Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: A Day's Deal (5)
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“Huh...? Who are those people over there...?”
“You're right! There are people outside!”
“It's not just one or two! Are they survivors from the smaller base!?”
The area suddenly grew noisy.
Shifting my gaze to the dense trees outside the base, I saw many people shuffling toward us.
The smaller bases can't handle a monster wave with hundreds of creatures.
Most of them have probably already fallen and scattered.
‘Breaking through that many monsters to reach a new base—one strong enough to reliably defend against a monster wave—is next to impossible.’
If they were capable of that, they would have defended their own base from the monster wave in the first place.
And yet, if these people managed to arrive here, there's only one explanation.
“Don't open it.”
“What? They're outside! If more monsters attack, those people will all die!”
[The 'Angel of Benevolence' nods in agreement.]
After staying neutral for so long, it's finally showing its face again.
This was actually a good thing. I was planning to steer the conversation in a way that would squeeze out some donations anyway.
“Those people are already infected with spores. If we let even one of them in and the spores spread, everyone inside the base will be in danger.”
The people turned their gazes back to the figures outside.
Their movements were strange, almost limp, and flowers were blooming on their heads.
‘Hm?’
I thought I saw a familiar face, so I narrowed my eyes to get a better look.
Soon, a silent laugh escaped me.
The ones who had distrusted and criticized me before leaving.
They were mixed in with the crowd, turned into zombies.
“Ah, ahhh...”
“Sa... ve... us...”
Furthermore, they looked like they couldn't even speak properly.
Anyone could see this wasn't normal.
In fact, it matched my description of the pseudo-zombies.
Realizing this, most people swallowed the words urging to open the gate.
Except for one person.
“Yena!”
She leaned out precariously over the wall, as if she might jump at any moment, and shouted someone's name.
From the atmosphere, it was family.
“Th-that's my sister! My sister is out there!”
Just as I thought.
I brushed off the woman who was clutching my collar, desperately seeking help, and spoke firmly.
“I made myself clear.”
No matter how you looked at it, their arrival right after the monster wave was annihilated was strange.
Their movement speed was less than half that of a normal walk.
If they had been moving at that speed, the monsters would have attacked them first, not the base.
And yet there's no sign of them being attacked by monsters?
The reason is simple.
They were recognized as fellow monsters.
But she wasn't in a state to think that rationally.
“That is no longer human.”
“…!”
Realizing I wouldn't help, she bit her lip and threw herself over the wall.
Gasps of shock erupted from the crowd.
But she paid them no mind, running and embracing her sister.
“Yena, Yena...!”
“Ugh, ah... Sis... ter...”
At a glance, it looked like a touching reunion, but the reality was different.
*Poof!*
The moment they embraced, spores burst from the flower on the younger sister and settled all over the older one.
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
There's no helping her now.
She ignored my words and went out, only to end up the same.
But thanks to her, it became easier to deceive the angels.
“It's not that I don't want to help them. But without a proper plan, that's what will happen.”
I gestured toward the woman, who already had a small flower blooming from her head, and the crowd was left speechless.
Taking a direct hit from the spores like that makes it impossible to just pull it out.
While there's the option of burning it off in a pinch, if fire were such an easy solution to everything, I wouldn't have gone through so much trouble.
“I made this decision to protect the greater number of people.”
“But still...!”
“That said, I have no intention of giving up on those people either.”
I cut off Jeong Ha-yeon, who looked like she wanted to say something, and continued.
I know her personality well.
Which is exactly why I couldn't let her finish her sentence.
“So, let's take a different approach.”
It's simple.
The easiest way is to eliminate the source of this phenomenon.
Things won't get any worse, and the power already spread throughout the world will naturally wither away once the main body is gone.
“If we defeat the source, those people will return to normal. Since the monsters don't recognize the infected as targets, the chances of them being in danger are low.”
[The 'Angel of Benevolence' lets out a sigh of relief.]
[You have received 500 coins.]
What happens later has a greater impact than what happened before.
I was taking advantage of the fact that showing a positive element after a negative one makes the positive seem much larger.
Jeong Ha-yeon seemed to understand and said no more.
“Still, seeing it like this, I kind of get it.”
“Get what?”
“How people in zombie movies feel when they can't do anything, even though they know their family has turned into a zombie.”
“Ah...”
Jo Min-ah nodded slightly at Cha Eun-ha's words.
I watched them for a moment before surveying the environment around the forest.
After the flood, there were still puddles of water everywhere.
Normally, too much rain would cause plants to rot.
But now, with so many plants, it was only accelerating their growth; there was no risk of rot.
If I leave it like this, the power of the Disaster of Verdure will only grow stronger.
Should I deal with this before the others get back?
“I'll be gone for a bit.”
“Where are you going?”
“To meet a water spirit.”
“A-a spirit?”
Leaving a wide-eyed Cha Eun-ha behind, I climbed down the wall.
Her interest piqued by the spirit, Cha Eun-ha tried to follow me, but Jeon Do-jin grabbed her arm, stopping her. She flailed her arms and legs in protest.
“Ah, why! I want to see a spirit too! A spirit!”
