“We’re building a massive castle here, centered on the World Tree.”
Sin Hyeok looked at the blueprint drawn on the parchment and asked about the height.
“How high are we building it?”
The old knight, Graywain, chuckled and said,
“Won’t we have to stack it to fifty meters?”
“.......”
At that dizzying height, Sin Hyeok, the one who would be doing the work himself, already felt a headache coming on.
“What about the wall’s thickness?”
The old knight and Jegal Seun pondered for a moment, then spread their arms wide.
“About, this much.”
“Young friend, it needs to be at least this thick to stay intact even if those monsters ram it a few times.”
“T-two to three meters?”
Both of them nodded.
“Ha. Ha. Ha.”
Faced with the overwhelming amount of work, Sin Hyeok could only laugh.
“Cheer up, young friend.”
Sin Hyeok smiled and nodded.
For some reason, his head already hurt.
The old knight smiled and hurriedly moved.
“I’ll draw lines in advance so it’s easy to see, marking the position of each structure.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Sin Hyeok checked the various materials on the ground, making sure nothing was in short supply.
‘Plenty. I just need to mix limestone, stone, and iron ore.’
After checking, he looked over the parchment with the designs written on it again.
Looking again, he noticed something written in Hanja outside the castle.
‘What’s this?’
He called out to Jegal Seun, who was peeking around nearby.
“Jegal Seun! What are you planning to make here?!”
He shouted with a smile.
“It’s a formation! Still, shouldn’t we make the path here a little nastier for them!”
Sin Hyeok still had time, so he approached to take a look.
He was sticking long rods into the ground.
The rods he had stuck in were bluish overall.
When Sin Hyeok tapped one, a description appeared.
[Demon Essence Stone Mixed Iron Rod] [Normal] [Iron] [Weapon]
=======================
An iron rod made with crushed Demon Essence Stone.
It possesses the property of attracting energy.
=======================
[Note]
If large quantities are stored, they disturb the nearby mana flow and induce confusion.
=======================
“You mixed it with Demon Essence Stone?”
Jegal Seun nodded at Sin Hyeok, who had figured it out immediately.
“If you use these, the formation’s effects double. I use them quite often.”
Sin Hyeok observed the positions where he laid them and the gradually distorting phenomenon, as if something was being pulled.
‘It’s getting blurry. Is it fog?’
“Are you setting up fog or something?”
Jegal Seun was amazed that he had guessed correctly before they were even all laid out.
“Ho ho, you can see that? Have you perhaps studied formations before?”
“No, I just feel the attributes. I can see it well, too.”
“Amazing. Attributes, you say…….”
He found Sin Hyeok, who was looking at the formation from a different perspective, rather fascinating.
“Still, don’t touch it. You might get lost if you do.”
“Yes.”
Sin Hyeok checked on the old knight, who was still working, and quietly observed him.
‘This is fascinating. It’s drawing my gaze.’
As Jegal Seun laid more and more iron rods, fog began to rise.
Watching that, Sin Hyeok had an amusing thought.
‘What if I enchant these?’
His hand stealthily moved toward the iron rod right beside him.
‘Quickly.’
The moment he pulled one out, something immediately became disrupted.
Jegal Seun spun around, and Sin Hyeok immediately carved the rune word ‘Water’ into it and inserted it.
“Young friend?”
Jegal Seun was about to say something, but looking beside Sin Hyeok, he was dumbfounded and asked.
“What did you do?”
The fog became so thick that it was damp to the point of water overflowing.
The surroundings were completely drenched.
“Why did the fog become rain?”
“Heh heh. Just a little experiment.”
Sin Hyeok shook off the moisture and stealthily moved sideways.
Looking at the drenched surroundings, he stealthily pulled out another iron rod and enchanted it again.
‘Enchant it with Fire too.’
When the two rune words mixed, an extremely thick fog reminiscent of clouds billowed up.
Of course, this only applied to the spot where Sin Hyeok had been standing.
“W-what is this?”
