Chapter 1126: Lingering Scent (14)
Pandemonium’s counter-strategy against Adamant Thunder. And an analysis of his behavior patterns based on Kundara’s actions.
Lennok turned his gaze to Davi, the title itself being truly extraordinary.
“So, Hylaea tried to show me this Deepweb post.”
[The encrypted link is definitely this one. I’ve accessed it before too.]
Davi nodded.
[It’ll take a while to read all the content and comments, so should I summarize it in three lines?]
“…No. I’ll check it first.”
Lennok said, touching the hologram window.
“I need to see for myself why Hylaea shared this with me.”
[Title: Rules of Engagement. How to deal with a mad wizard shown by Pandemonium. (Includes behavior pattern analysis based on the Kundara incident)] + 35017
=Please find and watch the combat footage shared by the cult on your own. I am writing this post assuming you have seen it.
The post’s content began with polite honorifics, unlike a typical Deepweb user.
=I’m sure everyone knows that Adamant Thunder, who mainly operates in District 49, has completely lost his mind.
=A few days ago, he fired destructive magic indiscriminately in his Magic Tower, causing chaos in related businesses.
=The absurd thing is, after that, investment in related business sectors and satellite cities actually increased.
“…The stock price went up?”
[It dropped by about 5% on that day, but then it rose by 15% before even a day passed.]
Davi replied casually, seeing Lennok avert his gaze before finishing three lines.
[I even jumped in and made about 7% profit. Good job, right?]
“You’re the best.”
The Cybernetic Spirit, moving through the network, was competent even in the chaotic stock market.
Lennok immediately read the post.
=The analysts’ conclusion is this: Even after the Kundara incident, Adamant Thunder’s power has grown stronger, so his Magic Tower will never fall.
=Since he defeated the War-Mage Tower and even forged an alliance, any business he pours money into will succeed, so jump on board before it’s too late.
=That’s it. Simple, right?
“…Although everyone who posts on the Deepweb is unusual, this person is certainly no ordinary individual.”
[There are so many organisms that suddenly become interesting when they borrow anonymity.]
“The problem is that this author knows I fought Pandemonium.”
Lennok asked, staring at the post with an expressionless gaze.
“The Forbidden Armament incident wasn’t something that could be leaked externally. Could someone within Pandemonium have leaked it?”
Lennok’s struggle with the Pandemonium members over the Forbidden Armament happened after he killed Anathema.
It occurred in a temple hidden deep underground, making it difficult for external eyes to reach.
Could someone among the participants in that fight have leaked the incident to the outside?
[Oh, that.]
Davi said in a peculiar voice.
[It’ll probably come up right after this, you know?]
“…Right after?”
Lennok echoed, then immediately read the next passage in the post.
=In that sense, I, the black wizard Ermont, will tell you how to deal with Adamant Thunder!
“…”
Lennok lifted his gaze with a bewildered expression and covered his face with one hand.
He had been wondering who leaked the incident to the Deepweb, but it was the person themselves from the start.
While Lennok shook his head, Ermont’s self-praise continued at length in the post.
=As for me, I am an experienced professional who has survived direct encounters with Adamant Thunder no less than twice…
=As a black wizard who has lived for hundreds of years, I wish to share my valuable survival experience with the innocent users of the Deepweb…
=Provided you just press the like button below the post, I will share my wisdom anytime…
“Is he really insane?”
Despite being an ancient individual, he had no qualms about using modern amenities.
No, was it even acceptable for him to reveal his identity and actively use the Deepweb like this?
Lennok clicked his tongue and immediately scrolled down.
Only after dozens of lines of self-praise did the main subject, fitting the title, finally appear.
=Let me state the conclusion first. Adamant Thunder is not insane.
=He simply possesses values that are very different from others.
=These two might seem similar, but they are actually very different. If you keep this in mind, you will be able to safely escape from Adamant Thunder.
Lennok scrolled down the post silently.
=If you watched the leaked video from the Central Front, you would have seen the non-luminous magic leaking out amidst the meteor shower.
=The video quality is poor (that’s typical of what those cult guys do), so it’s hard to make out, but the magic has no color at all, right?
=This isn’t because the magic has no color; it simply wasn’t observed in the video at all.
“…”
Lennok’s gaze, fixed on the post, had grown deep.
