133. White Abyss
A request to restore communication at an abandoned base.
Contrary to the name of the request, it wasn't actually abandoned, nor had it been left alone for that long.
It had been operating well as an intermediate base, but about three months ago, a thick fog suddenly rolled in and monsters swarmed the area, forcing them to abandon it.
However, giving up the base was simply following established protocol, so the government wasn't particularly worried until then.
Even in a world where anyone can use magic, skilled mages are always a precious resource.
If it were a major city extracting essential resources, it might be different, but they couldn't afford to consume expensive mages by defending a mere intermediate base to the bitter end.
If a problem arises, it's much cheaper in terms of both cost and manpower to hand over the base, sweep the monsters away with a magic bombardment later, and then reclaim it.
The problem, however, was that the communication tower—the most vital part of that protocol—had broken down.
The communication tower also serves a detection role, marking the monsters around the base and sending their locations to the center.
Without that data, safe magic bombardment from a distance is impossible, meaning the monsters have to be hunted down one by one.
Whether the monsters broke it or it was just a coincidence was unknown, but it left the government in a bind.
Government agents had already tried and failed several times to restore communication; normally, Yggdrasil would have rejected such a dangerous request.
But when I said I was bringing our super cheat key, Frey-nim, they stamped the approval immediately.
'What? We can dispatch Greyhound without spending a dime? And Frey-nim herself is going? Go right now.'
As expected of Frey-chang-seop, she really provides everything.
"So, where is Kel... I mean, Frey-nim?"
As soon as we arrived at the safe zone near the base, Rio looked around with eyes full of expectation.
He looked like an Otaku five seconds away from meeting his favorite idol, which made me really not want to introduce them.
"She's hiding and watching."
"What? She's really here, right? You're not bullshitting me, are you?"
"She's here. Have you lived your whole life being deceived?"
"You've deceived me plenty."
I might have withheld important facts, but I've never lied to him. I felt a bit wronged.
"She said she'd meet us after the mission because meeting before it starts might interfere with the evaluation."
"If it's someone as cold-headed as Frey-nim, seeing us wouldn't affect her evaluation..."
"Not her, you. You, you bastard. Don't go trying too hard just because my master is watching; keep your head on straight. Don't forget, from the moment we stepped in here, everything is being evaluated. She's watching right now."
"Frey-nim is watching me."
Seeing Rio's bright face made me want to hit him in the back of the head.
Still, once I mentioned they were being watched, Masayoshi and Takeo also straightened their postures, their gazes turning tense.
It seemed these guys were secretly looking forward to it too.
Frey really must be famous.
Well, even in the game, she was a legendary mercenary who was only mentioned occasionally until you finally met her in the late game.
And guys, I'm sorry.
If I told you this, you'd probably grab me by the collar, but she's actually not watching.
Frey is currently taking her mercenaries to hunt the hidden boss of this area based on my request.
Originally, this is an area you visit twice.
The first time, you just restore the communication tower and try to leave, but Akito feels something ominous, setting up a foreshadowing.
Later, a boss-level monster that was hiding here smashes the base, forcing you to come back for exploration.
It's not related to the main story, but if that second request triggers, the area gets locked until it's resolved, which is incredibly inconvenient.
Since it happens right when events are popping off and emergency requests are flooding in, it's better to handle it when I can.
There's no need to let the agents at the base die by neglecting them, and if this region gets blocked, I can't supply ingredients, which causes all sorts of trouble.
But... how the hell do I get up there?
The communication tower, soaring high through the fog, looked tall even at a glance.
How did they even build something like that? The mountain next to it didn't even look low, but because the tower was so thin and tall, the mountain looked like a neighborhood hill.
Akito climbed it just fine; I guess that guy doesn't have a fear of heights.
Rio seemed to be thinking the same thing; even from a distance, his head tilted back as he stared blankly at the top of the tower.
"Umm... do we really have to climb that?"
"That's right. Now, go on."
"What?! I'm the one climbing?! That's not what we agreed on!"
