Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Snowfield of the Dead

As soon as I arrived at the lobby, I looked for the skill merchant.

[Held points: 8870]

[Obtainable series: [Flame]]

[Obtainable skills: [Holy Fire (4400)]]

A new skill came out.

Holy Fire.

In our language, it's sacred flame.

Burn, Explode, Expand, Purify, Melt.

The skill corresponding to purification among the five domains.

If learned, sanctity dwells in the existing flame.

“Think carefully.”

The Hispanic skill merchant pouted his lips.

Somehow annoying, but it's not wrong words.

Along with the expensive price of 4400 points.

The limitation of only showing effect when dealing with undead, evil spirits, cursed targets.

Because of that, a considerable number of hunters.

Skip Holy Fire.

But in my case, there's no room for choice.

I had to master all five flame series magics to be able to acquire the next attribute magic.

There was no reason to ponder.

[Acquiring Flame series skill]

[Holy Fire (LV1)]

I summoned a Fireball.

Pure white light subtly leaking between the crimson flames.

Watching it, somehow the mind becomes comfortable.

Pat.

Up to here.

As befitting a kind of purification skill, the level doesn't rise just by simple use.

A method where proficiency accumulates only by performing direct purification.

There was nothing I could do right now.

I looked around the shop wondering if I should use points, but there's nothing special.

Circling the labyrinth is also excessive.

I dealt with it calmly.

Even so, the pressure felt from Turnish who charged at tremendous speed despite the leg injury was considerable.

I left the lobby.

Today this was enough.

#

The meaning that level 100 has for awakeners is quite large.

Leaving aside the social meaning of completely removing the beginner label.

The held mana amount increases sharply, and skill sensitivity heightens.

Simply put.

It means magic can be used more powerfully, and delicately.

Thanks to that, driving also became smoother.

Wooong!

After resting a full day after tower climbing, I drove the car out to the Han River side.

The Yeouido side has too many people.

Going up a bit more to the northwest, a relatively sparsely populated place came out.

I parked the car and looked around.

I found a small underpass, and above that there are no people at all.

Even if a fire occurs, it seemed there would be no damage.

‘...Suitable.’

The basics of flame skills are destruction, and erasure.

It's impossible to fully use skills in a place where people come and go.

For the past few days, the training intensity was weak so a moderately sparsely populated place was enough, but today it wasn't.

I plan to surely learn the shape transformation ability of Red Flame.

Even if not perfect, at least enough to properly use in real combat.

The problem point was certain.

The skill startup time that was too long.

It took easily 3 seconds to make one arrow.

It was effective against orcs that didn't feel my presence.

If the opponent is an awakener like me, the neck would be cut before even completing the arrow.

Thud.

I sat comfortably on the floor and fell into thought while looking at the Han River.

The Red Flame skill called the essence of flame skills.

Among them, shape transformation boasts the highest level of difficulty.

A realm allowed only to the highest level awakeners.

That's why there wasn't much accurate information about shape transformation.

There were only two reference materials.

One was videos uploaded by the highest awakeners as a kind of service.

The other was the archive accessed through the code staff member Lee Heeyeon gave.

Yesterday for a day.

I carefully checked those two and established a theoretical foundation.

Then I was in a situation where the sense came to some extent.

Now it was time to confirm that sense.

Whoosh!

Crimson flame floated before my eyes.

Fireball.

I planned to start from the most basic skill.

#

Wooong!!

The phone vibrated.

The caller was Yu Seo-ha.

[Seonghan-nim, the request matter you mentioned has been organized]

It took one more day than the promised date, but it was fine.

Anyway, I also needed time to get used to shape transformation.

Whether because Red Flame reached the maximum level, the training result wasn't bad.

No, should I say it's quite okay.

I raised my body from the bed.

Precisely, I raised the body with Mana Thread, but the sensation of Mana Thread itself became more sensitive so there was little difference.

Unless it's a combat situation, there's nothing to be a problem.

It became possible to perfectly pretend to be an ordinary person.

···Ah.

Of course, it would be visible to awakeners.

I simply washed my body and crossed Seongsan Bridge.

I parked the car behind the office and entered inside.

In the somewhat dim lighting.

Yu Ji-seong and Yu Seo-ha who were conversing turned their heads to me.

“You've come, Seonghan-nim?”

Yu Seo-ha greeted brightly.

On the other hand, Yu Ji-seong's expression didn't particularly look good.

[It seems things didn't go well]

If true, it's not good news for me.

Cursed heart.

I absolutely needed that fellow.

“...Ah.”

Yu Ji-seong who belatedly noticed his hardened expression smiled awkwardly.

“It's not that it didn't go well. Just, there's a point that doesn't suit my heart from a merchant's eyes.”

[What is that?]

“The profit and loss doesn't match. Would you sit for a moment?”

Yu Ji-seong who pulled a chair started the full explanation.

“First, fortunately, the client still had the cursed heart.”

“Mmm. Of course he has it. Who would buy that, brother?”

“...The mage needs it.”

“...Ah.”

Yu Seo-ha who was playfully speaking tightly closed her mouth.

