Chapter 57

Chapter 57

Spendthrift Necromancer (57)

Inescapable Net (1)[Warning!][You have not fulfilled the clear objective!][If you continue refusing to complete it, the difficulty may change drastically!]

Together with Seo Yerim, he slipped straight into the ranks of the Unorthodox Alliance warriors.

“Move!”

He had taken first place in the trial and become the successor destined to walk the red carpet.

The warriors obediently followed his command. He ran with her through the path that split apart like the Red Sea.

He tossed Seo Yerim a potion.

She immediately gulped it down. Minwoo did the same.[You consume Wind-Walking Potion!][Movement Speed increases by 30% for one hour!]

As if sharing Snowy's Wind attribute wasn't enough, he'd already replaced all his equipment with gear carrying movement-speed bonuses.

They were low-level items, so the effects weren't enormous, but they were still far better than nothing.‘Did it work?’At the very least, the three old monsters had definitely become tangled up with one another. Judging by how the Unorthodox Alliance Leader's eyes had gone wild the instant he caught the bead, apparently he couldn't distinguish the real one from the fake by appearance alone.

Of course, sooner or later they'd discover that the bead was fake.

Since Minwoo didn't know exactly when that would happen, he had no choice but to run like his feet were on fire.

He escaped the battlefield with Seo Yerim. Even when they started fleeing far into the distance, the warriors didn't find it strange.

No, more accurately, they had no attention to spare for the two of them. The Martial Alliance and Demonic Cult were attacking ferociously from both sides.

Then.[Unorthodox Alliance Leader Baek Hakseong notices something is wrong!]

A message appeared.‘How did he figure it out?’The appearance should be extremely similar.

And since he'd never seen the real thing before, there was no way he could distinguish it that way.‘Does holding it directly let you tell whether it's fake?’Maybe.

“Run! Faster!”

Seo Yerim must have seen the message too, because her expression hardened as she accelerated.‘If that's how it works…….’What would the Unorthodox Alliance Leader do?

Wouldn't he scream that it was fake and hand it over for the enemies to touch themselves?

Of course, the Heavenly Demon and Martial Alliance Leader would doubt his intentions.

Nobody had ever offered a fake before, and Minwoo was even the Alliance Leader's own son.

It would be difficult to imagine a son deliberately offering his father a fake.

If anything, wouldn't they assume it was some kind of trap meant to lure them in?

Minwoo prayed the two of them would do their best.

Once they'd put a decent distance between themselves and the battlefield.

He pulled shoes from his inventory.

“Change into these.”

He and Seo Yerim changed shoes. The shoes they'd just put on were the same type as the Skeletons'. Even the size was identical. Then he summoned nearly two thousand Skeletons.

He pulled out the supplies he'd prepared inside his Spatial Ring.

Ordinary Normal-grade leather bags.

Each numbered bag was packed with dozens of kilograms of rocks and miscellaneous junk.

“Put on the bag assigned to you and move exactly as we practiced!”

Clatter!

The Skeletons nodded.

He'd drilled this movement into them dozens of times for this exact moment.

The Skeletons' learning ability had increased tremendously through Death Lord and Cedric's title effect.

Simply repeating something they'd practiced was easy.

The Skeletons began circling the area. Their feet trampled wildly over the existing footprints.

Skeletons were made of nothing but bones, so their natural body weight was light.

But things changed once you added heavy armor and bags full of junk.

Reaching roughly human weight was easy.

He had prepared each bag to match either Seo Yerim's weight or his own exactly.

Even a supreme master wouldn't be able to identify them by weight or footprint shape alone.

“Scatter! Move!”

Clatter!

The two thousand Skeletons split into forty groups of fifty.

They scattered in every direction.

The Skeletons behind deliberately trampled over the footprints of those walking ahead.

Naturally, the tracks became a complete mess. Minwoo looked toward the final group.

“You follow us once we move. Step directly on our tracks.”

Clatter!

Leaving the saluting Skeletons behind, he ran off with Seo Yerim.Identical traces would remain in 40 different directions.‘That'll make tracking us a pain in the ass.’The two entered the forest.* * *Baek Hakseong nearly exploded with rage.

