Chapter 184: Merge or Discard
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 184: Merge or Discard
We ducked into a reasonably spacious room to avoid the monsters.
"I'll block the entrance first."
I pulled some boulders from my Inventory to plug the opening and used clay to seal the gaps, ensuring no light would leak out.
"This should do it. As long as we can block the Gorgon's gaze, the other monsters won't find us immediately."
"Haaa... Finally, some rest."
Ulysses leaned against the wall, letting out a groan. He looked like his entire body was aching.
"Would you like a candy? Or should I pull out something to eat?"
"A candy is enough for me."
"I'm hungry..."
"May I have a meal as well?"
"Maximus and Chloe will eat. What about you, Abram?"
"Water is enough for me. I need to pray for a moment to recover my Divine Power."
I distributed food and water to the group.
The Gladiator Brothers, having exhausted their strength fighting the Gorgon, wolfed down bread and sausages. Ulysses bit into a candy and immediately entered a state of meditation.
Abram sat in a corner of the room, hands clasped, offering prayers to the Goddess.
That left only me, Joshua, and Jack.
Joshua hadn't woken up yet. Perhaps the damage had been too great; he showed no signs of opening his eyes anytime soon.
Still, we had escaped the crisis thanks to him, so I decided to let him sleep.
"Aren't you going to eat anything?"
"I've seen too much blood... My stomach is turning."
"I see. Then let's talk. What is the Empire plotting?"
"Pardon?"
"I'm asking why they sent you and the others into the Labyrinth."
"That is..."
Jack began to explain the current situation of the Empire.
"So, you're saying they're short on Magic Stones."
"That's right. All the mines that used to produce Magic Stones have shut down. Every single Magic Stone mine within the Empire's territory has been depleted. In the end, they have no choice but to rely on the Labyrinth for a stable supply."
The Empire could be considered the leader in Magic Engineering. And Magic Engineering was a technology largely based on Magic Stones.
In short, with their resources depleted, the Empire was in a position where their only options were territorial expansion or Labyrinth exploration.
"Do you know what kind of person the Emperor of the Catlan Empire is?"
"Well, for a commoner like me, it's hard to even catch a glimpse of him from afar. I don't know the details, but I've heard rumors that he is incredibly sinister."
"Sinister?"
"Yes. Several imperial scandals have reached the public. It's been revealed that the Emperor himself is very sordid and has a severe case of philandering. Of course, everyone who leaked that information was dragged off somewhere and disappeared. There are even stories that if you say such things within the Empire, you'll be turned into dog food on the spot."
"Hmm. So he's a sordid bastard, then?"
"You could say that."
"And that bastard is eyeing the Labyrinth now?"
"Yes. We were merely the vanguard. They will keep sending exploration teams. As far as I know, there are at least three of those Transfer Stones within the Empire."
"At least three?"
"Yes. We were investigating where they all led, and this time, the Transfer Stone led to the Snake Nest, resulting in everyone being wiped out except for me."
There wasn't a hint of a lie in his words.
The Spirit Chain confirmed that Jack was telling the truth.
"So everyone but you is dead. At least, that's what you know."
"Yes. Almost everyone died as soon as we entered. I barely managed to survive."
"Then it's certain that the one who merged the souls of Kairan and the Gorgon wasn't someone from the Empire."
Was it someone from somewhere else outside the Labyrinth?
Or was it from further down?
According to what I heard from the Saintess, the Black-Clothed Saint was someone who had come up from below.
What if someone like him was currently in the Snake Nest?
This is shit. Those who come up from below basically want chaos in the Labyrinth and the Labyrinth City.
If their goals aligned, they would naturally hold hands with the Imperial bastards to toy with the adventurers.
"I suppose you don't know the location of the Transfer Stone?"
"I... don't. I was too busy running for my life to remember the path I took."
"I understand for now."
Once I left the Snake Nest and sealed it, there would be no way out. To enter the Labyrinth through the Snake Nest, I had to keep the entrance open.
In the end, the Imperial bastards could do nothing more than kill a few snakes in the nest and farm them.