=It’s a type of Decasing phenomenon that occurs when spellcrafts overlap in more than five dimensions in different directions at a specific spacetime coordinate, which is still a bit difficult for you, isn’t it?
=It’s fine. If you just press the like button, I’ll explain it properly next time.
=For now, you just need to know that Adamant Thunder handles magic in an utterly absurd way.
He linked a video and simply captured scenes.
Ermont, who posted several images, continued his explanation, pointing out various features.
=As you can see, Adamant Thunder’s magic is extremely specialized in instantaneous firepower, and in terms of spellcraft manipulation, he has reached an unprecedented level.
=He adjusts direction and speed immediately after activation, firing indiscriminately, controlling it all, and wielding it like a weapon to strike.
=He even defeated Cheonbeon recently, didn’t he? In a direct firepower confrontation, it’s virtually best to abandon the thought of winning.
=So, if you accidentally encounter Adamant Thunder and have to fight, how can you escape alive?
“…It’s surprisingly readable.”
[Right?]
A subtly unpleasant but continuously engaging read, a feeling similar to dealing with Ermont himself.
But Lennok ignored such emotions and continued reading the lines.
What this consistently verbose black wizard truly thought of the wizard named Adamant Thunder.
By this point, Lennok had grown somewhat curious.
=Assuming you’ve read this far and already pressed the like button, I’ll tell you.
=It’s not difficult. First, prepare one skilled Trait-type Spellcaster.
“…”
[Hehe.]
Lennok was silent, and Davi’s body shook with laughter.
=You can’t win a direct firepower confrontation anyway, so you need a trick.
=If you have a Trait-type Spellcaster who can ignore elemental affinities, you can plan a safe escape route.
=The second preparation is an 8-level physical superhuman to pin down Adamant Thunder.
=A martial artist with excellent technique rather than raw physical strength would be good. The important thing is to stall for time while confronting Adamant Thunder.
=Then, what’s the last crucial thing?
After all this, was there still something important left to prepare or not?
But only after seeing the last sentence Ermont had written did Lennok vaguely understand his intention.
=It’s that all the preparations I mentioned are already available in Pandemonium.
“…”
=Everyone knows what I’m trying to say, right?
=Leave a message. I’ll be waiting.
[Likes: 12144] [Dislikes: 64931]
As soon as the post ended, the appallingly skewed like-to-dislike ratio caught his eye.
Below, indescribably harsh insults were scrawled indiscriminately.
└What a clickbait piece of garbage. My fault for reading it seriously.
└Hey, you bastard. Are you really a Pandemonium member?
└Seriously, what the hell is this Pandemonium viral marketing?
Refuting comments clearly intended to condemn Ermont’s absurd nonsense.
└What kind of organization can prepare both a Trait-type Spellcaster and an 8-level physical superhuman?
└The goal isn’t to kill Adamant Thunder, but to escape. I didn’t press the like button to hear that kind of conclusion.
└This bastard even tried to get likes before spouting that nonsense at the end.
Most comments were curses directed at Ermont’s absurd nonsense, but some showed interest in other aspects.
└Though it’s all nonsense from start to finish, the spell analysis is surprisingly accurate. His insight seems considerable.
└He points out the changes and characteristics of spellcraft very well. It’s not just good screenshot skills.
└But is this explanation for the video data correct? Five dimensions and decasing are terms I’ve never heard before.
└There are a few papers on abnormal phenomena that occur when spellcraft is manipulated at a dimensional level.
└I heard Professor Raphael, who works at the Vylun Research Institute, is an authority. Consulting him might reveal the truth.
Some even went as far as to analyze Ermont’s entire post to discern his intentions.
└The tone is subtly different from the beginning. He intentionally wrote the latter part quickly to bait people.
└Oh, is he good at viral marketing?
└But who would do viral marketing under Pandemonium’s name?
└So, that crazy bastard is really a Pandemonium member?
Ermont openly revealing his name in the post made the comment section even more chaotic.
Because anyone with common sense would know not to disclose their identity on the Deepweb.
And a person who uses Adamant Thunder’s name for clickbait and talks about Pandemonium cannot be normal in the first place.
└Don’t you know who’s in that organization? Who would believe that he’s part of the same organization as the Nether King?
└He said he’s a black wizard. Who knows if he got in through bloodline?
└The Nether King, LOL, bloodline, LOL.
