Chapter 90

“Karlan. You said there was a vacant lot belonging to House Muren in Thorn Bach, right? Do you know where it is?”

“Yes, I do. I've been there before. But are you planning to go now?”

“Yes. Why? Is there a problem?”

“No. There just isn't really anything to see. As far as I know, all that was left after they demolished the manor was a cellar...”

“That's exactly what I'm looking for.”

“What?”

Woojin grabbed Karlan and started running.

* * *

“The current confirmed number of survivors in Thorn Bach is 390. As for newly arrived players...”

The staff member watching the control room monitors called out to Go Juncheol.

“None.”

“No one has come to Thorn Bach? I understand the Red Tower and the other clans need to take a portal, but you're saying there isn't anyone left nearby, either?”

An enormous number of people had come through the portal. Some were members of raid teams intent on slaying the Black Dragon, but many others had come simply to watch.

“Well... it seems people gave up on coming to Thorn Bach after word spread that the knightly orders of the five great kingdoms had lost half their forces.”

“Hmm...”

“We've checked the usage logs for the temporary portal closest to Thorn Bach. All the recorded journeys are outbound.”

Go Juncheol couldn't understand it.

'... Even so, how can there be absolutely no one?'

High-level ranked players might be cautious, since recovering lost experience would be difficult for them, but he would have expected lower-level players to visit out of curiosity, if nothing else.

“About that... I think it may be because of Game Station.”

“Game Station? That gaming show?”

“Yes. I don't know how they got it, but apparently they aired footage recorded with a Vision. They edited it so heavily that Bensina looked like a completely deranged dragon.”

“Don't tell me... people saw that and gave up on going to Thorn Bach?”

“Yes. The community is flooded with posts saying they'd only die if they went, so they might as well sit back and watch the footage the show uploads.”

“Unbelievable. Why even play the game if all you're going to do is watch it on a show?”

“Haha... It might have been different if the event had happened in the Dark Forest... but since it's on the central continent, I suppose the risk feels too great.”

Go Juncheol clicked his tongue in displeasure at his subordinate's explanation.

'An online game with no players actually coming in... What kind of situation is this?'

He couldn't shake a sense of unease.

“So what's he doing now?”

“Well... he seems to be heading back into Thorn Bach.”

“Into the village? Why? The knights are pushing the Black Dragon back right now. Why isn't he helping them?”

“I'm not sure, either. I've already asked Development whether there's any information about Thorn Bach that we don't know.”

“What a headache. What's he planning to do this time...?”

He sighed and ran a hand back through his hair.

“But isn't it fascinating? We never imagined Charlo and Keldian would die like this.”

“That's exactly why I'm annoyed.”

Despite Go Juncheol's rebuke, Baek Minhyeok shrugged.

“The information Development gave us said both of them would survive through the third scenario...”

Charlo, the Knight of Glory, was a special NPC needed to clear the twentieth floor of the Labyrinth Tower. Warlord Keldian, meanwhile, was the only NPC who could teach players the unique skill [Earth Cleave].

Both had important roles to play in future developments. That was why, when Administration confirmed they were arriving as reinforcements, they had thought the battle against the Black Dragon would finally end.

But no.

Defying all expectations, both Charlo and Keldian had died.

“But on the other hand, we've also discovered something we didn't know.”

“What's that?”

“Zion Muren. I honestly didn't even know who he was, so I just looked through the reference materials Development sent over. They listed him as an NPC with a D-rank importance rating.”

“... D-rank?”

“Yes. Strange, isn't it? Those two were S-rank, of course, and even the Naga Mercenary Company and the magic cannon unit are A-rank.”

Baek Minhyeok pulled up Zion Muren's status window on his tablet.

“His stats are good... but he had no personal scenario and no skills to teach, so he wasn't a particularly noteworthy NPC.”

“Hmm.”

“So why would Ethan make an NPC like this the commander of the reinforcements?”

The scenarios of [Evil Tale] changed in real time according to circumstances, and [Ethan] decided those changes. The administrators could only observe and try to deduce what scenarios [Ethan] had planned.

“What did Development say?”

“Ah, yes... They said they'd write a report and upload it to the system for now. If Ethan accepts it, we'll get a response.”

“How long will that take?”

“Well... whether Ethan answers at all is up to Ethan...”

BANG!!

Go Juncheol slammed his hand down on the desk in irritation.

“Up to Ethan? What a load of crap. I'm going to see Director Han. Call me if anything happens.”

“S-sir... calm down.”

As the atmosphere turned threatening, Baek Minhyeok tried to soothe him, but Go Juncheol shook off his arm.

“Do I look like I can stay calm? Everything's going to hell, and there's nothing we can do. Meanwhile, the board has the authority to act and is pretending it's none of their business.”

“But...”

It was unheard of for a mere team leader to go directly to a director, but Go Juncheol was different. Han Miyeon had personally recruited him to The Pase. Regardless of his title, he was the only person permitted to meet her privately.

That was why rumors about his past abounded.

