00403 4. Talents Gathering (4/4) ————————————— ———————————-=
The 10th floor of the tower was not much different from the 9th floor. no. The sights were very different, but they were similar in that they were wide open with no obstructions in between.
“sister. “It seems unusually cold here.”
Hannah muttered as she hugged her ample breasts due to the sudden cold feeling.
I reflexively looked back at Hannah, and my gaze was taken by the slightly crushed breasts in her arms. Her breasts, which were not covered even with her arms wrapped around her, were showing off their gentle abundance.
‘It will be very warm if you bury your face in that chest.’
While I was lost in such trivial imagination, I suddenly felt someone’s gaze staring at me. I followed my instinct and looked away and cleared my throat once or twice.
“… … .”
After a moment of silence, Hayeon’s cool voice flowed in.
“This guy. Although I have a lot of weight, I don’t have much weight… .”
“It’s nothing good. Only her shoulder hurts… . Hehehe. “I hope you feel comfortable.”
“Is it Hannah? My sister told a joke. “And I’m not that small?”
“sister. I was joking too. And of course. Anyway.”
“Hohohoho.”
“Huhuhuhu.”
The two women looked at each other and laughed brightly, but the energy swirling around them was not bright at all.
“Tongue, bro. Strangely, it seems like it keeps getting colder.”
Ahn Hyeon, who was standing next to me, came towards me with an expression on his face that said something was very unfair.
I shook my head with a sigh and just quietly stared ahead.
The 9th floor was not the end of the Ice Tower.
After dealing with the vengeful spirit on the 9th floor, I was able to find the secret passage to the 10th floor with my third eye. So I asked Hayeon for the Scan magic, and I found the passage and went up to the 10th floor.
The 10th floor was a very wide open space like the 9th floor, but it did not feel empty.
Several facilities can be seen at the far end and large blocks of ice neatly placed in the room. Even if he can’t do those things, he seems to have a lot of spirit.
Moreover, the block of ice placed in the center of the room was at least 3 to 4 times the size of the other blocks. Perhaps the reason why the 10th floor is unusually cold is because of the chill emitted by these ice blocks.
‘I guess this was their main base.’
After preparing for any possible danger with my third eye, I slowly walked towards the block of ice in the center. As I looked at the things around me, I discovered an interesting fact.
Among the countless blocks of ice, there were people.
no. It wasn’t just people. Several races similar to humans, such as fairies and beastmen, were discovered in some ice blocks.
“Oh my. “This looks like quite an interesting study.”
As expected, the alchemist’s curiosity was aroused, and Vivien repeatedly exclaimed in exclamation.
“What do you think? What kind of research do you think this is?”
Vivien responded to my question, “Hmm.” He groaned, looked around, and answered with a pale expression on his face.
“well. “I’ll have to look at it in detail later to find out, but the research itself feels very in-depth.”
“Right.”
“but… .”
Vivien stared with frowning eyes at a block of ice lying nearby.
When I also looked there, I could see a male prisoner trapped inside. It must have been so offended that it stared at us from the ice with its eyes wide open.
Eventually, Vivian’s bitter tone continued as soon as it was completely overdone.
“It seems like the person in charge of this place has stepped into forbidden territory.”
It’s a forbidden area.
For a moment, my curiosity arose and I wanted to ask in detail, but I had to swallow the words that were stuck in my throat again. Before we knew it, we had arrived at the huge block of ice in the center. So I stopped right in front of me and activated my third eye.
『A Native, Ianor la Erahel (deceased).』
“and. “It’s very pretty.”
Just as Ahn Hyeon said, there was a woman trapped inside the largest ice that could easily be called a scoundrel.
Light blue hair flowing down her snow-white cheeks. Thin, long eyelashes and thick, light pink lips. Her beauty was such that it was a pity that I couldn’t see her eyes because her eyes were closed.
“You are a princess.”
At that time, Vivien, who was watching quietly, blurted out a word. When I asked her what she meant, she nodded cheekily and continued her sentence.
“The clothes you are wearing are for priests. “Isn’t that an outfit only allowed for very special people?”
“Then you might not be a princess. He could be a queen, or a nobleman.”
Vivien calmly shook her head in response to my counterargument.
“The necklace you are wearing has the mark of the royal family. And the white color I am wearing now represents a chaste woman who is not yet married. So she is most likely a princess. Well, nothing else.”
Vivien shrugged and concluded her sentence, and I stared at the ice again. Because she’s a princess.
‘I guess it doesn’t really matter.’
They are already dead anyway. You wouldn’t know it if you were naked, but you are trapped with the same equipment you used when you were alive. Moreover, if she was a princess, she would definitely have some decent items.
As I looked at the high-potential lottery sites scattered around me, I became concerned about what to do with this ice.
‘Should I break them one by one? .’
It was then.
While I was carefully examining the ice, something strange suddenly caught my eye.
The identity of the strange thing was a gem that looked like crystal, and was embedded in the lower part of the ice. I couldn’t find it because I was focusing on the center area. And it was similar in color to ice.
