Chapter 75. Lawless City (1)
The Predator Merchant Company.
Although it was an unfamiliar name, Isolde remembered it.
It was a newly established Merchant Company that distributed monster meat.
For some reason, the name of the Predator Merchant Company’s head had become deeply engraved in Isolde’s memory.
“Are you referring to Adrian White Wolf?”
“Yes. They say he put on a mask as soon as he entered the Lawless City, but they confirmed both his face and black hair before that.”
Black hair was uncommon on the continent. The possibility that the information was incorrect was extremely low.
“Have they determined why he entered the Lawless City?”
“They were unable to confirm that much....”
The Lawless City was a place where even the most basic laws and order had collapsed.
Despite technically being a Free City, it was a breeding ground for evil.
It was a dead city that no one willingly visited. There was even less reason for a merchant to travel there.
The Lawless City was so overrun with crime and chaos that Merchant Companies could not safely enter it.
Merchants who attempted to conduct business there frequently emerged after losing everything.
No Merchant Company on the continent dared conduct business in the Lawless City.
If there was a Merchant Company that nevertheless entered and left that place—
“I suspect that he may be a member of the Dark Merchant Company.”
The Dark Merchant Company.
It was the only Merchant Company that regularly entered the Lawless City.
More precisely, the Lawless City was one of the Dark Merchant Company’s principal bases.
“Furthermore, Adrian’s behavior has changed drastically of late....”
The attendant priest took a deep breath before carefully continuing.
“I believe one of the Dark Merchant Company’s members has taken control of Adrian’s body and is manipulating him.”
It could now be considered a certainty rather than mere speculation.
After all, that was one of the vile methods frequently employed by the Dark Merchant Company.
“What should we do?”
The attendant priest’s question followed.
Isolde’s long eyelashes lowered slightly. After a brief silence—
“Tell the Eye of the Pilgrim not to intervene and to continue monitoring him.”
“Understood.”
The attendant priest bowed deeply before leaving the chapel.
As the chapel doors slowly closed, the candlelight along the walls flickered faintly.
“Adrian White Wolf....”
For some reason, Isolde found herself repeating his name.
Isolde extended her hand and pressed one side of the altar. Several patterns appeared across its surface. When she pushed one particular pattern—
Rumble...!
The heavy altar slowly moved aside, gradually revealing a concealed entrance.
* * *
The Lawless City, Violess.
The moment I entered the Lawless City, I took a mask that completely covered my face from my Inventory and put it on.
Black hair was uncommon on the continent, so I had deliberately prepared a mask that covered my hair as well.
I also changed my active title to <Master of the Snowy Mountains>.
Violess was not located in the northern region, so I could not receive the effects of the <Ruler of the North> title.
After putting on the mask and confirming that my new title had been properly applied—I entered Violess.
Once I passed through the narrow, intricately tangled alleyways—
A chaotic landscape of crude wooden structures came into view. Creaking sounds echoed everywhere, and the air was filled with dust.
Miscellaneous objects had been piled along one side of the street, with crowds gathered around them.
It was one of the market formats found in Violess.
The displayed merchandise included magical herbs of unknown efficacy and unidentified artifacts.
There was also rotten food that appeared to have been stolen from somewhere.
People staggered through the streets while intoxicated by drugs. Others lay bloodied upon the ground, possibly after fighting over territory.
Some people concealed themselves within the alleyways, among many other sights.
“This place is a complete disaster.”
To put it crudely, it was an absolute shitshow.
‘Still, it’s much better than it was during the Coalition Forces’ war.’
Back then, the environment had been so horrific that neither humans nor any other living creatures could have survived.
No matter how terrible the conditions in Violess were, they could not compare to that time.
Perhaps they could be compared to the County, where the extreme cold never ended.
In that regard—
‘White Wolf County is slightly better.’
The County was a marginally better place to live.
White Wolf County suffered only from cold and starvation.
Unlike Violess, it did not suffer from a war of everyone against everyone else.
‘To think this place was once a Marquis’s territory.’
Violess had originally been a Marquis’s territory.
In other words, it had not been a Free City but a Territory—a parcel of land bestowed upon a lord by a monarch.
Perhaps the Marquis had been an exceptionally greedy man.
When the residents of his territory rebelled, the Marquis hired mercenaries to suppress them.
However, a leopard could not change its spots.
After the mercenaries completed their mission and returned, the Marquis refused to reward them in any way.
The mercenaries suddenly found themselves with nowhere to go.
