Chapter 106 – Hansen Von Dorthe (1)

Lee Shin-Woo had figured out the magic pattern necessary to use the device after seeing Nellopa use it. With great speed and ease, he established a connection. The communication line transmitted only one's voice and not their face, so it was quite simple.

[Mm... Is that you, Nellopa?]

"Yes, General."

He had contacted one of the twelve generals, the Lightning General. After going through Count Nellopa’s memories, he realized that the communication line would only allow him to communicate with him.

But that was actually quite fortunate. Count Nellopa knew quite a bit about the Lightning General since Nellopa worked for him, which was the primary reason Lee Shin-Woo took the risk of summoning one of the twelve generals.

[You already gave me your regular report. An invader? So the Golems finally... Did they show up?]

The Lightning General, Hansen Von Dorthe, replied, and Lee Shin-Woo responded in an urgent tone.

"It's not the Golems. But a considerably powerful monster appeared...!"

He wasn't lying; the situation was quite urgent. The Treasure Eater was running wild in an attempt to swallow him whole!

[The Emperor's order was clear: execute the Golems, who are rebelling against the Empire.]

"But the city will fall! If that happens, we won't be able to uphold the imperial decree, General!”

[...]

If the city responsible for protecting the Sanctuary fell, they would obviously be leaving the Sanctuary unattended. It was such obvious reasoning, so why did the general have to think it over so seriously? Lee Shin-Woo wondered whether all the twelve generals were idiots.

[Hoo... Fools. To be put into this kind of situation because of a mere monster... Fine, I'll go to your aid personally.]

"It's an honor, General!"

[Keep as many soldiers alive as possible. If you're right, my visit would be pointless if all your forces are destroyed, since they’re meant to protect the Sanctuary.]

"Indeed!"

Lee Shin-Woo had actually planned on sacrificing his troops to ensure his safety, but he cut the line without telling the general that. He hadn't given the general any particular information on the monster, but it seemed like the general didn't care.

Well, he was one of the twelve generals. The twelve generals had nothing to fear in the Empire, aside from the Emperor!

Good. A resounding success.

If the general had been told the truth, though, he wouldn’t have responded as calmly as he did. He would be facing a high-rank level 7 elite Treasure Eater, equipped with Lightning Resistance and capable of unleashing powerful lightning!

The Lightning General, Hansen Von Dorthe, is level 7, and he’s one of the weaker generals. In a one-on-one fight, though, he could rival a level 8 as a swordsman wielding a powerful and quick lightning-infused blade as well as a powerful element. Thus, the Emperor uses him as a hitman. He’s also an independent agent who works alone without commanding troops.

Even Lee Shin-Woo wouldn't be privy to this detailed information had his Bone Reinforcement been lower leveled, had he gained only one bone from Nellopa rather than two, or had Nellopa not been personally connected to the Lightning General.

As it was, Lee Shin-Woo was able to gain plenty of information on Hansen Von Dorthe, and had succeeded in calling him over. The general wouldn’t have come if he knew there was some bothersome high-rank undead. Moreover, the Treasure Eater might be his worst enemy with its Lightning Resistance.

The Lightning General won't be able to defeat Steve easily. If Lee Shin-Woo succeeded in pitting them against each other... He would be able to take down both the Treasure Eater and one of the twelve generals.

No. He had gone to the length of calling the general over; he had to take him down.

I'm confident I’ve taken the best course of action, but... I may die a few times.

Who would’ve thought he would summon one of the twelve generals here? Lee Shin-Woo chuckled as he thought about how shocked Jin would be if he heard about it. Interrupting his musing, the Treasure Eater shot another ball of lightning at him.

[Kuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!]

"Yeah, yeah. I heard you. Jin, get over here quick! I'm dying over here!"

"I'm on my way!"

Unfortunately, Lee Shin-Woo's agility wasn't high enough for him to dodge when fighting against a level 7 monster using its full strength. He attempted to hinder its approach with either Bone Fortress or Acid Poison, but one misstep in the intense battle would make him lose his head!

"Hah!"

The Treasure Eater struck the floor with its giant tail, shooting lightning spears at Lee Shin-Woo; at that moment, Lee Shin-Woo realized that he couldn't block the attack. He leapt into the air while the lightning spears flew towards him.

The Treasure Eater temporarily froze as it started its large-scale attack. The fact that only its rotten eyeballs were moving and tracking his movements was truly goosebump inducing.

"Get on!"

"Got it!"

"Gyaaaaaaaaahk!"

When the Treasure Eater could move again, Jin skillfully leapt towards Lee Shin-Woo and called out to him with Kratia still riding him. Lee Shin-Woo grabbed onto Jin's back, rolling onto him with a half-turn! The three of them landed quite some distance away from the Treasure Eater.

[You have joined your partner. Rebellion's effects are fully shared with your partner!]

"Nice. Perfect landing."

"That was really close, you know!?"

"Ueehk..."

Jin had easily avoided the Treasure Eater's impressive lightning attack while advancing forward; he then jumped, catching Lee Shin-Woo in the air and even landing perfectly... Kratia was reminded once more that Jin was no regular hero, either. Her motion sickness was the price she had to pay for underestimating him.

"Run slowly... Ugh."

"Just let it out while we're running,” Lee Shin-Woo assured her and patted her back. “You'll feel a bit better that way."

"If you vomit on my back,” Jin yelled in astonishment. “I'm dropping both of you!"

Rather than responding to that, Lee Shin-Woo asked about their current predicament, "How long do you think we can keep avoiding it without fighting it directly?"

"With Rebellion buffing my stats... Probably as long as we want to?"

