Chapter 36
Chapter 36
Mad Black Mage's Tower Strategy
Chapter 36
CAW-.
The sharp cry of a crow cut through the silent cemetery.
The crow that had landed on a tombstone tilted its head sideways and surveyed its surroundings with jet-black eyes.
A figure reflected in those eyes.
Frivolous blue hair that didn't match the eerie atmosphere of the cemetery. And a personal broadcasting camera held in hand stood out.
"Yes, yes, brothers~ Stop rushing me already. I'll finish this quickly and head straight to the 5th floor tower ascension."
Tower climber and streamer Jung Min-ho.
Min-ho was originally a low-tier broadcaster who streamed the daily life of a tower laborer on the lower floors, but recently decided to climb the tower after being inspired by the emergence of a supernova.
......Well, actually, that was just the surface reason he revealed to his viewers.
The decisive reason was that hunting grounds for magic stones decreased when land development began on the 3rd floor.
With his main source of income about to disappear, he ultimately had no choice but to climb the tower.
However,
'Shit, I didn't know it would turn out like this......'
Min-ho forced himself to manage his expression and smiled toward the camera.
His viewers had said they'd support his tower ascension, but once the content changed, half of his live audience flew away.
Currently, he had about 30 regular viewers.
He had used a teleportation stone instead of taking the test to climb to the 4th floor for content, but for several days he'd been wandering around lost without any reward, just suffering.
But he couldn't go back now.
Min-ho clenched his fist and made a resolution.
'Since I'm screwed anyway, let me properly climb this tower.'
The higher the floor, the more dangerous it gets, but the income increases accordingly.
If things work out well, he could quit this broadcast with hardly any viewers right away.
And who knows.
Maybe he has some hidden talent he wasn't aware of, and he'll end up smashing through the tower like a supernova.
As Min-ho wandered around the cemetery turning his camera this way and that, he spotted someone approaching from afar.
"Oh? I found a person! Should we go check it out?"
It was already his second day on the 4th floor.
It had been hard to fill audio time in this place where only crow chicks flew around, but another tower climber had appeared. Perfect timing.
go go
go talk to them
is it a woman?
Min-ho glanced at the chat window and immediately approached that person.
As the distance shortened, he could see the face clearly, and Min-ho opened his mouth at that appearance.
'Wow, she's pretty.'
An aura that emanated despite wearing a hat pulled down low.
Her age seemed to be around high school or college freshman level.
The atmosphere was scary due to her unkempt, disheveled hair and dark circles under her eyes from lack of care, but even that much couldn't hide her beauty.
Min-ho cleared his throat and greeted her with a bright voice.
"Wow, fancy meeting a person in a place like this. Right? Should we introduce ourselves?"
"......"
Min-ho extended his hand, but the girl frowned as if she had seen something she shouldn't have and ignored Min-ho.
As the girl passed by him, Min-ho followed behind her and continued trying to talk.
"Hey now, you should greet someone when you see them. I'm Jung Min-ho. And you are?"
Suddenly.
"Get lost."
WHOOSH-.
Along with a cold voice, a chilling aura emanated from her.
At the sensation that made his skin crawl instinctively, Min-ho even swallowed his breath and quickly backed away.
"S-sorry!"
The girl resumed walking, leaving Min-ho sitting on the ground after falling on his butt.
Min-ho watched her retreating figure getting farther away, then clenched his fist.
'No. I can't let her go like this.'
Wandering around the cemetery alone won't make for good broadcast content.
And that woman seems to know where to go, so it would be good to follow her.
He can't keep wandering around this cemetery like this.
After pondering, Min-ho immediately got up and chased after the girl.
"Ah, damn! Hey there, let's go together! Please?"
***
The next day at midnight. The village square.
As the cool night air penetrated between his robes, Seo-jin spotted a small lantern swaying in the fog in the distance.
When he approached toward where the lantern was, the climber he had seen during the day was waiting for Seo-jin.
The man was startled when Seo-jin suddenly appeared from the darkness and asked.
"Oh. You came. How did you find your way here without a lantern?"
Seo-jin tapped around his eyes.
"I have particularly good night vision."
By activating the 2nd Circle auxiliary Black Magic 'Night Vision', he could move around as if it were broad daylight even in places without a speck of light.
Seo-jin checked that there were no signs of people around and asked the climber.
"Can you really guide me to where the ley lines are?"
"Of course. But I have something I'd like to ask first."
"Why I'm looking for ley lines?"
The man nodded.
"Yes, ley lines have special meaning here on the 4th floor. The mana of ley lines is the foundation of agriculture, and also serves as a defensive barrier to block the Lich King's lingering thoughts. That's why outsiders cannot approach carelessly, and the location is also secret."
"I know that. That's why I need your help."
"I'd like to help you right away if I could. You did treat Lea, and you seem to know well about the disease the priests are suffering from. But I need to hear about your purpose for seeking the ley lines."
The man who had received a good impression of Seo-jin due to his previous good deeds.
He also explained that he had come to help Seo-jin because he usually viewed the Torch Order's dogmatic behavior and witch hunts unfavorably.
Using such a person, he could easily be guided to the ley lines.
Seo-jin chose an appropriate answer while pretending to be good-natured.
"Using the mana of the ley lines, I plan to ensure that the natives no longer suffer from Undead Waves."
"Ah, so you can handle barrier magic!"
At the words about helping the natives using the mana of ley lines, the man jumped to conclusions about barrier magic on his own.
Seo-jin made full use of this misunderstanding.
"Of course. Barrier magic is one of my specialty fields."
