Chapter 130 - Expansion (1)

“So I’ve occupied this zone, what do you think?”

“…”

I said, smiling brightly at the dwarf elder who was sweating profusely in front of me.

When I first saw this guy, we were tied up in ropes, and he was looking down on us haughtily. But now, the situation was completely reversed.

Ah. So this was what it felt like to look down from above. I never wanted to lose this.

“...Wh-what do you want.”

“Informal speech?”

“...What do you want, sir.”

Yes. On second thought, I really didn't want to lose this.

I chuckled and pointed at Ironclad next to me.

“First, take this person and go around the village once. His family must be in here.”

If my memory served me right... the circumstances of Ironclad losing his family were that he was swept up in an ‘unidentified explosion’ and the entire mountain range was blown away.

If you looked into the details, it was a phenomenon where the ‘external environment is forcibly transferred into the tower,’ which opens intermittently... but that was a phenomenon I had to take up with the Round Table and the Guardian after this ordeal. It was also related to the reason the tower was built.

Anyway, what was certain for now was that this person's family was here.

And that there was a reward to be gained by finding them.

“And after we find them... how about we have a deep conversation about you being rude to us?”

“…”

Of course.

Finding his family here was one thing.

But the fact that this dwarf elder had no manners and needed them instilled in him was another matter entirely.

***

“...These are some very high-quality armaments.”

Mr. Seo Jin-seong left such an impression after thoroughly examining the equipment we received from the dwarves.

A high-frequency blade that cuts everything it touches, a deflector armor that can repel attacks of a specific wavelength. And so on.

The items that piled up with a slightly near-future design were all things that would have easily fetched tens of millions to hundreds of millions of won outside.

Of course, compared to my end-game equipment like the Gnosis's Heart or Cheonryongpo, they were severely lacking, but the greatest advantage of the dwarves was that they could ‘mass-produce’ such rare-grade equipment.

‘And it doesn't end there...’

As I had proven numerous times outside with the Ebga-Ironclad duo, these craftsmen were also creative people who could double their efficiency if any kind of ‘researcher’ was attached to them.

It meant that no matter what zone I conquered in the future, if I just sent them here, they would procure weapons with good synergy on their own.

“I agree. As long as the theme is ‘war’... the first thing that determines military power is the issue of supplies. The individual martial prowess of the soldiers is important, but the primary equipment is what must be looked at most carefully.”

In that respect, Mr. Kim Gyu-sik, you are standing at an enormous advantage compared to others from the very beginning.

Mr. Seo Jin-seong said, swinging the high-frequency blade in the air.

He was a person who could slaughter A-rank demonic beasts, which were comparable to S-rank, with a normal iron sword. Just this person alone would have his combat power increase like crazy.

“...Ah, that's right.”

And Seo Ah-in, who was staring blankly at the sight, approached me as if she had suddenly remembered something.

I had been sitting at the desk the elder had been sitting at, with the holographic map displayed, and was staring at it intently. This girl also naturally stuck close to my side and stared intently at it with me.

“…”

I had been feeling it recently.

She had been strangely close to me lately.

In the case of Ms. Seo Hye-in, Lee Si-yeong, and Ms. Meirin, it seemed we had gotten much closer than before. But there was still a slight distance when it came to getting too close.

In Darien's case, I was in a position where I had to run away just by seeing her.

In contrast, this girl had been sticking to me without any sign of embarrassment lately.

It didn't seem like she was trying to hit on me or anything; it just felt like ‘this level of closeness is natural.’

The target's favorability was displayed on the share slot... but this girl seemed to have an invisible something that couldn't be explained by that.

“Uh, closeness?”

So when I asked that out loud, Seo Ah-in tilted her head as if I had asked something strange.

“No, considering how long Mr. Kim Gyu-sik and I have been together, isn't this more natural?”

“Is... that so?”

Was I too conservative?

To be honest, I had never had a proper relationship with a woman before coming in here or now, so it was a little difficult for me to gauge what was the proper level.

“Yes. It certainly seems so. How can a person have such a stark difference between the parts where they're so sharp and the parts where they're not?”

“…”

Don't affirm it like that.

It hurts. My heart.

“Anyway, don't mind the useless things and focus on your work! This is nothing.”

The girl who said that now even naturally hugged my arm.

A silly smile was even on her face. It was an expression filled with a sense of satisfaction, as if she were hugging a comfort doll.

“…”

Is... that so?

Is this... natural?

It must... be, right?

“...Mr. Kim Gyu-sik. Did you know?”

And Mr. Seo Jin-seong, who had been testing various swords in front, looked at me with narrowed eyes and spoke.

“People become similar when they spend time together.”

“Yes? Well, I suppose so.”

“It means that if you spend a long time with a sly person, you can naturally master the art of manipulating people.”

