Chapter 279.

[Mass Teleport] brought the members of Team 3 to Orden’s territory . But when they opened their eyes, they didn’t see anyone from Team 1, including Aileen .

Only the members of Team 3 were on the vast field of Africa .

“…Eh?”

Team 3’s leader, Yun Seung-Ah, became a bit worried when a second flash of Mass Teleport occurred .

Shoooong… .

A violet magic power lit up, transferring over others .

Aileen, Yi Yongha, Jin Seyeon, Nicholas, Parma, and Seo Youngji . Although Team 1 consisted of only these six Heroes, everyone other than Seo Youngji and Jin Seyeon were elites of the Temple of Justice .

Everyone from Team 3 except Shin Jonghak stared at them with widened eyes .

“Is everyone here?”

Aileen stepped up and checked the Heroes present . But for some reason, Aileen had an eyepatch over her left eye . This [Smart Eyepatch] was an effective good from the Tower, allowing complicated calculations and deductions to be made with ease .

“…Mm, great . Everyone’s here . ”

After receiving the result from the eyepatch, Aileen smiled in satisfaction . Rebé approached Aileen and spoke in a soft voice .

“My role ends here but… if you would like, I can tag along . ”

Aileen furrowed her brows .

“What help will you be to us?”

“I can carry your bags, for example . I’ve already made a vow, so you can order me around as you please . Think of me as your sla—”

“Hold on a minute . ”

Aileen took out a radio . From what the Hero Association discovered, Orden had the ability to detect magic power within 500km of his palace . But because his detection ability was limited only to magic power, the higher-ups decided to use electronic equipment .

“This is Aileen, we’ve arrived safely . ”

—We can hear you . This is Commander Yi Gongmyung .

Yi Gongmyung . His intelligence and strategic mind rivaled the level of a Gift, he became the Minister of National Defense at just 30 years old .

“What should we do next?”

—We deployed a drone and dug a tunnel . It should be nearby, so please confirm it .

“A tunnel?”

Aileen looked around .

Indeed, there was an entrance covered in leaves and rocks .

“I found it . ”

—Go inside . Orden and his servants’ magic power detection becomes weak underground . But for everyone’s safety, don’t use magic power until I give the signal .

“Got it . ”

Aileen turned around and faced the others .

“Follow me, everyone!”

Team 1 and Team 3 began their march, everyone following behind Aileen .

The tunnel dug by the drone was dark and deep .

Click—

Aileen turned on a flashlight and lit the pathway .

“…Hey, Kim Suho, what’s this?”

Chae Nayun tapped on Kim Suho’s shoulder .

“I don’t know, but we’ve been expecting something like this, right?”

Kim Suho smirked and answered . Chae Nayun also put on a thin smile .

“I guess so . I don’t mind . It’s fun . ”

“Same . ”

“Don’t lie . ”

“I’m not . ”

Tak, tak- Only the sound of footsteps rang out .

Shin Jonghak cut in between Chae Nayun and Kim Suho, and Chae Nayun walked while playing a mini-game on her phone .

Chae Nayun, Shin Jonghak, and Kim Suho walked forward side-by-side .

The tunnel ran down diagonally until it became flat at a certain point .

“How have you guys been?”

As the tension was starting to die down, a voice suddenly rang out .

Kim Suho turned around in slight surprise and saw Jin Seyeon who was smiling brightly .

“Ah, Senior . ”

“I-It’s been a while . ”

“…Hello . ”

Kim Suho, Chae Nayun, and Shin Jonghak answered respectively .

“I wanted to see you all . ”

Jin Seyeon, who felt uncomfortable in Team 1’s stiff atmosphere, liked being with her juniors more . She first tried to estimate Kim Suho’s strength . She didn’t need to fight him, only needing to look into his eyes . As expected of the man who recently gained the title ‘Swordsman of Wish’, Kim Suho had gotten strong enough to make Jin Seyeon smile .

“Um, Senior, who’s that?”

Kim Suho pointed at ‘Bera’ and asked .

“Mmm—“

“Think of me as a hidden powerhouse . ”

Bera answered before Jin Seyeon could say anything . Clearly, Bera had excellent hearing .

“…A hidden powerhouse?”

Seeing Chae Nayun frown, Bera grinned .

