A New Possibility? Or A Hypothesis! (2)

Lee Hyo-ju, Hazel, and Merus sat in stunned silence.

Merus spoke first.

“So, Mr. Kim Han, what do you want to do?”

“Isn’t that why I called everyone together—to think about that?”

“Ah, I mean—what benefit do you want to gain from this choice, Mr. Kim Han?”

“Benefit?”

“Yes, a benefit. Consider what benefit each option gives, and take the benefit you prefer first. If you can get both, even better.”

Shio hadn’t called to tell me the representative’s ‘Setting (magical protection)’ was weakening.

He explained why Monster Waves occur.

After extensive research and logical inference, Shio concluded there must be something on the outskirts of the Monster Belt that emits a pheromone and injects divine power into monsters.

“Puerpera…”

“Yes?”

Shio called it Puerpera (Puerpera: puerpera).

But despite the name, he didn’t treat it as a living being; he cautiously suspected it was something set by the gods.

“Your representatives get rewards based on contribution after a Monster Wave ends, right? Of course—everyone gets rewards when a Monster Wave ends. How about this: satisfy my curiosity and secure your merits too? This is a map of the expected location. Take it if you’re willing—ah, take it even if you’re not.”

A map from Shio appeared in my inventory.

“If we finish the Monster Wave on the north wall quickly, we’ll take first place in contribution. We’re already in a good position, but both individually and as a group we’ll rank top. From day 60, monsters will appear those idiots can’t handle. In fact, there are already many cases they can’t deal with. I’ve heard reports that innocent continentals are the ones dying. Is that true?”

“Yes. The Holy Realm Alliance sent additional paladin orders and priests, and the Dark Empire is dispatching knight orders as well.”

I nodded at Lee Hyo-ju’s report—she handled intelligence.

I already knew enough from spying on Benialis and Violentia, but I asked as if I didn’t know to confirm.

“Right, so it’s definitely better than now. And if it’s some object—if it creates divine power or a divine power core, it’s worth taking. If it’s dangerous, it might be stronger than expected… but, well, it’s still training time.”

I spoke casually, but there was a real possibility the thing could be powerful. Still, the advantages were clear.

“And continuing the monster raid as is… that’s not bad either. We can gain combat experience against various monsters. It’s obvious we’ll still take first place.”

Both options had pros and no clear downside, so it was a dilemma—though my choice was nearly decided.

“Then the only question left is who to bring.”

The three were silent. Each knew none of them could bring anyone else.

So they’d have to bring one of the remaining people…

“Do you really need to bring anyone…? Hm? What’s with that murderous look… gah?!”

Merus had spoken sensibly. In truth, bringing someone would slow us and be a bother.

I had suggested bringing someone expecting to be persuaded, but Merus cut that off.

He earned two savage glares from the women, but that was his problem.

“Right? Haha. Then I’ll go right after the day-39 Monster Wave ends. Keep it secret from others.”

“Yes…?”

“Accepted!”

“…Eek! Mr. Kim Han, I’ll go first…”

But Merus couldn’t leave—the women’s looks were too fierce.

I stood, patted Merus on the shoulder, and hurried out of the room—even though it was my room.

I entered the Monster Belt as soon as the day-39 Monster Wave ended.

The Monster Belt felt different—completely unlike what I remembered.

The air bit like a razor and felt heavy; breathing was oddly labored.

Is this what the Creator’s demon realm would be like?

I shook my shoulders to loosen stiff muscles and crossed the Monster Belt quickly, slipping between trees.

Exorsus is a large city, and the Monster Belt encircling its outskirts was wide. After ‘Light Body’ merged with ‘War God [Ex]’, I pushed the skill to its peak and launched my body for the first time.

I left Exorsus in the evening and traveled ten hours, so by the calendar it was the late dawn of day 40.

From afar I felt a raw, pure murderous intent radiating outward—a crude mass of killing intent spreading in all directions.

I activated stealth, moved for five minutes, and finally saw the source.

“Crazy. So day 41 will be these things?”

Blue carapaces covered their bodies, and neatly folded transparent wings caught my eye. Their forelimbs were sharp scythes.

They looked like mantises at first glance, but they weren’t mere monsters—these were demonic beasts.

They were weaker than the Myryans in strength, but quite annoying—they could operate in both air and ground.

These hybrids could fly and fight on land, making them a nuisance. Warriors had trouble with them, and mages found them hard to face.

Their sturdy green carapaces resisted most warriors’ blows, and their swift, sharp foreleg strikes harried even mages.

Walls meant little to them, creating a thorny problem for the north gate defenders who relied on many mages.

There were over five thousand Locusta at a rough estimate. The number was absurd; where had these beasts suddenly come from?

Strange.

This Monster Wave was definitely different from before.

No—I hadn’t heard of Locusta appearing even in previous lives. And not on the final day—on day 41…

I hesitated briefly, then shook my head and moved on.

Five thousand mantises moving slowly in lines like they were bewitched looked eerie and repulsive.

After the Locusta swarm passed, I moved a bit further, leaned against a tree, and activated a communication crystal.

“Mr. Shio.”

—Oh? What’s with the sudden contact?

“The monster that will appear in the next wave—rather, the demonic beast—is Locusta.”

—Locusta? You mean that thing that’s not a grasshopper or a mantis, that one?

“Yes, that demonic beast.”

