The Druid Who Devoured the Great Nature

Vrooom!

“Uahahaha!”

In the dark of night, a dozen or so motorcycles crossed the road with a hearty laugh. They raced in a neat formation, even with their lights off in the dead of night. Their plain, uniform attire and the guns held in the hands of the passengers in the back seats were proof that they were not ordinary bikers.

“Heh heh, stupid bastards. What are they thinking, moving cargo with the same old methods in these chaotic times?”

“That’s right, boss!”

“They’ve set a big table for us, so they’re just begging us to come and steal it!”

“Thanks to them, we’re eating well!”

“Kyahaha!”

Dubler, the leader of the Parnoche gang, responded to his subordinates’ agreement with a loud honk. As he went up the hill and looked back, he saw a fallen, burning cargo truck and several vehicles chasing after them in a hurry with their lights on. It was stupid of them to have their goods stolen, and their method of pursuit was also old-fashioned.

A multi-passenger car couldn’t keep up with a tuned motorcycle. In addition, once they reached the complicated city center, the advantages of a motorcycle, which could change lanes and even ignore traffic signals, would be displayed. Then, it would be game over.

After the game of tag was over, all that was left was a festival.

“This sample! If we sell just one of these, we can all play for a year!”

Cheers echoed through the streets.

He had come to hear the story by a chance encounter. It was news that a sample leaked from a pharmaceutical company was about to be traded. He wasn’t even curious about what kind of new drug sample it was. The only thing that remained in his head was the fact that many companies were secretly aiming for it, so it could be sold at a high price.

In the past, he would have just licked his lips and not dared to try. The smuggling market was a huge cartel. Black market dealers, gangs, corporations, and the wealthy were organically connected to prevent troublesome commotions.

Now, it was different. The times had changed drastically. Due to the city government’s crackdown, order had disappeared from the smuggling market. An era where everyone fended for themselves, just like in the early days when the market was first formed and each faction fought for dominance, had opened. It meant that there was no need to fear repercussions, as everyone was busy finding their own way to survive in the chaos.

A windfall was no longer a dream.

“Uh, uhh!”

What clouded the sweet dream was the dazed voice of his subordinate who was leading the way.

Screeech!

Kudangtangtang!

“Kkeuaak!”

“Keuk!”

“Ugh!”

There was a trap beyond the hill. The motorcycles that hit something blocking the road horizontally were damaged, and the riders fell in a heap. They had been racing excitedly with even a modified engine. The gang members who rolled on the ground were seriously injured, with their faces scraped and their limbs broken.

“Wh-what happened!”

Dubler, who had instinctively pulled the brakes, was dumbfounded by the tragic scene before his eyes. The rear guard following him was safe, but the front guard was beyond recovery. In the blink of an eye, half of his subordinates were incapacitated. His mind, which had been pumping with dopamine, was just blank, unable to grasp the fall.

“……”

What appeared, trampling over the fallen subordinates, was a man. The moon was obscured by thick clouds, so it was hard to make out his facial features. He had carried out the operation today considering that factor, but… he only now realized that this condition applied to other hyenas as well.

“It’s one guy! Kill him!”

Dubler quickly came to his senses and gave the order. He had been a little careless because things had been going well. The trap, which had predicted the organization’s movements and was set up in an appropriate location, was so effective it made his hair stand on end. But the enemy who had appeared was just one person.

Losing half of his subordinates was a pity, but it was just an accident. It wasn’t too late yet. If he could quickly retaliate against the enemy and get away, it would be a blessing in disguise. Since the number of mouths to feed had decreased, wouldn’t the share that went around also increase? Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs novelꜰire.net

The calculation was quickly finished in Dubler’s head. The loyalty of the back alleys was just a meaningless mirage in the face of more money.

Chajajajak!

But while Dubler was starting his motorcycle again. He had only looked away for a moment, but everything was over.

“……!”

All his subordinates had fallen. He couldn’t even properly grasp how he had done it. He thought he had seen something like a stake shooting up from the ground and piercing his subordinates’ bodies, but… it was so instantaneous that he felt it was a hallucination. And no matter what means were used, the conclusion did not change.

All his subordinates had fallen.

“Heo-eok!”

His body moved before his head could make a judgment. Dubler pulled the accelerator to the max.

Wajangchang!

The motorcycle broke through the fence and fell down the hill. His driving skills, which minimized the rebound even after falling in a parabola, were close to acrobatics. He was only now seeing the benefit of having lived on the edge, obsessed with his motorcycle, for the thrill of it.

But he had no time to feel a sense of accomplishment.

“M-monster!”

His jaw trembled, and his teeth chattered. Revenge for his subordinates? What a ridiculous thing to say. From the beginning, he had planned to use all his subordinates as bait and run away if a pursuer appeared. And to think that such a monster was his opponent… running away was the only answer.

Teolteolteol!

Kkiiik!

“Damn it!”

Not long after he had fled like that, something went wrong with his motorcycle. The body of the bike sank, as if the rear tire had burst.

Dubler did not hesitate. He abandoned the motorcycle on the road and ran. He only stopped his legs when his mouth was so dry it tasted sweet. As he was catching his breath, even bile rose up in his throat.

“Phew, phew.”

Still, he had run far enough. He had survived. He uttered one more word, just in case.

“D-did I shake him off?”

Jeobeok!

At the same time, the sound of footsteps. A chill ran down his spine, and his tense muscles hardened.

How so soon? He had fled at full speed on a motorcycle. He had run for a long time even after the motorcycle broke down. No, it wasn’t just the distance, but how had he tracked him so accurately without taking a single wrong turn? His head went white with the feeling that he had been played in the palm of his hand from beginning to end.

Kwadeuk!