Unable to endure it any longer, they killed the Marquis and illegally occupied his territory.
They built unauthorized houses and established a village.
When the kingdom’s monarch heard the news, he immediately dispatched an army.
However, the kingdom’s forces could not easily subdue mercenaries who had survived countless battles.
Eventually, the kingdom abandoned its attempt to reclaim the territory.
As time passed—
Exiles, criminals, and refugees from numerous kingdoms gathered there.
Wandering paupers also flowed into the area, and a self-sustaining city gradually formed—
That was how—The Lawless City, Violess, had been born.
Today, Violess had become a city of chaos infested with every kind of criminal.
Anyone who died here would not even leave behind a recoverable corpse.
Even a kingdom’s power would struggle to rescue someone from the dangers of the Lawless City.
Anyone entering the city was virtually guaranteed to be exposed to severe violence and crime.
Consequently, it had long since become a “No-Go Zone” that even adventurers refused to enter.
In other words, whether someone was a noble or a member of royalty—
Entering this place was practically the same as advertising, “Please kill me.”
Anyone who looked even slightly like a noble or royal would immediately become a target for criminals.
Just like—
Swoosh—!
This.
A man brushed past me and, to put it crudely, attempted to shank me.
The distance was too close for an ordinary person to evade.
Only a few days ago, I would not have been able to dodge it either. However, that was no longer the case.
The 241 days I had spent training inside the Infinite Trial Grounds…. No, the Infinite Labyrinth.
On top of that were the stats from the twenty-one level-ups I had received for clearing the quest.
After investing all of them into agility, my reaction speed had fallen below ten milliseconds.
Strictly speaking, I did not even need to dodge.
However, there was no reason to let myself be stabbed.
If the blade had been coated with poison, recovering through Regeneration [B+] would have been difficult.
I reacted instantly, twisting my body to avoid the blade.
Then I extended Dragon’s Claw [A] and tore the man’s entire shoulder away—
“Aaaaaaargh—!”
Blood sprayed in every direction alongside his scream. Everyone’s attention instantly focused on me.
This man was probably not acting alone. However, I could not distinguish his accomplices from the gathering spectators.
My senses had already moved beyond merely resembling ESP and were now practically equivalent to it.
When I concentrated, I clearly perceived the faint murderous intent directed toward me.
Three in front of me. Two approaching through the alleyway to my left. One behind me, waiting for an opportunity.
After locating all of them in an instant, I immediately launched myself forward.
I targeted the three in front first.
Perhaps they had not yet understood the situation. They were standing there in confusion.
I slipped through that opening and tore out the throat of the man on the far left.
Crack—!
He collapsed without even managing to scream.
The moment I confirmed his fall, I turned and swung Dragon’s Claw [A] in a crossing motion.
The remaining two men were torn apart like sheets of paper. Once all three men in front of me collapsed in an instant—
“Th-That bastard!”
“Kill him!”
The remaining men revealed their true intentions and drew their weapons.
The way they pulled daggers from inside their clothing and thrust them without hesitation—
They had killed far more than one or two people.
I slightly tilted my head to evade the incoming dagger before grabbing the man’s arm and pulling him toward me.
I drove my knee into his approaching face.
Then I twisted my waist and struck the man behind him with the leg I had already raised.
Thud—!
There was no need to use Metabolic Overdrive [U].
It would only waste calories.
That left one man.
“Eek!”
He was the one who had been waiting behind me for an opportunity. Instead of killing him, I seized him and slammed him into the ground.
Boom—!
“Which Vister organization do you belong to?”
Vister.
The “V” represented violence.
The suffix “-ster” meant a person associated with something.
Combining the two created a term meaning someone who wielded violence.
Put simply, it meant an “organized gangster”.
Numerous Vister organizations existed throughout the Lawless City. In a place without law and order, armed force was the only absolute authority.
Visters were people who imposed their own rules through force.
Consequently, countless Vister organizations repeatedly appeared and disappeared.
This was my territory, and that was yours. Not a single day passed without a territorial conflict.
However, some Vister organizations had maintained their power even amid that chaos—
The Crimson Soiree of the red-light district. The Black Grasp of the gambling houses.
“I-I can’t tell you...!”
Crack—!
“Aaaaaaargh!! Th-The Black Grasp! We belong to the Black Grasp!”
These men were Visters belonging to the Black Grasp.
Contrary to what I had initially assumed, they were not ordinary thugs. However, they were not the Visters I was searching for.
