Chapter 55
Chapter 55
Mad Black Mage's Tower Strategy
Chapter 55
At Seo-jin's statement, Ha-yeon asked.
"If we defeat that boss monster, will this floor's winter end too?"
"I can't be certain."
This was something he hadn't attempted even in his previous life.
But if all the circumstances point in that direction, defeating the 10th floor's boss monster would gradually weaken this harsh cold.
Although the Eternal Snow Ice, which is the 10th floor's specialty, would disappear into history, this floor's long winter would end and spring would come again.
"......"
At Seo-jin's words that he couldn't be certain, Ha-yeon fell into deep thought.
'I can't trust everything he says.'
Would this winter really end by defeating the boss monster?
Also, is that the only thing he can't be certain about?
That's not all. Every word that man said was like that.
All his words were just inferences lacking evidence.
What supported his words were only his reputation as the rumored supernova and the Eternal Snow Ice he had shattered with his magic power.
The boss monster supposedly hiding deep in the Eternal Snow Ice mine, the collusion between Hanseong and the three families, the dark intentions of the giant corporations preventing climbers from ascending the Tower.
All were just speculation and hypotheses, with nothing verified.
But there were some reasonable parts.
'The fact that information about quests related to the semi-permanent engine maintenance that Ella always worried about isn't coming in.'
Also, the strange structure of the Eternal Snow Ice mine that he had claimed earlier.
If she investigated the mine's structure, she could clearly know whether his words were true or if he had bewitched her with that smooth tongue.
After finishing her thoughts, Ha-yeon asked.
"Is there anything I can help with? Like exploring the collapsed Eternal Snow Ice tunnels?"
"Seeing that you want to explore the tunnels, you don't completely trust my words."
"Of course. My older brother told me when I was young. Don't trust handsome men who speak well. He said all men are wolves."
"That's advice you give to pretty younger sisters. Strange."
"......"
"Well, fine. If you take off your mask and show your face, we could explore the tunnels together."
"That won't do."
"Just how ugly are you?"
"You can't even imagine."
Since Ha-yeon's will was firm, Seo-jin gave up on saying more.
"Alright, ugly woman. You can keep wearing the mask. Just act together with me."
"Ugly woman......"
She didn't expect to be revered as a Saintess, but being treated as an ugly woman was a first in her life.
Ha-yeon felt something boiling up inside her but didn't show it.
Since she was wearing a mask, it was something she had to endure.
Seo-jin watched Ha-yeon's reaction and swallowed the laughter that was about to burst out.
Then he reached his hand toward Supreme Leader Ella.
"Ella, mine map."
"Ah, yes."
Ella, who had somehow been persuaded by Seo-jin's words, hurriedly brought the map at his command.
Seo-jin spread out the mine map and began analyzing it. Soon his finger pointed to the entrance area.
"The tunnel direction wasn't strange from the beginning. The founding heads of the three families were heroes who sacrificed their lives for the citizens' survival. They probably thought that if they dug into the Eternal Snow Ice and went inside, they would eventually reach the source of winter. They surely hoped for spring to come."
"......"
Ella nodded silently.
The three families of Primgard, their ancestors were certainly heroes.
While their great achievements have been passed down through the ages, the problem is that their spirit wasn't inherited and only left power to their corrupt descendants.
Seo-jin pointed to the tunnel side and said.
"If we say we'll dig down the collapsed tunnel again, the three families will allow it for now."
"Why do you think so? It seems like they'd block it for safety reasons."
Just in case there's a risk of the mine's structure and the boss monster's identity being revealed.
Seo-jin slowly shook his head.
"Rather, they'll be worried that the mine collapsed right now, making Eternal Snow Ice mining difficult. Even if they have reserves, it takes a long time to dig the mine again. They'll try to use us to clear the path."
In addition to that, there was one more expected outcome.
"And if it really doesn't work out, they can just blow up the tunnel after we go in, so there's no reason to stop us. The Supreme Leader who miraculously survived is saying she'll crawl back in on her own feet - why would they need to stop her? From their perspective, they have nothing to lose either way."
So what if we discover the boss monster's existence and the mine structure's problems?
If they blow up the mine and commit murder to destroy evidence, it's information that will never come out.
"......"
"In the end, if they seriously destroy the tunnel, it'll be hard to escape. So I need some trustworthy people."
Since there's a precedent of escaping from the previously collapsed mine, this time they'll definitely try to bury us.
If that happens, even with Baduki, safe return can't be guaranteed.
Moreover, if the tunnel collapses while we've reached the deep place where the boss monster is, it'll become more dangerous.
Seo-jin asked Ella.
"How many troops can you control without interference? They must be trustworthy troops who won't receive orders or persuasion from others."
At Seo-jin's question, Ella thought carefully and answered in an uncertain voice.
"About... thirty people."
"Not many, not few."
It's insufficient force to check the three families from blowing up the tunnel while Seo-jin and his party go down.
Additional forces would be good.
'That Nam-gung Cheon bastard...'
Seo-jin secretly took out the contract he had left without canceling and checked his location.
The contract showed he was on the high 20th floor, as if something had happened.
'When you need even dog shit for medicine, there's none.'
In this situation, is there no choice but to deal with the three families first before going down?
But that's not a method that can be used immediately either.
'Unless I present clear evidence to Ha-yeon and Ella, it's difficult to strike the three families first.'
But if I were to deal with the three families alone, rankers or corporate dogs connected to them might get involved.
