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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 15 - Short-Term Contract Worker (7)
As Arzen charged straight from the southwestern section to the central section, he noticed various strengths and weaknesses among the different entities.
“First, the Midbee.”
The Midbee was indeed powerful.
Typically, Void Bugs had to delve into the core of a slime to destroy it. But this one could tear it apart with its jaw and extract the core.
“But it’s slow!”
Its size was already larger than the regular bees. Being a fusion of three entities contributed to that.
With its massive jaw, it was bound to move sluggishly due to the weight.
“And it tires quickly!”
The Midbee exhausted its energy and vanished several times faster than ordinary Void Bugs.
That was the biggest issue.
“It might be a bit challenging to form a squad with just the Midbees…”
In contrast, ordinary Void Bugs weren’t as strong as the Midbees but could move quickly and execute more precise flights.
If the two types formed a complementary relationship, they could become even more destructive.
To create a powerful squad, ordinary Void Bugs were indispensable, much like infantry in an army.
“Most importantly, the Midbees!”
Worried about the Midbees, Arzen assigned them the task of intercepting the slimes on the ceiling.
Each Midbee could fire three shots before exhausting their venom. However, if given time to recharge, they could shoot up to four times.
“They definitely have the advantage of range, but I wish the firing rate was just a bit better. It must be somewhere in the scriptures… I’ll have to look for it later.”
While slaughtering the slimes and advancing, something thick and large moved slowly in the distance.
“This is the central section! As we get closer to the bustling city center, the sewers are at their largest!”
That kind of presence could not possibly come from slimes.
“Which audacious bastard dares to step into my hunting ground?”
Could it be that archer? No, he just placed the request!
“I won’t forgive the homeless! Get a job and live properly, you bastard!”
Peeking around the corner to confirm the source of the presence, Arzen froze for a moment.
“What the hell… is that?”
A colossal slime filled the vast passage of the sewer!
“Big slime? No, it’s definitely a Giant!”
In the adventurer’s guild, they used simple prefixes for mutant monsters to accommodate the 99% of adventurers who were dimwitted.
“Big” was for slightly larger than normal creatures, while “Giant” was for those significantly bigger.
Monsters often operated under primitive strength hierarchies, so if it was a Giant, it was bound to be very strong.
“There’s something peculiar about it. That thing is growing bigger by absorbing waste!”
The creature was wriggling as it approached Arzen.
It must have caught the scent of life.
Monsters have an inherent nature to seek life.
“What’s this? Are you challenging me? Hmph, haha!”
To me, the Void Tyrant who can control twelve Void Bugs?
“You’re just a worthless slime that doesn’t know its place! Worker Bee, I’ll make the screams of that slime a fanfare to celebrate this joyous day! Go!”
Buuuuuung...!
The Worker Bee fiercely charged the giant slime with the squad of Void Bugs.
“Feel the bitter difference! How dare you, a mere slime, challenge me?”
Arzen, with his arms crossed, was confidently anticipating victory.
But in the next moment!
His pupils shook at the unexpected turn of events before him.
“Difference…?”
Buuuu… burrrr… gurgle…
“The difference is…???”
As the Void Bugs penetrated the surface and entered its body…
They couldn’t withstand the acidity and toxicity of the vomit-like substance, being digested instantly.
Arzen screamed.
“Get away! Come back, Worker Bee! You can’t get eaten too!”
"Huff, huff, huff…"
As soon as the Worker Bee returned to Arzen's side, he hugged it tightly with both hands and bolted from the central section.
Arzen didn’t stop running until he was far from the central section and back at the southwestern entrance where he had come in that day.
"Are you okay? Worker Bee, are you alright?"
He opened his hands, where the Worker Bee had been resting quietly, smaller than a doll.
Buuuuung…
The Worker Bee gently flapped its wings, signaling it was unharmed.
“Whew… Thank goodness.”
When Void Bugs vanish, they are replaced by new ones the next time they're summoned. But what about the Worker Bee?
If the Worker Bee were replaced by another Void Bug, could it still be called the Worker Bee?
‘No, it could never be the same. That's why I have to take care of it.’
The Worker Bee had been by Arzen’s side ever since that ambush by the gnolls, supporting him with unwavering loyalty.
