Chapter 80: "Is This For Real?"
"Don't make such a fuss. Even if it exists, engraving it is a pain in the ass, and the activation conditions won't be simple either."
Vulcan was thrilled at the fact that he could extract an instant death option, but Tud quickly tamped down his excitement.
Realistically, there was no way to easily engrave or trigger an instant death effect, right? The materials would probably be a nightmare to gather, the skill rank needed for engraving would be sky-high, and the activation probability would be abysmal. Even at best, it wouldn't exceed a 0.1% trigger rate—it'd only be useful in cases where you got ridiculously lucky.
Of course, to players, a 0.1% chance felt like a steal, worthy of being called a god-roll, but that was just the vibe of it popping off relative to the odds. The actual difficulty wasn't low.
"Heh heh heh. Still, having it is better than nothing. I'll find a use for it someday."
Vulcan knew all that, but good was good. Someday he'd engrave it and reap the rewards. It was only natural that the mere possibility had him grinning ear to ear.
If I slap an instant death effect on a weapon, it'll sell for a fortune, right?
Above all, in the auction house where even a single line of options or a difference of 1 in stats sparked fierce bidding wars, attaching an instant death option to a decent weapon was a surefire way to rake in top gold.
But Vulcan didn't extract it right away. It was tempting to pull it out and stash it, but doing so would destroy the equipment. He'd gotten a higher-spec weapon overall, but given the option's nature, the Despair Serpent—no, the Death Serpent—still had plenty of use left. Vulcan decided to keep wielding it for now and scanned the surroundings again.
With the death mana stones that had served as life vessels all shattered into true bone dust, he confirmed the Death Inquisitor's annihilation and began investigating what the bastard had been up to here.
"There should be some clues left behind..."
The guy hadn't been working alone, so finding evidence could lead to another main scenario quest or accelerate progress. Plus, since he'd obliterated every last death mana stone, he needed something to toss to Count Raseu waiting outside.
"Hm? A secret storeroom?"
As Vulcan rummaged around for extra loot and hints, something caught his eye. He hadn't paid it much mind since the boss monster, the Death Inquisitor, had been here, and it was stuck to the wall like just another material item. But it was a button to open a hidden passage.
Rumble rumble rumble—
After scooping up everything in sight, he pressed it. The wall vibrated and rotated, revealing a concealed door and opening the secret storeroom.
"What treasures are... ugh?!"
But the moment he flung it open, Vulcan couldn't help grimacing.
It wasn't a treasure vault.
From the guy's perspective, it might've felt similar, but to normal folks, it was hell on earth.
"Kill... me..."
It was packed with test subjects. Not just monsters like goblins, but humans too, crammed in tight.
"You crazy son of a bitch..."
Melted faces, skin sloughing off in chunks, pus oozing from wounds so bad you couldn't even tell their race. It was a horrific scene that made even gamers blurt out, this is too much, even for a game.
They were walking bundles of untreatable disease, begging for death amid unimaginable agony. Rather than revulsion, Vulcan felt pity and rage surging up.
Take a good look. This is what you'll see everywhere once the Demon World's denizens are unleashed into the world.
But even that was just a preview of the daily sights once the Demon World Gate opened and the Demon King descended, according to Tud. Vulcan bit his lip hard at the words, then strode inside without flinching at the grotesque sights or stench.
He granted peace to the writhing sufferers.
"Oh? This is..."
And amid it all, he picked up a few items. First, the research journal. It held clues to whatever the Death Inquisitor had been experimenting on with these subjects.
It wasn't just the plague—he'd been researching and planning to spread all sorts of diseases, with processes and results detailed for many.
"Fire and water, huh?"
What caught Vulcan's eye were the fire- and water-related diseases. One weakened internal organs and made the body hypersensitive to fire, causing damage just from proximity. Another caused blisters and rotting skin on contact with water.
A normal person might shrug it off, but given the gravity, Vulcan saw it differently.
Where could this be useful? If I were the enemy, where would I spread it?
Several spots sprang to mind immediately. These seemed like completed diseases, possibly already disseminated elsewhere, so he scrutinized them closely. Finishing his read-through triggered a new alert.
Legendary Alchemy has activated.
Antidote recipes for these diseases have been registered.
"What?"
