Chapter 111
Chapter 111
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 111
Chapter Title: Became the Nail That Sticks Out
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Geon-woo Clinic's expedition to Halparis didn't draw much attention.
It was just one marquis-level demon noble falling along with his territory.
Such things happened occasionally even among the demons, and it wasn't enough to upset the balance among the seventy-two tribes.
Yet, the clash between Geon-woo Clinic and Marquis Shepalt still turned heads for one reason: the leader of the Halparis tribe had permitted it.
The heads of the seventy-two tribes under the demons were top-tier powerhouses even in this world.
The fact that one of them had yielded to Geon-woo Clinic was what sparked the interest.
"So, the retainers of Teopoli are giving us dirty looks. The demons themselves haven't said a word."
"Meaning we should leave Teopoli?"
Geon-woo asked Pang with a displeased expression.
"That's right. We've become the strongest force in Teopoli now, after all."
Pang nodded.
"What if we push back?"
Geon-woo wondered.
"My lord! Absolutely not. If you do, the entire Crosus will come after you."
Ilryeong, who had been listening, jumped up in alarm and voiced his opposition.
"Ilryeong's right. From Crosus's perspective, we're like indigestible junk food."
Pang sided with Ilryeong.
"What did we do? We've just been living quietly."
Geon-woo felt a bit wronged.
The number of talents he'd brought from Earth had grown, but that didn't make them some massive power.
The issue was they'd only defended themselves aggressively a few times against external provocations.
"Crosus sees us as a threat. They're worried we might undermine their independence or freedom."
"So we should leave Crosus altogether?"
It sounded like pressure not just to leave Teopoli, but to get out of Crosus entirely, which soured his mood.
"No. We don't need to leave Crosus territory altogether. Yielding by leaving Teopoli should be enough for now."
"Even so, it'll be hard to stay in any Crosus city or village. We'd have to build our own base somewhere in Crosus territory but independent of them."
"Exactly. That's how it'd shake out."
Pang nodded, as if conceding that much was necessary.
"There's plenty of empty land, so picking a spot won't be an issue."
This world had empty land everywhere.
If you had the ability, establishing a decent-sized base was no trouble.
It only became a problem if it grew so large it clashed with other powers—something that required controlling several major cities.
Until then, building or expanding a force faced little interference.
Unless you had special enemies, that is.
"We'll stay within Crosus territory and grow as much as we can. Then we can push out the surroundings to expand, or find somewhere else to relocate everyone."
"But that won't be easy, my lord. If you set up a base inside Crosus territory, you'll naturally face pushback from those under Crosus."
"As Ilryeong says, there'll be Crosus's checks. Demons aside, Tebrus and Pheniel might target us too."
"Tebrus and Pheniel would covet our Gangsigong, sure. But they won't touch us easily."
He knew various factions might eye the Clinic, but Geon-woo wasn't overly worried.
"Well, we've got chaos mana as our cheat key."
Pang knew exactly where Geon-woo's confidence came from, so he agreed.
"But won't it be tough to keep running the Clinic?"
Ilryeong raised a practical concern.
Geon-woo's Clinic now had too many people to call it small.
And all those people spent their days training to build strength.
That meant no productive activities.
Beyond a certain level, training required massive resources.
Potions to boost mana, training manuals, essences implanted with secret arts.
To acquire them, they had to pay up, and stopping Clinic operations would cut off their income.
"So what? Jumper's gotten good enough that long-distance teleport gates aren't a problem anymore."
Pang figured installing teleport gates would keep their clients.
But Geon-woo shook his head.
"We can make gates, but who'll host the other end?"
"Host? What do you mean?"
"Think, Pang. Setting one up at our base is fine, but where do we put the receiving gate? Teopoli would be ideal, but you think they'll allow it?"
"Oh, right. No, they won't."
"Exactly. We can't just plop a gate anywhere. It needs to be somewhere with an established gate network..."
Ilryeong caught on, his face clouding over.
"The best would be linking to an existing gate, but no one's going to let us."
"Why overcomplicate it? Just connect to a gate in Pheniel territory."
Pang brightened, as if struck by an idea.
"That could keep our Pheniel clients."
Ilryeong nodded, finding it reasonable.
"No, it's more than that. If only Pheniel uses our Clinic, you think Tebrus will sit still?"
"What if they don't? They're already sneaking people in through proxies to avoid detection."
Tebrus did route people through backchannels and even poached members who'd seen results from the Clinic.
Rumors even said it was causing friction between Crosus and Tebrus.
"We can't target Tebrus specifically, but we know plenty are involved. Most hide behind Crosus resident masks."
"Everyone knows that. So?"
Geon-woo still didn't get what Pang was driving at.
Pang thumped his chest in frustration.
