BXBX NOVEL Chapter 27: The First Journey on the Strange Continent (7)
Chapter 27: The First Journey on the Strange Continent (7)
“Kaz tu Arcturus!”
A rift tore through space and time, and from the dark green dimension, void insects began to swarm.
“…Huh?”
“…Bugs?”
“…Is a healer summoning creatures?”
Arzen had no intention of revealing his summoning abilities so casually.
But!
The moment he saw those repulsive goblins, memories of past pain flashed through his mind, causing his blood to boil.
“How am I supposed to hold back? Damn it! With the lead insect missing, the second and third swarm leaders take charge! Go! Annihilate them!”
However, aside from the lead insect, void creatures don’t distinguish between command units. There’s no size difference among them either.
‘That’s why, with the lead insect gone, it’s impossible to coordinate their movements!’
But against something as lowly as goblins, even uncoordinated movements were more than enough.
“Whoa! The goblins are being wiped out!”
Kitan exclaimed.
The goblins, swarmed by the ten void insects, screamed as they were torn apart.
“This is the void’s devouring destruction! It leaves only the skin, consuming everything else!”
However, there were beings that put an end to this wave of slaughter.
“Keekeekee!”
“Kiieeeet!”
Rusty blades slashed through the void insects\' bodies vertically, and clubs crushed their exoskeletons.
‘Damn it! If the lead insect were here, we could have easily avoided those attacks!’
The absence of the lead insect was painfully clear.
However.
The enemies ambushing the void creatures were no mere weaklings.
“Th-That’s!”
Goblins, much like ants, live in underground colonies and will defend their egg chambers to the death.
And in those chambers are the victims they\'ve used as breeding hosts.
In a colony this large, there’s bound to be humans among the victims.
“A goblin mixed with human blood!”
When a goblin colony begins using a human as a breeding host, their numbers swell rapidly.
‘It’s all thanks to that mutated goblin!’
Goblins born from human hosts were nearly twice the size of regular goblins.
Their larger size meant they were physically stronger and capable of wielding more dangerous weapons.
Sia grinned maniacally as she raised her executioner’s sword toward the mutated goblins.
“Disgusting bastards. Only three mutants? Maybe I should have come later… Just kidding.”
The biggest one was armed with a sword and shield, no doubt stolen from a hapless adventurer.
The other two were smaller but held a shovel and pickaxe, likely taken from a mining operation.
Normally, goblins rely on poison due to their weak physical strength, but these ones could wield human weapons.
“Come on. This egg chamber is just the right size for a brawl.”
The mutants roared, charging forward, using the regular goblins as cannon fodder.
Jerome’s heavy artillery instantly roared to life.
“This should finish them off!”
The weaker goblins were mowed down by gunfire.
Now it was down to the three mutants versus Sia. However, the odds were not in her favor.
However, Sia\'s power was enough to completely overturn the disadvantage.
\'This... this person isn’t anywhere near Silver rank!\'
Just before clashing with the largest mutant goblin, Sia swung her executioner’s sword, tearing apart the goblin’s flesh and bones into shredded pieces.
As the mutant was sent flying, Sia let go of the sword for just a moment, allowing it to rise.
\'Did she lose control of the sword due to its weight and momentum?\'
No, that wasn’t the case.
In mid-air, Sia swiftly reversed her grip on the sword.
Then, as the second mutant goblin charged towards her, she brought the sword down vertically, striking its skull.
She smashed its head into the ground, utterly destroying it.
\'Insane!\'
Next, when the third mutant came rushing in, she tripped it, causing it to fall. Grabbing it by the nape, she drove its head into the blade of the sword, which was still embedded in the ground. Like slicing fruit with a grater, she shredded its face.
“Ahahaha! This is so refreshing! Unbelievably satisfying!”
Drenched in the blood and fat of her prey, Sia’s wild laughter was the epitome of a predator at ease.
Around twenty weaker goblins hesitated, visibly terrified.
But in the end, their instinct to protect the egg chamber for the sake of reproduction overtook their fear.
“Kiiiiiit!”
As they rushed forward, Sia seemed to lose interest, her posture appearing somewhat deflated.
