Chapter 13: The Butler, Frankenstein
Across from where the Iron Sword guild was gathered, another group of people was assembled.
A man, who had been observing Yohan, stroked his chin.
"Hoh, look at this."
His eyes gleamed sharply.
His initial interest in Yohan was half a coincidence.
It wasn't every day one meets a new survivor at this stage.
However, his interest grew because of the wounds on Yohan's body.
The direction Yohan had come from was teeming with undead, places like the 'Abandoned Church' and the 'Maggot Pit'.
But.
'There's no demonic energy in his wounds.'
The wounds that looked serious at a glance were all shallow.
Could that even be possible for someone who had escaped that hell alone?
To call it simple luck, well...
As the man was staring intently at Yohan, another Hunter next to him carefully spoke up.
"Is something wrong?"
"No, I've just found a rather interesting friend."
Nod.
Where he tilted his head, a handsome young man was chewing on a potato and chatting with a woman who looked like a nurse.
At best, he looked to be in his mid-20s.
While he was in the low 180s in height, his build itself wasn't large; he looked slim.
"Analyze this. I need you to confirm if he really came alone or if he was sent by someone else."
It was a bandage that had been used and discarded when he received first aid earlier.
Yohan's blood was on it.
"I'll look into it right away."
The Hunter didn't question the order, which could have been seen as being overly cautious.
Because the results the man had shown so far were nothing short of dazzling.
He had carried out countless missions deemed impossible without a single mistake.
As a result, he had gained the absolute trust of all the raid party members.
When he gave an order, they simply followed.
In matters like this, it was best to deal with even the slightest sense of unease decisively.
And a short while later.
"Team Leader. The blood analysis ability user from the reserve team has sent the results."
"Did you get anything?"
"Well... no."
"Nothing at all?"
"No, sir."
There was absolutely nothing.
To the point where the guild's ability user, who had once even dug up information on an A-Rank Hunter, couldn't find so much as a common name or age.
"He says this is the first time he's ever seen this type of blood since his awakening. He said he couldn't believe it even as he was looking at it. However, he did say that there are no factions among the guilds or mercenaries associated with this person."
"Hah. Look at that. This guy really is an interesting one."
The man wet his lips with his tongue.
"At a time like this... Is there any chance he's an inspector or a Ranker sent undercover by the Association because they noticed our objective?"
"That's not possible. I've already checked that line."
If that's the case...
'It means there'll be no repercussions even if I take care of him.'
The 'Plague Doctor's Syringe' and 'Medical Cylinder' set was one of the items he had brought from the Mystery Room.
It had the ability to extract and store a target's mana.
The problem was the condition that it could only extract from C-Rank beings or higher.
Finding someone who was C-Rank or stronger without belonging to any organization was like plucking a star from the sky.
He had been on the verge of giving up.
But now, he thought he might just get to use it for the first time.
'Mana collected directly from a living being is traded for a much higher price than Mana Stones.'
The man licked his lips.
"I'll have to gauge his level first. I can't just throw away a chance to make a savory side income, can I?"
"Understood. Then, we will proceed with the plan as... huh?"
The owner of the voice suddenly gasped.
He couldn't help but be shocked.
"What the hell."
"What kind of crazy bastard...!"
[The 8-star Guardian 'The Butler, Frankenstein' awakens!]
Someone had just set off a bomb on the battlefield that was just about to be cleared.
＊＊＊
The 'Sealing Stone' was the final step to get to the boss.
It was structured to only open when a certain amount of mana or life force was injected, so it required several skilled individuals.
But.
Someone had awakened the Guardian by offering life force instead of mana.
It meant there was a murderer who had been steadily collecting life force, but from the raid party's perspective, there was no way of knowing who it was.
[The Sealing Stone is destroyed by a 'large amount of life force'!]
An 8-star Guardian-type monster.
The Butler, Frankenstein.
The guardian who protected The Withered Garden was the being who oversaw all the big and small affairs of this dungeon.
The clear difficulty was on the trickier side, and the reason was due to a trait he possessed.
Magic Defense: 25
Physical Defense: 25
Health: 1,000
Trait: Recovers 1 point of lost defense and 10 points of health per minute.
