Chapter 428
Chapter 428
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 428
>Chapter Title: Adventure 35-1 "Why Did You Come to My House?"
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New Drug Special Countermeasures Committee.
A new organization based out of the federal city of Shuiren.
With support from the Investigative Bureau—a traditional agency—and the Silver Lion Society, one of the new noble alliances—the chairperson of this group is you.
The new drug "Home" is spreading rapidly across the federation. And from the series of events surrounding you, you've even encountered individuals whose bodies were enhanced with components similar to this drug.
There are still far too many unsolved mysteries.
As the Castreng race across the federation, has their night grown even darker?
Now, you alone among the living seek to uncover all these secrets.
First, you'll check out this place located in one corner of Shuiren's supply district.
Objective: Verify the truth of the information.
Warning: This adventure is extremely dangerous.
Warning: The situation in this adventure changes moment by moment.
Remaining time: "Unknown"
This was the message that popped up for Kang Seol, though it might be different for Han So-mi.
"More than that, isn't it kinda... dark here?"
"We don't work nights much... but there are a few lanterns scattered around."
What Kang Seol had realized while staying in Pandea was that the city lights went out far earlier than anything he could've imagined back on Earth.
The natives here still hadn't fully conquered the darkness, and they feared it for religious and shamanistic reasons as well.
So it was normal for everyone to head home once the sun set—though adventurers were the exception.
In any case, the surroundings were pitch black.
"But I'm glad you're here, oppa... This place is so huge, no one would even notice if someone disappeared."
As Han So-mi spoke, she rambled on about how she'd heard stories back on Earth about people going missing in American cornfields, and how they'd never be found.
'She's not wrong.'
There were seven storage buildings in total.
Each one was like a temple in size. With seven of them, people looked like ants.
The former guard and current guide held out his lantern and spoke.
"The stuff in this one and the one across is different. You wanna go all the way inside?"
"I heard this place was originally a salt warehouse."
"Half right. We don't always bring in salt—sometimes it's tobacco leaves."
"Can we open the crates?"
"As long as you're not telling me to open every single one."
Swoosh...
Kang Seol pointed to one crate, and the guide opened it.
Creak...
"...It's salt, alright."
"I told you there's nothing here."
"Let's check all the way to the back."
"Ugh..."
The guide's reluctance was obvious.
He grumbled.
"You're not thinking of peeking into all seven warehouses in the dead of night, are you? I'd really rather pass."
"If we have to, we will."
"...You'll pay for any locks or iron doors we break, right?"
"Of course."
"Tch... I'm not even supposed to be a guide. What is this? They all come swarming in..."
Karen nodded.
"Yeah, this'll take forever like this, won't it?"
"Got any suspicions?"
When Kang Seol asked back, Karen pointed to one spot with her finger.
It was the building housing the office that managed the warehouses.
"Hmm... over there? Feels like someone's been staring the whole time."
The guide's expression flickered subtly at her words, but everyone pretended not to notice.
"What do you think... I could check it out alone?"
"Sis? By yourself? That's too dangerous!"
- The enemies are too dangerous!
- The warehouses are dangerous!
- If sis wanders around alone like that, they'll be the ones in trouble! The enemies will feel sorry for themselves!
Kang Seol sighed after seeing Karen's sly smile.
"You want to scout it out, huh?"
"Kahaha! Busted? Yeah! It's been a while. Taking care of kids is tough..."
Tansia, being a girl, naturally stuck closer to Karen.
She was the only one who could fully look after Tansia anyway.
Dealing with this super energetic kid every day seemed to have worn Karen out. She might even get mad if they tried sending Tansia off with her.
"Fine, go take a look. If anything happens..."
Karen grinned brightly, and Kang Seol smiled back.
"...handle it yourself."
"Yessir! As you command, Chairman!"
Karen bounced off excitedly into the darkness.
Han So-mi grabbed Kang Seol's sleeve and asked.
"Uh, is it really okay to let sis go like that? Isn't it dangerous?"
"It's fine. Might even wrap things up quicker this way."
"Huh?"
Kang Seol turned to the guide.
"Let's go."
"*Sigh*. What kinda hassle is this?"
Han So-mi asked the guide.
"Where are the other guards?"
"Home. They clocked out."
The guide led them to the next building.
Then the one after that.
No suspicious items anywhere.
Han So-mi whispered.
"What if the info's wrong?"
"Not at all. Feels like they're just waiting for the right moment..."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"You'll see."
When they stepped into the innermost warehouse, the guide said.
"Go ahead, tear it apart. Just put everything back the way it was."
He sat on an empty crate near the entrance and lit a cigarette.
Gesturing as if to say take your time while he smoked.
Kang Seol's group began searching the warehouse interior. Each handled their role in their own way.
Jamad just stood there blankly, while Karuna slowly scanned the surroundings right beside Kang Seol.
As Tansia clung to his hand, rubbing her sleepy eyes, the investigation continued.