Jegal Seun was speechless at the phenomenon he was witnessing for the first time.
From within the thick fog, Sin Hyeok asked him about an idea that had come to mind.
“I think I can strengthen these attributes for you. Shall we try something more interesting?”
Sin Hyeok cut through the fog and stepped out.
Jegal Seun’s eyes were sparkling with overflowing interest.
“That sounds very, very interesting. Come here. I’ll tell you every formation I know.”
Jegal Seun, one madly obsessed with formations, was burning with passion.
“Now, listen carefully.”
Sin Hyeok heard all the formations he spoke of.
‘There are many types.’
“What do you think?”
Facing his sparkling eyes, Sin Hyeok pointed to one first.
“You mentioned the Ghost Gate Formation earlier. How about that one?”
“Hmm? It’s a formation close to sorcery, and not very effective. It only works on those who have opened their spirit eyes.”
Sin Hyeok thought it might be a little different.
“Isn’t the core of that formation dependent on materials imbued with spirits?”
“Isn’t it?”
Sin Hyeok pointed at the vast space.
“Then isn’t this perfect? This place is full of specters. If we use them all, something massive might emerge.”
“Oh? Ooh! I don’t know what will happen, but I want to try.”
Jegal Seun’s eyes sparkled sinisterly.
Sin Hyeok took out the Soul Crystals he had stored in his inventory and showed them.
“Please give it a try.”
Grabbing a handful of Soul Crystals, he immediately dashed off.
The Soul Crystals were placed in appropriate positions, and smiling, he set the last crystal down at the final point.
Tap.
“Like this?”
The moment Jegal Seun set down the last crystal, a chilling cold was felt.
“Ooh, young friend, it’s a bit cold here….”
He looked ahead, but Sin Hyeok was nowhere to be seen.
Jegal Seun panicked and faltered.
“Y-young friend? Young friend!”
When he looked around, hazy specters filled the area. Their screams echoed.
- Save me!
- I don’t want to die!
- My son!
- Daddy!
Jegal Seun was overwhelmed by the screams and shrieks of the specters filling his mind.
His entire body trembled.
“Y-young friend.”
Whoosh!
At that moment, someone grabbed and pulled him.
Suddenly, the world brightened.
“Young friend!”
Jegal Seun flusteredly looked around.
“Are you okay?”
At that question, Jegal Seun realized this place was safe and let out a sigh of relief.
“Haaa, I’m so relieved I could faint. My mind was completely overwhelmed. How terrible.”
Sin Hyeok could guess what he had seen.
‘He must have seen the area around here.’
Even he could faintly see it.
That night’s World Tree draws in all the specters of this destroyed world.
Hong Ichan, who was clinging beside the World Tree, would be seeing this sight as well.
He hadn’t left the World Tree’s side for several hours now.
Mutering something incessantly, he was flickering with a strange energy that surpassed dark mana in real time.
“This is a monstrous thing indeed. Let’s use this. We’ll lay a Five Elements Formation here and burn and scorch them fiercely.”
“Very well. I’ll prepare the iron rods to be used for the formation.”
Jegal Seun nodded.
Sin Hyeok checked the materials in his inventory.
‘Do I have any Demon Essence Stones?’
There was exactly one.
It was slightly larger than a fingernail.
“This isn’t enough.”
When he swirled his hand through the atmospheric mana, a mana crystal formed.
“If I do it like this, it’ll take a while.”
‘I need to find Demon Essence Stones, too.’
He looked around.
‘Who’s slacking off right now.’
He spotted her immediately.
“Hey! Baek Arin!”
Baek Arin was happily trading punches with Namgung Sohye, both faces bright with joy.
“What?!”
“Go find some Demon Essence Stones! Or a place where mana has heavily pooled!”
“How am I supposed to do that?!”
Sin Hyeok immediately activated Mapping and shared it with her.
“That do?”
She clicked her tongue at the system message that popped up.
[Mapping is being shared.]
[Map is expanding.]
[Via the Map function, you may vocally control one Mapping probe.]
