Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: The Birth of the Heinous Final Boss
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Today, as always, the slave trading guild enjoyed a peaceful day.
In the massive building brazenly located in the heart of the city, slave hunters sold the people they had captured.
The guild members then began sorting the captives.
Elves with pretty faces were mostly sent to brothels,
dwarves sturdy enough for underground work went to the mines,
and strong, battle-hardened beastkin were shipped off to the arenas.
The guild members sorted the demi-humans as casually as merchants picking through fruit at the market.
Throughout the entire process, neither the guild staff nor the slave traders showed the slightest hint of guilt.
According to the culture that had begun with the empire ruling this land a century ago, it was perfectly normal for pure humans to treat demi-humans as slaves.
If it was unfair, the demi-humans should go live in their own territories—or make themselves strong enough that humans couldn't touch them.
In other words, weakness was the sin.
Most people in that place truly believed this.
And they weren't doing this out of any particular hatred for demi-humans.
Proof of that...
"Yes. We've confirmed you're pure human blood. Wait in that line over there, and they'll process you."
...They were simply doing it for the money.
Whether demi-human or human didn't matter much.
If they were weak, easy to catch, and valuable, they sold them.
People carrying on with their daily routines as if buying and selling humans was the most natural thing in the world.
Today, a very special guest arrived at that place.
"Sound the alarm! We're under attack! Attack!!"
Boom!
A guard burst through the front doors, flinging them wide as he rushed inside.
As everyone in the room looked on in confusion, a knight armed with a sword strode in.
A ragged knight clad head to toe in scrap-metal armor, wearing a dented helm.
Seeing the red plume dangling limply from the knight's helmet, everyone in the room recoiled in shock.
"Fuck! Why is that monster here?!"
"Talk about bad luck! Run!!"
The slave trading guild descended into chaos, and the red-plumed knight—our protagonist, Duke—took a deep breath of the air.
Hmm. The stench of scummy criminals.
Buying and selling people.
Their Karma values must have gone deep into the negatives ages ago.
Meaning, no matter how he dealt with them, Duke would be in the clear.
But he hadn't come here to dispense justice.
This is the guild that supplies test subjects to that mad scientist.
The scientist was technically a magitech scholar, but Duke just called him a scientist.
Who cares about the details.
Duke snapped back to reality and reviewed his plan.
First, he would get himself captured as a slave here to become the scientist's test subject.
However, with the reputation he'd built as the wandering knight "Duke Awik," he couldn't just get caught easily.
He had to at least get captured heroically in pursuit of justice.
That way, his fall to darkness would feel justified, and no one would suspect a thing.
Duke cleared his throat and spoke with the dignified tone he'd practiced for a century, mindful of his gravitas.
"Your sins have led you here to me."
Duke waited for the slave traders' reactions.
Whether they resisted, cursed him, or whatever—he was ready for anything.
But all that came back was silence.
Huh? Was that too cringy?
As the knight of justice puzzled over this inside his helm, one slave trader finally broke the silence.
"Hiiiik! Spare me! Mommy!!!"
"..."
Starting with that trader, panic began to spread.
"Guards! Guards!! Fuck, they're gone!"
"Better to die than get caught by that guy... Sorry, boss! Glrk."
"The guild master's bolting!"
Duke couldn't help but stiffen at the chaotic scene unfolding before him.
He'd only just shown up, and they were all either fleeing or killing themselves. It was utterly baffling.
Criminals just don't have any guts, do they.
Duke sighed inwardly and activated Plan B.
Plan B: A cornered rat will bite the cat.
With a gesture, he sealed off every exit in the building.
He collapsed the emergency escape routes, barricaded the windows with desks and chairs.
This was his declaration that no one was leaving.
Only then did the rats finally bare their teeth.
"Damn it! Release the swarm!"
"You think that'll work?"
"If we don't, we're dead anyway!"
