Chapter 53: Mole (2)
“Push forward…!”
“‘““Waaaahhhhhh——!””””
The giant sewer entrance between X-District and adjacent W-District.
Dozens of beggars were tangled up in a fierce fight there.
Their only weapons were sticks and knives, but none of the fighters lacked intensity.
They were desperate. Desperate to hold onto the little strength and survival they had left.
“Die! Die! I said die!”
“It felt good when you flaunted your numbers, didn’t it? Damn bastards!”
“Go ahead, try pulling that shit again!!”
Bip from 2nd Street of W-District.
Errand boy Aaron from 17th Street of W-District.
Bald Hammer from 25th Street of W-District.
Cleaner Mouse from 42nd Street of W-District.
The heads of numerous beggar factions led their underlings to attack Mole, under the command of Kent.
It was the obvious outcome.
Mole had been expanding his power, accumulating grudges everywhere, and now Kent, who was well-respected, showed up with his entire fortune, proposing they fight together.
Well... aside from that sentimental reason, there was one more realistic and direct reason as well.
“Max, Butter, Buddy, Milk! Bite!!”
An old man, once under Mole, appeared and shouted.
The dogs, usually docile, instantly turned into wild beasts at their master’s command, baring their sharp teeth and charging forward.
Grrrr... Bark! Bark!
Grr... Woof! Woof!
Bark! Grr—! Grrrrrr!
Bark! Bark! Snarl—!
“W-wait... Aaargh! My leg! My leg!!”
“Shit! My junk! My fucking junk! Get this thing off me! Get it off! Aaaaagh!!!”
With the appearance of the vicious dogs, the beggar alliance, which had been advancing with great momentum, hesitated for a moment.
Well, what would you expect from an old man who’d spent his entire life as the dominant force in W-District?
At that moment, five or six beggars armed with shotguns, revolvers, and pistols appeared at the entrance.
“Idiots! You and us? We’re not the same. It’s all about the gear! The gear!”
“We’ll turn you into Swiss cheese! Die!”
They pulled their triggers… or tried to.
[Shadow Spike]
With the incantation, a shadow shot out.
Simultaneously, stakes erupted from the ground, piercing the bodies of the armed beggars.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
“......!”
Oliver, his face hidden by a hood, appeared among the terrified beggars.
The beggars on Mole’s side were immediately struck with fear upon seeing Oliver wielding black magic.
The only one who dared to resist was the old man with the dogs.
“Guys! Attack!”
But he was the only one showing courage.
The ferocious dogs cowered as soon as they saw Oliver, ears flattened, tails tucked, and bodies curled in fear.
“Whimper...”
“G-guys?”
“Even the dogs fear a Black Magician, it seems.”
Quarterstaff-wielding Kent appeared in front of the old man, speaking as he did.
“Ha, shit... so it wasn’t just any Black Magician you brought, it’s a real one.”
“You’re half right and half wrong.”
“What?”
“I’ll explain later. For now, sleep.”
Kent knocked the old man out with a swing of his quarterstaff.
Oliver silently watched, and Kent spoke defensively.
“...He was a friend of the priest.”
“Ah...”
From among the beggars, a bald man with a thick beard stepped forward. He was Hammer, head of 25th Street.
“Nice! Very nice!! You really brought... a real Black Magician, Kent!”
Hammer, holding a sledgehammer, eyed Oliver cautiously as he spoke.
“If we had someone like this from the start, why didn’t you bring him earlier! We wouldn’t have had such a hard time.”
“...It’s not as easy as it sounds.”
“Haha! I see. If you say so...! Alright, men! Let’s go crack the heads of the rest of Mole’s gang!”
“Waaaahhh—!”
With Hammer leading the charge, the beggars stormed into Mole’s hideout.
The beggars guarding the sewer passage had already fled, allowing Kent’s beggar alliance to flow in like water.
Naturally, Kent followed alongside Oliver.
“Incredible. You weren’t kidding when you said Mole had nested here.”
“Excuse me?”
Kent examined the damp sewer walls as he spoke.
“Remember when I told you Landa had a major downfall in the past?”
“Yes... something about a disaster.”
“Yeah, God’s wrath, demon summoning, failed magic experiments—there are countless reasons. But before the wizards and capitalists rebuilt this city, it was nothing more than a cursed ruin.”
