Chapter 2186 – 2186. Dark Moon
“Please help us!”
My eyes were cold as I watched the people shouting with one voice, one heart.
Suddenly, they’re asking a stranger like me for help? It can only be a trap to lower my guard. Or maybe they’re trying to lure us somewhere to ambush us.
‘Should I just kill them?’
I even charged Chain Lightning, it’s a shame to just release it like this.
“They seem reasonable. I’ve carefully observed them. They might be a bit unhygienic, but they don’t seem like criminals. If we can resolve this through conversation, that’s the best. Also, it wouldn’t be bad to get information about the Gangneung Archipelago from them.”
Information.
Right, I need information.
The Gangneung Archipelago is already different from the original information I knew. I need to find out how things are currently going in the Gangneung Archipelago through this guy.
I dismantle the Chain Lightning that was formed in my right hand. *Fzzzt.* The Chain Lightning disappeared, sparking in the air.
“People call me Hong Gasa. Please, feel free to call me Dr. Hong.”
“I don’t care about titles. Just get to the point.”
“There’s a house not far from here. It’s a story that can’t be explained simply, so I’d like to offer you some coffee.”
“I didn’t come here to drink coffee with you. Just get to the point. Don’t test my patience.”
-Why don’t you just kill them? You said you know the way to the ancient ruins, right? Do you need that man?
Invisible Blade’s voice pierces my ear. Sending a voice through mana… a kind of telepathy.
I agreed with Invisible Blade’s words. But Orsia decided to talk, and I respect her. I want to build a good relationship with Orsia.
“Currently, there are three major forces in the Gangneung Archipelago. They used to live together in harmony… but recently, they’re at each other’s throats. It’s a volatile situation, and they’re targeting us. More specifically, they’re targeting me.”
“Why are they targeting Dr. Hong?”
Orsia asked calmly.
“The ancient ruins of Great Korea. They’ve also heard the rumors. They’re trying to capture and use me, who investigated the ancient ruins. Judging by the recent rapid improvement in their armament… it seems several organized forces have gotten involved.”
Those guys are after the ancient ruins?
Suddenly, the competition has increased. This situation is not very welcome. But it doesn’t seem like they’ll be able to find the ancient ruins. If they could, they would have found them already.
‘To enter the ancient ruins, you have to solve puzzles and meet certain conditions. Do they even think there’s a puzzle on the rocky island?’
“Wouldn’t it be safer to guarantee your safety by cooperating with them?”
“They’re pirates. Before that, they’re vicious criminals. Do you think they’ll keep their promises? I can assure you, they’ll ignore any promises.”
“What is your request?”
“Huh?”
“Why are you making that dumb face? If you’re going to ask us to do something, there should be a price. Did you really think you could use us for free?”
“W-well, that’s…”
It seems he really was planning to use us for free. Was he planning to appeal to our sympathy? What a crazy guy.
Orsia also glared at Dr. Hong with cold eyes. She was also a mage. A mage being used for free by someone? That’s impossible.
“You need information about the Gangneung Archipelago, don’t you! I’ll tell you the information I know!”
“I just heard the information from your mouth. It wasn’t very important either.”
All I found out was that there’s competition. I don’t even know exactly who the competition is. Other miscellaneous information? Not very helpful.
The flustered Dr. Hong quickly regained his composure.
“I’ll give you information about the Great Korea ancient ruins that they want. I’m a historian with a doctorate. I’ve studied the ancient nation of Great Korea for over 20 years. Information about Great Korea is strangely lost. I’m one of the few scholars in this world who knows more about Great Korea than anyone else.”
Well, I think I know more.
I made eye contact with Orsia. The eyes of a true mage who had been on an elite course since childhood showed no interest in Dr. Hong.
“That’s not a satisfactory price. You guys can take care of your own business. I warn you, don’t interfere with our work.”
“I thought there would be more meaningful information… It was meaningless.”
Orsia and I turned our bodies.
“Mage! Mage!!!”
Dr. Hong called out to me. I clicked my tongue and glared at him. Startled, he couldn’t do anything.
“He didn’t seem to be lying, but he was a suspicious man in many ways.”
“You seem uneasy. Should we go back and kill him? It won’t take long.”
“No. Let’s ignore him. We shouldn’t waste mana and mental power on such things.”
That’s right.
I took the lead and climbed to the top of the rocky island. There was a hole in the floor at the top. A total of nine holes. Usually, people would just pass it by… but this itself is a puzzle. The hint to the puzzle is hidden on the beach of another island. Of course, I know the answer through my original knowledge.
