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| ← Ch.247 | Ch.249 → |
The anxiousness that the wall might come down turned into shock.
They had no doubt that the fortress was too powerful for them to break through.
But seeing from the progress, they couldn't help but feel agitated.
"R-report this to Ellen immediately!"
A superior commanded in a loud voice, and one of the subordinates ran over to the elders' meeting room immediately.
And then...
"The fortress wall is about to come down!"
In response, the elders' meeting room froze still in silence.
Following the moment of silence, Ellen and the elders sprung up from their seats.
They couldn't' believe what they just heard.
"That's ridiculous. What do you mean the wall is about to come down?"
"I-I couldn't believe it either, but it's true."
In response, the elders became agitated.
From their history, the wall coming down due to impact was something they couldn't even imagine.
"We don't have much time. We must come up with countermeasures immediately."
"What kind of countermeasures can we come up with when the wall is coming down?!"
"I think we should go with our original plan!"
The elders began to raise their voices out of urgency.
Ellen slammed down on the table with a flushed face.
The elders came back to their senses and collected themselves in front of Ellen.
"Prepare to hold a negotiation with the trespassers, " Ellen commanded, and in response, the elders immediately flooded out of the meeting room.
Ellen stared into the distance and bit down on her lip.
***
Min Sung's eyes flashed with white light as a result of his gold Gungnir S.
Knowing that this was going to be his last strike, Min Sung struck the 500-year-old fortress wall with his Gungnir and smashed through it.
He did the impossible.
"... Oh my god."
Ho Sung Lee expressed his shock as if he just saw something he wasn't supposed to.
Min Sung gripped onto his Gungnir S and comfortably entered through the hole in the wall.
Ho Sung Lee gulped and followed from behind.
Bowl jumped out of Min Sung's pocket and snickered out of excitement, and Ssol ran around with eyes filled with curiosity.
'... We're not here to play. '
Ho Sung Lee had such thoughts, but Min Sung didn't stop Bowl or Ssol.
He simply accepted the countless looks he was getting from the dark elves inside with a calm look on his face.
***
While countless dark elves stared them down, robed elders approached from afar.
The elders were dark elves that showed off a lot of wrinkles, and they were accompanied by many more soldiers.
The elders stopped at a reasonable distance from Min Sung and his party.
"Who's Ellen?" Min Sung asked.
And in response, one elder replied.
"Ellen would never expose herself in such a dangerous situation. There's something I must ask."
"Did you break through that wall with force alone? How did you..."
"It was troublesome, but it wasn't difficult."
In response to Min Sung's confidence, the elders and dark elves tensed up with stiff looks on their faces.
They had never had trespassers before.
Never in their history.
"I heard you're looking for the ancient document, " said one elder, and Min Sung nodded in response.
"Perhaps, we should negotiate. How about you put that weapon away first?"
Min Sung checked all of their gazes. He looked down at his Gungnir S and threw it back into his item window.
Once he cooperated, the elders commanded for them to be escorted inside with the utmost respect.
***
Min Sung and his party entered the building at the accompaniment of the dark elves' soldiers.
The room was large, the table was wide, and it was the perfect place to have a chat.
But in the case that the negotiation didn't go well and the situation escalated in a negative manner, there was a system in place that would isolate their enemies.
If they made that choice, the dark elves would go extinct.
"Let me prepare some tea for you. One moment, please."
Ho Sung Lee felt awkward that they were being treated this way after breaking through their walls.
But it all made sense once he thought about his own stance as well as the stances of the dark elves.
Min Sung drank the tea that he was offered and waited to negotiate.
"How unique, " Ho Sung Lee remarked while slurping his tea.
"It's an interesting scent."
Ho Sung Lee commented that he enjoyed the tea, but Min Sung wasn't a big fan.
But he did like how his head and mouth felt refreshed afterward.
"It doesn't seem like it suits your taste very much, " Ho Sung Lee said after noticing Min Sung put down his tea after one sip.
"It smells like the dirt from the Demonic Realm."
