Chapter 62. Calamity Fish Hunting (7)

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Kalz Morenn clicked his tongue.

‘The Blue Carrier Pigeons have not been flying back for a while.’

This meant that everyone who had gone off had failed.

‘I can’t leave this to them anymore.’

He thought that he would be able to find that guy using Gyesoo’s trait pretty quickly but it seems that there was a lot of restrictions that made it so that he could not find the person he found earlier for a whole month.

‘Well. He probably never thought of losing to a newcomer in the first place anyway.’

Ailen asked with a slightly confused expression while looking at Kalz Morenn warming up his body.

“…You said you weren’t going to move because you came for vacation right?”

Kalz Morenn smiled.

“I came here to enjoy. I feel like that guy will make this fun for me. It’s been a while since I found somebody who offended me like this.”

There’s no satisfaction in smashing down timid people.

Wringing those who offended you was truly fun and satisfying.

“I’m going. You watch for those who run away towards the plains above the Kukulja Lake.”

Kalz Morenn left those final words as he quickly disappeared from the top of the boat.

***

Hansoo thought about his next objective as he erased his tracks.

Since he had collected the Kukulja Heart Extract it was now time for him to go to the next stage.

‘I need to supplement it with Nutritional Fluid.’

One of the the two core ingredients of the Hardening Liquid.

Hansoo took out the Juicer he received from the Helper clansman and then ran towards the End Root between the sea and the Kukulja lake.

In this place, if you ignore the few special cases within the World Tree Area, it was impossible to satisfy one’s hunger and thirst without the Juicer.

Hansoo could finally see a greenish part on the center of some blazing ruins that resembled a vein after a long run on top of the tree root.

‘Found it. The Exterior.’

The Root of World Tree was largely divided into the Exterior and the Interior.

The Interior absorbed the toxic waters from the Roots and then sent it to the Trunk which acted as the main part of the tree.

And the Exterior supplied nutrition to all of the World Tree by purifying the toxic waters into the Nutritional Fluid.

The Exterior, which was made of tens of thousands of strands, spread out from the deepest parts of the World Tree Roots and even to the outside.

And the only place where the survivors of this place, which was always burning, could find liquid and food was that World Tree Exterior’s Nutritional Fluid.

A large amount of people were using all their strengths and using the Juicer like the Helper clansman had told them.

But of course there was a problem.

‘Barely any comes out.’

“Dammit! What is this! It barely comes out!”

“Uuu. What will this amount do to anyone!”

This machine, which had a few skills applied onto it, pulled out the Nutritional Fluid once one takes it and puts it onto the Exterior.

But if not much of the Nutritional Fluid flowed through the Exterior then what would the Juicer do even if it had extremely good specs.

As if the Exterior was symbolizing the dried up World Tree, a very small amount of Nutritional Fluids were running through it.

‘I need to find a thicker Exterior.’

He had to scratch off quite a large amount of Nutritional Fluids for the Hardening Liquid.

It wasn’t hard to find a thicker Exterior.

Since if you follow the Exterior up, you will find a thicker Exterior where the other Exteriors met up.

But there were people on the thicker Exterior already.

‘We meet again.’

Hansoo shrugged as he looked at the 150 people gathered.

Yohan and the others were driving out the other people approaching the Exterior as they were filling up their Nutritional Fluid Containers.

“Get lost!”

“Don’t come close! We will use this place first!”

The people who were driven out cried out in rage.

“You damned bastards! If you suck it all up then what do you want us to do!”

Yohan smirked as he laughed.

“If you feel wronged then go up higher than us and suck it up there.”

“…Fuckers.”

The people cursed quietly.

Who didn’t know about that.

But the higher they go the stronger the beasts and people get.

Of course it was more dangerous to go higher.

So people realized it at once.

That they had to get stronger no matter what and then keep climbing up.

If they keep sucking out the Nutritional Fluid in the Exterior above then the people below will barely be able to taste the Nutritional Fluid.

Which means that they had to persevere to get the Nutritional Fluid no matter what, get stronger and then drink from the Exterior above where there is more Nutritional Fluid.

Hansoo shook his head as he saw this scene.

‘How could there be unity if things go like this.’

It was basically the same as fighting for water during a drought.

Actually the fight to take over the Nutritional Fluid was even more intense above.

‘And this is why I must revive the World Tree even more.’

It was impossible to unite people when the amount of food was limited.

It was already not enough but if the people who will be sent in next year are taken into account then it will really be insufficient.

They will all starve like the Communism of the old days and then all die of starvation.

Unity was a job that was after revival of the World Tree.

‘Well. It’s not to the point where they will starve to death yet.’

Which means that it wasn’t time for him to care yet.

Hansoo landed in front of Yohan who was driving off the other people.

And as soon as Yohan saw Hansoo, his expression scrunched up.

Then he shouted loudly.

“Kang Hansoo! Where did you hide the boat!”

“Mmm?”

