“The Rune of Swiftness is rare, so I’ll swap it out, and replace the Rune of Giants with the Rune of Vitality to upgrade them.”
Although my strength has slightly decreased, my health has increased by over 100.
Now that more than half of the runes I’m wearing are swapped out for rare grades, the stats I gain from the runes are truly tremendous.
“They haven’t come yet. Let’s save them and leave quickly.”
There weren’t many survivors in the underground prison, but they were there.
Clank─!
“Yikes…! P-please save me! I beg you!”
“Uueeuh…”
As I stepped inside the prison, many people were flat on the floor, begging with terrified voices.
“I’ve put three runes inside my stomach…”
Some people had already fused with low-rank runes. If I hadn’t come, those people would have likely turned to liquid today or tomorrow.
“How horrifying…”
Most of them looked like they’d undergone such great suffering that they didn’t even dare look at my face.
“There’s no distinction between men and women or age. At least it seems like they aren’t forced to mate with monsters like in ‘Do’s underground factory. ‘Inessa’ really can’t compete with that creativity.”
I’m not sure if I can call it fortunate.
(I kept the possibility of the space open.)
Ran had already activated her ability for me.
– The Spirit of Wind ‘Ran’ accelerates your spatial ability!
“Thank you.”
“Save me…”
Thud—
Before long, the survivors started collapsing on the floor.
By adjusting [Dreadful Land of Chaos] to the weakest level and only applying the [Paralysis] effect, those trapped in the prison became like dried firewood, just begging to be caught.
Thanks to that, I could quickly stash them away as if I were filling a container and moved toward the entrance without delay.
– Kwoooaar!!
– Kyaaa!!
But before long, I discovered many other beings in a different prison.
“Orcs…”
They had magic control shackles on their ankles, and although they were making some noise, they were relatively quiet.
I didn’t feel pity for them, but there was no need to leave the materials for Evolved Creatures untouched.
[Skeleton Bomb]
I had set up bombs at regular intervals on my way here and threw the remaining bombs into the prison where the orcs were trapped.
Bang ─ Boom boom boom!!
– Low-Rank Orc Warrior defeated!
– High-Rank Orc Warrior defeated!
The orcs that had suddenly fallen into a strange world due to a dungeon break were just unlucky enough to be caught by humans and, in a way, were fortunate to meet me and end their lives without experiencing pain.
“Tsk…”
I felt a bit bitter, but time was short, so I didn’t dwell on it any longer.
“Il-wol!”
The dark emotions that had stubbornly clung to me flew away the moment I saw Yeon-hee.
“But I ended up killing all these people… are you really angry?”
Yeon-hee had annihilated all the hunters who had fled to the entrance. Not a single one was left.
“Even their heads are all crushed… Did the ogre stomp on all of them?”
Since the ogre absolutely obeys Yeon-hee’s orders, it was evident how furious she had been.
“Finally coming, huh?”
And then, intense presences of three hunters began to become detectable through the waves of my senses.
While holding Yeon-hee, I flew in the opposite direction of where they were coming from. Not long after we disappeared, Hwang Tae-wook and the ‘Grim Reaper’ arrived and couldn’t hold back their rage at the scene of the devastated factory.
– What kind of bastards are they──!! Uaaah!! You filthy things!!
– They really wrecked the production facilities.
Watching Hwang Tae-wook tear his hair out in anger, the Grim Reaper remarked.
– Ha… Tae-wook? Hwang Tae-wook? How can I trust you to work together with me when you handle things like this?
– What!! What more do you want me to do here! Damn! I used up five A-ranks because you kept causing a ruckus!
– Then you should’ve used ten. Damn it. And did I ask you to hire a Barrier Mage or not?
– How could I know when they would come and hire those expensive guys for a long-term? They charge over 5,000 a day! Ha… I shouldn’t even talk. What would it achieve? Mari! Check out the exit.
– I’m already doing it, so don’t talk to me. Let’s see… huh? The contamination level is getting worse as we go towards the exit?
– Could it be a poison mage?
– If a hunter can use this level of poison, we could narrow down the list considerably.
Hwang Tae-wook shook his head left and right upon hearing Mari’s words.
– Get me the list within today. I’ll go and tear each one apart right away.
– Just hold off for today. I have a bad feeling about this. What will we do if someone stronger than you shows up?
– … Are you saying that a strong enough person has already come this far?
– I’m not sure, but it wouldn’t be easy─
I could eavesdrop on the beginning portion of their conversation with my [Eavesdropping Ear], but as I distanced myself, I could no longer hear the rest.
“From the way they talk, it seems there is no hierarchy between them.”
Considering the Grim Reaper’s strength and known personality, it was somewhat unexpected, but it indicated that they acknowledged Hwang Tae-wook’s ability to produce and manage Evolved Creatures. Of course, from this moment, that trust could break.
“By the way, this female mage has impressive detection abilities. She could be as tricky as the Grim Reaper.”
She might even be able to detect my stealth ability.
“No matter how close you are, things will change from now on. How many factories did you say there were? Just blowing up one or two more, and it’ll only be a matter of time before there’s a rift between you.”
In the end, trust among hunters is just a paper-thin difference.
The moment the Grim Reaper’s hand protecting Hwang Tae-wook drops, that demon’s life will end at my hand.
After a long while of moving, we arrived in a relatively wide area where I released the rescued people from the space.
“Ugggh…”
“Uwoop- Ugh-”
“Everyone isn’t in good shape.”
Having starved the people and making them consume Evolved Stones to assimilate their bodies, most of them weren’t in good nutritional condition.
“Yes, sister. Yes, yes.”
Once again, Yeon-hee contacted Kang Yeon-su.
