Chapter 47. Tower (6)
“These damnable bastards… it seems like they aren’t doing this properly…”
Lord, Gyungmi grinded her teeth.
One of the clansmen below sighed as he heard those words and spoke:
“Isn’t it easier if you just take them into the clan from the start. Why don’t you take clansmen around with you?”
Gyungmi frowned as she spoke:
“It’s already tedious for me to bring you guys along. No, this psychic power doesn’t fit me from the start. Goddamnit. Why did something like this appear.”
“…”
The clansmen shook their head as they saw Gyungmi say such things about her psychic power that others were dying of jealousy from.
“Do you know how shitty it feels when you gain a connection to a random person and then have him die? It might be different for somebody who isn’t close or something.”
“…”
“And I hate the most the fact that I can tell somebody to fight instead of me in times of danger. The nine of you is too much already.”
“…”
“Damnit. I’ll only recruit strong ones from now on.”
‘She’s really a different kind.’
They clicked their tongue while looking at Gyungmi.
But nodded their heads at the same time.
‘Well… with those battle powers…’.
It was ok for her to feel as if they were annoyances.
They didn’t know what the hell she had picked up below but she was really strong.
Gyungmi was a Lord but she definitely wasn’t like Cao Cao or Liu Bei.
She felt more like Lu Bu.
The clansmen here were strong but they would all get pummeled until they turned into rice cakes even if they were to all fight her.
‘It isn’t that her skills, runes or artifacts are out of the ordinary or something…’
Of course she was above average compared to ordinary adventures.
But Gyungmi’s battle power couldn’t be explained with just that.
Since she had mixed up everything above amazingly and melted it down to one battle style.
They wouldn’t be able to show one third the strength of Gyungmi even if they had the same things.
“But what are you going to do? They’re still trying to do the chicken game. And if they continue to hunt like that then they will really become formidable. The other dangerous 10 also get on my nerves as well.”
“Tsk. Damnable guys. We should’ve set the mood in the beginning…”
Gyungmi clicked her tongue.
Since she couldn’t do anything about getting angry despite her understanding the reason behind it.
If this were to continue then they would need to go kill three to four protectors a day.
And this would only bring them harm.
If the others hunt and raise their strength fervently in that time period than the gap between them will become immeasurably closer.
‘My head hurts. There’s something that bothers me too…’
This is why even though she foresaw something like this would be happening, at the moment she brought her clan out fast as if she was fleeing from something.
At that moment, the air sliced apart as somebody came out of thin air.
Everyone flinched.
Since they didn’t even realize that someone had come out.
“You bastard… who are you!”
The clansmen shouted coldly as they held up their blades.
Hansoo who had come out of thin air, and had the look of Chungjae, smiled as he spoke:
“Nothing much. I’m just here with a proposal.”
“Proposal?”
Hansoo shrugged his shoulders.
“It’s a really good proposal on your part too. You guys just need to listen to me. I’ll let all of you escape this island alive.”
Then Hansoo explained what he was going to make them do.
Things he would’ve done himself if he had the power.
One of the clansmen spoke quietly with a helpless expression:
‘Did he lose all notions of fear or something.’
It seemed like he was pretty talented.
Since they couldn’t spot his camouflage.
But it didn’t seem like he could maintain that during a fight.
And it felt like he could kill one to two of them but that was his limit.
What would such a guy have as his basis for him to act about so?
‘…is he trying to get a sneak attack?’
They had never seen somebody trying to act as a captain just by relying on a simple sneak attack from behind.
But Hansoo just smiled.
It would be simple if he were to just release his transformation and show them but then some trails will be left behind.
But there’s still a simple solution without going to such an extent.
Since he had come here from the start because of that.
‘Well. If it doesn’t work then I’ll stop the transformation for a moment.’
His goal was not being found out by the underling of the Dark Mad Lord anyway.
And these guys are of the same clan so the chances of the Dark Mad Lord’s forces being mixed in here is none.
“Not you. I’m talking to your Lord. Let’s have a talk with me. The lady over there.”
Hansoo looked at Gyungmi, who was standing quietly behind the clansmen, as he spoke.
‘Sixth Sense stat. I don’t know where she had attained such a valuable thing but she should be able to see it somewhat.’
He had understood somewhat since she had been looking all around her at the surroundings ever since he was here.
— Sixth Sense.
It was a different stat from perception, not part of the 8 general stats.