The Transfer Stone in the Snake Nest is effectively sealed by my hand. Even if the Imperial bastards kill the snakes and achieve Mana Adaptation, they would eventually have to go through the Labyrinth City to enter the Labyrinth properly.
Ultimately, the Empire was also our enemy.
Though they were part of the human realm, they clearly defined the Labyrinth City as an adversary.
They might not invade immediately, but it was certain that the Imperial bastards would target the Labyrinth City whenever they saw an opportunity.
Either strike first, or let the Empire ruin itself.
If the supply of Magic Stones was cut off, the Empire would head toward collapse. The moment the development of their precious Magic Engineering stopped, a dark age would begin.
In the end, the Empire was destined to expand its territory to secure Magic Stones, come what may.
They were eyeing the Labyrinth as part of that, but even that wasn't easy. Therefore, the Empire would likely plan to invade neighboring weak nations, and once war broke out, they would probably focus all their attention on the conflict rather than the Labyrinth.
Regardless, this was a matter for the Labyrinth City's leadership to handle. For now, I should send Jack to the Council as soon as he was rescued.
Using him was important, but extracting as much information as possible to prepare for future threats from foreign powers was also crucial.
"I get it. You should rest too."
"Yes, sir."
Perhaps his tension had finally snapped; Jack stared blankly at the campfire for a moment before nodding off.
Now it was time to properly check the new Abilities I had acquired.
In terms of the number of Abilities alone, I had already surpassed the Platinum Badge level.
I hadn't fully developed my individual combat power yet, but based on the number of Abilities I possessed, I would likely rank quite high even within the Labyrinth City.
Gaining levels in real-time and stealing skills to boost my power felt like using a cheat code, but I had spent a long time building up to this rapid growth.
This was the reward for that effort.
"But Arad. Why does my chest feel so heavy?"
"That's because you have too many Abilities."
"Really? It feels congested."
It was good to be stronger, but I felt bloated.
It felt as if my energy channels were completely blocked. The discomfort was intense.
"Is the Ability I took through that spider friend causing trouble?"
"Yes. I don't feel well."
"I see. Even Abilities can cause indigestion if you have too many."
As Ulysses said, eating too much leads to trouble.
But it wasn't easy to give them up. The Gorgon had taken on two Platinum Badges using Kairan's Abilities.
Kairan's Abilities were that valuable.
The reason the Gorgon was able to keep holding out against the Gladiator Brothers without dying was likely due to Desperate Resistance.
Even after taking a fatal wound, it would endure once with Desperate Resistance, then use its own traits to eat monster corpses and survive.
That was how it could keep rampaging without dying.
Furthermore, assuming the Gorgon used all of Kairan's Abilities...
It was possible that the Gladiator Brothers' sensory perception was completely blocked by Predator's Sight.
Most adventurers of the martial artist or warrior classes possess abilities similar to my Insight Eye.
Moreover, since the Gladiator Brothers were Platinum Badges, they would naturally try to read the opponent's presence or energy to counter attacks or aim for openings.
Predator's Sight treated even this kind of psychological warfare or scouting by warriors as 'detection' against itself.
An Ability that reflects all types of detection and, furthermore, detects the opponent in return.
Just as I could block the Gorgon's vision and pinpoint its location, if this was used against warriors, it meant that when the opponent tried to scout you, you could counter and scout them instead.
The Gorgon must have used Predator's Sight in this way.
That was why the fight had to drag on.
"Then, since Mr. Si-on has acquired Kairan's Abilities, you must have become incredibly strong."
"I feel like I'm still lacking in combat experience, but I've definitely reached at least the Gold Badge level or higher."
"Oh..."
I had achieved incredible results in a short period.
Now I just needed to blend and use the Abilities I had gained.
The problem was the congestion in my chest.
"There is a way."
"A way?"
"Yes. You just have to pull the Abilities back out. If you have indigestion, you have to vomit. What else can you do?"
"Oh, boy."
Arad was right.
If you can't digest it, you have to spit it out. Forcing yourself to keep it down will only make you sick.
I suppose I have no choice but to vomit out a few of these eight Abilities I took from Kairan.
How bitter. I wanted to keep them all.
"Or, there's a way to bundle similar types together and weave them."
