No aura of falsehood was felt from the man before her eyes. Looking at Lee Si-woo, Seo Ha-yeon felt the light of truth stronger than ever before.
'Light Mana perceives sincerity and honesty from this person.'
Then it means those words are true.
"If you join Golden Arrow Guild, you can receive more support and help. To stop the destruction, isn't it actually right to join a guild?"
She couldn't back down. If his words are true, his ability is truly tremendous. Naturally, she couldn't miss it.
"No, I intended to act independently or create a guild separately altogether." "Act separately?" "Yes, to check and destroy Seeds of Destruction first... I need to be able to act independently without being tied down anywhere." "That, if we grant you a lot of authority within the guild independently...." "They would look at me with unfavorable eyes within the guild. To stop the destruction... I must not make enemies." "...."
'Does he mean there shouldn't be any enemies hindering his activities?'
"Ultimately, my goal is to form an alliance with powerful individuals from each guild like you, Ms. Seo Ha-yeon, Ms. Baek Seo-yeon of Cheongpung Guild, and Mr. Cheon Tae-jin of Taehwa Guild." "I see."
Seo Ha-yeon saw that there was not an inch of wavering or falsehood in the eyes of the man speaking in front of her.
'Is it true?'
Is that really possible? But if it's the ability she grasped, and the ability the man spoke of himself....
'Then, for me to join hands with this man first is....'
It might bring tremendous benefits to Golden Arrow Guild, and furthermore, make a distinguished contribution to saving the world according to the man's plan. Having reached a conclusion in her heart, Seo Ha-yeon nodded as if understanding and continued speaking.
"Understood. Since your will is firm, further recruitment offers to the guild would be unreasonable... Still, I will continue to teach you archery." "Thank you."
'That's a relief.'
Seo Ha-yeon understood quickly and agreed to my plan.
—You want a sort of alliance system. I will help actively. Since I learned such information....
Destruction. That word became reality for humanity when the first Gate opened. Of course, starting from that point, Awakened appeared and humanity barely succeeded in stopping the monsters rushing in like a tide. And that word 'destruction' quietly disappeared. But that word is coming back to life. That means things far worse than what happened on the day the first Gate opened are coming.
"Dragon... Goblin Great Chieftain... Orc Overlord...."
It means such existences are coming out. By the way, the [Existence Power] obtained from killing the Lizardman Elite Warrior last time. I'm quite curious about this.
"What on earth is Existence Power?"
I can't even get a grasp on it. A concept I've never heard of at all. Null Attribute Mana was at least theoretically speculated to exist by World Tree Guild, but Existence Power is a concept not even mentioned.
[Existence Power: 1]
If I interpret the word literally.... The power possessed by the existence called 'me'? Presence? I feel it might be something like that.
"But how did a Lizardman Elite Warrior possess Existence Power that even a Goblin Chieftain didn't possess?"
Judging only by grade, isn't the Goblin Chieftain, who was just about to evolve into a Great Chieftain, higher than a Lizardman Elite Warrior?
"Sigh... it's full of unknowns. But this wasn't even a Seed of Destruction."
If it were a Seed of Destruction, I would have realized it due to the [Seeker of Destruction] Unique Ability. But it wasn't that either.
"Then now is...."
Mana.
"It is time to practice using mana."
Mana is already accumulating a lot inside my body. Although my [Mana] stat is still just 2?
[Breathing Lv.10]
Because the [Mana Breathing] option is attached to the maxed-out [Breathing] skill, a small amount of mana accumulates in my body every time I breathe even without being conscious of it. So mana is accumulating automatically even in normal times.
"Null Attribute Mana...."
Pure mana itself with no attributes. Therefore, if I attack by imbuing mana into a weapon, only effects like attack power increase are attached.
'This is a bit regrettable.'
"If it were Fire Mana, Water Mana, Light Mana... things like these, lots of more diverse options would have been attached."
If I had awakened Fire Mana like Taehwa Guild, a fire attack option would have been attached to all attacks. Water Mana, Light Mana, Wind Mana, etc., other manas are the same.
"Still, there must be something better. Since it's mana only I have awakened among all Awakened."
Being rare isn't unconditionally good but....
"Then, can I do [Mana Imbuement] on a gun too?"
My main weapon right now is a gun. Although I'm practicing archery, guns are still the best for dealing with small fry. Meaning... there is nothing like a gun for dealing with large numbers of weak opponents. Scritch scratch―. Large numbers of weak opponents – Gun Long-range strong single entity – Bow Short-range strong single entity – Spear I organized it by writing with a pen in a notebook.
"Good. I just need to take this tech tree."
Of course, later I will discard guns. Since guns have limits. I held a gun and tried casting [Mana Imbuement].
[Skill 'Mana Imbuement' level is low, so it failed.]
"As expected… is it still impossible?"
This is the reason Awakened who use guns are extremely rare. The structure of a gun is complex compared to cold weapons. Moreover, the structure of bullets isn't simple either. On top of that, gunpowder strangely doesn't take mana well. So if one has the ability to fully imbue mana into a gun, it is much more efficient to use other weapons. So even Awakened who use guns don't use general guns, but old guns with simpler structures. Like muskets....
"That also feels a bit like a concept freak."
Moreover, that isn't a main weapon either, but used for confirming kills or signaling.
"Then how about using it on a spear?"
Since I've already tried it on a bow.
[Casting skill 'Mana Imbuement'.] ['Cheiron's Mithril Spear' is reinforced by Null Attribute Mana.] [Effect: Weight decreases slightly, Attack Power and Attack Speed increase slightly.]
"Oho."
'Attack speed increases because weight decreases.'
