novelraw Chapter 81 : Post-Processing and the Spark (2)
Chapter 81 : Post-Processing and the Spark (2)
Chapter 81: Post-Processing and the Spark (2)
One day later.
The place Johan found was Running Rabbit.
“…….”
Mary, the bartender and request broker, wore a strange expression.
Because the situation unfolding was a little different from what she had expected.
“HI!”
Reina Blades blew a bubble with her chewing gum and winked.
“From the looks of it… the person you came with is Reina Blades. But why isn’t she restrained?”
“It seems there was a bit of a problem with the request I received.”
“A problem… what exactly do you mean?”
“The information leaked. This friend here, Reina, already knew about the contents of the request.”
“W-What did you say?”
Mary’s face turned pale with shock.
Johan narrowed his eyes.
“Are you saying this is something you weren’t aware of, Miss Mary?”
“Of course!”
Mary shot up from her seat.
If it weren’t for the already noisy interior, everyone would have turned to look.
“I don’t know whether there was a breach from higher up, or if there was some other reason, but thanks to that, my life was put in danger.”
“…I’m truly sorry about that. I’ll immediately look into what happened.”
Of course she should.
How could anyone accept requests if this was how things were handled?
Next was the matter of compensation.
“I’ll be taking everything that was originally promised for this request, no conditions attached. Think of it as a kind of penalty.”
“Don’t tell me… you’re saying you won’t hand over Reina and will only take the reward…?”
“That’s correct.”
“That’s ridiculous. That’s…! At most, we could give you one more Sacred Snowflake or add another item, but we cannot give up Reina Blades.”
“I think your side’s responsibility is far too great to be smoothed over with something like that. The very foundation of a brokerage that’s supposed to guarantee safety has been shaken. Adding a few coins doesn’t fix that.”
The reason he had brought Reina here in the first place was simply to demonstrate his capabilities.
So this was the question.
A talent who effortlessly solved something no one else could.
Could they really afford to let that go?
Clatter.
Johan stood up.
“If that’s not possible, then it can’t be helped. It’s been a pleasure doing business with you.”
The key point was that he showed not a single trace of regret.
There were plenty of other brokers besides this one.
“W-Wait… just a moment.”
Mary hurriedly grabbed Johan.
“This time, we’ll do as you wish. But in return, I’d like you to accept one additional request.”
“What is it?”
“Just go to the Hestia Empire and deliver this letter to Baron Helion.”
A simple delivery request.
He had to go to the Hestia Empire anyway for the next episode.
This wasn’t a difficult demand.
“Understood.”
Johan nodded.
Soon after, Mary let out a deep sigh and handed over the rewards.
[You absorb 3 Sacred Snowflakes.]
[Holy Power increases by +30.]
Wooooong!
A warm light seeped into his body.
Khh. Sweet.
At this level, the duration and power of [Sacred Flame] would increase by at least 20%.
Even compared to mid-level priests of the Vatican, he wouldn’t fall behind.
Next…
[You absorb the ‘Baeknyeon Hasuo Elixir Pill’.]
[Magic Power increases by +30.]
[Magic Power regeneration increases by +1%.]
A hot flame flowed through his veins.
To use Void Magic, there was never enough mana.
For now, he couldn’t obtain many high-grade elixirs or items.
‘These small steps will eventually build into a great leap.’
There was no need to rush.
Even among 1,000 cycles, his growth speed was overwhelmingly fast.
“Pretty lady. It’s true I went to the Empire, but I didn’t see or hear anything special there. It was a complete waste of time. So I’d appreciate it if you stopped aiming for the back of my head?”
Reina whispered into Mary’s ear.
Mary’s eyebrow twitched, but she didn’t respond.
“Then, I’ll see you next time.”
Johan also smiled faintly, signaling that he was satisfied with the deal.
“BYE. BYE.”
As the two disappeared—
Thud.
As if it were a lie, the noisy interior of Running Rabbit fell silent.
The sounds of battles from the various arenas.
