Chapter 90
Chapter 90
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: The Müllenga Cellar
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"Carlan. Didn't you say before that there was an empty lot belonging to the Müllenga family in Torn Bach? Do you know where it is?"
"Yes, I do. I've been there before. But you're thinking of going now?"
"Yeah. Why? Is there a problem?"
"No. There's really nothing there even if you go. From what I know, all that was left after the mansion was demolished was a single basement..."
"That's exactly what I'm looking for."
"Pardon?"
Woojin grabbed Carlan and broke into a run.
"We've confirmed 390 survivors in Torn Bach right now. As for newly arrived players..."
A subordinate monitoring the situation room screens shouted toward Ko Jun-cheol.
"None."
"No one's come to Torn Bach? I can understand the Red Tower or other clans needing to use portals, but not even the people who were nearby?"
An enormous number of people had crossed over via portals.
There were raid parties aimed at subjugating the Black Dragon, but plenty had come just to spectate.
"Well... It seems like people have given up on coming to Torn Bach after news spread that the knights from the Five Great Kingdoms were half-wiped."
"Hmm..."
"We checked the usage logs for the nearest temporary portal, and there are only records of people leaving."
Ko Jun-cheol couldn't wrap his head around it.
'...No matter what, zero people? Does that even make sense?'
High-level rankers might be cautious since recovering experience was tough, but he figured lower-level players would at least drop by out of curiosity.
"The thing is... it seems to be because of Game Station."
"Game Station? That game streaming site?"
"Yes. They somehow got a hold of footage using Vision and broadcast it. They edited the hell out of it to make Bensina look like a total rampaging mad dragon."
"No way... People saw that and gave up on going to Torn Bach?"
"Yes. The communities are flooded with posts saying it's better to just watch the comfy uploaded videos on stream instead of risking death."
"Jeez, if you're just gonna watch streams, why even play the game?"
"Haha... If the event had happened in the Dark Forest, maybe, but it's the Central Continent, so the intimidation factor is huge."
Ko Jun-cheol clicked his tongue in annoyance at his subordinate's words.
'An online game with no player influx... What kind of situation is this?'
He couldn't shake the uneasy feeling.
"So what is that guy doing right now?"
"Well... It looks like he's heading back into Torn Bach."
"Into the village? Why? The knights are pushing the Black Dragon right now—why not help them?"
"I don't know either. We've asked the dev team if they have any info on Torn Bach we don't."
"What a headache. What the hell is he planning this time..."
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"But, Senior, isn't it wild? We never imagined Sharlro or Keldian would die like this."
"That's why I'm pissed right now."
Despite Ko Jun-cheol's sharp retort, Baek Min-hyeok just shrugged.
"The info from the dev team said both would survive up through Scenario 3..."
Glory Knight Sharlro.
He was a special NPC needed to conquer the 20th floor of the Labyrinth Tower.
On top of that, Warlord Keldian was the only NPC who taught players the unique skill [Earth Splitter].
Two figures who would play major roles going forward.
So when it was confirmed they'd come as reinforcements, the management team thought the Black Dragon fight was finally wrapping up.
But nope.
Sharlro and Keldian both ended up dead, flipping all expectations.
"But on the flip side, we found something we didn't know about."
"What?"
"Zion Müllenga. I didn't even know who he was, so I just checked the access materials the dev team sent. He's listed as a D-rank NPC."
"...D-rank?"
"Yeah. Weird, right? Those two are obviously S-rank, and even the Naga Mercenaries or Magic Cannon Corps are A-rank."
Baek Min-hyeok pulled up Zion Müllenga's status window on his tablet.
"His stats are good... but no personal scenario, no skills to teach. Not really a standout NPC."
"Hmm."
"So why did Ethan make a guy like that the leader of the reinforcements?"
The scenarios in Evil Tail changed in real-time based on the situation, with Ethan making those decisions.
Managers could only observe and infer what scenario Ethan had planned.
"What do the devs say?"
"Ah, yeah... They're drafting a report to upload to the system. If Ethan approves, we'll get a response."
"How long?"
"Well... Even responding is up to Ethan's whim..."
콰앙―!!
Ko Jun-cheol slammed the desk in frustration.
"Whim? Don't give me that crap. I'm going to see Executive Han. Call me if anything comes up."
"S-Senior... Calm down."
Baek Min-hyeok tried to soothe him amid the tense atmosphere, but Ko Jun-cheol shook off his arm.
"Do I look calm? The situation's spiraling, we can't do jack, and the board with actual authority is sitting on their hands."
"But still..."
As mere team leads, going to an executive was unheard of, but Ko Jun-cheol was different.
