Infinite Evolution Hunter - Chapter 209

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

209
“Do you have the authority to resolve this matter?”
Bourbon spoke to Director Baek Young-shin in casual speech, so I responded in kind. His forehead twitched visibly.
Ignoring whether Bourbon took offense at my tone, I showed him photographs of the sinkhole where the two Metalim had been apprehended.
“We arrested Pascal and Paren, citizens of Metallanet, at the site. They testified that they conducted the construction recklessly under your orders.”
“Hmm. It happened because some commoners failed to follow work instructions.”
“All dozens of sinkholes?”
“Don’t sinkholes naturally occur on Earth? Can you prove otherwise?”
“It appears you were pressing them to meet deadlines. You didn’t even provide adequate food rations.”
Director Baek Young-shin interjected.
“The complaints of lazy workers. Ignore them. Just as we don’t interfere in the surface’s politics, Metallanet’s internal affairs are our own concern. I will manage the subordinates more strictly going forward, so such incidents won’t occur again.”
Bourbon’s eyes gleamed with murderous intent as he stared at Pascal and Paren.
Fortunately, most of the sinkholes had formed in sparsely populated areas, so there were no casualties. This meant I couldn’t completely sever ties with Metalim.
Director Baek Young-shin and I exchanged a meaningful glance.
“Bourbon, I appreciate your position, but squeezing and pressuring isn’t always the best approach. What if we tried to coexist more harmoniously?”
Director Baek Young-shin offered the suggestion gently.
“We know Metalim’s nature best. We’ll take them and execute them.”
At those words, Pascal and Paren’s faces drained of color, their bodies trembling violently.
I could see how the upper echelons of Metalim treated ordinary citizens.
“Wait. They committed crimes on our land, so we will administer their punishment.”
Baek Young-shin stepped in front of Bourbon.
“You’re saying you’ll detain your own nationals?”
“You said you’d take them and kill them? And isn’t this situation happening because Metallanet failed to manage its own citizens?”
I blocked Bourbon as he emanated killing intent toward Director Baek Young-shin. Knowing my strength, he slowly retreated.
“Haven’t we maintained a peaceful relationship until now? Do you want to destroy that relationship?”
“Is that a threat?”
“It’s advice. Sincere advice born from hoping you make a wise choice.”
“I’ve heard your advice. You can’t take them. Leave.”
As I waved my hand dismissively, Bourbon clenched his teeth.
Then, without a word, he spun around and departed.
“…Thank you.”
Pascal, having narrowly escaped death, bowed his head respectfully.
“Never mind that—was what he said true? You didn’t follow the work instructions?”
From their expressions, I could tell it wasn’t entirely accurate, but I still needed confirmation.
“Well… we didn’t follow the instructions, but we clearly said we couldn’t do it! However, Bourbon pressured us to increase production. Are you really saying you didn’t order this?”
“That’s strange. We told you to reduce output because mineral quantities on the surface had become excessive, not to increase them.”
“That can’t be right! He ordered it while killing my friend!”
“He killed someone?”
“My sick friend asked for magical stones and metals, and he killed him for complaining….”
Pascal’s expression grew somber as he recalled that moment.
“Things weren’t like this when the previous king was alive. He died during a journey, and those damned Imperial Nobles seized power, which is how we ended up in this mess.”
Paren, in slime form, trembled with rage.
“The Imperial Nobles think only of lining their own pockets. They’ve always looked down on us as inferior.”
“Why do you listen to such people?”
“Why? Because we lack strength. The Imperial Nobles are powerful. How could I, a member of the Silver Clan, ever defeat Bourbon of the Platinum Family?”
Pascal’s expression grew somber.
“It’s true that silver is soft among metals, so in its pure form it’s difficult to use as a weapon or armor.”
Jae-in entered the room and spoke, but Alice tugged at her clothes to silence her.
“That’s right…. No matter how much we reinforce it with mana, we can’t overcome the inherent limitations silver possesses. I know that all too well.”
He laughed bitterly at himself.

“Oh dear…. I apologize. My profession makes me slip up constantly. But if the Imperial Noble is too strong to fight, couldn’t you strengthen yourself by mixing other metals into your body?”
“Absorbing metals that aren’t your own metal will kill you.”
“Really?”
“Those who couldn’t resist hunger and absorbed other metals either grew weaker or died.”
“Have you seen it directly?”
“…. Do you need to drink poison and die to understand?”
“Hmm…. It seems like it’s because they mixed random metals together….”
“Are you thinking of alloys?”
Alice asked Jae-in, who was deep in thought about something.

“Huh? Yeah. Among pure metals, only adamant is strong in every way. Everything else is an alloy. But metals become much stronger when you mix in just a little of the right metal, don’t they?”
I gave Pascal and Paren their elemental metals—silver and zinc—along with mana stones to recover their strength.
They transformed into slime form and absorbed the metals and mana stones into their bodies, slowly dissolving and assimilating them.
Once they finished absorbing the mana stones and metals, their bodies recovered, and the forms that had been trembling with rage now undulated gently—it was a sight that looked incredibly peaceful.
“Mm, mm…. So that’s how they eat.”
Jae-in observed them consuming their sustenance.
“It’s unsettling when you watch us eat like that….”
Paren, in slime form, spoke.
“I’m sorry.”

