Lycansrope's Wilderness
The plains of Lycansrope's Tower were classified as B-rank danger, but in reality they were a high-risk dungeon teetering on the edge of A-rank. You have entered Lycansrope's Wilderness.
Inside the gate stretched an endless plain. Everything looked as though it had been sculpted from a pale orange light, leaving the land utterly desolate. Rocks littered the ground so densely that it resembled a hard-packed desert. The moment an intruder appeared, the beasts lifted their heads. Lycansropes—bipedal wolves renowned as masters of combat—emerged one by one, each capable of stirring fear even in high-ranking hunters. They approached with thick, jagged claws raised, emitting hungry howls.
At the same time, the Crimson Knight received permission to fight from its master. Though no words were spoken, the connection to its owner allowed it to immediately unleash a torrent of pitch-black sword energy. The massive frame of the Crimson Knight kicked off the ground and shot toward the Lycansropes like a crimson flash. Its enormous body moved with such impossible speed that it defied perception. To the Lycansropes, it was nothing short of calamity. In the blink of an eye the Crimson Knight closed the distance and swept its greatsword horizontally. The Lycansropes, despite their superior reflexes, never even registered the attack before their heads tumbled to the ground one after another.
Whoosh! Blood fountained from the headless bodies an instant later, and the corpses collapsed onto the dirt. In a single strike, dozens of Lycansropes perished without exception.
Lycansropes were nothing like the mindless monsters that relied solely on physical strength. Their bodies surpassed ordinary monsters while their intelligence rivaled that of humans, allowing them to live in packs. They were known as human hunters. The Crimson Knight shook the blood from its blade in one clean motion, but a sudden alarm rang in its mind. It flashed back to its original position and saw its master collapsing.
"Ugh."
The pink-haired master vomited blood and crumpled to the ground. The Crimson Knight caught her swiftly, rage boiling within its mind. The unfocused fury turned toward the Arc Lich and Grim Reaper for failing to protect their master. Gently laying its master down, the Crimson Knight drew its sword once more.
"S… stop."
A grating, metallic voice leaked from the Arc Lich. The Crimson Knight briefly considered how best to split the useless skulls of the Grim Reaper and Arc Lich. Just then, a small white creature stirred from its master's bosom and crawled out. When the creature licked its master's cheek for a long while without any response, it finally began to cry.
The sky suddenly blazed with mad light.
Crack—!
The sky split open, briefly revealing the space beyond before it vanished. In that fleeting glimpse, a massive man rolled across the ground.
The sky, which had seemed to be in the throes of a seizure, suddenly calmed as if nothing had happened.
"Be…have. Our… master is… fine."
Despite the Arc Lich's efforts, the Crimson Knight continued to glare at the two while gripping its sword. "We… are beings… connected to our master." At the repeated words, the Crimson Knight finally sheathed its blade. The three undead should have vanished the moment their master died. That fact allowed the Crimson Knight to calm itself.
To the Arc Lich, the master's unknown energy was absurdly pure, yet its total quantity was far too small. Compared to the being called Yoo Bit-na seen in the master's shadow earlier, it was overwhelmingly superior, but still insufficient to properly control the Grim Reaper, the Crimson Knight, and itself. Moreover, the sword energy the Crimson Knight wielded was ridiculously powerful while consuming an absurd amount of energy. The master's mysterious energy was clearly a higher form than mana. Using magic with it would amplify destructive power several times over. The energy rapidly refilled with each breath the master took. The problem was the total quantity.
While the Arc Lich pondered, over two hundred Lycansropes appeared from beyond the orange rocks, radiating killing intent. This was precisely why at least three parties had to operate simultaneously in Lycansrope's Wilderness. Drawn by the scent of their kin's blood, the pack was both troublesome and extremely dangerous. Seeing them, the Crimson Knight drew its sword again. The Arc Lich found the Crimson Knight more threatening than the Lycansropes. The master's current energy reserves could not even withstand a single weak sword strike from the Crimson Knight. She must have lived without using much energy in daily life.
"Put… it away. I… will handle it."
Thud. The Arc Lich lightly tapped its staff against the ground. Before the vibration faded, the earth shook violently.
"Worm-like… creatures. How dare you… touch our master."
Thousands of rock spikes erupt from the ground.
BOOM—! A heavy impact rang out as the ground split apart. CRACKLECRACKLECRACK! Countless rock spikes surged upward, turning over two hundred Lycansropes into bloody pulp. No one had time to react. Hot blood and mashed entrails dripped between the towering spikes. The Arc Lich nodded at the two undead who looked over as if asking if everything was alright.
"I… used the mana… I had gathered."
The master's body was undergoing tremendous self-healing. There was no need to interfere. The Arc Lich reached out with its bony fingers and gently stroked the white rabbit that was still sobbing loudly. Even amid all this chaos, the creature only had eyes for its master.
"It's… all right."
The Arc Lich could feel its own body crumbling. It had grown too excited watching the beasts charge at its master and used magic far too intense for its current state. Its skeletal hands moved hurriedly through the air.
