I Became an Ancient All-Host Lifeform - Chapter 14

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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014 Elaborate Trolling

The sound of rough hoofbeats echoed across the yard as the Guide led two members of the Magic Tower’s Border Guard Unit into the Breeding Facility.
The Facility Director and several staff members had gathered in the courtyard ahead to receive them.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.”
“Oh! Welcome, welcome!”

As the party dismounted, the Facility Director and his staff extended their greetings, but the Mage’s expression was twisted with irritation.
When he’d passed his academy graduation exams and received his official credentials as a Magic Tower mage, he’d felt as though he possessed the entire world.
But the moment he learned his assigned department was nothing more than a backwater Border Guard Unit, he’d sensed instinctively that his life had begun to go wrong.
Day after day, covered in dust and dirt, hunting down pathetic Magical Beasts for Subjugation—it was enough to drive him mad. And now, of all things, they wanted him for ‘rat-catching’?
The Facility Director approached the brooding Mage with an artificial smile plastered across his face.

“Ah, thank you so much for coming all this way. I’m the one in charge of managing this Breeding Facility….”

Before the Facility Director could even finish his introduction, the Mage cut him off without bothering to hide his displeasure.

“So it’s just some rat causing trouble? Why not set a trap or scatter poison and handle it yourselves? Why are you calling busy people out here?”

Stung by the sharp rebuke, the Facility Director broke into a cold sweat and stammered an explanation.

“I—I’m terribly sorry. We didn’t mean to bother such important people, but… we truly have no way to deal with this ourselves. We’ve tried every method we could think of, but nothing works. That’s why we sought the help of Magical Beast Subjugation specialists….”
“Unbelievable. Can’t even catch a single rat and you’ve got to make all this fuss….”
“I’m deeply ashamed.”

Though the Facility Director bowed his head repeatedly to the Mage on the surface, his jaw was grinding silently behind that forced smile.

‘Damn mages…! They’re all the same arrogant lot. Every last one of them is insufferable.’

Sensing the awkward tension rising between the Mage and the Facility Director, the Hunter who’d come with them stepped in to smooth things over.
He let out a hearty laugh and placed a hand on his companion’s shoulder in a good-natured gesture.

“Ha ha! Why get so worked up? I’m sure these folks did their best. Catching one rat can’t be that hard, can it? We’ll wrap this up quick and grab a drink—now wouldn’t that be nice? Let’s keep things friendly, shall we?”

The Hunter smacked his lips and gestured expansively.
At that, the Mage’s expression began to ease somewhat.

“And I heard that honey mead from Debri Village around here is absolutely remarkable. Let’s finish this quickly and head straight there for a drink!”

At the mention of honey mead, the Mage let out a sigh, feigning reluctance.

“…Fine. I suppose we can get this done and have that drink.”
“That’s the spirit! The honey mead from Debri Village is legendary. You’re in for a treat.”

The Mage fluttered his robes irritably, straightening his appearance, and turned to the Facility Director with a sharp question.

“So where’s this rat been causing all the chaos? Lead the way.”
“Ah, this way!”

Following the Facility Director’s guidance, the group made their way into the interior of the Breeding Facility.

After the Subjugation team completed their field investigation.
At the center of the Breeding Facility, the Border Guard Unit’s Mage muttered an incomprehensible incantation while scattering Red Powder across the ground.
In response, a complex Magic Circle took form, its intricate formulae now complete.
He then channeled his own Mana into the Magic Circle.

Whoosh—!

A faint wave of mana rippled outward from the Breeding Facility and its surroundings, then the Magic Circle and powder seeped into the ground and vanished without a trace.
The Mage dusted off his hands with a satisfied expression and opened his mouth.

“Phew, that’s done. I’ve just deployed a Detection Barrier around the Breeding Facility. Now if any Magical Beast other than those kept here tries to enter, a loud alarm will sound immediately.”

The Facility Director’s face, which had been watching anxiously from the sidelines, brightened at once.

“Extraordinary! Is such a thing even possible?”
“A Detection Barrier of this caliber is elementary magic for a Mage of the Magic Tower. And that’s not all there is.”

The Mage withdrew a map from his robes with exaggerated flourish and unfolded it.
It was a map of the area surrounding the Breeding Facility, and centered on where they stood was a large red circle drawn across it.

“This is the Detection Barrier’s range. If that creature even sets one foot inside this boundary, its position will appear in real time on the map as a red point. Furthermore, its footprints will be left clearly on the ground. And naturally, they’ll show on the map as well.”
“Extraordinary!”

Everyone at the Breeding Facility, the Facility Director included, marveled at the Mage’s explanation.
Pleased by their reaction, the Mage added with obvious pride.

“So no matter how swift that rat may be, it will never escape. All you need do now is sit back and wait for it to stumble into the trap. Simple, isn’t it?”

A Detection spell that tracked not only the intruder’s position but its movement path in real time.
With such an effective tracking method at hand, neither a bloodsucking specter nor a Rat Spirit would be able to slip away.
The Facility Director, who had been on the verge of losing his hair over the mysterious Magical Beast all this time, bowed repeatedly in gratitude.

