Chapter 122
Chapter 122
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 122
Chapter Title: Corpse Retriever
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“It took quite a while.”
Regin was finally able to slip out of the building late in the evening.
The conversation itself had dragged on, and memorizing the map at the end had taken some time too.
The unusually complex layout hadn’t helped matters.
As he stepped out and took a deep, refreshing breath.
“Regin!”
“Jack?”
“How’d it go? I don’t have to worry about losing my job anymore, right?”
“Huh?”
Jack came running up, as if he’d been waiting outside.
His face was full of worry.
Not for Regin, of course, but for his own unemployment.
“What did the house head say? He’s not going to cut ties with you now, is he?”
Regin held back a laugh and bowed his head.
“I’m sorry.”
“Huh?”
“It seems…”
Thinking it was something serious, Jack’s eyes went wide.
All Regin had done was bow his head and drag out the words.
“R-Regin. Hold on. I’ve got some interesting info to share.”
“Yes?”
“Pull yourself together. If you fall out with Preton, my position gets awkward too.”
“So, what’s this interesting info?”
“Well, not sure if it’ll help. But I saw something weird. You can pass that info to Preton.”
Jack, offering up the information he’d gathered himself.
Regin could barely hold back his laughter.
He could see the desperation to keep his job, no matter what.
‘Makes me a little sad, thinking of it that way.’
It suddenly reminded him of his own days scrambling to avoid getting fired.
“Wh-Why’s your face getting even darker, Regin!”
Sensing a chance to turn things around, Jack started spilling words.
“Here’s the thing. I saw a strange man. His mana was unusual from the start…”
“Tell me slowly.”
“It was down one alley. There was this ominous mana wafting around. The creepiest I’ve ever…”
“Get to the point.”
“I saw a man turn into a dog.”
“Hm?”
Regin tilted his head, and Jack looked anxious.
“Not enough?”
“He turned into a dog?”
“Yeah. I remember his face and build. Transformation magic’s banned in the kingdom, right? There’ll be a reward.”
“Hmm.”
“Wrapping this up nicely for Preton… might still be iffy, huh?”
Regin thought for a moment and nodded.
“It’s iffy.”
A man turning into a dog in the capital.
He wasn’t sure how much Preton would care about info like that.
High chance he’d ignore it entirely.
‘Plenty of people breaking the law out of the royal gaze.’
The map he’d just seen proved it.
Plenty of folks with secrets, operating in the shadows.
‘But that unusual mana…’
Regin mulled over Jack’s words.
Definitely dubious info for Preton.
“I’ll buy this information.”
But Regin knew right away it was useful to him.
He handed over a gold coin and continued.
“Do you know where he went?”
Unusual mana.
A human turning into a dog.
Someone fitting that description immediately came to mind.
‘One of the upper demon descendants. Snauzer.’
He had to figure out why a guy from the 18th Floor was here.
“Oh, and the thing with Preton worked out fine. Don’t worry—just recall everything you can about that man.”
* * *
“We’re a bit late.”
Regin and Jack headed straight to the inn where the others were staying.
It was near the place they’d eaten earlier.
Seria and Greg were sitting on their respective beds.
“Getting your gear maintained?”
“Yeah. Everything go well? Jack’s here too.”
“Yes.”
“Heh heh, was worried we took too big a room for nothing, but perfect timing.”
Greg had taken off his armor and was wiping it down with a cloth.
Being a former blacksmith, his maintenance was top-notch.
His black armor gleamed shiny and bright.
“Greg. Seria.”
“Yeah?”
Regin hesitated a moment before continuing.
“Sorry to ask when you’ve taken off your gear, but you might need to put it back on.”
“Huh? We heading somewhere? Or leaving right now?”
“There’s a place we need to go. Not forcing you, but your help would be great.”
Seria finished gearing up first.
“What’s going on?”
“Well…”
The underground waterway layout flashed in his mind.
Regin recalled what he’d memorized and spoke.
“We need to go find my senior brother.”
“You have a senior brother?”
“There was a man named Ferma Vinisys. An old disciple of my master.”
“Where can we meet him?”
“We have to go to the underground waterways.”
“Underground waterways?”
“They say the kingdom processes criminals’ corpses separately in the underground waterways.”
Seria asked, puzzled.
“Criminal corpses… so he’s dead? No, he was a criminal first.”
“There’s a story behind it.”
“And we’re going to retrieve his corpse.”
Regin nodded.
Honestly, if Greg and Seria didn’t want to, he wouldn’t force them.
The royals wouldn’t look kindly on recovering a criminal’s body.
‘Asking them to commit a crime with me. Can’t push it.’
But soon Greg was suiting up too, looking at Regin.
“If it’s your senior brother’s corpse, we gotta find it.”
“…”
“I could say goodbye to my daughter because I found her body.”
“No, it’s not that close.”
Not wanting a misunderstanding, Regin quickly shook his head.
“Heh heh. You’re going to check something out, right?”
“Yes.”
“But why the rush?”
“A few reasons.”
For one, time was short.
‘Midnight’s almost here. After that, only one day left till the First Wave.’
He’d handled preparations, so it wasn’t a big deal.
But ideally, he wanted to witness the First Wave firsthand.
Any differences from the game needed spotting right away.
‘And second…’
This was one bit from Jack’s info.
