Chương 364: 778
[Chapter 199]
[Misjudgment(2)]
The day after subjugating Goeshini, mana was thickly settled in the air.
The communication equipment, which had been malfunctioning since crossing the Dobongsan barrier, completely stopped working on this day.
"How is it? Can you contact other units? If we could at least contact Hwaryong Station, we could communicate with Mangwolsa, Dobongsan, Jageum-dong, and Millak-dong directions."
"I've been trying since earlier, but it's not working at all. Even the Player Library can't be accessed because the mana is too thick. It seems impossible to communicate today."
The advantage of communication equipment is that it's two-way, can communicate over long distances by installing base stations at regular intervals, and can store and record communications.
It couldn't be replaced by telepathy.
As a result, the recapture team was relying on communication equipment for important contacts.
Eun-ha and Ha-yang, who came to the 5th Communication Platoon because communication wasn't working since morning, had gloomy faces.
Others were the same.
"This is... In Uijeongbu where we don't know the geography well, only being able to contact telepathists is unsettling. We shouldn't stray from the telepathists even for a moment."
"Spread that to the platoon members, tell them not to leave the telepathists' side for today. We don't know when this situation will end."
"Still, it's fortunate that we can communicate to some extent among ourselves via telepathy. The problem now is that we can't contact the recapture team headquarters and other units, right?"
"We shouldn't take this lightly. If something happens in the north, how can we respond? Remember, we're currently isolated near the Arts Center."
It's not that they hadn't considered this situation.
Nevertheless, people were anxious.
It was fortunate that they were able to subjugate Goeshini when communication was still possible.
If Goeshini had appeared at a time like this, there would have been massive casualties.
Furthermore─.
"─Since <Thunder God> subjugated Ishimi, we don't need to worry too much about monsters coming down from above, right?"
Twelve Seats <Thunder Emperor> Lee Do-jin.
Word came last night that he had killed Ishimi single-handedly.
It was also reported that people who witnessed Lee Do-jin's divine status, including the 3rd Attack Platoon, were now calling him <Thunder God>.
I knew <Thunder Emperor> would do that.
So we don't need to worry about above.
When Eun-ha heard the news at that time, he remained calm as if he had expected it.
In contrast, Kang Hyeon-cheol, who was considered <Thunder Emperor>'s rival, seemed quite dissatisfied.
But that wasn't Eun-ha's concern.
Anyway, with <Thunder God> in the north, there wasn't much need to worry about the danger from the north.
So the recapture team at the Arts Center could limit their anxiety to just being uneasy.
Even so, they had to be careful.
Koo Yeon-su, commanding the 7th Communication Platoon, said to the commanders gathered:
"Don't move too far today, rest near the Arts Center. And don't neglect to be vigilant, we haven't subjugated all the monsters yet. As you all know, monsters become stronger in this kind of environment."
All the commanders nodded.
Now that they had subjugated Goeshini, they had gained the implicit authority to farm in the area.
So there was a bit of disappointment visible on their faces.
But life came first.
There would be many days to farm.
The platoon leaders, with the authority to command the platoons and the accompanying responsibility, decided not to be too greedy.
"And the 7th Communication Unit will dispatch telepathists to Hoeryong Station and Ganeung Station to find out the situation."
Meanwhile, Koo Yeon-su decided to deal with the situation where communication was not possible.
The telepathy distance of telepathists varied from person to person.
There weren't many telepathists who could send telepathy over the distance of one station.
So they had to use telepathists to relay.
Surely other units would be thinking the same thing.
So even without moving long distances, they could exchange limited contact through the relay telepathy of telepathists.
In Seo-na's case, as the number of recipients increases, the clarity decreases with distance. Ariel maintains clarity with multiple people but has a shorter range than Seo-na.
The stupid brother... Since he also plays the hunter role, he's like a hybrid connecting the front and middle lines.
Incidentally, in Pandora Clan's case, Jin Seo-na, Ariel, and Jin Pa-rang had the longest communication ranges in that order.
Jin Pa-rang was also well-known.
But Jin Seo-na and Ariel were extremely renowned as telepathists.
Players from other clans were tempted to recruit the two with better conditions.
That's how special their qualities were.
"─So let's be careful until communication is restored. And farm moderately. If you eat too much, you might get sick later?"
Anyway, if things go according to Koo Yeon-su's response, communication should be restored today.
