Chapter 14 …
A short while later.
Before heading to the White-Clad Power base camp, Jang Su-nam decided to strengthen his Mind-Body Training skill and look for a truly important NPC.
Finding it wasn’t too difficult.
Jang Su-nam’s Absolute Map was currently enhanced to +3.
It displayed anomalies, hunters, NPCs, dungeons, towers, and major locations within a 700-meter radius.
While it didn’t provide detailed information, knowing just the NPC’s location was already a huge advantage.
“This time, it has to be that one.”
He checked all nearby NPCs, but none were his target.
Finally, upon reaching a secluded alley to find the last NPC:
“…Would you like to use the shop?”
A beautiful male elf with silver short hair greeted Jang Su-nam.
“Found you.”
Jang Su-nam approached him.
“I’ll be enhancing a skill.”
“Understood.”
After raising his Mind-Body Training skill by +1, Jang Su-nam got straight to the point.
“A black background with a white tower symbol… Are you a researcher from the Tower of Faith?”
“Are you familiar with our world?”
The elf’s eyes lit up at his words.
The Tower of Faith was famous in Aria’s world for combining magic and medicine into magical medical research.
Jang Su-nam knew this because he had once made this elf a companion.
“I’ll need his power to mass-produce the vaccine.”
Among the various ways to mass-produce a vaccine—using modern medicine or items—the most efficient method was borrowing magical power.
For that, he needed magical medicine, and the elf in front of him possessed that knowledge.
“I heard from Aria that the Tower of Faith excels in magical medicine.”
Simultaneously, Jang Su-nam activated the title <Trust of Princess Aria> so that it was visible.
“Gasp!”
Seeing the title, the elf was startled and greeted Jang Su-nam in a proper elven manner.
He knew that someone trusted by the princess must be of great value.
“What do you think of the empire’s royal family?”
“They are truly great. Their legendary sacrifice to protect the people was praised even in the elf lands.”
“The survivor and hope of that royal family, First Princess Aria, is going to form a guild—one that NPCs can also join.”
The elf’s face turned astonished again.
“I saw Your Majesty’s deeds in the system messages. I wish to join you on this journey of creating a new legend.”
Jang Su-nam felt satisfied hearing that.
In the previous run, gaining this elf’s trust and making him a companion had taken three years. Achieving it in just a few minutes brought a thrill of satisfaction.
“I am Domael Dezar.”
“Jang Su-nam.”
After a brief introduction, Jang Su-nam held his palm up.
The perceptive Mini Hail opened a small portal and sent another Mini Hail through it.
“Receive this. An android that can communicate with Aria’s party: Mini Hail.”
Next, Jang Su-nam pulled out a sightseeing map from his inventory and marked the hotel’s location.
“At night, NPCs joining the guild will gather at this hotel. Mini Hail will handle the transport.”
“Thank you for the information. After 100 days… finally, something good has happened.”
Having struggled a lot, Domael seemed touched that he finally had a place to rest.
“This is a small token of my gratitude. I hope you’ll accept it.”
Domael handed him an item from his inventory.
<Worn Summoning Ring> (F+)
“Oh? That’s a nice gift.”
It was a higher-tier summoning item, allowing the summoning of F+ rank familiars.
“Perfect timing.”
Jang Su-nam immediately equipped the ring, and Domael smiled.
“Call on me whenever you need my magical medical expertise. I swear to the World Tree to do my best for Princess Aria.”
Domael traced the World Tree’s blessing symbol in the air, sealing his promise. For an elf, this was an absolute vow, ensuring their vaccine mass-production plans would proceed smoothly.
“Alright, I’ll be counting on you then.”
After finishing, Jang Su-nam headed to the White-Clad Power base camp.
“As long as I have the vaccine, they won’t be able to pull off any schemes.”
Normally, that should be the case.
However, Jang Su-nam had not anticipated the vice-leader’s sudden actions.
“Master, the White-Clad Power radio transmissions are concerning. Shall I summarize?”
Mini Hail’s use of “concerning” meant the situation was truly serious.
Jang Su-nam nodded, feeling a headache coming on.
“…Summarize it.”
“The vice-leader executed the Gudon Plan.”
“Damn it!!”
Jang Su-nam pressed his forehead.
The Gudon Plan should have been executed only after confirming the vaccine’s existence. Instead, the vice-leader launched it immediately.
“This is troublesome. I’ll need to collapse the base camp as quickly as possible…”
The problem was that the base camp had more guards than he could handle alone.
Ten hunters were harder to deal with than a hundred slimes, and the camp had dozens of guards. Some strategy would be required.
“Hmm…”
Jang Su-nam recalled an item obtained from the Tower of Devotion:
[One-Time Lucky Gem]
┗ Increases luck once when used.
┗ Expires if not used within 12 hours.
Using it could improve the success rate of a fantasy summon.
“For a multi-target battle at F+ level… there’s only one choice.”
Jang Su-nam pulled out the limited-use lucky gem from his inventory and used the Fantasy Summon skill.
Flash!
Within the magic circle, a beautiful girl appeared. It was Aria.
“You’ve summoned me, Su-nam.”
Aria smiled at him warmly.
“Change form.”
At his command, Aria instantly transformed into a cat.