Yohan loudly shouted.

“We can’t go up higher! There are beasts swarming up above!”

There was a reason why Yohan and his crew were staying a bit below the Lake.

They had seen the Calamity Fish on the way.

And because of this they tried to climb up as fast as possible as soon as the instructions of the Helper clansman ended.

But they gave up as soon as they saw the beasts blocking their way.

Since thousands of beasts were swarming around.

The lake was even worse.

And they were raising their strengths by collecting the Nutritional Fluid like this and hunting weak beasts because they could not die like this.

But if they had a boat then everything would be solved.

“Give us the boat. You don’t need it. We will leave on the boat.”

They had rushed back to find the boat after seeing that the road was blocked but they could not find it as if this guy had hidden it.

Hansoo shook his head at Yohan words.

He had to ride on that to hunt the Calamity Fish.

“Persevere well here. Don’t think about going up.”

“…what?”

“I’m going to kill that Calamity Fish so. I need to use the boat there.”

“…”

‘He’s really insane.’

He had heard something like this when this guy was fighting that Camille woman.

‘You want us to believe such nonsense? Just say you don’t want to give us the boat instead.’

Yohan grinded his teeth.

Hansoo chucked as he looked at that Yohan.

Since he could guess what he was thinking.

‘Don’t do that.’

If he had let these guys off in a different place then it would’ve taken a lot longer.

He could understand Yohan’s intentions so he just shrugged and didn’t really say much more.

Since he had long gotten used to people telling him to put down the luggage after he had saved them too.

While Yohan was grinding his teeth, Hansoo leisurely went up to the Exterior and then plugged the pointy part of the Juicer.

Chuuuuuuk.

And then the Juicer activated as it pulled out the Nutritional Fluid a drop at a time.

Hansoo then drank the Nutritional Fluid that came out from the Juicer.

‘Hooh. Much better.’

Though the World Tree had dried up, it was still the World Tree.

He had just drank just a few drops of the water of life that was provided through the Exterior but it already started to fill up Hansoo’s whole body with nutrients.

The slowed down healing speed from the lack of nutrition quickly came back to normal as the Nutritional Fluid swirled around his body.

‘Since I quenched my thirst it’s time to move.’

Hansoo got up his seat.

The amount he needed to gather was not possible to be gathered here anyway.

There were two reasons why he had come to the Exterior on the bottom.

To replenish his spent stamina and to use it as the starting point to go to a bigger one.

Even more so since this thing went up and down through the underground.

“Don’t piss people off randomly and just stay here for a bit.”

The time was getting saved due to him having earned quite a nice weapon.

He would be able to set off towards the Calamity Fish in just a little while.

Hansoo ended with those words as he followed the Exterior into a corner of the jungle.

Yohan looked at that Hansoo with a cold expression.

‘I need to find the hidden boat.’

The reason why that guy could be so laid back was because he had the boat.

Since he could leave at any time.

Yohan had to find the boat.

‘But how?’

That guy was so cautious to the point where he was constantly erasing his tracks as he moved.

And the dangerous jungle.

It would be hard to chase.

But Yohan suddenly had a strange thought.

‘Was something over there?’

If you follow the way he had come from the lake was there.

A guy of that level would’ve already been to such a place and came back but for him to only come out now.

‘Is something over there?’

There was a possibility.

Since that guy had a strange psychic power.

Then the reason why he had driven the boat to this dangerous place could be explained.

‘Killing the Calamity Fish. That’s definitely a lie… Is he trying to gain something here and then escape with the boat?’

And the fact that he had told them to stay here was even more suspicious.

Yohan cautiously gathered up a few people and shared his thoughts.

A few of them actually made a doubtful expression but then they agreed with Yohan’s thoughts of having a look as they created a search team to follow the path Hansoo had come from.

And soon they arrived at the lake which was quite familiar to them.

The lake of the monsters which had thrown them into despair.

But there was a person who had gotten there before them.

‘…Who is that?’

There was a man who was meticulously searching around the lake in Yohan’s sight.

The foreign looking man searched around the root but once he saw them he ignored them as if he lost his joy and started to focus onto the work he was doing.

‘Damnit. They’re all the same.’

Yohan, whose pride had actually taken quite a toll due to Hansoo, had actually gotten pissed at the attitude of the man ignoring them but couldn’t really say anything back because that man looked dangerous at just a simple glance.

Even without the Helper clansman’s warning he could still feel the strange bloodthirsty aura radiating from that man.

Yohan decided to ignore that man just like how he had done to them and spoke to the surrounding people.

“Since it looks dangerous let’s back off for now and then look for Hansoo’s tracks when that man leaves.”

Yohan did not realize that this was a fatal mistake.

The ears of the man, who had been ignoring Yohan and his crew, trembled as he yelled out roughly.

“Hey you over there! You know Hansoo?”

‘Shit!’

Everyone was shocked at the sudden shout of the man.

