Chapter 223: Citadel of Giants (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 223: Citadel of Giants (2)
Alice and T-Bone headed toward the Empire's camp.
Befitting an empire boasting immense wealth, they had deployed thousands of infantrymen along with their knight orders—including Titans—at the bottom of the valley.
"Sigh... This is seriously way too far. That sea anemone-like bastard. How could he send me all the way here just because of one slip of the tongue? Does this make any sense to you?"
Alice panted heavily.
Her voice was thick with irritation.
Having traveled for nearly five hours, her exhaustion had reached its peak.
"Clack. I agree with you, Lady Master."
"Lady Master? Me?"
"Yes. Are you not the lady of Master's house?"
"The lady of the house..."
Alice slowly savored the words.
"Ahem! I've been called by many titles, but that has a rather nice ring to it. Indeed, an elegant being like myself needs a title befitting her grace."
"Hmm, if we are talking about elegance, I think the one called the Saintess might be a step above. I've been looking into the people around Master, and the one who truly suits the word 'graceful' is..."
"Hey..."
"Yes?"
"Do you want me to boil you into bone broth? Since you're a skeleton, I bet the broth would turn out incredibly rich."
Alice slowly channeled her mana.
Rumble!
Fist-sized droplets of crimson blood slowly began to orbit T-Bone.
"...O-Of course, compared to you, Lady Master, the Saintess or anyone else doesn't even stand a chance. Clack. Clack."
"Good. I'm glad you finally realized."
Her pride thoroughly appeased, Alice dispersed her gathered mana.
Her mood clearly improved, she hummed a tune as she walked toward the tents where the Empire's main force was stationed.
Of course, she didn't forget to put on the mask that symbolized Unknown.
After all, for this task, Alice was merely acting as Unknown's double.
* * *
Although there was a minor scuffle with the guards at the entrance, Alice wrapped things up peacefully.
She eventually arrived at the private tent of the noble appointed as the commander-in-chief of this expedition.
"...So. The barrier around the giants' citadel will weaken tomorrow night, so strike then. Is that what you're saying?"
The confidant sent by Duke Veinstern.
Count Hobier.
He was a man with a portly build, a double chin, and a striking golden mustache.
The way he devoured a whole chicken from the table, bones and all, was even more memorable.
"That's right. You'd better hurry if you don't want the Murim crowd to beat you to it. It seems they've also noticed the barrier."
"A barrier..."
Hobier stroked his beard.
It was a highly suspicious story, but he couldn't simply dismiss it.
After all, the martial prowess this masked figure had displayed on the walls against the giants was truly immense.
'The Duke told me to keep my distance from Kang Jinhyuk because he is difficult to handle, but we still know very little about this masked mage.'
What their inclinations are,
or if they can be swayed.
No one has even tried to sound them out yet.
'If I can recruit them...'
If he could, the achievement of recruiting an Archmage would be recognized as a feat on par with capturing the Citadel of Giants itself.
After all, who could deny that mages boasted the greatest firepower in long-range combat?
As a high-tier asset that formed one of the three pillars of the Empire alongside knights and Titans, their value was immeasurable.
'Even if they are trying to pull a fast one, we can handle any variable as long as we have our trump card ready.'
His hesitation was brief.
"I shall gladly accept this information about the citadel. That aside... I heard you are working with that man, Kang Jinhyuk. Is that true?"
"That's right. We have a mutually beneficial relationship. Though he's gotten a bit cranky lately."
"Hmm. That is rather strange."
"What's so strange about it?"
As Alice tilted her head, Hobier continued smoothly, as if he had been waiting for this exact moment.
"I do not know what binds you to him, but there is a limit to what a single Player can offer. Why should a great Archmage like yourself be bound to a mere individual?"
Hobier was subtly hinting at the vast resources the Empire could offer.
Flattering them while showing them a brighter path...
...they would surely take the bait.
'Would they dare refuse our offer?'
And at that very moment—
"Are you saying that if I join you, I can fulfill my wish?"
The very response he had been waiting for slipped from her lips.
She was hooked.
"Of course. Whatever you desire, we will surely make it happen."
Hobier puffed out his chest with supreme confidence.
But then.
"It's impossible."
Alice quietly shook her head.
"What do you mean, impossible?"
"You could never fulfill my wish. Ah... don't take it personally. It's not just you; it would be the same for anyone else."
"...This is absurd. You don't seem to realize the extent of our power. We are the largest force in the middle floors of the Tower. We are the Empire."
"You don't even know what I want, do you? I'll say it again: it's impossible for you."
"Then are you saying that human, Kang Jinhyuk, can? That a single human can achieve what even we cannot?"
Countless troops, vast territories, and the great empire built upon them.
Was it even reasonable to weigh that overwhelming force against a single human?
Yet, Alice answered in a voice more certain than ever.
"Even if you pooled all your resources together, you couldn't even hold a candle to him."
The strongest, most notorious ranker.
A Player who silently climbed upward, never once losing his confidence.
"If there is anyone in this Tower who can fulfill my wish..."
