Chapter 145. The Hunter’s Plateau (1)
“Ugh….”
Hansoo looked at Elkadion’s body which had been turned into a mess.
A body that had turned completely black the Akaron’s toxins.
Hansoo breathed in and out while watching that body and then moved his hands towards Elkadion’s head.
Then he proceeded to pull the Crown of Thorns out from the head.
Dudududuk
As the Crown of Thorns got pulled out, Elkadion’s soul was also pulled out.
Along with the existence that had infected Elkadion.
“Ughh……”
Galkima’s small bit of consciousness that was still left spat out a groaning sound.
He knew instinctively.
That the soul he had taken over was being taken out from the body.
‘Damn…I should’ve eaten the guy below instead of this Elkadion.’
Once the crown was ripped away from the head then his soul, which had taken Elkadion’s soul, would disappear as well.
Since his soul could only be maintained when both his soul and a physical body existed.
“Fuck. To die like this in a place such as this…”
The Dark Cloud race member, which spat out a string of curses with its last bit of remaining strength, got pulled out whole and then disappeared.
Charurururuk!!!!!
As the Crown of Thorns got pulled out, the Dragon Essence Blade implanted inside Taruhol’s body started to make noises as it started to come out of the body.
It couldn’t stay inside since there wasn’t any consciousness to sustain it any longer.
Hansoo pulled out the handle of the Dragon Essence Blade that stuck out from Taruhol’s stomach.
An artifact of the Dragon Essence Blade’s level would only harm Taruhol in his current situation anyway.
Since he would have no way of dealing with the overflowing energy.
Soon Elkadion’s soul, Galkima’s soul and the Dragon Essence Blade were pulled out.
The only remaining thing was Taruhol’s body which had a fragment of Hansoo’s soul.
‘First the detoxification.’
Hansoo carefully poured in the cure to counteract the toxin in Taruhol’s body.
The toxins that were destroying Taruhol’s body slowly got neutralized and soon the black liquids that were constantly taking over the silver liquids slowed their invasion.
But Taruhol would die if he was left like this.
Since most of the silver liquids that would heal his body has been destroyed by the toxin.
That was why Hansoo needed to help him.
‘How could I leave him to die…When he trusted in me and followed me?’
Hansoo started to move his soul fragment inside Taruhol’s body.
And then Taruhol’s body started to move according to Hansoo’s will.
Hansoo’s skill, which was implanted within the soul fragment, started to activate.
<Demonic Dragon’s Reinforcement>
Hansoo’s signature reinforcement appeared on Taruhol’s body and started to quickly heal up the body.
Kururururu
The Demonic Dragon’s Reinforcement helped the recovery of the silvery liquid and that silvery liquid helped the healing process of the body.
The two worked hand in hand as the blackened body of Taruhol started to regain its color.
‘Good. This should be enough…’
Hansoo looked at the Crown of Thorns he was holding in his hands.
The Crown of Thorns which still had Elkadion’s soul in it.
‘I don’t know if I can heal her.’
If everything goes according to his plan then she might be able to live.
But the chances were half and half.
‘Since you trusted in me and helped me… I should do my best to help you as well.’
Hansoo quickly moved towards the location where Gwanje had fallen, the place where the suppressive measure was prepared.
***
“Ughhh….”
Gwanje slowly opened his eyes.
And then looked over his body with an expression of disbelief.
‘I’m not dead?’
He had clearly beaten down the golden Akadus and then collapsed.
Feeling the silver liquid burning up his entire body.
But he was alive.
The silver liquid which had been acting as if it would explode and was burning up his entire body was surprisingly being controlled by something and had calmed down.
His body had turned into a mess but it was slowly being healed from the silver liquid’s power.
‘Who can control the silver liquid to this extent?’
As Gwanje was confused.
A sudden voice was heard in his head.
— Are you okay?
“Uh?”
Gwanje frowned at the sudden voice which could be heard in his head.
Since it wasn’t somebody whom he had good feelings towards.
‘Why is this Elkadion in my body…’
Gwanje tried closing and opening his hands just in case he would get control of his body taken over as well.
While he was moving his body he moved his hands towards his head after feeling something strange upon it.
The Crown of Thorns could clearly be felt on his head.
Gwanje looked at Hansoo in front of his eyes and frowned.
“Did you plant this on me?”
Hansoo nodded at those words.
“Elkadion’s soul is preventing the silver liquid from burning up. You would probably have to live your entire life like that.”
It would be impossible for Gwanje to control the silver liquid by himself.
But Elkadion’s soul, which had invented the Body Enhancement Surgery, could do so easily.
Hansoo nodded as he looked at Gwanje who had woken up.
‘It was successful huh.’
