Genius Corpse-Collecting Warrior - Chapter 106

the Royal Special Task Force (2)

Galios upper branch was crowded with people.

Numerous carts were moving in and out of the large gate, carrying goods, and the line stretching from the window inside stretched all the way to the street outside the building.

The cries of workers, the murmur of merchants, and even touts promoting nearby inns and restaurants to those merchants.

Even though it is a prosperous main street, it is in chaos that is as noisy as a blacksmith shop.

Dallen found the familiar bundle of hair without difficulty.

“penny.”

“Ah, Mr. Dallon!”

“Here it is.”

Jinglang.

Above the two hands held out reflexively. A heavy money bag falls down with a crash.

Penny looked at Dallen and the money bag in surprise. She said.

“Huh…how did you really get it back?”

“Unpack it and make sure nothing is missing.”

“thank you. Thank you so much.”

Tears well up in his big, round eyes. Dallen laughed lowly.

Penny slightly untied the strap of her pocket and checked the slip inside.

After unfolding the neatly folded paper and reading it carefully to make sure there were no changes, she took out the slip and folded it neatly in her bosom.

“what? “But what is this red thing?”

The hand that was closing the pocket stops for a moment. A word muttered inadvertently while looking at the dark red mark on one side of the pocket.

“blood…?”

“I think the pickpocket had a nosebleed.”

“Mr. Dallan, by any chance…”

“Nothing happened. “I talked to the leader of the pickpockets and he obediently gave it back to me.”

It was clearly resolved through a story. Although there was a bit of a fight before and after that.

“…You sure didn’t fight like crazy, did you? The atmosphere in the back alleys is scary these days. “Even if it’s Dallen, be careful.”

“You’re fighting. It was done through conversation. By conversation. “Thank you for your concern.”

That wouldn’t be a lie, since it couldn’t even be called a fight. Rather, it would be more appropriate to describe it as a somewhat rough conversation. maybe.

[…It’s not a fight, it’s a massacre, it’s a massacre.]

‘What the fuck?’

[Oh no, master. lol. Rather, you are running out of places to store gold coins, so why not buy a new chest…]

The devil, who had organized the loot taken from the gangster’s hideout, continued to grovel while rubbing his hands together.

[There are already more than two chests of gold coins! Hehe, there is probably no mercenary on the continent who can accumulate wealth as quickly as the master… Kuwaaaaaaak!]

Dallon put his hand into the subspace within his arms and gently touched the devil. Fortunately, the entrance to subspace did not let the demon’s tearing screams pass through.

To other people, it is a sight that seems like they are rummaging around for a moment.

Dallen said, shaking his hands.

“Oh, I just checked to see if my money bag was safe. “Let’s go.”

***

Leberon Ahakim’s blacksmith mithril smelter was located not far from the top of Galios.

Even though it was a short distance, the two people walked slowly. Of course, it was because of the crowded crowds.

The main street in the Bronze district, which was normally crowded, was literally empty with no space to walk.

The Galios Upper Branch and Mithril Refinery were located in the center of the southern district, so it felt like it was worse than other places.

‘I am from the West of the United Cities. Most of my subordinates are also from the City Federation.’

As he made his way through the crowd in front of Penny, Dallon reflected on what the gangster had said.

‘I’ve only been here for a short time, but the number of people entering the city is increasing, perhaps because of the monsters. Thanks to this, the supply of manpower was very easy. It didn’t take long to get settled in.’

“…hmm.”

Without stopping, I leave the crow’s nest and look back on the paths I took.

The high intelligence level naturally contrasted this with memories from about half a year ago.

There was certainly a significant proportion of refugees among the increased population.

Their shabby clothes, splattered faces, desperate expressions and gestures are like signs of refugees.

The back alleys were overflowing with filth that had increased in number, and the atmosphere in various parts of the city was crowded and subtly tense at the same time.

‘We’re slowly entering the middle part.’

Dallon stroked his chin and thought.

In some ways, things like the witch’s plan and the vice-captain’s betrayal were mere one-off incidents.

Each event can be a catalyst that accelerates the progress of the apocalypse, but cannot become the flow itself.

On the other hand, the increase in refugees in the city was closer to a clear change in trend rather than an event.

Monsters are rampant like never before, and rural villages on the border become easy targets for attacks.

People naturally flock to places with safe walls, and the back alleys of big cities, which were already hotbeds of crime, turn into nothing more than a devil’s land.

The foundation stones of the apocalypse were not necessarily created outside.

Conflicts within these megacities also served as a starting point for dividing humanity, which faces destruction in the near future.

“Tsk.”

Dallen clicked his tongue briefly. Although it was anticipated several months ago, it progressed faster than expected by a year.

However, unless there were hundreds of bodies, there was no way to solve the phenomenon of monsters infesting everywhere.