“Yes, there are many hidden powerhouses in this world . Heynckes who appeared once again and Black Lotus, for example . Ah, Orden would also be considered one . ”

Kim Suho’s eyes slightly widened .

“You know Black Lotus?”

“Mm… Maybe I’m Black Lotus . ”

“No, that’s impossible . ”

Aileen, who was listening in on the conversation, spoke firmly .

“Black Lotus isn’t so frivolous . ”

“…Kuhum . ”

Aileen’s sharp tone turned the atmosphere awkward .

Tzzzt— Tzzt—

At that moment, Aileen’s radio turned on .

—If you haven’t been discovered yet, everything is going as planned . Walk 200km from there . You can use buff magic if you want .

“200km…”

Aileen turned around . Yi Jiyoon and Parma were the group’s supporters, but because Parma was a healer, buffing the team was Yi Jiyoon’s job .

“Supporter Yi Jiyoon, prepare [Haste] . ”

“Yes!”

Yi Jiyoon carefully took out a bow . Then, she weaved ‘buff arrows’ with her magic power .

“One for each . ”

“…Can’t you do it using a spell or something?”

Aileen, who didn’t even like syringes, wasn’t happy to be pierced by arrows .

“It’s more effective this way . ”

“…Tsk . Go easy . ”

Aileen closed her eyes reluctantly, and Yi Jiyoon shot her arrows . Although being shot came with a slight pain, it was more than bearable .

“Let’s go . ”

With Yi Jiyoon’s ‘Haste’ buff, the group moved quickly enough to leave behind afterimages . Although 200km couldn’t be traveled easily by walking, their superhuman physical abilities heightened with Haste let them accomplish it in 3 hours .

—This is Yi Gongmyung . If everyone has arrived at the destination, use the card .

They arrived at a spacious area . Rather than a pathway, it was more like a room .

“Understood . ”

Aileen took out the fortress card as ordered .

“We will be using it now . ”

7-star card, [Building Fortress] . Aileen infused her magic power into it without hesitation .

“I want a tough fortress capable of holding 300 people . ”

Shoong—

The moment Aileen’s Spirit Speech was added to the card, the card turned into magic power and seeped into the earth .

And that was it .

There was no rumbling or further undulation of magic power . Only a faint wind blew before space began to warp .

Tough iron fencing rose up from the ground, while dozens of small barracks appeared inside . A headquarters building was constructed in the middle .

“Wow… it’s a real fortress . ”

“Amazing . ”

Kim Suho and Chae Nayun murmured in awe . But they weren’t the only ones who were surprised . Even Aileen who activated the card stared at the fortress in shock .

“A-Alright, let’s go inside and unpack . This will be our base of operation for the upcoming Orden Assassination Mission . ”

Aileen announced proudly as she walked into the fortress .

**

The fortress had 99 barracks . Considering the number of Heroes that would need to use the base, three people had to share one . As such, Chae Nayun, Yi Jiyoon, and Jin Seyeon came to use the same barracks .

Inside the petite log cabin, the three women unpacked their belongings leisurely .

“Hm? Nayun-ssi?”

At that moment, Jin Seyeon called Chae Nayun .

“Yes?”

Chae Nayun, who was changing her clothes, tilted her head .

“You dropped this… what is it?”

Jin Seyeon picked up a piece of paper that fell on the ground . It was wrinkly from being kept in her pocket all this time .

“Oh, that?”

Chae Nayun smiled bitterly as she received the [Invitation Letter to the Loveroom] .

“It’s an effective good that can summon a person . ”

“…Summon?”

“Yes . I just need to know the person’s Tower nickname . ”

Hearing this, Yi Jiyoon cut in .

“Wow, really? Who are you going to summon with that?”

“Hm? Oh, I have someone in mind . ”

Extra7 . Chae Nayun immediately thought of her game master, who saved her when she was about to die inside the Tower . Although a couple years had passed since she obtained the summoning item, she didn’t have the chance to use it .

“I think I’ll use it soon . ”

Chae Nayun planned to use it before fighting Orden . After all, it would be wasted if she died .

Meanwhile, Jin Seyeon looked at the summoning paper with sparkling eyes .

“It’s a great item . I’d love to have one too . Ah, do you want to exchange it with this card?”

Jin Seyeon took out a card .

===

[A Thousand-day Wait] [6-star]

—Can be used 1000 days after acquiring it . After this card is activated, you will meet someone you want coincidentally the next day .

