Chapter 67

Chapter 67

51: Black Street Standing at the head of the investigation team, Aira, who was walking down the road, raised her hand and quickly muttered, “Wait.” At her words, all the members of the investigation team stopped walking. Lakas, who was in charge of leading the group, approached Aira and asked her, “What’s wrong?” “It’s a trap.” Simply answering, Aira stretched out her foot and stepped on the middle of the pile of fallen leaves.

-Thump.

Suddenly, the ground collapsed, revealing a deeply dug pit. At the bottom of the pit, sharpened wooden stakes were planted. “…Hmm.” Lakas narrowed his eyes and observed the pointed part of the wooden stakes. Judging by the smooth cross-section of the wooden spears, it was clear that they were carved with a dagger, not a stone. Seeing this, Lakas sighed softly. There is only one race that does this kind of thing. “…Another Goblin Chief, huh?” Unless it was a Chief leading the goblins, they wouldn’t make such a trap. The Meshin Great Forest was dangerous not only because it was a monster’s den. The goblins and wolves that lived at the entrance of the Great Forest also lived throughout the Meshin Great Forest, as proud members of the Great Forest, and when they formed groups, they sometimes even hunted monsters. Moreover, such traps are effective not only for monsters and wild beasts but also for humans. A keen-eyed adventurer wouldn’t fall for something like this, but if inexperienced people or occasionally careless villagers stepped on the trap, it could be quite dangerous. “Judging by the traps nearby, there must be a habitat. From now on, we will walk with more concentration.” Lakas declared, then looked at Emily. The girl, who had her red hair tied up and was holding her sword with a serious expression, showed a level of skill in this investigation team that was hard to believe for a simple guild employee. Lakas, who had sparred with her several times, knew her skills, but this journey allowed him to be certain. Lakas looked at Emily, who was taking out her shield, and thought. ‘When I get back, I should suggest it to the Master.’ Although being a woman was a disadvantage, her skills were good enough to be a Guard. Excellent swordsmanship is not a prerequisite for being a guard, but it is true that the better the swordsmanship, the more famous and highly regarded the adventurer becomes. In any case, the better the skills, the easier it is to deal with many situations. With her skills, she could be active enough as an adventurer, and if she was well-trained, she could be helpful to the guild. ‘For now, I need to focus on the current task.’

-Clang.

After finishing his thoughts, Lakas drew his sword and stared ahead. There was no sign of anything in the forest full of trees and grass. However, he couldn’t let his guard down. Even though they were weak, their cunningness was sometimes enough to defeat even humans. //

-Rustle.

Mien shook the pouch hanging from her waist once and smiled with satisfaction. The pouch, enchanted with space expansion magic, could store many items with a small volume and weight, so it was a symbol of skilled adventurers. Of course, it had the disadvantage of being expensive, but good things are always expensive. Mien originally had a space pouch, but she lost it during the troll hunt last time. Moreover, after that, she was ambushed by goblins and taken away by them, so she couldn’t find it again. So, she bought one while she was in Ortania. The Karaldin Magic Guild wasn’t bad, but when comparing the quality of goods, it was inferior to Ortania, the headquarters of magic in the kingdom. Inside the space pouch were a beginner’s magic book for Lyla, various paints, and catalysts. Also, there was a magic book for Mien herself. ‘I can’t make the same mistake as last time.’ Mien smiled bitterly and recalled what had happened a while ago. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t her fault, but if she had used a better magic book, Roan wouldn’t have died. Roan wasn’t a great person, but the death of someone you know always leaves a bitter feeling in your heart. Magic books, also called Spell Books or Grimoires, were a means of showing a magician’s capabilities. Magic books made from monster cores receive the power of another world and recover their own magic power, allowing the magician to use magic without any special cost. It was a simple principle that the more powerful the monster the magic book was made from, the higher the magic power it could hold, and the more complex spells could be cast. And in Mien’s case, she had mainly used cheap magic books with moderate performance. Expensive magic books were powerful, but they were also difficult to manage and had a high risk of being lost or stolen. Above all, Mien didn’t think she needed that much power. Of course, that thought changed after she was captured and violated in the goblin’s cave. ‘….Certainly, I was careless back then.’ Thanks to the brand engraved on her stomach, she didn’t have to worry about pregnancy, but it wasn’t pleasant to have her body given to the demi-walkers, the goblins. Mien had quite a bit of experience with men, but being raped by a different species was a bit of a shock. No matter how much the brand was engraved on her arm, she couldn’t fight and win against dozens of goblins with only the magic power remaining in her body in a situation where the types of magic were limited. A magician’s combat capabilities depend entirely on the magic book. However, a magician doesn’t just become stronger by holding a powerful magic book. Magic ultimately comes from the magician’s own studies. Spell Craft, which is the art of engraving magic on a magic book, was an art as profound as magic, and only by being able to handle one’s own magic book could one become a Battle Mage. Spell Craft is the art of understanding the magical properties of each monster, as each monster has different magical characteristics, and engraving magic seals accordingly. The elders of the academy, who valued the academic achievement of magic, relatively neglected Spell Craft, but for battle mages fighting on the front lines, Spell Craft was sometimes more important than magical knowledge. ‘….I have to teach her that too.’ Mien thought of Lyla and smiled, realizing that there was still a lot to teach her. //

-Flutter.

