Chapter 69

Chapter 69

In fact, killing the two cartel bosses wasn’t that difficult.

Although they were comparable to B-Rank heroes, I could have finished them without being caught up in trouble if I had made the most of Elizabeth’s shadows and Camouflage.

Nevertheless, I had my own reasons for creating the current situation.

Well, of course, I intended to steal money from them, but more importantly…

Even if I killed them, someone else would have taken their place in no time anyway.

The cartels that lived in the slums were like a bunch of roaches.

Without thought or cause, the criminals united solely for profit.

For such guys, the boss role was a component that could be replaced at any time.

Rather, they might even be happy to think they could take the position for themselves once the boss dies.

Therefore, in order to properly exterminate such roaches, it was necessary to burn all the eggs at once before they were frightened into hiding.

Hmm…there was definitely a lot.

I looked around.

In the pitch black darkness, I could see the cartel members wandering aimlessly.

The number was approximately in the thousand.

Each person wasn’t worth much to look at, but it was an entirely different matter with so many people gathered.

It was the same as thousands of bullets flying with just one pull of their trigger.

And among them there were even villains who had awakened their abilities or those who could use magic, so even for me, it would be very burdensome to deal with this number at the same time.

But…

“Wh-what the hell…My ability…”

“Damn it! I can’t use my mana either!”

“This is a curse! We are cursed!”

Fortunately, they weren’t in a position where their numbers amounted to much.

A world of shadows where they couldn’t see each other well even if they were only a few meters away. In this darkness, they were nothing but thorough individuals.

Also, in the boundary created by Elizabeth, no one can use their abilities properly except by those authorized, so it could be said that it was an environment truly cultivated for me.

As such, I swung my sword at the defenseless people to my heart’s content.

“Keeuook!”

“Wh-what?! I-it’s an ambush!”

There was no need to imbue my sword with mana. The sharpness of Red Velvet Curse was sufficient for these miscellaneous mobs.

The bloodstained blade grew redder and redder as it gave off a deathly aura.

Hehe…This was too easy.

Even if I swung my sword carelessly, something was bound to be cut at the end of the blade.

Maybe I could even hunt with my eyes closed. I really wanted to try playing like that at least once, but…

Unfortunately, it wasn’t such a relaxed situation right now.

…It was a bit of a pity the time was short.

With Elizabeth’s current ability, it was difficult to maintain such a large-scale boundary for a long time.

The maximum limit was about 20 minutes.

So within the given time, it was necessary to reduce the number here as much as possible.

Before the experience event was over, I had to get the most out of it.

I began to operate my mana in earnest.

Along with a surge of energy, a red haze fluttered around my body.

And…

Boom–!

I kicked off the ground and jumped into the shadow.

Unlike in the past, I didn’t have to use < Wolf Hour > now that my body could already move at a speed that was hard to chase with the naked eye.

My physique had transcended the human limit.

In the pitch black darkness, only the red mana weaving like a tail could be seen.

“W-wait…!”

In front of me stood a cartel member with his eyes wide open.

I extended my sword at the same speed as I was running. The sharp blade gently penetrated his body.

Swiik–!

A clean cut without any sound.

Thanks to Red Velvet Curse having eaten so much, the thick spine was cut without any resistance like soft tofu.

The body that was cut in two fell with a tilt, and before it touched the ground, I cut off the next person’s body.

Swiik–!

“Kuaaak!”

“M-monster! There’s a monster in the shadow! Everyone, run…Kueook!”

Those who had noticed my existence started to hide in the dark.

But…

They couldn’t hide their movements from me.

This space was controlled by Elizabeth and the darkness everywhere was on my side.

Rather, the shadow gave me a clear indication of their location wherever they went.

I put away my sword and infused mana into the skill < Wind Cutter >.

Wuung–!

A crescent shaped blade of wind formed in the air.

Its overwhelming size was incomparable to ordinary wind magic.

Because of the amount of mana I had poured into it, the compressed air almost made its surrounding look distorted.

