Chapter 6: Quest
Linked Quest.
It opened when related clues were found if several incidents were entangled.
If this has come up, does that mean that the great pig was just a subordinate monster? Like a mid-boss.
“Uncover the mastermind? There’s definitely something going on.”
Also, in the case of a linked quest, the difficulty increased the more you delve into the center.
The rewards jumped up in proportion to that.
I looked at the clear rewards.
One skill point. The corners of my mouth twitched.
It was well done in the midst of wondering how to get one.
Then I have to find the clues of the mastermind.
How many people, how strong they are, where they are, and so on. Fortunately, I could also get some people who could be expected to provide information.
“I should have the Gapsan Monsters report what they hear.”
The guy who was guarding outside came running quickly after receiving my signal. After breaking the restraints, he supported the woman, as if he was helping her.
It seems difficult to move both people.
Should I do it myself?
I was pondering whether there was another way when I realized something I didn’t know.
The total number of Gapsan Monsters I could use until now was three.
But it seemed possible for one more.
The intuition I gained after being possessed couldn’t be explained theoretically, but it was a type of certainty.
By using the authority, one more was created. The guy who was struggling was delighted to see it.
“Is it because my Yoryeok went up?”
That was the only way to look at it.
After all, Yoryeok was a stat only for Tiamat. If that’s the case, I can’t avoid fighting anymore.
I turned my back to him, who was wrapping the man up without complaint even though he was just summoned.
“Ah.”
I almost forgot.
I took the essence placed on the mana conversion device.
Two in total. One was full of mana, and the other was less than half full.
Just by looking at this, I could tell that someone’s plan was still in progress. Maybe I’d meet him sooner than I thought.
“I’ll use this well.”
If you use black mana wrongly, you’ll get into trouble. However, I wasn’t a mage.
I had a different system from them, and above all, if I used it, I would use it to amplify Yoryeok, not magic.
If I just avoided being possessed, there was no big danger.
If necessary, I could sell it or ask the church for purification.
Someone who had lost the precious essence they had collected will be very upset.
Perhaps that’s the person, the black mage.
“What about this atrocity?”
The outside of the cave.
The situation, which was already a mess, had become difficult to see with the addition of the great pig’s corpse.
Well, it wasn’t like I had to clean it.
If this fact was revealed to the church, they would be shocked and come to help.
I had to think more about whether to reveal it or not. It was gradually tilting towards revealing it.
I retraced the path that had been somewhat opened and brought up the apprentice priest I had seen recently.
I also have an excellent contact person.
He would faithfully cooperate with me if he misunderstood my identity. At that time, a strange sound touched my ear.
Krr-krr! Kirrr-rk!
A familiar voice. I couldn’t not know the owner of that sound, which was more like a cry than words.
I’m sure I released the monsters to find the monsters.
It wasn’t strange for him to be here.
However.
“These vicious thingsā¦!”
There was one more familiar voice.
This one belonged to a human. There were still only a few voices that I knew in this world.
Moreover, it would be hard to pretend not to know if it was the one I had heard most recently.
They say speak of the devil and he shall appear, I’m finally going to meet him.
But the situation was a bit strange.
‘Why are they confronting each other?’
Two Gapsan Monsters. Naelun was clenching his teeth in front of the guy threatening with fire and the guy aiming with a bow from behind.
It was the first time I had seen such an expression.
His expression of anger and shock, not friendly at all, made him hold his wand.
“There must have been some kind of change. I’ve never encountered a monster like this.”
He mutters with a serious expression.
Seeing the duty and fighting spirit in his eyes, I massaged my throbbing forehead.
Well, it wasn’t a complete coincidence.
He said he would go to the forest, so he could have encountered the Gapsan Monsters.
However, it was a relationship that couldn’t be a good meeting.
From his perspective, who was a priest of the church, the monsters were no different from mortal enemies.
“I ask, monsters. Where did you come from? Are you the source of the movement?”
Naelun, pointing his wand.
The Gapsan Monsters only let out a cry full of hostility. The collision was inevitable.
The priest, who clicked his tongue, recited a spell.
“It’s a shame that we can’t communicate. I wanted to root out your race.”
A golden light gathered at the end of the wand, then it shot out like a ray of light.
The Gapsan Monsters recognized the human in front of them as the target of removal. Arrows rushed in, and the flames blocked the ray of light.
Kieeeek!
It was impossible for him to defend against the priest’s magic with his level.
After a momentary confrontation, the flames were rapidly pushed back, and the Gapsan Monster flew through as soon as it was passed. The ray of light pierced through his shoulder.
