Chapter 118

The outskirts of Outland.

This was the busiest downtown area, yet in comparison to Fangju, the buildings were shorter, and the architectural style seemed to have regressed by a few centuries.

The people of Outland hurriedly bustled through the streets.

As if to convey the intensity of their lives, the worn-out clothes of the people were heavily covered in dust.

“Hmph.”

Simonia inspected her surroundings while licking her lips.

“What’s wrong?”

“Just… This dreariness doesn’t sit well with me.”

Slightly lifting her sunglasses, her slit, gold-colored eyes pierced into the people nearby. Those who had glanced her way trembled and quickly moved their steps.

The scattered gazes from all sides.

She continued her words while observing their reaction.

“Of course, it’s understandable given how tough life is here.”

“Even so, it doesn’t settle well.”

Lowering her sunglasses, she adopted a stern expression.

At that moment, another voice reached her ear.

“…Sister, may I ask something?”

“Sita? Do you have any questions?”

“Yes, I understand you’re looking for a group called the Eternal Life Sect, but why are we here?”

“Oh, that?”

Come to think of it, Mili and Sita aren’t quite familiar with such matters.

“Though it may sound a bit distasteful, heretical religions often originate and spread in places like this.”

“In Outland?”

“Yes. While not all religions in Outland are bad, heretical ones tend to exploit the vulnerabilities in people’s hearts.”

“Are they targeting those who are struggling?”

Nodding in response to Mili’s question, she replied:

“Exactly. People with fewer deficiencies aren’t as easily misled, but those with emotional scars tend to fall for their honeyed words.”

“…I see.”

While exchanging such dialogue, they came to a halt in front of a building.

“Huh? Sister, is this-”

“Welcome! Are you here from Fangju?”

Before Mili could finish her sentence, a large bald merchant appeared from inside the building.

“Hehe, we have everything here… oh?”

His carefully crafted smile began to distort slowly.

Finally realizing who we were, the bald merchant’s face turned pale.

“You! You brats!”

It was indeed the same bald merchant from Outland who had tried to snatch Mili’s belongings and ended up suffering greatly at our hands. The reason I sought him out is that merchants are invariably privy to a wealth of information.

Shaking the merchant down would surely yield some information.

“You bastards, what the hell are you doing here?”

Chop.

Simonia roughly grabbed the merchant’s wrist who had pointed at us.

Pushing her sunglasses up, her distinctive vertical pupils of the reptilian blood lineage were revealed.

“Hey, be polite with my companions!”

The intimidating aura emanating from Simonia.

Cold sweat poured down the bald merchant’s face as he felt that eerie sensation.

“Ah. Th-that…”

Rolling his eyes around, the merchant eventually chose submission.

“I-I’m sorry!”

“Yeahyeah. Be a bit smart about it, okay?”

“Y-yes, ma’am!”

The merchant quickly switched to a respectful attitude.

Indeed, overwhelming physical force truly is one of the best means of communication.

“Ed? Is there something you want to ask this bald guy?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Upon Simonia’s words, Bungbungi subtly moved to hand the merchant over.

“Mr. Bald, I have a few questions. Is that alright?”

“Y-yes, please ask.”

“Has there been anything strange around here lately?”

“Strange things? This place is a slum, so chaos and incidents happen almost every day-”

The merchant babbled on, though there was a distinct feeling that he was skirting around something, so I cut his words short without mercy.

“Tch. I didn’t ask you for such stories, so why are you pretending to not know?”

“Hey, stop your nonsense already!”

Reinforcing the pressure on the bald merchant at my words, like an echo.

Unable to withstand the pressure, the bald merchant bowed his head again.

“I-I’m sorry!”

“Enough about apologies; just tell us about the strange occurrences around here.”

The bald merchant glanced around the surroundings.

Upon confirming there were no prying eyes, he bent down and whispered into my ear.

“Recently, some suspicious characters have started infiltrating and operating in Outland.”

“By any chance, do these people talk a lot about deliverance or divine punishment?”

Taken aback by my words, the merchant stepped back.

After quietly staring at me for a while, he bent down again and whispered.

“Did you already know?”

“It’s because we’re here looking for these guys, so can you tell us more about them?”

“I don’t know much more than that. Their talk seemed to bewitch people, making them behave similarly, which felt really creepy, so I deliberately kept my distance.”

Maybe it’s a merchant’s instinct, but it was quite a wise move.

But with this, the information was too scarce, and it was unsatisfying.

“The information is a bit lacking… Do you really not know anything more?”

The bald merchant paused in thought at my words.

After deep contemplation, he clapped his hands and softly spoke near my ear again.

“Ah! Now that you mention it, I heard a rumor.”

“What?”

“A gang.”

“Isn’t it interesting?”

