Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Soul Force Artifact
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We arrived at the clock tower, where Thompson was already waiting.
He was grinning from ear to ear, clearly in high spirits...
"Hey? You got here early, Uncle."
I waved cheerfully at him.
And then.
Thud!
"No. 1 guy!"
Thompson shot up from his seat, mana surging as he leaped straight toward me.
"What the—"
I nearly attacked him on reflex.
I quickly calmed the mana I'd instinctively raised and asked coolly,
"Uncle, what's going on?"
"Oh, sorry about that. I just couldn't wait to show you this..."
Thompson scratched his head sheepishly and held something out.
"What's this?"
"A gift. A very rare one, at that."
"...A gift?"
It was meant kindly, but a gift from Thompson?
For some reason, unease hit me first.
But it was just my imagination.
Clunk.
"This is... no way?"
"Hahaha! As expected from the No. 1 guy—you recognize it! This is one of the rare soul force artifacts in the world!"
Soul force artifact.
It looked shabby on the outside, but no doubt about it.
The rusted iron ring I'd cluelessly handed off to Kayla.
"Uncle!"
I couldn't hold back my emotions and hugged Thompson.
His massive frame made me look like a stag beetle clinging to a tree trunk, but who cared.
In that moment, Thompson was more respectable than anyone.
"Hahaha! I knew you'd love it! No need to explain what it is, right?"
"Of course! I've been searching for one forever..."
As I expressed my joy, a sudden question popped up.
"Hang on, how'd you get this? Kayla said she sold it."
"Hmm? Kayla? What're you talking about?"
"I sold it."
A familiar voice chimed in out of nowhere.
Kayla, who had arrived unnoticed, peeked out from behind Thompson.
"That's definitely the ring from earlier... How'd you get it? Are there two identical ones?"
Kayla tilted her head in confusion.
Thompson looked equally baffled.
"Sold it...? So this was originally yours?"
"No, not exactly. Earlier, we split up the artifacts after deciding to dispose of them separately. This ring was one of the ones I got."
"What?"
Thompson's eyes widened.
He'd finally pieced it together.
"Wait, who to? For how much?"
"To some street vendor I ran into. Got 300 gold for it."
"...300 gold?"
Thompson's shocked face rapidly darkened.
From his expression, I could guess what happened.
"Uncle, did you buy this ring from a street vendor? Black hat?"
"...Y-yeah, that's right."
"How much did you pay?"
Thompson hesitated before answering.
"...600 gold."
"What?"
I couldn't help but be stunned by the price.
600 gold.
Twice what Kayla had gotten for it.
'He got totally ripped off.'
As that thought crossed my mind, I finally noticed Thompson's outfit.
Unlike Kayla and me, whose appearances had completely changed before we split up at the square, Thompson's clothes were unchanged.
Except for the massive wooden shield in his left hand.
"So you blew all your money on this?"
"...Yeah."
Thompson's face fell.
He must've taken my question as an accusation.
To clear up the misunderstanding, I flashed a bright smile right away.
"You did great. I really needed this."
"...Really?"
"Yeah, and it's absolutely worth 600 gold."
"...Yeah?"
Thompson's face gradually brightened.
It wasn't a lie, either.
A soul force artifact was one of those items I had to secure no matter the cost.
Sure, thinking about the 300 gold flushed down the drain made my blood boil.
Whoever that vendor was, he wasn't your average crook.
What kind of lunatic marks up a profit double the sale price?
Thompson seemed to think the same, grinding his teeth as his fists cracked audibly.
"Still, that vendor... If I catch him, I'll crush him."
"You remember what he looks like?"
"You bet. I studied his face, thinking he might be a scammer."
Thompson punched the air in fury.
Whoosh!
The wind pressure from his bare fist tickled my nose—hard to believe it was unarmed.
"Just wait till I get my hands on you, you con artist bastard."
It was a new side of Thompson, who'd only seemed simple and upbeat until now.
He didn't sound like he was kidding.
"Anyway, thanks so much, Uncle. This'll help a ton with the hunt."
"Heh, don't forget the favor, No. 1 guy."
"Of course."
As we exchanged thanks...
"So why do you need it, anyway?"
Kayla cut back in, asking curiously.
"Well..."
Before I could answer, Uncle Thompson grabbed my shoulder and pulled me close.
He whispered,
"No. 1 guy. You okay sharing this?"
"...Huh?"
"That your soul grows. You sure it's okay to tell? Isn't it a secret?"
"Oh..."
It made sense now.
He had a point.
Thompson had witnessed my level-up firsthand, and it was probably his first time seeing anything like it.
He naturally assumed it needed to be kept hidden.
But...
'Is there really any point in hiding it?'
It was meaningless in our current situation.
After all, I was the only player in this world.
