[Chapter 176]
[Baek Myeonsang]
The top-secret cocoon retrieval operation.
The estimated time required for the operation was about 5 days.
The day when the people who infiltrated Uijeongbu would safely retrieve the cocoon and return to Gangbuk.
"Sigh... I hope they're okay?"
So Noh Euna, the sub-lord of the Pandora Clan, had been waiting in front of the barrier since the 4th day, thinking the clan members who left for Uijeongbu might return.
Kim Minji was also beside her.
As a result of discussions with the executives, it was decided that Noh Euna and Kim Minji would take on the role of greeting them.
Jeong Hayang, who was also a sub-lord like her, was busy attending Mana Management Organization meetings day after day.
Mok Minho, another sub-lord, was commanding on-site to restore the destroyed Yongsan-gu.
Needless to say, administrative officer Han Seohyun was buried in piles of documents.
Among the sub-lords, Noh Euna was the only one who could move.
"If everything goes as planned, they should be back by today at the latest..."
"It's Noh Eunha, so he'll be doing fine. You don't need to worry too much."
The Zenith Clan kindly said they could use their building.
Thanks to that, Euna and Minji could comfortably wait for the clan members who left for Uijeongbu in the building in front of the barrier.
Nevertheless, Euna paced in front of the window with a worried face.
Minji was also waiting anxiously, though outwardly calm.
""...."""
Tick tock.
While the two were silent, the second hand of the clock in the room flowed unchangingly.
They could hear the sound of the second hand moving, and as time passed, they began to feel impatient.
"Did something happen? It wouldn't be strange if they had returned by now..."
"Let's wait a little longer for now. They went to Uijeongbu, so they can't return exactly on time."
The scheduled time for those participating in the operation to return was 10 AM today.
But even after 10 o'clock passed, no shadows of people could be seen above the barrier.
Noh Euna muttered anxiously.
Even Kim Minji, who had been acting calmly at first, swallowed dry saliva while looking up at the clock as time passed.
When the hour hand pointed to the number 3─.
"─They're here. The kids seem to be here!"
"Huh? Really!?"
Noh Euna confirmed that figures had appeared on top of the barrier beyond the window frame.
She immediately left the building.
It seemed the news that they had arrived had already spread around.
Like her, Blaze Clan members and Mana Management Organization staff who came to greet them at the barrier were also outside.
"..."
"Ha... haah... Euna unni, no matter what, aren't you running too fast? How can you be faster than me, a ranger?"
"...Minji, I think there's something wrong with my eyes."
"Huh?"
"I can't see Eunha and Changjin."
"What?"
Soon Euna arrived in front of the barrier.
She used magic to expand her vision and checked the faces of the people coming down from the barrier one by one.
Hoshimiya Kaede, Bae Subin, Jin Parang.
But her younger brother Noh Eunha and Han Changjin were not visible.
She stared endlessly beyond the barrier, rooted to the spot.
"Why can't I see two people?"
"It seems they successfully retrieved the cocoon, but did something happen..."
Euna took more steps.
By then, her eyes met with Kaede who had come down from the barrier.
She was carrying Bae Subin on her back.
It seemed she had exhausted her internal mana.
Soon she led the clan members and approached Euna.
"Euna unni."
"Kids, good job. You must have had a hard time, right? I guess treating Subin first is the priority. It seems she exhausted her internal mana, but are there any other injuries besides that?"
"No... I'm fine. I just lost strength because we marched without sleeping since the day before yesterday."
Although she was worried about Eunha and Changjin.
With her awareness as a sub-lord, she first asked about the well-being of the clan members who had safely returned after carrying out the dangerous mission.
Then she checked the condition of the clan members, starting with Bae Subin.
She had no interest in the Mana Management Organization staff excitedly shouting that there were no defects in the cocoon.
Her concern was the clan members.
Among them, Noh Eunha and Han Changjin, who were not present now, could be said to be her greatest concern.
That's a relief. There are no severe injuries, just accumulated fatigue.
They'll be fine after resting for a few days.
Among the three, the one who was injured the most was Hoshimiya Kaede.