At the answer that he could handle barriers, the man's eyes sparkled as he grabbed Seo-jin's hands.
"I knew it! I could tell when you used magic earlier. Actually, I alone was struggling to block the Undead Waves. It would be perfect if the village's barrier could be strengthened. Ah, but if it's not rude to ask, what's your level by any chance?"
"Right now I'm at the level where I can hunt level 100 monsters."
"Ooh...!"
The man's eyes sparkled at Seo-jin's confident answer.
Hyeon-wol, who had been quietly watching this, narrowed her eyes.
[Don't you feel guilty at all?]
'What are you talking about.'
Even with Hyeon-wol's criticism, Seo-jin just shrugged his shoulders.
After all, Seo-jin hadn't told a single lie.
Actually, Seo-jin was skilled enough to hunt level 100 monsters, was well-versed in barrier magic, and planned to save the village using ley lines.
Although the method would be a bit rough and completely different from what the man expected.
Afterward, Seo-jin chatted casually with the man and entered the village interior through a gap in the castle wall without incident.
According to information learned through conversation, the man's name was Leon.
He was from France, level 38, and his profession was Cleric.
Cleric was a type of Holy Knight profession, similar to a battle priest or monk.
He had been staying on this 4th floor for 3 months, blocking waves of undead.
"Three months. I suppose staying that long and building trust allows even foreigners to learn the location of ley lines."
"No, actually I don't know the exact location either. But I have a collaborator."
"A collaborator?"
***
A short while later.
An inn in the village that he arrived at with Leon under cover of night.
Someone was waiting for Seo-jin and Leon near the inn.
"Emma, say hello."
A female priest with brilliant blonde hair and a beautiful smile bowed her head to Seo-jin.
She was a beauty rarely seen in such a small village.
"Nice to meet you, outsider. I'm Emma, a lower priest of the Torch Order."
Leon looked at Emma with a pleased smile.
"Emma is the collaborator who will guide us to the ley lines. She's also my benefactor who guided me to the village when I first came to the 4th floor and was wandering around."
"I see."
Seo-jin understood from their reactions why Leon had been staying in this place for so long.
It wasn't that uncommon for good feelings to sprout between a tower climber and a native.
It would be hard to just leave when the village where your lover lives is in danger.
But since he didn't care about his personal affairs, Seo-jin immediately brought up the main point.
"If you're a priest of the Order, you should be able to guide me to the ley lines."
"Emma, would that be possible?"
At Leon's question, Emma readily nodded.
"Of course. Leon vouches for you after all. But before that, could we go through a simple verification process?"
"Verification process?"
"Yes, we especially cannot allow Black Mages among outsiders into the ley lines. It'll just take a moment to check your pulse, so please cooperate."
Emma asked Seo-jin to show her his wrist.
An ordinary Black Mage would have been caught here, but Seo-jin was different.
Seo-jin extended his wrist and operated the Primordial Unity Technique, gathering the Reverse Heaven's mana remaining in his body.
WHOOOOSH-.
Then he covered the Reverse Heaven's mana with the energy of the Primordial Unity Technique and erased its traces.
However, in that process, he deliberately left just a tiny portion of the Reverse Heaven's mana.
Like Emma, Seo-jin also needed a 'verification process.'
"Excuse me for a moment."
Emma grabbed Seo-jin's wrist and attempted to check his pulse.
"...!"
She seemed to have noticed something and flinched slightly, then finished checking his pulse and let go of his hand.
"......"
Of course, Seo-jin didn't miss that reaction.
"I apologize for suspecting you. You're not a Black Mage."
Leon, hearing the pulse check results, spoke confidently.
"Of course not. This person is a mage who will strengthen the village's barrier."
"Yes, thanks to you, the village will be much safer. Thank you, Leon. And thank you, outsider."
Emma smiled slightly and guided Seo-jin and Leon.
"Then I'll guide you to the ley lines. Follow me carefully so the guards don't catch us."
***
"Here it is."
How long had they walked?
The ley line seal site they arrived at following Emma's guidance.
The ley lines were located quite far from the village outskirts, even far from the Torch Order's church.
Seo-jin touched the stone gate hidden among the thick vegetation and said.
"The ley lines are in quite a remote place. I thought they'd be near the church."
"Everyone thinks that way. We took advantage of that blind spot."
"Doesn't it make management difficult if it's too far from the church?"
"There's no particular need to manage it. This seal cannot be opened without a certain amount of divine power."
"Then?"
"To break the seal, you'd need to be at least an upper priest dispatched from the Order's main temple."
"I see. So that's how it is."
Seo-jin, having heard Emma's explanation, silently nodded.
'......I roughly understand how the situation has been flowing.'
Seo-jin, who had been stroking his chin in thought for a moment, took his hand off the stone gate.
At the same time.
THWACK-.
He extended his hand and immediately shot Black Chains at Emma.
Seo-jin's Black Chains instantly struck Emma and blew off her arm.
"KYAAAH!"
Emma scattered black blood in the air and collapsed to the ground.
Leon, who had been blankly watching this scene, rushed toward Seo-jin.
"You! What the hell are you doing!"
Leon grabbed Seo-jin's collar and shook him roughly.
Seo-jin calmly removed his hands and pointed downward.
"Look at that. Does that look like the Emma you admired?"
"What do you mean......"
Leon looked at the fallen Emma with a half-believing expression.
Soon his eyes widened.
Emma, who had been struck by Seo-jin's Black Chains but showed not a single wound.
No, some being in Emma's form was now standing upright in place.
Then, instead of a warm and cheerful voice, a chilling and spine-tingling voice flowed out.
[How did you notice?]