Genius Corpse-Collecting Warrior - Chapter 103
Nest Bartender (1)
The gray corpse turns into powder of light and scatters.
A subtle sense of elation that is sucked into your fingertips and fills your entire body.
At the edge of a sensation I hadn’t felt in a long time, a translucent notification window appeared where the body disappeared.
[The body of the warlock who stalked the witch has been recovered. Ability is inherited.]
[Inheritance Reward: Intelligence +2 Magic Power +1 Hell Gate Key (C)]
“Tsk.”
Dallen clicked his tongue.
Facing a shameful past is always unpleasant.
This was even more so for Dallen, who could vividly recall all scenes from the past due to his outstanding intelligence level.
A time when I wasted a lot of time lost in the beauty of the witch on the monitor.
After following the witch for an entire episode as a paladin and failing, he tried again as a warlock in the next episode.
‘That’s stupid. We should have reached a consensus! ‘A witch and a paladin are people who attack each other when they die, but will things go well?’
In front of the monitor that reflects the character who has become a cold corpse, the lines that my past self recited pass through my mind.
After one round of playing as a warlock, Dallon learned that the witch was already in his possession.
‘It was a good thing.’
If I hadn’t met the witch’s lover, a half-vampire, and had all her blood sucked out, I would have followed her at least two or three more times.
Dallen shook his head. It was enough to bury the mistakes of the past in the past.
As was his habit, he cleaned up the sword, ax and daggers on his waist and the disheveled armor straps, and opened the status window.
――――――――
Name: Dallon
Level: 20
[Strength: 34] [Skill: 28] [Stamina: 31]
[Sense: 24] [Intelligence: 28] [Magic Power: 27]
Skill: Dehaman’s Armor Fighting (D) Night Vision (E) Leaping (E) Flame Arrow (D) Lapanthella’s Crushing Blade (C) Hegaleus’ Rain of Flame (C) Lightning Bolt (D) Signet of the Curse (D) Rere Dao’s Secret Sword (B) Holy Fire Ember (C) Dark Red Dragon’s Blood (A) Hell Gate Key (C)
――――――――
Finally, I was level 20.
After killing Cheongrin, I reached the level after killing numerous minions in the dragon’s den and wiping out the Tsarist rebels of Lvivbach and the avengers from before.
Dallen invested the abilities he gained into skills. As a result, the skill level was also close to reaching 30.
The mastery of flame arrows was also maxed out soon, and the next step would probably be a crushing sword or shooting lightning.
‘I can’t believe I ended up gaining the power of a warlock.’
As he was looking at the list of skills, the key to the Hell Gate that occupied the spot next to the dragon’s blood caught his eye.
[Hell Gate Key (C)]
– The most basic spell of black magic. In exchange for a sacrifice, the gates of hell are opened, the size of which varies depending on the value of the sacrifice. If you are a warlock who has made a contract with a devil or evil spirit, you can open the door for a smaller fee by borrowing their power.
– Proficiency 1%
Originally, a skill containing divine power and a power that cannot be contained within one area.
However, the heir option was ignored due to compatibility issues, and as always, the power of the warlock was pushed into the area.
If it weren’t for complete dragon blood, just allowing the two powers together would have put a strain on my body.
‘Now that I think about it, the dragon blood’s proficiency hasn’t increased at all yet.’
Dallen stroked his chin.
It has been almost two months since I obtained the dark red dragon’s blood by combining the dragon’s blood’s regeneration factor and stamina value with the power of the realm.
In general, it takes at least a few percent of skill level to be normal. However, the proficiency in dragon blood remained at 1%, the same as when it was first obtained.
‘It’s not just that it’s a grade A skill.’
Skills of grade B or higher classified into the realm of mystery.
Since there is no identical A-grade control group, we cannot be certain, but considering that the B-grade secret sword of Reredonara is also a mysterious power, it was not a normal situation.
There were two possible causes.
One is that the current state of suppressing the power of the holy sword is the problem.
Or, more fundamentally, the fact that power could not be fully controlled could have been the problem itself.
‘I’m sure we’ll find a solution soon.’
Dallen looked around the warlock’s mangled corpse and stood up.
The reason for the hasty departure from the headquarters of the Holy Knights to the Labyrinth City in the first place was to resolve this problem.
Falcion is the city where the largest number of superhumans gather on the entire continent.
There must have been more than one person in a huge city with a population of millions of people who hid their true identity, but the person I was about to visit now was, without a doubt, one that could be counted on one hand.
Just revealing that you know the identity of that being is a task that requires taking on quite a bit of risk.
However, rather than risking the risk of not being able to control dragon blood, it would be a better option to hasten the encounter with him that we must face someday.
“Ugh. In the end, you turned a guy with a rag in his mouth into a rag.”
Then a painful voice was heard. Dallen turned his head.
A knight collapsed in the middle of a pool of blood and was talking to him.
“Are you gone yet?”
“Cough! I didn’t go. Hehehe, even though it’s like this, there was a time when I was stuck alone with a giant.”
The knight laughed, coughing up blood. In fact, even if I left it alone, it looked like it would die soon.
The ax carrying the lightning cut the guy from his left shoulder to his chest, and in the process, his entire body was burned by lightning.
Bjorn’s special bullet penetrated the inside of the half-roasted body, turning it into a mess.
In fact, it would not be surprising if he died immediately.
The very fact that he was holding onto his lifeline showed that his abilities were not ordinary.
Dallon approached with great strides and searched the knight’s arms.
I threw away the long sword that broke while trying to block the ax and took a high-quality dagger and a bag of gold coins.
“There was a regeneration potion.”
He said, pulling out a couple of bottles containing red potion from deep inside his chest. The driver let out a foamy laugh.
“If you had even had a drink, wouldn’t you have killed me with a single sword? “I want to live a little longer.”
