Chapter 192 : The Veteran (2)
“How on earth did they do that?”
Hella’s words echoed exactly what I was feeling.
Prosthetics are hailed as a revolution brought about by magical engineering, but the consensus is that they can never truly replace one’s own body.
Yet, the scene before us was...
What they wore was prosthetics, and yet, not prosthetics.
Veins coursed through, muscles covered them, and skin was layered on top—what difference was there from a real body?
Not just in appearance, but their movements and the way they wielded magic had become far more natural.
“Chimera... or something like that?”
“Hmph, no black magic can explain this miracle.”
The mercenary spoke with pride.
“It’s a miracle that overturned our miserable lives. It’s pitiful that your eyes fail to recognize this greatness and babble about black magic.”
“What are you talking about?”
Hella seemed momentarily surprised but quickly scoffed and regained her composure.
“It’s a little impressive, maybe, but does that really change anything?”
It might hold deep meaning for the mercenaries, but to Hella, it was nothing special.
Is it so unusual for a cornered enemy to pull out a trump card?
Figuring out the principle behind such a feat could wait until later.
“This was so boring I almost yawned, but now it’s finally getting interesting.”
Hella had also been holding back her full strength.
“Arrogant!”
The mercenaries and Hella clashed again.
The flow of battle had completely changed from just moments ago.
The mercenaries no longer yielded to Hella’s attacks but met her evenly.
Their assault was like a well-rehearsed military drill.
Their rapid and fierce exchanges made one wonder when they even caught their breath.
With the scouting phase over, both sides unleashed their full power.
Magic collided with magic, sending out powerful shockwaves that exploded outward.
Fragments of shattered magic glowed brighter than lanterns, illuminating the surroundings.
It looked as if the waterway itself was engulfed in blazing flames.
Despite the ferocity of the battle, it was remarkable that the waterway remained intact.
Hella seemed to be minimizing damage through her comparatively superior skill, while the mercenaries relied on their experience.
I wouldn’t have managed that.
This was an art only possible for those who honed not just physical ability but martial arts and refined techniques.
‘The location is unfavorable.’
This worked relatively against Hella.
Spears are weapons meant for wide-open spaces.
In the narrow waterway, it was difficult to unleash their full potential.
In contrast, the enemy had prepared weapons effective even in tight quarters—swords, short spears, daggers.
The difference in numbers, the disadvantage of the terrain, the lack of preparation.
A precarious balance was maintained amid these constraints.
Thud thud thud thud!
“Ugh!”
“How cowardly...!”
Naturally, just by joining in, the balance tipped once more.
There was no need to hesitate or obsess over delivering a fatal blow.
Even intermittent harassment created openings.
Hella didn’t miss those openings.
Crack!
The spear’s blade pierced diagonally.
It tore a fist-sized hole in the chest of a mercenary standing in front, then, as if defying physical laws, shifted direction horizontally like a swift blade.
Shhhhk!
The mercenaries couldn’t react to that strange speed.
Sharpened weapons, brick walls, even a person’s upper body were all sliced cleanly.
Blood splattered up to the ceiling, staining the yellow lantern light dark, casting shadows over the distorted expressions of the mercenaries.
“Hold formation! Take out that gunner first!”
A fitting command.
The frontline mercenaries regained their composure, and the one-sided situation that could have unfolded was barely stabilized.
But how they would try to check me was still unknown.
With walls and waterways to the side and Hella blocking my front, there was no way to dash forward.
Unless one had the ability to fly...
“The World Tree marvels at the circus show.”
Bang! Bang!
Instead of flying through the air, they chose to leap across the water’s surface.
Each of them had one foot replaced by a mechanical limb.
Even if blood flowed and flesh grew, prosthetics were still prosthetics.
Or perhaps they possessed characteristics of both machine and flesh.
Steam hissed from their soles as they raced across the water.
“Ah.”
Hella glanced back at me with a look of sudden concern.
It was too much for her to block those running around in a circle, outside the spear’s reach.
Gunners are threatening when they attack from a stable front line or from a distance, launching one-sided barrages.
There was no tension in the mercenaries charging at me.
‘It’s been a while since I was mistaken for a gunner.’
When facing unknown enemies, I sometimes deliberately encourage such misunderstandings.
Mistakes are free.
But in real combat, the price of such mistakes is often death.
Vwoooom!
The World Tree’s divine light scattered brilliantly, seeping into the waterway.
Splash!
“Gah!”
“Why the sudden waves...!”
“Magic!”
“Wrong.”
It was the World Tree’s divinity governing nature itself.
Yet the result was not much different from magic.
A towering wave, reaching the ceiling, swallowed them whole.
The mercenaries had been using their prosthetics to cheat by running across the water’s surface.
They had no way to avoid the sudden tidal wave.
Bubble after bubble burst among the frothy spray.
The mercenaries thrashed their limbs, trying to surface, but it was futile.
Water plants wrapped around their bodies, dragging them deep underwater.
Even seasoned, battle-hardened mercenaries rarely experience underwater combat.
The vigorous bubbles gradually thinned out and then fell silent.
“Damn it, the ones worth the fight are getting fewer.”