===

Chae Nayun read the item description then quickly shook her head .

“Nah, I have to wait a thousand days to use it . That’s terrible . ”

“No, no, think about it . It’s better since you don’t need to know your target’s Player name . ”

“It’s fine . I already know who I’m going to summon . ”

Chae Nayun pushed the card away . Jin Seyeon pouted then put the card back into her pocket .

“Who are you going to summon? Can you tell us his Player name? Let’s hear it . ”

Jin Seyeon narrowed her eyes at Chae Nayun . Yi Jiyoon also stared at her with eyes full of anticipation .

Of course, Yi Jiyoon already knew who Chae Nayun wanted to summon . It had to be Kim Hajin .

“Technically, I don’t know who he is either… Ah, you might know, Senior, since you’re a gosu . ”

Chae Nayun cleared her throat then carefully brought up a name .

“Extra7… Have you heard of him?”

“Mm… He does sound familiar… . ”

Jin Seyeon furrowed her brows and fell into thought . Chae Nayun focused her attention on Jin Seyeon, hoping for an answer . After all, Jin Seyeon was a famous Ranker inside the Tower of Wish .

Neither Jin Seyeon nor Chae Nayun paid any attention to Yi Jiyoon .

However…

“…?!”

Yi Jiyoon found the answer easily . She had a huge hint .

The nickname ‘Extra7’ and what Kim Hajin secretly said to her when he came to cure Chae Nayun’s curse .

—Tell her that an extra came to help .

“…Gulp . ”

The question that was lingering in her mind ever since that day was finally answered .

‘So that’s what he meant by extra…’ Yi Jiyoon swallowed hard .

“Haha, sorry, I’m not sure . I’ll try to find out later . ”

Jin Seyeon scratched her head and laughed .

“Ah, it’s fine . He likes to keep his identity a secret, so it’s not all that surprising . ”

Chae Nayun waved her hands .

“… . ”

Yi Jiyoon stared at them with a wry smile before heading out of the barracks .

—Ah, why don’t you summon him now?

—Eh? Ah~ no, that’s a bit… haha, I want to, but we’re in the middle of a top-secret mission .

—I’m kidding, of course . But what are you going to say to him when you meet him?

—Nothing much . I just have a few questions to ask him, but more importantly, I want to thank him . He saved my life, you see .

Yi Jiyoon went to find Shin Jonghak, leaving behind Chae Nayun and Jin Seyeon .

**

[England, Buckingham Palace]

As the sun was rising from the east, many spectators were already gathered around the ‘Illusory Prison’ entrapping Toji .

The Prime Minister, Vice-Minister, their secretaries, Princess Rachel, Yoo Yeonha, etc… Everyone except Chae Joochul and Heynckes were present, waiting for Heynckes who declared he would kill Toji .

“Hey, who was that kid from yesterday? Why won’t you answer me?”

Yoo Yeonha nudged Rachel who was standing next to her . But Rachel maintained a thick face and replied shamelessly .

“What do you mean?”

“…What do you mean? Is that all you have to say? You’re joking, right?”

“Huh?”

Rachel’s innocent face dumbfounded Yoo Yeonha even more .

“Wow, look at you . Did you lose your memory?”

In truth, Rachel wasn’t in any state to deal with Yoo Yeonha . She already had a headache from ‘Shin Yeohwa’ who made her nest in her bedroom .

“Um… I’m not sure what you mean… . ”

“Excuse me! Don’t you want to form an alliance?!”

“Aa! Lord Heynckes is coming out!”

Rachel quickly pointed to the distance .

Tak, tak—

Like she said, Heynckes was approaching the crowd .

Yoo Yeonha decided to put her suspicion aside and ran up to Heynckes .

“Lord Heynckes, I’m Yoo Yeonha . I introduced myself to you yesterday . How are you feeling today?”

Yoo Yeonha spoke in German . Heynckes seemed happy as his eyebrows danced furtively .

“You’re Yoo Jinwoong’s daughter . I’m fine . Your German is excellent . ”

“Haha, yes, I enjoy German culture . ”

“Oh, do you now?”

“Yes, German beer is the best in the world . ”

“Hmmm~”

Yoo Yeonha showed off the German skills she acquired through her crash course last night . Heynckes talked to her in satisfaction as he walked towards the Illusory Prison .

