Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: Cornered
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Slice.
A silver arc sliced through the air, cleaving the canine beastman's torso in two.
Drops of blood trickled down the elegant blade of the knife protruding from the back of her hand.
Seventy-eight.
That was the number of mages the Ancient had slaughtered since entering the Niam Mountains.
But the Ancient was far from satisfied.
She had been tracking her prey for over an hour and hadn't even caught a glimpse of their shadow.
‘There's a mystic mage among them. One with an unbelievably high accuracy rate.’
Divination, the fundamental and most representative magic of a mystic mage.
But the accuracy of divination varied wildly depending on the user, making it a polarizing spell.
It wasn't uncommon for mages to trust a divination in a critical moment only to be betrayed by it.
However, the divination of the prey the Ancient was now chasing was different.
Just when her meticulous pursuit seemed about to pay off, interlopers would appear, rendering her efforts futile. It all felt too deliberate.
It was a phenomenon hard to accept without some kind of transcendental power at play.
‘Just when I think I've caught up, other mages pop out and delay the chase? Once is a coincidence, but multiple times means it's intentional.’
Her opponent’s response was clever, but the Ancient felt no need to rush.
No matter how many mages were in these mountains, their numbers had to be finite.
She was certain that if she just kept killing, she would eventually reach Lee Si-woo's party.
The only real problem was the Elemental Stone.
The Ancient looked up at the sky.
Seeing no seven-colored phenomenon, it seemed she still had some time before the Elemental Stone would appear.
‘It doesn’t matter. Now that I’ve found a trace of the Faceless One, I can just give up on the Elemental Stone if I have to.’
The Spider Matriarch had ordered her to retrieve the Elemental Stone, and if she failed, there was a high probability her main data chip would be decommissioned.
The Spider Matriarch was always looking for an opportunity to expel the Ancients from Black Night, and a failed mission was the perfect excuse to hold her responsible.
‘Decommissioned? Let them try. Death? Yes… it's frightening. No matter how long I’ve lived, eternal rest is still an object of fear.’
Ancients were immortal, so long as their main chips weren't damaged or destroyed.
Even if their mechanical bodies were destroyed, they could be revived as long as the ant-sized chip remained intact.
Of course, it wasn't without its downsides.
Their mechanical bodies had an 'operational limit,' forcing them to abandon their current forms and transfer to new ones periodically.
That was why she, Yoana, had been forced to abandon her once-powerful main body for her current, insignificant one.
Therefore, having her main chip decommissioned was tantamount to putting an end to a life that had spanned near-immortal ages.
‘But what's more terrifying than being decommissioned is the possibility that the Faceless One might be alive. If he is… it would mean we betrayed and abandoned our kin when there was still hope.’
That was why she had to follow the trail of the Faceless One.
She had to see it with her own two eyes.
Whether he was truly alive, or if an imposter was toying with her.
‘If it's the former, I will kneel and beg for forgiveness. But if it's the latter…’
The red eye blinking in the center of the mechanical helmet glowed eerily.
***
“Stop! Let's stop running! Please, just a short break! If we keep this up, we'll get caught and killed by another party of mages before the chaser even gets us!”
As Ben screamed in frustration, the rest of the party, except for Si-woo, stopped as if on cue.
Since the others had stopped, Si-woo had no choice but to halt as well, panting for breath.
Si-woo's face was grim, Yahalong sighed repeatedly, Fwan-fwan just flopped onto his back, utterly exhausted, and Ben's expression was a mask of pure irritation.
Everyone was worn out.
Yahalong sat down in the shade and spoke.
“Hey, Si-woo. Tell me. How long do we have to keep running like this?”
“I don’t know. I suppose we’ll have to keep running until my divination says it's safe.”
Si-woo’s seemingly clueless answer made Ben’s patience snap.
“Cut the crap! What? Divination? Damn it! Why do we have to go through all this hell because of that stupid divination?!”
Ben growled like an angry wolf, his sharp canines glinting menacingly.
Ignoring the agitated Ben, Si-woo spoke in a calm, confident voice.
“My divinations are accurate.”
In truth, his divinations were accurate because they were based on his danger sense, but he couldn't very well reveal that he possessed the tarantula's unique Talent, so he had no choice but to insist.
As expected, Si-woo’s baseless confidence made Ben stomp his feet and yell.
“Bullshit! If divination was really that accurate, it wouldn't be called divination, it'd be called prophecy!”
Fwan-fwan, who was lying down, silently nodded in agreement with Ben's outburst, though he complained only in his head, not daring to show his anger.
Like the cunning goblin he was, he seemed to have no desire to get on the wrong side of the absurdly powerful Si-woo.
