Chapter 526: Dense Forest

Chapter 526: Dense Forest (3)

“Hello, Lucian. It’s been a while. I’m glad you’re safe.”

Oliver, who appeared riding a Zombie Puppet–Werewolf, greeted Lucian, who lay on the ground.

Judging by the scattered corpses, it seemed like things had been pretty close.

‘Armor torn like paper, people contaminated with disease… This style, It feels similar to the Flesh Cook’s?’

Oliver glanced around, guessing. From the condition of the bodies, the dark mage who was here wasn’t a mere amateur.

‘There’s something even more concerning, though…’

Oliver suppressed his doubts, pushing them to the back of his mind. He controlled the Zombie Puppet–Werewolf to lie down, then dismounted.

Normally, Child handled the Zombie Puppet’s control. But right now, Oliver was operating it himself, and although it was his first time, it wasn’t as bad as he had thought.

He had learned that controlling a Zombie Puppet like a marionette was quite tricky yet manageable. With a bit more practice, he felt he could even control multiple Zombie Puppets simultaneously.

‘Then I could use it in many more ways.’

Just as Oliver was assessing himself, Lucian spoke up.

“Xenon? Is that you, Xenon? You look different, again.”

“Huh? What do you mean…?”

“Your hair. It looks cool.”

Oliver didn’t understand at first but soon realized Lucian was talking about his bleached hair. He touched his hair.

This was the first time Oliver reunited with Lucian after defeating the Flesh Cook. His appearance had changed slightly—one side of his hair completely bleached and his right arm wrapped in bandages.

“A lot has happened.”

“I can see that. But I’m glad. I almost thought my instincts had dulled, but it seems they haven’t.”

“Not sure what you mean by that?”

“It means I’m glad to see you, Xenon.”

Without any malice, Oliver answered casually.

“Thanks for saying that… But right now, I’m Dave. I’m here as a troubleshooter from Randa.”

“Is that so? Then I’ll call you Dave… Sorry to ask this, Dave, but could you help me up? I nearly died just now, and I can’t move my body.”

Lucian playfully stretched out a hand, asking for help to stand.

In truth, Lucian could have stood alone, but he asked on purpose, having his own reasons.

Luckily, Oliver helped him up respectfully, exactly as Lucian had expected. From Oliver’s reaction speed, actions, gaze, and atmosphere, Lucian judged Oliver to be free of malice or ulterior motives.

It was said that those with sinister intentions always gave themselves away through their small actions.

As Lucian stood up, hand in Oliver’s, he spoke.

“Oh, you’re strong. You lifted me up in one go.”

“I suppose it’s because I train.”

“You train?”

Lucian tilted his head, puzzled. Even considering the aftereffects of the fight with the Flesh Cook, the emaciated Oliver didn’t look like someone who trained.

But Lucian was a merchant. He let this small discrepancy slide.

“You must train pretty hard then. Anyway, thank you for helping me… Did you come to find me specifically?”

Oliver nodded.

“Yes, how did you know?”

“I’m pretty perceptive. Since we’re on the topic, let me guess a bit more. You’re looking for a partner to help you find the Flesh Cook’s legacy, right?”

Lucian guessed sharply.

He may not have known Oliver for long, but he had a decent understanding of him through rumors and Jane’s stories.

Unlike other exceptional troubleshooters, Oliver wasn’t the type to prepare everything meticulously.

Especially detailed information, which he wasn’t averse to getting help from others for.

In such cases, one could easily be exploited, but Oliver didn’t seem too concerned about money, so it hardly bothered him.

With this in mind, Lucian suspected Oliver had come to him for information, namely help finding the Flesh Cook’s legacy.

“Ah, sorry. That’s not it. I already have someone to work with.”

His prediction missed the mark entirely. Lucian scratched his cheek, a bit embarrassed.

“Ah, this is kind of awkward… But where is this person? From what I see, it’s just you and… that artistically modified Werewolf.”

The Werewolf with a muzzle and harness snorted out white breaths.

“They left me here and vanished suddenly. So right now, I have no idea where I am or what’s going on.”

“Whoever they were, they’re not a very good partner. Leaving a teammate behind… If it’s not too bold of me, what do you think about joining forces with me instead? I’m in desperate need of manpower right now.”

“I appreciate the offer, but I can’t decide hastily. That person has helped me a great deal.”

Oliver recalled how Ewan had saved Kent from the clutches of Enjoyment.

Lucian seemed both disappointed and puzzled, which wasn’t surprising. That attitude didn’t fit this line of work at all.

“Well, my proposal is based on that attitude. Hmm… Though I didn’t come alone and I can’t tell you everything, I’ll at least give you some basic information. On where we are and what’s going on.”

“Really?”

“Yes. It’s only basic information, after all. No big secrets, and besides, you’ve helped us before.”

Lucian recalled how Oliver helped Jane and others during the Flesh Cook’s rampage in Ravely.

Also, offering this assistance could act as a future insurance policy since Oliver’s nature might lead him to lend a hand someday. But Lucian didn’t mention that part.

“Thank you very much. If it’s alright, could you wait a moment? There’s something urgent I left untended. Now that you’ve helped me, I ought to take care of it here and now.”

Oliver pointed to the direction he had come from.

Lucian reflexively looked where Oliver pointed and focused his magical eyesight. He could see over a hundred zombies approaching in the distance.

“Zombies. And they belong to Bay.”

“Do you know them?”

“Yes, Bay the Bomb Dealer. He’s quite a famous dark mage here in Gallos. He usually sells self-destructing zombies to outlaws and antisocial groups like us. I had no idea he’d be here.”

