abcnovels
Chapter 16 - Short-Term Contract Worker(8)
Chapter 16 - Short-Term Contract Worker(8)
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
Chapter 16 - Short-Term Contract Worker(8)
From the day after parting ways with Ulman and Lok, Arzen became very busy.
In the past, he strictly separated his everyday life from his missions. However, from this point on, whenever he had free time during his daily routine, he would stay holed up in his lodging, pouring his heart and soul into increasing the number of Void Bugs.
The Giant Slime was undoubtedly a formidable foe he had to face. But unlike in his days at the Divine Guillotine, it didn't feel overwhelming or frightening.
“Just a stepping stone for growth… that’s all!”
Instead, he saw it as an important indicator to gauge how much he could grow his Void Army over the summer and how strong their combat abilities could become.
Arzen was rapidly becoming stronger. While clearing the southern sector, he managed to increase the number of Void Bugs to 15, allowing him to add one more Void Tyrant to his squad.
“One more, another one, one more!”
Every day, both morning and night…
Training to push the limits of his Void powers as soon as he woke up and right before he went to sleep helped him enhance his abilities quickly.
“Ah, Arzen, you’re back.”
Three days passed in an instant. A new week began, and as he went to the city hall to check in, Milbiet greeted him.
“Did you know Sora received that request?”
“Yeah, well. I didn’t see any byproducts.”
It seemed she had cleaned everything up so thoroughly that it felt like the floor was swept clean. Even if someone offered him billions, he wouldn’t be able to do the same.
“That’s why Sora came to thank me the other day. Despite her not being the most honest person, you know?”
“Really?”
“She thought the designated request was my doing! Hohoho, so she said there was no need to thank me. I told her it was all Arzen’s doing. How about that? Good job, right?”
“W-why are you saying that?!”
“Why? You should be grateful when I help you out. Where else are you going to find a nice girl like Sora? When she comes back, how about treating her to a nice meal?”
That was nonsense.
‘What the hell… That crazy girl wasn’t even interested in me!’
Ugh, I need to be more careful when trying to build rapport from now on.
I was just aiming to score points with the city hall, but because I’m too good-looking, this kind of trouble pops up.
If I misstep even a little, it could get annoying.
“Ah, I don’t want to hear it. I’m feeling bad now. I’ll leave right on the dot today.”
“You have to stay until lunchtime to get your stamp.”
I was worried about whether she’d actually show up, but thankfully, I didn’t run into that crazy archer.
Amidst the intense training and battles, a month had already passed.
When he had completely wrapped up the eastern sector, the number of Void Bugs in his squad reached 20!
“Now, I have 2 Void Tyrants at the forefront and 5 Void Majors!”
Four regular Void Bugs would each pair up to support the Void Tyrants.
As the hornet learned to fight, the combat efficiency of the squad rapidly increased. When facing slimes, the Void Majors would shoot their poison to expose the slime’s core, and then the regular Void Bugs would rush in to devour it.
“When I was only using the regular Void Bugs, they disappeared pretty quickly due to the constant exposure to slime poison…!”
He reserved the most powerful entity, the Void Tyrant, for critical moments. It would only engage when facing slimes that had thick mucous surfaces or those that had grown large from swallowing waste.
“The Void Tyrant’s weaknesses are stamina and mobility!”
By selectively choosing enemies for it to battle, he could avoid significant issues.
“Hmm, wait… is it already this late?”
It was the day he was finishing up in the eastern sector. He had been so excited that he lost track of time, and it was already well past dawn.
“I need to get out of here. Before I run into that girl.”
However, for Arzen, this unfortunate boy, bad premonitions often came true.
“Hey, Hornet, heh heh, it won’t be long until the big event. You’re well prepared, right? The day our legion makes its announcement is approaching.”
Just as he was chatting with the Hornet and turning the corner, he came face to face with Sora, who was hungrily shoving slime mucous into a bag.
“……”
“……”
In other words, running into this crazy archer was the worst possible outcome.