‘He does have a point. Who in their right mind would go through all this trouble just trusting a mystic mage’s divination?’
Even Yahalong, who had been harboring his own complaints about Si-woo's unilateral decisions, chimed in.
“Look, Ben's reaction might be a bit over the top, but honestly, I agree with him to some extent. No matter how accurate your divinations are, Si-woo, forcing the party to flee for over an hour is a bit much, don't you think?”
Si-woo chuckled and stood up.
“Fine. Then the party is disbanded as of now. It's a shame, but we have no choice. We'll have to go our separate ways here.”
Si-woo’s words left everyone stunned.
No one had imagined he would suddenly suggest they split up.
A flustered Yahalong even started to stutter.
“H-H-Hey! Si-woo. W-Wait a minute. Calm down. What do you mean, split up? You want to break up the party?”
“Yes. Because I want to live.”
“…If we split up here and you go it alone, you'll be dead meat, no matter how strong you are, man.”
“Yes, it would be dangerous. But what can I do? If I don’t run, my chance of survival is zero. If I run, even alone, there’s a slim chance I might live. There’s no other choice.”
As Si-woo stood his ground, Ben, who had been nursing a negative sentiment toward him, pointed a finger and shouted.
“Fine. Let’s split up here then. Go on and strut around, trusting that damn divination of yours! Lord Yahalong, what will you do? I’m going my own way… Will you come with me, a spatial mage? Or with that….”
Ben, in his anger, almost called Si-woo an inferior human but managed to restrain himself.
The image of several mages being turned into pulp by Si-woo’s hammer flashed through his mind.
A chill running down his spine, Ben unconsciously rubbed the back of his neck and continued.
“Or will you go with Si-woo?”
At Ben's offer, Yahalong smacked his lips and considered, but his silence was brief.
While Ben's concealment magic as a spatial mage was useful, he paled in comparison to Si-woo in every aspect, be it combat power or general utility.
“Sorry, but I’m going with Si-woo.”
Disappointed by Yahalong's answer, Ben’s gaze shifted to Fwan-fwan.
The goblin subtly averted his eyes.
There was no need to hear his answer.
To be treated like this when he could use concealment magic?
His pride thoroughly wounded, Ben snapped at Yahalong.
“You’re the one who abandoned me, Lord Yahalong. So please post a note on the quest app so I don't face any disadvantages later.”
Feeling a pang of guilt for turning his back on Ben, Yahalong scratched his chin and replied.
“…I’ll do that.”
“Well then, I’ll be on my way. I wish you all the best.”
Yahalong stared blankly at Ben walking off alone, then turned to Si-woo.
“Si-woo, we lost a spatial mage because of you. So you better be damn sure about this. If things go south, I’m going to blame you, a lot.”
Si-woo answered in a placid tone.
“I will be. If I’m not, I’ll lose my life.”
Whether it was Si-woo's solid confidence that inspired them, the expressions on Yahalong and Fwan-fwan’s faces softened.
They figured a man with nothing to back him up wouldn't be so certain.
However, they didn't know.
There was something Si-woo hadn't told them.
‘The speed at which the divinations appear is gradually slowing down. This means….’
There were only so many escape routes, so naturally, there was a limit to the divinations he could receive.
Ultimately, they were bound to hit a dead end.
Moreover, the enemy's pursuit was relentless and fast, so no matter how much they struggled, getting caught seemed an unavoidable conclusion.
Si-woo wracked his brain but couldn't find a solution. He cast another divination.
They had stayed in one place for too long. He figured they should at least move while he thought.
And then, Si-woo’s face twisted into a grimace.
‘…Damn it, we’re screwed.’
The divination didn't appear.
They had already reached a dead end.
***
It took less than thirty minutes for Ben to regret leaving Si-woo.
He had cast his concealment magic and moved as cautiously as possible, but a cyborg with a mechanical body had appeared before him, staring at him with a blinking red eye.
Ben fell on his rear, his jaw chattering as he looked up at the Ancient.
Yoana asked, her feminine voice laced with a dry, mechanical tone.
“You are not the one I seek. So, where have the others you were with gone?”
“…I left them to save myself, so I don’t know.”
Perhaps realizing his opponent was an Ancient had shattered his will to fight.
Looking down at Ben, who seemed to have neither the energy nor the spirit to even attempt an escape, Yoana turned her head to the left.
Her red eye spotted a number of mages hiding in the shadows of the forest.
‘Was I lured here again? Mages lying in wait to obstruct me everywhere I go…? This way, there'll be no end to it. It seems I'll have to use this beastman to neutralize the mystic mage's divination.’
