Chapter 170
Chapter 170
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 170
Chapter Title: Greeting (1)
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X District, abandoned hospital.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Oliver entered through the back door of the abandoned hospital and walked down the single straight corridor.
It was pitch black all around, but with a click—the lantern illuminated the path, chasing away the inky darkness to reveal the way forward.
The corridor was empty, with nothing catching the eye despite the newfound light.
However, the deeper he went, the more the situation changed.
First came the skulls scattered along one side of the corridor, still clinging to their dark red flesh just as before—but it seemed like there was even more of it now.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Further in, piles of rotting corpses appeared.
Maggots writhed in endless numbers amid the heaped bodies, feasting away, only to burrow into their flesh-and-home the moment the lantern's light hit them.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Soon, a side corridor branched off to the right, and Oliver turned that way.
At the end of the right path lay a large room, containing even more heaps of corpses than those seen in the hallway.
This was the third time seeing them, but counting was still out of the question.
Oliver approached one particular corpse and bowed politely.
"It's been a while. Master."
The one-armed body, propped against the foundation, had rotted far worse than the last time he'd seen it.
Puddles of decayed ooze pooled on the floor, and countless maggots swam through its various orifices.
"......"
The stench was utterly revolting, but Oliver gazed at the corpse with utmost respect, without a trace of disgust.
"Nearly a year now, isn't it?"
"......"
Rustle. Rustle.
Oliver adjusted the lantern to light up the entire area, set it down in one corner of the floor, and rummaged through the paper bag he'd brought, pulling out a bottle of liquor and some snacks. Cups and plates too. Just like preparing a normal meal, he poured the liquor into a cup and arranged the snacks on a plate.
It was takeout from a restaurant in Forest—smelled amazing.
Oliver placed the filled cup and plate politely before the dead Joseph, then sat across from it, took a sip of his own drink, and ate.
"Sorry for not visiting in so long, Master. I've had all sorts of things going on."
"......"
"I joined the Beggar Crew. Right after greeting you and leaving that first time."
"......"
"Once I actually left the Family, I had no idea where to go. I always feel it, but I'm such a fool. Marie's light had faded, so I set out to learn about the world... and yet I didn't even know where to head."
"......"
"But then I met Kant, and he let me join his Beggar Crew. I didn't have anywhere else to go anyway. Thanks to that, I got to learn about the world. Even became a fixer... Oh, yeah, I became a fixer."
Oliver emptied his glass and calmly recounted everything that had happened since then.
About joining Kant's Beggar Crew, fighting the puppeteer Glyph there, and becoming a fixer at Kant's suggestion.
About meeting Forest, taking on missions, battling the magician, and all the events up to now—he explained it all step by step, steadily.
The dead Joseph remained silent as ever.
"...So now I'm resting since my last mission. It's been over two weeks already, which feels like a waste personally. If I'd spent that time learning magic from the old man, I could've used it more efficiently."
"......"
"But what can you do? You took care of Rosburn and the others, and handled the Martel issue in my place. All I could do was wait. So I've been spending my time differently for now."
"......"
"I'm working out at the gym here in X District to build my stamina. Fixing up the corpse puppets too. By the way, doing all sorts of things has really helped me get the knack for it."
"......"
"Lately, I've been training Child too. Teaching it to speak while inside a corpse puppet. It's grown even bigger lately, and smarter too. Food costs are up, though."
"......"
"Oh, and I'm restudying code as well. After accessing the World Tree through the Martel thing, it just clicked better. No more blocks, you could say. But weirdly, the basic books on demons are getting harder to read."
"......"
"It's strange. No real content, no tough words, but the more I read, the more my eyes tire and my stomach churns. Still, I'm pushing through bit by bit. Almost at the final section now."
"......"
"...That's where I saw him. The old man on horseback. The demon you were dealing with. For a demon, he apparently loves teaching people. Or maybe I just had the wrong prejudices about demons."
"......"
"Are you working as that demon's slave now?"
"......"
"That's what the book said."
"......"
"There was that incident at the end, but... I still feel grateful to you, Master."
"......"
"You tried to kill me, but whatever, thanks to you, I got out into the world, right? Out of that narrow, boring mine and into this place."
Oliver recalled that time. Reuniting with Kant, who created his poor siblings. Returning the Bible to Joanna.
"I... felt joy in that process, disappointment too, but overall, it was enjoyable. Like... I felt alive."
"......"
"So when it said you'd become the eternal slave of the old man on horseback, I was a little glad. Means there's a way to meet someday. I can't promise when, but one day, I'd like to see his face in person and give my thanks."
"......"
Silent Joseph. Oliver finished the bottle and stood.
"Not sure when, but I'll come by again when I have time. Oh, by the way, I haven't properly investigated the beautiful light or the demons yet. Too many things piling up, more questions every day... But that's what makes this world fun, right? So much to learn?"
With that, Oliver grabbed his lantern and headed out.
On the way, he checked his watch to make sure he'd arrive on time for his appointment.
As the light receded, Joseph's foundation slipped back into darkness as if nothing had happened.
It was as still as if time itself had vanished.
And at some point, the cup and plate before the corpse were completely empty.
"One more!!"
Dinkley, trainer for the illegal fight club in X District's gym plaza.
He shouted next to Oliver, who was bench-pressing.
"One more!!"
