1. Barrier>
“Grrrrng…….”
[Quest Success: You have escaped the Black Serpent’s Bind.]
-……
Ignoring the status window floating in the air, Conrad stretched this way and that, then looked around.
‘How did I get out…? Don’t tell me someone came from the Rorval family……?’
But Conrad shook his head. If someone had come, they would have contacted him in advance. There was no reason to hide even that.
“Then who on earth…….”
Looking around, he saw the torn remains of black serpents scattered everywhere. They were unmistakably the sealed alpha of the Rebara tribe he had heard about. It had only been at the first stage of mutation, yet someone had reduced it to this…….
At that moment, a tremendous wave of power erupted violently from above. Conrad instinctively realized the answer lay there and hurriedly launched himself upward.
☆ ☆ ☆
“Huh… well, would you look at that…….”
Sian was rapping his fist against Kiculus’s core. Each time he did, the black-infected portions rapidly shrank.
If he struck too hard, the core would shatter, but when he held back, this fellow stubbornly endured. All the while, it continued to gnaw away at the tree’s life force. Its claim that the tree would have to die with it if Sian wanted to remove it did not seem to be a lie; it was synchronized with the tree with incredible firmness. Firm enough that even Sian had to struggle to peel it away.
‘There are a lot of bizarre races on this side…….’
From what he had heard from Viscount Kokul on the way here, there were many races with strange and terrifying traits, and the black smoke before his eyes seemed to be one of them. This did not seem to have anything to do with special abilities or cultivation realm. If it were a problem that could be solved by a difference in realm, then the smoke in front of him should already have been torn away.
As he beat the thing without pause, the area the black smoke had been corroding gradually shrank, and before long, the corrosion had been reduced to the core alone. By that much, the aura of the being before him had also diminished.
Even after being beaten like that, the black smoke in front of him was laughing gloomily.
“Well, did something good happen?”
“What is?”
The moment it finished speaking, the smoke remaining around the core began to seethe fiercely. Then, as if vaporizing, it all flew off somewhere.
And in the place where the smoke had flown away, only the core, whose life force had already run out, remained. In the end, that suspicious smoke had destroyed the core that maintained this tree before it died.
“Damn… It even self-destructed…….”
Sian was briefly flustered, but when he thought about it, the tree being destroyed was not his fault, and if it had been left in that suspicious fellow’s hands, this would have happened anyway. So he decided to take it lightly.
However, the thoughts of another person watching from behind were completely different.
Having flown up swiftly, Conrad found Sian striking the core with his fist and wore an incredulous expression. Even more so when he saw the core completely shattered.
“What have you done… Did you just destroy Kiculus?”
“No!”
Suddenly saddled with the blame, Sian shouted with an extremely aggrieved expression.
☆ ☆ ☆
Kiculus Vladek of the Carltonheim Marquisate, which had once boasted majestic life force, looked entirely different from the day before.
The leaves that had grown brilliantly and covered the sky had long since withered and twisted, and the branches had been hideously damaged by the aftermath of the battle between Conrad and Carltonheim.
The trunk and roots looked relatively intact, but in reality, they were in an even more serious state. Since the core that maintained and allowed Kiculus to grow had been destroyed, the roots were slowly losing their function, and the trunk, which had always been filled to the brim by absorbing Acra and the energy in the atmosphere, was now an empty shell. On top of that, the awakened black serpent had wreaked havoc, leaving various parts of the roots damaged.
On top of the roots, nobles and commoners who were only now beginning to recover had settled down wherever they could, focusing on restoring their bodies. The Acra that had been slowly drawn out until now had been fiercely sucked into the tree, and even the energy inside their bodies had been drained away, leaving some people almost on the verge of fainting. The high-ranking nobles had at least resisted by moving the energy within their bodies, but the lower-ranking nobles and commoners who lacked that ability would have to recuperate for quite some time before returning to their original state.
And there were four people watching all of this unfold.
Duke Carltonheim, Duke Conrad, Sian, and Steel. After exchanging names, they had sorted out the situation and gathered above.
