The Veteran Player Already Knows

Chapter 136 - Conquest (2)

Jin Hisaori, who had conquered the Extreme Tundra, stood with a grim expression, his hand placed on the crystal.

Nearby, a large pile of demonic beast corpses he had slain after a heroic, bloody battle was stacked high.

Frozen Golems. If this were outside, they were demonic beasts that would have been rated at least between Class A and Class B.

Although it was a horrific battle that forced him to use up all the weapons he had brought and completely deplete his mana, he had survived this time. And he had succeeded in his conquest.

‘...This time is different.’

Jin’s expression clouded with sorrow as he recalled his memories of participating in the previous ordeal.

He had lost many precious comrades there. Some of them had even quit being Climbers, vowing never to do something like this again.

The pain of having to let them go, while keenly feeling his own powerlessness, was still deeply engraved in his heart.

And to overcome that, there were moments of grueling effort.

‘Jin. This training method is forbidden. You might have to risk your life. Can you follow?’

‘Master. I am prepared.’

‘Good. I will take you all the way to the end!’

After enduring such trials, Jin had become unbelievably strong. So much so that if someone else were to look, it wouldn't be strange for them to mistake the Jin from the Second Ordeal as a completely different person compared to the present Jin.

“...Good.”

Jin muttered in a voice filled with elation as he confirmed the light entering the crystal.

Yes. His moment to shine began now.

Until now, the perception that Asian Climbers were all trash dwelling at the bottom had been rampant, but thanks to a Climber named Kim Gyu-sik, who had been performing brilliantly recently, their standing had improved significantly.

And depending on the performance he showed here, the treatment of his home country, Japan, would be worlds apart. The weight on his shoulders was heavy.

“...”

Jin took a deep breath, clenching and unclenching his fists.

The name Kim Gyu-sik was not unfamiliar. To him, it was a name that could be called a goal of sorts.

‘Back then...’

Seeing a Climber named Kim Gyu-sik, who was of the same age, break through difficulties with such brilliance in the Second Ordeal had brought Jin a thunderous realization.

That man was showing such performance at a similar age to him, so what on earth had he been doing until now? Shamefully, hadn't he only thought of throwing everything away and running?

It had also become the catalyst for him to undertake the life-risking special training.

“...This time, I will definitely catch up.”

[ ‘Jin Hisaori’ the Conqueror has occupied the ‘Extreme Tundra’. ]

But at the same moment his name was engraved on the crystal, Jin could not help but gasp.

Several golems, which seemed many times larger than the ones he had just defeated, began to rise nearby.

“...No, way...!”

He had defeated golems that looked barely half the size of those only after a desperate struggle, ending up battered and bruised. If he faced those things now, he would be taken down without even being able to lift a finger.

Jin looked up at them with a gaze full of despair, but the system window that immediately appeared changed that emotion into elation.

[ As a conquest privilege, 4 ‘Great Frozen Golems’ are provided. ]

[ Additional units can be created later using points. ]

“This is...!”

Because he had fought them himself, he knew very well how powerful these golems were.

But to be given four higher-grade golems that were much more powerful than them?

This was no different from being given an incredibly powerful card just for conquering a zone.

“...Ha, haha!”

Perhaps the other Climbers who had conquered other zones also had similar privileges, but at least the number of Climbers who obtained ‘soldiers’ as powerful as his could be counted on one hand—

[...I’m a bit sorry to interrupt while you’re so happy.]

Startled by the sudden voice, Jin looked up at the sky, where there was a transport ship with a structure similar to a hovercraft.

‘...Wait a minute. A hovercraft?’

Seeing three hovercrafts of a design that could only be found one or two at a time in Europe or America, and only from those with highly advanced capital and technology, floating side by side, Jin’s mind went blank for a moment.

Three of those things inside the Tower, not just one?

No, more importantly, when did they approach?

For three objects of that size to approach without him noticing a single sign, what kind of technology was this...!

[Um, Mr. Kim Gyu-sik said he needs this area. I’m sorry! I’ll be taking this! If you at least surrender, we won’t use any harsh methods!]

For some reason, a voice that sounded genuinely apologetic flowed from inside the hovercraft, but Jin was focused more on the name that had just been mentioned.

Kim Gyu-sik?

“...Hmph, hmph. Good.”

This was actually for the better.

Previously, he had exited the ordeal feeling an overwhelming gap even with the people around that guy.

But now.

Compared to then, the starting point itself was different.

Compared to that time when he was just chased around, unable to even protect his comrades in a disgraceful manner, his current self, who had subdued incredibly powerful demonic beasts on his own and even succeeded in conquering a zone crystal, could be said to have made huge progress.

Therefore.

“Let’s see what you’ve got! I’m a completely different person from before!”

[Oh. Do you know Mr. Kim Gyu-sik?]

“No. But I have run into the Sword Demon of the Hunting Alliance, who is Kim Gyu-sik’s lover.”

[...Lover? My sister?]

For a moment, it seemed as if the other person’s voice had dropped by several degrees, but Jin was too absorbed in his own words to notice.