\'Is she out of energy?\'
It wasn’t exhaustion; it was more a sense of boredom.
“Ah, damn, how annoying…”
Jerome and Kitan knew Sia well.
They were fully aware that she’d wipe out the remaining goblins with ease.
“Sia’s in her \'sage time\' now!”
“What’s that even mean?”
“It’s when her frenzy reaches its limit, and she gets bored, but don’t worry, she’ll take care of them all eventually.”
Everyone began to relax, but just then, a single goblin that had been hiding among the corpses of its kin leapt toward Jerome’s back.
This one was also a mutated goblin, born from a human host. It was far larger than the previous three.
‘This one’s holding a bizarrely modified pair of pickaxes!’
Arzen immediately spun around.
Jerome, assuming the fight was over, had already folded up his gun.
At this rate, he wouldn’t be able to respond in time.
\'A holy miracle?\'
Arzen hesitated for a split second.
No! That would take too long to chant the incantation.
“You must be the leader of this damn goblin horde! Let me give you a death worthy of that title!”
As expected—just as expected!
‘No matter how fierce these creatures seem, their endings are always sloppy.’
In the end, they’d have to rely on the strength of Arzen, the future Adamant-ranked adventurer.
“I’ll show you the Super Void Parade of Arzen, the Adamant-ranked Steel Adventurer! Barolus!”
[TL/N: Arzen is still a steel ranked and says he is either gold/diamond/Adamant ranked as a joke
Also Adamant and Diamond are interchanged in the series but both mean the same]
With that command, the dimension trembled.
From the twilight gloom, an otherworldly demon emerged, its presence even more ghostly and pronounced in the dim light.
It scattered the terror of its otherness throughout the entire space.
“────!”
In an instant.
The demon\'s fingers, which surged from beyond the void, tore the mutated goblin apart, leaving nothing but a mess of bloody flesh.
“?”
“?”
“?”
The goblins that had been charging toward Sia froze in their tracks.
Beings from the lesser planes have an instinctual fear and wariness when they witness a demon from another dimension.
Some goblins, driven mad with fear, rolled their eyes back, foaming at the mouth as they began to frenzy.
“Ki-Kiiiiiit!”
However, the power of the Apostle was still incomplete.
This meant the demon had not fully received the blessing of materialization.
Thus, it soon began to dissipate back into the void.
‘But that’s no problem!’
As long as the mutated goblins were gone, it wouldn’t be difficult to clean up the rest, even without the lead insect.
“Kaz tu Arcturus! Deploy the second void squadron!”
Through the dimensional rift left by the demon’s departure, more void creatures poured out.
“Void bugs, tonight’s meal is goblin tartare! Feast to your heart’s content!”
The dark green void insects descended upon the goblins, delivering merciless punishment.
There would be no mercy for the sacrilegious beings who dared oppose the Apostle.
The void creatures instantly overwhelmed the heretics, consuming their very existence and banishing them to the void itself.
* * *
The only thing they could recover from the goblin den were the victims used as breeding hosts.
Kitan blocked off the tunnel connected to Mine No. 6, while Jerome doused the path they had come down with oil before heading back up.
As Sia carried the victims on her back and made her way out of the lair, Arzen threw a torch into the mine.
“What’s going to happen to these two women now?”
Kitan asked as he watched the fire quickly spread through the abandoned mine.
The only way to purify a place so tainted with goblin filth, vomit, and mold was to burn it all.
Sia clicked her tongue before answering.
“They’ll probably undergo purification and psychological treatment at the church. If it were me, I’d bite my tongue and end it right there…”
Jerome stroked his thick beard.
“I’ve heard rumors that His Holiness from the Papacy, Lord Raikyō, can erase memories. Maybe there’s some hope for them after all.”
Just as Akirea of the Crimson Flame represents the Red Dragon Legion.
Raikyō of the Thunderous Echo is known for being the most communicative representative of the Yellow Dragon Legion, frequently engaging with the world.
In other words, His Holiness Raikyō is also a prominent figure among the dragonkin.
“Ah, I can finally breathe easy.”
At that moment, Arzen dusted off his hands and emerged from the cave.
Kitan, looking excited, spoke up.
