Chapter 279. Commence (2)
[Mass Teleport] brought the members of Team 3 to Orden’s territory. But when they opened their eyes, they didn’t see anyone from Team 1, including Aileen.
Only the members of Team 3 were on the vast field of Africa.
“…Eh?”
Team 3’s leader, Yun Seung-Ah, became a bit worried when a second flash of Mass Teleport occurred.
Shoooong….
A violet magic power lit up, transferring over others.
Aileen, Yi Yongha, Jin Seyeon, Nicholas, Parma, and Seo Youngji. Although Team 1 consisted of only these six Heroes, everyone other than Seo Youngji and Jin Seyeon were elites of the Temple of Justice.
Everyone from Team 3 except Shin Jonghak stared at them with widened eyes.
“Is everyone here?”
Aileen stepped up and checked the Heroes present. But for some reason, Aileen had an eyepatch over her left eye. This [Smart Eyepatch] was an effective good from the Tower, allowing complicated calculations and deductions to be made with ease.
“…Mm, great. Everyone’s here.”
After receiving the result from the eyepatch, Aileen smiled in satisfaction. Rebé approached Aileen and spoke in a soft voice.
“My role ends here but… if you would like, I can tag along.”
Aileen furrowed her brows.
“What help will you be to us?”
“I can carry your bags, for example. I’ve already made a vow, so you can order me around as you please. Think of me as your sla—”
“Hold on a minute.”
Aileen took out a radio. From what the Hero Association discovered, Orden had the ability to detect magic power within 500km of his palace. But because his detection ability was limited only to magic power, the higher-ups decided to use electronic equipment.
“This is Aileen, we’ve arrived safely.”
—We can hear you. This is Commander Yi Gongmyung.
Yi Gongmyung. His intelligence and strategic mind rivaled the level of a Gift, he became the Minister of National Defense at just 30 years old.
“What should we do next?”
—We deployed a drone and dug a tunnel. It should be nearby, so please confirm it.
“A tunnel?”
Aileen looked around.
Indeed, there was an entrance covered in leaves and rocks.
“I found it.”
—Go inside. Orden and his servants’ magic power detection becomes weak underground. But for everyone’s safety, don’t use magic power until I give the signal.
“Got it.”
Aileen turned around and faced the others.
“Follow me, everyone!”
Team 1 and Team 3 began their march, everyone following behind Aileen.
The tunnel dug by the drone was dark and deep.
Click—
Aileen turned on a flashlight and lit the pathway.
“…Hey, Kim Suho, what’s this?”
Chae Nayun tapped on Kim Suho’s shoulder.
“I don’t know, but we’ve been expecting something like this, right?”
Kim Suho smirked and answered. Chae Nayun also put on a thin smile.
“I guess so. I don’t mind. It’s fun.”
“Same.”
“Don’t lie.”
“I’m not.”
Tak, tak- Only the sound of footsteps rang out.
Shin Jonghak cut in between Chae Nayun and Kim Suho, and Chae Nayun walked while playing a mini-game on her phone.
Chae Nayun, Shin Jonghak, and Kim Suho walked forward side-by-side.
The tunnel ran down diagonally until it became flat at a certain point.
“How have you guys been?”
As the tension was starting to die down, a voice suddenly rang out.
Kim Suho turned around in slight surprise and saw Jin Seyeon who was smiling brightly.
“Ah, Senior.”
“I-It’s been a while.”
“…Hello.”
Kim Suho, Chae Nayun, and Shin Jonghak answered respectively.
“I wanted to see you all.”
Jin Seyeon, who felt uncomfortable in Team 1’s stiff atmosphere, liked being with her juniors more. She first tried to estimate Kim Suho’s strength. She didn’t need to fight him, only needing to look into his eyes. As expected of the man who recently gained the title ‘Swordsman of Wish’, Kim Suho had gotten strong enough to make Jin Seyeon smile.
“Um, Senior, who’s that?”
Kim Suho pointed at ‘Bera’ and asked.
“Mmm—“
“Think of me as a hidden powerhouse.”
Bera answered before Jin Seyeon could say anything. Clearly, Bera had excellent hearing.
“…A hidden powerhouse?”
Seeing Chae Nayun frown, Bera grinned.
