Chapter 139: Geumwa Clan (6)
Chapter 139: Geumwa Clan (6)
While some Geumwa Clan Awakeners remained outside the Ivory Tower, the task of subduing them was relatively easy since their main forces had been concentrated inside.
Furthermore, Wolyeong and Grace were assisting in the cleanup.
Even though the Association’s Awakeners were few and relatively weaker, they felt no threat at all.
The S-Rank Psychokinetic, clad in a black robe and veil, appeared to be standing still without taking much action, yet she easily suppressed the Geumwa Clan members using her psychokinesis.
Thanks to her, those outside focused primarily on searching the annex buildings to locate where the monster carcasses were being stored.
Once the situation had settled enough that no further help was needed, Kang Yujin and Grace headed inside the building to regroup with Han Shin.
Both Kang Yujin and Grace knew for certain that Han Shin had grown stronger over the past month, having devoted himself to clearing dungeons and training in Siberia.
Even though they trusted him, a woman’s heart couldn't help but worry.
As soon as they entered the Ivory Tower, they saw Han Shin and Laysia descending.
However, Park Min-woo was standing right beside Han Shin, appearing to be in the middle of a conversation with him.
‘Huh...?’
Kang Yujin felt a sense of confusion.
As she drew closer, she could hear that Han Shin was indeed conversing with Park Min-woo.
‘Did something happen?’
The moment Park Min-woo saw Wolyeong arrive, he greeted her warmly.
“Ah, Wolyeong-nim, you’ve arrived? Thank you for your hard work.”
“You’ve worked hard as well. The situation outside is all wrapped up.”
Since there were eyes watching, Han Shin couldn't call Kang Yujin "Noona."
Feeling the need to explain the situation privately, Han Shin asked for Park Min-woo’s understanding.
“We need a moment to speak amongst ourselves.”
“Ah, yes. Of course.”
Park Min-woo gestured to the nearby Association Awakeners, and they cleared the area.
Once the four of them were alone and the others had moved a distance away, Grace pulled a disc-shaped artifact from her subspace. It was designed to block sound, allowing for a secret conversation.
Grace nodded to Han Shin, signaling that it was safe to speak freely. Han Shin then spoke up.
“Noona, Grace. I think there’s something wrong with this artifact.”
Laysia was holding the necklace artifact—a gold metal piece set with a blue gemstone—which had been placed under a simple sealing spell using Tiamat’s holy power.
Both Kang Yujin and Grace stared intently at the necklace.
Under the weight of their concentrated gaze, Raulo felt as if his entire body were being incinerated.
The power of demons originated from the Evil Gods; Demonic Energy formed their bodies and profoundly influenced the core of their existence. Consequently, Holy Power—its polar opposite—was lethal.
It was a searing pain that felt like his soul was burning.
He was like a chicken trapped inside a red-hot cauldron.
Raulo tried his best to suppress the urge to scream.
However, he was rapidly reaching his limit, and the agony became unbearable.
[Aaaaaargh!!]
A blood-curdling shriek rang out, loud enough for everyone on the first floor to hear.
Park Min-woo and the other Association Awakeners came rushing back in alarm.
The eyes of everyone, including Han Shin’s party, were fixed on the necklace floating above Laysia’s hands.
Raulo realized his blunder and quickly shut his mouth.
But it was already too late. Park Min-woo now knew for certain that, just as the Knight had said, that artifact was an object possessed of a wicked supernatural power.
★ ★ ★
Large clans originally planted permanent spies in each other's territories to keep one another in check.
Therefore, even though the Association had raided the Geumwa Clan in top secrecy alongside Han Shin’s party, the news quickly reached the other large clans.
Since the spies had to observe from a distance rather than up close, they couldn't know the exact details, but it became known that the Association had gone to the Geumwa Clan’s house, engaged in battle, and was conducting some kind of search.
Naturally, the remaining clans reacted with extreme sensitivity.
While it hadn't happened in Korea yet, there were cases in other countries where Associations colluded with governments to suppress large clans.
The Yuseong, Hwarang, and Asura clans were all on high alert, activating their intelligence networks to grasp the situation.
And...
The Goryeo Clan, which had also been corrupted by an Ego Artifact and was hoarding monster carcasses just like the Geumwa Clan, fell into a state of emergency.