Undead Steeds are horses owned by the Kilkard royal family, which have undergone special treatment and magical measures to turn them into tireless Undead. Most of them are warhorses or draft horses, and the royal family has ownership and usage rights, but Ortania exceptionally has some usage rights as a supplier of Undead Steeds. Therefore, it was possible to pull a carriage like now. “….” Mien looked at it for a moment and smiled bitterly. The Kilkard Kingdom was a country that actively used the undead. Among them, zombies, which are tireless and exert more power than when they were alive, were born as byproducts of the Necromancer School’s research process. The Necromancer School was branded as heretical because they were accused of arbitrarily dissecting corpses and applying magic to them in the experimental process, but later the Magic Academy and the Kilkard Kingdom recognized the usefulness of the undead. Thanks to the power of the undead who were active in the war with the NEKAR Kingdom Alliance, it was adopted as a formal subject of the academy as a sub-item of Evocation. However, unlike the Bokors, who were enthusiastic about making zombies, who were granted absolution, the Necromancer School itself could not receive recognition from the academy. It was an absurd decision to take the research but not recognize it, but it was also an inevitable result. Even within the Necromancer School itself, opinions were divided on zombies using necromancy. Of course, everything was over now, and the current production and use of zombie-type undead was beyond the scope of Mien’s knowledge. Even though it was no longer relevant, she couldn’t help but think of the old days from time to time. “Karaldin, is that right?” At the words of the coachman holding the reins, Mien nodded and got on the carriage. // “Ugh…” I came out of the underground plaza, returned to the accommodation, and immediately lay down on the bed. Lying down on the slightly more comfortable sheets than before, I felt like I was back. Just yesterday at this time, I was being used by a man I didn’t even know while tied up in restraints on the streets of the underground plaza, but somehow I found my life as a human again. What kind of city has another street underground? It’s a bit late to say it now, but I can only admire it. “….” Lying on the bed, I stared blankly at the ceiling and stroked my stomach. Some of Quaidon’s eggs were still left. I don’t know if Arum is taking time to digest them or if she’s saving them, but when I touch my stomach, I can feel round, hard things inside.

-Swish.

Wondering what it was like, I took off my coat, and a slightly curved stomach came into view. It’s not swollen like a pregnant woman, but it’s enough to make anyone feel uncomfortable. Still, it will probably be completely flat by tomorrow. From the underground plaza to Sartun, and to the ‘Show’. What I gained from this incident was useful in its own way. I also have an excuse to get essence from the members of Sartun’s organization, and I can safely try to absorb essence from monsters. How that will work is still unknown. Unlike the essence absorbed from people, the energy absorbed from Quaidon has not yet been fused. I just pushed it into a corner of my dantian using the inner strength of the Succubus Art. It mixed a little in the process, but the amount mixed was not very large. Of course, since I put it in the Sea of Qi, I will have to use this energy someday. Qi flows along the meridians. Humans can only control the flow, not force it. Only when the energy accumulated in the dantian is circulated according to the key points of the Succubus Art can it be said that the energy has been digested as one’s own. If I survive, that is. “Eucha.” I got up from the bed and straightened my posture. If it’s a problem that I have to solve someday anyway, nothing will change even if I do it now. I didn’t absorb much life force from the monster, but even with the Succubus Art, I wasn’t sure if I could withstand it. “Hoo…” I closed my eyes and slowly raised the energy accumulated in my dantian. As I circulated the life force absorbed from Quaidon according to the key points of the Succubus Art, I felt the newly absorbed foreign energy melting into the inner strength of the Succubus Art. After finishing the circulation and slightly raising my inner strength, it wasn’t difficult to control my inner strength itself. It wasn’t more difficult to handle than before, and nothing much had changed. That was fortunate. I was worried that it would be more difficult to handle my inner strength, but it seemed that the Succubus Art had digested it well. As I breathed a sigh of relief and tried to circulate again, I felt a chilling energy in one corner of my body. I quickly stopped circulating and lowered the inner strength I was trying to raise. Once you start circulating, you must not stop. In most cases, it leads to irreversible destruction. Martial arts are a technique to contain the enormous power of inner strength within a weak human body. No matter how much the vessel of the body is strengthened through Qigong, that power is like a double-edged sword, and if you make a mistake, it can rush towards you at any time. Just like now. “Cough.” I felt like something was boiling inside, and when I coughed, I saw blood that had turned black. I sighed as I looked at it. “…Ah, damn it.”

Though I hadn’t experienced it often, it was obvious what was happening now. Poison. Didn’t they say that Kwaidon exhaled poisonous breaths? The energy absorbed from the core contained toxicity. Because of that, the vital energy and the Yin Demon Art energy I had gathered had mixed together, faintly tinged with poison. “Cough.” I coughed again, and blood that was less discolored than before flowed out, as if I had calmed down somewhat. Judging by my condition, I wouldn’t die, but I couldn’t tell if this was a gain or a loss. It wasn’t like I was going to open a Poison Gate and master Poison Arts with my status, and there weren’t many good things about having poison in my energy itself. I wouldn’t die because of the Yin Demon Art and Iron Body Armor I had learned, but poison was already mixed into my inner energy. I would probably be in bad shape for a while until I adapted. I would feel better if I released all of this, but I couldn’t bear to do that because it was a waste of what I had gathered. It was better to just stagger around until my body adapted. Anyway, I wouldn’t die. “Ugh…” I struggled to suppress the dizziness and lay down on the bed. Ugh, dizzy.