VIP Early Access
Eksklusif untuk member VIP
Password Protected
Chapter ini dikunci dengan kode khusus
Chapter 15 : Actions Speak Louder Than Words
The mercenary couldn't hide her surprise.
Her thin, sharp eyes widened as if someone had pulled them.
I was the same.
“They say the world is small, and the industry is even smaller.”
The partner for the request was a mercenary I had just recently met.
Ẃěb̄n̄о̀ v̂è l̊ Е̂ n̂ ü m ǎ
It was a dramatic coincidence.
“I didn’t expect to meet you again so soon.”
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
“I know, right? Well, it’s nice to see you. It saves us the awkwardness of getting to know each other.”
The woman fiddled with the end of her tied-up hair.
It seemed to be a habit to calm her surprised heart.
Soon, she calmed down, crossed her arms over her chest, and asked.
Еn ū m̄а
“Come to think of it, we haven’t even introduced ourselves, have we? I’m Hella, from the Drexier Mercenary Group.”
“Drexier…?”
“Oh, you know our mercenary group?”
It was a name I felt like I had heard somewhere before.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
I searched my memory.
It was definitely…
Ŵ ѐb n̆ӧ v̌ el̂ Е nũ m̂а
“I think it was a mercenary group that was going to be disbanded in a year.”
Their skills were said to be decent, but they had failed a big request and were disbanded.
The few mercenaries who had lost their home didn't retire and became famous for their activities, so there was no way I could be mistaken.
One of their names was…
“...No matter how short-staffed our office is, isn’t it too much to say we’ll be disbanded in a year?”
I remembered it as ‘Hella’.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“The fact that it’s in a year is so damn realistic that it makes me feel even worse.”
“Sorry, I misspoke.”
“It’s fine, I guess that’s how it looks to others. I agree to some extent.”
Hella grumbled about how the office was a mess and how her boss was a boomer.
I spoke before it led to an uncomfortable topic that required empathy.
“I’m Allen.”
Wе̊b̃n̆оve l .Е̂n u m̆ӓ
“Right, Allen. Nice name.”
Hella, who had given a soulless compliment, soon changed the atmosphere to a serious one.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
“First, I’ll confirm, you came here for the Corrupted request, right?”
“Yes. And you?”
“Me too… but is this okay?”
What did she mean?
Ẅеb nо vеl̂ Е n̊ u m а
Hella's eyes, as she scanned my body, were sharp.
“The Brotherhood thugs and the Corrupted are different. Do you have the skills to deal with the Corrupted?”
She didn't beat around the bush to save face.
“I’ve never even heard of your name, and looking at you, you’re a partner who could just make a living by selling your face. I need to be able to trust you.”
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Was she trying to gauge my abilities?
It was nice to see her, but she was the type to strictly separate public and private matters.
W e b̀_n о̃vе l E n u m ӓ
‘Her impression isn’t the friendly type either.’
The reason she had exchanged a few words with me when we first met was probably out of gratitude for getting her wallet back.
Otherwise, there would have been no reason to chat happily just because we were partners.
‘Anyway, they’re a bunch of people with no affection.’
Although their profession was special, they were a bunch of ruthless people.
‘If I act humble here, I’ll just be looked down on.’
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
I knew how to handle guys like this.
I spoke in a strong tone.
“If you can’t trust me, then get lost.”
“……”
“We don’t have to act together, do we? If you’re not happy, then move separately.”
The standard response to a power struggle was to fight once, but was there a need for that?
Е́ǹ ū m̃à
‘It was the office that got me a partner because it was dangerous, not me.’
In the end, what was important was performance.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
There would be no problem even if I completed the request on my own.
‘I had planned to do it on my own from the moment I received the request.’
I had no regrets even if we parted ways.
Hella, who had been staring at me blankly, asked with a somewhat reluctant expression.
Ѐ n uma
“...Are you really going to do it alone?”
“There’s no reason why I can’t.”
“No, damn it…”
Hella, who had trailed off, scratched the back of her neck.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
She had a look on her face that said, ‘This isn’t right.’
“I wasn’t saying we should go separately, I was just saying I could help.”
É ñ ŭ m̊а
...Not a fight?
“What are you going to help with?”
“I told you I’m strong. If you just trust me with this request, I’ll solve it for you.”
Was she trying to pay off her debt with this opportunity?
It was a rational calculation.
“No.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
But I refused.
It was good to have someone do the tedious chores.
But Hella shouldn't be the one leading the request.
‘I have to be the one to find the individual with the piece of the spirit’s cocoon.’
Completing the piece of the cocoon was something only I could do.
I could let her lead a minor request, but I couldn't let Hella lead a request where I might find a spirit.
Е n ùm̂ a
“No, other people would jump at the chance, but why is this bastard…”
Hella grumbled.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
The hand that was ruffling her hair was nervous.
Whatever.
The choice was not mine to make.
“I’m going first.”
Ѐ ṅ ü m̂ a . і̆d
“...Ah, let’s go together!”
I left the grumbling Hella behind and moved on without any lingering feelings.
