Episode 231
[Main Quest #7 completed.]
[Rewards are being increased to the maximum based on contribution and exceeding conditions.]
[50,000,000 Gold received.]
[80 Stat Points awarded.]
[Experience increased by 120,000,000.]
[Level increased by 3.] [
3 Stat Points awarded.]
[Progress rate increases.]
The messages for the settlement went on at length.
And the moment I finished distributing my stats.
Whoosh—
A gust of wind enveloped my entire body, changing the landscape before my eyes.
"Welcome."
Rumble—!
The Island of Thunderstorms was back once again.
In the center of the thundering forest stood Ariel.
"That thing is gone now?"
Her gaze turned over Hanbit's shoulder.
She knew that it referred to Dusk.
"So, you left it there on purpose?"
"It was fun seeing you so nervous, and I was interested in the Investigation Team Leader." "So I attached the wind to her."
Ariel said, bouncing the wind wrapped around her hand.
Charlotte, the Investigation Team Leader who wields spatial swordsmanship.
He recalled hearing the reason for his interest in her in the past.
'She is indeed an unconventional human being.'
Charlotte was a being who unconsciously created a realm beyond the reach of wind power.
Because of this, Ariel's avenues for obtaining information were quite limited.
Naturally, he was bound to develop either wariness or interest.
"I think I could just arrange a conversation for you."
"She looked like one of the Investigation Team Leader's closest aides. Spirits and humans alike tend to place trust in the time they spend together. It would be good if we could discuss the source of her power."
Ariel's level of interest was clear.
The source of the spatial swordsmanship used by Investigation Team Leader Charlotte.
While there was curiosity about the person herself, power was ultimately the most important factor.
"Where has Lord Tonatio gone?"
Hanbit asked, recalling the invisible, top-tier electric spirit.
At that, Ariel spoke while gazing at the lightning raging in the sky.
"They say they will find the culprit, but it will probably be difficult. It seemed hard to even gauge the state of a high
-ranking spirit." Tonatio, at the pinnacle of the elemental powers, was able to assess the condition of lower-ranking spirits.
Normally, he wouldn't even pay attention, but his feelings had changed as much as his pride had been wounded.
However, he seemed to sense nothing from the vanished high-ranking electric spirit.
"I have passed on the story you mentioned regarding the Holy Kingdom and the children of the Holy Body Faction. The rest is up to Tonatio
to handle." Ariel, stretching, showed little interest.
They were top-tier spirits who, whenever seen, were truly uninterested in one another.
"Understood. It looks like we will be moving outside of Nephelis starting today; is that alright with you?"
"Good. Where is the first destination?"
At the mention of leaving, Ariel's eyes lit up.
Hanbit, checking his watch, looked outside and said,
"We are going to the World Tree."
***
"Lord Black Dragon!"
"You have arrived!"
As they moved near the central fortress, the twins and Pingpong came to welcome Hanbit.
The few players visible nearby merely glanced around cautiously, refraining from approaching easily.
“They’re staring so hard. They can’t even touch me now.”
“I think the biggest factor is that we don’t know what happened inside.”
Sky growled as they met the converging gazes, while Noeul calmly assessed the situation. It
certainly seemed that ending the broadcast with a greeting to a top-tier spirit had made quite an impact.
Hanbit, glancing around, turned on the recorder and started streaming.
-Oh.
-Hi hi.
-Are you live streaming today?
-One viewer who has already given up.
-Should we just do the Adult Faction guest segment?
-Let’s go offline
. -Let’s settle this fairly with fists.
Viewer counts began to fill up quickly, and chat messages poured in.
The most common concern was whether the broadcast could be kept running.
It wasn’t easy due to the constantly changing circumstances, but there were also situations where keeping the stream on was actually better.
For example, like yesterday, when they used the broadcast to lure players into the dungeon.
“I might adjust the output volume sometimes, but I will try to keep the stream on as much as possible.”
-Really?
-Is it okay?
-Didn't you see it yesterday? The Adult faction guys got wiped out. Haha.
-Teaching a lesson to the top-tier spirit.
-But what about the Black Dragon?
-Did he make a contract?
-Can he instantly take down top rankers?
A chat filled with speculation and hope.
Although delusion isn't necessarily bad, Hanbit shook his head and said,
"I was kicked out, too. It's still difficult to make a contract with a top-tier spirit." -Too
bad
-Top-tier is really overpowered though.
-'Still' difficult.
-It will work later.
-Just hold out *nervous
* -Something big is coming.
The viewers once again expressed their anticipation as they pleased.
Although a top-tier Wind Spirit was currently accompanying them, a direct contract was a different story.
After all, actually luring the entire main body out of its domain was impossible under normal circumstances.
"Anyway, please keep that in mind. We will proceed with today's broadcast. Let's go inside."
Hanbit headed into the fortress with the three of them.
NPC investigators were visible everywhere.
Unlike yesterday, their numbers had noticeably increased.
Swoosh—
just as they approached the stairs, a hooded man appeared right in front of them.
"Follow me."
"……?"
As he turned around after tossing the words abruptly, his demeanor was somewhat strange.
It was distinctly different from yesterday, when he had been spewing out doubts and wariness.