"...Bloodstains."
Urr pulled out a crate from the back and examined the blood traces closely. The guide seemed oblivious.
"You sure?"
"Yeah. Fresh ones too. How often does blood get spilled in a warehouse...?"
Urr took out a vial he'd brought and released the contents into the air.
Sizzle...
The liquid soon formed an arrow pointing in a direction.
After following it a few times through twists and turns, the arrow pointed to one crate.
"Hmm..."
Creak...
They checked inside the crate.
"...Just salt."
Han So-mi muttered in disappointment, and Urr chuckled.
"Looks that way on the surface."
"Huh?"
"Seems one of the vials burst while moving the crates. The drug soaked into them. Faint traces in a few others too, but definitely liquid."
"So that means..."
"Yeah. Home was moved through here."
Click...
The guide, who had crept up unnoticed, was aiming a gun at Urr.
"What the hell are you doing, you bastards."
"G-Gun! Get down!"
Bang—!
Only Han So-mi ducked behind cover. The rest just stood there blankly.
"...What?"
With the guide's agitated exclamation, Han So-mi quickly grasped the situation.
"Caught it? The bullet?"
Sizzle...
Kang Seol's right hand was pitch black as he snatched the bullet out of the air.
"Is this your true colors?"
"There's more where that came from."
The guide backed away clumsily before turning tail and running.
Soon after, figures holding lanterns appeared here and there in the warehouse.
"Nice to meet ya, friends."
"You idiots really walked right into our lair... What, your heads messed up or something?"
Click...
Click...
Their numbers kept growing.
And growing.
Karuna, gripping Tansia's hand tightly, said.
"It's... probably a trap."
"Feels like it? But maybe not?"
Urr was just as uncertain as Karuna. The reason they couldn't be sure was the enemies' forces.
"Not much of a trap if there's nothing to it."
Boom...
Jamad stepped forward and quietly surveyed them.
"Pulling in troll whelps now, huh. Hey, troll. You understand people? Your master teach you that?"
Jamad ignored the taunts and simply stood there.
The group's formation had Jamad up front, the rest circling around Han So-mi and Tansia.
"...Rough count puts 'em over a hundred."
"A h-hundred..."
Click...
Han So-mi loaded her crossbow and said.
"What do we do? If we're running, now's the time... but with numbers like that... And they're all armed with guns."
"Terminama factory off today?"
"Thinking of taking a half-day."
Click... Click...
Loading sounds echoed around them.
Guns in Pandea were crude, but they still spat bullets. A normal person would die from a hit.
Fortunately, Han So-mi and Kang Seol's group were far from normal—but caution was still needed.
The man who'd led them here, now pressed against the second-floor railing, called out.
"Shoulda listened when I told you to scram..."
"You said everyone clocked out... but there's a lot more than that..."
The man grinned at Han So-mi's words.
"Overtime. On account of you lot."
"Gonna shoot us?"
"Who knows... I ain't the one pulling triggers."
Thud...
Thud...
A bald man appeared at the warehouse door.
His build was enormous.
For a human.
"Mow 'em down."
In an instant, flashes lit up the place amid scattered roars.
Bang bang bang—!
Crunch...
Bang!
Rat-tat-tat...
Crunch crunch...
Bang!
A hail of bullets.
Devastating enough to honeycomb the surroundings.
Pssshhh...
The poorly made guns spewed acrid smoke. Some malfunctioned after just a few shots.
Still, with no faster-killing weapon than guns, the shooters expected them all to be down.
[College Student Who's Dying uses Counter Shot.]
[Fires a piercing arrow dealing 130% of weapon attack power to the position where the target fired their projectile.]
[If Counter Shot misses, reveals vision in a set range around the impact point for a short time.]
Piuuuuung...
Splat...
"Gahhh..."
The guide who'd been sniping from the second-floor railing clutched his chest where a massive bolt had embedded itself and plummeted down.
Boom—!
"......"
"......"
As the smoke cleared, Kang Seol's group came into view.
Whoooosh...
[Karuna of the Flowing Moon maintains his sword's wave.]
[All projectiles below a certain destructive power are blocked.]
A rippling black light enveloped them, permitting no bullets to pass.
"...W-What?!"
"You bastards..."
In that moment, the caught bullets flew back to their owners.
Pew pew pew...
"Arghhh—!"
"Ugh..."
Thud...
Thud...
Bodies writhed on the floor, faces planted.
"...Useless trash."
The bald man and his cronies glanced around and clicked their tongues.
"Trash is trash, huh..."
"Low compatibility ones were never gonna help anyway."
"Good thing we didn't blow ourselves up first."
Click...
Han So-mi, fired up, aimed her Terminama at him.
Swoosh...
But Kang Seol calmly placed a hand on her crossbow, urging restraint.
"Huff... huff... Shouldn't we kill him?"
"You're too worked up. Watch."
