Chapter 328
Chapter 328
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 328
Chapter Title: Descent into the Black Tower's Depths
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While heading toward the underground of the Black Tower, the black mages Su-hyuk encountered shot him strange looks.
It was the feeling of, Why is that guy alone? He was clearly supposed to be with Mersian.
Su-hyuk strode onward and downward. As he descended the stairs, they abruptly ended at some point.
There must be another path to the underground. Su-hyuk paused briefly to search for it.
Then.
"You're the Tower Lord's friend, I presume."
An elderly man approached Su-hyuk and asked.
"Where might you be headed?"
The old man's name was Blasian. He was the one who had greeted them at the entrance earlier, and now they crossed paths again here.
"The area below is a restricted zone. I suggest you end your tour here."
"Even with the Tower Lord's permission?"
Blasian's eyes gleamed pitch black.
"Do you have his permission?"
"I do."
"I doubt that."
"Why wouldn't he permit it? We're friends."
Su-hyuk hadn't breathed a word to Mersian about where he was going or what he planned to do.
But that didn't make it an outright lie, either.
After all, Mersian had permitted his activities inside the Black Tower and even assisted him at times.
Yet despite Su-hyuk's explanation, Blasian still seemed unconvinced.
"May I verify that?"
He hadn't taken a liking to Su-hyuk from the start. Regardless, he seemed utterly convinced that Mersian would never allow anyone to go below.
Su-hyuk nodded.
"As you wish."
"Then, just a moment..."
Before he could finish saying to wait.
Chik-.
With a short, crisp sound, Su-hyuk's hand struck Blasian's neck and returned to its place.
Sruruk-.
The black gleam in Blasian's eyes lost focus.
"Lord Blasian?"
"What's gotten into you all of a sudd-"
At that moment, sound vanished.
Blasian felt his consciousness fading as he collapsed to the floor.
The Black Tower's mages shouted something at him, but their voices didn't reach.
By the time he sensed something amiss, it was too late.
Wooduk-.
The heads of the surrounding mages snapped sideways. Like Blasian, their bodies crumpled lifelessly.
Su-hyuk looked at the spot in the center where the fallen mages had stood and asked.
"Did you kill them all?"
Sseu-.
Someone emerged from beneath the black robes of the mages.
Ye-ryeong, who had been stealthed, revealed herself. She shook her head playfully.
"Just knocked them out. They're your friend's subordinates—didn't feel right killing them."
"Teasing me?"
"They seemed like old comrades. Looked like they were pretty serious about it."
At Su-hyuk's request, Ye-ryeong had infiltrated the Black Tower first in stealth. She had been focusing on the underground area, and their paths happened to overlap.
"Nothing special?"
"All quiet until you showed up and stirred things."
Ye-ryeong clicked her tongue at the fallen dark mages.
"Trouble follows you everywhere, huh."
Blasian and the other dark mages guarding the underground were down. If those upstairs noticed, the alarm would sound.
From here on, it was a race against time.
"Even blocking a guest who came with the Black Tower Lord... there must be something really important down there."
Ye-ryeong had a rough idea of the situation. She even seemed to know how Su-hyuk had gotten this far.
"You watching the whole time?"
"Not you or the Tower Lord directly. Overheard the other guys whispering."
"Just to be safe."
He didn't want to assume the worst, but Su-hyuk considered the possibility.
"Mersian—think you can capture him alive?"
If a stealth specialist like her...
Maybe she could slip past undetected and hold a blade to his throat. If anyone had even a sliver of a chance, it was Ye-ryeong.
He held faint hope, but she shook her head.
"Can't say for sure."
For someone usually brimming with confidence to answer like that meant it was truly difficult.
"Killing him? Maybe. But capturing alive is way harder. Against the Black Tower Lord, the moment I try, I'd have to brace for death myself."
"Then no."
No matter how necessary, it wasn't worth risking her life.
"Want me to kill him instead?"
"No."
Su-hyuk shook his head.
"Not yet."
"Worth sparing?"
"Time to find out."
Fortunately, finding the door to the underground wasn't hard.
Ye-ryeong had already located it—and even pocketed the key.
She jingled the key from her pocket and inserted it into what looked like empty floor.
Clunk. The floor lifted, revealing a wide, long staircase descending into the depths.
Below was pitch black, and an ominous dark magic presence emanated that hadn't been felt before opening the door. A chill ran down the spine involuntarily.
"I haven't gone all the way down there."
Ye-ryeong warned in advance.
"Smelled dangerous as hell."
"It probably is. Might be a way to kill an archmage down there."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Su-hyuk relayed the conversation Neila had with Mersian at the orphanage.
Ye-ryeong's expression naturally hardened.