Crunch—
Hanbit and his party climbed the stairs and headed upstairs, moving further inside along the hallway.
Dusk stopped in front of a small room in the corner.
The door was already open.
“Ah, you’re here.”
Charlotte, the investigation team leader seated at the desk, raised her head and gave a faint smile.
It seemed to be due to the exploration of Sector 8-35.
“Please sit down for a moment. I have something to take care of.”
Guiding them to a table in front, she examined the documents on the desk and continued to stamp them.
After about five more minutes had passed, she let out a sigh and put down her pen.
“Sorry. You waited a long time, didn’t you?”
Charlotte rose from her seat and joined them at the table.
Although she was physically capable of feeling fatigue, she looked troubled by many things.
“More importantly, what happened with the dungeon? Dusk said they cleared as many as 11 and even entered the realm of a top-tier spirit. I was so shocked that I added it to the investigation team’s danger list, you know?”
“……?”
Charlotte’s words sounded somewhat strange.
The content felt somewhat lacking to be considered a proper report.
'Surely not.'
Hanbit looked at Dusk, who was standing guard behind him.
However, he remained silent, showing no reaction.
As he was not the type of person to betray anyone, this was an entirely unexpected situation.
After a moment of contemplation, Hanbit decided to go with the flow for now.
“We were lucky. Even the trivial knowledge helped.”
“I don’t think trivial knowledge alone would be enough… Anyway, I’m glad it ended safely. I should probably investigate the spirits as well.”
Charlotte’s voice was sincere in relief.
However, given that her good nature was not a lie, the vigilance of her aides had deepened.
After scrutinizing Dusk once more, Hanbit got to the real point.
“What happened with Sector 8-35?”
“…It wasn’t good.”
Charlotte’s expression darkened sharply, and she lowered her gaze.
She looked completely dejected.
“Did all three of them die?”
“Two bodies have been found. We haven’t found Hylen yet, but judging by her severed arm and broken equipment, her chances of survival… honestly, low.”
Three investigators had headed to Sector 8-35.
Two of them died, and the test subject, Hylen, went missing.
It was no ordinary occurrence for an investigator to die in an unconquered zone.
“What about the culprits?”
“They left absolutely no trace. Enough to erase all the mana from the bodies.”
“That… is difficult.”
Even though the investigation team leader and Ivela had gone there in person, they couldn’t properly grasp the situation.
This fact came as quite a shock to Hanbit as well.
He suspected the Holy Body Faction, but the reason was hard to guess.
“What about Ivela? Is she staying over there?”
“She sent me ahead alone, saying there is a little more to investigate. We could do it together…”
Charlotte fidgeted with her hands, timidly expressing her dissatisfaction.
She even felt a concern for Ivela that would normally be unnecessary.
She was probably planning to investigate the Holy Body Faction members.
“Captain, I think you should head out soon.”
Just then, Dusk cautiously spoke, checking on the slumped Charlotte.
“Yeah.”
Nodding, she turned her gaze to Hanbit.
Then, with an even more serious expression, she asked,
“You… remember the promise, right?”
“I have no intention of pretending not to know. I was planning to stop by the World Tree, too.”
“See? I told you I could trust you.”
Charlotte snapped her head to look at the guard.
Dusk then gazed at Hanbit for a moment and said,
“Yes. I think I misunderstood. I apologize.”
“Dusk, you worry too much. Now… I guess it can’t be helped.”
Charlotte became gloomy, her thoughts flowing like a stream of consciousness.
The shock of losing a member of the investigation team seemed unlikely to subside for a while.
Of course, she was not the type to let emotions ruin her duties.
“Don’t get the wrong idea. I said I was going to the World Tree; I didn’t say I would return the branches.”
“I know. I can’t expect only good results.”
Charlotte nodded, indicating that her thoughts had changed from the beginning.
Hanbit, watching the shadows in Sector 8-35, checked the time and asked,
“Ivela isn’t here, so how do you plan to travel?”
“I’m going to use an airship. The distance is a bit tricky for me to cover with my own power.”
“…You’re going to use an airship?”
Hanbit’s eyes widened at the unexpected word.
The flying ship that exists only once in the world.
It was extremely rare for the investigation team to bring out an airship.
In the first place, it was a massive magical artifact that was impossible to operate unless one was someone like Charlotte or Ivela.
“Then, shall we set off right away?”
Ding-
[Main Quest #8: Airship]
I spoke with Charlotte, who had returned to the investigation team.
The World Tree, which must be confirmed even amidst the chaos.
I must go to the center of the ocean with her.
Objective: Board the airship and travel to where the World Tree is located.
Reward: None
*Current Progress: 80 percent
Hanbit checked the message that popped up immediately.
While not quite on the level of teleportation magic, the airship was also a considerably excellent means of transportation.
He had no worries about the dangerous journey through the sky.
After all, it was a journey accompanied by Charlotte, one of the strongest in the world, as well as the power of Aerial residing within the Sylph.
“Alright. Let’s go straight.”
“We’re going to the back of the island. Come this way.”
Hanbit and his party rose from their seats and followed Charlotte, who had already left the door.
In the meantime, another alarm rang in their ears.
Ding-
"Kim Jae-ha"
"The work is finished. I've sent everything, so check it and contact me."
