Chapter 337. 5th Area, Old Blue Zone (2)

---

-Rummblee-

‘Not bad.’

Hansoo mumbled to himself as he looked around the elevator.

“Raise the walls higher! It’ll be trouble if it collapses!”

“Strengthen the formations as well! We need to block the Kang-Kion’s attacks!”

“Keep the boundaries clear between each living area! It becomes difficult to check if they get mixed!”

Countless adventurers had gathered near the elevator and were re-building the city.

They raised walls, set up living areas, and treated the wounded.

Though everybody was moving around non-stop due to the sheer amount of work that had to be done, there was a hint of vigor in each other’s expressions.

This was because most of these people had been slaving under those twelve people who’d called themselves ‘Gods’.

But now, that horrible life had ended.

They had gained their freedom.

But their joy was tinged with sadness and regret.

Their present safety only reminded them of their dead comrades and family.

Ekidu and Karhal both looked somber as they watched these people.

‘… If we hurried just a bit more, we would’ve been able to save much more.’

But they soon brushed those thoughts aside.

It was good that everything had settled down.

All they needed to do was set up the 4th zone, just like the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd zones below.

There was still an issue, though.

“What are you going to do about the transcendents?”

Karhal asked.

According to what he knew, the 1st ,2nd, and 3rd zones below were holding back from creating new transcendents.

It was because the beasts in the lower zones gave a lower amount of crystals, so transcendents would take as many crystals as it would take to send hundreds of thousands of people up.

Plus, they had no way to control those transcendents as well.

It was better to keep on sending them up the moment the crystals were acquired.

But in this zone, the story was a bit different.

The Green Zone was a good place to create transcendents, plus they knew the higher zones were currently in bad situations.

‘We’ll need their strength, but… they might all turn into power-hungry maniacs.’

Karhal frowned after he spoke.

But Hansoo chuckled.

“Let’s check out the zone above first. You’ve all seen it already, right?”

Kiriel, Ekidu, and Karhal nodded.

Yes, Hansoo had guessed it right.

‘… But back then, we were forced to go down.’

Karhal breathed in and out, thinking back to the past when they’d run back down.

“Let’s go.”

***

-Boooom!-

“Crazy bastards!”

Kang Han, the man who had been residing on the 3rd floor of the 4th zone, screamed as he blocked the attacks flying at him.

At first he was full of glee when he had seen the four men and two females who’d come up.

Since four of them had looked familiar.

Two were kids who had tried to devour the 2nd floor below, and the other two had been beaten down by him before.

He remembered the two who he’d beaten.

Karhal and Ekidu.

— If you help, then we can bring back order to this world!

Two people who he’d fought with and had sent back down.

Though it had been a close victory, he had still won.

The upper floor had more powerful beasts that gave more crystals, and the efficiency of the nursery was better here.

The lazy kids of the lower floors were people he should be able to beat with ease.

Or at least, he thought he would.

-Booom!-

Kang Han clenched his teeth at the tremendous impact of Karhal’s attack.

‘What the… This makes no sense! I should be stronger!’

There were six of them as well, but the other five weren’t even doing anything.

He’d won against the two back then, but now, even fighting against one was hard.

‘Damn, I cannot lose!’

How could he beat six when he couldn’t even beat one?

But he couldn’t get captured like this.

He realized it the moment he saw the two people who controlled the 2nd floor, both covered in some red aura.

That he would become like them the second he was caught.

And even worse.

The eyes of the man at the very back.

The eyes of the man who was surrounded by a strange red energy, and had a hammer in his hand.

Those eyes that looked down on him.

Those eyes terrified him.

He could guess what his life would be like once he was completely under that man’s control.

But he also realized that the man’s eyes became slightly softer when he looked at Karhal in front of him.

‘Take him hostage!’

-Boom!-

Kang Han realized that Karhal was the only hope he had, so he started to frenziedly push Karhal back.

-Crunch!-

Karhal clenched his teeth when he saw Kang Han giving up his own left arm to strike at his heart.

And Kiriel shouted towards Karhal from the back.

“Shall I help?”

But Karhal smashed Kang Han away as he shouted in reply.

“Don’t interrupt! I’ll handle it!”

-Booom!-

‘You bastard, I won’t lose to you a second time!’

-Booom!-

Karhal thought back to when he’d come up to the 3rd floor in the past.

Though one couldn’t go to and from between zones.

If they had enough crystals, they could still move around the floors within the same zone.

Karhal and Ekidu had come up in the past to search for traces of Hansoo back then.

But it had been too late.

While they were searching for Hansoo, the people above had already become transcendents, and were stronger than them.

Though they were all 1 star transcendents, they had still lost.

