Limit Breaking Genius Mage Chapter 138

Episode 138: The Dark World Loafra (2)

Samwell is a native of Loafra.

Born in the underworld, he has traveled to Aurople on the surface many times, but has never ventured outside the city. This was due to the fear of the Ain and Xenomorphs that he had heard of since he was a child.

He was more timid than other people.

But that too was a talent in this world.

Samwell studied the dangers and safety of the underworld on his own, and survived for decades in the underworld without a care in the world. He was so knowledgeable that he could navigate the vast and complex Loafra with his eyes closed.

He applied the knowledge and experience he had accumulated over many years to his own business.

Safe dark world tourism!

It was an adjective that didn't seem to fit, but the result was successful.

Word of mouth began to spread among satisfied customers, and even the rich and nobles who wanted to use the underworld auction house began hiring him.

Of course, there has never been a single incident that occurred during the tour.

No accidents.

It was Samwell's motto and pride.

“Hehehe. Hehehe.”

Samwell took his place near the gate, humming a tune.

You never know exactly when a customer will arrive. Things are always changing, so it's rare to have a plan that's set to a specific time. That's just the way it is.

'But since you said you were looking for the auction house, you will arrive on time, right?'

This customer is definitely not an ordinary person.

What kind of ordinary person would participate in an auction where hundreds of millions of dollars are traded easily? It was a natural thought.

Samwell doesn't know his customers' names or identities. All he knows is the bare minimum of identification that would allow him to identify them as customers. This was his iron rule.

'If you try to show curiosity rashly, you'll most likely die.'

It's common sense in Roafra.

So, as always, just do your best at whatever you're given.

Samwell sat on a chair during the morning and afternoon, waiting for customers who might come at any time, and at night he slept at a cheap hotel nearby.

Since I had already received the deposit, I felt very relaxed.

A few days later, an outsider wearing a light green robe passed through the gate.

'Oh, is that him?'

It is very similar to the appearance that was described in advance.

Moreover, even when viewed from afar, his appearance was far from ordinary. He happened to be looking around as if he was looking for someone.

Samwell intuitively knew from experience that he was the customer.

I immediately put up a sign and waved a small flag at him.

An outsider who witnessed this walked up to Samwell. It seemed like he was right.

The outsider, Verden, asked.

“Are you Samwell?”

The voice of a young person matches the appearance.

There is one clear force at work. It is very likely that he is a noble.

Samwell bowed deeply enough that his head touched the ground.

“I am Samwell, your guide to the underworld of Loafra. I will do my best to serve you.”

He raised his head and smiled brightly.

* * *

Samwell's guided course is divided into Aurople and Loafra.

Verden chose Loaframan among the two.

A quick look around showed that Aurople was not much different from Lines. And his destination was only Loafra's auction house.

Samwell began to politely guide the customer at his request.

“There is an underpass between Aurora and Loafra. From there, you will board a high-speed horsepower elevator to enter Loafra.”

“It seems quite deep.”

“Yes. The thinner the ground between them, the higher the probability of a catastrophe. Since tens of thousands of lives are at stake, they are designed with special care for safety.”

Samwell then added some more information about Loafra.

“In this way, the Aurople above ground and the Loafra below ground are divided. This is true not only in physical things but also in social things. For example, the rules of the country.”

“If it’s a rule… is the law different?”

Samwell nodded.

“Loaf is literally an extraterritorial area. New laws are enforced by Wintert, the de facto ruling power, rather than the royal family of Estiria.”

There is no punishment for stealing, committing violence, or killing.

There is no regulation of public power over crime.

That's right.

“It’s going to be quite a mess.”

“Haha, that’s what most people think, but that’s not really true. It’s because of fear.”

If you can kill someone without reason, it means you can also die without reason.

It was not only the other person who was not protected by the law, but also the person himself. This fact served as a considerable deterrent.

The security business developed by taking advantage of such anxiety.

Those hired for money protect stores from indiscriminate violence, guard key personnel, and sometimes even retaliate on their behalf.

