Struggling (3)

The report was neatly placed on the desk.

“Anyway, this is a headache-inducing matter.”

“Indeed it is.”

Erica smiled a business smile.

“Just when we barely blocked an unprecedented invasion, now necromancers are the problem…..”

The general assembly representative rubbed his chin. I quietly nodded. The hat pulled down to my head was uncomfortable.

“You said the first meeting would be brief, right?”

“Yes. Thank you for sparing your busy time.”

“It’s nothing. We’ve received much grace from the Association as well.”

After exchanging insipid pleasantries, we got to the main point.

“The first observation area is the outskirts of Namyangju. Looking at it, this area seems to be the origin. I think the necromancer group is based there too.”

Erica took out her notebook. Her pen moved. She’s quick-handed.

“The second is Uijeongbu. Apart from the severely affected Namyangju area, the NM concentration isn’t high elsewhere. Therefore, we’ve decided on Uijeongbu, where important buildings are located, as the subsequent search area.”

As the gaze turned to me, I nodded.

The decision is also influenced by the fact that the Association is based in Uijeongbu. It means they’re also considering your position.

In the end, this too is about interests. Both these Alliance members and the Association need a connection to face the impending disaster.

They need to be mindful. They need to treat each other well. To make the binding chains a bit more solid.

I was reminded of the general assembly representative whose demeanor changed as soon as he saw Erica.

Suddenly, I thought they must be very tired.

I twisted my side hair for a moment.

In that sense, this terrorism will certainly be helpful. For Erica too, giving her an unexpected situation in her daily life might be a fresh stimulus for her who is steeped in Association work.

It’s not bad to have a disaster-class magical beast suddenly appear in a quiet conference room. Holding a knife to the necks of these hunters who don’t even fear death and staging a hostage situation is enough to bring about a refresh.

I pondered for a moment.

But for a renowned Alliance, if they resist with nooses around their necks, wouldn’t it be difficult to maintain the desired situation? They have the strength for fierce resistance.

I can’t have a leisurely conversation with Erica. I might not be able to make her focus solely on me.

I twisted my side hair.

I imagined the situation.

Anyway, they’ll all be disabled, so I think they won’t be able to speak.

Except Erica.

I blinked.

Is it okay to think like this right next to the person in question?

“I see.”

It’s a story that doesn’t matter either way.

This too is a stepping stone for Erica to seep into my plan. Whether she cares about the hostages spewing hatred, she’ll antagonize me and point her sword at me.

That appearance will surely be noble and supreme. Enough to blind my eyes. Enough to spew out an indescribable entity.

In a garden where rain falls and flowers wither, a single torch will burn as if to set the ground ablaze.

No problem.

The project to create a beautiful world is being accomplished. The maintenance of short-term plans is also going well. This love, whose final destination is a brilliant death, is an incomparably suitable stepping stone.

Suddenly, I missed her scent. I buried my face in Erica’s shoulder as she was talking.

And I whispered softly.

“When are you going to kill me?”

“…..What?”

Silence fell.

When I raised my head, I saw Erica’s pupils shaking countless times.

“Is something wrong?”

“Ah, no, it’s nothing.”

I twisted my side hair. That was too mischievous.

Her hand approached. This time my ear was pinched. Usually it’s the cheek, but outside she aimed for the ear that’s not easily visible due to my hair.

This is creepy in its own way, which is good.

While I was thinking about the terrorism plan for a moment, I saw the conversation coming to an end.

“We have enough magic stones to give. It’s over 1000mp. The raw materials were directly extracted from highest-grade gate monsters, so we can guarantee the quality as well.”

Did they handle it directly during the gate subjugation? Come to think of it, I think I saw another field team coming after that.

“That’s certainly good material. It seems the Director paid a lot of attention this time.”

“Of course. We also plan to contact not only Association affiliates but also the Union for reinforcements. There will be no hitches in the plan.”

Suddenly, a golden hourglass came into view. Faint powder flowed down.

“This is.”

“It’s a magic power measuring device specifically for detecting enemy ambushes. The Director said to give it to you.”

“Isn’t this an artifact that directly fuses high-level magic technology? Haha. I wonder if we should receive something like this…..”

“The Association is always open.”

Silence flowed. The general assembly representative nodded hurriedly with trembling hands.

Erica smiled slightly.

