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Chapter 42: In the Red Mountain Range (6)

“Pant, pant, pant... those bastards!”

Arzen returned to the vast cavern, gasping for breath.

He had learned a lot.

First of all, the adventuring world was full of scum, so he realized that staying humble was the key to avoiding betrayal.

‘Damn it, I saw it while chasing them, but it seems like adventurers come and go frequently...’

At this rate, he couldn’t use the ‘Pain of Forced Conscription’ strategy.

While searching for adventurers to betray, the problem arose when other adventurers would enter the cavern and claim “territory.”

This was why Arzen couldn’t chase after the backstabbers until the end. They must have calculated this too.

‘In other words, I, Arzen, must handle this situation alone...!’

He steeled his resolve.

He found his courage.

The ruthless and merciless future King of Steel wouldn’t be discouraged by something like this.

“I, Arzen, have a dream, aaaaargh!”

He grunted, hanging onto a massive spike, but it didn’t budge.

His body was fragile and weak.

In short, he was feeble.

But what if a demon were to intervene?

“Barolus!”

From beyond time and space, a demon that ruled at the top of the ecosystem appeared, summoned by the Apostle’s command.

Though its form wasn’t fully realized, only manifesting parts of its limbs, its power was still terrifying.

With one swipe of its hand, the demon ripped out the spike in an instant.

Cracks spread across the ground during the process.

Even the spike couldn’t withstand its strength and shattered to pieces.

“You bastard! Each of those spikes was worth my meal today! Useless, worthless demon!”

Just as Arzen was whining, clang… something hit the top of his head with a sharp ring.

‘No way, is this demon betraying me?’

There was no other suspect.

Ting, ting, ti-ri-ring... rattle...

However, the thing that struck his head wasn’t the demon.

In fact, the demon had disappeared the moment it pulled out the spike, having exhausted its time of manifestation.

What had bounced off the ground and rolled over was none other than the spike itself.

It wasn’t a broken spike, but a perfectly intact one.

‘Should I punish it through some labor? No, it looks like labor would lose...’

Arzen, being a generous master, decided to let it go.

It wasn’t because he thought he might lose, definitely not.

There was something else to focus on.

‘Could it be…’

Yes, it was the cracks.

When Barolus pulled out the spike, the resulting cracks loosened the hold of the other spikes.

One had already fallen out by itself, and with the help of the Void Bugs, the remaining two could easily be removed.

‘As expected of my demon, you had it all planned out! I knew I could trust you!’

However, Barolus’s power was so consuming that it couldn’t be summoned recklessly.

Arzen’s back was already drenched in cold sweat, proof of the enormous strain it had taken.

He needed a new approach. Something different, something better.

“Everyone, assemble!”

After inspecting the 20 mid-level Void Bugs, Arzen had them launch their toxic darts randomly around the target.

This method was dismissed.

The efficiency was too poor, as it took all three volleys from the 20 Void Bugs just to make the spike start to tremble.

‘If it doesn’t work with the mid-level ones, it’ll be even worse with the lower or higher Void Bugs...’

After sacrificing the mid-level ones, a worker Void Bug, with the help of five higher Void Bugs, managed to pull out the now-loosened spike.

‘This won’t work…’

But giving up wasn’t an option.

There had to be a reason Rodenkal sent Arzen here.

It wasn’t like there was a sinister prophecy that commanded him to betray adventurers every time he led a kobold hunt using the ‘Pain of Forced Conscription’ strategy.

‘Wait a second… I’ve got one more trick up my sleeve.’

It was something new he had recently acquired. Due to its massive size, he hadn’t had the chance to train with it in front of others!

“Evakta!”

The dimension tore apart more dramatically than ever, and an enormous dark green monstrosity emerged.

This colossal plant-beast followed Arzen’s slightest gesture.

As he guided it toward the spike, it coiled around the target and began its bizarre work.

It gnawed at the ground around the spike with its toxic touch, loosening the soil and making the spike easier to remove.

‘It’s not like a demon, tearing things out with brute force… but that’s even better!’

Arzen had learned something.

‘Even though it’s a summoned creature…!’

How familiar he became with its power determined not only the duration of its manifestation but also its strength and speed.

‘This Void Vine lasts two to three times longer than Barolus. That’s what I like most about it.’

Evakta wasn’t just useful for restraining things. With enough mastery, it could perform far more complex movements.

“Okay, that’s enough for now, huff… huff... let’s take a break.”

Arzen laid his back against the entrance to the cavern.

This was something valuable to remember in "spot" culture. Constantly shouting, "Hey, that’s my spot!" at someone who sneaked in would only drain his energy.

‘I need to hurry. I’ve got to finish before the last ride leaves.’

After lying down, dazed for an hour, Arzen sprang back to his feet.

The key to recovering his energy was “not thinking.”

Since the miracles were about “communication,” his brain’s nutrients were crucial.

Simply lying still was the best way to let his mind recover.

Arzen moved toward the area where the spikes were clustered. He had to bundle as many as possible in the shortest amount of time.

“Evakta!”

Zz-zz-zz-zz... Once again, the monstrous plant emerged from the strange tear in space, wrapping itself around one of the spikes.

Arzen adjusted the direction of his hand.

The plant, still coiled around the first spike, moved further and entwined a second one. Success.

He twisted his fingers once more.

Now wrapped around both the first and second spikes, the plant extended and grabbed hold of a third.

‘It doesn’t have enough length for more! This’ll do!’

Arzen clapped his hands together with a twist.

In resonance with his movement, Evakta tightened its grip on the targets, twisting them violently and pulling them out.

“Krrrr, excellent!”

That made eight spikes removed.

Arzen returned to the cavern’s entrance and lay down once more.

A few adventurers, descending the slope of the tunnel, glanced over at the cavern as they passed by.

