Chapter 307: Conciliation
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 307: Conciliation
Ssssss…
The sinister energy that had been pouring out of Belmorak began to unfurl once again, centered on Yoo Eon’s position.
It was the power that governed the Hollow Breeze and struck terror into the hearts of the Necro Species.
“The—the Necro Species…!”
The Necro Species had no monarch.
The term was a collective name for the dead of various species, each possessing a different original form. Because their origins were so diverse, there was nothing that could truly unite them.
Nothing, that is, except for an overwhelming difference in power.
“W-what’s happening…?”
“The monsters have all stopped!! Now’s our chance—!”
Even if the explorers were exhausted from the long battle, they weren't so weak that they couldn't cut down a standing scarecrow. As soon as Yoo Eon appeared, the Necro Species froze as if turned to stone, and the explorers began to suppress them in an instant.
Before long, the vast swarm of Necro monsters began to collapse one by one. The Hollow Breeze portal finally ceased its activity, leaving behind only mountains of corpses piled around the entrance.
“Aven! Are you alright?!”
The first to run forward was Raya Delbaheim, an explorer from Calax’s Mayerbridge Union. Having rushed toward Yoo Eon from a distance, she quickly scanned the situation and checked his condition.
“…I’m fine.”
“I-I see… That’s a relief.”
His spirit was overwhelming. His body still carried the exact same terrifying pressure that Belmorak had exuded just moments ago. This was the reason why, aside from Delbaheim, who had a long-standing acquaintance with him, no one dared to approach Yoo Eon.
“One moment.”
“Ah? Oh, right… Go ahead.”
As Yoo Eon walked toward the Hollow Breeze portal, every explorer, including the Orichalcum Grades, stepped aside to clear a path.
A mountain of corpses surrounded the portal. Scattered among them were several synthetic monsters that had collapsed after their crudely made mana cores burned out.
Creeeak…
The joints of his exoskeleton armor ground together with a chilling sound. A deep red flame suddenly flared up along the massive tail growing from Yoo Eon’s back. In a flash, the tail lengthened and swept across the mountain of corpses.
“H-how…!”
As if nothing had ever been there in the first place, the remains of every Necro monster turned to ash and scattered into the sky.
All that remained was the Hollow Breeze portal at the center—the entrance to the Labyrinth that had vomited tens of thousands of undead.
Crackle!!
Yoo Eon reached out and touched the portal. It flickered violently for a moment before vanishing entirely.
“He… closed the portal…?”
The sub-labyrinth had been manifested through Belmorak’s authority from its very inception. Since Yoo Eon had plundered that authority, it was only natural that he could close the portal.
The members of the Page of Arcana and Sharmana Anuyai were so shocked by this unprecedented event that some even fainted.
“H-hey… did you just close the portal?”
“I did. The Hollow Breeze is over.”
“The sun hasn't even fully risen yet….”
Marilli Marionette looked up at the still-dark sky, unable to hide her bewilderment. Immediately after Yoo Eon had sliced through the sphere of flesh and emerged back into the world, the Necro monsters had frozen, and the portal had stopped.
And then, Yoo Eon had closed the portal with his own hands.
“Ha, haha…! This Hollow Breeze really was full of absurdities.”
“But with him here, we’ll be able to overcome the next one, and the one after that, no matter how many times it happens.”
Yoo Eon shook his head at Lykes O’Connor’s words.
“No. The Hollow Breeze is completely finished. This phenomenon will never occur again.”
“Is… is that true?”
“The powerful Necro monster you saw earlier was the cause of this Hollow Breeze. Since I’ve dealt with it, there won't be any more.”
“I see… So that’s how it is….”
It was news that should have shocked everyone, but perhaps because they had already exhausted decades' worth of shock in a single night, they accepted it with surprising calmness.
“Then… we can finally stop the loss of our institutions caused by the Hollow Breeze….”
Every three years, the Page of Arcana and Sharmana Anuyai had to travel across the surface world to identify the source of the Hollow Breeze and report on the incidents. Of course, they would still have to travel to prevent Labyrinth Openings, but this was a significant burden lifted.
“I have one thing I wish to ask.”
Amir Rahman, one of the 8-star explorers from Hechituk, broke the silence and approached Yoo Eon.
“I saw you commanding monsters. Is that correct?”
“It is.”
“…Doesn't that ability seem problematic? You were controlling a quite powerful Vampire and a Succubus.”
It was something everyone knew but had hesitated to bring up. The other explorers from Hechituk seemed flustered that Amir Rahman had raised the issue, but he had spoken up because he believed he had a trump card.
“And?”
Yoo Eon’s response was curt.
“W-what do you mean, ‘and’—”
“Are you trying to say it’s illegal?”
“Well, obviously….”
Zap!!
Simultaneously, the transmission artifacts illuminating the area ceased to function. The floating artifacts hovering in the sky plummeted to the ground, rolling across the grass.
“Wh-what….”
In that moment, Amir Rahman’s "trump card" was literally ground into the dirt.
“No, never mind…. I’m sure you’ll handle it well. I have no doubt.”
“Glad to hear it.”
The answer resonated in a low tone. No one could truly tell what his intentions were.
Thump.
“Let’s play nice.”
“…I’ll keep that in mind.”
As Yoo Eon casually placed a hand on Amir’s shoulder and walked past, the scene looked incredibly chilling to the onlookers.
* * *
“This is absolutely ridiculous…!”
“There’s nothing ridiculous about it.”
“Ughhh!!”