The chances were half and half.
Since he didn’t know if Gwanje could handle the Crown of Thorns as well as not knowing how much Elkadion was capable of.
But since Gwanje had woken up and was in command, it seemed like everything worked out well.
Gwanje, who had been frowning from the fact that Elkadion was in his head, just sighed instead.
Since it really wasn’t his place to curse Elkadion.
And the fact that he was alive when he thought that he had died was to be grateful for as well.
“Phew… I have no idea how the situation is. Did you deal with that monster?”
Hansoo nodded and then handed something over to Gwanje who had woken up.
Gwanje frowned as he looked at it.
“What is this?”
“It’s called a soul fragment.”
Hansoo then started to explain what it was.
Gwanje, who controlled a large clan himself, instantly understood Hansoo’s explanation.
Gwanje, who had been making an uncomfortable expression, asked just in case.
“Is there a way for me to not receive this? Can’t you trust me man?”
Of course the fact that somebody would be able to control him and read his memories could not feel good.
Hansoo shook his head at the words with had a slight amount of humor within it.
“No, it cannot be done.”
He could not allow a single chance of mistake, nor a single possibility of failure.
Though he approved of Gwanje’s abilities, there was a fatal weakness to Gwanje.
His wife.
And because of this he really needed to implant the soul fragment.
Since he needed to stop Gwanje from going crazy and going on a rampage.
Gwanje pondered for a moment at Hansoo’s firm attitude and then just nodded.
Since there wasn’t really another way.
“I’ll take it then.”
‘If Hansoo was thinking of doing something weird then… He would’ve worn the Crown of Thorns himself.’
Gwanje still didn’t know a lot of things about Hansoo.
And Hansoo wasn’t a person who explained everything kindly.
But there wasn’t a need to explain anymore
‘I’ll follow the path you take from now on.’
And the Crown of Thorns was actually very good for him.
Since there was no need for him to be afraid of the Akarons anymore and create suppressive measures for them.
Gwanje suddenly thought of Elkadion after thinking to this point.
‘Are you fine with this? With all that’s going on?’
Elkadion replied at those words.
In a depressed tone.
— I shouldn’t be here anyway. The sins I’ve caused is enough for me to have died already. My existence alone will get in the way of the unification of humans and the Akarons.
But the knowledge that she hadn’t been able to hand over yet was too precious for her to leave like this.
Hansoo and Gwanje would be able to control her well.
And now she was willing to stay in the darkness and help the humans to improve.
Hansoo looked at the new king of the Orange Zone, Elkadion and Gwanje, as he nodded.
‘Though it’s a bit different from my original plan… Everything went according to the plan.’
He had pulled out the soul fragment from Taruhol and put it into Gwanje.
The work here was done as well.
Now only the final part was left.
“Come out. I’ll receive that reward now.”
As Hansoo spoke out the space split apart as something came out.
“You’ve done well. Heheh. I’ve been watching from a while back and… I heard Elkadion making quite a remarkable statement.”
‘As I expected, they were watching.’
As Hansoo and Gwanje looked at the Fairy, it spoke out.
“Ten thousand spears or one treasured sword. Will you receive the rewards together since you all worked together? Or will you eat it up all by yourself?”
Hansoo frowned as he looked at the fairy.
‘To play such a trick.’
It probably didn’t tell the others about the reward and had only told him.
Since he wouldn’t even be able to choose the option of taking everything by himself if the others knew about the reward.
Receiving something while not expecting it and expecting it and not receiving it were completely different.
And he had made his choice already anyway.
‘I can’t let the people go empty-handed when they have come to help.’
Hansoo answered the question almost instantly.
***
“Damn… Did it finally end? Phew.”
Enbi Arin sighed in relief as she looked at the Akadus which were suddenly rolling around the ground.
Since though she had destroyed 2 golden Akadus, she herself had become a mess.
And as the battle ended, there were people who slowly crept towards them.
Enbi Arin clicked her tongue as she saw these people.
‘Tsk.’
People who hadn’t participated in the final battle.
But Enbi Arin didn’t blame these guys as she instead just sat on the ground and focused on recovering.
Since there was nothing for these guys to eat up anyway.
Actually them simply not attacking Enbi Arin and the rest who were resting was enough.
‘Something that would never happen in the past.’
If it was the Orange Zone of the past that Hansoo hadn’t organized then a second war would’ve broken out already.
Against the hyenas who were aiming for the runes that would drop by killing the tired people.
“Wow… There’s really nothing.”
One of the adventurers who had been fumbling around the Golden Akadus made an annoyed expression.
Though they hadn’t participated they had seen it from afar.
For there to be no reward then the battle had been so fierce.
