Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Beast Capture (1)
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V District 42nd Street.
It was just as Forrest had described—a rundown place.
Crude brick houses and shanties were packed densely around a hill, with garbage dumps scattered irregularly like pimples in between.
Judging by appearances alone, it resembled Districts X and W.
Yet the difference was that there were far fewer people here who reeked of hidden malice and cunning.
Instead, there were more who seemed anxious and fearful.
If he had to compare, it was like predators and prey.
"Are you with Martel?"
Oliver approached a man sitting at the neighborhood entrance and spoke.
He was dressed relatively ordinarily, but even so, he stood out from the locals.
His clothes were clean, his posture straight and proper rather than hunched, but what set him apart most was his emotional state.
Whether due to the chimera or not, the residents here all carried some degree of fear, whereas this man exuded only leisurely irritation and annoyance.
Like an outsider who couldn't empathize with the neighborhood's worries. And that guess proved spot on.
"Who...?"
"I'm Dave. Forrest sent me."
As Forrest had instructed, when Oliver spoke those words, they nodded.
These were Martel lab employees, and Forrest had told him to find them first upon arrival.
The first reason was to formally notify them that Oliver had come to work, and the second was to obtain necessary supplies.
"Can I get a sample?"
Sample. At that word, the man pulled something from a canister. It was fur.
"We're giving you a sample, but it won't be much use. People like you have already tried tracking with fur before—they came up empty or got killed."
"I see."
Oliver gave a curt reply.
Kant had specifically told him to keep responses short.
Talking too much could lead to slips or revealing too much.
Fixers might seem to require bravery at first glance, but in reality, it was the opposite.
Those with a lot of fear lasted longest in the job. You could never know what others were hiding.
And that advice didn't seem wrong.
The man before him showed no emotional fluctuation despite the chimera still being at large.
They had said it would be trouble if the chimera wasn't caught soon.
Was it just because he was an employee?
"Something wrong?"
"No, nothing."
"...Here, take this."
The staffer handed over a rod that looked like a fountain pen, topped with a bright red button.
"Press this button to signal your location. If you capture it, don't carry it yourself—press this, and we'll come collect it."
"Yes, got it."
Oliver complied readily and pocketed it, but midway, the man called out to him.
"I'm only asking because you seem like a rookie and I'm worried—is that okay? Most have given up, leaving you alone. You could die pointlessly."
"...Ah, yes, I'll be fine. Thank you for your concern."
Oliver replied politely and continued on his way.
The man stared intently after him.
***
Not long after entering the neighborhood, an uphill path appeared.
The road was terribly unforgiving, full of broken sections that made it treacherous.
But the biggest issue was the sheer number of alleyways snaking between buildings, beyond the main path.
It was a veritable maze, enough to disorient any first-timer like Oliver. Kant's words seemed correct after all.
Strength was essential for fixer work, but strength alone wasn't enough.
To achieve his goals, at minimum, Oliver needed a variety of other skills.
"Hmm... For practice, start with something light..."
Oliver muttered to himself as he pulled out the sample he'd received earlier.
Chimera fur.
No matter how complex the paths, this would allow tracking.
With Sensitive Nose, he could pick out the chimera's trace amid countless scents.
However, he hesitated to use it directly.
He'd learned from tracking Harmonica that disease-type black magic burdened the body.
Honestly, it hadn't been a pleasant experience.
Sniffing countless odors was more exhausting than expected, and a headache could impair his actions if things went wrong.
So Oliver decided to try another method.
"Minion."
As naturally as breathing, he created a minion. Then, with his other hand, he conjured Sensitive Nose and bestowed it upon the minion.
A human-like nose popped onto the meatball-shaped minion, which began sniffing eagerly.
"Find this scent."
Oliver held out the chimera fur and requested.
The minion sniffed it, glanced around briefly, then shot off in one direction.
Oliver followed, vial of extracted emotion in hand.
Step, step, step.
As expected in a slum, there were hardly any people around, but focusing his senses revealed otherwise.
People inside buildings and on nearby streets were deliberately avoiding Oliver.
As if they didn't want to get swept up in something dangerous, their emotions laced with fear and annoyance.
And something was off beyond that.
The minion with Sensitive Nose tracked the scent as requested,
but it only found the chimera's droppings and fur scraps, never the beast itself.
Meanwhile, Oliver had ventured deep into the slums, to a point where he no longer knew his bearings,
and by then, an ominous thought struck him.
"...Am I being lured?"
If it were an ordinary person, they might deny it.
Even if the chimera was intelligent and cunning, it was still a beast.
