Chapter 159: A Common Enemy, An Enemy Within (16)

I checked the faces of the ones approaching the mountain.

It's humans.

They were just ordinary people, and there didn’t appear to be any other species among them. Their gait toward the livestock pen was light and carefree.

I observed them more closely—two, then three, came in pairs. Quickly, I could spot something they all had in common: black stains. Inkblot-like smudges stained their foreheads, neck, or beneath their eyes. I remembered clearly how those faint marks squirmed and expanded like living things. It was the Necron Society’s tattoo.

I can’t believe they’re here...

I recalled Rayleigh’s words.

Watch out for snakes. Statues, paintings, jewelry... tattoos. The real ones are worse. You’ll eventually learn.

He’d said I’d find out later, but he died that very night, without a chance to be careful or cautious.

"If this was going to happen, he could’ve said more," muttering to myself, I focused on their conversation as they got closer.

"Are we the only team that got here?

Geez,

the others must be dozing off somewhere."

"They’re expanding the pens. Said we need more larvae for the war."

"What? Then let’s not do anything until the others get here. The bugs eat just fine on their own."

Luckily, they didn’t seem aware I was eavesdropping. I cautiously got up and quietly moved around, listening to what the other handlers were saying.

"Do these things actually get stronger?"

"Yeah. Once they mature, they’d be too dangerous to handle without wizards or mages. Heard they can tear through leather like paper."

"

Phew!

But they wouldn’t eat a handler, right?"

"If you’re that curious, why don’t you go test it out yourself?”

War, bugs, breeding, wizards, and mages—those were the keywords floating around. I gathered that they were breeding larvae for war, which sounded like a massive operation. However, I’d never heard of such bugs playing a part in any human war before.

Was the future changing? Or was I approaching an unknown, hidden side of the world? I stored every word they said in my memory. Still, they seemed like frontline workers— low-ranking handlers with limited knowledge.

I moved silently between walls, keeping myself hidden. Before leaving, I wanted to confirm Rayleigh’s death with my own eyes.

I was prepared for a fight, but no one here seemed capable of detecting my Stealth skill.

Are they really just handlers...?

Swoosh.

I got a step ahead of them and headed toward the open freezer room.

Rayleigh...

Two bodies lay near the entrance. One was the marquis’s corpse, the one Rayleigh had mourned. The other, in far worse condition, was Rayleigh’s.

His whole body was constricted tightly.

There were barely any signs of struggle. What happened last night wasn’t a dream. Rayleigh had died with every bone in his body broken and bound tight.

I felt unexpectedly guilty. If not for Rayleigh, I’d never have found this place or absorbed the marquis’s essence in time. I certainly wouldn’t still be standing here. I only survived because he became the first target.

That’s that, but...

[Would You Like to Absorb the Essence?]

This was a separate matter. A faint light radiated from Rayleigh’s corpse. At this point, there were only so many I could absorb, yet I couldn’t afford to pass this up.

[You have absorbed Stealth Lv. 6!]

[Perk acquired: Trace Erasure (C+)!]

[—With the rise in stealth level, a new perk has been unlocked.

—You now move silently and erase traces left on terrain and surroundings.

—This marks the true beginning of stealth.]

Rayleigh’s glow faded away. But that alone was a major gain.

Trace Erasure. After all, in my previous life, even the marquis had tracked me by following my traces. If I could raise the rank of this perk, the marquis wouldn’t be able to follow me even if I jaywalked out of the Imperial Palace after assassinating the emperor and robbing his treasures.

I didn’t know if such a situation would happen again, but just knowing it was possible brought me peace of mind.

This was a skill I wish I’d had from the beginning.

Just then, I heard footsteps outside. Two people were approaching.

[Skill: Stealth Lv. 6 activated.]

I quickly hid myself in a corner of the freezer.

Creak.

A moment later, two handlers entered, one of them carrying a long saw.

Vreee! Vree!

One of them tugged on a long cord, and the saw revved loudly.

"We’ve gotta cut up the frozen ones. That way, the blood doesn’t splatter everywhere."

One seemed to be instructing the other on how to do it. I wanted to watch what they were doing, but...

The moment they brought the saw toward Rayleigh’s body, I sprang out instinctively. With my overwhelming base stats and advanced martial arts skills, I could defeat them with my eyes closed.

I searched the limp bodies of the two men. I felt something rustle in the inner lining of their clothes.

