Chapter 2185 – 2185. Dark Moon
The marine train stopped at its destination, Gangneung Station.
“We are currently at Gangneung Station. The marine train will stop for 10 minutes before departing again. This is not a safe area, so please do not leave the station while resting.”
The conductor’s voice echoed inside the marine train.
We took our luggage and got off the train.
Gangneung Station was also a station on the sea. A station that only marine trains could reach.
However, if you looked a little further, you could see an archipelago of rocky islands rising from the sea.
“…I didn’t know a place like this existed.”
Orsia, looking at the Gangneung Archipelago, spoke in surprise. It was understandable. This place wasn’t marked on any world map. In the original story, some places weren’t marked on the map. Of course, they were marked on the map, which was one of the player’s convenience features.
‘There are hidden places in the open world that aren’t marked on the map. Besides that, if there’s something that would be problematic for the general public to know, they control the information.’
I stared at the rocky islands. The shapes and locations were as I remembered them. In other words, they hadn’t changed at all from my knowledge of the original story.
“Gangneung Archipelago. Criminals live in groups on those rocky islands. They were chased out of the continent and, fearing punishment, fled here and settled down.”
There were many ways to get to the Gangneung Archipelago, not just by marine train. The most common way was by boat. There was a high chance of encountering pirates, but if you took a boat that regularly traveled to the Gangneung Archipelago, the story changed. The guys on the Gangneung Archipelago were half pirates anyway.
“You mean we shouldn’t let our guard down. I’ll take your warning to heart.”
“Don’t trust even the children there. They’re the children of criminals and have been taught crime. It’s basic for them to commit crimes against any outsiders who happen to come in. If you sense hostility, kill them.”
“……Even the children?”
I could sense Orsia’s aversion in her lowered voice. She seemed instinctively reluctant to kill children.
“Just because they’re children doesn’t mean they won’t kill people. I, myself, started killing people when I was seven, you know? It was pretty easy. Most people let their guard down because they’re children.”
Invisible Blade said. She was already wearing her mask and cyber ninja suit. It was a perverted outfit that clearly showed the shape of her breasts and the outline of her buttocks, so my eyes kept drifting towards her.
“…I understand. I have no intention of messing things up after coming all this way. However, that archipelago doesn’t look like an ancient ruin. Is there an ancient ruin hidden on one of the rocky islands?”
“If there were, those criminals would have already ransacked the ancient ruins and gotten their hands on the treasure. As is usually the case with hidden ancient ruins, this ancient ruin is the same.”
“You’re certain you’ll find the ancient ruin, Eugene. How do you know information that even the people living in the archipelago don’t know?”
“……There’s a book related to the ancient ruins. I don’t think I can explain it in detail.”
I couldn’t say that I knew because of my knowledge of the original game. Fortunately, Orsia didn’t press the issue further.
I thought about the puzzle of the Gangneung Archipelago. I had to solve that puzzle to reveal and enter the ancient ruin. It would be a bit of a hassle, but it couldn’t be helped.
“So, how are we going to get to those rocky islands? You’re not thinking of swimming, are you?”
There were several ways. Freeze the sea to make a path, fly through the sky, or take a boat.
The biggest drawback of the Gangneung Archipelago was transportation. The reason it took so long to solve the puzzle was because of the damn route that required going back and forth.
I calmed my frustrated heart and turned my gaze to Orsia.
“Orsia, is it possible?”
“Yes. It’s not that far. However, I can’t spam Mass Teleport.”
A 7th-grade space movement magic. It was a magic that allowed teleportation with companions. The amount of mana consumed increased depending on the distance and number of people.
It wasn’t for nothing that I brought her, a 7th-grade space mage. Having an excellent space mage greatly reduced the difficulty of exploration.
“Do you see that rocky island on the right? We need to go there first.”
“Understood. Mass Teleport requires concentration, so please stay still. And don’t reject my mana.”
Orsia opened her astral and began to weave the spell.
I also concentrated. If I could fully interpret and understand the spell, I would be able to use Mass Teleport as well.
‘……It’s difficult.’
The security of the spell itself was quite high. Also, space was a concept that was difficult for me to understand right now. I hadn’t even mastered the basics yet. It was like trying to build a car when I didn’t even know the structure of a bicycle.
‘I can get a feel for electric magic just by looking at it… but other magic requires some research.’
Orsia’s spell and mana began to envelop my and Invisible’s bodies. The spell was reaching its climax. The surrounding mana began to vibrate violently.
Then, she chanted as if putting a period at the end.
“Mass Teleport.”
The moment I felt like I was being sucked into somewhere, we had already moved to the rocky island.
Unlike me, who was looking around at the unfamiliar sensation, Orsia stood calmly.
“Is this your first time teleporting?”
“It’s not my first time, but Mass Teleport feels different.”
Invisible Blade disappeared in an instant.
