Chapter 74 – Shadow Warrior

Chapter 74 – Shadow Warrior

“I can’t believe that Man’s words were true…”

I shook my head, thinking about what The Man had said.

Among the top healers in the world, Korea and India had some. In particular, The Man’s healing ability was so powerful that it couldn’t be compared to any other ability user.

The problem was that The Man’s personality was really strange.

Although The Man had been working with us for a long time…

It was ambiguous to call him a colleague.

It might be more accurate to see it as a cooperative relationship. Similar to Minju, he survived until the end alone.

‘It makes sense that The Man would do that…’

Because The Man was as strong as he was.

‘Then I’ll have no choice but to take what he said as fact.’

I shook my head once more.

Although I thought I didn’t know the news from Jeju Island, there was actually someone who had brought news from Jeju Island only once, just once, in the previous round.

That was The Man, the Healer.

He was also called ‘Doctor’ by Fire Manipulation.

‘There was no man as manly as him…’

Even Choi Yongjin was speechless.

‘Then I guess the information he said must be correct.’

The Man had said this:

That monsters lived in Baengnokdam Crater Lake. He said he lost his only family to them and lived each day to get revenge on them.

However, the situation on Jeju Island became so bad that he eventually gave up and had no choice but to come to the mainland.

But the ‘method of coming to the mainland’ that he claimed was so bizarre that everyone just assumed it was a joke.

‘Oh, I just swam here.’

Along with that remark…

With his smirk, as if it was nothing.

Everyone would shake their heads, telling him not to talk such nonsense. Aside from stamina, the sea was now full of monsters.

But it was true for The Man.

I thought about it carefully.

Anyway… since I had located The Man, I really wanted to recruit him this time.

I’ve got one more thing to do on Jeju Island.

I decided to set priorities.

I guess… for now, it’s Gwak Sangyong’s son, right?

It wasn’t a problem I could choose. After all, you can’t compare a very young child who died quickly in the history of the Previous Life with a man who survived to the end alone.

I pondered the information I had heard for a moment.

They said Marauders and Monsters came.

I can’t ask questions to Monsters, so…

It was time to go to the Looters for Water.

***

Jeju Folk Museum.

This place, located in the middle of Jeju City with a park, was one of the most luxurious buildings in the vicinity.

It was impressive that The Men had learned something from seeing my Castle, which often appeared on Apoin. They had naturally gathered a lot of Basalt on Jeju and built a City Wall around the park.

Oh… a City Wall. Quite serious, isn’t it?

It was when I was examining the City Wall.

I immediately noticed that a considerable number of ancient stone carvings, such as Stone Grandfather Statues and Maitreya Stone Statues, which seemed to have been made a long time ago from City Wall material, were mixed in.

With this quantity… they deliberately used relics to make it.

In fact, concrete for building the City Wall could be easily obtained just by dismantling nearby buildings. However, there was only one reason to deliberately travel a long distance to obtain relics and do something like this.

Is it a warning not to mess with them because they’re this crazy?

Besides that, many corpse decorations, a chronic problem of the Looters, were also visible, to the point where one might wonder if there was a manual somewhere.

Of course, I wasn’t someone who would be shocked by that much.

Rather… I should provoke them even more.

I instructed the Worker Bug who came with me to collect unused plastic bottles nearby and began making an Observation Probe.

The man then, a moment later.

The Observation Probe carefully entered the dry water.

Tiriririri-

“What, did someone turn on the fan?”

“What are you talking about in this winter?”

“Huh? Don’t you hear something like a man?”

“I can clearly hear the barking coming from your mouth.”

The Looters on patrol seemed not to notice the Observation Probes flying into various parts of the dry water. This was possible because the Transparency Upgrade was complete.

Thanks to this, I could easily survey the inside of the dry water.

Inside, where various folk artifacts were displayed, there was naturally also a section showcasing the interior of a traditional Korean house where people lived…

The scenery in that place was quite different from before.

Luxury beds like those found in hotels, restaurant tables, and all sorts of furniture were strewn in front of exhibits like sickles and hoes.

However.

And soon I found the most luxurious room there.

‘Oh, this must be it.’

Naturally, it was clearly the room where their leader would be.

‘I should check it.’

I immediately turned the armored transport and headed to the water museum. And from above the water museum, I finally checked the entry path.

‘There are no important water items.’

All the water items displayed in the room where their leader was were replicas. They were items of virtually no great value except for educational purposes.

It was a great relief considering what I was about to do.

The armored transport had the appearance of a rhinoceros beetle with a large horn on its front… there was a reason for that.

‘Enter.’

As I gave the order.

Puaaaaaat-!

The armored transport aircraft, which had been circling above, began a steep descent towards the museum. It looked as if it were crashing.

With a loud roar, a large black beetle burst through the clouds and rushed towards the building, astonishing all the looters.

“Wh-what is that?!”

“It’s a new type of aerial monster!”

“Damn it, why is it so big!”

“Everyone, prepare for battle!”

However… the moment the armored transport aircraft began its descent…

The men were too late, far too late.

CRAAAASH!

With a powerful roar, the armored transport aircraft, led by the horn on its front, pierced through the building like soft tofu and broke through.

As I was personally inside, a significant shock naturally reverberated through the interior. However, it wasn’t magitech machinery, so it wasn’t enough to endanger my person.

And when the huge body landed inside the museum…

CLANK- SCREEECH-

Its wings folded, and its maw began to open.

