The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 132



Only Krnovel

Episode 132 five pillars (9)

This time the aftereffects were greater than the first time. Excluding the followers of the Magic Tower, Oklamud’s forces are the strongest group in the Magic Tower. No matter how hard I tried to understand what he said, I couldn’t understand it at all.

Asillus slammed the table and jumped up from his seat.

“Don’t say nonsense! If it were Elder Oklamud’s home base, it would have been guarded by a lot of high-ranking wizards of a similar level to me! How were they able to break through that guard and bring the ‘pillars’!”

“Then how do you think I got this? Did I get it by talking to those magicians?”

“… … .”

“If anything, I could prove how they killed him.”

The veins bristling in the strong muscles twitched and throbbed. Asillus trembled. Still, perhaps because he felt threatened by his position of having done nothing, he did not back down and tried to do something else.

“Ah, no, that’s true… … Ah, haa… … Ma, doesn’t that make sense. Ma, how can you use magic to, block all those spells, dodge them… … T, without even getting singed by the flames… … No, doesn’t that make sense!”

“… … What the hell are you talking about.”

“Well, that’s not all! How could the precious talents of the Magic Tower be killed so cruelly? Everyone worked hard to get to that position! Oh, and if Elder Oklamud finds out about this, he’s sure to take terrible revenge… … .”

Kadim frowned and gave a bewildered look. What are you talking about earlier, you bastard? Sometimes they say they are the strongest competitors.

There was no need for the person concerned to come forward and refute it. A cold chant cut off the foolish protest.

“[Eldra, Xanic, Clecia, En, Kulamad.]”

Tsk tsk tsk –

Ice as hard as a rock covered and sealed the groping snout. Coltran narrowed his brows and gave it a cold look.

“Enough with your stupid nonsense, Mr. Asillus. In any case, in order to secure those pillars, I had no choice but to see their blood. “Isn’t it right to say thank you to Mr. Kadim, who worked hard alone?”

Thump thump, thump thump –

“Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!”

The ice stretched out behind his neck like a vine, then spread its arms and pressed down on the back of his head. As soon as Achilles was forced to bow his head toward Kadim, he continued to struggle to get away, but the ice stretched forward again, completely gluing his face to the table.

‘Ugh, ugh, ugh!’

Coltran did not give a glance to the Battle Mage, who was kissing the table deeply.

“Hmm, but… … I’m definitely a little worried about how Oklamud will turn out. It would have been okay if he had just died cleanly, but he happened to be absent again… … .”

‘Ugh, ugh, ugh!’

Kadim ignored the groans and crossed his arms indifferently.

“They left no witnesses behind. “Does he have any means of finding out what happened?”

“That’s right. Oklamud knows how to use magic to temporarily revive the dead. He most likely brought the body back to life at the scene and listened to the circumstances. I don’t know if you pulverized all the corpses into shapeless pieces, but you probably didn’t… … .”

“… … .”

In fact, it crushed almost everyone’s heads.

However, there was only one wizard who was killed last, and he came out with his head broken. Kadim briefly regretted it. If he had already started blowing it up, he should have blown that damn head up for sure.

Coltran clapped his hands and pretended to lighten the mood.

“Well, even so, there will be a great loss of power right away, so it won’t be easy to move. Especially when they find out that I am protecting you. Don’t worry too much, Khadim.”

“… … .”

“And there is one more good news. The whereabouts of even the last remaining ‘pillar of water’ have been revealed. The Chairman of the Council of Councilors contacted me first and said he was keeping it. He sent me a message on how to negotiate, so I’m sure he’ll hear back soon… … .”

They say that even the devil will come when he speaks, and as soon as those words were spoken, someone sent a message.

[Excuse me while we speak, Elder! I have come to deliver a message from the Chairman of the Council. Can I come inside?]

“… … Looks like it’s already here. “Just wait a moment.”

The wizard who had left for the barbarian hurried inside. He was surprised twice, once by the sight of the fierce-looking barbarian and once by the sight of the high-ranking wizard whose face was stuck to the table, but he skillfully hid his agitation and approached the elder.

The elder who heard the chairman’s message could not hide his agitation.

“… … what? Are you putting it up for auction?”

*

The pot-bellied man stood by the window and scanned the cityscape.

The vast ocean that moistens the view, the white buildings that harmonize with the pure white streets, the blue and boundless sky, and the tower that stands tall as if looking down on that sky.

It was a picturesque scenery that anyone would admire for its beauty.

“… … Phew.”

To the pot-bellied man, Conrad, it all felt like a prison without bars.

