The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 83



Only Krnovel

Episode 83. Followers of the Forgotten God (5)

Swift shadows crossed the back alleys of Galentana. Anyone with excellent visual acuity would have been able to tell that they were kidnapping someone.

When they reached a corner that was completely deserted, they put down their luggage. The bag gave off a heavy vibration, and the hostages tied to the rope swayed like cocoons about to hatch.

“Ugh, eugh, eugh!”

“Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!”

They were a peddler, a security guard, and a group of demon slayers who were kidnapped while leaving an alley.

Thanks to stopping, the kidnappers were clearly revealed. Men dressed entirely in black from head to toe, and even wearing black masks.

They looked at each other and shrugged.

“What a disappointment. I thought they would be able to do something since they were part of the demon slayers who would bring disaster, but I didn’t expect them to be captured so easily.”

“It’s a good thing for these guys. If it had been difficult to capture him alive, he should have been killed, but he was so weak that he survived. Well, I’ll use it as bait to lure the demon slayer anyway and then kill it… … .”

“Instead, how about we take a look at this bag? Is it possible that the demon slayer might have other holy relics or other valuable artifacts?”

The kidnappers nodded and quickly rummaged through the peddler’s bag.

There was only miscellaneous things in the bag. An iron staff wrapped in scraps of cloth, bottles and canteens filled with stinking blood, wool blankets, flints, dry food… … . There were no sacred relics or precious relics with the mark of a forgotten god in sight.

But the kidnappers were not disappointed. There was a huge amount of money inside, more than enough to make up for all their disappointment.

“Ha… … I guess this is the money the demon slayer has been plundering from good people. It’s a good thing we found it before he squanders it in the underworld. How much do you think it is in total?”

“Well, even if I can’t do it, I think it’ll be 500,000 Luden… … .”

“I think it would be best to give all of this as an offering to the bishop. He will surely need sufficient capital to collect more relics and expand the church.”

The two people looked at the man who said those words. It was a gesture that meant, ‘Fuck, don’t you have any sense?’ The man paused in confusion for a moment and then corrected her.

“But too much money puts people to the test. Moreover, this is money earned illegally by the demon slayer who is clearly the ‘source of disaster’. “I don’t think it would be a bad idea for us to lighten the burden a little so that the bishop doesn’t fall into despair.”

Only then did the other two people nod with satisfied faces. The three kidnappers equally divided the load of 100,000 ludens each. They felt that their sense of responsibility, brotherhood, and faith had grown even stronger.

“Ugh, ugh!! Ughhhhhhhhh!!! Ughhhhhhhh!!!”

Duncan, the peddler who saw what was happening, rolled his eyes and went crazy. The movement was so intense that the rope that had tied it tightly loosened even a little.

One of the kidnappers approached and tightened the loose rope again. Then he noticed something on the peddler’s waist.

“Um, what is this?”

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

““… … !””

A red dagger that ignites hellfire the moment it is pulled out of its scabbard.

Even at a glance, it was not an ordinary object. The eyes behind the mask sparkled with greed. The other two men rushed at him like a swarm of flies, aiming for the dagger.

“Wait a minute, let me see, brother. I think I need to take a closer look at what kind of weapon that is.”

“No, give it to me first. “I managed an armory when I was young, so I guess I have a better eye for weapons.”

“Hey, hey, everyone step back!”

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

“… … Phew, I almost burned the whole Holla Dang. You guys, let go. I will take full responsibility for the mission of managing this dangerous weapon.”

“Ugh!! Ugh!!!”

The kidnappers no longer cared whether the tied-up peddler was scurrying around like a live fish or not. Their eyes were fixed solely on this extraordinary relic. They engaged in a war of nerves with the dagger’s flames in the middle.

“You? You manage it? Can you manage it well? “On what basis are you saying that?”

“Didn’t I discover it first? So it’s only natural that I have the authority to manage it.”

“No, I have the authority to manage that.”

“Stop talking nonsense and hand it to me. “That is a matter for the bishop to decide, not for you to decide arbitrarily.”

“Speak with spit in your mouth, brother! “I was planning on gulping it down as soon as it was handed to me!”

“How can you be so foolish! Of course, I was thinking of just taking a quick look before returning it! “Do you think everyone in the world is like you?”

