Chapter 199
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 199
I walked through the forest with Ragnata on my back. According to the information Japa had dug up, Valek was holed up deep inside.
As we moved, Ragnata began talking about “mutants.”
“When certain special environments and conditions align, organisms on Planet Novas sometimes deviate from their usual forms. At first, I thought they were just rare species… but I eventually realized it was a mutation.”
I listened in silence. Something clicked.
I recalled how the rat in Jin Gau’s laboratory had mutated. He had projected the energy of a Holystone onto a living creature to induce the change.
Strange organisms were discovered all the time on Planet Novas. Machine beasts, with their metallic hides and internal organs, were one such example. These mutations were closely linked to the ancient Arcane civilization and their Holystones.
“Watch your step. There’s a carnivorous plant ahead.”
“I know. The ground is littered with bones.”
I stopped walking. An unpleasant vibration rippled up through the soles of my feet.
Whoosh.
I took a nimble step back just as a sharp tentacle shot up from where I’d been standing. If I had stayed put, it would have skewered me from my ass straight through to my throat.
Tree roots, moving like a living creature.
I grabbed the root and snapped it. The surface felt like wood, but the flesh inside was soft, like that of an organism. Thin sap, like blood, splattered from the break.
“That carnivorous plant is also a type of mutant,” Ragnata said.
“So it’s not just a particular species of carnivorous plant?”
I drew my Hwagwang Yedo and stabbed the ground repeatedly. The earth heaved as the root tentacles retreated.
“The early settlers thought so too, back when they didn’t understand the planet’s ecosystem. But now, with more research, we can distinguish between natural wildlife and ecological abnormalities. Natural plants and animals evolve features suited to their environment. Mutants, on the other hand, appear suddenly. They’re alien, completely different from organisms that have integrated into the ecosystem over countless ages.”
“Is that so?”
Since I wasn’t an ecologist, the distinction wasn't immediately clear. Ragnata chuckled and explained like a patient teacher.
“Take the root that just attacked you. It tears up the ground to hunt, destroying the roots of other plants in the process. Normal vegetation would be wiped out in soil occupied by that thing. In fact, that’s why the trees around here are so withered. Before long, only that carnivorous species will remain. Prey, sensing something is wrong, will stop coming here.”
Her lecture was actually quite interesting.
“Then won’t the carnivorous plant starve to death?”
“It will either starve or find another way to survive. Or perhaps it will undergo another mutation. In any case, destroying the surrounding environment to survive isn’t how normal flora and fauna operate. A species can’t survive for tens or hundreds of thousands of years that way.”
I stared at the carnivorous plant. Beneath it, bones partially hidden by soil and fallen leaves lay scattered like fertilizer.
“If living by destroying your surroundings is abnormal… does that mean most intelligent life is abnormal? There are plenty of species that destroyed their home planets and migrated elsewhere.”
I asked the question like a curious student.
“…That’s why intelligence is unnatural. It’s the fruit of sin. From a cosmic perspective, sentient beings are nothing more than extreme egoists. They are species that should have perished with their decaying homeworlds, but instead acquired the power of interstellar travel to endlessly migrate and continue their journey of destruction.”
Ragnata radiated an emotional intensity that even I could feel. This part of her speech was clearly colored by her own beliefs, and thanks to that, I felt I understood her a little better.
“Is that why you didn’t care if a war broke out? Because if sentient beings kill each other off, it would benefit the ecosystem of Planet Novas?”
I furrowed my brow slightly. Ragnata laughed.
“You think I’m some kind of extremist environmentalist, kid. I haven’t thought that far ahead. For your information, the mobile school was built solely with the down payment from that contract. I never got the rest of the payment, though, because I failed.”
“So, you got ripped off. And you failed this time, too. Is it really okay for an assassin to fail this often? At this rate, maybe I should switch careers to assassination.”
I walked past the carnivorous plant, my voice dripping with sarcasm. I considered setting the plant on fire with my Hwagwang Yedo, but the smoke would be too conspicuous.
“Usually, if you fail an assassination, you die. It doesn’t matter who you are. The only reason I survived is that I was strong enough to still get the next contract. There was nothing to gain from making an enemy of me.”
The strong can break the rules that bind others. That is why people covet power.
“Then if I hadn’t caught you, you would have died anyway after this failed contract. Since you’re weak now.”
Ragnata shook her head, a wrinkled smile on her lips.
“No one knows I’ve grown weak. They just think I’ve retired and am taking on odd jobs to pass the time. They’re still afraid of me.”
It was a testament to how legendary her reputation had been in the underworld. Even if Ragnata failed, they wouldn’t dare touch her.
That explains why she was commissioned to assassinate the Crown Prince in the first place.
Even her failure was legendary. She had infiltrated the heart of the Empire, attacked the Crown Prince, and still managed to escape with her life.
I kept walking. Darkness fell quickly in the dense forest, and the ground was already cast in deep shadow.
This forest must be connected to Arcane ruins or Holystones.
Ilay Kartika came to mind. If that bastard were here, he’d be having a grand old time chatting with Ragnata.
As we pressed on, I spotted traces of old campsites.
“Hunters have been through here,” Ragnata noted. “I hear hunting mutants on commission for scholars is a trend among young Nomads these days.”