Unlike Yuseong, Hwarang, and Asura, the Goryeo Clan naturally understood exactly why the Geumwa Clan was being raided and investigated the moment they heard the news.
This was because the Goryeo Clan also had a massive pile of monster carcasses hidden in the basement of their clan house, much like the Geumwa Clan.
They didn't know how the Association had found out, but it was only natural for them to assume the raid was triggered by the discovery of the hoarded carcasses.
From the Goryeo Clan’s perspective, they couldn't easily decide how to act, as they didn't know if the Association was aware that they were doing the same thing.
An emergency meeting was held in a large room within their clan house.
“Is there any way to dispose of the monster carcasses?”
“The amount we’ve stored up is so vast that if we try to move them now, there’s a very high chance our movements will be detected by outsiders.”
The Goryeo Clan had collected enough monster carcasses to fill three warehouses, making them a massive liability.
If they tried to burn them, the smoke would be visible from anywhere, and if they used vehicles to move them elsewhere in a hurry, it would be impossible to hide from prying eyes.
Thud!
“Fucking hell!”
Baek Yong-gi cursed, slamming his right fist onto the table.
His thick fist left a deep dent in the wood, sending spiderweb-like cracks across the surface.
If they just sat still, it was obvious they would end up just like the Geumwa Clan.
“Since only the Geumwa Clan was hit, maybe we haven't been caught yet...”
“What kind of bullshit is that?! What are you going to do if those bastards show up here next?!”
Baek Yong-gi roared in anger at the subordinate who was offering baseless wishful thinking.
The other executives of the Goryeo Clan also thought it was a stupid comment and looked at the speaker with pathetic eyes.
One should always prepare for the worst, but since no clear breakthrough was visible, the man had spoken out of a desperate desire to escape reality.
The problem was that no solution came to mind easily.
It was then that a voice drifted from the necklace hanging around Baek Yong-gi’s neck.
[You simply need to use all the monster carcasses.]
Jacquin had completely seized control of the Goryeo Clan. The fact that he had emerged slightly earlier than Raulo had a significant impact.
As a result, he had long since discarded his act of being a simple AI-like artifact and had revealed his true colors.
Even Baek Yong-gi of the Goryeo Clan was completely subjugated by Jacquin, serving him as a superior.
The eyes of every executive in the room were filled with a dark energy, and Demonic Energy billowed around them.
“Is that possible, Lord Jacquin?”
[Yes. Though it is inefficient, I will consume the monster carcasses all at once to make you all stronger.]
More than anything else, the primary factor that allowed the Goryeo Clan to fall so completely to Jacquin was their desire to become stronger as Awakeners.
So, when Jacquin promised to use the carcasses to empower them, that was the only thing they cared to hear.
Unlike Raulo, who sought to turn the Geumwa Clan’s mages into Warlocks and active pawns of the demons, Jacquin intended to turn the Goryeo Clan members into simple, obedient brutes.
As a result, their bodies were already significantly enhanced. Though not entirely visible under their armor and clothes, their exposed forearms and necks showed muscles that were abnormally developed.
With veins bulging and bodies so muscular they looked ready to burst, they had moved beyond human limits, giving off the aura of beasts or monsters.
The most prominent among them was, of course, the leader of the Goryeo Clan, Baek Yong-gi.
He was already one of Korea’s top warriors who used Qi, standing nearly two meters tall with a massive frame.
Now, however, he had grown even taller, exceeding two meters, and his bulk had increased further.
Most of the Goryeo Clan members were being transformed into Demonic Humans, their physical forms enhanced by Jacquin’s dark magic.
A Demonic Human was created by using monster carcasses to strengthen a human while tainting them with demonic nature, turning them into a semi-monster and a powerful minion. It was a method demons frequently used to create traitors when attacking sentient races.
In fact, Raulo had been performing this same process on the other warriors of the Geumwa Clan, excluding the mage Kim Gi-joon.
However, Raulo had been working for a shorter period, so the degree of transformation was relatively weak, whereas Jacquin had already achieved a much higher level of enhancement.
Normally, dark magic procedures should be performed over a set period to account for side effects, but with the situation becoming urgent, Jacquin intended to use a drastic measure to prepare for any eventuality.