Primal power.

That's the order of the underworld.

Verden narrowed his eyes.

“Are you saying that as long as you have the strength, you can do anything?”

“That’s the underworld. On the other hand, the weak are always trampled and live. Because they are weak. If you don’t have power, you have to use connections, money, or whatever to survive.”

It's a wild environment.

It is not much different from the reality outside. The world has always been for the strong, whether in the past or present. It will be so in the future.

Verden knew that fact better than anyone.

“Now, I will tell you about the precautions. One is to follow my instructions as much as possible. And the other is to never mention the name of Wintert in Loafra. You just need to follow these two things.”

Even the name?

Samwell answered Verden's question.

“There are various forces in the underworld. However, the absolute ruler is Wintert, which remains an unchangeable fact.”

Wintert's eyes and ears are hidden everywhere.

If you say something wrong, you could disappear without anyone knowing.

Samwell had seen people who had blatantly insulted Wintert only to be found dead in a back alley several times in his life.

Loap is a place where chaos is concentrated.

The underworld is a place where you can walk down a dangerous street and nothing will happen, but even if you walk down a safe street, you can suddenly get stabbed and die.

At that, Samwell pounded his chest.

“But you don’t need to worry at all──at all. I have never caused any harm to my customers so far. That’s why my route focuses on safety. I will do more than what you paid for, so please trust me and follow me. Thank you.”

Guide Samwell bowed again.

'What a skilled guide.'

Verden nodded roughly.

After a while, we arrived at our destination.

The entrance to the underpass. As we followed Samwell down the stairs, a wide hallway appeared, and people lined up at each entrance.

Aurople's soldiers were checking people.

“That’s a passageway that’s mostly used by the general public. They do check things, but it’s not that strict. Of course, if you bring drugs from the underworld and spread them outside, you’ll be executed on the spot.”

Samwell pointed to the corner.

“And that is the VIP corridor. It is mainly used by the most powerful people in the underworld. Customers will use the central elevator between these two corridors.”

Three horsepower elevators located beneath the central staircase.

It was a passage only allowed to officials, but anyone could use it as long as they received permission from the manager. If you had connections, you didn't have to wait as long as others did.

As I went down the stairs, a mustachioed man wearing a steel breastplate approached me.

Samwell bowed his head.

“Oh my, thank you for your hard work, Chief Dalishian.”

“Samwell. Are you working today? Wow, you’re doing pretty well.”

“It’s all thanks to the director’s grace. I’ll definitely meet you sometime later. If you’ve received a grace, it’s your duty to repay it, even if it’s just a little.”

“Ahem, that’s true.”

The director coughed and chuckled.

I couldn't help but smile at the thought of being oiled with alcohol and meat. The occasional kindness I received while providing convenience was quite substantial.

The director turned his head.

He stroked his moustache as he looked at Verden.

“Well, this time you brought a very unusual customer. It seems like a waste to go to a place like Loafra with that face……. Well, it’s none of my business to worry about other people’s business.”

The curator nodded and made way for him.

It meant that it was okay to pass. Of course, the inspection was omitted.

“Thank you, sir. See you next time.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll be looking forward to it, see you later.”

Samwell greeted them several times as he and Verden boarded the high-speed horsepower elevator. The doors closed and the elevator headed down into the basement.

The soldier who was checking if the elevator was working properly said to the commander.

“Wow, I’ve never seen someone so unfair in my life. Could they be nobles?”

“Among the nobles of the kingdom I know, there is no one as handsome as him. He may be a noble from another country, but that is none of my concern…….”

The director frowned and tilted his head.

“Gray hair and blue eyes.”

It seemed like I had heard it somewhere before.

I tried to recall my memories, but I couldn't remember well. It was clear that he wasn't a wanted criminal…

'But I guess I should report it anyway.'

* * *

Woohoo.

The elevator descended with a faint noise.

The outside was clearly visible because it was made of reinforced glass on all sides. Soon, the underground scenery outside came into view.

Verden opened his eyes slightly wide in surprise.

