Chapter 112
Chapter 112
Mad Black Mage's Tower Strategy
Chapter 112
SWISH-.
Along with a blue line, the Seadragon Folk's neck was cut diagonally and rolled across the floor.
"Huff. Huff."
Corpses of Seadragon Folk and Watersnake Folk scattered all around.
Nam-gung Cheon, who had beheaded the last Seadragon Folk, breathed roughly.
The sticky scent of blood and fishy seawater stabbed at his lungs, but his eyes showed not the slightest waver.
'There's no time to rest.'
He had dealt with all the ones inside this factory, but there was still work to be done.
After regulating his breathing, he quickly moved his feet to rescue those who had been trapped inside the factory.
"Y-you are......"
"No time for explanations. Follow me if you want to live."
Nam-gung Cheon stripped the clothes off the dead underlings and handed them to the victims.
Fortunately, not all the victims were drugged, so with the help of those who could move, he was able to rescue even the victims who had difficulty moving.
Outside the building, the sight of survivors leaning against each other's bodies in terror was miserable.
"Where is this place?"
"SNIFF, SOB."
"......"
He had brought them outside for now, but it seemed nearly impossible to lead all of them alone to a safe area.
'Requesting support would be best.'
Nam-gung Cheon quickly made his decision and decided to ask his younger sister and Seo-jin for help.
The two had said they would go to the temple to gather information, so if things went well, they might even be able to borrow the power of Atlantis's public authority.
'The terminal isn't working.'
Nam-gung Cheon frowned as he tapped the terminal with his hand.
Since Atlantis was deep under the sea and protected by barriers, the communication terminal wasn't working properly.
When he actually needed it, it was just a useless piece of junk.
Having no choice, Nam-gung Cheon took out paper from his pocket and folded it into the shape of a bird.
He whispered location coordinates and the situation briefly to the paper bird to record it, then sent it flying.
"I'm counting on you."
FLUTTER-.
The paper bird left Nam-gung Cheon's hand and flew away beyond the blue dawn light.
After requesting rescue, he took out food and water from his inventory and distributed them to the victims.
Since he had developed the habit of filling his inventory with food after starving miserably in the Minos Labyrinth, the quantity was sufficient.
"Th-thank you."
Those who had been starving in harsh conditions hurriedly stuffed food into their mouths.
Nam-gung Cheon looked at them with pitying eyes.
It was while he was caring for the victims and waiting for reinforcements.
"......!"
His Ki senses detected several ominous magical power fluctuations.
Some beings were closing in on them from all directions, tightening their encirclement.
Nam-gung Cheon couldn't help but be surprised when he noticed their approach.
'How?'
He had eliminated everyone without leaving even a single mouse alive to prevent what happened here from leaking out.
Moreover, the approaching magical power fluctuations were much more intense than the ones he had just dealt with.
They were probably top-tier experts among this floor's natives.
Nam-gung Cheon narrowed his eyes.
'The fact that they're responding this quickly and powerfully means this place isn't just a simple human trafficking facility.'
Or it meant that Nam-gung Cheon's actions had offended someone's sensibilities.
He thought he might have stirred up the wrong hornet's nest, but thinking about it the other way, it was also an opportunity to achieve tremendous results at once.
If they could mobilize this level of military force, they must surely be closely connected to Atlantis's darkness.
Soon, dozens of Seadragon Folk emitting chilling killing intent completely surrounded Nam-gung Cheon and the survivors.
At their head was a giant Seadragon Folk with hideous sword scars all over his face, wearing a sinister smile.
Action Captain Nereus.
One of Chieftain Lunaria's close associates, he opened his mouth toward Nam-gung Cheon.
"Hoho, a little rat from the land? I'll acknowledge your courage for coming alone. But that's as far as it goes. The price for daring to touch the Queen's precious goods - I'll collect it with your life."
"Tch."
Nam-gung Cheon pushed the survivors behind him and readjusted his grip on his dagger.
The number was about twenty.
Their levels were also in the late 100s, making them quite considerably strong among the natives.
Still, if he wanted to win, it wasn't impossible.
No matter how strong their skills were, they couldn't compare to Nam-gung Cheon, who was a ranker.
However.
STEP-.
Despite their numerical advantage, they didn't seem to have any intention of facing Nam-gung Cheon head-on.
The ones surrounding Nam-gung Cheon and the survivors took spear-throwing positions.
