◈ 562. [Side Story] An ominous premonition,
Crossroads. loot warehouse.
This is where various materials and items recovered from monsters are piled up.
“… .”
I’m looking through items recovered from previous defenses.
Because the loot accumulated during the four defense battles from stage 31 to 34 has not been properly organized yet. He was holding me and tidying up.
‘Next is the boss stage, so I’ll have to defend myself better… … .’
The upcoming defensive battle is stage 35.
It is a boss stage where the difficulty level rises rapidly. Everything that can be used on this side should be shaken off and prepared.
I checked the items piled up in the loot storage in turn. The loot was piled up in the order in which they were defeated.
‘Stage 31 was an army of scarecrows.’
It was a formidable enemy, but there were no special loot other than the SSR-grade magic core spit out by the corps commander. As soon as the magic core came out, it was put into equipment production.
‘There’s nothing special about the rest.’
I threw out the straw bags and other junk, and moved on.
Stage 32 was the Horn Corps. I lured them down the cliff and induced them to fall. It was easy to catch, but collecting the loot was very troublesome.
The incineration of the corpse was completed, but the collection of mana stones was not yet complete. Magic stones are rolling around where monster corpses were piled up like mountains.
Well, the horny corps aren’t the ones who give great loot, so I’m leaving it alone for now… … .
‘Next is the Fallen Knights.’
The Fallen Knights, the opponents of Stage 33.
‘These guys were definitely enemies worth mentioning.’
Moreover, since all 13 fallen knights were humanoid monsters, all the recovered equipment was ready for use.
The problem is that most of them are extremely polluted and the materials are often human bones, so it is difficult for anyone to give them a hand.
Among them, the hwaryong point.
The weapon used by the fallen king Pendragon – the cannibal sword Xcarnival.
‘It’s a real literal demonic sword, isn’t it… … .’
I just lightly gripped the handle, but I heard a voice in my head saying, “I’m hungry, give me some fresh blood.”
Thanks to my passive [Indomitable Commander], mental contamination was prevented, so it’s a shame that if an ordinary person grabbed it unknowingly, he would be subjected to a 3-piece set of hypnosis, brainwashing and corruption by this demonic sword.
‘… It would be better to seal it.’
As it is a vicious demonic sword, its performance is certain.
Since it is possible to eat anything without covering it, you can perform tricks that nullify all of the enemy’s ranged attacks, just like the Fallen King used.
When stabbed into the opponent’s body, the special function ‘predation’ is activated, and the life force of the opponent can be absorbed as the user intended.
Performance is good. The problem is that users go crazy.
It’s not a good weapon to use even if you have to take this risk. I decided to seal this demon sword.
“Fuck tea.”
After tying the sheath with a string, I threw it into my inventory.
The demonic sword disappeared as he spat out a desperate cry like ‘Birthday fresh eh eh eh’. Fuck you, you bastard.
The rest of the fallen knights’ equipment was left to the smithy to be melted down.
We can’t let our kids use this strange equipment. After the equipment disassembly show, I’m sure I can recover a little bit of the magic core.
“… .”
I moved on to the next area.
The monsters that invaded Stage 34. The sturgeon monster and the dandelion monster.
Various material items such as mana cores and magic stones obtained from defeating them were piled up like a mountain. I stood in front of him, frowning, lost in thought.
I wasn’t worried about how to use these items. Rather, it was a concern about the situation in which they appeared together.
‘Why did the two armies come out together?’
This ‘game’ I am playing with my adversary, the Demon King, is a confrontation with rules under mutual agreement.
I still don’t know exactly what the devil’s purpose is, but anyway, he has been fighting by following the rules.
They harass us like they’re going to kill us every time, but they didn’t break the rules and try to kill us. That shitty dark event is also within the rules anyway.
‘It happened in Stage 9 that more than one enemy corps appeared at the same time against the rules.’
The feeling is different from then.
In Stage 9, the wolf king, Lunared, had overthrown the admiral.
Part of the werewolf legion he dispatched made us suffer even more when we were struggling on Jormungandr, the Serpent of the World.
But that was it. Jormungandr and the Werewolf Legion did not cooperate with each other and did not create significant synergies.
How about this time?
Not only did the two corps appear at the same time, including the corps commander, but the two corps appeared with a ‘combination’ that causes significant synergy with each other.