‘I don’t want to lose it.’
With that reassurance, Arzen finally allowed himself to breathe. Now, he had room to think.
He sat down at the entrance steps, leaning back as he reflected on the Giant Slime he had just encountered.
‘What the hell was that thing? It even dissolved the Worker Bee, which easily tears apart normal slimes…’
The mid-range Void Bugs had fired their venom as soon as they got close to it, attacking without fear until the very end.
The Midbees continued their task, showing no fear as they carried out their mission right until the moment they were absorbed.
But even they hadn’t been able to reach its core.
‘The venom from the Midbees disintegrates anything it hits, but if it doesn’t hit the core, it’s useless…’
He needed to come up with a strategy.
One thing was certain from that encounter: his current squad of twelve was not enough.
‘That thing is camping out in the central section, huh?’
Even though it was just a slime…
Mutated slimes like giants have incredibly strong acid and toxicity levels.
It reminded him of a time during his days with the Divine Guillotine.
‘I fought alongside a team once during a King Slime subjugation… That thing was far more dangerous, but even then, I remember the Silver-ranked adventurers fuming when their expensive weapons were melted away.’
This one’s not as strong as a King Slime—maybe a quarter of its strength—but it’s still nothing to underestimate.
Alright, I’ve made up my mind.
It’s only the start of summer.
During this short-term contract period, I’ll clear the remaining sections of the sewer.
‘And I’ll grow stronger—strong enough to form an army that can wipe out the Giant Slime!’
Arzen clenched his fist.
‘Wash your neck and wait, Giant Slime. I’ll teach you proper respect soon enough!’
But for now, he collected the remains of the slimes he had defeated today.
Money is important.
After all, if I want to eat whatever I want, I’ll need plenty of it, even if not excessively so.
‘Tch… what a waste.’
It was frustrating to leave the remains behind, but the archer's request hadn’t reached this part of the sewers yet. I’ll be left with nothing but empty dreams if I try to claim it.
‘From now on, I’ll have to plan ahead—maybe even set up a schedule.’
I’ll work my section, and that guy will work his. That way, we won’t run into each other.
There’s no way I’m running into that lunatic again.
He drains my energy.
‘The Giant Slime made today’s work end sooner than expected.’
The current time was 7 PM.
Evening was just settling over the busy streets.
Arzen climbed the steps out of the sewer, changed into fresh clothes, wiped his body down with a wet cloth, and set off into the bustling city.
"Zen? Hey, is that you, Zen?"
There were only two people who called him Zen: Ulman and Rock!
Sure enough, the merchant father and son were waving at him with familiar grins.
“Hyung! Long time no see!”
“Yeah, you too, man.”
“Ugh, what’s that smell? Hyung, are you rolling around on the street? You smell worse than a fart.”
“You little punk, you’re getting pretty mouthy with your hyung, huh? Wanna come smell the sewer up close?”
“Argh! No! hyung, please, no! Dad, help me!”
Ulman laughed heartily and playfully swatted his son’s backside as Arzen grabbed hold of him.
“You’ve got to discipline a mouth like that from time to time! A man should always remember that crossing the line has consequences!”
“I’m gonna suffocate, hyung…”
“But really, what brings you here?”
Arzen asked.
“What else? We came looking for you. Our ship’s setting sail tomorrow.”
Ship’s setting sail.
For just a moment, Arzen found himself hesitating to speak, the words catching in his throat.
He didn’t even know why.
“The adventurers’ guild said you’ve become a city official?”
“I’m just a short-term contractor for the summer, that’s all.”
“You’re doing well. The female officials and witches there must be real beauties, huh? Every time I visit, I’m impressed. Man’s gotta live, meet girls while working, you know what I mean?”
Rock nudged Arzen playfully with his elbow.
“Got any girls interested in you, hyung?”
“Heh, more than I can handle.”
“How far did you get?”
“We exchanged cookies.”
“You hold her hand?”
“Of course.”
When handing over an assignment sheet to the receptionist, their hands had briefly touched. That counted.
“Kissed her?”
“Obviously.”
“You know it doesn’t count unless there’s tongue, right?”
Last time when I shared cake with the witches, their fork touched my tongue.
So that counts, right? Sure it does.
