Chapter 35: Suspicion (3)

Two days after subjugating the Vampiric Tree.

Han-seong had fully recovered his condition through sufficient rest. And in this process, he experienced several big and small changes.

First, he got a new wheelchair.

Originally, he was going to search a nearby hospital, but that wasn’t necessary. Because there were several wheelchairs registered in the auction house.

‘The price wasn’t that expensive either.’

Above all, he liked that it looked much sturdier than the wheelchair he had been using.

And the room that had once been a mess due to the attack of the man-eating flowers is now neatly organized. The broken window has also been replaced with a new one.

A change impossible with Han-seong’s power alone.

There was someone else who solved the problem.

‘I survived thanks to Ji-hye.’

Her physical abilities as a vampire far surpassed those of an ordinary human. Tearing out the window and replacing it was no big deal.

There was also a change in the relationship with Ji-hye.

While explaining to her the reason for his paralysis from the waist down, Ji-hye learned Han-seong’s age and said it was okay to speak comfortably.

So from now on, they would speak more casually.

‘And…’

The Collector, which had entered hibernation due to damage sustained in the battle with the Vampiric Tree, had completed its recovery.

The scheduled hibernation time was 48 hours.

Originally, it would have taken a bit longer, but that wasn’t necessary. It was thanks to one of the vampire’s unique skills.

『Blood Aura』

A skill that recovers 3 mana per second and increases regeneration by more than three times. The Collector was also affected by this skill.

Thanks to that, the waiting time was reduced to about 1/3, and it came out of hibernation yesterday afternoon.

[Replica: Collector]

[Standby state released]

[Switching to Manual Mode]

Han-seong moved his body from the bed to the wheelchair with the Collector’s help. Then his eyes fell on a large pot placed in the corner next to the desk.

A pot as large as a jar.

A dark red tree just over 1 meter tall was growing there. A tree with a familiar appearance, spreading sharp branches in all directions.

It was the Vampiric Tree.

[Name]: Vampire Tree Sapling

[Current Stage]: 5/9 stages

Yesterday afternoon, he planted the Vampiric Tree seed in a pot he had obtained from the room across. To put into practice the hypothesis he had come up with two days ago.

Han-seong hunted zombies within a 1km radius using the Collector. Then he collected their blood and poured it into the Vampiric Tree seed.

‘At first I wondered if this would work, but…’

His worry was unfounded.

The seed sprouted in less than 10 minutes, and soon grew vigorously.

After realizing that even the rotten blood of zombies increased the numbers, he used the Collector to collect zombie blood indiscriminately.

And as a result.

‘It’s become like this in just one day.’

Although the required blood amount increased as the stages progressed, at this rate, he would be able to make the Vampiric Tree complete before long.

Han-seong looked at the sapling with a satisfied face.

A formidable enemy when faced as an opponent. But what if it becomes an ally? Just thinking about it gives an incredibly reassuring feeling.

‘On the other hand…’

The Gu Poison Egg, which he had obtained as loot before the Vampiric Tree seed, was still growing slowly.

The reason was simple.

Just like the Vampiric Tree, the mana requirement increased noticeably as the stages progressed. The problem was that the amount exceeded expectations.

[Name]: Gu Poison Egg

[Current Stage]: 5/10 stages

It’s only at stage 5 and already like this.

Considering that the requirement doubled with each stage, it seems the Gu Poison Egg will need a bit more time until hatching.

Sighing, he hid the Gu Poison Egg under the desk. Around that time, he saw the once-dark sky gradually brightening.

Saaaa!

The scene of dawn ending.

As he gazed at the sky slowly brightening, Han-seong recalled the fierce battle from two days ago.

‘I really almost died this time.’

He had felt crisis when first facing the Collector after Phase 2 began, but at least then his base wasn’t attacked.

In contrast, this time he was cornered in many aspects. So there were three things he realized through this incident.

‘I need a means to protect my body.’

The first of these was the necessity of defensive skills.

