Chapter 104 (1/2)
Fighting Fire with Fire
“What is it?”
Adam asked, noticing the sudden change in his facial expression.
The scholar couldn’t hide his surprise. He stroked the beard on his cheeks as he pondered.
“… I take it that perhaps you have heard of the species’ name through the system.”
It was an accurate conjecture.
“That’s right.”
An odd light lingered in the eyes of Adam as he answered his teacher.
The scholar had inferred that far by only hearing its name.
“So, it means that even simple information such as the name of the species can’t be identified unless it’s through the system?”
“That is right.”
The scholar continued to explain with a shaken gaze.
“Before I expound on the requested information, I wish to inquire on one thing. Did the system mention that the species was currently residing in our world, the dimension of Yuncans?”
“That does not seem to be the case.”
As if he was genuinely relieved, the scholar sighed deep.
Adam’s curiosity was inflating much bigger as he watched his reactions.
“It seems that I would need to require an explanation at this point, yes?”
The scholar spoke while bowing down as if it was much obliged.
“The reason why the information is not registered in our database is that there is no biological evidence that it exists. Blood sample, body hair, skin tissue, nor even a small division of a gene remains.”
Adam frowned.
“You mean to say it is considered a mythical species? But it must be an existing species.”
Although the system could hold back information, it didn’t lie.
“It’s as you said. The evidence that it isn’t an imaginary species is the system itself. As coincidences and chances overlapped, their existence was revealed. It was during the process of an Awakened from another world questioning the system. Only after the information about a species called ‘Mercadius’ in that world had been shared did we come to know their species.”
It was an explanation that exactly matched the process by which Adam learned of its name.
“But shouldn’t a witness exist?”
“A witness certainly exists, but there is no record of having confirmed its true form.”
“Hmm?”
“They are said to be able to transform into anything. They usually turn into the native species of a dimension and mix in with them. No Awakened can see through their camouflage, and all skills are futile. Only the system can discern its identity.”
“They hide among other world’s species?”
There was a being that came to Adam’s mind.
Although he had never faced them himself, he knew of a famous being that continued its existence in that manner.
“It is similar to a parasitic being. It’s like a leech that goes around tutorial dimensions and causes chaos. I heard that there is a being that toys around the weak and treats it as a game while it refuses to proceed to the main quest itself.”
Adam spoke of the immortal, Angelica.
She was a parasitic creature that avoided species that had started the main quest since they weren’t easy and only preyed on the weak tutorial species as they lacked knowledge.
But the scholar shook his head in disagreement.
“The first discovery of that parasitic being was only a few thousands of years ago. But it is said the record of a species called ‘Mercadius’ dates back to the ‘lost age.'”
Adam’s jaw dropped as if he couldn’t believe it.
“You mean to say that records were found even in the remains of the Sebrarian Empire?”
“That is correct.”
The rarely found traces of the old Empire in dungeons-
The study of interpreting the records had developed competitively at each dimension.
“In imperial records, Mercadius was described by the circle of eternity, a cursed wanderer, a being who breeds in spirit instead of flesh, the advocate of apocalypse…”
Adam frowned.
“Apocalypse?”
“That is right.”
The scholar carefully continued speaking, recalling memories.
“It is not clear whether the species is related to the fall of the Empire. However, after that event, there is a tale that circulated from the new-born civilization and species.”
“What is that?”
“The world where the species is found will soon face an inevitable fate of destruction. It means to say its presence is a sign of an approaching apocalypse.”
“… ?!”
Adam’s gaze deepened as he heard those words.
“Does it become a demon or something? You mean that it destroys everything and kills everyone?”
“There is no record of destruction or massacre by its own hands. However, the empirical knowledge that the world in which they were observed is destroyed has been passed down. It’s hard to tell whether Mercadius was involved in the process…”
“At least there were no exceptions, right? They don’t know exactly why or how, but once they are observed, they’ll soon face damnation?”
“That is correct.”
It was a ridiculous tale, but he couldn’t just let it pass.
Because that race, right at that moment, resided on Earth.