If I only thought about myself, I'd smash them first and think later, but then Ella and the citizens here would have to bear the aftermath.
I can't move rashly.
As for other methods.
'There's also a way to reveal the drill's anomaly without needing to go to the mine.'
The drill is equipped with a function that guides it away from the Eternal Snow Ice's ley lines.
However, it's not clear under what conditions this function is activated, and it's not as good as showing the strange parts of the tunnel and the boss monster's existence once.
"I'll think about the method a bit more. First, gather more information."
***
Central part of Primgard.
Unlike the outside where cold winds blow, the warm greenhouse interior that's maintained 24 hours a day.
The only place where crops and livestock grow on land that's nothing but ice.
The secret conference room of the great three families located underground.
Under the dim lighting that illuminated the darkness, the real powers of the three families held a meeting.
Unlike the citizens of Citadel who were skin and bones from not eating, a plump middle-aged man struck the table and shouted.
BANG-.
"Ella. That bitch actually survived from there."
Originally, only chosen heroes could live in the greenhouse interior.
Henry the Builder, Inventor Kabila, Steam Philemon. Only the descendants of the three heroes who stepped forward for Primgard.
But after the activities of 'foreigners', new unwelcome guests set foot in the greenhouse.
Not only did they invade this greenhouse, but they also turned this steel fortress upside down so that the slaves could elect a 'Supreme Leader' who would take the Primgard surname themselves.
They elected a new leader who inherited the spirit of Fenil Primgard that had been cut off long ago.
After that election, the three families' influence greatly decreased.
It was natural for them to hate the Supreme Leader.
Moreover, Ella was an ignorant fool elected with the halo of being the previous Supreme Leader's daughter.
Even more unacceptable.
A woman picked up his words.
"All of this is that foreigner's fault. Not only did he not die buried in the collapsed tunnel, but he even rescued the miners. That bitch's approval rating will rise greatly."
"Hmph. She's just a powerless kid anyway. Approval rating doesn't matter. What's important is the foreigner entrepreneur side."
The foreigner entrepreneur who formed a partnership with the three families.
They promised the three families' eternal prosperity and profit.
With their protection alone, even if all the slaves outside the greenhouse froze to death, at least they could survive.
Moreover, they had agreed to reduce the number of foreign visitors, so it couldn't be better.
"They scolded us saying the mine collapse was too conspicuous. They said it doesn't matter if mining volume decreases, but it's troublesome if supply stops completely."
From Hanseong's perspective, which has a monopolistic position, it doesn't matter much if Eternal Snow Ice mining volume decreases.
For Hanseong, what's more important than immediate mining volume is maintaining the 10th floor's winter and ensuring the boss monster's existence isn't revealed.
That's why Hanseong allowed the function reversal of the Eternal Snow Ice tracking drill and the structural changes to the tunnels.
"That can be solved by releasing reserves. Send us technicians or mages to dig the tunnel again."
"But what about that man?"
The strange foreigner who came out with the Supreme Leader from the collapsed tunnel.
The slaves outside were praising him as the hero who rescued the miners.
"He's someone I've never seen. I couldn't see his face clearly because of the robe he was wearing."
"Is there a way to quietly eliminate him?"
"There are plenty of ways."
No matter how great a foreigner from another world might be, this is a world they dominate.
There are plenty of ways to eliminate him without anyone knowing.
"As long as we know where he's staying, it's over."
CREAK-.
"Even if just one pipe is connected, we can easily kill him."
The warm steam passages are also good means for spraying any kind of poison.
This was precisely the method the great three families had used to deal with reactionaries.
***
In the faint night where even starlight seemed frozen, cold wind brushed against cheeks.
After finishing the conversation, Seo-jin stood alone in the 'Spring Garden' on the rooftop of the central government building.
Unworthy of the name Spring Garden, it was a place filled only with artificial flowers and sculptures made by precisely carving steel and ice.
These were sculptures containing the yearning of those who couldn't bloom real flowers in the seemingly eternal winter.
Inside the glass tubes beneath that cold beauty, real seeds were in deep sleep.
Waiting for the real spring that would come someday.
Seo-jin, who had been quietly touching the ice flowers, looked up at the searingly dark blue night sky.
'Until now, I've run forward smashing problems without hesitation.'
But from now on, it's different.
The higher he climbs, the greater fame he gains, the forces blocking his path will gradually grow larger.
The forces he'll be hostile to this time are like that, and the corporations outside the Tower connected to them are like that.
The aftermath from this will also gradually grow.
"Whew."
Seo-jin was chewing on an unlit cigarette in his mouth without lighting it.
Then he felt a presence behind him. It was Ella.
"It's late at night, how about staying here tonight?"
Even at Ella's suggestion to sleep in the government building, Seo-jin shook his head.
"It's colder here. I'll sleep at Tito's house with the heating on."
What kind of central government building doesn't have proper heating?
Hundreds of pipes were connected, but not a single one was working.
Instead of answering, Ella gave a bitter smile.
Reading the discomfort in her smile, Seo-jin asked.
"......Is there a reason you don't turn on the pipes?"
The thought occurred to him that the reason for using a fireplace instead of pipes might not simply be due to integrity.
Ella hesitated for a moment, then carefully opened her mouth.
"No. If you wish, I'll give you magic stones so you can stay where you were. But you mustn't keep the steam on continuously. Dangerous substances might come out."
Her voice carried more weight than a simple warning.
Seo-jin nodded seriously.
"......I'll keep that in mind."