Chapter 97

Chapter 22. The One-Horned Tribe (7)

Yeonwoo's eyes widened slightly.

At first, he thought he might have heard wrong.

In five days, or rather, five days from now?

Then, realizing he needed to regain his composure, he suppressed his racing heart and asked,

"Are you saying the war will start so soon?"

"Why? Is there a problem?"

"I remember that the 11th floor, where I came from, wasn't even properly prepared yet."

He knew this well, having wandered through the stages countless times in search of Hidden Pieces.

Certainly, the atmosphere of war was palpable, but there were no direct elements that would lead to a confrontation yet.

There were no rumors of the top-ranked members of each clan showing up either.

And yet, so soon?

"Right. That's why we're doing it."

"……?"

"Starting the war, it's something we're going to do."

"……!"

Only then did Yeonwoo begin to understand the thoughts of the Martial King.

'The Red Dragon still doesn't know about the One-Horned Tribe's participation.'

No, they probably don't even think the One-Horned Tribe will participate.

But if the One-Horned Tribe suddenly appeared on the 11th floor, without any warning, and began to wreak havoc,

'There's no doubt it will cause a big stir.'

The Martial King, finding Yeonwoo's changing expressions amusing, grinned, revealing his sharp fangs.

"If we're going to step in, we should do it as grandly and impressively as possible, shouldn't we?"

* * *

'In five days.'

After leaving the Martial King, Yeonwoo slowly organized his thoughts as he walked.

The date was much closer than he had expected, making his spine tingle.

It wasn't out of fear.

It was exhilaration.

A sense of battle was rising from his chest.

'By then. Finally.'

Finally, he would be able to face his enemies with a sword.

What could be more enjoyable than that?

Though he was disappointed that he couldn't be on the front lines, the mere fact that he would be on one side fighting the other filled him with boundless joy.

Of course, he couldn't show it outwardly.

So he tried to regain his composure as much as possible. It was fortunate that he was wearing a mask at such a time.

After that, Yeonwoo asked a few more questions about the war and received detailed answers.

The One-Horned Tribe's plan was very simple.

'To attack the territory of the 11th floor, the city of Kuram, currently held by the Red Dragon.'

Just like the Blue Flower Island, the Red Dragon was gradually forming a front within the 11th floor. That's why they chose Kuram, which was quite far from the city of Barak.

A place Yeonwoo had visited several times.

It had a fairly high wall, and there were quite a few clans under the Red Dragon stationed there.

If the One-Horned Tribe were to raid and capture that place,

'It would certainly be enough to leave a strong impression of the One-Horned Tribe, as the Martial King wants.'

The Martial King was aiming for exactly that.

If the One-Horned Tribe, after decades of seclusion, had come out to help the Blue Flower Island, he thought it would be better to make a grand entrance and firmly indebted the Blue Flower Island.

'What can I do by then?'

Yeonwoo reflected on what he needed to prepare.

He needed to repair his weapons, which had been damaged while hunting Manticores, as soon as possible, and he needed to recheck his skills and artifact options.

'The biggest problem is...'

Suddenly, Yeonwoo wondered how much he could contribute in this war, where many powerful individuals would be active.

'Is there a way to improve my skills by one level in a short period? Is there anything?'

His artifacts were already almost maximally enhanced, and he was at a level where he could almost perfectly handle other artifacts.

Aegis was still left, but it seemed he needed to improve his 'rank' a bit more to handle it freely.

So he wanted to improve his power as much as possible before diving into the war.

It wouldn't be easy, but fortunately, he had a hint while coming here.

'Formation.'

If he could apply it to his magic circuits.

He had seen many elders and bodyguards with formations inside their bodies.

Yeonwoo thought it might be a form of 'martial arts' that the One-Horned Tribe created to fully control their innate power.

Was there a way to obtain it?

'Especially that beast surrounding the Martial King... that martial art must be an external manifestation.'

If he could have that,

There would be nothing to fear anymore.

Yeonwoo thought he should ask Edora and Pant about it later.

'By the way.'

Another thought came to him.

'How should I inform Phoenix and Chikchik?'

He had told them he would return soon.

Given the current situation, it would be difficult to keep that promise.

He thought he would have to find some time on the 11th floor.

* * *

"Is this enough, my wife?"

