Chapter 94
Chapter 94
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: ACT.17 The Strategy That Didn't Exist (5)
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“We've named it the Ark Gate to differentiate it, as this gate is far more dangerous than any we've seen before.”
The meeting room was abuzz with discussion.
Whether it was because they were the unspoken number one guild, or because the role simply suited him…
Seong Woo-hyeon was the one leading the briefing.
“Indeed. That gate was no ordinary thing. Ark Gate, you say. Then what will you call the gates that only release the virus? Just 'gates'?”
“Whatever we call the gates is fine. Please don't derail the topic, Choi Dae-han-nim.”
“Our Min-hwa is as prickly as ever today, hahaha!”
As Choi Dae-han laughed boisterously, Lee Min-hwa sighed and held her forehead.
“Lee Min-hwa-nim is right. Right now, we should be focusing on how to clear the gate... no, the Ark Gate. And what to do about the virus, for which we can't rely on temporary measures forever. That should be our focus. Time is short, so we need to keep this meeting concise and to the point.”
“If time is so short, we could just enter right now.”
“Entering without any preparation is out of the question. You all saw it, didn't you? The power of the virus flowing out of that place.”
At Seong Woo-hyeon's words, Kim Hyo-jong, the master of the Silver Hawk Guild, fell silent.
It was the right call.
This case was different.
With the Disaster of Verdure, we had weakened it as much as possible beforehand, and there was a clear elemental disadvantage.
On top of that, the ones with the advantage were both S-rank.
It had been a favorable situation for a confrontation.
‘But this is different.’
‘That thing’ inside the Ark Gate didn't seem to have any particular weakness.
It wasn't a Disaster-class monster, but it was an S-rank that hadn't been weakened in the slightest.
Furthermore, given its nature, it was incredibly difficult to face without perfect countermeasures against the virus.
If Gong Yeong-hoon were alive, this would have been an easy problem to solve, but things had gotten complicated.
‘Hwang Chan-jin.’
I glanced at Hwang Chan-jin, who was sitting a short distance away from me.
Hwang Chan-jin hadn't been seen for a while.
I knew he had joined the Jamryong Guild, but Seong Woo-hyeon hadn't mentioned anything about him, so I had no idea what he'd been up to.
Thinking about it now, Hwang Chan-jin is a very useful 'player helper' type.
Since Hwang Chan-jin had also progressed quite far in the game, he should know how to clear the Ark Gate.
It would be possible for me to handle the Geumeumdal side while leaving the Ark Gate to Hwang Chan-jin.
“That's right. And the source spreading the virus... the unknown monster's strength is also a major concern. At the very least, we must be more vigilant than with any monster we've faced so far.”
“I don't think so.”
The person right next to the Taegeuk Guild's master cut him off mid-sentence.
It was Kim Hyo-jong, the master of the Silver Hawk Guild.
“Cowardly weapons like that are what the weak use. Like skunks.”
He brought a hand to his mouth, made a farting noise, and grinned mischievously.
Seon Woo-jin, the Taegeuk Guild master, frowned, and Seong Woo-hyeon looked troubled.
Lee Min-hwa immediately retorted.
“Are you saying snakes are weak among animals then?”
“Take away the venom, and what's so scary about those overgrown worms? Their fangs? There are plenty of teeth that can bite sharper and deeper. A hippo's tusk is a full 60cm long. Their lunge? Bears, lions, and tigers are much scarier.”
“But it's foolish to judge whether a venomous snake, like a rattlesnake, is 'strong' or 'weak' by assuming it has no venom. If you actually had to fight a rattlesnake, would it magically be non-venomous?”
Lee Min-hwa and Kim Hyo-jong started bickering, growling at each other.
Here we go again.
In the game, those two fought like mortal enemies whenever they met.
“Kim Hyo-jong-nim is right.”
If they kept this up, the mood of the meeting would only sour.
So, I decided to step in and sort things out.
“You're saying that foolish remark is right? Are you serious?”
“Think about the S-rank monsters we've seen so far. The Destroyer, the Flame Giant, the Red Ogre.”
“How do you know about…”
“I've been providing Kim Se-hyeon-nim with various pieces of information. Please, continue, Kim Se-hyeon-nim.”
“Yes. If you look closely at them, you can notice one thing. The ones without any special characteristics had monstrous physical abilities, while the ones with strange and tricky traits were never physically strong.”
“…That's true.”
“So, what Kim Hyo-jong-nim was trying to say probably wasn't about whether the monster is strong or weak in absolute terms.”
Lee Min-hwa let out a short gasp, seeming to grasp the context.
“It's highly likely that the monster relies on attacks using its virus. In other words, if we can completely block that aspect, it will become much easier to deal with.”
“Right. That's what I was trying to say! The more I see, the more I want you. Are you sure you don't want to join our guild?”
“…If that's what you meant, you should have said so from the start. Why did you have to phrase it so strangely?”
“What? Did I say it differently?”
“Very.”
Lee Min-hwa let out a long sigh.
Choi Dae-han, who seemed to have no intention of stopping the fight, chuckled and stroked his beard.
“I was thinking the same thing. Of course, there are always exceptions, so we must remain cautious even if we block the virus.”
Seong Woo-hyeon smiled faintly.
“For now, a way to counter the virus. Our guild has something in preparation for that.”
“Preparations, you say?”
“I will tell you tomorrow.”
Seong Woo-hyeon's gaze fell on Hwang Chan-jin.
He'd been out of sight for a while; I guess he was carrying out a secret order from Seong Woo-hyeon.
But what?
Without Gong Yeong-hoon, there's no clear solution other than the cylinder.