“I'll be back.”

Overwhelmed by his force of personality, his subordinates could only nod without a word.

[BOOOOM...!!]

Only the sounds of battle from the monitors broke the silence.

* * *

“... Master!!”

As Woojin entered Thorn Bach, Peron ran toward him.

“Let's talk on the way.”

“Oh, yes!! I'm sorry. I was going to rejoin you after evacuating the villagers, but then there was a sudden explosion.”

Peron fell naturally into step behind Woojin as he spoke. His face was a mess, blackened with soot.

“I know. The Black Dragon unleashed its power. Wiped out half the knights in the process. You did well to survive.”

“Yes. I hid in the forest behind the portal and barely escaped the blast of hot air. But that fellow Weden...”

Peron trailed off.

“The village shrine was destroyed by the Dark Zone, so even if he resurrected, he'd be quite far away.”

As Peron said, it seemed unlikely Weden would be able to rejoin the battle.

'Poor guy... It's been one ordeal after another since he came to the central continent. I should get him some proper equipment later.'

The Dark Zone prevented Woojin from receiving Messages, but he could easily picture Weden fretting alone at a shrine.

“But... are you all right with that arm?”

Though his face was covered in soot, Peron's limbs were all intact. He pointed to Woojin's severed arm as he asked.

“Yes. It's my left arm, so I have no trouble holding a sword.”

“You know that's not what I meant.”

Peron couldn't help chuckling at Woojin's answer.

“Here it is!”

Karlan called out as they ran across Thorn Bach. Sure enough, there was a large vacant lot. The family manor was gone, but a few remnants of what appeared to be pillars still stood.

“Where's the cellar?”

“It should be this way.”

Following Karlan's directions, Woojin found a small door in the ground behind the ruins.

CLACK.

Naturally, the cellar door was locked.

“Let me try.”

Peron took a few traps from his pouch and placed them around the door.

“Good thing the door's in the ground.”

He signaled for them to move back and activated the traps.

[Intermediate Explosive Trap activates.]

BOOM!!

KABOOM! KABOOM!!

Black smoke billowed up amid deafening explosions. Yet the cellar door remained intact.

“... It seems to have some sort of magical protection.”

Nissen, who had been watching, quietly stepped past Peron and examined the door.

HUMMM...

As he brought his hand toward it, layers of magic circles appeared around the cellar door.

“Can you undo it?”

Nissen wasn't in very good shape. Ruen's injuries had been severe, and Alteon had only treated her wounds before joining the knights, leaving Nissen's arms in their battered state.

“Yes. Fortunately, it isn't difficult magic. It's a barrier commonly used in noble families' storerooms. I couldn't have managed it before, but...”

He grasped the cellar door's handle and began feeding mana into it.

CRACK...!

CRAAACK...!!

Amazingly, the barrier shattered in an instant.

“... You've recruited quite a mage.”

“I'm merely an insignificant apprentice.”

Seeing Peron's sheepish expression, Nissen shook his head in embarrassment.

As he said, he was indeed only an apprentice, but now that he had drunk Fairy Water, his mana was anything but apprentice-level.

“Well then... let's see what's inside.”

Woojin pulled the cellar door open with all his strength.

CLACK.

The old door opened, revealing stairs leading down inside.

“...!!”

The moment they descended the stairs, the group was struck speechless.

“U-urgh...!!”

Ruen clamped her hands over her nose and mouth at the terrible stench.

But the stench wasn't the only horror. Corpses lay everywhere.

Woojin's expression hardened at the strangely familiar sight.

'It looks like Ratan's laboratory.'

Even the scattered corpses looked similar. Not a single part of them was intact. Their flesh had been savagely torn away, like the scraps left over from a wild beast's meal.

'Don't tell me... he's been conducting experiments here?'

Ratan had turned into a monster in that laboratory. There might be a monster like that in here, too.

“Wh-what is all this...?”

Karlan stammered in shock.

“S-something like this... beneath the village...”

Nissen, who had opened the door, was just as stunned.

The interior was larger than they had expected, and an even fouler stench assaulted their noses. The numerous magic circles drawn on the floor also resembled those Woojin had seen in the laboratory.

'So he was already researching dark magic... even without mana.'

But what was the source of his mana?

[Who is there...?]

It happened then. A voice came from the darkness.

SHING.

Woojin leveled his sword and slowly advanced toward the sound.

[... I'm hungry. Give me something to eat.]

A hand suddenly thrust out of the darkness. It looked far too rough and hard to belong to a human.

[... I've used too much mana.]

FWOOSH...!!

Flames sprang up along Woojin's blade.

“You bastard...”

The moment the flickering light revealed the hand's owner, Woojin ground his teeth without realizing it.

Protruding horns. Long fangs jutting out on either side.

It was a demon.

But something was strange about its appearance. It wore a collar, and both its legs had been cut off to prevent escape. Hoses embedded in its limbs caught his eye. Something was being continuously extracted from its body through those tubes.

“... So this was it.”

The secret behind Zion's mana.