Chapter 96

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Translator: Ace

Chapter: 96

Chapter Title: Neutral Zone

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"Hah...!!"

After helping Miki back to her feet.

She'd ultimately decided to ditch the hazmat suit, furrowing her delicate brow at the sweat-soaked underlayer clinging to her skin.

"Ugh, this feels so gross."

She was itching to rush into the neutral zone and wash up as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, a short distance away, two men were huddled over a map, deep in discussion.

"If I'm right, it's about thirty degrees east from here. The neutral zone shouldn't be far now."

"Think there might be more scavengers?"

"Probably. If that guy was telling the truth, they might've spread out even wider to gather more sacrifices."

"But is that even worth it? Excluding types like us, most folks would just hire lantern bearers."

"Under normal circumstances, yeah."

But not everyone had the luxury of hiring a lantern bearer.

And not all lantern bearers got certification from a broker agency.

"Uncertified ones are cheaper, after all."

Still, pinching pennies at a time like this could easily get you killed screaming.

"Either way, we need to hurry."

Kyle glanced back toward the clearing they'd passed through.

"The other scavengers might notice something off."

"They swap reports between sectors regularly. We'll be found out soon enough."

Which meant they had to reach the neutral zone before reinforcements arrived.

"The real issue is slipping into Zone 20 without raising a fuss."

The Zone 20 guards were notoriously strict with anyone who looked like an illegal infiltrator.

Having a broker was a free pass, but Scott had been dead for ages.

Get held up on some bullshit technicality, and if word got back about the scavengers getting hit, it'd draw suspicion from the guards. That'd be a headache in its own right.

'What kind of city guard rolls with the scavengers?'

This place was a total dumpster fire... no, a dumpster city.

"Don't worry about that."

He turned at the voice and saw Miki standing there in short shorts and a sleeveless tee.

The two men blinked in disbelief at her outfit.

"...What the hell's with the extreme getup?"

"No kidding."

One minute she was bundled up in thick hazmat gear whining about how scary it was, now this? Way too exposed.

Miki scowled.

"Ugh, what now? You told me to ditch the suit, so I did."

Walter looked utterly exasperated.

"No, it's just... Sigh. Whatever. What am I gonna say?"

"Tch."

She jutted her lip out but seemed to realize it herself, pulling on a long-sleeved outer layer.

"So what'd you mean by that? 'Don't worry'?"

"Oh, that."

Miki trotted over to Kyle's question, squatting beside them.

"George punched through a route here as a backup plan."

She pointed to the side of Zone 20 on the map.

"I know one of the guards there, so we can slip in quick using this."

"Whoa, you're finally useful?"

"Old man, keep it up and I might snatch those night-vision goggles back."

"That'd be a problem."

Night-vision goggles: defend at all costs.

Walter gripped the strap like he'd never let go, even in death.

"Sigh, if you just kept quiet."

Miki shook her head, standing up.

"Anyway, when do we head out?"

Kyle asked.

"You changed clothes?"

"Yup."

"Then now."

"Got it."

She grabbed her sports bag, glanced at the discarded hazmat suit on the ground, then picked up just the helmet and returned.

"...Why'd you grab that?"

Miki cleared her throat awkwardly at his gaze.

"There's... a reason. We need at least this helmet for that route."

"...?"

What the hell did that mean?

Kyle shrugged it off and they set out again, Walter in the lead, moving swiftly through the darkness.

How long had they walked?

His [Hyper Sense] prickled once more, and Kyle swiftly summoned his dragon aura.

"Hold up...!"

"Eek!!"

"Kyaa!?"

He scooped them up under his arms like sacks and dove into nearby bushes in the blink of an eye.

"Wh-what...?"

"Shh."

He hushed Miki, who ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had flipped up her night-vision goggles in surprise, and silently pointed behind them.

To their shock, blue lights began emerging one by one from beyond the hill where nothing had been visible moments before.

Walter muttered at the sight.