Koo Yeon-su clapped his hands to make a sound and wrapped up the conversation.
The commanders chuckled.
Eun-ha also smiled.
Now that Goeshini has fallen─.
"─We can't go too far, but I should tell them to go farming. The platoon members must have built up stress following our clan's orders."
"Still, let's have them move around in parties centered on telepathists. You never know what might happen."
"Of course."
"Pipi pipi papa papa pupu pupu!"
Now, it's farming time.
Eun-ha raised the corners of his mouth as he left Koo Yeon-su's tent.
☆
Farming refers to the act of discovering and acquiring artifacts or elixirs in areas untouched by human hands.
In the case of Uijeongbu, over many years, mana had dissolved into materials, and artifacts and elixirs of considerable value were sleeping there.
The problem was that after the 1st Uijeongbu Recapture War, a large number of artifacts were lost in the process of the recapture team retreating.
"Tch, there's nothing here. Hey! Is there anything left over there!?"
"Nothing here either! Even if I search the drawers, I can't see a single piece of jewelry!"
As a result, players who didn't participate in the 1st Uijeongbu Recapture War couldn't hide their disappointment.
So they investigated very deeply into places that the 1st Uijeongbu Recapture Team might not have touched.
Or they set out to find artifacts lost by the recapture team.
If they could find them, it would be like striking gold.
In such a situation─.
"─Still, it seems you had some brains. To think of hiding them in such a place."
"Hey, Pandora Clan Lord. Aren't you looking down on me too much? Huh? I may look like this, but I'm surprisingly a brain type who knows how to use my head..."
"Well, I've heard that squids are smart."
"Why are you bringing up squids here? You're not insulting me, are you?"
"I'm saying you're smart."
"Hmm.... Somehow it feels fishy."
""""...."""
Pandora Clan and Blaze Clan.
Eun-ha had agreed to share the treasures hidden by Blaze Clan 14 years ago, thanks to Kang Hyeon-cheol's goodwill.
But apart from Kang Hyeon-cheol's goodwill, the crazy squid was still a crazy squid.
Eun-ha treated Kang Hyeon-cheol curtly, and Kang Hyeon-cheol put up with the younger man's snarky attitude.
The clan members following the two were even apologizing to each other's clan members.
That's how little formality there was between the two.
"─Jo A-ra, Ariel."
"Hm? What?"
"Ariel is here!"
Meanwhile, footsteps were heard following behind.
Surely players hoping for crumbs to fall in the process of Pandora Clan and Blaze Clan farming.
Unfortunately, Eun-ha had no intention of tolerating their presence.
So he ordered his clan members.
"You two, deploy illusion magic to prevent those guys from following us without knowing. So they can't track our position."
"Okay. I can do that much. Is there anything else I need to do?"
"Then should I bewitch those people with telepathy? It's my specialty, leave it to me! Ah, but I should transform with my gift to do that better."
"Ha-yang, you slowly set up barriers around the area with the Goblin Lamp. Even if those people somehow steal without us knowing, trap them so they can't get out."
All the clan members were enthusiastic.
Who wouldn't be when it comes to getting their hands on artifacts?
They quickly moved according to Eun-ha's orders.
"As expected, it was good to bring you. Our kids aren't good at tasks that require this much effort. Thanks to you, we can search without interference."
"But it's going to be hard to find. To think the building ended up like this..."
As Jung Ha-yang activated the Goblin Lamp, fog began to set in around them.
Eun-ha and Kang Hyeon-cheol walked through the fog and arrived at the gositel building where Blaze Clan had hidden artifacts.
Soon, Eun-ha clicked his tongue.
The gositel building had collapsed.
It was understandable that the building's condition would be different after 14 years.
"Are you sure it's really in there?"
"Of course! I'm telling you, back then we hid them in all sorts of places like washing machines, laundry baskets, beds, and so on in that gositel!"
Everyone grimaced.
Even though they had heard about it, the condition was too severe.
They had to sift through the collapsed debris one by one to find the artifacts.
Still, it's fortunate we don't have to search every building touched by the 1st Uijeongbu Recapture Team.
Soon, Eun-ha changed his mind.
This was relatively efficient.
Moreover, as someone who knew the future, Eun-ha knew that among the artifacts hidden by Blaze Clan, there were quite a few useful ones.