What if one of the witches had used that fork before me?
That would have been a sneakily planned indirect kiss!
Ulman whistled in approval.
“Not bad. But what about your vow of chastity as a priest?”
“Screw that. I was never ordained, just a wannabe priest.”
“Ha! I like your attitude! Heading to the guild now?”
“Yeah, I’m going to sell this and then hit the bathhouse.”
“We’ll join you. The bathhouse here in Karsico uses hot spring water—it’s amazing.”
Walking through the city streets and talking with someone like this felt oddly strange.
The same streets, the same time, but it felt… fuller, somehow.
We weren’t even discussing anything important—just sharing trivial stories from the day.
As they soaked in the hot bath, Ulman turned to Arzen.
"Sewer maintenance, huh? Even if it’s a goldmine, most young adventurers avoid jobs like that."
“Really?”
“Yeah. These days, most adventurers are more in love with the idea of being adventurers than actually risking their lives for it. They avoid the dangerous or embarrassing jobs.”
Is it really that dangerous?
Compared to what Arzen had done with the Divine Guillotine, this job seemed relatively easy.
“You’re going to do great. When I saw you take down those gnolls, I knew you were capable.”
“Heh, I’m a lot stronger now. I’ve got over ten of those bugs now! Pretty awesome, right?”
“Wow, really? But honestly, hyung, I’m not that jealous of your power. Bugs aren’t cool. They’re just bugs, after all. Yours are cute, but still… they’re bugs.”
“What did you just say, you bug-brained idiot?”
“Ow!”
Arzen’s fist flew.
He could tolerate insults to himself but not to his Void Bugs.
After some more casual banter, they finished their bath and stepped out into the night.
“Zen, don’t you have something to say?”
Ulman asked.
“…”
“Hyung, this is where you say goodbye.”
For some reason, Arzen couldn’t speak.
Or maybe he didn’t want to.
Having been with the Divine Guillotine, where all connections were severed, parting ways like this felt strange.
‘Every time I met someone, we parted ways, and that was the end of it…’
Like that mage I once met…
Damn, is it going to be the same with these two?
“I am Ulman of the Linne Trading Company. If ever you need my help, just mention my name at Linne, and one way or another, we’ll get in touch.”
“...!”
“Of course, I might need your help one day. So when that time comes, I’ll count on you! After all, for merchants like us, everything’s a fair trade! Hahaha!”
In the end, Arzen laughed too.
Rock dug into his bag and handed something to Arzen.
“Here, take this, hyung.”
“What is it?”
“It’s that jerky you liked so much that it made you cry. Dad and I went out and bought it, of course. The origin is different, but it’s the same premium cut.”
This cheeky kid…
What a cheeky brat.
‘I don’t even have a gift for them… I didn’t plan for this…’
Is there something I can give them?
Oh, I do have some money…
Between the money from the slime remnants and the performance bonuses from the city hall, I’ve saved up a bit.
“No, hyung.”
Rock said, stopping Arzen’s hand as he reached for his coin pouch.
“I’ll take it later.”
“Later? When?”
“When you’ve become a proper adventurer, hyung. With interest.”
Ulman let out a boisterous laugh.
“Hahaha! Just like his old man. Already thinking about investing in the future!”
Arzen knew, without a doubt, that he’d never forget this cheeky father and son.
The Void, with all its new possibilities…
That was what had opened up a new life for Arzen…
But it was these two merchants who had helped guide him along the way…
“I was worried about how you’d fare, so young and on your own in the world of adventurers. But it looks like my concerns were unfounded.”
Ulman said, placing a hand on Arzen’s shoulder.
“Well, Arzen, take care. We’ll meet again.”
Arzen couldn’t respond.
If he tried to speak, his voice might crack, and the tears he had just barely been holding back would come spilling out.
These were the people who had shown him that not everyone in the world was like those in the Divine Guillotine.
“Hyung.”
Rock said, watching Arzen closely before breaking into a grin.
“If you’re going to cry, eat that jerky while you do. Then at least you’ve got an excuse.”
Arzen punched Rock lightly on the head.
And just like that…
He realized how even such trivial chatter could bring joy, and he made another vow.
‘When I truly make it as a great adventurer, I’ll repay this cheeky father and son tenfold...’
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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