Chapter 82
Chapter 82
Mad Black Mage's Tower Strategy
Chapter 82
THWACK-.
Se-yeon's blunt sword burst open the head of the large white bear.
Breathing in the cold air of Primgard, a notification window appeared before her eyes.
TING-.
[You have subjugated the Ruler of the Snowfield, Ice Bear King.]
[You have acquired the right to climb to the 11th floor.]
"Haa, haa."
Se-yeon roughly gasped for breath in the cold that felt like it would freeze her lungs, then collected the teleportation stone and items.
How much time had passed since she climbed to the 10th floor?
Below the blizzard that obscured her vision, only a pure white snowfield stretched out endlessly.
Whether the teleportation coordinates were severely distorted, she couldn't even find traces of civilization.
If it hadn't been for the Fire Grass that Circe had prepared for her, she might have frozen to death long ago.
Still, she had somehow managed to find and defeat the intermediate boss monster, so it seemed she could escape from the 10th floor somehow.
But.
"......"
Se-yeon looked at the teleportation stone leading to the next floor and quietly shook her head.
Her goal right now wasn't to climb to the 11th floor.
So Se-yeon moved her heavy steps through that terrible cold.
However, at some point, the terrible blizzard began to subside, and a faint warmth began to circulate through the frozen earth.
At first, she thought it was just her imagination.
But soon the air became warm enough that she didn't need to take Fire Grass, and later it became so warm that she had to take off even the yeti fur coat she was wearing.
As for the reason for this change.
'It must be that person.'
While she was wandering through the snowfield, it seemed that person had already solved the problem of the 10th floor.
Se-yeon quickened her pace with an urgent heart.
Then.
"......"
In the place where the thickly accumulated snow had melted away, she noticed green sprouts shyly poking their heads out.
Se-yeon unconsciously crouched down in front of them and gazed at the wonder of small life.
Tender leaves that sprouted without yielding to the cold wind.
That precarious appearance somehow seemed to overlap with her own situation.
'It's alive.'
When even such small and tender life forms were struggling to survive, how much more should she, as a human...
She felt a little ashamed of her past self who had tried to die easily without even struggling.
DIG-.
Se-yeon carefully dug the ground so as not to damage the roots and gently placed one sprout into her inventory.
She didn't know whether this would be a flower or ordinary weeds, but she wanted to try raising at least one.
Breaking away from her brief contemplation, she once again silently moved her steps.
***
How many days had passed?
Finally, the appearance of the fortress city Citadel began to be visible on the distant horizon.
But it was a little different from what she had seen in the materials.
Citadel was no longer humanity's last fortress standing firm in constant blizzards.
The gates were wide open, and the people busily coming and going inside and outside the walls were full of life.
Se-yeon looked at the passersby and hesitated, then mustered courage to ask a boy.
He was a bright-faced boy pushing his grandfather's wheelchair with his younger sister.
"Excuse me... where is the Spring Garden?"
Tito smiled brightly and guided Se-yeon to the location.
"Ah. The Spring Garden is on the roof if you go toward the Citadel central administration building."
"Thank you."
Se-yeon offered a small magic stone as a token of gratitude, but the boy shook his head and declined.
"It's okay. I already received plenty from the stranger hyung."
Se-yeon nodded and headed to the Spring Garden on the roof of the central administration building.
What greeted her was a completely unexpected scene.
It was a garden displaying dazzling beauty under the warmth of returning spring.
The landscape of colorful flowers in full bloom and butterflies dancing under the warm sunlight felt almost surreal.
Se-yeon slowly walked inside following the traces of familiar magic power lingering in the garden.
And finally, she stopped in front of a single flower that particularly stood out among the many flowers.
A deep blue flower with cold and serene beauty, as if carved precisely from cold steel.
Seo-jin's magic power remained most densely in this place.
When Se-yeon carefully reached out her hand to those petals, Seo-jin's message flowed out from the flower as if it had been waiting.
[You found it well. If you've obtained the right to climb, come to the 11th floor Taebaek Mage Tower. I'll be waiting. This is the coordinates and a gift.]
Looking down, she saw a teleportation stone with coordinates carved on it placed under the flower, along with something like a blunt iron ingot.
An iron ingot that looked unremarkable on the outside.
Se-yeon silently collected it and looked down at the cityscape beyond the Spring Garden.
The giant engine that had now stopped operating.
Below the giant engine that had stopped operating, she could see children playing energetically and people working the fields following their leader.
While observing the rather peaceful cityscape, Se-yeon took out her communication terminal from her bosom and pressed the number of Han So-yul, the guild leader of Taebaek, with awkward hand movements.
The call connected with a ringing tone.
"Yes, unnie. I've arrived."
***
At the very top of the Hanseong Group Tower that soared high enough to pierce the sky.
A man looked down at the Seoul cityscape through a massive glass window.
A golden tower built with desire and greed.
All the furniture in the room was made of the finest wood and leather, and at its center stood a jet-black desk carved from a whole magic stone, showing off its presence.
Chairman Kwon Do-il of Hanseong Group.
He moved his steps and buried himself in a deep leather chair with his eyes closed.
"Reporting to you, Chairman."
In front of him, the Hunting Dog 'Manager' appeared like a shadow and bowed his head.
Unlike the combat gear worn in the Tower, the Manager was dressed in a neat suit.