"Can't be helped. Seo-na, tell the kids to search through all of that. Tell them to focus on things like washing machines, laundry baskets, beds."
"Okay, I'll do that."
And so the search began.
Pandora and Blaze Clan members all set out to clear the building debris.
Meanwhile, Eun-ha looked for Kang Si-hyeong and asked him.
"Si-hyeong, how about you? Do you think you can move the drones? It would be good if we could search inside with small drones."
"...The mana is too thick, so I don't think that's possible. They're not even working, so they're just lumps of scrap metal now."
"I see, can't be helped."
Kang Si-hyeong had brought drones in preparation for the Uijeongbu Recapture War.
Kang Si-hyeong's drones were useful.
Drones that had been touched by Byeok Hae-su could operate even in situations where mana was settled to some extent.
But it seemed impossible on a day like today.
Just in case, Kang Si-hyeong, who had brought small drones when coming out to farm, shook his head.
It couldn't be helped.
At this time, drone performance was not very good.
So Eun-ha called Kim Min-ji.
"Min-ji, since you can handle mice, I'd like you to have them search inside the debris pile."
"I was thinking the same thing. I'll give it a try."
"Okay, please do."
Kim Min-ji hadn't been very active in the Uijeongbu Recapture War.
Perhaps because of that, Kim Min-ji brightened up when the opportunity came to her.
She used Midnight Whisper to summon mice made of mana from her ring.
And she infused mana into the necklace made from a Chungmu grade treasure.
Cat's Eye
An artifact that brightens night vision and can detect hidden traps.
As proficiency increased, it could even make mice disarm traps.
Kim Min-ji empowered the mice and sent them into places where people couldn't enter.
Eventually─.
"─There's an empty space below. There's a washing machine left there in pretty good condition... It seems mana has settled in the washing machine?"
""""...!!""""
"That's it!"
Kim Min-ji found one.
People's faces brightened.
Kang Hyeon-cheol shouted loudly.
"Well done, tell Ha-yang the coordinates the mice found."
"Okay. I'll keep looking for more elsewhere."
An ability almost specialized for farming.
People gathered around Kim Min-ji and had her search suspicious corners.
She soon had to control the mice while receiving mana recovery magic from Yeou-bi.
Squeak squeak!
Then one mouse brought back a ring.
It was an artifact.
People excitedly urged the navigators to record the coordinates found by the mice.
And a little while later─.
"─Got it! The rope's all tied! Pull it up!"
"Wow.... This is no joke? It's really well-aged."
The players pulled out the washing machine that Kim Min-ji had first found.
It was buried quite deep.
The washing machine pulled up to the ground with ropes was emitting a bright light.
The mana of the artifacts inside the drum had dissolved into the washing machine over many years.
Unintentionally, the washing machine itself had become an artifact.
☆
According to Eun-ha's memory.
The washing machine boasted a value almost equivalent to the Chungmu grade.
─The furnace made from that artifact had the effect of harmonizing the properties of material artifacts to draw out higher-dimensional effects.
There were three top-ranked maestros in this country.
The clans they belonged to were Zenith, Silla, and Blaze Clan.
But before the regression, Blaze Clan's exclusive maestro was ranked first.
It was because of the furnace made from the washing machine.
A furnace that not only maximally draws out the power residing in material artifacts, but also melts artifacts imbued with magic to create new dimensions of magic.
It was a furnace that any maestro would covet.
It was even considered a divine furnace and called Hephaestus's furnace.
Though the players present didn't know anything yet.
With just this... Pandora Clan will be able to become stronger.
The players were momentarily blinded by the washing machine.
They were soon distracted by the treasures inside the drum.
But Eun-ha still couldn't take his eyes off the washing machine.
That's how much that washing machine was one of Eun-ha's purposes for participating in the 2nd Uijeongbu Recapture War.
"Blaze Clan Lord."
"Huh, what is it?"
"I'll take that washing machine."
"The washing machine? Hmm...."
So Eun-ha said to Kang Hyeon-cheol.
Kang Hyeon-cheol, who had been laying out artifacts on the ground and looking at them with sparkling eyes, soon tilted his head.
He seemed to be pondering.
"Just judging by the aura it's giving off, it seems to be at least Hwarang grade... Maybe we should discuss that later..."
"Strictly speaking, that washing machine wasn't discovered by Blaze Clan but formed naturally, and we found it, right? Just give it to me."
"Hmm...."