However, they respected the "spot" culture and didn’t dare set foot inside.

Arzen used his "worker alarm" to jolt himself awake exactly an hour later.

“Evakta!”

Evakta’s power was fundamentally different from the Void Bugs.

While the Void Bugs could be controlled by a worker bug, Evakta’s movements directly depended on Arzen’s concentration.

If his focus wavered, the grip of the vines would loosen. Conversely, when he was fully focused, as he was now, he could bind three or four targets at once.

“Pull!”

Evakta’s strength uprooted four spikes.

Arzen carefully gathered them up and put them into his sack.

‘Including the one Barolus destroyed, that makes 12 spikes...!’

He looked around wistfully.

‘Six spikes still left... but I refuse to spend another night in that chicken coop for just 60 coppers.’

Arzen had originally believed the chicken coop held the promise of new encounters.

He had been enamored by the idea.

‘Adventurer meetups! Friendships forged in the fires of adventure! Party formations! What a load of crap!’

In the first chicken coop he ever stayed in, with his heart pounding with excitement, he found only... foot odor, burps, farts, fleas, scabies, and ticks.

The people using the coop were mostly large, hairy brutes, and he swore never to return.

‘If I can’t have it... I’ll destroy it. No way I’m letting someone get away with a free ride!’

Arzen almost summoned Barolus to collapse the entire cave entrance but stopped himself.

‘I’ll count it as charity...’

Though he thought this, deep down he had a bad feeling.

He knew that using Barolus would leave him unconscious, just like when he escaped the restricted area.

He was on the edge of his limit.

Using the Fruit of the Baptism at full power earlier had taken a serious toll on him.

‘But only pathetic adventurers would despair in this situation! I am Arzen! I’ll turn even this into an opportunity!’

---

Arzen emerged from the cave.

As he had feared, twilight was already settling in.

It took about three hours by carriage to reach Aurelinople from the Red Mountain Range, and the last ride left at 6:30 PM.

‘And if I’m unlucky, it might already be full, so I need to line up now!’

Thinking ahead, Arzen handed a makeshift map to an apprentice witch nearby.

“Here, I found a new area with about five spikes still left. Tell anyone desperate for money.”

He even used this situation to improve his reputation. The apprentice witch\'s eyes sparkled.

“You’re giving this away?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm~ You must have a good heart, especially since you’re getting special requests from the witches.”

Success.

Life was that easy.

No, it wasn’t easy. He had to stay humble. He had been cocky earlier, and look where that had gotten him today.

‘Those jerks... next time we meet, they’re dead... I’ll have Void Bugs erase all their hair follicles so they’re bald, men and women alike.’

Arzen made his way to the Witch Association tent and sold the spikes.

Witch Beth was very pleased.

“These spikes you brought today are in excellent condition. Most are damaged during excavation, but these are nearly intact.”

“Thank you.”

“But this one broke while being pulled out. I can’t pay full price for it.”

Arzen had expected this.

Still, considering he had easily pulled out three spikes thanks to Barolus, he graciously forgave it.

“Well, I guess it can’t be helped.”

“Here, the payment for today\'s spikes.”

Feeling the weight of the newly acquired silver coin and 60 coppers in his pouch, Arzen headed down toward the mountain foothill’s station.

A long line had already formed.

Luckily, since the staff at the ticket booth weren’t stopping anyone, it seemed he would still be able to get on.

While waiting, he called over a staff member, handing over 60 coppers to upgrade his regular ticket.

‘Today’s earnings just about cover my lodging...’

But it wasn’t an unproductive day. He had figured out a new training method.

‘Pulling out spikes while honing Evakta’s power... maybe that’s why Lord Rodenkal sent me here in the first place.’

He also didn’t have to worry about being known as a jerk for constantly forcing adventurers into labor.

As he mulled over these thoughts, the bell rang.

Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding... The carriages lined up and entered.

There were few getting off, but many waiting to board.

Some unlucky ones weren’t able to get a seat and were left behind.

“Ticket check complete! Full capacity! We’re departing!”

The ticket booth staff hurriedly shouted while physically blocking desperate adventurers who were frantically begging to return to the city.

‘Wait, that voice?’

It was familiar.

Unforgettable.

Arzen snapped his head up and saw the bastards he met earlier reaching toward the departing carriages, wailing in despair.

“Kyak-ha! Justice lives! Serves you right, you filthy scam artists! I’ve memorized your faces, so watch out! I’m going to ruin your reputation!”

Feeling a rush of victory, Arzen flipped both middle fingers at them.

Those pathetic idiots had failed to keep track of time and missed the ride.

But Arzen had made it aboard.

He had survived another day.

The final winner was Arzen.

‘Ha! Just seeing their faces cleared up that lingering unease like I hadn’t wiped properly!’

Settling back into his seat, he noticed a few adventurers curiously eyeing him, seemingly wondering what had just happened.

Feigning tears, Arzen dramatically exaggerated how horribly he had been treated today.

“Can you believe those scumbags?!”

“No kidding! If I get assigned the same quest as them later, I’ll destroy their reputation score!”

“Haha, I’m already looking forward to it!”

Adventurers were a rowdy bunch.

Putting their lives on the line day in and day out, they were always looking for a legitimate excuse to unleash some stress.

And no one understood that better than Arzen, who was masterfully playing into it like a demon himself.

‘The truth doesn’t matter! All that matters is giving them a reason to pounce!’

Satisfied beyond measure, Arzen began to doze off to the steady rhythm of the carriage.

Aside from the rattling of the wheels and the horses’ snorts, the world was filled with the sounds of autumn.

Night insects and frogs sang in chorus, and the fallen leaves, bathed in moonlight, rustled in the wind along the road.

‘What a truly delightful scene...’