Chapter 145: Infiltration (1)
So far, everything was unfolding exactly as it had during Kim Ki-Rok's previous Attempt.
He and the vanguard team advanced quickly, scanning their surroundings as they closed in on the cave entrance. They spotted an old structure ahead, likely a rundown guard post.
Approaching cautiously, the vanguard moved into position. To avoid detection by the Black Wizards, they had all taken Mana Block Potions. In return for suppressing their magical signatures, they had fortified their bodies with buffs from potions and food. Thanks to this preparation, their movements were not particularly hindered.
Silently, the group circled to the rear of the building and began surveying the area. Kim Ki-Rok crept up to a window and crouched just below it. Extending his hand backward without turning, he was immediately handed an endoscope camera by the Hunter behind him. Carefully, Kim Ki-Rok operated the scope, angling it through the window, then tilted the screen to show the others.
There were only two enemies inside the building, both wizards wearing black robes. Whether it was complacency or overconfidence in their magical barriers, they were just sitting on the floor, gathering mana.
One of the Hunters watching the screen looked at Kim Ki-Rok and gave a silent signal, dragging his thumb across his throat.
Kim Ki-Rok checked the camera one more time, just to make sure. There were only two targets in sight, unhurried, distracted, and likely assuming no one could sneak past their magical detection. Both were deep in mana-breathing techniques, which would slow their reaction if caught off guard.
Kim Ki-Rok made a small circle with his thumb and index finger, granting permission to the eager Hunters. He reached into his subspace pocket and pulled out two blowdarts, handing one to the Hunter beside him. Then, he silently signaled for everyone to stand by.
Using mana here would risk alerting every nearby Black Wizard, so they had to rely on a non-magical strike that was silent, precise, and unexpected. The structure was in poor condition, its broken windows making it easy to establish a line of sight.
The Hunter who received the blowdart from Kim Ki-Rok positioned himself, ready to shoot. All that remained was the signal.
As Kim Ki-Rok lightly tapped his foot to signal, the Hunter beside him, still monitoring the interior through the endoscope, tapped the backs of the other two in rhythm.
One thump, a second, then a third... On the last beat, Kim Ki-Rok and the Hunter fired in perfect sync.
The darts had been coated with a sleep potion developed by Lim Yun-Ju. According to the "clinical trials," it was potent enough to instantly knock out even a mana-using Hunter. Because of its effectiveness, Kim Ki-Rok had forbidden any leaks of either the potion or its formula.
One of the Black Wizards flinched as it pierced his skin. "Hmm?"
A prickle of unnatural sensation bloomed where the dart had struck. The discomfort deepened and his eyes flew open in alarm, but it was too late.
They had been struck while in the middle of a mana-breathing technique. The moment they tried to activate their mana in panic, the sedative took hold even faster. In seconds, both Black Wizards slumped over, fast asleep.
Kim Ki-Rok quietly retrieved his blowdart and tore away part of the window frame to create a covert entry point. The Hunter slipped inside like a shadow and dispatched both enemies in their sleep, his dagger sinking silently into each.
Meanwhile, another Hunter swept through the interior, checking for traps or other threats. Once the area was confirmed secure, the bodies were moved into a side room and hidden to erase any sign of their presence.
As the cleanup crew emerged, Kim Ki-Rok signaled to the scattered vanguard teams that everything was ready.
From around the corner of a nearby building, Baek Min-Hyuk darted forward toward the Gate entrance. Immediately, five Hunters followed him inside. They formed the second team, tasked with protecting Kim Ji-Hee.
There shouldn't be any more enemies nearby...
Only two Black Wizards had been stationed at the mine entrance, and even they had been a questionable use of manpower. Assigning Undead to guard an abandoned mine would've been an even greater waste. It seemed this old outpost wasn't meant for defense, but rather for rest.
Once Kim Ji-Hee entered with her team, Kim Ki-Rok quietly called out her name.
"Yeess, Mister?"
Her small voice carried a subtle unease. It seemed Kim Ji-Hee had already heard something about this Gate before entering.
Kim Ki-Rok gently stroked her head. "Can you sense where the spirits are?"
She nodded.
"Which direction are they in?"
"Over there... and over there," she said, pointing to a crumbling man-made road, then to a rough, natural path partially blocked by a fallen boulder from the cave ceiling.
Now came the decision. Taking the man-made road would lead them directly to the mining village and into a confrontation with the Black Wizards. If they took the natural path instead, they could reach the dwarven spirits. That path led to an old communal graveyard, where the bodies of executed dwarves had been discarded and left to decay.
The vanguard's eyes turned toward Kim Ki-Rok as he pointed toward the natural road.
***
Kim Ki-Rok advanced using the fallen rocks as cover. As he moved, he raised a hand to signal a stop, then tilted his head forward to listen.
Ahead, five skeletons patrolled the area. Nothing remained of their former forms but bones. However, those bones radiated mana like sonar, scanning for intrusions. They didn't see with eyes, but sensed the ripple of mana collisions. If any of the Hunters hadn't taken Mana Block Potions, they would have already been detected and the Black Wizards alerted.
In short, fighting them held no tactical advantage.
"They move so damn slowly..." Kim Ki-Rok muttered under his breath.
He and the vanguard remained hidden, waiting for the skeletons to shuffle past. Once they were out of sight, the group began moving in small increments. They progressed carefully, using cover, crawling low, and pausing when needed. After nearly thirty minutes of steady, concealed advancement, they arrived at their destination.
"We're here," Kim Ki-Rok said, standing in front of a massive pit. "Ji-Hee, call the dwarf misters from down there."