“The strange folks made the gangs uneasy either because they seemed suspicious or because they didn’t like them operating in their territory, so there were quarrels.”

“Ah, did they fight at all?”

“There were a few big fights. Ever since then, fewer people have been walking around the streets talking nonsense, but strangely, the gang’s activities also became rare.”

As I listened to the bald merchant’s words, I organized my thoughts.

The confrontation between the gang and the Eternal Life Sect.

It’s understandable for the gang to react this way as if crazy individuals intruded upon their territory.

However, about the few clashes and the decreasing activity of the gang — this wasn’t a good sign.

Slums and gangs are closely related.

If the balance between them collapsed, it would become the perfect opportunity for the sect to expand its influence.

‘So it hasn’t been too late after all, or rather it’s the optimal timing?’

If the sect had already completely taken over Outland, they’d likely be strutting around in broad daylight.

But the Outland we saw wasn’t to that extent yet.

That is, even if the sect pushed the gang out, their domination wasn’t entirely complete yet.

“That’s enough for now. Do you have any idea where these folks usually operate?”

“That… You can check the lower district. I often see them hanging around the slums.”

“Understood, thanks.”

We left the bald merchant behind and headed toward the slums.

As we approached, a stench hit our noses while revealing a desolate appearance.

The place where Mili and Sita had lived was even more dilapidated. It was practically indistinguishable from a garbage dump.

After Hands promptly covered my nose and mouth, the stench slightly diminished.

“…” Simonia frowned and used her hand to cover her mouth and nose.

Her habitually flicking tongue had now been firmly shut.

“…This place is still as dirty as always.”

“Be careful with your steps, Sita.”

“Yeah.”

Mili and Sita, having lived in Outland, seem accustomed to the stench and didn’t react as strongly as Simonia.

“So let’s first look around slowly-”

“Hey, Ed? Is that you, Ed?”

Before I could finish, a call came from behind.

I turned around immediately upon recognizing the familiar voice, and Bungbungi spun about.

“Oh, Miss Riana?”

“Indeed, it’s really Ed.”

A woman approached us.

She pulled down the ragged hood and the mask covering her mouth, revealing red short hair and a face much like a cat’s.

She had a relatively small stature for an adult, but she had a voluptuous figure.

Her combat-style leather outfit and the equipment and tools draped over it confirmed her as a skilled adventurer.

Lightning Riana.

She had helped me a lot before I entered the academy after we first met at the Adventurer Guild.

And another person beside her.

A man draped in dirty cloth spoke while raising his hand.

“Didn’t expect to meet you here. Long time no see, Ed.”

“Is this voice… Mr. Kai?”

“Yes.”

Removing the cloth from his head revealed distinctive hair resembling a bird’s beak and a mask covering his nose.

“Mil and Sita are here too, are you both well?”

“…Yeah, we’re doing well.”

“Oh, it’s been such a long time since we last met!”

The three exchanged greetings.

Riana’s gaze fell back to me.

“Long time no see, Ed, how have you been?”

She approached me with a gentle smile and gently patted my head.

The warm sensation of her hand made me feel a bit embarrassed as guilt welled up in my heart.

Though I’ve been busy recently, I’ve been too indifferent to Riana, who helped me so much.

“Are you both doing well?”

“We’ve been a bit busy. Guildmaster Gek suddenly got caught, and the position was vacated.”

“Ah.”

At Mr. Kai’s words, my body involuntarily flinched.

Considering everything, sending Gek away must have kept the Adventurer’s Guild quite busy.

Right when I was thinking that, Riana’s voice came again.

“So, I’ve temporarily taken over as guildmaster.”

“Is that you, Miss Riana?”

“Yes, it somehow fell to me.”

She scratched the back of her head while humbly answering.

The Mr. Kai, who had been watching her, patted her back.

“Riana, you’ve done pretty well so far. Have a bit more confidence.”

“But, it’s embarrassing,” she said shyly.

“Hmm.”

In the flowing conversation, their close bond became evident.

Both Miss Riana and Kai are capable adventurers and evidently have dealt well with the sudden situation.

That’s somewhat reassuring.

“But why are you both in Outland?”

“We came here to investigate on behalf of the guild due to unsettling rumors about Outland recently.”

“Unsettling rumors?”

“Yes, there have been stories circulating about some odd religious activities spreading in Outland.”

“Ah.”

It seems these two have also heard rumors about the Eternal Life Sect.

“Did you happen to find anything specific?”

“Yes, we did manage to locate one of their bases.”

“Oh, can you tell me where that location is?”

At my question, the two exchanged glances.

Riana then turned her gaze back to me.

“Ed, you’re here for the people of the sect, right?”

“Yes, exactly.”

