Chapter 136
Chapter 136
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 136
Chapter Title: The Dark Fairy Mountain
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New York, USA.
A small memorial park, spontaneously established by the citizens, was abuzz with activity.
Min Ha-na was there.
Before the media could shove their microphones in her face, someone in shabby clothes bowed their head before her.
He had been chosen as the representative for the victims’ families.
The first ones the bereaved families directed their anger toward were, naturally, the US government and Decan of the Royal Club.
To Min Ha-na, however, they offered their thanks.
Despite the waiting reporters, Min Ha-na took her time speaking with the families. At first, people thought it was a perfunctory gesture, but as time went on, they realized it wasn't.
‘They’re all people just like me.’
She, too, had lost her parents to monsters.
Consoling people who shared her pain brought a surge of emotions. When she saw a little girl who had lost her father, tears welled up in her eyes before she knew it.
After the long farewell, Min Ha-na was furious and spat out the words she wanted to say.
“Damn it! All that talk about being heroes! You gobbled up everything you could, promising to protect them! If you had a conscience, you would've saved at least one more person! Just one more person among the people here! Because that one person could be someone's everything…”
Min Ha-na’s harsh words trailed off.
Right now, she wasn't S-rank Hunter Min Ha-na, but the helpless young girl who had lost her parents long ago.
The girl who had been plunged into a despair so deep she couldn't even feel resentment was now finally unleashing her fury upon the world.
Realizing she was crying, Min Ha-na wiped away her tears and left.
Since it wasn't an official appearance, there was no pretext to stop her.
‘Crying like an idiot. I should’ve just cussed them out.’
Returning to Mad Castle with such regrets, she took a deep breath to escape the emotions of the past. But in the moment she was composing herself, the United States erupted into chaos.
—Min Ha-na, Voicing the Cries of the American People.
—The US Government and Its Heroes Have Lost Their Reason for Being.
The media, riding the wave of American outrage, dredged up things that had previously gone unnoticed—stories about the Royal Club’s negligence in defending weaker nations.
The controversy that began in the US spread worldwide, leading to a torrent of criticism against the Royal Club.
That evening.
Mad Castle decided not to make any further statements on the matter.
“We’ve agreed to share information about the Nolan Sect on the condition that we don’t comment further on this situation.”
Everyone agreed with the Chief of Staff’s plan.
‘We weren’t planning to press them any further anyway.’
Although the Royal Club didn't issue a formal apology, they made a public statement promising such an incident would not happen again. After things had come this far, they would surely fight with all their might in the next invasion.
Furthermore, to quell public opinion, they announced they would devote all their resources to capturing the Nolan Sect followers who had participated in the gate’s creation.
“By the way, what’s going to happen with Decan?”
He had used the excuse of being severely injured, but public opinion wasn't about to be appeased by that. Still, Decan made no further statements.
“Isn’t it a little strange?”
Min Ha-na was the first to raise the question.
“His response is strange, that’s for sure.”
Min Ha-na shook her head at Wang-sik’s reply.
“I’m not talking about his response, but the fact that he hasn't shown up at all. Even if he’s a coward, you'd expect him to make some kind of move, knowing this would happen. He’s like a politician; it’s strange that he’d just take this kind of criticism.”
Hearing this, Wang-sik nodded.
“He’s never once shown up for a dangerous operation.”
“You’ve never fought alongside him either?”
“Never. It really is strange.”
Though suspicion arose, no one delved deeper into the matter.
“If there's something shady, it'll come out eventually. Let's leave it for now.”
For now, they decided to let it be, as he still had his uses.
***
After Oh Min-jae returned to the Azelan Continent, Romez paid him a visit.
Beaming, he placed a box wrapped in luxurious cloth on the table.
As the cloth was removed, a jewel that pulsed with a dark red light, much like a heart, was revealed inside a rectangular glass case.
A Life Stone.
It was purer and larger than any Life Stone Oh Min-jae had ever seen.
The largest one he had seen before was barely the size of two knuckles, but the one before him was so big he couldn't cover it completely even with both hands.
