Descent into the Monster Hive
Whoosh—! Hanbit's body was sucked downward. It wasn't some underground passage. It was a circle emitting a blue glow. A portal connecting spaces.
His vision rippled with a buoyant sensation wrapping around him like floating. When it settled back to normal, Hanbit stood at the bottom of a massive vertical cave.
-Whoa.
-Holy shit, it's huge.
-What the hell is this place?
-Looks kinda like the nest?
-Aren't those test tubes?
-??
The structure captured by the camera was utterly bizarre. It resembled the snow mountain nest where they'd caught the spider, but scaled up several times. Flat ledges protruding from the cave walls divided the vertical shaft into dozens of layers.
Gurgle—
Cylindrical test tubes jutted out into the airspace above those layers. Spotting the bubbling dark red liquid inside, Hanbit turned his gaze aside. And there, huddled in a corner, he found a man.
"Knew you'd be here."
"Eek!"
As he sneaked closer, the man startled violently and pointed his sword. It was Ifrit's guild master, Jinook.
-Huh?
-Knew you'd be here.
-Came to rescue you!
-Nah, I got captured too.
"Y-you...!"
Spotting the adventurer Black Dragon, he looked like he'd seen a ghost.
"What, so surprised?"
"Keep your voice down!"
Jinook urgently grabbed Hanbit's arm and yanked him along. That's when a voice echoed from the passage leading to the center.
"Do we really need to drag this out? We could just proceed."
"To prevent rampage, we need an extremely delicate stabilization period. Doesn't the thought of those kids waking up make your heart race?"
The ones who appeared were a man in a white uniform and a woman in a lab coat. The three cross emblems pinned to their shoulders marked them as High-ranking Believers of the Holy Nation.
-Isn't that Holy Nation gear?
-You guys again?
-Their activity level is insane.
-Kinda hot...
-Getting experimented on might not be so bad?
Hanbit knew those two well. Not just from this incident, but from direct dealings in the Holy Nation itself. Especially the glasses-wearing woman—she was a Holy Nation scientist. A highly dangerous figure in every way, from her tendencies to her abilities.
"I heard some adventurer called Black Dragon was hanging around Ifrit. Was it that guy who ended the second wave so quickly with some enhancer?"
"Identity doesn't matter. That peculiar power the adventurer used! Would you believe it if I said I saw the shadow of a spirit? Even a trace amount of enhancer, and he blocked nearly all of them single-handedly!"
"Sounds like you're saying the guy's a spiritist or something. Spare me the useless delusions. I don't want my mind tainted."
"I get it since you didn't see it, but I was deeply impressed! It'll make our experiments even more beautiful and profound!"
The scientist who'd observed the wave was stunned by Black Dragon's power. A mysterious force, neither magic nor magic tool, had frozen the entire battlefield in ice.
The believer sighed at the ecstatic scientist's face.
"Don't even think of taking a liking to him. That guy's the adventurer who took down Bares. He's bound to harbor deep hostility toward the Holy Nation."
The two didn't know the full details of what happened in Edlen. Their superiors belonged to different bishop factions that kept each other in check—no way they'd share all intel.
Of course, to that scientist, politics and factional strife were less meaningful than street pebbles.
"If he holds hostility, he'll fight in earnest, right? Will he use that power again?"
"There was info he took down an underling of the Fourth Bishop's faction. What if he crushes Ifrit?"
"That's part of the experiment's charm, but our kids aren't pushovers either. Look! At this magnificent sight!"
The scientist gazed upward with a blissful expression. Dozens of layers, including the floor, were lined with countless iron cages. Covered in black cloth, but gaps at the bottom revealed numerous legs.
Crack—
Grrr—!
Trapped inside were monsters. From wild boars and hop goblins to golems, hell hounds—dozens of varieties in staggering numbers.
-Eww.
-Way too many.
-Preemptive strike win?
-Messing with this wrong could end us.
Grip—
Jinook tightened his grip on his sword. Whatever the goal, this was no normal situation. Holy Nation believers in the republic was proof enough.
"...You've increased their numbers a lot. Is that all?"
"Of course not. The special ones are finishing prep somewhere. Now that they're all out of my hands, my heart's pounding even more."