Though he looked like he fit in as an office worker, the killing intent emanating from his entire body couldn't be hidden.
"The 10th floor Primgard matter has been completely concluded. The three families have been completely dismantled, and regional control has been transferred to Ella Primgard, the supreme leader who is a native. During this process, evidence of partial intervention by 'Supernova' and the young lady was detected."
Even with the Manager's report, Chairman Kwon remained motionless with his eyes still closed.
After a long silence, Chairman Kwon quietly opened his mouth.
"Wrap up that place appropriately now."
His voice contained not even a trace of worry about his daughter, let alone the slightest interest.
Only cold calculation existed, like moving pieces on a chessboard.
The publicly known concern and worry for his daughter was merely a measure for the company's image.
The 10th floor was the same.
Eternal Ice was a useful resource, but it was one that could be replaced by magic stones. It didn't matter if it was gone.
The problem wasn't immediate gains and losses, but the very fact that a floor managed at the corporate level was lost to some single entity.
There was no guarantee that what happened once wouldn't happen again.
"How was that guy?"
Chairman Kwon asked about Supernova, the protagonist of this incident.
It was rare for him to show interest in an individual.
The Manager answered.
"He shows potential for great success, but he can still be subdued now. Shall I eliminate him?"
"......"
After thinking for a moment, Chairman Kwon shook his head.
No matter how strong an individual might be, what moves this world is ultimately groups.
And those groups are moved by money and power. Individuals aren't particularly threatening.
However.
'If that guy forms a group and colludes with other powers.'
Then it couldn't be overlooked any longer.
People, and public opinion, inevitably gather toward the shining sun.
That was also the reason Hanseong supported the Sword Star and some other strategy teams.
Just then, new information was received on the premium terminal placed on his desk.
BEEP-.
Information about Taebaek Mage Tower's remarkable achievements from the 11th floor Great Cavity exploration.
And information about the new substances they discovered called 'Mana Sacs' and 'Mana Leeches'.
At the end of the report was an urgent report sent by a spy planted inside Taebaek Mage Tower.
According to the research lab's analysis, the potential value of those new substances might exceed imagination.
For the first time, a faint smile appeared on Chairman Kwon's lips.
Though it was just a short report of a few lines, Chairman Kwon intuitively felt there was potential here.
He quickly decided to make additional investments in Taebaek.
It would be perfect if he could secure a bit more shares.
Chairman Kwon opened his mouth.
"Don't neglect collecting information about that guy."
Even if he wasn't an immediate threat, information had to be continuously gathered.
If he could be won over through sponsorship like the Sword Star, then win him over; if he couldn't be won over, then eliminate him.
The Manager silently bowed his head and disappeared back into the shadows.
***
The Tower Entry Management Office was bustling with numerous climbers as usual.
However, Seo-jin's group quietly exited the Tower through a dedicated passage that only VIPs could use.
The air outside the Tower that he smelled after a long time felt somewhat alien but also brought a sense of liberation.
"We're out!"
Han So-yul stretched her arms wide and took a deep breath.
The scent of her homeland piercing her nose.
More precisely, it was the scent of fine dust and stuffy exhaust fumes.
"COUGH, COUGH."
Since this was the heart of Seoul, the complete opposite environment from inside the Tower which was close to pure nature, coughing was natural.
Unlike So-yul who was coughing, Se-yeon silently looked around and raised her guard.
Watching the two show contrasting reactions, Seo-jin fell into thought for a moment.
He had decided to leave the Tower for a brief rest, but now that he was actually outside, he felt lost about where to go.
His studio apartment? What would he do in that cramped place? There were no particular belongings to collect and no meaningful memories either.
If he was going to frequently go in and out of the Tower, he'd need a new house. Preferably a big and spacious one.
What good was earning money if not to spend it at times like this?
But if he suddenly bought something with his rapidly increased assets, he might come under surveillance from the National Tax Service.
The massive income of climbers was good prey for the National Tax Service.
If he clumsily tried to evade taxes, he'd be thoroughly stripped without leaving even a speck of dust.
To avoid that, he needed cooperation from high-ranking officials.
'It's not just about money problems.'
Se-yeon's situation was the same.
He had brought her outside, but he needed to find her a place to live as well as something like a guardian.
Also, she seemed to be wary and trembling with fear of the outside world due to what happened at the orphanage, so he needed cooperation from high-ranking officials in various ways.
'I came out to rest, but my head still aches.'
The only fortunate thing was that Hyeon-wol, who would chatter annoyingly beside him, wasn't there.
He had infused the book with Primordial energy and temporarily left it with Circe.
It felt somewhat empty, but his ears were comfortable.
After pondering, Seo-jin soon decided on a destination.
"Let's go to the Association first."
What good were connections? When the Association president's younger sister was right beside him, he should make use of her at times like this.
'Anyway, the Association-level wanted notice has been canceled.'
Association President Han Seo-hee had no hostility toward Seo-jin, and he had heard this fact from So-yul several times.
"You want to meet with unnie?"
"Yes."
At his decision, Han So-yul tilted her head but soon agreed.
If Supernova showed himself at the Association, it would draw attention in various ways, but that could be solved by hiding well without being caught.
Besides, unnie was favorable toward Seo-jin, so if the two had a good conversation, things would likely be resolved in a positive direction.
"Alright. Then let's go to the Association."
With this, Seo-jin's group's destination was decided.