How could a beast lure a human? Beyond simple logic, it was a matter of pride.
Oliver, not one to cling to pride, accepted the possibility seriously.
After all, the scent led only to bait, with no sign of the main body.
Oliver halted the minion and sank into thought.
What to do?
Should he focus on eyes for a wide-area search?
Human and beast emotions differed, so it would surely help. Yet he hesitated slightly.
Kant had advised building various skills if possible.
Oliver agreed it was right.
Should he use the easy method or try another search to gain experience? Just then, a beastly cry rang out.
"Kyaek-!"
Oliver bolted toward the sound.
It wasn't far, and there lay a scrawny dog, impaled by unidentified spines, bleeding out red.
As if killed to lure Oliver here—and it wasn't mere illusion.
Kahuhuhng—!
A cry too alien for any beast, accompanied by a presence.
Oliver whipped his head around and saw it.
The monstrous chimera from the black-and-white photo.
Larger than in the picture, with small chicken-like wings on its back and threatening spines on its flanks.
In that brief moment, veins bulged on its side as it prepared to fire spines.
Fascinating.
A beast luring and ambushing a human.
Was this the power of magic?
"Kyaaah..."
"Hm?"
Something strange happened.
The ferocious beast, poised to strike, met Oliver's eyes and inexplicably cowered in fear.
Eyes widening, ears flattening, tail tucking as it shrank back, then fled desperately, spirit broken.
Thud- thud-
Reflexively, Oliver slammed his quarterstaff on the ground, invoking Bind Shadow.
He couldn't let it escape now, or capture would be tough.
Surprisingly, the chimera's instincts outmatched other beasts; shadow tendrils barely missed as it dodged with agility belying its bulk.
It even used the terrain to leap toward rooftops.
Whatever the reason, it clearly despised Oliver.
The silver lining: it worked in Oliver's favor.
Thud- thud- [Black Cube]
Oliver conjured six black curtains.
Just as imaged in his mind, without distortion, the edges connected to form a massive hexagonal prison.
Kyahng...!
The chimera panicked, clawing with raptor talons, biting, even firing flank spines in savage resistance.
Oliver drew the Black Cube toward him and examined the chimera.
Terror, terror, terror.
Its emotional state was abnormal, as if facing a natural disaster.
To prevent self-injury from thrashing, Oliver acted swiftly.
[Deep Sleep]
He extracted emotion, applied Deep Sleep to the quarterstaff tip Kant had given him, and tapped the chimera.
They'd said no harm, but this should be fine.
Against expectations, it resisted before drifting off gently.
Oliver confirmed it thrice before pulling out the pen-like device and pressing the red button.
If the entrance man's words held, people would come soon.
Now, Oliver just had to wait.
"...Hm."
Oliver stepped back and observed the sleeping chimera.
Capturing it hadn't been hard, but separately, this creature intrigued him.
A novel patchwork of animals.
The crude wings on its back screamed failure, yet Oliver saw potential.
Most impressive: luring and ambushing him.
Could magic achieve this? Then, something caught Oliver's eye.
Faint, uncertain.
"This is...?"
Oliver reached toward the chimera's body.
"What are you doing?"
Turning toward the voice, he saw the man from earlier.
Face covered, but emotions told the tale.
Seeing Oliver touch the chimera, he showed wariness. Oliver withdrew his hand and apologized.
"Sorry... I thought it might be injured and wanted to check."
The man eyed Oliver silently; Oliver met his gaze steadily.
Another of Kant's teachings: Earn trust, but don't seem easy.
Luckily, it worked—the man averted his eyes first.
"Where?"
"Here..."
"Hm... Ah, this is fine."
"Good."
The man glanced up at Oliver again, then gestured to his colleagues.
They produced a massive sack enchanted with mana and bagged the chimera. Oliver noted the mana flow.
"Something wrong?"
"Is my job done?"
"Yes. This is our part now... Forrest sent you?"
"Yes."
The man nodded, jotting in a notebook.
"Mm, mm... We'll talk details later, but the reward will come soon. Maybe the broker pays on the spot."
"Thank you."
"Impressive, though. Other fixers came up empty or got hauled out... Thanks to you, I've been waiting up front two weeks. Been in the game long?"
"No. Just lucky."
"Ah... Lucky, huh?"
"Yes."
Oliver kept replies minimal, chiming in just enough.
No malice, but the man was sizing him up, calculating inwardly.
"...If it's alright, may I go?"
"Ah, of course."
As soon as the reply came, Oliver bowed politely and left. Then the man spoke once more.
"Good work, Mr. Dave. Let's meet again if there's a chance."