Lick, lick.
"Ugh, Baek Seol-ah."
When I came to, Baek Seol was pressing her cheeks firmly against mine. The last thing I remembered was the Crimson Knight swinging its sword before everything went black. After that, nothing. I sat up and Baek Seol immediately climbed into my arms.
"Oh no, did our little one cry?"
"Eung!"
The fur beneath Baek Seol's eyes was damp. The tiny creature must have been very worried. I stroked the wet fur and patted her cheeks. Only then did her tense little body relax.
"Thanks for protecting me."
"Eung!"
"Sorry for suddenly fainting."
"Eung!"
Her cheeks felt like soft rice cakes. I kept petting her until her eyes slowly closed. She must have exhausted herself crying. I carefully tucked the sleeping Baek Seol into my pocket and finally took in my surroundings. A hemispherical barrier of energy surrounded my body.
—Chik, chik.
"Phew— A shield?" Cigarette smoke rose, hit the dome, and spread sideways. Looking closer, something was floating inside the shield, forming words.
"Master has mana premature ejaculation?"
[Mana Regeneration and Total Mana are top priority]
I couldn't help but laugh at the floating text. "Which bastard decided that?" I already knew the lower half was premature; who the hell judged my mana? If I ever met them, I'd smash their head in.
BOOM!
"Yoo Bit-na!"
Yoo Bit-na, who had been sighing with her head in her hands, greeted me with a smile. "Han Ga-eul… You were the one throwing a tantrum demanding a high-level dungeon with lots of monsters, so why are you back already?"
"Someone turned the Lycansropes into blood pancakes. I couldn't even collect the magic stones. Consider it a gift—go grab some."
Yoo Bit-na covered her face with both hands, the universal "you caused trouble again" gesture. "So what's the problem this time?"
"Some guy told me my mana is severely lacking."
"Most hunters are like that. And the fastest way to fix that shortcoming is with items." She removed the teardrop-shaped necklace from her neck, placed it on the table, and slid it toward me.
Ding!
Rarity: Rare
Effect: Mana +5%
Effect: Mana Regeneration +10%
"Whoa, this looks really good."
"Of course it's good. It's mine, after all." Yoo Bit-na, who had been sighing nonstop, now wore a pleased smile. She must have liked the compliment about her item. When I put on the necklace she gave me, I immediately felt the energy rising rapidly. Even though it said "mana," it seemed to work on my unique energy as well.
"Items focused on mana effects like this necklace are the best."
"Where do you even get something like this?"
"Something this valuable is hard to find even at auctions. The fastest way is the Tower. By the way, both this necklace and my skill came from the Tower." I had run straight into the dungeon earlier, leaving Yoo Bit-na behind when she tried to explain about the Tower during the day.
"What the hell is this Tower anyway?"
"The Tower is called the Land of Opportunities."
"Oh."
"It's also called the gods' chessboard and playground."
Yoo Bit-na's pleasant smile instantly twisted into a frown. "What does that mean?"
"In other words, it's a place where hunters are treated like toys by the gods."
"Toys? Don't worry, causing chaos is my specialty."
According to Yoo Bit-na, the Tower was a structure where you climbed an endlessly tall spire and received rewards. "There are beings called Divine Thrones inside. They'll pick hunters they like and play with them like toys."
"How is that a land of opportunity?"
"A single playful gesture from a Divine Throne becomes an enormous opportunity for hunters. The price for playing along with their games is immense, after all."
"Hmm. I should go collect every mana-related item I can find."
"Han Ga-eul, listen carefully. First…"
The gathered hunters' faces were filled with tension.
"Waaah! Haha, were you surprised? I'm the angel in charge of the Tower's tutorial—khack!?"
I grabbed the bug that suddenly flew out from behind and it started thrashing. "Ah, damn it. The lower world was already crawling with cockroaches, and now the Tower's got flying bugs laying eggs? You wanna die?"
"Keck! Kkeeeek!"
"Divine Thrones are beings with divinity. In other words, they possess godlike powers."
"Han Ga-eul, the most important thing to watch out for when climbing the Tower is the Divine Thrones. If one takes a liking to you, they'll offer a contract. Most of the Divine Thrones who came to watch have strangely altered their divine names so you can't recognize them."
"Also, the Divine Thrones you meet early on are mostly minor ones."
"Divine Thrones never hand out contracts carelessly. From a human perspective, whether the throne is low or high ranking, simply forming a contract with one is already an incredible feat. That's how hard it is to find a Divine Throne willing to make a contract."
"Why do only weird ones keep gathering around me?"
The people around me stared with their mouths wide open.
"What are you looking at, you punks? Never seen a thug before?"
Crunch!
"Kkack! Kkeeeek!"
The winged human whose neck I was gripping frantically slapped at my hand. I had listened to Yoo Bit-na's explanation for hours, but the more I heard, the worse my mood became toward those damn Divine Thrones.
