The Druid Who Devoured the Great Nature

The inside of the station was relatively quiet compared to the chaotic outside. It was different from the chaotic air outside, filled with tension, desperation, and killing intent. A calm, settled, and orderly atmosphere. It seemed to prove their confidence that they could handle the current attack without any trouble.

‘That can’t be right.’

At least, the sense of crisis of the members outside was real. If no variables arose, it would be the Brotherhood’s defeat. Did it mean that the calculations of the higher-ups and the feelings of those on the ground were different? It was a common occurrence.

‘Whatever it is, I have to make them pay a bitter price.’

I jumped down from the platform and ran to the depot in one go. There were people guarding the entrance of the depot. They were the executives who had been with the employees of the Arman Company. By the time my eyes met those of the guys who were guarding the outside, a bullet had already pierced their foreheads.

I jumped over the collapsing guys and entered the depot.

“When on earth is this going to be sorted out!”

“I told you to wait quietly. Oh, just in time, news from outside…”

The inside of the depot was dark due to the dim lighting. When the door opened, light poured in, so a stealthy infiltration was impossible. All eyes were on me. The expression, which had held a faint joy, changed colorfully with doubt and caution the moment my face came into view.

‘Should I first reduce the number of these idiots who are just staring at me blankly?’

I wouldn’t give them the time to grasp the situation and respond. Under the aim correction of the M2 Maximum, I pulled the trigger continuously.

Tatatat!

Rapid fire. The targets were the guys standing on the outskirts of the depot, on the steel stairs, and on the narrow passageway on the second floor. Although they were executives of Branch 52, they were low-level underlings with relatively inferior skills. None of them were skilled enough to react to the surprise gunshot. The corpses that fell over the railing and crushed the members below were a secondary harvest.

“Kill him!”

Tudududududu!

As soon as the sobered-up Kurt shouted, a barrage of gunshots poured out. The flashing muzzles brightly illuminated the dark depot. In the midst of the acrid gunpowder smoke and the rain of bullets. I calmly emptied and refilled the chamber of the M2 Maximum.

Lignification. A thick tree bark covered my entire body like armor, blocking the bullets. In the vision obscured by the gunpowder smoke and flashes, only I was free.

“Kkeuaak!”

“Wh-what is this!”

“A corpse! Something is coming from the corpse…!”

I had already laid the groundwork. The corpse that had fallen from the railing on the second floor and landed among them was it.

Rapid growth through spirits. The improved insectivorous plant, which had grown huge using the corpse as nutrients, bit into them with its leaves that resembled the snout of a beast. Who would have imagined being attacked by the corpse of a comrade? They were thrown into a panic, let out a single scream, and collapsed like a sandcastle before a wave.

“Now that’s a better sight.”

Wajak!

With the corpse whose head had been torn off as the last, the chaos in the area subsided. The depot was stained with blood, like a human sacrifice set in a B-grade movie cult.

“The subordinates are risking their lives and rolling in the mud outside, but is it right for the higher-ups to be so relaxed among themselves?”

“……”

In the midst of that, only Kurt and I were standing properly, glaring at each other.

“I’ve balanced the scales. I won’t refuse your thanks.”

“……You crazy bastard.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Kurt, with bloodshot eyes, chuckled. It was a hollow laugh, as if he had completely lost his mind.

“H-hiiik!”

The employees of the Arman Company, who had been trembling inside the train, were startled the moment they stuck their heads out the window. There were also those who bit their lips, as if trying to hold back their nausea. The employee in the driver’s cabin, with a flushed face, pointed a finger at Kurt.

“I-I shouldn’t have trusted these bastards! You said it was no big deal! What is this!”

“Yes, I’m sorry about that. I didn’t know a monster like this would pop out either.”

“This isn’t something that can be ended with an apology! We’re all going to die at this rate!”

I watched their internal strife with my hands in my pockets. I was able to obtain an important clue from the short conversation. I had wondered why they were so relaxed. The remark that they had treated the attack as no big deal was very suggestive.

