Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: The Precursors' Hideout
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Public authority is handy in so many ways.
For instance, hand over a thoroughly beaten self-proclaimed Bread Baker, and they'll extract the information for you.
Or report the investigation results just because he's the lord's son.
Yeah, it's awfully convenient at times like these.
"Anyway, this is the place."
I stopped in front of the entrance to an ordinary building in a corner of Tattron.
The chain pattern carved into the wooden door confirmed it.
The information the Tattron Guard extracted from the self-proclaimed Bread Baker was just the location of the hideout.
To begin with, Bread Baker was a lowly grunt—it's reasonable to assume he didn't know anything beyond that.
Even I wouldn't promote some fool who spills his identity after a little provocation.
On top of that, his mission was to infiltrate the Agrit Count Family.
Specifically, he'd been ordered to gather intel on me.
Well, I did tangle with the Precursors a bit...
Whether I liked it or not, I'd drawn their attention.
Unintentionally, from Anirza to Jeist and even Luena, I'd ended up dealing with them all.
"Tch, things have gone off the rails."
No, whining about divergences from the original story at this point is just silly.
Bread Baker didn't have much role in the original anyway.
He was merely a catalyst that fully revealed Leon's prowess in the Hilfenberg Territory, after Leon started standing out at the academy.
I remember it clearly because of the line Bread threw to provoke Leon.
Even for a villain, insulting his late parents crossed the line.
Hmm, maybe that's why I hit him a few extra times without thinking.
"Anyway, he deserved it."
I don't tolerate trash talk about parents.
Who would've thought they had a hideout right here in Tattron, practically within sniffing distance of the Agrit Count Family.
The Precursors...
They're like cockroaches, aren't they?
Always crawling out from dirty, dark places.
"You can call an exterminator for cockroaches, but these bastards..."
Sigh, complaining won't change anything.
I pulled out the chain-shaped bracelet artifact I'd seized from Bread.
The chain pattern on the door glowed, and the door opened on its own.
Beyond it stretched a long staircase leading underground.
With no light sources, I cautiously stepped into the pitch-black stairs.
They actually go down these steep stairs without a single light.
It took a while due to my caution, but I finally reached the bottom.
After stepping onto flat ground and walking a bit further, a damp smell hit me.
Touching the walls, they weren't bricks but moist earth.
It wasn't natural—it looked like they'd dug a tunnel themselves.
Thorough bunch.
Soon, another staircase appeared.
I descended carefully for a long time, and then...
A faint light flickered in the distance.
Drawn to it, I pressed on.
At last, I peeked into the source of the light.
It was a massive cavern.
Excluding the staircase, it was completely enclosed on all sides, so they'd dug this out by hand too.
I have no idea how much time and labor they poured into it.
It couldn't be done overnight.
Magic might make it possible somehow, but not without being detected.
Just how long had they been nesting in Tattron?
No clue, but...
One thing's for sure—they outdo cockroaches.
I hid in the shadows, avoiding the light.
The cavern was empty.
People in pure white robes gathered in a circle, wriggling their hands and feet.
It looked like some bizarre ritual dance or group exercise.
Tilting my head, I heard the white-robed figures murmuring in strange tones.
Multiple voices, but the syllables overlapped into one.
It was a chant.
I'd never heard it before, but judging by the numbers, it was a large-scale resonance chant for sure.
Pure white robes—that's the standard garb for the Precursors' nameless underpriests.
In other words, the extras called nameless underpriests.
And here they were, gathered for a resonance chant.
The mana in the cavern was concentrating in one spot, so it wasn't some peaceful worship.
Holding my breath, I approached.
The pervasive mana in the air pressed down heavily.
Ignoring the pressure, I got as close as possible, and then...
I spotted the magic circle drawn beneath the underpriests' feet.
Too many obstacles above to identify it.
But it reeked of ill intent, that much was clear.
The chant was still ongoing.
The odd gestures were to unify the chanters' consciousness.
Given the scale, it had to be a massively powerful spell.
-Then stop it, fool. A spell is dangerous only once activated. Disrupt it before then, and it's no concern of ours!
Deathwise was right.
No matter how threatening or advanced the spell, if it doesn't activate, it's just decoration.
With multiple chanters, gestures, and a magic circle, a little sabotage would halt the activation.
I leaped from the shadows, drawing Deathwise.
The underpriests noticed me and looked over in panic.
Yet their gestures and chants didn't stop.
Either tough mentality or solid training.
Either way, with things like this, I'd have to intervene with force.
Shing, I drew Deathwise.
At the same time, three daggers flew at me.
Too fast to deflect directly.
Instead, I shifted Deathwise's form.
Clang! The pitch-black shield formed from Deathwise deflected the daggers just in time.
"A rat sneaks in, and it's got some tricks, huh?"
With a light voice, a man in black emerged from the back of the cavern.
Short-cropped hair, mask over his mouth, bladed gauntlets on both hands, and hidden weapons peeking from his clothes.
I didn't know who he was, but...
Not wearing a white robe, his status was obvious.
"A bishop, huh."
"Correct! You know us well?"
Well, something like that.
I'm probably the one who knows the most about the Precursors right now.
"I'm Juder the Swift, bishop as you guessed. So, care to tell me how you know about us?"
"Nope."