If they hadn’t had any spare crystals back then they might’ve died on the spot.

‘Bastards!’

-Booom!-

Kang Han gave up his left arm, while Karhal received the attack with his left shoulder.

Kiriel frowned at the crazed battle that was occuring.

They were basically killing themselves.

If she or Hansoo stepped in, they wouldn’t even need to waste their time like this.

It would just end in a single strike.

-Tsss-

‘Thankfully, there’s only that one guy on the 3rd floor.’

Kiriel looked at the traces around the elevator and then asked Hansoo:

“Shouldn’t you step in?”

Hansoo shook his head.

“Leave him be, this zone needs a King, anyway.”

-Booom!-

Hansoo silently watched Karhal, who was bleeding all over from his body, but still managed to push back the enemy.

He knew the decision Karhal had made.

‘You’ve chosen to remain here.’

Karhal was now fighting to gain that approval.

Power that was gained through another’s hand would only become a source of ridicule.

Only those who fought and won the throne with their own power were fit to be kings.

So Hansoo didn’t help.

‘It doesn’t look like he’ll need my help, anyway.’

He’d been worried at first.

Worried that he might not be able to accomplish everything he needed to do because he had to help his old comrades.

So he had reminded himself.

To not underestimate his comrades.

“Die, you bastard!”

-Boooom!-

“Ahhh!”

‘Good.’

Hansoo smiled as he watched Karhal smash Kang Han onto the ground, his body still bleeding all over.

***

-Smack! Smack!-

“Bastards! Line up properly!”

Karhal shouted as he smacked the heads of the guys from the 4th zone, all of whom he’d defeated after going through continued cycles of healing and fighting.

From the 2nd floor to the 7th.

There were a total of nine transcendents.

And Ekidu was a bit shocked at this number.

“… Much lower than I expected.”

Even if it was the same 4th zone, everything became more efficient as one went up.

Whether it was fighting or creating a nursery.

Since the amount of crystals that came out were different.

But Hansoo shook his head.

“That’s because you’d normally want to climb up to the next zone once you become a 2 star.”

“Hmm? Isn’t it better to remain here?”

Ekidu asked in shock.

Wasn’t it better to be a king within the 4th zone, rather than continuing to participate in the bloody massacre in the upper zones?

It was why some transcendents set up the nursery.

A safe pick in comparison to risking their lives above.

It would be more fitting if such guys wanted to remain below.

But Kiriel realized what Hansoo was saying.

Since she was at a 2nd star already.

“Oh…”

The moment she rose up to the 2nd star, her entire body started to throb and she was filled with anxiety.

As if her body was telling her that she didn’t belong here.

It was such an intense feeling that if it weren’t for Hansoo, she would’ve long headed up already.

It was too uncomfortable to just ignore.

So much to the point that she felt like she wouldn’t be happy, no matter what happened.

‘… So it wasn’t just me.’

Other than Hansoo and the Ark-Roa, the only other 2 star she knew was that man called Kael. And she’d never even talked to him properly, so she’d known nothing about this.

And Hansoo thought of the fairy as he looked at Kiriel’s expression.

“It just means we should be where we belong.”

So he would climb.

Hansoo spoke to Karhal.

“You…”

“I will stay. I’m sick of it. I’m sick of being beaten down over and over again. Somebody has to stay behind, anyway.”

Ekidu and Hansoo both nodded.

Someone had to remain in the 4th zone to control those who came up.

Like how they’d done in the 1st ,2nd, and 3rd zones.

And Karhal wanted to remain.

‘… I really wanted to follow you.’

Karhal mumbled to himself as he looked at Hansoo.

Why wouldn’t he want to?

He wanted to become strong.

He wanted to stand by Hansoo.

That was why he’d searched for him.

But during his search for Hansoo, he saw countless other adventurers being tortured by the transcendents.

And realized.

That somebody had to take care of them.

‘This really doesn’t suit me. Damn. Have I hung out with Ekidu for too long?’

At first, he had decided to remain because Ekidu had asked him for help.

But now, it was his choice and his choice alone.

Karhal spoke to Hansoo after finishing his thoughts.

“Hurry and put it in. I shall be responsible for your power and wreck havoc in this place, hehe. Once you leave, then I’ll be the king of this place.”

If he borrowed the strength of Hansoo’s soul fragment, then he’d even be able to use the Pandemic Blade to a degree.

Alongside the control of the other transcendents who were filled to the brim with the Pandemic Blade’s spores.

‘You are now my slaves, forever.’

Hansoo smiled with a content expression.

“Fine. You are now… The king of this world.”

The king with the right to control every transcendent in the 4th zone.

-Kiiiiing-

Hansoo pulled out a soul fragment and placed his hand on Karhal’s chest.