These were the monster's specs, partially confirmed through the 'Prophet's Eye'.
The attacks of an average low-rank hunter wouldn't even come close.
The general consensus was that you needed at least an experienced B-Rank Hunter, or the entire raid party had to maximize their firepower and incinerate him without giving him time to regenerate.
The problem was...
The raid party was just finishing up a battle. It meant they hadn't had any time to rest or regroup.
"Someone touched the Sealing Stone! Damn it. One of us did this!"
"Are you serious? What kind of moron would do something like that?"
"It's useless to argue about that now. We have to respond immediately. If we can't defeat that thing within three hours, the boss monster will awaken too!"
The raid leaders of each guild shouted.
They didn't know what son of a bitch was responsible, but finding the culprit wasn't the top priority right now.
The urgent task was to prevent the 8-star Guardian and the 12-star boss monster from being gathered in the same place.
"You filthy humans. Did you really have to crawl all the way here?"
A handsome man with a sculpted face and long, blond hair spoke, though his skin was covered in messy stitch marks.
An aura on a completely different level from the 4-star Skeleton Mage could be felt.
And for good reason.
As long as he was designated the 'Guardian', Frankenstein received additional buffs from the dungeon itself.
It meant that while he was an 8-star on paper, his rank was effectively higher than that.
['Frankenstein' activates the skill 'Guardian's Flame'!]
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!
Green flames swept across the ground.
The battlefield instantly turned into a pandemonium.
A new raid began as all sorts of defensive skills were layered on top of each other.
And that scene...
...was being watched by Yohan and Park Yeri from a short distance away.
"The Guardian is certainly strong. But why did you want to release the Sealing Stone?"
"There's a place I need to go."
But with so many people nearby, there was a risk of being discovered.
Treasure hunters and the elite members of the guilds swarming in.
From the perspective of someone who needed to obtain a Hidden Piece, it was not a welcome situation.
"Looks like you're planning something huge again. Hmm. I'm really curious about your identity. You're definitely not an ordinary Hunter... What on earth are you?"
"If you're curious, you can follow me. I can't promise much, but I can at least give you a small cut."
The place he was going this time would yield greater rewards if he had a certain number of people.
A minimum of six.
Ideally, a party of 8 to 10 would be best.
However.
Park Yeri shook her head as if she wasn't interested.
"No, I'll stay here."
A red light swirled in Park Yeri's eyes.
"Because I like watching handsome men kill humans."
To see blood.
And to taste blood.
"And. If I can kill that guy with my own hands in the end... haa, it's thrilling just thinking about it."
The heart-devouring predator, addicted to murder, only indulged in the countless screams and wails.
But.
The picture Park Yeri desired wouldn't come to pass.
He had deliberately set the summoning location to be the middle of where the raid party's elites were.
There might be injuries, but there wouldn't be any deaths.
Above all, as long as Seo Changhee was there, the worst outcome couldn't happen.
The Divinity.
A class that was considered the strongest not just in the early game, but throughout the mid and late game as well.
It was true that Seo Changhee was a bit of an airhead, but that didn't mean his abilities themselves were useless.
So for now.
They'll be safe.
'At least, until 'he' starts to intervene for real.'
"The thing I asked you to bring?"
"It's here. I'd appreciate it if you knew I went through some trouble to get it without being caught."
"Of course, I know. That's why you're still breathing, isn't it?"
It made him realize it once again.
Park Yeri's obedience was simply because she had met someone stronger than her, not because her personality itself had changed in any way.
Therefore, it was best to clearly establish the pecking order.
Because unlike true madness, Park Yeri's was a madness that could be controlled.
"D-Don't worry. I know my place. I have no intention of defying you, even if you don't threaten me like that."
Park Yeri flinched and handed over the Incandescent Lighter.
It seemed she had succeeded in filching it from Seo Changhee's pockets amidst the chaos.
'Good. With this, I've added another broken card to my hand.'
She's a dangerous woman, but she's useful for now, so he wanted to make use of her a little longer.
He could decide how to dispose of her after that.
No matter what anyone said, the 'Vintage Girl Doll' that Park Yeri possessed could create many variables.
