Chapter 224: Fantasy Lost Paradise (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 224: Fantasy Lost Paradise (1)
The White Tree that guards the Fantasy Lost Paradise.
A symbol of the Citadel of Giants and the foundation of all barriers, this tree was a sacred relic that emitted a massive amount of mana on its own.
Naturally, there were monsters drawn to this mana, and because of that, it possessed its own means of defending itself from intruders even without the giants' protection.
'If you underestimate it just because the giants don't pay attention to it, you'll end up paying a heavy price.'
To avoid repeating that mistake, he had to prepare thoroughly this time.
[1L of Sweet Peri Acacia Honey - 1,000 Coins]
[Tree's Breath - 5,500 Coins]
[100L of Glacial Water of the Osium Mountains - 2,250 Coins]
[0.349365kg of ??? Bones Discovered B.C. - 10 Coins]
[349.365kg of ??? Bones Discovered B.C. - 10,000 Coins]
Jinhyuk quickly scanned the material items he had purchased from the Coin Exchange.
There were countless variables, but the only way to break through here was to purchase these.
'Well, shall we get started?'
Jinhyuk dropped the '??? Bones Discovered B.C.' onto the ground.
This item was a random gacha type, meaning you couldn't know which monster's bone it was until it materialized after purchase.
However, there was exactly one way.
A trick to peek behind the curtain.
'Buying the bones in two separate transactions.'
A condition that was met only when you purchased bones of different weights, entering the exact decimal points.
This was information he had discovered back when he was obsessed with gacha, squandering every single coin he had saved up.
[A hidden condition has been met!]
[You can choose one of three types of bones!]
[Avian Species 'Quetzalcoatlus' × 1]
[Marine Species 'Tidalos' × 1]
[Ancient Soldier × 10]
A golden status window cascaded down.
Jinhyuk smacked his lips bitterly.
'Damn, seeing this brings back terrible memories.'
Come to think of it, back then, he was so hooked on this kind of gambling content that he poured in every last cent, even the money he needed to buy triangle kimbap.
Starving all day was a given, and because he didn't have bus fare, he often had to walk the distance of ten subway stations.
Come to think of it, that was also when he used to kill Cheon Yu-seong—who was notorious for PK'ing back then—at every opportunity to collect the bounties on him.
It was the only period when Jinhyuk, rather than Cheon Yu-seong, was the one to pick a fight first.
'Is that why his grudge against me was so deep?'
Jinhyuk tilted his head in thought for a moment, then shook it.
Surely, a grown man wouldn't hold a grudge over something like that...
More important than such trivial matters was which monster's bone to choose.
'Here, it's quantity over quality.'
As of yet, he lacked the capacity to control high-ranking undead monsters other than T-Bone.
Rather than summoning difficult-to-manage creatures for no reason, it was better to have obedient ones, even if they were a bit weaker.
Jinhyuk activated his skill toward the piled-up bones.
[Activating Lv1 'Undead Creation'!]
[Ancient Soldiers are being summoned!]
[Ancient Soldier]
Level: 3
Strength: 20, Agility: 20, Stamina: 20, Mana: 20
Description: Soldiers of a now-forgotten ancient beastkin kingdom. If their loyalty to protect their king and kingdom even in death can be directed toward you, these ancient soldiers will become incredibly reliable subordinates in the future.
Special Note: Due to the caster's lack of proficiency, their size is limited to the 50cm class. Their intelligence is extremely low.
It was like looking at a top-heavy SD (super deformed) character.
Judging by the sharp single horn on their skulls, they seemed to be of the unicorn tribe, but...
'They don't even have 10% of their original stats.'
The Archmage's Robe obtained from the Lich he fought in Europe, and Merlin's Staff acquired from the Corridor.
Even with the help of both items, this seemed to be the limit.
Although the efficiency was low, he had no intention of giving up on the undead.
This was because, out of all races, the undead were the only ones free from the barrier of this citadel.
"Clack? Where is this?"
"Clatter. I'm alive."
The ancient soldiers, granted life once more, stared at their skeletal, dry bones.
Their black pupils and white bones went surprisingly well together.
Ahem! Cough!