“I remember.”
“But, not everything was rebuilt. In places that are sparsely populated or long abandoned, sometimes contaminated creatures appear. It used to happen here too.”
“...And now?”
“That’s the problem... If Mole is using this as his hideout, it stands to reason that there’s a force cleaning up those contaminated creatures for him. If the rumors are true—”
“Aaaargh!”
Before Kent could finish, a scream echoed ahead.
It came from a massive space at the end of the sewer tunnel.
Shockingly, a gigantic, grotesque creature was attacking one of their allied beggars.
“Kiaaahhhhhhh—!”
“Kiaaahhh—!”
“Kiaaahhhhh—!”
A chilling, disgusting cry.
The creature resembled a hairless rat.
It stood between 2 to 3 meters tall.
Its entire body was covered in wrinkles, and its reddish skin looked diseased.
Its orange teeth were unnaturally long, making it even more horrifying, though they paled in comparison to the pus and maggots oozing from its slashed belly.
So hideous was it that the enormous iron spike lodged in its head and the life-filled flask embedded in its body were easy to overlook.
“Oh, my God...”
Leading the charge, Hammer trembled with fear and disgust as he called out to God.
It was a natural reaction. The monstrous creature was devouring the entrails of a living beggar.
Splat— Splat— Thud— Splat—
Chunks of flesh, entrails, and blood spilled from the open belly of the beggar.
At that moment, someone spoke.
“You bastards... How dare you invade my kingdom?”
A man with a small baton in one hand and an eyeball-shaped necklace around his neck appeared among the monstrous creatures.
Someone called him Mole.
One of the creatures, as if starved, sniffed toward Mole and lunged at him, jaws wide open—but only for a moment.
Ssssss... Screeech—!
Just as it was about to bite Mole, the creature violently shook its head in pain.
“Is he... controlling that monster?”
Someone muttered in disbelief.
Mole, now emboldened, shouted arrogantly.
“That’s right, you beggars. Did you really think I was relying on just some money-hungry beggars? Well, it’s just as well. I’ll clean you all up right now. Aren’t you hungry?! Eat them!”
Dozens of contaminated creatures charged forward.
The beggars frantically retreated the way they had come, shouting desperately.
“Black Magician! Yes! Call the Black Magician!!”
“A Black Magician?! Hahaha! It doesn’t matter who you brought! You won’t be able to kill all of these creatures with half-hearted firepower. Compared to the one behind me—”
[Bind Shadow]
With a gesture from Oliver, the charging contaminated creatures were bound by shadowy tendrils.
Screeech—!
Screeeeech—!
Kiaaahhhhhh!
The creatures thrashed wildly, but the more they struggled, the tighter the shadowy tendrils from the ground constricted them.
Seeing the creatures subdued so easily, both the retreating beggars and Mole, who had been so full of bravado, were left dumbfounded.
As if they couldn’t comprehend the scene before them.
“Huh...?”
Amidst the silence brought on by the surreal sight, someone spoke.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Oliver, hood over his head, stepped forward.
The beggars, frozen in place, parted at his polite request, and Oliver thanked them each time as he passed.
Standing at the front, Oliver looked at the helplessly captured creature and spoke.
“Oh... What’s this?”
Kent, feeling bewildered and afraid, answered.
“...A bald rat. A contaminated creature living in abandoned sewers. It’s low-level but still dangerous enough to hunt humans. I hunted a few during my mercenary days.”
Oliver nodded and inspected the bald rat.
The foul stench and grotesque appearance didn’t seem to bother him.
In fact, it was as though he didn’t even register them.
“...Interesting. The animal has been turned into a zombie and is designed to be controlled by someone other than the necromancer. Instead of relying on anger or hatred, it’s driven by hunger, making it more stable and sustainable. Impressive.”
Oliver tapped the bald rat’s disemboweled belly, the iron spike in its head, and the life flask as he spoke.
The zombie bald rat, tormented by hunger, clacked its oversized teeth as it tried to bite Oliver, but he watched it with fascination.
“Since it’s a zombie with its belly torn open, its hunger can never be satisfied. The unfulfilled desire drives it to keep moving... Simple, but effective. It seems like the work of a skilled Black Magician.”
