I Got an Ex-Class Omnipotent System - Chapter 96
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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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Chapter 96
96: Hidden Conditions (2)
After investigating the Reptilian Humanoids, I found nothing remarkable. Based on their attire and other details, they were clearly a bandit group, and every time they arrived, Jiyuchan and Hanalin slaughtered them with ease.
Since the mission was utterly tedious, it didn’t take long to arrive at Marul Village.
I’d hoped for something more, but the escort mission ended disappointingly smoothly. Still, the hidden conditions had apparently opened and increased the difficulty, so I was looking forward to that.
As the Dohyun Party flawlessly completed the escort mission, the Village Chief of Marul Village expressed profound gratitude, grasping Dohyun’s hand tightly with tears glistening in his eyes.
“Ah, ah, ah! After ten long years, supplies have finally reached our village! I thought I would die waiting. I am truly grateful to you, adventurer.”
Watching the elderly Old Werewolf Village Chief express his heartfelt thanks, Dohyun nodded as if it were nothing.
“It was nothing, truly.”
I meant it—it really was nothing.
At my words, the Village Chief’s eyes gleamed slightly.
His expression was that classic NPC look: “Oh ho, you’re that strong, are you!? I happen to have a favor to ask!” Suspecting as much, I watched, and sure enough—
The Old Werewolf Village Chief grasped my hand firmly and spoke.
“I’ve been waiting for an adventurer of such skill. Would you perhaps accept another commission?”
At his words, I felt embarrassed at how easily this was unfolding. I glanced back at Hanalin and Jiyuchan, but both blinked uncertainly and shrugged their shoulders.
I sometimes forget that without information about the current situation, those two are useless. I closed my eyes gently and simply nodded.
“Of course. If there’s anything I can help with, I’ll do it without hesitation.”
“Oh! Thank you so much.”
At my words, the Old Werewolf Village Chief wiped his eyes again, tears streaming down. Curious about what conditions he might propose, I watched with eager eyes as the Old Werewolf Village Chief slowly opened the door to his home.
“The story may take a while. Shall we go inside and talk?”
I wanted to refuse and demand he get straight to the point, but seeing the elderly Old Werewolf Village Chief trembling slightly as he gripped his walking stick, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
Even if this was a relic of the past and this world was a simulation, that didn’t mean I would live without conscience or abandon my principles for the sake of efficiency.
Though Analysis displayed things like a game system, this place wasn’t a game.
And sensing that crossing this subtle boundary might mean I could never return, I nodded at the Old Werewolf Village Chief’s words.
Agreeing with my decision, both Hanalin and Jiyuchan followed the Old Werewolf Village Chief into his home.
Though it was the Village Chief’s residence, it appeared somewhat small from the outside, but stepping inside revealed a rather cozy cottage atmosphere.
It was exactly the kind of cabin one imagines when thinking of resting at a mountain lodge—narrow, perhaps, but containing everything necessary.
With a table suitable for receiving guests and comfortable wooden chairs, though modest, the Old Werewolf Village Chief guided us to the table with a warm smile.
“Come now, sit and let us talk.”
“Yes, of course.”
Dohyun, Hanalin, and Jiyuchan took their seats.
Naturally, there were no chains or poison. Such deception couldn’t fool my Analysis anyway.
Once the Dohyun Party was seated, the Old Werewolf Village Chief settled into a creaking rocking chair and began his tale.
The Old Werewolf Village Chief’s story dated back about ten years—roughly after the Dungeons appeared.
Ten years ago, a bandit group settled on a mountain near the village, which caused the flow of supplies and merchants to the area to cease entirely.
For some reason, the bandits never directly attacked the village, but they robbed merchants and travelers passing through.
They collected tolls, claiming they’d let people pass if they paid.
Hearing this, Jiyuchan started babbling about bandits in the mountains, but I largely ignored him. It seemed he’d lost his memories of himself but retained knowledge of martial arts tales.
In any case, to summarize: the request was to annihilate that bandit group.
“Crackka is quite formidable for a bandit group.”
“How strong is he?”
The Old Werewolf Village Chief pondered Hanalin’s question for a moment before answering.
“I’m not entirely certain, but judging by his actions, he seems like the type who would work as an intelligence operative rather than a common bandit. There’s a professional quality to what he does.”
While not precise information, the fact that the Old Werewolf Village Chief spoke with such conviction meant he was undoubtedly a formidable opponent.
Upon hearing those words, Dohyun watched as Analysis activated.
[Hidden Condition Analyzed.]
[Annihilate the Crackka Bandit Group terrorizing the Village.]
※The Crackka Bandit Group’s leader, Crackka, possesses strength exceeding that of a D-rank Hunter.
‘Exceeding a D-rank Hunter’s strength, then.’
More hints had been exchanged than I initially expected.
Precisely, they were hints only I could understand.
First, the keyword “intelligence operative” reminded me of Gangjihun, the instructor, who possessed the Spy trait. And that trait’s rank was C.
Recalling that, I became half-certain.
‘Crackka is probably around C-rank Hunter level.’
At least in terms of stats, I judged. Since this was a hidden condition of the Dungeon itself, not just any ordinary Dungeon, I was confident.
Here, I had no choice but to hesitate.
‘Should I push forward, or…?’
Contemplating whether to give up, I looked at the two who had lost their memories.