The arrows didn’t touch the priest’s body and were hit by the holy barrier and fell.
‘It’s not working.’
The Gapsan Monsters were only at the bottom of the hierarchy among Tiamat’s summoned beasts.
It’s impossible for them to be a match for the priest with just two. I observed the battle between the two sides with sunken eyes.
I didn’t get involved.
After all, the death of the summoned beast wasn’t a loss.
It was also not possible to do the summon release, as Naelun would have more questions.
There was only one thing for me to do.
Swaaeeek-!
The arrows, which rushed in one after another, bounced off the barrier.
The Gapsan Monsters, who had let out an agitated cry, unleashed fire at the same time. The priest looked at those scenes with quiet hostility.
Their fundamental weakness, their weak firepower.
The guys, who judged that their flames were not enough, took out the swords and spears they had.
They had been left behind after killing the Calvin group.
Kwang! Kakakangā
Only the sound of hammering on a hard wall rang out, and the barrier couldn’t be broken with weapons either.
Overwhelming difference.
However, Naelun’s expression didn’t change.
His cold vision focused on the monster’s strength, which was stronger than expected, the fire that they freely handled, and the ‘intelligence’ that they shot arrows and wore weapons.
The judgment he made was very unpleasant. This was a small village on the edge.
It was not the dominion of the other world, nor the realm of chaos. Such monsters appeared in a place far from the forbidden magic.
If these things had gone to the village, that peaceful place would have turned into a sea of fire overnight.
Considering that it was a monster I had never seen before, there was also a good chance that there was another existence.
“ā¦Oh, El Seneca. What in the world is going on?”
He blamed himself for the past, lamenting that he had only been given a chore.
The church’s judgment to dispatch him here was right.
Then, he would simply carry out the mission. The monsters’ corpses would be taken to the church.
Then a more detailed investigation could be done.
He looked at the monsters, who repeatedly pounded the barrier that wouldn’t even dent. The holy power was significantly reduced, but it was sufficient to deal with them.
As he recited the spell, light gathered at the barrier.
The rays of light fired from the two masses of light pierced the monsters’ chests.
Kieeeeā¦
The two Gapsan Monsters collapsed after a short groan.
‘As expected, this is the way.’
I calmly took it in. Honestly, I wasn’t comfortable.
Even if I said this and that, they were my summons.
They were also the creatures I created directly.
But it wasn’t enough to affect my rational thinking.
Naelun’s holy power wasn’t vast.
The power of the holy magic was bearable, and the barrier didn’t seem as strong as I thought.
I could be confident in one thing from the battle just now.
‘I can suppress them if things go wrong.’
It was a small but great achievement.
Now it was time to step in. As I appeared as if I had just arrived, Naelun’s head turned as the presence followed.
He was surprised to see me, and his eyes widened, and then he seemed to recognize who I was.
The priest’s face was filled with gratitude.
“What brings you here? And what is that state you are in?”
There was no sign of suspicion or caution in Naelun’s question. It was the result of having a strong prejudice against my identity.
I approached him and instructed the remaining Gapsan Monsters to put the humans down and to move away.
Teok-.Ā The sound of the men and women who had been carried this far falling down.
“I’ve done some work. I became interested.”
“Work?”
“Yes. You’ll be grateful to me for several more times.”
My robe was torn in many places and blood clots were stuck to it from the fight against the great pig.
Although there were only scratches for the actual injuries, if you look at it from the outside, you would think that I was seriously injured.
It seemed to be that way in his eyes as well.
I tilted my head at my words, and the priest examined my body first.
“More than that, your condition is terrible. Show me your wounds. I will try to treat you as much as possible.”
Warm light gathered in his hand.
Healing magic. I waved my hand.
“I don’t need it. Buy me new clothes instead.”
“Is that so? Well, I can buy you a robe at most.”
“An expensive one. A good one.”
“ā¦I’m asking this out of curiosity, but did you deposit money with me or something?”
“You should have.”
The priest, who didn’t know what was going on, made a wronged expression.
Where is he pretending to be the victim?
‘I’ll mention it at this point.’
It was a bit strange if I kept pretending not to know, as it was placed in plain sight. I lowered my gaze.
As if there was something I was curious about.
Naelun responded in a timely manner.
“Ah, this.”
“Monsters?”
“Yes. Perhaps. I’ve never seen this kind of species before, but they are evil.”
He had an disgusted expression. Tiamat’s concept was the Immangryang.