***
The location of the Corrupted varied.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Since they were a race that originated from the laboratories of dark mages, they could appear anywhere, including undeveloped districts.
‘But there wouldn’t be any big-hearted guys who would experiment within District 3.’
Ě num̄ а́
Even if their patron was a city council member, would they allow experiments in the land where they lived?
Therefore, most of the Corrupted appeared in areas outside the city center.
[The World Tree coughs.]
Shiver!
The World Tree trembled intermittently.
My heart ached because I could feel its suffering.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
“I’m sorry for bringing you to a place like this.”
I whispered with a bitter smile.
District 10. A representative industrial zone in Gellerg City.
As the center of industry, it was lined with all sorts of production facilities, including factories.
Even if not as much as the World Tree, my condition was not very good either.
The sky was completely black.
Е̊n̊ů m̂a .і́d
The smoke that billowed up replaced the clouds, and a foul stench vibrated from the rotten river.
“Tsk, tsk, see? A weakling who’s not in good shape shouldn’t come to a place like this.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“...Are you okay?”
“I’ve rolled around in places worse than this. I’m fine.”
That wasn't something to be proud of.
It was an incomprehensible sentiment.
W̊е b n о̌vе̄ ľ Ë n u m̂ а
‘Come to think of it, the World Tree and I seem to be a bit sensitive.’
I had never been affected by the surrounding environment like this in any of my previous playthroughs.
‘Am I more affected by the environment because I’m a druid?’
Or maybe my lungs had been cleaned when my body changed.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
“So don’t be stubborn and just watch from behind…”
I completely ignored Hella's muttering.
W е̃ b ň о̂ v е̂l̈ Е ǹ ũm а̊
“I think it’s around here.”
4th Avenue.
This was an exception in the industrial zone of District 10, a technology development research zone where academic societies and research institutes were the mainstream.
Many of the people seen on the street wore glasses.
Judging by the fact that they had unified their attire with white coats and lab coats, it seemed I had come to the right place.
“They work in a good place.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Jealousy and envy were mixed in Hella's glaring gesture.
Even in the real world, the preference for professional jobs was through the roof.
In this world, it would be more severe, not less.
“Then why did you, a mercenary, take on a request like this?”
The Corrupted request was a so-called ‘dirty request’.
The profit that could be obtained was small compared to the trouble.
Ё n ů m а . і d̂
Unlike contract killers who had nothing to lose, it was a type that mercenaries would avoid.
The mercenary office wouldn't even take on a request like this.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“I didn’t want to do it either. The old man told me to, so I couldn’t say no.”
“The old man?”
“I’m talking about our mercenary group’s leader.”
As expected, Hella seemed to have a lot of complaints.
Ē_ǹû m̃ǎ .id̆
“Is your mercenary group’s policy for leading its members to build up their skills by putting them in dangerous situations?”
If there was a guy like this, there was also a guy like that.
Being a mercenary didn't mean it didn't come with risks.
Rather, some offices would only take on difficult jobs based on their proven skills.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
The reputation among the affiliated mercenaries might not be very good, but performance and growth were guaranteed.
“No, it’s a punishment.”
È n ǔ mа̃. ĭ d̀
Hella firmly denied it.
“A punishment?”
“I got caught being late for a request. That damn old man, if the client didn’t say anything, he could have just let it slide. Don’t you think so?”
“……”
I responded with silence.
Her behavior, including being pickpocketed, seemed to have a screw loose.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
When I didn't take her side, Hella, who had cleared her throat, grabbed a passing researcher.
“Hey, do you know where Hynax is?”
Hynax.
The dark mage's laboratory that was our destination.
The researcher showed disgust the moment he heard the name.
“Hynax? Why there…”
Ѐ ñum̂а̂
“You’ll know when you see it. Just tell me without any more talk.”
Although her attire was light, her armed state was clearly visible.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
The researcher, who had shrunk back abruptly, answered.
“I-if you follow this road, it’s in the outskirts.”
“That’s what he said. Let’s go.”
Hella pushed past the researcher and moved on coolly.
Е̌n u mа̃ .і d
I wondered if it was okay to do this, but this was a city where fists were closer than the law.
I glanced at him as he hurriedly ran away and then followed Hella.
***
“He didn’t lie. We’ve come to the right place.”
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Hella whistled at the desolate scenery in front of her.
As befitting an industrial zone, and a technology development zone at that, it was completely desolate.
Еn̄ ŭ m̈a
The presence of a single detached house, standing alone as if rejecting any approach, was great.
It matched the photo provided as data.
Since it was a request from an organization under the city government, there was no way it could be wrong.
“It’s not like it’s claiming to be suspicious, what is that? It’s not for nothing that dark mages are so sinister.”
“This area wasn’t so desolate from the beginning.”
For a company, District 10 was a golden land.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Even if it was an outlying area, there was no reason to deliberately leave the land unattended.
‘Did the Corrupted run wild?’
Broken windows and cracked walls everywhere.
Around the building, as if it had been dismantled, only the steel frame remained, maintaining its shape.
‘There are even traces of dark magic.’
When I brushed off the strangely raised pile of dirt, a skull rolled down the slope.
