Bad Born Blood Chapter 199

199
I walked through the forest carrying Ragnata. According to the information Jafar asked, Valek was staying inside the forest.

While walking, Ragnata talked about ‘mutants’.

“When certain special circumstances and conditions are met, life forms on the planet Novas sometimes deviate from their normal forms. At first, I thought they were rare species of life forms… … but then I learned that they were mutations.”

I just kept my mouth shut and listened to the story. Something struck me.

I remembered the process of mutation of the rat I had seen in Jingawoo’s laboratory. Jingawoo had caused mutation by projecting the energy of Holy Stone onto the living creature.

On the planet Novas, unusual creatures are often found. One of them is the mechanical beast with a metallic outer shell and internal organs. These mutations are closely related to the ancient civilizations Arcane and Holy Stone.

“Watch out for that one, it’s a carnivorous plant.”

“I know that. The bones are out there.”

I stopped walking. There was an unpleasant vibration under the soles of my feet.

Whoosh.

I stepped back slightly. A sharp tentacle shot up to where I was. If I had stayed there, I would have been impaled from my buttocks to my throat.

‘The tree roots move like a living thing.’

I grabbed the tree root and broke it. The surface was like wood, but the inside was soft like a living thing. Thin sap spurted out like blood.

“That carnivorous plant is also a type of mutation.”

“Isn’t there just a separate type of carnivorous plant?”

I pulled out my fire-light sword and stabbed the ground. The ground shook and the root tentacles retreated.

“When the early settlers didn’t know about the ecology of the planet Novas, they used to think that way. But now that research and study have progressed, we can distinguish between ecologically strange flora and fauna. Natural flora and fauna develop functions and take on forms that fit their environment. On the other hand, mutants are sudden and heterogeneous. They are completely different from creatures that have blended into the ecology over a long period of time.”

“Is that so?”

I’m not an ecologist, so it was hard for me to understand right away. Ragnata smiled and explained like a teacher.

“For example, look at the root tentacles that just attacked you. They dig up the ground, destroying even the roots of other plants in order to hunt. Normal plants would be annihilated in the land where these carnivorous plants are. In fact, the trees around here are particularly bare. Soon, only these carnivorous species will remain around here, and naturally, the prey that feels alien will stop coming here.”

Mr. Ragnata’s class was quite fun.

“Then wouldn’t those carnivorous plants starve to death too?”

“They will either starve to death, or learn a different way to survive. Or they will undergo another mutation. In any case, it is not normal for plants and animals to live while devastating their surroundings. A species cannot survive for tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of years that way.”

I stared at the carnivorous plant in front of me. Beneath it, there were scattered bones, covered with dirt and fallen leaves, like manure.

“If it is abnormal to live while destroying the surrounding environment… … Does that mean that most intelligent beings are not normal? There are many species that migrated and destroyed the maternal environment in which they were born and raised.”

I asked the question like a student.

“… … That is why intelligence is unnatural. Intelligence is the fruit of sin. From a cosmic perspective, intelligent beings are nothing but extreme egoists. Races that should have perished along with the decline of their homeworld acquired the magic of interstellar flight and continued their journey of destruction by endlessly migrating.”

Ragnata emitted such strong emotions that I could sense them. This part was full of her personal opinions. Thanks to this, I was able to understand Ragnata as a person a little better.

“So you’re saying that it doesn’t matter whether a war breaks out or not? If a war breaks out and the sentient beings die out and eventually perish, it will be beneficial to the ecology of the planet Novas?”

I frowned slightly. Ragnata smiled.

“You think I’m an extreme environmentalist, kid. I didn’t think that far ahead. By the way, the mobile school was built with only the initial funding I received back then. It failed, so I didn’t get the remaining funds.”

“Hmm, in common parlance, you swindled my money. You failed again this time. Is it okay for an assassin to fail this often? I think I should try becoming a full-time assassin.”

I passed the man-eating plant, grumbling. I thought about setting it on fire, but the smoke would have been noticeable.

“Usually, if you fail an assassination, you die. That goes for anyone. It’s simple why I survived. I was strong, so I could take on the next mission. There’s no benefit to making an enemy of me.”

The strong can break the rules that others must follow. That’s why people covet power and strength.

“Then, even if you hadn’t been caught by me, you would have died for failing the request. Because you are weak now.”

Ragnata shook his head with a wrinkled smile.

“No one knows that I’ve become weak. They think I’ve retired and am just doing odd jobs to pass the time, and they’re still afraid of me.”

It was a passage that showed how famous Ragnata had been in that area in the past. Even if Ragnata failed in his mission, he would not be easily touched.

‘That’s why I even received a request to assassinate the crown prince.’

Even if it failed, it was a legendary feat. She entered the heart of the empire, attacked the crown prince, and survived.

I continued walking. It was getting dark quickly in the forest. The forest floor was already shady.

‘This forest may be connected to the Arcane Ruins or the Holy Stone.’

I thought of Ilay Kartika. If he were here, he would be having a great time with Ragnata.

As I passed by, I saw traces of old camping sites here and there.

“The hunter has come and gone. I heard that it is popular among young nomads these days to hunt and capture mutants at the request of scholars.”

“He’s healthier than an assassin.”

Jafar must have gotten information about Valek from the Nomad Hunters.