“They say they absolutely process the corpses the day before the portal opens.”
While talking about the dog-man, Jack had casually mentioned it among other things.
That’s why they’d rushed to the inn.
‘The portal opening and the First Wave are the same day.’
Meaning the kingdom would process corpses right after midnight.
“Here, take these, everyone.”
Regin handed out two scrolls each.
“Put them on your belt or in your bag.”
“What are these?”
“Scrolls I picked up from the Order of Artificers a few days ago.”
The day he’d mass-ordered scrolls. He’d greeted Boland and Klina.
These were the ones he’d gotten then.
“Strength Enhancement Scrolls and Mana Burn Scrolls.”
“Strength Enhancement’s useful, but do we need Mana Burn?”
Honestly, Regin hoped he wouldn’t need them either.
Klina’s current Mana Burn Scrolls weren’t that potent.
Limited uses too.
‘But…’
The dog-man Jack saw.
‘If it’s Snauzer, we might run into demons.’
No idea what was up, but demons were in the capital.
Even a named one Regin knew well: Snauzer.
Maybe more Verdante, but he set that aside for now.
‘Snauzer alone is a disaster.’
More would be hopeless.
“Mana Burn Scrolls are for self-defense.”
“Self-defense?”
“They’re most effective against demons. Won’t subdue them, just buy a little time.”
“Demons…”
Seria’s eyes lit up strangely.
She checked her new armor and continued.
“Demons in the capital too?”
“No idea. But better safe.”
He didn’t want to be careless.
Navigating the waterways.
Unknown dangers, unfamiliar path.
Even on the 8th Floor, first time using the dog hole properly… variables cropped up.
* * *
“Shall we go in?”
“Yeah.”
Guards patrolled the capital’s interior. Law enforcement.
Fortunately, surveillance wasn’t too tight.
Dodging eyes, moving here and there, Regin finally found the waterway entrance.
Splash—
Water sounds rose from below, along with a thick stench.
“…Hey, Regin.”
“Yes?”
“Do I really have to go too?”
Jack grimaced at Regin.
“You got the advance.”
Ten gold, no less.
The moment he learned about the corpse on festival day.
“Full reward after. Plus… one good tip for reporting to Preton.”
Jack’s eyes wavered.
He clearly didn’t want to enter this dark, dank place.
But desire was budding, bit by bit.
‘Good enough.’
Truth was, Jack was essential—unlike the others.
‘If I can use Link Eye on a corpse, jackpot.’
Wouldn’t expect it from a normal body.
But a demon corpse? Different story.
Regin was set on trying. He opened the waterway entrance.
“Alright then.”
Whoosh!!
He grabbed Jack’s wrist and leaped in.
“Gah!!”
“Shh.”
Freefall lasted about ten seconds.
The waterway was deeper than expected.
Splash—!!
Using a spell to slow descent, they landed ankle-deep in water.
“Hm. Not as deep as I thought.”
“Yeah.”
Greg and Seria followed, landing lightly and scanning around.
“…Damn it.”
Only Jack, forcibly dragged unprepared, clutched his chest.
Swish—
“That’s glow liquid?”
“Yes. Specialty from the Peresian family mines.”
No mana used.
If royals tracked mana, that’d be trouble.
Good thing he’d stocked glow liquid.
Grabbing the sloshing cylinder lit up the surroundings.
“Which way?”
Regin gauged their position mentally and looked right.
“To the corpse processing area.”
Now, time to retrieve Ferma Vinisys’s body.
He needed info from him.
The truth behind those strange words he’d meant to leave Regin.
* * *
“Hm?”
While Regin’s group walked the underground waterways.
Above in the city, a few guards patrolled with torches.
“What?”
On two-man patrol, one guard spotted something.
“Isn’t that a dog?”
“Dog?”
“Yeah. Not too big, but looks brave.”
Looking properly at his junior’s words, there really was a dog walking the night street.
“Cute, huh?”
“Ahem. We’re on duty, Pyg.”
“Aww, probably a stray. Look, not running away. Must belong to some noble.”
Trot trot, a small black dog approached.
Junior smiled, petting it, and even the senior lost his sternness, staring.
“Haha, pet it too, senior.”
“Hmm.”
The senior guard finally reached out.
Couldn’t resist touching that fluffy fur.
“Well, if it’s a noble’s dog, we should return it…”
Just as his hand neared the dog’s face.
Crack—!
Crunch—!!
“Gaaah!!”
With a short scream, the senior guard’s right arm was severed.
The cut arm dangled in the dog’s mouth.
One bite, and it tore off.
Red blood pooled on the ground.
“Ugh…”
The senior groaned, then his eyes closed as he passed out.
“Whoa. One-shot.”
The junior smirked at the sight.
“Didn’t have to bite that hard? Went down from shock.”
Junior’s gaze turned to the dog. Blood dripping from its mouth, it stared back—then its body twisted.
“Finish confirming, Pyg.”
“Yeah… good now.”
Mana swirled, and the dog became a man.
Shaking off, wiping blood from his mouth.
Junior Pike smirked.
“Long journey, sir. Welcome, Snauzer.”
The man was Snauzer.
Verdante member, upper demon descendant.
He looked at Pyg businesslike.
“Igna’s orders. Retrieve all corpses set for disposal this time.”
Pyg nodded cheerfully.
“Easy. Processing’s just starting.”