At that moment the air above split apart as something appeared in the sky.
“Huh?”
The expressions of the adventurers brightened up.
Usually it was an existence they disliked but it was different now.
Since there was only one reason for its appearance.
Reward.
‘Woah. Will I get to gobble something up even without lifting a finger?’
And as per their expectations, the fairy spoke out the words they all wanted to hear.
“Hello everyone! Congratulations for surviving until the end! You could’ve all been massacred but you got quite lucky!”
“…”
“You know why I came out right? It’s for your reward.”
The expressions of the people were split.
The ones who participated in the battle were happy but they were a bit uncomfortable.
And the ones who hadn’t participated just wanted to eat up anything as profit.
And of course the fairy brought this up first.
“The benchmarks for receiving the reward this time around was very vague.”
The standards for the reward was very vague since it didn’t come out like runes where the one who killed it will get it.
But the fairy made a very delighted smile as it spoke.
“But receiving it for free is a bit troublesome. The present I have for you is the Dark Cloud.”
“…Dark Cloud?’
The moment the fairy’s words ended, something rolled out from around the bodies of the adventurers.
Kurururururu
“Huh. Fascinating.”
Enbi Arin looked at the black colored cloud life form that was floating around her body after spontaneously coming into existence.
The same cloud that had fallen to the blue spiders after fighting with her and the others crazily.
But no vicious auras could be felt unlike before.
Actually it was following Enbi Arin’s will quite well, almost like a pet, and was floating around her body.
Around all the bodies of the ones who had participated in the final battle.
But it hadn’t appeared on everyone’s body and their sizes weren’t the same either.
In Enbi Arin’s case, it was a few times bigger and darker than the other people’s.
Some didn’t even receive it at all.
One adventurer complained.
“What is this based off of? Though I only got a little I still participated in the final battle.”
The fairy giggled.
“It’s really fair you see. The amount given is in accordance to how much of the Dark Cloud you got rid of.”
“…Oh.”
The final battle.
People who had participated in the final battle against the member of the Dark Cloud race.
The ones who had fought most valiantly in the frontline and had destroyed a large amount of the Dark Cloud race’s doppelgangers obtained a large amount of clouds and the ones who had stayed back or stayed around in safe spots couldn’t receive any.
And at these words the people who hadn’t participated in the final battle made extremely regretful expressions.
‘Goddamnit… I saved my life because they said there was no reward but for them to give out such a thing.’
Though they owed their life to Hansoo, it wasn’t really that direct and the one life they had was precious.
And they hadn’t participated because they said there was no reward but for such things to have been given out to the participants.
‘Tsk. It’ll be nice at least if the effects suck.’
If another’s possessions was also something amazing then there was nothing else that could make them feel even more jealous.*
‘Damn… I should’ve taken the right choice. Anyways, where is that Hansoo guy?’
Since that guy had taken the leader out on his own, he should have a much larger cloud than all of them.
But soon shook his head.
‘Well, he’ll return soon.’
Where could he go even if he wanted to?
He would definitely come back here since it seemed like he would need their help to go up anyway.
But Hansoo was acting in a completely opposite manner to their expectations.
***
Gwanje looked back and forth at the portal in front of him and Hansoo and then asked once more.
“…You’re really going up by yourself?”
Hansoo, who had a cloud which was much larger and denser than Enbi Arin’s surrounding him, nodded.
“Yeah. I leave this place to you for you to organize. And don’t let anyone come up until I allow them to. Make sure you control the portal well.”
Gwanje asked with a confused expression.
“Isn’t it more helpful for us to go up together? There might be friction between you and the already existing powers.”
Numbers were always helpful.
Hansoo shook his head at those words.
Since Gwanje had received his soul fragment, he knew about Hansoo’s identity to some degree.
There was a reason to explain.
“It’s a bit wasteful for you guys to just get killed like that. You guys are too inexperienced.”
“…Huh?”
“Raise your strength and get organized to the best of your ability right here until I call you. The above world…Humans are no longer the owners of it.”
Red Zone.
Humans took over instead of the fallen race, the Elvenheims.
Orange Zone.
Humans pushed away the weakened Akarons and took control of the Gragos’s back.
Though the 5 calamities and the Gragos were supernatural existences, they weren’t interested in humans at all.
But the Yellow Zone was different.
A land where humans were hunted and eaten as well as treated as slaves, the Hunter’s Plateau.
Having a lot of people up above was basically allowing them to gain more targets.
‘So…I’ll go up first and prepare.’
“Please.”
Hansoo left behind his last words with Gwanje as he stabbed the Dragon Essence Blade in his hands into his body and then jumped into the portal.
Poor Galkima… Heh.