Hella grumbled.
Only then did the mercenaries realize her worried expression wasn’t for me, but for the lost opportunity.
“I think we’ve seen enough.”
The transformation and application of prosthetics, the resulting skill improvements.
At this point, they must have revealed all their hidden abilities.
Even if something remained, it wouldn’t be special enough to turn the tide.
They were opponents not worth dragging out the fight for.
“Let’s finish this now.”
From the high floodgate, water poured down like a waterfall.
I directed my will toward it.
Rumble rumble rumble rumble!
“What is this...?”
“They didn’t press the floodgate’s detonation button, did they?!”
The tremor shook the entire underground waterway.
The mercenaries searched for the source of the ominous vibration.
The floodgate.
The sound radiated from there.
But knowing where the tremor began didn’t mean they had a way to respond.
Kraaaaaaash!
This was the will of nature itself.
The waterfall surged into a tsunami, sweeping through the hall.
***
“Achoo!”
“...Are you okay?”
“Not okay.”
Hella sniffled and glared at me.
Her fierce eyes, with the corners raised sharply, sent a chill down my spine.
I kept my mouth shut, speechless, and she soon stifled a laugh.
“Why take my joke so seriously? I’m fine, don’t worry. It’s just that my clothes didn’t dry completely, so I feel a little uncomfortable.”
It wasn’t only the mercenaries who were swept away.
Though Hella wasn’t drowned like them, she was soaked through, looking like a drenched rat.
I thought she’d be fine since she usually wore short clothes, but who knew she was so sensitive to cold?
“But couldn’t you have said something? If you were soaked too, I’d understand, but you’re all dry and I’m like this... hmm...”
She kept complaining despite saying she was fine, clearly annoyed.
“I got dragged into it for nothing and couldn’t even get revenge on those bastards.”
Or maybe she was upset that the situation was wrapped up just as she was about to make a move.
She must have been pretty stressed out by those mercenaries.
“I’ll tolerate it since you helped without complaint.”
Come to think of it, this wasn’t an official contract—they just asked for help, and I joined for free.
The fight was easy, but considering my worth, complaining about being wet was a bit of a spoiled whine.
“Oh, you’re here already? But why are you so soaked?”
We arrived at the Drexier Mercenary Guild’s office after a long time.
Unlike the memory of trash scattered everywhere, the place was neat and orderly.
The only unchanged thing was Waiver, lounging on the sofa to greet us.
Waiver watched the droplets falling from Hella’s hair clinging to her neck and shook his head playfully.
“Tsk, I knew this would happen. I told you not to go alone to the underground waterway—it’s dangerous. Looks like you got yourself into a real mess.”
“Shut up.”
“...”
It wasn’t the usual bickering like quarrelsome siblings, but a cold retort filled with sincerity.
Waiver pursed his lips and blinked.
Good thing I didn’t joke back when she said she’d tolerate it.
I silently congratulated my past self for not acting rashly and breathed a sigh of relief.
“No, I did well, you know? I got wet because of her. It’s not my fault.”
“...Uh, yeah. You must have been really frustrated. My bad.”
Hella seemed a bit embarrassed, realizing she’d overreacted.
Waiver wasn’t the type to pick a fight over that.
He awkwardly rolled his eyes and smoothly shifted the topic to me.
“By the way, you were there too. You’ve been busy lately. How did you end up helping out?”
“Something like that.”
“Oh, but she asked for help? This wasn’t from our guild, so if you want payment, talk to her.”
He drew a clear line.
His serious gaze made it clear he wasn’t joking.
Well, the mercenary guild hadn’t been active for a long time.
They probably didn’t have the budget to pay someone of my caliber.
“What are you talking about? I didn’t pay or request anything either.”
“Hm? Then why did you follow all the way here? Not to collect money?”
“I found mercenaries in the underground waterway.”
He raised an eyebrow when he saw the sack I was carrying on my back.
“So there really were some? The place I went to was a bust.”
“You came back quickly because it was a bust?”
“Most of us did. The old man probably got annoyed by our constant nagging and gave us fake missions.”
“If it was a bust, shouldn’t you have checked other places?”
“I told you, we thought they were all fake.”
“So you stayed here alone to rest? Geez, you idiot.”
“Anyway, why did you find mercenaries there?”
“They were trying to pull off something I couldn’t just ignore. I came to hear what’s really going on with Drexier.”
“...Really? What kind of trouble?”
“I’ll tell you after I meet with Drexier.”
The matter was too sensitive to share with just anyone.
Sensing the weight of it, Waiver didn’t press further.
“By the way, where’s the old man? He hasn’t left again out of impatience, has he?”
“Fortunately, he’s still inside. Perfect timing—I’m curious about what’s going on, so I’ll go in with you...”
“Old man!”
Bang!
“...Sigh.”
Hella dashed like the wind and stormed into the mercenary captain’s office.
Her free-spirited behavior showed not a shred of respect for the captain.
The mercenaries called her a wild colt, and it wasn’t an exaggeration—but why was Hella angry?
Waiver sighed deeply.
“Let’s go in too.”
(End of Chapter)