Chapter 137. Test (2)
RUMBLE.......
The stone snake crumbled as it divided into hundreds of stone lumps.
And the stone snake that collapsed like that couldn't move again.
Riman sat on one of the large stone lumps.
“Ah, cold.”
Riman, who sat down without knowing the stone was wet, was startled and lifted his butt.
For reference, Riman wasn't wet at all despite the water deluge.
Because his barrier had deflected all the water.
“Phew, well there's nowhere to sit......”
Just as he was grumbling like that.
CREAK......-
The door of the room opened, and two n walked in.
One was the wizard who brought Riman here.
And the other one was.......
‘Sanhae's Headmaster, huh.’
Although it was a face he already knew, Riman pretended not to know.
Because it was his first encounter in this world.
Riman approached the Headmaster.
Soon, the three stopped facing each other.
After a brief tension and silence hung between the three n.
The Headmaster spoke first.
“...Breaking the snake's jaw to induce restoration and create cracks, using sprinklers to make the cracks absorb water, and then freezing it with magic to burst it, huh......”
“.......”
“Using magic in the right place at the right ti, appropriate utilization of surrounding objects, and even perfect grasp of the enemy's characteristics. Truly a perfect battle. If you were my student, I would have given you full marks without hesitation.”
“Thank you for your words, but what I need isn't grading but an explanation.”
“Hm?”
“Try explaining. What on earth was the idea behind this?”
Upon Riman's visit to Sanhae, the Headmaster had abruptly shoved him into a room full of combat automatic dolls.
From Riman's perspective, it was incomprehensible.
Because the Sanhae Headmaster Riman knew was the type to just kick out people he didn't like.
Not the type to test soone annoyingly like this.
The Headmaster said.
“It was to save you.”
“......?”
Nurous question marks passed through Riman's mind.
“...You shove a person into a room with combat dolls and a giant snake, and say what? To save ? Are you kidding?”
“Hey! Watch your language in front of the Headmaster!”
“Hey you fucker, he's your Headmaster, not mine?”
“Wha......!”
As the attendant and Riman growled at each other, the Headmaster intervened.
“Quiet. I will explain everything.”
Moving his gaze to Riman, the Headmaster said.
“I heard you ca here to rescue Lancelot Powell. Is that correct?”
“That is correct.”
“That's why I staged this. If you can't pass even a test of this level, nine out of ten tis you would die in the process of rescuing Lancelot.”
Lancelot Powell.
Finally, words Riman wanted to hear popped out of the Headmaster's mouth.
Riman asked.
“What happened to Lancelot?”
“To state just the conclusion, Lancelot Powell has been dragged sowhere and his life or death is currently unclear.”
“......!”
This ti Riman was genuinely surprised a bit.
There exists a being who can make that Sword Saint monster's life or death unclear?
That makes
a bit curious?
“...So unless one is a fairly strong individual, there's a high probability of just dying if they go to save Lancelot. So I filtered once with a test like this. To confirm if you are at a level where you won't go and die.”
“No, but what were you going to do if I died here?”
“Whether you die there or die here, isn't dying all the sa.”
“.......”
“It's a joke. I placed restrictions on the clay dolls and the stone snake. So they couldn't kill the opponent.”
“Hmm.”
“So for now......”
SWISH.
Extending his hand to Riman, the Headmaster said.
“Let's do the greeting we missed. I am Sanhae's Headmaster, Cheonjan.”
Cheonjan.
The Headmaster of Sanhae Magic Tower, and the one called the strongest summoner in existence.
Accepting his handshake, Riman said.
“Leman White, just a Headhunter.”
“Nice to et you. Then shall we move? This place is a bit chaotic for a long talk.”
“Fine.”
Riman followed behind the Headmaster and the attendant out of the room.
While walking along the hallway, Cheonjan asked.
“By the way, you used quite unique techniques.”
“Yes?”
“Using magic of various lineages in unusual ways, what thod did you use?”
“If I tell you the thod, can you give
a few volus of Sanhae's secret manuals?”
“Haha! Right, coming out like that is normal.”
Of course, Riman had no intention of telling his magic system, nor could he tell in the first place.
Because he himself didn't know well by what principle his magic operated.
Especially why all magic activated pitch-black - regarding this part, Riman also had no guess.
CREAK......-
The three entered the Headmaster's office.
The attendant naturally stepped aside to prepare tea, and Riman and Cheonjan sat facing each other with a tea table between them.
Cheonjan said.
“Have you heard of Kowloon Walled City?”
“I saw it once on the way here. I only know roughly that it's a slum.”
“Correct. Though it's a place with a unique structure found nowhere else in the world.”
The place where Kowloon Walled City currently stands was a perfectly fine military garrison just in the late 19th century.
However, undergoing various incidents, it degenerated into a no-man's-land with no managing entity.
Eventually becoming a lawless zone, it turned into a slum absorbing all nearby vagrants.
And as this period of lawlessness prolonged, ceaseless expansion and overcrowding proceeded, becoming the appearance it has today.
With countless high-rise buildings packed tightly together.
“But why talk about Kowloon Walled City......”
“Because the place where Lancelot Powell went missing is exactly Kowloon Walled City.”
“......!”
What is this?
I didn't expect a story developnt like this.
“...But isn't Kowloon Walled City just a simple slum? As far as I know, it's not a place where soone with Lancelot's combat power would go missing.”
Kowloon Walled City in this worldview was ‘relatively’ not that dangerous a place.