Until now, he had only annihilated enemies from a distance, and had never been directly attacked at his base, so he had no interest in defensive skills.

Also, there was the Dimensional Isolation skill.

But this incident made him keenly realize.

‘I need to defend the base itself.’

To be able to withstand attacks to some extent.

Also, defensive skills to protect himself are necessary. There’s no guarantee that something like this won’t happen again.

Next, the second realization was an extension of protecting the body mentioned earlier.

‘Defense is important, but the most important thing is…’

Not letting your location be discovered in the first place.

Of course, Magic Castle has a concealment function, but it’s uneasy to rely on just that. In fact, it was helplessly penetrated by the attack of the man-eating flowers.

So along with defensive skills, base concealment skills are needed. However, apart from the realization, it was impossible to come up with countermeasures right away.

‘There are no skillbooks themselves.’

No matter how thoroughly he searched the auction house or looked through the shop, not a single skillbook related to defense or base concealment could be found.

Could it be that they can only be obtained through special routes?

Whatever the case, let’s learn them as a top priority if they can be obtained. Han-seong firmly resolved.

Lastly, the third thing he realized was that the number of skills he had acquired was insufficient.

‘So far, I’ve acquired twelve skills.’

Considering that the maximum number of acquirable skill slots is twenty, the number of skills possessed is too few. So he needs to learn more skills.

To this end, Han-seong purchased and acquired three attack skillbooks from those sold in the shop.

《Chain Lightning》

《Water Blast》

《Bleeding Wounds》

An electric skill that strikes enemies in succession.

A water attribute skill that strikes enemies within range with powerful water pressure. And a skill that attacks enemies in a narrow range and inflicts the status effect: Bleeding.

These seemed to be the most versatile attack skills among those sold in the shop.

Now five slots remain.

It would be just right to fill these with two attack skills, two defense or concealment skills, and leave one slot empty just in case.

‘Right. I’d like to increase the slots a bit more too.’

Twenty seems a bit few.

It should be about thirty to easily win against strong enemies like the Vampiric Tree. Currently, the only way to increase slots is through promotion.

But there was a problem with this.

‘Rank experience…’

It’s not accumulating at all.

Since promoting to 3rd Tier, the rank experience Han-seong had gathered so far was only 10%.

He always meditated when resting, and used skills frequently, but it’s still only this much. At this rate, how long would it take to gather experience?

So he had this thought.

‘Perhaps it was designed from the beginning to accumulate experience through other methods?’

From 3rd Tier, there are largely three ways to accumulate rank experience. Meditation, repeated use of skills, and gaining enlightenment of the Magic Way.

Among these, the most effective is understanding and enlightenment of the Magic Way. Just looking at the description, it says you can gain a large amount of rank experience.

The problem is that he doesn’t know what that is.

“Haaa.”

Back to square one with his worries.

Han-seong let out a sigh as if the ground would cave in. Then he quickly shook off his idle thoughts. Because he knew it was a question that wouldn’t be solved no matter how much he pondered.

After organizing his thoughts, he stretched to loosen his stiff body. As he did so, he saw a familiar tree shape under the brightened sky.

“…But why isn’t that disappearing?”

Han-seong had definitely subjugated the Vampiric Tree.

The subjugation notification had appeared, and all the man-eating flowers it had controlled had vanished from the map. But there was just one thing that didn’t disappear.

The pillar of the Vampiric Tree visible across the Han River.

He thought it would naturally disappear after some time passed, but even on the second day today, it shows no signs of disappearing, let alone collapsing.

‘Should I investigate?’

If he sends the Collector to search the surroundings, wouldn’t he be able to find the reason? Having finished this thought, Han-seong immediately put it into action.

The Collector went up to the rooftop via the stairs and immediately jumped towards the destination.

Whoosh!

The Collector, boasting excellent jumping power, moved from rooftop to rooftop. As it was approaching Jamsil Bridge like that.

“Oh?”

A group of people came into view.