She was pretty.

The first meeting ended. We left the building and entered the street.

“Whew. I thought I was going to die from nervousness.”

I blinked.

“You did well though? You were cool!”

“I don’t want to hear that from someone who slept leaning on my shoulder from the middle.”

I’ve been caught.

“Are you going when they exterminate the group too?”

“Since I’m part of this operation too….. I’m planning to go. Leaving other Association work to others.”

“Then I should go too.”

“Why?”

I turned my head. Golden hair fluttered.

“No, well. It’s nothing else. Just curious.”

Erica slightly averted her eyes.

Is it pure curiosity? Well, that’s true too. The unpredictable girl has been continuously cooperative lately.

And the time has come to break that.

“My place is originally by your side, isn’t it?”

Erica twisted her side hair. And her snow-white eyes turned to me again.

Suddenly, I saw her cheeks turning red.

“Because you have to kill me.”

Soon after, eyes full of disbelief came in.

“…..I don’t even know what I’m hearing.”

“Hm?”

“Right. That’s right. You deserve punishment.”

I smiled slightly.

I lit an incense candle and lay down on the sofa. After all, I like quiet and dark places.

Anyway, I should slowly think about Behemoth, which is a long-term goal.

As it’s a top-tier amphibious monster that needs to be summoned directly, unlike gate monsters, materials need to be collected too.

I pondered for a moment.

Maybe this necromancer group could be helpful. The magic stones that can be obtained by killing them who have given up on being human will surely be of help.

Materials. Synthesis method. And quantity.

For now, let’s focus on terrorism.

The blood-red flame turned blue. Following the rippling air, the outlined modeling brightly colored the surroundings.

“Pretty.”

[ Are you perhaps plotting something strange? ]

“Even if you say that, I believe you’ll understand me.”

[ Sigh. ]

I roughly ignored it and turned my gaze.

It’s a model expressing the Uijeongbu Alliance building and its surrounding streets in an appropriate size.

The ground is still desolate. It’s messy and dirty. It’s been days since it was cleaned.

In contrast, the Alliance building is well-maintained. As I remember, it was partially magically treated.

Anyway, the main characters are me and Erica. The situation just needs to be chaotic. Magical beasts can break through the glass windows all around and rush in, or necro races can be summoned from the ground.

I pondered for a moment. And my eyes naturally turned to the model.

If I choose, the latter would be better. The former can create chaos at once by shattering the glass windows, but I have to consider the magically treated outer walls and windows shown in the model.

But necro races are different. They can be summoned wherever and whenever there’s ground. It’s also easy for them to run wild in a rusting city. The atmosphere is perfect too. A skeleton army slowly rising like flowers blooming stealthily is a romantic idea.

Skeletons are low-tier among necro races. If they seem weaker than expected during the terrorism, I can infuse them with magical power.

Now there’s only one person I need to find.

I jumped out of the house at once. A blood-red ring spread widely.

“Come on. Please. It’s a very important time right now.”

[ I understand, so stop urging. ]

Letters were engraved and flashed. A huge magic circle emitted light and sent out currents.

Bloody fluttered its small wings. And turned its head.

[ It’s that way. ]

Fortunately, it wasn’t far. Because the area is desolate not only in Uijeongbu but also extending to the edge of Namyangju connected to Yangpyeong, it should be quite easy to find him.

As I moved my steps, I saw a man. Silver hair fluttered and a shovel sliced through the air. Numerous rectangular graves were visible and tombstones filled the area.

“Mr. Reaper!”

The Reaper looked at me while dusting off her dirt-covered shovel. Her eyes were somewhat tired.

“We meet again.”

“Indeed.”

I smiled slightly. And unknowingly grasped the knife in my pocket.

No. No.

There’s no need to threaten necessarily.

“It’s tough.”

“Wow. How much have you dug?”

“I need to raise my stats with this opportunity. It’s an unavoidable measure.”

There’s such a thing as atmosphere. It doesn’t seem very fun to hold a knife to the serious and blunt Reaper. I wasn’t that bad of a person.

“But your stats are already top-tier, aren’t they?”

“I dream of being an eternal high ranker.”

Her hair drooped.

“Of course, that much effort should follow.”

Then there’s a good method. I raised the knife and infused it with magical power.

Enough to use as a negotiation material.