NOVEL WEB Chapter 72
No matter how much the Fairy-type Monster feasts on tainted goods, there’s only so much it can handle. I decided to stash away the leftover chunks and feed them to the Fairy whenever it was needed.
[Storage (E) Lv.2 has reached maximum proficiency. Storage (E) Lv.2 → Storage (E) Lv.3]
With each level up in storage, the space increased too; I now had about 10 liters of capacity. That’s like stacking five 2-liter water bottles on top of each other!
‘Fairy.’
In the meantime, it had grown even more. It had surpassed 400 grams already! What a monstrous growth rate! At this pace, it wouldn’t be long before it broke the 1-kilogram mark.
“Kkyu?”
As I looked at it, the little rascal tilted its head. It was holding the small chunks of meat I had cut for it in both hands, eating them innocently—it was just too adorable, so I couldn’t help but pat its head.
‘Grows on tainted goods, huh…’
The name “Fairy” didn’t quite fit that image. Honestly, it was the first time I’d seen it eat anything. The creatures in this fantasy world seemed to get their magic power from their environment, so they didn’t appear to eat much.
‘If you think about it, though.’
The mutated meat from the Incomplete Product was probably once human; that made me a bit uncomfortable. I wondered if it was morally okay to feed it like this or if it was influenced by the Incomplete Product.
‘It looks fine while eating, though.’
Judging by its steady growth, there seemed to be no significant issues. After looking around the entire island, I noticed there weren’t any other signs of life. There were no humans left on this island.
‘…Is anyone coming to clean up?
At the very least, they should come to tidy up. After waiting for the Fairy to pat its belly, I set off swimming toward another island. Without a map, I had no clue where I was going, but that didn’t matter.
‘I’ll clean everything up anyway.’
As I scooped up the underwater monsters, I reached the nearest island. I shook my body to dry off, and before I knew it, the Fairy had darted off to a distant spot.
“Kkyu! Kkyu!”
It blinked in and out of visibility. It was hard to believe that it was just a D-grade ability; it was like a cheat skill. Naturally, I had tried finding it myself, but it wasn’t on the skill list. It seemed there was some kind of restriction, just like during my slime days when I couldn’t immediately acquire visual skills.
‘That’s a bit of a bummer.’
Regardless of the sulking Fairy that now resembled a wet mouse, I activated my senses and picked up some movement. There were actually more of them than I expected, so I signaled to the Fairy to take flight.
“Kkyu!”
Meanwhile, I used Stealth to blend in. I started taking down the creatures scattered across the small island one by one. Though they didn’t have tails, they were relatively skilled among the low-tier folks. Soon, I discovered a building in the island’s center.
‘The rest must be there.’
There were a total of 47. Having dealt with six on my way here, that made 41 left. I was surprised at how many were crammed into this small island, but it looked like most of them were regular folks. While it wasn’t exactly a breeding ground, it reminded me of a prison where people were locked up. There were only three guards besides the ones outside, but resisting hunters was out of the question.
‘Crazy bastards.’
They probably had no choice but to paddle back due to the presence of sea monsters, yet it was a mystery how they even got here. Making sure no other presences were around, I surged my magic power.
“…Why is it suddenly like this?”
Slowly, a shadow spread out, slipping through the cracks in the door to take over the inside of the building. The shadow even cloaked the windows—soon, it completely engulfed the light within the structure. As the bulb shattered, true darkness settled in.
“What the hell…?!”
Amid the confusion, I swiftly snapped the neck of the first creature incanting a spell, whose body crumpled to the floor with a choking noise, while the remaining two struggled to escape the building.
“To the second floor! Hurry!”
As they ascended the stairs, they realized something was stirring in the darkness. Instinctual fear made them flinch, and the moment they finally faced the red glowing eyes, they froze like aspen trees trembling. Their hair turned white. Even as they tried to muster their magic power to resist, their bodies wouldn’t move. Why not? When they looked down, their hearts and lungs had been pierced at once. They didn’t even notice when it happened. The two thugs exchanged wry chuckles as they faced each other. Ultimately, they collapsed like puppets with severed strings, never to rise again.
‘…I’ve tidied this place up for now.’
It was good to take care of those creatures, but the problem was the cleanup. It wouldn’t be so bad if there were just a few, but moving all of them to the mainland was impossible. However, I couldn’t just leave them locked up like this, so I broke down the prison door and gathered my magic power. Soon, I felt the commotion below and sank beneath the surface.
‘I’ll deal with the cleanup later.’
What was more urgent was sweeping the surrounding islands clean.
***
With the gusts of wind tearing at my eyes, shadows and tentacles mercilessly claimed lives. Even as I heard screams and pleas for mercy, the Wolf showed no signs of compassion.
“…!”
Finally, the Wolf released the last of the rogues, exhaling sharply. That marked the cleanup of the fifth island. Checking the map they had, I discovered that this was the island known as Seongapdo. Reviewing my route, I traced a large semicircle outward.
‘Moongapdo. Guleopdo. Baekaido. Uldo. Seongapdo.’