They both saw each other at an awkward moment.
Arzen had been talking to the Hornet, and Sora was in the middle of collecting the slime.
“Hmm.”
“Hah.”
For a pair of teenagers, just the fact that they had witnessed each other in an embarrassing situation was something that would linger in their memories as a dreadful experience.
“Phew.”
Arzen made the first move!
“Heh, what’s this big event? Heh heh. Talking to bugs is a specialty of those who have no friends, huh?”
Sora’s sharp counterattack!
“You’re just a loudmouth who can only deal with insults!”
“Hmph, when your skills reach their peak, you can deal with insults with your mouth too!”
“Damn, you’re so shameless! Yeah, you’d need that kind of thick skin to shoot arrows with your mouth.”
“Not as shameless as a corrupt official who steals the country’s salary while only showing up twice a week.”
“Seriously, how can you not feel embarrassed even once?”
“Who are you talking to?”
“Ugh, get lost!”
“You get lost!”
Just as they were moving away from each other on the other side of the sewer, Arzen unintentionally asked, “…How are your siblings doing?”
There was a brief moment of hesitation before Sora replied.
“Um… thanks to someone.”
“Yeah, tell them to take care.”
An awkward silence fell between them again.
This time, it was Sora who broke the silence first.
“…What days and times do you go to work?”
Arzen had mixed up his work schedule to avoid running into Sora. He completely randomized the days and times he would go in during the week.
He continued on his way, shaking his fist behind him.
“I’m not telling you, idiot.”
***
Another two weeks passed.
During that time, Arzen had roamed through 12 sectors, excluding the central one. He hunted the newly spawned slimes and further honed the Hornet’s command of the Void Bugs.
“In the process, I’ve added two more Void Bugs!”
These were not made into the more powerful variants but were instead placed as regular Void Bugs in the squad.
“The time until the day of reckoning has been roughly 50 days!”
They had moved from early summer into late summer. Compared to 50 days ago, the Void squad had nearly doubled in numbers.
It wasn’t just about the increase in numbers; the Hornet had learned from battles and became more adept at leading.
“The day of reckoning has come.”
On the eve of the decisive battle, Arzen had gathered all the Void Bugs in his room and declared:
He stood on his bed, arms crossed, gazing at each one of the Void Bugs with solemnity.
‘Now I understand why that bastard Olart, the commander of the Divine Guillotine, used to inspect adventurer squads before deployments…’
There was a romance in it that was hard to express in words!
As he watched the assembled unit, he felt an overwhelming emotion that made his heart swell.
“The operation target is the Giant Slime! It’s that bastard who mercilessly slaughtered your senior Void Bugs 50 days ago.”
Buuuuuuummmm……
The Void Bugs flapped their wings with indifference, but the synchronized sound was enough to evoke a sense of discipline in the unit.
“But you are different! Unlike those ignorant seniors, you are much stronger and twice as many! Hornet, explain tomorrow’s Giant Slime extermination operation to the children!”
Buuuuuuummmm……
Unfortunately, the Hornet could not convey commands that were not expressed in a formal manner.
“Since the Hornet's voice is hoarse, I’ll explain instead! The formation will consist of 2 Void Tyrants, 5 Medium Bugs, and 6 Regular Bugs!”
Buuuuuuummmm……
“The poison stingers from the 5 Medium Bugs will open the path towards it, allowing the Void Tyrants to charge in line and penetrate deeper.”
In that process, the Void Tyrants would likely perish, but their sacrifice would be remembered with honor.
“If the first Void Tyrant dies, the second will take its place and continue the charge.”
And if the second falls?
The remaining Regular Bugs would follow the example set by the first and second Void Tyrants.
“The target is the core! If we can destroy that damned Giant Slime’s core, victory is ours!”
At that moment, a loud bang echoed from the adjacent room as someone punched the wall.
“……Can’t you let me sleep, damn it!”