Duke smirked under his helm as he overheard the guild master and his cronies.
The rumor he'd spread for years was paying off.
Duke was allergic to bee venom.
And the criminals seemed to believe it completely.
Almost time.
Now Duke threw himself into the fray for real.
He slashed at the charging guards and escorts with his rusty sword.
He dodged a spear thrust at his side and snatched it away, hurling it back.
Thud!
Ignoring the three men now skewered and pinned to the wall like decorations, he rampaged on.
Meanwhile, summoners released swarms of bees, and Duke pretended he had no time to deal with them.
Soon, the swarm closed in.
Now!
To ensure the bees wouldn't be blocked by his armor, he ducked just enough for a greatsword aimed at his neck to graze his helmet.
Clang!
His helmet came off perfectly.
Right after, he thrust out the joint of his left gauntlet to block an incoming ice shard.
Bits of armor shattered with a discordant screech.
"Got him!"
As the escorts cheered at stripping off his armor, Duke barely kept his grin in check.
He could smile freely under the helm, but now that it was gone, he had to act the part with his expressions too.
Soon, the bees began stinging his exposed skin.
Of course, he hadn't made it easy—he'd faked a hole in his mana barrier during the melee for plausibility.
"Ngh..."
Duke cried out in pain the moment the stings hit.
At first, he swung his sword heedless of them, but anyone could see he was more wary of the bees than the people.
Five minutes later, his movements visibly slowed.
"It's working!"
The slave traders cheered.
Duke cheered inwardly too.
After thirty minutes of desperate thrashing, Duke prepared his grand finale.
The sword's about at its limit.
Meaning it was time for his prepared performance.
He charged at a warrior wielding a massive axe he'd had his eye on.
Then the axe warrior's partner, a hammer wielder, swung down at Duke's flank.
Duke parried the hammer with his sword despite his "compromised" state.
Clang!
The sword, at its limit, finally shattered.
Now swordless and bare-handed, Duke left himself open.
The axe warrior didn't miss the chance, burying his blade in Duke's chest.
Just this deep!
Right before impact, Duke poured mana only into his sternum, leaving flesh and muscle unprotected.
A massive gash appeared on his chest—fatal-looking, but harmless to his life.
"Cough!"
Biting a hidden blood capsule, Duke spat blood and rose again.
His venomous glare swept over the criminals before locking onto the guild master, who was watching safely from afar.
With that, the knight of justice steeled his resolve and charged at the root of all evil—the guild master.
Scores of spells rained down, arrows pierced him, guards and escorts blocked his path, but the knight's determination rendered them all futile.
Duke shattered even the barrier and closed in on the guild master.
The man paled, drawing a musket pistol.
"I am Duke!!"
Like a knight charging a windmill, Duke roared and lunged.
The guild master retreated as far as he could and pulled the trigger.
"Eek!"
Bang!
The bullet pierced Duke's chest.
That single shot halted his final advance.
And the moment his outstretched hand—poised to snap the man's neck—brushed the guild master's throat...
Thud.
The knight finally yielded to reality and collapsed.
"Hah... hah..."
The guild master slumped to the floor, gasping for breath.
Fallen Duke closed his eyes, a subtle smile on his lips.
Nice performance.
With this, Operation: Become a Slave Naturally was a success.
At that moment, the guild master, feeling suffocated, loosened his cravat and stared at Duke.
"Did we... take him down?"
Hey, don't say lines like that. Makes me wanna get up.
Barely suppressing the urge, Duke maintained his unconscious state until the iron collar clamped around his neck.
News of Duke becoming a slave spread like wildfire through the underworld.
Those who bore grudges against him, those intrigued by him—countless figures clamored to buy him.
But this wasn't the situation Duke wanted.
His goal was to be sold to the scientist.
So he began the next phase of his plan.
It wasn't difficult at all.
- "Gah! He's trying to escape!"
- "Bees! Bring the bees!!!"
