BXBX NOVEL Chapter 29 – Evil Rising in the Darkness (1)
Chapter 29 – Evil Rising in the Darkness (1)
Chapter 29 – Evil Rising in the Darkness (1)
‘What’s this?’
The surface of the bead was smooth.
Upon closer inspection, it was a perfect spherical shape.
This was a fantasy world.
There were no machines here.
It would require considerable skill just to carve beads into spherical shapes.
Yet here they were, scattered on the ground.
‘A jewel?’
It was ambiguous to call it a jewel.
Ketal stared at the bead intently.
Something was swirling inside the bead.
Something dark and deep seemed to lurk within.
“Hmm.”
Examining the bead quietly, he tucked it into his pocket.
As he made his way back to the guild hall, Rosa delivered joyful news.
“Congratulations, Ketal. You’ve been promoted from F-rank mercenary to E-rank.”
“Oh! Is that so?”
A flush of excitement spread across Ketal’s face.
Rosa smiled faintly at the easily recognizable emotion.
“Yes. Congratulations.”
“Now, what’s different?”
“Allow me to explain. But first, accept your mercenary badge.”
The badge Rosa handed over was adorned with even more delicate and neat decorations than before.
With a serious expression, Rosa continued,
“As an E-rank, you’ll have access to a wider variety of missions. From now on, you can tackle dungeons up to a certain grade by yourself.”
“Oh.”
Finally, he could venture into dungeons alone.
It was a satisfying thought.
Rosa continued.
“With an E-rank mercenary badge, you can access most places. However, places like the capital or churches are still off-limits… At least major restrictions won’t apply.”
Being an E-rank mercenary meant that.
It meant the mercenary guild vouched for Ketal.
With a somewhat disappointed tone, Rosa said,
“In fact, considering you’ve cleared an unverified dungeon, it wouldn’t be strange for you to be promoted even higher…”
Ketal had cleared an A-rank dungeon.
From what she heard from his party members, he practically cleared it alone.
So being promoted to A-rank wouldn’t be strange.
Ketal said matter-of-factly,
“That’s more about trust than skill. Can’t help it.”
“Yes, yes, you’re right.”
While nodding, Rosa said with a look of wonder in her eyes.
This barbarian is quite intelligent.
Despite his appearance as a mere barbarian, he was more intellectual than anyone she had ever seen.
‘Perhaps.’
If this barbarian were to try, he might become the first A-rank mercenary in the guild.
Such a thought occurred to her, but it didn’t necessarily seem appealing.
A remarkable mercenary emerging was the achievement of the guildmaster, and she disliked being the guildmaster here.
So she cautiously asked,
“What are your plans now? Becoming an E-rank mercenary means you’re no longer bound to this territory.”
“Right.”
Now Ketal was free.
With his mercenary badge, he could enter other territories without the hassle of procedures.
Ketal pondered, stroking his chin.
“Hmm.”
He knew only this territory.
He also wanted to visit other territories.
What kind of place would it be, and how would it differ from here?
But.
“For now, let’s stay a bit longer. I haven’t fully enjoyed this place yet.”
“Is that so? Feel free to do as you please. Ketal, you’re a free man.”
“Exactly. I am free.”
Ketal said cheerfully.
As the conversation came to an end, Ketal suddenly remembered something.
“Oh. Can I ask something?”
“Ask anything.”
“What is this?”
Ketal took out the black bead from his pocket.
Rosa, who received it cautiously, examined the bead slowly.
“A jewel… doesn’t seem like it. It seems like someone’s craftsmanship went into it, judging by its smooth surface. It has no name. It looks quite valuable…”
Mumbling, Rosa’s eyes gradually glazed over.
It was as if she was enchanted by the bead itself.
Ketal flicked his finger lightly.
It produced a loud noise, startling Rosa back to her senses.
“Are you alright?”
“What?”
Rosa looked at Ketal with a puzzled expression.
“Why do you ask?”
“No. Never mind.”
“Hmm… it’s hard to confirm with the bead. It feels like there’s a strange energy emanating from it. Should I try to sense its energy?”
The guild hall had the capability to verify unknown items, as they dealt with rewards from dungeons.
However, Ketal shook his head.
“Thanks, but I’ll handle it myself. It’s part of the fun.”
“Are you sure? Feel free to do as you please.”
“It’s better to request a mission instead. I need to complete today’s tasks. As an E-rank mercenary, there should be new missions available, right?”
Ketal’s face was filled with anticipation.
Rosa smiled as she handed him the mission sheet.
* * *
Ketal completed the missions assigned to E-rank mercenaries.
Each one was new and enjoyable, greatly satisfying him.
Late at night, Ketal returned to his lodging after finishing the missions.
The owner of the lodging greeted him with a familiar face by now.
Once he returned to his room, he took out the bead from his pocket.
“What’s this?”
A black, undulating bead.
It wasn’t a jewel, and he didn’t know who made it.
Yet it seemed valuable, scattered on the ground like trash.
“Rosa seemed as if she was enchanted by this.”
‘Does it have any functions?’
Ketal fiddled with the bead alone.
Suddenly, a voice echoed in his mind.
[Come….]
“Hmm?”
[Come to me….]
It was a deep, resonating voice.
Filled with a malevolent aura that shook the mind and beguiled people.