They had processed the life force accumulated in the crystal sphere and turned it into a Life Stone.
Only two places on the Azelan Continent could process Life Stones, and the Magic Tower was one of them.
“This is the return on your investment.”
“It seems I’m getting back several times what I invested.”
“It is a reward for your faith in the Magic Tower.”
Oh Min-jae was acting with all his might.
The Life Stone they presented.
The jewel, which exuded a grim aura, was made from the lives of people from Earth.
Naturally, he couldn't be pleased.
“Then I can’t just let you leave empty-handed.”
Oh Min-jae took out what he had prepared.
Once again, it was a document guaranteeing gold bars.
It was what the Magic Tower desired most, so he didn’t need to consider anything else.
Though the gold bars were worth a staggering 500,000 gold coins, Romez accepted the document with a simple thank you and a confident demeanor.
‘How much would a Life Stone of this quality be worth?’
The reason for his confidence was that the Life Stone before him was far more valuable.
In truth, it wasn't traded often enough for a proper market price to have been established.
One thing was certain: its value was several times the amount invested.
Of course, with the mass production of Life Stones this time, its rarity would diminish somewhat, but since the supply had been virtually nonexistent compared to the demand, its value wouldn't drop significantly.
“Well then, I have another plan to attend to, so I must be going.”
“Of course. Please make a place for me in your next plan as well. And I apologize once again for my rudeness last time.”
“We’ll be seeing each other with smiles from now on, so let’s forget the past.”
Having obtained what he wanted, Romez took the payment guarantee and left the drawing-room.
Oh Min-jae maintained his smile until he had escorted him to the trading company’s entrance, only then allowing himself a moment alone.
The Life Stone was still on the table.
Removing the glass case and touching the Life Stone directly, he felt a thrilling sensation course through his body.
The magical power was immense.
Just looking at it created the illusion of being swept into a storm of magic.
‘Mana Stones can’t even compare.’
The principle behind Mana Stones and Life Stones was the same.
To gather the energy of life.
However, the collection methods and the power of the resulting products were beyond comparison.
“Those bastards…”
Oh Min-jae knew what value was contained within this energy.
People who had lived their daily lives in countless different ways. The Life Stone was created by crushing so many lives that they couldn't be defined in a single way.
“I swear I’ll avenge you.”
Oh Min-jae put the Life Stone down.
***
Early in the morning.
Wang-sik received a guest at the Lennox family estate.
Unlike before, the entrance to the estate, now adorned with a splendid banner, was guarded by armed sentries, while a force of fifty private soldiers patrolled on a set schedule.
Their movements were not rigid like those of the empire’s knight orders or army, but focused on efficiency and practicality. Thus, instead of moving in formation, they moved quickly, forgoing the formal sword salute to simply open the path.
‘So they’re ex-mercenaries. They look pretty tough.’
Since he had already been announced, the soldiers simply confirmed his face before opening the gate and stepping aside.
Rohan Leit.
For someone accustomed to all sorts of formalities and flattery, this reception was a refreshing change.
‘He’s like Vega.’
Vega, whom he had seen in the dungeon, was just like this.
Unbound by formalities, he always chose the most efficient method for the moment.
Leit had learned a great deal from that and had even changed his own training methods.
‘I want to become a man as strong as him.’
For Leit, who dreamed of becoming the strongest knight, Wang-sik’s presence had been that impactful.
—He is waiting for you.
The ghost butler, waiting in front of the mansion, bowed his head in greeting.
As he gained power, his body had become more distinct, to the point where one wouldn't be able to tell he wasn't a living person without looking closely.
Leit had already heard about the butler, so he followed without suspicion.
And in the drawing-room, he met the man he had been waiting to see.
“Welcome.”
Leit smiled at Wang-sik’s greeting, extended his hand, and they shook hands naturally.
After exchanging pleasantries with smiles for thirty minutes, he finally got to the point.
“I’ve decided to entrust the aftermath of the War of Honor to the Mirje Trading Company. I plan to resume monster subjugations now.”
