Report
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 7 - Void Bug Mutation
“Ping, piping, pipipipipip!”
After hearing that damn annoying sound for nearly half a day, the situation finally came to an end.
“What the heck happened? I heard that summer sewer slimes are numerous and that it would take three nights to deal with them…”
Warrior Brick wiped the slime off his blade with an oily cloth as he spoke.
The mage scanned the surroundings.
“There’s slime all over the place. On the walls and the ground…”
“Dini, does that mean someone already caught them all?”
“Hm, it seems like it, but there are no traces at all. It feels like we arrived before the slimes could even gather.”
The archer let out a cold chuckle.
“Looks like we got lucky.”
The archer’s backpack was already stuffed to the brim with slime goo, nearly bursting. But she wasn’t satisfied; she was also shoving it into her quiver. What an obsession with money!
“No, it’s not luck. It’s our courage! We paved the way to get here! If we hadn’t been brave enough, the slimes might have gathered first!”
Brick clenched his fist and shouted.
Dini, the mage, chuckled lightly, while the archer silently continued to collect the goo, coldly smiling. That seemed to impress him.
“Even if there are still a decent number of slimes left, if we combine our strength, it’ll be nothing! Let’s go!”
Watching this, Arzen thought with wide eyes.
“What a load of nonsense.”
Unknowingly expressing his inner thoughts caused the attention of the lower-tier adventurers to focus on him.
“?”
“?”
“?”
He could feel the atmosphere growing tense.
In this mad world of adventurers, one could easily kill for “offending my feelings” and then claim, “I was attacked by monsters.”
Arzen, whose social skills were at an almost masterful level, began to stomp on the slime goo, as he shouted.
“You slime bastards! Causing chaos and disturbing people’s peaceful lives! Ugh, ugh, ugh!!!”
Warrior Brick was impressed by his strong sense of justice and whistled, while Dini nodded in understanding.
“Indeed, such pure dedication to justice… It’s no wonder that kid’s divine power barrier was so strong.”
Arzen felt differently from his party members as he made his way here.
The slimes that “died without a sound” were not objects of confusion or embarrassment but rather of self-congratulation.
“To test how far the power of summoning magic extends, I deliberately designated the entire northwest sewer area for the quest…”
Had he already resolved nearly 40% of it?
Heh, that little guy.
Once they returned to the inn later, he should reward him with some citrus peels and give him a wash.
“His soft, fluffy fur makes you feel good just by touching it.”
He had even instructed the little guy to leave “a couple behind” to check how well his commands were being followed, and that turned out perfectly too.
“There are no signs of battle in the area; it seems like they only targeted the core.”
Perhaps it was due to the nature of the void creatures that devour their targets. He might need to see that for himself later.
What mattered was this:
The little guy could control the void creatures even when away from the summoner.
“Alright, next corridor! We see slimes! Let’s go, everyone!”
“Yeah!”
“Ping, piping, pipipipipip!”
* * *
The adventurers finally emerged above ground through the sewer entrance after a grueling four-hour struggle.
By then, dusk had given way to complete darkness.
Lanterns flickered on in the distance, and the sounds of dice games and drunken shouting filled the air.
Surprisingly, the city official who had left earlier, saying he was too busy and to report everything to the guild, was waiting for them with a cigarette in his mouth.
“Well done. All finished?”
“Yes, sir!”
Brick bowed deeply on behalf of the group.
“Here, take these towels. You all smell pretty awful from the grime and sweat, so don’t walk down the main streets. I’m not in the mood to deal with complaints.”
“Thank you!”
“I’ll keep the sewer entrance open for another day, so you can go back and collect any leftover materials then… Ah, and here’s the completion certificate. You’ll be the representative, right? Alright, everyone, you’re dismissed.”
The official shot a glance at Arzen as he finished speaking, a sly grin forming at the corner of his mouth.
“What?”
Arzen glared back, eyes sharp as daggers.
Such a direct personality!
But that was just how he was.
To be fair, he had always been a bit rough around the edges.
And after spending all day in a sewer in the summer, it was natural that his irritation level was at its peak.
‘It’s not just the grime, though. My ears are still ringing from that damn archer.’
The official chuckled softly and blew a puff of smoke right into Arzen’s face.
“Hey, what’s your name?”
“Arzen. And I’m not a kid. If you blow smoke in my face again, you’ll regret it.”
“W-wait! I’m so sorry, sir! He’s deeply religious, but he’s inhaled too much slime toxin and is a little delirious right now!”
Brick jumped in to mediate, but the official didn’t seem particularly angry. Instead, with a sly smile, he ground out his cigarette on the pavement and flicked it down the sewer stairs.
