Chapter 154

Chapter 154. Beneath the Surface (1)

In the morning, I restored my condition through sleep.

In the afternoon, I attended the attribute stone auction to secure items.

In the evening, I dined with my party members.

And while we were holding a meeting to prepare for tomorrow’s departure ceremony, an unexpected visitor knocked at the door.

“Here you go.”

It was Ahel. As soon as I opened the door, he thrust a basket into my arms.

Then, as if it were his own home, he casually passed by me and entered inside.

“Oh? Ahel hyung, you’re here?”

“It’s been a while. How have you been?”

The party members, already familiar with him, greeted him without hesitation.

I watched Ahel’s back of the head quietly before lowering my gaze.

Inside the basket he handed me was the mysterious beast I had picked up previously.

‘Has it grown a bit?’

I briefly gauged the size of the white beast curled up in the corner of the basket.

“I’ve looked around here and there…”

As he seated himself naturally on the sofa in the living room, Ahel spoke.

“It seems that creature isn’t from this world.”

I had asked him to investigate the creature, but the results didn’t seem favorable.

“It’s not from this world… you’re saying it came from another world?”

“I think that’s highly possible. Honestly, it’s not impossible, is it?”

After all, I, a human from Earth, am coming and going in Bihar.

‘It wouldn’t be strange for a creature from another world to be in Bihar.’

Based on the information currently available, Bihar was presumed to have been breached by holes from another world.

This creature could be a lifeform that crossed over from some unknown world.

In that case, it’s understandable that neither I, as an Earthling, nor Ahel, as a Biharin, have any clue about its identity.

It explains why the dot on the map appears in a different color.

“For one thing, the fact that it uses mana as fuel to survive doesn’t align with our world’s ecosystem. There are no signs of mental contamination, either.”

Just like players absorbing corrupted mana, there are dark mages in Bihar who absorb mana.

I heard most of them dabble in forbidden magic out of greed for more power.

Of course, the outcome is far from glorious.

‘They lose their reason, get consumed by madness, commit massacres, and eventually become targets for extermination.’

Absorbing mana from other lifeforms is a forbidden act in Bihar.

Players grow through such forbidden actions, but they aren’t completely free from mental contamination.

‘Unlike Biharin, players have ways to handle it.’

However, this creature is free from the correlation of absorption and contamination.

This is why Ahel considered the possibility that it could be a lifeform from an entirely different world.

I mulled over this as I looked down at the back of the unknown beast’s head.

“By the way, it’s been hungry since day before yesterday.”

At that moment, Ahel threw something towards me, saying something out of the blue.

Supporting the basket with one hand, I caught what Ahel threw.

‘A mana accumulation tool.’

So this is why he gave it to me.

“It’s so picky that it only eats your mana, K.”

Meaning he couldn’t feed it any more mana since the stored amount was depleted.

‘It’s my problem, so I should replenish it without any complaints.’

Frowning slightly, I looked down at the beast and took out attribute mana.

Some was put into the mana accumulation tool, and the remainder was sent towards the beast.

The reaction was almost immediate.

“Whimper, whine!”

The beast, which had been curled up motionlessly in the corner of the basket, began to whimper.

Desperately trying to crawl out of the basket, I had to reflexively catch it.

As a result, the basket, which held it, tumbled to the floor.

Suddenly holding both a mana-consuming object and a creature in my hands, I sighed internally.

I kicked the basket aside with my foot and approached the sofa where Ahel was sitting.

Taking a seat meant he had something to discuss.

Sure enough, as soon as I sat down on the sofa, Ahel rummaged through his bag.

‘A letter envelope.’

I placed the beast on my lap and accepted the envelope he handed over.

There were two envelopes in total, each with a different sender.

One was sent by Rashar, and the other was from an unexpectedly surprising sender.

“Hezel Bolvita…”

“There are still many people who think K is at the Bennett residence. Quite a few guests come by. I also needed to return that beast to you, so I brought it.”

“I see. Thank you.”

Even as I responded appropriately, questions arose.

I couldn’t think of a particular reason why Baron Bolvita would contact me separately.

‘I didn’t have any particular relationship with him.’

With a tilted head, I opened the envelope.

After reading through formal greetings, I found what was quite an unexpected sincere note from Baron Bolvita.

He said after seeing me protecting the children, his misunderstandings about outsiders have cleared up a lot.

Apparently, as a result of that incident, the Baron developed a one-sided sense of internal kinship towards me.

I read through the letter with a sense of awkwardness.

In doing so, at the end of the letter, I found news that was bewildering enough to be incomprehensible.

“He suddenly asked if I knew you well and wanted to arrange a meeting with you if so?”

The message was that the apostle of the Karlos Order was seeking me out.

“I’ve already told him that we aren’t close enough to exchange private correspondences, but if the apostle happens to find you, be careful.”

The message ended with advice to be wary.

The situation was incomprehensible.

‘Surely, the Baron is a devotee of Karlos.’

I confirmed this beforehand during a pre-mission investigation for a supply escort mission.

But for a Karlos devotee to advise caution against a Karlos Order apostle?

‘What is going on here?’

After some brief confusion and pondering, I turned to Ahel, sitting across from me.

“Do you know anything about the apostle of the Karlos Order?”

“Which one? The first one, I don’t really know, but the second one is a lunatic.”

The distinction between the first or second signifies the order in which they are chosen by the god.

