Chapter 160
Chapter 160. Tunnel (2)
The headquarters chief, with his limbs tightly bound by heroes, shouted.
“Can’t anyone get this off me?! Let me go!”
“Please stay still. It’ll hurt more if you move.”
“You, you bastard……!”
The heroes tightened the bindings instead of loosening them, causing the headquarters chief to grit his teeth.
He then looked at Yang Ji-cheol and said,
“Yang Ji-cheol! Do you even know who I am?”
“You didn’t come here without knowing, did you?”
“I heard you made connections with the vice minister. But you can’t treat me like this!”
“I can and I will.”
Swish!
Yang Ji-cheol unfolded the document in his hand.
It was a document stamped with the official seals of both the Hero Department’s vice minister and the minister, currently on leave for medical treatment.
The content granted Yang Ji-cheol the authority to conduct an internal investigation of the entire Hero Department.
“Special directive.”
“How did you manage to get that…?”
“I worked a bit harder than usual.”
That authority was far too powerful for a mere civil servant.
The headquarters chief, realizing he had no escape route, spoke desperately.
“Everyone, please think more calmly! Who questioned me just now? A non-human! A non-human, I tell you!”
“……”
“Are you seriously going to believe what that thing said? To trust a non-human over me?”
His words revealed a deep-seated distrust of non-humans.
Of course, under normal circumstances, people wouldn’t agree to the idea of a thought verification using the abilities of a non-human.
There were still those within the Hero Department who secretly held a bias against non-humans.
The displeasure evident on Nirochi’s face, she retorted,
“Nowadays, even trash can talk.”
“You arrogant little—!”
“Want to get smacked by this arrogant little? Huh?”
“Ugh!”
The headquarters chief gulped as he watched Nirochi, who was slowly approaching.
“That’s enough.”
“That trash keeps getting on my nerves.”
“……Where on earth did you learn to speak like that?”
Kazimir, who had come as Nirochi’s protector, tried to dissuade her.
Yang Ji-cheol then addressed the heroes.
“Is that all the stuff in that person’s pocket?”
“Yes.”
“Then please take him away.”
“Argh! Let me go!!”
After the spy was dragged outside, the remaining personnel began investigating the office’s items.
Yang Ji-cheol rummaged through the leather wallet pulled from the headquarters chief’s pocket.
Inside the wallet were various items like money, business cards, and a resident registration card.
“……?”
While inspecting the wallet, he noticed a small hole in a less visible spot.
Inserting his finger into the hole, he pulled out an item inside.
“Ha ha.”
Moments later, the item caught between his fingers was a membership card for the IUPC.
But it wasn’t just any membership card; it was a shiny gold membership card.
Finding evidence so easily, he had an expression of emptiness.
At that moment, Kazimir, sniffing the air, asked,
“What’s that?”
“It’s a membership card proving that this person is a gold member or above in the IUPC.”
“I can faintly smell blood coming from it.”
“Oh? Let me see for a moment.”
Whoosh!
Nirochi snatched the membership card from Yang Ji-cheol’s hand.
Afterward, she thoroughly examined the card, which was the size of a business card.
“……!”
After a moment, her face twisted in shock.
Noticing the change in atmosphere, Kazimir questioned,
“What’s wrong?”
“This isn’t just paper; it’s a magic scroll.”
“A magic scroll, meaning… it’s an item that can cast magic by inscribing magical formulas on special paper?”
“Exactly. Like I told my brother last time.”
To learn that the IUPC’s membership card was such an item was startling.
Yang Ji-cheol exclaimed in urgency,
“Can you tell what kind of magic it is?”
“The fact that it’s making me feel uneasy suggests it’s mental-type magic.”
“Yikes!”
“Don’t touch it with your bare hands. If an ordinary person carries something like this, their mind might get tainted.”
Yang Ji-cheol, knowing that every member of the IUPC received a membership card, had a blank expression.
“The color of the membership card changes with the rank, right?”
“Yes.”
“Only cards from specific ranks and above will have this format since scrolls aren’t that common.”
“I see.”
“So don’t worry too much, Ji-cheol oppa.”
“Even if you say that, it’s not comforting at all….”
“At any rate, we’ve found a spy, right? Now we just need to find the other executives.”
It was unfortunate that an emergency had occurred in Korea.
However, Nirochi, seizing this opportunity to solidify her position within the Hero Department through her abilities, flicked out her red tongue.
*
“Just follow along.”
A place where the visible and the actual positions of objects were utterly different.
The expedition team, which had entered the tunnel, followed Yoo Ji-han’s lead.
“Wow, this is amazing.”
“How on earth does that person find the way?”
“They say a spirit helps him.”
Watching Yoo Ji-han run towards a wall that seemed completely blocked made him seem insane. Yet once they stepped inside, they found that it connected to a tunnel similar to the one they just passed through.
While everyone marveled, Yoo Ji-han kept advancing confidently ahead.
Kim Si-hu, who was behind him, commented,
“Would this have happened if we went by the road?”
“Who knows? Something worse might have happened.”
The enemies must have predicted that heroes would move along similar routes and thus set traps in this tunnel.
Whether they had gone around or jumped over the mountain, it wouldn’t have been entirely smooth sailing, Yoo Ji-han thought.