[Water]
Water created by magic falls on the floor, filling some of the holes. Exactly three. The first hole on the far left, the third, and the seventh hole. As the three holes filled up, the water in the holes glowed faintly.
“This is… spirit magic.”
One of the powers used in ancient times. In the present era, no one learns spirit magic. In the first place, it’s the accepted theory in academia that it’s not a power that humans can master.
It can be seen in old dungeons or ancient ruins.
In the original game, it’s set as the cause of puzzles along with rune letters.
“The first condition is met. We need to move to the next island.”
“…I didn’t think something this simple would be a condition. No, it’s simple because you know it. How did you know this secret?”
“It was all in the book.”
“……”
She looks at me with suspicious eyes. I would have done the same. I gritted my teeth and pretended not to know.
“So, where’s the next island?”
Invisible Blade asked, revealing himself. I pointed to the island on the right. From now on, we’ll go around the archipelago counterclockwise.
‘There are a total of 42 puzzles here. More than half of them are puzzles unrelated to the ancient ruins, the rest are puzzles for the sake of puzzles, and there aren’t any incredibly good treasures, but I should take what I can.’
Orsia used Mass Teleport to move to the next island. An island that’s less than half the size of Hongcheon Island. I’d say it’s an island that’s less than 150 pyeong. There, seven pirates were gambling and giggling.
The pirates are flustered when we suddenly appear.
‘Judging by their looks, they were monitoring Hongcheon Island.’
[Electric Field]
The current that started from my feet flowed along the floor, electrocuting the enemies. A wide-area skill used recklessly affects allies as well… but I wasn’t worried at all. If they were going to be affected by this, I wouldn’t have called them in the first place.
The electrocuted guys couldn’t even scream as they fell to the floor.
One of them slightly raised his head and threw a dagger at me. Seeing him move after being electrocuted by my Electric Field, he’s a capable guy.
Invisible Blade moved. He deflected the dagger flying towards me and beheaded the guy.
“You have to finish them off properly.”
“I knew he wasn’t electrocuted.”
A dagger? Even if I didn’t dodge it, it would have been blocked by the barrier and disappeared. Even if it wasn’t an ordinary dagger, the barrier I prepared with care is triple-layered. There’s no way I’d be hit.
“Oh, is that so?”
Invisible Blade sneered and stabbed the guys lying around, executing a confirmation kill.
‘He’s a bit cocky. I need to re-educate him tonight.’
Look at him. Seeing him deliberately wiggle his butt, he’s definitely provoking me on purpose.
“What kind of secret is on this island?”
“To be exact, it’s not on the island, but in the sea near the island.”
“You’re not going to swim inside, are you?”
“Would I do that?”
[Wind]
I wrap our three bodies with wind, creating a space. The wind that flows seamlessly becomes a wall. The basics I learned from Orsia.
Since there’s air inside, we can easily last for a few hours even underwater.
We go into the sea. The seawater couldn’t penetrate the wall of wind that kept flowing in a circle. I even used a simple light-emitting magic, so the inside of the sea was clearly visible.
“Excellent. Your talent is truly something.”
“It’s a simple task. Wind itself is a first-class magic.”
“Applying it is not easy even for high-level mages. Moving this space… it’s gravity.”
“Yes. Wind is also affected by gravity.”
“Are we going to that hole that’s wide open?”
Invisible Blade pointed to a dark hole leading underground. I hardened my expression. It was supposed to be hidden by seaweed and rocks. But it’s exposed? There are even traces of an explosion. It means they forcibly opened it without solving the puzzle.
‘…It’s not a game, it’s reality, so they can use physical force. But more than that, who came here and when?’
I cautiously entered the hole. The place where there should have been air due to the barrier was submerged in seawater.
‘The white seaweed that should be here is gone.’
White seaweed, a rare ingredient for elixirs and a valuable magic material. It should have been full inside, but all there is are small fish.
“There are traces on the wall that someone seems to have carved. I’ve heard that some treasure hunters leave traces in the places they’ve explored. It seems like it’s probably such a treasure hunter.”
🍀
A four-leaf clover.
Since a four-leaf clover means good luck, does it mean they’re wishing good luck to the person who came late? After taking all the original items? This was mocking.
‘Who is the treasure hunter who uses a four-leaf clover as a mark?’
No one comes to mind.
It means it’s someone I don’t know.
