Chapter 174
Chapter 174
Chapter 174
[Finally, the time has come.]
Whoosh-
Glize revealed blatant hostility while emitting cold energy strong enough to chill to the bone.
Even while feeling the hostility pouring toward him, Seo-jin pretended not to know and asked.
"I have no idea what you mean."
[Find out your curiosity in the afterlife!]
Kwaaa-!
When Glize swung her hand, ice blades whirled like a storm.
[Dimension Wall]
Seo-jin summoned a dimensional barrier to block the ice blades and frowned.
'Well now, to attack without warning.'
He expected it, but talking with Glize would be difficult in this situation.
Not only did he collapse the ice world Glize ruled over, but he even made her remains into an undead and forcibly commanded her, so being angry is natural.
'......And I also made her create Eternal Snow Ice whenever Ha-yeon wanted.'
So for now, it would be better to deal with her appropriately until her anger subsides.
Proper conversation will only be possible after her rage cools down somewhat.
Shaaaa-!
The vicious cold energy emanating from Glize.
This eroded the world inside the training ground that had been frozen pure white, intertwining with her mental image.
The space that had maintained the form of a training ground even though frozen gradually transformed into a pure white snowfield swept by blizzards.
The cold energy and magic power spreading from Glize completely transformed this space into somewhere entirely different, and this place finally became part of Primgard.
'This is a mental image barrier.'
Seo-jin took out and chewed a Lotus Fire while smiling.
'This will be quite useful.'
It seems she had hidden quite a useful technique without his knowledge, and it would probably be very useful later.
[Rise!]
When Glize raised her hand, ice pillars surged from the pure white snowfield and transformed into soldier shapes.
Seo-jin fell into thought while watching the soldiers rushing at him along with the blizzard.
'Glize is currently in a state where her contract with me is severed.'
Moreover, Seo-jin had deployed a barrier and taken measures in advance to prevent her from receiving spirit power from outside.
Let's just endure until Glize exhausts all the magic power she currently possesses.
***
A gentle hill near the lakeshore.
Under a softly blowing spring breeze and warm sunlight.
"Hmm hmm, hmm."
Lying on a mat spread on the grass, Austin looked over his contribution point score and smiled with satisfaction.
'Going smoothly today as well.'
Perhaps due to the 50th floor's environment being practically his solo stage, Austin was definitively in first place among members in contribution point ranking.
Controlling places where water overflowed or was lacking, sprouting seeds in burned forests, and re-establishing collapsed earthen hills, etc.
Austin's spirits were handling quests to address disasters scattered due to the imbalance in spirit power circulation.
Since other team members were specialized in hunting and subjugation quests, Austin used his characteristics to handle problems like these.
After all, it was efficient for team members holding swords and shields to take on subjugation quests, while he who could command spirits exclusively handled such disaster response-focused quests.
'Here, I might not lose even if I faced the leader head-on. Hehe.'
If leader Seo-jin had also progressed quests together, wouldn't it have been a good match?
Not just a contribution point competition, but even if they clashed with full strength.
Though he suffered the humiliation of having spirit control stolen by Vivian, that was an accident unrelated to a spiritualist's capabilities.
It could only be called a natural disaster at the system level.
However, now he can command spirits without particular restrictions, having received Vivian's permission.
With his current strength, he was confident he wouldn't lose even if he faced Seo-jin.
'Because here, you can feel yourself getting stronger just by breathing.'
Spirit power abundant in all directions.
Though it's an environment bad for other life forms because spirit power circulation has stopped, it's the best environment for accumulating experience points for the supreme-grade spirits Austin commands.
'Hmm, next time I should pack some snacks.'
It was when Austin was lying leisurely and thinking idle thoughts.
Crackle-
Along with a communication sound, So-yul's urgent voice came from the terminal device.
[Austin, it's an emergency!]
"Ah, lady, what's the matter?"
[Nam-gung Cheon got thoroughly beaten and returned in a near-death state!]
"What?"
What kind of nonsense is that all of a sudden......?
Was there a being on the 50th floor capable of beating Nam-gung Cheon to near-death?
Though such doubt crossed his mind briefly, Austin soon accepted it.
'Well, there's no law saying such threats definitely don't exist.'
Though the Reverse Heaven Society members' abilities are outstanding, this is the Tower. And the current top floor that's been opened at that.
Unexpected variables can occur anytime.
He had forgotten because climbing had been going too smoothly, but climber is the occupation with the highest mortality rate of all occupations in the world.
Reaching near-death is a common occurrence.
Austin asked.
"I'll need a more detailed explanation. And before that, did you contact the leader?"
Though he's happy So-yul sought him out, in a situation like this, wouldn't it be better to seek Seo-jin first?
Even from an organizational hierarchy perspective.
[Seo-jin entered the training ground and hasn't come out yet. Excluding him, you're the strongest now, so come first!]
After receiving contact and hastily returning to the lodgings, Austin looked at Nam-gung Cheon lying on the bed and frowned.
"Truly...... dreadful."
"Sh, shu up, you bashtard."
Nam-gung Cheon, whose face was so swollen he couldn't even pronounce properly.
"What on earth happened?"
Austin heard the full story while treating him with spirit magic.
***
Nam-gung Cheon progressed a quest as usual.
Tap-
He quickly stepped on tree branches and crossed through the forest while grumbling.
"Ha, shit. How long do I have to do errands like this?"
The request he was currently handling was a quest to deliver a letter to a relative spirit on the opposite side of the lake.
He had graduated from such low-level quests long ago.
Since he had no memory of a proper fight after climbing to the 50th floor, his body was so itchy he could die.
It was when Nam-gung Cheon was pouting his lips and going to deliver the letter.
Clang-. Clang-. Clang-.
A faint sound came from far away.
