[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
Chapter 116
Sssssss!
The train to Argos released a long plume of steam.
Zeke entered his private compartment, settled down, and examined the documents Kay had sent.
It was a report compiled by the Syndicate on Gorin's disappearance.
Reading the report, Zeke had a dumbfounded look on his face.
'He went up to the Giant Mountains to create a new piece, and the last place he was heard from was near the Barbarian territory?'
The Barbarians lived in a closed-off culture, only interacting with their own kind, so they killed any outsiders who approached their territory.
If Gorin had been mistakenly killed by the Barbarians, it would be a big problem.
"Hmm, the objective of the mission is to search, not rescue. I wonder if finding his body would suffice."
Just as he was shaking his head at Gorin's reckless lack of caution,
Suddenly, the door to Zeke's compartment opened.
Zeke became alert and immediately drew a dagger from his pocket.
"H-hold on! Wait! It's me, it's me!"
The one who opened the door and entered was none other than Kay.
Zeke put the dagger back in his pocket and asked Kay, who was breaking out in a cold sweat,
"Kay, what brings you here?"
Kay took off her coat, revealing the low-cut dress she always wore.
She sat across from Zeke, crossed her legs, and put a cigarette in her mouth.
"Do you know what's in the security box you gave me?"
Zeke shook his head at Kay.
"No, if I knew what was in it, I wouldn't have sent it to you."
At Zeke's answer, Kay grumbled and took out a report.
"Take a look."
Zeke frowned as he read through the documents Kay handed him.
"This is...serious."
The documents didn't just contain information about the experiment of injecting monster blood into humans.
'Chimera experiments combining humans and monsters.'
Human transmutation magic was a taboo among taboos, even among black magic.
The Empire was violating this taboo and conducting experiments to turn humans into chimeras to create weapons of war.
Furthermore, it contained information about how they were kidnapping and experimenting not only on humans but also on Zoin from the ghetto and various other beastmen races.
"They're completely insane."
Kay nodded in agreement with Zeke's words.
"So, what are you going to do about this? If this gets out, the Empire will be in an uproar."
Zeke shook his head at her words.
"The Empire will deny it. There's no evidence since the ruins where they conducted the experiments have collapsed."
"They'll deny it even though the documents remain?"
"You don't know the Rom Empire well. They'll deny anything that's unfavorable to them. Even if undeniable evidence emerges, they'll find a way to escape by cutting off the tail. They'll probably frame it as a personal deviation of a mage."
Zeke had clearly seen the atrocities the Empire committed in his previous life.
Even when they brought down Atlas, the Empire had proclaimed that they were deploying peacekeeping forces to apprehend the rebels threatening the citizens.
However, those so-called peacekeeping forces massacred more than half of Atlas's citizens.
And Abel Draker and Morgan Bupon were involved in that massacre.
A brave journalist presented evidence of the massacre of Atlas citizens, but Morgan shamelessly made a false announcement, claiming it was an atrocity committed by the rebels before the peacekeeping forces entered.
The journalist continuously exposed the Empire's atrocities, but to no avail.
And then one day, the journalist died in an unfortunate accident.
Rumors were rampant that the Empire had assassinated the journalist, but no one dared to speak about it openly.
Zeke pondered as he looked through the documents.
He focused on the part about the Empire using beastmen as test subjects.
If he sent these documents to Song of the Crouching Flame, who was raising the Western Revolutionary Army for the freedom of beastmen, it would give them a stronger cause.
'I should meet Song of the Crouching Flame soon.'
Zeke handed the documents back to Kay and said,
"Well, it's clear enough that the Empire is gradually going mad. And have you found anything about that place called 'Abyss'?"
Kay shook her head.
"I searched all the black magic clans, but there was no mention of a place called Abyss that possesses the Lion's Book."
"They're not even within the reach of the Syndicate's information network..."
"I'll keep looking into that. What are you going to do with the Empire's experimental data?"
"Let's hold onto it for now. We can't just carelessly reveal it. We need to dig a trap they can't escape from before we strike accurately."
Kay gathered the documents and stood up.
"You're our boss, so I'll follow your orders. But remember this. You might think you're working alone, but your danger is never yours alone."
Zeke grinned at Kay's words.
"That takes me back."
"Takes you back? When?"
Zeke suddenly realized that he had been reminded of Kay from his previous life.
"No, it's nothing."
"How cryptic. Do well on your first mission. When you return to Atlas, Feynon and I will prepare a welcome back party."
"I'll look forward to it."
Not long after Kay left the compartment, the train departed.
Zeke closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them and took out a pocket watch.
He gazed at the Chronos watch, his mother's only memento, and fell into deep thought.
***
As soon as Zeke arrived in Argos, he stored his Draker uniform in his inventory and changed into clothes that a mercenary might typically wear.
Then, with the ID card of Zeke Murray that he had prepared earlier, he headed to the Adventurers' Guild.
Usually, the guild building would be crowded with adventurers trying to get dungeon passes, but strangely, it was deserted.
Zeke went inside and asked the staff member who was doing a crossword puzzle,
"Why is it so empty?"
The staff member looked up at Zeke and clicked his tongue.
"Haven't you heard? Monster Alert Level 3 has been issued."
Alert Level 3 meant that high-risk monsters were appearing in the mountains.
Zeke asked the staff member with a puzzled look,
"Monster Alert Level 3? Are ogres roaming around or something?"
"Not just ogres. Orcs are a given, and I heard there's even a cyclops sighted somewhere."
Cyclops were fiercer and stronger monsters than ogres, but they weren't easily found outside of dungeons located deep within mountains.
Zeke realized something was wrong in the Giant Mountains.
