Episode 224. Boom!
With the fall of the meteor, deep indentations formed all over the sea as if it had parted.
Simultaneously, towering columns of water and shockwaves shot up.
The massive waves resulting from the aftermath completely engulfed the shabby wooden boat.
“Ugh!”
“Waaah!”
The twins and Pingpong, wrapped in the vines of the World Tree, were disoriented by the earth-shaking shock.
It was a miracle the boat hadn't tipped over.
Boom!
Crunch!
Even in that situation, the meteor continued to fall into the sea.
Naturally, the monsters standing menacingly were caught in the blast.
Screech!
Crunch!
The bodies of those directly hit by the meteor were crushed and slammed downwards.
The hot flames deeply etched into the meteor also refused to die out easily.
"-Ow, damn ."
"-Huh?
" "-The strongest mage, shudder.
" "-Yeah, I can one-shot 400 mobs.
" "-I'm craving a meteor now;"
The overwhelming firepower was clearly conveyed even through the streaming.
That hellish onslaught continued for a moment.
Boom!
The final meteor struck the head of the howling monster.
A violent explosion erupted at the point of impact.
The ensuing waves once again mercilessly engulfed the wooden boat.
Whoosh!
“Ugh!”
“Ugh!”
Caught in the World Tree vines, their vision tossed about.
They couldn't even see the surrounding situation properly.
Splash!
After a little more time passed, the waves subsided and the chaos began to die down.
Hanbit, who had averted his gaze, withdrew the World Tree's power.
“Ah, I’m alive.”
“This was really…”
“I thought we were going to die!”
The twins and Pingpong, freed from the vines, let out a sigh as they lay sprawled on the ground.
It was an experience that truly felt like stepping on the threshold of death.
However, the one who cast this spell remained completely at ease.
“Should I have made it wider?”
Before anyone realized it, Ibella had descended from the air onto the deck.
Walking leisurely, she approached Hanbit, who was surveying the surroundings.
“Why did a creation of the Holy Kingdom end up here?”
she asked, gazing at the floating monster carcass.
It was not a question seeking an answer.
This raid seemed to target not only Hanbit’s party but also Ivela. The fact
that such a problem had arisen within the Investigation Corps’ territory was a grave matter.
“This is quite serious. To think they would do something like this in the Investigation Corps’ territory.”
“They might have a trump card. The monsters were stronger than any we’ve seen so far.”
Monsters enhanced and transformed by the Holy Kingdom’s technology.
Even if they had captured Isis, the ongoing research wouldn’t have vanished.
Perhaps there was a possibility that the Player had intervened.
“They did this so blatantly; can’t you hold them accountable? You’re incredibly strong, you know.”
Haneul asked, frowning.
Ivela smiled and replied,
“This isn’t enough evidence. The drugs that enhance monsters are spread throughout the black market. Well, dropping a meteor on the Holy Kingdom is up to me, though.”
"-Shudder;
-The apocalypse.
-Please do it.
-But is Ivela stronger than a Holy Faction ranker?
-Meteor is fair to everyone.
-Shall we drop it first?"
The remark Ivela added was by no means a joke.
Of course, even if the Holy Nation wouldn't just meekly accept defeat, turning her into an enemy was quite dangerous.
Or perhaps even the top players lacked information about Ivela?
Or maybe they couldn't reach a consensus either.
'Anyway, it’s getting serious.'
She knew she would be attacked at any moment.
However, she hadn't anticipated that it would happen on the Path of Waves, specifically while the investigation team was guiding them.
“Shall we move for now?”
Shrugging her shoulders, Ivela moved back to the bow.
This time, she did not let go of her staff.
Whoosh—
The wooden boat began to cut through the sea once again.
Despite the tremendous impact, not a single part was broken.
This was thanks to its durability increasing with the user's mana.
'No raids.'
Hanbit, who had been keeping watch on his surroundings, gazed at the sea where only the waves were crashing.
As if the hundreds of monsters that had appeared were all there was, no enemy showed up even once.
“Oh, I see something over there!”
After moving for tens of minutes, an island began to come into view in the distance.
It was the location of the investigation team’s headquarters.
The problem was that it was floating in the sky above the sea.
-?
-Crazy. Hahaha
-Is that real?