Lucian showed a bit of surprise and concern. When Oliver asked why, the answer was quite surprising.

“There’s a rumor he’s a disciple of Puppet.”

“Puppet? You mean the Puppet Immortal?”

“Yes. Those who can manipulate Zombie Puppets often claim to be Puppet’s disciples, but Bay was among the few who didn’t care much for Flesh Cook’s intimidation, so there’s a good chance it’s true. Puppet being interested in the Flesh Cook’s legacy turned out to be more than a rumor…”

Lucian’s unease rose again.

And rightly so. The Puppet Immortal was in the same league as the Flesh Cook.

Moreover, due to the nature of manipulation-type dark magic, Puppet could even be a more formidable opponent than the Flesh Cook.

Manipulation-type dark magic required a lot of resources and knowledge. But in return, the power one could gain was proportional to their investment.

On top of that, from what I’ve heard, Puppet’s organization is larger than the Flesh Cook’s.

If he’s mobilized his disciples to seek the Flesh Cook’s legacy, then honestly, it’s like the owner has already been decided.

‘Can we even compete?’

Oliver recalled when he’d encountered Puppet in the Contaminated Zone.

Puppet had used the troubleshooters who came to clean up the zone for his own research, orchestrating everything with meticulous planning.

Puppet had driven people into corners using hidden zombies he had planted in advance, then manipulated public opinion with covert Zombie Puppets, dividing the group and making them all move according to his will.

Although Oliver discovered the trick halfway through, he didn’t believe he had won.

One way or another, Oliver had to descend into the Contaminated Zone’s underground following Puppet’s directions.

‘And that’s where I fought Puppet for the first time.’

Oliver remembered how Puppet manipulated bodies like clay and the scene of him opening the maw that led to the entrance of Hell while researching artificial souls.

By sheer chance, after numerous coincidences, Oliver barely managed to defeat Puppet and escape his grasp, but just as before, he didn’t feel like he had won.

The Puppet he fought back then was just a fragment of his true power. Although there was no evidence, Oliver knew this.

So he was full of doubts. If he were to fight Puppet now, could he win?

At present, Oliver had faced both the Flesh Cook and Fen, so he might find it feasible. But personally, he wasn’t sure.

A feeling? Intuition? Whatever the reason, it was difficult to pinpoint.

“Um, Dave… Shouldn’t we retreat? It doesn’t seem like a good idea to provoke Puppet’s people before we even get close to the Flesh Cook’s legacy.”

Lucian suggested while looking at the approaching zombies now visible to the naked eye.

Having lost his followers in the fight with the Werewolf, it was a natural choice for him.

But instead, Lucian’s words reminded Oliver of something else.

That if they kept running away like this, they wouldn’t even get close to the Flesh Cook’s legacy.

Of course. With everyone desperate, if Oliver wasn’t, that would be the odd thing.

Normally, backing off might be a choice, but not this time. Oliver wanted answers.

Realizing this, Oliver steeled his resolve and extracted emotions from his test tube.

“Dave?”

“I’m sorry. But I think it’s better to settle this here. I tried to shake them off earlier, but they kept coming. If we don’t leave with spatial magic, they’ll just keep chasing us.”

Lucian couldn’t say anything to Oliver’s answer.

Not because of the content but because of the determination in his voice. It meant he had his own reasons.

Just as Oliver was about to move, a powerful presence rapidly approached from the rear, and before Oliver could even react, gunfire erupted.

Dudududududududududu━━!!

The sound of dozens of guns all firing at once filled the air as holy-powered bullets rained down like lasers.

Hundreds of bullets per second traced yellow streaks through the air, striking the zombies that had shifted into hunting dog forms, charging forward.

Holy Power-infused bullets were a new form of attack he hadn’t seen before, but they were incredibly effective.

The yellow-lit bullets not only pierced and brought down the zombies but even reduced the impact points and surrounding areas to ash, wiping them out in an instant.

It was like erasing a pencil drawing with an eraser. The zombies’ numbers and strength were rendered meaningless.

The dark mage controlling the zombies seemed to realize how dire the situation was, trying to detonate the zombies to spread the poisonous gas, but even that was purified as the holy bullets passed through.

As if nothing had happened at all.

Whoooosh…

The gunfire ceased, and an empty sound echoed, as if the bullets had run out. But it didn’t matter.

The zombies had already been reduced to ashes and vanished.

In the span of less than three seconds, the medium-sized group of zombies had been annihilated. Impressed by the scene, Oliver turned around.

Standing there was a man clad entirely in steel armor and a steel coat, with a massive Gatling gun on one arm.

“Hello… Are you, perhaps, a Holy Knight?”

Though Oliver had confirmed it with his own eyes, he asked the question again, still in disbelief.

It shocked him to see a Holy Knight in a place swarming with those after the Flesh Cook’s legacy, especially one who seemed to know Lucian from Millieu.

Lucian seemed to understand Oliver’s thoughts and kindly explained.

“Yes, he’s a Holy Knight. Thankfully, the Royal Family sent support. It’s a bit of a long story, but why don’t we go with them and hear it out?”

In response to Lucian’s suggestion, Oliver quietly stared at the Iron Masked Holy Knight.

It was strange enough to see a Holy Knight with the Millieu, but even more so with a dark mage.

Oliver wondered how the Holy Knight would react, but to his surprise, the Holy Knight met Oliver’s gaze. Seeming to read his thoughts, he turned the Gatling gun into light particles and then offered an invitation directly.

“You’re welcome to come along.”

To Oliver’s surprise, the Holy Knight was sincere.