Chapter 79
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: Magitech City, Laputa - Part 3
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The airship 'Prydwen' began to slowly lower its altitude toward Laputa.
Whoooosh—
It was less like a landing and more like a gentle descent into water. During that brief glide, Park Jun-mo, like a child on his first flight, clung to the window frame, exclaiming in awe.
"Whoa... Whoa..."
Dozens of skyscrapers, floating thousands of meters in the sky, reflected the sun, shimmering with ever-changing colors. Behind them, the blue sky stretched out like an ocean, and the clouds felt like mist.
It was only natural to be captivated by such a mystical and magnificent sight.
But Lee Hyun-wook's impression was quite different.
'Just as I thought... it's completely different from the Laputa I remember.'
Seeing Laputa's true form stirred a sense of unease within him.
Having infiltrated Laputa in his past life, Lee Hyun-wook remembered seeing this city up close. And the Laputa in his memory... was a fortress of Villains known as the 'Demon's Castle'.
And unlike its current appearance, it had a grotesque design, dark red in color and sprouting tentacles.
'Right, it was a far cry from this beautiful sight.'
In that moment, the hellish memory began to unfold before his eyes.
A corner of his intense past-life memories... Lee Hyun-wook had been on an airship then, too.
Fwoooosh—
Amidst the vast darkness where the black sea and black sky were indistinguishable,
he stared blankly at the dark red Laputa resting on the distant horizon.
Then, someone's urgent voice struck his ears.
“—Damn it! An unidentified weapon on Laputa's underside is activating again!”
Simultaneously, the bottom of Laputa opened, and a red light began to leak out.
- Warning! 'Sudarshana Bombardment' will commence in this area.
Along with the stark warning message, the edge of the night sea began to turn red.
A brilliant red light, as if a sunrise were beginning...
"Damn it! Warn the naval fleet!”
“—I-It's too late!”
A red beam shot from Laputa, forcing everyone to shield their eyes. The intense mass of energy, bright enough to be mistaken for the sun, fell toward the allied naval fleet surrounding Laputa.
KRA-KOOOOOM—!
Explosions, then more explosions—the continuous blasts deafened him.
Rumble...
After that prolonged strike, half the fleet was annihilated, and the rest were swallowed by a tsunami.
"..."
The airship 'Gate Sentinel', which had been advancing toward Laputa, could only stop in its tracks, dumbfounded,
and those aboard could do nothing but remain silent.
Then, one man broke the silence.
“...We are all that's left. And to put it another way, only we can do this."
His voice was firm, like a glimmer of hope blooming in the midst of despair.
"Listen carefully, everyone. We cannot abandon this mission. We must succeed."
"..."
"If we hesitate and turn back now, we will eventually be cornered. But if we break through that obstacle, I am certain we will face a new horizon.”
The man rallying the heroes' morale was the commander of the Laputa assault operation,
and his name... was Gordon Price.
'Right... landing on Laputa was the worst possible trap.'
It was both an impregnable fortress and an inescapable labyrinth. Those called the hope of humanity had walked into an abyss, led by the false guide, Gordon Price.
And so, on that day, thirteen S-rank Players were captured by the Villain's mad scientist group, 'Black Door'... and used as materials for horrific biological experiments, becoming fodder to enhance a Necromancer's power.
But now, the Laputa before his eyes was distinctly different from the 'Demon's Castle' in his memory. Instead of the gloomy dark red from his past, it shone a brilliant white.
'...It seems to have manifested differently due to various conditions.'
Right, this is a game, and different branches lead to entirely different outcomes. Since this Laputa appeared as a result of stopping the wave, it had manifested in a form beneficial to humanity.
'Which means... the incredible weapons and technologies I faced back then are now under my authority.'
Laputa was a city, a research facility, an armory, and a military base.
In other words, it could be seen as a single, massive society where all functions were consolidated.
By obtaining this, Lee Hyun-wook had essentially swallowed a massive piece of the future.