After Yeonwoo left, the Martial King scratched the back of his head and then looked up, asking the air.

Though no one was there, a voice that only he could hear pierced his ear.

"A little."

Yeonwoo would have been surprised if he had heard this voice, as it was the same one he heard when he passed through the Ho-Ho-Wun-Jin.

The voice of the shaman, the spiritual pillar of the One-Horned Tribe, and the head of the Blue Crane Family.

"Is that child really the one?"

"There's no doubt, the signs are clear. Have I ever been wrong?"

"No."

The Martial King shook his head.

Indeed, as she said, the current shaman had never made a wrong prediction.

The One-Horned Tribe's prosperity was largely due to her.

"And we can continue to observe in detail. If it doesn't seem right, we can withdraw our interest later."

"True. It wouldn't be bad for us."

"Besides, a child who broke through the Ho-Ho-Wun-Jin without any hints and won the favor of Edora, who has the Wisdom Eye. Isn't that enough to show his potential?"

The Martial King nodded.

Indeed, when he heard that the child had passed through the Ho-Ho-Wun-Jin alone, he was surprised himself.

"Anyway, that child. A child blessed by death."

The Martial King's eyes shone with interest as he stroked his chin.

His eyes were filled with greed.

Greed for talent.

"I want to raise him properly."

"Take him as a disciple?"

The Martial King nodded.

"If possible."

* * *

Leont felt a surge of frustration inside him.

What could he do about this annoying, hellish situation?

"Should I really accept that idiot as a fellow warrior? It's just ridiculous. Really."

Purple eyes, hard to find even in the tower, horns that shot up like a goat's, and sharp fangs.

Flang, a member of the One-Horned Tribe and one of the five warriors leading the Blue Flower Island, the Spear Warrior, crossed his arms and let out a loud snort.

The Sword Warrior and the Bow Warrior, sitting on either side, nodded silently.

The more they did, the more Leont's face twisted.

It had been a month since he took the vacant position of the Fist Warrior.

But the other warriors still didn't recognize him.

There were several reasons for this.

In the Blue Flower Island, which emphasized the spirit of martial arts, Leont, who had betrayed his former organization and defected, was a figure who could only be viewed through colored glasses, no matter how great his contributions were.

His skills were also an issue.

He was in the upper ranks among the ranked members, but his skills were not yet at the level of a high-ranked member.

Moreover, he didn't use the 'martial techniques' valued by the Blue Flower Island.

Most of what he used were commonly called 'tricks.'

Leont had two nicknames.

Storm Bringer.

And Puppeteer.

When he called storms, he was somewhat tolerable, but when he played with his subordinates like puppets by planting terminals, it was impossible not to frown.

Still, they couldn't leave the position of the Fist Warrior vacant forever, so they had to put Leont in that position.

The problem was that as soon as Leont became the Fist Warrior, he caused a major incident.

The attack by Bahal and the subsequent defeat.

He had greatly tarnished the honor of the Blue Flower Island.

They had to prepare for war with the Red Dragon to save face, but the other warriors were truly annoyed.

If he had died heroically on the spot or torn off one of Bahal's arms, it might have been different.

But that didn't happen. They couldn't help but look down on him.

Leont, aware of the surrounding gazes, bit his lower lip tightly.

'If only I had the stone...!'

The desire for the stone he lost in the tutorial only grew stronger at such times.

He had already lost his base within the Blue Flower Island. The other warriors' glares were sharp, and the Red Dragon seemed to have caught a whiff of something.

It was driving him mad.

"To use that precious Dragon's Inner Core to revive such a person. Ha!"

The Spear Warrior's condemnation didn't stop.

From the beginning to the end, he had opposed Leont's recruitment, and now that a weakness had been exposed, he intended to tear him apart until he was in tatters.

But the Spear Warrior had to stop his condemnation, contrary to his thoughts.

"Spear. Enough."

Suddenly, a voice echoed loudly through the air, heavy and irresistible.

Eukigeonseong.

A high-level skill that conveys one's will to the other by willpower alone.

The voice was coming from a little distance away from the table where the four warriors were sitting.

Under the long bamboo branches hanging from the ceiling, in the shaded area, a man was sitting.

The Sword Warrior.

One of the 'Nine Kings' who dominated the tower and also the founder of the Blue Flower Island, his word was absolute.