Dubler bit his lip. The taste of blood on his tongue relaxed his tense body. The opponent was a monster. To expect him to be spared by begging for his life was too much of a convenient fantasy. The opponent had surely come for the sample in his pocket.

Kwaaak!

So he had no choice but to struggle. Who knew? Maybe the opponent was also tired from chasing him. Wasn’t the fact that he was walking with such audible footsteps proof of that?

Dubler clung to a sliver of hope, took out a gun from his pocket, and gripped it. And the moment he saw the opponent’s silhouette, he pulled the trigger.

Bang!

It hit. The bullet pierced the defenseless opponent’s forehead. That’s what he had thought.

“……Damn it.”

The elation turned to despair. The bullet had not pierced his forehead. It was just stuck to his skin. Something resembling tree bark was protecting his skin.

Ttaenggeurang!

The bullet fell, reflecting the light with its smooth surface. The moon was now shining brightly in the cloudy sky. Finally, the man’s face was revealed beneath it.

“……Is the game of tag over?”

A fine-featured face, a high-bridged nose, and flawless skin. His noble impression was unbelievable for someone who had intervened in the dirty disputes of this underworld.

“You should know when to give up when you realize something is impossible. Still, you did what you could, so you won’t have any regrets even if you die.”

But the shadow wriggling behind him held a sense of foreboding. That must be the ability that had killed half of his subordinates.

Dubler, in his despair, let his hands hang limp and said.

“You X-like bastard.”

Against an overwhelming enemy, one doesn’t even feel resentment. Therefore, the curse he spat out before his death was not an expression of courage. He was just annoyed. He… was ugly. The reason he had joined a gang and obsessed over money was also influenced by that complex.

Kwajik!

Anger, despair, and jealousy were all equal before death. They scattered along with the draining blood. The man, Allen, looked down at Dubler’s corpse with no emotion in his eyes.

***

“Thank you! Thank you!”

The employee of the pharmaceutical company bowed his head so low it almost touched the ground. It was his reaction right after he had retrieved the sample I had handed him and confirmed its authenticity. He was so relieved that his hand, which was carefully placing the sample in his pocket, was trembling.

I clicked my tongue at him, who was making a fuss and drawing the attention of those around him, and said.

“You came all the way here without waiting for the broker’s contact?”

This was a street a few blocks away from Cromwell’s brokerage office. Originally, the sample delivery was supposed to be done through a broker, not by me directly. But the client had come all the way here, waited, and then contacted me when he saw me.

I had finished the request, and the responsibility after this was his, so it wasn’t a big problem, but it wasn’t a recommended method.

“Yes, yes. The success of this matter was really important to the company. I was so nervous I couldn’t just sit still.”

A low-level employee with a sense of mission and responsibility to the company is a heartwarming story you can only find in fairy tales.

“You said it was leaked due to your mistake.”

“……My neck was on the line.”

Even in Gellerg City, which was called a paradise for corporations, pharmaceutical companies were rare. Pharmaceuticals is an industry where capital and technology are concentrated. The barrier to entry was high, and the competition was fierce, so there were numerous cases where a single mistake led to a collapse from which they couldn’t recover.

If a new drug sample had been leaked, it was a serious case. Judging from the corporate nature of this city, where fierce competition was encouraged, the company’s lifeline could have been cut. Naturally, the employee involved would incur a terrible grudge. So much so that it would be a relief if it ended with just his own neck.

That was why the employee had waited all night and made a fuss. If he could just return the sample before the higher-ups at the company found out, he could make it as if it had never happened. A desperate person doesn’t care about face or anything and will do whatever it takes.

The employee, who had caught his breath, chattered on.

“As expected, the rising star that even the Public Security Bureau is paying attention to handles things differently. I thought it was an exaggeration since it was all just unbelievable stories…”

“A rising star?”

“Ah, yes. That’s what you’re being called. In that industry, since there’s no public, it’s more like a sprout growing into a complete talent rather than a complete talent joining from the beginning. Since you only gain a reputation after years of experience, there are almost no people who get the title of a rising star.”

Was it like a nickname? When a person’s reputation rises, they are called by their name less often. Like the Crown Prince of Centrim or the Shadow Empress and the Mad Dog of the Mad House.

A rising star, it was a cheesy but blatant name. It meant that my name value was spreading that much. If even a low-level employee of a pharmaceutical company, who was far from the contractor industry, had heard of it, it was not a bad achievement.

“Thanks to that, I had to spend a lot of money on the reward, but… I’m satisfied. I can just earn more money. If you’re dead, you don’t even have that chance.”

And so, the employee went on a long-winded speech, praising my reputation and achievements. I half-listened and then headed to Cromwell’s office.

***

“I delivered the sample directly. Just confirm with the client and receive the payment.”

“I know. Since you’ve already come, the client must have received it directly.”

“……Were you the one who allowed him to come out to the street and pace around?”

“He was so desperate and pleading, how could I refuse? I’m not that inflexible.”

Cromwell shrugged.

“Wasn’t it that you kicked him out because you thought he would just set up camp in your office if you refused?”

“I thought he would go back nicely after a few days. But I didn’t expect him to finish the job in one day and come back.”

“For all the fuss the client made, it was a trivial request.”

It wasn’t a bluff, but the plain truth.

“The guys who were trying to trade the sample were so complacent they were flustered by a gang’s attack, and the gang was just a bunch of amateurs, no different from thugs, with only a dozen or so members.”

Did I feel any inconvenience or difficulty in the process of this request? I can say with certainty, no.

This wasn’t to be treated as an exceptional case. All the requests I had received recently were of a similar level.

From that, I had reached one conclusion.

“The smuggling market is really a mess.”

(End of Chapter)