“I-I don’t know anything! Please just let me live!”

The employee, who had been one-sidedly venting his anger at Kurt, then desperately begged me.

“If you let me go out like this, I’ll live with my mouth shut for the rest of my life! Please!”

As if they had taken my silence as permission, the employees of the Arman Company jumped out of the train. Even when they started running towards the exit, I remained still.

Kwajik!

“Keuk!”

It seemed there was no possibility of them surviving even if I didn’t get my hands dirty. The rıghtful source is novèlfire.net

“Why, why…!”

“I told you to stay put.”

The employees, who had each received a dagger in the back of their heads as a gift, lost their strength and collapsed. A corpse was piled on top of a corpse. Even they, who had pleaded their innocence, were no different from the Brotherhood members after they died.

“They were important business partners, is it okay to kill them like that?”

“No matter how important a business partner is, they should listen when they’re told. Their whining was so annoying I couldn’t stand it anymore.”

Kurt twirled a dagger between his fingers.

“Yes, were you that greedy for this cargo? With your skills, it must have looked like a treasure chest lying on the street without an owner. The order of the smuggling market has been shattered, and rumors that the city government won’t crack down must have circulated, so you must have been blinded by greed. I understand.”

The dagger that had been jumping between his fingers was caught in his hand as if it were being sucked in.

“But you miscalculated. Do you know how many interests are at stake in this deal? If you knew why the city government’s ruthless crackdown had bypassed this deal, you would regret it!”

“I was wondering what kind of last words you would leave, so I listened.”

I let the curse he poured out with bloodshot eyes flow past me with a sneer.

“Did you think I was a moth to a flame who jumped in without knowing any of that? I already know that the one who stopped the crackdown was Councilor Sorbet Wagon.”

Kurt’s complexion changed drastically.

“……You knew that and still!”

“If the corner you believed in was nothing more than that kind of threat, I’m disappointed. I knew the level of the Brotherhood was low, but isn’t it embarrassing to be a fox borrowing the tiger’s might?”

“W-wait!”

Kurt’s urgent voice trembled. It wasn’t an act to make me let my guard down. Was he really that confident just because he had a city councilor as his backer? It was extremely disappointing.

“You, you were after that too!”

The moment I aimed the gun at his forehead, he screamed desperately.

“Yes, if it’s that, then it makes sense that you carried out this reckless attack without considering the aftermath!”

“……?”

“I! I know its whereabouts! If you’re after that, you’ll lose out if you kill me now! I know its whereabouts!”

Was he showing his true colors at the very end? But the content was unexpected.

“I heard that this deal was planned to sell that item to Councilor Sorbet! There’s nothing you’re looking for in there!”

“That item?”

“You don’t have to play dumb, I know everything. If you promise to let me live, I promise to spill everything.”

Comradeship and loyalty were words that were far from the spirit of the Brotherhood. They would do anything to survive. It was an organization made up of such people, and because they had made it their strength, they had spread like cockroaches all over the continent and established themselves as the largest organization. It was not common for a branch manager to betray the organization, but it was hard to say it never happened.

“Fine, spill it.”

“Its whereabouts are…”

He grinned servilely, raising the corners of his mouth. He slowly approached, as if to assert that it was a secret story. His two hands, which he had raised above his head in surrender, were now behind his head.

“……Look for it in hell!”

The hand that had been bent over his shoulder came back to the front, and he threw the dagger he was holding with all his might. A flash of light wrapped around the sharp edge and shot out in a straight line. It was as fast as a ray of light, as if to say that he hadn’t won the position of a Brotherhood branch manager by playing around.

Chaeng!

The barrel of the M2 Maximum collided with the dagger. The impact I felt in my wrist was heavy. It was fine. I could withstand it.

Jjeojeojeok!

Kwachang!

At that moment, a crack ran down the blade of the dagger, and it split into dozens of pieces. It was a follow-up attack that went one step further from a flying dagger technique, aiming to catch me off guard. I had no choice but to let go of the grip of the M2 Maximum.

“Die!”

