Episode 36: Promotion (2)

Ding-dong!

<The Warehouse Keeper Promotion Quest has been activated!>

“Promotion?”

It was a familiar term that often appeared in games without fail.

Soon after, various explanation windows began popping up one after another.

Ding-dong!

<The Promotion Quest is a system introduced to nurture the successor warehouse keeper!>

<The warehouse keeper will be evaluated to see if they possess sufficient qualifications to advance to the next stage!>

<Various benefits and rewards will be granted upon successful promotion! Surpass the you of yesterday and strive toward a higher stage!>

“So it means I can become stronger than I am now.”

It would be even better if they told me exactly what those various benefits and rewards were.

At that moment, a new explanation window appeared.

[Changes Upon Promotion]

▶ The warehouse keeper’s title will change, and base stats will increase.

▶ The list of new stored items in the Guidebook for Novice Warehouse Keepers will be updated.

▶ Access to the 2nd Floor, Observation Zone will become possible.

‘Title change? I don’t really know what that means… but a base stat increase is unconditionally good. And the new stored items list update will probably be useful too.’

The most intriguing part was undoubtedly the last item.

“Access to the Observation Floor, right?”

Morgue’s Magical Warehouse is divided into a total of five floors.

[Morgue’s Magical Warehouse]

– 1st Floor: Safe Zone – Grade where isolation and containment have been perfectly successful.

– 2nd Floor: Observation Zone – Grade where isolation and containment have been successful but require a bit more observation.

– 3rd Floor: Unrest Zone – Grade where isolation and containment have been successful but require continuous management.

– 4th Floor: Terror Zone – Grade where isolation and containment have been successful but maintaining the status quo is unpredictable.

– 5th Floor: Incomprehensible Zone – Grade where it is unknown whether isolation and containment have succeeded.

Even the Safe Zone alone is overflowing with artifacts that the world classifies as A-rank or A+ rank.

Then just how many more bizarre things must be stored in the floors below?

Ding-dong!

<Would you like to proceed with the Promotion Quest?> …… [Yes/No]

<※Caution: Stored items borrowed from Morgue’s Magical Warehouse will be temporarily restricted from use.>

It seems I can’t borrow the warehouse’s power during the promotion quest.

Prove your skills fairly with your own strength.

Something like that, roughly.

In the past, I would have been quite flustered, but there’s no need for that anymore.

‘My base stats have risen quite a bit, and I have many more skills I can use now.’

I pressed the accept button for the promotion quest.

Ding-dong!

[Promotion Quest]

– Exterminate the Zom in the 1st Floor Safe Zone and destroy the Unclean Reproduction Pit.

· Worker Zom defeated …… (0/300)

· Soldier Zom defeated (0/100)

· Elite Soldier Zom defeated …… (0/10)

· Unclean Reproduction Pit destroyed …… (0/1)

※ The Unclean Reproduction Pit is the hatchery where Zom are born.

The quest content was simple.

Wipe out all the Zom and completely blow up their base.

It wasn’t much different from what the government does anyway.

Just catching slightly bigger and slightly more dangerous bugs.

The combat power of Worker Zom was around B-rank magical beast level.

And Soldier Zom were stronger, at B+ rank.

‘I’ve never seen an Elite Soldier before, but they’re probably around A-rank magical beast level.’

At that moment, the warehouse wall rippled.

Wuuuung—

A black gate reminiscent of a black hole was created.

Ding-dong!

<A gate leading to the Promotion Quest location has been opened!>

<The Promotion Quest will begin shortly!>

“Well then, shall we go?”

I stepped toward the gate.

My vision darkened completely, and a sensation of being pulled somewhere spread throughout my body.

It felt like riding a high-speed elevator.

A moment later, my ears felt muffled, and I sensed something pushing me hard.

I slowly opened my eyes.

Everything around me was reddish and mottled.

The floor was covered with a wide spread of mud the color of red bean porridge, and the walls and ceiling were densely covered with reddish vines.

“That’s…!?”

I quickly realized.

The things clinging densely to the walls and ceiling were not red vines.

Glurp glurp glurp glurp

The true identity of what looked like vines was someone’s blood vessels.

Hundreds of blood vessels extended from something placed in the center.

A lump of flesh shaped as if someone had scooped out the surface with a spoon.

That grotesque tumor-like mass pulsed endlessly like a living heart.

At that moment, the guidebook flipped open.

Flap!

<Unclean Reproduction Pit>

– Danger Rank: A

– Discovery Location: Morgue’s Magical Warehouse ‘Safe Zone’

A giant egg sac laid by the Zom Queen.

It produces eggs without separate mating behavior, and the number of eggs laid at once exceeds 100. 

It also provides nutrient-rich baby food until the Zom larvae mature into adults.

Since it is made of flesh without bones or muscles, it is extremely vulnerable to external shocks, so the area around the Unclean Reproduction Pit is overflowing with Zom that protect it.

“One week ago, I destroyed every Unclean Reproduction Pit in the Safe Zone. And today, I discovered three egg sacs in a completely different location. It seems they are bringing the egg sacs up from the lower floors.” 

“This endless task will probably only end when the queen is killed. I will tear apart every hole in that lowly female so she can no longer excrete these filthy creatures.” 

-Featherback

Once again, Featherback’s memo was written at the bottom of the page.

Judging by the scrawled handwriting and the force put into the last sentence, he must have been extraordinarily angry when he left the note.

“Wow, damn. So all of that is eggs?”

Large rice-grain-like eggs were clustered around the egg sac.

At that moment, dark red liquid began gushing from a hole at the bottom of the egg sac.

Glurp glurp glurp glurp glurp

The identity of the mud covering the ground was the secretion poured out by the egg sac.

At the same time, plump larvae began wriggling out from between the densely packed eggs.