Plus, Kayla was a hunting partner—she'd see me level up countless times ahead.
Better to explain now than dodge questions later.
"It's fine. Just among us."
"Oh, got it. A secret between comrades!"
Thompson seemed to be enjoying the whole thing.
Liking the idea of a shared secret.
He had a lot of pure innocence despite his looks.
"...Yeah, sure."
I nodded without shattering his childlike wonder.
Then.
"What're you two whispering about? So why do you need it?"
Kayla urged impatiently.
Uncle Thompson answered for me.
"Miss, soul force is real."
"...What? That's just superstition."
"Nope, it's not. And don't freak out. Soul force is a power passed only to the chosen—and our No. 1 guy here is the chosen one. Heh heh heh."
"What... Yoo Han, is that true?"
Kayla stared at me like I was crazy.
I considered denying it but shrugged since it wasn't wrong.
"Kinda... yeah?"
"Whoa, so that's why you freaked when I sold the ring?"
"Exactly. From now on, if any soul force artifacts pop up, hand 'em straight to me. No selling."
"So it does nothing for me?"
I caught her eyes flicking greedily to the ring.
'No good.'
I emphasized quickly.
"Yeah, zilch. Total waste for anyone else—just dead weight."
"...Damn."
The greed faded from Kayla's eyes.
She got the point.
Right then.
"Ah, sorry everyone. Took a while—I had a lot to stock up on."
The last member, Barundel, arrived.
Loaded down with gear that looked heavy as hell.
Each step thudded as loud as Thompson's.
"...Barundel, you okay with all that?"
"What do you mean?"
"The gear. Isn't it too heavy?"
"No problem. Gotta prep like this to take down demons."
He said that, but...
'He looks like he can barely move.'
To me, it seemed like an excuse to wear all the equipment he wanted.
Prep was fine, but piling on that much weight? No way he'd hunt effectively.
"Sigh..."
I let out a deep breath and scanned the group.
Kayla, the red witch who stood out even in the dusk.
Barundel, the dwarf whose past as a demon hunter raised doubts.
And Thompson, the mage stuck at the front line with just a shield.
A total ragtag bunch, but what could I do?
The party's already set.
"Let's go."
The silver lining?
I'd survived far worse parties as a veteran among veterans.
"Yeah!"
"Finally, we're off."
"Demons, just you wait!"
No lineup could stop my hunts.
***
A manhole at an isolated building in District 6.
We held our breath right in front of it.
"...Shh, not even a peep."
After a moment.
"Over here!"
"This way—traces here!"
Thud thud thud!
Soon, the guards spotted the trail we'd deliberately left and charged off.
We finally exhaled.
"Hoo! Thought we were done for."
"...Barundel. We almost got caught."
"...Sorry. I tried to walk as quietly as possible..."
"Whatever, it's fine."
Barundel's clanking gear nearly blew it, but somehow...
We'd made it here safely.
Scrape.
I pried open the manhole cover and gestured for the others to go in.
"Still looks nasty to climb into."
"Whoa... a passage like this down here?"
"I'll take point."
Feeling a bit guilty, Barundel descended the ladder first.
Kayla and Thompson followed after a short pause.
I checked for witnesses, then slipped in carefully.
Once inside and the cover sealed...
Whoosh!
The glowstones embedded in the passage walls lit up.
I'd experienced it before, so no surprise.
"Amazing, just amazing. No. 1 guy, your old world got stones like this everywhere?"
"Let's head down first."
Step by step.
We descended without issue until our feet hit solid ground, the others waiting.
I slammed the wall with the different texture, just like last time.
Rumble rumble!
"Ooh...!"
Thompson, experiencing it for the first time, let out a gasp of admiration.
Barundel, the veteran, stepped forward.
"Follow me."
"Come on, hurry. This stench is killing me."
"...Got it."
"Yeah, it does stink pretty bad."
The tension had eased considerably.
As we walked, the group chatted idly to kill time.
No worries here—the noise wouldn't reach above no matter how loud.
This stretch was safe zone.
But...
"Ugh."
"...Can't take it anymore."
Over halfway in, our faces scrunched up at something off.
'The smell's intense...'
I'd scouted it once before.
No stench like this then.
It was so foul, just breathing made my stomach churn.
And the weirdest part...
'I've smelled this before...'
Somehow, it felt familiar.
I recalled it soon enough.
Yeah, definitely.
'...Aldeon.'
The top floor of Aldeon's magic tower.
The rotting corpse stench from there.
Realizing it...
My hairs stood on end as red fire ignited in my heart.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The danger signal.
Grrrrr!
A beastly growl from ahead.
"W-what is it?"
"Why the hell are those things...?"
I spoke low to the panicked group.
"Battle stations."
No idea the cause...
But the demons had breached the underground passage.