The organization I sought was—
“Which way is the Black Market?”
The Ashen Mask of the Black Market.
It was the Vister organization belonging to the Dark Merchant Company.
“U-Ugh...! Th-That way—!”
Crack—!
“Aaaaaaargh! I-I was about to answer!”
The man glared at me as though he had been treated unfairly.
Honestly, I had not expected him to answer obediently.
“If you intend to answer, don’t hesitate. You’ll confuse me.”
“U-Ugh...!”
“I just told you not to hesitate.”
Crack—!
“Aaaaaaagh!”
“So, which way do I need to go?”
“G-Go around that alleyway....”
Afraid that I would break his other arm, the man gave me detailed directions.
After listening to everything he said—
Boom—!
I grabbed his face and slammed it into the ground.
His body went limp. He no longer moved.
None of the men I had defeated earlier were moving either.
....This was my first time killing another person since returning to the past.
Lycanthropes were not human.
Strictly speaking, Homunculi were not human either.
The same applied to Avarus.
Therefore, this could be considered my first killing.
However, because I possessed my memories and experiences from my time in the Special Task Force, I felt composed.
That did not mean I was numb to killing.
Even I found killing people extremely unpleasant, and it placed a considerable burden on my mind.
However, refusing to spare people who were not worth keeping alive was a separate matter.
The fact that they had attempted to murder a passerby without the slightest provocation showed that their crimes were anything but minor.
A considerable number of innocent people had probably been sacrificed at their hands.
When I stood up—
“H-He defeated the Les gang that easily....”
“Impossible...!”
“Who the hell is he...?”
Everyone stared at me with astonishment.
Judging by their expressions, those men had apparently possessed considerable personal notoriety in addition to belonging to the Black Grasp.
A commotion spread through the crowd of spectators.
Anywhere else, people would have screamed and fled.
The guards would already have been dispatched, and the entire city would have descended into pandemonium.
However—
This was Violess.
It was the Lawless City, where even the most basic laws and order had collapsed.
The Black Market.
It referred to a place where goods that could not be openly traded in ordinary markets were secretly bought and sold.
The Black Market of Violess sold forbidden grimoires, magical materials, and cursed objects.
It also sold illegal drugs, Alchemy ingredients—
And human slaves.
Possessing any of those goods could make someone a public enemy throughout the entire continent.
Because suppliers had to bear considerable risks and expenses, the merchandise was inevitably expensive.
The Dark Merchant Company operated numerous black markets and had accumulated tremendous wealth through them.
In other words, Violess was not the only place where the Dark Merchant Company operated a Black Market.
However, the Black Market in Violess was the largest.
Violess was a Lawless City without an absolute authority such as a monarch or lord.
No absolute authority existed to prevent the Black Market from operating openly.
Consequently, the Black Market was located at the heart of the city.
Nevertheless, it maintained strict anonymity. As a rule, all traders concealed their faces with masks or hoods.
‘I’m already wearing a mask.’
I took an additional ring from my Inventory.
A Shadow Amethyst had been embedded in the center of the ring.
Depending on the angle of the light, it shimmered subtly between purple and black.
Even at a glance, it was no ordinary ring.
Its name was—
◆Covenant of the Abyss : This ring is synchronized with the bioenergy of a specific target. It detects the unique Mana Force pattern and genetic information of that individual and has been designed so that only the person registered in advance may wear it.
It was a mark proving that its wearer was one of the Devotees of the Fallen Souls.
As the description indicated, only the person registered in advance could wear it.
I had taken it from Avarus’s secret vault.
In other words, it was a signet ring that proved its wearer was Avarus.
Therefore, only Avarus should have been able to wear it.
However, I possessed Predation [S+].
Predation [S+] did not merely absorb the abilities possessed by a particular organism. It absorbed the Genetic Factors and background through which the organism had acquired those abilities.
Consequently, I possessed the genetic information I had obtained by using Predation [S+] on Avarus, who was also Z’thulonak.
I put on the ring.
Hummm—!
The Shadow Amethyst emitted a purple glow.
As though recognizing my biological information, the purple light wrapped around my body once before subsiding.
It had recognized Avarus’s genetic information, which I had absorbed through Predation [S+].
From this moment onward, I was Avarus, one of the Devotees of the Fallen Souls.
The Dark Merchant Company would undoubtedly believe that I was Avarus.
‘I’m going to clean them out without leaving behind even a speck of dust.’
I adjusted my mask and entered the Black Market.
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