Chapter 128
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 128
Chapter Title: Enverman (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Two days had passed since Jun descended to the black market.
Maya and Eleanor had joined them.
Maya, in particular, looked quite exhausted.
"Why's she like that?"
Jun's question drew a quiet response from Eleanor.
"She stayed up all night learning sorcery."
"She's full of enthusiasm."
"That, and it seems teaching Charles drained her mentally too."
"Ah."
That made sense.
Maya had always struggled with conversing with others in the first place.
Still, Jun figured this would be a huge step forward for her socialization.
"Here, drink this at least."
"What ith it?"
"Mental power recovery potion."
"Thankth."
Maya gulped down the bottle's contents, her face regaining some color as she spoke.
"Tho, what are we thuppothed to do here?"
"It's not a tough mission. We just kidnap one illegal apothecary operating here."
"...Leader."
"Yeah?"
"Leader never thayth 'not tough' out loud. You're jinxed."
"...?"
Whenever Jun called something easy, trouble followed like a curse. Maya shot Eleanor a cold look.
"Prep thorough. It'll be a bitch."
"Where'd you pick up that mouth?"
"Prithteth thayth it. The merchant thold thtuff and he athked if the prithe wath a bitch."
"Damn it."
Eleanor suddenly understood why the Pope nagged her daily about her speech.
"Haha... From what I've seen, though, nothing's been that hard. Most of their skills are mediocre..."
"Ooh~ Aiden. You're gaining some confidence."
Aiden scratched his head bashfully at Eleanor's words, but she was right.
In truth, no major organizations hid on the surface here, especially not near the capital in Morvatie.
The Imperial Family had already purged them all.
The strongest around were barely scraping by on the third floor of Blackout.
Jun didn't expect any real trouble here either.
Surface issues were mostly political headaches, not raw power struggles—unless you hit mid-to-late game.
'And even politics are covered by Count Mordena and the Gilenoi Merchant Guild.'
With the mood lightened, Jun clapped his hands.
"Anyway, mission kicks off at dawn. Grab some shut-eye while you can."
Never imagining what awaited them there.
* * *
For this mission, Jun's role was Aiden's agent.
They altered their appearances with illusion magic and headed to the marked location.
The Black Guards, known faces in the black market, waited nearby for the signal to storm in.
Somehow landing the key job, neither Jun nor Aiden minded.
"This place is... pretty unique, huh."
"Tell me about it."
Not inside the mansion, but its abandoned stable out back.
The mansion itself didn't look lived-in.
Heading into the stable as marked, a suited old man appeared.
He was lighting a cigarette with his back turned.
"Ah, you must be him. The one Veneto mentioned."
"That's me."
"...!"
Aiden, masked and voice lowered unlike his usual self, nearly made Jun whip around.
Had he, he'd have seen Aiden blushing to his neck in embarrassment.
Meanwhile, old man Enverman lit his smoke and turned.
That instant.
"...!!"
Seeing Enverman's face beyond the mask for the first time, Jun reeled inwardly.
'Why the hell is this guy here?'
The cult doctor of the Heavenly Ascension Church, a level 7 powerhouse who later triggered Dimension Reverse on the surface.
His sudden appearance drew a silent scream from Jun.
* * *
Back in his 'Lee Jung-jun' days, Enverman's game base was in Blackout.
But Jun never knew why he moved it there.
He was just a villain. No reason to care.
'Did I change the future?'
The thought hit instinctively, but deeper reflection ruled it out.
'Black Guard's target. Unrelated to me.'
If the Black Guard knights had come here in the game too? Ran into Enverman?
Disaster would've followed, forcing his relocation...
While Jun racked his brain, Enverman eyed Aiden up and down with interest.
"Impressive. Solid build, perfect balance. And that unique mana scent... Dominant, fiery."
Smoke in mouth, he probed Aiden's aura steadily.
Known as an apothecary, he was really a doctor.
One chasing immortality over healing, a cult quack.
His skills were legit, though—once master to the era's top healer.
"This aura opens up all sorts of possibilities."
"...You've got an eye."
Aiden had no clue what he meant but played along.
"But you've seen my skills here, while we know zilch about you. Why trust you with my body?"
"Heh. Youth's curiosity is a blessing. Wait. I love showing off my work too."
Fixing his suit, Enverman pointed to a basement entrance.
"My latest masterpiece is down there. Care to see?"
"...Sure."
Aiden glanced at Jun, nodded gravely, and they followed Enverman down.
The lab was shockingly vast for underground.
He led them to giant cylinders, big enough for five people each.
"...".
Passing them, Aiden paled at the horrific forms floating in the liquid.
'Ch-chimeras?'
Beings patched with monster parts.
Reminded they were once human like him, Aiden swallowed vomit.
His head spun with cognitive dissonance.
"Stay sharp."
Jun whispered beside him.
"...!"
Aiden's face hardened instantly.
It matched Jun's crisis voice perfectly.
'Sunbae...'
You said this was simple...
Maya and Eleanor's faces flashed; Aiden paled further.
They won't bail 'cause it's too hard, right...?
* * *
An unexpected high-risk figure, but Jun had no intent to fight now.
'Growth from danger is one thing, but this is overkill.'
Why tangle with a future level 7 now?
Better bail, report to the Count for official subjugation.
No personal risk then.
Sure, it'd botch the Imperial stealth op on Heavenly Ascension Church, but plans flop anyway.
Imperials would swarm if they knew: a level 7—or 8—chimera breeder under Morvatie.
'And fighting here screws us hard.'
Even with Black Guards outside, heavy losses loomed.
No guarantee White Whale Mercenary Corps stayed safe.
"...So for this one, I grafted orc muscle cells to boost aggression. To fix its cowardice."
Enverman boasted nonstop; Jun and Aiden just listened.
Aiden's expression soured by the minute, but the mask hid it—thankfully.
"You're all too engrossed. Heh heh."
Refastening his rumpled suit, Enverman grinned smugly.
Jun spoke for the still-reeling Aiden.
"Fascinating stuff. But these looks make street life impossible."
"Fair point. I'm not grafting that on you lot. Most here are experiments."
"Then?"
"The real deal's over there."
Amid dozens of cylinders, chimeras grew more human-like ahead.
"I dream of immortality. Had to sacrifice much. But I won't ruin humanity's form."
Madman's drivel rang hollow.
"Can't wear fine suits like this otherwise, eh?"
"...".
"Human bodies are near-perfect balance, bar a few flaws. Still evolving, but I'll accelerate it artificially."
Enverman approached a cloth-draped cylinder.
"Behold, my latest: the 'most perfect chimera.' Yours uses its tech partially. Eyes wide!"
He yanked the cloth; a full human body floated inside.
Jun's shock showed even through the mask.
"Heh. You see it. This beauty's worth! The hell I went through for this corpse. Haven't run in a suit like that in ages."
Ignoring the nonsense, Jun gaped.
'Ser...gei?'
The body—no, chimera—before him...
The man whose mind Jun shattered and handed to Count Mordena.
Volcanic Mage Tower's master, Sergei.