In his previous life, Kang Hyeon-cheol had used that furnace to create a sword comparable to the National Salvation Holy Sword and <Thunder Emperor>'s mistletoe.
In a way, Eun-ha was taking away Kang Hyeon-cheol's source of power, following Buldak.
Nevertheless, he didn't mind.
Can't we just make a crazy squid sword for him in our clan later?
And our Hae-su hyung will make a much better sword than those three maestro fossils.
If Kang Hyeon-cheol's power has weakened compared to the previous life, we can strengthen it.
Byeok Hae-su can do it.
<Maestro of the Morning Star>.
Eun-ha believed in Byeok Hae-su, who in this life was said to have the skill to make stars rather than weapons, a rising star with a bright future.
"Alright, Pandora Clan, you take it. That thing is too big and would be a pain to carry around, so I don't want to bother with it."
"Thank you."
"In exchange, I'll take this sword."
Fortunately, Kang Hyeon-cheol readily gave in.
In return, Kang Hyeon-cheol showed Eun-ha a sword.
It was the most eye-catching artifact among those inside the washing machine.
"Okay, then. But before that, may I take a look at the sword?"
"Sure, go ahead."
Eun-ha received the sword.
He knew about this sword too.
It was an artifact that would become an important material for the device Kang Hyeon-cheol would create later.
It was tempting, but he had to give it up for the furnace.
Even so─.
"─The mana is quite turbid. It seems to have a lot of resentment embedded in it?"
"Many artifacts found in Uijeongbu are like that. Still, it's quite a good sword. You don't think I'd lose to this sword, do you?"
"Resentment is something that even people with strong mental power can't easily overcome."
The sword has resentment embedded in it.
Mana that drives people to madness.
Eun-ha drew the sword from its scabbard.
Then the trapped resentment burst out, visible to the naked eye.
""""...."""
"Do you think you can overcome this?"
"With guts and passion..."
"With your skills, Blaze Clan Lord, you'd probably win. But in the process, you'd cause a lot of damage."
An extraordinary aura.
People who had been distracted by the artifacts turned their gaze to Eun-ha.
Even Kang Hyeon-cheol was dumbfounded.
That's how intense the aura was.
The blade was turning red, and black mana flickered around it.
Soon the resentment attacked Eun-ha.
─Gift <Heroic>
Others were shocked.
But Eun-ha maintained his sanity while taking the resentment head-on.
It was because his gift had activated.
Hiiiiieek!!
A sound as if someone was screaming in terror.
Such a sound was heard.
The resentment that had tried to infiltrate Eun-ha's body soon fled quickly as if escaping from something.
Whoosh!!
But Eun-ha's mana didn't leave the resentment alone.
The mana caught the resentment.
And pulled the resentment back in.
""""...."""
The resentment was annihilated just like that.
People could only stand there blankly after witnessing that scene.
Eun-ha ignored their gazes and sheathed the sword.
Then he handed it over to Kang Hyeon-cheol.
"Here you go."
"You... You're really the Pandora Clan Lord, right? You weren't eaten?"
"Do I look like someone who would be?"
"You're not human..."
"I don't want to hear that from the Blaze Clan Lord."
Kang Hyeon-cheol made a sour face.
He looked at Eun-ha as if he were a monster, having received the sword in a daze.
What Eun-ha had just shown was that surprising.
Just by holding the sword in his hand, the resentment residing in the sword had completely disappeared.
Moreover, he didn't show any signs of struggling to overcome the resentment.
─That's a relief. In the previous life, that sword caused a lot of problems.
Meanwhile, Eun-ha felt relieved.
In the previous life, Kang Hyeon-cheol had been enthralled by that sword and severely injured the recapture team members.
The recapture team had to use unnecessary force to subdue him.
But Kang Hyeon-cheol, enthralled by the sword, was so strong that it was difficult to subdue him.
In the end, the situation only ended after Kang Hyeon-cheol overcame the sword's resentment.
Eun-ha had preemptively prevented Kang Hyeon-cheol from committing such an act.
So in return for preventing Kang Hyeon-cheol's arson in advance─.
─Sorry to Blaze Clan, but I'll have to take the best artifacts. I'll leave some behind, though.
Eun-ha intended to reap the benefits.
As they continued to discover artifacts, both Pandora Clan and Blaze Clan were all smiles.
Thanks to this, their relationship became closer.
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