“Yes, there are many hidden powerhouses in this world. Heynckes who appeared once again and Black Lotus, for example. Ah, Orden would also be considered one.”
Kim Suho’s eyes slightly widened.
“You know Black Lotus?”
“Mm… Maybe I’m Black Lotus.”
“No, that’s impossible.”
Aileen, who was listening in on the conversation, spoke firmly.
“Black Lotus isn’t so frivolous.”
“…Kuhum.”
Aileen’s sharp tone turned the atmosphere awkward.
Tzzzt— Tzzt—
At that moment, Aileen’s radio turned on.
—If you haven’t been discovered yet, everything is going as planned. Walk 200km from there. You can use buff magic if you want.
“200km…”
Aileen turned around. Yi Jiyoon and Parma were the group’s supporters, but because Parma was a healer, buffing the team was Yi Jiyoon’s job.
“Supporter Yi Jiyoon, prepare [Haste].”
“Yes!”
Yi Jiyoon carefully took out a bow. Then, she weaved ‘buff arrows’ with her magic power.
“One for each.”
“…Can’t you do it using a spell or something?”
Aileen, who didn’t even like syringes, wasn’t happy to be pierced by arrows.
“It’s more effective this way.”
“…Tsk. Go easy.”
Aileen closed her eyes reluctantly, and Yi Jiyoon shot her arrows. Although being shot came with a slight pain, it was more than bearable.
“Let’s go.”
With Yi Jiyoon’s ‘Haste’ buff, the group moved quickly enough to leave behind afterimages. Although 200km couldn’t be traveled easily by walking, their superhuman physical abilities heightened with Haste let them accomplish it in 3 hours.
—This is Yi Gongmyung. If everyone has arrived at the destination, use the card.
They arrived at a spacious area. Rather than a pathway, it was more like a room.
“Understood.”
Aileen took out the fortress card as ordered.
“We will be using it now.”
7-star card, [Building Fortress]. Aileen infused her magic power into it without hesitation.
“I want a tough fortress capable of holding 300 people.”
Shoong—
The moment Aileen’s Spirit Speech was added to the card, the card turned into magic power and seeped into the earth.
And that was it.
There was no rumbling or further undulation of magic power. Only a faint wind blew before space began to warp.
Tough iron fencing rose up from the ground, while dozens of small barracks appeared inside. A headquarters building was constructed in the middle.
“Wow… it’s a real fortress.”
“Amazing.”
Kim Suho and Chae Nayun murmured in awe. But they weren’t the only ones who were surprised. Even Aileen who activated the card stared at the fortress in shock.
“A-Alright, let’s go inside and unpack. This will be our base of operation for the upcoming Orden Assassination Mission.”
Aileen announced proudly as she walked into the fortress.
**
The fortress had 99 barracks. Considering the number of Heroes that would need to use the base, three people had to share one. As such, Chae Nayun, Yi Jiyoon, and Jin Seyeon came to use the same barracks.
Inside the petite log cabin, the three women unpacked their belongings leisurely.
“Hm? Nayun-ssi?”
At that moment, Jin Seyeon called Chae Nayun.
“Yes?”
Chae Nayun, who was changing her clothes, tilted her head.
“You dropped this… what is it?”
Jin Seyeon picked up a piece of paper that fell on the ground. It was wrinkly from being kept in her pocket all this time.
“Oh, that?”
Chae Nayun smiled bitterly as she received the [Invitation Letter to the Loveroom].
“It’s an effective good that can summon a person.”
“…Summon?”
“Yes. I just need to know the person’s Tower nickname.”
Hearing this, Yi Jiyoon cut in.
“Wow, really? Who are you going to summon with that?”
“Hm? Oh, I have someone in mind.”
Extra7. Chae Nayun immediately thought of her game master, who saved her when she was about to die inside the Tower. Although a couple years had passed since she obtained the summoning item, she didn’t have the chance to use it.
“I think I’ll use it soon.”
Chae Nayun planned to use it before fighting Orden. After all, it would be wasted if she died.
Meanwhile, Jin Seyeon looked at the summoning paper with sparkling eyes.
“It’s a great item. I’d love to have one too. Ah, do you want to exchange it with this card?”
Jin Seyeon took out a card.
===
[A Thousand-day Wait] [6-star]
—Can be used 1000 days after acquiring it. After this card is activated, you will meet someone you want coincidentally the next day.