└Even if it were true, it would be even more nonsensical. Is he saying they couldn’t stop just Adamant Thunder and had to post such a recruitment ad?
└Are you illiterate? It’s not a recruitment ad. He’s asking those who understand to contact him.
Pandemonium and Adamant Thunder. Even the recent collapse of Kundara, the hottest topic on the Central Front.
The clickbait post, using every notable hot topic on the Deepweb, remained on the trending list without being deleted.
Because of that fact, some people seemed to be seriously delving into the post.
└I know someone in Vulcan’s City Council’s Identity Management Bureau, and there isn’t a single person using the name Ermont.
└Really? Not a single person out of tens of millions uses that name?
└He could be from another city. The Northern Continent has a completely different culture here.
└When I put it through the Fox Engine, most sources were from centuries-old documents. It seems like it was indeed a name used a long time ago.
Some even searched for the name Ermont in that short time and found clues.
But the replies below had already moved on to a different topic.
└Fox Engine? You’re not talking about that search engine that crazy guy made, are you?
└He ran viral marketing so hard that all Deepweb sites were paralyzed. I thought I was going crazy back then.
└I really think he lost his mind from electronic drugs. Who spams ads like that, it’s not even anti-promotion.
└There are so many crazy people. Why would you trust and use a search engine made by that heavy uploader?
“…”
[Whew, whew~]
As Lennok lowered his gaze, Davi let out an awkward whistle, avoiding his eyes.
He knew Davi was enthusiastic about operating the search engine, but how much promotion had he done in Lennok’s absence to elicit such a reaction?
Meanwhile, the Deepweb continued its debate on the utility of the search engine, commonly known as the Fox Engine.
└You have to admit it. The performance of the Fox Engine is unbelievably good. I even regret not using it until now.
└I agree. Its ability to track specific keywords across the network is truly excellent. I’m only using this these days.
└I think the excessive viral marketing actually delayed its spread. If he had just left it alone, hipsters would have praised it naturally.
└I heard from a developer acquaintance that its algorithm is completely different from other search engines from the start.
└Even Mirror Diver is reportedly trying to contact the search engine developer, so that says it all.
└You never know what’s going to happen in this world. That crazy heavy uploader was capable of creating such a search engine?
└Because he has that much ability, he goes around all sorts of sites, posting strange fox pictures and… $#%@$@#%
[Yap.]
The very last comment suddenly distorted, transforming into the image of a busy little fox.
A strange phenomenon, as if the entire comment was corrupted, distorting backward from the last character.
In an instant, hundreds of horrified comments began to pile up below it.
└Fuck, he’s here
└That bastard’s here
└You idiot. How dare you insult that enthusiast’s drawing?
└He ignores insults about himself but doesn’t forgive insults about foxes.
└No please I just changed my graphics card yesterday@$#%@%
Someone’s unfinished scream also transformed into the image of a playful little fox.
[How dare they insult the cute emoji I personally created.]
As Lennok stared at Davi with a bewildered expression, Davi said, proudly raising his front paw.
[It’s unforgivable, so I must punish them.]
“…Do as you please.”
Lennok sighed, shook his head, and stood up.
At this point, it would be strange to dissuade Davi from doing whatever he wanted in Cybernetic Space.
After all, having entrusted Davi with the search engine, there was no need to doubt his handling of that part.
Although he had a peculiar sensibility, Lennok’s spirit was a more excellent hacker than anyone.
He got dressed and left the mansion.
He hailed a driverless taxi that left no record and traveled along the bustling main road.
While Davi handled the vehicle controls, Lennok browsed other Deepweb posts on his phone.
[Title: Estimated Range of Adamant Thunder’s Activity and Timeline Since the Kundara Collapse Incident] + 3734
[Title: (33rd Update) Comparison of Cheonbeon and Adamant Thunder’s Spellcraft Performance] + 35159
[Title: Collection of Battle Records of Cheonbeon and Adamant Thunder (Eyewitness Accounts. Quotes. Video Material. Literature. Reports.)] + 13532
“How much interest do they have in this topic, exactly…?”
Most of the trending posts on the diamond board Lennok checked were just comparisons of superhumans’ strength and power.
As such, most topics were heavily, almost unilaterally, concentrated there.
It would probably be faster to count the trending posts that didn’t include the names Cheonbeon or Adamant Thunder.
When Lennok saw the new hologram window pop up, he finally fell silent.
