Chapter 69
Chapter 69
Mad Black Mage's Tower Strategy
Chapter 69
"Eve... Everyone, prepare for battle!"
So-yul's urgent cry echoed off the damp cave walls.
Before that sound could even fade away, heavy noise that shook the ground came rolling from beyond the darkness.
THUD-THUD-THUD-.
It wasn't just simple footsteps.
The spine-chilling sound of dozens, hundreds of legs scraping against the floor and walls.
Beyond the boundary where the magical light reached. Eerie blue glowing eyes began to reveal themselves from within the darkness.
"So, something's coming!"
Simultaneously with the terrified cries of the researchers, the creatures hiding in the darkness revealed their forms.
Amorphous creatures larger than adult men.
Within their translucent blue bodies, liquid-like mana undulated disgustingly, and at their head section, sharp teeth were densely packed in suckers that writhed hideously.
"Wha, what is that!"
Unlike the panicking researchers, Seo-jin snorted as if familiar with them.
'Mana leeches, huh.'
Creatures that mainly parasitize inside demons' bodies, living beings that survive by sucking mana instead of blood.
Despite being leeches, they have several small legs attached to the sides of their bodies, making them extremely fast and agile.
Visually disgusting and creepy too.
SNAP-SNAP-SNAP-!
Using their multiple legs, the creatures rushed toward the investigation team by crawling on walls and ceiling.
"Defense formation, deploy barrier!"
At Team Leader Jung Hee-won's cry, the porters unpacked their bags, set them up like shields in front, and used magical artifacts.
WHOOOM-.
A translucent blue curtain emanated from the artifacts.
The researchers felt relieved by the barrier that safely surrounded them on all sides, but only briefly.
HISS-.
The barrier began to melt away as soon as it touched the acidic liquid spat out by several leeches at the front.
"......!"
Leeches that feed on the mana remaining in demon corpses. To them, this level of mana barrier was no better than tissue paper.
"It's, it's breaking through!"
"Run!"
As the barrier collapsed, screams erupted from everywhere.
CRUNCH-.
Creatures approaching while tearing apart the intact barrier with their teeth.
The researchers continuously fired attack magic, and the porters each swung their weapons in resistance, but it wasn't enough to stop the creatures.
"Ma, magic doesn't work!"
"Ugh! Get away!"
Most magic was blocked by the creatures' mana resistance, and physical attacks couldn't show much effect due to their sticky, mucous skin.
Unknown monsters that neither magic nor physical force could affect.
The investigation team's formation facing these creatures collapsed in an instant, and the cavity became a pandemonium in no time.
He hadn't expected great combat ability, but he didn't think they'd crumble so helplessly.
'Can't be helped.'
Since Seo-jin was the one who led Taebaek's investigation team to this dangerous fissure, he had no choice but to step in here.
"AAAAAH!"
Seo-jin, who had been silently watching, took action just before a porter was about to be devoured by a leech.
"Move aside."
Seo-jin pushed the porter to the side and pierced through the leech's lower abdomen with a fist imbued with the energy of Primordial Unity Technique.
SQUISH-.
When its nerve cluster was struck, the creature swelled up like a water balloon before bursting.
SPLAT-!
PATTER-PATTER-.
Seo-jin used the porter as a shield to block the leech's blood and debris.
'Most attacks don't work on them, but if you strike the nerve cluster in the center of their abdomen that's revealed just before they absorb mana, you can easily dispose of them.'
Having burst one leech, Seo-jin moved to find his next prey.
"Do, don't kill them, capture them!"
First, he dealt with a leech that was lunging at the slow-moving Dr. An.
SPLAT-!
He saved Team Leader Jung Hee-won, who was almost caught by a leech's surprise attack while focused on maintaining formation.
Also, whenever other researchers or porters were in danger, he moved quickly with Mixed Origin Steps and burst the leeches one by one.
If he used black magic, there would be no need to throw punches, but using black magic in a place packed with mage tower researchers would be like shouting for them to figure out his identity.
To continue hiding his identity, he had no choice but to handle it with his body.
But the price of handling it with his body was more troublesome than expected.
"......Shit."
Despite trying to avoid it, Seo-jin was drenched in the leeches' blue blood and bodily fluids.
Having suddenly been covered in blue blood, Seo-jin spat out curses while moving busily, when.
"Everyone come behind me!"
So-yul, who had finished preparing, extended her wand and unleashed a wave of flames at the leech swarm.
[Flame Wave]
WHOOSH-.
A wave of flames erupted from the tip of her staff.
SCREECH-!
The leeches caught in the wave of flames let out horrible cries before turning to ash.
'So-yul's magical firepower is outstanding even among the strategy team.'