“Magnificent! Truly, you are a Mage of the Magic Tower! We owe you our deepest thanks. Now all that remains is to capture the creature….”

The Mage cut him off dismissively the moment the Facility Director’s words were finished.

“Hmph. I didn’t come here to receive your gratitude. In any case, we’ve done enough. Surely even someone as incompetent as you can manage to catch a single rat when you can see its exact position and escape route in real time?”
“Y-yes, of course….”

The Facility Director nodded reluctantly at the Mage’s provocation.
With that, the Mage turned away without hesitation.

“Once the creature is caught in the barrier, handle the rest yourselves. I’m exhausted—I’m leaving.”

The Hunter who had been standing beside him followed suit, stretching as he went.

“Yawn…. Right. Good work. Let’s get back and unpack.”

The Hunter and the Mage made their way toward their quarters together, as if they’d just finished a tedious chore.
The Facility Director bowed to their retreating backs.

“Ah… yes, of course. Safe travels, sirs.”

The Facility Director maintained a forced smile, seeing them off all the way until they vanished from sight.
But the moment they disappeared completely from view, the strained smile faded from his lips, turning cold.

……

The Facility Director clenched his teeth and swallowed a flood of curses.

‘Damn those bastards…. They don’t even properly catch the thing, just slap down a barrier and tell us to handle it ourselves? But they’ve already taken the advance payment—shouldn’t they be responsible for eliminating it completely?’

But what could be done about it?
If he carelessly offended the Mage from the Magic Tower, his own head might well end up on the chopping block.
The Facility Director handed the Parchment Map the Mage had left behind to the Security Team Leader beside him and barked orders.

“What are you standing there gawking for! Assemble the Security Guard members at once, arm them, and stand ready! Tonight, when that rat shows itself, finish it right there and then!”
“Yes!”

The moment the Facility Director’s command came down, armed Security Guard personnel began establishing a tight perimeter around the Breeding Facility.

* * *

Deep into the night.
Kyushik approached the staff quarters within the Breeding Facility grounds with utmost stealth.
Their plan was to assassinate the Subjugation Unit dispatched to the Breeding Facility.
The Mage’s position had been pinpointed through Morgul’s Mana Sensing.
They intended to strike swiftly while the Mage and his team slept deeply.
Just as Kyushik was about to take one more step closer to the staff quarters, moving according to plan—

Stop!

Morgul’s urgent voice rang out.

‘What? Why?’

Startled by the sudden halt, the Ancient Being questioned him, and Morgul replied in a grave tone.

There’s a dense Detection Barrier set up ahead. That Mage must have rigged something up.

At Morgul’s assertion, the Ancient Being was inwardly impressed.

‘So the rumors about him being a Great Arch-Mage weren’t mere boasting. To sense an invisible barrier at a glance like that.’

Morgul continued, his voice serious.

‘Understood, honored one.’

But he did not know.
During those three thousand years he’d spent buried in the earth, human magic too had advanced by leaps and bounds.

Yet Morgul still said nothing.
Only an awkward silence hung over the scene.
The Ancient Being, unable to bear it any longer, asked carefully.

The situation remained unchanged.
Suspicion began to seep into the Ancient Being’s mind about Morgul.
It spoke in a low voice.

It was like watching the third-ranked student in the class who’d volunteered to explain an unsolvable math problem, only to flounder just as badly.
If he didn’t understand the map, he should have stayed quiet.
Finally, the Ancient Being’s patience reached its breaking point.

‘God, how frustrating. What kind of Great Arch-Mage takes an eternity to dismantle a single barrier in some backwater breeding facility?’

The Ancient Being’s scathing internal commentary proved too much for Morgul, who erupted in protest.

– Hold on! If you don’t know the first thing about magic, then keep your mouth shut! Why does every Detection Barrier these days have to be constructed so absurdly complicated?
‘Sigh….’

A deep, weary breath escaped the Ancient Being’s lips.
It had been foolish to trust this stubborn old codger in the first place.
Just as it was about to abandon barriers altogether and force a direct assault—

– Ah! I’ve got it! Now I understand the structure perfectly. Now I’ll actually dismantle it—one, two—

The moment Morgul confidently extended his mana to touch the barrier’s core—

Beep-beep! Beep-beep! Beep-beep!

A deafening siren wailed across the entire Breeding Facility.

“Wait! Intruders!”

Security guards who’d been patrolling the grounds seized torches and came running from every direction.

‘No! What did you do?!’

‘This useless old man is completely hopeless!’
Screech!

But with every step Kyushik took, bright red traces of mana were being seared into the ground beneath him.
The Ancient Being noticed in horror.

– Shut up! Instead of complaining, run faster, you fool!
Whimper….

As the security forces closed in from all sides, a trail of glowing red footprints marked his path with unmistakable clarity.
The guards spotted them instantly and tracked Kyushik’s escape with ease.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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