Chapter 210 : Chapter 210
Chapter 210 - Tornava Continent (11)
ACK! ACK!
The Rabbit tribe fellow let out a painful groan.
I was currently behind the rabbit-man, gripping his throat.
To be honest, I was not acting because I understood the reason why I had to do this.
I was simply following the voice of the Holy Sword Bastian that had suddenly echoed in my mind.
It had told me to suppress him from behind without looking at the rabbit's eyes or mouth.
[My friend! Your memory was just erased!]
"My memory was erased?"
I did not feel that way at all. As far as I knew, I had only just arrived in the Tornava Continent. My memories from before passing through the portal were vivid. This house I was in and the rabbit fellow I had pinned down were both entirely unfamiliar to me.
[For your information, this is not the first time it has happened!]
To think it was not even the first time. Of course, I had already heard about the special abilities of the Rabbit tribe from Rosie. That was precisely why I had brought a voice recorder.
"I was caught? This is quite a blow to my pride."
If my memory had been erased as the Holy Sword said, then there had to be a recorded file on the device. While keeping the rabbit pinned with one hand, I pulled out the recorder. The size of the recorded file was substantial.
ACK! ACK!
The rabbit fellow, caught by the throat, could only let out pained whimpers.
[My friend! You must not let this fellow speak a single word.]
"Why? I do not understand what is happening."
[You will not remember it, but we had a plan just a moment ago. We were going to figure out exactly how this rabbit bastard erases memories!]
"I must have entrusted you with that mission."
[Indeed!]
"So, did you find out?"
[It is not certain yet, but his eyes and mouth seemed suspicious!]
So that was why I was told to suppress him in this manner.
I was wondering how long I would have to stay like this when the rabbit's ears began to twitch and flutter. It was a very bothersome movement. Only then did I realize a critical fact.
"I should not be looking at those!"
The Rabbit tribe’s method of memory erasure did not use the eyes or the mouth; they used their ears. Damn it. I wanted to let the Holy Sword know, but it was already too late. Even before I could convey the thought, my memory was being erased again. I could only hope that the Holy Sword had noticed as well.
***
As soon as I passed through the portal, I found myself in a state of grappling with some rabbit-man.
[My friend! Immediately grab both of the rabbit's ears!]
Following the Holy Sword's command, I instantly seized the rabbit's ears.
"ACK! ACK! Outworlder! Just why are you doing this?"
"Wait a moment. I need to grasp the situation first."
[My friend! Before you grasp the situation, let us give this fellow a slap!]
I did not know the reason, but I lifted the fellow up by his ears with one hand and delivered a strike.
SLAP!
I struck the rabbit's cheek with enough force to make a resounding noise.
"AAAAAGHH!"
The fellow let out a scream and wore a look of pure terror. While I listened to the explanation of the situation from the Holy Sword, the rabbit remained silent. My gaze was turning chillingly cold in real-time.
[That is enough for the explanation for now! You should have a rough understanding of the situation!]
After hearing the whole story, it seemed a single slap would not be enough.
SLAP! SLAP!
Both of the rabbit's cheeks turned a swollen red. Tears began to drip from his eyes.
"Just why are you doing this? We have only just met!"
SLAP!
"We have only just met? I think you should speak more accurately."
I immediately peeled off the Human Skin Mask. The fellow flinched upon seeing my face.
"Now, shall we have a proper conversation?"
It was now certain that the Rabbit tribe erased memories using their ears. After tying his ears so they could not move, I hung him against the wall.
"H-Help me!"
A yellow liquid began to flow from the pants of the dangling fellow. He had already wet himself.
"You really are a piece of work. I have several things to discuss, but let us start with the quests. Why is your Rabbit tribe interfering with the quests of Earthlings?"
"I-I do not know anything!"
The fellow feigned ignorance while trembling uncontrollably. As I raised my hand to slap him again, he squeezed his eyes shut. It was very easy to threaten such a cowardly opponent. It was only a matter of time before he opened his mouth.
"R-Really, we do not know. We only did as we were told."
"Told by whom?"
"I heard they received a revelation. I truly only know that much!"
SLAP!
Since he was the type to relax if he was not hit, I needed to keep him on edge like this occasionally.
"You had better speak more specifically about this revelation."
The moment I heard the word revelation, I could accept the situation immediately. Recently, the starting point for all Earthlings entering the Tornava Continent was the Rabbit tribe village, without exception. It meant someone was manipulating things, and it implied the intervention of a transcendental being rather than a human or a non-human.
"I-I heard the revelation was delivered at the mountain peak near the village."
"Then, can a revelation always be received if one climbs to the peak?"
"I really only know this much! The Chieftain is the only one who can climb the mountain!"
The rabbit fellow looked like he was about to cry again.
"It will be troublesome if you are like this already. I have more to ask."
"Damn it."
"There is a very strong old man who came here from Earth not long ago. You could not possibly be unaware of him. Where is he now?"
I raised my hand as soon as I asked the question.