“Hey, that thing you did earlier, how’d you pull it off? I’ve never seen a miracle like that before! A summoning miracle of all things—Sia, have you ever seen something like that?”
“No.”
“Hmm, that’s really strange. For someone who can use miracles even Sia hasn’t seen, and yet you’re only an Iron-ranked adventurer? Have you not been an adventurer for long?”
Jerome asked, eyeing him curiously.
Arzen flinched at the sudden attention.
‘If only I could explain the real reason behind it…’
He grimaced as he felt the familiar throb of the brand, wincing from the pain once again.
\'Damn it, this thing still….’
Sia, having noticed the emotion hidden behind Arzen\'s expression, turned her body toward the forest path that led back to the village that had commissioned the job.
“Don’t press someone to talk when they clearly don’t want to. That’s considered rude in this line of work, you know.”
“Well, yeah, but I was just really curious, so I asked.”
“There’s only one thing we can be sure of from this job: this guy may be Iron rank, but he’s incredibly skilled.”
Arzen arrogantly crossed his arms.
‘As expected from a Silver rank... she knows exactly what’s going on!’
What they had just witnessed was a glimpse of the brilliance that played among the highest tiers of the adventurer world.
“It’s no big deal. All I did was take down some goblins. Nothing impressive.”
As Arzen modestly brushed his hand under his nose, Jerome nodded in agreement.
“I agree.”
“What do you mean ‘you agree’! You senile old dwarf! You almost died and I saved your life!”
When Arzen shouted in protest, Jerome shook his head in confusion.
“Hmph, why are you getting so worked up? I was just acknowledging your words. A ‘thank you’ would be more appropriate, don’t you think? Honestly, I’ll never understand how humans think.”
Amidst the commotion, Kitan sidled up to Sia and asked quietly.
“What do you think of Arzen?”
“He’s got a lot of miracles at his disposal, can adapt to different situations, and has plenty of experience.”
“Right?”
“With someone like him, we could aim even higher. Platinum rank, maybe even Adamant rank.”
Kitan’s eyes widened before he rushed over to Arzen and shouted excitedly.
“Arzen! With you, we might be able to aim for Adamant rank adventurers!”
Arzen, who had been shaking Jerome by the collar, blinked in surprise.
“Adamant rank?”
Adamant rank is above Platinum.
‘That’s the rank of the eleven strongest adventurers in the world!’
Platinum rank itself was no easy feat.
Only eleven adventurers per generation could reach Platinum rank, unlike the lower ranks, which had no such limit.
‘Like Orlat, the captain of Divine Guillotine.\'
But Adamant rank?
‘That’s a whole different level, the pinnacle of the adventurer world!’
The rank achieved only by the very best.
‘These middle-class adventurers think they can get there?’
Arzen couldn’t help but ask the obvious question.
“…How?”
Maybe I could, but them? These commoners?
“?”
“?”
“?”
The atmosphere instantly turned cold, like a bucket of ice water had been dumped on them.
Everyone fell silent, and the only sound that remained was the crunch of footsteps on the forest path.
After a brief pause, Sia and Kitan both responded to Arzen’s reasonable doubt.
“What do you mean ‘how’? We’ll just keep taking jobs and leveling up, step by step.”
“Yeah, Arzen! We can do it! There’s nothing in this world you can’t achieve if you work hard enough!”
Jerome, who was folding the barrel of his gun and attaching it back to the steam core\'s mount, spoke up.
“They’re just excited after seeing what you’re capable of. No need to feel pressured. Adventurers come and go based on profit. If you don’t like it, you can always leave.”
“Huh? No way. I like Arzen,” Kitan protested.
“Well, if he says no, there’s not much you can do,” Jerome replied calmly.
“Ugh.”
Sia stared directly at Arzen.
“Yeah. I hate clinging to someone who doesn’t want to be there. So, what do you want to do?”
Something about the situation felt completely different to Arzen.
Back in Divine Guillotine, Arzen was nothing more than livestock.
There was no such thing as a choice.
‘But here…’
No one raises a hand against me.
No one hurls insults at me.
‘Here, with these lunatics…’
Maybe, unlike the miserable childhood he’d endured, he could experience a true adventure.