His voice was ear-shatteringly loud, and he wasn't just yelling—he was flexing his bulging muscles like they might explode.
Dinkley struck a front double biceps pose as he yelled.
"One more for the finale!!"
Dinkley hit a side chest pose.
"One more for real this time!!"
Dinkley went into back double biceps.
"Absolutely the last one—make it count!!"
Dinkley flexed side triceps.
"I swear on the heavens—truly the final one!!"
"...Sorry to interrupt, but you've been saying 'one more' for a while now—"
"—This time it's REALLY the LAST ONE FOR REAL!!!!!!!!"
Dinkley roared like a gorilla, showing off his muscles.
A yell that made hair fly.
Oliver forced his already-strained muscles to lift the barbell.
His arms and chest trembled violently, but Dinkley kept cheering, flaunting his glistening, intimidating bulk.
"You got this! I'm rooting for you! RAAAAAHHHH!!"
A few others joined in the cheers. As weird as it sounded, everyone here seemed a bit unhinged.
Once Oliver finally racked it, Dinkley said it was okay to rest.
Oliver set the barbell down and exhaled.
"Haa..."
He'd been training steadily as Kant taught, thinking his strength had built up decently—but apparently not. He could barely keep up with Dinkley's regimen.
"Here..."
Jo approached silently and handed him water.
Oliver thanked him and drank it down.
Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.
As he finished, Dinkley grinned and slapped Oliver's back with his massive hand.
It hurt quite a bit, but surprisingly, there was no malice. If anything, it showed fondness.
"Impressive, kid. Real impressive! ...Honestly, I took you on just to pocket the cash, but didn't expect you'd keep up like this. Got grit. Real grit. Not like those wimps from other districts. Hahahahaha!"
His words rang with pure sincerity. He was acknowledging Oliver, showing genuine liking.
"Call it a day and rest. Even iron needs tempering in moderation. You'll come back next time, right?"
Oliver thought for a moment.
"...Yes."
"Good. Just work on that enthusiasm in your voice. You're paying top dollar, so I won't nitpick. Anyway, go rest up."
Dinkley said that with a laugh and left, looking thoroughly satisfied.
What had him so pleased? Luckily, Jo cleared it up.
"He just loves training people."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah, no idea why. But he's famous around here. Heard he stole all the gym equipment to set this place up."
Oliver looked around.
The building was rundown, but the equipment was plentiful and decent. Stolen, though?
His passion was certainly real.
"Yeah, seems like it. He trains hard."
"You paid well, and you're keeping up. He ignores quitters, but anyone who matches his pace? Loves 'em all... More than that, you okay? He's great at teaching but pushes like crazy."
"Manageable."
No lie. It was old history now, but after mine life, Oliver could still handle it.
"You're dedicated. And talented too."
A casual toss-out. Oliver eyed Jo. Small bruises and scrapes on his face.
"You seem pretty dedicated too, Jo. Those illegal fights tough?"
Jo rubbed his facial wounds as he answered.
"Nah. Some dangerous guys pop up, but it's doable. Especially lately—no gigs anyway. Gotta do something."
True. With the prison break making the city jumpy, Black Market and Gray Market shut down, other crime groups laying low.
Plus Pater Church cracking down on black magicians—underworld economy in recession.
"How are the others doing?"
The "others" meant Sam and Owen—X District folks who'd followed Jo during the Kel independence army days and worked together.
"Uh... They said to pass on their thanks."
"To me?"
"Potions, jobs you hooked 'em up with—stuff like that. Thanks to you, they caught a break this winter."
"Glad to hear it. They were all hardworking."
"You..."
"Yes?"
"...Never mind. Heading out now?"
"Mm... If you're free, could you help me out? Practiced those punches, kicks, and tackles you mentioned. Mind checking?"
"Sure. But look over my Black Armor and suit again."
"Yeah, deal."
After training with Jo, Oliver returned to his lodging.
It was late evening turning to night. No rest, though.
Instead, he checked the corpse puppets' conditions. They always needed regular maintenance and repairs.
His current lineup: 'Black Magician', 'Duncan', 'Sniper', 'Rags', 'Helper1'. Among them, Rags was pretty beat up.
It took hits in every fight, and those split-second ambushes on careless foes were inevitable wear-and-tear.
After some thought, Oliver decided against immediate repairs—instead, he'd dissect it to understand the structure.
Unlike Black Magician, Duncan, Sniper, and Helper1—where material (corpses) determined quality—Rags focused on processing techniques. No big loss.
Better to use it as a textbook and craft a new one.
"More complex than I thought."
After examining Rags' structure and modifications, Oliver checked on the spider-Parker caged in the basement corner.
Separated from its tamer, it went berserk whenever it saw Oliver—currently in deep sleep.
Through various experiments, Oliver could finally control Parker, but instead of using it, he planned to dismantle and repurpose the parts.
He liked the web-spinning ability, but its mobility and combat style didn't mesh with his. So, he'd salvage just the web glands somehow.
Problem was, that required a specialist or books.
"Gonna need a book or some help... Black Market needs to reopen soon."
Oliver muttered regretfully at Parker. It was weakening; left too long, it'd die and be useless as parts.
And that wasn't the end. For the work, he needed a safer lab.
With that in mind, Oliver eyed the newspaper's back ad page. Huge letters screamed across it.
<Real Estate Rental Management Eggshell>