"What? That's possible? You mean you can merge their functions without destroying the Abilities?"
"The success rate isn't very high, but I think it's worth a try."
Arad's suggestion threw me into deep contemplation.
Bundle similar ones together? If something went wrong, they would get tangled and turn into a completely different Ability.
"And if it works?"
"The burden will be significantly reduced. Will you try? It's my first time attempting this as well. Decide whether you'll gamble or just give up a few Abilities."
"...Hmm."
After a brief moment of thought, I told him to try weaving the Abilities.
"First, you've acquired many eye-related Abilities."
"That's true."
"So, I'm going to try bundling the eye-related ones."
Arad intended to merge Night Vision, Synesthetic Sight, and Predator's Sight, which I had taken from Kairan.
"However, if I just weave these three, they'll simply turn into a different Ability."
"We can't have that."
"That's why I'll place an Ability that won't lose its essence even when woven in the center."
"Is that possible?"
"Normally, I wouldn't even be able to try. But you've acquired Demon Eyes. Demon Eyes are top-tier Abilities. So, if I use a Demon Eye as a pillar and weave the other Abilities around it, there's a high probability they will be absorbed into the Demon Eye."
"Oh... Can't we bundle the Demon Eyes together?"
"And if it explodes? Demon Eyes are hard to come by."
"I was just sharing an opinion."
"Demon Eyes are of equal rank, so if you weave them, they'll just turn into a different Demon Eye."
"Ugh. That would be a total disaster. Let's just go with the original plan."
"Understood. Then I shall weave the Abilities into a Demon Eye."
I possessed a total of four Demon Eyes.
First, there was my foundation, the Spirit Eye. Then there were the Identification Eye and Insight Eye I received from Moira, and finally, the Dragon Eye of Suppression.
"The Dragon Eye of Suppression and the Spirit Eye are things that would be hard to obtain a second time. It would be a massive loss if they were destroyed. Let's use the Identification Eye and Insight Eye, where the loss wouldn't be as devastating even if they failed."
"Let's do that."
"First, I'll place the Identification Eye in the middle and merge Night Vision and Synesthetic Sight. The Identification Eye, which uncovers the unknown, has good compatibility with Abilities that gather information. It seems to have good synergy with Night Vision and Synesthetic Sight. For your information, this merging process uses you as a workbench, so it will be accompanied by pain. Why don't you take some painkillers?"
Following Arad's advice, I popped some painkillers and poured them down my throat.
"Let's do this... Huh? What are you doing?"
"Didn't I tell you? I'm using your body as a workbench."
"Wait, wait a minute!!!"
Arad crawled up my face and began to insert threads into my eyes.
"Guaaaaah!!!"
Thanks to the painkillers I had taken in advance, it wasn't agonizingly painful, but the sensation was extremely bizarre.
The feeling of a spider rummaging through my eyes.
It felt like I was going crazy.
"Inserting Night Vision!"
"Gueeeee!!!"
Night Vision was inserted into the Identification Eye.
In an instant, my vision felt significantly brighter. Information about things that would be in the darkness flooded into my mind.
"Next is Synesthetic Sight."
"Th-this...!!! I can see smells!!! I can see sounds!"
Smells and sounds became shapes and colors, entering my vision.
Should I say I could see the opponent's voice as text? The burning smell of the campfire appeared as the color black. Because it was merged with the Identification Eye, the amount of information coming in was overwhelming.
"Isn't this dangerous! Arad!"
"You there, religious man. It's noisy, so stop shouting and cast a blessing."
"Good heavens...!"
At Arad's words, Abram slightly opened his slanted eyes, expressing his anger.
He seemed offended that a mere summon was giving him orders, but seeing me screaming in pain, he gritted his teeth and began to cast a heal.
The Goddess's light enveloped me, clearing my mind a little.
"This is the last one. This is the biggest. Endure it."
"Fuck..."
I had asked him to merge the Abilities to reduce the burden on my soul, but it felt like I was going to die while merging them.
Soon, the final thread began to entwine with the Insight Eye. Predator's Sight, which was of a similar type, merged into one with the Insight Eye.