“Hmph, if you all beg that much, I suppose I, the one destined for Adamant rank in the future, could use you as my stepping stones.”
Arzen’s sly grin revealed his mischievous intent, prompting Sia to scratch her head.
“Ah, drop this guy. He’s more of a nutcase than I thought.”
“Seems like the right move,” Jerome agreed.
“No, no! I just wanted to try saying something cool!”
These idiots… are they really trying to mess with me, Arzen?
But, for now, he’d back down.
After all, finding stepping stones of this quality wouldn’t be easy elsewhere.
‘Fine, have it your way.’
After all, only one person can be the top in any given era.
‘I’ll bend for now, but in the end, I’ll use you to stand at the very top!’
***
“Damn it! Shit!”
A woman angrily flung a dagger across the room.
The blade shattered several bottles before embedding itself into a dartboard, tearing it apart with brutal precision.
That skill…
The precision of her throw alone was enough to hint at who she was.
She was none other than Helsea, the leader of the Divine Guillotine remnants\' assassination team.
“I still can’t believe the captain’s dead, and now what? Akirea, that crazy powerhouse, is personally hunting us down!”
The impact of Akirea of the Crimson Flame personally leading the Red Dragon Legion was monumental.
Most of those tangled in the web of corruption had confessed the atrocities committed by Divine Guillotine, and the noose around the remaining members had tightened considerably.
Helsea’s assassination team specialized in stealth and covert operations, but now, even gathering all six of them in one place was a life-threatening risk.
‘So that’s why Orlat and the higher-ups went to such lengths to keep us from getting involved with the Red Pilgrims…’
It would have been better if they had only dealt with the Pilgrims.
But with Akirea herself stepping into the fray, the situation had spiraled completely out of control.
With a furious expression, Helsea shouted, “Ben, is it ready yet? Have you found a way to meet with the Black Church?”
The operations of Divine Guillotine had been tightly intertwined with the Black Church.
In return for their services, the Black Church had gifted them a special power known as the Dragon-Sealing Barrier.
This ability to evade the watchful eyes of the dragonkin had allowed them to carry out all sorts of reckless deeds.
However, their connection to the Black Church had been severed when the leadership was killed.
Now, they were frantically scrambling to reestablish that link.
“Boss, but what’s the point of finding the Black Church again?”
“We’re going to surrender ourselves.”
“What? Have you lost your mind?”
“Listen. The Red Dragon Legion may be strict, but I’ve heard that Raikyō from the Papacy is so lenient that even serious criminals often get off with just a prison sentence.”
“Yeah, that’s well known.”
“We’re going to use that to our advantage. We’ll borrow the Black Church’s sorcery to erase all our crimes from our memories. Using the Dragon-Sealing Barrier.”
“But why?”
“Raikyō is said to be able to read minds... If that’s the case, wouldn’t they believe we’re innocent? We’ll make it seem like we had nothing to do with Orlat’s or the leadership’s evil deeds.”
The assassination team members whistled at the suggestion, while a man leaning against the outer wall spoke up.
“The Red Pilgrims seem to think there was a survivor at the scene.”
“Bullshit. Orlat’s dead—who could’ve survived? You think someone could walk away from the number four Platinum adventurer?”
“That’s just the intel I got.”
Helsea bit her lip.
‘If there was a survivor, they would have contacted the assassination team by now...’
Wait. What if—just a slim chance—but what if the survivor was one of the slaves we treated like dirt?
“Do we still have contacts for the witches we bribed at the Lanoa Bridge?”
“Boss, you know the Red Dragon Legion controls the bridge. No matter how well you change your identity, you’d be caught crossing. We’re stuck here like rats for at least a few more years.”
“I know that better than you, you idiot! Just shut up and get the list, somehow. I need to check the records from the days after Orlat’s death to see if anything unusual happened.”
If her gut feeling was right...
They’d have to risk their lives, sneak onto a smuggling ship, cross the sea, and kill whoever it was.
‘I have to kill them as quickly as possible.’
If that person exposed everything, their plan to surrender would fall apart.
“Thanks to the Dragon-Sealing Barrier, they can’t just spill the truth to anyone... But if that bastard meets Akirea or Raikyō first, it’s all over.”