Chapter 338: Dropping the Magic Tower
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 338: Dropping the Magic Tower
“Are you sure you’ll be alright?”
“They said it’s a short distance. I’m just going to confirm it.”
“I wish I could move as well…”
“It’s right for you to hold your position.”
Han So-Hye nodded at my words. The Blood Dagger Clan had already finished its preparations to leave. Isaac had not yet arrived, and all the other expedition teams, aside from our clan, had already scattered in all directions to gather information on the Northern Continent. The place assigned to the Blood Dagger Clan was Haul, the village where Wingrin used to live.
Originally, the humans were supposed to go, but with Choi Eunju and the other human mages being busy, the mission fell to the Blood Dagger Clan. Whether it was an attempt to stall for time or not, sporadic guerrilla warfare was breaking out on the outskirts, so headquarters judged it better for the Green Skins to move rather than the humans, who were burdened with more luggage. Of course, Choi Seulgi tried her best to stop me from going to the continent, citing my need for rest, but there is a vast difference between seeing the enemy’s ecosystem with one’s own eyes and not. This was especially true for someone like me, who possessed special eyes.
The lineup was the Blood Dagger Clan, Choi Seulgi, and Wingrin. Wingrin’s… notable presence in a small village was a slight concern, but in terms of pure combat power, it was no exaggeration to call this the continent's strongest force. Wingrin was terrified at the thought of returning to her village, but after I promised to help her achieve a stable life once this was over, she seemed to have steeled her resolve. I would have taken her even if she had refused, but her willing cooperation was, of course, welcome.
When I stepped outside, the landscape, ravaged by the effects of battle, came into view.
There wasn't a single soul in sight near the northern ice walls. It was so quiet it was as if the fierce battle from four days ago had been a lie, so it was no wonder this expedition felt dull. The elite Orc swordsmen and Orc archers had searched the area but found nothing. I joined in just in case, but there was nothing to be seen.
All that was visible were trees and rocks, weathered by the cold wind. Occasionally, an undead arm or leg would appear, but they were all severed. A few motionless skeletons were also scattered about, their constituent mana having completely vanished.
Haul, the village where Wingrin had lived, wasn't far enough to require teleportation. We were walking slowly, collecting samples and traces of the enemy, when I heard Mev’s voice.
“Human.”
“Y-Yes?”
“What do you eat to get so big?”
“I’m not sure…”
“Can I touch them just once?”
“R-Right now is a little… L-Later.”
Mev’s interest was fixed on Wingrin’s chest. She seemed to envy something she could never have, no matter how many times she died and was reborn. Of course, the small-statured Baek Ahyeon was sending a similar glare of baseless fury.
“A demon surely dwells within that chest.”
“What? Th-That’s…”
If I had to say something was dwelling in there, I’d call it an angel. But naturally, I didn’t voice that thought aloud. Choi Seulgi was staring this way with a terrifying look in her eyes. Even Jung Hayeon, seemingly intimidated by the appearance of a powerful rival, was subtly trying to hide herself.
I wanted to look around with the carefree feeling of a picnic, but I knew better than anyone that I couldn't. Still, we hadn't yet entered what could be called a danger zone, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to relax a little.
“We’ll rest for a moment. It would be best to eat and then set out again.”
“We’re resting!”
“Unload the baggage! We will depart after finishing our meal!”
The moment I finished speaking, Gark and Orbo relayed my words to the other clan members. In an instant, they unloaded the expedition packs and set up a makeshift camp. A little further, and we would be out of sight of the ice walls, so resting at this location was the most appropriate choice.
“Did you pass through here as well?”
“Yes. I don’t remember it well, but…”
I posed the question to Wingrin, who was sitting on a nearby rock, and she answered immediately. What was a little amusing was that she was unconsciously touching the underside of the rock. When I gave a slight nod, wondering what she was doing, Wingrin spoke again.
“Ah… th-that’s become a habit. It might not look like there’s anything near rocks like these… but if you check underneath, you’ll find weeds growing here and there. If I was lucky, I could find insects, too.”
“And those are…”
“Things you can eat.”
“Hmm…”
There was nothing I could say to that. Everything here must have been an excellent source of protein for her. I found myself thinking that even if this woman were dropped in the middle of the desert of penance during the Warrior's Exam, she would somehow tenaciously survive and reach the Land of Glory.
The way she kept glancing at the Orcs distributing jerky and couldn't take her eyes off the warm meat stew they were cooking made it seem like her long ordeal had left her with some trauma. Even the Kim Taesung of the past hadn't resorted to pulling weeds off rocks to eat.
We were talking about the village when I saw Gark and Orbo of the Shield slowly make their way over. It was only natural that I’d be concerned, seeing them deliberately come to where I was when they could have left the task of delivering my meal to someone else. I remembered telling them two or three times that they didn't need to do this anymore, but they were still obsessed with serving me, which made me feel both sorry and grateful.
“Thank you, Gark.”
