Chapter 247
Chapter 247
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 247
Chapter Title: Into the Northern Wastes
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“The weather’s gone mad.”
“Isn’t it colder than the Arctic?”
“If it weren’t for this coat, I’d really be in deep shit.”
The heroes who had crossed Massive Guardian and set foot in the north wore dumbfounded expressions.
“It’s gotten way colder than before.”
“The Demon King’s descent is approaching. The temperature will keep dropping until then.”
At Seowoojin’s words, Ailin let out a sigh as she replied.
The north’s chill was so intense it even froze the white breath escaping her lips.
“Can you handle it?”
“Thanks to you.”
She smiled, pointing to the coat draped over her own body.
It was the coat Emperor had personally seen to and gifted to Seowoojin.
“But Woojin, are you okay?”
Ailin looked at him with concern.
Because he’d given her his coat, Seowoojin was left with just a plain jacket.
“This much is no problem, so don’t worry about me.”
Seowoojin shrugged his shoulders.
It was a bit cold, but for someone who had reached the transcendent realm, this level of chill posed no obstacle.
“…Thank you.”
As Ailin slightly bowed her head in gratitude, Seowoojin chuckled.
“Compared to all the help you’ve given me until now, a coat’s nothing.”
Was it because he’d returned to the north after so long?
Seowoojin suddenly recalled Ailin’s assistance.
‘I nearly died to a pack of Snowls around here.’
The first monsters he’d encountered after arriving in this world were Snowls.
Now he could crush them with his pinky, but back then, he’d had to fight for his life.
He’d come close to death several times, but Ailin’s help had saved him.
‘If that’s a memory, then it’s a memory, I guess?’
Just two years.
His transformation was so drastic it felt like heaven and earth had been remade, leaving him with a strange sensation.
“That up ahead is a crevasse.”
Lost in thought for a moment, Seowoojin was pulled back by Ailin’s voice halting the group.
“A crevasse?”
“What’s that?”
The group tilted their heads curiously.
“It’s a fissure between massive ice formations that make up the ground. It’s so deep you can’t see the bottom.”
“Oh, I think I saw one in a movie once! It looked super dangerous.”
Recalling it, Lee Ji-ah peered ahead with curious eyes.
“With your skills, it shouldn’t be too dangerous. Still, let’s go around it.”
No matter how deep the crevasse, the heroes wouldn’t fail to escape even if they fell in barehanded.
But there was no need to waste time on it.
Ailin recalled the path she knew and set the group’s direction.
“Looks like bringing her was the right call?”
“I didn’t get why Woojin insisted on her, but now I see.”
Goo Dong-hwan and Kye Soo-ji’s murmurs reached his ears.
They honestly hadn’t understood including Ailin in the group.
She was a high-ranking knight, but by their standards, she was no different from a regular person.
That’s why they’d been puzzled, but now they grasped Seowoojin’s intent.
‘She knows the north well.’
So far, she’d only pointed out a crevasse.
But was that all her knowledge of the north amounted to?
She likely knew plenty that even they—and Seowoojin—didn’t.
With her around, unnecessary time losses would be greatly reduced.
‘And that means we can grow even more.’
Goo Dong-hwan nodded.
He’d fully realized the necessity of this knight named Ailin.
“Which way should we go?”
“About two kilometers west, and the fissure should end.”
“Got it. Let’s head west.”
Seowoojin led the group westward as Ailin directed.
How long had they walked like that?
Seowoojin suddenly asked.
“But there are no monsters around.”
Previously, this was where Snowls and other monsters had appeared.
Drakeas had even shown up here.
Yet now, not a single monster was in sight.
“It’s the weather.”
Ailin pointed to the sky as she explained.
“The freak weather drove the ones that couldn’t handle it down to Massive Guardian.”
It had gotten too cold even for them, so the monsters had migrated south to warmer areas.
That’s why Massive Guardian had faced quite the annoying battles.
“The monsters in this area have probably been wiped out.”
At her words, Seowoojin furrowed his brow.
“Doesn’t that mean the north’s monster population has thinned out a lot?”
“No. If anything, it’s probably increased.”
While Seowoojin worried about a lack of prey to hunt, Ailin shook her head.
“You just said they’re wiped out.”
“Only the weak ones. If you go further north, there are swarms of ones that can withstand this cold. And besides…”
Ailin’s expression hardened slightly as she continued.
“Reports say high-grade monsters are multiplying exponentially, likely due to the Demon King’s descent.”
No one knew the exact mechanism behind it.
There were no records of it.
But according to scouts, the monster numbers had at least doubled compared to last year.
“…That’s a problem.”
More prey to hunt was good news.
More monsters meant easier leveling.
But they couldn’t hunt them all by themselves.
“Still, with Iyer’s army stationed at Massive Guardian, we don’t need to worry too much.”
“Ah!”
Seowoojin let out a hollow laugh at Ailin’s words.
‘They’re there, huh.’
An enormous army of 120,000.
Once they arrived at Massive Guardian, no ordinary monsters would dare approach.