He was the one Han Mi-yeon had personally recruited for Phase.
Regardless of title, he was the only one allowed private audiences with her.
Hence the rampant rumors about his past.
"I'm off."
Overwhelmed by his charisma, the subordinates could only nod silently.
"...Master!!"
As soon as they entered Torn Bach, Peron came running toward Woojin.
"We'll talk on the way."
"Ah, yes!! Sorry. I was planning to evacuate the citizens and then regroup, but then this explosion out of nowhere."
Peron naturally fell in behind Woojin as they ran.
His face was blackened with soot, a total mess.
"I know. The Black Dragon unleashed its power. Took out half the knights in the process. You did well to survive."
"Yes. I hid in the forest behind the portal and barely dodged the heat wave. But that Weden fellow..."
Peron trailed off.
"The village shrine got blasted into the dark zone, so even if he respawned, he's probably pretty far off."
As Peron said, it looked tough for Weden to rejoin the battlefield.
'Poor guy... He's been through hell since arriving on the Central Continent. Guess I should get him some proper gear later.'
No messages thanks to the dark zone, but Woojin could picture Weden pacing anxiously alone at the shrine.
"By the way... is that arm okay?"
His face was a sooty wreck, but his limbs were intact, so he pointed at Woojin's severed arm.
"Yeah. It's my left, so no issue gripping the sword."
"That's not what I meant."
Peron chuckled dryly at Woojin's response.
"Over here!"
Carlan shouted as they raced across Torn Bach.
Sure enough, there was a large empty lot.
The family mansion was gone, but a few pillar-like ruins remained.
"The basement?"
"This way."
Following Carlan's lead, Woojin spotted a small door in the floor behind the building debris.
Click.
The basement door was, naturally, locked.
"Let me handle it."
Peron pulled a few traps from his pouch and set them around the door.
"Lucky it's on the ground like this."
He signaled to fall back and triggered the traps.
Boom!
Kaboom! Kwang!
A deafening roar echoed as thick black smoke billowed up.
But the basement door remained unscathed.
"...Looks like it's got some magical reinforcement."
Nisen stepped quietly forward past Peron, who was watching the scene, and examined the door.
Vmmm...
As he brought his hand near, layers of magic circles appeared around the basement door.
"Can you dispel it?"
His condition wasn't great.
Luen's wounds had been severe, so Alteon had only treated her before rejoining the knights, leaving Nisen's arms still mangled.
"Yes. Luckily, it's not complex magic. It's a common barrier for noble storehouses—something I couldn't have handled before, but..."
He gripped the basement door handle and poured in mana.
Crack...!
Craaack...!!
Amazingly, the barrier shattered in an instant.
"...You've recruited one hell of a mage."
"Just a humble apprentice wizard."
Peron looked sheepish, while Nisen modestly shook his head.
He was technically still an apprentice, but after drinking fairy water, his mana was anything but.
"Alright... Let's see what's inside."
Woojin threw open the basement door with all his might.
Click.
The creaky door swung open, revealing stairs leading down.
"...!!"
The group descended the stairs in stunned silence.
"Ugh...!!"
Luen clamped her nose and mouth against the foul stench.
But the horror wasn't just the smell.
Bodies scattered everywhere.
The familiar scene from somewhere hardened Woojin's expression.
'Just like Ratan's lab.'
Even the sprawled corpses looked similar.
None were intact.
Like scraps left by a beast, the flesh had been brutally torn away.
'No way... Did they experiment here too?'
Ratan, transformed into a monster, had been there.
There might be one here as well.
"Wh-what is all this...?"
Carlan stammered, shocked.
"Th-this... under the village...?"
Even Nisen, who had opened the door, was the same.
The interior was wider than expected.
And the stench grew even more overpowering.
The multiple magic circles on the floor resembled those from the lab too.
'Sure enough... Even without mana, the bastard was researching dark magic.'
But what was the source of his mana?
[Who... are you...]
It was then.
A voice from the darkness.
Shing.
Woojin raised his sword and slowly advanced toward the sound.
[...I'm hungry. Give me food.]
A hand abruptly thrust from the shadows.
Too rough and rigid to call human.
[...Used too much mana.]
Whoosh...!!
Flames erupted along Woojin's blade.
"You bastard..."
The moment he saw the hand's owner in the flickering light, Woojin ground his teeth without thinking.
Horns protruding from its head.
Long fangs jutting from both sides.
It was a demon.
But its form was off.
A collar around its neck, legs severed to prevent escape.
And hoses embedded in its limbs caught the eye.
Something was continuously being extracted from its body through the tubes.
"...So this is it."
The secret to his mana.