Just doing what needs to be done at this point, as has been the case up until now.

‘It is impossible to stop all apocalyptic attacks.’

That’s not easy even if you have thousands of bodies, not hundreds.

However, that does not mean that there is no solution.

Who said the best defense is offense? That was exactly what Dallon thought.

A superhuman who has experienced countless future possibilities outside of this world.

If there was a role given to him, it would be closer to a sword than a shield.

If the end is coming faster, all you have to do is put your fist in its mouth one step ahead of it.

“welcome! Is there something you want…huh? miss?”

As I walked, lost in thought, I found myself in front of a blacksmith shop.

The boy, who rushed out to greet the customer, stopped soliciting customers when he saw Penny appearing behind Dallen’s back.

Penny patted the boy’s head with a soft voice. She said.

“You’re always so eager, Alby.”

“Thank you for your hard work on the long journey, young lady. “Did you finish your business well?”

“huh. Here’s the remaining amount. I will personally deliver the slip to my uncle. “Are you going to see Uncle Dallan?”

Penny asked. Dallen nodded.

It was a coincidence that I ran into Penny in the middle, but it was also true that this was my destination from the beginning.

And the boy, who had been rolling his eyes while listening to the conversation between the two, realized that the mercenary in front of him was a much more important guest than he thought, and immediately changed his stance.

“The boss is currently talking to a customer inside the blacksmith shop. “Would your guests please wait in the parlor for a moment?”

***

The boy naturally led Dallon to a seat provided inside the store.

A simple chair and table are placed on one side, and the rest of the room is decorated with high-quality products from the blacksmith shop.

The place, which had been roughly crammed with miscellaneous items until a few months ago when the blacksmith shop had just been moved, was now reborn as a place for wealthy or important guests.

Even a merchant with tight pockets would have no choice but to make unplanned expenses while admiring the works of a blacksmith while drinking a glass of beer brewed by LeBaron himself.

Even from the eyes of an ordinary criminal, it may seem greedy, but a discerning merchant or a skilled warrior would have no choice but to buy it, even if it meant paying gold coins.

That was the weapon made by the mithril refiner.

“Our mithril smelter’s special beer is here! Please relax while you wait. “If you need anything, you can always call me.”

Soon, the unordered beer and snacks were placed on the table by the boy.

The boy bowed, closed the door, and left. Dallen took a sip of his beer with the faint sound of a hammer echoing through the wall as background music.

“Big.”

LeBaron’s craft beer, which I tasted for the first time in a long time, was still a luxury product.

The refreshing, spicy aftertaste that tickles your throat is a unique flavor that is difficult to find in any beer in any tavern.

The smell of gunpowder wafting from somewhere was a bit annoying, but it didn’t stop me from enjoying the sake.

Not long after, the door to the living room burst open and a stocky man came running in.

“Dallen! “How long has it been since this?”

A shout of joy echoed through the living room.

LeVeron Ahakim, a mithril refiner, hugged Dallen tightly.

Crack.

The armor plates were rubbing and making an uncomfortable noise.

It is no exaggeration to say that the strength coming from forearms as thick as Dallen’s was truly superhuman.

“Inspiration. “The armor will break.”

“What’s the problem! Then I will fix it! No, I’ll make it even better! Hahaha!”

The blacksmith smiled brightly and hugged him tighter. If I were an ordinary person, my ribs would have been broken long ago.

Of course, Dallen’s skeleton was far from normal, and LeVeron, who had made custom armor several times, knew that, so he expressed his joy like this.

The blacksmith, who finally let go of Dallon after breaking off a couple of rivets, still shouted with joy on his face.

”Hahaha! I thought it was strange that a dragon appeared out of nowhere in my dream last night. “I didn’t know that dragon was you!”

“…I didn’t know you were born with the talent for precognitive dreams.”

“Hehe, of course it’s just a dream. But isn’t it more of an interpretation than a dream? You didn’t go from human to dragon in a matter of months! ha ha ha!”

The blacksmith laughed heartily, full of mischief. Dallen smiled and scratched the corner of his nose.

He immediately reached into his chest and pulled out a small metal chest from subspace.

“here. “It’s a gift.”

“What is that?”

“A souvenir from the Holy Knights. “It will come in handy when working at the blacksmith shop.”

LeVeron began to look around the chest with his hands out of habit. He soon opened the chest, admiring the delicate workmanship.

Sweet.

Inside a space the size of a small marble. A mysterious white flame flickers.

LeVeron’s eyes widened when he saw the white embers. He stuttered.

“Is this… a silver spark?”

“That’s right.”

“…….”

The blacksmith was silent. It was not a short time.

A silver spark delivered from the leader through Lucia.

This white flame, received as a reward for the quest to explore a rift, was the source of smelting the white silver steel used in the powerful weapons of the Holy Knights.