[Kiiiiiik—]

[Kiiit—]

[Kkik-kkik—]

Zom larvae.

They crawled on the floor and greedily sucked up the secretions poured out by the egg sac.

Ah……

I could somewhat understand Featherback’s feelings.

I wanted to erase these filthy creatures from my sight as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, Jeanne was looking at them with a calm face.

“These are lifeforms that do not exist on the Lokpia Continent.”

“There aren’t any creatures like this there?”

“That is correct. Even in the Demon Realm, the home of demons, such creatures are said not to exist.”

Jeanne continued speaking while watching the wriggling larvae.

“However, they are truly bizarre creatures. When they are in the larval stage just hatched from the egg, they are no different from other insect-type magical beasts…”

She soon pointed to another larva.

They were fairly grown larvae, with small arms and legs protruding like bumps from their plump bodies.

They had a bizarre form, like tadpoles with only hind legs protruding just before becoming frogs.

“I have never seen an insect-type magical beast that undergoes such rapid metamorphosis without a pupal stage. Moreover, to transform into a human shape… Truly unpleasant lifeforms.”

Zom, lifeforms that do not exist on the Lokpia Continent.

Then where on earth did these guys come from?

How did they flow into Morgue’s Magical Warehouse?

Soon, Jeanne drew her sword from her waist.

“Master, these seem to be creatures that should not exist.”

“I agree.”

It wasn’t just because of the quest.

The moment I saw the larvae, something inside me was ringing alarm bells fiercely.

These guys are dangerous. They must be exterminated.

Black mana surged along Jeanne’s blade.

And then.

『Seven Demon First Strike: Gluttony Slash, Beelzebub.』

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa~!

Jet-black sword energy cleaved the ground and charged forward ferociously.

As intense winds whipped up, the mucous membranes covering the ground peeled off like dead skin.

Soon, the Gluttony Slash began tearing the larvae and eggs to shreds.

[Kieeeek~!]

[Keeeek~!]

[Kiiiik—!]

Along with the screams of the larvae, finely minced chunks of flesh splattered everywhere.

Thud—! Splatter! Splatter-splatter-splatter—! Splatter!

Eggs bursting and scattering yellowish liquid in all directions.

At the same time, the Unclean Reproduction Pit split in half.

Spluuurt—

Thick clumps like crushed tomatoes spurted out from the gap like a fountain, covering everything in disgusting filth.

Meanwhile, watching Jeanne’s Gluttony Slash, I thought.

…As expected. The power is stronger than a while ago.

Recently, the power of the Gluttony Slash that Jeanne uses has been gradually increasing.

I have a guess as to why.

The nape of my neck stung as if pricked by needles.

The Stigma of Binding.

The mark that Binsfeld left on me and Jeanne.

[Those whose names are listed in the lineage will recognize you and Jeanne as the same entity, and the adjusted causality magic will entwine the fates of these two even more closely in the future.]

“Hmm…”

It’s just speculation.

Perhaps the profound meaning of Gluttony Slash that I possess is also affecting Jeanne?

But if that were the case, why didn’t it pass the profound meaning to Jeanne from the beginning?

And why don’t the other skills I possess affect her?

Various questions piled up one after another.

At that moment.

“Master.”

Jeanne’s clear voice rang out.

When I looked up, Jeanne was staring at me with sparkling eyes.

An expression like a child hoping for something.

“Um, well…”

“Hm? What is it?”

Jeanne fidgeted with her bangs and said.

“May I ask if you feel any discomfort in me requesting your opinion on the strike I just performed?”

“…What?”

“To put it simply, may I ask if you feel any discomfort in me requesting your opinion on the Gluttony Slash I just used—”

“Stop beating around the bush.”

“I learned from YouTube how to ask questions politely to a superior.”

She’s picked up something weird again.

I looked at Jeanne and said.

“Hm, the power of Gluttony Slash has become much stronger than before. If you continue to hone it diligently, you might one day master the profound meaning. Keep striving harder from now on.”

“Yes! Master!”

Jeanne nodded vigorously and gave a shy smile.

I deliberately gave her a mentor-like comment.

It would motivate her, which is good.

By the way…

I opened the promotion quest window.

[Promotion Quest]

– Exterminate the Zom in the 1st Floor Safe Zone and destroy the Unclean Reproduction Pit.

· Worker Zom defeated (0/300) …

· Soldier Zom defeated … (0/100)

· Elite Soldier Zom defeated … (0/10)

· Unclean Reproduction Pit destroyed (1/1) [Completed]

※ The Unclean Reproduction Pit is the hatchery where Zom are born.

I had achieved one of the quest conditions: destroying the Unclean Reproduction Pit.

But the problem was that I couldn’t even see a trace of the Zom themselves.

This place should be the safest and deepest location among the Zom dens.

Normally, if guards are stationed, they are placed at the entrance paths or passages.

They probably never imagined someone like me would arrive right in the center via a gate.

I looked around.

There were four entrances to the Unclean Reproduction Pit: east, west, south, and north.

To fulfill the promotion quest conditions, I needed to leave here first and go hunt the Zom.

Just as I thought that and was about to move.

[KyaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—!]

A scream that seemed to tear my eardrums erupted from behind.

The culprit was none other than the Unclean Reproduction Pit.

It was trembling all over its holes and screaming at the top of its lungs.

At the same time, notification messages began to appear.

Ding-dong!

<The Queen’s egg sac lets out its final death throes!>

<All nearby Zom begin gathering in the area!>

<※Caution! 3 minutes 14 seconds until the Zom legion arrives!>

“Oh ho?”

The Zom are all rushing into this cramped space?

And into this place with openings in all four directions—east, west, south, and north?

I turned to Jeanne and said.

…Shall we prepare to greet our guests?