwi, who had persistently tried to convince her, had to give up after seeing her eyes filled with pain and loneliness.
At the very least, she promised to cooperate. We can borrow her strength if needed. That’s what’s important.
As he thought about his partial success, he had arrived at the classical Italian building made of pink and white bricks. It was the Amazonas Theatre.
“I will go my separate way from here,” someone said, his voice hoarse as if he were being strangled.
Seong-Hwi turned around and stared at the man covering himself with a black robe. He asked, “Where are you going to go now, Wang Chen?”
“Somewhere I can get stronger,” Wang Chen immediately replied as he removed the robe hood.
The bystanders couldn’t hide their shock.
“Kyaaah!”
“Urgh... That’s disgusting.”
“Is he even alive?”
It was no exaggeration; Wang Chen had become grotesque with no resemblance to his former self. His face was covered in burn marks with yellow fluid oozing from it, his severed nose was all but a small hole, and a portion of his lips had disappeared, showing his teeth even with his mouth closed.
“I will become stronger using any means necessary to spread the name of the Twelve Brothers. That is how I will mourn for them,” Wang Chen declared.
Seong-Hwi nodded and thought, I’m surprised he managed to return alive.
He had used Wang Chen. His mission had a very low chance of survival, and Seong-Hwi would have considered it a success even if Wang Chen managed to lure at least one or two World Rankers.
However, Wang Chen had approached almost every single major force in Forestis to sell information. He was burned alive and suffered torture on the level of flesh digging, but he had not submitted. As a result, Wang Chen earned items and Coins he would not have even dreamed of in the past.
People with that amount of resolve are rare. I’ve found a real one, Seong-Hwi thought as his eyes shone.
He came to a decision and asked, “Park Tae-Jin. You said you are hunting down Blood Cross, right?”
Tae-Jin nodded and replied, “Yeah, but we lost the one lead we had. Since we can’t get Chlor’s help anymore, we’ll have no choice but to start our investigation from scratch at the Capital.”
“Take this,” Seong-Hwi said as he grabbed a small letter from his pocket and handed it to Tae-Jin.
“Hm?” Tae-Jin expressed confusion, but grabbed it anyway and opened it. It contained several cities and addresses. “45th street of Quebec’s Snowy Owl Square... Acharnes of East Attica... the teahouse across from the University of the Arts of Bremen... What is all this?”
“The locations of Blood Cross’s hideouts.”
“W-what?!” Tae-Jin shouted in shock.
“Some of them might be off, so keep that in mind.”
“No, that’s not the issue here! How do you know where those Blood Cross bastards are?”
Seong-Hwi answered in his mind, Because you, me, and Hector hunted them down to the last one in our past lives.
Tae-Jin was hunting down the Blood Cross in this life as well. Blood Cross was a black clan consisting of incorrigible traitors to humanity who captured fellow humans and sold them to vampires.
It’s information from the future, so it might contain hideouts that haven’t been made yet.
He would love to wipe out Blood Cross with Tae-Jin again, but he needed to resolve the Indigestion quest first.
“Trust me. The leader of Blood Cross is Peter Geraghty, a white man in his thirties with brown hair and brown eyes. He’s fat, has a riding crop for a D Weapon, and...”
“W-wait!” Tae-Jin shouted as he grabbed a pen from his shorts and began to jot down what Seong-Hwi said.
“He’s extremely quick-witted and as skittish as a rat, so don’t even attempt to get him unless you’re certain you can.”
“Hah...” Tae-Jin looked down dumbfoundedly at the letter.
He thought, He couldn’t have come up with such detailed information on the spot. He... really knows about the Blood Cross! Is he acquainted with a capable Network user?
Whatever the case, it was worth hunting them down again with such information.
“Take Wang Chen with you. You’ll have to kill a lot of people,” Seong-Hwi remarked.
“Him?” Tae-Jin said as he looked at Wang Chen.
He had heard his circumstances and could understand the meaning behind his goal-driven gaze. However, understanding someone and fighting alongside them was different.
He could be dangerous. He seems the kind of person who would do anything for their goal, Tae-Jin thought.
“You don’t have to worry,” Seong-Hwi said, smiling as if understanding what Tae-Jin was thinking.
He approached Wang Chen, grabbed another letter from his pocket, and handed it to him. Wang Chen grabbed it and slowly read its contents.
“You said you would use any means necessary, right? What do you think? Are you up for it?” Seong-Hwi asked.
“Is this... possible?” Wang Chen asked.
“It’s not widely known yet, but it is. Work with them, and I will find you the perfect subject when the time comes.”
Wang Chen remained silent momentarily. He smiled and said hoarsely, “I’d bet... you’d go to Hell when you die.”
“Bring it on, if there is a Hell worse than my life.”
“You’re as good with words as always,” Wang Chen said as he turned around and walked to Tae-Jin, asking for a handshake.
Tae-Jin’s expression remained reluctant, but he shook his hand anyway.
I’m sure they will do well. What’s left is worrying about myself, Seong-Hwi thought.
“You’re back!” a black man shouted as he ran out of the Amazonas Theatre with a smile.
He was Henri Konan, a conservative faction Ranker with a machete at his waist, reflecting light. Seong-Hwi had a good impression of him because he felt a strange sense of familiarity with him from their first meeting.
First... I have to assess my physical condition. I’ll leave the stat raising to after that.
Seong-Hwi’s eyes sank deeply, but they seemed odd. A faint vein was visible from his right eye that seemed to split his eye like red lightning.
[95 days remain until the termination of Indigestion.]
[95 of the Grace Period Chains remain.]
[5% of the Fruit of the World Tree’s power is available.]
He felt vibrations from his solar plexus, making him retch and feel suffocated. He clenched his solar plexus and swallowed his saliva.