"Scavengers...!"

Miki's eyes went wide.

"H-how'd you sense them early?"

"Instinct."

"Instinct...?"

"Quiet."

As the lights drew closer, snippets of the scavengers' voices carried over.

"Damn, thought we were knocking off early today."

"What's up with those Skull bastards?"

"Dunno. Heard comms with them cut out completely a bit ago."

"Comms totally dead? We good handling this with just us?"

"Patrols near there are linking up, at least."

"Fuck, this reeks of a wipeout."

"Fucking scary shit."

"Hey! Less yapping, more moving!"

"Yes, sir!!"

Massive walking ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mechs passed by, and Walter murmured.

"This might actually work in our favor. Their attention's pulled that way."

It was a serious force. Enough to slash the odds of running into more scavengers on the way to the neutral zone.

Once they'd vanished down the path, Kyle said,

"Let's move while the gap's open."

"Yeah."

"O-okay!"

The group burst from the bushes and hurried on without pause.

The trees started thinning out.

Over the hill and through the dense woods, a vast plain finally opened up.

And at its far edge, countless lights twinkled faintly.

Kyle narrowed his eyes unconsciously.

"No way that's..."

"Yep. It is."

Walter pointed to the nightscape, barely visible in the thick darkness.

"That's the neutral zone of the lower levels... Zone 20."

'Guess we really made it if this popped up.'

The quest was literally called "Heading to the Neutral Zone," so no doubt about it.

"Fi-finally...!"

Miki stared at the lights, face full of awe.

"Let's go...! I wanna ditch this heavy ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠night-vision crap and rest...!"

"Yeah, yeah."

Kyle exchanged a look with Walter and followed him down the slope at speed.

'Anyway...'

Kyle eyed the extra reinforcement skill points message with a hum.

'Gives me some breathing room on skill points now.'

Come to think of it, he'd unlocked a few trees but hadn't checked them out yet.

'Yeah, when I got [Penetration Shock] before, it opened a new lightning spell.'

But he'd been in the thick of a mission and skipped it.

As if on cue, the lightning magic tree unfolded before him.

'Lemme see.'

Kyle skimmed it, murmuring inwardly.

'Buff nullification, huh... Not bad.'

And the close-range EM strike felt like it'd synergize great with [Internal Force Fist Punch].

'Okay, holding this one.'

He pulled up the other trees next.

'Pretty sure [Ancient Ice Dragon's Arcane Magic] unlocked something new too.'

The one after [Ice Dragon's Wrath].

'This it?'

'Oh.'

One of the rare AoE skills. Kyle blinked.

But something odd in the description.

'Not mana-based... Power ramps with more heat absorbed.'

Seemed specialized against fire magic or heat users.

'But wait.'

Kyle tilted his head.

'Does 'ambient heat' include body heat?'

If so, he could amp it by sacrificing his own temp.

'If it works, this'd be pretty damn useful.'

As an immortal, he could infinitely regen any lost body heat anyway.

'Oh yeah, haven't picked fire magic yet either.'

Got killed by Leverk wizards' fire spells entering the tower airspace.

'Totally spaced on it since.'

The fire magic tree opened, reprinting the pending message.

Two options available.

One was the starter [Spear of Fire].

The other: [Ember Brand], next after [Flame Shield].

'No brainer here.'

Hurling three measly fire spears now? Pointless.

'Unless it charged up or something.'

Basic starter skill: boring as hell.

[Ember Brand] enabled fire synergy, making [Spear of Fire] viable later.

'Might need it to unlock higher ones anyway...'

Even so, [Ember Brand] felt like the better buildup pick now.

Kyle selected it without hesitation.

'Leftover points...'

He browsed lightning, ice, ancient wind, light magic, stroking his chin.

'Down here in the lowers, light attribute attacks seem versatile.'

The light magic tree appeared.

'Demons are pretty darkness-tied, right?'

"Hmm..."

As Kyle pondered dumping points into light magic,

Miki spoke up.