[Destruction Probability 96.06% → 95.27%]
[You have gained 0.79% of experience]
After sweeping through five islands, the experience gained was minimal. Compared to the Finger Broken Clan, it seemed like a huge amount. It was better to wipe out several islands than to face that creature again. The experience gained from a low-tier monster wasn’t much. Gu Ma-jun was also low-tier, yet the experience he yielded was a bit more. Probably because he blocked the entry into the temple, I thought.
While contemplating this, the radio crackled to life.
[Code 3]
That word kept repeating itself. It was amazing how the transmission reached this far. I wanted to interfere, but unfortunately, it seemed to be designed solely for receiving.
‘Aren’t they even uncomfortable.’
In a position where I could only relay commands, the island was thoroughly secured. I shook my head in disbelief as I recalled the radio’s message.
‘…Code 3?’
Sneaking a glance at the map, I noticed it was an island quite far away. Frowning at the newfound info, I realized.
‘There are more islands than I thought.’
Including the small islands around Deokjeokdo, there appeared to be seven or eight more. If the lowly rogues were hiding at this level, I felt there might be about another 1% of experience to be secured, but I still had no clue what Code 3 meant. By now, they should have realized that things were going strangely. Surely, they were up to something, but… I packed the map and radio into storage and dove back into the sea.
‘After all…’
The rogues were scattered across each island. If they were plotting something, they’d likely need to gather somewhere. My eyes sparkled with determination.
***
“Row faster!”
The issued command was Code 3, indicating a raid. It seemed the hunters had caught wind of things and had arrived sooner than expected.
‘I heard that the illustrious Dawn and the Plateau had come all the way to Deokjeokdo…’
But I didn’t expect them to act so swiftly. I thought it would at least take a few more days. If the Plateau or Dawn had shown up, they would have enough strength to deal with the rogues scattered across the islands.
‘…The raid on Neverland must be close.’
The tail nervously chewed on its lips. In the meantime, it seemed there had been a successful gathering of personnel. While the low-tiers rowed, it frowned.
‘Abyss Shark?’
It seemed I realized while watching the paddling. Just because the boat wasn’t motorized didn’t mean it was completely safe if it was close enough to the surface. As I was chanting a spell, I soon became puzzled.
‘It disappeared?’
For sure, the Abyss Shark had been approaching, but suddenly it was nowhere to be found. What luck! The low-tier rogues seemed none the wiser as they tirelessly kept paddling. I figured it wasn’t worth provoking it and decided to keep quiet.
‘…’
Before long, they were about to pass Jawoldo, so it wouldn’t be too long until they reached Yeongheungdo. They just needed to go a bit further when suddenly the boat rocked violently.
“?!”
At first, I thought it was the waves, but then it became clear it wasn’t. The moment I spread my magic power to sense, I felt something beneath the surface.
“Damn it…”
Could it be the Abyss Shark I’d seen earlier? No, the tremor came from something significantly smaller. Perhaps due to the earlier collision, water started filling the boat through a hole. I gritted my teeth, knowing it wouldn’t be long before we sank.
“Fereastra de gheață!”
With a quick chant, I manifested magic. Just as I was about to attack whatever it was, the boat flipped over.
‘…!’
Having activated swimming and diving just in case, my eyes went wide beneath the water.
‘Wolf?!’
A black wolf was wreaking havoc among the underlings below. Tentacles extended everywhere, and shadows reached out again. I held my breath as I locked eyes with the wolf, and upon meeting its murderous red gaze, my throat involuntarily tightened.
“…!”
In that moment, I was convinced: The reason Code 3 was issued was that the one raiding the islands was none other than this wolf!
‘That beast is the one…!’
It had to be the wolf that was rumored to be pursued by Dawn. I had heard they were supposedly hunting us, but I thought that was just nonsense.
‘Is it really true?’
That beast must also have swimming and diving skills; it was swimming freely in the water. Before I could even question why the wolf was here, I quickly resurfaced. I shot out the ice spear I had manifested before, but it shattered into countless fragments in an unknown whirlpool.
‘…!’
The pieces scattered everywhere. Watching that scene unfold, all I could think was that I needed to run. Jawoldo… I thought that if I could just reach the nearest island, I might somehow survive, but I couldn’t swim at all. No matter how excellent my swimming and diving skills were, escaping from this massive whirlpool was impossible.
Being tossed around in the whirlpool over and over, I ultimately couldn’t hold my breath any longer and inhaled sharply. However—despite being underwater, I could somehow breathe.
‘Did I manage to get out?’
Realizing I was above water, I started to harbor hopes of being able to escape, but as I looked down at my waist, there was an unsettling sensation; the wolf had extended its tentacles and was lifting me up.
‘Damn it.’
Getting away was completely out of the question. As I pumped my magic power to crush the tentacle, I noticed a shadow that was touching my neck. The fear of being a moment away from death overwhelmed me, alongside the question of why I wasn’t dead yet. And that question vanished with the wolf’s response.
“—Tell me, what is Code 3?”
With the wolf’s demand, everything else faded away. I stared wide-eyed at the realization that the wolf was sentient. It clearly had an intention behind its hunt. When I understood that, I swallowed hard past my throat. What could I do to escape this situation?—The hand that was forming the sigil crumbled away.
