Chapter 145
Chapter 145
Chapter 145
Four days after Reverse Heaven Society reached the 37th floor.
A crowd of natives had gathered at the waterway construction site where Seo-jin's group was working.
"f odl dlf anj ssm fdh?"
"e oeh lst jdd hks rkf htn."
Murmuring among themselves as they looked at Seo-jin's group, their eyes held anticipation and hope.
Today was the day the waterway construction would be completed.
The natives had gathered together to witness the completion ceremony.
"gld ydw hem fek!"
The native shaman struck the ground with the tip of his staff, quieting the noisy residents.
"……."
In the mouse-quiet silence, Seo-jin placed his hand on the valve in front of the watching natives.
"ekr pTqh djxm ffja rm."
Click-.
As Seo-jin spoke in somewhat clumsy native language and turned the valve.
Rattle rattle rattle-.
Soon, the wooden water pipes connected to the water source outside the village began to shake.
And then.
Gush gush gush-.
The vibration gradually grew stronger, and finally a powerful stream of water poured out from the end of the water pipe.
Like water gushing from a fire hose, an enormous amount of water poured out, completely soaking the area.
That water began to flow around the village following the waterways Seo-jin's group had prepared in advance.
Used and contaminated sewage would flow through the moat built around the village before draining away—they had arranged it that way.
"dhd hdn!"
"a bfe kdl anf!"
As water gushed from the water pipes, the natives embraced each other and cheered.
Ever since the waterway had been destroyed, they had lived difficult lives barely managing to get drinking water from the village's central well.
The native shaman also began dancing merrily, raising his staff high.
Seo-jin's group smiled watching the joyful natives.
At the same time, the completed quest.
Ting-.
[Special Quest#Waterway Construction]
The waterway has been destroyed and the natives are currently only using the village's central well. Please create a water channel for these people suffering from water shortage.
[Quest has been completed.]
[3,000 Merit has been awarded.]
[30 Blue Stones have been awarded.]
[Achievement unlocked: 'Friend of the Natives'.]
[Achievement unlocked: 'Novice Builder'.]
[The dark god Lunaris expresses gratitude to you.]
Gush gush gush-.
Muddy water flowed from the water pipes for a moment, but as time passed, they could see the water gradually becoming clearer.
Seo-jin confirmed that the purification magic circle was working properly, then scooped up some water from the channel with his hand and drank it.
"Mm."
The taste wasn't too bad.
This was the result of purifying it several times by arranging stones, gravel, sand, and charcoal in sequence in the settling tank.
It had a slight earthy smell, but for the 37th floor, this was remarkably clean water.
'That takes care of the waterway.'
Whether they built public baths or flush toilets, utilizing this waterway from now on would be up to the natives.
"ekw pcn rdm ssm fdh!"
When the native shaman shouted loudly, the natives also prepared for a festival, crying out in frenzied celebration.
Hoooo-.
Boom boom boom-.
The sounds of horn pipes and drums filled the village, and the natives brought out stored beer and meat to share with each other.
"fkt uak!"
Having filled their bellies and had a good drink, the natives linked arms and began dancing in circles around the bonfire.
Seo-jin's group smiled watching such natives.
"They're really happy."
"Our hard work was worth it."
Seeing the natives so joyful made all their hard work feel worthwhile.
"fk dhk fhr ldu!"
As the atmosphere reached its peak, the shaman called Seo-jin's group—the main contributors to the waterway completion—to center stage to express gratitude.
Clap clap clap-.
"ekg kek seo!"
"dyd nja krh!"
Applause and cheers from the natives poured toward the group.
Even the natives who had initially been wary of Seo-jin's group seemed to have completely opened their hearts now.
Afterward, the group was guided to a table piled high with food.
Foods that looked unappetizing on the outside but were actually quite decent when eaten.
"Thank you for the meal!"
Seo-jin's group ate to their heart's content in the good atmosphere without worrying about money.
The festival continued until all the natives had collapsed from exhaustion.
***
"Ah, I feel alive again."
Steam rose from the warm hot spring.
The women's pleasant sighs echoed as they soaked their bodies in the spring water.