"Yeeess."
He turned to the rest of the team. "Anyone with a weak stomach, please wait next to Ji-Hee."
A few curious Hunters stepped forward, only to halt abruptly after a wave of unease washed over them. Some, ignoring the warning, continued forward until they reached Kim Ki-Rok's side.
"Ugh!"
They immediately regretted their decision and backed away.
"What is it? What's down there?"
There was always one person who couldn't read the room. A Hunter, unable to resist his curiosity, approached the edge of the pit.
His face soon twisted in disgust as he answered, "Corpses..."
"Ugh!"
Some Hunters turned away while others recoiled instinctively, but Kim Ki-Rok stood firm.
Judging by the rate of decay... two, maybe three hours.
He quickly began piecing things together. Based on the corpses' condition and the traces he had observed on the way here, a realization struck him.
So the skeleton we saw earlier wasn't patrolling. It was transporting a corpse.
Drawing from the memories of his previous Attempt, he reassessed their current position. They still had plenty of time.
"Mister."
Kim Ji-Hee's soft voice pulled him from his thoughts.
"Oh my," he responded.
Dozens of semi-transparent dwarves floated around her. These spirits had been enslaved and slaughtered by Black Wizards, so their resentment was only natural.
Kim Ki-Rok quickly stepped forward and announced in a calm but firm voice, "Everyone. Our Spiritualist is still young. It's hard for her to carry the full weight of your sorrow."
The dwarven spirits paused, visibly startled.
—Oh! Our apologies.
"No harm done. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Kim Ki-Rok from the guild, Earth. We've come at the request of the Continental Alliance."
One of the spirits floated forward, his spectral form more defined than the others. "I'm Hectare, the tribe leader of Azure Blast Furnace. But did you say the guild Earth?"
"That's right. We're with Earth."
***
The heroes had revived the World Tree and begun moving through portals to dangerous, long-forgotten places. One of them emerged from such a portal, announcing that a door had opened, leading to a dwarf village under the control of the Black Kingdom.
Upon hearing this, Serena immediately contacted the Continental Alliance, requesting the formation of a joint rescue team to work alongside the heroes and free the dwarves.
Within just three days, dwarven warriors aligned with the Continental Alliance arrived at the Northern Border City. Soon after, Paladins and Priests from the Temple Alliance followed, along with contingents of Beastfolk and humans.
Serena sat in meditation and tried to still the turmoil inside, remorse heavy over her failure to locate the dwarves sooner.
"Ms. Serena," a voice called out, pulling her back to reality.
From the massive Gate at the center of the city, a hero burst forth. He belonged to the group that called themselves "Hunters."
"We've confirmed their location!" His voice rang out, breathless and urgent.
A nearby dwarven warrior clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. "What's the tribe's name?"
Other dwarves fixed intense gazes on the hero, bracing for the answer.
"Azure Blast Furnace..." the hero began reporting.
"Location confirmed!" the dwarven warrior shouted, knowing exactly where it was. "Let's contact the Tower of Wiza—"
"Scarlet Anvil, Ashen Grey Hammer..."
The dwarf warrior turned sharply toward the hero.
"Turquoise Hammer Tribe..."
When the hero finally finished listing the names, the exacerbated dwarf exclaimed, "There are seven tribes in total!"
The dwarf warriors listening were trembling at this point.
"Sir Reardon, this is a rescue mission. Steady your heart," someone said quietly.
"I... know."
Reardon, the Champion of the White Anvil tribe and the dwarf leading the rescue team, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He understood the need to remain calm, even if every name struck like a hammer to the chest.
The surrounding dwarf warriors followed suit, grounding themselves for the task ahead.
Serena turned to the Hunter and asked, "What's the name of the village?"
"It belongs to the Azure Blast Furnace Tribe."
"Sir Reardon," she called.
"The Azure Blast Furnace tribe lives in a large village built inside a mine."
With that, their destination was confirmed. Fortunately, the battlefield was located near the border.
"Oh hero, how many survivors have you confirmed so far?" Serena asked.
"Ji-Hee... We confirmed the numbers with the help of the Saintess," the Hunter replied. "Since the spirits aided us, we don't have an exact count. However..."
"However?" Serena pressed.
"We estimate around three hundred survivors..."
A loud sound echoed behind them, but Serena didn't flinch. She simply ignored it and offered the Hunter a calm nod. "You've done well. We will depart immediately."
"Understood."
Reardon's fury was understandable. Seven tribes had been discovered, yet only about three hundred survivors remained. Even so, if they wanted to save what was left, they couldn't afford to lose their composure.
"Uh, umm..." The Hunter hesitated, as though there was something more he needed to say.
The rescue team turned toward him again.
"Hero Kim Ki-Rok asked how long you think you'll take."
"Reardon?" Serena asked.
"The location of the Azure Blast Furnace tribe is very close to the border. If we use teleportation magic to reach the Southwestern Border City and then cross from there, we should arrive quickly. However, if we're intercepted..."
His concern was valid. Being caught en route could cost them everything. Thankfully, his judgment remained intact despite his anger.
Serena offered a quick solution. "Then how about we enlist help from the nearby border cities?"
"A diversion?"
"Yes. The army stationed in the Southwestern Border City could stage a feint and draw the enemy's attention elsewhere."
"Would that be possible?"
"The Beastfolk are garrisoned there. There won't be a problem."
Serena looked over the assembled rescue team that was five hundred strong and gave a firm nod. "Okay, we will begin the operation immediately."