‘If an earlier apostle dies, they shift up once.’

The letter from Baron Bolvita didn’t specify which apostle to be wary of.

Yet, instinctively, I could tell.

“I think it’s the second one.”

What kind of person would be called a lunatic without hesitation due to their actions?

As soon as the suspicion arose, Ahel provided the explanation.

“There’s one who promised to save believers lamenting their misfortune and completely erased the event of birth.”

That is, he returned believers to a state where they had not yet been born, seeing being born itself as misfortune.

I recollected the moment when I used Karlos’s authority.

‘The object considered misfortune by the user of the authority assumed the form of black smoke.’

Then, if the apostle deemed the act of birth itself unfortunate, it wouldn’t be impossible.

It was a tale enough to make Ahel’s comment that the apostle was a lunatic understandable.

While these questions were being resolved, Ahel leaned back on the sofa and spoke.

“Why don’t you read the other one as well?”

I wondered why he was urging me uncharacteristically, but upon opening Rashar’s letter, the reason became clear.

‘Bring Ahel along from now on.’

With the order website at their disposal, they could have sent a letter directly to avoid my denial.

It wasn’t a pleasant directive, so I didn’t even bother reading the full letter and frowned.

Then I looked at Ahel directly and asked bluntly.

“Did you honestly say yes to this and come?”

“Don’t look at me like that.”

In response, Ahel tapped the collar around his neck.

“You know I don’t have a choice, right?”

While saying this, my knowledge suggested otherwise.

Rashar and Ahel were childhood friends who grew up together.

Due to mage betrayals, Ahel wore a restraining device, which Rashar controlled.

Rashar wouldn’t unilaterally impose her will by ignoring Ahel’s wishes unless there was a specific problem or provocation.

‘Having him around would be too exhausting for me.’

I still couldn’t guess Ahel’s true intentions.

This kind of incomplete data made me feel as if I couldn’t control the situation.

The place I headed to was a battlefield where lives were on the line.

An uncontrollable variable existed within, not outside, and behind me at that?

I had no intention of taking such risks.

Just as I was about to urge Ahel to leave,

“Did Rashar nuna send you?”

Kim Yul, who had sneaked over to watch our conversation, interrupted.

He peeked at the letter in my hand, quickly scanning its content.

Yang Taeho, equally curious, subtly approached to skim the correspondence from behind the sofa.

Ahel clicked his tongue in annoyance but replied.

“Yeah, she sent me because she was worried sick about what if there’s another attack by a general-rank like last time.”

“Does that mean we can travel with your magic from now on?”

Hearing this, my resolve to send Ahel away wavered slightly.

‘Would sending him back upset her again?’

After a week of a not-so-cold war, our relations had finally started to mend.

If I refused her kindness again, would past issues replicate?

In the end, I swallowed my words and alternated my gaze between the letter and Ahel, lost in thought.

‘Excluding my reservations… it does provide strength.’

Despite my efforts, I was still an outsider.

My understanding of magic was merely superficial.

‘Receiving one or two hours of lessons per day has its limitations.’

Conversely, Ahel is a fully-fledged mage with thorough knowledge of elemental hierarchy and interrelations.

Travelling with him, I would surely learn a lot.

I would also be able to utilize space-related magic, previously restricted in usage frequency, more freely.

The risk of not controlling every variable would bring benefits in return.

Once I considered these points and deliberated, my decision was as good as made.

Reading the end of the letter, which I had left unfinished, sealed my choice.

「Since sometimes he can act unpredictably, I’ve arranged for you to transfer the control over the restraining magic tool as well. When you imbue your mana, the control will transfer immediately. Don’t hesitate to use it if Ahel causes trouble. I wish you success and safety. Sincerely, Rashar.」

Finally, I folded the letter and spoke.

“Will you stay here?”

Having had my way the previous time, I intended to honor Rashar’s wishes now.

If I view her as a friend on equal footing, a concession of this scale seemed appropriate.

“I don’t plan on relocating entirely. I need to convey K’s news to Rashar.”

It was peculiar how Ahel, who normally referred to Rashar as Bennett, switched to a more casual address.

The term oddly resonated in my ears, but I chose to ignore it.

“Suit yourself.”

“Okay, I will.”

Ahel replied cheerfully, rapping his restrainer.

‘He wants me to imprint the mana quickly.’

I laid down the beast, which had eaten its fill of attribute mana and fallen asleep, then rose.

I laid my hand on the restrainer and infused it with my mana. Ahel’s gaze slipped sideways.

Following his gaze, I saw Kim Yul frowning.

The moment our eyes met, he flashed a smile as if nothing had happened.

However, I clearly saw his displeasure and discontent.

But I didn’t bother explaining or persuading.

‘I’ve already explained to that guy.’

Recruiting party members lies solely within my authority, and no one can interfere.

I formally announced Ahel’s addition to the party.

Then I informed Ahel about the party’s internal rules and hunting methods, which he should be mindful of.

Once everything settled and I was guiding Ahel through the base, it happened.

「Weapon enhancement is complete.」

As soon as I finished reading the message, I dashed upstairs.

Upon entering a room, I hurried towards where Kerak’s spear was propped and reached my hand out.

‘Now I can see what’s been changed.’

With a mix of excitement and curiosity, I grabbed the weapon only to freeze in place.

– Are you my master?

The spear spoke.

Damned System

TL’s Corner:

An ego spear?