After completing the waterway, Reverse Heaven Society had also prepared a space for hot spring bathing on one side of the village.
It wasn't actual hot spring water but just water drawn from the waterway and heated with magic, but compared to roughly washing their bodies with water created by Undines, it was like heaven.
The men had agreed to use it starting tomorrow, and today the women could intimately enjoy the hot spring bath together.
Bubble bubble-.
Se-yeon had submerged herself up to the top of her head underwater, only making bubbling sounds.
"Ah, this is nice~"
Francesca was splashing around, pretending to swim as if it were her own bathtub.
Nam-gung Rin and Han So-yul kept only their heads above the water surface as they gazed at the sky.
A pitch-black sky with not a single star visible.
Though it wasn't the real universe but the tower's ceiling anyway, if light returned to this land again, they might be able to see a starry night sky.
As they enjoyed a rare moment of leisure with their bodies soaked in warm water.
"Why did you join Reverse Heaven Society, unnie?"
Nam-gung Rin suddenly asked a question.
So-yul, who had been blankly staring at the sky, pointed at herself with her finger and asked back.
"Me?"
"Yes."
"Don't you already know the reason?"
So-yul had joined Reverse Heaven Society led by Seo-jin to utilize Taebaek Mage Tower's interests and her connection with Circe.
At least that's what was known to others.
"Not that kind of reason. Is that really the only reason?"
Nam-gung Rin had no intention of accepting such a loose answer.
If So-yul had really only been thinking of the mage tower's benefit, she wouldn't have stepped down from the tower master position and followed them to the 37th floor.
And she would have accepted the investment proposal Hanseong had made before.
But So-yul had refused all investments and share transfers, struggling to grow Taebaek by researching Mana Sacs with only existing researchers and tower income.
So it couldn't be just a decision based on calculating gains and losses.
"I think there must be other reasons, don't you?"
At Nam-gung Rin's persistent questioning, So-yul sank below the water surface with a plop and mumbled.
"Well...... it might not be...... just for that reason......"
Whether from the heat of the hot spring, So-yul's face turned bright red.
As Nam-gung Rin said, it wasn't simply because she wanted benefits that she followed him.
At first it was simple curiosity, but now it was somewhat complicated.
It might be to repay the debts she owed him, or it could be a kind of admiration she felt as a fellow climber.
His behavior was close to the ideal that any climber would want.
Or perhaps she unconsciously regarded that person as someone to depend on...... like a father.
No.
Maybe it was even more than that.
"……."
So-yul shook her head vigorously to clear away the stray thoughts and asked.
"Then what about you? Isn't your situation similar to mine?"
Just as So-yul was chasing after Seo-jin while leaving her mage tower master position, Nam-gung Rin was also climbing the tower together after handing over the Thief Guild leader position.
She wasn't in a position to talk about others like that.
However, Nam-gung Rin answered without showing any sign of being flustered.
"He was a bit different from the Nova image I first thought of, but he still seems like someone worth believing in and following. My brother is with him too. I've always wanted to quit the Thief Guild leader position anyway. I have many reasons."
"……."
Rin answered smoothly as if she had prepared in advance.
It seemed she had expected So-yul's counterattack from the moment she first brought up the topic.
In the end, only So-yul, who had been flustered and floundering, had suffered a loss.
"Then what about you, unnie?"
Nam-gung Rin next asked Francesca, who was floating on the water.
She spoke with both hands behind her head as if lying comfortably on a bed.
"Me? I don't think much about it. I just follow him because he's a boss who pays well and treats his subordinates well."
There was such a materialistic reason, but she also personally felt grateful.
If it hadn't been for that person, she would still be doing dirty work and playing the role of a corporate lackey.
Francesca was grateful to Seo-jin and was very satisfied with her current life.
She casually blurted out without deep thought.
"Should I try to seduce the leader before I retire? It seems like it would make for a peaceful retirement."
He had money, ability, and a handsome face. If she could just seduce him well, a peaceful retirement would be guaranteed.
They could build a big villa somewhere quiet in the tower and live there.
His personality was a bit problematic, but she could adjust to that herself.