“...Is, that so? By any chance, in what context does that story come up...?”

“If you just let them be because you're close, because they look simple and innocent on the outside.”

Mr. Seo Jin-seong chuckled and turned his head back to the sword.

“You might get eaten up. Without even realizing it.”

“...Master, really. You're saying useless things.”

Seo Ah-in answered, rubbing her cheek against my arm.

Her face was constantly filled with an expression that would come out as 100% happiness if you did an emotion recognition test on it.

“Eh, ehe. Ehehe. This is nice.”

“…”

What was this creepy feeling?

Strange.

Darien wasn't even nearby, but I had just felt a slight sensation of when that girl was near.

“Well, that's that.”

I said and examined the map.

First of all, since I had secured the best spot regarding ‘equipment,’ it was highly likely that I wouldn't have to worry about that in the future.

Then the next thing to worry about was, in the end, the most important procurement of ‘soldiers.’

And right now, the place where that could be done nearby was also clear.

“Let's get moving. We need to think about taking other zones too.”

So.

It was time for expansion.

***

“Hmm…”

I carefully examined the electronic billboard floating in the sky.

It was a similar object to what I had seen in the Second Ordeal.

From updating what was happening inside the ordeal in real-time, to displaying both the ‘elapsed time’ and the ‘time remaining until the next event.’

What needed to be carefully watched here were the things displayed as ‘time remaining until the next event’ and ‘current rankings.’

In fact, although the gimmick of the stage itself was war, the system of adding new features as time passed was quite similar to the Second Ordeal. It was only natural to prepare for the ‘next event’ announcement.

The ‘current rankings’ were meaningful because when moving on to the next event, several climbers were selected based on various criteria and given additional points.

“...My goodness.”

The Third Ordeal progressed like this. It was common for the guys who started out ahead to solidify their ranking and stay ahead until the end.

Of course, it wasn't that there was no way to overturn it in one fell swoop... but it was a fact that the early snowball rolled very large.

The participating climbers also had to make good choices as time went on.

This might seem like a monopoly rule where the winner sweeps all the prize money, but the clear condition of the ordeal also included a zero-sum rule where everyone fails if one group does not occupy more than half of the zones.

It meant that it might be better to receive scraps from a guy who was doing a little better than to not be able to share anything at all.

“Oh, then aren't we in a very advantageous position?”

Seo Ah-in tilted her head as she looked up at the electronic billboard in the sky.

It was no wonder.

-Current Occupation Status-

[ 1st - Kim Gyu-sik ]

[ 2nd - Damian Lancester ]

[ 3rd... ]

“...You kept saying that doing well in the beginning is advantageous, but you're in 1st place yourself, aren't you?”

That's true.

In fact, I had no intention of coming down from 1st place from now until the end.

“Well, but still, I have to concentrate from now on.”

I said and looked around.

The zone we were in now was the ‘Tribe of Natives' Forest.’

There was no formidable field like the Mana Vein I had just conquered a while ago, but it was a place where the conquest quest was on the difficult side.

I had to be quite prepared to go...

“…”

“...Kim Gyu-sik?”

As I thought that and officially entered the zone.

I ran into other guys who were just about to put their hands on the zone crystal.

They were familiar faces.

Jeong Woo-jin and Jeong Min-woo. The Jeong brothers of Jeokpungdae.

“You guys participated too?”

“Uh... we did?”

“…”

“…”

I see.

I didn't really pay attention to this, so I didn't know. They came here too.

“...But are you going to occupy that?”

It seemed that this side had somehow cleared the zone quest in my absence.

The tribe of natives was a race whose command I absolutely had to seize for the upcoming event.

“Shouldn't we...? We worked hard too. Were you aiming for this zone too?”

“…”

Silence was affirmation.

At my reaction, the Jeong brothers looked at each other.

And soon, they nodded at each other with resolute expressions.

“Hyung. It can't be helped, right?”

“I agree, brother.”

Ah, I see.

These people were also climbers. In the end, as long as we were in the same ordeal, we were bound to clash at some point.

It was a little disappointing since we were acquaintances, but still, a fight had to be thorough-

“Take it, Kim Gyu-sik. This zone is yours.”

“...Pardon?”

“We're reasonable people. We don't want to mess with you here and get beaten to a pulp.”

“…”

“And we owe you one too. Right?”

As I was listening blankly to Jeong Woo-jin and Jeong Min-woo adding their words one after another, Jeong Woo-jin winked and added.

“Ah, but in return, if we have a situation where we need to work with your guild later, please look upon us favorably, okay?”

“...Hmm.”

Watching the scene, Seo Ah-in stroked her chin and narrowed her eyes.

“If it seems you can't get anything, latch on to someone who is doing well and get some scraps... that's good advice. There are people here who are faithfully following it.”

“…”

So it seems.

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