"If that's the case, it's no ordinary danger."
She knew Hailz's power well from seeing it up close several times. No amount of revival could let Neila surpass her.
Not because Neila was lacking.
Hailz had reached a transcendent realm no other mage could touch.
"You gonna be okay?"
"Only by checking there can I uncover what Neila's been plotting all this time. Gotta find proof of everything she's done too. Saving those kids once? Without solving the root cause, it'll just keep happening."
She hadn't asked out of ignorance. Just checking if he might be getting careless.
At that moment, the kit buzzed.
A message from Hailz. Su-hyuk checked the content.
The puzzle pieces were falling into place.
After reading the message, Su-hyuk began descending the stairs. Ye-ryeong naturally followed behind.
"Let's hurry."
Whatever awaited in the pitch darkness, uncovering it would settle everything.
At the same time Su-hyuk descended underground.
Mersian was reading in his study. Wearing reading glasses he rarely used, he enjoyed a leisurely time.
As he turned a page, Mersian said.
"Come in."
At his words, the elderly man pacing outside the door entered.
"You're here?"
"Yes. They've just entered the Deep Sea."
"Faster than expected."
"Around fifty, including the Tower Lord and the Archmage. Five chief mages, and the rest all high-ranking Red Tower mages."
"They're serious."
Five chief mages and dozens of high-rankers. Plus the Tower Lord and Archmage themselves.
The numbers were modest, but no one would think such a force came just to warn.
"Shall I sound the war bell?"
Mersian shook his head at the old man's question.
"Not yet. But prepare anyway. We need to be ready for the worst."
The moment the war bell tolled, every villain in the Deep Sea would converge as one.
Then it would be irreversible. The Deep Sea's ghosts, once riled, rarely listened to reason.
"Is that wise? With the Archmage and Red Tower Lord coming together..."
"It's fine. They're not all on the same side."
"Pardon?"
"The Red Tower Lord is coming to kill the Archmage. And the Archmage knows it."
"Kill the Archmage?"
The old man asked in shock.
He hadn't said it expecting a reply. It was so unbelievable that he reflexively questioned it.
"The world will erupt. If we're known as the ones who killed the Archmage, it'll spark real war."
"The Red Tower Lord will handle the fallout. Once the Archmage is dead, cleanup is doable."
"Will the Archmage die that easily?"
"Probably not."
Thud-.
Mersian closed the book. He muttered regretfully.
"Was at a good part."
Good part?
The old man's gaze shifted to the book Mersian had been reading. It wasn't his usual type.
"A novel?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"You don't usually read those."
"First time seeing it, but it's fun."
The Ugly Duckling. He'd heard the name but never read it before.
Mersian set the book down and stood.
"Let's go. Time to greet the Archmage."
Shadows fell over the Black Tower's sky.
Vulkanus and another Red Dragon, flanked by fifty wyverns. Their procession tensed the once-quiet Deep Sea.
If those two Red Dragons unleashed their breath, the Deep Sea would become a sea of fire.
But fortunately, they didn't seem intent on fighting right away.
Thud-.
Mersian appeared at the Black Tower's summit.
From the rooftop lined with hundreds of black mages, he looked up at the two Red Dragons.
The rooftop was too narrow for dozens of wyverns to land. Thus, the mages dismounted and descended, robes billowing.
Only two landed atop the Black Tower.
The two Red Dragons and their masters.
Hailz and Neila descended from atop the Red Dragons. Mersian approached Hailz first to greet her.
"Welcome. The Black Tower extends its hospitality."
Hailz gave a slight nod. Her attention was solely on the stunning view from the tower.
Neila handled the formalities.
"You're the Black Tower Lord?"
"Indeed."
"Pleasure to meet you."
The two greeted as if meeting for the first time today.
"You've traveled far; well done."
"Yes. A pity it's not under better circumstances—this is rather unpleasant business."
"I've heard. Seems like a misunderstanding."
Children found in the Black Tower, pointing to Hailz as culprit.
The Black Tower was implicated in the chain of events. Officially, this gathering was to settle the truth and, if needed, punish the tower.
But.
"Pfft."
Hailz, gazing at the scenery, burst into laughter at their contrived exchange.
Neila's brow twitched mid-conversation with Mersian. Wrinkles formed between her eyes despite makeup, betraying her irritation.
"What's so funny?"
"Still putting on the act even here. Amusing."
Hailz turned her head.
Meeting Neila's eyes, she smiled coolly.
"What have you prepared?"
"What do you mean?"
"Playing dumb to the end? Fine."
Hailz strode forward.
Passing Mersian, she walked through over a hundred black mages, unconcerned even assuming them all foes.
"Then I'll find out myself."