Chapter 43
Chapter 43
Mad Black Mage's Tower Strategy
Chapter 43
CLICK- CLICK-.
The 30th floor climbing success commemorative press conference.
With numerous broadcasting stations and daily newspaper reporters gathered in the conference hall, a blinding barrage of camera lights poured down.
"This is the Demon Dragon subjugation battle that has been frustrating for a long time. How do you feel about finally succeeding in the subjugation?"
"Great! Very great!"
"By any chance, are there any new skills or items you obtained through this subjugation?"
"That's a secret~"
"What do you think about the newly opened 30th floor? Is there development potential?"
"We've only just opened it and haven't looked around yet. I'll let you know after we see it!"
Saintess Kwon Ha-yeon sparkled and jumped out with answers to every question.
"......"
Thanks to that, the rest of the strategy team members had almost no chance to answer.
Most of the strategy team except for her had a skeptical stance toward media exposure, so this was truly mutual benefit.
After the ceremonial questions ended like that, gradually more sensitive questions began to emerge.
"As the conquest of the latest floors has been delayed, the frequency of magical disasters outside the Tower has increased. The damage to civilians is growing, so please state your position on this matter."
"Then you do it."
"Excuse me?"
"Next-."
"There are rumors that the Saintess and the Sword Star are dating. Is this true?"
"Would it be true?"
"The level and income gap between climbers is growing worse day by day. Do you have any plans to resolve this?"
"Why are you asking me that? Next."
While Kwon Ha-yeon was deflecting questions at an appropriate level, one reporter stood up from their seat.
"I'm Park Seon-yeong, an industrial reporter from KBC. I have a question for the Saintess."
"Please speak."
The reporter adjusted their glasses and asked Kwon Ha-yeon.
"Yes, Chairman Kwon Do-il of Hanseong Group has continuously expressed his opposition to the Saintess's climbing for safety reasons. Do you have any position on this matter?"
"Yes? What did you say?"
"Ah, yes. Chairman Kwon Do-il of Hanseong Group, who is the Saintess's father......"
"I can't hear you well. Shall I get you a new microphone?"
"......"
Kwon Ha-yeon smiled brightly and tilted her head slightly as if telling them to say it once more.
Her mouth was smiling, but there was a chilling murderous intent in her eyes.
The reporter who read the ominous atmosphere eventually couldn't ask any more questions and sat down.
Only then did Kwon Ha-yeon smile satisfactorily and point to another reporter.
"Ah. Then let's move on to the next question."
The press conference continued after that, and at the end, the question turned to Sword Star Ju Won-jae, the representative of the strategy team.
"As the leader of the strategy team assembled to represent humanity, please give us a word about your future resolve."
"......"
The microphone turned to Ju Won-jae, who had been sitting next to Kwon Ha-yeon silently observing the press conference.
"......"
He looked around at those gathered in the conference hall with complicated feelings.
The expectant gazes pouring toward him. And the pitch-black desires hidden beyond those expectations.
The reporters gathered here, the association employees, and the entrepreneurs and politicians who would be behind them too.
They were all just maggots desperate to chase the profits in front of their eyes.
Those reporters just wanted gossip material.
The association bastards next to them wanted information they could get first.
The entrepreneurs and politicians hiding behind the reporters would want Tower development rights and magic stone sales rights.
Furthermore, they would try to put the Tower under their feet through regulations and legislation.
Even now, they were just calculating with their calculators what would be more profitable, how they should move to grasp greater power in their hands.
But that was all futile.
Because they didn't know what was truly important.
'It's not about climbing to use the Tower. To climb the Tower, you must use everything possible.'
No matter how much those people had learned, if they didn't have the ability to perceive this obvious truth, they were just ignorant and foolish idiots.
'Rather than giving up climbing, it might be fine to sweep away all the trash of this land.'
Ju Won-jae swept his cold eyes over those gathered in the conference hall.
Even now, he was secretly delaying the conquest timing and increasing magical disasters in the real world.
The more disasters increased in the real world, the more the Tower's importance would be emphasized, and only then could he instill awareness in those who saw the Tower as a simple tool.
If it were up to him, he wanted to stop the conquest entirely and let massive magical disasters cover this land.
Only after disposing of the trash like that could humanity leap to the next stage.
Of course, he would naturally be at the center of that leap.
"......"
But it wasn't time yet.
He sighed and slowly parted his lips.
"We will continue to expand humanity's domain through climbing as we have done so far. And this is......"
Just when Sword Star Ju Won-jae was speaking.
DING-.
"Who is it?"
DING- DING-.
Notification sounds ringing from the reporters' phones one after another.
It was a tip notification about a new scoop article.
Due to the notifications ringing simultaneously throughout the conference hall, the reporters lowered their heads and checked their phones.