“……!”
The shadow dug into my neck and drew blood. As I chewed my lips, I ultimately realized I had no choice left.
***
[Intimidation (E) Lv.6 has reached maximum proficiency. Intimidation (E) Lv.6 → Intimidation (E) Lv.7]
The beast revealed all it knew. The effect of the title combined with intimidation was undeniable. Since it had been used frequently recently, it was also a skill that was growing the fastest.
[Destruction Probability 95.27% → 95.06%]
Having dealt with a few, including the tail, I gained over 0.2% experience. Certainly, the tail garnered more experience than the low-tier monsters. After completely throttling the rogue, I swallowed again.
‘Gathering in one place…’
All the lowly rogues stationed near the western islands would immediately flock to Yeongheungdo. That was the nature of Code 3.
‘Kkyu!’
As the Fairy patted my head, I opened storage to hand over some meat. The instant it gobbled it up, I spread out my senses, nodding at the absence of any other presences. I didn’t know how many would gather at Yeongheungdo, but as long as the executives weren’t present…
‘Unless there are ten tails.’
There was no need to hesitate. If they gathered, handling them would be easier. I soon headed towards Yeongheungdo.
***
“Long time no see, old man.”
Kang Tae-ho greeted Baek Gun-tae, the clan lord and the giant of Yongma.
“I get that, but why the delay?”
“Where’s your clan leader?”
“He’s not coming today.”
Baek Gun-tae frowned.
“It’s problematic if Dawn shows up with no Plateau.”
“Don’t worry about that. Why do you think I came all this way? I’m here to handle everything myself.”
“…If you say so.”
Though reluctant, Kang Tae-ho was a figure capable of representing Dawn. Baek Gun-tae nodded and crossed his arms on the chair.
“How many are you bringing?”
“Everyone except one above A rank. Ten B ranks. About twenty below that.”
“Besides Dawn, there are ones from Okyeon and the Forest of Eunja as well.”
Okyeon… the representative clan of Daegu. After handing over the forest dungeon to the temple, they likely were preparing to raid Neverland. Kang Tae-ho nodded calmly and asked.
“How many?”
“Not as many as you guys. The Forest of Eunja has three clan lords. Okyeon brings about ten.”
“That’s it?”
“Everyone’s waiting for the next opportunity.”
With a troubled look, Baek Gun-tae lit up a cigarette.
“Everyone knows that the legendary Changsung was down. They also know Plateau isn’t going to participate.”
“…So everyone is pulling out?”
“Yeah. The temple is watching.”
They had already failed to clear the dungeon for over ten years. It was no surprise. Without the Plateau, the chances of success were slim, so it made sense to withdraw rather than join in for no reason. Kang Tae-ho twisted his mouth in frustration.
“Then they’ll regret it.”
“…Maybe.”
“I’ll make it clear. I intend to clear this time. So you better prepare well.”
“……”
As Baek Gun-tae crushed the ash of his cigarette, he let out a long sigh.
“… Even Square isn’t participating.”
“Not expecting that either.”
“Do you really think you can do it?”
Neverland—still the most disastrous dungeon yet to be cleared. At this point, there were opinions suggesting that rather than clearing it, the goal should be to contain it.
“It’s different from back then. Now we have information.”
“You know that you still haven’t been able to enter the fifth section, right?”
Kang Tae-ho nodded calmly.
“…Honestly, I don’t dread it. I understand why you’re dragging everyone into this, but are you aware of the consequences if you fail here?”
When success comes, it could turn the atmosphere around. But if they were to fail? If despair followed the previous night of the great war and the academy raid? Who knows what might happen then?
“Everyone thinks it’s impossible this year. Tae-ho, think rationally. Rather than this year, why not put in more effort next year…”
Bang! Baek Gun-tae’s fist smashed the table in half. He frowned, while Kang Tae-ho breathed heavily, distorting his expression.
“Are you satisfied with that?!”
“……
“What’s the difference between saying you’re being pushed around by them? I can’t tolerate that.”
Baek Gun-tae frowned.
“It’s not an easy dungeon to clear on emotions alone.”
“I have my own thoughts, too.”
Kang Tae-ho’s gaze was locked straight ahead. He had completely dismissed any notion of failure.
“…If you say so, I’ll let the temple know.”
“Seriously? When I say I’m going, won’t Halmeoni come too?”
“Well, there’s that.”
With a cheeky response, Kang Tae-ho smirked.
“Sorry about the table. I’ll pay you back. How much?”
“1200.”
“Come to think of it, I didn’t bring my wallet. I’ll pay you back next time.”
“Yeah, right. You’ll pay me back.”
Feeling awkward, Kang Tae-ho stood up and grabbed the doorknob, looking back.
“Anyway, make sure to set up the giant in preparation.”
“Even without being told, I was already planning to do that.”
“Alright, then.”
Left alone in the room, Baek Gun-tae muttered.
“Damn it. Stubborn as ever.”
Then he began shuffling through the pile of documents that had been left on the broken table.
“Let’s see. The remaining clans…”