“Is that so? Hmm…”

She paused for thought.

Mr. Kai tapped her back again.

“Just a moment, Kai?”

“You overthink things too much. Right now, it’s better to move with Ed than going back to call more adventurers.”

“Maybe.”

“Ed has already become quite skilled, haven’t you? Remember his combat skill that impressed even you during the friendly match?”

Mr. Kai’s gaze fell on me again.

“Ed, you and your group came here prepared to fight them, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Then it’s decided. Kai and I will help out as well, so how about we deal with them together?”

At Kai’s suggestion, I glanced at my teammates.

Mil nodded eagerly, while Sita bowed her head with her eyes closed.

“Perhaps it’ll be fine? This isn’t a task that requires an army, but skilled help always enhances efficiency.”

I nodded to Simonia, then looked back at Riana and Kai.

“That should be fine.”

“Great, we’ll proceed then. Since your outfits are too conspicuous, we’ll take a roundabout route.”

“Yes!”

Kai turned, guiding us through the dirty alleyways while navigating through Outland.

“Alright, here we go.”

Kai pointed at a two-story building ahead.

But his furrowed brows revealed something wasn’t right.

“Hmm?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Seems like someone else has beaten us here.”

“What?”

As I leaned forward slightly, Bungbungi moved aside gently.

I finally understood why Kai had shown such a reaction.

“Uh, the guards… seem to be knocked out?”

Guards slumped against the entrance wall.

From the distance, I couldn’t see clearly, but the dimly visible marks on the exposed necks must symbolize the Eternal Life Sect’s emblem.

“Ah, now what?”

“Hmm… Let’s go check it out?”

“Alright, I’ll take the lead. Follow carefully, Riana. Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

After checking the area, Kai and Riana swiftly stuck to the building.

Once they confirmed the guards’ conditions, they signaled us to follow, and our group joined them at the building.

“Alright, let’s go in. Everyone, get ready.”

Kai pulled out two daggers from his waist.

Riana retrieved a small sub-machine gun from her back, drawing the bolt.

Sita held her pistol, while Mil rapidly revved her motor into combat readiness.

Simonia stepped forward in front of us.

“Ed, stay close behind me.”

“Ah, yes. Count on you, sister.”

“…Leave it to me.”

Confirming our conditions, Kai and Riana entered the building first.

Following them inside, we saw the same scattered members of the Eternal Life Sect all around as at the entrance.

There were a good few dozen of them.

However, there were no signs of gunfire or destruction anywhere.

“Hmm, whoever it is seems to possess extraordinary skills.”

“Are they all…dead?”

“No, they’ve likely been knocked out by targeting key body points.”

Riana shook her head in response.

“Aha.”

“But isn’t this all of them? There are way too many people relative to the building’s size,” Simonia questioned.

Mr. Kai and Miss Riana also nodded in agreement.

“…Wait a moment, what’s that over there?”

Sita pointed somewhere.

“Hmm? That’s…”

Kai picked something up, following the finger’s direction.

The groaning sound of a panel being pushed away.

Beneath it was a staircase leading underground.

“So they were hiding this.”

Kai looked at me.

A nod confirmed the affirmative and he swiftly jumped down the stairs.

Our group descended together into the underground space.

What awaited us was quite an elaborate underground chapel.

On one side of the flickering electric lights, the grotesque symbol representing the Eternal Life Sect, shaped like an eye, hung on the wall.

Crude totems made of debris also littered the vicinity.

And members of the sect scattered around our feet.

“Hmm?”

Kai moved quickly after noticing something.

He approached one of the sect members dressed in relatively luxurious robes.

“Hey, wake up!”

“Urgh… Who…?”

“That doesn’t matter. What exactly happened here?”

The sect member breathed heavily.

Raising his hand towards the sky, the man’s voice was filled with fear.

“Urgh… The darkness… coalition…”

With that, he lost consciousness.

“Hmm? Hey, hey?”

Kai shook the fallen man, but he didn’t wake up.

Heavy footfalls broke the otherwise serene darkness.

We all turned to the sound as we prepared ourselves.

“It seems we have new guests.”

A deep voice accompanied the emergence of a middle-aged gentleman and a woman in a maid’s uniform.

The middle-aged man placed one hand on his chest as he bowed towards us, while the maid also bowed deeply in accord.

“Hello, we are the enforcers of justice among those who walk in the shadows.”

Their faces were masked; the elaborate masks hiding their eyes and noses made it impossible to get a proper view.

“It’s a pleasure meeting you all.”

Even as they bowed politely, my eyes had already narrowed, recognizing someone familiar beneath that disguise.

Despite their seemingly different behavior, the unmistakably long ears and tone of voice were all too familiar.

“…Excuse me, Grandpa Harp, what are you doing here?”