The Druid Who Devoured the Great Nature-Chapter 45 : The Unchanging Swamp

"Keoheok!"
The Lizardman, caught in my grasp, let out a rough breath.
It wasn't a pleasant sound.
The cold breath hitting my wrist felt strangely like touching the smooth skin of an amphibian.
Shhh!
Even with his vital point caught, the creature did not give up the fight.
It was more of a programmed conditional reflex than his own will.
The tail that had been supporting him on the ground stood up straight and shot towards me like a beam of light.
The Lizardman narrowed his glowing eyes.
Was he smiling?
This wasn't the situation for that.
"This was the most annoying thing anyway."
Thwack!
"…!"
As I lightly grabbed the tip of his tail, the Lizardman sucked in a breath.
It was a close-quarters fight aimed at this from the beginning.
If he was cornered, his tail would move, and if the trajectory was limited, I could see through it with the hawk's vision.
Crunch!
With my enhanced strength, I crushed the solid metal tail.
The tail thrashed as if letting out a death cry, but it was useless.
My body, having accepted all of the hawk's abilities, had transformed like a beast.
And the sharp talons of a hawk never let go of their prey.
"You, monster...!"
"That's not something you should say."
Was that something a guy who modified his body with machines to imitate an animal should say to others?
Dismissing it, I placed his face in my grasp.
My curved nails pierced his scale armor and stabbed his soft flesh.
"Any last words?"
"...Save, me."
"Begging for your life is so cliché."
I wasn't a fool who would regret leaving a loose end.
As I tightened my grip on his face, he quickly continued.
"I remember, now. The city government's special agents. I know you guys have special, abilities."
"…?"
The Lizardman started spouting nonsense.
'The city government's special agents.'
They were beings of rampant rumors in FP.
As a kind of Easter egg, unlike the Lizardman, their true nature was never revealed.
In actual gameplay, there was no chance of meeting them.
The only point of contact was hearing stories from NPCs about where and how they were active.
'He mistook me for one of them...'
My unique ability seemed to have made him mistaken.
'I should remember this.'
In this world that had become reality, not a game, the city government's special agents were not ghosts.
Just as the Lizardman, with his status as a mere gang leader, had mistakenly thought he was a target, I might come into contact with them through something surprisingly trivial.
I wouldn't do anything to hold a grudge, but you never knew.
A contractor's requests were so whimsical that I could end up facing them in a hostile position.
Every little piece of information like this was important.
It was better to devise a countermeasure with the specks of dust collected one by one than with a blank white paper.
"I have, information that will tempt you. I will cooperate."
"What information? Spill it."
"War. Assassination. Any more than this..."
The Lizardman's skin turned blue.
His red glowing eyes rested on my hand, as if asking me to release my grip on his neck.
'War and assassination.'
They were big keywords for a mere gang leader to mention.
Among the belligerent users, some even boasted that the final content of FP was inter-city warfare.
That's how much of an impact it was an event that had on the world.
The fact that a war was already happening at the beginning of the game meant the worst.
All the plans I had made could be ruined.
And the possibility of a war happening this early...
"Unfortunately, I already know that information."
I was already aware of it.
Kwaddeuk!
As I tightened my grip, a fountain of blood spurted out with an unpleasant sensation, as if kneading mud.
Soon, the red glowing eyes flickered and then went out completely.
[Synchronization is released!]
"Hoo."
The Sentinel Hawk's life force that had been circulating throughout my body returned to the tattoo.
My body, which had been transformed into that of a beast, returned to a human's, and a deep sense of exhaustion pressed down on my entire body.
'The stamina consumption is a bit severe.'
Perhaps because it was an ability I exerted with my own body, the direct consumption of stamina was large.
The effect was excellent, but it wasn't an ability I could use for a long time.
It was a finishing move to be used only in decisive battles.
"Is it, over?"
The Sylvester employees who had been hiding in a corner cautiously approached.
The employee who spoke to me even let out a shriek when the Lizardman's corpse collapsed.