“Right, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Samson, the head of the City Sewer Management Department. I get the feeling you and I are going to be seeing a lot of each other.”
“Huh?”
“We’ll talk next time. I wanted to get to it now, but not even the cigarette smoke can cover your sewer stench. I can’t take it.”
As the city official waved them off and walked away, the adventurers exchanged puzzled looks before shrugging their shoulders.
“Well, I guess it’s time for us to head back too.”
Brick said.
Dini, the mage, looked at Arzen.
“By the way, where did you learn all that?”
“?”
“Your control over divine miracles is incredible. Why are you using miracles? From your appearance, you look like you're from the Republic, right? Shouldn't you be a shepherd rather than a cleric? Your skin’s not completely bronze, but it’s a bit pale…”
“That’s just a tan.”
Arzen shook his head.
‘They’re making such a fuss… I wasn’t even using my full power.’
Steel-ranked adventurers, what a pathetic bunch.
‘The lowest of the low in the adventurer society!’
Arzen felt strangely satisfied with himself, though he knew these twisted thoughts were unjustified.
“It looks like Dini was really impressed with you. If we ever end up on the same job again, take care of her.”
“Oh~ I don’t think that’ll happen.”
“Hahaha! It’s a bad habit to make such bold claims about the future, Arzen!”
With such idle chatter, the group made their way back to the guild.
The receptionists were trying hard to maintain neutral expressions, though it was clear they were struggling.
“We’d like four discount coupons for the public bathhouse, please! We’ll get our payment tomorrow morning—right now, we really need a bath!”
Brick, unbothered by the receptionists’ strained expressions, proudly presented their quest completion certificate.
Adventurers who successfully completed a job were given discount coupons based on the rank of the quest, which could be used at stores affiliated with the guild.
Normally, adventurers used these for the blacksmith, but after spending the day crawling through the sewers, today was different.
It would be better to wash off the stench of filth quickly, before they made everyone else at the guild wrinkle their noses.
“Whew…”
Soaking in the warm bathwater, it finally sank in that the day had passed without any major issues.
“Haha…”
It’s strange. Really strange.
In the past, when a day ended, I used to feel like I was drowning in darkness with no way out...
Tomorrow, I’ll just keep living like this, barely scraping by… That’s all I ever thought.
- Bzzzzzz…
But now, things are different.
There’s something in my life that feels like a lifeline of hope.
‘Hehehe…!’
Arzen submerged his head in the bathwater, hiding the laughter bubbling out of him.
“Hmph…”
Brick, noticing Arzen’s innocent smile from the other side of the bath, chuckled softly as well.
After a relaxing bath, Arzen returned to his lodgings.
In large cities like this, the adventurers' guild often had attached lodging facilities.
The city of <Karsico>, one of the Republic’s seven great cities, was no exception.
Unlike normal inns, the place was fortified with iron railings, and guards patrolled each floor to prevent theft.
That’s why Arzen had spent over half the money he’d earned from selling his hides to get a room here.
At the adventurers' guild, as long as you had your identification tag, they wouldn’t refuse lodging, even to a kid traveling alone.
“Come out, worker bee. Kaz to Arcturas.”
Bzzzzzz…!
The void creature, permitted to cross dimensions by the Apostle’s will, appeared.
“Come here. I’ve got something good for you.”
But unlike usual, the worker bee didn’t approach Arzen.
Instead, it landed on the open Holy Scripture lying on the desk.
‘Now that I think about it, I’m still a bit warm from the bath…’
While Arzen opened the window to let the night breeze cool the room, the worker bee used its tiny jaws and legs to flip through the pages of the scripture.
“What are you doing?”
The refreshing sea breeze of the night swept through the room, banishing the remnants of the day’s summer heat...
As the curtains, drenched in moonlight, fluttered in the wind, the pages of the scripture rustled until they stopped at a certain point.
Even though the worker bee wasn’t holding it down, the pages didn’t turn any further.
Bzzz, bzzzz, bzzzz…
The worker bee buzzed intermittently, as if to signal Arzen to take notice.
‘Does it want me to look at this?’
Puzzled, Arzen approached the desk and, upon seeing the scripture, his eyes widened.
‘It’s just like the moment when I almost died to the gnolls a month ago.’
One phrase in the scripture was glowing with a dark green light, the signature glow of the void.
A new horizon of exploration, the Void.
In order to achieve enlightenment toward the horizon of the Void, one must first understand the nature of void creatures.
[Su Ja Kunia.]
Manipulate the genetic material of the Void with your will.
A new spell…!