“Oh, I think we're about to land.”
The Prydwen touched down at the airship port of the tallest skyscraper in the 'Upper City'.
'This is the Order Tower, the control center that manages all of Laputa.'
The group disembarked from the Prydwen, crossed a translucent sky bridge, and stood before the doors of the 'Order Tower'.
Then, an androgynous voice flowed into Lee Hyun-wook's ears.
「'Master Authority' of Laputa has been confirmed.」
Rumble—
The massive doors opened slowly, like castle gates.
「Welcome, Administrator. I am Talos, the auxiliary artificial intelligence of Laputa.」
'Talos... To think this voice would sound so friendly.'
Talos, the AI of Laputa... He recalled the scene where it had fired all sorts of turrets, accompanied by warning messages to eliminate intruders. And in the end, it had appeared as a 30-meter-tall 'Orichalcum Giant'.
'Even the Fist King, Han Tae-san, couldn't block Talos's kick and was sent flying...'
They walked down a long corridor and soon faced a facility that truly resembled a 'control tower'. It was a circular structure, with all walls made of glass, offering a panoramic view of every corner of Laputa.
Whirrr—
Just then, a round, ball-like object descended from the ceiling.
And on the ball's surface—a screen—an emoticon-like expression appeared.
「(^_^) Greetings! Welcome to the 'Eye of the Sky,' Laputa's command center!」
“—Gasp! Is that a monster?”
Park Jun-mo exclaimed, taking a step back. Sparks crackled from his hands.
Since most 'beings' that appeared in this game were monsters, his reaction was understandable.
At that, Talos's expression changed to one of alarm, and it shot up to the ceiling as if fleeing.
「(0_0) Ack! Please do not attack me! The repair costs will be considerable! Also, the entire Laputa system may become unresponsive for a while, so I earnestly request that you refrain!」
It then circled far away from Park Jun-mo, as if avoiding him, and scurried over to Lee Hyun-wook, its screen face displaying an expression of tears streaming down.
「Sniff, Administrator of Laputa... I am Talos, who greeted you a moment ago.」
'What's with the overreaction... I didn't know it was this kind of character...'
He wondered if this was the same giant that had crushed A-rank Players like bugs.
“Right, nice to meet you. You're here to assist me, I presume?”
「(^_^) Yes, that is correct. You may ask anything and command anything.」
“In that case, I'd like you to explain what I can do, focusing on the important things first.”
At this moment, what he was most curious about and needed most was how to utilize this massive object.
「Ah! The Administrator values practicality! However, it is customary for newcomers to take a tour of this glorious city. How about we start with that?」
“No, touring this entire place could take weeks. I'll check the functions first.”
「Yes, I shall do that. But as you can plainly see, Laputa is a massive facility! It has so many functions that the explanation may be a bit lengthy. I ask for your understanding in this regard!」
After that, Talos truly began to rattle off a long list of explanations...
'Hmm, this is useless...'
This AI... seemed to be completely lacking in common sense. He had asked for an explanation of its functions, but it was reciting nearly every aspect of life in Laputa—hobbies, research, features, air defense—like a manual.
'...I don't need to learn all these trivial things.'
Operating Laputa wasn't something Lee Hyun-wook was going to do alone. And in the long run, he would need to train and deploy a large number of specialists so he wouldn't have to worry about it.
'And one of them... I can secure right now.'
One of the key crew members of the future super-airship, the <Gate Sentinel>, was likely wandering around without affiliation right now. Lee Hyun-wook planned to find that man as soon as he returned to the ground.
“Talos, forget those trivial functions. Hmm... there must be some sort of special function, right?”
「Yes! There are many special features. The magma sauna, the 1-kilometer skydiving, and...」
“No, I mean... a unique authority that only the administrator can use.”
At those words, its expression changed to one of contemplation, as if stroking its chin.
