Chương 171: Chapter 171
I had the feeling that this place was very familiar to me. That was because the current D-Tower 1st floor looked the same as the 1st floor when it was the Tutorial Dungeon. In addition, I discovered a certain fact.
'The ATM machine has been punched through.'
That was the strategy I had used in the past. There was a hole in the ATM machine, as if someone knew the same strategy and followed it, be it a coincidence or something they came up with on their own.
'What's important is that there are traces of the (Enhanced) Goblin Soldier having been here, but no (Enhanced) Goblin Soldier.'
That meant—
'Someone hunted the (Enhanced) Goblin Soldier.'
The Scenario Outline had also been modified.
(Enhanced) Goblin Soldier: 1 (D-Tower 1st Floor)
And I didn't feel any living humans on the 1st floor. So someone had hunted the (Enhanced) Goblin Soldier without losing their life and gone up to the 2nd floor.
'But I have to go find the mana crystal on the underground 1st floor.'
A sense of urgency bubbled within me.
'The 3rd floor is a hidden field.'
Even if the 3rd floor wasn't cleared, clearing just the 2nd floor would end this scenario.
Clear Crystal will be generated upon hunting all monsters on the 2nd Floor. Destroying the Clear Crystal will end the entire scenario.
'That can't happen.'
I had to hurry. Thankfully, there were Trolls on the 2nd floor, and among them were Troll Soldiers whose endurance was second to none in the beginner period.
'Let's hurry and go up.'
I moved to the escalator.
[Escalator Going to the 2nd Floor]
An escalator going to the Main Field of D-Tower, the 2nd Floor. Can transport fifteen people at once.
Cooldown: 8 minutes
If this place had the same settings as the Tutorial Dungeon, the original cooldown should have been twenty minutes.
'12 minutes have elapsed since it was used.'
Before I blocked the way to the D-Tower front doors, someone had already gone inside. After hunting the (Enhanced) Goblin Soldier, they went up to the 2nd floor about twelve minutes ago.
'I can't go up to the 2nd floor.'
Then that left finding the mana crystal on the underground 1st floor within eight minutes. It was still efficient, at least.
'I have to find the way down to the underground 1st floor.'
Perhaps because of my urgency, I couldn't see it immediately. There was probably a condition to activate it. My thoughts once again flickered to the person—or people—who were up on the 2nd floor right now.
'Looking at the state of the 1st floor…'
The corpses strewn about. The punctured ATM machine. A body part of a monster I guessed was a Troll. The smell of a fierce battle still lingering in the air. The atmosphere. The time I spent using Cognitive Dissonance outside.
All of that was information for me, an Observer.
'I don't think it took very long for them to hunt the (Enhanced) Goblin Soldier.'
They did it quickly, and that party probably didn't take much damage to speak of, either. Then, they moved on confidently to the 2nd floor.
'It's possible to infer who it was if they were that skilled.'
I cast my eyes around again.
[Observing with Observer's Eye.]
My gaze stopped at the punctured ATM machine.
'There's a hole.'
The hole was created by the (Enhanced) Goblin Soldier's spear. It threw the spear, the spear rotated, and the people avoided that spear with the help of the ATM machine. Over there was the bathroom.
That moment, I could feel it.
'This is…!'
There was the slightest sense of budding enlightenment, the same sensation I'd felt when fighting Kim Taechun. Similar in essence to when I felt the ominous future with Precognitive Eye.
'I'm on the verge of seeing it.'
It might be because this situation was one that I had already experienced. I, too, had fought the (Enhanced) Goblin Soldier, and I knew about the hunting method the unknown party used. Whatever the reason, I was able to read what had happened a few minutes ago.
'Focus.'
I focused a little more. The ATM machine. That was the key point. Whatever it had to show me was dancing in and out of my reach.
'I can see it…!'
I could see it.
'Is this… the opposite of Future Sight?'
Future Sight could see the future. But what I just did wasn't Future Sight. I glimpsed into the past. It felt like a video was playing back in my head.
'Ah.'
The battle 'they' fought with a formation looked very familiar.
'There are many of them.'
