Chapter 267

Chapter 267. Promised Counterattack (4)

‘It must have been a shame to destroy it with their own hands.’

Just a brief glance told me that an enormous amount of labor had gone into building this tower.

Therefore, they must have initially considered the possibility of reclaiming it.

‘They probably also assumed that we, as outsiders, wouldn’t be able to handle the Magic Tower properly.’

In reality, mages often referred to players with derogatory terms like mutants or fakes.

The fundamental mindset was to disdain us.

But unfortunately for them.

‘Among the fakes, I have quite a decent skill.’

Having taken over the second tower, I probably changed their minds with my adept usage of the magic circle.

Reclaiming it seemed less important than conceding the disadvantage of just leaving it there.

‘It can’t be helped.’

Though it was a bit regrettable, it wasn’t a significant issue even if the Magic Tower collapsed.

For me, the Magic Tower was not something precious or worth cherishing.

Everything here was just a key enemy facility to be destroyed upon leaving.

There was nothing better if they destroyed it on their own without using any of my power.

‘Still, let’s try to stall for a bit longer.’

I wanted all defensive magic removed before withdrawing.

The absence or presence of defensive magic would significantly alter the difficulty of the remaining battles.

I kept a close eye on the defensive magic of the second tower, which had begun to collapse in earnest.

I had to gauge how long it could hold out.

After a few minutes, another gigantic shockwave swept all around.

The defensive magic of the fourth tower, which was being attacked by the second tower, collapsed.

I then immediately targeted the first tower.

However, the defensive magic of the second tower collapsed first.

Following that, mana surged almost simultaneously from the first and fourth towers.

‘They’ve decided to utterly pulverize it.’

Mocking in solitude, I closely monitored the two kinds of magic that were rapidly completed.

One was the meteor magic I had used moments ago for supporting fire towards Ethan, and the other seemed to be of the wind attribute.

As much as I appreciated their effort to match the attributes, I couldn’t help but think,

‘You’ve wasted your mana on useless things.’

With a light laugh, I glanced to the side.

-K: Hurry up and give it to me.

-Kj: Taking it back after giving is just… ugh.

Despite the repeated urging, Kim Yul grumbled but promptly used the gifting function to hand over the item.

Thanks to him, I managed to hold onto the Owl’s companion just in time, and I stored the two types of area magic flying towards the second tower in the artifact.

‘Should I at least express some gratitude?’

After all, I had enhanced my strength thanks to them.

It felt proper to drop by and convey my thanks at least once.

A fifth-rank magic was worth as much.

Among players, there were not many who possessed fifth-rank mana.

Moreover, it wasn’t a time when people could casually afford magic worth billions in the shops.

I returned the dagger to Kim Yul with an added message.

-K: If you use it quickly and pass it back, I’ll refill it.

-Kj: Amazing lololol Was wondering what you were up to, and you fill the empty slots not legit funny.

The magic, which had vanished moments ago, sprung up again from where Kim Yul was likely to be.

As a result, the entrance of the fourth tower completely flew away.

The time it took to get the dagger back to my hand was barely about 30 seconds.

After stealing and returning the magic a couple of times, offensive magics stopped flying at me.

Of course, they weren’t just idly sitting around and taking it either.

They found where the missing magic re-emerged and moved to intercept.

Because the magic attack was focused on Kim Yul, he kept stealing it and reusing it that way.

I no longer told Kim Yul to pass the dagger to me.

I had already accomplished everything I wanted to.

Boom!

Finally, I managed to destroy the defensive magic of the first tower.

Having captured one magic tower and removing the defensive magic of the other three was something I prided myself on as a remarkable achievement.

‘No wonder they say a single loach can muddy the water.’

After another shockwave exploded, I activated a few more attack magic circles.

‘I’ve done enough that they should be able to handle the rest.’

I withdrew from the second tower and dashed through the air.

Simultaneously, I took out Reitan’s compass from my inventory.

‘Direction: 4 o’clock.’

While there was nothing in sight now, a message had clearly popped up when I arrived at the second tower.

「The trait Inheritance Candidate is activated.」

「There is a divinity that can be seized within a 500m radius.」

Thanks to the trait that had grown to a sprout, the perception range had expanded.

Because of this, an arrow indicating the location of the divinity appeared on one corner of my vision.

Although it disappeared soon after the players began their attack,

‘Still, as it’s the only successful experimental subject, it won’t leave the island of its own accord.’

That being the case, temporarily distancing oneself wasn’t a serious issue.

After dealing with urgent matters, chasing it down would suffice.

I dashed in the direction pointed by Reitan’s compass briefly.

「The trait Inheritance Candidate is activated.」

「There is a divinity that can be seized within a 500m radius.」

Once again, a message appeared, and an arrow showed up.

Staring at the steadfast arrow pointing in a single direction, for some reason, it felt as if the Damned System was urging me.

Hurry up and go there; plunder the divinity.

I crinkled my brow at the peculiar sensation, but nonetheless, hastened my steps.

“Wow… how much is all this?”

“Stacked up like crazy.”

“These madmen… likely had no use for it anyway, but why so much?”

While explosions echoed from all directions, there were some who headed to unexpected places away from the battlefield.

“Rather than standing around and chatting, fill up your inventory, idiots.”

They were players taking advantage of the chaos to rob the mages’ treasures.

They were six in number.

They emptied any inventory holding random items and hurried towards the gold and silver.