‘I’ve seen that face somewhere before…….’
Sian wore a subtle expression as he looked at the face of the person who had introduced himself as Conrad. His appearance was clearly that of the woman Sian had seen before, but his very existence was different.
Deciding to ask about it a little later, Sian silently focused on the conversation between Carltonheim and Conrad in front of him.
“Ugh… What in the world happened…….”
“Duke Carltonheim, are you all right?”
Duke Conrad asked with a worried expression. He had spent the past five years hearing about the Gerna, the race driven to the north, until his ears were sick of it, but this was the first time he had actually seen someone infected.
Fortunately, when he checked through the status window, the infection had been lifted, but seeing that Carltonheim’s physical condition did not look good at all, Conrad asked.
“Well… I am all right. More importantly, I have no idea what on earth this is.”
Duke Carltonheim wore a dumbfounded expression. A race that could dominate nobles. He had never even heard rumors of such a race, which made the shock even greater. If they could dominate a duke like him, it was no different from saying they could dominate the entire human race. Carltonheim had lived for hundreds of years before reaching the realm of a duke, yet he had never heard of such a case. With a curious expression, he looked at Conrad.
Conrad smiled bitterly at that face.
“Hmm… Normally, you would come to know this naturally after going through the proper process… but since things have turned out this way, there’s no helping it. Those of you here seem qualified to hear it… so I will explain slowly.”
Conrad glanced at Sian and Steel, but it did not seem to matter much, so he began speaking. In any case, they did not look like they had any intention of leaving.
“The race that took over Duke Carltonheim’s body this time… is a race called the Gerna.”
“That is a race I have never heard of…….”
“Of course. The Rorval family deliberately concealed them.”
“Hmm? Why is that?”
If they were such a dangerous race, it seemed only right for everyone to share information and prepare countermeasures, yet he had never heard of them. If someone of his level did not know, that meant most of the human race did not know either.
“Well… it is an unpleasant history, and there was no need for people to know… and it was also something they should not know… Various reasons are intertwined. Until now, we had been blocking them well. I am sure you have many questions… I will explain slowly. Since you have come this far, you ought to know…….”
And then Conrad began his explanation.
☆ ☆ ☆
Three thousand years ago, many bizarre races lived on the continent. Among them were races with dangerous traits, like the Murakan and the Swarm, and races that were ferocious but weak, like the Gran and the Varkan. At that time, humans did not pay much attention to other races, so the variety of races was comparatively diverse.
But even among them, when it came to being special, few races could compare to the Gerna.
They have no physical bodies. They drift through the atmosphere in the form of black-hued smoke. This smoke is not material. Rather, it is closer to a spiritual body.
The important point is that they loathe drifting through the atmosphere, so they search for a place where they can settle. And in most cases, their final destination is the body of another. Specifically, the body of another race.
They do not care whether it is a plant race, an insect race, a parasitic race, or the human race. If a race shows an opening suitable for them to settle in, they immediately enter. Then they gnaw away at that mind little by little, gradually bringing it under their control.
It is not all disadvantages. When one merges with this bizarre mental entity, one’s realm rises at a rapid pace. There is nothing bad for the Gerna about making their host stronger, so they quickly help the host grow strong. Though, as the price, there is the very minor problem of being dominated.
In any case, three thousand years ago, they rapidly spread across the continent in this way, but the other races often failed to notice. Even after taking control of a host, this race did not act strangely with any particular purpose, and because the encroachment happened very slowly, there were no obvious changes for those around them to notice. They simply lived within the races they controlled and increased their numbers little by little. Almost no one on the continent knew the true nature of this race.
The strangest trait of this race is that when the host grows stronger, they grow stronger along with them. Since they were a race that could not infect beings above their own level to begin with, in the early days, they could only infect weak ones. But they came to realize something. The stronger their hosts became, the stronger their power of domination became as well. In that way, whenever an existing host died, they would transfer to the opponent who had killed that host, gradually moving toward stronger and stronger beings.