They didn’t know who he was but they didn’t want to get mixed up with such a dangerous person.

Yohan tensed up but then thought that he didn’t have anything to lose as he broadened his chest and tried to speak.

“We do but then what are yo…”

Puuuk!

“Kuuhuuuk!”

The broadened chest had to be folded back immediately.

Yohan looked at the man who had appeared in front of him in an instant and had smashed him on his stomach with a pained expression.

‘What… did I even do wrong?’

Kalz Morenn looked at that Yohan as he spoke.

“You bastard. Dare to look at my eyes when you’re just a mere newcomer. You want to die.”

“Kuhuuuk…”

‘Damnit. With just that as the reason…’

It felt like his whole intestines were tangling up from just one kick.

At the same time Yohan realized why the Helper clansman told them to not piss off the people who had come in the previous year.

Since the explosive movements that were combined with skills were hard even for their eyes to follow.

“Good. It was hard enough to look for his tracks anyways, you guys will help me a bit.”

He was about to explode from annoyance because that guy had hidden his tracks so well but for these guys to get caught.

‘Kuhuu. He probably knew that someone was going to chase him but it seems like he didn’t expect something like this.’

Kalz Morenn looked at the chicks with a cold expression.

………………………………………

“You got off here?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

Kalz Morenn estimated which way that guy would’ve gone.

He didn’t know why Hansoo was running around the jungle but he probably knew that there were going to be pursuers.

‘There’s no way that he’d hide his tracks otherwise.’

Then there was only one choice that guy would make.

<Escape Route>

Running away from him when Gyesoo hadn’t even told him about himself was an impossible thing.

It was impossible to run towards the wide open plain above the Kukulja lake because he had told Ailen to guard that area.

The only escape route then was the sea.

If he went near the boat and then waited then he would be able to catch him for sure.

‘If not then I can just break apart the the boat first. Since I can kill him slowly once he can’t run away anymore.’

Though Hansoo had hidden it, it wasn’t hard to find the traces of the boat with a skill once they reach the place where they had gotten off.

Yohan, who had been looking at Kalz Morenn with a fearful expression, spoke.

“Anyways… will you really give us the boat? Once you find it?”

Kalz Morenn looked at Yohan with an amused expression.

‘These guys. Do they not have a very good relationship?’

From what he heard, they would’ve all died if not for this Hansoo guy but they were cooperating extremely well.

He was going to twist the necks of a few people if they didn’t comply but he felt awkward to do so when they cooperated so well.

‘Well. It’s better for me.’

Kalz smiled contently as he spoke.

“Of course. You guys take the boat.”

He was going to destroy it anyway for the tour but this was the time to give hope.

They would cooperate better if there was a chance for survival.

As if those words gave Yohan strength, he steadily headed towards the location where they had gotten off the boat.

And then he spoke towards Kalz:

“It’s here.”

“Let’s see…”

Kalz Morenn’s skill, <Aronan’s Chaser>, activated.

Since the fairy’s boats weren’t hard to find due to their particularities.

‘Tsk. It’d be nice to find Hansoo with this.’

But there were too many different scents mixed in the last battlefield for that.

But soon the confident face of Kalz Morenn scrunched up.

“…This guy and that guy. Why are they all retarded.”

The location where the Aronan’s Chaser pointed to.

He could feel the traces of the boat a few hundreds meters deep under the sea.

But how would Hansoo pull that up.

The 500 man boat’s weight was not something a human can pull up.

Even if the amount of their muscles increased, there was still a limit with a human’s body mass.

Where would he find a rope to pull that up while withstanding the toxic waters.

‘These retards… he didn’t hide it, it just sunk.’

This meant that Hansoo guy had gained a boat somewhere else already.

A boat that the Quadratus guys had not smashed yet.

‘Quadratus and these guys. They’re really extremely frustrating.’

The important fact was that he had wasted time because these guys.

Catching him would become much harder due to this slight change.

Since when it came to pursuing someone the difference between a few hours and half a day was the difference between heaven and earth.

“These bitches…”

“Huuuuak!”

The thing that he needed the most currently was somebody to vent his anger on.

The dark red flames started to float around Kalz Morenn as if they were reacting to his rage.

***

‘Hmm. Good.’

Hansoo, who had sliced apart the beasts in the Exterior located deep within the jungle and was pulling out the Nutritional Fluid with the juicer, nodded at the smooth process.

There was no need to share it because it was an Exterior located in a dangerous place and he was also gaining runes steadily even while chopping apart the beasts.

‘It seems like the work will finish faster than my expectation. Anyways, I thought that Kalz Morenn guy would chase me but I seem to be wrong. Did he lose his way somewhere.’

But Hansoo just shrugged his shoulders.

‘I wonder why my luck is so good. It’s good anyway. Once the materials Camille Rowe finds get mixed in then it’ll be completed.’

Hansoo, who had been sucking the Nutritional Fluid out from the Exterior, quickly moved towards the next Exterior.