He'd only read the journal, yet the antidote recipes popped into his head. Only possible thanks to his Legendary Alchemy.
"Was he an alchemist on top of being a curse shaman?"
That meant the disease research fell under alchemy. The Death Inquisitor must've held both curse shaman and alchemist classes.
Vulcan did too, after all. Under certain conditions, players could multiclass, so NPCs weren't exempt.
"This'll come in handy."
Either way, it was welcome news. No need to alert Count Raseu right away, but if he hit a region plagued by these someday, he'd clean up big time.
"But why's this here?"
The journal didn't vanish, so he pocketed it for reporting. Next, he checked the other item—and his expression darkened.
It was none other than a mark of another noble.
"Inos Count is a big shot... don't tell me he's already in bed with them?"
Precisely, a banner stamped with a noble's seal. Especially for count-level or higher nobles, these seals were magical items that triggered special effects just by imprinting. Each had a unique signature, like a fingerprint—impossible to forge perfectly. You could mimic the banner's design, but not the seal itself.
Who knows. But nothing's absolute. Greedy humans linking up with demons isn't new. And perfectly copying a seal isn't entirely impossible. Someone like me could turn the impossible possible. Whether it's worth it is another story.
Tud allowed it wasn't utterly impossible, but only a craftsman of his caliber could dream of it—and even then, it wasn't easy. Practically impossible for anyone else.
Yet here it was, hanging plain as day on the wall? Plenty suspicious.
They might've stolen or smuggled it to exploit its effects, but if Inos Count was truly with them, that was major trouble.
He'd deny it, but it needs investigating. Lucky it's Radin Temple.
Maybe one of the test subjects linked to Inos Count? That'd be preferable. Otherwise, suspecting him—a heavyweight noble like Count Raseu—meant pulling strings at Radin Temple.
They weren't in the same faction, so it could spark faction wars. But with a grand temple like Radin stepping in, wielding divine authority or their sensitivity to demonic energy, it could shift dynamics.
"Guess that's it for here."
Head spinning, Vulcan decided to wrap up. Outside was probably chaos by now; time to hand off the baton.
He grabbed everything worthwhile and exited the burrow.
"Search it thoroughly."
Vulcan gave a brief rundown and laid out evidence. Count Raseu and Bishop Shairun, faces grim, dispatched more personnel.
The knights, soldiers, and priests who'd entered with him had fled like rabbits, but Vulcan wasn't the only one who could go in.
Level 200s might struggle, but level 300+ elites wielded mana and holy power like extensions of themselves. No special skills needed—they could infuse weapons for max damage anytime or cloak their bodies for protection, like armor.
It guzzled resources, so not sustainable, but with enough mana or holy power, they could tank germs, fire, even lava.
Tanking actual lava takes dragon-level power, though.
Some of the waiting high-levels could scout safely. They dove in and returned with the same findings as Vulcan.
This simplifies things.
Confirmed: plague research and production site, presumed lich corpse. Plus monster and missing territory folk bodies.
Raseu was a massive, prosperous hub with heavy traffic; some "left town" cases turned up as corpses here. Identities hard from mutilation, but Count Raseu ordered urgent traces on backgrounds and paths—tracking capture routes and fiend movements.
Solid procedure; no need for Vulcan's input.
Wondering about that, though...
While investigations ran, Count Raseu and Bishop Shairun huddled in serious talk. Vulcan couldn't join but guessed: the banner.
Couldn't grill Inos Count on theft alone, but wielded right, it was potent political leverage, facts be damned.
Vulcan had zero interest in politics, but tied to main scenario quests beyond power plays, worth watching.
Lingering nearby, ears open, he caught snippets.
Holding it like a joker, huh.
Radin Temple was touchy, so no immediate play—temple conclave soon, seemed related. Bury it for now; if Inos or others implicated, Radin backs their faction.
Meant players in noble factions might tank hard on main quests ahead.
Time to prep and bounce from here.
Vulcan shone brightest this op, but it ballooned too big—no more for him. Hunting the Death Inquisitor filled his level gap to 149.
Early—way early—but graduation time.
"Come with me a moment."
Hours into cleanup chaos, as Vulcan returned to town prepping for the next city, someone approached secretly, whisking him away unnoticed.