A group crossing over to this side via Jamsil Bridge, divided into two vehicles. Han-seong felt curious and moved the Collector to the entrance.

Screech!

Soon the vehicles stopped in front of the Collector.

Then the person who got out of the car was a man in a shabby suit. He smiled warmly at the Collector and shouted without preamble:

“Mage! We meet here!”

He was a familiar face to Han-seong as well.

Axe Warrior Park Young-cheol.

He was the leader of the Yeoksam Station survivor group that Han-seong had escorted to Kangil Girls’ High School two days ago. Young-cheol shouted as if glad to see the Collector:

“Is now a good time?”

Does he have something important to say?

Young-cheol’s face looked quite serious.

However, he was more concerned about the people in the vehicles for now. Han-seong moved the Collector’s arm to point at the men and women in the cars.

Then the people pointed at by the Collector flinched, and Young-cheol, noticing this, smiled bitterly and answered:

“Ah, they are from the command of Kangil Girls’ High School. When I said I was coming to meet the Mage today, they insisted on coming along.”

Oh, come to think of it, Kangil Girls’ High School was also attacked by the man-eating flowers, right? As he was realizing this forgotten fact, Young-cheol brought up the main point again.

“The reason I came is because I have something I’d like to ask the Mage.”

“So, if possible, could you send your representative?”

Something he wants to ask.

This works out well. Han-seong also had something he wanted to ask the survivors of Kangil Girls’ High School.

Han-seong nodded the Collector’s body up and down. Young-cheol, seeing this action and understanding what it meant, immediately brightened.

“Thank you! Then we’ll wait at Jamsil Station Exit 5 like last time.”

He’s really quick-witted.

Han-seong moved the Collector’s body up and down again. Then he turned its direction and immediately ordered it to return to the officetel.

Some time later.

Han-seong called Ji-hye to his room.

Unlike before, she entered through the front door and listened silently to what he had to say.

After a considerable amount of time had passed.

“I see. I understand.”

Ji-hye nodded.

As if she had realized what she needed to do. Then she looked at Han-seong again and asked:

“So what should I ask?”

“Ask Park Young-cheol if there’s someone similar to the Poison Master at Kangil Girls’ High School.”

Han-seong had already grasped the situation at Kangil Girls’ High School to some extent through the Detection skill.

Everything from the fact that about 70 survivors had died in the battle with the man-eating flowers two days ago, to the fact that there were many survivors around level 10.

‘However…’

He doesn’t know about the survivors’ tendencies.

Therefore, even if there was someone hiding who dominated and exploited others like the Poison Master, it would be difficult to find out with just Detection.

“What if they say there is?”

“Obviously, we’ll have to deal with them.”

Because there’s a possibility they might lure elite monsters this way, just like the Poison Master did. Ji-hye smiled brightly, seeming satisfied with Han-seong’s answer.

“Alright. Then I’ll be going.”

She spun around and left the room.

Then, as if suddenly remembering something she had forgotten, she spread her left palm and said:

“Ah, if there’s anything else you want to ask, please tell me through this. I’ll handle it on site.”

“Okay, I’m counting on you.”

Ji-hye’s left palm.

There was a pattern similar to the Blood Imprint engraved on Han-seong’s left hand.

It was a fact he had accidentally discovered yesterday afternoon, but it had one special function.

‘A function to communicate remotely.’

If you put your lips to your palm and speak as if whispering, the words Han-seong uttered are transmitted into the other person’s mind. The reverse was also true.

‘Of course, I can’t hear voices other than Ji-hye’s, but…’

That’s not something to worry about.

Because there’s the Collector. Han-seong controlled the Collector to follow behind Ji-hye, and before long, they arrived at their destination.

Jamsil Station Exit 5.

Young-cheol’s group, who had parked their vehicles, gathered around the station. As they were waiting for the Mage’s representative to arrive.

Kim Mi-young, a Healing Mage belonging to the Kangil Girls’ High School command, suddenly spoke to Young-cheol.