“Yes. They exuded such an intimate atmosphere when they talked. Anyway, that’s not what’s important. If that guy sent you, then come at me! I also want to check the results of my training—”

[Ah, is that so?]

Now, the voice was no longer just a few degrees colder, but practically radiating a chill, and only then did Jin flinch.

Huh, what is this?

When she first spoke, she seemed to feel some guilt, but now, it was as if all guilt had vanished, and she looked relieved—

[Then wait right there. I’ll finish this quickly.]

And as soon as those words ended, the drop pods on the lower part of the hovercraft opened, and something poured out from within.

‘...Wooden soldiers?’

Jin tilted his head at their unimpressive appearance.

Of course, since they were soldiers created with mana, not ordinary flesh and blood, they would have different characteristics from normal living beings, but there was no way things like that could take down the golems that even he had struggled with.

That’s what he thought.

Until he saw the equipment those soldiers were wearing.

High-frequency blades. Exoskeleton flat armor. Railguns and plasma grenades...

“...No. Wait a minute.”

They looked like mob monsters from a typical fantasy world.

So why were they decked out in state-of-the-art equipment that looked like it belonged in high-tech sci-fi?

In what kind of horrifying person’s mind did this kind of combination come to life?

What was even more horrifying was that it didn't end with just one or two of them.

Without stopping, continuously, as if a downpour was falling from the sky, wooden soldiers clad in such equipment poured out endlessly from the hovercraft.

“...”

While a dumbfounded Jin stood there, stunned, the poured-out wooden soldiers immediately swarmed onto the golems.

It looked like a swarm of ants hunting a giant insect, but the difference was that with every blow swung by each of those ants, the golem's body was sliced apart.

It would be more accurate to call them a swarm of giant hornets attacking a person rather than a swarm of ants.

Of course, it seemed the name ‘Giant Golem’ wasn't just for show, as they occasionally threw a counterattack, taking a few wooden soldiers with them, or even regenerating tenaciously, not falling easily.

But in the end, as if it were all a futile resistance, it took less than a few minutes for the four golems to fall.

A few minutes.

Not even ten minutes, just in an instant.

“...Are you kidding me?”

Such hollow words escaped Jin’s lips.

No.

Don’t make me laugh.

How much he had suffered to obtain that.

How much effort he had put in to become different from before!

What in the world was this gap?

That guy, Kim Gyu-sik, just how far ahead was he all the time!

[...Ah. Wait. You wait there. Don’t run away. I have something to ask you.]

And with that voice, someone jumped down from inside the hovercraft.

As Jin trembled and looked in that direction, a woman with swept-back white hair was staring this way with deeply sunken eyes.

“So, what about my sister and Mr. Kim Gyu-sik? Tell me when, where, and how you came to that conclusion. Now.”

“You... You damn—!”

Furious at the attitude that completely disregarded him, Jin let out a roar and charged toward her.

On his arm, the technique he had created through ‘forbidden training’ was in the middle of being deployed.

It had the side effect of destroying his own body, but nevertheless, the power of this single blow would be truly absolute.

“...No, hey.”

The opponent, however, seemed to disagree entirely.

Seo Ah-in, who deflected it with a bothered motion as if swatting a fly, lightly struck Jin's solar plexus with a smooth combo.

It was likewise a light motion, but Jin, who was hit by it, immediately collapsed with a gasp.

“Don’t make such a pathetic struggle. You really can’t even catch a single ant. More importantly, question. Answer. My sister, Mr. Kim Gyu-sik, when did you see them?”

“...”

“Hey? Why are you suddenly crying? Just answer the question—”

“I... I’m going to quit... being a Climber...”

Those words came from the heart.

***

“...Hmm.”

Ironclad stroked his beard as he watched the footage recorded on the hovercraft’s black box, then turned his head toward me.

“Aren’t they starting to resemble each other?”

“...What is?”

“That young lady’s personality is also starting to fall apart. It’s clear she’s been influenced.”

What nonsense is this.

Influenced by whom?

“No. That’s not what’s important. Look at the zones, the zones.”

The number of zones Darien and Seo Ah-in were conquering with the soldiers would probably exceed five by the end of today.

And that meant we could soon unlock other privileges and prepare for the subsequent phase.

“...It is an unbelievable speed. Aren’t you alone conquering close to 10 zones?”

That’s true.

“Is there a reason to go at such a speed?”

“Well, it’s all because of this.”

Catherine would have relayed the general explanation, but I had to hand over the ‘blueprint’ myself.

There was quite a bit to explain.

And Ironclad, who received it, stroked his beard again as he looked at it, then sighed and looked back at me.

“I’ve been wanting to ask this for a while. Are you seriously planning to do this? From what I can see, it looks like a very... dangerous structure.”

Ironclad said so after seeing the blueprint that projected the image of ‘something huge’.

“Of course.”

I replied with a grin.

“There’s a romance to it, you know.”

Yes.

The highlight of this stage would surely be decorated with romance.