The shouts of those making bets.
Even the music and the commentators’ voices.
Everything sank into a suffocating silence, as if someone had pressed a mute button.
Something was wrong.
Tremble.
The people who had been laughing and chatting just moments ago were now shaking like aspen trees.
“I-It’s done. We granted everything they wanted, so they’ll be heading to the Hestia Empire.”
Mary looked toward a certain spot.
Then—
“Well done.”
A man drinking in the VIP section responded.
Black hair reaching his shoulders.
Pale white skin.
Dark eyes that seemed capable of pulling one in.
A noble-looking man.
The massive force known as the Murim, which had taken root in humanity after the Second Impact.
And—
The man before them was Jin Hoa, the captain of the Blood Wind Squad, one of the assassination units of the Demonic Cult.
“Captain.”
“Report.”
“The Left Guardian has made contact with forces within the Empire. We’ve received orders to finish our work quickly and join them.”
“Good. It’s finally beginning.”
The Hestia Empire—the stage of the third episode.
Various forces, having received prior information from the Administrators, had already been secretly establishing ties with the Empire.
All to create opportunities within the massive storm that was soon to come.
“What should we do with these people?”
Men dressed in black pointed at those inside Running Rabbit.
“The Intelligence Department wants to open a new tavern instead of this place. More importantly, this must not yet become known to the Korean government or those Hunter types.”
Silencing witnesses.
The dead tell no tales.
“Kill them all.”
“Yes, sir.”
Shing—
A flash of blades.
“P-Please spare me!”
“We did everything you told us!”
“D-Do you know who I am? A major guild won’t let this go!”
Screams, pleas, and threats.
All kinds of emotions mixed together.
But the blades of the Blood Wind Squad, having received their orders, showed no mercy.
Slash! Crunch!
Every swing of the sword scattered severed limbs across the club.
“Aaaaah!”
“Run! To the entrance! The entrance!”
“Eek!”
In an instant, Running Rabbit was dyed in crimson.
“If we cooperated… if we fulfilled Kang Yohan’s demands and sent him to the Hestia Empire, you said you would spare at least our people!”
Mary shouted, gripping a poisoned needle in a reverse hold.
There were five agents dispatched from the Hestia Empire.
All of them stood behind Mary, trembling with pale faces.
“Did I?”
Jin Hoa replied with a disinterested expression.
“My apologies, young lady. I’m not the type to remember promises.”
To speak of righteousness and honor to the Demonic Cult was laughable.
＊＊＊
Gangdong District, Seoul.
Park Yeri, who had been in charge of purchasing real estate, had secured a decent 30-pyeong apartment lease near Cheonho Station.
“Not bad.”
Johan carefully inspected the interior.
“Not bad? I worked really hard to find this in such a short time.”
“Khahaha! Isn’t it too small for a great warrior to stay in?”
“I heard real estate in Korea was expensive, but this is really serious. Back where we’re from, even houses with yards aren’t that costly.”
Ragnar Lodbrok and Lagertha stomped around the rooms.
Well, for bodies that size, no matter how big the house was, it would feel cramped.
“Ah, Lagertha.”
“Hm?”
“Among the divine beasts you brought from the zoo, there are a few I’m interested in. Are you planning to take all of them?”
After becoming an Ancient Priest, Lagertha gained the ability to command various divine beasts and spirit creatures from the zoo.
From what he had briefly seen in Daejeon, she had stuffed about twenty of them into subspace.
Honestly, wouldn’t it be fine to part with a few?
“Ah. Back then I got greedy and took as many as possible, but I do think raising all of them would be difficult. Why? Is there one you’re interested in, brother?”
He didn’t even need to choose.
“Anyone is fine.”
Even one would be enough.
“Sure. Since it’s you, brother, I’ll gladly give you one. I became this class thanks to you anyway. But… hmm. Will you be able to bond with them? Usually, they only recognize kind-hearted people as their master.”
“If it’s something like that, don’t worry. When it comes to kindness, I’d feel left out if I weren’t included.”