"You're the only member it's okay if they die—"
"Don't be ridiculous! I am absolutely not going up there!"
It was a joke, but he was incredibly repulsed.
The one going up there is me.
Because I'm the only one who can survive with a magic power film if I happen to fall.
"Shouldn't we bring someone who can use flight magic?"
"You bastard, you didn't read the materials I handed out again, did you?"
When I scolded him, Rio looked at me warily and picked up his pad.
The fog spread out there isn't just normal fog.
Because of some magical whatever, it's a fog that grabs anything flying and drags it down to the ground.
Just then, a bird of an unknown species flew past.
The thick fog on the ground wavered, and then hundreds of strands rose up like a shimmering heat haze.
Wow... it was a sight that was both fascinating and disgusting.
At first, the bird avoided them quickly, but the moment a single strand even slightly touched its wing, it was yanked straight down as if someone had snagged it with a fishing rod.
To dodge those while using flight magic and land safely on top of the tower, you'd probably need to bring one of the Zodiac.
If we fail and restoration keeps getting delayed, the Zodiac might actually come.
"... ... Is it even possible to climb the tower?"
"As long as you keep your feet attached to it, the fog doesn't react."
"That's it, isn't it? The White Abyss."
"It is called by that name. It's a bit of a cheesy name, though."
As expected of a world where magic is the main focus, there are many unusual natural phenomena.
Storms that cause mental derangement, sand that soars into the sky... they seemed fun when I was playing the game, but being in a position where I have to face them directly is just a pain.
Anyway, we are the ones who have to solve this now.
"As explained, Yukina and Takeo will protect the communication tower from the ground. Rio will assist the defense team and handle detection. Angelica will receive the detection data and perform ultra-long-range sniping."
Rio's role is important here.
Giving Rio such an important role... I'm not exactly at ease, but he's the only one who can support the defense team by altering the terrain and accurately inform Angelica of the monsters' positions since her field of vision is blocked by the fog.
"... ... Can't I be the one to go up?"
"No, if I fall, I have the highest chance of surviving."
Yukina, worried about me, offered to climb instead.
It was something she had said several times on the way here, and each time I shook my head.
Since Yukina is physically gifted, she'd probably climb more easily than me.
But the moment she falls... well, honestly, even if Yukina fell, I feel like she'd somehow grab onto the tower again and hold on.
Still, if she truly plummeted to the ground from near the top, she'd die.
Both Yukina and Angelica had worried looks in their eyes... and you, you thug, if you look at me with such worried eyes, it feels gay, so stop it.
"The operation isn't changing. Just do your assigned roles."
"Then...! Don't cast Soul Chain on me before you go. You need to preserve your magic power film as much as possible..."
This time, Angelica stepped forward.
I'm grateful they're both thinking of me, but they're worrying too much.
"I told you that's not happening either, right? You won't be under attack anyway. It's just insurance."
"Yeon-woo needs insurance too."
"Yeah, Masayoshi is my insurance, so don't worry."
"... Suddenly putting a lot of pressure on me, aren't you?"
"You'll do great, won't you?"
Masayoshi, who would be guarding Angelica while she sniped from a distance away from the main group, shrugged his shoulders.
I ignored him as part of the gag duo at first, but I can trust Masayoshi.
Rio... I still need to see more.
After persuading the two worried girls, we began the operation.
First, we moved to a good sniping position. While the other team members secured the area by installing barriers, I pulled Angelica into a deep, lingering kiss. My hands roamed over her soft body, groping her firmly to establish the Soul Chain.
It was to protect Angelica, but it also served as a morale boost for me before I had to climb that tower.
"You have to be careful."
"Don't worry."
When I stroked the hair of Angelica, who was looking up at me like a puppy, the synchronization rate of the Soul Chain suddenly spiked.
To think it rises more from stroking her head than from all that touching, biting, and sucking... it's a bit disappointing, though I'm glad.
Leaving Angelica and Masayoshi behind, we ran toward the communication tower.