「Ah! You must be referring to <Power Craft>! Yes, shall I explain it right away?」
It finally understood.
Beings like the World Tree or Laputa would later come to be called 'Transcendent-grade Objects'.
Their mere existence generated a powerful blessing in the surrounding area.
However, if the administrator intervened and adjusted them, their functions could be significantly enhanced.
'That's what <Power Craft> is, and the World Tree is used in a similar way.'
The World Tree's administrator, Donald Harris, bestows a wide-area healing blessing upon the region once every six months.
This was the highest level of wide-area healing magic, second only to the Saintess Emilia Müller, and it served to vent the ancient energy concentrated within the World Tree while simultaneously boosting the 'life force' of the area.
'The magical herbs from Chad that grow during that period are so effective that they sell for exorbitant prices.'
Moreover, if one is within the World Tree's domain during that time, all illnesses vanish as if washed away.
That's why millions of pilgrims visit the World Tree around that time.
Of course, the Republic of Chad strictly controls entry, so not just anyone can get in...
'So, I should be able to use Laputa in a similar way to gain immense benefits.'
Lee Hyun-wook briefly imagined a future where Laputa's productivity surpassed that of a developed nation.
However...
「Um, however... most of the special functions are currently unusable.」
“...Why?”
And so, another explanation began.
It started with the story of the Gnomes, Laputa's ancient designers, but to summarize...
After Laputa was attacked by an unknown enemy, five factions of Laputa took crucial core components and retreated to different dimensions to live in seclusion.
'What is this, just another cliché backstory?'
Lee Hyun-wook sighed and waved his hand, cutting the story short.
“Enough. So you're saying I need to find some 'components' in Gnome ruins?”
「Yes, that is correct! You catch on quickly!」
Simply put, it meant he had to complete quests to use the unlocked functions. Even with such a great privilege, it was designed in a 'game-like' fashion to encourage gradual growth.
'Getting the <Prydwen> from the Gnome ruins was part of that. How annoying...'
「However, some basic authorities are available right now.」
“Really? Show me those, then.”
「(^_^)7 Yes! I will prepare it right away!」
[Laputa: Power Craft Functions]
1) Wide-Area Blessing (Active)
2) Designate Balnibarbi (Available)
Pathetically, it seemed these were the only two available for now.
Number 1, 'Wide-Area Blessing,' was the blessing currently bestowed upon all of Seoul.
“Number 2, what's Balnibarbi?”
「Yes, Laputa is a flying city and can bestow a 'blessing' on the area below it.」
“Right, I know that.”
「However, Balnibarbi is a function that provides concentrated benefits to a smaller area.」
Balnibarbi was the name of the region ruled by Laputa in <Gulliver's Travels>.
In other words, it could be seen as designating a location where Laputa's influence would be maximized.
“Ah, so I can think of it as designating a special magitech zone?”
「Yes, that is an apt interpretation!」
A special magitech zone... There was no need to wonder where to use it.
“Good, I'll use it now.”
A map of Seoul then appeared before Lee Hyun-wook, and he selected the area around Kang Jeong-du's workshop.
「Shall I apply 'Balnibarbi' to the selected area?」
“Yes, apply it.”
- 'Balnibarbi' has been applied to the selected area!
* Experience gain for production-class Players is greatly increased. (+50%)
* Success rate for all item 'Crafting' is greatly increased. (+50%)
* A chance for 'Unexpected Creation from Failure' is applied. (10%)
'Good, I've given Kang Jeong-du another set of wings.'
With this, another stepping stone toward an 'insurmountable gap' in magitech seemed to be in place.
***
After reviewing a few more functions, Lee Hyun-wook took out the 3rd Fragment of the Eye of Horus (Legendary).
'Absorbing this will change my eye... and there's no better place to pass out than here.'
Gulp—
- Time remaining until metal absorption: (Unknown)
As expected of a Legendary-grade item, the time remaining was 'Unknown'.