Rather than directly confronting him, their strategy was to attack the hostages to restrict his movements.
Nam-gung Cheon, who noticed their intentions, glared at them and spat out:
"Cowardly."
"It's not cowardly, it's efficient. Why would we risk our lives fighting some unknown expert? If you resist, we'll throw spears and kill the hostages one by one. No matter how great you are, you can't protect all of them."
"Ugh......"
At the Seadragon Folk's cruel threat, the victims huddled together and trembled.
"......"
Nam-gung Cheon gritted his teeth.
The bastard was right. He couldn't fight while protecting all of them.
Which meant.
'Rather, I need to act strongly here. If I act indecisively, I won't even be able to guarantee the hostages' safety.'
Having finished his thoughts, Nam-gung Cheon chuckled and said:
"That might be so. However."
SHING-.
Nam-gung Cheon sheathed his dagger and drew the sword at his waist.
The moment he drew his sword, an intense aura burst forth from him.
WHOOSH-.
When Nam-gung Cheon poured out his internal energy and exploded his aura, the Seadragon Folk, startled by the momentum, hesitated for a moment.
"Ugh......"
The secret martial art passed down through the Nam-gung family. Emperor Sword Form.
Nam-gung Cheon, who had drawn up his energy, glared coldly and threatened:
"If even one hostage dies, you all die."
The Seadragon Folk were overwhelmed by Nam-gung Cheon's intense aura.
"Kuk."
The pressure was so great that they could barely move carelessly.
They knew there were those among the foreigners who possessed great power, but they never imagined that power would be to this extent.
Judging that he had seized the advantage from the Seadragon Folk's reaction, Nam-gung Cheon offered a compromise:
"You don't want to die in a pointless fight either. Who is your master? Guide me to them."
He didn't know who the owner of this place was, but they wouldn't have sent this level of military force just because one human trafficking facility was ransacked.
So the master who sent them must surely want to know about himself, who was the main actor in this incident.
If he could meet the one they called 'Queen,' he might be able to infiltrate to the very core and extract considerable information.
Nereus, sensing that Nam-gung Cheon's aura was extraordinary, casually asked:
"Conditions?"
"Guarantee these people's safety."
Nam-gung Cheon gestured toward those trembling behind him.
"......"
Nereus pondered for a moment, then nodded as if he would accept Nam-gung Cheon's proposal.
'Fighting such an expert would inevitably cause great damage to our forces as well.'
The Queen had repeatedly warned about the danger of foreigners.
You could tell just by looking at the vicious methods and relentless work processing of the businessman cooperating with the Seadragon Folk.
If such a dangerous character was willing to be captured without a fight, there was no reason to refuse.
'Plus, as he said, the Queen would be interested in the foreigner who caused this disturbance.'
It was a good thing.
"Fine, disarm yourself and follow us. I'll guide you to the Queen. Until then, we'll spare those things' lives."
***
Atlantis foreigner lodging.
SPARKLE-.
Light flickering in Seo-jin's magical circuits.
The contract seal he had made with Nam-gung Cheon was showing an abnormal reaction.
Seo-jin floated the contract in the air and examined the detailed situation.
'Is he in combat?'
His approximate location was on the outskirts of Atlantis. The industrial zone formed outside the castle walls.
But his position was leaving the industrial zone, moving further and further away from the city.
While he thought there probably wouldn't be any trouble, it still bothered him.
'Something seems to be happening.'
Seo-jin put away the contract and stood up from his seat.
He thought it might be better to follow the guy rather than just wait around like this.
Just as Seo-jin closed his book and stood up, Nam-gung Rin spoke carefully:
"Supernova-nim, someone is approaching."
"Oh?"
He had been about to move directly, but it seemed the bastards had come looking for him instead.
A moment later.
KNOCK KNOCK-.
With a knocking sound, the door opened.
A Sea Folk holding a trident.
It was the gatekeeper from the dock who had taken bribes and let Alex and Seo-jin's group pass through last time.
Behind him stood Seadragon Folk soldiers.
"Excuse me, could we check your identification again? It's a simple verification procedure."
"......"
This bastard is asking for identification again.
Seo-jin silently examined the Sea Folk gatekeeper and the Seadragon Folk soldiers standing behind him.
'This gatekeeper was one of Lunaria's people after all.'
Come to think of it, it was natural.