No matter how loudly he shouted that the bead was fake, the two old monsters refused to listen.‘Damn it!’Of course, the easiest solution would have been to throw the bead somewhere far away.

But he couldn't do that.

Because of that tiny doubt.

What if the saying passed down from the past had actually been false?

Or what if the details had changed slightly over generations?

That possibility wasn't zero. If so, he might throw away an invaluable treasure after finally obtaining it. He couldn't dismiss even that slight possibility.

The Clue to Ascension was that precious.

Then.

An Elder he'd sent to locate Baek Socheon came rushing over.

“Alliance Leader! Fifth Young Master has left the battlefield!”

Grit!

He bit down hard on his lip.

He could understand the boy hiding behind the main force, but leaving the battlefield entirely meant…….

That erased the final possibility that the bead might be genuine.

If he'd truly offered the Clue, why would he run away?

Wealth and glory were waiting right in front of him.

“Damn it!”

The Unorthodox Alliance Leader hurled away the cloth-wrapped bead. The other two masters' eyes went wild, and both immediately charged toward it.

Fortunately for the Heavenly Demon, it had been thrown closer to his side, allowing him to catch it.

The instant he held the bead.

Heavenly Demon Gu Yangcheon's face went rigid.

“It's fake!”

“……

What?”

The Martial Alliance Leader froze.

He had already felt something was strange when the Unorthodox Alliance Leader threw away the bead.

But now even the Heavenly Demon was saying it?

The probability that it was truly fake had risen enormously.

Very enormously.

“Catch!”

Gu Yangcheon tore the bead from the cloth and, snorting with rage, threw it toward the Martial Alliance Leader. The man's face twisted like that of a vicious demon the instant he caught it.

Then he slammed the bead against the ground.

Crunch!

The bead broke apart helplessly.

It was nothing but garbage crafted to look convincing on the outside.

Both men turned their gazes toward Baek Hakseong.

Just how catastrophically had he raised his son for the brat to screw over his own father like this?

Mockery swept across Baek Hakseong from head to toe.

After a brief silence.―Enough! Everyone stop fighting!

At Gu Yangcheon's shout, the battlefield fell silent in an instant.

The warriors stood frozen with weapons in hand, staring blankly at the three old men.

Ignoring them, the three masters glared at one another.

One thing was obvious.

They had to chase Baek Socheon.

The question was whether they would cooperate.

If the three organizations joined forces, they could capture him quickly.

But then the issue of who owned the Clue to Ascension would arise.

If they acted separately?

Efficiency would fall, but each side would gain a chance to win everything.

Then.

A strange sight appeared before their eyes.[Warning!][‘Baek Socheon’ and ‘Choi Aeng-Aeng’ are attempting to escape!][If the two enter beyond a certain point, they will escape this stage!]

All three men's expressions hardened.

Those words were extremely familiar.

Because similar information had been passed down continuously to the leaders of all three organizations.

Supposedly, once someone obtained the Clue to Ascension, mysterious words much like these would appear before their eyes.

“We can settle ownership later. For now, it seems we must join forces.”

“……

Agreed. We cannot allow those two bastards to escape.”

“……

Fine.”

Soon, all three organizations began moving.

Baek Socheon and Choi Aeng-Aeng.

They absolutely had to capture those two.* * *[Heavenly Demon Gu Yangcheon notices something is wrong!][Martial Alliance Leader Yang Jeonghak notices something is wrong!][Gate difficulty changes to A+, ‘Inescapable Net’!][Move toward the destination!]

A map appeared before Minwoo.

Far away, a green dot had appeared.‘Is that the destination?’Judging by the distance, it looked like he'd have to run himself half to death for roughly five days.

He looked at Seo Yerim.

She'd apparently received a clear message, yet she'd chosen not to leave and was still with him.

Now the difficulty had changed.

Meaning she couldn't leave until they completed the new clear objective.

Minwoo didn't know why she'd stayed, but one thing was certain.

Her presence had increased his odds of survival.

“I'll thank you once we're outside.”

“Forget it. I stayed because I want the clear reward too.”

Minwoo nodded.

Inescapable Net.

Even the name sounded brutal.