Even running his internal furnace at full capacity would take a considerable amount of time, so he informed Kim Se-hee and Park Jun-mo that he might pass out, and that it wasn't a chronic illness but part of his power-up process.
“Ah... so, you're saying I just need to be at your side all day, attending to you?”
“Team Leader Kim... you know, you always seem to think negatively.”
If Kim Se-hee had a defining characteristic, it was her habit of constantly making snide, insincere remarks.
But when Lee Hyun-wook pointed it out, she looked quite flustered.
“—What? W-W-When did I? Seriously...”
“Anyway, you don't need to stay by my side. There's a training ground here, so it's a chance for you to grow as well, Team Leader Kim.”
“Hmm... a training ground? Hah... so you're telling me to study on my own all day?”
Kim Se-hee's expression showed she wasn't particularly interested.
“Team Leader Kim, do you realize you just said something negative again?”
"..."
“Anyway, it's too early to be disappointed. The training ground here is completely different.”
“I suppose... in a super-advanced facility like this, well, the scarecrows must be made of gold or...”
Kim Se-hee stopped mid-sentence.
Just as Lee Hyun-wook had said, she had inadvertently been sarcastic again.
“Ah, well...”
Lee Hyun-wook chuckled and shook his head.
“It's not like that. You can gain experience while training.”
Only then did Kim Se-hee's expression turn to one of surprise.
“...What?”
Experience points—an absolute necessity for a Player's level progression. However, experience could only be gained by hunting monsters, meaning the absolute stat increase of leveling up had to be earned by risking one's life.
But now, he was saying it was possible to safely gain experience while training—something like a cheat code.
“Come on... isn't that a total cheat?”
Yes, it was because of cheat-like functions like this that it was a Transcendent-grade Object.
“Ah, of course, you won't get as much as you would from actually hunting monsters. Still, you can simulate almost any environment, meaning almost any monster. Right, Talos?”
- (★_★) Yes, that is correct! Laputa's <Hyper-Reality Training Ground> manipulates a 'World Stone' to create lifelike environments, providing trainees with an experience nearly identical to reality!
'Good. I've found a way to draw out Kim Se-hee's potential.'
Originally, Kim Se-hee was destined to join the Black Tiger Unit and become a top assassin specialist.
She would then end up in a mutual kill with the Black Orc King, 'Stonox'.
Lee Hyun-wook had been wondering how to provide her with a growth environment even better than the Black Tiger Unit.
'When it comes to improving a Player's skills, nothing is as effective as facing monsters.'
With Laputa's training facility, she could grow through repeated, intense combat experiences.
“Ah, and one last thing...”
Lee Hyun-wook looked at Park Jun-mo.
“Talos, by any chance... does lightning strike Laputa?”
Laputa was located several kilometers above the ground.
In other words, it was the perfect place for lightning to strike during bad weather.
- Yes, that is correct. During inclement weather, an average of 21 lightning strikes occur, all of which are converted into energy.
“Really? Can you predict when lightning might strike?”
- Analyzing the current weather conditions, there is a 95% probability of lightning strikes this evening.
At those words, Lee Hyun-wook grinned and placed a hand on Park Jun-mo's shoulder, making the younger man flinch.
“Park Jun-mo, you don't have a fear of heights, do you? I think we'll need to go to the very top of this tower.”
Park Jun-mo hung his head low and began to mutter something.
“Ah, just as I thought... my ominous premonition was real...”
“Hm? Park Jun-mo, are you scared? You don't still have an F-rank mentality, do you?”
“...N-No, of course not!”
「Player Park Jun-mo, health anomaly detected. Heart rate is abnormally high!」
"..."
Thus, by the time the three of them returned to the ground, they were set to be on a whole new level.
'And the next time I come up here, I'll need to bring personnel who can operate this Laputa.'
'If I can get this Transcendent-grade Object operating properly...'
He would be able to recreate that horrific scene from his past life, but in reverse.