“Eun-ha. He's trusting us and leaving his post. We shouldn't follow him.”
“But Master is here!”
“Excellent. It's been a while, so I'll teach you a few techniques. Watch and learn well.”
“Ugh...!”
So Jeon Do-jin isn't always the one losing.
It seems she listens to him to some extent since he's her master.
‘I left one Dark Soldier behind, so there's not much to worry about.’
It's just insurance.
With Jeon Do-jin around, there's little cause for concern, but it's insurance for the unexpected.
I smiled faintly and picked up my pace.
Inside the base, there was a small sinkhole created by the flood.
Given the nature of sinkholes, it was difficult to gauge its exact depth.
If my memory serves me right, it should be about twice as deep as the hole I fell into when I saved Jo Min-ah from the Death Worm.
‘And also the place where the water spirit resides.’
I peered into the pit for a moment, then, having made up my mind, jumped into the sinkhole.
*Whoosh!*
A cold wind whipped fiercely against my entire body.
As if refusing to grant me entry.
I could already feel 'her' displeasure.
*Shhh.*
Just before I hit the bottom, two Dark Soldiers materialized and caught me safely.
“Thanks.”
They bowed slightly before disappearing back into the darkness.
After reinforcing my stats with the large number of coins I got after the Ruler incident, summoning three soldiers was no problem at all.
I didn't expect to fight the spirit, but there was no telling how it might have changed.
I couldn't let my guard down for a second.
*Splash.*
I walked along the deep underground cave.
Although it should have been pitch black with nothing visible, the area was brightly lit by shimmering things flitting about busily.
Just as I felt the water level rising around my feet.
“Go back.”
A figure appeared, speaking firmly in a clear, beautiful voice.
A large, clear pond existed here, deep underground.
I slowly observed her, floating above the pond.
Her blue hair cascaded down like a waterfall, captivating to behold.
A being in human form, but not human.
It was the water spirit.
“Not even going to ask why I'm here?”
“Because I can guess.”
She was so beautiful that even her frown seemed lovely.
The higher the rank of a spirit, the more human-like and beautiful they are.
As I recalled, she was of the highest class.
Her position was just below that of a Spirit King.
‘That's why I have to negotiate.’
One must negotiate with the water spirit.
Not ask for help.
Spirits aren't particularly friendly toward humans.
Threatening her wasn't impossible, but that would be like living for today with no regard for tomorrow.
The day you incur a spirit's wrath is the day the world ends, disaster or not.
“Then I'll get straight to the point. I need you to lend me your power, just once.”
“I'll give you the expected answer. No.”
The water spirit refused flatly, then continued, seemingly angry.
“Why should I help? From nature's perspective, both they and humans are living creatures. In fact, a lush forest provides a home for a variety of life. Wouldn't that be better in many ways? This is why I'm here. Humans are selfish. I came to this place, beyond human reach, precisely to avoid people like you coming to ask for favors, yet how did you even find me... *Sigh*.”
She spoke in a rapid-fire burst, as if she had a lot pent up, then caught her breath.
I let out a small laugh and said bluntly.
“You're a good liar.”
“What did you say?”
“If you knew the disaster was contaminating all the surrounding land, you wouldn't be saying that. You know, don't you?”
“Th-that's. I don't know!”
“No, you have to know.”
It's true that one shouldn't be hostile to a spirit.
But you can't be submissive either.
We are, in every way, equals.
I have to make it clear that this is a deal, not one side unilaterally helping the other.
This was the build-up for that.
“I can tell just by the fact that you're here. You said you're here because you hate humans, but that's an excuse. Most of the water in this area has been contaminated, so you took refuge here.”
“...Still, I judged it would be for the greater good if I made a small sacrifice. For us who live for eons, this amount of time is but a fleeting moment.”
“The pros outweigh the cons?”
The water spirit slowly nodded.
What a nature-loving friend.
I'd heard the water spirit's eco-friendly philosophy to the point of being sick of it.
I gave a ridiculous laugh and continued.
“So you don't see the other spirits around you growing anxious?”
“...”
The lights floating around were all spirits.
Low-level spirits that couldn't even maintain a proper form.
I could see them moving about restlessly, things that should have been drifting leisurely through nature. Had she really not noticed?
“Besides, you seem to be mistaken about something. Their goal isn't simply the destruction of humanity. This isn't some natural ecological principle where a new predator appears to devour its prey, a simple survival of the fittest.”
“Then...?”
“It's the complete annihilation of this planet. A literal end, where nothing survives.”
A heavy silence fell.
I surreptitiously slipped my left hand into my pocket, preparing to take out an item.
If I push just a little more, I can finally enter the negotiation phase.
Just as I was about to open my mouth to do so, an unexpected answer came back.
“...I believe you.”
“You believe me?”
I stared straight at the water spirit, who wore a detached expression.
Spirits do not lie.
If she said she believed me, then she really did.
“That's unexpected. I thought you'd ask for proof.”
“I can tell by looking at your eyes. What you say is the truth.”
“Good. That makes things quicker.”
“However, I can't just help you. We also...!”
“I know.”
I pulled my hand from my pocket and threw an item toward the water spirit.
“This is...!?”