Chapter 201 : Chapter 201
Chapter 201 - Tornava Continent (2)
Heo Jeong-ah visited the Haewon Sword Family without any prior notice.
Then, the first thing she said as soon as she saw me was:
"I have a favor to ask."
With those words, she spread something out before me.
Upon closer inspection, it was a map leading to the Tornava Continent, the place where the old man Heo Gyeong-woo had departed for.
"Where did you get this?"
"I inquired around for someone who possessed this map and managed to obtain it with great difficulty."
"Maps for portals themselves are not common. It seems the information-gathering capabilities of the Taeseong Sword Family are not bad."
It was exactly as I said, just at a level that was not bad.
After all, she was unaware that I also possessed this map.
"But why did you bring this map to me?"
"It is the place where my eldest uncle went."
I knew that better than she did.
Because I was the one who gave that map to the old man in the first place.
"And?"
"You know it too. Recently, everyone who has gone to the Abyss has been unable to return to Earth."
"Are you asking me to save your uncle?"
"To be precise, I am asking you to go with me. The sword unit I lead is scheduled to go to the Tornava Continent soon."
"......"
"I know. It is a difficult request. However, when I made up my mind to go there, the first person who came to my mind was you, Seo Ji-han. Because you were with me when we first rescued my uncle."
Heo Jeong-ah had a desperate look in her eyes.
She had clearly hardened her resolve.
"Do you know the level of the old man's cultivation?"
"I know he is above the level of the Three Sword Gods—well, I suppose I should say the Two Sword Gods now."
"Even knowing that, you intend to go rescue him?"
"He might be in a situation where he desperately needs help!"
However, I shook my head.
"Even if your entire unit goes, it will be impossible."
I was not just saying that.
Once someone reaches the level of a Sword Master, their individual combat power exceeds that of an average sword family.
Furthermore, if it was a unit and not even a full family, there was no need for further explanation.
"Then are you telling me to just sit back and do nothing?"
Heo Jeong-ah bit her lip hard as she continued.
"I ask you once more. I would like you to go there with our unit."
"I am sorry, but I must refuse."
At my answer, Heo Jeong-ah closed her mouth tightly and nodded.
"......I suppose it cannot be helped. Thinking about it, it was indeed an unreasonable request."
She could only offer an awkward smile.
"I cannot follow your unit, but I will promise to take the Chamryongdan there."
"......What?"
I also summoned a map from my inventory.
It was a twin map, identical to the one Heo Jeong-ah held.
"I cannot exactly follow you while leaving behind a map I bought with my own money, can I?"
For a moment, Heo Jeong-ah wore a dazed expression.
"......Are you truly going there as well?"
"The old man is a friend to me as well."
Of course, my personal reasons were much greater.
The final destination of my second life was the nest of the Red Dragon.
I had to check what was currently happening in the Abyss to move on to the next stage, so the current situation was a very important matter for me too.
"Thank you, Seo Ji-han. I am indebted to you once again."
"You do not need to be so moved. I told you, I am not going because of you."
"......Even so."
"And it does not matter if your side does not go. Our Chamryongdan will be the ones to rescue the old man."
"What? How can you say that?"
"I am saying it might be dangerous. No one knows what is happening in the Abyss right now."
"Does that mean your unit is better than mine?"
I nodded my head.
"Without a doubt."
Even excluding the unit leaders, myself and Heo Jeong-ah, this thought remained unchanged.
Although the strength of the Chamryongdan was not properly known, its actual power was undoubtedly the best in the Haewon Sword Family.
"That is good, then. I will be able to show the strength of our Seokmyeongdan this time. For your information, our entire unit is being deployed."
Given Heo Jeong-ah's personality, if she was speaking this much, she was holding back a lot.
If I were not going to rescue the old man, she might have suggested a group Bimu between the two units right here and now.
"The Seokmyeongdan...... I shall look forward to it."
Unexpectedly, two units were headed for the same place at the same time.
In any case, it seemed the bond within Heo Jeong-ah's unit was quite strong.
To have the entire unit deploy without a single defector in these times was impressive.
***
I came to see Rosie today to ask her two things.
She was in the middle of eating, with mint chocolate piled high on the table as usual.
Her mouth was stained with the characteristic color of mint.
"Tornava? I do not know! It is a mistake to think a dragon knows everything."
"I know that too."
It did not matter if Rosie did not know about Tornava.
What I really wanted to ask about were the Rabbit tribe, a non-human species living in Tornava.
I had some data on other races, but these creatures were only mentioned by name.
"The Rabbit tribe? I know quite a bit about those guys. But why?"
"If you look at the records of people who have been to Tornava, the Rabbit tribe is often mentioned. However, the details are all vague. They exist, but no one has actually seen them properly."
"Unit Leader Ji-han. That is originally the racial trait of those Rabbit tribe bastards."
"A racial trait?"
"Yes. They possess a rather interesting ability. One that even we dragons cannot imitate."
"What on earth is that ability?"
Rosie replied with a smirk.
"The ability to erase the opponent's memory."
"Erase memories?"
"Yes. Of course, they cannot erase memories from the distant past. However, it would be possible for them to make people who visited that place completely forget their memories of the Rabbit tribe."