He immediately swallowed the elixir he'd been saving.[You consume Sword Shadow Pill!][All stats increase by 10!]

“Let's go. Before they catch up.”

They'd opened some distance, but not enough to matter.

Right now, they needed to forget everything else and run.* * *Kim Minwoo and Seo Yerim.

Both were Awakened known not only in Korea but overseas as well.

And the incident that had occurred this time was extraordinarily sensational.

A fellow chaebol heir had maliciously shoved Kim Minwoo into a Gate, and Sword Phoenix had jumped in to rescue him.

It would have been stranger if the media hadn't caught fire.

Three weeks had passed since the two entered the Gate.

Despite the considerable time that had passed, public interest was growing increasingly explosive.

Even overseas broadcasters had begun covering the incident.―Where'd all the guys go who said they'd both be dead in two days? lol They've already lasted three weeks?―Yeah, and they're still gonna run crying to the midway zone lol―But three weeks is more than enough time to have found the midway zone already, isn't it? The stage can't be that huge. Why aren't they coming out……?―Who knows. They might just be hiding in some corner burning through food.―So nobody knows what appears on a Gate's first attempt? There isn't some fixed format?―They're literally saying it on the broadcast lol It's all random. Could be a Gate where you have to progress through a story, could be one where you just beat the hell out of monsters. That's why the recommended raid size is so high lolol―Yeah. Just think of it like a Hidden Gate. Stage layout, clear objective, gimmicks, all random.―How long do you think they'll last?―No idea. Kim Minwoo might already be dead. Sword Phoenix seems like she's still holding out, though?―Why the hell did she go in to save him and suffer like this? Seriously, am I the only one who doesn't get it?―Maybe they've got something going on lolol―Nah. Sword Phoenix fucking hated Kim Minwoo. Anyone who knows them knows that.―Then why did she go save him? lol―Probably because of the Sword Immortal. Grandpa went crazy with the praise after setting that new S-rank record, saying it was all thanks to Kim Minwoo lolol―Yeah. That's my guess too. Sword Phoenix is obsessed with her grandfather. Like, seriously obsessed. That's probably why she went in.―I know I probably shouldn't say this, but if they can't survive, can't they just die quickly? If this drags on too long, the Gate's going to burst.―Don't B-ranks get two months before that? It hasn't even been a month yet; what kind of psycho are you?―Can't lose Sword Phoenix sob sob Can't lose Sword Phoenix sob sob Can't lose Sword Phoenix sob sob―Stop overreacting. She doesn't even need to clear it, just reach the midway zone. You seriously think Sword Phoenix can't manage that? Once she comes out, they can send a proper guild raid in and clear it fast.

Most public opinion was similar.

Kim Minwoo was likely dead.

Sword Phoenix was probably still holding out.It had been around three weeks, so she should have adapted to the Gate by now.

As an Awakened considered beyond A-rank, perhaps she could at least escape.

The experts appearing on broadcasts had voiced similar opinions.

Then.―Huh? Wait. What's that? Don't tell me…….

Reporters broadcasting live from in front of the Gate began murmuring.

An enormous amount of mana was gathering around the previously silent Gate.

It was completely different from the glow that appeared when challengers emerged after a clear.

Soon, a reporter grabbed the microphone with trembling hands.―W-We have just received word from the Observation Department that the Gate's difficulty has changed. According to the new measurement, it has become an A-rank Gate…….―?―??―???―????―What? Did they measure it wrong?―Nah. Difficulty changes like that do happen occasionally. Looks like something went wrong inside?―So it changed to A+ difficulty?―Seems like it.―What usually happens when that happens?―Sometimes the challenger chooses something that changes the difficulty, sometimes they just step in shit through bad luck…… probably the latter?―Yeah. Looks like they stepped in shit. There's no way those two deliberately increased the difficulty after going in. They're screwed;―Guys, is their chance of escaping actually gone now?―Recommended raid size for an A+ Gate is 30 lololol That's twice B+ lolol You seriously think they have a chance? Is your brain fried? lololol―(Info) S-rank monsters appear pretty often inside A+ Gates.―Even proper guild raids get situations like that and die before reaching the midway zone; there's no answer;;―They're fucked?