“Red Hole might have found themselves in a similar situation.”
“That’s been bothering me.”
I wonder if Jung Gi-jun, whom they parted ways with in Jeonju, has safely reached his destination.
It remained uncertain.
‘It’s about time we should see the exit…’
Considering the distance they had traveled, they should be seeing an exit soon.
Yet, due to the lingering illusion obscuring their view, it was hard to tell how far they had come.
“It would be best to use dispel around here.”
“All mages, please step forward!”
The waiting mages moved up to the front.
But…
“Oh, crap! This isn’t straightforward at all!”
“Hold on. I need to calculate something.”
It seemed far more complicated to dispel the magic that was entangled with the train.
The mages, grasping their heads or shaking their staffs, contemplated.
Among them, Park Jae-kyung was already attempting to dispel even before receiving commands.
Boom!
Then, the first mage to succeed in dispelling was noticed.
All the mages turned their attention to where the magic was being released.
It was Kim Si-hu of Yoo Ji-han’s party.
“When did you start preparing for this?”
“Since Park Jae-kyung told me to come forward.”
“……!”
The mages frowned.
How could he have broken such a complex magic in less than a minute?
“You’re quite skilled at handling your mana.”
“I often get told that.”
Despite his confident answer, the mages nodded in agreement.
There was an atmosphere that acknowledged him beyond rank.
Except for one mage nearby.
“I’ll handle this.”
Kim Si-hu spread the dispel in the direction Yoo Ji-han pointed.
Gradually, the illusion began to lift, and the exit came into view.
“There it is!”
“……Huh?”
But why was it that in this tunnel, where only two trains could come and go, two trains were rushing toward the heroes from the exit?
Someone urgently shouted.
“Weren’t all other train operations suspended?!”
“That’s right!”
“Then what are those?!”
Two magic levitation trains were racing side by side toward their direction.
There was enough space between the trains and the tunnel walls that a person could stand there.
But the issue was that the entire exterior of the approaching trains was covered in what appeared to be thorns like plants and claws that resembled those of animals.
Kragh!
The thorns and claws, seemingly intact, were grinding against the walls of the tunnel.
In terms of toughness, they might even be stronger than iron.
Swish!
A magic arrow shot by an archer struck the front glass of the high-speed train.
But there was no one inside the cockpit.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The mages hastily tried to use magic to block the trains in front of them.
But it was insufficient to stop the train that was protected by magic.
“We need to destroy the train!”
“No! If we mess this up, the tunnel will collapse!”
“Damn it! Everyone, stick to the wall!”
It was already too late to pull back faster than the oncoming train.
The heroes took out their weapons and braced themselves against the wall.
Swish!
Swish!
Flames of fire magic ignited and covered the oncoming trains.
Following that, the ranged dealers, including archers, unleashed attacks forward.
“All dealers, prioritize cutting down the thorns, and tankers, protect everyone around! Support team, move as far back as possible!”
“Vice Guild Master, please get back!”
“I can’t do that!”
As the approaching train drew closer, shouts were exchanged.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
“……?!”
Yoo Ji-han suddenly jumped forward.
[Blessing of the World Tree]
Seeing him rush toward the train, Park Jae-kyung gasped.
Yet Yoo Ji-han was calmer than ever, creating distance from the expedition team.
Soon, the train, covered in countless thorns, reached right next to him.
Slash!
It wasn’t that difficult to cut through the thorns with a sword infused with Sylph’s aura.
It was just that there were a bit too many.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Yoo Ji-han maximized his reaction speed, swinging his sword without pause.
The thorns attached to the passing train were severed.
“Huh!”
Yoo Ji-han primarily targeted the claws resembling thorns.
He prioritized attacking those that would be difficult to handle from behind.
Although he ignored the little thorns and sustained wounds on his limbs, he didn’t care.
“Is he insane?!”
“Everyone, get down!”
The heroes, lined up, cut down the remaining thorns from the passing train.
Since Yoo Ji-han maintained a safe distance from the expedition team, it was no problem to cast magic or ranged attacks from the back.
And finally, the train passed by the heroes.
“We survived.”
“Whoa….”
The support team, crouched against the wall, all lifted their heads.
The fallen thorns scattered across the floor came into view.
Yoo Ji-han, who had charged ahead, rejoined them.
“Healer!”
The healers rushed forward to treat Yoo Ji-han, who was covered in blood.
Park Jae-kyung reproached him sternly.
“Can’t you just stop acting recklessly?!”
“I wasn’t reckless at all.”
“……!!”
Yoo Ji-han, sitting on the ground, looked up at Park Jae-kyung with calm eyes.
“I think that’s enough healing for now. Let’s get out of here before another train arrives.”
“What on earth are you…?”
“I’m Yoo Ji-han.”
“No, I knew that much!”
Dumbfounded, Park Jae-kyung looked at his party members.
Kim Si-hu and Min Yu-ri were also looking down at Yoo Ji-han with worried expressions.
However, they didn’t scold or reprimand him.
It was a sign of trust in their party leader’s judgment.
‘What a truly unique party.’
A party with unwavering faith in their leader.
Park Jae-kyung couldn’t help but feel that he didn’t dislike their boldness.
