Chapter 145
Chapter 145
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 145
Chapter Title: New Homes
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Two thousand members of the inhuman races gathered in the Decartes Mountains.
The Armored Spider nest was large enough that accommodating them was no problem.
However, that didn't mean the inhuman races were content to stay there.
“Our friends will guide you.”
Their first task was to choose a place to live and secure their territory.
Although he had told them they could stay in the Armored Spider nest for as long as needed, less than an hour later, they had formed combat teams and expressed their desire to explore the mountains.
Since it saved time, Wang-sik had no reason to refuse.
—Should we find a place for them?
Min Ha-na had made the suggestion a few days ago, but Wang-sik had declined.
‘They have to find it themselves. It will be their home.’
This was a crucial step for them to become self-sufficient in the Decartes Mountains.
‘They’re more than capable of it.’
It was a harsh land, but their abilities were beyond doubt. They were so powerful that even the Empire had to limit their numbers.
“The elves can follow me.”
Wang-sik and his friends, who knew the geography of the Decartes Mountains well, set out to guide them in their search for a place to live.
Wang-sik took the elves.
Min Ha-na, the dwarves.
Sa Seon-gi was in charge of the Zaimon.
The beastkin had Aisi, so they didn't need a guide.
“Yeong-ji, you go with the beastkin.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Having assigned their roles, Wang-sik spoke to Eldrian.
“Shall we go then?”
Wang-sik left the nest with Eldrian and twenty other elves.
As soon as they emerged from the dark cave, the distinct, rich scent of grass from the Decartes Mountains washed over them.
Seeing the elves’ expressions brighten, Wang-sik chose a direction and started moving.
‘The Stage 2 area should be safe.’
With their abilities, even the Stage 3 area would be manageable, but he planned to head to the Stage 2 area for now.
However, the elves following him had strange expressions.
Just as they left the cave and fully entered the forest, Eldrian called out to Wang-sik.
“Could you wait a moment?”
Only then did Wang-sik realize that Eldrian’s face was more flushed than usual.
“Is something wrong?”
“I can feel the presence of spirits. A very strong one, at that.”
Wang-sik gave them some time.
The elves scattered to look around, and something amazing happened.
Small lights, unseen until now, appeared and gathered around the elves.
‘Huh?’
It was a light he had never once seen during his time in the Decartes Mountains. He had traveled this path hundreds of times, as it was not far from the Armored Spider nest.
The lights continued to gather until they were so numerous they seemed to exist everywhere he looked.
“This place is blessed by life.”
Eldrian, her question apparently answered, approached Wang-sik and said.
A smile touched her lips, and for the first time, he could feel a deep emotion from her.
With a look of pure happiness, Eldrian exuded an aura of beauty and mystique that made her previous demeanor seem pale in comparison.
It wasn't just her; the other elves, both male and female, were all breathtakingly beautiful.
It wasn't just their smiles that changed their atmosphere.
‘They fit in.’
The race that belonged most in the forest.
The sight of them with the spirits was like a scene from a fairy tale.
“The spirits have been protecting this forest. They say they will guide us.”
Hearing this, a question came to Wang-sik’s mind.
“Then, were the spirits the ones who restored the destroyed forest?”
Eldrian reached out to a spirit that was shining particularly brightly.
The spirit landed on her palm, revealing its form for the first time.
Once the light faded, the spirit, despite its small size, had the perfect form of a child, with mystical dust falling from its transparent wings.
After a brief conversation with the spirit, Eldrian let out a small laugh.
“The spirits say they call you by two names: Predator and Destroyer. They say you’ve made things difficult for them.”
As she spoke, the spirit looked at Wang-sik, puffed up its cheeks, and glared at him.
It was its own way of expressing anger, but to Wang-sik, it just looked cute.
‘So that’s why the forest was never destroyed.’
The secret of how the forest remained unharmed no matter how many times Min Ha-na set it on fire was right here.
“May we follow the spirits?”
“Please do.”
From then on, the spirits led the way.
As they traveled for a while, monsters appeared, and Wang-sik naturally stepped forward.
Five Blood Wolves.
They were the strongest creatures in the Stage 3 area.
Before the elves could even prepare, Wang-sik stepped forward and dispatched all five Blood Wolves.
“I see now why they call you a predator.”
Eldrian, her expressions now more varied, didn't hide her surprise. The same was true for the elves following behind her.
It was understandable, given that he had finished them off before they could even nock an arrow.
“Let’s keep moving.”
He paid them no mind.
Wang-sik moved toward their destination.
After traveling for some time, Wang-sik had an idea of where the spirits were leading them.
‘The monster-free zone.’
The border between Stage 2 and Stage 3.
It was a place where a small tree grew in the middle of a mirror-like pond.
It was a peculiar pond, but since there were no monsters around, he had no reason to visit it again.
When they arrived at the Mirror Pond, the spirits scattered in all directions.
Instead, the tree in the middle of the pond began to radiate light.
The elves watched with enchanted expressions.
“It’s the Tree of Life.”
The fundamental power of the elves.
The power preserved by the spirits was here.
The spirits had protected and guarded it while watching over the forest.
“Thank you. We elves are deeply indebted to you.”
“It seems we’ll have a good partnership ahead of us.”
“Of course. We will help you in any way we can.”
There was no need to gather opinions.
The looks on the elves’ faces showed they were still lost in a trance, unable to wake from the fantasy.
‘Things worked out well.’
Wang-sik had insisted on guiding the elves himself because he considered them the most difficult race to befriend.
He had planned to persuade them by showing them various parts of the Decartes Mountains, but the matter was resolved surprisingly easily.
‘It’s three hours away from the nest.’