"As long as the outside doesn't fall, it'll be safe here."
"Haha, that's a relief. You've worked hard."
The employee clutched his chest and then plopped down in front of me.
What is he doing?
As I stared at him, he explained.
"Ah, there's a saying that a Lizardman's body sells well. The modified body parts are high-quality and in high demand..."
No wonder the look in his eyes as he examined the corpse was greedy.
I snorted.
"You're not asking me to hand over the spoils I worked hard to get for free, are you?"
"Hey, no way."
His answer was cool, but his reluctance was palpable.
The beads of sweat trickling down his shiny forehead were filled with regret.
If I hadn't said anything, he probably would have taken it, pretending not to know.
Anyway, these guys were also not in their right minds, enough to deserve their demotion.
'Dissection isn't my specialty.'
The problem was dismantling the parts.
Handing over the corpse whole would be difficult to manage and I wouldn't get a fair price.
Should I get my hands dirty?
'I should just hand it over to the city government.'
The simplest way was to collect the bounty.
He was the leader of a gang that had reigned in the undeveloped district for a long time.
It was natural that there would be a bounty on him.
"The outside must be almost over too."
The volume of the noise reaching my ears was past its peak and was subsiding.
It meant the balance had tipped to one side.
Even a rotten fish is still a sea bream; Percival's skills were more than enough to take the initiative in a fifty-fifty fight.
There was no need for me to lend a hand.
About an hour later, the battle was decided.
The annihilation of the Race Lizard gang.
It was a great victory.
***
"If I see you next time, I'll be sure to serve you well."
"Don't say such horrible things. Let's not make another occasion to meet."
I refuse to work together on the same request again.
On the requests I took, my colleagues were rarely helpful, but the Python Mercenary Corps was among the worst.
At my direct rebuke, Percival cleared his throat and changed the subject.
"Ahem, I didn't say anything I didn't mean."
"I'm sure you didn't."
The damage the Python Mercenary Corps suffered was great.
Half of their available personnel were either dead or scheduled for retirement due to serious injuries.
A single request had caused the mercenary corps to stumble for a while.
However, the Python Mercenary Corps' unique operating method did not count this as a loss.
They were personnel who could be replenished at any time, as they did not painstakingly raise each and every member.
On the contrary, the money they would receive for the successful request would more than make up for it, with plenty to spare.
Even I was at a point where I no longer had to worry about finding a house... It was natural for Percival to be overjoyed.
"Anyway, please don't look at it too badly. I'll really treat you next time."
Was defeating the Lizardman alone that impressive?
Percival's rebellious attitude had changed one hundred and eighty degrees.
'In this industry, the skilled one is thoroughly the boss.'
A friendship with a monster who could succeed even in impossible requests could change one's life.
This was the reason why famous contractors all had nasty tempers.
Still, they were given preferential treatment.
In the end, all that mattered was proving it with skill.
"Ah, you were here."
As Percival left, an employee approached me.
It was the same male employee who had picked me up at the beginning and had been assisting me ever since.
"You look busy."
"Because no one thought we would win. We were unprepared for something that suddenly came upon us, so we can't help but be busy."
The guide scratched the back of his head and gave a bitter smile.
"So, is the new project being withdrawn as scheduled?"
"No, the higher-ups have decided to proceed as planned."
"That's surprising."
The project's origin was a gamble, a demotion for useless personnel and a loss in a factional fight.
No matter how well the situation had turned out, there was not enough reason to continue it.
"I'm only telling you this, contractor... but the truth is, it's okay if the project fails."
"…?"
The guide led me to a corner, saying it was a secret, and whispered.
"Even if the new business fails, just having District 16 in our hands is a profit in itself."
"...So you're going to swallow the Race Lizard gang's business and weapon import routes whole."
"Business plans can always change in the middle."
A corporation is something that will squeeze even a single blade of grass if there's a profit to be made.
The choice to swallow the gang's legacy whole was even rational.
"Oh, and the payment will be delivered to the broker without delay."
This is the advantage of a large corporation.
