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Boom! Whrrrr! Zwoooosh!
As Dave kicked the ground, a fountain of tree roots and soil shot up, half burying the McClusky Security Company building.
“Damn it!”
Arthur couldn’t help but curse as he witnessed the building rapidly getting sealed off.
He had heard rumors about the increased power of druids in dense forests, but this display was far beyond his expectations.
The idea of someone executing such a large-scale spell while under laser attack was unfathomable.
‘I heard about it, but seeing it first hand is really different… Did they say they were controlling over twenty druids?’
Arthur gazed at the spot where Druid Conor stood, utterly astounded by Shamus’s formidable abilities.
Conor sported armor resembling golden tree bark and leaned against the ground.
“One… no, two got away.”
He referred to Dave and Albert. Sensing the abnormal energy, Dave swiftly grabbed Albert, exerted strength in his legs, and in the blink of an eye, they vanished into the building.
‘Well, maybe it’s good luck after all. It deviates from the plan, but at least the net navigator made it in. If everyone had tried to enter, it would have taken much longer…’
Suddenly, a thought brushed Arthur’s mind.
The act of sealing the building with such immense power seemed more like an attempt to buy time than to repel their enemies.
“Could it be… are reinforcements on the way?”
Arthur rose from his position and inquired of Conor, who appeared quite relaxed, radiating an air of superhuman composure.
“Obviously. Did you think you could attack a business without knowing who owned it? Did you really believe our boss wouldn’t be prepared for such a situation?”
The druid’s words dripped with sarcasm, yet there was no hint of falsehood.
“Quick movements… teleportation… a scroll.”
“Well, you’re not as dim-witted as you look.”
Arthur speculated, and the druid promptly affirmed it.
Teleportation scrolls were magical artifacts crafted by the Spatial School, with even the most basic ones costing several tens of millions.
Furthermore, the teleportation range was limited to a few kilometers at most.
To achieve greater effectiveness, more expensive scrolls had to be installed, along with auxiliary devices and magic circles.
Each installation incurred costs in the hundreds of millions, and as the distance increased, so did the expenses.
In essence, it was a costly mode of transportation that boasted only speed.
“I knew they were making some serious money, but I never realized they were this extravagant.”
“Our boss always said that you have to spend money when necessary, especially when dealing with thieves… So, what’s your plan now? My comrades will be here in a matter of minutes. If you flee, they’ll chase you—”
—Bam!
Midway through the druid’s speech, Arthur unleashed a Superman punch, propelled by the force of his golem prosthesis.
As a result, the druid had to hastily defend himself, using both hands to block Arthur’s fist, interrupting his monologue.
The straightforward yet potent punch shattered the tree bark armor that withstood even mana lasers.
“Tsk… attacking while talking… where are your manners!”
“What manners for a poor Greenland bum who sold his own child!” Arthur shouted, gripping Conor’s arm tightly before hurling him with all his might.
In an instant, the agents who had been observing the situation charged forward simultaneously.
“Take him down quickly, then follow suit… there shouldn’t be any complications, anyway!”
“I’ll walk from here,” Albert stated as he had been carried over Oliver’s shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
Oliver, who had barely made it inside before the building was engulfed in the dirt, instinctively hoisted him onto his shoulder and hurried toward the heart of the building where the World Tree resided.
“Oh, my apologies,” Oliver said as he set Albert down.
Albert dismissed the apology, saying it was nothing, and proceeded to dart down the corridor littered with bodies.
Oliver had been concerned about Albert’s speed, but to his relief, it wasn’t an issue.
‘I need to reconsider… I assumed he’d be slow because he’s a Net Navigator, but that’s not necessarily the case.’
Oliver reflected on his own preconceived notions as Albert spoke up, “You’re incredible. You made it in just before the building was sealed off. Thank you. You were a tremendous help.”
Perplexed, Oliver asked for clarification. “Pardon? What do you mean?”
“When we were entering just now… If there had been the slightest mistake, we wouldn’t have made it inside the building.”
“Oh… No, don’t worry about it. It’s all part of the job, after all.”
Oliver responded honestly, without false modesty.
Bringing Albert along was simply a part of his assignment, so there was no need for gratitude.
‘Besides, I might get to witness his hacking skills… Such opportunities are rare.’
Even during the mission, Oliver’s curiosity lingered in his mind.
Unaware of Oliver’s thoughts, Albert continued to engage in friendly conversation, with a hidden agenda in his tone.
“From what I’ve heard, you possess great humility.”
“…From what you’ve heard?”
“Well, I did some research on you, Dave. Don’t be too concerned. I wasn’t digging up any dirt, just gathering some general rumors. Given my faction’s nature, I find solace in acquiring pre-information.”
Albert belonged to the Moirai school faction, which differed from other factions in its focus on exploring the mysteries of the World Tree and placing the utmost value on knowledge and information.
Oliver found himself somewhat convinced.