A gentle smile played on Alice's lips.
"It is him, and him alone."
* * *
Time flew by.
As the hour Jinhyuk had predicted drew near, both the Empire and Murim camps were on high alert.
They had to see for themselves if the citadel's barrier would truly weaken, just as Wolyeong and Alice had claimed.
This time, I will surely take that damn Giant King's head and claim the base.
Before the Heavenly Demon Cult fully emerges, we must erase the Empire from the map. Only then will we stand a chance in the fight against the Heavenly Demon.
With entirely different goals in mind, both sides waited for midnight to arrive.
And the moment the full moon reached its zenith—
Hummmmm!
The transparent barrier surrounding the citadel began to ripple slightly.
There was no mistake.
Something was happening to the barrier.
"Deploy the Titans! Find out which curse has been lifted, and then send in the main force immediately!"
Hobier roared at the top of his lungs.
"Each squad leader, form a detachment of peak-level experts. If we can bypass the barrier, we can capture the citadel within half a day."
Baek Seol-rin and Namgung Cheon also quickly assessed the situation and made their move.
The dark clouds of war gathered over the silent forest.
* * *
At that same moment, Jinhyuk headed toward the Citadel of Giants alone.
As he stepped inside the barrier, a strange, unsettling sensation washed over him.
[You are afflicted with a status condition!]
[Your spatial senses (front, back, left, right) have been distorted.]
[Due to the 7-star barrier 'Mana Rift', a portion of the curse has failed to activate.]
[If you venture deeper, there is a risk of additional curses stacking.]
He had nearly worked himself to death yesterday drawing the barrier to weaken 'Fantasy Lost Paradise'.
Setting aside the lack of time and materials, finding a gap in a 12-star barrier was an incredibly delicate task.
'The curse I dismantled must have been the one that randomly triggers skills.'
It was a bit of a shame that he couldn't block the distortion of spatial senses—the most troublesome curse—but...
It didn't matter.
This alone would be more than enough bait to lure in both the Empire and Murim.
Jinhyuk lightly tapped the calf of the giant standing in front of him.
"You know what happens, right? If you try to pull a fast one by giving a fake password to alert the guards..."
"D-Don't worry."
"I'm not worried. If you do, I'll just make sure you can never use your 'junior' ever again."
"..."
The giant's awkward, waddling gait was painful to watch.
He had undoubtedly suffered a devastating blow to a place that should never be struck.
"Techriosh."
A deep, rumbling voice echoed.
A secret route that could only be opened by the voice of a giant.
This was exactly why he had captured a scouting giant the day before.
Rumble!
A gap barely wide enough for a single giant to squeeze through opened in a section of the hundreds-of-meters-tall citadel wall.
Indeed, there was nothing quite like inside information.
"I-I've done everything I was supposed to. I'll be going now."
The giant slowly began to back away.
"Hmm. I'm afraid that's a bit difficult. I have a strict policy of not leaving any loose ends."
"Y-You're going to kill me? Even after I did everything you asked?"
"You're a giant, and I'm a human. We're natural enemies. Besides, you were planning to run straight to the guards the moment I stepped inside, weren't you?"
Showing mercy was reserved for those who deserved it—not for someone who would stab him in the back at the first opportunity.
"H-Hieee!"
Terrified, the giant turned tail and tried to flee.
He opened his mouth to scream, desperate to warn his comrades.
But.
Crack!
His vocal cords froze solid in an instant, preventing him from making a single sound.
"Quite an artistic statue."
Jinhyuk muttered as he looked up at the seven-meter-tall block of ice.
Even with his spatial senses distorted, his Glacial Shaping sculpture was absolutely flawless.
It was as if a restriction of that level was nothing to him.
Right then—
Rumble!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
A heavy vibration shook the ground.
"E-Enemy attack!"
"The humans are swarming in!"
"Inform the King! The enemy is here!"
Rough shouts echoed through the air, reaching his ears a moment later.
...The two factions had finally taken the bait.
The Empire, Murim, and the giants—the pieces on the chessboard had begun to move in earnest.
'I need to hurry too.'
Jinhyuk took a few awkward steps forward.
It seemed he still needed a bit more time to adapt to the distorted senses.
Step.
How long had he been walking down the passage?
The pitch-black darkness gradually gave way to a light that soon burst into a blinding brilliance.
A garden filled with golden roses.
And rising in its center, a white tree.
Looking like the last paradise lost amidst an apocalypse, the sight was breathtaking.
But despite the breathtaking beauty, Jinhyuk's expression remained grim.
Shiver...
A chill ran down his spine, and his senses flared to their absolute limits.
His nerves screamed, and he could feel the flow of energy through every single cell.
Even if no one else did, Jinhyuk knew.
He knew exactly how dangerous it was to stand before this tree.
[The Coin Exchange is now open.]
In that case, all that was left was to prepare his defenses.
Jinhyuk quickly scanned the items available in the exchange.
Among these...
...he had to find the hidden piece that would allow him to break through this trial.