It wasn’t just his hand skills that were excellent; his speed as he charged at me was comparable to the dagger he had thrown. His figure, which had scattered like smoke, appeared in front of me.

Hwioo!

The dagger he held in his hand and stabbed with was different from the others he had used as consumables. A sinister current swirled along the blade. The color, resembling ash, was ominous. It was a type of ritual implement that called forth a curse. It was said to be a magic sword with the vicious ability to curse a target and suck their life force if it drew blood. It had good synergy with the flying dagger technique and was perfect for use as a decisive blow, catching the opponent off guard like this.

It was no exaggeration to say that the authority of the branch manager of Branch 52 was all due to the flying dagger technique he performed with that dagger.

Kkigigik!

“……H-how.”

Kurt trembled. The blade of the sinister magic sword was useless as long as it didn’t reach the opponent. His arm was firmly held in my glowing blue palm and couldn’t even move.

“I told you I came knowing everything. The same goes for you.”

It was an attack that took the place of the stalled crackdown by the Public Security Bureau. All the information that the Public Security Bureau had investigated about Brotherhood Branch 52 was in my head. I had also been informed of Kurt’s secret weapon and was on guard. No matter how much of a vermin of the Brotherhood he was, there was no way a small-minded person who would betray without even putting up a final struggle could rise to the position of a branch manager. Trying to launch a surprise attack while feigning surrender was a cliché move.

Ppudeudeuk!

“Kkeuaak!”

When I broke his wrist, the dagger fell. The moment I shook off his hand, the M2 Maximum fell from the air at the right timing. The M2 Maximum, which was retrieved as if it were wrapping around my palm, aimed its muzzle at his throat.

“W-wait! This time, really…!”

Bang!

I didn’t listen to his last words. Kurt’s body, with his brain pierced, collapsed to the floor.

“It’s hard to trust a guy who tried to deceive you once, twice.”

I was curious what secrets he would spill when he was truly cornered. But that was not a reason to show mercy. The corpse of the guy who had collapsed right under the light had a pale green skin tone.

‘Was he a goblin half-breed?’

A vile race. I didn’t know what other tricks he would pull. It was foolish to take a long detour on an easy path, deluded by curiosity.

“Phew.”

I let out a sigh to release the tension and listened to the outside. The noisy commotion was still going on. It seemed I had wiped out the Brotherhood’s executive team faster than the contractors had cleared the enemies.

‘It’s not like I’m getting a share of their reward, so there’s no need to help them.’

I turned off my attention to the outside and approached the train.

「The World Tree subtly tempts you, saying let’s just steal one.」

The inside of the container was full of smuggled goods. They had packed it so tightly, as if they had hired a talent for bricklaying. It was worthy of being called a big deal. Just the value placed on these smuggled goods alone would have involved checks of a unit that an ordinary person would never even see in their lifetime.

‘The Brotherhood will also be hit as much as the money involved in this smuggled goods deal.’

It was a satisfactory result. I roughly locked the container and moved to the train car. When I opened the door, the smell of blood in the air was pierced by the vibrating stench.

‘As expected.’

Numerous unknown beasts were trapped in cages. I was inwardly relieved to have confirmed that the effort I had put in was not in vain.

‘It’s certain that the smuggled goods of Branch 52 include illegally captured animals.’

Since there had been a clash with Greenwood, it couldn’t have been unrelated, but confirming it directly was significant. But among the animals trapped here, there was no species I was looking for. There was no reaction from the system window or a pull as a druid, like when the Guardian Hawk had hatched.

It was a pity, but I had found a clue.

‘Is it that item that Kurt mentioned?’

I had even heard that this deal was planned to open a deal with Councilor Sorbet. Considering Councilor Sorbet’s elegant hobby, the possibility was not low.

Teobeok! Teobeok!

In the midst of that, I felt the presence of someone else approaching.

Kkiik!

The door of the depot opened.

Jureureuk!

Cheolpeok!

A contractor with a sword and a mask. He came walking in, dragging the other two contractors with both hands.

(End of Chapter)