“It’s time for business . We can talk later . ”

Heynckes stopped their conversation .

“Yes, thank you . ”

Satisfied with the result she got, Yoo Yeonha backed off .

Crack, crack—

Heynckes loosened his neck and shoulder muscles .

“Now… let’s do this . ”

“Lord Heynckes, we have a buff magician ready . ”

“That’s unnecessary . ”

The Prime Minister quickly suggested the use of a buff magician, but Heynckes declined and took out his steel sword .

He had already finished his preparations . Although his body was no longer what it used to be, he honed himself last night, and his resonance with his steel sword was clear .

That was enough for him .

Chwiik—

Hyenckes swung his sword, unleashing his magic power at the same time .

The Illusory Prison shattered . The steel magic power spread out in all directions and formed a new prison, one that encased Hyenckes and Toji inside .

“…What?”

Toji, who was asleep, woke up with a dazed look . He noticed that his surroundings had changed .

“Wha…”

Toji got up, feeling curious . Heynckes swung his sword, piercing Toji’s chest .

“Ak . ”

Toji screamed and stepped backwards . He frowned and glared at Heynckes . Pain angered Toji .

“You, kill . ”

Rocks crumbled from Toji’s body, which then shot towards Heynckes . But mere rocks couldn’t touch Heynckes . In terms of compatibility, Heynckes’ ‘steel’ displayed absolute superiority against Toji’s ‘earth’ .

“You! Kill!”

Seeing that long-ranged attacks were ineffective, Toji began to swing his fists .

Koong—! Koong—! Koong—!

But Hyenckes easily avoided Toji’s inexperienced attacks and countered at the right time . Wounds began to appear on Toji’s body .

“I, no pain . ”

Even so, Toji stood unperturbed . He had long forgotten about pain . He believed his body could regenerate itself endlessly, and thus had no fear .

However…

“…?”

Toji soon realized that his body wasn’t moving as he wanted it to .

His arms felt heavy, and his chest stuffy .

It was as if the soil making up his body was hardening .

Toji had no choice but to stop attacking .

“What?”

“Dull little rascal, you just realized?”

Heynckes grinned .

“Real…ize?”

“Steel Transformation . That’s what you’re experiencing . I injected my magic power into your mind . ”

Toji’s body was made of earth, and metal defeated earth . It wasn’t hard for Heynckes to inject his magic power into Toji’s body . ”

“You also caught the symptoms killing my body . ”

The magic power of steel devoured Toji’s body of earth, and steel transformation quickly took place .

“This… . ”

Toji could no longer move . He stared at his body, which was solidifying and becoming metallic .

“…What an anticlimactic end . ”

Heynckes felt Toji’s final moments were no different than his own . He knew he would meet the same end one day .

“It’s hard to see it any longer . ”

Heynckes raised his sword . Like a wind-up doll that stopped functioning, Toji stood still with his head facing down .

“…Haa . ”

After a sigh, Heynckes’ steel sword swung down .

**

[Africa – Orden’s Territory]

Late afternoon of early winter, in the African continent filled with monsters, I arrived in Orden’s territory along with Spartan .

“Black Lotus . I just arrived . ”

It was to accomplish the secret mission assigned by the Hero Association to the Chameleon Troupe – ‘Spy Retrieval’ .

—Yes, confirmed .

The commander of the mission, Yi Gongmyung, answered from the radio .

He was a character I created, a genius in tactical warfare and strategy, so I had confidence in his abilities .

—I’ll send the signal to the spy soon .

I didn’t know how, but he managed to plant a spy in Orden’s territory . The Chameleon Troupe was tasked with retrieving him safely . The reward was, as expected, an astronomical amount of money and the cancelation of the bounty placed on them .

There was no reason not to accept .

“What comes after the signal?”

—You can go to the fortress we prepared underground .

“…Fortress?”

Underground fortress . The unexpected phrase surprised me .

—Yes, we prepared a fortress to use as our base camp . It was prepared in secret, so I’m afraid I can’t tell you too much about it .

“… . ”

Well, nothing was really impossible in this world . I wouldn’t be surprised if Atlantis existed too .

“Understood . Contact me after signaling your spy . ”

—Yes, understood .

As soon as the communication cut off, a beeping signal arrived .

It was a Morse code signaling a coordinate .

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