-Sky Island… *shivers
* -Shouting out to the sky… *shivers
* -The majesty of the Investigation Team;
All sorts of reactions flooded in at the sight of the Investigation Team headquarters, which had never been revealed anywhere before.
“That’s the island where the headquarters is located, Nephelis. Shall we go?”
Ivela set the boat moving with a light introduction.
Whoosh—
As they approached the island, a shimmering curtain appeared.
It was a device designed to distinguish those qualified for the Investigation Team.
If someone who was not part of the team were to charge in, the curtain would turn into a prison to trap the intruder.
They had never seen anything like it firsthand, not even in the other world.
Swoosh—
The wooden boat, powered by Ivela’s mana, leisurely passed through the curtain.
At the same time, a column of water shot up from below.
Bang—!
“Argh!”
“Ughhh!”
A tremendous impact accompanied by a deafening roar.
Amidst screams ringing out from both sides, the boat had already risen into the sky.
“Huh?”
“Wow…….”
The twins, who had been holding onto the pillar, opened their eyes wide at the sight that suddenly appeared.
The landscape of Nephelis, an island visible through the scattered clouds.
The land, imbued with mysterious colors, floated in fragments, and here and there, glimpses of forests raging with lightning and storms were visible.
And the massive fortress towering in the center even exuded an intimidating aura.
"-Wow, that's amazing;
" "-I'm going with the investigation team.
" "-Seriously, just wait five years.
" "-LOL
" "-Match End: Server Shutdown
" "-Just follow the Black Dragon and you'll get everything. "
"-Upvote for anyone who hasn't even seen Asla. "
"-Okay; "
Slithering—
The wooden boat naturally made its way toward the island and docked at a small pier.
The sensation of the land, mixed with parts of the clouds, was quite peculiar.
"Ugh, this feels weird."
"Something feels off…"
"Ugh!"
The twins staggered, and Pingpong had already fallen.
Ivela, watching them, looked at Hanbit.
"As expected, you're fine?"
"…Well, I suppose so."
The land of Nephelis, which they had walked countless times, felt all too familiar.
It was a tricky place, one where some members of the investigation team never managed to adapt, but that was irrelevant to Hanbit.
“Anyway, shall we go? We need to see the Captain first.”
Ivela put away her staff and walked leisurely.
Hanbit’s party followed slowly behind her.
“It really is incredibly beautiful.”
Haneul marveled at the surrounding scenery.
Standing beside her, Noeul asked curiously,
“Is there a specific reason you chose this place as headquarters? It looks like it would be incredibly inconvenient to travel here.”
“I’ll tell you that.”
Ivela, who had been leading the way, slowed down slightly and joined them.
Pointing at the fragmented land with her finger, she continued,
“That floating land over there is an undrying dungeon. Should I say it changes its form and regenerates every time? It takes some time, though.”
“A… dungeon?”
Noeul looked puzzled.
No matter how she looked at it, it didn’t feel like a dungeon.
“Dungeons aren’t always in the form of buildings. Open-air structures like that are often actually more dangerous. Especially the ones on this island, you should think of them as being similar to living monsters.”
“Isn’t it worse if it’s dangerous? A headquarters should be safe, shouldn’t it?”
Haneul asked, still not understanding.
Then Ivela took out her staff and said,
“This is a weapon made from materials gathered in Nephelis. There are a lot of duds, but if you get lucky, you can get some really good ones. I might even get something more magnificent soon.”
“You’re already incredibly strong, though. Do you still need something better?”
“There are still many forbidden zones that cannot be conquered. I need to get stronger, too.”
Ivela’s explanation was accurate.
Nephelis, an island that is one of the world’s treasure vaults.
That was also the reason Hanbit had specifically wanted to come here.
*Crunch*
—with that conversation, Hanbit’s party continued along the path.
It took tens of minutes to reach their destination, the center.
“There’s quite a lot of stuff today?”
Ivela, who was at the front, said while looking at the entrance of the fortress.
The space was filled with people.
It was evident from their name tags that they were all players.
'Are they all from the Adult Faction?'
Hanbit scanned the ranking list displayed on the side of the screen.
Dozens of people were all Adult Faction rankers within the top 1,000.
“Stop right there.”