Whoosh―. Swinging it myself, I could feel the difference.
"My [Mana Imbuement] skill level is merely 2 right now... how good will the effect become if it gets higher?"
While practicing the [Mana Imbuement] skill with Seo Ha-yeon's help at Golden Arrow Guild, the level rose to 2. Considering Level 10 is the limit, I still possess a low level of proficiency. Yet if it's this much....
"I should use it in real combat right away."
Of course, I can't use it when others are watching at KAMC. Since I haven't announced the fact that I re-awakened yet.
"At most one or two months...."
Even if I try to hide it, I will eventually be caught in one or two months. Then it's better for me to reveal it first. And it's better to reveal it very dramatically.
"It would be good if the stage is set perfectly...."
The Kaema Plateau subjugation operation is still a few months away.
"A situation where I can be active with impact without being dangerous... won't happen. Since worldly affairs don't go the way I want."
I should just reveal it naturally while exterminating monsters later. … Is what I thought.
"Emergency situation!" "What is it?" "Yeouido... A large-scale Gate opened in Yeouido Park." "What?" "What is everyone doing! Prepare to move out!"
Like all office workers, on a Monday morning soaked in fatigue. A large-scale Gate opened in Yeouido Park.
"Appearing monsters?" "According to reports, Orcs... an Orc horde." "Don't tell me, are there Elite Warriors too?" "According to reports, not only Elite Warriors...." "…?" "There is news that an Overlord has appeared too."
Orc Overlord (Lord). An existence right before a Great Overlord (Warlord) appeared.
"Orc Overlord...."
Baek Seo-yeon was nervous.
'This might be the strongest opponent encountered so far...!'
Somehow, the frequency of powerful monsters appearing was increasing lately. And eventually, even an Orc Overlord in the middle of Yeouido.
"Phew...." "Are you nervous?" "No, no. I shouldn't be nervous."
Cheongpung Guild, which is thoroughly meritocratic. To become a Guild Master there, one must produce results in situations like this.
"Let's go. Are there other guilds at the scene?" "Taehwa Guild contacted us saying they are moving out, and KAMC's preemptive response team has already arrived." "...Is it perhaps the team Mr. Lee Si-woo belongs to?" "Yes? Ah... yes. That is correct." "Understood. I will be able to confirm with my own two eyes today."
Lee Si-woo. The person suspected of re-awakening an ability to handle weapons. Last time, he visited Cheongpung Guild and learned spearmanship. Whirrrr―.
"Landing." "Oh my god, the swarm of Orcs...."
The number of Orcs was tremendous. Enough to fill half of Yeouido Park.
"National Assembly members have already completed evacuation." "...They are damn fast at running away. Let's get off."
The helicopter landed on the already controlled Yeouido boulevard, and Cheongpung Guild members including Baek Seo-yeon got off.
"Let's go to the on-site command headquarters. We have to coordinate to resolve this quickly."
Stomp stomp―. Whish―.
As Baek Seo-yeon lifted the tent of the on-site command headquarters and entered, KAMC personnel were visible.
'Team Leader Han Gye-seon... next to him is Mr. Lee Si-woo.'
Team Leader Han Gye-seon is a person with typical KAMC Team Leader level abilities. Moderately strong, moderately smart. Lee Si-woo next to him is a hot potato receiving attention from all guilds except World Tree Guild currently.
"Hello, Team Leader." "Ah, General Manager of Cheongpung Guild has arrived. Let's hold a meeting together." "How is the situation of the Orc horde?" "After being fully summoned from the Gate, the Gate closed, and they formed a huge campfire in the center. There is no particular movement yet." "Damage from attacks?" "None. However, once they finish the ritual at the campfire...." "That will be the start." "Correct."
To intelligent monsters, a campfire has meaning beyond just a base. The campfire plays the role of eroding surrounding terrain features like the environment of the other world they lived in. It is not simple fire. Therefore, destruction of the campfire is most important to prevent the expansion of the horde's territory. And the one performing that role is.... An Awakened of the Supporter-Assassin position.
"Mr. Lee Si-woo, is it possible?" "Yes, it is possible."
An immediate answer full of certainty without a single doubt.
"...."
'He is not an ordinary person.'
Even if he re-awakened a strong ability, this situation must be a first for him.
'It is a danger on a different level from the unregistered golem incident in Yeongdeungpo last time.'
Yet to be able to give an answer full of certainty like that. Without a single hesitation.
"Then I will trust you." "Yes."
'I will be able to verify properly this time.'
Of course, that is a story possible only if Baek Seo-yeon herself survives here.
"General Manager Baek Seo-yeon. Ultimately, you must handle the battle with the Orc Overlord. Are you okay with that?" "Yes, I have to. And it's not just me, right? Since Taehwa Guild said they are coming too."
'Winning alone is ideal but… if that doesn't work, I have to hold out until Cheon Tae-jin comes.'
The unit deployed from Taehwa Guild is the team of Cheon Tae-jin, the eldest son of Guild Master Cheon Tae-hwa.
'Then the two of us will handle the main damage dealing. We win unconditionally. So there is no need to overdo it in the beginning.'
"Then let's go. Since there is no need for us to wait while the Orc bastards are staying still."
Nod―.
…
'Wow, big trouble.'
Although I nodded and answered confidently, the current situation isn't that simple.
[You have discovered a Seed of Destruction.] [Discovered Orc Overlord evolving into Orc Great Overlord (Warlord)] [Possesses high Existence Power.] [An opponent of a different class (status).]
My Status Window was giving a high-intensity warning.
'I have to destroy the campfire where that guy is located.'
This is the mission assigned to me today.
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