Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Crystal Cave

The minerals of the tower are dangerous.

Radioactive components like uranium, thorium, radium, radon.

Heavy metals like arsenic, mercury, lead, chromium.

Even toxic minerals like asbestos, quartz, fluorite.

Harmful substances that were quiet in the tower, the moment they come out from the inventory to reality, pour out as if exploding.

Starting from China, safety accidents occurred in numerous countries.

Several major disasters comparable to nuclear explosions also burst out.

Then naturally the state intervened.

Even awakeners who foamed at the mouth and opposed the state's control couldn't oppose.

Land judged as permanently irrecoverable.

Groaning patients.

Claiming freedom even after seeing that was indulgence.

“Hey, you stupid bastard!!”

Among the minerals that came under the state's control like that.

There were quite a few types that particularly made money.

“How many times do I have to say snow rock must be distinguished from other rocks?”

The place the gaze of the man putting on airs stays.

Above the cart carrying minerals, rocks as pure white as snow are piled full.

Northwest of the labyrinth.

The reason people overflow this much in the ice wall zone at the end of the open area.

The reason production series awakeners look for this place even employing guards.

That was all because of that snow rock.

“S-sorry!”

“If that appearance continues, know you can't come here again! Got it!?”

“I'll work hard.”

The old man Choi's son, Choi Geon-u would have been the same.

A place so dangerous that a security team must be employed throughout movement and mining.

But snow rock becomes big money enough to endure that, and as a business dealing with the state, transactions are also stable.

Once successful in collection, big money can be touched.

‘...Looking at it that way, awakeners' lives are all similar.’

They advance toward greater profit risking their lives.

Combat series awakeners who pursue their growth through hunting, and provide points to the state.

Production series awakeners who pursue economic profit, and contribute to the state's industrial development.

In the end, the system called society rolls through the cogwheel of individual desires.

“What's the matter?”

As I approached the rock platform to some extent, a thick voice blocked the front.

A large man wearing armor emitting subtle blue light.

Not threatening, but a sense of pressure was felt.

Heavy mana waves detected in real time from various parts of the body.

A high-level awakener.

“I came to find the Raymond security team.”

“Raymond security team···.”

The man's thick hand swept the rough beard.

He fell into thought for a moment, then nodded while looking at me.

“Came because of the missing person.”

“That's right.”

“Heard the father is looking, is that right?”

“Yes.”

The man immediately shouted.

“Hey, Perry!”

Someone immediately ran over hurriedly.

About 18 years old maybe.

A young boy who looks of Southeast Asian origin.

Full of spirit.

“5 days ago, bring the movement route of the Nord workshop members and Raymond security team.”

“Yes!”

The more dangerous the place, the stricter the discipline.

Perry who answered with a disciplined voice and hurriedly disappeared somewhere.

The man who looked at that appearance for a moment turned his head to me.

“The person in charge of the workplace, I'm Hanul.”

“...I'm Transcendence.”

We lightly shook hands.

The strength felt from the grip was enormous.

Hanul slightly raised the corners of his mouth.

“A mage.”

“...”

“Just in time.”

When I was about to ask what it means, Perry ran over out of breath.

Hanul scanned the documents.

Then narrowed his brow.

“Of all places, went here.”

Hanul's gaze headed toward me.

“Is this your first time here?”

“Yes.”

“Then you haven't been to the crystal cave.”

Hanul nodded.

While beckoning a finger toward Perry, he said.

“This fellow will guide you to the disappearance location. There's no direct responsibility to the state, but since a bad thing happened near a place the state manages, we can't not cooperate.”

An unexpectedly cooperative attitude.

But seeing the corners of the mouth that quietly rose, he doesn't seem an easy type.

“Instead, the mage should also do some service for the state to some extent, right? Just in time there's one team going out for mining near the disappearance place, going together wouldn't be bad.”

As expected.

He also had something to demand.

“No need to feel burdened. Anyway, that side's team also has separate security personnel, so the team the mage leads only needs to do an auxiliary role. The disappearance place won't be easy to find without this fellow here, so at this point isn't it a good deal for each other?”

Hanul suddenly grabbed Perry's shoulder and pulled as if close.

Perry whose face turned pale white.

It doesn't seem like mutual agreement was made.

So is it a loss from my position?

No.

That's not the case.

“Good.”

“Right! As expected mages are smart so words get through well?”

Hanul smiled revealing his teeth brightly.

“Then could you explain a bit about the mage's team members? I also need to tip off the other side.”

“...There's no team.”

“...Huh? Don't tell me···.”

Hanul whose two eyes widened.

Asks with a bewildered expression.

“You mean alone?”

“Yes. I'm alone.”

A face as if he didn't think at all that I came to the rocky plateau alone.

Feeling like the head he used was in vain.

Hanul's face crumpled a lot.

Feeling even unfairness from that expression, I opened my mouth while chuckling.

“Don't tell me a person eating the state's salary won't take back his words?”

#

Perry was in a very excited state.

“Hiya! It's the first time I've seen Hanul who rolls his head like a fox flustered like that! You really properly fed him one, hahaha.”

···Hmm.

I didn't particularly feed him though.

It departed from Hanul's calculation that thought there would be a team.

But his intention to help the mining team matched exactly.