Juder, Juder...
Doesn't ring a bell.
But bishop for sure.
I reverted Deathwise to sword form.
Gripping the hilt two-handed, Juder shrugged.
"Looks like we'll settle this with force again. Fine by me—it's fun!"
With that, Juder vanished from his spot.
This guy's no normal either.
Well, normals wouldn't be Precursors.
"How's that? Can't keep up?"
Juder's voice echoed from all directions.
He was chattering while moving at high speed, creating the echo effect.
Tracking his movements visually wasn't hard.
Underground, so dim, but the sun had already set.
Meaning Deathwise's buff was active for me now.
First bishop fight since Luena.
Even Luena was easy once I unleashed Deathwise's power.
No need to wait for night now—victory was decided.
Juder, dashing swiftly, threw daggers.
I casually swatted them with Deathwise, and his presence vanished.
Full stealth, hiding his presence.
And the attack spot from stealth was predictable.
I spun around.
Swinging Deathwise just as Juder swung his claw from behind—he retreated.
"Tch!"
It grazed him, but shallow.
Before he could fully retreat, I barked at Deathwise.
"Buff!"
-I'll handle the adjustment, so don't order this body around!
Crunch—my leg muscles surged with explosive power, and I closed in on Juder in an instant.
Instead of slashing, I drove the hilt into his solar plexus.
"Gahk!!"
Juder crumpled, flying back dramatically into the cavern wall.
Limply dangling like a marionette with cut strings—he was out cold.
-Hey! The magic circle!
Deathwise shouted.
Snapping my head around, the underpriests collapsed in unison.
The ground's magic circle glowed, greedily absorbing their mana.
"Too late...!"
The magic circle's crimson-black light intensified.
It seeped into space, cracking the air.
Like the dimension itself shattering.
No stopping the spell's activation now.
I'd have to block the activated spell.
Powerful spells have specific countermeasures.
With mass chant, unifying gestures, and lives as cost—its power was beyond words.
Reverse-engineering and nullifying the circle on-site was impossible.
But if that crack was a dimensional rift, maybe.
I sheathed Deathwise and focused mana on the rift.
I melted my consciousness into space.
Fixed all my mana near the rift to grasp its coordinates.
Indeed, it was tearing the dimension itself.
A bit forced, but sealing it was possible.
I folded the torn space, forcibly stitching the rift.
"Urk...!"
The magic circle resisted fiercely.
Dimensional magic backlash slammed my body.
Nosebleed—I bit down hard on my molars.
Still manageable.
Wiping the blood roughly, I poured in all remaining mana.
Circulated it from my heart through every circuit to the limit.
Mana depletion and backlash made my head spin, but I ignored it.
Devoted all focus to fully sealing the dimensional rift.
Crunch, crack— it resisted to the end, trying to reopen.
The moment I forced it shut, my strength gave out, knees buckling.
Heart pounding like it might burst.
Head buzzing, limbs ice-cold.
But my mind stayed cool.
"That gaze just now..."
Before the rift fully closed.
Something chilling pierced through me from beyond.
Whatever it was...
It definitely shouldn't come out.
My peaceful life slipped further away again today, but...
"...At least I wasn't too late?"
11
Dragging my trembling legs back to my room, dawn was already breaking.
Lucky no one spotted me.
Coming home at dawn, barely able to stand—would've been a hassle if caught.
"More importantly, what the hell is going on?"
I slumped on the bed instead of the chair.
Clasped my hands tightly on my lap.
The self-proclaimed Bread Baker who should be in Hilfenberg Territory was in Agrit Territory.
Agrit Territory had a Precursors' hideout prepared long in advance, complete with a bishop.
And the magic circle there...
Even used runes.
Deciphering those runes wasn't hard.
Runes creating a link to another dimension.
In short, the rift above the circle...
Was a connection point to another dimension.
"No wonder my dimensional magic sealed it..."
The rift itself resulted from dimensional interference.
So even my novice dimensional magic affected it.
But that's not the point.
That eye staring at me from beyond the rift.
Just meeting it shook me to the core.
Whatever it was...
It's dangerous, that's certain.
In the original Broken World, no otherworldly beings ever appeared.
Recalling it soaked my back in cold sweat.
We must prevent that thing from emerging.
This time, luck and timing saved me.
No guarantee I can always intervene like this.
"...I'll tell Leon first."
With Bread Baker in Agrit County, variables must've arisen in Hilfenberg Dukedom too.
Hope no magic circle there, but better safe than sorry.
Dragging my weary body to the desk.
Reached for stationery, but a letter on the desk caught my eye first.
Sender: Drenay.
This needs attention too.
I slit the wax seal with the paper knife.
[To the Honorable Theo Agrit]
As summer ripens, I hope this finds you well. Etiquette calls for inquiries after your health, but given the circumstances, I'll get straight to the point. Recently, an unknown magic circle was discovered in Hoiman Viscounty, under my family's rule. It appears to use runes, and hearing of your expertise in rune decryption, I seek your insight. I've sketched the discovered circle below.
Even in polite form, the magic circle was drawn beneath.
No need to interpret it.
"This is...
The exact same one from the cavern..."
Just hours ago, the magic circle I'd stopped in the Precursors' hideout was vividly sketched on the letter paper.