She had lived her life catering to corporate guys, so what's one husband?
Then So-yul interjected.
"I wonder. Whether retirement would really be peaceful......"
He was already going around causing all sorts of trouble as he pleased, and if he became even more willful with age, there would be no way to endure his eccentricities.
Only someone broad-minded and deeply understanding could manage to handle it.
Right. Someone like So-yul herself.
'Sigh...... anyway.'
No matter how you looked at it, living with that person would be far from a peaceful retirement.
Then Francesca raised one eyebrow and smiled.
"Really? So you're not interested then?"
"Uh. That, that's."
"If you're not, I'll snatch him up first?"
Francesca declared confidently with sleepy eyes.
She knew well the power of her beauty and was confident she could seduce anyone if she set her mind to it.
Even that stone-like Nova.
After all, men were all the same anyway.
Then.
Splash-.
Se-yeon, who had been bubbling underwater until now, suddenly popped her head up.
Then she silently flailed her arms and legs, splashing water frantically toward Francesca.
Whoosh-!
It wasn't just simple splashing but powerful enough to create waves on the water surface.
Francesca, who had been hit by the sudden water barrage, became irritated.
"Why is this kid suddenly acting like this?"
"……."
Nam-gung Rin watched the scene with amusement and spoke.
"It looks like you'll have to wait your turn."
"I don't know, I don't know! First come, first served."
While the giver had no intention of giving, each was nurturing their own dreams.
In such a harmonious atmosphere, the night grew deeper.
***
Even after the waterway construction, Seo-jin's group steadily accumulated Merit.
Using skeleton armies and magic, they repaired the walls and gates, and built new huts for the natives to replace the old ones.
The shabby Lunaris temple was also newly built and now gleamed, and the swamps around the village were reclaimed into farmland that could be used for agriculture.
While the civil engineering team worked diligently like this, the scouting team also succeeded in conquering dungeons and earned large amounts of Merit.
The total Merit painstakingly collected over two weeks since climbing was 30,000.
Having achieved their first goal, Seo-jin's group stood before the monument in the newly renovated temple.
When they placed their hands on the monument, a notification sound flowed out.
[Would you like to offer the Merit you have collected?]
"Yes."
As Seo-jin nodded.
Flash-.
The monument glowed and the eyes of the frog statue positioned below it flashed.
Whirr-.
Soon the Merit numbers displayed in the status window rapidly decreased, and all that Merit was absorbed into the monument.
[30000] ⇒ [0]
Ting-.
The moment all the Merit was absorbed, an unfamiliar voice flowed from the frog statue.
It was a voice imbued with the will of the dark god Lunaris.
[I thank you for your efforts, strangers. I have confirmed your efforts and sincerity toward the natives. Therefore, I shall now issue a new decree.]
Ting-.
[World Quest#2.]
In this Dark World, there exist magical disaster zones that are the source of the dark god's rampage. Drive 'wedges' into those places to prevent the rampage of power.
Wedges can be exchanged for 10,000 Merit each.
"The dark god's rampage?"
When Nam-gung Cheon tilted his head after reading the quest text, the frog statue spoke.
[This eternal night is not my will. All things in the world must maintain balance. Power that cannot control itself only brings destruction......]
From what they heard, it seemed the eternal darkness covering the 37th floor was not the will of the dark god Lunaris.
[May fortune be with you on your path.]
With those words, the red light disappeared from the frog statue's eyes.
And simultaneously, white lights gathered in the air.
Shaa-.
The brightly glowing lights soon transformed into the shape of large nails and were placed obediently below the monument.
These were the wedges. The objects to be driven into the magical disaster zones.
'Three in total.'
Seeing that 30,000 Merit had disappeared and three wedges had appeared, it seemed they had fortunately applied it retroactively without swallowing the existing Merit.
Seo-jin silently picked up the pure white wedge.
Tingle-.
A reaction like electricity flowing through his palm—it seemed to contain divine power.
"What should we do now?"
At Nam-gung Rin's question, Seo-jin sighed and said.
"What else. We have to work our asses off again."
The need to collect Merit remained unchanged from before.
However, it would be somewhat different from what they had done so far.