[Electric Detection.]
I scanned by emitting electromagnetic waves and found her hiding behind a nearby rock. I guess you could say she was ninja-like. Her hiding skills were like a ghost.
‘I asked her to take the front line, but she suddenly hid.’
Well, she would come out and fight if a battle broke out.
I was about to move towards the center of the island when I stopped.
“A welcoming crowd is gathering.”
The criminals, having noticed our intrusion, were rushing towards us. In the original game, they were treated as monsters that gave experience points and money.
“The disadvantage of teleportation is that the mana fluctuation is too large, making it unsuitable for stealthy actions. Most of those who can sense mana will notice the signs.”
It wasn’t just a disadvantage of teleportation.
In the case of magic that consumed a large amount of mana, the mana fluctuated, causing premonitory phenomena. For example, an attack like Thunder Bolt. And that was unavoidable. It was impossible not to notice when a large amount of mana moved at once.
“We need to prepare for battle.”
“…Why not try talking first? It’s not a good choice to waste energy unnecessarily.”
That was true. We needed to conserve our strength to explore the ancient ruins.
“Even if the exploration schedule is delayed, we need to suppress them early on to gain the upper hand. That will make things easier.”
“Is that your experience as a mercenary? You’re the leader of the exploration team, so I’ll follow your lead.”
Orsia stepped back cleanly. She didn’t participate in battles except in unavoidable situations. That way, she could use Mass Teleport one more time.
The criminals were rushing towards us from afar. They were armed with guns and swords. Men, women, and children. There were many members. Their unrestrained steps alone showed that they had no qualms about engaging in battle.
I opened my astral. My senses expanded, and the mana roads became clearly visible. The mana within me moved along the mana roads under perfect control, being processed into spells and elements.
Crack, crackle.
Sparks flew.
I used search magic to grasp the population of this island. A total of 207 people. Of those, 175 criminals were gathering towards us. It was no exaggeration to say that those who could move right away were coming this way.
‘Now, what magic should I use?’
My favorite Thunder Bolt? It was powerful, but its range wasn’t wide.
The 7th-grade electric large-scale magic, Thunder Break… was too much. Above all, it was just the beginning, and I didn’t want to waste my energy with large-scale magic. And what if the puzzle on this rocky island was destroyed by the aftermath of Thunder Break? In the worst case, we might not even be able to get to the entrance of the ancient ruins.
‘I’ll go with 6th-grade magic, Chain Lightning.’
Chain Lightning wasn’t a magic that destroyed terrain, and it was a magic that exerted tremendous power against dense living beings. It was efficient in the current situation.
Fzzzzzt.
Blue lightning gathered in my right hand. The lightning didn’t disappear and spun around my hand. I gave the lightning a spell as if dressing it in clothes. A slight modification of power and the granting of characteristics. It would be different from ordinary Chain Lightning.
The criminals approached. In the original story, they were the type to fire their guns at the player as soon as they saw them, but they raised both hands, indicating that they had no intention of fighting.
“Mage! We have no intention of fighting you!”
“……”
I was taken aback by the unexpected situation. It was different from the original story. But if I thought about it calmly, it was a natural reaction. The guys classified as monsters in the game only attacked according to the program, but in reality, the story was different. No one would want to fight a mage who was clearly powerful.
‘…Ah, right. These guys aren’t monster NPCs, they’re humans. They have intelligence.’
It meant that the logic of power worked.
‘It’s annoying, should I just kill them? They’re just criminal bastards anyway. Fugitives who don’t belong to any country.’
There would be no repercussions even if I massacred them.
“We have no intention of harming you, Mage! Really! As proof, we’ll throw away our weapons!”
When the middle-aged man in the lead, wearing a yellowish white robe, shouted, everyone else threw their weapons on the ground.
I didn’t release the charged Chain Lightning and asked him.
“Who are you?”
“I am Hong Baejeok, the island lord of Hongcheon Island. We are not criminals. The residents of Hongcheon Island are either shipwrecked or have somehow drifted here. We don’t engage in piracy, we trade. Please believe us.”
Was there a guy like this in the original story? No matter how much I racked my brain, there was no one with such a distinctive character.
I looked at the yellowish white robe he was wearing and asked.
“Are you a doctor?”
“I know simple medical skills. My main job is as a historian. I’m from the Taewang Kingdom and have a doctorate.”
“…Why is a historian here?”
“Three years ago, I heard that an ancient ruin of Great Korea was sleeping near here, so I came here without a plan… I was captured by pirates and dragged here. Then, I resisted with those who shared my sentiments… I killed the previous island lord of Hongcheon Island and became the island lord of Hongcheon Island.”
After summarizing his life, he suddenly knelt on the ground.
“Mage! Please help us! If we stay like this, I and the residents of Hongcheon Island will all die! Please help us!”
Everyone else followed him and knelt on the ground.
“Please help us!”