Hmm…this should be enough.

I swung my arm at the cartel members who were running away with their back showing.

Schwuung–!

Swish–! 

Swish–! 

Swish–! 

.

.

.

The sharp wind stretched out in an instant and penetrated everything in a straight path.

A strange scene unfolded as if the world had been divided in half.

Bang–!

Bang–!

Boom–!

The steel structures collapsed while the bodies of the fleeing members were cut in two and fell to the ground.

About 300 had fallen.

After seeing such a sight, I felt a refreshing sensation in my heart as if I succeeded a domino.

[ Level has risen. ]

“Keuh! This is the taste!”

Sure enough, hunting in an enclosed space was the best. I couldn’t believe my level had risen on these miscellaneous mobs.

In fact, I wasn’t expecting to level up…

At this pace, maybe I could earn more experience than I had thought today.

Hehe…I should hunt when given the opportunity.

So I moved around and hunted diligently.

Because I randomly shot < Wind Cutter > along the way, there were times where I didn’t have enough mana, but…

“N-no! Save me! Kueook!”

“A-a person…b-became a mummy in an instant…”

Whenever that happened, I would use < Vampiric Touch > to absorb the people around me to replenish my mana.

Then, at some point, Red Blood Alliance and Blue Mage joined forces to attack me.

“Damn it! Red bastards! A ceasefire for today!”

“Don’t doze off! Hang in there! If we can’t stop that demon here, it’s the end of Kowloon!”

“Fuck! What are you doing, smurfs? Try harder!”

Bang–!

Bang–!

They looked quite determined as they shot at me.

But…

“No way! H-how come guns aren’t working…?”

Naturally, most of the bullets they shot couldn’t penetrate my durability and bounced off.

On top of that, if I needed to, I could transform using < Phase Change >, so in this place where mana was completely sealed, there was no way they could beat me.

The result of this game had already been decided from the start. There was no other future for them.

“A-ah…This is really the end…”

“This is a dream…It’s a hellish nightmare…!”

I visited every single one who was struggling to survive until the very end and finished them with certainty.

How many times did I repeat that?

At last, the shadow that had been covering the sky was lifted and Elizabeth’s boundary disappeared.

When the bright sunlight shone on the construction site, the blood-stained ground and dismembered bodies were revealed.

And…

“Good. I got them all.”

There was no one alive and breathing.

In the end, I was able to perfectly clean up the two cartels that had dominated Kowloon for a long time.

* * * * * * * * * *

[ Level has risen. ]

[ Level has risen. ]

[ Level has risen. ]

.

.

.

[ You’ve reached level 58. ]

[ Gained a Fragment of Growth. ]

[ Level 55 Skill Selection forfeited due to the previous Special Selection. ]

[ Gained achievement title ‘Thousand Swordsman.’ ]

.

.

.

I looked at the countless messages that came to mind.

Gathering a bunch of dust had turned into a mountain.

I didn’t think I would gain as many as four levels killing miscellaneous mobs.

Maybe they had a higher notoriety than I had thought.

< Level 58 (+4) >

Body: 5.18

Dexterity: 5.01

Mana: 5.29

Spirit: 5.21

*4 Fragments of Growth

Keuh…good, good.

Two more levels and will be level 60.

It was expected for the pace of growth to stagnate after reaching level 50, so it was surprising that I would gain this much in an unexpected place. As such, I couldn’t help but smile.

All the fragments were added in Body.

< Level 58 (+4) >

Body: 5.18 -> 5.41 (.23)

Dexterity: 5.01

Mana: 5.29

Spirit: 5.21

My stats reaching 6.0 was just around the corner. That meant it would be soon enough to do ‘that.’

I couldn’t believe I was already at this level… I’ll have to get some elixir in advance from now on.

Ah, come to think of it…

As I organized my thoughts, I suddenly remembered the message I had seen a moment ago.

I opened my status window and checked the new achievement.