The Gapsan Monsters, who belong to the yokai, were extremely hideous in appearance.
It would be monsters to anyone who saw it.
It felt quite cute to me.
“They shot arrows and handled fire without magic. They must have used the ominous power unique to monsters. Their intelligence also seemed to be quite high. I intend to send them to the church for a detailed investigation.”
Naelun recites seriously.
His thoughts would fail.
The dead summons will disappear in a while. I nodded slowly instead of telling him that.
“No injuries?”
“Are you worried now? Haha, thank you. They were stronger than ordinary monsters, but as you can see, I’m fine.”
“That’s fortunate. I hope things go well.”
“Yes. Then I think it’s my turn to listen. What have you been through in the meantime?”
I expected him to ask.
Glancing at the dirty robe, I pointed at the place I had passed.
“Come here.”
As I led the way, he followed immediately, though he seemed puzzled. The place where the bushes were stirred.
The priest’s expression, seeing the two people in there, became mysterious.
“These peopleā¦?”
“Victims and witnesses. I rescued them.”
Naelun seemed to want a detailed explanation.
I summarized the circumstances since I had parted with him.
“Oh, El Seneca. My goodnessā¦!”
The priest’s face turned black and gloomy as he stood in the cave, the center of the incident.
His trembling pupils scanned the bodies of monsters and humans, the dark cave, and the forest’s great pig, which still showed its presence despite the extinction of life.
He faltered and couldn’t decide what to say, but barely opened his mouth.
“ā¦I’ve never seen a monster like this.”
“Me neither.”
“Black mana, perhaps they have been tainted by chaos. Whatever it is, it is rare in this area, so it’s likely that someone is behind it. The mastermind.”
I nodded in agreement.
Naelun, looking at the shock that hadn’t disappeared from his face, began to walk. He frowned and examined the area as he entered the cave.
The traces of blood and magic, the broken doorknob, and the traces where humans had been restrained, his gaze reached the mana conversion device.
“This isā¦revised in reverse?”
He mutters with a sunken face.
“Revised?”
“There’s a similar object in the church as well. It’s the original. It’s a device that turns negative powers, like black mana or black magic, into pure ones. This object works in exactly the opposite way.”
It was as if turning white into black.
Since the church had made the equipment first. Did someone write these detailed settings? Or did the empty space fill up naturally?
He examined the device closely with the look of seeing something dirty, and suddenly said.
“Haven’t you put anything?”
I didn’t want him to ask, but I couldn’t help it. I picked up one of the two essences.
“There was this.”
“ā¦! Please give it to me.”
“It’s my loot, though?”
Naelun was obviously embarrassed that I still held the essence.
“It’s an essence completely filled with black mana. Fortunately, it’s not full, but it will still try to negatively affect the owner.”
“There are already many victims reported!”
“That’s because they’re weak.”
“Are you saying you’re different?”
“Be calm, Naelun. Who killed the huge pig outside in person?”
The priest closed his mouth at those words.
He realized then. If someone had killed the great pig, the only suspect was me.
“I ask, did the church know about this situation?”
“No. Unfortunately.”
“Did you contribute to revealing this fact?”
“ā¦That’s not the case either.”
“Then you won’t have the right to claim ownership of the items collected here.”
It was all true.
Naelun groaned and couldn’t deny it.
“You’re right. But I hope you will hand over the great pig’s body. Because it is a being artificially created, it needs to be analyzed deeply.”
“That’s not a problem. I don’t have any use for it either. However, it’s a guy I worked hard to catch.”
“I don’t mean to ask for it for free. I’ll ask for a reasonable price from the church. If that doesn’t work, I’ll offer my personal help.”
The unnecessary meat and the church’s help.
It was a proposal that I couldn’t refuse. It was decided that the great pig would be taken by the church through a legitimate transaction.
However, I added one thing.
“It’s just a condition of investigation and analysis. If you find something valuable from the great pig’s byproducts, you must give it to me.”
“Of course. I’ll tell them.”
Honestly, I didn’t believe the promise would be kept.
But since it was clearly stated, I had a reason.
I left the cave with Naelun, who had taken the mana conversion device. We couldn’t move the great pig immediately, so we decided to ask the church for the transport personnel and the support personnel to deal with the incident.
The injuries of the men and women who had been rescued were not serious.
Naelun treated the minor wounds, and they would come to their senses when the mana exhaustion was resolved.
In the meantime, I had returned to the forest alone.
To be exact, with the two Gapsan Monsters. It was to experiment with one thing.