Judging from that, it seemed she had led the party members from the front.
Meanwhile, seeing Jin Parang wrapped in a Blaze Clan member's cloak, it seemed he had activated his gift.
Nevertheless, all three were commonly very exhausted.
Judging from Bae Subin's words earlier, it was probably because they marched without sleeping.
They must have moved even at night.
To think they kept moving even at night when monsters become ferocious...
What happened in Uijeongbu?
The question about to burst from her mouth.
Noh Euna kept her mouth shut.
It wasn't too late to ask after treating the clan members.
At that moment, Kim Minji, who had taken over carrying Bae Subin from Kaede, suddenly asked.
"So why can't we see Noh Eunha and Changjin oppa?"
"""...."""
At her question.
The three kept their mouths shut.
Jin Parang hung his head low.
Bae Subin closed her eyes.
And Hoshimiya Kaede, who was receiving treatment from Euna, opened her mouth.
"...Something happened along the way. We were surrounded by Gyesini while retrieving the cocoon... So we had no choice but to divide the party in two, and we took on the role of transporting the cocoon to Gangbuk."
""...."""
"And Noh Eunha and Han Changjin oppa took on the task of disrupting the monsters to allow us to escape safely."
"T-then now..."
With a choked voice.
Kaede explained the situation with a shadowed face.
By then, it seemed the story of those who returned from Uijeongbu had spread to people.
The atmosphere among the people who had come out in front of the barrier was unsettled.
Noh Euna couldn't continue speaking after hearing Kaede's words.
And as if to finish Euna's unfinished words─.
"─Noh Eunha and Han Changjin oppa... The other party is probably isolated in Uijeongbu now."
""""...."""
At Kaede's words.
Noh Euna couldn't say anything.
People also had complicated expressions.
The atmosphere sank heavily.
At the news that the four people were isolated in Uijeongbu, people couldn't just be happy about retrieving the cocoon.
They turned their gazes towards where the barrier was, blankly.
""""...."""
Although the situation wasn't good.
The sky was damn blue.
When they were thinking that.
It was right then.
What Noh Euna muttered was.
"So..."
""""...."""
The clan members looked at her.
Noh Euna was smiling.
She spoke clearly, putting strength into each syllable.
"─So the two of them made me burst in frustration as a pair, is that it?"
""""...."""
"Just wait until they come back... They'll both die by my hands."
She sublimated worry and anxiety into anger.
It was the best action Noh Euna could take as a sub-lord.
☆
It seems that not only Gyesini's forces, but also monsters currently in the vicinity are roaming above ground.
Saying it would probably take several days for the rage of the monsters that had once become ferocious to subside.
The village chief advised.
In the end, Eunha and his companions had no choice but to stay in the village for several days.
"Ah, I'm bored. What is this? Should we just go out and have a fight? Hey, Pandora Clan Lord. What do you think? Aren't you really bored just sitting still now?"
"I'm not bored, but if you're bored, why don't you help with the villagers' work? They seem to resent us for not being able to go outside as it is."
"Ugh... Helping with chores doesn't really suit my nature..."
A day passed.
Eunha and his companions were staying in a place assigned by the village chief.
It was a place quite far from the area where the residents lived.
The village chief probably wanted to prevent Eunha and his companions from contacting the residents as much as possible.
According to Han Changjin, who secretly wandered around the village, many residents seemed to be dissatisfied with Eunha and his companions who had stirred up Uijeongbu.
It's understandable for them to dislike us.
From their perspective, it's no different from having their livelihoods disrupted.
The Uijeongbu residents are also counting the days until they can go outside, he says.
Fortunately, it seems they can hold out for a few days because they had stockpiled food.
Of course, it seemed they didn't have food to share with Eunha and his companions.
Eunha didn't mind.
Because their food was so tasteless and unsanitary.
Moreover, Eunha had brought plenty of food when entering Uijeongbu, so he could hold out to some extent.
"Buldak, you're lucky. You're full just eating the mana I give you."
"Pupu."
"Yeah, you're a gourmet too? When we return to Gangbuk, I'll let you eat all the food you like to your heart's content, so bear with my mana."