Of course, being a slum, it was a place where all sorts of criminal organizations and psychos road.
But that was the sa outside Kowloon Walled City too.
Therefore, Kowloon Walled City wasn't particularly more dangerous.
It wasn't like a Demonic Beast habitat was inside either.
So it didn't really appear as a play area in the ga either.
But the Sword Saint went missing in such a place?
The gentleman who could really kill all the criminals there if he set his mind to it?
“As you say. Kowloon Walled City isn't a dangerous place. At least for people like the Sword Saint or .”
“Then why......”
“Because it has beco dangerous now.”
“Beco dangerous?”
“It was a week ago. Everyone residing inside Kowloon Walled City went missing.”
“......?”
Once again, a large amount of question marks passed through Riman's mind.
Because this too was an event that had never happened, not even similarly, in the ga.
“...Missing? The population inside there should be tens of thousands?”
“Actually, missing is a euphemism. On our side, we are practically treating it as total death.”
“Yet seeing it nad missing for now, it ans no bodies were found.”
“Right.”
“Then is it a kind of evaporation? People just disappeared entirely?”
“Actually, even that cannot be known.”
“Yes?”
“Because one cannot enter inside Kowloon Walled City.”
“Uh... did a barrier appear or sothing?”
“No. People who enter also go missing.”
“......!”
Now the outline of this situation began to form in Riman's mind.
“A week ago, suddenly the flow of people entering and leaving Kowloon Walled City stopped abruptly. No one ca out, and those who went in couldn't co out. A place where thousands co and go daily, but that flow itself disappeared. So our Sanhae side also comnced an investigation. Since Kowloon Walled City belongs to Sanhae's district too.”
“So you dispatched an investigation team, and the investigation team also went missing entirely?”
“Exactly. So we requested help from the World Federation Governnt. That's why Lancelot ca.”
CLATTER.
Prepared teacups and a teapot were placed on the table.
The aroma was quite deep.
Lifting the teacup, Riman said.
“The World Federation Governnt made a big decision. To send the Sword Saint, of all people.”
“Do you know what the population inside Kowloon Walled City is? 60,000. 60,000 people went missing at once, and one massive district beca a sealed zone entirely. For a situation of this scale, it's worth the World Governnt moving.”
“Then......”
“The problem is that Lancelot Powell, who ca dispatched like that, went missing.”
“...After entering Kowloon Walled City, you an?”
“Right.”
“Why didn't you stop him from entering? You said it beca a zone no one can enter or leave?”
“First, what you need to know is, it's not a completely inaccessible zone. The entrance part of Kowloon Walled City, that is, 3% of the total area, has currently finished being pioneered.”
“Wait, then can one freely enter and leave the pioneered zone?”
“That is so.”
“Then hasn't the reason for that anomaly in Kowloon Walled City been identified too?”
“That's not it. Just because you dug a tunnel doesn't an you've identified the geological characteristics of that ground.”
SIP.
Cheonjan swallowed a sip of tea and continued.
“...For reference, pioneering is at a standstill at the 3% mark. We attempted pioneering beyond that, but it was eventually impossible. And the Sword Saint... went missing while attempting to go beyond that.”
“.......”
“Now, anyway, the current situation is like this. So I ask. Can you rescue Lancelot Powell from Kowloon Walled City?”
“I don't know, that.”
“Good answer. It gives trust.”
“Yes?”
“Because among those full of self-assurance, there are many swindlers.”
“Aha.”
“Then with what thought did you co here?”
“For now, I have no particular other thoughts than that I should go to the scene. As of now, that is.”
“Good. Then let's depart imdiately. My attendant will help guide you again.”
At so point, the attendant ca and stood by Riman.
The Headmaster said to him.
“Escort him to Kowloon Walled City, and introduce him to Yenzen. Book accommodation at the finest hotel nearby.”
“Yes!”
“Then Mr. Leman, we part ways here for a mont. I have a lot of work to do.”
Like that, Riman climbed onto the palanquin on the turtle's back again.
How long did they fly?
The turtle settled at the entrance of Kowloon Walled City.
‘It's here.’
Magnificent, dense, and horrifyingly old.
This was the first impression of seeing Kowloon Walled City from the front.
“Co this way. I will introduce you to the Investigation Team Leader.”
Riman walked following the attendant.
Tents erected here and there and people busily moving between them were noticeable.
A scene one could see at a disaster site was here too.
And it was actually a disaster site.
The attendant took Riman into a certain tent.
Inside, a few people were standing surrounding a table with serious expressions.
But among them, there was one person who stood out the most.
A large build reaching almost 190cm, a muscular body, and a fierce face soaked in fatigue.
The attendant pointed at that very man and said.
“This is Kowloon Walled City Investigation Team Leader, Yenzen. Yenzen-nim, this is Mr. Leman White dispatched from the World Federation Governnt side.”
Yenzen raised his head and looked at Riman.
Riman also looked at Yenzen.
It was a face he knew.
‘Yenzen, he was a quite skilled puppeteer.’
But compared to his skill, he was a figure boasting almost extra-level importance in the ga.
Therefore, Riman also didn't know much about Yenzen other than his superficial profile.
Riman extended his hand to Yenzen and said.
“Hello, I am......”
“You ca to find Lancelot, right? Then I'll entrust you with a mission right now.”
“Hmm?”
Although a bit rude, his actions are quite snappy, he thought at that mont.
The words that popped out of Yenzen's mouth were unexpected.
“Get lost.”
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