Min Sung offered a short explanation, and Ho Sung Lee immediately realized why he didn't like the tea.
While Ho Sung Lee sipped the tea by himself, the elders entered the negotiation room.
Min Sung sat back in his seat in a comfortable position and watched them all sit down.
The vibe was serious and heavy, but Min Sung didn't want to waste any time.
"If you want to negotiate, I'm guessing you have something to offer. Go ahead and say it."
Min Sung tapped on the table with his index finger and scanned the elders' faces.
In response to the pressure, the faces of the elders stiffened even more.
They felt uncomfortable by Min Sung's presence.
But they weren't in a situation where they couldn't face off against him.
Min Sung was alone, and this place was the dark elves' home base.
But since he was the man who broke through their walls, and they preferred not to suffer any harm, the dark elves couldn't help but feel pressured.
If Min Sung happened to pull out his weapon again, their plan would turn into ashes.
"... Let me ask you one question. I heard you want our ancient document. Is that true?" One elder asked.
Min Sung nodded, and the second question followed.
"Is it because of a player quest?"
"Yeah."
"... I see. The ancient document is an important asset and a precious object to us, dark elves. If you accept our proposal, we will hand you the ancient document."
"What's the proposal?"
"At the Cayenne mountains nearby, dwarves live. They're our enemy, meaning they are waiting for us to be in crisis."
"I'm sure you're not asking me to kill the dwarves."
"Of course not. All we want is an agreement. Given our emotional past, we're unable to come to a profitable agreement. We did our best to stay within our boundaries, but the dwarves are very stubborn, so we've been unable to make any kind of proposal."
"So you want me to make it happen?"
"That's correct."
"No, " rejected Min Sung.
The elders exchanged glances and didn't know what to do.
"Do you meant to say you're going to steal our ancient document?"
"If you feel resentment, blame the Dionysus Gods up there. In Beatrice, I'm at war against time. Meanwhile, my star is rotting away. I can't just let my star rot away because of your tradition. I won't let that happen."
The elders gulped.
"You had no intention of negotiating in the first place..."
One elder said with disappointed eyes.
Min Sung laughed.
"Same goes for you. The dwarves are just an excuse. You just wanted to use me and the dwarves to start a fight. I can see everything."
The elders stiffened their faces.
Min Sung took out his Gungnir from his item window.
"I won't repeat myself. Bring me the ancient document."
Min Sung's eyes grew cold.
A fight was about to break loose.
At that moment, someone else appeared.
"Ellen!"
"E-Ellen... !"
The person who appeared at the negotiation table was none other than the leader of the dark elves, Ellen.
"Wow..."
Ho Sung Lee dropped his jaw while staring at Ellen.
He was at a loss for words because of her beauty. Ho Sung Lee then came to his senses and rubbed his nose.
Min Sung stared at Ellen, and Ellen stared back at the intruder.
"Enough of this so-called negotiation. Get to the point. You can negotiate with me now."
"Negotiate what?" Min Sung asked.
"A battle for life or death?"
Ellen said with a smile.
"Ellen!"
The elders sprung up and tried to refute, but Ellen stared at Min Sung with no intention to change her mind.
"I must settle this with the intruder once and for all. For the sake of the dark elves' pride."
"But..."
"That's too dangerous."
"Please don't act rashly!"
"You must value your life as our leader!"
The elders expressed their worry, but...
"I've already made my decision. Please don't try to talk me out of it."
The young ruler, Ellen, had no intention to change her mind.
In response, the elders groaned.
Min Sung sighed.
He felt as though he suddenly turned into a villain who trespassed into the Dark Elf Forest ruled by a young female Queen.
But Min Sung had no choice.
If he went easy on them, it was obvious what would happen to him and his party.
Min Sung grabbed onto his Gungnir S and got up.
"Where do you want to do it?" Min Sung asked Ellen.
"Follow me, " Ellen replied.
Min Sung followed her, and the elders followed from behind with great anxiousness.
| ← Ch. 247 | Ch. 249 → |