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Translator: penny
Chapter: 145
Chapter Title: Purging
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Harlan's port reeked of blood.
The reason a bloodbath had erupted at the Black Anchor Merchant Guild, the longtime rulers of that place.
Seventy percent of Varkus's followers had been purged, and bloodstains smeared every corner of the harbor.
"...."
I descended into that harbor.
To meet Innope.
But my steps, which had been heading toward the Black Anchor Merchant Guild, led me elsewhere.
Thud. Thud.
As if there was some prior stop I needed to make, they carried me through the predawn darkness blanketing the sleeping port.
I followed my feet past the docks where ships were moored and arrived at a certain building.
A shabby structure. No signs of life. I used telekinesis to unlock the firmly shut door, climbed the stairs, and stopped in front of a room.
"...."
Next to the door, shattered with fragments scattered everywhere, lay Varkus's bodyguard Linus, dead as if he'd resisted desperately to the end.
I closed the eyes of his mutilated corpse, unrecognizable in form, and entered the room.
Varkus sat in a chair. His body showed no further desecration. Just like Arknon, a dagger was plunged into his heart.
I went to Varkus's side and sat in the same spot where I'd been hours earlier. As I did, I recalled the words he'd spoken during our meal, one by one.
-Why? Got cold feet now that the big moment's here? Heh heh.
-Things might move fast, so if you can't make it back right away, just hop on that and get out.
-Hmph, cheeky brat. Just come back alive, kid. See that junky box over there? It holds the finest wine in all of Harlan. If you return safe, I'll treat you to it.
For some reason, the night made me crave a drink, so I stood and opened the box the old man had mentioned.
"...."
No wine inside—just a map and a key. The blueprint layout showed it was the very building I was in now.
The map led me underground, to a heavy iron door.
Clank.
I unlocked it with the key and swung it open, and a mountain of expensive stolen goods greeted me.
In front of that vast array of rare treasures, I couldn't help but wear a wry smile.
"...This isn't wine, is it."
What a foolish old man.
After meeting Varkus, I stormed straight into the Black Anchor Merchant Guild.
"Who the hell are you?!"
"Y-You bastard?!"
With seventy percent already wiped out, capturing Innope alive was no challenge.
"Wh-What are you doing?! Let go! I said let me go!"
I hoisted Innope over my shoulder and headed for the city walls.
Harlan's sole water gate allowing entry to the port. I climbed the sheer cliff overlooking it, to a spot with a stunning view of the sea, and grabbed Innope's ankle, dangling her upside down.
"You insolent punk! Put me down!"
Innope thrashed about. She struggled desperately to escape my grip, but with her hands bound behind her and weaker than me, she couldn't break free.
Watching her flail like a fish hooked by an angler, I posed my question.
"Varkus is your father, right."
"So what?"
Hard to believe this girl was Varkus's daughter. Yet her stats were impressively high for a woman, lending some credibility. Those superior genes had to go somewhere.
For the record, no woman I'd met in Harlan matched Innope's stats.
"What are you trying to say?!"
"Why'd you do it?"
"Hmph. Reason? In this business, money rules all. I just followed the code of this world!"
I stepped to the railing and extended my arm holding her ankle over the edge.
"!!"
Seeing the stone ground far below her head, the dizzying cliff drop, the sea, and the aquatic monsters splashing wildly atop it, Innope's face stiffened.
"Huh?"
She quickly grasped the situation and gaped at me.
"D-Don't."
Her pale face showed she knew exactly what fate awaited if those things got her.
Of course. Harlan Kingdom had long lived by the seas, so they'd passed down plenty of tales and legends from ancient times.
"O-Okay, I was wrong. Forgive me, please. I'll do anything you say."
"One more time. Why betray Varkus?"
"Th-That was..."
I loosened one finger, and Innope's eyes widened as she shrieked.
"You don't get it! Just because I'm Varkus's blood, I've suffered hell since I was a kid! Kidnappings all the time! Dragged off by guards!"
"...."
"I did nothing wrong! I betrayed him to survive! That's the law of Harlan's back alleys! Just to live!"
...Varkus must have treated Innope like an unwanted child. Though it might not be true, she clearly believed it.
I understood.
Taking care of her would've made her Varkus's biggest weakness. They could've held her hostage to force him to hand over the key.
By abandoning her, she'd at least lived freely.
"You don't know! You beast, you know nothing of my pain!"
I nodded.
"No, I don't. And I have no interest in your sob story."
"Huh? You...! When someone tells you their tragic backstory, aren't you supposed to react differently?!"
I tilted my head at Innope, who was protesting in disbelief.
"You said I wouldn't understand. So why expect sympathy after spilling it?"
"...."
Innope's face crumpled. She always sucked at verbal sparring.
"How can you call yourself human?!"
"Weren't you just calling me a beast."
"Argh...!"
"Instead of this pathetic crap, just beg honestly to be spared."
Innope flushed red and purple, grinding her teeth, then mumbled awkwardly.
"...Please spare me. I was wrong."
"Nah."
"Hey!"
Seeing no sign I'd let her live, Innope switched tactics.
"You! You know what happens if you mess with me?!"
She flailed wildly while dangling from my ankle, issuing warnings.
"Touch me and you're done! I'm backed by the royal family! Harm a hair on my head, and you're dead! So let me go nice and quiet and shove your dick out here!"
She thrashed and yelled so fiercely it felt like holding a live eel. This girl had endless energy.
"Innope."
"Heh. Finally regretting it? Well, if you obediently whip it out now, in my generosity..."
"That royal family you mentioned? They fell today."
"?"
Innope stared at me like I'd spouted nonsense. But seeing my calm face, her eyes widened gradually.