"He, he appeared again?"
"4th floor, the Floor of Ash and Death."
"Live broadcast right now!"
News that there was a live broadcast showing the activities of the supernova.
"Who, who is it!?"
Eventually, the name of a streamer with an outdated naming sense that didn't match the solemn press conference began to be mentioned by the reporters.
"MinoMino's Game Broadcast?"
***
Climber Association. Han Seo-hee's personal office.
"KYAAAAH!"
Han Seo-hee stretched with a strange groan.
Her dark circles looked particularly deep today.
After catching her breath, she buried herself in the large office chair and lamented.
"Just kill me, kill me."
The 30th floor conquest press conference was already overwhelming, and on top of that, the supernova's reappearance.
She was already involved in the public bidding for the 3rd floor development project, so even ten bodies wouldn't be enough.
On the other hand.
"Hehe."
Unlike Seo-hee, So-yul was lying comfortably on the sofa, fiddling with her phone and giggling.
[(Breaking News) Village location confirmed based on the background of the video......]
[Supernova, actually China's secret weapon?]
[The supernova's rampant rampage, is there no fault of ours?]
[US House proposes special climber support program bill. Raising a second supernova......]
To So-yul, who knew the supernova's identity, the randomly appearing articles were ridiculously funny.
Well, except for his face and personality, So-yul didn't know anything in detail about him either.
"What's so funny to you?"
So-yul showed the video to her sister and asked.
"Ah, come to think of it, sister, can you do something like this too? You're a black mage."
A video that realistically captured the battlefield where two waves of skeletons were intertwined.
It was a video she had watched several times already, but it was still spectacular to watch again.
Han Seo-hee, who had been watching the video for a while, shook her head.
"I wonder. I don't think I could do it."
Just as not all mages are the same kind of mage, black mages are also divided into various branches.
Among them, what Han Seo-hee mainly used was physical enhancement using Reverse Heaven's mana.
In other words, martial arts using magic fighting techniques.
Although she's retired now and working at a desk in a suit, during her climber days, she was famous as a warrior.
So she didn't know anything about necromancy.
"What about you? You're a mage too."
At her sister's question, So-yul waved her hand as if it was impossible.
"Hey, how could I do this? Even if my mana were ten times what it is now, I couldn't."
The mana required to raise thousands of undead at once was an astronomical figure even by rough calculation.
Even if there was sufficient mana, it would still be a problem. When the total amount of mana increases, the difficulty of manipulating it also rises exponentially.
You can easily roll and stop a marble with your fingers. But what if what you had to roll was an enormously large boulder?
Moreover, if the place you had to roll it was made up of uphill and downhill roads, rolling the boulder freely would be quite difficult.
Mana manipulation was the same.
Even if he used the power of the ley lines, freely manipulating thousands of skeletons was possible because it was that person.
Han Seo-hee, who had been watching the Lich King subjugation video for a while, had a question.
"By the way...... how exactly did he annihilate the Lich King's obsession?"
Apart from handling the army of skeletons, Han Seo-hee was more curious about the method of annihilating the obsession.
Ever since that guy's obsession survived and coexisted with the ley lines, no one had been able to subjugate him.
So-yul, who had been lost in thought at her sister's question, shook her head.
"Maybe it wasn't a matter of method but a matter of will."
"Will?"
"Yeah, from what I can see, he caused a large-scale battle to concentrate the Lich King's obsession in one place, then took advantage of that gap to deal with it."
If it were him, he wouldn't have manipulated all those skeletons just to show off his power.
Wasn't the large-scale battle a means to concentrate the Lich King's obsession that was spread throughout the 4th floor in one place?
"Now that I think about it, it wasn't such a difficult method either."
Even if they couldn't solve it alone like the supernova, if the strategy team and all the rankers had worked together, it wouldn't have been impossible.
So this was a matter of will to solve it, rather than a matter of ability or method.
A land of only ash and death with nothing to gain. Who would roll up their sleeves and step forward for them?
The famous strategy team and rankers, the association, and other climbers didn't do it.
What solved this was a newcomer who had just started climbing the Tower recently.
Before praising his achievements, they should feel ashamed of themselves first.
Of course, everyone would have their excuses.
The strategy team was doing their best to update the highest floors, and the association was busy maintaining security on each floor due to manpower shortage.
Other climbers were struggling with climbing even while looking at strategy guides.
But that was just an excuse.
That wasn't a reason to turn away from the suffering natives.
"......"
"It was something one person stepped forward and solved, but none of us took any interest."
***
The next morning at dawn.
Lea, the grave keeper Lubal, and Priest Mattie had finished preparing to leave the village.