"Three in front!"
Because of the thick fog, you couldn't see anything even three or four meters ahead, so Rio had to detect and call out every position.
Yukina, who knew the monsters' locations even before Rio spoke, vanished into the fog. After the loud cries of monsters were heard, she rejoined us.
Emerging from the fog while trailing a sword stained with monster blood, looking as if nothing had happened, Yukina looked incredibly cool.
We approached the tower, repeating the process of Rio detecting and Yukina handling them before he even finished speaking.
The communication tower, its top hidden by the fog, looked precarious, and I really didn't want to climb it.
But if I hesitated here, Yukina would step up.
I placed my foot on the climbing stairs and looked at Rio.
"You know your role is important, right?"
"I know. You can trust me, can't you?"
"... ..."
"In times like this, you're supposed to say you trust me, even if it's a lie."
I gave the scowling Rio a single smile and then headed up the stairs.
The stairs ended after about four floors, and the rest had to be climbed using things like ladders.
Even those were mostly smashed, so I had to do all sorts of things to climb, like an assassin from a climbing game who loves leaps of faith.
It's been smooth so far.
However, if it were this smooth, all those agents wouldn't have failed.
As soon as I started climbing the tower, the cries of monsters, similar to monkeys, echoed from beyond the fog.
Are those the subordinates? Or the children of the hidden boss?
In fact, monkey-like monsters began attacking anyone climbing the tower.
Rio had to limit the monsters' entry paths by altering the terrain, while Yukina and Takeo had to block them.
But since there were so many, even those two wouldn't hold out without Angelica's sniping.
And I had to somehow restore communication before my teammates reached their limit, marking all the monsters and requesting a bombardment.
But... why the hell is the ladder already cut off...
Since the agents probably faced constant attacks while trying, it seemed the parts closer to the ground were more damaged.
The closer I get to the top, the easier it should be to climb.
I hate climbing games.
I absolutely hate it when a tiny control miss means you die or have to start over from the beginning.
But there's no need to worry.
Because I have an item prepared for someone like me who hates climbing games.
Fortunately, I pulled out the whip that Rebecca had managed to get for me in time and swung it into the empty space.
Jja-ak— The sound echoing out was reassuring.
I swung it toward a distant steel frame, and the whip stretched out and coiled around it.
Now, if I withdraw the magic power—
The extended whip shortened, pulling me upward.
"Ugh—!"
Right, I had this.
The moment my feet left the surface, the white strands that had pulled the bird down earlier swarmed from all directions, terrifying me.
Fortunately, I arrived before the strands could touch me, so I wasn't caught. But since I wasn't far from the ground, a question asking if I was okay drifted up from below, likely because they heard my desperate shout.
I barely managed to stop Yukina, who sounded like she was about to climb up right this second, and calmed my pounding heart.
Phew... I shouldn't aim for places too far away.
Since the fog reacts the moment my feet are off the ground, I need to keep my airtime short.
It won't be as easy to climb as I thought, but since I can climb even where the path is broken, it shouldn't be too hard.
"Ukki-ik—?!"
Ah, shit. These bastards were here too.
It's not like the monsters just stay in one place and then swarm only when I say 'I'm going to restore communication now~'; naturally, there are those wandering freely in the middle of the tower.
The monkey-like monster, which had been tilting its head at me, soon twisted its face into a hideous expression, its muscles throbbing and bulging all over its body.
"Don't show off your muscles and get lost, you bastard."
I tied the whip securely to the structure and burst a magic stone I had bought from Rebecca.
Ppa-ang—!
In an instant, a wind flared out in all directions, blowing away the monster that was lunging at me.
I was hit by the wind too, but I held on thanks to the whip I had tied down.
In the process, my feet were briefly lifted, and the white strands of fog creeping out gave me goosebumps.
Anyway, I've confirmed that all the items I prepared work.
Now, all that's left is to climb to that invisible top?
I better get up there and restore it quickly before the kids suffer too much.