“……What time is it that you’re already sleeping? Life?”
“……Hey, you idiot, it’s already 1 AM!”
Arzen ignored the chatter of the bugs and finished explaining the operation.
As a commander, maintaining dignity was essential. He couldn’t show any signs of being intimidated by others.
“Phew, that’s it for now. Enjoy the last moments until the battle.”
***
Then Arzen fell into a deep sleep.
He didn’t wake up until after 10 AM, when it was already too late to sleep any longer.
‘It’s the time when even the chirping of morning birds can’t be heard!’
Still, the adventurer’s guild was bustling as usual.
Arzen purchased a rather expensive cloak from the belongings of the deceased.
It was nearly three times the price of the cloaks he had bought before, but one shouldn’t only look for value when shopping.
‘On important days, it’s also essential to dress appropriately to set the mood!’
He stopped by Olive You for an early lunch.
Then he climbed up to a hill overlooking the sea, peeled an orange, and spent an hour gazing at the ocean.
After that, he headed to the city hall.
“Oh my, Arzen. You seem different today. You look really serious!”
Milbiet said.
“You noticed. Today is the day of reckoning.”
“The day of reckoning?”
“I’ve been preparing for today for 50 days. It’s time to settle things.”
Milbiet’s expression turned serious for a moment.
“I see. So you’ve finally found your courage.”
“Well, if you want to put it that way.”
“I’ll be cheering for you! Next time, you should bring Sora along to the welfare department as a youth couple, right?”
Recently, Arzen’s opinion of Milbiet had dropped significantly.
‘I thought she was a smart elite bureaucrat, but it turns out she’s a total airhead!’
Because of this, his efforts to gain her favor had taken a nosedive.
“Just get to work.”
“Haha, okay.”
That day, since he arrived late for lunch, he finished work early in the evening.
‘There’s a reason for this route.’
The city hall was located in the center of town, so the entrance to the central sector's sewer was not far.
‘As much as I don’t want to admit it, the Giant Slime is a formidable foe.’
This would be the first powerful enemy he encountered after mastering the powers of the Void.
‘So I’ll skip dinner! I might have to run through the sewers later… It’d be a disaster if I had too much in my stomach then.’
Arzen opened the entrance to the central sector.
The massive lock clicked open.
The chains clanged against the metal bars, creating a heavy echo that reverberated down the staircase.
‘The stench from the sewers feels even worse than usual…’
Was it because of the rival’s presence, or was it the tension before facing a formidable enemy that caused this sensation?
‘I don’t know; I’ll find out when I go!’
Arzen carefully descended the stairs.
‘The sewers are twisted to one side as if something massive has passed through… It’s nearby.’
The central sector was the largest, so caution was necessary from the moment of entry.
‘Even the rats are holding their breath. They’re scared!’
Arzen opened his tome and snapped his fingers.
“Kaz, to Arcturus! Ill-Worker, deploy the Void Beasts and find it!”
The Void Beasts were deployed, and they had been searching for nearly an hour when…
In the vast corridor on the other side of the central sector, something immense began to rise from the sewer.
Arzen couldn’t believe his eyes.
‘What am I seeing right now?’
Is this a hallucination?
‘No! This… this isn’t a hallucination!’
The sewer was not merely bubbling up.
At that moment, the Giant Slime was transforming into the very sewer itself.
‘Has it absorbed all the sewage over these 50 days?’
As it rose, an empty space formed where the usual sewage flowed.
‘This creature… does this mean I wasn’t the only one who got stronger over these 50 days?’
This thought deeply unsettled Arzen.
‘With the slime’s abilities, it could have ambushed me, but it’s standing out in the open like this!’
But that wasn’t all.
Without the slightest hesitation or fear, the creature approached Arzen, an action he could neither forgive nor accept.
“Grrr… Don’t mess with me! You’re still just a low-tier monster, no matter how big you get! Ill-Worker, fully deploy the Void Beasts! Show it who’s boss!”
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]