Lilith Astaroth was currently hauling luggage. Mingled among the mages of Sharmana Anuyai and the Page of Arcana, she was working hard to clean up the aftermath of the Hollow Breeze.
“I am the Succubus Lord…! To make me do this kind of grunt work…!”
“You talk too much.”
“Eeeek!!”
To be precise, she was busy picking up the floating video transmission artifacts that had fallen after Amelia overloaded them with mana to shut them down.
“A-Aven… is she…?”
“Yes. That’s right. She’s the Mystery Antoinette.”
“So it was true….”
Delbaheim and Soles Getia looked at Yoo Eon with concerned expressions, then tilted their heads in confusion as they watched Lilith diligently picking up scrap.
“Is that her true form?”
“Yes. Apparently so.”
“She possessed incredible combat power….”
“She was much stronger when we fought in the Southeast.”
Murit Denshter nodded while listening to Yoo Eon.
“She doesn't have the same presence as she did back then. Has her power decreased?”
“I’m restricting it. So she doesn't try anything funny again.”
“The more I see, the more amazing your abilities are.”
Meanwhile, another person was hesitating at a distance.
“What is it, Skaeda?”
“E-Explorer Aven. You participated in the Hollow Breeze after all.”
“Yes. It was a sudden intervention since I didn't explain beforehand, but it helped, so it’s fine, isn't it?”
“…No one will say a word against it.”
In truth, while Yoo Eon’s intervention was sudden, the Northern explorers had somewhat expected it. The Southwest simply hadn't announced his participation, but they hadn't strongly denied it either.
The Roanmarie Assembly had tried to use this Hollow Breeze to keep Calax in check, but their efforts had come to nothing. One needs to be in a position to ensure their own safety before they can plot anything.
Since everything about this Hollow Breeze had gone off the rails, there was no way their plans could have succeeded.
“I want to express my deepest gratitude, Aven.”
“Is that so?”
“If something had gone wrong during this Hollow Breeze, Avalon would have likely suffered a blow it could never recover from.”
“I figured. You seemed to have brought quite a lot of people with you.”
“Th-that’s….”
Skaeda, unable to admit she had pushed forward because she believed he would show up, awkwardly scratched the back of her head and changed the subject.
“The world is going to be in an uproar.”
“Haha! You’re right! And it’ll be because of your name, Aven!”
O’Connor approached with a small keg tucked under his arm, laughing heartily.
“Man, oh man, everyone’s going to know about you now. I’m truly envious! Isn't fame the ultimate goal of an explorer?”
“Is it?”
When Aven gave a lukewarm reaction, O’Connor sat his massive frame down on the ground with a heavy thud and continued.
“Hmm? I guess not for you, Aven.”
“I don't particularly want my face known everywhere; it’s a hassle. I only returned to this form because the transmission was cut.”
“Gwahaha! Now that’s a new type of explorer!”
“That aside… you really are amazing.”
“In what way?”
Marilli Marionette, the Orichalcum-grade explorer from Wispales, stared intently at Yoo Eon’s face with an intrigued expression.
“Shall I be honest? I never imagined you’d be this handsome. I assumed you’d look like that monster even in your daily life.”
“That hurts. I think that form has its own charm.”
“Well… your fighting style is violent, but it wasn't an eyesore. You felt like a knight in unique armor.”
While the Northern explorers continued their friendly conversation, the Southern explorers watched them with growing anxiety.
Since Amir Rahman’s intimidation had failed, the only thing left was conciliation. If they could somehow recruit this powerful Northern explorer to the South…
But who on earth would do it? They needed some kind of pretext to even start a conversation. Naturally, the eyes of the Southern explorers began to shift toward one person.
“What.”
“…N-nothing.”
Hemeth Nefertiri. She was technically the strongest explorer in the South, and since she had technically been helped by Yoo Eon, she had a plausible reason to speak to him.
Previously, the South had been significantly superior to the North in terms of military strength, allowing them to maintain leadership on the battlefield and hold permanent seats. Now, they were reduced to anxiously reading the room.
“H-Hemeth-nim… shouldn't you go and at least say something…?”
“…Shut up.”
“Yes, ma'am. Shutting up.”
Of course, Nefertiri herself wanted to talk to him. The South was vast, but it was a barren land with nowhere decent for people to live. She had cut down countless labyrinths scattered across that harsh terrain, but there was only one reason she couldn't bring herself to speak to Yoo Eon right now.
How… how do you normally start a conversation with a man?
Hemeth Nefertiri had very little memory of having a conversation that wasn't based on a hierarchy. Her subordinates handled the task of poaching Northern explorers; she never did it herself.
The only person she truly opened up to was the head attendant of the Karnak Obelisk. Unless it was an older woman, her memories of comfortable conversation were ancient history.
After agonizing for a long time, Hemeth finally stood before Yoo Eon, who was sitting and resting after everyone else had left.
Okay… let’s do this. Gratitude. Main point. Trade offer.
Gratitude. Good to start with. He helped me.
Main point. Come to the South. It’s better than the North.
Trade offer. Something a man would be tempted by. Something definitive.
“H-hey, you.”
“Oh, you’re….”
Yoo Eon, who had been squinting at her face for a moment, stood up and spoke.
“Who are you?”
“I-I am! The South’s 8-star explorer, Hemeth Nefertiri!”
“Nere, Nephi… Nerferti. Ah, yes. Nice to meet you.”
Twitch.
She felt a vein pop in her forehead, but she let it slide. Right now, they weren't in a hierarchy; he was someone she had to win over.
Gratitude, main point, trade….
“Th-thanks for saving me. Want to live with me? Do you… need a wife?”