‘I caused that and still forgot about it.’
It hadn’t been planned, but it worked out perfectly.
“Then we can just focus on hunting.”
The rear was secure.
That meant they could concentrate solely on leveling up.
‘Perfect.’
Seowoojin smiled.
It seemed the time for the group to reach level 100 would be shorter than expected.
* * *
“Is this the north?”
Baek Siwoo asked.
His snow-white hair blended perfectly with the snow-covered landscape.
“The frozen Demon Realm.”
The Lion nodded.
“But I don’t see anything around. Didn’t we come here to hunt?”
“It’d be nice to teleport straight to Kratoss’s domain, but unfortunately, that’s impossible.”
The Lion clicked his tongue in response.
“Why not?”
“It’s a kind of null-magic zone.”
A land imbued with the Demon King’s authority.
No abilities or magic could invade it.
You’d need at least the level of Sky Tower’s Sword Sage to interfere.
“Guess their skills aren’t all that impressive.”
Baek Siwoo sneered, glaring at the Lion.
“Don’t get cocky, Baek Siwoo. Just because I’m making you king doesn’t put me beneath you.”
The Lion’s expression turned as cold as the northern winds.
‘He’s getting arrogant.’
Having accepted demonic energy and adapted to it, Baek Siwoo’s temperament was gradually changing.
At first, it was just savagery, but as his power grew, arrogance and hubris seeped into his being.
‘He’s got the power to back it up, though…’
Currently, Baek Siwoo had entered the transcendent realm.
On top of that, the Lion had used some method to grant him even greater strength.
With that much power in hand, his behavior wasn’t entirely unexpected.
The problem was him lording it over even the Lion himself.
‘He needs a leash.’
Originally, the plan was to use the divine beast Ma-mok possessed for control.
Unfortunately, that divine beast had been taken by the Grand Duke and Seowoojin.
So, another method was necessary.
‘If I’m too late, I might end up on the receiving end.’
For now, the Lion was still slightly stronger.
He could control him to some degree, but that limit was fast approaching.
Once Baek Siwoo hunted Kratoss and absorbed its power, he’d surpass the Lion by leaps and bounds.
Controlling him was already tough now; then it’d be impossible.
‘I need to find a way.’
Something equivalent to the divine beast.
A certain being flashed through the Lion’s mind.
‘If I could use that…’
But it wasn’t possible yet.
For now, he’d hunt Kratoss with Baek Siwoo, then prepare separately.
‘Until then, I’ll have to play along.’
As the Lion pondered gravely inwardly, Baek Siwoo let out a smirk.
“Of course, I won’t forget your help. Even after I become king and rule the world.”
Baek Siwoo’s eyes sharpened like blades as he spoke.
“…Enough pointless talk. Let’s move.”
The Lion averted his gaze without realizing it.
“Fine, lead the way. To that Kratoss or whatever it is.”
Baek Siwoo urged the Lion on with a confident expression.
Despite heading to hunt the strongest demonic beast on earth, he showed no worry.
He didn’t entertain the thought of defeat even slightly.
“This way.”
The Lion gauged the direction briefly before starting to walk.
“But seriously, where are we that it’s this empty?”
After walking some distance, Baek Siwoo suddenly asked.
“About forty kilometers north of a place called Massive Guardian.”
“Massive Guardian?”
Killing intent crept over Baek Siwoo’s face at the Lion’s words.
“That’s where that bastard was holed up.”
Recalling Seowoojin, Baek Siwoo’s murderous aura swelled.
And eventually.
“Before hunting, I’ll wipe those bastards off the face of the earth first.”
Baek Siwoo turned around.
He intended to exterminate Massive Guardian, where Seowoojin had once stayed, and every human there.
Only then would this rage subside.
“Stop.”
The Lion halted such a Baek Siwoo.
He blocked the path and said.
“If you go to Massive Guardian now, everything will go to hell.”
“Hmph! Those primitive scum can be slaughtered in minutes…!”
“The Sword Ghost is there.”
The Lion cut off Baek Siwoo.
“…Sword Ghost?”
“Yeah. Ban Slane. A transcendent powerhouse is currently at Massive Guardian.”
Baek Siwoo pondered briefly at those words.
But only briefly.
His rage-clouded reason showed no sign of returning easily.
“I’ll just kill that Sword Ghost too.”
“Ridiculous.”
The Lion spoke coldly to the killing-intent-radiating Baek Siwoo.
“Kill him and be done? The Sword Ghost? Don’t make me laugh, Baek Siwoo. That guy’s a real monster.”
Ban Slane was a monster among monsters, having reached the transcendent realm and regained his youth.
Of course, as Baek Siwoo said, the two of them together could win.
But one of them would definitely die.
Even if they miraculously survived by some stroke of luck, hunting Kratoss would be off the table.
From the Lion’s perspective, there was no reason to take that gamble.
“Deal with Massive Guardian and the Sword Ghost after you’ve attained true transcendence.”
By then, even the Sword Ghost wouldn’t dare stand against him.
“So focus on Kratoss for now.”