No matter how high the leeches' mana resistance was, they couldn't withstand that insane firepower.
Having swept away the rushing leeches in one go, So-yul arranged her mana again and surrounded her teammates with a wall of flames.
[Fire Wall]
CRACKLE-!
The blazing wall of flames burned the leech swarm rushing like a tide and protected the allies.
"Phew."
So-yul barely let out a sigh of relief.
Thanks to the wall of flames surrounding them on all sides, they bought some time.
In the past, she wouldn't have been able to use magic so delicately.
The mana control training with Circe had been of great help.
'I'm, I'm glad I learned it.'
But the relief was brief.
Seo-jin's voice flowed from the earpiece terminal.
[Their weakness is the nerve cluster in the center of their abdomen. It's briefly exposed when they spit acid or absorb mana. And those glowing bodies will be vulnerable to high-frequency sound waves of specific wavelengths. You can stop their movement.]
So-yul nodded and gave orders to her team members.
"Dr. An, please prepare the sonic equipment. The attack team will concentrate on striking the creatures' weakness, the abdominal nerve cluster, following my instructions."
"Su, surely you're not going to kill all of them? Each one of those is completely......"
Dr. An, showing research desire even after nearly dying while looking at the leeches.
But So-yul said firmly.
"We just need to take a few samples, so let's kill them for now!"
So-yul calmly poured out orders based on the information Seo-jin provided.
"Porters, redeploy the defensive barrier. While the creatures spit acid to neutralize the barrier, their abdominal nerve clusters will be exposed. If you attack then, you can deal with them!"
At So-yul's confident voice, the team members began to pull themselves together and move again.
Dr. An hurriedly assembled a portable sonic generator with the researchers, and the porters reorganized their formation and prepared for the leeches' attack.
SCREECH-.
The leeches didn't just take it lying down either.
The leeches blocked by the wall of flames crawled up the ceiling and continued their attack by jumping inside the wall.
[Three leeches diving rapidly from upper right. Targeting Researcher Park directly below.]
"Researcher Park, get out of the way! Prepare for upper right attack!"
Simultaneously with So-yul's cry, three leeches that had been clinging to the ceiling jumped toward Researcher Park.
"WAAH!"
Researcher Park barely rolled his body to avoid the leeches, and the magic from other attack team members who seized that opportunity struck the leeches' abdomens precisely.
SCREECH-!
[5 o'clock direction entity, absorbing mana. Abdomen exposed. Now's the time.]
"5 o'clock direction! Concentrate flame magic!"
SPLAT-!
The leech's blue body burst, scattering disgusting bodily fluids.
"AAAAAH! My precious sample!"
Dr. An's mournful cry over losing another test subject faintly disappeared into the noise of battle.
The battle that continued afterward was just as fierce as before.
But the situation was a little different from before.
When Seo-jin's accurate information using [Future Sight], So-yul's command, the researchers' expertise and desperate will combined, the leeches that had been pouring in like a flood fell one by one.
Then, after the sonic generator was created, the situation completely reversed.
WHOOOM-.
As high-frequency waves of specific wavelengths echoed through the cave, the leeches' movements noticeably slowed.
Some individuals that had been clinging to the walls writhed as if in pain before falling down.
"From now on, don't kill them but capture as many as possible alive! Dr. An, please choose the ones in good condition!"
"Got it!"
The capture team began capturing the leeches whose movements had slowed by throwing specially made mana nets.
As soon as the huge nets covered the leeches, powerful mana currents flowed through them, paralyzing the creatures.
BZZT-.
Looking at the creatures caught in the nets, Dr. An shouted with an expression as if in ecstasy.
"OH! Living specimens! Catch more! Catch them!"
When Dr. An's words that each one would be worth over 1 billion followed, the researchers and porters also began capturing the creatures indiscriminately.
***
How much more time had passed?
As the last leech fell, a brief silence flowed through the cave.
"HUFF, HUFF."
Team members sat down on the floor breathing heavily or leaned against walls.
On the floor, leech corpses and sticky bodily fluids, along with broken equipment fragments, were scattered haphazardly.
"Ho, hostile mana reaction, completely disappeared!"
As soon as the report from the researcher who had been holding onto the mana detector until the end finished, someone shouted.
"We, we did it!!"
That cry became a catalyst spreading in all directions.
"We're alive! We survived!"
Team members hugging each other and rejoicing.
Though material damage was great, no one had lost their lives.
Crucially, they had even obtained spoils of war that could change the guild's fate, so that joy was indescribable.
In fact, Dr. An was even tearing up while hugging the special container holding the captured leeches.
So-yul also felt her legs shaking as tension was released.