< Thousand Swordsman >

Tendency: Evil Karma

Description: Cutting down a thousand people in one place…I can’t believe it. You’re truly a terrible murderer.

I was seeing this again…

The achievement I had gained in the first round welcomed me again.

Looking around, I saw the completely red construction site.

“Hmm…”

Now that I thought about it, I had killed quite a few this time compared to usual.

Perhaps that was why I could feel the particular smell of blood stinging my nose.

There had been a fishy smell of iron coming from all directions since earlier.

Let’s deal with the bodies first.

I summoned < Twin Fire Eggs >. Two giant eggs emerged and fluttered in the air.

Was it just me? Somehow I felt like their colors had become much darker than before.

“Buldol, Alsun. Make sure to eat everything.”

In response to my command, Buldol and Alsun shook their bodies and flew toward the bodies scattered around the construction site.

Judging by their twitching, I guess they must be feeling pretty good.

If they eat this much…They should hatch soon, right?

I stared at the back of the two who were gobbling up the bodies with a pleased look.

“Eat a lot and grow up well.”

As I looked at them with the heart of a parent, I soon smelled a subtle scene of flowers at the tip of my nose.

“Hmm?”

I turned my head slightly and saw Elizabeth smiling brightly and handing me a towel.

“Noah! You’ve worked hard.”

What? Was she wearing perfume?

A sweet scent that I didn’t usually notice was coming from her.

“Hmm…”

Well, what perfume she wore had nothing to do with me.

Ignoring it, I immediately turned my attention to Jane behind me.

***

[ Translator – Yasi ]

[ Proofreader – Karane ]

***

As if she was possessed, she was staring blankly into the air with her eyes out of focus.

I looked at her and spoke.

“Noona, did you see? You’ve got your perfect revenge.”

Surprised by my voice, she came to her senses with a puzzled look.

“Y-you…I didn’t know you would go this far…”

Did she not see? I’ve finished the request so neatly. Was she still not satisfied?

“So, you don’t like it?”

“Th-that’s…”

She stopped and looked at the bodies lying on the ground.

Her expression changed with a complicated look.

Frowning, she bit her lips again and stood still in place for a long time.

“…”

A moment later, at last, she looked at me again and smiled with a rather relieved look.

“No…how could I complain? Rather, even bowing wouldn’t be enough. But…”

“But?”

“…I guess, there was just a lot on my mind. Since when did you start living with such ethics…This choice must have not been easy for you.”

“Hmm…”

Well, it was definitely annoying to gather and deal with them like this, and it was less laborious to simply catch and kill.

I couldn’t believe she had noticed that. She showed more promise than I had thought.

As I thought as such, she slowly approached me one step at a time.

Then suddenly, she hugged me tightly.

“You…thank you for spilling blood for my sake.”

What was she doing?

I didn’t like it when others touched me, but I didn’t try to push her away because I thought it was related to saving her.

Behind me, Elizabeth, exuding a terrifying energy, shouted.

“Y-you!! What are you doing?! Why don’t you get off of him right now?!”

She had told me she had pushed her mana to the limit a while ago, so was it just my illusion that the shadows surging around her seemed more powerful than before?

At that moment, messages popped up in front of my eyes.

[ Favorability has increased. ]

[ Favorability has reached a certain level. ]

[ You’ve met the requirement to recruit ‘Jane Doe’ as a companion. ]

Hmm, recruiting her as a companion…

Certainly, if there was a thief position among the party members, it would be useful in many ways.

In addition, she was someone who could become an S-Rank villain in the future. As far as I know, she was the best player at her position.

But…

“Aakk! Let go of him! Let go of him! How dare you flirt with a child!”

“H-huh? Fuck! It’s not like that. There’s still four more years…heup!!”

Judging from what she was doing now, I didn’t think she would be useful immediately.

It was kind of vague?

As long as the party slot was limited, I better think a little more before accepting her.

Well, I wasn’t in a hurry, so I’ll put it on hold.

