Infinite Evolution Hunter - Chapter 131
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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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131
As we passed through the Gate, a Lion Beastman and a Lizardman stood before us, spears in hand.
“Ah… Hello.”
Jae-in steadied her nerves and greeted them in Tellus, the language she had studied in advance. She had heard that there were non-human races in Malbokia, not just monsters. But seeing a Lizardman standing right before her—a creature she had always treated as nothing more than a monster—her body went rigid. After all, wasn’t she the very person who had dismembered Lizardmen and turned them into equipment?
The thought that Lizardman blood might still cling to her body made her stiffen even further.
Beside the Lizardman stood the Lion Beastman. I had never seen a Lion Beastman on Earth, though Werewolves existed there—and I had certainly dissected plenty of those. Were they the same species? Or did it not matter? Wolves were canines and lions were felines, so surely it would be fine? In that fleeting moment, Jae-in’s mind spiraled with a thousand anxious thoughts.
“Welcome to Tellus Malbokia. I am Jad, responsible for Gate security.”
The Lizardman holding the spear bowed his head respectfully as he introduced himself.
“You are Ji-seok, Bae Na-young, and Jae-in, correct? We have been expecting you.”
Since we had sent word ahead, they had clearly prepared for our arrival.
Unlike Jad, who greeted us with courtesy, the Lion Beastman was breathing heavily.
“Is… is that person alright?”
This was no Lion Beastman with merely some facial hair or animal ears—it was a massive lion’s head attached to a human body. For Jae-in, who rarely encountered living monsters, the sight of this unfamiliar creature breathing so heavily was all the more terrifying.
Thud!
“Goddess!”
The Lion Beastman dropped to one knee so forcefully I thought his leg might shatter.
“What?! Billy?!”
“I believed you would return!”
“I’m so glad you’re safe.”
Bae Na-young and Billy clasped hands tightly. His enormous paw completely engulfed her hand, swallowing it from view.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t recognize you for a moment.”
“It’s no matter. I looked quite different when we were fleeing.”
“What about the others?”
“Thanks to your message, Sono Rim sent people to rescue them.”
“Thank goodness… truly…”
Bae Na-young wiped away her tears.
“Chairman, did he just call her goddess?”
Jae-in whispered the question to Ji-seok.
Jae-in was quite startled by the sight of this lion-headed creature kneeling before Bae Na-young and calling her goddess.
“Oh, didn’t I mention it? When we came to Tellus last time, Bae Na-young saved a lot of people. The ones she rescued started calling her goddess and following her. I didn’t expect they still would, though.”
“I see…”
Jae-in looked at the two of them again.
“Billy, this isn’t the time for this, is it? Ji-seok, shall we head this way?”
“I’m Jae-in, actually.”
“…My apologies. Human faces can be confusing sometimes.”
“No, I imagine I’d have the same problem.”
If one doesn’t see humans regularly, it’s difficult to distinguish individual differences among Lizardmen.
Under the guidance of Jad the Lizardman and Billy the Lion Beastman, we moved outside the Gate.
“Welcome to Tellus. I am Carlton, and I shall be your guide during this visit.”
A well-dressed middle-aged man greeted us. Observing Carlton, Ji-seok sensed that he was far more than just an office worker—his combat prowess was formidable. If I had to rank him, he would be an A-rank Hunter.
“Hello. I’m Ji-seok. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Is Sono Rim busy?”
I glanced around, but Sono Rim was nowhere to be found.
“The war with the Eastern Continent has intensified, and all Masters have taken to the battlefield.”
“Is the Exbrian Empire causing trouble again? If you need assistance, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Please don’t worry yourself, honored guest. We couldn’t possibly impose.”
Foreign aid was tempting, but once you accepted it, you’d eventually have to repay the debt—so in international relations, it was crucial to decline unless absolutely necessary.
“Well, this is awkward. Actually, we’re the ones who need help. Is there any way to contact Eres?”
“I’m afraid not. All we can do is pray.”
“There’s no way at all?”
“There never has been.”
“What? But last time we contacted her, Eres came to Earth.”
“We never received a response. We simply prayed, and she heard our prayers and came to Earth. We only learned later that Eres had gone to Earth, that Telus’s avatar could travel to Earth.”
“Hmm… Then would she be at the World Tree? That’s where we first met.”
“Going to the Eastern Continent right now would be… well, extremely dangerous. Fierce battles are breaking out everywhere.”
“The war seems serious. Has something changed compared to before? Could it be because I killed those Masters?”
“No. The Emperor doesn’t concern himself with such trivial matters. It’s merely his whim.”
“The death of Masters, the nation’s greatest military asset, is trivial?”
In Telus, where nuclear weapons didn’t exist, Masters were the most valuable weapons.
“The losses have already been replenished. They have methods to create Masters.”
Disgust flickered across Carlton’s face as he spoke.
“Really?”
“Though not in the quantities they produce soldiers.”
“And what about the other favor I asked?”
“You mean Jae-in meeting our craftsmen? We’re already conducting regular technical exchanges, and this visit is simply a continuation of that, so there’s no problem.”
Pursuing mutual benefit through reciprocal exchange, rather than one-sided assistance, greatly contributed to the development of relations between our nations.