“I understand. You needn’t worry—I’m not offended.”
“You’re refreshingly straightforward, just as I’ve heard. May I ask you something then?”
While they ran, Albert reached into his pocket, appearing incredibly at ease. Oliver, too, had a faint understanding of the situation.
They were close to reaching the central area of the building where the World Tree resided. Oliver could sense it through his mana-sensing ability and his warlock’s eyes.
‘But I can’t let my guard down until the very end; anything can happen during a mission. For instance, a druid who I believed had left could suddenly appear.’
Just as Oliver pondered this, he swiftly grabbed Albert, who was rummaging in his pocket, and forcefully pulled him backward.
Caught off guard by the abrupt action, Albert let out a startled sound as a lurking druid lunged from the adjacent corridor, viciously swiping his sharp claws at thin air.
“Did you notice?!”
“Yes… Mr. Finley,” Oliver responded, recognizing the face of the unexpected assailant.
If his memory served him right, Finley specialized in shapeshifting. True to form, Finley pounced at Oliver like a wild beast, using the wall as a springboard with swift agility.
Meanwhile, Oliver’s reaction was slightly delayed as he kept an eye on Albert.
“Minion,” Oliver called out, summoning a hidden minion from within him. The minion swiftly emerged and unleashed a hate bullet toward the oncoming attacker.
Against an ordinary opponent, the attack would have been too quick to dodge, piercing through their head. However, Finley, living up to his reputation as a druid, deflected the assault with his beast-like reflexes.
Pupuck!
The force of the attack pushed Finley back, giving the impression that he would launch another assault. But unexpectedly, he retreated.
The reason for his retreat became apparent moments later.
From a distant corridor, a long and razor-sharp wooden spear hurtled through the air with remarkable speed.
Tracking the trajectory of the wooden spear with the naked eye was difficult, and it appeared to be infused with potent green Druidic energy, rendering it seemingly impervious to any ordinary shield.
‘It’s a good thing I prepared in advance,’ Oliver thought to himself as he continued running.
Using the emotions and life force he had imbued into the corpses strewn about, Oliver activated his black magic.
[Revive]
[Obedience]
[Meat Shield]
Simultaneously, three types of black magic got activated. The various corpses scattered along the corridor congealed together, forming a shield that intercepted the incoming attack aimed at Oliver and Albert.
Pupupuk!
As Oliver had anticipated, the wooden spear thrown by the druid proved to be far from ordinary. It pierced through the shield formed by a combination of emotions, life force, and corpses, penetrating halfway.
Had Oliver created a sloppy shield, the damage inflicted would have been severe.
“How did the druid manage to get here?” Albert questioned, astonished by the unexpected turn of events.
“He appeared out of nowhere. It seems he utilized space magic,” Oliver replied.
“Bingo!” the druid, Finley, chimed in, his appearance now even more beastly than before, as he swung his arm.
With each swing, his strength seemed to amplify in proportion to his transformed state, tearing through the meat shield that had blocked the wooden spear with ease.
It was a display of sheer simplicity and power.
While Oliver couldn’t pinpoint whether it was due to being in the heart of the forest, one thing was certain—it was not a power that could be easily thwarted by a few layers of a black suit.
‘The silver lining here is that I also have an advantage in this environment.’
Reaching out to the partially torn meat shield, Oliver began his next move.
[Minced Meat]
Reciting the incantation, a section of the meat barrier was finely minced and collected in Oliver’s hand. The warm blood, stone-like bones, and moist flesh rested within his grasp.
[Beast Skin]
Anticipating a counterattack similar to before, Finley cast a spell upon his own body.
Although the surface appeared largely unchanged, Oliver discerned that Finley’s skin had become incredibly tough and resilient.
It would likely withstand ordinary attacks.
However, what Oliver had prepared was far from ordinary.
[Finger Gun]
Oliver amalgamated the flesh, bones, blood, and emotions in his hand, shaping them into a bullet-like form.
Recalling a potent black magic technique used by Puppet in the past, which demanded a substantial array of ingredients but guaranteed remarkable impact, he aimed and fired. The projectile pierced through the druid’s enhanced physical body in a single shot.
Puck! Puck! Puck!
As the sound of ruptured flesh resonated, the druid faltered, blood oozing from his wounds.
Seizing the moment, Oliver prepared to deliver a final blow. However, in that instant, a colossal beanstalk materialized from behind, snatching Finley away.
Oliver’s gaze trailed the sudden appearance of the beanstalk, revealing the presence of three druids at the far end of the hallway.
They were Jeffrey, Catal, and Carlin, individuals he had heard about during the briefing.
Jeffrey yanked Finley using the beanstalk, while Catal restrained Oliver with a javelin.
Their actions displayed camaraderie among them.
‘At least among the same druid…’
Although Oliver had managed to respond effectively to the initial surprise attack, he remained unsatisfied.