The Spear Warrior, though clearly displeased, took a step back.

But his purple eyes still sharply glared at Leont.

The Sword Warrior spoke in a low voice.

"Whether you agreed or opposed, the decision has been made, and Leont is now our comrade and a leader of the island. I hope you will refrain from discussing this matter further."

The Spear Warrior crossed his arms and turned his head to the side. The Sword Warrior nodded, and the Bow Warrior closed his eyes indifferently.

From now on, there would be no more talk about Leont's qualifications.

But to Leont, the situation was even more humiliating.

His fists clenched tightly under the table, veins bulging on the back of his hands.

"The most urgent matter for us now is how to fight the war with the Red Dragon. And... as you all know, we are at a significant disadvantage in terms of strength."

The four warriors remained silent.

An uncomfortable silence filled the air.

It was a fact they didn't want to admit, but it was a fact.

The Red Dragon was the undisputed strongest clan in the tower.

Though the Allforone on the 77th floor still surpassed them, he was an exception and could be excluded.

In reality, the Red Dragon dominated the tower.

Even though the Blue Flower Island was also counted among the eight major clans, if they clashed head-on, they might only be able to sever one of the Red Dragon's arms.

But the Blue Flower Island had one advantage over the Red Dragon.

"But we have a 'sword' that they don't have, and with that sword, I believe we can stab the arrogant 'Summer Queen' in the neck without much difficulty."

The word 'sword' made the warriors' eyes shine brightly.

"Therefore, before we enter the full-scale war, we need to do some groundwork."

The Spear Warrior looked at the Sword Warrior's seat and asked.

"What kind of groundwork?"

"Clearing the Four Divine Beasts."

The Spear Warrior nodded, seeing the logic.

"Indeed. We need to clear out anything that could be a variable. Securing the Inner Cores is a bonus."

If the Red Dragon had already subjugated or subdued the Four Divine Beasts, it could cause problems when the war broke out.

He pointed this out.

But the Spear Warrior tilted his head.

"But isn't it difficult to clear the Divine Beasts? They are too strong for bosses in the lower floors. I'm also wary of them."

The reason many ranked members hadn't caught the Four Divine Beasts was because they were too difficult to catch.

They were that strong.

Each one was comparable to a high-ranked member.

The problem was that despite their difficulty, the rewards for being in the lower floors were very low.

Naturally, for ranked members who treated the floors below the 50th as commoners, it was a matter of no interest.

Most importantly.

The Divine Beasts were at the pinnacle of the cycle.

There was a high possibility that they would 'resurrect' or 'regenerate' after a certain period of time.

And if the awakened beasts caused chaos or plotted revenge,

It would be a headache.

Interfering with the Divine Beasts was taboo even in the tower.

"Still, it's something we have to do. Sword Warrior."

The Sword Warrior, who had been silent until now, nodded.

"I will allow the 'Sixth' and 'Seventh' to be opened. Clear them all and return. I will give you the Inner Cores."

For a moment, greed flashed in the Sword Warrior's eyes.

This was a golden opportunity for him, who had been struggling with a lack of mana.

His slightly parted lips revealed sharp fangs.

"Very well."

The Spear Warrior clicked his tongue, a little disappointed.

The Bow Warrior was still closed-eyed, and Leont remained silent.

"Also, the One-Horned Tribe recently sent a message that they will soon be on the move."

Some of the warriors' eyes glinted curiously.

"It means the war is not far off. Sword Warrior, move accordingly. Until then, I hope each of you will focus on your assigned tasks."

The Sword Warrior's voice gradually faded, as if his presence was moving away.

"Then, I will close this meeting."

With that, the Sword Warrior's presence vanished.

The remaining four warriors stood up simultaneously, without much regard for each other.

They weren't close enough to stay in one place for long.

Then, the Spear Warrior, suddenly curious, called out to the Sword Warrior.

"Sword."

"What is it?"

"If you're going to catch the Divine Beasts, which one will you go to first?"

The Sword Warrior looked at the Spear Warrior with a 'why are you asking' expression.

The Spear Warrior shrugged.

"As you know, my brothers are about to ascend to the 11th floor. I don't want our routes to conflict."

The Sword Warrior turned away, showing little interest.

"South. Phoenix."