Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Blood Cult?
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-Splash!
A massive fish covered in scales blending red and white swam through the lake.
"Whoa..."
On a gigantic ship large enough to carry dozens of people with ease, the crowd shifted their gazes to follow the fish's movements.
It was a sight so mystical that I could understand why everyone was so eager to see it.
I'd have snapped a photo if I had a camera.
"Young sir, is that fish truly a spirit beast? I know some fish are famous spirit creatures—is it one of those?"
"If you're thinking of the Millennium Flower Carp, it's not quite that caliber. A real one wouldn't be kept around for show like this; every faction under the sun would have gone after it ages ago."
"Ah."
Now that I thought about it, that made sense.
I might not know its exact value, but I was well aware it was an incredibly precious spirit beast.
'...I wonder if it'd taste good?'
-Slurp.
I knew its worth mostly came from the inner core, but something that rare had to taste amazing, right?
If I ever got the chance, I'd love to try it as a drinking snack.
"Still, judging by its size, it qualifies as a spirit beast. It's already lived for decades, so it's no ordinary fish."
Misinterpreting my silence somehow, the woman continued.
"But does that mean it has an inner core or something tasty... no, I mean?"
"An inner core..."
The woman turned to look at the fish.
For some reason, it suddenly dove deep into the water.
"...Doesn't seem to be at that level yet. And even if it formed one, the core of a spirit beast living so close to humans wouldn't be worth much. It'd be choked full of turbidity."
"Then it'll live a long time."
"Not necessarily. Human greed knows no bounds."
-Shake, shake.
The woman shook her head.
I wondered just how long that fish could survive.
Even if I retreated to the mountains and came back out someday, would it still be alive?
.
.
.
"Ugh, I was just trying to read its fortune."
I cursed the fish while wiping my face with a towel.
It might not understand words, but I could divine its fate, so out of curiosity about its lifespan, I got as close as possible—only for it to blast me with a water cannon.
It nailed the empty space on my face perfectly, soaking the clothes underneath completely.
Does it think it's a Pokémon or something?
'This is gonna be a pain to wash.'
The hermit's cloak was waterproof and stayed dry, but it couldn't block water from getting to the clothes inside.
"Haa..."
"Why not ask one of the sailors? They must have spare clothes lying around."
"Spare clothes..."
"It doesn't look too soaked, but wearing wet clothes could lead to a cold or worse."
"...Guess I have no choice."
My body was so frail that even a bad cold could leave me bedridden for days.
Better to swallow my pride and borrow something than risk that.
A real illness would throw my whole schedule into chaos.
"Spare clothes? I've got one right here."
-Rustle.
"Just until my own dries out..."
"Oh, thank you kindly. It's nothing fancy anyway—feel free to keep it. Just rags, really."
I handed the sailor a few silvers and took the clothes.
True to sailor garb, they looked rough and crude, but with the cloak over top, no one would see anyway.
The problem was...
They were sized for burly sailors, so way too big for me.
"Young sir, are you out there...?"
"I'm here, no worries."
The only space on the ship that was empty, sealed off from the outside, and dimly lit was this lower hold, so I had to rely on a single candle.
In the dark hold, I spread out the sailor's clothes and fell deep into thought.
'What do I do with these.'
I could fold the length somehow, but the pants kept slipping down.
I wasn't some pervert who could go around with nothing underneath, just the cloak.
No matter how strong the wind, there'd be no exposure risk—but that was beside the point.
It was a matter of dignity, or something like that.
'Haa.'
If I'd been outside, I could've built a fire to dry them, but I couldn't light one on a ship. Natural drying was my only option.
As my worries piled up, a loud noise erupted from above.
-Thud! Thud!
-Kyaaack!!
Unmistakably ominous sounds.
"..."
My body froze at what I assumed were screams.
But the woman, right beyond the single door, reacted the opposite.
"...I'll be right back. Might be dangerous—stay put."
"W-Wait a second. Leaving me alone..."
-Whoosh!
"Behind..."
Her presence vanished in an instant.
-Thud! Thud! Thud!
-Uwaaack!!
-Kyaaack!!!
Not a brief commotion—the noises and screams from above only grew louder.
"...Why does trouble always find me..."