Perception increased the 5 senses one had but the sixth sense was basically the same as a psychic power.
It was something he had given up looking for because it was too hard to find in the tutorial area.
Gyungmi looked at Hansoo in cold sweat.
‘Fuck… that was the thing.’
Gyungmi grinded her teeth.
Since she finally understood why he felt the chill run down the spine since a while ago.
A sixth sense stat which she had attained at the beginning.
It raised a person’s battle power beyond the limits.
Since it allowed one to sense things others could not sense.
And something was moving about behind Hansoo’s back in her eyes.
‘To come up here with something like that… fuck.’
She knew instinctively.
That was just a shell.
There is something much more fearsome hiding beneath it.
She didn’t know what that thing was but if that thing showed itself and decided to kill them all then… they will all die.
Gyungmi breathed in and out and then spoke:
“…Can’t you just do it alone with such abilities?”
She didn’t know what he was hiding but it was extremely dangerous.
With that much he didn’t need them, he just needed to go out and sweep them all under him.
And just kill them if they didn’t listen.
Hansoo smiled at those words.
“Everyone has circumstances. I need someone to fight instead of me.”
‘Since I can’t get found out yet.’
Gyungmi sighed and then spoke to Hansoo:
“Even we can’t beat all 40 of them. It seems like you won’t be fighting. What are you planning?”
If such a thing was possible then they would’ve fought at the beginning already.
“What’s the problem? There are weaker ones roaming about in groups of ten. Beat up all the weaker ones separately and get them into your clan.”
“…”
He hadn’t acted out because of this until now.
Since it’ll become more convenient if they spread out.
‘One day… should be enough for them to get separated enough.’
To leave a Lord in leisure behind to travel in groups of 10 separately.
Symbols were gained from the agreement of both sides but he had never seen anybody who had not agreed with a blade up against up throat before.
“I don’t know what you don’t like about it but put them into the clan for now. And do whatever you want with them afterwards. Though there’s 10 of them who are a bit dangerous, I wonder if they’ll act out if there’s 40 of you guys.”
“…”
‘…He’s a bit annoying, shall I have a go at him?’
But Gyungmi shook her head.
Her sixth sense had saved her too many times for her to do so.
And that sixth sense was warning her clearly.
To listen.
“… Let’s go.”
Everyone nodded as they headed somewhere.
Hansoo smiled as he saw this.
‘That’s done.’
This is easy for them to get massacred if all 50 are separated but at the time same it was easy to clear if all 50 combined.
They just needed to make the clan, kill the protectors in leisure and attain the treasure.
‘…I can see the ending coming around.’
If he gains the philosopher’s stone here then he has gained everything necessary to go in the dungeon.
Then only one stage is left.
The two weeks will go by fast.
Hansoo laughed as he disappeared in order to kill the protectors as well.
***
“It seems the time has come for us to separate.”
Gyungmi made a tired expression as she looked at the people around her.
Almost 50 people.
They were mostly her clansmen now.
‘…I’m tired.’
It was even more tiring because she was trying to not get any of them die due to that useless connection.
Though some weren’t part of her clan.
‘The four over there.’
Gyungmi looked at the four, who were of different quality, in the corner.
Lord couldn’t give symbols to other lords.
And Lords could not give symbols to people who had already gained symbols from a different clan.
Which meant that if the giving of the symbol didn’t work then it would mean that that person was a Lord or part of a clan.
And because of this, these four caught the eyes.
‘Well there’s nothing really special about them.’
— Our clan has 84 people but the room they entered had 80 as the limit so we could only separate from the Lord.
It wasn’t that they all believed their excuses.
But what was the point when they were going to separate anyway.
She just needed to take care of her own clan.
“Let’s all go our own ways.”
Gyungmi changed the treasure into 50 Kurutan’s Bludgeons, gave it to each and everyone one by one and then ordered them to suicide.
Crack.
“…uh?”
Gyungmi’s psychic power isn’t strong enough to order them to suicide.
Everyone else other than her original clansmen had their symbols broken as soon as she gave the order.
And at the same time they, who had escaped from the clan, all looked fiercely at each other but then ran towards the exist after giving up.
Since there was no need to fight after having guaranteed their safety.
‘Well. This is a good end from one point of view.’
Though things had progressed half forcibly, everyone had survived as the result.
Since they had repeated the hunt for Protectors of the Dungeons faithfully under the order of the Clan Lord.