[Title: Eastern Continent Superhuman Power Ranking] + 5739849
“…”
Lennok, speechless, blinked, then quietly rubbed the screen with one hand.
Only after seeing the unchanging number did Lennok tilt his head.
“…Five million? This one post has five million comments?”
[Oh, you saw that?]
Davi said casually.
[It’s one of the addresses with the most traffic on the Deepweb this month.]
“…”
[There’s quite a bit about Master too, would you like to check it out?]
“…Later.”
Click.
Lennok said, opening the door of the vehicle that had stopped in a secluded alleyway and stepping out.
“I have something to do right now.”
[You say that, but you’ll never look, will you?]
“No. Information on other powerful individuals is worth checking at least once.”
Although it used the provocative term “Power Ranking,” the value contained within it was by no means low.
Information on powerful Transcendent individuals, including Lennok, who were renowned skilled fighters in the vicinity of the Eastern Continent.
“The sheer intensity of the reaction itself guarantees the reliability of the ranking.”
[Is that a promise?]
“Yes. But…”
Lennok said, extending his hand behind the remote alleyway.
“Only after I’ve spoken to the person who sent this link.”
Flutter!!
The moment he pulled on the shadow cast on the wall, a thick black robe unfolded over his head.
A blurred, thick form, as if burying his entire body in darkness.
Hwoosh…!
As he put on the obsidian mask, the aura within the robe completely changed.
An irritable, sensitive, dark, and utterly sharp, meticulous mana.
The moment black Mana Threads tangled between his fingers like string art.
Lennok was already standing in the middle of a dilapidated cathedral street in District 21.
Behind the quiet cathedral building, where no particular sound could be heard.
As he opened the chapel door and entered, the nun who had been praying turned her gaze.
“Victor.”
Hylaea turned, her expression calm after seeing the obsidian mask.
“I’ve been waiting.”
“I never confirmed when I would arrive.”
A modulated voice flowed naturally from inside the mask.
“Did you think attaching a strange link to your reply would be an answer?”
“…Adamant Thunder recently returned to Vulcan. I merely attached relevant data as a caution.”
Hylaea replied calmly.
“You would have understood the current standing of Adamant Thunder in this city just by looking at that one post.”
“…”
“Anyway, your arrival means I can interpret it as your willingness to participate in the raid on [The Gate] beneath the royal capital of Kabahim, correct?”
She said, walking towards the organ on one side of the chapel wall.
“Still, it’s a relief you’re not too late. This should mean we won’t have to change the schedule.”
“I don’t know why this ‘schedule’ requires such precise timing. The link sent from your side had nothing to do with the operation either.”
Lennok retorted, tilting his head crookedly within the robe.
“A valid reason had better exist within your operational plan.”
“Operational plan, it’s not that grand.”
Hylaea gave a wry smile, picking up a flyer placed on the organ.
She brought it and laid it before Lennok’s eyes.
“All we need is a very small trigger.”
“A trigger, what kind of…”
Lennok stopped speaking as he looked at the flyer Hylaea had placed before him.
A poster decorated with beautiful flames and colors. A photo of a familiar woman holding a standing microphone.
The letters printed on that poster immediately caught Lennok’s attention.
[Freya Karlins: 17th World Tour]
[Torquepaz Concert Schedule]
“…”
“It’s a large-scale concert touring the entire continent. It’s the biggest one Freya has ever held under her own name.”
Hylaea explained, pointing to the concert schedule on the poster.
“She’ll go around the Western Continent and then move to the Eastern Continent; considering the schedule, she’ll arrive in Torquepaz in two days.”
“…That is.”
Hylaea met Lennok’s gaze and said.
“She’s scheduled to perform there for two days and then move on to Kabahim.”
At that moment, Lennok understood why Hylaea had shown him this poster.
Pandemonium’s current operation was to raid [The Gate] hidden beneath the royal capital of Kabahim.
And the reason for gathering members in Torquepaz, where Freya’s concert would be held—
“Kabahim is a monarchy that strictly limits the entry of foreigners. The security and guard of the royal capital, in particular, are famously tight.”
Hylaea explained.
“The Clown plans to use Freya’s concert to directly enter Kabahim Royal Palace in one go.”
Folding the poster, she handed it to Lennok.
“Victor. You’ll need to commit an act of terror during that process, ensuring Torquepaz is completely turned upside down.”