“Sounds healthier than being an assassin.”
Japa must have gathered his information on Valek by asking around among those same Nomad hunters.
Valek was originally a Nomad.
I mentally reviewed the profile Japa had given me. That’s why I’d figured Valek would be hiding outside Border City, but not too far from it.
An underground cave.
I narrowed my eyes and lowered my stance. I could see the cave where Valek was supposedly staying. It was the kind of place a normal person would find too creepy to enter.
At first glance, it looked completely natural. But I knew that hidden within the scenery would be deadly traps.
“We have guests who arrived before us,” Ragnata muttered.
I’d noticed it too. The traps near the cave entrance had already been disarmed. As the fading sunlight filtered through the leaves, I could see the glint of severed tripwires. Broken sensors and small mechanical devices lay nestled in the crevices of the rocks.
I drew closer. The entrance to the cave was narrow, making it hard to guess the layout inside. It might barely be wide enough for one person to squeeze through. If there was a passage where I had to crouch, carrying Ragnata would be a serious problem.
On top of that, someone got here first. A third party, not Valek.
Perhaps it was ‘Kinuan.’ A phantom chill ran down my spine, making my hair stand on end. My mind grew cold, as if my spinal fluid had been replaced with coolant.
“You should leave me here and go in,” Ragnata said.
I had already reached the same conclusion.
Rustle.
Despite that, I adjusted her on my back and prepared to enter the cave. Ragnata’s shoulders shook with silent laughter.
“Worried I’ll die if you leave me alone?”
“No. I plan to throw you in as bait to see if it’s safe. Scream if there’s an enemy.”
Normally, the banter would have continued.
But we both fell silent. Voices carried easily in a cave.
The deeper we went, the darker it became, until even the faintest light vanished. The lack of light wasn’t an issue for me. Every drop of water falling from a stalactite sent out sounds that bounced off the walls, painting a picture for my Auditory Vision.
Whir.
I froze. The passage was widening. From the way the sound reflected, I could tell there was a large cavern ahead. Mixed in with the echoes from stone were fainter returns from metal and wood.
Valek's quarters are in there.
I focused, trying to get a clearer image. Listen closer. Expand your senses. Use your brain.
…Damn it, I should have practiced using Auditory Vision more often.
Its range was narrower than before, and the edges of my perception were blurry. Something was moving in there, but I couldn’t make out its exact shape. It was impossible to gauge the situation.
Tap.
Ragnata tapped my shoulder and made a hand signal. I understood her intent instantly.
Throw me. Their attention will be on me. Use that moment to attack.
She was conveying her plan. I had joked about using her as bait, but now she was suggesting it for real.
Fine by me. I wasn’t about to spout some nonsense about not putting her in danger. If Ragnata died, it would be her own damn fault.
Rustle.
I undid the restraints on her wrists. They had been a mere formality; she could have broken them herself if she’d really wanted to.
Go, Ragnata.
I hurled her, still inside the duffel bag, deep into the cavern.
Thud!
The moment the bag landed, a cacophony erupted. The sharp, metallic clatter of weapons being readied rang out.
I slipped inside at the same time, suppressing any sound from my feet by curling my toes and pressing down with each step.
Creak. Clank.
Various noises blended together. I systematically mapped the cavern in my mind using the faint sounds.
This is a living space.
A bed, a dining table, chairs, and other items were scattered about.
Bang!
A gunshot cracked, aimed at Ragnata. The sound echoed in all directions as a muzzle flash lit up the darkness for a split second.
In that fleeting instant, everything became crystal clear. The gunshot’s reverberation was so loud that my Auditory Vision became as sharp as true sight.
Two intruders. Fully armed.
Ragnata scrambled behind a rock.
Whoosh!
Using only her arms, she pushed herself up and launched herself from the ground. She couldn’t buy me much time.
Taking advantage of the distraction, I closed in on them. One didn’t notice me at all.
But the other sensed my approach instantly, reacting with astonishing speed.
Click, BOOM!
A roar too loud for a simple gunshot erupted, deafening me.
I barely managed to twist my head aside to dodge. Even so, the tips of my hair were singed. Feeling the searing heat, my eyes widened.
An explosive bullet from a pistol?
Sparks erupted on the wall behind me. I had seen this exact firepower before.
The shooter tilted their head slightly, as if curious how I had dodged. They wore a full-body combat suit, hiding their face completely.
Vreeee!
I faced them, Hwagwang Yedo now drawn. The two intruders ignored Ragnata and fixed their attention entirely on me.
I fought to keep my lips from twitching. The enemy was holding a familiar weapon. I had only seen it once, but it had left a deep impression.
“Ilay?”
The pistol that fired explosive bullets was Ilay’s signature weapon. I remembered it from the armed helicopter attack. The barrel was just as long.
“…Luka?”
Ilay reacted to my voice. The person standing next to him flinched, looking completely shocked.
“No way, Lucaus Cust—”
He never finished the sentence.
Thuck!
Ilay moved like lightning. He grabbed his companion’s head and drove a dagger up from under his chin. The blade pierced through the man’s brain, its tip protruding from the crown of his skull.
It was a chillingly efficient response, executed without a shred of hesitation. The moment Ilay recognized me, he killed his own ally.