Just then, a man walked forward in front of Ibella.
[Funjao]
Ranked 852nd, a player of the Adult Faction.
Naturally, this meant the Investigation Team was present.
Ibella spoke with a blank expression.
“Will you move aside? I’m on my way to see the Commander.”
“My business comes first. You can see the scarecrow Commander later, or figure it out yourself.”
“Hmm, you haven’t been to Headquarters much, have you?”
“What? What nonsense are you talking about?”
Funjao frowned at that question.
However, Ibella did not answer and spoke to thin air.
“Get this out of the way.”
“Of course.”
Swoosh—
Just then, a dark figure appeared from the air accompanied by a low voice.
Moving as if gliding, it quickly brushed past Funjao’s body.
“What are you…?”
Slash—
Before the voice could even finish, an arm detached from the torso.
As blood gushed out, the voice continued.
“One more word and it’s your head.”
“…Ugh.” Faced
with the mysterious ambush, Punjao barely managed to nod.
The surrounding players froze, their eyes wide with shock.
"-Huh?
" "-??
" "-What was that just now?
" "-Was it a shadow?"
"-No, it came out of thin air.
" "-?
" "Let's go in."
Ivela leisurely made her way into the fortress.
Hanbit's party, who had been watching Punjao, followed immediately.
Rustle—
The interior of the massive fortress looked like a mix of the Knights' Order and the Adventurer's Guild.
Prioritizing space utilization over decoration was also the Investigation Commander's disposition.
"What just happened?"
Haneul, who had been looking around inside, asked curiously.
Hanbit, gazing at the long, straight path, gave a warning in advance.
"Never speak ill of the Investigation Commander at headquarters. Especially not when he isn't right in front of you."
"…Huh?"
The girl tilted her head, puzzled by the strange remark.
Hearing their conversation, Ivela let out a smirk.
“You know him well. The Captain has a very gentle personality, so it should be easy to talk to him. He’ll probably take it lightly even if you cross the line. But the Captain’s bodyguard is a completely different story.”
“The bodyguard… that dark figure from earlier?”
“That’s right. He’s a man named Dusk, and if you show any disrespect toward the Captain, he attacks on the spot. Since he’s an investigator, he won’t kill you in one go, but next time, your head will really be chopped off.”
“…I understand for now.”
Haneul nodded with a serious expression.
As Ivela said, the bodyguard Dusk is extremely loyal, and his actions were violent. There
were more people than expected who had been attacked after underestimating the Captain based solely on his personality.
*Crunch*—the
group climbed the stairs to the upper floor and moved further inside along the hallway.
After passing several large doors, Ivela stopped in front of a small room in the corner.
“Captain, it’s me.”
“Huh? Wait a minute!”
*Crash!*
A frantic woman’s voice came from inside.
Ivela immediately grabbed the doorknob.
“I’m coming in.”
“Wait…!”
*Click—*
Despite the voice continuing, Ibella flung the door open.
Inside, a young woman with black hair who looked like an adventurer was frozen on the windowsill.
[Investigation Team Leader Charlotte von Sinclair]
-?
-The Leader? -She looks
too young?
-Where did the middle-aged man go?
-??
Viewers reacted with surprise at her face, which looked to be in her early twenties at most.
It was a natural reaction considering her position as the Investigation Team Leader.
Of course, she was a person of too great a power to be dismissed just by looking like that.
“Do you not want to work again?”
“What are you talking about? I love work.”
“Talking from the windowsill won’t be persuasive. Sit down quickly.”
“Okay.”
As if she was about to leave, Team Leader Charlotte obediently returned inside.
She approached a chair at the table and sat down, adjusting her posture.
Her gaze turned toward Hanbit.
“So you are the Black Dragon? I heard you found the Branch of the World Tree.”
“That’s right.”
Hanbit nodded and took out the lost Branch of the World Tree from his inventory.
“I can’t believe I’m actually seeing that. May I check for a moment?”
“That’s fine, but I’m not going to hand the branch over to the World Tree.”
“Ah, right? Not handing over the World Tree branch…”
Charlotte, who had been nodding naturally, felt something was off.
It was no surprise that her puzzled eyes widened.
“Huh? You’re saying you won’t hand it over?”