'It's, it's done.'
It was an extremely dangerous situation, but it was successfully concluded without major damage.
She let out a deep sigh of relief and immediately pulled herself together.
Though she wanted to sit down and rest right away, So-yul resisted that temptation and approached the team members to check on each one individually.
"Are you okay? You're not hurt anywhere?"
So-yul, who had been encouraging the team members and assessing their condition.
Her steps finally reached the hidden contributor of this battle.
"Are, are you okay?"
At So-yul's question, Seo-jin, drenched in leech fragments and blue blood, looked up.
He showed his hands, which were a mess of blood and mucus, with an expressionless face.
"Not really okay. Give me some clothes to change into."
"Ah, yes, of course."
Seo-jin took off his blood-soaked top and put on the clothes So-yul handed him over Tears of Siyul.
That's when it happened.
Team Leader Jung Hee-won, who had been watching So-yul and Seo-jin's conversation, cautiously approached.
In her eyes were curiosity and admiration instead of wariness.
"Who is this person? He doesn't seem like a simple porter."
She recalled the miraculous movements the porter Seo-jin had shown.
The decisiveness to respond without a moment's hesitation even during the enemy's sudden surprise attack.
The judgment and overwhelming physical ability to move through enemy lines, saving allies and subduing enemies.
From her perspective as the security team leader responsible for Taebaek Mage Tower's security system and combat magic, this man was a super expert who far exceeded ordinary levels.
At Team Leader Jung's question, So-yul was flustered but tried to answer calmly.
"Ah, yes, that's right. This is someone I specially hired for this expedition. The Great Cavity exploration is extremely dangerous. Just in case......"
In reality, porters weren't simple laborers who moved exploration supplies or equipment.
Most of them were climbers who ascended the Tower, professional personnel hired to safely conduct dangerous Great Cavity explorations.
While exceptional experts like Seo-jin were extremely rare, many porters possessed skilled combat abilities and experience.
The formation falling apart like a ragtag group this time was because of the danger of the Gamma Route and the appearance of the leech swarm being a very unusual case.
Team Leader Jung Hee-won said while looking at Seo-jin.
"Ah. Then is this person a kind of safety measure prepared by the guild leader?"
Perhaps this person was a hidden strong individual that the guild leader had met during her days as a strategy team member.
Or maybe he was a high-ranking ranker secretly recruited using connections with the association president, who was her sister.
'To think she was hiding such an incredible card.'
No wonder she stubbornly insisted on entering the fissure.
She had something to rely on after all.
So-yul scratched her head with an awkward smile at Team Leader Jung's assumption.
"So, something like that. You could call him my hidden secret weapon."
"Anyway, thank you so much. Thanks to you, I survived twice. You're my life's benefactor."
Team Leader Jung bowed her head to Seo-jin and expressed her gratitude.
He had saved her from nearly falling before coming down to the fissure, and then saved her from the leech attack. She owed her life twice.
At Team Leader Jung's heartfelt thanks, Seo-jin silently nodded instead of answering.
"I'd like to thank you separately. After this expedition ends, could I meet you privately? I'll treat you to a meal."
When Team Leader Jung cautiously extended her communication terminal, So-yul, who had been watching from the side, urgently intervened to stop her.
"No, you can't do that!"
At the sudden cry, not only Team Leader Jung Hee-won but also several team members who had been resting nearby turned their attention to So-yul.
Team Leader Jung Hee-won asked back as if puzzled.
"What? Why can't I?"
"Well, that's......"
How should she explain this?
She couldn't explain that this person was actually that supernova and lived like a primitive without even a terminal.
So-yul looked at Seo-jin as if seeking help, but he just silently stared back.
Team Leader Jung Hee-won looked at the flustered So-yul and tilted her head for a moment, then slowly nodded as if she had realized something.
"Ah. That would be the case."
Though other countries also use various loopholes, if it were revealed that such a strong individual had been secretly assigned to the investigation team as a porter rather than an official researcher, it would be troublesome in many ways.
Identity exposure would also be difficult, so meeting separately would be impossible.
She realized her thinking had been shallow.
"I'll keep quiet about it."
Team Leader Jung Hee-won backed down obediently.
The team members watching the two people's conversation just tilted their heads, not understanding the situation.
After the commotion ended, Seo-jin whispered to So-yul through the terminal.
[Let's get out of here for now.]
Though they had dealt with the leech swarm, staying inside the fissure continuously was dangerous.
Even when resting, it would be better to move locations.
So-yul accepted Seo-jin's opinion and encouraged the team members while getting them to stand up.
"Well, everyone must be tired, but getting out of here comes first. Follow me!"