He was the Chairman of the Vestana Council, which governs this ‘City of Miracles’. Although the chairpersons of other cities were the most powerful in name and reality, the results of the chairpersons of Vestana were very different.

The true ruling body of this city is not the council, but the tower. And the position of ‘Chairman of the Vestana Council’ is essentially that of a livestock, whose nose is pierced by the owner of the tower, the tower lord, and who must live in this barred prison for the rest of their lives.

Needless to say, among the chairman of the previous Council of Ministers, there were those who harbored negative feelings towards the Lord of the Magic Tower. And they all disappeared without leaving a single speck of dust in this world.

The Matapju was a ‘monster’ who defied even death and did not allow resistance or rebellion. The reason Conrad was able to keep his life and position until now was because of his innate cowardice, which was to keep his mouth shut like a mute, live without thinking like an idiot, and live in obedience like a dog.

But what on earth is the meaning of living like this, just surviving without any will?

Conrad was feeling a great deal of disgust at his life as a puppet chairman. Although he had discovered some of the secrets and reverse scales of the Magic Tower through his background investigations, he did not have the wisdom to use them or the courage to expose them.

So the solution that came to mind as a second option was ‘generational replacement of the top’…

‘A place makes a person. Even if a new magic tower owner is elected, he will still try to exploit me later anyway.’

… … We concluded that similar situations would arise over time.

In the end, this was the solution that Conrad ultimately chose.

‘Let’s go into hiding. I took a lot of money with me. If I go to a remote resort in the empire, no matter how tall I am, I won’t be able to find me. It would be best if the tower owners were purged without any consequences before leaving… … Because that is virtually impossible… … .’

And now, in Conrad’s hands, he held an item that would serve as the basis for his luxurious hidden life.

‘Pillar of Water’.

It was a magic tool that the magic tower owner had personally entrusted to him.

In the past, it was just thought to be a powerful magic staff. But recently, it was discovered that it was the key to a secret passage leading to the lowest level of the Magic Tower. Before anyone knew it, all the elders of the Magic Tower were desperately trying to find it.

Normally, I would never have dreamed of selling this. But it was different now. The owner of the Magic Tower is away on a long-term inspection trip to Soltana. It was a golden opportunity to secretly sell this, leave Vestana, and disappear into hiding.

At first, I tried to hand it over to Oklamud, a strong candidate for the next magic tower owner. However, perhaps because he had more money than other elders, Oklamud was very stingy with his spending.

‘He looks like an old man without a cow’s head… … . I said a small amount of compensation would do, but who said I would leave for just a penny?’

So Conrad decided.

They decided to gather all the elders and auction off the ‘Pillar of Water’.

Even so, there was a high probability that it would eventually fall into Oklamud’s hands. Because his power is so large, it also has the strongest financial power. However, if there was competition among the elders, Oklamud would definitely be able to get a much higher price than what he initially offered.

All plans were perfect. No matter how bad you are, you’ll be able to take home a few million luden. Then, with that money, you can buy a mansion, a villa, and even a nice carriage… … .

It was at a time when Conrad’s heart was filled with dreams of a golden future.

Knock, knock, knock.

‘… … We are ready, Mr. Chairman. Let’s go to ‘Magul’ quickly.’

A message from the aide informing that the auction is ready.

Conrad inhaled and strengthened his stomach and solemnly pointed at the ‘pillar of water.’

“I understand. “Let’s leave right away.”

*

‘Frozen Heart’ Coltran is a great man who usually keeps his cool and unmoving like a glacier. But now even he couldn’t hide his concerns.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay? Oklamud will definitely come there too, so it’s best to avoid the place for now… … .”

“Didn’t you say not to worry because you were protecting me? Or was that just an empty promise?”

“… … .”

Coltran stares at the barbarian who seems to have lost his sense of fear, and then lets out a bitter smile.

“Phehhehheh… … That’s true. Yeah, you don’t have to worry about that. There are other things to worry about. The biggest problem right now is… … .”

The elder stroked his thick beard and glanced behind him. He saw low-level wizards acting as porters and splendid chests. At first glance, they looked like they were carrying enough treasure to easily purchase a castle, but in reality, that was not the case.

Well, more than half of those boxes were empty.

“… … In terms of financial power, we are overwhelmingly inferior. That bastard Oklamud has as much hidden money as he has followers. If he wins the ‘pillar of water’ at this auction, it’s going to be quite a headache… … .”

Five ‘pillars’ can only function as a key if they come together completely. No matter how many of them were in hand, if Oklamud was able to hold on by stealing the ‘Pillar of Water’, it would be a disaster.