Jae-in turned her head.
A week had passed since the incident, and several more sinkholes had appeared, along with additional minor earthquakes. Worse still, this time there were casualties.
“Pascal, why is he digging up the ground like that? What’s he searching for?”
“Adamant.”
“Adamant? There’s adamant on Earth too?”
Until now, it had only come from the Gate.
“Yes. Only in small quantities, but adamant does exist in Earth’s Underground.”
“So he’s gathering it while destroying the surface? Is he planning to conquer the Ground?”
“I don’t think that’s the goal. No matter how powerful adamant is, they’d be hopelessly outnumbered and outmatched.”
Jae-in shook her head.
Without knowing their true objective, we had to act given the immediate damage being inflicted on us.
“I need to go down there myself.”
I hastily assembled a delegation and headed toward the Underground.
“Surely they won’t block the entrance from the start?”
Director Baek Young-shin expressed his anxiety.
“We’ll have to see.”
Contrary to my expectations, they welcomed us warmly.
“My apologies. Those fools can’t even follow simple orders. Despite our explicit warnings, they’ve bungled the work again. I’m truly sorry about this.”
Elchai laughed with a dismissive wave, as if it were nothing serious.
“However, far too many sinkholes have already opened, earthquakes have occurred, and people have been killed. You must cease all operations in the Underground immediately.”
“Ha, Director Baek, if we stop mining, are you saying we should all starve?”
“You’re not mining for food—you’re mining for adamant, aren’t you?”
Elchai’s brow twitched.
“From now on, we’ll send supervisors from the surface to oversee the Mining Site. You’ll conduct your operations under their watch.”
“You’re saying you’ll station surveillance forces in another nation? And let me say this again—we didn’t do this intentionally. If we had deliberately tried to harm the surface, the damage would have been far worse than this. Hahahaha.”
I stared coldly at Elchai, who was making blatant threats.
“So you’re saying you’ll continue the work?”
“I understand. We desire peace. We’ll stop the operations, so please send your supervisors.”
He pretended to agree, but it was obvious that the moment he turned around, mining would resume. I considered overturning everything, but his words had unsettled me so deeply that I restrained myself and took a breath.
On the way back to the surface, I saw many Metalim moving beyond the rocks.
Because Metalim spirits took the same form as their bodies, I could clearly see them moving even through the stone walls.
They were heading toward the Sanctuary, and several of them carried something small with great care while dozens of soldiers escorted them on all sides.
I averted my gaze and headed toward the surface.
“Judging by that attitude, I don’t think anything will change.”
Director Baek Young-shin sighed.
“People don’t change easily.”
“What do you make of that threat just now?”
“That’s why I held back. Before coming here, Jae-in said something similar. If they deliberately scheme underground, they could trigger a massive earthquake or volcanic eruption that would wipe out all life on the surface.”
“…Surely they wouldn’t do that?”
“If the surface is destroyed, they’ll soon be devoured by the Destruction God as well, so they won’t. But they could torment humanity until then. And if worse comes to worst, they can simply flee to another planet.”
“We need to devise a countermeasure.”
* * *
“Pascal, what exactly is the Sanctuary?”
Something I’d glimpsed while leaving Metallanet had been nagging at me.
“The Sanctuary is where the first Adamant King was born—the one called the original Metalim, the father of all Metalim. It’s the source of every Metalim. Now the Imperial Nobles occupy it, so commoners like us cannot enter.”
“Does it serve no function now?”
“The Sanctuary has the ability to communicate and travel between planets and dimensions. We crossed over to Earth through the Sanctuary as well. And that damned magic preventing us from leaving Metallanet—it’s located there too.”
“Ah! Chairman, could they be trying to travel to another planet?”
“Things were going well, so why suddenly?”
“Who knows? But that’s the most plausible theory, isn’t it?”
“Hmm… Pascal, Paren—do you two wish to take revenge on the Imperial Nobles?”
“Of course. If we could land even one blow on those detestable bastards, we’d do anything.”
Pascal, in slime form, answered, and Paren, also in slime form, nodded in agreement.
“Are there many Metalim who resist the Imperial Nobles like you do? Could we gather such numbers?”
While Metalim were far fewer in number compared to surface lifeforms, they weren’t so scarce that I could simultaneously block them all while swimming through the earth.
In other words, I needed forces to confront the Metallanet soldiers, and Metalim themselves were optimally suited for fighting Metalim underground.
“Many have lost the will to resist after enduring this life for so long. But a minority still harbors the spirit of rebellion. Ridi—we must persuade her first. She was a knight of the previous Royal Family. Many follow her.”
That made sense somehow.
“Then, will you come with me and fight?”
“That won’t work.”
“Didn’t you want to fight?”
“First, the Sanctuary’s magic protects against external invasion. Anyone unauthorized who approaches will be blocked immediately.”
“Couldn’t you force your way through, Chairman?”
“The moment I touch the magic circle, I’ll be detected. And they could use the Sanctuary to travel to other underground bases on Earth, or deliberately trigger earthquakes. The magic circle must be destroyed first.”
“So as an outsider, I cannot enter. But you two should be able to, correct?”
“That’s the second problem.”
From the slime body, plump hands formed, extending two fingers.

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