Although it didn’t look good for Lea who had led by example and saved the villagers despite their unreasonable ostracism to leave the village like she was running away, this was the best course of action for her.
But not all the village residents ostracized and hated her.
Several village residents came to see off the Lubal father and daughter despite the early dawn.
They were those who had been helped by Lea during the undead wave and those who had been close to the grave keeper Lubal.
One of the women grabbed Lea's hand as she was about to leave and wiped away tears.
"Thank you, Lea. I lived because of you. Me, and my child too."
A mother and daughter who barely survived the Pteranodon Skeleton thanks to Lea's efforts.
The baby was giggling in her mother's arms.
"When this child grows up, I'll definitely bring her to you to give thanks."
Lea nodded while holding the small hand of the baby in her mother's arms.
"Yes, I'll definitely see you next time."
After exchanging greetings with the woman, Lea bowed her head to Seo-jin.
"Thank you so much for treating me. And for saving the village too."
"Yes, if you're grateful, make sure to repay the favor."
"Uh, how should I repay it?"
Seo-jin smiled at the flustered Lea.
"Think about that yourself. You're smart."
"Yes!"
Lea answered vigorously.
Following Lea, Lubal and Priest Mattie also expressed their gratitude to Seo-jin.
As a sign of gratitude, Lubal gave him the grave keeper's token, and Priest Mattie gave him the priest's necklace she always wore around her neck.
They were tokens that permitted entry to all territories and churches on the 4th floor.
Priest Mattie bowed her head.
"I'm sorry that this is all I can give to my benefactor."
"I didn't do it expecting a reward, so don't worry about it. However, you."
Seo-jin glared at Priest Mattie and warned her.
"Take care of this father and daughter to the end. That's the reason I saved you."
"How could there be any question? Until the breath that my benefactor gave me stops, I will live atoning to this child."
"I'll be watching."
After that, Lea's group said goodbye to the few villagers who came to see them off and left the village.
After finishing the send-off, Seo-jin also prepared to leave the village.
If he stayed here any longer, association personnel who had quickly secured his location would arrive and be bothersome.
When Seo-jin was about to leave, Min-ho grabbed his pant leg and pleaded.
"Could, could I follow you too, hyung-nim?"
Seo-jin shook his leg to shake off Min-ho and said.
"No. You're...... too weak."
Setting everything else aside, this frivolous guy was too lacking to be considered a fighting force.
It was puzzling how he had passed the brutal 3rd floor test and climbed up.
Seo-jin gestured toward Se-yeon and said.
"If you can win against her, I'll allow it."
"That, that's a bit......"
Min-ho looked at Se-yeon and swallowed his dry saliva.
Se-yeon, who had slaughtered skeletons like a berserker.
For Min-ho, who remembered that sight, it was a condition he couldn't even dare to attempt.
Seo-jin added.
"Anyway, if you follow me with that skill level, you'll die. You've experienced it, so you should know."
Indeed. The supernova's future activities would be more difficult than this incident, not easier.
Following him recklessly might be suicidal.
"That's true too. I'll train hard and definitely catch up."
Min-ho clenched his fist and obediently backed down.
Leon stepped forward next to Min-ho and greeted Seo-jin.
"It was an honor to be with the rumored supernova. May your future climbing be peaceful."
Unlike Seo-jin, Leon decided to stay in the village longer.
Leon, who had rescued Emma who had been knocked down in the village barn by the Doppelganger.
He planned to stay and protect Emma until the village stabilized without Priest Mattie.
"Yes, I'm less worried thanks to you."
Now that Priest Mattie, who had been the village's spiritual pillar, had left, Leon would be able to stabilize the confused village without much difficulty.
Seo-jin left the village after finishing his goodbye with Leon.
However.
RUSTLE- RUSTLE-.
Se-yeon was walking alongside Seo-jin before he knew it.
It was so natural that he didn't notice.
"What are you doing?"
"We're going together...... aren't we?"
"Who said that?"
Se-yeon silently gestured toward Min-ho, who was waving from far away.
Since he had told Min-ho that he would allow companionship if he could beat Se-yeon, she probably thought her skill level was sufficient for companionship.
Of course, Se-yeon's talent was not lacking for companionship.
However.
"Traveling with me won't help your growth much."
Se-yeon's power was ultimately the power of a berserker.
Although he had helped her because he didn't want her to live alone like in his previous life, if she followed him around like a chick, he couldn't draw out her potential to the maximum.
A beast that loses its wildness will inevitably become weak.
"......"
At Se-yeon's slightly dejected appearance, Seo-jin sighed deeply and said.
"Alright. Then I'll give you a chance."
"A chance?"
Seo-jin showed his fist to Se-yeon, whose eyes were sparkling.
"Yes, try to defeat me. I won't use magic."