Two corps with clear strengths and weaknesses came up with a combination that could offset each other’s weaknesses and strengthen their strengths, and even overwhelmed us in an instant.
It was a corps selection and a pincer attack that undoubtedly felt the opponent’s intentions.
‘What can I say… … .’
I frowned.
‘It’s heterogeneous.’
His fighting style is distinctly different from that of the demon king in the past. It was as if the chess opponent had changed.
We have never met face to face, but we have been exchanging numbers over and over again. I was aware of the demon king’s style to some extent.
He’s a fun player with no interest in winning.
It’s good if you win, but it doesn’t matter if you lose.
It bullies you, tests you, pushes you to the limit, but on the other hand, you don’t want me to break down easily. such a fucking opponent.
But what about the opponent who is just starting out on the other side?
desperate
I’m struggling to get a knife to my throat somehow.
“… .”
In the end, the sturgeon corps and the dandelion corps, which came out at the same time, self-destructed.
They seemed to cooperate for a while, but then they fought to kill each other. We were able to catch and eat those who fell into civil war without difficulty.
Forward bases were somewhat damaged and there were few casualties. Still, the damage was tolerable.
The damage was bearable, but I felt ominous.
Next boss stage. Stage 35.
In this defense… … What number will the opponent come up with?
“after.”
Shaking my head with a sigh, I inspected the loot piled up in front of me.
No matter what method the opponent uses, this side has no choice but to prepare as much as possible.
‘Anyway, the items obtained from two legions at the same time are doubled.’
The recovered iron armor is armor and can be used for repairing the castle walls, and the core parts of the dandelion monsters can be useful for making weapons here. Cannons or long-range artillery weapons.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve been able to upgrade Burnout’s equipment.’
The Shadow Unit, my first sub-party… … It’s a party that’s been disbanded a long time ago, so it’s hard to even call it a unit.
Anyway, the survivors of the shadow unit, Burnout and Body Bag, are now transferred under the command of the Fairy Queen.
If you make equipment with the parts of the dandelion monsters, you will be able to add wings to Burnout’s long-range bombardment ability.
So let’s decide how to handle the item, scrawl the paperwork, and come out of the warehouse.
“Lord.”
Lucas, who was waiting outside, saluted me.
“The skeleton retrieval team dispatched to the chapel in District 8 of the Dungeon has returned. It is said that they safely recovered the remains of the dead.”
“I’m glad.”
Currently, the heart of the Lake Kingdom is not in a frenzy due to a civil war between monsters.
The remains retrieval team couldn’t easily enter District 8 and only noticed for a long time, but it seems that they succeeded this time with difficulty.
I let out a sigh of relief. Although the funerals of the dead were delayed by the Fallen Knights, they were able to hold them.
“Me and… .”
Lucas looked at me and added cautiously.
“This time, the Paris monster… It is said that they met.”
I frowned.
“fly?”
“yes. It is reported that they were giant flies.”
I rested my chin on my hand and groaned.
‘Then the opponent on the next stage is the Paris Legion?’
Although it is a corps with various gimmicks that are dirty with flying monsters and difficult to deal with.
‘… Are they worthy of appearing on the boss stage?’
The fly monster has extremely low intelligence.
It is a level that can be easily annihilated with a simple trap. These guys are going to the boss stage?
“Any other peculiarities?”
“As soon as they encountered them, they ran away… Nothing but degree.”
“… .”
run away?
a monster?
Even if you see a human, you don’t attack?
why?
I opened the system window.
[Enemy Information – STAGE 35]
– Lv.? ??? : 1 Body
– Lv.25 Giant Fly: ??? Body
– Lv.20 Giant Maggot: ??? Body
It’s a fly monster army that will surely hurt your stomach just by looking at its name… … .
‘Why are there so many question marks… … ?’
Deep in thought, I looked at Lucas and nodded.
“We need to do more reconnaissance. Continue dispatching autonomous exploration until the start of the defense battle.”
“Johnny.”
The difficulty of the game, which was not always the case, was getting more and more delicious.
In a board where even the rules are unbelievable, we need to gather a little more information about what monsters are and how many.
“I don’t have a good feeling, Lucas.”
Looking south, I gnashed my teeth. Lucas was looking at me with a concerned expression.
