Chapter 337
Chapter 337
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 337
>Chapter Title: The 31st Horse Overturns the Game Board
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Northern Federation Investigation Bureau.
Investigator Gale, affiliated with that bureau, was now dispatched to the front-line outpost.
He was here to track down the whereabouts of the missing combatants.
"The military's lazy asses, why dump this crap on the Investigation Bureau?"
"They haven't been totally idle. They're just hopeless at this kind of work, so they handed it off to us midway through."
"We're not busy? No, forget that—how nerve-wracking is it to have Whigeltung right in front of us?"
"Come on... are you scared?"
"Sc-scared? Who's scared! I mean I'm shivering from the cold!"
"Ah, got it. I understand."
Investigator Gale and his deputy Jomon held ranks that commanded decent respect even within the Federation. They often slacked off on expeditions under the pretext of investigations, but not in a case like this.
They'd freeze solid if they tried.
It had been a full day since they arrived here.
The idea that the missing might still be alive had long been erased from their minds.
They weren't here to rescue the missing. This was all about figuring out where they'd vanished to.
"Wild animals, maybe?"
"No way they'd send idiots to the front lines who couldn't even fight off wild beasts on an empty stomach. Federation soldiers are the elite."
"...Right?"
"What else would you call the ones who survive in this frozen hell?"
"True... but maybe they starved during the supply cutoff?"
"Could be. How long were supplies cut off?"
"Two straight months."
"The supply depot must be run by lunatics. Why'd they cut off?"
"Well, you know how their excuses are—nod along or else."
"Or maybe they pocketed it all and made excuses."
"That's not why we came all this way, is it? It's public knowledge..."
"Exactly! So let's keep searching."
The investigator and his team spent a few more hours scouring for traces.
"What if they committed suicide...?"
"Abandon the outpost and go kill themselves out in the snowfields?"
"No chance, right?"
"Of course not. And did you see?"
Clink...
Plop...
"Ugh... booze smell."
"Yeah, there's still liquor left. No way they'd die with perfectly good vices untouched."
"Hell, I'd drink the place dry before kicking it."
"Exactly."
"You can be pretty detective-like sometimes."
"What, thought I won it gambling?"
"Honestly."
"Honesty's your flaw."
"Others call it a virtue."
"Saying that about stuff that doesn't affect them? That's their flaw."
Investigator Gale raised a finger pretentiously.
"Whigeltung."
"...Pardon?"
"They defected to Whigeltung. Nothing else explains it."
"Come on... defect to Whigeltung? That makes less sense than suicide..."
"Why not?"
"It's where the Glacier Maws and Emon fight nonstop. Way colder than here, too."
"No reason to go?"
"Yeah. Unless they lost their minds from hunger, no reason to head to Whigeltung. Either side catches them, they're done. Doesn't add up unless they were dragged off."
"......"
"......"
Gale and Jomon blinked at each other. They'd just voiced a plausible hypothesis.
"Dragged off?"
"Possible."
"Why? Those guys are too busy fighting each other to raid an outpost and drag people away."
"Maybe they were investigating something? Or hunting failures piled up..."
"Don't dismiss either. Both solid ideas."
Jomon added uneasily.
"Neither the Glacier Maws nor Emon have ever crossed Whigeltung's borders before, right?"
"...Not till now. Who knows this time."
"...You planning to tell the deputy chief that?"
"Crazy? That stubborn old coot does warm-ups every morning just to argue with me. At least the chief listens, so I'll request a meeting."
Gale bit down on a cheap, unrolled tobacco cigarette—twice as thick as regular ones.
Scratch... Scratch...
He snapped at the match that wouldn't even spark.
"Damn it... won't light for shit."
Rumble...
The ground suddenly shook.
"What's that noise?"
"No idea."
"I meant go find out."
"My bad, didn't catch that."
"Heh... getting cheekier, buddy."
Then.
Rumble rumble rumble...
The vibrations grew stronger.
It was clear now.
Something seriously wrong was happening.
"Avalanche? Earthquake?"
An employee came running from afar.
"Investigator! Investigator!"
"Yeah, what...?"
"Look... over there!"
"An 8th-rank beast? Why the panic..."
The direction the employee pointed was Whigeltung's visible ridgeline.
"The snow... the snow's melting...."
Just as he said—white turned to other colors bit by bit.
Whoooosh...
Sudden greenery surged forward.
The snowfields were no longer snowfields.
Like a green tsunami, it melted the snow blanketing Whigeltung's outskirts.
And that tsunami swept past even Investigator Gale.
Thud...
