Chapter 131 - Expansion (2)

“Oh my, it's been a while since I've seen a human, meow. What brings you to the Tribe of Natives' Forest, meow?”

One important question.

The Tribe of Natives was definitely... supposed to mean a race of rabbit people. In the first place, they themselves had rabbit ears on top of human faces.

So why on earth did they talk like cats, adding 'meow' to their sentences?

Were you really crazy, Conqueror developers? Do you have any common sense? You've been pissing me off since I first played the game.

Swallowing that terrible sense of dissonance, I somehow managed to open my mouth with a friendly attitude.

“Hello. I'm the one who occupied the mana crystal a while ago.”

“Oh, really, meow? Then that means you've fulfilled all the conditions we set, meow. That's amazing, meow!”

The native woman heard my words and clapped her front paws together.

“…”

Strictly speaking, I hadn't done anything.

“...Hmm.”

“Why. What.”

“No. It's just that it seems you don't even feel a prick of conscience when you hear things like that anymore.”

“…”

What the hell are you?

Why do you keep trying to be the voice of my conscience?

“...Well, anyway. Since I've occupied this zone, that means I can give you instructions, right?”

“That's right, meow. Is there anything you wish for, meow?”

Of course, there was.

The Tribe of Natives were some of the most prominent sorcerers in the Conqueror world.

And in this world, ‘sorcery,’ compared to ‘magic’ which directly strikes the enemy, had various different attributes.

Simply put, if magic was close to a ‘gun’ that directly spewed firepower, sorcery was close to a ‘factory’ that churned out items.

“What do you mean by that?”

Well, it was simple, like this.

“Could you make me one Trent Soldier?”

“Please wait a moment, meow.”

The native woman, humming, climbed a nearby tree, and soon came back down with a broken branch.

Then she attached a hair plucked from her own body to it and carved various formulas with nimble movements.

“...Huh. Crazy.”

Seo Ah-in, who was watching from the side, muttered in a voice of astonishment.

It seemed she had grasped just how advanced the formulas this woman was casually weaving were with her Mind's Eye.

Well, that was understandable.

Compared to the world's best alchemist, Leila, who could only create one barely operational golem by cramming in all sorts of high-end materials.

This side could just break a branch and attach a hair like this.

-…

And they could create one reasonably well-moving wooden ‘soldier’ like this.

Of course, if it fought against something like Leila's golem, it would be swept away like leaves in the autumn wind. But being able to ‘mass-produce’ soldiers this easily was a great strength in itself.

That was why I came straight here after the Mana Vein.

‘Of course...’

The guys in other zones often had traits that countered races that just pushed with numbers like this.

A prime example was the Clan of Scorching Flames in the Scorching Mountain Range, which was the most representative counter to the Tribe of Natives. They could literally scoff and roast hundreds or thousands of soldiers made of wood.

But.

‘The feeling changes when you equip them with Dwarf equipment.’

I chuckled and thought of the equipment that was probably being cranked out like crazy in the Mana Vein according to my requirements.

They were things I had ordered from the beginning to be used with this side. Equipping them would probably neutralize the majority of those counters.

“...So. You're saying we're at a very intuitive and enormous advantage right now?”

“Hmm?”

“A supply depot that can mass-produce high-quality equipment, and a nearly infinite supply of troops... No. Seriously, what is this? It's only been two days since the ordeal started? Why are you the only one using cheat codes?”

If you're so salty, you should have become a top-tier veteran.

***

Again, I checked the electronic billboard in the sky.

Let's see...

“Looks like things are starting to pick up speed.”

The ranking window, which had been empty for a while, was slowly being filled with names one by one. As Seo Ah-in said, it had only been two days since it started, but maybe it was because all the participants were big shots.

Occupying one zone seemed to be something they could all do smoothly within that period. They were all impressive.

Of course.

[ 1st - Kim Gyu-sik, 2 zones currently occupied ]

[ 2nd - Damian Lancester, 2 zones currently occupied ]

[ 3rd - Catherine Stegor, 1 zone currently occupied ]

.

.

.

Even among such formidable people, there was no one other than me and Damian who was overwhelmingly ahead with two occupied zones in just two days.

At least I was running a team of several people; considering the original story, that guy was probably doing that all by himself, which made it even more ridiculous.

“…”

Of course, that didn't mean it was unconditionally good.

He was probably continuing his occupation by massacring the natives without a second thought to achieve that speed on his own.

It was probably a show of confidence that he could kill anyone who stood in his way, but that kind of method wouldn't lead to a good end in the latter half.

For example, starting with point acquisition.

From now on, I could use the Tribe of Natives and the Dwarves to continuously hunt native creatures and earn points.

Because even if the natives of the occupied zones hunted native creatures, it would be calculated as my points.

That Damian guy probably didn't know this.

“Damian Lancester... I don't really want to run into him.”