Chiiik!

I tore the lining apart with force. A familiar item emerged.

This is...!

A red card made of a special material, with a finely detailed portrait. Etched gloomily at the bottom was the word Necron.

I checked the IDs from both men’s inner linings. They were the same type of identification card I had seen with Benson Pretcher.

The Necron Society. It was definitely them. Seeing their IDs up close eliminated all the doubts.

There were a few differences from Pretcher’s ID, though. First, theirs came in a two-card set. One card bore the portrait, and the other had a grotesque snake-shaped seal.

What is this? Do they stamp that when someone does a good job or something?

I examined it further. The gold-trimmed borders were intricately crafted, looking far more luxurious than Pretcher’s. Clearly, these two, currently knocked out by a single gesture, held higher ranks than him.

"

Hmm.

"

I recalled the moments Pretcher had bashed my skull with his hammer, along with the pain and fury of failing to protect the necromancer who had resurrected me. Now, I could knock out members ranked even higher than Pretcher with the flick of my finger.

Clack.

I shook my head. The immediate situation needed to be handled first. I dragged the two handlers and stashed them in a corner of the freezer. Then, carrying both corpses under my arms, I walked out of the warehouse.

I intended to bury them. Maybe they preferred sky burials, where bodies were left to the elements, or cremation, where ashes were scattered. But I couldn’t ask them now. At the very least, they wouldn’t have wanted to be fed to Necron’s bugs.

They can consider this my repayment for absorbing them...

I activated maximum Stealth and carefully exited the livestock facility. Thanks to the Trace Erasure perk, no one followed me. I crossed a long stretch of mountains.

[Skill: Detection Lv. 6 activated.]

I began sensing the rough layout of the terrain. I could sense the depth of a flowing stream, the dips, and the peaks of the surrounding ridges. After wandering the mountains for a while, I found a good, secluded spot to bury them.

It looked like the perfect place, with a high ridge at my back and a shallow hill with a clear stream in front.

Sword Energy.

Whooom!

Blue energy instantly surged up to the tip of my sword. Unlike before, when it only gathered near the edge, this was something else entirely.

Whooom! Whooom!

Sword Energy rippled across the blade’s surface and extended a finger’s length into the air. This was the power of Sword Energy level three.

I casually swung it toward the ground.

Boom!

A thunderous crash erupted. The winter-hardened ground shattered as if a bomb had exploded, revealing its inner layers.

Kaboom!

I swung again. Another loud explosion sent clumps of earth flying into the air, and a wide pit opened up.

Feels like environmental destruction...

Either way, I planned to show some respect to burial customs this time. I tossed the marquis in the deep pit first, then gently laid Rayleigh on top. I carefully packed the soil back over them, pressing it down tightly.

Well, this should do.

There were no tombstones or coffins, but with this terrain, there was no worry about heavy rain washing the bodies away. Being so high up, anyone would unlikely come and dig them up. It was better than my own grave, at least.

Afterward, I disappeared into the mountains. With my upgraded Detection skill, finding secluded valleys or caves to hide in was much easier. As soon as I finished the task, a cold tension dug into my chest again. I still didn’t know what kind of being had killed Rayleigh last night.

My best guess was that it had something to do with the Necron priest. There was no telling when I’d be caught and crushed like Rayleigh.

Hiss...

Just recalling that sound from last night made me shudder. It felt like a venomous snake slithering its tongue deep into my chest.

Splash!

I shook my legs up and down in the valley water. A puff of white cloud reflected on the water’s surface, rippled and scattered. Before the water could settle again, I reached a decision.

I need to get out of here.

I had done too much. I thought I had only taken the necessary actions, but in hindsight, it was outrageous. Ever since I arrived at the Capital, I’d been hunted by followers of Purson. At the funeral procession, I stood out among the suspicious ones moving around. I fought Rayleigh and left behind traces of magic. And then I ended up here—at a secret livestock facility connected to the Imperial Family and the Necron cult—causing havoc.

No matter how I looked at it, it was time to run. If I kept acting out, I’d be in serious trouble. On top of that, I couldn’t rely on the pendant for another week. This place was a demon’s realm to me.

To leave the Capital...

Walking out the front gate would be dangerous. At this point, I could as well say I was being targeted by all three factions—followers of Purson, the Necron Society, and the Imperial Family.

Haa... Guess I’ll have to owe Naneow another favor.