I took a step closer, bent down, and heightened my senses.
‘… hmm.’
There was very cold air flowing, so I squatted down and felt it more closely.
After some time passed, I was able to figure out one thing. The crystal gem was the size of a fingernail, and was connected to the flow of cold air around it. And such a flow surrounds the entire ice block.
Without hesitation, I reached for the jewel, and soon caught something hard and cold with the tip of my index finger.
Saaa… . Saaaa… .
I knew it. For a moment, a cold sensation colored my fingertips, as if I had no intention of being picked out just like this. So, I immediately activated the power of Hwajeong and was able to quickly regain my senses.
When I applied a little force in that situation, about half of the crystal came out. Perhaps because it has been stuck for such a long time, it cannot be pulled out all at once.
It was then.
Yep!
The moment I tried to apply force again, a sharp noise hit my ears. When I glanced up, I saw a block of ice with a large vertical crack. Perhaps this gem is the medium that maintains the surrounding ice.
“be careful.”
After giving a soft warning to the clan members waiting behind me, I pulled their hand again with strength.
Right! Pants!
I still felt resistance. So I applied even more force, and soon I was able to see the jewel come out completely.
And, it was that moment.
Awesome! Damn it!
As I stretched my waist while holding the crystal gem tightly, I saw a block of ice that was cracked in all directions and looked as if it could break at any moment.
puck!
Pasasa… ! Pasasasa… !
And then, suddenly! Ice chunks shattering with a sound.
I calmly looked around. The sight of hundreds of pieces of ice breaking all at once was so beautiful that it could be called a spectacle.
Eventually, I looked back at my clan members as I saw the ice powder scattering and the corpses fully exposed.
“You all probably want to leave the tower as quickly as possible… . So, let’s finish it quickly.”
“yes… ?”
“Yes, yes?”
Hanna and Shin Jae-ryong asked back with puzzled faces, as if they had arrived relatively recently and were unable to understand the situation.
But Hayeon had already put down her bag. Vivien was also running towards the bookshelf with a very frightening momentum.
And Ahn Hyeon frowned at the sturdy male beastman, then moved his neck at the beautiful fairy next to him… . No, that kid?
I clicked my tongue, lowered my gaze, and stared at the princess lying calmly.
A headband studded with jewels, a priest’s uniform worn only by special people, white cotton gloves, a ring on the left ring finger, and a necklace around the neck.
‘good. ‘Five for now.’
Still, out of courtesy, I decided to leave my underwear on, and I accepted the baby Chaos Mimic that Hayeon gave me. And when I tapped to tell him to open his mouth, I felt him closing the entrance tightly.
I grabbed both snouts with a sigh, then tore them apart in one go and continued.
“Peek!”
“Let’s take it off.”
The two people kept tilting their heads as if they were drowned out by the baby Chaos Mimic’s shouts.
“Beep… . pier… .”
I nodded toward Hayeon as I poured the crystal gem into the entrance. Before she knew it, she was holding out her magic backpack towards the two.
I opened my mouth once more.
“There was a lot of equipment around. So, just take it off and take it with you.”
At my words, Hayeon smiled bitterly.
*
“So, I packed the equipment like that… . “I returned safely.”
Perhaps because I spoke for a long time, my throat became quite dry. So, as I picked up the cup of water on the table and quenched my thirst, I suddenly felt the eyes of two people shining brightly.
One is Kim Deok-pil, the ‘vagrant slayer’, and the other is Seon-yul, the ‘tarot card magician’.
“and. Envy you. “Then you must have obtained a lot of ancient equipment?”
“Merchantry Lord. Is there anything you might be interested in in the magic tower? “I’ll give it a good shot.”
Kim Deok-pil and Seonyul looked at each other with sad eyes, but I was currently in a rather uncomfortable state. So I snorted with the intention of saying, “f*ck you,” and immediately turned my head away.
Where I am now is the central city of Barbara, and the Golden Lion Clan House.
Because after returning from the ‘Frozen Forest’. After a few days had passed, by coincidence, a meeting was scheduled to be chaired by Lee Hyo-eul.
Because the meeting was a bit long, there was a break in the middle, and I, who was trying to quietly burn a cigarette, was unable to go out due to two interruptions.
The trouble was that I reported to the temple as soon as I returned. After a few days, the fact that we had excavated a new ruin spread widely, and during a sweet break, the two people asked to talk about the expedition.
As I was soothing my bored mouth with the sound of the melody rumbling, I heard Kim Deok-pil’s voice making a fuss.
“Merchantry Lord, Mercenary Lord. by the way. You said that. “I originally went there because of a request, but the client hit me in the back.”
“Yes. But what?”
“Then shouldn’t Istantel Row show some sincerity? No matter how much I didn’t know… . One way or another, there is a moral responsibility.”
“To the point of sincerity… . I am the one who accepted the request. “I don’t really care.”
I answered as if it was nothing special.
In fact, since the report was made to the temple, there was a 100% chance that it would have already reached Han So-young’s ears.
But she did not attend today’s meeting. She didn’t attend for no reason; it was proof that she was very busy these days.