“As you should. Where’s the next subjugation site?”
“We need to take care of the urgent places first. Piso Forest and the Muljev Lake region.”
Leit knew about those areas without needing an explanation.
“That won’t be easy. I heard there are boss monsters there.”
But Wang-sik spoke of his next plan as if it were nothing.
“After we take care of those two places, I’m thinking of conquering Dark Fairy Mountain.”
“What? Isn’t that a place you can’t go with just a small group?”
It was a place the Magic Tower managed to maintain the monster ecosystem. It was also where they captured most of their monsters.
The Dark Spirit Mountain Range.
“Do you know what’s in the center of the mountain range?”
“I’ve heard. That there’s an adamantine vein.”
“The largest vein on the continent. It’s barely been mined. If we secure just that, thousands of people will find work. Not only that, but the entire mountain range has iron ore, copper, and graphite mines. Since that place was lost to monsters, the prices for those ores have doubled. And adamantine is suffering from a supply shortage.”
Wang-sik showed him the data he had compiled.
“It’s not just the mines. In the entire mountain range, a hundred thousand people used to live there. From herb gatherers and hunters to farmers of high-grade medicinal herbs, but now not a single one remains.”
Looking at the Dark Spirit Mountain Range as a whole, he wasn't wrong.
The reasons people left were a bit more complex, but in the end, it was just as Wang-sik said.
“I heard the Magic Tower is managing it now?”
Leit was not ignorant of the situation. But Wang-sik spoke without a hint of hesitation.
“Did His Majesty permit this?”
“No, he did not.”
“A single group has driven out a hundred thousand residents without His Majesty’s permission and is using the region as they please. Is this right?”
In reality, they hadn't driven them out.
They simply didn't stop the monsters from appearing.
But the displaced people felt the same as Wang-sik. At the time, the Magic Tower had the power to stop it but had deliberately let it happen.
A natural paradise where various types of monsters could live.
From the beginning, the Magic Tower had intended to use this place as a monster breeding ground.
“They’re monopolizing His Majesty’s land without any obligation.”
“You’re right. Their behavior has been infuriating more than once. But is that really all there is to it?”
Leit was no fool.
‘The justification is solid.’
It would uphold the Emperor’s dignity and reclaim the land of the displaced residents. There was no better justification.
‘But Vega isn’t someone who moves on justification alone.’
He was a man who pursued both fame and fortune. And since he didn't bother to hide it, he was, paradoxically, more trustworthy.
“There must be a goal big enough to justify provoking the Magic Tower.”
His tone wasn't accusatory. Rather, he seemed to be expecting something.
“Fame. If I keep the Emperor’s most troublesome opponent in check, won’t I get a lot of attention?”
Leit nodded.
While the Emperor’s power was still absolute, the Magic Tower had grown too powerful to be controlled at will.
Whenever a meeting was held at the imperial palace, complaints about the Magic Tower were invariably raised.
“What exactly do you want?”
“Personally, the adamantine mine. As for the justification, it’s to make the Magic Tower pay taxes to the Empire as compensation for managing the Dark Spirit Mountain Range.”
Leit nodded upon hearing Wang-sik’s words.
‘Brilliant.’
He was honestly impressed.
‘The tax has symbolic value, so His Majesty will be pleased, and the Magic Tower won’t be able to refuse.’
It was a perfectly achievable goal.
‘This is worth a shot.’
The problem was subjugating the key area that served as the justification.
The adamantine mine. It was located deep within the Dark Spirit Mountain Range, a place other nobles wouldn't even dare to attempt.
‘It’s a region that would generate enough profit to justify creating a portal.’
After the subjugation, it would need to be fortified.
It wouldn’t be an easy process, as it meant setting up in the middle of monster territory, but an adamantine mine was worth the effort.
“A fine idea. The Magic Tower definitely needs to be put in check at this point.”
Leit was thoroughly the Emperor’s man. That’s why Wang-sik had expected him not to refuse.
“Then let’s proceed as planned.”
Having achieved his goal, Wang-sik smiled and offered him tea.