"You... Good for you."

Lee Shin-Woo smiled wryly at Jin's confident reply. There was no changing the fact that Jin was level 5 no matter how close he was to level 6, while their opponent was an elite level 7 monster; yet Jin was able to make such a bold claim.

No matter how high Jin's agility was, and how much his stats were buffed by Rebellion, he shouldn’t be able to match a level 7 given the difference in their stats effectiveness!

Now that I think about it, there's more to Jin than just his agility.

Realization dawned on Lee Shin-Woo. Jin’s high agility wasn’t his only asset. He also possessed several skills that allowed him to use that agility to its very limits, or even beyond its limits. Each of Jin's reflex-related skills increased his speed. Moreover, his mobility was further improved by Steel Heart, so it made sense that he would still be confident.

"So why did you tell the undead to back off, Shin-Woo? You could've sacrificed them to weaken the Treasure Eater a bit."

"It'd be better to fight within the city if we are to take advantage of our numbers."

And by staying behind to keep the Treasure Eater busy, he further cemented the undead’s loyalty to him. His troops would've been sobbing during their retreat if undead could shed tears.

"And I'm going to rendezvous with them soon."

"What about these monsters?” Kratia asked. “You should be able to control them, right?"

The test subjects had been their original objective, but now, everyone was forgetting about the thousands of Golem Chimeras. Kratia was certain that Lee Shin-Woo would be able to control them and use them to attack the Treasure Eater. Once that happened...!

"If we consolidate all our forces into one single force, we may be able to take down a level 7 elite,” Kratia said. “I'm also level 7 now!"

"You really are level 7, huh?"

Lee Shin-Woo thought there might be some truth to Lloyd's statement about Kratia in the chatroom, but he hadn't expected her to actually have reached level 7!

That must have meant she was among the top of level 6s when they first met, which surprised him. She sure was talented. Still, it wouldn’t have changed their situation very much.

"Mm... The plan wouldn’t have been different had I known you were level 7 beforehand."

"Plan? What plan? Isn't your plan cast out of the window now?"

Jin, who had been busy evading the Treasure Eater, stuck his nose into their conversation.

With a genuine laugh, Lee Shin-Woo replied, "You probably wouldn't know, but there's one part left of ‘Operation - Bro, why are you there?’. I’ve prepared something in case an unexpectedly powerful enemy appeared: Plan D...!"

"Plan D...!?"

Of course, Lee Shin-Woo was lying his ass off, but Jin was completely fooled. Before explaining what Plan D was, Lee Shin-Woo asked Kratia, "Kratia, something unexpected happened. You could get hurt, so you may take your leave if you want; I wouldn’t mind. You’ve helped us attack the testing facility. For that alone, I’d reward you accordingly."

"Hmm...? I told you I'm level 7. Didn't you hear me?"

Why would he take a level 7 out of his plan!? Disappointment gave way to confusion, and she poked Lee Shin-Woo in the back, which ended up hurting her finger since he was all bones.

"I heard you."

"Why would you not use a level 7 then? There's no way I'd run away unless one of the twelve generals is..."

As expected, she realized mid-sentence what his plan was with her impressive intellect.

"You're going to bring one of the twelve generals into this!?"

"One of the twelve generals!? Why would a general come here!?"

Jin, who had been listening, yelled in shock as well! However, Lee Shin-Woo simply smirked and nodded.

"Yep. I called a general. I learned about him through Nellopa."

"Are you insane!?"

"What are you trying to do!?"

Astounded, Kratia and Jin demanded a clear answer from Lee Shin-Woo, who treated this like he were inviting a close friend over. Jin was especially riled up, as he had pledged to live and die with Lee Shin-Woo.

However, Lee Shin-Woo remained calm as ever. He was actually really nervous, but he was well aware that if he showed his unease, he would be exacerbating his teammates' anxiety.

"Listen carefully. The Lightning General, Hansen Von Dorthe, is coming, and he's one of the generals who works alone."

"Ah, I heard that there were generals who acted independently, but he's still a general! He's in a different league even to another level 7!"

To become level 7, one needed to accumulate 6,400 total stats, and Kratia had barely made it past that point to become a level 7 mage. However, not every level 7 was made equal!

All level 7s had at least a total stats of 6,400, but one needed 12,800 stat points to reach level 8; and among level 7, there would be those who were really close to the threshold… Like those with 12,799 total stat points. A general would be closer to level 8 than level 7!

"Just listen to me. He specializes in one-on-one fights, so the Emperor uses him as his personal hitman. And he's best at using lightning."

"Lightning...?"

Kratia furrowed her brows. She had been thinking how different a level 7 elite was from a regular level 7 when she saw the Treasure Eater continuously discharge lightning.

"You're going to make the Treasure Eater fight the general...?"

"Not even the general would be able to take the Treasure Eater down easily when it has such great Lightning Resistance. Similarly, it'll be tough for the Treasure Eater to take the general down, but if it gets into a melee fight, the Lightning General would lose the advantage Lightning Resistance gives him."

"Well, that's true, but..."

Lee Shin-Woo was conjuring up plans for different scenarios in case the general was much stronger than he expected. He had all the cards in his hand.

"So what are you going to do, Kratia? You want in or not?"

His final card was Invisible Heart. Even if he did his best and prepared a myriad of strategies, he wasn't confident that he could take down a big shot like the general without dying in the process.

If Kratia joined them, though... He wouldn’t need Invisible Heart. She would give him the perfect hand: a royal straight flush. He was sure of that.

"I'm..."

The great level 7 mage agonized over his offer.

Ultimately, she made up her mind.