Anyway, I thought it was a matter of force majeure, and even if I showed sincerity, I had no intention of accepting it. I didn’t lose anything, but on the contrary, I came back with a lot of gains.
“No, think about it carefully. perhaps… .”
“Okay then, let’s take a break and start the meeting again. It’ll be okay, right? User Deokpil Kim?”
Hyoeul Lee came back just then, and she stood on the podium and stared at me. Kim Deok-pil, who had been talking busily, immediately closed his mouth, and for the first time, I felt gratitude.
Lee Hyo-eul smiled brightly at me and spoke brightly.
“As I mentioned earlier, thanks to you all, the Northern Continent is gradually returning to its former state. First of all, I am deeply grateful for that… . “Of course, I don’t just want to thank you with my mouth, so don’t worry.”
Hyoeul Lee looked around the conference room with a smile, as if she was in a good mood today.
“I shouldn’t have told you in the first place, but… . “Only this time, I will tell you one piece of special good news.”
When I heard that it was good news, I slightly opened my eyes and looked at Hyoeul Lee.
Eventually her lips opened.
“New users are scheduled to arrive in the next three weeks. And compared to recent years, it is on an unprecedented scale.”
A direct notice without any foreshadowing.
Murmur.
The conference room was immediately engulfed in commotion.
It’s not surprising that new users are coming in. Everyone was expecting it to be time to come in around this time.
However, the word that it was coming in large numbers was definitely something that excited the hearts of existing users. Especially in situations like now.
“In my personal opinion… . I’d like to give a chance to the clan that suffered the most damage this time or the clan that made outstanding achievements… .”
Lee Hyo-eul paused for a moment and made eye contact with me once.
Then he opened his mouth, still smiling.
“Shall we listen to your thoughts first?”
*
After the meeting was over, I was on my way back to Mercantile House.
After moving to Monica, I slowly walked down the downtown area and lost in thought.
‘Of course, once the damage to the priority clans is restored to some extent, opportunities will be equal.’
‘Like FA, let’s give priority negotiation rights to instructor-participating clans and let them buy and sell those rights? Is that okay too?’
‘There are still three weeks left, right? Rather than making a decision right now, take your time and think about it slowly.’
User Academy. And new users.
These were words that raised many topics about the current state of mercenaries.
In other words, to put it bluntly, we are saying that we need ‘talented people’ right now.
Those were issues I felt acutely recently, especially after returning from the ‘Frozen Forest.’
So far, Mercenary has excavated many ruins and has also firmly secured its role in the war. What can I say, since there is no space to store equipment in the warehouse?
But the important thing here is that I have no hobby in collecting.
No matter how many secrets, rare classes, or good equipment you collect, what’s the point if you just pile them up? These are things that really show their true value when you use them yourself.
however.
‘Even though the equipment is like that… .’
Be careful when it comes to secret and rare classes. Since it was difficult to retrieve this part, it was customary to distribute it to users who could really be trusted.
‘It’s complicated.’
Suddenly, I raised my head and stretched lightly, and the Mercenary House came into view in front of me. So, I roughly organized the numerous thoughts that came into my head and began to move quickly.
Even if you are cautious about class succession, there will be no disagreement about gathering talent to increase the clan’s power.
‘We can’t just rely on new users.’
Among the users who are already active, there are probably some who have potential. Instead of waiting for them, you have to run yourself.
There are many ways. There is a way to promote, there is a way to go around and discover on your own, or there is also a way to make recommendations like Han So-young.
Anyway, thinking that I would have to make an official announcement about the expansion of clan members soon, I walked towards the front gate that suddenly approached me.
Just as I was about to reach out my hand and push the door open, I saw the door on the right open with a clicking sound.
Eventually, the person who opened the door and showed himself was none other than Hanbyeol. I called her right away.
“Hanbyeol.”
Hanbyeol looked back with polite, cold eyes and then spoke with startled rabbit eyes.
“uh. brother. Are you coming back now?”
“huh. The meeting is over. But what about you?”
“I received a call from the temple. I’ll be back for a bit… . Oops. brother.”
I nodded, thinking it was no big deal. And just as I was about to pass by, Hanbyeol’s voice caught me.
“why?”
“Now that I think about it, some people came by 30 minutes ago.”
“You came looking for me? who?”
Hanbyeol looked like she was thinking for a moment, then shook her head and answered.
“I don’t know who it is. “I heard you just came here through your brother’s introduction?”
—————————= Review of the work ——————– ——-=
sorry. I originally tried to write it briefly, but it was so interesting to write it down… . >///< ah. I also apologize to those who have unintentionally suffered damage because of me. It wasn't originally planned to be a horror story, but it seems like it really turned out that way unintentionally. ㅜ.ㅠ I was deeply touched when I saw the comment about not being able to sleep at night. Me and the readers. Today is Friday. Saturday update I’ll just take a day off… . lol. ☞☜ P.S. I have read all comments. We are always grateful to those who provide selections, recommendations, comments, coupons, and growth indices (items). thank you. _(__)_ fantasy,
