Chapter 316

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 316

“Ugh…!”

Akashi trembled, his face contorted in sheer terror.

Before his eyes, a hellish nightmare unfolded—one he had never even imagined.

The sight of the scavengers’ charred corpses didn’t faze him.

He had seen such things far too many times before.

After all, they always set fire to the villages they raided before leaving.

That wasn’t what horrified him.

It was his comrades.

The boisterous dwarf, Etly, lay on the ground, his limbs crushed, coughing up thick gobs of blood.

Buckshire, his body endlessly regenerating and burning in a vicious cycle, now lay motionless.

He no longer even had the strength to scream.

Neither alive nor dead—

He was simply being burned alive.

Unless Zeon granted him death, he would endure this torment forever.

But the most terrifying sight of all was Hassim.

To Akashi, Hassim had always been the unshakable leader.

A man strong enough to trust and rely on.

Yet now, the same Hassim—who had always stood firm—looked like a withered husk, desperately begging Zeon for water.

“W-Water… Please…”

“You want a drink?”

“Y-Yeah! I need it…!”

Hassim nodded frantically.

His skin was cracked like dry bark, utterly devoid of moisture.

The Phantom Hairworm inside him had absorbed every last drop of water in his body.

His thirst was unbearable.

If selling his soul could grant him a single sip, he would do it without hesitation.

His mind was so broken that he no longer even felt anger toward Zeon—the very man who had inflicted this suffering upon him.

His eyes were fixated on the kettle in Zeon’s hand.

When Zeon moved it, Hassim’s gaze followed, his pupils tracking it like a starving animal.

A single drop from that kettle—he would trade anything for it.

“W-Water! Please… Just one sip…”

“If you want a drink, tell me about the Five Venoms Clan.”

Clank.

Zeon placed the kettle down right in front of Hassim.

Hassim stretched out his tongue, but he couldn’t reach it. The Sand Soldiers were still pinning him down.

In the end, he broke.

He spilled everything he knew.

From the first time he encountered a descendant of the Five Venoms Clan, to how he introduced them to Eli, to every defining trait of the clan’s bloodline—he left nothing out.

“Ugh…! That’s everything… I’ve told you all I know… Now, please… The water…”

His voice cracked, parched beyond belief.

Even the moisture in his mouth had been drained dry.

Without a word, Zeon dismissed the Sand Soldiers, turning them back into sand and storing them away.

The crushing weight on Hassim’s body vanished.

Desperate, he snatched the kettle and guzzled its contents.

He drank every last drop, but it wasn’t nearly enough.

“More! I need more!”

His thirst remained insatiable.

Mad with desperation, Hassim frantically searched for more water.

But in this sealed underground space, there was none to be found.

“Water! Waaaater…!”

His fingers scraped against the walls, his movements erratic and deranged.

It was a horrifying sight—

A man who had just downed an entire kettle of water, still dying of thirst.

In the end, unable to quench his thirst—

Hassim sank his teeth into a nearby corpse’s neck, sucking its blood.

Like a vampire.

The sight was beyond disturbing.

The way a once-normal human could so quickly descend into something so monstrous…

Akashi clenched his eyes shut, unable to bear it.

‘Fuck… Fuck! We should’ve never messed with that guy…’

The Hellbrin Mercenaries were finished.

He was the only one left in any decent shape, but he wasn’t strong enough to rebuild or lead the group.

“Haa…”

His legs gave out beneath him, and he collapsed to the ground.

Then—

Zeon approached.

Without warning, he spoke.

“You’re the one, aren’t you?”

“Huh…?”

“The one who detects magic beasts.”

“Y-Yes!”

Akashi answered with a look of resignation.

Zeon already knew everything.

Lying wasn’t even an option.

“You might actually be worth keeping alive.”

The ability to sense magic beasts was both incredibly rare and highly valuable.

It wasn’t as precise as Zeon’s navigation skills, but even so, it allowed one to detect danger ahead of time.

Having someone like that in a dungeon raid or a Pathfinder squad drastically increased the chances of survival.

Zeon personally had little need for it—

But if he introduced Akashi to Jang Yongbeom’s newly formed guild, the Goblin Market, or even City Hall, they’d surely find him useful.

Akashi’s eyes widened.

“Wait… Y-You’re really going to let me live?”

“As long as you cooperate.”

“I-I’ll do anything! Whatever you need!”

“Good. Let’s hope you never change your mind.”

“I swear, I won’t!”

“You’d better not. Because I still have one more of these.”

Clatter.

Zeon shook the bottle containing the last Phantom Hairworm, right in front of Akashi’s face.

Akashi’s expression turned to sheer horror.

He had seen firsthand what had become of Hassim.

Even now, the man was hunched over a corpse, ravenously drinking its blood like a beast.

Living or dying was one thing—

But Akashi would rather die than end up like that.

“Alright. You’re coming with me.”

“Yes, sir!”

Akashi shot to his feet, standing at full attention.

Zeon led him toward the elevator.

Inside, shattered crystal fragments were scattered across the floor.

One, in particular, stood out—

A faded yellow crystal.

The moment Zeon picked it up, Akashi hurriedly spoke.

“Th-That’s the Dog That Devours the Sun! I got it from a dungeon, but it’s a one-time-use item… It won’t work anymore.”

“That’s fine. I know someone who’s good at fixing things like this.”

If he gave it to Brielle, she’d break it down to the atomic level and figure out how it worked.

If they were lucky, she might even repair it.

Even if not, it would still contribute to her research.