I did not know why they did such a thing, but they were certainly a mysterious race.
"Then, if you were to divide the Rabbit tribe into good and evil?"
"There is no such thing. People are all different. Whether the Rabbit tribe in Tornava are good guys is something you will only find out when you encounter them yourself, Unit Leader Ji-han."
As expected, it was a good idea to come see Rosie.
The Rabbit tribe was just one of the many races existing in Tornava, but there was no harm in knowing even one more piece of information.
"Rosie, there is one more thing I want to ask you."
It was about the demon species existing in the Demon Realm.
When I brought the capsule containing the zombie from the 10th floor of the Gwangun Sword Family, the intended use I had in mind was to throw the Demon Realm into chaos through it.
The key was whether demon species also became zombified like humans, animals, and monsters.
"The Demon King is the one who created zombies. I thought it would be a sight to see the Demon Realm become a mess because of his own creations."
"Unit Leader Ji-han, you really seem crazy."
"So, what is the conclusion? Is it possible?"
"To be honest, I do not know. However, I suspect the place where the Demon King first experimented when creating zombies might have been the Demon Realm."
"Then I shall give it a try."
"Are you really going to do that? Is there a reason you have to go that far, even to the point of making an enemy of the Demon King?"
There was no reason I could not do it.
Before I stepped into the Demon Realm myself, I would sow the seeds of zombies there.
It did not matter if it did not go as planned.
I was in a situation where I had to dispose of the capsules soon anyway.
***
When I opened the lid of the capsule, a warrior was asleep inside.
To outward appearances, he was a perfectly ordinary human.
However, strictly speaking, he was no longer human.
He had already ended his life as a human by harboring the seed of a zombie.
This unnamed new warrior must have entered the Gwangun Sword Family with big dreams.
Perhaps he even thought he had gained the whole world.
Just like the newcomer who joined the Chamryongdan not long ago.
I did not know what kind of story he had, but I had no choice but to mourn for him alone.
ROAARRR!!
As it was near a portal leading to the Demon Realm, this area was teeming with high-ranking monsters.
The one approaching with a roar was an Ogre.
"The black-haired lineage, I see."
An individual notorious for being the most ferocious among Ogres.
I placed a Mana Stone against the dantian of the warrior sleeping in the capsule.
The reaction was instantaneous.
He snapped his eyes open as the characteristic foul smell of a zombie wafted out.
As expected of an individual improved in the laboratories of the Gwangun Sword Family, the mana that momentarily burst out was considerable.
ROAARRR!
The Ogre approached within close range.
What greeted it there was once a warrior of the Gwangun Sword Family, and now a zombie.
In a normal situation, it would be insufficient for a zombie to hunt an Ogre.
However, in this case, it was very different.
He possessed agility on a level different from ordinary zombies.
He succeeded in quickly dodging the Ogre charging from the front and moving behind it.
CRUNCH!
Then, he bit off one of the Ogre's massive legs.
The Ogre's violent struggle followed with a furious roar, but the zombie simply held onto its leg tightly while biting and tearing at it relentlessly.
THWACK!
Even though the Ogre's fist, the size of a pot lid, struck his head, the zombie did not easily open his tightly clenched teeth.
Blood leaked out in streams.
The Ogre also seemed unable to land a blow easily anymore.
It must have instinctively felt that the zombie's bite force grew stronger the more it struggled.
In the end, the Ogre had only one choice.
To use its overwhelming physical strength to choke the life out of the zombie.
SWISH!
However, the zombie's movements were faster than the Ogre's hand trying to grab its neck.
Not only his agility but also his ability to sense danger was quite different from conventional zombies.
Eventually, he succeeded in climbing onto the Ogre's back and then sinking his teeth into the back of its neck.
ROAARRRRR!
Once again, a roar echoed out.
Other Ogres might come flocking upon hearing this sound.
But for now, the Ogre itself had to shake off this leech-like zombie.
CRUNCH!
CRUNCH!
The zombie's movements as it tore into the Ogre began to gain more momentum.
No matter how much of a high-ranking monster the Ogre was, there was no help for it in a situation where such bleeding continued.
At some point, its eyes rolled back.
THUD!
Its massive body collapsed to the ground with a heavy sound.
Froth leaked from its mouth, and a rotten smell quickly began to consume its entire body.
Then, its eyes suddenly snapped open.
Zombification had occurred in just a few seconds.
Now that the visible Ogre had been dealt with, only one thing remained.
The zombie immediately turned its gaze toward me.
In those dead eyes, only the instinct to propagate was felt.
It was now time to let him go.
SLASH!
Bastian flashed once, and the zombie's head fell to the ground.
At first, I thought about sending the four zombies in the capsules to the Demon Realm, but I ultimately changed my mind.
I felt that even if they were dead bodies, I should bury them in the soil of Earth.
What would go to the Demon Realm in their place were the high-ranking monsters teeming around the portal.
Specifically, an Ogre that had become a zombie would be perfect for causing chaos in the Demon Realm.
THWACK!
At my kick, the massive body of the Ogre was sucked into the portal.
A satisfied smile leaked out naturally at its ridiculous struggle.
I only hoped that they would continue to propagate until the day I personally visit the Demon Realm.