Chapter 81
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: Conquest Reward (2)
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I told them to leave the wall to me, then pondered how to handle it.
Since I'd decided to do this properly, it would be best to make it sturdy enough that nothing could breach it.
The power of the spirit beasts I gained from the first world. Using the power of rock among them should do the trick.
Rocks created with the spirit beasts' power had a hardness that wouldn't even be scratched by a barrage of missiles.
If I infused it with magic on top of that, the wall wouldn't crumble even after thousands of years.
Do I really need to go that far, though?
It wasn't particularly difficult, so I decided to go ahead with it.
First, I floated up into the sky and addressed all the soldiers on the wall.
"This is the Grand Archmage. I'm going to rebuild the wall, so everyone come down and stay well clear."
From the start, I had reached the realm of a grand archmage, projecting my will through magic.
So it was easy to convey those words to every soldier, and they looked around in confusion.
Guess I need to show myself first.
With that, I created a small flame above and detonated it.
Kaboom!
The soldiers spotted me one by one and began murmuring among themselves.
"I'll say it again. Come down from the wall and stay well clear."
I repeated it twice more, and only then did the soldiers descend from the wall.
I leisurely waited for all the soldiers to come down before deciding to remove the existing wall first.
Petra would prefer a new wall over this rundown old one anyway.
With that thought, I spread the mana I'd gained from the tenth world across the area and infused it with my will.
In response, the world triggered a magical phenomenon, slowly dismantling and erasing the rock wall.
Lee Seong-min-ssi, your magic is amazing no matter how many times I see it. How is this even possible?
"In a sense, it's the world manifesting my will."
Is that so? I don't quite get it, but it must look incredible to others.
"None of the characters I've created have ever been anything less than impressive, so it's nothing new."
That's true.
Lee Seojun nodded in agreement with my words.
Now, time to erect the wall.
With that, I invoked the power of the spirit beast from the first world.
More precisely, the rock-attribute spirit beast power, causing rocks in the shape I'd imagined to rise up.
Rumble rumble boom!
The original wall had been built by stacking large rocks one by one.
But the wall I was raising now was perfectly seamless, as if it had been carved from a single massive rock from the start.
This should keep the monsters from climbing it.
No gaps between sections meant nowhere to grab hold.
And since they couldn't even scratch the wall itself, climbing would be nearly impossible.
And now...
I invoked magic once more, hardening the entire wall encircling the rock fortress.
Even a nuke probably wouldn't bring it down now, I thought as I slowly descended to the ground.
Hm?
Kang Ju-young was there on the ground, though I didn't know when she'd arrived.
She watched me descend in silence before speaking first.
"Didn't you say you didn't want to steal a young man's job?"
I nodded without denying it and came up with a plausible excuse in my head.
"That was the plan originally. But the situation's changed."
"How has the situation changed?"
In response to her question, I brought up the organization I'd mentioned before.
"Our leader called me back early because he had something to do."
"Leader? You mean your organization has a boss?"
"Every organization has a head, doesn't it?"
"......"
Kang Ju-young's expression grew visibly complicated at my answer, and she spoke again.
"Is the boss perhaps a healer?"
"Does she seem like one?"
I shot back, and Kang Ju-young shook her head with a troubled look.
She knew the healer had gathered her own people like Ha Chae-jeong and Ga Se-yeon.
If the healer were the boss, there'd be no need for that, leading to the conclusion that she wasn't.
Maybe I should drop another bombshell here.
It was mostly impromptu, but since I'd brought up the organization, I mentioned the Destroyer too.
"By the way, a new member joined a few days ago. The Destroyer, I think."
"......!?"
As expected, mentioning the Destroyer made Kang Ju-young jump in shock.
"The Destroyer joined your organization?"
"That's right."
"How on earth... Was it your power, Grand Archmage?"
"My power could probably do it, but no. Our leader subdued the recovering Destroyer and brought him in."
Kang Ju-young stared at me blankly, her face saying it was the most unbelievable thing in the world.
"Subdued the Destroyer? Just who is this boss?"