"Bibi bibi papa papa pupu pu!"
"Why is a phantasmal beast so picky about taste? Just eat what you're given..."
"Pupu pu!"
Even so, it was a situation where they didn't know how many days they would be isolated in Uijeongbu.
They had to save food.
Eunha and his companions were getting by on 1 meal of food per day.
In contrast, Buldak was using Eunha's mana as its staple food, so there was no problem with food supply.
Although Buldak seemed to have its own complaints.
"Ah, I want to fight. It's depressing to think about being trapped here for days. Pandora Clan Lord, it's boring, how about a sparring match with me..."
"What if we're detected by the monsters above while sparring here?"
"Tch."
Meanwhile, Kang Hyeonchul seemed to be itching from just being confined.
He kept talking to Eunha, coaxing him to spar.
Of course, Eunha refused.
However─.
─That crazy squid isn't someone who won't do something just because he's told not to... If this situation continues, he might eventually explode and rush outside.
It was questionable how long Kang Hyeonchul's patience could hold out.
He was a battle maniac.
The desire building up from not being able to fight had to be released in some way.
If left alone like this, he might cause an incident soon.
And if an incident occurs in Uijeongbu, a truly hopeless situation would unfold.
Eunha absolutely didn't want such a situation.
It can't be helped.
In the end, Eunha sighed.
Wasn't there a reason he left Kang Hyeonchul here in the first place?
Reluctantly, Eunha decided to use Kang Hyeonchul's nature.
"Please be patient for a few days. If you listen to me..."
"Will you let me fight you?"
"Not fighting me, but I'll let you fight a very strong guy."
"A very strong guy... Are you thinking of subjugating Gyesini? Man, you're really something, that's hot. This must be why I like you. I've been wanting to face that guy too!"
"It's not Gyesini... Well, think what you want. You can look forward to it. So just stay still. Or practice swinging your sword or something."
"Alright. It's a promise. If you say something different later, I'll fight you then, so know that."
"You really have no hope."
Ehyu.
Eunha sighed.
He expected him to take the bait so excitedly at his subtle words, but it was still too foolish.
He couldn't shake the thought that the crazy squid sparkling his eyes and psyching himself up was stupid.
☆
He wanted to avoid getting involved with the residents as much as possible.
So there was nothing special to do besides practicing magic.
Han Changjin seemed to be the same.
"Is your practice going well?"
"I can implement the providence to some extent, but I'm not sure how to use it in actual combat."
Eunha approached Han Changjin.
Han Changjin, who was in the middle of practicing magic, welcomed Eunha.
Then he gave a bitter smile and spread his hand over the ground.
His hand was enveloped in mana.
The mana turned into a black, sticky substance.
Drip
When he pointed his hand downwards.
The mana pooled at his fingertips dripped onto the ground.
One or two drops seeped into the ground.
Hiss
Steam rose from the ground.
Han Changjin also dropped the poison on a nearby stone.
The area where the drops fell melted.
"It's poison obtained from the Giant Toad's providence, but it seems to have an additional corrosive effect."
"You got something good. Since it was 4th tier, it should be poison that works on fairly high-tier monsters. It must be really difficult to detoxify too."
"Detoxification is difficult, and it seems detoxification itself will become impossible if continuously exposed to the poison. I'll have to be careful when using it around people."
"So what kind of magic are you thinking of? If nothing comes to mind, how about easily imagining sword strikes like me?"
Eunha drew his sword.
He used Violent Venom.
His blade was dyed black.
Han Changjin, who had seen Eunha's magic several times already, wasn't very surprised.
He shook his head.
"It would be difficult for me to use sword strikes since I don't use a longsword. I need to think of something that suits my style."
"Then do that. Still, it's nice. I can only make sword strikes, but you can use it in various ways since the skill stone you embodied is so big."
"That's true. It seems quite practical with its wide range of applications."
Han Changjin withdrew the poison.
Eunha watched the mana leave his hand with slight regret.
Compared to Han Changjin's poison magic, his own Violent Venom was very limited in its range of applications.
