Chapter 22 Part3 (1/2)
<chapter 22.=”” the=”” beginning=”” of=”” a=”” corps=”” -=”” 3=””>
There existed something amongst his subordinates that allowed them to instinctually find each other. He'd become sure it existed after observing the Pauls, and sure enough, s.h.i.+no Rendu didn't really need to ask where Lee s.h.i.+n Woo wanted him to go, because he was able to figure out where they were.
[There are quite a lot of them.]
”It'll just get bigger from now on.”
[...What do you wish for?]
”The purification of the Empire.”
[Like the heroes.]
”...Perhaps.”
Lately, he thought of something else, aside from just the purification of the Empire, but didn't say it out loud. Even he himself thought it was unreasonable, so the moment he spoke it out loud, he felt like he'd just be ridiculing himself.
”Are you ok with just that?”
[I originally fought with my fists. There were times where I fought with a greatsword as well...]
Fists and greatswords; those two definitely fit his image of s.h.i.+no Rendu. Moreover, that fist. He shouldn't have needed another weapon aside from that fist.
[Moreover, the moment I was reborn as an Avenger, all the karma within my inventory disappeared and was transformed into this armor... Because of that, I'll be able to better use my authority.]
”Huh?”
Lee s.h.i.+n Woo tilted his head, and s.h.i.+no Rendu seemingly knew that he wouldn't be able to understand what he meant by his inventory disappearing, so he explained starting there.
[The inventory is exclusive to heroes. It's like a subs.p.a.ce storage house... I became unable to use my inventory when I became an undead, and all of the karma within my inventory turned into this armor. All my acc.u.mulated Perium thus far... the bones I hadn't sold... equipment... everything.]
”Huh...!?”
Lee s.h.i.+n Woo momentarily couldn't believe his ears. However, he soon shuddered as he realized that he didn't even have any ears.
He didn't hear wrong. s.h.i.+no Rendu was saying not only were bones used in the formation of his armor, but also all the karma he possessed!
'Was that always possible?'
Well, it probably was always possible. Didn't the shop owner, Pleine tell him before? That it wasn't possible for Lee s.h.i.+n Woo to change Perium into a different type of karma at this point in time. That meant that it was possible to change the karma into a different form so long as one had the ability to do so!
[It's strange for me as well. It seems like it wasn't something normal.]
”It was the moment your karma changed from being a simple zombie to an Avenger, so I don't think it's that weird.”
[...Indeed. If you think about it that way, it's not hard to understand.]
Seeing s.h.i.+no Rendu calmly nod his head at his words, Lee s.h.i.+n Woo pledged that he would examine every type of karma he acquired from now on.
Especially Perium! Since there weren't any bones he could buy at the secret shop anymore, he might be able to create something more effective than just weapons or skill books!
[Then, I'll get going immediately.]
”I already told you, but try to avoid heroes as best you can. They won't believe that you're s.h.i.+no Rendu.”
[I'll keep that in mind.]
It looked like he didn't understand based on his expression, but so long as it was a direct order from Lee s.h.i.+n Woo, he had no choice but to obey.
That was also the reason he formed a master-servant contract with him. In this world, contracts were absolute! He was probably the one most informed about contracts amongst his fellow heroes.
”Good. He left.”
”Ah. In the end, another Paul was created.”
When Jin could no longer see s.h.i.+no at all, he opened his mouth.
It wasn't like he was really trying to hide his ident.i.ty. It's just that conversing with the undead was kind of awkward. Plus, he was an undead that was originally a hero! Talk is cheap; one wouldn't even think of talking with the undead, unless they were Lee s.h.i.+n Woo that is.
”Are you going to do that for every undead hero we meet from now on?”
”That sounds interesting, but I'm not sure I can do that every time.”
Lee s.h.i.+n Woo still wasn't very sure as to how he made s.h.i.+no Rendu into his subordinate. If he met one or two more undead heroes, he should be able to figure out how he did it.
He shrugged his shoulders and changed the subject.
”s.h.i.+no Rendu definitely said that once they figured out he was a hero, one of the 12 generals was summoned here, right?”
”Still, it's a relief that the men brought by one of the 12 generals were taken care of.”
”...It feels kind of disappointing to leave like this, so let's take a lap around the city.”
Unfortunately, this city, which had been trampled by Metafel's troops, left nothing to do or explore as it was all ruined.
Lee s.h.i.+n Woo got on top of Jin and took a lap around the city; Lee s.h.i.+n Woo searched the surrounding area with mana, which was an ability that level 5s couldn't possibly have. But even with his senses, he couldn't find anything of note. No matter what they did, they couldn't figure out how the troops contacted Metafel.
”The sewers... are just regular sewers. Indeed, it doesn't seem like the right place for Anti-Skull to hide.”
”It's possible that they awakened on their own without needing us, and joined up with Anti-Skull.”
”That's probably what they did, but still, I wanted to find those traces and follow them to Anti-Skull's headquarters.”
”Headquarters, huh...”
Lee s.h.i.+n Woo had been given a quest where he had to find an executive from Anti-Skull. Of course, he would eventually be able to clear the quest as time pa.s.sed, but if given the chance, Lee s.h.i.+n Woo thought it wouldn't be so bad to search for them and find them on his own.
The faster he found them, the better his plan would play out.
”...Plan? What plan?”
”What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
Lee s.h.i.+n Woo reprimanded him, as it seemed as though Jin didn't know about his plan.
”There's an organization that's resisting the Emperor amongst his troops. They'd be useful; there's n.o.body better. You didn't know that this quest was given to me as a hint that I should use Anti-Skull?”
”That's what it meant!?”
”Oh, so you didn't know about it.”
Lee s.h.i.+n Woo softly patted Jin's neck, as if saying that he should work harder. That really p.i.s.sed off Jin, and consequently began to shake his body like a rodeo; but because Lee s.h.i.+n Woo was so familiar with this 'rodeo', like he was a cowboy, he didn't drop from Jin's back. Ultimately, Jin could do nothing but accept his defeat.
”It's an organization that's involved with one of the 12 generals, Seagald. There's a lot we could get from them.”
”You're... You're always looking so far into the future.”
”Alright. Now that you mention it, let's start moving actively, now shall we?”