'Is it because those hounds were rummaging through the mountains back then?'
The hounds he saw in Kaisir's dungeon were all torn to death by the Barbarians.
It was possible that other hounds had come and stirred up the mountains, but he had a strong feeling that there was more to it.
If Alert Level 3 was issued, the regular carriages going up to the base camp wouldn't be operating.
It seemed he would have to climb up to the Barbarian territory alone.
'Well, in that case, I have enough water and food in my inventory, so I'll head up right away.'
Since there were many monsters, it wasn't a big problem because he could replenish his energy with Gluttony.
Zeke made up his mind and immediately ascended the Giant Mountains.
And it didn't take long for him to understand why Alert Level 3 had been issued.
"Why are there goblins at the entrance to the mountains?"
The goblins rushed towards Zeke, baring their sharp teeth.
Whoosh!
Zeke lightly dodged the goblins' attacks and swung Bahamut.
Slash!
The goblins were instantly dismembered and scattered on the ground.
[Wild Goblin slain. Acquired 5 Karma points.]
Zeke felt that the number of points he received from killing monsters decreased as he became stronger.
'Still, it's better than nothing.'
Recalling the saying "every little bit helps," Zeke killed all the small fry monsters that rushed at him.
As he continued climbing the mountain while killing monsters, Zeke sensed a presence ahead.
"Kyaaaak!"
Hearing the ensuing scream, Zeke concealed himself using stealth and slowly approached the source of the presence.
Climbing a tree to observe the situation, he saw what appeared to be an adventurer party engaged in battle with a horde of monsters.
Fwoosh!
An archer shot arrows at the monsters, while a mage created cover with magic from behind to block the monsters' approach.
A swordsman fended off approaching monsters and stabbed their vital points with his sword.
Another mage was casting ranged magic at distant monsters to prevent them from approaching.
They seemed to be experienced in combat, likely high-ranking adventurers.
But the problem was that there were too many monsters.
Zeke tilted his head as he watched the monsters charging toward the adventurers.
'What's this? Orcs, goblins, and even minotaurs. Why are monsters from different races together?'
Especially since orcs and goblins weren't on good terms.
Their habitats and environments were similar, so there were often conflicts between the races.
Yet, the orcs and goblins were cooperating, and minotaurs were supporting them from behind. Even for Zeke, with all his experiences, this was a first.
Zeke activated Dragon Eye and surveyed the surroundings.
Usually, when something strange like this happened, a black mage was involved.
Zeke used Dragon Eye and noticed a strange energy emanating from a cave in one corner.
He immediately dashed towards the cave.
Whoosh!
As Zeke entered the cave, gargoyles guarding it lunged at him.
Screech!
With skin as hard as stone, gargoyles were like nightmares to adventurers.
Their swords and magic were ineffective against them.
But it didn't matter to Zeke.
Slice!
Bahamut effortlessly sliced off the gargoyle's head.
A figure in a black robe, who was watching from behind, was startled and stepped back.
'H-how can he so easily defeat a reinforced gargoyle...?'
Zeke sensed a strange energy from the figure in the black robe.
"It doesn't seem like a simple necromancer. Is it a lich?"
It was a forbidden technique for high-ranking black mages to transform themselves into undead to prolong their lifespans.
By becoming a lich, a black mage became undead but gained the ability to use even more powerful black magic.
The lich extended a bony finger towards Zeke.
'Annoying adventurers! Get out of here now!'
Suddenly, skeletons made from monster bones rose from the ground.
Clank!
Clank!
The monster skeletons rushed towards Zeke.
But they instantly turned to dust and scattered upon contact with Zeke's sword.
The lich was flustered as he saw Zeke easily shattering the monster skeletons, which were several times stronger than ordinary skeletons.
'Y-you. You're not an adventurer. A-are you a knight!'
"Do I have to tell you that too?"
Zeke clicked his tongue and dashed towards the lich.
Slice!
Bahamut severed the lich's arm.
Black smoke billowed from the severed part.
The black smoke didn't disperse but gathered, and soon the lich's skeletal arm regenerated.
The lich looked at Zeke and said,
'Insolent knight. I'll turn you into a death knight and make you serve me forever.'
Black smoke enveloped the lich's body as he finished speaking.
Then, the black smoke transformed into sharp spears and flew towards Zeke.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Clad in Dragon Scale Armor, Zeke remained unharmed by the lich's black magic.
Just then, something occurred to Zeke.
'I wonder if I can defeat this guy with Purification as well.'
Zeke took out Agamemnon's Mask, put it on, and used the Purification skill.
Woooong!
A golden wave emanated from Zeke's body.
Zeke concentrated the wave on his sword and swung it towards the lich, imbued with the power of purification.
Slash!
The golden aura clashed with the black smoke enveloping the lich's body.
Sizzle!
'Kyaaaak!'
The black smoke dissipated into ash as soon as the purifying energy touched it.
The lich writhed and trembled in pain.
"Oh, this is good."
Zeke decided to try the Soul Sealing Technique as well, since it came to mind.
Whirl!
Chains sprang from Zeke's arm and coiled around the lich.
'Cough!'
Bound by the chains, the lich couldn't move an inch.
As Zeke approached, confirming the lich's state, the lich trembled and shouted,
'P-please spare me!'
"Spare you? You're already dead, aren't you, being a lich?"
'W-well, it's a bit complicated.'
"Whatever, I don't see why I should spare you."
The lich was an undead with high magical power, so killing it would yield a considerable amount of points.
Zeke brought the golden aura closer without hesitation.
'Kyaaaak!'
Feeling the threat of complete annihilation, the lich hurriedly shouted,
'M-my lord! If you spare me! I-I'll give you treasure!'
[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]