It was due to the difference in skill stone size.
It can't be helped.
Instead, the poison I obtained is high-tier and has strong infectiousness, so it's quite powerful.
He decided not to be too envious of what others had.
It was a habit Eunha had experientially accepted after feeling the wall of talent many times before the regression.
Envy for what one couldn't have was a poison that ate away at oneself.
In the meantime─.
─I might be able to use that?
Such a thought suddenly occurred to him.
He spoke again to Changjin, who was grinning just because he had talked to him.
"Hyung, if you control your ability well, couldn't you possibly put poison in food?"
"What? There would probably be a time limit due to the corrosive property, but... Yeah, it should be possible. Why?"
"This would be perfect for practice."
We have plenty of small chocolates.
Plus, didn't we pack lots of chocolates that Kaede's party members had?
Eunha took out a bag of chocolates from his luggage.
He opened the bag and placed a small chocolate in front of Han Changjin.
"Try it."
"...Try what?"
"Try injecting poison only into the chocolate inside without letting it touch the wrapper."
"..."
At Eunha's sudden request.
Han Changjin had a dumbfounded expression.
"...Eunha, do you know how difficult that is? Even with excellent high-level control technique, that's..."
"You must have learned from Teacher Baek Seojin, so you should be able to do that much. You can easily manipulate the contents inside without touching the wrapper, right?"
"It's not that I didn't learn it... Ugh, alright. I'll give it a try."
In the end, Han Changjin resigned himself.
He who was about to object grasped the chocolate in his hand.
He activated magic.
It failed.
The wrapper melted along with it.
He kept trying after that, but it ended in failure every time.
Finally, Han Changjin succeeded.
"─I did it. It's been a while since I pushed high-level control technique to its limit like this. It seems to have been a good experience."
"Looks like it. You seem to have infiltrated the food and delayed the corrosion time."
"Eunha, don't touch it carelessly. Even I don't know when the corrosion will start... Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing!?"
Eunha examined the chocolate this way and that.
Then he suddenly unwrapped it.
From the outside, it looked like a very ordinary chocolate.
It looked perfectly normal, as if one wouldn't know there was poison inside.
Gulp
So Eunha swallowed the chocolate to check for himself.
Han Changjin tried to stop him belatedly, but by then the chocolate had already gone down his throat.
"Spit it out! Are you crazy trying to die!?"
"How can I spit out something that's already in my stomach? And don't worry."
"What do you mean don't worry? The poison will soon spread throughout your body, really...!!"
"Ah, it's starting. Here it comes. It's hot."
"...!!"
"Papa?"
Whether Han Changjin shook his shoulders or not.
Eunha felt the signal starting in his stomach.
It feels like his stomach is boiling.
It's hot.
It hurts.
But that sensation was only for a moment.
Violent Venom
The Giant Toad's poison was 4th tier.
The poison he had embodied as providence was 3rd tier.
Inside his body, the providence of Violent Venom bared its teeth at the Giant Toad's poison.
"You, are you really okay?"
"Poison doesn't work on me."
"Really... I was flustered wondering how to explain to Euna. Still, don't do this again next time."
"Hyung."
"Yeah?"
"Make one more. Chocolate."
"What?"
"No, this seems unexpectedly good for the body."
"What are you saying?"
Eunha raised the corners of his mouth.
An amazing change occurred inside his body.
The providence of Violent Venom, which had finally destroyed the Giant Toad's poison, became much stronger.
It was transforming slightly while figuring out the structure of the Giant Toad's poison.
"I feel like I might realize something, so make a few more. It's sweet and delicious."
"...Are you really okay? How can you say poison is sweet and delicious? Maybe your sense of taste is wrong..."
"Try eating Minji's food later. Everything will taste delicious."
"What?"
"Nevermind, just make it quickly."
"...Alright. Wait a bit."
All day long that day.
Eunha kept Han Changjin by his side and had him make poisoned chocolates.
Hmm, it tastes good for the body.
Sweet, so sweet.
As a result, Han Changjin became able to freely handle the Giant Toad's poison and.
Eunha created a new Violent Venom with added corrosive properties.