Tap.
Yohan got up from his spot.
Just one thing.
There was one thing he had to do before going to the place where the Hidden Piece was.
'I'll need to recruit some temporary party members.'
About eight people should be enough.
If he spread some bait, there would surely be some who would bite.
＊＊＊
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!
Kwaaang!
The green flames continued to rage.
Frankenstein, who had been using a wide-area skill, steadied his rough breathing.
"You humans are more tenacious than I thought. However, once He arrives, your fates will end there!"
In about two and a half more hours, the master he served would awaken.
When that happened, he would be able to slaughter the entire group that had defiled the garden.
[Frankenstein summons a 'Patchwork Golem'!]
He chose the largest number of shields possible.
"Gruooooh!"
"Gruooooh!"
Lumps of corpses, stitched together here and there, rose to their feet.
Blue sparks flew from between the large spikes embedded in their heads.
The sight of them wielding giant meat cleavers and swinging indiscriminately.
It only felt like they were going from one crisis to another.
Just as they were continuing the tense stalemate.
Tap.
Yohan arrived at the edge of the battlefield.
'There's no need for me to deal with Frankenstein.'
All he wanted was chaos.
If the battle ended too quickly, his plan would come to nothing.
Yohan gripped a standard-issue sword and shield from the raid's supplies.
[Trait 'Holy Flame' is activated!]
Fwoosh!
A pure white light blossomed along the blade of the sword.
A similar, faint radiance enveloped the shield.
The strange sensation from the holy power felt both ticklish and slightly stinging.
'So then...'
'How effective will it be?'
Yohan launched himself toward the feet of a Patchwork Golem in an instant.
[20% additional damage is applied to Undead-type monsters!]
He had already secured a +10 to Attack Power from the Knight's Token.
On top of that, the additional damage from the holy-type attribute was stacked.
"Gruooooh!"
Bwoong!
He dodged the incoming meat cleaver.
Slice!
A flash of light shot upwards.
With a single strike, the Patchwork Golem's arm was severed.
Before the Patchwork Golem could even register that its arm was gone, its head disappeared entirely.
'This is awesome.'
A trait from Episode (5)!
He even felt a thrilling pleasure from the sword strike that had cut through so satisfyingly.
He had never been able to feel this way before, always having to join the fray after the week had already passed.
Was that why?
The current achievement felt even sweeter.
Then again, it was a fruit he was tasting for the first time in 1,000 playthroughs.
At the same time, a strong yearning welled up in his heart.
A desire to obtain even more fortuitous encounters and grow stronger.
And to, by any means necessary, see the end of this damn world.
"Gruoooh!"
"Grwaaaak!"
Seeing their comrade fall, two more Patchwork Golems charged him.
Bwoong!
Shwoooong!
A terrifying sound of weapons tearing through the air.
Meat cleavers over a meter long cut vertically and horizontally.
However, not a trace of tension could be found on Yohan's face.
'How clumsy.'
As expected of an imitation Frankenstein created by a Baron-rank vampire, it was clearly different from the real thing.
The real Frankensteins created by a Count-rank or higher were so strong they were a real headache.
Tap!
Lightly landing on top of a Patchwork Golem's head, Yohan placed his hand on the crown of its head.
FWOOSH!
Holy Flame erupted from its eyes and mouth.
"Grwaaaaah!"
In the blink of an eye, only a skeleton remained.
The last one also collapsed after a hole was blown through its heart.
Yohan shook the blood from his sword and surveyed his surroundings.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!
Kwaaang!
"Break through! Just break through somehow!"
"Manage the aggro so it doesn't bounce to the healers or dealers!"
"Mages, save up your mana! We have to break that defense with one strong spell!"
The Hunters were screaming desperately.
'They're all too busy fighting.'
Then again, the wall that was Frankenstein likely felt too massive for them to worry about a battle happening in a corner like this.
All the guilds were probably engaged in an all-out war to stop the 12-star boss from being summoned.
'This is enough.'
Now that he had the 'Knight's Token', it was time to secure the second fortuitous encounter hidden here: the 'Hidden Piece'.
