Chapter 253

Chapter 253

Swampland No.2’s eyes went out of focus. Then, like a child, he burst into tears and let out a loud wail. Park Terse embraced the Player Hunter with a compassionate expression and gesture, comforting him.

Swampland No.2 said, “I was... a history student who loved learning about our history. I believed that the past was a guidepost for the present and the future.”

“Yes, yes. Good boy.” Terse patted his head.

Cha Jin-Hyeok tilted his head in wonder. ‘Can this be considered taming? It seems more like hypnosis or brainwashing, doesn’t it?’

This was a clear example of why taming humans was not allowed. Taming one’s kind usually resulted in such a dehumanizing sight. That was why Terse had been so strongly opposed to this practice before Jin-Hyeok’s regression.

“But I was too poor. I needed money. Even textbooks were too expensive for me. To follow the lost traces of the past, I really needed a lot of money,” Swampland No.2 continued.

From his childhood love for history to the present, Swampland No.2 confessed everything about himself as if he were inside a confessional at the church. For quite some time, Terse listened to him, patting his back.

Eventually, Swampland No.2’s whining ceased. His eyes still looked vacant.

“So, where is Swampland No.1?”

“He is in the Arvis Serv—” Swampland No.2 suddenly vomited blood. “Blargh!”

That pain seemed to have made him regain his senses. “No.1... you bastard...!”

He was feeling intense anger. However, this anger was not directed at Jin-Hyeok or Terse, but rather Swampland No.1.

[#You fed me this? #You piece of shit.]

Blargh!

Swampland No.2 vomited blood several more times. Terse, who had begun to feel empathy toward him, urgently shouted, “Healer! Is there a Healer here?”

However, it was too late. After vomiting blood multiple times, Swampland No.2 trembled and fell, no longer breathing.

Kwak Do-Hyeong frowned. “Chul-Soo, look.”

In the blood vomited by Swampland No.2, a worm the size of an adult’s fist was wriggling.

Jin-Hyeok tilted his head. “What is that?”

[LV239/C.B.]

[LV238/C.B.]

[LV238/C.B.]

It seemed to be a kind of parasite, and its Level was rapidly decreasing.

“It looks to be a parasite that changes to the Level of its host,” Jin-Hyeok said.

Swampland No.2’s Level was 239, so the parasite was also at Level 239, from where it kept dropping.

[LV177/C.B.]

“I wonder what C.B. stands for.” Curious, Jin-Hyeok squinted. He wondered if his Broadcaster’s Insight could see what it was.

[LV122/C.B.]

The word became underlined, and he opened the detailed description by clicking on it.

[LV100/C.B. (Control Bug)]

“The name of the parasite is Control Bug. It seems to be a type of parasite that can be injected into a body to control the host. It seems like an artificial monster.”

From the looks of it, this was something Swampland No.1 had secretly implanted inside Swampland No.2.

[LV92/C.B.]

‘Wait, I shouldn’t be watching it mindlessly.’

It seemed like the parasite did not have much long to live. Jin-Hyeok held Miri up before hearing the explanation from Terse.

‘I need to beat it up just a bit.’

[You have activated the Skill Taming (Physical).]

The parasite was much easier to tame than a human.

“I’ve just succeeded in taming the Control Bug. Fortunately, it’s not dead.”

***

Jin-Hyeok softly subdued the wriggling Control Bug on the floor with his club (Miri) before picking it up. After a moment of hesitation, he swallowed it whole. It was not a pleasant sight to behold, and watching this scene, the Assassins of the Black Thorn Alliance gulped.

“He’s swallowing that thing whole?”

Swampland No.2 was certainly meticulous. However, Jin-Hyeok was accompanied by Ha-Young, who prided herself as the best when it came to being a Thief.

Soon, she noticed a secret space behind a bookshelf. “Let’s go inside.”

Ha-Young randomly took out a few books from the shelf and swapped their places. Then, with a sliding noise, the bookshelf rotated half a turn, revealing a space inside.

Following Ha-Young, they saw a thick steel door. Miri got slightly excited.

-Should I break it?

However, Ha-Young had a different idea. Breaking in was considered an undignified act for a Thief. A truly great Thief had to infiltrate in a way that the homeowner would not even realize something was stolen. Moving without being detected was what made it an ethical theft.

“It’s a fingerprint lock. And it requires all ten fingers,” Ha-Young said.

“He was certainly meticulous.”

“Indeed.”

“So, can I break it now?”

“Huh? There is no need for you to do that.” Ha-Young opened her inventory and took out a plastic bag with preservation magic on it. “I’ve already lifted the fingerprints.”

She was a prepared Thief.

***

The treasures of Swampland No.2 were stacked up inside the room. The room resembled a library more than anything else. It had a desk, and the bookshelves were filled with books.

Song Ha-Young was excited, vowing to steal everything, while Jin-Hyeok wondered which item would be the most useful.

“Fortunately, this place is in Yeonhui-dong.”

This place was under the territory of the Golden Guardian Tree, and all of Jin-Hyeok’s abilities were significantly enhanced here. The Mystery God of Luck, which was difficult to handle properly, was no exception.

“With the help of the Guardian Tree, using the God of Luck should not knock me out.”

Jin-Hyeok could hear the excited voice of the Guardian Tree.

-“Has the time finally come for me to step forward?!”

The Guardian Tree had a solid mental bond with Jin-Hyeok. Therefore, it felt a subtle sense of unease toward Miri, another bonded partner, because Miri was always with Jin-Hyeok, actively participating in many adventures, unlike the Guardian Tree.

-“But be careful, Master. Because if you get knocked out, that Thief will surely empty your pockets!”

‘Oh, that sounds plausible.’ Jin-Hyeok nodded.

Ha-Young was very serious about thievery. So, he could not become weak; after all, she was indeed a Thief who could empty his pockets at any moment.

“I will take some precautions.” Jin-Hyeok approached Ha-Young, who was completely off guard, rummaging through the bookshelves.

‘Be gentle, Miri. Don’t kill her.’

Jin-Hyeok swung Miri toward the back of Ha-Young’s head.

Thwack!

Thanks to Jin-Hyeok’s proper control of strength, Ha-Young fainted without much pain. Jin-Hyeok did not forget to comment for his video.

“Sometimes, a strong attack known in advance is less threatening than a weak attack taken unaware.”

Feeling proud of his accurate and upright Play, he then used God of Luck. The entire room seemed to vibrate and hum, and a book fell from the shelf with a thud. For a moment, the book appeared to sparkle.

“Pant... Pant...”

Just using the Mystery once had drained his stamina. Without the help of the Guardian Tree, he would have fainted. It seemed like a good decision to have knocked out Ha-Young.

“What is this book that the God of Luck reacted so strongly to?”

The title of the book was ‘In Search of Lost History’. The author was none other than Swampland No.2. It appeared to be a history book that Swampland No.2 was compiling himself.

[There is undoubtedly a distorted history in the Arvis Server. The lost history. The history we must know.]

“Hm...” Jin-Hyeok was not very interested in history.

‘Is there nothing that can spice up my livestream?’

Jin-Hyeok hoped for something that would attract the attention of his viewers. With that thought, he flipped through the book.

[Everyone has lost it. Everyone has erased it. But someone must remember. Someone must uncover it. The ruler before the Demon King—the greatest queen, Veselity.]

‘...Huh?’

A familiar name appeared in the book.