And as I slowly walked out of the machine…

The man who claimed to be the leader of the looters stared at me, dumbfounded, unable to close his mouth.

“Are you in charge here?”

I grinned.

* * *

“Take that bastard down!”

The man pointed a finger at me. Almost simultaneously with his command, fragments of the broken building began to be thrown around by telekinesis.

WHOOSH- WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH-!

But it was useless.

THWACK! THWACK THWACK THWACK!

It was because something seemed to block them in front of me, stopping all those concrete chunks.

“It’s being blocked by something like a shield!”

“What?! Is the opponent also using Telekinesis?!”

The looter’s expression turned grim.

‘It’s not that kind of cliché thing….’

I let out a small laugh. When I laughed, the man, looking annoyed, began to give orders to the burly men around him.

“Approach! Slaughter them!”

Thump-thump-thump-thump!

With those words, his escort began to approach.

As a man with a large log strapped to his back approached me—

Whoosh!

Something unusual happened.

With a light cutting sound, the log split vertically with a crack… and then blood began to gush from his entire body!

But it wasn’t just him.

“Khaaa—”

His scream quickly grew quieter, as if being sucked into somewhere.

It was the effect of the artifact ‘Scream-Eating Helmet’.

“What in the world is that?!”

“Hey. Action Leader?!”

It was the moment they shouted that. The expression of the burly man, rolling on the floor covered in blood, became strangely distorted.

“M-my strength is gone!”

“Because I severed all your ligaments.”

It was the moment all their expressions turned to fear.

“Don’t worry. I won’t kill you.”

My words were true.

“Khaaaak!”

Something, something’s there!

Damn it! What the hell is this?!

Th-there! Footprints on the floor!

This… could it be Invisibility?!

By the time they realized, it was too late.

A moment later, all the men, every single one of them, lay sprawled on the floor, unable to put strength into any of their muscles.

* * *

Gather them over here.

I commanded my faithful Gladiator.

At that, the Looters who had been rolling on the floor began to be lifted into the air one by one and lined up in the hallway.

Gah!

Ugh!

When the Gladiator casually set the Looters down on the floor, they screamed, but each time, the sounds slowly faded away.

‘The effect is really strong, isn’t it?’

It was the best artifact combination.

The Gladiator, a Large-Class machine in human form about 3 meters tall, was an expensive item I had created by investing most of my remaining Aetherium.

But it was worth the high price, as the Invisibility effect was certainly reliable.

Not only that, but due to the Shadow Essence, the shimmering effect of shadows could also be reliably erased.

Furthermore, Shadow Essence had many other hidden effects, generally feeling like a lot of incidental additions to other abilities.

Moreover, with an artifact that reduced sound and a sword that bent freely like a whip, a truly perfect Assassin was created.

Not only that, but it was also perfectly defending me with a shield that was invisible to the eye.

In particular, its very existence was top secret.

No one knew besides me. Even Minju hadn’t noticed, despite being with it in the armored transport the entire time.

In other words… it was my ‘Shadow Warrior’.

However, this one was usually made with the intention of leaving no survivors, but this time was an exception.

“I have a few questions for you… Answer them well, and I’ll spare your life.”

As I said that, I heard cries among the Looters. I lightly ignored the noise and continued.

“First, about a child. Is there anyone here who recently saw a child in the West Direction of Seogwipo City?”

“That was the day we, we went out!”

He was quite cooperative.

I asked him several questions.

That there was a strong individual wandering Jeju Island with something on their back, and that he had seen them nearby on that day.

Also, that on the same day, they had cut off a child’s limbs and thrown them to the Monsters as bait.

“Pl-Please! Just spare my life!”

Even then, he was only begging for his own life.

“Alright. I’ll spare you.”

Having obtained all the necessary information, I…

Answered him.

“But… I’ll only spare your life.”

His eyes, realizing the meaning of my words, welled up with fear.

He and the Looters had all their ligaments severed. Torture wasn’t my preference, but it was something I had to do to get the information completely.

In other words, they were now helpless.

“Pl-Please! Teacher! Help me!”

“I beg you! Just me!”

‘Gladiator, go open the Castle gate.’

And… not long after I left, a pack of Rake Wolves growled and entered the Castle.

After that, only screams echoed for a while.

Only after all human mana reactions inside the building disappeared did I turn away the Observation Ship’s gaze.

***

Meanwhile, Gwak Sangyong’s Son was safe.

“Sniff, sniffle…”

“It’s okay now, it’s okay now…”

“Waaah!”

“Let’s go see Father, Father!”

Gwak Sangyong’s Wife, who had thought her loyal son was dead, cried with such joy that she almost fainted.

She kept touching and checking his regenerated arm, which she thought she had lost, several times, as it was now without a single scar.

“Are our son’s arms really okay?”

“Yes! They’re perfectly fine!”

Gwak Sangyong’s Wife smiled brightly, watching her son swing his arms around vigorously. They were crying and laughing at the same time.

Of course, their happiness today was not going to end there.

“Minju, please send these people… directly to the Castle. And contact Uncle Gwak Sangyong. Seoyeon probably knows his contact information.”

“Okay!”

Minju smiled brightly at my command.

***

And then…

As they composed themselves and began to prepare their belongings,

Minju asked me subtly,

“But Siwoo, aren’t you coming with us?”

“I still have one more thing to do here.”

I grinned.

It was my turn to go find the ‘Doctor’.