Seo Ah-in, who was looking up at the billboard with me, said in a trembling voice.

Of course, that was that.

It didn't change the fact that he was a fearsome opponent, enough for Seo Ah-in, who had been through all sorts of trials and tribulations for a climber, to say something like that.

“Are you scared?”

“...Mr. Kim Gyu-sik, you know roughly about my family's situation, right?”

Of course, I knew.

I knew at least the reason why the father right next to her became an irreconcilable enemy, his expression turning terrifyingly grim the moment he heard the name Damian.

And how out of the ordinary an EX-rank climber was.

“If we run into him. Even you will die, Mr. Kim Gyu-sik. For sure.”

Hmm.

It wasn't just anyone; it was Seo Ah-in who had been by my side and observed everything I could do.

It was a pretty heavy statement.

But you know.

“I think we'll be able to find that out right away.”

“...Pardon?”

As far as I knew, the transition from Phase 1, where the initial zone occupation took place, to the next stage was triggered by the emergence of a climber who was the first to occupy three zones.

Naturally, the person who was the first to occupy the third zone would receive benefits there as well.

And you know. If I checked the map roughly.

At the next destination, my probability of encountering Damian was extremely high.

What did that mean?

“I'm going to go and mess with him right now.”

“…”

***

No Man's Land.

Originally, it was a word with all sorts of metaphorical and connotative meanings, but at least the term ‘No Man's Land’ used in this ordeal floor had a literal meaning.

There was really no one inside. Really.

In fact, Seo Ah-in, who was looking around, had a look of disbelief on her face after realizing that there were really no native creatures, no natives, no traps, nothing at all.

All that was around was just dirt. Mounds. And a few withered trees.

“...Huh. Then isn't it just first come, first served?”

“Exactly.”

To be honest, this place was as good as a white elephant even if you occupied it.

It just increased the number of occupied zones, and since there were no natives or indigenous people, it had no meaning beyond increasing one's stats.

But, in a situation like now, where we were at a crossroads of moving on to the next event if we occupied just one more zone, there was no place more convenient than this.

That was why I had made my way here. Damian, who would have realized that this zone was a freebie even if he wasn't as knowledgeable about information as I was, would have already made his way here as well.

That was the scary thing about that guy. He was unlucky, annoying, and like most of the villains in this game, a personality-disordered piece of trash.

But his ability to make choices close to the ‘correct answer’ was almost ingrained as an instinct.

He was a guy who stood out for his judgment, knowing how to make only the right choices in any situation.

Of course.

If one could become an EX-rank climber just by being smart, I would have become an EX-rank long ago.

His real weapon.

Was his transcendent martial prowess, utilized to the extreme by that judgment.

So, a scene like this was also immediately created.

-…!

The atmosphere shook.

Thanks to the mana boosted by the modified Gnosis's Heart, my senses, which were the most sensitive to changes in the surrounding mana among the group here, also rang sharply.

[ Observation ]

[ Bullet Time ]

“Get down!”

I said, grabbing Mr. Seo Jin-seong and Seo Ah-in next to me at the same time and rolling on the ground.

At the same time, a ‘slash’ grazed the spot where we had just been.

Yes. A slash.

The kind you make with a sword.

“...W-wait a minute? He cut with a sword? From where?!”

Seo Ah-in said with a horrified expression, looking around.

Right now, the surroundings were wide open with no decent obstacles, yet not only was there no one close enough to swing a sword, but even with this girl's Mind's Eye, developed to the extreme with her ki sense, she couldn't feel a single presence, so it was a natural reaction.

So. We were being ‘sniped’ by a guy so far away we couldn't even see him.

With a ‘sword.’

“...‘Sending the Decapitation.’ It's Damian. He and I are the only ones who can pull off this kind of stunt.”

Mr. Seo Jin-seong growled with a demonic expression.

Was he for real, appealing that he could do this too in the middle of this? As expected of someone who could slice up anyone equally when it came to swordsmanship.

“Where is he, Mr. Kim Gyu-sik? Just tell me his location. I'll go and wring that bastard's neck right now-”

“...Watch your language.”

No matter how much he was hiding his identity, he was still in front of his daughter. He had to maintain his dignity.

And there was no need to go and wring his neck right now.

Damian still... had to go around like that for a while.

That way, it would be easier for me in the latter half. Because I could sort out the traffic all at once.

“...Pardon? What do you mean by that?”

“I mean, I'll raise him before I eat him.”

There was no flavor in crushing that guy now.

The standard procedure was to cook and eat him when he was plump later.

But.

“…”

I clenched an item in my pocket and smiled coldly.

Even if I said I'd crush him later.

I never said I wouldn't mess with him right now.

“...Oh. That expression. A slyness of about 1.3 Kim Gyu-sik...!”

“…”

How on earth.

Can you put in such a perfect reaction even at a moment when a life-or-death attack is flying over your head?

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