"Okay, I'll take point from here!"

He looked up. Zone 20 loomed close, revealing its grandeur.

Kyle couldn't help but be impressed.

"Whoa..."

He'd figured the neutral zone was just some city hidden in the dark.

But reality was wildly different.

A natural fortress city built along sheer cliffs.

Towering walls ringed it layer by layer, blending with sleek modern buildings for an eerie vibe.

Zone 20's brilliant lights pushed back the lower levels' gloom, backed by the mountains.

A quick glance up showed domed, antique structures stepping down the carved peaks.

No clue why they'd built it that way.

But it felt worlds apart from ground-level concrete sprawl.

Walter, eyeing the same view, pointed.

"Those domes house the zone chief and big shots. Screams 'we're better than you,' right?"

"Sure does."

But looks were all that differed from the surface.

The wealth gap screamed "8th Special District through ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and through," Kyle thought.

"This way! Over here!"

Following Miki, Walter frowned.

"What is this? An aqueduct?"

Sure enough, a deep channel stretched out from the wall.

She climbed a ladder, hopped down, and nodded.

"Yep, this is it."

"For real?"

"Totally. Oh, and."

She approached the group jumping down after her, snatching the hazmat helmet from Walter's belt.

"Need this. For real."

"...?"

Kyle's brow furrowed.

"Why the hell do we need that helmet?"

"Well..."

Finally, clutching it, Miki scratched her head sheepishly.

"...They won't recognize me without it."

"..."

"..."

Brief silence.

"You don't mean..."

Walter gaped in disbelief.

"Even at the checkpoint, you wore that stupid hazmat getup?"

"..."

Her silence said it all.

"Jesus."

How paranoid was she?

Miki's face flushed red without a word.

Meanwhile, in Zone 20's lower Brahman Sector.

A demon knight called "the Artist" looked up from sipping wine in a lavish domed hotel penthouse.

"Come in."

His cautious attendant entered.

"Knight."

"What is it?"

"Message from the Knight Commander."

Not a phone, but a gold-ornamented basin.

Inside writhed something like inky darkness, not water.

"Commander?"

"Yes."

"Hmm."

New developments in the bloodkin deal?

The Artist plunged his hand into the darkness, closing his eyes in focus.

Crunch! It latched onto his veins.

Data he'd missed flooded his mind: Demon Knight Wilhelm Ripenshtein's memories.

The battle he fought.

The face and style of his killer.

And the commander's attached message.

"...!"

A shiver ran through him. He snapped his eyes wide, then smirked.

"I see. So Sir Wilhelm met his end like that."

He chuckled softly, licking his lips unconsciously.

The human who'd killed Wilhelm flashed in his mind again.

"Intriguing. Very intriguing."

The kill method was obvious: severing darkness links, per the commander. Probably some magic artifact.

Not that exciting.

What piqued his interest was the rest.

"Looks human, yet Sir Wilhelm's 'Law' failed...?"

Thrilling material.

"What are you, really...?"

The data showed rare multi-element affinity and bizarre swordplay.

"Been in a slump lately."

He chuckled low.

"This one might just spark new inspiration for my art."

To the attendant:

"Relay this: Once the bloodkin deal wraps, I'll handle the mission."

"Commander warns caution. The target has means to sever Demon King's darkness links, regardless of..."

"Pfft. Worry about that if my 'Law' fails."

Pointless concern.

"Sir Wilhelm's 'Law' only triggers on humans."

So it missed on this guy, whatever he was.

But his was different.

- Those who tread the Artist's icy stage five times or more have all mana temporarily sealed.

Spells, superpowers, sword aura, artifacts.

Sealed everything mana-based, powerful as hell.

"You didn't forget my 'Law' applies fairly to human or otherwise, right?"

Even Wilhelm's killer.

"Mana sealed? Just a mortal then..."

The Artist's eyes curved like a snake's.

"On my stage, reduced to a worthless extra."