As the people who were thinking this and that made their way to the exit a giant door in the space that trapped them opened with a rumbling noise.
And a slightly different view from before had appeared in front of them.
“… maze?”
Many separate paths had appeared in front of their eyes.
And the fairy appeared in front of their eyes.
“Everyone here has survived. Heehee. Congratulations. You will now get sent to the starting point of the third floor. There’s nothing hard, you just need to follow the path. If you follow the crossroads, you will arrive at one the of hundreds of starting points.You can group up and follow your friends who arrived earlier or go separately when you get there.”
Everyone shrugged their shoulders as they disappeared into the paths.
Though it wasn’t like being moved into a room, it didn’t really matter.
Gyungmi looked at Chungjae with a suspicious expression but then shook her head as she took her clansmen into one of the numerous paths.
‘Hmm… shall I go too.’
It didn’t seem like the four there would move before he did.
Hansoo, who had the appearance of Chungjae, smirked as he walked towards the starting point.
And after a while he activated Arankal’s Bracelet and hid himself completely.
Then he very carefully returned to the starting point.
As he expected these four, who had said they were part of the other clan, were standing in the same position despite the others leaving one by one.
‘When are they going to move. Hurry up and move.’
Hansoo looked at them with great patience.
And soon when everyone else had disappeared, they seemed to have received orders from somewhere as they started to ruthlessly go through the paths.
Hansoo smiled as he saw them.
‘Hurry and guide me. To your captain.’
Even if he found them painstakingly and then kill them off one by one, the Lord will slowly regenerate his strength as well.
There was only one solution to this tedious situation.
To cut off the Lord’s neck in a single strike.
But he had no way of knowing where this guy was.
1st and 2nd floor were impossible and the only possible third floor still had a few hundred starting points.
It was not possible to search through each and every one of them.
But at a single time, he had a single chance.
A chance which appears when the special structure of the tower and the dangers of the third floor combines.
— If I miss that time then it will really be hard to catch him. If that happens then I’ll just gain everything we discussed and prepare first and then kill him at the very end after clearing the dungeon.
If the Dark Mad Lord had arrived to the third floor, and had seen the environment of this place then he could only gather all of his clansmen to a single spot.
The third floor was the place where they let them taste the harsh reality of the Otherworld.
It was not somewhere where tricks worked.
Since his head was good he had probably realized that he had to gather his clansmen in order for him to act around in such a place.
And the people in front of him will guide him.
To the Dark Mad Lord who could be in one of the hundreds of starting points.
If Hansoo had revealed his identity here then that cautious guy would’ve split up all his clansmen to other places.
Since if that guy had seen the third floor, he would want to only use his own forces and prevent any possible mishaps from happening in order to get through the third floor…
But Hansoo himself had to meet him and that was where the earring came into play.
‘It’s the final stage.’
He had gained everything he needed with the philosopher’s stone being the last.
The only thing he needed now was some fancy gear and plenty of runes.
He would’ve actually had to run around the whole tower according to the original plan.
Since it’ll be hard for oneself to have a full setting of gear and runes.
But there was a way for him to solve it very simply.
Since the people who have been running around the whole tower for him will gather in a single place.
People who would have such an amount that even he wouldn’t be able to gather alone.
‘Dark Mad Lord… Let’s see your face, it’s been a while.’
And once he finishes them off then all the preparations are complete.
For entering the Final Dungeon.
The final stage of the preparation wasn’t some beast.
It was the Dark Mad Lord himself.
‘I’ll use all my strength.’
Because in that place, only he and they exist.
Since there was no way the Dark Mad Lord would let random people who started at the same place as him alive.
He could use all his strength since rumors won’t be spreading anyway.
Hansoo slowly disappeared into the darkness as he followed the others.
***
And then somebody appeared in the place where Hansoo disappeared.
“… You really want to follow?”
One of the clansmen looked at Gyungmi as they shook their head.
To pretend to go up the road in order to follow him.
‘And how the hell did she even find him. Is it that sixth sense thing…?’
Gyungmi smirked as she nodded:
“Aren’t you even bit curious? As to what kind of thoughts he has?”
“… Just with that alone?”
“Well. We’ll find out when we get there. And if the path we were following and this is the same anyway then there’s nothing bad about going this way.”
And then Gyungmi followed the pathway towards the place that the sixth sense was pointing to, where the dangerous aura was radiating from.