“How long do we have to wait?”

“Until the Mage arrives.”

“What? You’re saying we should just wait indefinitely without even setting a meeting time? What if we get attacked by monsters while waiting…”

“It’s fine. That won’t happen.”

“What do you mean?”

Mi-young asked back in a bewildered tone.

Young-cheol saw his past self in her. So he smiled and said:

“There are no monsters around here.”

“What nonsense…”

“It’s true. Even if you go to nearby buildings or the subway station, there are no monsters. It’s all a safe zone up to 300 meters ahead.”

Young-cheol said with certainty.

After all, he had seen it with his own eyes. To this, Mi-young asked back with a half-doubting face:

“H-how is that possible?”

“Because the Mage found and eliminated all the monsters one by one.”

The answer that came with the question.

However, the owner of the voice was not Young-cheol.

The soft, melodious voice that sounded almost coquettish was clearly a woman’s voice.

At this, everyone turned their gaze.

What followed was the appearance of the Mage’s representative, Lee Ji-hye, who revealed herself along with the Collector. She smiled gently at Young-cheol.

“Hello. We meet again.”

“Re-Representative?!”

Young-cheol shouted in surprise.

Ji-hye tilted her head at Young-cheol’s surprised expression.

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”

“Ah, excuse me. It’s just that you seem a bit different from when I last saw you.”

“It must be your imagination.”

“No, just looking at your eye color…”

“It’s your imagination.”

Ji-hye smiled brightly.

As if telling him not to pry further.

The quick-witted Young-cheol caught on to this immediately and promptly shut his mouth.

“More importantly, what did you want to say?”

“Ah, well, that is…”

Where should he start?

Young-cheol closed his mouth for a moment and racked his brain. It was to organize the order of what to say.

But then.

“May I explain?”

Someone abruptly joined the conversation.

A man in his late 20s. A young man with a sturdy build and a friendly face. Ji-hye narrowed her eyes at the appearance of the unfamiliar face.

“Who are you?”

“Excuse me. I’m Oh Suho, a Paladin belonging to the Kangil Girls’ High School command. First, there’s something I’d like to confirm.”

Suho continued speaking.

“By any chance, the zombies the Mage talks about…”

“Mage-nim.”

“Pardon?”

“Call him Mage-nim. With respect.”

“…Ahem! Yes, I understand.”

A voice filled with strength.

Feeling an inexplicable pressure from her serious expression, Suho let out a short cough.

“Then I’ll ask again. I’d like to know if there are any talking zombies among the monsters controlled by Mage-nim.”

Suho finished his question.

Meanwhile, around that time, Han-seong, who was eavesdropping on the conversation remotely through the Collector, tilted his head.

‘Talking zombies?’

He can control zombies themselves.

After all, the Collector has a skill called Puppetry.

However, that doesn’t mean they have language abilities or anything. Then a familiar voice was heard in his head. It was Ji-hye’s voice.

-What should I answer?

“Tell them there aren’t any. As you know, the only monster I control is the Collector.”

-Understood.

After instructing the answer through the Blood Imprint, Han-seong focused on their conversation again. Ji-hye nodded and pointed at Young-cheol as she spoke.

“There aren’t any. If Mage-nim was capable of such a thing, he would have sent talking zombies instead of me when we first met.”

“That’s a fair point.”

Young-cheol nodded silently.

On the other hand, Suho’s expression darkened, as if it wasn’t the answer he wanted. Feeling curious about this reaction, Ji-hye threw a question back.

“But why are you asking that?”

“Well, that’s…”

Suho hesitated to answer.

He looked like he was pondering how to respond. Then Young-cheol nudged his shoulder with his elbow.

“Let’s tell the truth. Mage-nim might have information about this.”

“…Sigh, alright. I understand.”

Suho, who had been contemplating, nodded.

And a detailed explanation began.

About 5 days ago.

On a foggy evening, about the ‘talking zombie’ that came to Kangil Girls’ High School.