In the midst of this, however, the Rorval family discovered these creatures spread throughout the human race. After discovering them and investigating other races as well, they found that these parasite-like things had also widely eaten into the other races.
The larger problem was not only their numbers, but the fact that a significant proportion of them were positioned among the powerful. Since they had grown strong together with their hosts from the time they were weak, over the long years, the number of powerful beings under their control had become enormous. In the end, the continent had, in practical terms, fallen into these creatures’ hands.
From Rorval’s perspective, they were a severe nuisance. Living quietly was not enough. They gnawed away at the souls of those living perfectly normal lives and then sat in their places. Moreover, while they might be living quietly now, the moment they harbored ill intent, the continent would be turned upside down. And from Rorval’s perspective, as they had a plan to make the human race powerful, this was even more true. What was the point of strengthening their race and empowering the nobles? If they ended up under those creatures’ control, it would be no better than cooking porridge only to feed it to the dogs.
In the end, Duke Rorval made a decision. He would drive out every last one of these creatures eating away at his race. But there was no method. Not only had they already spread throughout the entire human race in immense numbers, they had also put down deep roots within other races. If he tried to kill them all, another race war would break out.
The even greater problem was that even if he drove them out, there was no way to prevent them from invading again. They appeared visible like smoke, but that was merely their form; since they were practically in a spiritual state, physical defenses were almost meaningless. Even if they were driven out, they could simply flee and infect someone again.
Thus, what Duke Rorval had to do was narrowed down to two things.
One was to drive out or eliminate every last one of those parasites.
The other was to make it so they could never again invade their bodies.
And as soon as he had a goal, Duke Rorval immediately set his plan in motion. To achieve that goal, he gathered those who were not infected and began the plan, shaking the continent by triggering a massive
“I heard that even purging the infected races was tremendously difficult… The human forces were powerful, yes… but most of those powerful forces were Gerna.”
Conrad spoke as he relayed the facts he had heard from someone from the Rorval family.
Humans considered themselves the strongest race, but a considerable portion of that power had been transferred to the Gerna. The human race was not the only race infected by the Gerna. They were scattered everywhere. Among them were even multiple powerful figures from mighty races on the level of the Rotan. At this point, it could be called a racial trait close to cheating.
Moreover, there were two major problems.
One was that even if they killed the creatures, the creatures might escape before death and try to dominate someone else.
The other was that powerful mutants advancing into Alphas by borrowing Gerna’s strength had begun to emerge even among the Rotan. Even with the power of House Lorbval, dealing with them was no easy task.
Therefore, Count Lorbval developed a new race to effectively wipe them out.
A race equipped with formidable martial might, one that would not fall under their domination and could even suppress the mutants advancing into Alphas.
“Well… the races created through that process are called the Murakan and the Swarm. Well, to be exact, they weren’t so much newly created as… existing beings that were modified, or so I heard.”
Beings created solely to hunt those infected by Gerna.
They researched races of the Narija class, turned them into Alphas, and forcibly elevated them to the Rotan class. At the same time, Count Lorbval used his ability to first place a
The newly born creatures left the peninsula that had served as their laboratory and swept across the continent without restraint. And they began devouring every race under Gerna’s control. Gerna’s power was mighty as well, but the strength of the Swarm and Murakan, which grew stronger the more they fought, was equally tremendous.
The population devoured in this manner amounted to one-third of all races on the continent. And this was despite consuming only those under Gerna. In other words, at that time, one-third of the continent had been under Gerna’s control.
“Ha… so that is how the Murakan and Swarm came to be….”
Count Kaltenheim, listening from the side, let out a sigh. To think that the two great calamities which had swept the continent three thousand years ago had been created by House Lorbval.
“Well… I heard they were thrown into quite the frenzy after being raided to such a degree. In the end, they succeeded in driving them all north.”
Having burst from the peninsula and swept through Gerna, Count Lorbval succeeded in driving them out, but the most important problem remained.
How could he prevent them from invading again? When they were in spirit form, killing them was by no means easy. It meant total extermination was impossible. Furthermore, if they were killed every time they possessed someone, both humanity and the Gerna would be driven to extinction simultaneously. That was absolutely not what Count Lorbval desired.