“The apocalypse must mean the annihilation of life instead of concepts such as the collapse of time and space, yes?”
“That is right.”
“Is this a story with legitimacy?”
“It is information that is taken much seriously from the Union. In fact, considering that there was a member dimension that suddenly collapsed in their long history…”
“Perhaps they might have secured something to prove the connection.”
After the scholar stepped down, Adam was lost in deep thought.
It was an ancient species that had been on the records since the time of the Sebrarian Empire.
Why was such a being staying on Earth?
‘Is apocalypse the goal of Mercadius? Or, even if that is not the purpose itself, the effect that followed the event of Mercadius’ appearance is… apocalypse?’
Looking at the Union’s attitude, it wasn’t a story that was vain.
In that age where the Empire had disappeared, the Union was the longest-lasting organization.
‘If that’s all true, it means that Earth is fated to be destroyed sooner or later.’
There was no way that the tutorial dimension could prevent the ‘entity’ that couldn’t be stopped even by the main quest dimensions.
‘Why would such a being show interest in Seo Jin-Wook?’
The moment he heard the abilities that Seo Jin-Wook described, he expected the fact that the opponent was a very dangerous being.
However, since he had also heard the scholar’s words, he realized that it was a threat that was much deadlier and more enormous than he imagined.
“Hmm.”
His worries deepened.
At that point, he could pull out of the dimension called Earth.
But there was a reason why he couldn’t do so that time.
‘Seo Jin-Wook was a promising candidate for a successor.’
That was the key to leading his long-cherished desire into action.
‘But the identity of the enemy is something too powerful and too dangerous for me to rush in.’
Adam was well aware that his life weighed more than only one of the Yuncan species’.
He soon reached a conclusion.
‘Yes, if it’s too dangerous for me to intervene on my own, I’ll borrow the other guys’ hands.’
He quickly ran the calculations.
‘It is said that the Union knows about Mercadius. Whatever the effect may be, the extinction of life from a dimension is the worst-case scenario for the Union as well.’
What the Union was trying to seek was the entry of more dimensions into the main quest.
Mercadius was a dangerous being that went head-on against their goals.
‘Mercadius is on Earth where six observers have been dispatched? If the Union had known, there’s no way that they’d let him be!’
Adam was sure.
‘That being on Earth is an illegal immigrant.’
Species in Main Quest that sneaked in, avoiding the eyes of the Union.
A plan began to take shape in his head.
‘There was a Ghenut among the observers.’
He thinks of the alien disguised in the form of a toy poodle.
The species that suffered from a chronic lack of experience points overfocused on the achievement of the arrest of illegal aliens and earning points. It even drove the innocent Seo Jin-Wook to the corner, assuming that he was an alien.
‘If they knew that such a being had snuck in on Earth, they will immediately start a raid operation. Yes, the Union is the only armed group at this point that can handle such an inter-dimensional threat!’
Adam displayed a satisfied smile on his mouth.
The next action to be taken was simple.
He got up from his seat and murmured.
“Then… Shall I leak some information to their side?”
He would get rid of Mercadius with the help of the Union.
*
“Ah, are we cleaning up here again today?”
I reserved a day and entered the gray-earthed dungeon together with Nate and Hibiki.
It’s the same dungeon where we transferred the seedlings together and regularly cleaned up the monsters that rushed in.
“Grrrr!”
“Kaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
As we crossed the gate, we saw many monsters clumped like black dots beyond the horizon.
The number had increased significantly compared to the last time I came there.
They had become very irritated, perhaps because of the overpopulation as opposed to the area of land. They were attacking and even eating each other.
Monster fragments and bones rolled around on the ground. In addition to the corpses I made last time, their bodily fluids had been absorbed and mummified.
Hibiki spoke while witnessing the chaotic scene.
“If a number of them rush here a bit more… It will be like the density of the population in the subway during rush hour.”
“Yeah, we need to reduce the number of creatures once in a while before that happens. We need to prevent them from damaging the trees.”
Nate, who received my signal, rolled up his sleeves as if he was preparing for work.
The Spirit that ran the security system was still asleep.