“For Blood Dagger. No. It is my duty. By the way, this woman…”
Gark’s expression was quite serious. Wingrin, who had been staring intently at the food in Gark’s hands, began to watch him with an anxious look. His intuition was quite sharp. It was possible he had noticed something strange. As versatile as my eyes were, they couldn't see through everything.
“Hmm…”
At his serious expression, Wingrin also swallowed hard. Just as I thought the tension was mounting, Gark slowly opened his mouth.
“Are you a descendant of the Minotaurs?”
His voice was pure and innocent, without a hint of lewdness. Thanks to him, I involuntarily spat out what I was drinking.
“Ahem…”
Reacting to that voice was, of course, the clan’s only Minotaur, Orbo of the Shield. He snorted with interest and began to approach Wingrin. Unsurprisingly, Wingrin, still not used to the Green Skins, desperately avoided his gaze.
“Hmm… Indeed… By any chance, was your father a Minotaur?”
“Pfft!”
“I know a few Minotaurs in the Earth Wave Clan. What is your father’s name?”
Choi Seulgi and Jung Hayeon simultaneously spat out what they were drinking.
“What? What?”
Wingrin, unable to grasp the situation, stared at Orbo and Gark with a look of complete confusion. Then, as if she finally understood what they were saying, her face turned red and she began to desperately cover the continent’s bounty.
They weren't the only ones who caught on. Mev’s mouth fell open as if she, too, had realized something.
“Of course! That’s it. If she’s a Minotaur, that explains everything. Human, you were a descendant of the Green Skins!”
“No, that’s not… it. Both of my parents are human!”
“Your grandfather could have been a Minotaur! I must take a closer look!”
“Kyaaah!”
My eyes were naturally drawn to the scene, but Choi Seulgi’s glare prevented me from looking openly.
“A-Amazing.”
“S-So this is the hybrid of a Minotaur and a human!”
“A Half-Minotaur!”
“She’s the Half-Minotaur, Wingrin!”
“She’s a Minotaur herself! The Half-Minotaur, Wingrin! It’s Wingrin!”
In the first place, it’s physically impossible for Minotaurs and humans to mate. But as if they believed anything was possible with enough grit, even the Goblin Three Sisters joined in, and I could hear them relentlessly tormenting Wingrin. I, of course, turned my head away, feigning disinterest. But it was enough to spark various imaginings.
‘Half-Minotaur Wingrin.’
It was the most absurdly created nickname I had witnessed since Giant Scream Apachi. After the somewhat bewildering meal ended, I regretfully pushed the thought aside and rose to my feet.
“We will now depart.”
“Ahem… We’re departing! We’re departing again!”
Once more, the murmurs of the clan members filled the air. The area we were about to enter was likely the domain of the undead—or more accurately, what used to be the domain of the undead.
“Mev. You and the… Half-Minotaur will move to the front.”
“Okay, Captain!”
“Elite Orc Swordsmen, form a circle around Wingrin and Mev and prepare for an enemy ambush.”
“For Blood Dagger.”
“Let’s go.”
The Blood Dagger Clan moved in the direction Wingrin’s finger pointed. We had only taken a single step, but I could already feel that this was their territory. I could feel black mana settling into the ground. It wasn't at a dangerous level, but just stepping on this land felt like being afflicted with a debuff.
“Purification.”
Just then, Baek Ahyeon’s voice rang out. The corrupted black earth slowly began to regain its original appearance, and I nodded as I watched. It had given me another idea for a holy spell to cast on the magic tower we were going to drop. The enemy’s land was likely even more contaminated. It would be great if everything could be resolved in one fell swoop, but since that was unlikely, pushing forward with the main force was essential. If we could drop a purification spell beforehand, it would debuff the enemy while buffing the humans on our side.
Though several investigations had already been conducted in my absence, securing samples was essential, so Jung Hayeon and the clan’s other shamans were collecting samples of the soil. Jung Hayeon, in particular, was extremely sensitive to the land, so she would be a great help in this regard.
“Th-This way.”
From this point on, the path seemed quite familiar to her, as Half-Minotaur Wingrin slowly guided us. The strange thing was that the higher we climbed, the warmer the climate became.
“It’s warm.”
“Ah! On this continent, it gets a little warmer the closer you get to the center.”
It was quite fascinating. Then again, if the entire continent had been that cold, the Chinese probably would have had a very hard time surviving. We walked for a considerable amount of time. Then, Haul, the village where Wingrin had lived, slowly came into view. Of course, it wasn't visible to the others, but I was certain that was the village she had spoken of.
“Halt.”
“Captain?”
“Undead. They’re stationed in the village.”
Their numbers were large, but their quality couldn't be called good. To fight or not to fight. It was natural to be conflicted. We could avoid them, but the enemy’s level didn't seem very high. I slowly stroked my chin and then quietly opened my mouth to the clan members.
“Prepare for battle.”
We’d had many battles, but it had been quite a while since the entire Blood Dagger Clan had fought alongside me like this. Everyone started grinning from ear to ear.