While he had inflicted a fatal blow on one druid, three others still remained. Moreover, the remaining trio now exhibited heightened vigilance and anger, aware of their comrade’s predicament.
It seemed their intention was to collaborate and confront Oliver—a situation that posed a considerable threat, particularly when protecting Albert.
“Mr. Albert,” Oliver called out.
“Don’t address me by name in front of our enemies,” Albert retorted.
“Ah, my apologies. May I have a moment, then?”
“Hmm?”
“Thank you.”
Upon receiving Albert’s acquiescence, Oliver harnessed a substantial surge of emotions and life force, reaching out toward the path they had traversed.
[Minced Meat]
[Doll Making]
Oliver combined two distinct forms of black magic.
Minced Meat, which disintegrated corpses into minced fragments, and Doll Making, which instantaneously crafted golems by intertwining these remnants.
At this juncture, Doll Making proved to be the pivotal spell. Depending on the caster’s proficiency, it allowed for manipulation of size and shape, enabling creations like massive abominable monsters.
“Oh, how grotesque…”
Albert, the net navigator, remarked upon witnessing the misshapen meat golem crawling behind him.
Oliver reassured him and then directed the golem to engulf and protect Albert entirely.
With this, Albert’s safety was secured.
Oliver propelled the golem, now containing Albert within its confines, charging forward, and he positioned himself atop it.
His initial plan entailed escorting Albert to the World Tree before confronting the druids.
“Where do you think you’re–!!” the druid shouted, obstructing Oliver’s path.
Regardless of the druid’s physical fortitude, it seemed doubtful whether he could halt a golem composed of numerous corpses. However, the druids responded by producing a handful of beans, which sprouted into a formidable wall of giant beanstalks.
A formidable barrier that wouldn’t yield easily.
Nevertheless, their action proved self-defeating.
As soon as Oliver confirmed the barrier erected between him and the druids, he focused his gaze, locating Finley, who was being supported beyond the wall.
The corpse-inflicted bullets were still embedded in his body.
Oliver initiated a new form of black magic.
[Biobomb]
A variant of the ‘Corpse Bomb’ technique, ‘Biobomb’ utilized the embedded corpse fragments within the opponent’s body to trigger a forced explosion of life force. Theoretically, the explosion’s power would increase in proportion to the opponent’s Life-force. However, being his first attempt, Oliver’s explosion wasn’t as formidable as he had intended.
Nevertheless, it served its purpose. An excessively powerful blast could have resulted in the collapse of the corridor.
‘But it should be enough to break through. They appear to have sustained damage as well.’
Oliver directed the charging corpse golem towards the cracked beanstalk wall, a result of the explosion, and readied his weapons in both hands.
One was a quarterstaff, while the other was a wooden spear previously thrown by the druid.
—-Thud!!!
The resounding impact reverberated through the building as the corpse golem collided with the beanstalk wall, causing it to crumble into pieces.
Subsequently, the three wounded druids rushed towards Oliver, their bodies bleeding from the explosion.
‘I anticipated their resolve from their emotional state, but I didn’t expect them to charge forward with such fierce determination.’
Oliver scrutinized the advancing druids.
Jeffrey and Catal approached from both sides, wielding a giant club and a wooden spear, respectively. Carlin charged straight ahead, utilizing his beastly claws and teeth.
Responding to their intentions, Oliver swung his quarterstaff encased in black armor and hurled the black-javelin-coated wooden spear.
The druids, considerably weakened by the explosion, were inevitably slower than Oliver, who attacked from atop the corpse golem. Consequently, their heads were crushed by the quarterstaff, and their chests pierced by the spear.
“You bastard–!!”
Carlin lunged at Oliver like a wild beast. Despite the significant injuries he had sustained, his innate abilities granted him tremendous speed.
“Minion.”
Oliver summoned another hidden minion and, with its swift movements, the minion launched bullets of hatred into Carlin’s eyes.
Shwoosh! Shwoosh!
“Kyaaak!!”
Carlin swiftly raised his arm to block the unexpected assault and even managed to eliminate the minion.
Having witnessed Oliver utilize this tactic before, Carlin had come prepared. As a result, all the minions Oliver had stored within him were now depleted.
Although Oliver should have been caught off guard, he remained unfazed.
After all, he had prepared an additional countermeasure for such a situation.
“Fourth.”
Oliver called out, and Child-Fourth, stored within a test tube in his pocket, responded, emerging into the scene.
Simultaneously, Oliver threw a shrunken corpse doll from his grasp using pre-set magic.
“Deactivate shrinking magic.”
Upon Oliver’s command, the magic was reversed, causing the corpse doll-Rag2, to return to its original size, obstructing Carlin’s path.
Taken aback, Carlin attempted to tear apart the corpse doll, but Child-Fourth entered the doll and resisted.
In mid-air, the druid and the corpse doll-Rag2 engaged in a tangled struggle.