“Tch.”
With work having fallen on her, she stroked Namgung Sohye’s head and said.
“Unni will go do some work and come back.”
“Hmm, unni, let’s go together~”
Sohye latched on tightly.
She smiled affectionately.
“I don’t know if that’s possible.”
She glanced at Jin Cheon.
Jin Cheon was holding his sword, concentrating, when he felt a gaze and turned around.
Seeing Baek Arin’s gaze, he immediately spoke.
“It’s fine, so go ahead. At least for now, it’s safe.”
“Yay!”
Sohye jumped up and down and looked around.
“Unni, where should we start~?”
Baek Arin headed toward the person most familiar with this place.
“Let’s ask that old man first.”
The old wizard and enchanter, Malakai, spotted the approaching sisters.
“Oh my, what brings the princesses here?”
Sohye asked brightly with a broad smile.
“We’re looking for Demon Essence Stones! Where could they be?”
He pondered for a moment, then pointed at a mine that had collapsed not long ago.
“If you search that mine, you might find a few. There’s a record of Demon Essence Stones being mined there in the past.”
Baek Arin took note of the information well and asked about the record.
“Were there any more detailed records about it?”
At those words, Malakai got up and headed to the basement.
“Let me see. Some records are important enough that copies were made separately. There might be some.”
Soon after, he took out an old book and handed it over.
“Just look here. The locations are marked on a map.”
There was no way to know what was written, but it clearly showed where they had mined in the past.
“Thank you.”
“Heh heh, no need for that. Well then, I hope the princesses enjoy your time.”
“Yes!”
* * *
“I’m jealous. That looks so healing.”
Sin Hyeok, who had been watching a scene like something out of a beautiful drama, heard the old knight’s shout.
“Chief young man! We’re ready! Build along the drawn lines!”
“Yes, yes! Here I go!”
‘The grind begins.’
He checked the drawn lines and recalled the blueprint.
‘Tightly packed. As high as possible!’
[Transmutation initiated.]
[Iron ore, soil, gypsum, quartz, and granite are extracted.]
The earth rippled.
Soon, it surged along Sin Hyeok’s fingertips, taking shape.
“Ooh! This truly is amazing!”
Everyone came out to witness the mystical sight.
Sin Hyeok frowned at his gradually throbbing head and fading mental strength.
“Hoo.”
[You have transmuted a castle wall.]
[A record regarding ‘a section of sturdy castle wall’ has been recorded in the Akashic Pocket.]
“U-uh.”
Sin Hyeok looked at the wall he had created.
He had built a section five meters wide, three meters thick, and ten meters tall.
“Ah, still a long way to go.”
‘Don’t I have to make stairs for that too? Sigh.’
The old knight shouted energetically at Sin Hyeok.
“Chief young man, cheer up! Fighting!”
The residents shouted in unison.
“Fighting!”
At their words, Sin Hyeok raised both arms with difficulty in response.
“Yep, fighting.”
He immediately shook his head and reached out his hand again.
“Transmute.”
[Transmutation initiated.]
After five hours of making castle walls, Sin Hyeok collapsed.
‘I can’t do this.’
He didn’t even have the strength to speak anymore.
The world kept spinning.
Within that spinning world, the castle wall was all too visible.
“......I built it well.”
Sin Hyeok staggered as he looked at the result he had created.
“Height sixty, thickness three.”
He had made about ten percent of the total area.
“Chief, good work.”
The old knight praised the work.
“Ah, thank you.”
He wanted to get up politely, but he was too exhausted.
“Don’t get up; just rest. We’ll prepare what we need to on our end.”
“Yes.”
Sin Hyeok watched him walk away, then rested his head on the ground again.
“What’s coming?”
He thought of Opsireu, who was searching diligently.
‘Sireu, what do you see?’
‘Transmitting information regarding hostile entities deployed in the vicinity.’
The accumulated information was transmitted into his head.
Sin Hyeok’s expression darkened in real time as he saw it.
“Damn it.”