“Anyway, this is mine! If you don’t want to get hurt, step back! I’ll report to the bishop separately!”

“No, it’s mine. I just lent it to that peddler for a little while.”

“Didn’t you almost lose the relic before? Still, do you think the bishop will allow you to keep the relics again?”

“When on earth did you bring this up?! It’s not my fault, it’s because the information was leaked to another faction… … .”

“Yeah, that guy called Bishop is your leader.”

The air cools down, as if the season has changed in an instant.

The three kidnappers froze.

Among them was a giant figure that had never been seen before.

““… … .””

A heart-stopping silence. Sweat dripped down the forehead behind the mask. One of the kidnappers barely woke up from his dream and shouted.

“Everyone run away… … .”

Fur – ugh!

Before he could finish his words, a large fist struck his head. His skull and mask were crushed together, and his face fell to the ground. Cerebrospinal fluid mixed with blood flowed out from his tangled nose and eye sockets, soaking the stone slab.

“Ugh… … .”

Fur – ugh!

The man who was holding the dagger also died with a caved-in skull. The last man, who tried to escape during the gap, was caught by the back of his neck in a strong hand. He was lifted into the air and then fell to the ground, his lumbar vertebrae instantly breaking.

“Cough!”

Kadim stomped on the man’s stomach. He put some strength into his foot, and looked down at the black mask with his shadowy face.

“At least it’s not a fake human this time. “I saw the blood was red.”

“Ouch, uh, uh… … .”

“I give you a choice. Either you vomit all your crushed internal organs into your mouth and die, or you die by stuffing them all into your back hole… … .”

“Kwaek, kwauk!!”

“… … Or you can confess everything you know and die in peace. “Which one would you choose?”

“Uh oh, oh oh… … .”

Chills and shivers that chill the blood and make you tremble under your chin. The worries didn’t last long.

The kidnapper chose to confess everything.

*

Unfortunately, I didn’t know much about them since I was only at the bottom of the organization. Still, I had a rough idea of ​​what kind of people they were and what their purpose was.

As promised, Kadim gave the kidnapper a comfortable death.

Ugh – Ugh!

“Ugh!”

The person who was struck by the axe may not have thought so, but compared to the previous options, it was a relatively comfortable death.

Now that all the kidnappers were taken care of, I turned my attention to the hostages. Kadim approached Duncan and Yulitan with his ax raised.

Sigh –

“Ugh, euaaaah!!”

Seeing the shallow cuts in his skin, Duncan wondered if Khadim’s chronic illness, which had been going berserk, might be rampant again.

Fortunately, that wasn’t the case. Kadim confirmed that the blood was red and saved Duncan’s life. After confirming that the blood was black, he struck down Yulitan’s head.

Pur – Wow!

“Purr, purr… … .”

The fake Yulitan melted, releasing black bubbles. Duncan stammered absentmindedly.

“Oh, no, since when… … ? Since when… … .”

Kadim wiped the ax blade and hardened his expression. It was a conclusion that was not difficult to come to. The only one who could lead the party to an inn full of traps was this guard captain.

The biggest question was when the real guard was replaced with a fake, but when I thought about it carefully, there was a time when it could have happened. Before leaving the gate, when I went to the alley and had a one-on-one interview with the guard captain, saying I had something to say. I thought that maybe the real guard captain was kidnapped and replaced with a fake human at that time.

It would have been better if it had been the work of the devil. Because he would have been able to sense with magic who was real and who was fake. However, since this was not the case, I had to go through a painful confirmation process or see blood. I was planning to just get paid and go, but I wonder how all these things got involved… … .

Duncan, who heard the whole situation, spoke with his hands shaking nervously.

“Well, what should I do then, will I get better? Shouldn’t we go and rescue the guard captain, Nauri, right away? It won’t be easy for us to receive the reward for subjugation without him… … .”

“… … .”

As long as he was useful, Kadim didn’t really care whether his party died or not. Even now, he was searching every alley in the city like a stray dog ​​to rescue Duncan.

However, if he showed that he was obsessed with the hostage, he would be at a disadvantage when dealing with the enemy. Also, he needed to meet someone who had more crucial information and a clue to this troublesome situation.

“No, I’m going to Galentana University first.”

“……yes?”

“Let’s find the real archaeologist there. He’s the original owner of this silver coin and the prototype of the fake human, so he must know something.”