===
Chae Nayun read the item description then quickly shook her head.
“Nah, I have to wait a thousand days to use it. That’s terrible.”
“No, no, think about it. It’s better since you don’t need to know your target’s Player name.”
“It’s fine. I already know who I’m going to summon.”
Chae Nayun pushed the card away. Jin Seyeon pouted then put the card back into her pocket.
“Who are you going to summon? Can you tell us his Player name? Let’s hear it.”
Jin Seyeon narrowed her eyes at Chae Nayun. Yi Jiyoon also stared at her with eyes full of anticipation.
Of course, Yi Jiyoon already knew who Chae Nayun wanted to summon. It had to be Kim Hajin.
“Technically, I don’t know who he is either… Ah, you might know, Senior, since you’re a gosu.”
Chae Nayun cleared her throat then carefully brought up a name.
“Extra7… Have you heard of him?”
“Mm… He does sound familiar….”
Jin Seyeon furrowed her brows and fell into thought. Chae Nayun focused her attention on Jin Seyeon, hoping for an answer. After all, Jin Seyeon was a famous Ranker inside the Tower of Wish.
Neither Jin Seyeon nor Chae Nayun paid any attention to Yi Jiyoon.
However…
“…?!”
Yi Jiyoon found the answer easily. She had a huge hint.
The nickname ‘Extra7’ and what Kim Hajin secretly said to her when he came to cure Chae Nayun’s curse.
—Tell her that an extra came to help.
“…Gulp.”
The question that was lingering in her mind ever since that day was finally answered.
‘So that’s what he meant by extra…’ Yi Jiyoon swallowed hard.
“Haha, sorry, I’m not sure. I’ll try to find out later.”
Jin Seyeon scratched her head and laughed.
“Ah, it’s fine. He likes to keep his identity a secret, so it’s not all that surprising.”
Chae Nayun waved her hands.
“….”
Yi Jiyoon stared at them with a wry smile before heading out of the barracks.
—Ah, why don’t you summon him now?
—Eh? Ah~ no, that’s a bit… haha, I want to, but we’re in the middle of a top-secret mission.
—I’m kidding, of course. But what are you going to say to him when you meet him?
—Nothing much. I just have a few questions to ask him, but more importantly, I want to thank him. He saved my life, you see.
Yi Jiyoon went to find Shin Jonghak, leaving behind Chae Nayun and Jin Seyeon.
**
[England, Buckingham Palace]
As the sun was rising from the east, many spectators were already gathered around the ‘Illusory Prison’ entrapping Toji.
The Prime Minister, Vice-Minister, their secretaries, Princess Rachel, Yoo Yeonha, etc… Everyone except Chae Joochul and Heynckes were present, waiting for Heynckes who declared he would kill Toji.
“Hey, who was that kid from yesterday? Why won’t you answer me?”
Yoo Yeonha nudged Rachel who was standing next to her. But Rachel maintained a thick face and replied shamelessly.
“What do you mean?”
“…What do you mean? Is that all you have to say? You’re joking, right?”
“Huh?”
Rachel’s innocent face dumbfounded Yoo Yeonha even more.
“Wow, look at you. Did you lose your memory?”
In truth, Rachel wasn’t in any state to deal with Yoo Yeonha. She already had a headache from ‘Shin Yeohwa’ who made her nest in her bedroom.
“Um… I’m not sure what you mean….”
“Excuse me! Don’t you want to form an alliance?!”
“Aa! Lord Heynckes is coming out!”
Rachel quickly pointed to the distance.
Tak, tak—
Like she said, Heynckes was approaching the crowd.
Yoo Yeonha decided to put her suspicion aside and ran up to Heynckes.
“Lord Heynckes, I’m Yoo Yeonha. I introduced myself to you yesterday. How are you feeling today?”
Yoo Yeonha spoke in German. Heynckes seemed happy as his eyebrows danced furtively.
“You’re Yoo Jinwoong’s daughter. I’m fine. Your German is excellent.”
“Haha, yes, I enjoy German culture.”
“Oh, do you now?”
“Yes, German beer is the best in the world.”
“Hmmm~”
Yoo Yeonha showed off the German skills she acquired through her crash course last night. Heynckes talked to her in satisfaction as he walked towards the Illusory Prison.