And so, Lorbval began erecting a massive barrier to prevent the Gerna from invading. A massive barrier capable of protecting every region where humanity lived on the continent, not just the north.
Lorbval found the hint in Apental. The entrance to hell from which escape was nearly impossible: Apental. This place had little effect on those with physical bodies, but those in spirit form were sucked inside merely by passing near it. And once drawn in, they could never emerge again. In fact, the Gerna had been so averse to approaching this area that they had fled north across the continent rather than west.
Lorbval took his cue from this. In any case, erecting a solid barrier would simply take too long. Thus, Lorbval planted twenty-one Kikuleus trees, which grew best and possessed the greatest potential for development, all along the perimeter of humanity’s territory. And he formed a massive dimensional barrier.
It was nothing special. He merely wove together Apental and the Kikuleus, expanding that suction across all of humanity’s territory. Through this, he was able to form a grand barrier that pulled any Gerna attempting to invade humanity’s domain straight into Apental.
‘Ha… and to think I opened a spatial teleportation coordinate here without even knowing that…’ Conrad recalled an experiment he had once conducted with Takion and let out a bitter smile. He had been unable to pinpoint exactly why he was dragged to Apental, but there was a reason for it. With such a barrier enveloping the continent, it was only natural that attempting spatial teleportation would result in being sucked into Apental. The moment one tried to enter the barrier, space was twisted by the Kikuleus and pulled into Apental.
“Hmm… then have these Gerva not invaded since?”
Kaltenheim asked again with a puzzled expression.
“That is correct. There was no need to tell the people, either. As long as the barrier was maintained, they could not enter… but tell me, what do you think would happen to society if you announced there were parasites living in people’s heads?”
“…….”
“You can guess, can’t you? They would likely kill one another at the slightest suspicion and throw everything into chaos. That is why it was kept secret. Well, even if one knew, there was little to be done about it on an individual level.”
“…
Then why has this incident occurred?”
Kaltenheim asked with a puzzled expression. If the barrier had been maintained firmly enough that there was no need to tell anyone, there was no reason for such a calamity. But occur it did, and his very body had been devoured. Though control over his body had been stolen, the Count retained all his memories and recalled the event vividly. A few years ago, black smoke had stealthily seeped into his body as he had been fretting over his inability to break through the wall to the Count’s rank.
At that, Conrad gave a bitter smile.
“Because… Apental, which forms the foundation of the barrier, has weakened considerably over the past five years.”
Conrad recalled when he had first arrived here.
While wandering after his arrival, he had been contacted by House Lorbval. They told him their objective and asked him to join them. And Conrad, ever possessed of a fierce spirit of challenge, took an interest in House Lorbval’s goal—to make humanity the strongest it could be—and decided to accompany them. Since submitting to another did not suit his nature, he maintained an alliance with them without receiving a Brand.
As soon as he decided to work with House Lorbval, they told him various things. Then they made a request.
Having examined the materials on Akra and the Kikuleus and studied how the barrier was constructed, Conrad concluded that it was possible. And from then on, he began traveling across the continent to modify the weakening barrier.
The barrier’s modification was carried out through formations centered around the Kikuleus, installed on the basis of energy converging into Akra. The abilities of this land were mighty, but they were focused mainly on destruction, with relatively little interest in protection or defense. However, among the numerous sorceries he had learned, there were many formations capable of such things. With a definite energy source and an axis of spellcraft already in place, he needed only to overlay formations atop them to complete the modification. If he did this, he could block the invasion of these so-called Gerna even if Apental disappeared.
He had been modifying the barrier in this manner, centered around the twenty-one Kikuleus, when the rate at which Apental broke down grew faster and faster until this disaster finally occurred. If Sian had not come, the barrier might have collapsed entirely starting from here.
Steel, who had been listening to this story, gave Sian a peculiar smile. Seeing that, Sian made a puzzled expression.
“Miss Steel, what is with that expression…?”
“Hehe. Little brother, my prediction was right, was it not? I told you there was definitely a connection.”