He was in charge of the dock's gate, which was deeply connected to the corporation, and he readily let them enter the country after taking bribes, so he wouldn't be someone from the royal family or temple side.
Moreover, seeing him appear now with the Seadragon Folk made it certain.
After letting them pass before and now coming to check identification again, it seemed the situation had changed somewhat.
The reason for that would be.
'Because Nam-gung Cheon has been stirring things up here and there.'
The appearance of a foreigner of unknown origin who wasn't from a corporation.
This news had reached Lunaria's ears, and upon learning this, Lunaria had begun tracking through the gatekeeper.
Among the foreigners who might be suspicious, it would be Seo-jin's group who had recently entered Atlantis.
Having finished his thoughts, Seo-jin opened his mouth:
"What identification check. Let's get straight to the point. Did your Queen by any chance send for us?"
The Sea Folk's face hardened as if he was taken aback by Seo-jin's question.
"H-how did you...?"
"It's obvious at a glance. I understand. I'll follow you."
Nam-gung Cheon was probably there too anyway. He'd observe the situation and help him if it seemed dangerous.
He had wanted to meet Lunaria anyway, so it couldn't be better that they were offering to guide him directly.
When he readily offered to follow them, Nam-gung Rin expressed her concern:
"Won't it be dangerous?"
No matter how great the Supernova was, going alone into enemy territory was definitely dangerous.
"Of course it's dangerous. So don't follow me."
"What are you saying! That foreigner must come along too!"
The Seadragon Folk soldiers thrust their tridents forward.
At this, Seo-jin's eyes glowed as he drew up his energy.
"That's not for you to decide. Stay still if you don't want to die."
"!"
The gatekeeper and soldiers froze in place, overwhelmed by the sinister aura Seo-jin emitted.
Then.
"......I'll come along too."
Nam-gung Rin, worried about her older brother, offered to come along.
However, Seo-jin shook his head.
"No, you have a bigger role. You need to persuade Leila."
To prepare for various scenarios, they needed to secure the temple's cooperation so they could manufacture the Tears of the Sea God at any time.
Even if they couldn't manufacture the Tears of the Sea God, they at least had to obtain [Pontos's Tears].
This was absolutely necessary to stop Lunaria's real purpose.
He entrusted that role to Nam-gung Rin.
Seo-jin took out two books from his pocket and gave them to Nam-gung Rin.
One was the literature about the Tears of the Sea God he had received from Leila. The other was the Mixed Origin Return to One Technique manual.
It was a safety measure for emergencies.
"Hyeon-wol, stay by this friend's side and give advice when necessary."
[Understood.]
Hyeon-wol left Seo-jin's side and went to Nam-gung Rin.
"Gh-ghost?"
Leaving behind Nam-gung Rin, who was surprised by Hyeon-wol's appearance, Seo-jin even summoned Baduki.
"Baduki."
GROWL-.
Baduki appeared, hopping out of the magic circle at Seo-jin's call.
Seo-jin pointed at Nam-gung Rin and commanded:
"Protect this friend. You may fight in emergencies."
GROWL-.
Baduki went to Nam-gung Rin, sniffed her scent, and obediently nodded.
Having completed his assessment, Baduki stood by Nam-gung Rin's side without any particular resistance and began wagging his tail.
Now that he looked at it, this guy seemed to like all women.
"Wh-what is this dog? A-and what about this gh-ghost?"
Nam-gung Rin didn't know what to do as first a virgin ghost appeared, followed by an undead puppy.
It was understandable to be surprised seeing them for the first time, but they were good fellows, so there was nothing to worry about.
"An undead puppy and a virgin ghost. They don't bite, so don't worry."
[Hey, what do you mean by that?]
GROWL-.
"......"
Nam-gung Rin was very confused but soon pulled herself together.
'R-right. Supernova was a black mage.'
It wasn't strange for a black mage to command ghosts and undead.
Rather, he had assigned them to her side for her safety.
Hopefully these friends wouldn't be in danger from being affected by the temple's divine power, she thought, finishing her situation assessment.
"Thank you for caring about me. I'll take good care of them."
It was mental management worthy of Haomun's guild leader.
"Good. Then come here for a moment."
Seo-jin approached Nam-gung Rin and whispered a few words in her ear, then followed behind the Sea Folk gatekeeper and soldiers.
"Then guide me."