“That’s... disgustingly vile.”
“Is it?”
“From our point of view... Sorry, but could you get rid of those creatures? Everyone’s terrified.”
Oliver looked at the bald rat regretfully before reaching out into the air.
Then, he extracted its life force directly.
Since it was already fully subdued, it was easily done. Though, Oliver didn’t seem to realize just how extraordinary this was.
“.......!!!”
Suddenly, Oliver sensed something and turned toward Mole.
“Hmm... Kent, I’m personally interested in this. May I keep a few for study?”
“...As you wish, Black Magician. But now it’s time to settle this.”
Kent pointed his quarterstaff at Mole’s neck as he spoke.
At some point, the heads of the other districts had also gathered beside Kent, as if to claim their share of the credit.
Mole, whose weapon had been so effortlessly neutralized, looked flustered, but he hadn’t lost his nerve.
At least, not yet.
That was until he got beaten up.
“Ugh—!”
Kent jabbed his quarterstaff into Mole’s solar plexus, and the other heads proceeded to beat him.
After a good round of pummeling, Kent grabbed Mole by the collar and asked.
“You didn’t just find those monsters lying around, so who’d you make a deal with? And what did you offer in exchange?”
“You crazy... beggar bastard, what’s it to you if you know?”
“Just answer the question.”
“Ugh... Fine, yes. I handed over the trash piling up here, and in return, I got money and those creatures.”
Kent’s hand tightened around Mole’s throat at his answer.
He was furious, but Mole, despite his predicament, sneered and spoke.
“Keh... Let’s make a counteroffer. Join forces with me.”
“What?”
“Join me... I’m in a tough spot now, so I’m offering this. The Black Magician you brought isn’t ordinary, but neither is the one backing me. Let’s cooperate while we can.”
“What the hell are you—”
“It’s not nonsense. If I wanted, that person could wipe all of you out. He’s just chosen to support me from the shadows for now. He’s no ordinary Black Magician!”
“Oh... What kind of Black Magician?”
Oliver suddenly interjected.
The sheer presence of the overwhelming Black Magician caused the other district heads to step back.
“Huff... Huff... He’s about to join the Black Hand.”
“...What’s the Black Hand?”
Mole looked at Oliver, baffled.
“...A Black Magician who doesn’t know the Black Hand? Don’t lie.”
“I really don’t. Kent, do you know what it is?”
Kent wore the same confused expression as Mole.
“Uh... Simply put, it’s a crime organization made up of Black Magicians, and it’s a major player in the underworld. You really don’t know?”
“No... Did I make a mistake?”
“No, but...”
At that moment, Mole interrupted.
“Keh... Keh... Now we’re having a serious conversation. You brought a Black Magician for support without even knowing what the Black Hand is? If you kill me, you’ll die too, so—”
“—That’s a lie.”
Oliver cut him off abruptly.
“...What?”
“I said it’s a lie. You don’t even know if they’ll avenge you if you die.”
“...You think you’re reading my emotions just because you’ve got some skill?”
“No, I just see it... Anyway, how can I meet this person? The one from the Black Hand.”
“...Hah, have you lost your mind because you beat me? You want to meet him?”
“Yes.”
“He only comes when he wants to. And he won’t come alone. He’ll show up with his terrible creations and... What are you doing?”
Mole stared as Oliver took his necklace.
Oliver studied the necklace closely.
“Oh... As I thought.”
“What is it?”
“It’s not just a necklace. It’s an Observer’s Eye.”
“What?”
“I’ve read about it in books before. It’s made using a person’s eyeball, allowing someone to observe this place from afar.”
Having explained, Oliver stared directly at the eyeball embedded in the center of the necklace.
The taxidermied eye didn’t move, but Oliver could clearly feel it.
Someone was watching him through it.
As his concentration heightened, the ordinary sight of a human faded away, and the vision of a Black Magician grew sharper.
As his focus reached a certain level, Oliver could sense the presence of someone watching from far away.
It was like a single white thread connecting him to the distant black world.
And surely, the other person had sensed Oliver too.
Kent, looking at Oliver with concern, asked.
“...Are you alright?”
“...Yes. I’m just going to go meet this person for a moment.”