"You want me to name-drop the leader? Pretend you didn't hear that."
"......"
The reason I'd brought up the Destroyer was to integrate him into the organization since I'd made it.
With Kang Ju-young and Hero Association members here, the rumors would spread like wildfire as soon as we exited the gate.
The Hero Association seems like a place where rumors travel fast.
Next time the Destroyer appeared, people might naturally assume he'd joined some organization.
"Don't worry, though. Like I said before, it's an organization aimed at world peace."
"So that's why the Destroyer has been quiet."
Apparently, Kang Ju-young had thought the Destroyer would rampage again in a day or two.
"The quiet is probably from the shock of defeat. We respect personal freedom, after all."
"So you're saying you wouldn't even restrain the Destroyer if he rampaged on his own?"
I nodded.
"No reason to. We'd guide the direction at most, but not micromanage every action."
When I told her we respected each member's freedom, she asked again with a thoughtful expression.
"Are all your organization's members strong?"
"Hm. Tough question. I haven't met them all, but none are pushovers, I think."
"I see."
I hadn't met them all since I didn't know how many Absolute Clones I could make, but since I controlled them anyway, none were weak.
Kang Ju-young nodded as if she understood for now.
She looks deep in thought.
Probably planning to learn more through the healer, who was close to her.
"Anyway, that's why I've handled everything here. Except the last bit."
"You mean the monster in the eastern forest."
"Exactly. So get ready to head back."
Once I wiped out the eastern forest monster, all conditions would likely be met.
So I told her to prepare to leave, but she replied as if there was nothing to prepare.
"We'll return automatically once the gate is cleared, so no worries."
"Is that so? Then I'll get started."
No need to drag this out any longer.
I floated back into the sky, climbed atop the 30-meter wall, and gazed at the eastern forest.
Should I just blast the whole forest away?
It was the simplest method, but considering the resources in the forest, I felt a slight pang of regret.
No helping it.
Better to lure out just the monsters and wipe them.
With that thought, I used magic to create thousands... no, tens of thousands of light orbs, just like yesterday.
"Go."
The light orbs shot toward the eastern forest at my command.
Not just straight shots—they dodged trees and precisely hit only the monsters, homing in like guided missiles.
Not enough to take them all down, but...
The orbs were small, so unless they hit the head or vitals, they wouldn't kill.
But since the goal was to lure them out, I kept firing without worry.
Still, I've probably killed 4,000 to 5,000.
I even fired some at what seemed to be the boss monster, and it reacted immediately.
Kuoooooooh!
There was considerable distance between my wall and the eastern forest.
Yet its roar made the air tremble.
...Is it stronger than Petra?
No, probably not.
The situation and monster numbers were already hopeless; if the boss was stronger than Petra, clearing would be impossible.
In a 1v1, Petra would win, I bet.
As I thought that, monsters of all kinds burst from the forest and charged this way.
Soon enough, as intended, they all poured out, forming a scene like a massive wave.
I see the boss monster too.
And I spotted the boss—a particularly huge black tiger running on two legs like a human.
About 5 or 6 meters tall.
Judging by its momentum and size, it could probably vault over my 30-meter wall easily.
Not that I'd let it.
Confirming all monsters from the forest had emerged, I invoked the finishing magic.
Burn.
Kwaaaaaang!!
The moment I willed it, a massive flame erupted where the monsters were.
It didn't stop there, forming a giant whirlwind that incinerated every monster inside without mercy.
"......"
Kang Ju-young and the Hero Association members, who had climbed the wall unnoticed, stared blankly at my magic.
Even as the heat raised the temperature here by over 10 degrees, they endured it unfazed, as expected of heroes.
This should do it.
The heat reached even here, far from the flames.
So the monsters there were long since burned or melted.
Satisfied, I extinguished the flames and looked at the boss tiger last.
Oh. It survived?
The already black tiger was charred even blacker, standing there.
I thought it lived, but it had already breathed its last and slowly toppled forward.
"It's over."
Seeing that, I announced loudly enough for all to hear that the gate conquest was complete.