Jinhyuk cleared his throat.
"I am your master..."
"Clack. Master?"
"Stop clacking. Since I am your master from now on..."
"Clack. Clack. He says he's the master."
"What's a master? Is it edible?"
"Master. Master."
...This seemed never-ending.
"Whew. Never mind. I don't have time, and I can't be the one training you guys."
This time, Jinhyuk summoned T-Bone through his sub-space inventory.
"Master. Did you call for me?"
"These guys will be your subordinates from now on. Train them well while I do some other preparations."
"Yes! Understood. Leave it to me."
T-Bone gave a polite salute.
Then, emitting a strange glow from his eyes, he approached the ancient soldiers.
"Welcome. I am T-Bone, your great senior. Clatter."
Just how many days ahead of them was he to call himself a veteran?
His arrogant, swaggering attitude was utterly ridiculous.
"Same. Undead. As us."
"Why are you trying to order us around?"
"The reason I'm ordering you around is simple. I have pedigree in my bones. Unlike you guys who were buried in the dirt, I was made in the sky. You could say I'm of royal blood. Clatter."
That statement was technically true.
Since he had come from an in-flight meal.
"Besides, have you ever heard of the ancient species, the big brothers, and the True Ancestor mistress, who is the strongest among vampires?"
"A-Ancient species."
"True Ancestor... Clatter."
"They are great beings."
"Exactly. On top of that, I personally serve the spirit beasts of the Five Elements. In short, I am the captain of the guard, standing immeasurably higher than you lot."
To think he'd even bring up Goguma and Alice.
Mmm.
That wasn't entirely false either, but wasn't the exaggeration a bit too severe?
It was on the level of pointing at the neighbor's puppy and claiming you were raising a dragon.
He wondered what kind of idiot would be deceived by such words, but...
...believing such things blindly was exactly what newly born undead did.
"Ohhh!"
"What an amazing skeleton."
"I've never seen an undead who made it so big."
"Undead King! We follow you!"
This is why low intelligence is tragic.
Since they were blowing trumpets for such ridiculous bluffing.
Well, thanks to that, it made things easier from a leadership perspective.
While T-Bone was playing cult leader with both arms raised high, Jinhyuk began to synthesize the rest of the purchased items.
He infused the 'Tree's Breath' over the 'Sweet Peri Acacia Honey'.
Then, he mixed the resulting sticky honey into the 'Glacial Water of the Osium Mountains'.
[You have successfully synthesized 'Heavenly Scent'.]
[All plants are captivated by this scent.]
[Resistance is lowered by 10%. The influence of curses caused by barriers is reduced by an additional 10%!]
[The special effect 'Taunt' is forcibly activated!]
Then, at that very moment.
"Grooooooo!"
The White Tree reacted to the scent.
* * *
It's starting.
Jinhyuk took his stance.
Bzzzzzz!
Ch-ch-ch...
Countless noises pierced his eardrums.
What looked like the petals of the White Tree took flight all at once.
Insect-type monsters resembling butterflies.
Butterflies with blindingly white wings and blue eyes densely covered the sky.
On the ground, large centipedes with black outer shells and giant insects began to move at high speeds.
'They sure hid a lot of them.'
The numbers were one thing, but the combat power of each individual was extraordinary.
Well, that was probably why the giants felt safe leaving this place unattended.
"Don't worry about the butterflies and centipedes. Just block the path of the large insects that come in between."
"Will you be alright on your own, Master?"
"Whether I'm alright or not, this is the only way."
It would be easier with support from Alice or Wolyeong, but those two had their own tasks to attend to.
And as for this much...
He couldn't start whining already, unless it was the main body of the White Tree or the Giant King, 'Ograkun'.
It was then.
"Kieeeeee!"
A rhinoceros beetle as large as a house burst out from between the grass.
Though low in height, it was a medium-sized species reaching 4 meters in length.
Its pincers, spread wide on both sides, snapped shut to slice Jinhyuk's torso in half in an instant.
However.
Clash!
The pincers were blocked by two pillars made of bone.
"Master. You don't need to worry about these minor pests."