A regular and clear sound, as if metal was striking metal.
'This sound is definitely?'
The sound of pounding iron.
This meant a blacksmith who forged iron to make weapons was nearby.
Perhaps he had discovered that blacksmith Seo-jin mentioned.
'Let's go see.'
Since he was bored anyway, Nam-gung Cheon searched the vicinity following the sound and soon discovered a suspicious cave.
The path seemed tangled and twisted round and round, feeling like a barrier, but thanks to his [Pathfinder] trait, he could reach the cave without difficulty.
Traces of life visible throughout the arrived cave.
On the gravel bed spread widely in front of the entrance, the phrase [Keep Out] was written in the Tower's common language.
'I've identified the location, so let's just take a quick look at who's there and go.'
On this 50th floor with only spirits and monsters living in harmony with nature, there's a being that pounds iron to make artifacts.
Who on earth could it be?
Unable to overcome his curiosity, Nam-gung Cheon ignored the warning to keep out and entered the cave, but.
Wham-
"Kugh."
He was immediately struck by a giant fist that shot out from inside the cave and bounced right back out.
Nam-gung Cheon, who rolled on the ground, took a combat stance while blocking his profusely bleeding nose.
"Shit, what the hell?"
An attack so fast he couldn't even notice it. Who on earth?
Step- step-
What revealed itself before Nam-gung Cheon, who took a combat stance, was some giant.
Thud-
The giant revealing himself outside the cave.
Standing confidently with arms crossed, he was literally a mountain.
The reason for such an impression wasn't only his bronze-colored muscles close to earth-colored and large stature.
Mistaking him for a mountain was because of the strong aura the giant emanated.
Truly an aura like a towering mountain.
The aura felt from him was like the grand earth that embraces everything, to the extent that it naturally reminded one of an insurmountable wall.
Just as humans cannot affect the earth they stand on and the majestic mountain ranges even if they rely on civilization's artifacts.
Facing him, Nam-gung Cheon could instinctively know.
'A Great Being......!'
That this being before his eyes is a Great Being of the Tower, and a powerhouse he absolutely cannot defeat with his current skill.
"I, I'm sorry!"
Nam-gung Cheon stared blankly at that giant, then hastily apologized and ran away.
However,
"If you were going to be sorry, you shouldn't have done it in the first place."
Crack-
Vivid veins stood out on the bronze-colored arm of the giant holding a hammer.
***
"That crazy bastard, hitting someone with a hammer."
Nam-gung Cheon finishing his recollection.
He trembled with rage while struggling to manage his body that was difficult to even move a finger.
As if his nerves were damaged, his body doesn't move properly even though treatment is completely finished.
At Nam-gung Cheon's explanation, Austin stroked his chin and tilted his head.
"To summarize, you entered someone else's house without permission, got caught by the homeowner, and got thoroughly beaten."
"You summarized too much. And does it make sense to beat someone this much just for briefly stepping foot in the entrance?"
"I wonder. For being hit with a hammer, you seem quite fine."
If the opponent is a Great Being as Nam-gung Cheon says, it wouldn't be strange if he had died already.
But Nam-gung Cheon is alive and well. His tongue moves well too.
He checked while treating him, but no bones were severely broken either. The only thing broken was his nose bone at most?
Rather, it seemed his spirit affinity increased somewhat while being beaten.
"You were well beaten. No, the one who struck did so very technically."
At Austin's realistic analysis, Nam-gung Cheon spoke as if upset.
"Hey. Would you have said the same thing if I were a pretty woman?"
"How could that be? Regardless of reason and result, if it's a being that used such vicious force on a lady, I would definitely find and punish them."
"Ha, this bastard......"
At the absurd answer, just as Nam-gung Cheon was about to say something.
"What did oppa do well to keep opening his mouth?"
Whack-
Nam-gung Rin ran over and struck his shin.
Thwack thwack-
While the younger sister beat the fully treated older brother again.
Austin sought a solution together with other members.
"So, how should we handle this matter? Do you happen to know when the leader will come out of the training ground?"
"I don't know. It seemed like it would take several days."
Since he said it could take up to three days at most. Waiting for Seo-jin to come out is too late.
"Then rather than resolving it among ourselves, it seems better to speak to Queen Vivian."
"W-we already spoke to Her Majesty."
"What did she say?"
To this, Francesca shrugged her shoulders.
"She said to handle it ourselves. She hastily chased us out saying she doesn't know about it."
"Seo-jin said he would arrange a meeting with the blacksmith, but why would Her Majesty react that way?"
At So-yul's question, Austin slowly opened his lips.
"Well...... if I had to speculate, doesn't it mean that blacksmith is a big shot that even Queen Vivian finds difficult to handle? Looking at how our great Shadowless Flying Hero got thoroughly beaten and came back too."
A being that Vivian, the Lake's Queen who commands all spirits on the 50th floor, fears.
Moreover, leader Seo-jin entered the training ground before meeting with him.
And the skill to catch Nam-gung Cheon, who's adept at escaping, and beat him technically.
In various ways, he wasn't an ordinary person.
Austin said.
"First, let's all go together to the cave where he's said to reside. And don't arm yourselves separately."
Fighting him is the last resort. First, let's visit directly and try to resolve it through dialogue.
***
The Reverse Heaven Society members who arrived at the cave where the blacksmith lives, carrying guide Nam-gung Cheon.
"Excuse us. Is anyone there by any chance?"
So-yul carefully asked toward the inside of the dark cave.
While being careful not to set foot inside the cave just in case.
Thoom thoom-
Then, soon with giant footsteps, a giant revealed himself, cutting through the darkness.
Coming out of the cave, he looked around at the Reverse Heaven Society members surrounding the area and opened his mouth.
"Seems what you got earlier wasn't enough."