Her true identity was the Tutorial boss, the Mimic Slime.
“Nyaa haha, so sensitive! Why summon me? Planning to torture me with salt?”
The Mimic Slime remembered its death and spoke sharply. But as a summoned creature, it had no choice but to obey its summoner.
“We’re going to collapse the White-Clad Power base camp. Time to use your specialty.”
“Scheming and assassination, meow?”
The Mimic Slime smiled.
Jang Su-nam explained the plan: first, it would disguise as a researcher, deliberately be seen spreading goblin poison to the hunters. Then, by transforming into a hunter itself, it would incite them to fight White-Clad Power, while Jang Su-nam dealt with the vice-leader.
“Can I kill the guards too?”
“Keep it to a minimum.”
The Mimic Slime smiled brightly at that.
A short while later, above the Sky Road.
Hunters stood angrily at the base camp, facing off fiercely against the guards.
“Our children died because of them!”
“Kill them! Blood vengeance!”
The hunters had gathered, enraged by White-Clad Power’s atrocities.
At the height of the tension:
“Go! No mercy!!”
A hunter charged at the guards.
“““Wooooh!!”””
At the signal, the hunters attacked, and a bloody battle began.
“It’s a relief that the tutorial boss is on my side.”
This chaos was all instigated by the Mimic Slime. If it had appeared later as a high-level boss, it could have been a disaster for humanity.
“Time to move.”
Jang Su-nam used his invisibility bracelet and sneaked into the base camp amidst the commotion.
“Where could he be?”
Ignoring everyone else, he made straight for the executive tent. But it was empty.
“…Mini Hail, send a message using the team leader’s voice saying the vaccine has been retrieved.”
Mini Hail nodded and transmitted the message.
Then:
“Hey, you bastard!! Why are you so late!! Get to the dining hall immediately!!”
The vice-leader’s roar came from nearby.
“There he is.”
Jang Su-nam grinned, deactivated invisibility, pinned the Evil God Seed Brooch he had picked up at the market to his chest, and entered the dining hall.
“Why so late… You, a crow?”
The vice-leader flinched at the brooch on Jang Su-nam’s chest.
“Oh my, I didn’t expect the famed Crow to be the ‘Collector.’”
Immediately changing his attitude, he kowtowed.
‘Collector?’
Jang Su-nam planned to use this moment to ambush him.
‘So he wasn’t completely clueless…’
But when new information came from him, Jang Su-nam decided to play along to extract more.
“…Why did you think I was the Collector?”
“I heard that those who gather Chaos Energy, like Mr. Pigangseok, are ‘Collectors,’ and the one who takes it is a ‘Collector,’ right?”
“Anything else?”
“Ah… I wasn’t formally trained, so I only know that they gather Chaos Energy to make Evil God Seeds…”
Jang Su-nam frowned slightly.
“So they make seeds named after the organization?”
Information was insufficient, so he adopted a more forceful tone.
“Don’t you even know what an Evil God Seed is?”
“W-well…”
The vice-leader broke into a cold sweat.
“It… allows one to use part of the Evil God’s power if consumed or affected by the seed…”
He spoke hesitantly, clearly repeating what he had heard.
“Nothing more to gain from this one.”
Jang Su-nam feigned looking elsewhere. The vice-leader turned with him, and at that moment:
Whoosh!!
Jang Su-nam’s axe severed the vice-leader’s neck without mercy.
“Arrgh?!!”
The vice-leader died and resurrected in terror.
“Why me?! Did you trick me?!”
Furious, he swung his sword.
Clang!
“Look at that strength…”
The force he felt when blocking the sword with his axe was immense. It seemed the vice-leader had +2 in either swordsmanship or strength skills this round.
“If I’m disadvantaged in strength, I’ll win with technique.”
Whoosh!
As the axe swung, the vice-leader tried to block, but it was a fake. Jang Su-nam leaned and struck with his opposite fist.
Pow!!
The punch sent the vice-leader flying into the air.
“Arrgh?!”
Skills from his previous run were gone, but the principles and theories remained in memory. Reproducing these with a body strengthened by Mind-Body Training allowed him to mimic pre-reincarnation skills within limits.
“Not original-level martial arts, but…”
It was enough to destroy a defenseless opponent. The vice-leader died again, resurrecting in terror.
“D-don’t die again!!”
Apparently, he had only two lives left.
“Hyaaah!!”
As he shouted, countless forks in the dining hall began floating.
“Telekinesis skill?!”
The previous-round vice-leader did not have this.
“So some things have changed.”
“Die!!”
Forks flew at him.
“You think you can hit me?”
Jang Su-nam swung his axe faster, striking the vice-leader’s head.
“Ugh!”
The telekinetic aim was disrupted, and he quickly grabbed the vice-leader, falling to the floor together.
Thunk-thunk-thunk─!!
The sound of forks impaling the ground echoed fiercely. Jang Su-nam had barely blocked them using the vice-leader as a shield, and the vice-leader died from the forks he’d launched himself.
“That was close.”
Jang Su-nam pushed aside the fully dead vice-leader and stood up.
At the same moment:
<Waaaah!!>
Cries of victory from hunters signaled the base camp’s collapse.
“One problem solved. Next…”
He looked out from the tent at the city.
“Time to handle the zombie crisis.”