Had the power of the Void evolved to a new level after that slime hunt?
Or maybe the great master of the Void, Rodenkal, who had been silent for five weeks, had finally decided to get involved again?
‘Whatever it is, I’ll take it. Anything is good!’
I thought my emotions had completely dried up.
But to think I could still feel my heart race like this...
Arzen grinned.
“Su Ja Kunia!”
He shouted with excitement.
Nothing happened.
“?”
He tried again.
“Su Ja Kunia! Su Ja Kunia! Su Ja Kunia!”
Still, nothing.
The worker bee seemed to be staring at him intently, and he started to feel embarrassed.
Someone in the next room pounded the wall with their fist.
“Hey! Can you keep it down? Some of us are trying to sleep!”
Hmph, like I’m going to apologize.
“Did you hear what that idiot said to me, the future Gold-ranked adventurer, Arzen? Deal with him. Half-dead should be enough.”
Crazy thug!
Thankfully, the worker bee didn’t follow that crazy command. Instead, it calmly flipped the page of the scripture forward.
It stopped at the first page of the Void Scripture, the one that had miraculously opened up a new life for Arzen.
It was the spell that gave him his first taste of real power, Kaz to Arcturas.
‘Is it telling me to use this one first?’
He wasn’t sure.
But he could feel it—this seemingly emotionless creature was giving him sincere advice.
As if entranced, Arzen quietly recited the spell.
“Kaz to Arcturas.”
Bzzzz…
Only two void creatures appeared this time, probably because he had already expended so much energy earlier.
‘But still… I feel something.’
He had a sense that something was possible.
‘Maybe it’s because the worker bee flew up and landed on my shoulder all of a sudden.’
Ah, whatever.
Might as well give it a shot.
It’s not like someone was going to slap him for being overly ambitious this time.
“Su Ja Kunia.”
At that moment… Arzen felt a surge of amazement.
Not the unpleasant kind, but the kind of curiosity-driven wonder that fills you up.
The two void creatures merged together like clay, forming a new shape.
‘This looks more like a wasp than a bee, doesn’t it?’
If the usual void creatures were cute, this one was impressive!
‘But something’s odd…’
It was bigger than a normal void creature, which made sense since two of them had combined.
But its lower abdomen, where the venom sac was located, was disproportionately large.
That’s when it happened.
Suddenly, the door flew open, and a drunk intruder barged in.
Arzen had forgotten to lock the door.
“Will you keep it down already, you little punk?!”
The man lifted his beer mug high, ready to hurl it at Arzen’s head...
The newly mutated void creature sensed hostility toward the Apostle!
Its body crouched as it aimed its swollen abdomen at the mug and fired.
“!”
In that instant...
‘Should I call that a stinger, or what…?’
Something dark green shot out and hit the handle of the beer mug dead-on.
The Void devours.
The point of impact—the handle—was consumed by the power of the Void.
The connection between the mug and its handle was severed.
As a result, the mug crashed down onto the man’s head.
“Urgh, uh…”
The man, having been hit by his own mug, staggered for a moment before collapsing in a pathetic heap.
A security guard, who had been patrolling the hallway to prevent theft, rushed over.
“When he sobers up, he’ll be fined heavily for unauthorized entry, and his contribution points will be deducted.”
That’s all?
I wanted to say that.
But if things got blown out of proportion, they’d discover I was the one who caused the late-night disturbance and I’d get punished too.
‘It’s better to let this slide.’
It was actually an opportunity to make a connection.
To put it in words these dumb adventurers wouldn’t understand, it was what you’d call turning a crisis into an opportunity.
“Ah, you must have it tough, dealing with idiots like this in the middle of the night, brother.”
“Oh, don’t get me started. I’m just glad I’m dealing with someone reasonable for once.”
“Here, have some citrus peel. It’s nice and refreshing.”
Dealing with hardened types like him wasn’t easy.
Kind words and small gestures like these went a long way in building favor.
Word spreads quickly in the guild.
If I can make myself out to be a charming, kind rookie, the receptionists might even recommend me for special jobs requested by name.
“Oh, thank you! This is so rare.”
“?”
“Ah, nice and tangy. Tastes great! Really gives me a boost!”
“Take care out there!”
Once the guard dragged the drunk away, Arzen slyly picked up the mug the man had dropped.
‘Only the part where the handle was connected is gone... Does this mean the Void’s power is highly precise?’
As he examined the mug from different angles, Arzen kicked the door shut with his foot.
Then, he took a long look at the newly mutated void creature and grinned.
“A void creature with long-range attack capabilities? You’re amazing, Worker Bee!”
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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