All he had to do was avoid being sold until the scientist arrived.
If it looked like he'd sell at auction, he'd put on an escape show. And if some fool still bought him anyway, he'd snap their spine.
Might makes right.
If it didn't solve the problem, he just wasn't strong enough.
After repeating this about eleven times, Duke had become the classic cliché from any novel.
High-value merchandise that was too troublesome to handle, so the price kept dropping.
And half a year after his capture, the plan bore fruit.
The scientist, who'd been steadily attending auctions for months, finally had the budget to buy Duke.
Yes!
By his calculations, he still had half a year before meeting the protagonist.
Now all that was left was simple.
Endure the scientist's experiments for half a year.
Not dangerous or hard at all.
Endure the survivable ones, and if any looked truly deadly, put on an escape show.
Deeply moved by his long buildup finally paying off, Duke gazed at the ceiling.
See that, sky? I did it!
He flipped off the nonexistent gods with triumphant glee, then cleared his throat.
Now that he'd been sold, it was time for the knight's signature line.
"Though my body may be bound, my convictions remain unbroken."
The line most knights spouted upon capture.
A sister variant was "Kill me," but that was for female characters, so he skipped it.
Come on! Throw any experiment at me!
Duke eagerly awaited the scientist's response.
But the scientist's actions were nothing like what he'd expected.
Click.
The key turned, and the shackles and collar came off without resistance.
"???"
The scientist—Letor—spoke to the bewildered Duke.
"With this, you're free."
"???"
"If it still bothers you, would you mind helping me out a bit?"
Letor smiled, wrinkles creasing his face.
*
Letor was a scientist a cut above the rest, but rather extreme in his methods.
He wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice a few if it raised the average potential of humanity.
If developing a drug to boost the potential of thousands of future children required sacrificing a few hundred now, that was forgivable.
If finding a way to break the walls holding back superhumans meant gutting thousands of ordinary folk, he'd do it gladly.
If perfecting a technique to reverse aging in those delayed by slow progress meant using an entire village of expendable elderly as materials, that was only rational.
He'd committed all his deeds under this creed, steadily sharing his results with other superhumans.
Then one day, Duke appeared on the market—a product impossible to resist.
If I can unravel that man's genes, mana, and soul, humanity will take a great leap forward.
A wandering knight who'd roamed the kingdom, weaving legends and tales of valor everywhere.
Uncovering that knight's secrets would surely advance humanity.
Even the heavens seemed to favor Letor.
Duke's original price was far beyond Letor's budget.
But repeated escape attempts and murdered buyers had driven it down enough.
This is a sign from fate.
Convinced it was divine providence, Letor bought Duke.
- "Though my body may be bound, my convictions remain unbroken."
The newly purchased Duke glared at Letor.
Instantly, Letor's mind flashed with images of Duke's exploits.
The man who'd torn an evil noble and his guards in half at the auction house where he'd been bought.
A chill raced down his spine, but Letor kept his composure.
The old ways with the others are too risky.
He had no intention of repeating the mistakes of those fools who'd come before him.
Letor was a rational scientist, so he chose a different approach.
Treat him as an equal partner.
He'd never planned to gut Duke or crack open his skull.
Why cut open the goose that lays golden eggs when this was ongoing research?
Harming Duke would harm humanity.
Better to periodically extract blood, mana, and soul fragments.
As a first step, Letor offered trust.
"With this, you're free."
"..."
"If it still bothers you, would you mind helping me out a bit?"
Duke remained silent at Letor's question.
Letor waited anxiously for his answer.
What is he thinking?
Duke, meanwhile, was thinking something else entirely.
This isn't like you. You're not the type to go soft. Not that I won't kill you anyway...
Letor had no spot in Duke's washing machine.
Unaware, Letor took the silence as assent and led him to the lab.
And a few months later...
The original protagonist Duke had been waiting for—
Rex entered the room next door.