‘Balek is originally a nomad.’

I reviewed the personal information I received from Jafar and organized it. So I concluded that Valek was hiding outside of Border City, but not too far away.

‘Underground cave.’

I squinted my eyes and lowered my posture. I could see the underground cave where Balek was staying. It was a place that normal people would not want to enter because it was creepy.

At first glance, it appears untouched by human hands. However, within this seemingly natural landscape lies a sinister trap… … .

“There are guests arriving first.”

Ragnata muttered. I also found that the traps near the underground cavern were disarmed.

As the fading light of the setting sun filtered through the leaves, the broken threads glimmered faintly, and broken sensors and small mechanical devices lay in crevices in the rocks.

I approached closer. The entrance to the underground cave was narrow. It was hard to guess what the internal structure would be like. It could be barely enough for one person to pass through. If there was even a passage that could be passed through by crouching, Ragnata would have a hard time.

‘And there was someone who came first, a third party other than Balek.’

Maybe it was ‘Kinu’an’. I even had the illusion that my hair was standing on end. My head was cold as if my spinal fluid had been replaced with refrigerant.

“You’d better leave me here and go in.”

Ragnata said. I made the same judgment.

Swish.

But I tried to enter the underground cavern while carrying Ragnata. Ragnata laughed, shaking his shoulders.

“Are you worried that I’ll die if you leave me alone?”

“No, if necessary, I’ll throw it inside as bait to check for safety. If there’s an enemy, scream.”

If it were normal, the joke would have continued.

But we kept our mouths shut and were silent. The cave echoed with voices.

As I went deeper, the underground cave became darker and soon even the faint light disappeared. The loss of light was not a big problem for me. Every time the water droplets from the stalactites fell, the sound hit and I could see it with my auditory vision.

Kiing.

I stopped walking. There was a section where the passage widened. I listened to the angle of the sound reflections and found a large cavity further inside. There were also occasional echoes of metal and wood hitting the stone.

‘There is Balek’s dwelling.’

I focused on seeing more specifically. Let’s listen more closely to the sound. Expand your senses and use your brain.

… … Damn, I should have used auditory vision more often.

The range was narrower than before, and the edges of the field of vision were not clear. Something was moving beyond that, but its shape was not clearly visible. It was difficult to see the situation inside.

Bam.

Ragnata tapped my shoulder and gave me a signal. I read her intentions.

‘Throw me over there. I’ll get attention, so move and attack.’

Ragnata conveyed his thoughts to me.

I said I would throw her in as bait as a joke, but Ragnata actually tried to put my joke into action.

If that’s the case, I’ll just accept it. I won’t say anything like I can’t put myself in danger. If Ragnata dies, it means I’m the one who caused the trouble.

Swish.

I untied the restraints on Ragnata’s wrists. They were restraints in name only. If she had wanted to, she could have freed them somehow.

‘Go, Ragnata.’

I threw Ragnata far inside with the duffel bag still in it.

Bam!

As the duffel bag fell inside, various noises occurred simultaneously. The clanking, clanking sound was loud.

I went inside at the same time. I swallowed the sound that was about to leak out under my feet with my curled toes.

Creak, creak, clank.

There was a mix of noises. I gradually entered the environmental information into my head through faint sounds and traces.

‘This is a living space.’

There were furniture such as beds, tables, chairs, and other small items inside the common area.

bang!

Gunfire spread toward Ragnata. The sound echoed in all directions, overlapping. Light also spread for a moment.

In that moment, everything became clear. The gunshots were so loud that my auditory vision was as clear as my visual vision.

‘There are two unidentified intruders. They are fully armed.’

Ragnata crouched down towards the rock.

Whirl!

Ragnata raised her body with only her arms and jumped up as if hitting the ground. She doesn’t have much time left.

I took advantage of the distraction of Ragnatha to approach the intruders. One of them didn’t even notice me.

But the other one immediately noticed my approach and responded with incredible speed.

Bam, bang!

A loud noise that was hard to believe was gunshots rang out. It was so loud it hurt my ears.

I barely managed to avoid the shot by turning my head, but my hair was still singed.

I opened my eyes wide as I felt the sizzling afterglow.

‘A burst bullet with a pistol?’

A fireball exploded behind me. I had seen the same firepower before.

The one who shot me tilted his head slightly, wondering how I had dodged it. He was wearing a full-body combat uniform, so I couldn’t see his face.

Kiiing!

I faced the enemies with my Firelight Sword drawn. The two intruders looked at me without paying attention to Ragnata.

I couldn’t help but quiver. The enemy was holding a familiar weapon. I’d only seen it once, but it left a deep impression on me, so I remembered it.

“Is it Elaine?”

The pistol that uses explosive bullets was Ilay’s exclusive weapon. I had seen it before during the armed helicopter raid. The barrel was also equally long.

“… …Luca?”

Ilay reacted to my words. And the one next to Ilay flinched. He seemed quite surprised.

“Surely not, Lucas Kus… … .”

He couldn’t finish his speech.

Phew!

Illei moved quickly. He grabbed his comrade’s head and stabbed him under the chin with his dagger. The tip of the blade, tearing through his brain, protruded from his skull.

It was a cold response without a shred of hesitation. As soon as Ile saw me, he killed my comrade.