A panel on Yoana’s mechanical thigh opened, and a mechanical centipede crawled out.
It was her metal familiar, the ‘Brainwashing Bug.’
As the mechanical centipede crawled up his stomach and chest, Ben screamed and deployed a mana shield, but it was useless.
Yoana tore through the mana shield with her knife and pried his mouth open with her rough grip.
After confirming the Brainwashing Bug had entered Ben’s mouth and settled in his brain, Yoana spoke.
“I’ve implanted a tracking system in you, so you should be able to find your way. Go. Go and rejoin those who were your companions. And mark every one of them. Once they’re marked, I can close in on them instantly.”
Yoana, aware that Si-woo's divination was targeting her specifically, intended to use Ben to circumvent it.
As the stumbling Ben departed, Yoana walked toward the shadows of the forest on the opposite side.
She was going to deal with the mages who had been waiting to ambush her.
***
“Are you sure this is the right way?”
At Yahalong’s slightly irritated question, Si-woo nodded.
“Yes, it is, so don’t worry and just follow me.”
As Si-woo lied without batting an eye, Yahalong replied with a disgruntled look.
“Well, if you say it’s right, I’ll follow, but I have a really bad feeling about this….”
Just then, Fwan-fwan pointed behind them and shouted.
“Huh? Wait a minute, Lord Yahalong. Isn’t that Ben?”
At Fwan-fwan’s words, Yahalong also turned around and saw Ben striding out of the shadows.
“What the, it really is him. Did he come back?”
“Whoa, looks like it. I guess the mountains are too rough to wander around alone.”
While they were talking, Si-woo shot out like a bullet.
It was a sudden move, without a single word of explanation.
Launching himself forward like a platinum meteor, Si-woo summoned his Ogre Hammer and gripped it with both hands.
Seeing the murderous intent in Si-woo's eyes, Yahalong shouted.
“Si-woo! Stop! What the hell do you think you’re doing!”
Si-woo didn't stop, regardless of what Yahalong said.
Then, seeing Ben's dazed eyes, as if he'd been drugged, Si-woo swung the Ogre Hammer without hesitation.
Caught in the merciless surprise attack, Ben's head was smashed before he could even deploy a mana shield.
From the fragments of flesh and brain that exploded as if a grenade had gone off inside his head, a mechanical centipede burst out.
Si-woo snatched the mechanical centipede as it flew toward him.
Zzzing.
A red light shot out from the mechanical centipede's eye, shining on Si-woo's chest.
An ominous feeling washed over him, and Si-woo gritted his teeth and squeezed his hand.
Crunch.
Yahalong and Fwan-fwan could say nothing as they watched the mechanical centipede, now a piece of scrap metal in Si-woo’s hand, fall to the ground.
They were finally beginning to understand what was going on.
Yahalong approached Si-woo with a grave expression and asked.
“…Did you know that Ben had fallen for an enemy’s trick?”
“I didn’t.”
“What?”
“I just had my suspicions. It was strange how he caught up to us after we separated just thirty minutes ago, and it was also suspicious that a beastman from the proud Rang tribe would come back after leaving in such a huff.”
Si-woo's explanation seemed to justify his actions, but it wasn't enough to make Yahalong understand.
When it came down to it, Si-woo had just killed a man who was, until moments ago, his comrade, based on mere suspicion.
‘This guy… can I trust him? No, will I even be safe with him? If it comes down to it, to save his own skin, would he… me too….’
Witnessing Si-woo’s decisive and brutal actions, Yahalong and Fwan-fwan unconsciously took a few steps back from him.
But Si-woo, despite anticipating that his party members might distrust him over this incident, offered no excuses.
No, to be precise, he wasn't in the right state of mind to do so.
‘Even though I destroyed the mechanical bug right away, the red light it shot at me before it died bothers me. I have to do something about it, whatever it is.’
With his divinations not working, he didn't know where to run or how to survive.
It was a desperate situation where even his divination had judged that there was no way out for him.
Then, a thought suddenly flashed through Si-woo's mind.
‘Come to think of it… have I ever tried using divination inside Barathrum?’
The accuracy and effect of divination changed depending on the user.
So, what would happen if the Si-woo inside Barathrum used divination?
Perhaps, for the Si-woo who boasted god-like power within Barathrum, a rather interesting phenomenon might occur.
‘Anyway, I have to enter Barathrum at least once to check and nullify whatever trick that mechanical bug pulled on me. Alright, I’ll go in this time and test out the divination. If it works out… it might just become an unexpected breakthrough.’
Was it because of the strange, good feeling he had?
In anticipation, Si-woo’s eyes sparkled.