High pay and fast processing.
"And the higher-ups will be keeping a close eye on you, contractor."
If a high-ranking client showed interest, it was the icing on the cake.
Because they could nominate me to handle a job before passing the request to a broker.
Naturally, the treatment is good.
It was a higher grade than a private request.
'And I have the goal of digging into Centrim.'
There was nothing wrong with getting deeply involved with Sylvester, a second-rate company.
Sylvester, being in a competitive relationship with Centrim, would be pathologically digging into them.
If I made contact with the higher-ups, there would be a lot of scraps for me to pick up.
"You've worked hard. I hope we can meet again next time."
The guide smiled brightly.
"It's not time to say our goodbyes yet."
"Excuse me?"
Why are you asking so stupidly?
"You have to give me a ride."
"Ah."
It was the sorrow of someone without a car.
'Should I buy a car too?'
A car is hard to manage, but a motorcycle might be okay.
It was a matter to think about with my spare money after I found a house.
"Then I'll take you right now."
"Can we stop by one place before that?"
"Of course. I'd love to skip work too."
I told the destination to the guide who shrugged his shoulders with a good-natured smile.
The guide's eyes widened when he heard my words.
***
"We've arrived."
I got out of the car.
The ground was a mire.
It felt twice as muddy as Sylvester's outpost.
"Even vehicles can't pass from here. I think you'll have to walk."
"Wait here."
I hadn't completely arrived at my destination yet.
The Race Lizard gang's headquarters.
It was a rough terrain where a normal vehicle would get stuck as soon as it approached.
I left the guide, who told me to be careful, behind and walked on the mire.
Splish! Splosh!
With every step, mud splattered in all directions.
It was a land difficult for even people to walk on, let alone vehicles.
What would have happened if I had fought the Race Lizard gang here?
The calculation was quickly finished in my head.
'I could have been on the receiving end.'
The gang, accustomed to the environment, would have overwhelmed the mercenary corps, and the Lizardman would have been running wild like a water-swallowing swallow.
It was a relief that my strategy had worked well.
'But no matter how messed up the environment of District 16 is, this level of worst is strange.'
It was definitely within the city's jurisdiction, yet it deserved to be called a remote area.
If it were a game, I would have considered it a concept, but not now that it was reality.
There is no result without a cause.
Especially considering that I had come this far with the information I had obtained from the Mage Tower, it was suspicious enough.
As I got closer to the headquarters, a path appeared.
It was a stepping stone bridge that seemed to have been used by regular gang members, not the Lizardman.
I passed by half-demolished houses and went deeper inside.
When even the stepping stone bridge disappeared, I walked with the World Tree's stems wrapped around the soles of my feet.
As I watched the viscosity of the mire change from mud to something closer to a muddy stream, I became more and more certain.
'There are traces of the Unchanging Swamp here.'
[The World Tree sucks in the stream of water and enjoys the refreshing feeling.]
The World Tree's reaction was decisive.
If it was a refreshing stream of water in the murky mire, there was only one thing it could be.
I passed by a huge building presumed to be the Lizardman's quarters and walked for a while.
"This is..."
Bubble, bubble!
Murky bubbles flowed over the soles of my feet.
The mud was flowing like a river.
No, it was just a pile of dirt mixed with the gushing stream of water.
Water was gushing out from the bare ground like an open-air hot spring.
I felt it instinctively.
It was the endless spring.
[You have witnessed the mystery of District 16!]
[Nature Affinity increases!]
[The World Tree's knowledge analyzes the mystery of District 16!]
...
.......
[Target: Unchanging Swamp]
When I held out my hand, the World Tree's stem extended from the tip.
The World Tree's stem touched the gushing stream of water and soon began to glow with a bright light from its end.
[The essence of the Unchanging Swamp is absorbed!]
[The World Tree feels a refreshing sensation circulating throughout its body!]
[The World Tree's completeness is partially restored!]
[The World Tree has met all the conditions to grow into a sapling!]
It was the long-awaited growth of the World Tree.
(End of Chapter)