Arena - Chapter 120

[If the Brown Mountain job had succeeded we would have gathered plenty of soul fragments.]

That means the objective of having attacked the Brown Mountain was to gather soul fragments.

‘No, elves from various points across the continent were being attacked, primarily for those soul fragments.’

Let’s lay this all out.

1. An unknown dark magic organization was gathering soul fragments.

2. The soul fragments were most likely a means to their ultimate objective.

3. Stealing corpses to create an army of the undead was just a means for them to gather soul fragments.

I’ve organized it to the best of my ability and I told the others my thoughts.

“Soul fragments, you say…… so that is what those bastards are really after.”

“They must be trying to do something with those soul fragments. Even though we don’t know what that something is.”

Then, Cha Ji-hye opened her mouth.

“The soul fragments, I think it is something that can be gathered from the dead.”

“Obviously. Since they are using this time to gather the soul fragments from the people killed by the pirates.”

Right on time, Sylph returned. She shows me the photo she took on the camera phone.

The two young men were dressed in soldier clothes.

They were going around gathering soul fragments while masquerading as soldiers

“Think its good idea to capture and torture them?”

“I think that’s best.”

We got up from our seats.

As we followed Sylph, the two men we saw in the picture appeared.

At first glance, they looked like they’re inspecting the bodies but upon further inspection, we could see them put their hands together like they were praying and then started reciting a spell.

As they did so, a white light similar to a firefly, escaped from the corpse and landed in their hands.

They took that scrap of light carefully into a pouch with an interesting design on it.

“I will go drag them over.”

Odin stepped up.

He slammed his foot against the ground and nearly teleported next to the two men.

Without a chance for the two men to even be surprised, Odin knocked them out with his hands to the backs of their necks.

And he just lifted one in each hand and brought them over.

“Let’s go somewhere quiet!”

“Yes.”

We dragged the two fainted men and ran to a dark and remote alleyway.

When we got to a quiet location, we woke the two men.

“Huk!”

“What, what it this!”

The two men looked at us while shaking in fear.

Odin said to them.

“What are you planning to do with the soul fragments?”

“How, how do you? Who are you guys?”

At our mention of the soul fragments, both guys were surprised.

“We already know you’re both dark magicians. Starting now, if you don’t answer my questions, I’m going to smash a finger under my foot one by one.”

Odin’s threats made even me shudder.

“You, who are you!”

“I am the Count of Wolfenbrooke, Odin.”

“Wo-, Wolfenbrooke?”

“The Aura Master of Arend……”

The two men went blank.

This is how renowned Odin was in the Arena.

Odin smiled wryly.

“Even if your master came for you, you two cannot escape my hands.”

“Are, um, you really the count of Wolfenbrooke?”

“Yea, that’s right, I did hear the count of Wolfenbrooke appeared and drove away the pirates but……”

The two believed Odin and were now stricken with fear.

“Now then, the first question. Why are you are collecting soul fragments? What is your objective?”

“That, um……!”

The two men were flustered.

“I warned you what will happen if you don’t answer.”

“Heek!”

“But that……”

Frightened, the two men clenched their hands.

Odin took one of the men’s hands and forced him to lay it flat on the floor.

Implying he’ll stomp on it any second now.

“Ack! Hold, hold on! I’ll say! I’ll tell you!”

Screamed the man with his hand on the ground. Thankfully, these two were easily scared.

“Soul, um, soul fragments are an absolutely necessary important ingredient for superior level necromancy magic.”

They began spilling everything.

“There are two ways to make the undead, taking just a dead body and breathing dark magic into it, it can only carry out simple physical instructions, that’s the simplest necromancy.”

“A zombie.”

“Um, yes. But if you clump soul fragments together and breathe a fake soul into a body, it resembles the person it used to be.”

“They want to revive someone.”

Said Cha Ji-hye.

Odin interrogated them more.

“Who are you trying to resurrect?”

“That I don’t know.”

“You still don’t realize your situation.”

Odin once again forced the man’s hand to the ground. The man threw a fit like he was going to faint and screamed.

“Ack! It’s the truth! Who the superior authority wants to resurrect is only known to very few people!

“If that is all you know, I can only express my condolences for your fates.”

“Hold on, wait! I know one thing for sure.”

“What.”

“I don’t know who it is they are trying to resurrect but it is an important figure. So much so that a great quantity of soul fragments is needed, someone with a large soul, a legendary figure!”

At his comment, I decided to ask a question as well.

“And how are you gathering the soul fragments?”

“When a living life force dies, the soul leaves it and leaves behind a trace of their soul. We gather those tiny bits.”

The second I heard that, a single thought crossed my mind.

“That’s why you attacked the elves? Your real goal was to kill the Tree of Life and gather its soul fragment. Right?”

“Ye-, yes. The Tree of Life would have an enormous soul fragment compared to any other life form.”

The real target wasn’t the elves, but the Tree of Life which was as precious as life itself for the elves.

I thought for a bit then asked again.