“Right.”
“Hehe, you…same clack! “You…”
The driver trailed off. Dallen lifted his head and looked him in the eye.
Eyes that have already lost their vitality. Blurry pupils were looking up at the starry sky.
“Tsk tsk. “You look good, you imperialist discriminator.”
Bjorn, who was gathering grenades and guns behind him, said. The words were nice, but he didn’t look very happy.
The group put away the rotted remains of the dead and the corpses of the two avengers and went back to sleep.
The bonfire was crackling as if something had happened.
***
A week later.
Two people, a dragon, and a demon arrived in the labyrinth city.
After unpacking their bags at the inn, they headed straight to the back alleys of the Bronze District.
Narrow and complex alleys like a spider’s web.
The dirt floor without flagstones was filthy with dirt and trash, and rats and nameless bugs were feasting in the dark shade.
In the alleys that were beyond the patrol area of the guards, people out of focus were wandering around here and there.
Clothes that look like nothing more than a piece of mat. Tangled hair. A dirty face with spit marks and traces of unknown origin.
Their half-opened eyes would shine brightly whenever someone passed by them. It was a sideways glance that quickly scanned the person in front of him and classified whether he was a victim or a ruler.
Of course, the huge warrior, about two meters tall, and the dwarf, who was only about half that tall but seemed sturdy enough, were always the rulers.
The dwarf, who was wandering around the tangled alleys as if it were his home, stopped at a certain point and took a deep breath.
“What are you going to do?”
“what?”
“The crow’s nest. That bartender is still guarding it. Even if you try to follow Sienna’s footsteps, it won’t be easy to break into the nest as long as that guy is guarding it.”
Bjorn spoke with a slightly nervous expression.
He looked uncharacteristic of the dwarf who had been showering bullets on dozens of undead a few days ago.
“Is there anything great about it? “You can just go in and ask.”
“To him? That’s not possible. How do we know if he was the cause of Sienna’s disappearance? This guy has always been suspicious since he always kept his mouth shut. “Maybe he knew how to say it but was hiding it.”
The dwarf poured out words like a machine gun. Dallen scratched his chin.
No matter how instinctive our vigilance is, it is true that it seems a bit excessive. When he didn’t reply, the dwarf clicked his tongue and corrected his thoughts.
“…Tsk. Well, he must be the one who knows Sienna’s whereabouts best. Then let’s do it like this.”
“how?”
“Since it’s been a while since you’ve been to the city, let’s sneak in undercover as guests. “They pretend to know nothing and ask about Sienna’s whereabouts, but if you don’t answer properly or make a mistake, they will chop you down with an axe.”
“…….”
***
[Crow’s Nest]
[Business hours: Temporarily closed]
An unfamiliar card was hanging in front of the door of a familiar bar.
Jingling –
Dallon opened the door. Inside the door, which was still unlocked, the neatly organized tables and chairs looked no different than usual.
The liquor bottles were crammed into the cupboard, and the magic stone lighting that created a soft atmosphere on the ceiling was still there.
However, a subtly cold air hung over the bar, which had been empty for several weeks.
Dallen roughly sat down in front of the bar table.
A place to always sit. He raised his hand and ordered from the bartender he always saw.
“A glass of Melonde Highlander.”
Bourbon, who was cleaning his glass, stopped and glanced at Dallen. Dallen also faced him.
After a moment of silence, the bartender put down his glass.
Rattling. Grumble.
Ice is placed in a clear glass and light brown liquid fills the empty space.
The dwarf sat down and ordered his drink.
“Give me a glass of strong beer.”
“…….”
“If you don’t have it, anything. “I just wish you could give me that too.”
The dwarf was so stuttering that even his ears turned white. Dallen sighed softly. You said it was undercover?
While Bourbon was preparing a new glass, Dallon looked at the silent face. Square jaw and prominent eyebrows. A slightly dazed and blunt face.
Bourbon was known to the regulars of Crow’s Nest as someone who could not speak. And for the bartender, silence wasn’t a bad thing.
There is no better friend than a loud-mouthed bartender to drunk people who share their secrets over a glass of wine.
In addition, he was also excellent as a bartender.
The fact that the Crow’s Nest was popular not only for information but also as a bar is probably due to his credit.
Sweet.
Dallen emptied his glass in one go and set it down. Bourbon poured a drink for the dwarf and went back to cleaning the glass.
After handing a drink to a customer who is no different from usual, he usually cleans the plate or glass again like a machine.
Dallen tapped the glass a couple of times with his fingertip and opened his mouth.
“I have a favor to ask of you, Kyle Berkus Arven.”
“Mmm ugh!”
The dwarf spat out the contents of the glass before drinking. And at the same time, the bartender’s hand stopped.
Bourbon’s eyes, which looked away from the glass, were not the usual dark brown eyes.
[Where did you hear that name?]
As soon as you open your mouth, the excitement fills the bar.
[Forget it.]
One word with a devilish nature weighs down the air with its overwhelming presence.
It’s so loud!
The dwarf closes his eyes and falls to the floor due to the power of the words.
Talk. Talk.
Dallen knocked on the bar table.
The small flames fluttering from my fingertips left black burn marks on the table.
His two vertically slit eyes were staring directly at the bartender.
A dark red flame flickering in the eye. The holy sword suddenly stopped vibrating.
Bartender Bourbon placed both hands on the table.
[Yes, I said it was familiar, but was it red?]
The eyes were a subtle mixture of interest, borderline curiosity, and boredom.
The pupil that captured that look was torn vertically, just like Dallen’s pupil.
The dragon with flashing brown-green eyes opened its mouth towards the human with dragon blood.
[I think I have lived as an immortal for a long time, but this is the first time I have seen human blood contained intact dragon blood.]