That alone made it worth taking.

As they were about to leave, Akashi hesitated, then carefully asked,

“Uh… Are we just going to leave Captain Hassim like that?”

“Why?”

“Isn’t it… a little too cruel?”

“Oh?”

“F-Forgive me.”

“He slaughtered countless people and ruined even more lives. This punishment is only fitting.”

“Y-Yes…”

“Oh, right. You have a teleportation item, don’t you?”

“Yes! Captain was wearing it—it’s his belt. Musura’s Mirror. It allows for random teleportation within a one-kilometer radius.”

“I’ll be taking that, then. Any objections?”

“O-Of course not!”

Akashi shook his head frantically.

Objections? He was lucky to even be alive.

A mere belt was a small price to pay.

Before leaving, Zeon sealed off the elevator shaft.

Melting down the broken elevator, he completely blocked the entrance.

Now, Hassim would remain trapped inside—dying slowly, tormented by endless thirst.

Imagining such a fate made Akashi shudder uncontrollably.

Even though they had left the underground—

The thought of running away never even crossed his mind.

He had seen the true nature lurking behind Zeon’s smiling face.

There was no escaping him.

And if he got caught? The outcome was obvious.

Like a cow being led to slaughter, Akashi kept his head down and followed Zeon.

‘…Fuck. My life is over.’

＊＊＊

Eli stared at the elf before her, her expression cold and rigid.

It was Romina, her trusted aide.

Romina stood with her head bowed, looking as if she had committed an unforgivable sin.

“So… you’re saying we lost contact with the scavengers?”

“Yes. Completely. About thirty minutes ago.”

“And the slaves?”

“They didn’t even reach a hundred.”

“That’s nowhere near enough.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Romina’s voice was weak.

Eli’s gaze turned even icier.

As if a blade of killing intent had been added to her already cold stare.

Romina trembled like a leaf, feeling as if her body were about to be torn apart.

Eli rose from her chair and spoke.

“It seems things have gone wrong.”

“Huh? But…”

“I have a bad feeling. We’re heading underground.”

“…Understood.”

Just as Romina replied—

BOOM!

A sudden explosion echoed from outside.

Moments later, one of Eli’s subordinates rushed in, panic written all over his face.

“Emergency!”

“What happened?”

“The Blue Leaf Special Forces have launched an attack!”

“What?”

Eli’s brows shot up sharply.

The Blue Leaf Special Forces were an elite unit directly under Serian’s command, but they weren’t strong or influential enough to attack her directly.

“Hah! Those insignificant worms dare to storm my home? And you just let them?”

“Th-That’s…”

“What is it?”

“There are two unknown individuals fighting alongside the Blue Leaf Special Forces.”

“And?”

“Because of them, we’re being overwhelmed.”

“…What?”

Eli’s temper flared.

They were losing because of just two people?

Ridiculous.

Even though she had been exiled to a rundown house on the outskirts of the northern district, this place was practically a fortress.

A significant number of her followers resided here, forming a solid line of defense.

Not as powerful as Serian’s main force, but certainly not weak enough to fall so easily.

The subordinate lowered his head, ashamed.

“I apologize… but these two—whoever they are—are unbelievably strong. We can’t hold them back.”

“…I need to see this for myself.”

Unable to ignore her growing curiosity, Eli stepped onto the balcony.

A barrier surrounded her home.

A special elven enchantment, further reinforced by Eli’s own power—

A near-impenetrable wall.

There were only two ways to bypass it.

Either Eli granted access—

Or it was forcibly destroyed.

The Blue Leaf Special Forces had chosen the second option.

They had no choice.

Eli would never grant them entry.

Thus, they did what they had to.

An arrow streaked through the air, gleaming like a ray of light, before slamming into the barrier.

BOOM!

A deafening explosion shook the entire structure.

One arrow—

And the entire barrier trembled under the impact.

The archer was a silver-haired elf, his figure as striking as that of a model.

A metallic mask covered his face, and in his hands—

A massive bow.

He nocked another arrow and murmured,

“As expected… Nylia’s Bow is incredible.”

TWANG!

He loosed another shot, the arrow slicing through the air at terrifying speed.

CRACK!

The barrier groaned as deep fractures spread across its surface.

Eli’s expression hardened.

“…Could that be Nylia’s Bow?”

There was no mistaking it.

That legendary weapon had been auctioned off by the White Bear Caravan.

A bow once wielded by Nylia, the elven hero—

An artifact of immeasurable value to elves.

However, even after acquiring it, neither Serian nor Eli had assigned it to a wielder.

Only those deemed worthy could use Nylia’s Bow.

Both factions had hoped to claim it for one of their own—

And so, it had remained untouched, awaiting its rightful master.

Yet now—

A complete stranger was wielding it with ease.

Eli’s subordinates attempted to charge at him—

But the Blue Leaf Special Forces held them at bay.

Under the command of Borin, the Blue Leaf Special Forces fought with twice their usual strength.

A radiant blue aura surrounded their bodies.

Eli recognized the phenomenon immediately.

“A buff?”

Her gaze snapped toward the cloaked figure standing behind them.

His face was obscured by a hood, but the glow unmistakably emanated from him.

It was his power that had amplified the Blue Leaf Special Forces, doubling their combat abilities.

Eli bit her lip.

She had a strong suspicion about their identities.

“…The Punishers.”

As if confirming her words—

Another arrow was loosed.

BOOM!

With a thunderous explosion—

Eli’s barrier shattered into countless fragments.

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]