A huge hollow that could easily swallow up two large cities.

Metal pillars protected by magical power supported the high ceiling, and huge magic stone lanterns embedded in various parts of the ceiling softly illuminated the entire Loafra.

It was a landscape I had never seen before.

'and…….'

Verden turned his head forward.

Beyond the underworld, in the distance, a grey castle leaning against a wall surrounding an underground lake is visible. It was obvious who was inside.

'Is this where the head of Wintert, the king of the underworld, resides?'

Certainly, to that extent, he deserves to be called a king.

It had a castle that rivaled that of any great royal castle. It was like looking at the capital of a small country built underground.

Samwell, who was standing next to him, added.

“This is a castle built by the first chieftain of Wintert using slaves. They say that the remains of slaves who were overworked or fell to their deaths are buried under the lake. It’s a really horrible history. Slavery has finally been abolished.”

“I heard there are illegal slaves in the underworld.”

“That’s true. As you may know, your business has been in turmoil since Count Flissur was arrested a while ago. But that’s not the only source of supply. Above all, slaves will not disappear from Loafra as long as Wintert wants them. And the same goes for everything else.”

Is this huge underground underworld being controlled by one organization?

'What tremendous power.'

Verden turned his gaze and looked at the street again.

The organization that has ruled the underworld for a long time, like a dynasty, is called Wintert.

Looking back at the guide's reaction, Fernet's information, and Kalia's comments, I could indirectly feel how large and powerful a group they were in Loafra.

Well, that was all there was to it.

……thud.

Reached the basement.

As the elevator doors opened, people walking down the street became visible.

As Samwell said, the security was better than expected, and it felt more like looking at the streets of a big city at night than an underworld.

“On the surface, it doesn’t look much different from the surface. But the moment you step even a little deeper inside, a real underworld unfolds. So you have to be very careful.”

There is no clear physical distinction, so it is difficult for outsiders to discern.

Under Wintert's rule, there were times when small powers fought wars behind the scenes, and such territories changed.

But that's no problem for Samwell.

It wasn't for nothing that he was a guide who kept no accidents as his motto.

The two people who got off the magic elevator stepped onto Loafra.

* * *

Loaf is a city of pleasure.

A street where pleasures that cannot be felt in other cities are gathered. Most people who visit the underworld for the first time have a set place to go first.

as soon as.

“It’s a casino.”

“Are you talking about a casino?”

“That’s right. It’s one of Loafra’s main businesses, and the place most visited by outsiders. There’s still plenty of time before the auction opens, so you can enjoy it… but if it’s not to your taste, I’ll take you to another place right away.”

Verden has never gambled in his life.

And I wasn't particularly interested. It would have been much more useful to learn about the geography of Loafra than to waste time on such trivial things.

“Go somewhere else.”

"All right."

Samwell agreed and stepped forward.

Something flashed through Verden's senses. He immediately reached out and grabbed Samwell by the back of his neck.

Kwaaaaang!

The walls of the casino burst apart.

A half-mutilated human body swept past where Samwell had been standing. Samwell's heart pounded at the thought of what could have been a serious accident.

Verden's gaze turned to the casino.

A gruff voice came from inside the building.

“This little brat. Who dares to talk nonsense in front of you? I’ll kill you.”

'This voice is… … .'

It's quite familiar.

The person responsible for breaking down the casino wall soon appeared.

A muscular giant with short, jet-black hair and a beard.

He was carrying a huge, sharp axe on his waist, and he had a fierce expression that made it seem like he had a very dirty disposition.

There was a large scar on his neck and chest that I had never seen before, but it was definitely someone I knew.

The giant walked out and relaxed his shoulders.

“I was already annoyed because I kept getting X-like responses, but this turned out to be a good thing. He’s such a half-retard…….”

Verden and Geohan locked eyes.

After a moment of silence, the two spoke almost simultaneously.

"……slaughterer?"

“Asher?”

Butcher Gaulic.

He was a platinum-rank adventurer who had previously subdued the Knight of Lamentation together with Verden.