—…My records show no history of demonic beasts appearing in Monster Waves. Especially not in the middle of the cycle like now.

“Anyway, tell Merus. It would be best to prepare magical traps.”

—Understood. Don’t worry. I’m All Might.

“Yes, All Nothing.”

—All…!

I cut the communication and leapt forward—or tried to. Heavy murderous intent rushed at my back.

Screech—

The tree I had leaned against was cleanly sliced like grass and toppled. The source of the killing intent was a mantis.

“Did the comms give me away? Or my voice?”

Kieeeek!!

Could they understand the beast’s speech?

Twenty Locusta screamed and immediately attacked, filling my vision.

I kicked off the ground and launched backward with confidence. I quickly turned my airborne body and ran at full speed.

Flap—flap—

A chorus of thin wings flapped all at once, like cockroaches brushing past my ear.

After running hard for about ten minutes I found a small clearing.

“Phew—by now they probably won’t know what I’m up to, right?”

I pulled a weapon from my inventory.

Sharra—

A blade over five meters long unfurled on the ground: the flexible sword ‘Serpent Fang’.

I drew the flexible sword I hadn’t been able to use because of other legion members and let it lie on the ground.

The Locusta swooped almost at the same time I snapped my wrist and swung; the ‘Serpent Fang’ whipped through the air like a long tail, leaving a wide arc.

Crack—krk-krk!!

Even the razor-sharp ‘Serpent Fang’, which could cut metal, failed to pierce the Locusta’s thick carapace—sparking and screeching from the friction.

“Tch.”

“Done.”

I ignored the system messages and status notification, then moved my wrist holding the breaker-coated flexible sword again.

‘Serpent Fang’ sailed through the air leaving a black trail instead of silver.

Swinging ‘Serpent Fang’, I marveled at the power skill once more.

A flexible sword is unwieldy even at about a meter; in unskilled hands it can harm its wielder. Yet swinging an over-five-meter ‘Serpent Fang’ felt natural, as if I’d used it for years.

I adjusted the fingers of my right hand gripping the blade to subtly steer its path.

Swaaaah—

‘Serpent Fang’ sliced the air dozens of times in an instant, sounding like heavy rain pelting down.

Patter—patter—

The sturdy carapaces split into dozens of pieces and fell; the noise resembled a torrential downpour.

Around me, concentric rings of Locusta carcasses lay strewn—twenty in total.

“Phew…”

“Huh? You’ve become an AI now?”

“…Heh. Fine.”

The Guardian, reappearing, spoke in a much more sober tone.

Following a projected route in my vision, I activated stealth again and moved quickly—though it was likely an illusion.

Of course, it was an illusion.

Benialis desperately wanted to give up on the Monster Wave.

But when word came that Violentia—and even Kim Han, in charge of the north wall—were holding easily, he couldn’t.

He was like a rider clinging to an ogre’s back; he couldn’t back out now.

If at least one of them had faltered, he might have quietly withdrawn, but neither showed signs of doing so.

“Sigh… You asked me to look into this?”

“Um… you do know about Kim Han, who the faith calls Farmer’s Association, now called Fisheries Association, right?”

“What? That bastard! I’m already on edge and now you’re playing twenty questions?!”

Under Benialis’s furious shouting and the flinging of whatever was at hand, the man who came to report hunched and babbled excuses.

“W-well, your report and what you told me were too different.”

“Tell me!!”

“K-Kim Han personally overpowered the boss White Ogre—bigger-headed than the white ogre one-on-one. The method was crude force against force, but thousands saw Kim Han’s strike kill the White Ogre.”

The representative reported like that.

He’d kept this flatterer and quick-witted fellow as a secretary, but the report was unsatisfying.

That idiot couldn’t possibly have such skill. He’d fought ogre packs himself; they’re not easy opponents.

“Wasn’t someone already fighting it before?”

“No. Apparently the Chief White Ogre stepped forward as if to duel. After that boss was dealt with, the representative called Kim Han and fled up to the wall.”

Impossible. The Kim Han he knew was a sycophant craving power and money—pathetic, sweating right before him.

“My eyes don’t deceive me.”

Benialis firmly trusted his own judgment.

Then there must be another explanation. For example…

“Ah! No way!!”

Benialis sprang up. Had he finally realized Kim Han had deceived him?!

“Did he receive power by performing sexual services for your women?”

No—Benialis was more stupid than that.

“Perhaps the representative Kim Han set out to deceive you from the start?”

“What?! You mean to say I was deceived from the start by that money-grubbing idiot?!”

“Ah, no.”

Startled, the representative clasped his head and bowed, denying it.

Looking at him with contempt, Benialis grew confident in his own theory. The idiot’s words were nonsense.

“Then… how that fool Kim Han gained power is the important point… Damn it! If not for the Monster Wave, I’d invite your woman and do this and that. Ah… what a waste. So what is that trash doing now?”

“Eh? Ah, yes. He’s supposedly commanding frontline combat now. But recently he’s been suddenly absent… no one thinks it strange…”

“Is that so? Of course. That pathetic bastard’s too scared to show himself.”

‘If I say where he went he’ll throw a fit again, won’t he? Ugh.’

Benialis spent day 43 like that.

—Anomalous entity detected. Predicting route. Probability of matching the Enigma’s location: 0.71%. Ignoring.