"So what? If we only deal with Pheniel, some Tebrus city in Crosus will reach out eventually."
"You think Tebrus will go that far undercover?"
Geon-woo was starting to catch on.
"Or do they just watch Pheniel grow stronger? You know how much stronger undead get after our Clinic."
"They're no match for jiangshi, but yeah, way beyond regular undead."
"Tebrus won't give up on the Clinic. Not until they crack the Gangsigong refinement secret."
"Hmm. So even if we relocate, the Clinic's business won't suffer much?"
Geon-woo stroked his chin, weighing the idea.
Surprisingly, Pang's logic held water.
"Alright. We'll stall for time and build our own base. Location-wise, somewhere near the Mahyeol Mountains."
"The Mahyeol Mountains?"
"That huge range has only one Crosus city."
"But chaos mana makes training tricky there, doesn't it? Even a little leak during practice could spell disaster..."
"Not deep inside—just close enough. Far enough to avoid Mahyeol influence."
"Ah! That could work. I'm for it."
"Accessibility to Mahyeol for recharging chaos mana is a plus. I'm in too."
Pang agreed, and Ilryeong followed suit on basing near the Mahyeol Mountains.
Truth was, Geon-woo Clinic's strongest asset was its chaos mana users.
Beyond the initial four like Muhammad, all the bio-armor implant recipients from Earth trained in chaos mana.
Minus the weakness of only recovering it within Mahyeol, chaos mana outclassed any power.
"Right, then. Send people to the Mahyeol Mountains to scout base sites. And prep to move our Teopoli facilities at the same time."
Once decided, no hesitation.
Geon-woo immediately began relocation preparations.
* * *
Finding a spot for Geon-woo Clinic to move turned out easier than expected.
There was a basin in the Mahyeol Mountains untouched by Mahyeol.
Mahyeol appeared on slopes, not flat ground.
So even in the Mahyeol Mountains, the flat basin interior was Mahyeol-free.
"If we need more space, we can expand the basin. Size isn't an issue."
With Geon-woo's telekinesis, carving out more flatland was feasible.
"Still, tons of buildings to build and complex magic circles to relocate. We'll be busy for a while."
"We've got staff—put 'em to work. My major was civil engineering originally, so I'll handle that."
Telekinesis was the ultimate efficient construction method.
"Do your best. But don't dig too deep underground."
"Because of Mahyeol?"
"Yeah. Mess up, and it could breach your underground facilities."
"I know. That's why I'm agonizing over where to place Jumper."
"No underground, so build up instead."
"Surface buildings are more vulnerable to attacks than underground. Linking to Earth with dimension gates is tricky too, and magic circle construction costs a fortune."
"Better than Mahyeol outbreaks, though?"
"True. Jumper's gate uses regular mana—Mahyeol would shatter it instantly."
"Low odds, but better safe. Build magic circles inside surface structures."
"Got it. I'll consult Jumper on designs. Strip Teopoli of anything we can, obviously."
"Yeah, duh."
"Alright. I'll start with the groundwork."
Talks wrapped, Geon-woo began shaping the basin with telekinesis.
'The basics of civil engineering are leveling the ground.'
Rumble rumble rumble! Boom!
True to his mutter, he compacted the basin floor, flattening and firming the foundation.
But amid these relocation prep, something unexpected cropped up.
"Heard the rumors?"
It started with Olka Henris Pheniel suddenly visiting Geon-woo.
"Rumors?"
At the time, he was using telekinesis to carve parallel channels underground—one for clean water, one for sewage.
"Something about a dimensional expedition?"
"Dimensional expedition?"
"More precisely, qualifications to lead one."
"Hmm, Priscilla, the Ice Garden owner, mentioned it once. I heard you get certified through some test?"
"I just heard from the family head—apparently the test changes every time."
"Well, repeating the same test would be weirder."
"Fair point. Anyway, word is the test has started."
"Not confirmed?"
"If you're that curious, ask Priscilla yourself."
"Oh, right—you hate Priscilla. Because she backs Fricsl?"
"Tch, I used to. But now? With the dimensional expedition qualifier test underway, she won't have time for anything else."
"I've heard she challenges for those quals every time."
"Yep. No matter how much she favors Fricsl, she can't help till results are out. That's plenty of time for me to turn the tables."
"Looks like you've got plans."
"You bet. As for what..."
"Nah, no need to say. I can't help you anyway. If the test's on, I'll check it out for experience."
"Knew you'd say that. That's why I brought this."
Olka grinned wide and pulled out a transparent crystal rod.
It was a foot-long rod-shaped crystal.
"What's that?"
"An invitation. To the dimensional expedition qualifier test site."
"Invitation? There's such a thing?"
Geon-woo's eyes sharpened on the crystal rod in Olka's hand.