“Shall we go then?”
I followed him through a short-range spatial teleportation magic circle.
“Hmm… Jae-in, can we do this too?”
“We’re already exchanging the technology. We’ll be conducting experiments on Earth soon.”
“Really? Malbokia made quite a concession sharing this technology.”
“Concession? Nothing’s free. We agreed to teach them nuclear reactor technology.”
“Is it okay to teach them that?”
“Isn’t a Gate more dangerous if we’re just comparing risk levels? If someone opens a spatial Gate to another nation’s city and pushes in bombs or deploys massive forces, it’s over, right?”
“True.”
“But this magic circle isn’t perfect either. If the other side has the technology, they can defend against it. Installation is complex, and it’s expensive. We’re only allowing honored guests like you to use it.”
As I listened to Jae-in’s explanation, the magic circle activated and a Gate the size of a doorway opened.
“Let’s go.”
Carlton entered the Gate first.
When we emerged on the other side, we found ourselves on the slope of a mountain range.
The towering peaks stretched endlessly toward the sky, and we gazed at the vast expanse for a moment. Even though we weren’t at the summit but merely on the slope, the height was so great that the base of the mountain range appeared as tiny as dust.
Carlton waited patiently, quietly observing as Ji-seok and his companions took in the sights.
“My apologies for the wait.”
Once they had finished sightseeing, Carlton resumed guiding them down the path.
“Not at all. The mines of the Sleeping Fire Mountain Range here are abundant with diverse rare minerals, and all the renowned forges and workshops of the Western Continent are located here.”
“Sleeping Fire? Is it a dormant volcano?”
“Ah, there’s no actual fire beneath. The name simply comes from an old legend that a massive inferno sleeps deep underground.”
Following Carlton while listening to his explanation, I arrived at an enormous cavern with a width and height of at least ten meters.
“Hail!”
The guards spotted Carlton and straightened their spears with a shout. Each of them was a formidable warrior, and their armor and weapons were of exceptional quality befitting those who protected a weapons production facility.
“Thank you for your service.”
We passed through the guards and entered the cavern. Beyond the entrance, an equally massive tunnel stretched deep into the mountain.
“We don’t merely guard the entrance—the Western Continental Alliance maintains an iron grip on the entire vicinity of this mountain range. Weapon supply is as critical to warfare as food itself.”
Luminous stones were embedded throughout the cavern walls, so even venturing deep inside remained bright as day.
The left and right walls of the cavern had been excavated to create forges, workshops, and warehouses within. Jae-in gazed around continuously, thinking it resembled an ant colony.
“Master Parchem.”
Carlton approached a group of workers and spoke.
“What is it?!”
A small goblin, barely over a meter tall, answered irritably from within the group and turned to look at Ji-seok and his companions. The deep wrinkles covering his face suggested he was no young goblin.
“We have distinguished guests from Earth. They’ve come for a technical exchange.”
“Bah! In the middle of this infuriatingly busy period, we have to do this?!”
“… Didn’t I inform you in advance?”
“And then you requested such an enormous quantity of weapons just days later?!”
Parchem swept his arm across the surrounding workshops. Every single one was operating at a frantic pace.
“It’s unavoidable, is it not? The battlefield is intensifying.”
“Hmph!”
I had never realized a goblin could snort so loudly.
“Perhaps… we should come back another time?”
Jae-in asked Carlton cautiously.
“My apologies. His manner of speech is rough, but his heart is kind.”
“Really?”
“Why are you staring so much?!”
Master Parchem shouted at me as I observed him quietly. I felt no threat from the goblin’s outburst and simply continued watching.
“Master! Mind your manners! Sono Rim will be angry when he returns!”
“Tch… Fine. Marcelo! Where are you?! Marcelo!”
Despite his small goblin stature, Parchem possessed a tremendous voice that echoed throughout the vast cavern.
“Yes! Master! I’m right here!”
A cat beastman wearing glasses came running. Unlike Billy, his face wasn’t entirely feline—it retained some human features. He carried numerous rolled scrolls in his hands.
“I have a meeting to attend. In the meantime, show these people around the city.”
“Master Parchem! Please watch your language!”
Carlton cautioned him once more.
“Hmph! Once you’re done sightseeing, bring him to my workshop.”
Parchem departed as though it were none of his concern.
“Greetings. My name is Marcelo. It’s an honor to— Oh! Oh my! Goddess!”
“Yes?”
Upon catching sight of Bae Na-young, the cat beastman Marcelo’s glasses slid down his nose, and the papers he’d been holding scattered to the ground.
“I am honored to behold you, Goddess!”
Marcelo dropped to his knees.
“What?! Goddess?”
“The Goddess has arrived?”
The cavern erupted into commotion in an instant, and people began emerging one by one from the doors along the cave wall.
When word had spread that someone from Earth had come, there had been no reaction whatsoever—but at the mere mention of the Goddess, everyone appeared.
“Oh my… please, don’t do this. Stand up.”
Before Bae Na-young, dozens of humans, beastmen, goblins, and orcs knelt with their hands clasped together.
From a distance, an orc limped forward slowly, favoring one leg.
The orc knelt before Bae Na-young with reverent solemnity.
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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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