A mage who can see and feel the death core, and even proficient in shape transformation.

At least in this place dealing with undead, it's clear it won't be inferior to any awakener.

In the end, as his intention, it's a good thing for both sides.

···Of course.

He didn't seem to think that way.

“Is it there?”

“Yes, correct!”

The end of the rocky plateau.

A group conversing with each other, seeing me and Perry, waved their hands.

“This way!”

Support was only me alone, but their expressions didn't look that dark.

A middle-aged man who looks like the leader approaches and extends his hand.

“Workshop master of Alteon Workshop, I'm Lee Ju-ha.”

“I'm Transcendence.”

“I heard you're a mage, by any chance the series···?”

“Flame series.”

At my words, expressions that brightened a bit.

Mouths slightly open as if expecting something more.

I know what they're expecting.

I nodded.

“I learned Holy Fire.”

“Oh, as expected!”

“This is enough···!!”

“Holy shh!”

“One proper mage is much better than a bunch of miscellaneous guys sticking, right?”

The reaction was quite hot.

Then I also exchanged greetings with the security team side.

They say it's affiliated with a famous security team called Shield, not direct but subcontract.

Still, it looked like reasonably verified personnel.

The leader of the security team was a young man holding a bow.

Name is Lee Chan.

Age about twenty-six maybe?

Looked a bit more than me.

“Then shall we depart?”

I and Perry boarded the cart for mineral collection.

Considering that Perry is not combat personnel from the start, and I'm auxiliary personnel, quite good treatment.

Even exempted from combat saying to save mana.

From my position, accumulating points wasn't bad either, but I quietly followed the instructions.

The leader is not me.

If I'm not responsible for them, listening to their words is right.

Thinking positively, it was also an opportunity to watch the combat aspects of awakeners.

I loaded my body on the cart, and observed the occurring combat.

Since it's working while receiving money, it's natural, but Lee Chan's team composition was quite solid.

Two tanks in charge of the vanguard.

One close dealer holding a spear specialized in thrusting.

Lee Chan shooting arrows from the rear.

The hunting pattern was simple and clean.

Swaaaaek!

Pueok!

Slow moving ones are preemptively struck with arrows.

After blowing the head to paralyze cognitive ability, tanks and dealers rush in and find and destroy the death core.

The appearance of finding and breaking the death core along the black blood vessels spread like a spider web was quite proficient.

Fast ones have tanks block the path.

Whether because of a kind of provocation skill, monsters that stiffen when colliding with the shield.

Not missing that moment, if the arrow destroys the head, the rest remove the death core.

Fsss···.

Black light escapes from the death core stabbed by the spear.

Perry looked at that appearance and chatted excitedly.

“As expected, not anyone receives the Shield business card. Seeing the monsters collapsing one by one, we'll arrive at the crystal cave soon?”

It was as Perry said.

About 40 minutes after departure, the approaching ice wall.

Several human footprints, and corpses of undead monsters are scattered here and there.

A large cave entrance that appeared in front of that.

An ominous energy flickers like the mouth of a huge monster.

“Entering.”

With Lee Chan's signal, the security team entered first.

Tuduk, tuk.

At the cave entrance, a small stone fell from above the cliff.

But the carefully moving security team's steps don't stop.

"..."

No one is noticing.

What is above their heads right now.

“Kreeeeek!”

Suddenly a sharp metallic light flashed.

An existence that without hesitation kicked the ground and jumped down from a height that would easily be 40m.

A zombie that would be twice a human vertically dropped while slamming a spear blade containing sunlight.

“D-danger-”

An ambush aiming at the fleeting moment when all attention was focused forward.

An intuitive and timely attack befitting a monster, but it's useless.

Since I never missed the fellow that existed as a red dot from long ago even for a single moment.

I gripped the crimson arrow created above the right hand and roughly scattered it.

A faint afterimage engraved in the empty air.

The Red Arrow accurately pierced the zombie's death core.

Pueeeeok!!

The body that burst like a balloon unable to withstand the holy light.

Messy lumps of meat poured like rain from the empty air.

I quietly pulled up the padding hat and lowered my head.

Thuduk, thud!

A shower passed.

When I slowly raised my head, people are looking around with blank eyes.

Pieces of rotten flesh that dyed the pure white snowfield.

Some even wriggled like post-death reaction.

"What is this...?"

"My god...!!"

The workshop side personnel look like they don't know what happened at all.

Only workshop master Lee Ju-ha looked at Lee Chan as if confirming, but Lee Chan himself couldn't take his eyes off me.

“Uh···.”

It seemed like he was looking for words, but didn't seem appropriate.

I indifferently said to Lee Chan who was opening and closing his mouth.

“You said to save mana.”

I raised my finger upward.

“There's still one left.”

I could easily deal with it, but didn't.

Inside the cave full of gloomy darkness.

It's unknown what danger is lurking.

If moving completely alone it's fine, but if moving in team units like this.

For my own safety, I must confirm without fail.

"Be careful."

How timely their response is.

And.

How strong they are.

“This one is a bit big.”

I have to know that to be able to safely entrust my back.

Krooooooo!!!!

Along with a shriek, a shadow cast above the head.

A huge silhouette fell covering the sunlight.

© Dome Hwangcha #1yy6t