The unlit cigarette fell limply to the ground. Gale's mouth had dropped open unwittingly.
To reach his current position, Investigator Gale had weathered countless ordeals. Including plenty of illegal acts the Federation turned a blind eye to, and cases that made him think the world's full of twisted shit.
"......"
He pulled out a fresh cigarette and lit it.
Part of his thought process.
Scratch... Scratch...
It lit.
He held the smoke in his mouth.
Harsh stuff that'd kill you quick if inhaled.
He savored it on his tongue, but the cold dulled his senses more than usual.
Still, nothing woke the brain like it.
Just as Jamad had awakened the Great Circulation and spun his chakra wheels, Gale spun the harsh smoke to rev up his neurons.
"...Investigator."
"Quiet."
Glacier Maws and Emon.
If asked which scared him more, he'd pick Glacier Maws without hesitation. Emon were upstarts, barely past beastly with no real culture.
The problem? This chain of events kept feeding one growing unease.
If Whigeltung's endless conflicts ever ended... if...
That early conclusion.
Fwoosh...
Smoke and foul thoughts spilled from his mouth.
"...Screwed. They'll drag me everywhere now."
The North's situation had changed drastically today.
* * *
'HelloMyNameIsJamad' has sponsored 3,000 Madness!
[The left fist leads to dreamland, the right to the underworld. Greet them.]
- Whoa, peed my pants.
- That's romance... a true knight-errant!
- Credit to his subordinate Snowman too.
- Oh yeah, that guy.
- President Jamad! Take me!
'SmashSmash' has sponsored 2,500 Madness!
[Crush lizards! Crush Genshin! Crush overtime! Crush the section chief!]
- ...Rough office life, huh.
- Huff... huff... crushing...
- Section chief, if you're watching, run!
- Dom Hwangcha!
Roooosh...
Roooosh...
Perhaps due to changes at the mountain's end, a massive waterfall now cascaded down the ridge.
This was likely Whigeltung's most vitality-rich spot.
"......"
Jamad sat there, eyes closed, envisioning something.
Huff... huff huff...
Coco was with him after a long time.
Coco seemed expectant, sitting by Jamad, waiting patiently.
Whoooosh...
A black orb floated before Jamad, emitting strange waves.
This had gone on for hours now.
Crack...
Crackle crackle...
Finally, a response.
Immense energy burst from the cracking black orb.
Kwaaaaaaaa-!
The shadow finally took form.
Boom!
[Enlightenment! Creating a new creature.]
[New creature is Vibrant Kukuru.]
[Creature inherits Early Evening Kukuru's memories.]
[Creature inherits some of Early Evening Kukuru's abilities.]
[New creature's attribute set to Sticky Darkness.]
[New creature's type set to Medium Beast.]
[New abilities may now derive.]
[Enlightenment! Creature awakens a new ability.]
[Creature can use Shadow Step.]
[Enlightenment! Creature awakens a new ability.]
[Creature can use Blood Scent.]
[Enlightenment! Creature awakens a new ability.]
[Creature can use Persistent: Shadow Beast.]
[Enlightenment! Creature awakens a new ability.]
[Creature can use Persistent: Pack Lord.]
Grrr...
Kukuru growled, scanning around upon awakening. Seemed displeased.
Huff huff...
Coco approached, rubbing his snout against her back.
Huff huff...
Kukuru relaxed, playing with Coco.
[Happy Coco is affected by Vibrant Kukuru's Persistent: Pack Lord.]
[Happy Coco gradually grows.]
[Shadow wolf pair (male/female) exists.]
[Can produce offspring.]
[Creature now functions as mount.]
[Speed influenced by riding, agility, shadow affinity.]
He'd finally extracted Kukuru's core from Mansang.
Normally, it'd require a suitable sacrifice and Uru's aid, but for Jamad at his new realm, it was trivial—so he'd timed it to revive her.
Stroke...
Stroke...
Jamad petted the two wolves.
- C-cool!
- Owner's Snowman, kids!
- Hey, pups?
Kang Seol sat by Jamad, petting the wolves. He asked.
"Don't you need time like Karen?"
"Yeah, but the wait doesn't have to be empty."
Summons reaching supreme realm seemed to need time to embody it.
Karen was still MIA, and it didn't feel like a short wait.
Kang Seol had pondered what to do if Jamad returned to the void, but Jamad said he wouldn't.
Jamad grumbled.
"If I slack off too, you'll be in a bind, right?"
"True."
Kang Seol finally had time to check rewards from this adventure's end.
Whigeltung's cataclysm had everyone in a frenzy.
"Now..."
Creak...