I'd just wanted to enjoy the outside world a bit, and now this.
Sinister imaginings flooded my mind.
If it was just some common murim squabble in the Central Plains, it'd be over quick.
But if it was one of those terrorist scenarios from the movies?
'...Should I just stay here...?'
Chasing after her late could get me caught in the crossfire.
No one would think to check a hold like this, so my survival odds were high.
Best case, she'd handle whatever it was and come back soon...
-Bang! Bang!
'Eek...'
I held my breath and clamped my mouth shut against the escalating ominous din.
-Rattle, rattle.
Anything—please, just end soon.
She rushed up to the deck using lightness skill, and the scene was pure pandemonium, no different from a field of asuras.
"Kraaaack!!!!"
-Crunch!
"Uwaaack!!"
"S-Save me!!"
A man with bloodshot eyes, lost to reason, lunged at passengers, sinking his teeth into their necks.
No—upon closer look, he was embedding his fangs and sucking blood.
"Th-That guy's weird! He's sticking his teeth in people's necks and sucking their blood!"
A trembling passenger, spotting her sword, relayed the info.
"...Blood?"
"Y-Yes! It's gotta be that rumored bloodsucker!"
"...A blood-sucking ghost."
-Hiss...
A bad memory surfaced.
-Flash!
-Thud! Thud!
A brief glint of sword light, and the monster's hands were severed.
"Kraaaack!!! "
She caught the passenger he'd grabbed and eased him down, shoving him aside.
Ignoring his lost hands, the monster thrust his arms out, baring fangs at her.
-Slash!
"Where do you think you're shoving those filthy teeth?"
His fangs were sliced off.
-Slash!
Then his legs.
-Slash!
Then his arms.
"Grk!! Kraaagh!!!!"
An opponent of this caliber wasn't worth any special insight.
She simply swung her sword without emotion.
"A ghost from the old era that chose the wrong foe and brought its own doom—why have you revived?"
"Kraaack!!"
"Not that a lowly neophyte cultist like you would know anything worthwhile."
-Slash!
The monster's head came off.
There were no second chances for Blood Cult members.
She wouldn't repeat the same mistake from twenty years ago.
"You alright?"
Her head ached at this trace of the Blood Cult's revival after two decades, but sorting the situation came first.
She approached the man who'd been bitten and offered a hand.
His bowed head suggested he was in bad shape...
"Urgh...?"
-Whoosh!
Red eyes just like the monster's—she yanked back from the man in a hurry.
'What the hell?!'
No matter how mighty the Blood Cult, a mere bite couldn't turn someone like this.
If they'd had that power back then, they could've swallowed the Central Plains whole without a war.
'No, it's different. Not the Blood Cult from before.'
The feel was similar, but off somehow.
'Not a Central Plains technique.'
Even the Blood Cult's bizarre sorcery didn't veer this far off.
'Western murim witchcraft?'
But right now, pinpointing the cause of this freakishness took a backseat.
These were ordinary folk until moments ago, struck by Blood Cult sorcery or not.
She had to subdue them with minimal harm.
"Stay back from anyone bitten by the monster!!"
"Kraaack!!! "
Monstrous roars echoed through the panicked crowd.
"Damn... what the hell was that monster of a woman? At least Swordmaster level."
A man with black hair, red eyes, and vertical slit pupils hid in the empty aft section, using the chaos for cover.
"I just wanted to test if the enhanced kin formed right... wasted good material. No face left to show the master now..."
He sighed, swirling the black cloak around him—his human form vanished, replaced by a bat that flapped away.
'What kind of world is this? Why's a Swordmaster wandering alone without even retainers...'
And in that moment—
-Whoosh!
"Uwak?!"
A sword flew at his wings, but he barely grazed past the tip.
The bat-man looked toward the sword's origin to see a woman—its apparent owner—watching him with a puzzled expression.
'Flying sword?! Are you freaking kidding me?!'
Luckily for him, the sword didn't pursue again.
After suppressing the infected, it naturally returned to her sheath as she turned to calm the chaotic deck.
'Damn damn damn damn. Gotta get back to the lab fast.'
Gritting his teeth, the man fled at top speed.
'Our hard-won second chance... I can't lose again!'
Recalling the crushing defeat from the day before.