[ ‘Jane Doe’ will be registered as the warrior’s followers. ]

[ Any target registered as a follower will not betray the warrior and can be converted to a companion at any time. ]

By the way, even though the favorability had increased enough for her to be recruited as a companion, I didn’t get a message saying the Challenge was completed.

So, in order to save her, it seemed I must solve the problem of White Face.

However, I didn’t know where to get the related information.

She was related to them, that much was certain…

Jane and Eighth Layer Hell. Even the cartels in Kowloon that I had just finished.

Given the Challenge, they all must be related. However, it was frustrating that no clue had been found.

Hu…I just needed one clue to open the case wide open.

As I was agonizing over the matter, Elizabeth, who had bound Jane in her shadow, crept up to me and began to annoy me.

“Noah? S-say, um…You had promised to hang out with me on the weekend…Can we add an option to that?”

“Huu…what?”

“I-I just want a hug…”

“No. It’s annoying.”

“…”

I had a lot on my mind and I didn’t need this right now. But now even this woman was annoying me.

“I have something to think about, so don’t bother me.”

“Heeung, I see…”

She looked at me with her long ears drooping.

Then suddenly, she pointed at my face and shouted.

“A-ah? N-Noah!”

“What is it this time? Why do you keep bothering me?”

“N-no, it’s not that…Y-your face…”

“Face?”

Was it a new method to annoy me?

If she was going tell me something really idiotic this time, I’ll have to set a date and properly educate her.

Elizabeth created a dark mirror in the air that could reflect light and showed it to me.

“L-look!”

“What about it…huh?”

My reflection in the mirror wasn’t much different from usual.

However, after I had wiped the blood away with a towel and observed it carefully, I could notice some subtle changes.

My canine teeth came out a little sharp, and for some reason, my face looked two or three years younger.

“What’s this…?”

Why did my face suddenly change?

In the midst of my thoughts, suddenly, one possibility came to mind.

Ah, maybe…

I quickly opened my status window and checked the skill I had left unattended for a long time.

And…

< Gene Awakening >

Classification: Special

Grade: A

Description: Awaken the dormant genes.

Genes:

(1) Human: 79.8%

(2) Elf: 6.4% (Active)

(3) Beast: 6.5% (Active) – New

(4) Dwarf: 5.5% (Active) – New

(5) Unknown: 1.7% (Inactive)

(6) Unknown: 0.1% (Inactive)

As expected…

Genes of Beast and Dwarf, which had remained in the 2% range, were now more than 5 percent and active.

On top of that, the Elf gene percentage had risen subtly.

When I had used Vampiric Touch to absorb mana earlier, often the message from < Gene Awakening > came up, but…

I couldn’t believe it had gone up this much.

Of all the people who live here, there seemed to have been more mixed races than expected.

So it was also because of < Gene Awakening > that had made my sense of smell more sensitive.

Unlike the Elf gene which had increased my hearing, it seemed the trait for the Beast gene was the sense of smell.

Also, I could feel that my other senses had increased. Not only the sense of smell but I had also become sensitive to sight and could even see the smallest dot on Elizabeth’s neck that I hadn’t noticed before.

“Hmm…”

Deep in thought, I frowned.

It was certainly good to have developed my sense of sight and smell, but I felt like this wasn’t enough to be called an A-Grade skill.

There must be more to it…

I had gained the ability to listen to the voices of plants after the Elf gene became active, so I thought it wouldn’t just end with the change of my body.

Perhaps something good would come out instead of that garbage skill…

As I thought as such, suddenly faint voices came into my ears.

“Breed! Breed! Breed! Breed!”

“Breed! Breed some more!”

The situation somehow felt familiar. An ominous feeling climbed up my spine.

This…no way?

My head stiffly turned.

And there, I saw sewer rats coming up from the sewer and looking around.

It seemed this time it was the ability to listen to the voice of beasts.

“Fuck!”

I had taken one step farther from humanity.

____