I chewed one more time and spit it out.
“I have a feeling… not good… .”
***
South from Crossroads. advance base.
In this place where countless workers and soldiers were busy restoring, there was a worker who stood out.
thud! thud! Cheolguk!
The worker who moved a lot of bricks and steel frames with a loud sound was the golem.
Besides, the number was not one. More than five golems carried materials throughout the construction site and helped with the construction by swinging their massive arms.
“Right, right! put it there! Well done No. 1! no yanmar! No. 4! Drive that steel frame right next to it, not there!”
The golem master, Candler, was controlling the five golems at the same time.
Although he was a member of the casino jukdo mercenary group ‘Blacklist’, he was injured during the invasion of the Gorgon sisters and retired as a mercenary.
Utilizing his specialty as a golem master, he quickly rose to become an ace worker. Currently, he has been reborn as an indispensable talent for restoration work.
“Today is also great, Candler! Thanks to you, I can repair the outpost in time.”
The head of the Carpenter’s Guild and the Stonemason’s Guild, who came to check the repair status, admired and congratulated them. Candler scratched the back of his head and smiled shyly.
“Oh, what is it? I just do what you tell me to do.”
Laughing Candler was missing one of her top teeth and looked a bit clumsy.
But those who knew that the molar had been broken for parrying Steno’s torso head-butt, among the Gorgon sisters, didn’t take Candler for a fool.
The two union leaders quietly approached and slipped the pockets into Candler’s hands.
“Come on, take this. It’s first class today, so I put in a little more because I was having a hard time.”
When I touched the pocket, it was thicker than usual, and the bonus was not a penny or two. Surprised, Candler waved his hand.
“oh my! why are you like this First class is enough!”
“Thanks to you, everyone is comfortable. accept it without hesitation. Oh hurry up!”
Candler reluctantly took the pouch and put it in his bosom. The two guild leaders giggled and patted Candler on the shoulder before walking away.
“I’ll finish here for today and work hard for the next few days! got it?”
“Yes yes. Just trust me and leave it to me. Get in!”
The two heads of the union walked around the base and ordered them to leave. Candler wiped the sweat from his brow and looked up at the sky. The sunset was already setting.
“It’s already time… .”
Work hard and earn money steadily.
Unknown pride and reward filled Candler’s stomach.
Candler, along with other workers, began to clear the site. As the end of the day approached, everyone was humming a song as if they were excited.
I took the teleport gate and returned to Cross Road. The workers, who said goodbye to each other saying that they had worked hard today, headed for dinner in groups of two or three.
“Hehe, I think I got a bonus. Shall we eat a special meal tonight… .”
Muttering, Candler moved on.
limp. limp.
The wizard walked down the alley with a visibly limp.
During the battle with Steno, Candler hit his head hard. After that, he experienced inconvenience in his behavior and had no choice but to retire from the mercenary service.
But Candler liked life better now.
Instead of earning and spending a day like when he was a mercenary, he worked regularly every day and accumulated money step by step.
Every day was fulfilling, and above all.
‘It’s safe.’
There was no need to stand in front of the monster anymore. There was no need to risk your life to fight.
Even now, I have nightmares about the terrifying Gorgon sisters. Candler was well aware. That he would never be able to stand in front of a monster again.
So, this is it.
That’s it… … .
“uh?”
It was then. As Candler walked while contemplating what to eat for dinner, he saw familiar faces walking down the alley.
It was the blind swordsman Nobody and the warlock Chain.
Colleagues from the same blacklist were walking down the avenue giggling. Candler hastily raised his hand.
“hey! Blind eye! Premature grandpa… … .”
Right after that, Candler hurriedly hushed his voice.
Nobody and Chain were walking along with other mercenaries.
With other heroes walking proudly, wearing glittering armor coated with monster blood.
Boasting about the result of today’s dungeon exploration, the heroes walked down the main street.
“… .”
For some reason, the voice didn’t come out anymore.
Candler slowly dropped his hand. Even though I didn’t do anything wrong, I quickly hid in the back alley.
Candler, who took a rough breath without knowing why he was doing this, stood up straight after a while and walked out of the alley.
“Uh.”
“Why did you hide after calling me?”
and.
Outside the alley, Nobody and Chain were waiting with a grin.