"I just killed Brontes, Telamon, and Astraeon."
"N-No way. You're lying! Those monsters can't be killed! If they were that weak, I never would've betrayed anyone!"
I silently drew the hand axe from my belt and pulled the massive hammer from my inventory. Innope's gaze locked on them, and her pupils trembled.
"R-Real...?"
"Yeah."
Only then did Innope, who'd been raging like a maniac, quiet down. She glanced at me nervously, then spoke with utmost politeness after hesitating.
"Um, listen."
"Last words?"
"Pardon?"
"Anything to pass to your father?"
"W-Wait! P-Please spare me! I was wrong! Please!"
As I released fingers one by one from her ankle, Innope screamed at the sight.
"Eeeeek! Master! I'll serve you as true master! No more betrayal! No more weird stuff, I swear!"
Splash splash!
The krkels below seemed to spot the spectacle up here and went berserk.
Krkels.
Monsters dwelling in the deep sea. Weak on land but formidable in water, they lived in packs.
Like many seductive monsters, they were all female but lacked seduction abilities—low-tier foes encountered in early-to-mid Trials.
'But getting dragged off leads to a gruesome end.'
Krkels forcibly implanted eggs into captives' stomachs to incubate them. Treated like egg pouches, the hosts endured agony as the eggs rapidly drained their energy.
Most survivors suffered severe PTSD.
'Worst part: once caught, you can't die at will—you keep laying eggs.'
Was that why?
"Master! Please, anything but that! Waaah! I was wrong! Please!"
The brash Innope sobbed and begged. So terrified, she even pissed herself.
"I'll do anything you ask! I'm pretty strong and useful, so please don't toss me! Adopt me, please!"
Her desperate plea rang more sincere than any words she'd uttered before. Listening quietly, I asked back.
"...Anything?"
"Y-Yes! Starting today, Innope will be reborn! Whatever you command, I'll do it! Believe me, please!"
Her face lit up at the hint of negotiation.
Hm. I nodded.
"Fine. For Varkus's sake, I'll take you in."
"!!"
"But on conditions."
Mention of conditions filled Innope's face with dread.
"First, from now on, you do nothing."
"P-Pardon...?"
"Second, if you want to die while following me, feel free anytime."
"What does that..."
"Third. And most important."
I stared straight at the tense, gulping Innope.
"Go study abroad for a few days."
"Study... abroad? Where...?"
I glanced downward.
Her face drained of color.
"Dragon Palace."
I released Innope's tightly bound ankle.
"Ah...?"
Innope plummeted straight into the sea.
"It'll be fine since they're all women. You used to like girls, right?"
"N-Nooooooo!"
Wait, she likes men now—might hate it?
Splash!
As soon as Innope hit the water, splashing and the cries of seagulls mating in flocks echoed up.
I dusted off my hands and gazed at the horizon.
The morning sun blazed brilliantly.
Morning suns during the Selection Process were always welcome. In that moment, even this fucked-up world's bullshit felt quiet.
Lost in its beauty for a bit, I looked down again. The krkels had dragged Innope off; she was gone.
I stepped down from the railing and turned inland.
Harlan city lay serene, unaware of the night's chaos.
Too peaceful—it almost made it all feel like a dream.
But soon, unrest spreading from the palace proved it real.
"It's all over."
A breeze blew. In that refreshing morning wind sweeping away stuffiness, I exhaled all my discomfort.
Then I calmly descended the walls.
"Glad you made it back alive!"
Leaving the water gate, I returned to the port and reunited with those who'd helped me the night before.
They'd thrown Molotovs to sow chaos among the enemies when I was trapped.
"Why'd you do that? It was dangerous."
"Dangerous, sure. Heh heh."
"Yeah, I was shaking bad. My heart wouldn't stop pounding."
True—risking death took real guts, not just words. That's why I couldn't understand it. In the Selection Process, helping others at the risk of your life was rare.
No reason, no such action.
To my puzzlement, the sixteen grinned and replied.
"That's the way we live."
"Right. These Trials? You can't just survive solo."
That day they survived, they realized.
True humanity lay with fellow humans.
So they saved those in peril, pooled their strength, and found hope in unity.
"Saving you, Min-jun, was saving ourselves. Whether today or far in the future."
I gazed contentedly at their beaming faces. As more gained such insight, the Selection Process's atmosphere would shift.
Humanity might unite faster than in my first run.
Rumble rumble rumble.
"Oh? The water gate's opening!"
The sixteen, seeing it open, returned to their parties, gathered people, and boarded one of the moored ships.
Apparently, someone aboard knew how to sail.
"Not coming with? With Varkus gone and command in chaos, this might be your only shot to escape."
I shook my head.
"I've got more to do here."
"Haha, can't be helped. See you next time."
"Thanks, Min-jun! Catch you later!"
"Until next time!"
The ship set off. People on deck, laden with loot, waved frantically.
I waved back.
'Good they smartly grabbed spoils—would've felt bad leaving empty-handed.'
The ship accelerated and soon vanished beyond the gate amid dazzling sunlight. I slowly lowered my hand.
"Dickhead, everyone finally gone?"
My companions approached from behind.
"Yeah. The palace rescues?"
"Hid 'em in that building you mentioned."
"Good job."
"But with Varkus dead, what's the plan now?"
I turned. The port remained hushed.
"First, wipe out the Black Anchor Merchant Guild."
"What? For real?"
They'd been locals with ties, so we'd gone easy before, but Innope had slaughtered them.
No reason to spare them. The Black Anchor would vanish from Harlan today.
"Then sweep the city guard, eliminate all soldiers. Take their gear, seize everything they have."
"!!"
No point leaving a doomed place intact.
"In short, from this moment, we're looting the entire city of Harlan."
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