The bald man, hearing that, laughed heartily.
"Kekeke... Guy's pretty calm at least. Hey, you the one who set up that special countermeasures whatever?"
"......"
"You his master, this troll?"
It wasn't particularly wrong, but Kang Seol didn't care for the phrasing. He'd spent too much time with Jamad and been through too much together.
"......"
"Hey, troll. Pretty big fella, huh? About my size?"
"About?"
"You talk too? Ah, in this form, maybe not obvious. ...Inject."
At the bald man's order, a massive syringe plunged into his back.
Blue liquid oozed into his body.
Pffft...
"Grrraaaahhh... Kills me, this stuff."
Riiip...
Riiiip...
The man's body gradually swelled larger.
Thud...
Thud...
Not quite Jamad's size, but two or three times a grown man's height.
"...How's that? Bit disappointing, but similar enough?"
"...Seems similar."
"Kek... Now I see we got some things in common. That armor looks pretty slick."
"......"
The armor Jamad wore was a divine relic, exceedingly rare even in Pandea.
Woven from earth dragon scales and blessed by the oldest tree.
It was the pinnacle of beauty.
Muted sheen, dragon motifs and all.
"That's got my interest too. Name's Duret. Love smashing folks with my fists. You?"
Click...
Click...
Duret donned armor too. Far more vicious and cruel-looking than Jamad's.
Jamad glanced at it and muttered.
"Hmm, kinda similar."
"Kekeke... Knew it. We click!"
Thud—!
Thud—!
Duret smashed his armor against Jamad's and grinned.
"Hey... if I kill ya, can I have that armor?"
"......"
"What? Don't tell me you're some sentimental type? Hate small-minded guys... Guess no choice then."
Duret bit something and charged.
"Gonna crush ya."
Hah—!
Whoosh...
Duret thrust his massive body forward.
He was a grappler.
Pulling opponents in was his specialty, but he had striking skills too.
Smaaaack—!
As he swung to smash Jamad's shoulder, Jamad casually caught the fist.
His open palm absorbed Duret's punch.
Hah—!
Smaack—!
Hah—!
Smaaack—!
Duret grimaced.
He'd timed it perfectly to the end, yet it felt like the outcome was predetermined—his fist landing right in the troll's hand.
And above all.
It felt like punching a wall.
Just a palm, yet like striking a sheer cliff barehanded.
That's when he sensed something off.
[Duret uses Ambidexterity.]
[Cannot defend, but base defense increases 20% and attack power by the same amount.]
Hah—!
Smaack—!
Smaaack—!
Memories of first learning martial arts flashed back. And how pathetic he must look now.
"D-Duret sir..."
"Attacks aren't landing at all..."
No way.
His attacks... not landing.
"Don't just dodge—hit him proper! Urhahaha! Or is dodging all you can handle?"
Duret bellowed bravado to mask his fear.
It worked.
"As expected... he's not getting pushed back... right?"
"Duret sir's invincible. That troll's done for eventually..."
Sometimes people face situations where they know better but must charge in like moths to flame.
Honor, authority, face, pride.
Or curiosity.
To fill some void, they rush into the unknown danger.
The more Duret hammered Jamad's body, the deeper he sank into the abyss.
Hah—!
Smaaack—!
Hah—!
Smaaaack—!
It even looked like Jamad was toying with him.
Duret prepared his finisher.
Riiiip...
The invincible technique that had toppled equals and brought him here.
His shoulders bulged.
[Duret uses Pillar Topple.]
[Charges to knock target down.]
[If target falls, deals 200% weapon attack power damage; fallen state increases damage taken by 50%.]
[If strength exceeds target's, collision alone topples them.]
Thud thud thud thud—!
"Urraaaahhh!"
Duret crouched low, targeting Jamad's waist, and lunged.
He was certain Jamad would fall before the move even connected.
His transformed body had overwhelming strength now.
BOOOOM...
Collision!
'F-Fall...'
[Pillar Topple fails.]
[Target's strength is significantly superior.]
[Target does not fall.]
The sensation hit the instant they collided.
Even ramming a giant statue wouldn't feel this hopeless.
Screee...
Screee...
He kept pushing against Jamad, but his feet just sank into the warehouse floor.
After a few steps.
Jamad hadn't budged.
He stood firm.
Duret halted abruptly and slowly tilted his head to look up at Jamad's face.
A crimson glow blazed in Jamad's eyes.
"You and I... are different."
"......"
Sloooowly...
Jamad wrapped both arms around Duret's waist.
Crunch... Riiiip—!
"Graaaaaah!"
Spluuuurt—!
Blood sprayed across the entire warehouse.
An enormous amount.
Duret split in two.
Top from bottom.
Duret's upper body, pale as a ghost, rasped.
"What... what's different...?"
Thud...
Thud...
One of Jamad's feet lifted.
Duret felt terror like being crushed under a mountain.
"Everything."
KABOOOOOM—!