“Where is your master, John Omento?”

“Uh, how is it you know our master?!”

“Who are you people?! How is it you all know so much?”

The two men were completely confused.

Well, it would be hard not to be.

The two bastards were conversing amongst themselves and they mentioned the Brown Mountain.

Because of that, I could be sure that their mentor was the prime attacker of the Brown Mountain, John Omento.

“Your master, John Omento, is probably in the South right now. Tell me in detail, what area, when, and where did you guys plan to meet?”

When they heard that I knew which direction John Omento was in, their faces were in complete despair.

They thought we already knew everything so they didn’t have the courage to lie.

“Our Master does not step foot in populous areas. In a mountain in the south there is a cave, and when we are done with our work, he waits for us to meet him there. But if we do not come, the master himself will move.”

“What is John Omento’s magic level?”

“The Master’s stage has reached the 6th circle and he is a great necromancer!”

“Hold on! That’s plenty of information! Let’s go!”

“I will let you live. But the questions aren’t over.”

Threatened Odin.

“There is nothing else we know!”

“No, no. What is the identity of the organization you guys are a part of?”

“Um, I don’t know.”

“Don’t lie, spill everything you know.”

“A secret organization for the ambition of necromancy, other than that I don’t know anything. We just do what our Master tells us to do!”

“And the members of this organization?”

“That I definitely don’t know. Everything about the organization is under a veil.”

Then.

“You lied.”

Marie suddenly interjected.

Odin’s eyes looked bleak.

“Hear that?”

“What do you mean, a lie?”

“We really don’t know……!”

Stricken with fear, the two guys were screaming.

But Marie spoke again.

“You lied again. Lying is bad.”

“You lied twice so two fingers each?”

Said Odin.

The two men cried and screamed.

“We really don’t know anything!”

“We said everything we know!”

“That too is a lie.”

Marie continued her firm accusations.

Odin smiled and said to the men,

“That won’t do. That women can detect lies. Now it’s three fingers.”

She detects lies?

Marie Johanna must have a skill hat allowed her to do so.

Odin grabbed one man’s wrist and slammed it onto the floor when, the man with his wrist grabbed, burst into tears and screamed.

“6 high priests!”

“Son of a bit…! You can’t……!”

The other man went white as well. It seemed this was an important secret.

“You said 6 high priests?”

“Yes, the ones that control the organization! They know everything. The rest don’t know anything!”

Odin looked at us.

“I don’t think there is anything more we can get from them.”

“Mr. Odin, check if you have cleared your mission.”

Said Cha Ji-hye to Odin.

Odin nodded his head and shouted ‘summon board.’

Odin looked at the board that was not visible to the rest of us and he smiled.

“I have cleared my mission.”

So now it was just Cha Ji-hye and Marie left.

For Cha Ji-hye, Odin appointed her a noble title. That was everything she needed and if we get John Omento, Marie’s mission would be done too.

Shoo kaka! Su kuk!

Marie, like a flash of lightning, cut the two men’s’ necks.

Blood gushed from the two men’s necks and they fell over. Both eyes wide open with regret and rage.

‘That’s brutal.’

I was surprised at Marie, who used her bare hands to kill them without hesitation,.

But  having seen it and still being fine, I was more surprised at myself.

Someone from my group killed two people who spilled all their secrets to save their lives and it didn’t bother me one bit.

‘Well, no matter, they were bound to die anyway.’

Now I too have gotten used to the exams.

“Let’s go.”

We decided to get it done with a blitz attack. We immediately headed to the mountain in the south where John Omento was.

Because I had the guider skill, we were able to find it easily.

“I have no doubt this is the right mountain.”

I said.

I figured John Omento was on top of the mountain. The guider skill told me so.

Together, we went up the mountain.

There was no way to know how strong a 6th circle necromancer was.

But when John Omento attacked me, it wasn’t all that dangerous. It looks like necromancers were weak in close combat.

On top of that, there’s four of us so I’m not worried about the fight.

‘We have to make it so he can’t escape.’

I summoned Sylph and scouted the area as we walked ahead.

Then Sylph, who was scouting, delivered an image to me, which played inside my head.

What Sylph was seeing came to me as an image inside my head.

What was shown was a zombie horde. It easily looked to be at least 100 of them.

“There is a zombie group up ahead.”

“He must have had all the corpses brought here and turned them into undead. What a despicable scum.”

Odin grit his teeth.

Cha Ji-hye said.

“We will fight with the zombies and get their attention, Marie could you go around the hoard and kill him?”

“That sounds good. Got it, Marie?”

“Yup, I’ll be back.”

Marie quickly moved off in a different direction.

The three of us headed towards the encampment of zombies.

I summoned my double guns, one in each hand. Odin grabbed his long sword and led the way.

“I will stay at the front and break through the group.”

“It would be best for me to be in the rear.”

Said Cha Ji-hye, holding her duel scimitars.

Guns were my ace weapons, so I was in the center of the formation.

“Let’s go!”

Odin began to race ahead.