Most people, like Rosa, would likely be enthralled by the bead’s magic and act according to its will.
“Why am I hearing voices from the bead?”
But it didn’t affect Ketal.
He just looked at the bead with a puzzled expression.
“What’s this?”
Along with the voice, a location was vividly depicted in Ketal’s mind.
[Come to me….]
And the voice continued to beckon.
“Is it calling me to that place?”
Ketal’s face showed interest as he examined the bead.
“An artifact?”
[Come to me….]
This bead kept telling him to come.
And it kindly conveyed the location to him as well.
“Hmm.”
He became intrigued.
“Should I go?”
Muttering to himself, Ketal stood up.
It was a dark night with only the moon and stars in the sky.
Underneath, Ketal set off.
Ketal stepped out of the territory.
He knew the destination.
The voice continued to convey a specific location to him.
[Come to me….]
“As I’m going, please be quiet.”
Ketal set forth.
The earth was firm beneath his feet, and the wind whispered.
In no time, Ketal arrived at his destination.
“Is this it?”
On the surface, it appeared to be an ordinary thicket, but Ketal could see what was hidden inside.
“Hmm.”
He took a step forward.
As he did, the hidden camouflage was lifted, revealing an entrance.
It was a cave.
On the outside, it looked like an ordinary cave with nothing remarkable.
If discovered while passing by, one would likely pay it no mind.
Ketal’s expression showed interest.
“Is this a hidden dungeon?”
[Come to me….]
“I’m here, you.”
Ketal pushed his way into the cave.
* * *
[Hm?]
The presence in the cave detected someone’s intrusion.
And it chuckled.
[Another sacrificial lamb has entered.]
Thud.
The sound of its jaw clicking echoed.
It was a being composed solely of bones, with no flesh whatsoever.
It wasn’t a skeleton.
Within its empty eye sockets, blue flames made of magic flickered.
It was a being only a powerful high-level mage could reach.
It was a lich.
Through the blue flames, the entrance of the cave was visible.
Inside, a massive barbarian was entering with a joyful expression.
[A foolish barbarian. Judging by the size, you’d make a good sacrifice.]
The lich chuckled gleefully.
Flames in its eyes flared up as if responding to emotions.
[It’s time, isn’t it? Soon, soon. I can soon resurrect once again!]
He was once notorious as a mage.
Manipulating mana and wielding intermediate magic, he dominated several kingdoms, manipulating the minds of many kings and sparking wars.
It was a time of wars where many kingdoms perished, with him lurking behind it all.
His deeds of evil beyond measure eventually caught up with him, and he was defeated by the Hero.
But he was a mage who had reached enlightenment.
Knowing someday he would be caught, he prepared for his resurrection as a lich by creating a phylactery in advance.
However, the attacks from the Hero came faster than he anticipated.
The mana core itself shattered before he could finish preparing, losing all the mana he had.
Originally, he would have become an ordinary skeleton, unable to do anything and avoiding people’s gazes.
[If it weren’t for this, it would have been a disaster.]
On top of the staff the lich held, there was a translucent gray cube.
It was an ancient relic obtained during the process of destroying kingdoms.
An artifact that stored mana itself and assisted the user in casting magic.
Among numerous artifacts, it was particularly unique and carefully guarded.
Thanks to this, he managed to resurrect as a lich.
Without it, he would have been no different from an ordinary skeleton.
As he pondered how to recover the lost mana, he soon found the fastest solution.
It was to sacrifice human lives to create a mana core.
To do that, a considerable number of lives would be needed.
Therefore, he settled near a remote place, far from the public eye but with a fair number of people present.
And he scattered beads that enchanted human emotions, gathering sacrificial lambs one by one.
He captured them, absorbing their life and soul all at once.
He made them all his own and regained mana.
And with great power once again, he would conquer the world.
His goal was gradually approaching success.
The lich clicked its jaw in satisfaction.
[…But a barbarian. Why is he here?]
This was a considerably remote territory.
He had settled in a place far from the public eye to quietly build his power.
That’s why the existence of a barbarian was quite unusual.
[Creatures from the north have come far. Judging by his size, he would make an excellent sacrifice.]
The lich chuckled contentedly as it watched the barbarian’s movements.
After observing him for a moment, the lich doubted its own eyes.
[…His gait seems quite steady.]
The lich had scattered beads that enchanted human minds in the village.
Those ensnared by the beads came to his dungeon secretly, avoiding public scrutiny.
As a result, their movements were quite slow, and their expressions seemed absent-minded.
But the barbarian’s steps were remarkably neat.
He even seemed to have a smile on his face.
[Could he not have been enchanted?]
The lich briefly entertained the thought before dismissing it immediately.
He had placed a special effect on the beads.
It prevented them from working on those who had achieved enlightenment.
Those who entered here due to the beads were unaware of enlightenment.
Ultimately, they were nothing more than ordinary a barbarian who didn’t seem to be enchanted.
The appearance of not being ensnared was simply a misconception.
[Come. Barbarian.]
The lich grinned. The evil lurking deep within beckoned the barbarian.
[Be the cornerstone of my great resurrection.]
A mocking voice echoed throughout the empty chamber.
[TL/N: Fool]
[PR/N: Another one bites the dust.]