“…….”
“Well, it is not your fault. Hehe. Still, I was right, was I not? Hahaha! You always exceed expectations, little brother. Hehe.”
Seeing Steel laugh, Conrad approached with a curious expression and spoke.
“You seem to have found something amusing. Hehe. Ah, but my proper greetings are overdue. Mr. Sian, I have heard much about you. This is our first time meeting, is it not? First, I must offer my thanks for rescuing us.”
“Well, think nothing of it. By the way, are you truly Mr. Conrad? Somehow, your face looks rather similar to someone I know….”
Sian, who had been listening to the story with interest, raised the question that had been on his mind.
“Hmm… it seems you know this body. I performed a soul transfer into it. The soul of this body had perished, so the flesh was empty. You have heard of soul transfers, have you not?”
Conrad had not performed the transfer through normal means, so he held no memories of Kirat, the original owner of this body. But seeing Sian’s peculiar expression, he sensed there might be some connection and asked.
It had not been a very pleasant relationship, so Sian decided to let the matter go. And besides, it was clear at a glance that this was not that woman called Kirat. Time had passed, but the difference in strength was far too severe.
His manner of speech had been somewhat awkward from the beginning, but hearing the explanation, it made perfect sense: though the body was that of a young woman, the original soul was that of a male who had lived for several hundred years.
“Ah, well… then… never mind. It is a pleasure to meet you regardless. But how is it that you know of me…?”
At that, Conrad spoke with a smile.
“Well… I have heard much from Ragaope, but I also possess a special ability. Hehe… it is quite convenient. Rest assured, it is nothing like a background investigation.”
But contrary to that light tone, he was deeply astonished inside.
‘Good heavens… a Third-Class mutant…’
[Status Window: Sian von Roman]
—Traits: Second Son of House Roman, Beta of Humanity. Unintentional Destroyer (Special title obtained through achievements)
—Level: 3
—Held Skills: ?
He had been astounded enough when he saw Count Lorbval, but this man was beyond imagination. It was not his place to say, having been born and raised on the Rasian Continent, but he could scarcely believe such a powerful being had emerged from the other continent.
‘And what is that unpleasant trait…?’
The single word written at the end of the traits nagged at Conrad, but ignoring it, he opened his mouth to ask what he wished to know.
“Did you not say you would remain on the other continent, Mr. Sian? How did you come to be here?”
He had clearly heard from Ragaope that Sian had been planning to live happily on the other continent. Yet here he was….
“Ah… well, you see….”
Sian began explaining, one by one, how he had crossed over.
And having heard the entire story, Conrad made an absurd expression.
‘…You mean he killed every creature inside Apental and fought his way up here? Good heavens…’ No wonder the barrier could not be maintained properly. Apental, which formed its very foundation, had been smashed from below. If he had not been maintaining and repairing the barrier, it would have ceased to function entirely. This man had broken through using a method they had known about but would never have dared to attempt.
“Ha… you are truly remarkable.”
Conrad answered with a voice full of sincerity. The reason no separate guards were posted at Apental was because they believed that if an expert strong enough to destroy Apental appeared, they would not bother with such troublesome measures. If one could simply wander about and kill everything, why go through such trouble? But this man had done something even more dangerous than that.
“Well… it was not something I did because I wanted to, and I nearly died. But I have another question… what were those beings beneath that hill?”
Since there was plenty of time, Sian decided to ask about Rasharoa later and first inquired about what he was curious of.
They were clearly possessed of no ordinary strength. The black serpent had boasted strength on par with his own from right after he had escaped Apental; he had blocked it only because it was him, and had it been left alone, it would have devoured everyone there. He had believed himself the strongest after witnessing the might of those called Counts, but if this was the case, matters took on a different complexion. It would be dangerous if such beings gathered.
“What…? Ah, you mean the Bladek. Come to think of it, you must be seeing a Beta for the first time….”
There had been no Betas on that continent, so it was understandable that he would not know. He himself had only learned of their existence after coming here.
And Conrad continued the story.