At the very least, it wasn't just a few people. I felt like I could see many Players who had worked together for a long time.
'They set up a circular formation.'
A circular formation.
'Many Players fitted in silver armor.'
And—
'The silhouette of a girl.'
That was all for the image I glimpsed—several men wearing silver armor and a girl holding a wand.
'The Steel Bulwark Kim Donghyun and Steel Mage Kim Ahyun brother and sister duo.'
The elite guild 'Wings' led by the Steel Bulwark Kim Donghyun and supported by the Steel Mage Kim Ahyun. I, an Observer, thought of the Wings guild.
'They were already active at this time?'
Wings was one of the major guilds in Gyeonggi Province. They were called the Guardians of Gyeonggido, and they made a significant contribution in blocking the '1st Monster Wave Scenario' that began in Seoul and moved to Hanam in Gyeonggi Province.
'A guild made up of twelve knights and one magician.'
The guild was known to have avoided expanding into Seoul because they disliked the complicated politics and elbowing for privileges in the city.
'When it comes to fighting in a formation, they're a cut above Taeguk Shield. They aren't super strong as individuals, but their defense-oriented Playing is built on a foundation of outstanding and sturdy teamwork.'
That was the kind of guild Wings was, at least according to the information I knew.
'That's a relief.'
It was a good thing. They were cautious Players; their playstyle wasn't super aggressive. They moved in formation like a sturdy shield, slowly strangling the enemy's windpipe. As a result, their raids tended to take a relatively long time.
'I can't think of any way to get down to the underground 1st floor.'
If it was completely the same as the Tutorial Field, I would be able to figure it out right away, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case.
'And I don't know what the condition is, either.'
Even my intuition couldn't figure anything out. It was either an extremely hard hidden piece to find, or there really was no path down there.
I couldn't rule out that possibility. And if there was no path?
'I have to make a path.'
I couldn't go down there. But I had a very skilled pet with me.
[Phantom Thief Squirrel]
Name: Darongi
Age: 7
Level: ?
Innate ability: [Pickup] [Pathfinding] [Gnawing] [Theft] [Subspace] [Big Belly] [Hole Digging] [Stealth] [Master Selection]
State: Joyful / Full / Lazy
Disposition: Confident / Insatiable / Intimate
Summary: Gluttonous Theft Genius
The disposition/state/summary only show the most representative and can change according to the situation.
Because Eye of Perception's proficiency is not high enough, viewing more detailed information is impossible.
Even though I had reached level 38, I still couldn't see the level of my amazing pet.
"Darong, there should be a mana crystal on the underground 1st floor. Find it."
[;;;] marks appeared over Darongi's head.
"No, you can do it."
[;;;] [;;;] [;;;]
It was shown three times. This was a first.
"Ah. You think it'll be that hard? Even with your remarkable skills?"
Darongi nodded.
"I'm disappointed. And here I was, planning on giving you soy sauce fried chicken with pickled radishes to boot."
[!!!] popped up over Darongi's head. The pickled radishes that came with fried chicken was precisely the food Darongi was obsessed with these days. Considering how he savored each and every little nibble of pickled radish, the food seemed to suit his tastes to a T.
"Can't be helped. We'll have to give up on soy sauce fried chicken and pickled radishes."
Darongi leapt off my shoulder.
"What? You can do it after all?"
Darongi frantically nodded.
"See? You can do it. If you bring me the mana crystal, I'll give you two soy sauce chickens and two boxes of pickled radish."
Darongi began to dig.
* * *
The Guildmaster of Taeguk Shield, Song Kiyeol, spoke to the man sitting on the opposite side of the table.
"As we have clearly stated, the Guardian Tower is not a deleterious object, and it will absolutely not decrease the value of the DMC Riverview Xi."
"Yes, yes. You've said the same thing at least five times."
Sitting next to the man were four other men and one woman. They had red bands wrapped around their heads.
"We have announced this fact several times," said Song Kiyeol. "This is a contract related to it. Please read and sign it."
The contract was three pages total. It could be summarized concisely into two points:
If the residents of the DMC Riverview Xi so desire, Sungshin will purchase their property for an additional $100,000 above market price.