"Do not hit me! I was going to tell you right away!"
"Then speak."
"He is in our village!"
"In the Rabbit tribe village? What on earth is he doing there?"
"He is not doing anything special. He spends every day in the same routine, having his memory erased once a day."
"Why only the old man in that manner?"
"We sent him elsewhere at first, but we brought him back because he was too conspicuous a being."
That made sense. No matter how wide the Tornava Continent was, it could not swallow the presence of a Sword Master.
Anyway, I felt a sense of pity knowing that he was having his memory erased every single day.
"Then what is the old man's quest?"
"To obtain two sacred relics of the Tornava Continent."
The rabbit fellow was now pouring out everything I asked without hesitation.
Anyway, it seemed a bit unfair that the old man only had two.
Even though I was with the Chamryongdan, I had three.
"Then, the final question. Where is the Rabbit tribe's sacred relic?"
"There is no way I could know that! I am not even the Chieftain!"
I decided to believe this without verification. I had not expected him to know anyway.
However, if the Rabbit tribe members were all such cowards, I might be able to find out by beating the Chieftain.
Now, my task had become clear.
I would send Heo Jeong-ah to the Turtle tribe village to handle her own quest.
I intended to go to the Rabbit tribe village and verify the true nature of this revelation.
Of course, I also wanted to meet the old man after a long time and plunder the Rabbit tribe's sacred relic.
Now that I knew how they erased memories, I would not be caught like before, no matter how many there were.
'Should I wear a blindfold?'
***
I immediately headed toward the Rabbit tribe village alone.
Listening to the recorded contents throughout the journey was an appalling experience.
The Holy Sword provided supplementary explanations, but it was practically impossible to fully restore my memory.
I had to be satisfied with understanding the circumstances and the context.
But my friend! Do you really feel nothing from that bracelet you are wearing right now?
The Bracelet of Dynamis was originally a sacred relic of the Monkey tribe.
I knew it was meant to draw out the wearer's potential, but I had felt no changes.
"I do not know. As many people say, it might be a sacred relic in name only."
My thoughts are a bit different!
"Are you saying there is something special about it?"
Indeed!
"What is your evidence?"
Right at the moment before you lost your memory, the bracelet seemed as though it were about to resonate!
"Then it stopped halfway. I have no memory of it, but regardless, why at that specific moment?"
Perhaps the bracelet considered that moment to be a crisis for you? If it had been a true danger, there is no telling how the bracelet might have acted!
"A moment of crisis..."
If a sacred relic only activated under such conditions, it did not seem like a very good setting.
After having various conversations like that, I finally arrived at the entrance of the Rabbit tribe village.
Since the original gatekeeper rabbit was currently having a "pleasant" time with the Chamryongdan, a different fellow greeted me.
"Welcome, outworlder! Is this your first time in the Tornava Continent?"
This meant Heo Gyeong-woo was receiving this same greeting every single day.
Since he was a strong but innocent man, he was likely being played for a fool.
"Did you come alone?"
"As you can see. Guide me to the Chieftain."
"Before that, I have one thing to check. What is the quest you received here, outworlder?"
As expected, he asked about the quest first.
I immediately grabbed both of his ears.
"H-Hey! What are you doing?"
I spun him around in the air and then slammed him into the ground.
BANG!
One rabbit was knocked unconscious just like that.
After dealing with him, I headed into the village.
It was called a village, but in reality, it was a fairly large city inhabited by numerous Rabbit tribe members.
'Even so...'
To think I did not even know Heo Gyeong-woo was here when I first arrived.
I immediately expanded my senses to focus on finding the old man's location.
There were countless auras of the Rabbit tribe packed into the village.
It took a fair amount of time to find the one distinct, heterogeneous aura among them.
"Hey! You! Are you not an outworlder? I have never seen your face before."
Occasionally, some of the Rabbit tribe would call out to me.
Every time, I brushed them off as if it were nothing.
" I am currently on my way to meet the Chieftain."
Luckily, no one made a particular issue of it yet.
In fact, I did intend to meet the Chieftain.
Though he would likely get beaten quite a bit when he saw me.
'There it is!'
I finally found the old man's aura.
It was a house with a yellow roof located in a corner of the village.
I wondered what on earth he was doing there that he had not revealed his presence until now.
I quickened my pace and finally arrived at the old man's residence.
There was only one aura felt inside.
I slid the door open.
The moment I entered, I could not help but be stunned.
"Old man! What on earth are you doing here?"
"Ji-han! How did you get here?"
The old man had been spending every day here as if it were the first, without even realizing how much time had passed.
The problem was that his appearance was far too bizarre.
"Just why are you wearing that rabbit hat?"
There was a plate full of carrots in front of him.
He was currently taking a bite out of one.
"Oh, this? They told me that if I eat carrots like this while wearing the hat, my quest will be generated tomorrow. It is a bit bothersome, but it has only been one day, so I can endure it."
These bastards. No matter how much I try to look at them in a good light, I do not think I can.