In fact, calling Yeon-su for such matters might feel like a waste, but she was the one who insisted on contacting her first in case something like this happened again.
A little while later, Yeon-su appeared, leading the additional troops she had brought last time.
“Wow— You’ve done it again, huh?”
“Hehe…”
“Heh… You guys are really…”
Yeon-su seemed to have a lot to say, but her words didn’t come out.
“It looks like she’s curious about how we keep pulling off these things… Seems like she’s intentionally holding back.”
Memories of conversations I had with Yeon-su in a previous life suddenly came to mind.
*”If you really want something, you need to know how to wait.”*
*”That’s odd. You’re not really the patient type, are you?”*
*”Exactly. Knowing me that well, why would you say that?”*
*”Hmm? What are you talking about?”*
*”Never mind. What could I expect from you?”*
“It seems like she’s waiting for us to open our hearts first.”
Having already spoken about the Orc Legion Commander, I thought that was quite an opening on her part, but it seems she wanted to know more about us.
Yeon-su entrusted the survivors to her support troops and immediately struck the factory we’d informed her about, but the monsters had already fled.
“Are there other locations we can check?”
“Ah, yes, there are a few more…”
“Alright? Everyone gather! Let’s do a pact again after a long time!”
Since it had come to this, we decided to carry out a joint operation with Yeon-su.
Though she claimed she couldn’t participate directly due to important matters, she said she would send reliable troops to help take down the Evolved Creature organization.
We received one-third of Yeon-su’s support troops and moved to another location for a surprise attack.
The forces led by Yeon-su that had split turned out to have come back empty-handed, but luckily for us, the place we chose happened to be another one of their factories.
“We’ll attack first and then signal for you to encircle them.”
“Understood. Good luck.”
After leaving the support troops behind and going through the usual process, we caused the monsters to come rushing out of their lair again.
This factory was smaller than the first one and only had two high-rank hunters, so we were able to wrap things up fairly easily.
Of course, thanks to the support troops Yeon-su provided, the cleanup was also done neatly.
“Wow, this is amazing… I’ve seen a [Warehouse] ability user before, but I’ve never heard of anyone being able to put living people into a spatial container. The summoned creatures really have a different concept than us, huh?”
One of the leaders among the support troops seemed quite curious.
Most of his questions were based on his imagination, but there weren’t any incorrect aspects, so I just answered vaguely that they were similar.
Of course, since Yeon-su had made the pact in advance, it was unlikely that what they saw today would leak outside.
“I’ve already gotten enough fragments for three potions… unexpectedly, I’ve collected a lot.”
These insane guys were all consuming Evolved Stones, and the A-rank hunter, who had been the strongest in the second factory, ended up transforming into a ‘Mutant’ at the end, almost losing his life without the help of the ogres.
Afterwards, we checked three more candidates for factories, one of which was an actual production site for Evolved Stones, which we destroyed once again. Today alone, I wiped out Hwang Tae-wook’s factories three times.
The total number of Fragment of Life Potions I’ve gathered so far is over 450.
Now if I collect just 550 more, I can start crafting the item called ‘Life Potion.’
“I feel like I’ve dealt a tremendous blow, but I wonder how they’ll respond?”
Thinking about that on the way home, I received a message.
“Oh… Yeon-su’s support troops ran into the ‘Grim Reaper.’ Fortunately, there were no casualties, but they all got pretty hurt?”
The team that had joined in the joint operation with us seemed to have encountered the ‘Grim Reaper,’ who was waiting in the largest factory.
“They managed to escape without any casualties, huh.”
If the ‘Grim Reaper’ had killed even one of Yeon-su’s subordinates, that guy would’ve spent the rest of his life running away from her. Perhaps that was the wisest course of action.
“I’m so tired…”
Even though my companions got some rest yesterday and today, Yeon-hee, who had hardly rested at all, collapsed on her bed as soon as she got home without even washing up.
Kuul—
“I might’ve pulled her around too much…”
I wanted to break free from the restraints for her sake as well.
“Uh…? Oh, right. You’re going there, aren’t you?”
Without me even saying a word, she briefly woke up from sleep and sent me to the Dark Space.
*
“Huuh-”
As soon as I entered the Dark Space, I sprinted forward.
“Master, Master. Please release the restraints.”
(Ah, Il-wol! Where are you going-)
After giving a light nod to Rainy, I continued running in the direction where my Master had vanished.
“Master!! Where are you, Master!!”
Today, no matter what, I wanted to cross the line that Master had set and break the restraints that kept me from separating from Yeon-hee. Then I could protect her in dangerous missions.
[Hmm? What is the urgent matter that finds you seeking me so desperately?]
Fortunately, my Master responded to my call.
Her voice sounded somewhat weary for some reason.
Perhaps the days she doesn’t come to us aren’t because she’s researching magic, but rather because she simply can’t move?
“I can now perform a three-meter Space Cut!”
[Ho-oh. Let’s see.]
I momentarily set aside my worries about Master and focused on my purpose for coming.
“Huhuhu──”
Recalling the moment I concentrated on passing the ‘Asymbiotic Species’ pack two days ago, I lightly gripped my great sword.
[The Void Cut Fire Slash]
──────────────
Swoosh──!
“I saw something…”
In an instant, I had the illusion that I could see the line that I needed to cut on the floor.
It was a realm I had never experienced before, and upon confirming the floor again, the line I had aimed for stretched out far longer than I had expected, forming a straight cut.
[······.]
‘······.’
My Master stared silently at the floor.
It was a perfectly straight cut, but intriguingly, I could sense where my Master’s gaze was directed even before.
[It’s done. You’ve succeeded splendidly.]
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