I brought a lot of empty chests to at least show off for now, but it wouldn’t take long for the bottom line to be revealed. Coltran touched his throbbing temple.

Kadim thought carefully and asked.

“But speaking of the remaining pillars, wouldn’t it be okay to just take them from the chairman or rob them after the elder bastard wins the bid? “I don’t know why you go through the trouble of participating in the auction.”

“… … The chairman has a magical tool that summons the ‘Matapju’. If you try to steal it, he will immediately call out to its master. Oklamud has also experienced something like that, so he will be much more thorough in his defenses. If he fails to win this auction, it is safe to say that the opportunity to easily collect all of the ‘Five Pillars’ will be lost.”

“… … .”

His thick lips were set. After pounding the abacus in his head, Kadim asked another question.

“How much money do you think that Oklamud guy will bring in?”

“well… … No matter how much I do, I think I’ll get 5 million luden… … .”

Kadim’s eyebrows slightly rose. Coltran interpreted the move as a surprise at the ridiculously high sum.

… … In fact, it was quite the opposite.

Anyway, Coltran and his party hurried forward and entered the ‘Magul’ where the secret auction was being held.

The atmosphere of the cave was not much different from last time. The dark air, the smell of blood from slaughtered demons, prisoners locked in iron bars, and the dank shadows boiling like a swamp.

However, the reactions of the strangely-looking residents were completely different. Unlike last time, no one was targeting Kadim, calling him a savage. Instead, they were all busy trembling or bowing their heads when they encountered him. The same goes for the beast-like inmates.

To be precise, it was because of Coltran, not Khadim.

“… … “The treatment is quite different from when I visited before.”

“Predators are bound to recognize bugs crawling at the bottom of gutters. “There is not a single person in Vestana who does not know the meaning of this outfit.”

Coltran fluttered the sleeves of his black robe, the symbol of the Sage rank.

So I crossed the street relatively smoothly and came to a dead end wall. Coltran muttered a spell and pointed out the mysterious letters drawn on the wall one by one. Then the ceiling and floor twisted clockwise, as if squeezing the space… …

Coo coo coo coo coo… … .

… … A secret space where the auction is held has appeared.

Compared to the previous passage, it was a place no different from a palace. Detailed ceilings and pillars, a platform carved from obsidian flagstone and marble, and sofas arranged in an orderly manner.

The elders of the council who had arrived first sat side by side. They either looked at Coltran with wary eyes or smiled pretentiously and greeted him.

“Hahaha, you’re late, Coltran! Why are you carrying all this stuff? Did you sell all the magic tools you had?”

“Hehe, well, you’ll win the bid without even looking at this. “We should just look around for a bit and then go back.”

“Well, it’s not like there are empty chests mixed in, right? It seems like someone you know well is coming with a lot of courage and raiding the safe… … Hehehe… … .”

“… … .”

… … Either way, there was no difference in the fact that there was an intention to restrain them.

The attention paid to Coltran did not last long. Attention almost moved to the barbarian standing nearby, but it was quickly skipped over and moved to the back. Finally, a big man who could be said to be the protagonist of this auction appeared at the entrance.

Coo coo coo coo coo… … .

An old man with a majestic appearance coming over the twisted walls and floor.

1 seat in the Magic Tower Presbyterian Council, ‘Heat Wave of Darkness’ Oklamud.

With that appearance, the loose atmosphere of the auction house changed.

The breathtaking silence, the dangerous sound of breathing. Oklamud scanned the auction house with burning eyes. The moment the wandering pupil encountered the large barbarian, a spark exploded as if he had sensed something, and his forehead contorted to the point of bursting.

However, he did not express his anger right away. Instead, he declared to the elders in a venomous voice.

“If you came here with the intention of just sightseeing, everyone, get out of here. “This auction is not a gambling game for old people in the back room.”

The subordinate wizards who followed Oklamud whined and opened the chests they had brought.

Then, a brilliant golden light flowed out.

“It’s 10 million Luden, 10 million Luden. I brought this money with the intention of pouring it all into this auction. “If you didn’t come with this much determination and this much money, you’ll never be able to have the ‘Pillar of Water’, so don’t waste time and leave right now, you idiots!”

““… … .””

A stillness that flows without even a sound of breathing.

The elders glared and froze like statues. It was absurd. The sum of money they had all brought together was comparable to the enormous sum. Even Coltran could not hide his shock at the amount that was twice what he had expected.

However, one person, just one person in the auction house, had a different reaction.

A tall-boned barbarian who stood next to Coltran.

Pick.

Kadim burst out laughing.