W̌ е̃b̄ n̈оv̄е́ l Е n üm ã
It took a long time for a corpse to turn into a skeleton.
If there was a skeleton in a place like this, it was right to assume that it had been used as a material for dark magic.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Since handling corpses was a basic skill of dark magic.
“Why are you looking at something like that? Let’s go without wasting any more time.”
Hella, with her confidence, showed no signs of fear at all.
A moderate excitement and tension tightly squeezed her elastically condensed muscles.
W еb̀n̄ о̌_v̇ él̆ Е̇ ǹ ūm̂a
‘Was it not a bluff when she told me to just watch and do nothing?’
Her thin and slender impression quickly transformed into that of a hard statue.
The murderous aura I had felt when we first met overflowed around her.
It was a sharp aura that seemed like it would cut if touched.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“Wait a minute.”
I stopped her.
Е.num̃_а
“Why again?”
As I kept hesitating, she seemed to be getting annoyed.
Then, as if she had misunderstood something, she let out a chuckle.
“Ah, are you scared by any chance?”
“……”
“Alright, this big sister will be generous. Wait here quietly. I’ll be back after I finish quickly.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
...She keeps getting on my nerves.
‘Should I just fight her instead of doing the request?’
I suppressed my itching fingers.
‘If I show her, she’ll shut up.’
She was a person who could only be persuaded by actions, not words.
I stopped near the wall of the laboratory.
Еn̆um а. і̂d̈
The moment I placed my palm on it.
Wiggle!
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
[The World Tree is startled and jumps up.]
Even the spirit that had been circling around moved up and down in the air as if having a seizure.
“...As expected.”
The World Tree, a divine tree, and the spirit reacted.
Е ñ ũ m̆ а
It was proof that my eyes were not wrong.
Hella, who had been watching what I was doing, expressed her curiosity.
“What’s with that?”
“You can’t see this?”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“It’s a wall.”
She didn't understand my words.
W̌ е b_n̂ о v̌ ē l Еnû ṁа
I knew it.
What else could you expect from an ignorant mercenary?
“...This is a trace of dark magic.”
The scenery Hella was seeing and the scenery I was seeing would be different.
I wrapped a speck of mana around my pupils.
Even if it was just this much mana, the trick of strengthening the body showed its effectiveness.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Whoosh!
My vision expanded and became clear.
Parts of the scenery, which looked as if black paint had been smeared on it, were pitch black.
Black mana, dark magic.
The dark magic clinging to the wreckage of the building fluttered like a torn piece of cloth.
If the skeleton was an indirect trace, then this was a direct trace of dark magic.
W êb n̊о̄ v е̇ ĺ Еn ǔ m.a
‘How can I see this?’
Mana was an invisible element.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
The same went for magic power, which was artificially processed mana in the body.
To be able to see this with the naked eye was a kind of talent.
This kind of talent would usually manifest in a great mage.
‘The playthrough where I was a great mage was quite a while ago.’
Еn̊ù ḿà
There was no way that influence would remain, and if it did, my innate mana amount would have been different from the start.
The manifestation of such a talent was impossible.
‘...Then is this also the effect of Nature Affinity?’
That was the only thing I could guess.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
‘Dark magic is an abnormal magic.’
It was not a natural magic of the elemental series, but an artificial magic.
Ě nú ḿă. іd
Was it considered an object that deviated from the providence by a druid or the World Tree?
‘In the end, it’s just a guess.’
It was a waste of time to dig into the details.
The important thing was that I could see the dark magic.
‘Then…’
...Should I try it?
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
It was worth a shot.
I pulled out the World Tree's stem from my fingertips.
“What’s that?”
“Quiet.”
I silenced the startled Hella and focused.
I could feel the connection of mana.
Е́ ňüm̌ а́. і̂ d̄
The formulas and circuits that made it up, and the intention of the magic's manifestation were all dismantled under the knowledge I had accumulated as a great mage.
‘Surveillance and tracking.’
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
A sharing of senses through a web of intermittently sprinkled mana.
Since it was not a very complex magic, my subsequent actions were unhindered.
‘...Success.’
Swoosh!
Е̃ n u̇m̂ a
The dark magic disappeared as if burnt ashes were fading away.
Intervention in magic through mana.
The senses that had been ingrained in my body did not allow for failure even in this long-overdue demonstration.
“Oh, something seems to have changed.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“I erased the dark magic.”
Even if she couldn't see it, if she was sensitive to mana, she would have been able to feel it.
Ě ñu m а
It was not uncommon for warriors who handled mana with their bodies to be sensitive to it.
“Anyway, we can go in now, right?”
“...Yes.”
I was about to say something, but I held it back.
It was something I couldn't be sure of yet.
‘The sense of the broken magic was heading inside.’
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Although it looked like an abandoned laboratory, there were still traces of magic.
From this, there was one piece of information I could deduce.
‘The existence of a dark mage.’
As if sensing my tension, the World Tree straightened its leaves.
(End of Chapter)
Konten Bab Belum Tersedia
Bab ini belum memiliki konten teks atau sedang dalam proses penyuntingan.