The scientist's face brimmed with genuine affection. Jinook, meanwhile, was on the verge of exploding.
Hanbit whispered to him.
"Kill 'em both?"
"What?"
-Whoa.
-Check out that ice-cold vibe.
-Killing them won't screw us?
Jinook looked baffled at the sudden question. Then he shook his head.
"We can't kill them now."
"Figured you'd say let's take 'em out right away."
"Holy Nation crazies are all nuts. Touch 'em wrong, and the fallout's huge. We gotta assess first."
Jinook explained flatly, face twisted. His mental fortitude and judgment had skyrocketed since the first wave. Impressive growth, but his unease was obvious—his eyes and voice trembled faintly.
"Anyway, big expectations on your shoulders. The bishop's hoping for the Holy Nation's new weapon. If we harness that potential, conquering the continent isn't impossible, right?"
"Not really interested, but our kids' potential is limitless! I can't even guess how strong they'll get! Wanna see?"
The scientist gestured excitedly toward the rattling cages. But the believer scowled and backed away.
"No thanks. What good's seeing filthy monsters?"
"Filthy...? That's too harsh! What if the kids hear you!"
"Planning to make monsters that understand speech? You'd make a great clown."
"Oh, monsters that understand speech? That sounds fun too!"
"......"
-Madness.
-Eyes so clear though.
-Nothing fazes her. lol
The male believer was speechless at the scientist unmoved by sarcasm. Shaking his head, he turned toward the passage.
"I'm heading out."
"Already? I have so much more to explain!"
"No point yapping to yourself. I'll check the black market, so make sure you return once the plan's done. Run off again, and you'll get suspended for sure."
With that warning, the believer vanished down the path.
"So fun..."
Left alone, the scientist muttered wistfully. But soon her face lit up happily as she approached the cages.
"Black Dragon."
With the conversation over, Jinook quietly called his name. His expression was more serious than usual.
"You know something, don't you?"
"Me?"
"You're not panicking or surprised. You caught the Holy Nation mole in Edlen too."
Jinook's tone wasn't accusatory. More like pleading for help. Born of the helplessness from the first wave.
"What I know is they're prepping for war. And running all sorts of monster experiments."
"Experiments with monsters? Related to that dark red liquid?"
Jinook's eyes flicked to the cylindrical test tubes. The bubbling liquid inside was slowly decreasing, being injected into the cages.
"That's an enhancer. Holy Nation brew spreading through Raven Kingdom's black market."
"...Making monsters go berserk to invade us?"
"Raven first, ultimate goal the whole world. Not impossible for the Holy Nation, right?"
"......"
-Proxy war vibes.
-Asymmetric warfare whoa.
-Conquering with monsters? OP.
-If we can't win, join 'em.
-I'm a Holy Nation believer starting today.
-Your face looks like Bares.
-Fuck off.
Viewers reacted wildly to the revelation. The Holy Nation's myriad experiments—monster enhancers were just one. Accelerated explosively thanks to that scientist's talents.
"What if your sister hears?"
"Huh?"
"You'll report to Mayor Firnen, right? Think she'll abandon the glass walls?"
"That's..."
Jinook trailed off, lost in thought. Then he shook his head.
"Sis can't give up the art and tourism draw. That's what secures our family's position economically."
"Not in a great spot in the Artua family?"
"Our dad was the black sheep. Probably still out adventuring somewhere. You can imagine the family fallout."
A peculiar man born to the prestigious Artua house. He had Firnen via political marriage, fell for a rural woman and had Jinook, then ditched for adventuring.
"So reporting changes nothing? No calling reinforcements from other cities?"
"Tough too. Rumors of Ifrit in danger, and no one visits. We handle it with our own strength."
-?
-What're we supposed to do?
-Obvious answer.
-Slipped Black Dragon in there, huh?
-'Do it'
-Where's the punk who trashed the place first?
-Got schooled by trolls lol.
Recalling their first meeting, helping Jinook felt odd. But Hanbit welcomed his growth. Especially rapid this time.
"Then we need to throw in a wildcard."
"Wildcard?"
Jinook blinked at the abrupt suggestion. Hanbit stood, pointing at the lab coat woman's back.
Then he pulled rope from his inventory.
"Let's nab her."