The only way would be to push into the Geumeumdal's main base and secure the cylinder.
…Could it be that Hwang Chan-jin also knows about the dimension stones?
It's not impossible.
If the Geumeumdal have been using dimension stones to enhance gates, it's unlikely that the gate I cleared was the only one.
“I've received a report that it's nearly complete, so all preparations should be finished by tomorrow. In other words, we will clear the Ark Gate tomorrow. What does everyone think?”
All the masters nodded.
With the unanimous decision to enter tomorrow, Seong Woo-hyeon also nodded and continued speaking.
“Then, for the next issue…”
I quietly got up and left the meeting room.
I made eye contact with Seong Woo-hyeon, but he just gave me a smiling glance and didn't try to stop me.
I had attended the meeting to persuade them to start preparing to clear the Ark Gate immediately, but since it worked out on its own, there was no reason to stay.
I checked my watch; about 30 minutes had passed.
Before Min Gyeong-hoon finishes processing the dimension stone, there's one more thing I need to take care of.
‘Room 1201.’
I checked the nameplate right next to the hospital room door.
Jo Min-woo.
I had originally planned to wait a day, but with the situation developing so rapidly, I couldn't afford to be leisurely about this either.
[Hello, Kim Se-hyeon-nim!]
When I opened the shop, Uriel greeted me cheerfully.
She's always smiling, but I have no idea what this one is thinking.
Basically, it's no different from her monitoring my every move.
“Find me an Awakening Orb.”
[An Awakening Orb?]
Uriel tilted her head, expressing her confusion.
“You don't know it?”
[No, it's not that. I was just wondering why you're buying it when it doesn't seem like something you need right now, Kim Se-hyeon-nim. You've already obtained your unique ability, right? And you can't go any higher.]
“I have my reasons, so just find it without complaining.”
[But it has a one-time purchase limit...]
Uriel fidgeted but still brought up the Awakening Orb in the list.
It's true that I can only buy it once.
But as Uriel said, I had no use for it anyway, and more importantly, Jo Min-woo's growth was crucial.
*Paaat.*
As I selected the item, a red orb materialized in my hand.
It's an expensive item that costs 15,000 coins, but its effect is guaranteed.
*Drrrk.*
I opened the door to the hospital room and went inside.
My eyes fell on Jo Min-woo, lying on the bed as if dead, and Jo Min-ah, sitting quietly beside him.
“Still no sign?”
“Ah, Oppa…”
Jo Min-ah nodded weakly.
In her eyes, as she looked at her only remaining family member with no telling when he would wake up, I could feel a storm of emotions.
[Using skill, 'Extreme Eye'.]
[Character Information]
Name: Jo Min-woo
Strength: 30(+4) Stamina: 25 Agility: 30(+4) Mana: 10
Unique Ability: (Preparing to bloom)
Traits: Fighting Spirit (D), Martial Frame (C), Mana Circulation (B), Fire Spirit (B), Flame Body (B)
Skill: Aura (D)
“Here.”
As I handed her the round orb, Jo Min-ah's eyes widened as if asking what it was.
“It's a gift. Give that to Min-woo, and he'll open his eyes soon. Maybe even by the end of today.”
When someone loses consciousness as their unique ability begins to bloom, their body is gradually transformed by the system to suit it.
The proof was the traits Jo Min-woo originally didn't have: Fire Spirit and Flame Body.
On top of that, the Witch of Blue Flames, who constantly radiates the energy of fire, was right next to him.
Even while unconscious, his trait proficiency was continuously increasing.
If time just passed like this, Jo Min-woo would awaken on his own thanks to Jo Min-ah's influence.
‘But that orb will drastically shorten the time.’
[Awakening Orb]
A red orb containing a powerful energy.
When used on someone whose unique ability is preparing to bloom, it significantly shortens the time required.
It can also be used as a material to raise the rank of a unique ability.
The process was different, but seeing those two traits, I was certain.
This time, too, Jo Min-woo would awaken a unique ability that had good synergy with Jo Min-ah.
“Oppa…”
Tears streamed down Jo Min-ah's face.
“Thank you, thank you…”
“But I'm not just giving it to you.”
“Huh?”
“You know what's happening outside, right?”
She nodded cautiously.
I put on a serious expression and spoke as gravely as I could.
“The time will definitely come when your power is needed. When I'm not around. At that time, I need you to step up.”
“…Yes!”
“Good.”
Seeing the change in Jo Min-ah's eyes, I patted her shoulder and smiled faintly.
I left the hospital room, leaving Jo Min-ah to tightly grip Jo Min-woo's hand.
[The 'Angel of Benevolence's' eyes are welling up with tears.]
[The 'Angel of Benevolence' enthusiastically supports you!]
[You have been sponsored 5,000 coins.]
This was exactly the reward I was aiming for.
That suspicious Judge of Consecration seems to be watching from a neutral standpoint, but the soft-hearted and easily swayed Angel of Benevolence gave me the reward I knew she would.
The 'One Who Covets Treasure' spoke, disgusted.
[Vicious, truly vicious. To act like that just to recoup your losses.]
“Sorry, but that wasn't an act.”
[As if I'd believe that.]
“Besides, it's not like you're immune to being fleeced, right?”
I don't just fleece one side.
There's more to gain by fleecing both sides equally than just shaking down one.
The methods are just different.
You coax the angel with some gentle acting, and you smack the devil on the back of the head.
[Damn it. Don't make me laugh. I may be subservient to you for now, but do you think this will last? 'He' won't just stand by. You're already on his bad side, and you'll suffer more than I ever did. I guarantee it!]