If Mother Teresa came back to life, she’d probably ask him to open a treatment center together.
He might even have lived next door to Gandhi or Confucius and chatted with them.
“U-Uh… right?”
Lagertha reluctantly agreed.
Good.
Now he just needed one whose magical wavelength matched his.
‘There’s no way none of the twenty will work.’
Johan confidently crossed his arms.
Soon, Lagertha began releasing various divine beasts and spirit creatures into the living room.
The one he liked the most was the snow leopard.
A spirit beast with excellent mobility and strong attack power.
But—
“Grrr. Kyaooo!”
The moment Johan approached, it bristled its fur and bared its teeth.
Tsk. This one doesn’t know how to recognize its master.
It was fine.
There were other candidates anyway.
“Hissss!”
A cobra spat venom.
“Keeek!”
A monkey threw the apple it was holding.
Thud! Thud!
It even threw a banana as a bonus.
No way…
“Gwooo!”
Not this one either?
“Baaeeeek!”
“Kyyaeng!”
This one too? And this one?
No, honestly, at least one should have come, right?
Where would they find a master as warm-hearted and selfless as him?
He was starting to develop prejudice against divine beasts.
By the time he had been rejected by every single candidate—
Only the ones in the far corner remained.
They were bipedal otters holding shells.
To be precise, only the one in front held a shell, while the others held stones and leaves.
“Otter Staff Sergeant reporting! Counting off from the left, one!”
“Hooe! Otter Private First Class, loyalty! Combat readiness complete!”
“Counting off from the right—no, three!”
The three idiots saluted as sharply as they could.
One used the left hand, one the right, and one both hands.
Surely that was intentional.
Hopefully.
“Wow, brother. It seems they like you? They didn’t even salute me. They called me the sworn enemy of the otter corps and demanded a password.”
“…….”
This was not good.
He wanted something cool, reliable, and powerful.
What on earth was he supposed to do with these?
However, the bond had already been formed.
They had chosen Johan as their new master.
It wasn’t like he could return them to Lagertha now.
Still, they were divine beasts.
Surely they had some kind of advantage.
Probably.
“Hmm. What abilities do you have?”
“Hooe! A strategic asymmetrical weapon capable of defeating even dragons! This is the pride and symbol of the otter corps!”
The self-proclaimed staff sergeant raised something high.
A shiny shell.
“Oooo! Senior Staff Sergeant’s exclusive weapon is always so cool!”
“Big and beautiful. I want one someday too!”
The other two stared at the shell with admiration.
Damn it.
It felt like he had drawn the worst possible lot.
But… it was fine.
Johan pulled out the one in charge of discipline from his subspace.
An ancient species with three heads and pure white fur.
“Heh. I was busy fighting a bloody battle at the edge of the abyss. Because of that, the pitiful lives of the enemies were prolonged.”
“Huff huff. Master called?”
“Finally not summoned in a weird place. It’s warm here… nice.”
Sambok walked out gracefully.
“They’re your juniors. Train them.”
He could bite them, tear them, chew them if needed.
Just fix that ridiculous way of speaking and their mindset.
At Johan’s command, Sambok’s lips curled upward.
Of course they did.
How much suffering and humiliation had he endured until now?
A proud ancient species.
An absolute being meant to be revered.
But what had reality been?
Thrown as bait to monsters.
Having his mana forcibly drained.
And countless other nightmares he couldn’t even put into words.
“Heh. The black flame dragon slumbering within my heart awakens.”
“Huff huff. Jungbok speaks. Lower your eyes and slam your head down. Before I bite you in one go.”
“This seems fun… yes.”
They were thoroughly going to be put through the wringer.
After all, it was common sense to train newcomers through harsh discipline.
“Hooe?”
“Otter Staff Sergeant! Now is the time to use the shell!”
“Combat readiness! Combat readiness! A terrifying predator has appeared ahead! Move and I’ll sh-sh-shoot!”
The three otters clung to each other, trembling.