"Oh. Not bad. I guess you weren't just slacking off after all?"
"Heh! Even though I look like this, I'm... Uh, uh-oh? It's breaking! It's breaking!"
Crack!
Snap!
As the pincers easily threatened to shatter the bones, T-Bone recoiled in shock and took a step back.
Seriously, every time he tried to give him a little praise, this always happened...
"Tsk, tsk."
Clicking his tongue softly, Jinhyuk ignored T-Bone and kicked off the ground.
A longhorn beetle and another pair of large helmet beetles appeared, but the ancient soldiers threw their bodies to block them as if they had been waiting for this moment.
'With a little polishing, they won't be bad.'
Goguma, the spirit beasts, T-Bone, and the ancient soldiers.
Seeing his steadily growing allies, he couldn't help but feel reassured.
Hummmm!
A white light gathered into a single point at the tip of Fang.
The air dried up, and moisture evaporated.
[Lv9 'Daylight' is activated!]
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The light, gathered to its absolute limit, surged forward.
Even if the insect-type monsters possessed fairly tough outer shells, they weren't sturdy enough to withstand the area-of-effect skill Daylight at point-blank range.
A path cleared wide open all the way to the White Tree.
Before anyone knew it, instead of Fang, a long bow, Molar, was held in Jinhyuk's hand.
The 'Crimson Magic Bullet' pierced the air instead of an arrow.
A red flash flickered across the night sky.
Thud!
Thud!
"Keeek!"
"Keeeeek!"
Wind holes were punched through the bodies of the butterflies that had been scattering dust in the sky.
17 in total.
The butterflies lost their balance and plummeted to the ground.
Except for exactly one.
"M-Master. Why did you leave one behind...?"
T-Bone asked back, unable to understand.
He couldn't possibly admit that he had gotten slightly confused because it had been so long since he last fought inside a curse.
A company president has his pride, after all.
Jinhyuk replied briefly.
"Humanity."
Even a veteran has a human side.
"From what I saw, it looked like you mistook your left and right."
"Could you say that again? I didn't hear you clearly."
"I mean, it looked like you shot the arrow in the complete opposite direction..."
"Hey."
"Yes?"
"Don't harbor useless doubts before I start using the bones in your body as arrows instead. And if you let even a single one sneak up behind me, know that I'll sell all of you to a hangover soup restaurant to be used as pork bone soup."
Flinch.
T-Bone and the ancient soldiers' bodies trembled slightly.
At the same time, a question crossed T-Bone's mind.
Whether spending time together made the Master and the Lady Master's personalities similar...
* * *
The Grand Banquet Hall located in the center of the citadel.
A small campfire in the center was the only thing illuminating the massive space.
Beyond the flames, the figures of the giants blurred indistinctly.
"Ograkun. The enemies' attack is unusual."
One of the giants spoke heavily.
Indeed.
In the late hours of the night, heading into dawn, the reason everyone was awake and gathered here...
...was to devise a countermeasure against the enemies encroaching from all directions.
Everyone's gaze turned toward the throne at the edge of the Grand Banquet Hall.
A throne made of dark iron, and the banner of the White Tree hanging behind it.
And...
...the one sitting on that throne was none other than the Giant King, Ograkun.
Even as everyone else grew anxious, not a hint of agitation could be seen on Ograkun's face.
"..."
Instead, as if bored, he slowly swirled his wine glass clockwise.
"King! The humans have tampered with the barrier. At this rate, the castle gates might be breached."
The Empire exerted pressure with Titans and various siege weapons, while the Murim was gradually attacking the castle walls, centering around peak-level masters.
"..."
Yet, Ograkun remained unresponsive to the anxious report.
"Please give us some orders. If we do nothing, the encirclement will only tighten, and the front of the gates will be filled with their forces."
"I suppose so."
"What on earth is that reaction...! Are you saying we should just stand by and watch until the enemies grow stronger?"
"Exactly."
"What?"
"We just need to stay still and do nothing. If we do, this battle will once again end in our victory."
Ograkun drained the alcohol in his glass in a single gulp.
The wine trickling down his sinisterly twisted mouth...
...bore an incredibly vivid, crimson hue.