“So, James, how did you find out about this place?”

Even as they spoke, they asked James, who had led them here.

To which James, wearing a haggard expression, glanced back at the one who questioned him and said,

“Why do you need to know?”

His cold reply caused an unpleasant twitch at the corners of the questioner’s mouth.

However, caring little for that, James began to coldly pack the gold and jewels into his inventory.

“If you tagged along like leeches, pack your share and leave; don’t talk to me pointlessly.”

“You…!”

As his words dripped with thorough disregard and contempt, the other started to yell.

Nevertheless,

“Ha ha ha! What does it matter how he knew!”

“Yeah, yeah! Just take your share and let’s leave!”

Others intervened to prevent a quarrel from breaking out between the two.

“Haha, finally I’m rich!”

“Let’s live lavishly!”

“Let’s take this loot to Gemal, I hear the black market is bigger there.”

“I’ve heard they run slave auctions too; wanna check it out?”

“What about meeting on Earth?”

“I agree! If we’re going to party, returning to Earth is better. This place sucks.”

“Damn, I can’t go back; I’m wanted.”

“You think you’re the only one? I’m wanted by Interpol too.”

“Use Invisibility magic stones, you blockhead.”

Their cheerful chatter filled the storage room as they excitedly filled their inventories.

But it wasn’t long before it subsided.

The ground rumbled with a loud ‘Boom,’ momentarily halting their conversation.

“Damn, they’re tearing it up over there.”

Though they were startled when players first crowded in, by now, they felt like applauding the player who had found the island and stormed it.

The raid had even drawn the mages, who had been monitoring them, off to the top floor.

Taking advantage of that, James was the first to exit the second tower.

The other five, gauging the situation, followed him.

Though no one had explicitly mentioned it, all six shared the same goal.

To rob the mages’ wealth and escape the island.

There was no guilt over leaving the mages they’d lived with for over half a year.

‘They’re the ones who double-crossed us first.’

The mages had initially proposed that they research the outsider’s power.

The compensation they offered was rather tempting.

It was an offer any modern person dreaming of effortless success would be drawn to.

Had they known the promise included death, they wouldn’t have agreed.

Once they learned everything, they tried to escape, but it was a futile endeavor.

Every escape attempt ended in failure.

Though they made hasty attempts to seek rescue from the association, whatever was done by the mages rendered communication and website usage impossible.

Wherever they went, the mages’ surveillance followed.

‘I can’t just die like a lab frog here.’

Each day was nerve-wrenching.

Of those who had been taken by the mages, only one returned alive: James, who had guided them here.

He occasionally strutted around, declaring he was a messenger of god.

Until one day, he began coughing up blood with a pale complexion.

On days he was separately summoned by the mages, he resisted with near-convulsions.

Each time, the mages mercilessly subdued and took him.

The sight was akin to a beast being dragged to the slaughter.

The five who decided to follow James did so for that exact reason.

‘That guy would surely want to leave here more than anyone.’

He’d know more than they did, in any case.

To escape during the chaos, following James seemed the best choice.

It turned out to be a wise decision.

They were able to stash away a nice loot before leaving.

“That last one was heavy. An area magic, maybe?”

“Probably that. Let’s hurry before we get caught in it.”

“How do we get out of here? Wouldn’t it be wise to plan that first?”

“Can’t we just use teleportation stones?”

“You idiot, you can’t jump between the island interior and exterior.”

“James, what’s your plan?”

“What plan? We need to get past the outer barrier…”

“Wow, almost left without knowing about such a treasure trove.”

They simultaneously froze when the black-clad Asian man walked into the storage.

Looking up at the symbol on his head, it was clear he was a player like them.

With not many players left on the island, they typically knew each other by face.

This man was undoubtedly new.

Which meant only one thing.

‘A player from the island raid.’

Why he’d come here instead of the raging battle was unclear.

“I’ve been spending money all over recently, felt like my back might just snap.”

As if chatting with long-standing friends,

“Thanks to you, I’ve dodged bankruptcy.”

The man leisurely sauntered into the treasure vault, continuing to speak.

It was then that they realized something.

‘James…’

The man’s gaze was fixated on James from start to finish as if he had specifically sought him out.

The sudden thought that occurred was that,

‘Does this guy have a grudge against him?’

‘Did he track him down after spotting him?’

‘If that’s the case, just handing James over would suffice, right?’

‘No need to get involved in someone else’s business. Let’s get out of here.’

‘Even if it’s a bit regrettable, what we’ve got should set us up comfortably.’

Exchanging glances, the five quietly crept away from James.

Watching them, James let out a sigh of disbelief.

Regardless,

“You seem to have some business with him, so we’ll step aside.”

“We’ve gathered enough; you can have the rest.”

“With your need for money, this is your jackpot.”

When they began to step aside, a voice came from the stranger armed with a spear.

“Where do you think you’re going? I have no intention of letting you leave.”

His relaxed tone sounded ominous.

Blue sparks began to crackle from the spear he was holding.

“Wait a minute!”

“We didn’t want to be here!”

“That’s right, we were tricked!”

“Can’t you tell? We were about to escape amidst the chaos!”

“What’s the problem? We’re leaving some for you, too!”

Despite their frantic pleas and raised equipment, it was futile.

“I’m not remotely interested in your excuses.”

With a sinister smile, the man slashed through them mercilessly with his spear.

Damned System