About this situation where followers of the ‘forgotten god’ and fake humans are running wild in Galentana, and are seeking his life and silver.

Duncan bit his lip and nodded. They gathered their scattered belongings and headed straight to Galentana University.

*

The view from the University of Galentana was just as outstanding as the city center.

The crimson spires that rose like the horns of a giant, the quaint buildings lined up like palaces, the green lawns surrounding the terraced square, and even the small lake. It was a grand and splendid sight that even a country scholar who didn’t necessarily have fantasies about this temple of knowledge would be impressed by.

However, there weren’t many people coming and going in the schoolyard. This was because the aftereffects of the demon’s rampage still remained. A lot of the students, teachers, and administrators were away, so there was a dreary atmosphere wherever you went.

It was a good thing for Kadim and Duncan, as security was relaxed and they could enter the school without any obstacles. But it was also a bad thing, as there were not many people to ask about Illenia.

Even if I occasionally stopped a passerby and asked them, I never got a proper answer.

“Hey, let me ask you something.”

“… … Oh, oh, sorry, I’m sorry!”

“Hey, teacher? I would like to ask you something… … .”

“… … Well, I’m busy right now!”

“… … .”

It was only natural. In this honorable hall of knowledge, a vicious-looking savage and a shabby-looking peddler were too out of place. The few passersby were busy avoiding them for fear of being harmed.

Still, they were soon able to get a proper answer. Kadim changed the way he asked questions, grabbed the passerby, raised his backside, and asked.

“Hey, Bachelor Illenia? Over there, over there! Just go to the bachelor’s office on the third floor of the Bakdalnamu building! I saw you go in just a moment ago, so you should be there!”

“Thank you. “Then go ahead and study hard.”

To the student, it sounded like a threat that said, ‘If you don’t study hard, I’ll separate your bones from your flesh.’ He nodded his head until his neck was about to break, and then ran away like a rat with its tail on fire. Duncan looked at the student’s back with pity. It felt like he was looking at a self-portrait from the past.

Kadim and Duncan entered the building they were guided to, but they heard a strange story from the students on the first floor.

“Master Illenia? Oh, you came in this morning and stayed in the third floor dormitory… … Huh? I think you came back in just a moment ago… … When did you leave?”

“hmm? You came in just now? “I saw you come in here about 15 minutes ago?”

“I saw you enter the academic room about half-time… … .”

“… … .”

“By the way, if you’ll excuse me, why are you here, Professor Ilenia?” … .”

Kadim hurried up the stairs without answering. Duncan followed with a bewildered look on his face. Kadim raised his hand to stop him.

“Hide your presence and stay downstairs, Duncan. You might get attacked by the fake human again.”

“… … Yes, I will be better.”

At the far corner of the third floor, he found a sign that read, ‘Ilenia Silberto, Bachelor of Archaeology.’ In front of the door, Kádim sharpened his senses.

There were no passersby passing through the hallway. Inside, it was clearly felt like it was popular. It was unclear whether it was a real sign or a fake sign. In either case, there was no need to knock politely and enter.

Grabbing the handle of the axe, I forcefully push open the door and enter.

Kwak-Ang!

“… … I’ve been waiting for you, mercenary.”

A woman appeared, calmly greeting me without any surprise.

Ilenia was sitting cross-legged on the desk. A lump of black resin was bubbling at her feet, and the floor was littered with torn books and antiques. She looked like she had been in a battle with a fake human.

But I didn’t know that it might have been decorated to look like that this time too. Kadim held up the ax blade and asked.

“Before, some enemies appeared at the ruins I went to.”

Ilenia answered with the corners of her lips raised bitterly.

“They were Atalan warriors made of clay. I killed about four of them, and the mercenary killed the rest. The place was a circular space with a diameter of about 30 meters, with torches surrounding the ceiling. Before that, there was a passageway densely painted with outlines of monsters, people, and demons, as well as ancient text. When I tore the drum that was being played alone, as written there, the clay warriors lost their power.”

“… … .”

“And as you can see, my blood is red. Is this proof that I’m not a clone, mercenary?”

Ilenia cut the skin with her fingernail and showed drops of blood flowing down. She Kadim slowly lowered her axe.

Now that I’ve finally found the real thing, it’s time to ask what the heck is going on.