Though they had lost their memories, their combat instincts remained crystal clear, which made me somewhat uncertain.
Even if he was C-rank, since he appeared in a D-rank Zone, he wouldn’t have abilities as overwhelming as the Deathworm. At best, he’d be slightly stronger than Gallaclro.
At that level, it was definitely worth attempting now that I’d grown. My only concern was whether I could manage it with these two whose coordination had fallen apart due to memory loss. Just then, Hanalin approached me and whispered.
“If you’re hesitating, I’m in favor of it. I’m not sure about that somewhat dull person over there, but I’ve realized I lack the habitual patterns for combat right now. Rather than waiting, wouldn’t building combat techniques in this state help more when we recover our memories?”
“Hmm.”
Hanalin’s point had merit.
Though she’d explained it somewhat complexly, her argument essentially was that without memories, we could establish good habits without bad ones taking root.
Neither Hanalin nor Jiyuchan had bad habits, but since only combat instincts were ingrained in their bodies without memories, they seemed more focused on fighting than when they had their memories. I had to acknowledge the difference in concentration.
I was also hesitating as Hanalin suggested, but hearing her words resolved my doubts.
At Hanalin’s words, I chuckled.
Our coordination isn’t in sync right now?
We’ll just have to synchronize it.
Thinking that way, I grasped the Old Werewolf Village Chief’s hand and spoke.
“We’ll eliminate those bastards for you.”
“Ah, thank you! Thank you so much! Once you deal with him, I’ll give you this treasure chest that’s been passed down through our Village.”
The Old Werewolf Village Chief said this while pointing to an ornate chest placed in one corner of his house. More luxurious than any reward chests I’d seen in dungeons, the sight of it made my eyes gleam.
I’d intended to synchronize our coordination, but the moment I thought we’d need to do it even better than expected, Hanalin and Jiyuchan felt that intensity and trembled slightly.
An ominous feeling permeated the air and their bodies shook, yet strangely, it didn’t feel unpleasant.
Only the expectation that they’d be extremely exhausted came to mind. Looking at Hanalin, Jiyuchan grumbled slightly.
“…You said something unnecessary…”
“…Then were you just going to sit around?”
“…That’s not possible.”
For some reason, Jiyuchan had no choice but to answer that way here.
He felt like he was being pushed back, but he didn’t want to be pushed back this far. In any case, Dohyun accepted the Old Werewolf Village Chief’s request, exchanged greetings, and headed outside. The moment Hanalin and Jiyuchan came out, they swallowed hard as they saw a twisted smile plastered across Dohyun’s face.
“Well then, shall we wipe out those bastards?”
The way he spoke with that grin was even more chilling because it sounded like someone casually suggesting a leisurely walk.
And Hanalin and Jiyuchan both thought the same thing.
‘Was I actually a worse person than I thought?’
‘Gulp… was I actually a villain all along?’
The two of them, thinking similarly in moments like this, were dragged along by Dohyun’s brutal grip toward the mountain where the Crackka Bandit Group was said to be located.
* * *
Crackka was a Reptilian Humanoid. Among them, he was a particularly brutish-looking creature with sharp crests like an iguana, but unlike his appearance, he possessed ambition and meticulous planning.
He knew all too well that even holed up in such a mountain, simply robbing travelers on the roads of remote villages wouldn’t draw the kingdom’s attention. It was one of the strategies he had devised based on information he had gathered during his time as a spy.
Certainly, during his spy days, Crackka had been recognized for his skills quickly, one of the most promising spies. However, lacking the greater talent needed to climb higher, he had no choice but to abandon his path as a spy. Thus, he quickly recognized his own limitations and took to the path of banditry instead.
Even so, Crackka was no fool.
‘If anything, targeting big places just gets you eliminated quickly.’
He understood well that aiming for a single windfall only made him a target for major powers. By occupying this remote mountain and merely collecting tolls from travelers passing through the surrounding villages, the kingdom would have no reason to act, and soldiers would never come knocking.
This was all thanks to Crackka’s ability as a well-educated bandit who understood economics.
Of course, the people of the surrounding villages were gradually becoming impoverished, but that was none of Crackka’s concern.
Still, it had been a full ten years since he had established himself here.
Slowly, word spread, and more people began avoiding this mountain path.
In fact.
‘My profits have decreased.’
The dwindling revenue day by day had given him considerable worries.
Though the bandit group’s size remained the same, declining profits were still problematic.
He had decided it was time to relocate his base soon.
Of course.
‘Before moving, I should strip these villages clean.’
He planned to raid all the nearby villages.
After all, these dried-up villages were small places that even the nearby lords didn’t pay much attention to.
Just as Crackka was thinking about drawing up plans, one of his subordinates burst into his room and spoke urgently.
“B-Boss! Team 5 hasn’t returned!”
“What? Team 5—aren’t those the guys guarding the path between Daria Village and Marul Village?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Wondering if something had happened, he was about to stand up and investigate when another subordinate rushed in and shouted.
“B-Boss! Some crazy Mage is attacking us like a madman!!!”
“What?!”
Alarmed, he rushed outside and saw the Mage launching a barrage of spells at the Crackka Bandit Group before casually flying away to one side as Crackka emerged.
Crackka stared blankly for a moment before shouting belatedly.
“Chase them down and kill them!!!”
And hearing that shout, Dohyun watched it all unfold with a smirk and murmured to himself.
“Found you.”
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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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