Yu Ji-seong continued speaking.

“At the words of wanting to purchase the cursed heart, at first the old man Choi was also in an tempted atmosphere. But soon he changed his mind and said let's wait one day.”

···So that's why it took one more day.

There was something that came to mind.

[It's the problem of the son who entered the labyrinth]

“...Sharp. Accurate. The son hasn't returned from the labyrinth.”

[Isn't it a matter of inquiring to the affiliated workshop?]

“In fact···the workshop side is more of a problem, everyone except the old man Choi's son has returned. But when actually bringing up the son's story, there was no explanation that would be like that besides suddenly disappearing, it was said.”

[That's quite suspicious words]

“That's right. So the old man Choi formally made a request. Saying if you find the son, he'll give the cursed heart.”

Yu Seo-ha floated the screen on the pad.

“The problem is the place. The workshop members went to a quite troublesome place.”

Northwest based on the open area.

A place I've seen through staff member Lee Heeyeon's archive.

[It's undead. They would have gone to collect minerals]

“Yes. They moved with a private security team called Raymond, but couldn't ask that side. They're already entered the labyrinth because of the next request.”

While listening to Yu Seo-ha's briefing, I carefully scanned the materials Yu Ji-seong handed over.

The disappearance case of the old man Choi's son, Choi Geon-u.

Entered the labyrinth 5 days ago and hasn't returned until now.

The place estimated as the disappearance location is a place where attacks are restricted.

There's no way attacks between hunters occurred.

The workshop members' excuse that a person disappeared in a restricted space looks clumsy, but the reason it's not easy to make an issue of it.

Maybe really...accidentally went missing.

The labyrinth is a place where it's not strange no matter what happens.

[Is there a life reaction?]

“Yes. The life signal equipment the old man Choi has is still green. I connected in parallel and brought one.”

I received a small receiver from Yu Ji-seong.

A small green light floating on a machine the size of a palm.

“...”

The old man who spent his life at a junk shop might look only at that light all day.

While feeling relieved at the fact that the son isn't dead.

He would be anxious wondering if he's suffering pain worse than death.

Every time I feel it, an awakener's work isn't beautiful.

A gloomy shadow of death always lingering around, or something.

“To speak honestly, it's not a request I particularly want to recommend. Because it's difficult to accurately grasp the situation of what happened. But the reason the mage is particularly looking for the cursed heart is also clear.”

Yu Ji-seong shrugged and handed over a thick document file.

“Materials organizing the movement route of the workshop members and Raymond security team, along with the conversation we had. If support is needed by any chance, from our office side···.”

[Support is fine. I'll handle it myself]

Since I've seen the cursed heart, I can't give up.

Maybe it's rather good.

To raise the Holy Fire skill level, I had to stop by the undead zone once anyway.

Looking at Yu Ji-seong who closed his mouth, I engraved mana.

[Instead, Mr. Yu Ji-seong please surely secure the reward]

This request.

I have to succeed somehow.

#

I entered the labyrinth.

A widely unfolded open area.

The undead zone is northwest, but I didn't move recklessly.

The directionality of the labyrinth doesn't work that way.

Fwoooosh!!!

While simply dealing with goblin scouts, I moved west.

Green and brown dots were visible in between, but I just passed without pondering.

I have to weigh the weight of work, and set priorities.

In the current situation, money was secondary.

I had to find and bring Choi Geon-u.

“Mage, by any chance, is it okay to ask where you're going?”

“If by any chance you're going to the troll zone···we will escort the mage···.”

While walking, there were quite a few approaching hunters.

They must have felt the level of the Red Flame skill just from the flame of Fireball spreading.

I shook my head.

I didn't feel the need to do something together.

Yet.

Tssssss···.

I arrived at Nehemis's Life Water.

Unlike last time, the wind felt from the swaying branches is a bit gloomy.

What kind of role does this bizarre life form play in the labyrinth.

I'm curious, but there was no time to spare.

I turned direction north as is and moved.

There was nothing dangerous.

Rather, it was much safer than before.

Since living beings weren't overflowing like the forest, I widened the detection range as much as possible.

The board brightened up to 2km.

At some moment, I flinched my shoulders.

Huuuuu···.

A bizarre sound faintly rang in my ears.

How should I say.

Like a sigh sound of a gloomy life form.

A chill lingered on the skin, but it was immediately blocked.

Thanks to Traveler Nizen's Robe.

Only now did I realize.

That I entered the undead zone.

There were definitely points that weren't understood.

There were some awakeners passing by, but they were moving steps indifferently.

As if they didn't hear that sound just now.

‘...Is it only me who felt it thanks to the Detection skill.’

There was no way to confirm.

No time to confirm either.

I hurried steps north.

Not long after, black dots started soaring one by one on the board.

Around here I put away the compass.

Unlike the canyon that had to move straight exact south, here there was no need for that.

I raised my head.

A huge ice wall is spread like a folding screen before my eyes.

One snowflake slowly fell from the sky.

Snowfield of the Dead.

I have to find the old man Choi's son here.

© Dome Hwangcha #1yy6t