To a skilled blacksmith, a silver ember is one of the supreme treasures that cannot be obtained even by paying a thousand gold.

This was because the weapons made of white silver steel were unrivaled in terms of the conduction rate of divine power, and were themselves extremely hard and elastic metals for forging sacred objects.

“…Thank you.”

It was only when Dallon had sipped his beer in silence and had emptied his glass that LeVeron opened his mouth again.

“You don’t deserve this, but I won’t refuse it. Instead, it would be best not to think about paying for items at my store in the future.”

“That’s enough.”

Dallen laughed lowly. In any case, from his perspective, the faster the mithril refiner grew, the better.

He scratched his chin and changed the subject.

“Anyway, I heard you had a guest.”

“Oh, that’s right. A guest from far north. “Maybe I know you.”

“I brought it up because I thought it would be true.”

At that moment, the presence of the customer was loitering outside the door. Dallon added:

From the moment he first entered the blacksmith shop, Dallen could not miss the smell of gunpowder mixed with the tanning solution and the smell of metal.

After sharpening my senses a little, I was able to confirm the identity of the other person.

Even though the blacksmith shop is large, it is inside one building.

At this distance, there’s no way the other person wouldn’t have sensed Dallen’s presence.

In the first place, he had no intention of hiding his presence, so approaching him like that means he has something he wants to say.

However, since they were not at the point where they could treat each other warmly, they were probably just lingering sadly outside the door.

Dallen sat down comfortably in the chair. When I naturally place my hand on the head of the axe, the figure beyond the door flinches and retreats.

Dallen said with a grin.

“If you have anything to say, come in. “Don’t hide like a rat.”

Squeak.

The door opened. Unlike the last time we met, the woman who slowly walked in was not dressed in dark clothes.

He was wearing the uniform of the Tsarist army, and his hair was neatly swept up.

Sasha Taran, the executive officer of the Tsarist royal special unit, bowed his head and greeted.

“See you again, Dallen. “This is Sasha Taran, the executive officer of the Tsarist royal special unit.”

A gesture that is still polite but business-like.

However, it was not difficult to notice the nervousness buried in just the slightly trembling fingertips and slightly irregular breathing.

“Hehe, if we know each other, it will be easier to talk. Dallen, this executor is my biggest customer this month. He ordered armor and weapons for sixty people to go down to the labyrinth. Executor: This is my benefactor, Dallon. “I think you’ve already heard the rumors.”

“…He goes down into the labyrinth.”

While LeVeron chuckled and introduced the two to each other, Dallon glanced at Sasha and scratched his chin.

It is not common for high-quality personnel as high as execution officers to step into a dangerous area like a labyrinth.

The story is that an important and desperate operation is underway.

It wasn’t difficult to guess what the operation was.

It was Dallen himself who had just recently hand over one of the rebel leaders.

“It looks like you got some pretty important information out of that bandit beard.”

“…You are correct.”

“Are you planning to chase down the rebels who went down into the labyrinth?”

Long, thin eyebrows twitch. Dallen chuckled.

“It looks like they are trying to summon a demon from the labyrinth.”

“…how.”

“I just threw it away. “Looking at their reaction, it seems to be correct.”

Sasha’s expression became distorted.

In fact, for Dallon, this wasn’t even a difficult thing to guess.

The tsarist rebels who called themselves the ‘Guardians of the Seven Crowns’ were like the devil’s agents from the beginning.

Moreover, considering that the demons they served were under Enaxagus, it would not have been surprising if they had moved at this point to receive direct help from the demons.

Of the five evil gods, the one who most strategically tried to hasten the end was Enaxagus, the evil god of fate and reverse heaven.

Considering the future, the Tsardom suffering too great a loss would not be a desirable picture.

Although he didn’t really like the executioner in front of him, Dallen decided to give him at least a little advice.

“I’ll tell you in advance, but you’d better be careful about stepping into the labyrinth too hastily. Especially if you plan to join dozens of military units.”

“I know. They say that the labyrinth is a magical world where even professional explorers can become lost the moment they let their guard down. However, since there are units that have already gone down ahead, we cannot afford to delay.”

Sasha said in a stern voice. Dallen crossed his arms. Already down? That’s a bit fast, isn’t it?

“How many people went?”

“The special task force that went down first was 40 people.”

“Then it would be better if he was already dead. “I’m not ignoring your skills, but dealing with people and surviving in a labyrinth are completely different things.”

“It won’t be like that. It is true that we went down somewhat hastily, but we did not send our agents without thinking. “We were fully prepared with special training and equipment, and hired excellent guides.”

“Guide?”

In that case, the story is a little different. If you are a truly experienced explorer, you will be able to lead up to a few dozen people, even if just barely.

But the next words that came out of Sasha’s mouth were something even Dallon didn’t expect.

“yes. “The crow’s nest intelligence officer is leading our advance party.”