That wasn't exactly close.
The Decartes Mountains were vast, and the lower-stage areas were particularly wide, so it was unavoidable.
“I think we’ll need to open a gate.”
Now that Oh Min-jae had succeeded in constructing gates, distance was not an issue.
“Yes, I understand.”
“Choose the location yourselves. We’ll build it wherever you want. It will also make it easier to provide you with necessary supplies.”
“The debt we owe you continues to grow. The elves will never forget your kindness.”
She was completely different from yesterday.
‘Good.’
Having secured the promise he needed, Wang-sik began to help the elves get settled.
Meanwhile.
Min Ha-na was guiding her group in a completely different atmosphere from Wang-sik.
Fwoosh!
A powerful firestorm swept away the monsters.
Five hours after leaving the nest.
She was passing through a Stage 4 forest, not far from the Stage 5 area.
“Wow! That’s incredible!”
“It’s a festival of fire!”
“I want to try melting steel in those flames!”
As the dwarves cheered, Min Ha-na shot them a sharp glare.
“Quiet, you old geezers! Are we on a picnic?!”
“Haha. What’s the matter? We’re just enjoying the journey. We’re in a great mood.”
“Well, I’m not! Why don’t you start singing and attract every monster around?”
“Hey, it wasn’t that bad, was it? We were just cheering you on…”
As he spoke, giant bees could be seen flying toward them.
“Shit! I’m trying not to curse! Just shut up, all of you! Got it?”
“What…”
“I said, got it?!”
“Yes.”
After finally getting an answer from the chieftain, Min Ha-na dealt with the monsters, but the dwarves still showed no signs of tension.
“This time, we’ll show you what we can do.”
Min Ha-na felt uneasy watching the dwarves wield weapons nearly as tall as she was, but she couldn't stop them.
‘They’re high-rank A-Class monsters.’
Min Ha-na had never seen the dwarves’ strength firsthand. So she watched with anxiety, but they put up a surprisingly good fight.
With the exception of a few warriors, their individual abilities were slightly below that of an A-Class monster.
However, their synergy when fighting in pairs was excellent.
Fighting in perfect sync as if they shared a single soul, they easily took down the A-Class monsters.
“Now! A festival…”
“Quiet!”
Before the victorious dwarves could cheer, Min Ha-na silenced the commotion.
‘Let’s just get to our destination quickly.’
They still had a long way to go.
“We have to check out three places. So hurry up.”
The three locations she was guiding them to were all mining areas.
All three places were nested with monsters, and she planned to launch an extermination once the dwarves made their choice.
“Don’t you worry, human. Our legs may be short, but we’re diligent.”
“I wish your tongues were a little shorter too. You sure talk a lot.”
At her words, Chieftain Dolloy stuck his tongue out.
“Ugh!”
Min Ha-na found the gesture annoying, but it didn't seem malicious, so she decided to let it go.
“Once we’re settled, we’ll remake that ragged armor of yours. Dwarves always repay their debts!”
“This is expensive!”
Min Ha-na snapped, but the dwarves all burst out laughing at her words.
“She says that’s expensive. Hehe.”
“Even my dog wears better stuff than that.”
“They said they were humans from another world. They must be poor.”
They seemed to genuinely believe it.
‘It’s A-Class armor…’
At current market prices, it was top-tier armor worth a fortune.
It was one of the few leather armors suitable for a mage, and this was the assessment it received.
“Fine. You’d better take responsibility for those words.”
“Just you wait, human! Take us to an amazing place!”
Sighing at the still-relaxed dwarves, Min Ha-na resumed her guidance.
While some had a difficult time guiding.
Others finished the job with ease.
“Excellent.”
The Zaimon Lord looked at the basin surrounded by cliffs with a satisfied smile.
The ten Zaimon warriors with him had the same reaction.
“We’ll settle here.”
The place they chose was one with deep ties to Wang-sik and Min Ha-na.
The place where Min Ha-na had obtained the Flame of the Chilling Soul.
It was the village of the Giant Munks, who had since been wiped out.
Now, it had become a gathering place for another giant race, the Stone Golems, and as a result, rocks were piled up throughout the basin like stone tombs.
As they approached, the rocks forming the stone tombs rose and transformed into golems.
“I will call the other warriors.”
“We’ll help.”
“Our friend’s help has been sufficient. Leave this to us.”
The Zaimon Lord showed his confidence.
Sa Seon-gi didn't press further and simply nodded.
While the other races were moving to find their new homes, the beastkin were preparing for battle.
“Alright, I’ll begin.”
As soon as Gong Yeong-ji finished speaking, a mystical energy spread through the area.
The five hundred beastkin touched by the energy wore expressions of astonishment at the overflowing power.
As the beastkin, buffed by the S-Class healer Gong Yeong-ji, grew excited, unable to contain their strength, Aisi didn’t try to calm them down. Instead, she raised her voice.
“Wipe them out!”
As Aisi gave the command, she transformed and charged forward, and the beastkin followed with monstrous roars.
Aisi had already chosen a place for her race to settle, so she immediately began the extermination.
She could have done it alone, but she deliberately chose to fight with them.
It was the way of the beastkin, and she judged it a fitting first step for their new beginning.
The place they chose was a valley with a clear stream.
The monsters there were small in stature, but a thousand of them had made it their home.
The Dekians, also known as little devils.
They had the bodies of one-meter-tall humans with red skin, but their faces resembled frogs, snakes, chameleons, and even turtles.
They were intelligent enough to have sentries and even set traps, but the beastkin showed no hesitation.
Graaah!
With Aisi letting out a roar at the lead, five hundred beastkin launched their assault all at once.