“It’s time for business. We can talk later.”
Heynckes stopped their conversation.
“Yes, thank you.”
Satisfied with the result she got, Yoo Yeonha backed off.
Crack, crack—
Heynckes loosened his neck and shoulder muscles.
“Now… let’s do this.”
“Lord Heynckes, we have a buff magician ready.”
“That’s unnecessary.”
The Prime Minister quickly suggested the use of a buff magician, but Heynckes declined and took out his steel sword.
He had already finished his preparations. Although his body was no longer what it used to be, he honed himself last night, and his resonance with his steel sword was clear.
That was enough for him.
Chwiik—
Hyenckes swung his sword, unleashing his magic power at the same time.
The Illusory Prison shattered. The steel magic power spread out in all directions and formed a new prison, one that encased Hyenckes and Toji inside.
“…What?”
Toji, who was asleep, woke up with a dazed look. He noticed that his surroundings had changed.
“Wha…”
Toji got up, feeling curious. Heynckes swung his sword, piercing Toji’s chest.
“Ak.”
Toji screamed and stepped backwards. He frowned and glared at Heynckes. Pain angered Toji.
“You, kill.”
Rocks crumbled from Toji’s body, which then shot towards Heynckes. But mere rocks couldn’t touch Heynckes. In terms of compatibility, Heynckes’ ‘steel’ displayed absolute superiority against Toji’s ‘earth’.
“You! Kill!”
Seeing that long-ranged attacks were ineffective, Toji began to swing his fists.
Koong—! Koong—! Koong—!
But Hyenckes easily avoided Toji’s inexperienced attacks and countered at the right time. Wounds began to appear on Toji’s body.
“I, no pain.”
Even so, Toji stood unperturbed. He had long forgotten about pain. He believed his body could regenerate itself endlessly, and thus had no fear.
However…
“…?”
Toji soon realized that his body wasn’t moving as he wanted it to.
His arms felt heavy, and his chest stuffy.
It was as if the soil making up his body was hardening.
Toji had no choice but to stop attacking.
“What?”
“Dull little rascal, you just realized?”
Heynckes grinned.
“Real…ize?”
“Steel Transformation. That’s what you’re experiencing. I injected my magic power into your mind.”
Toji’s body was made of earth, and metal defeated earth. It wasn’t hard for Heynckes to inject his magic power into Toji’s body.”
“You also caught the symptoms killing my body.”
The magic power of steel devoured Toji’s body of earth, and steel transformation quickly took place.
“This….”
Toji could no longer move. He stared at his body, which was solidifying and becoming metallic.
“…What an anticlimactic end.”
Heynckes felt Toji’s final moments were no different than his own. He knew he would meet the same end one day.
“It’s hard to see it any longer.”
Heynckes raised his sword. Like a wind-up doll that stopped functioning, Toji stood still with his head facing down.
“…Haa.”
After a sigh, Heynckes’ steel sword swung down.
**
[Africa – Orden’s Territory]
Late afternoon of early winter, in the African continent filled with monsters, I arrived in Orden’s territory along with Spartan.
“Black Lotus. I just arrived.”
It was to accomplish the secret mission assigned by the Hero Association to the Chameleon Troupe – ‘Spy Retrieval’.
—Yes, confirmed.
The commander of the mission, Yi Gongmyung, answered from the radio.
He was a character I created, a genius in tactical warfare and strategy, so I had confidence in his abilities.
—I’ll send the signal to the spy soon.
I didn’t know how, but he managed to plant a spy in Orden’s territory. The Chameleon Troupe was tasked with retrieving him safely. The reward was, as expected, an astronomical amount of money and the cancelation of the bounty placed on them.
There was no reason not to accept.
“What comes after the signal?”
—You can go to the fortress we prepared underground.
“…Fortress?”
Underground fortress. The unexpected phrase surprised me.
—Yes, we prepared a fortress to use as our base camp. It was prepared in secret, so I’m afraid I can’t tell you too much about it.
“….”
Well, nothing was really impossible in this world. I wouldn’t be surprised if Atlantis existed too.
“Understood. Contact me after signaling your spy.”
—Yes, understood.
As soon as the communication cut off, a beeping signal arrived.
It was a Morse code signaling a coordinate.