However, Sungshin has announced multiple times that the Guardian Tower is not a deleterious object.
Han Myungsoo, who had been appointed chairman of the 'Urgent Resident Emergency Countermeasure Committee', was happy.
"This is an adequate resolution to our strike."
"It says Sungshin will add $100,000 to market price, and they'll even pay for the moving fees."
"And what if the market price drops?"
"We have set the market price as the highest it has been per square meter."
The committee achieved the marvelous feat of setting the market price of the most common size of apartment, 110 square meters, to a staggering $1.5 million, plus an extra $100k.
"But would Sungshin have done this without any thought at all? They're a conglomerate that dislikes incurring losses."
"That's an issue we have to think about, yes."
"It's because Sungshin has no choice but to pay attention to their image."
"Might it be that they have put the focus on improving their image using this situation?"
The people were very divided. Some were of the opinion that they should quickly sell their homes and find new ones, while others believed there was a reason Sungshin would go so far and that they should wait and see.
It was approximately a 6:4 split, the larger group believing they should wait and see, and the smaller group wanting to sell and leave. Sungshin said they would respect all opinions.
"Sungshin will gain a lot from this as well. It's an era where image is king, after all."
"I heard Sungshin is gaining millions of dollars from the publicity they're getting from this issue. We're actually on the losing end, if you think about it."
Most of the people on the 'sell and leave' side were also people who had actively demanded compensation from So Yoohun. They were the most enthusiastic in calling for the eyesore to be taken down, in advocating for the destruction of the tower that had attracted calamities like the Fire Giants. People who shouted that if it couldn't be destroyed, they should be compensated with a truckload of money. The most vocal people accepted Sungshin's proposal.
After the contract was signed and done, the CEO of Sungshin, Song Kiyoung, had tea with Song Kiyeol.
TN: Song Kiyoung's title has been changed from President to CEO.
"Doing this means you're prepared to pay a huge expense. What are you thinking?"
"I already know the true worth of the Guardian Tower."
Song Kiyeol was truly amused.
'Kiyeol has changed.'
He wasn't the same grandson who quailed in front of him. CEO Song was extremely happy about that.
"The true worth?"
"Yes."
He was happy on the inside, but he didn't show it.
"Fine. Let's say you've recognized its true worth." He said sternly, "And let's say the area's prices skyrocket because of the Guardian Tower's worth. What will you do afterwards? Do you want to advertise that Sungshin has reaped a profit from real estate speculation when public sentiment is already rocky as is?"
"No, sir." Kiyeol shook his head. He was respectful, but firm. His eyes glowed with confidence. "As the Guildmaster of Taeguk Shield, I have decided to create a 1st generation Player town by lawful and humanitarian means. And it happens to be close to the Players Association as well."
"A Player town?"
"The idea is to have a ready force that can quickly react to emergency crises. As you saw with the Fire Giants… Even stronger monsters will appear in the future. We need people who can create parties on the spot and go out to hunt. If we can gather outstanding Players in one place, we will be able to react far more strategically in a crisis."
The goal was not real estate speculation, but to create a Player town, a concept of a force prepared for emergency situations. CEO Song smiled inwardly.
'How fun.'
Judging from Kiyeol's palpable confidence, that 'Guardian Tower' was likely extremely valuable. The short-sighted people who lunged for a pittance of $100k without recognizing that value were pitiful.
'Kiyeol changed… after meeting Kim Hyukjin.'
As time went on, his curiosity towards the person named Kim Hyukjin grew. CEO Song concealed his inner thoughts and spoke again.
"Excessive confidence breeds failure. There are times when bold and swift decision-making is necessary, but the process cannot be just as bold and swift. Understand?"
"I will bear that in mind."
He couldn't wait to see. Was the Guardian Tower truly an eyesore that attracted monsters like Fire Giants, or was it really a tower that protected, as its name suggested?
'It's probably a tower that protects.'
He couldn't suppress the smile that escaped him at the thought of the world's furor over Guardian Towers in the near future.
'It could be…'
That Kiyeol was more outstanding than Junghye.
____
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