Chapter 105: Completing The Quest

Together, they both stepped out of the dark alleyway they had been walking through.

Declan received a few looks here and there, but nothing seemed abnormal.

There were others cloaked in garments that concealed their features, and since he was clearly being led by a Yorimuda guard, none of them dared approach.

Adalman didn’t do anything strange either, even as they passed several guards.

He had suddenly become far more friendly, but Declan wasn’t stupid enough to believe the guard had genuinely become a friend.

He knew he was most likely being tracked, or worse, this guy could be leading him straight into a den of guards.

Whatever the case, Declan wasn’t going to fall for it.

His senses were sharpened to their maximum, taking in every detail and sound from kilometers away.

Yet even with his senses stretched to their peak, he still spared enough attention to take in the city they were moving through.

There were a lot of races.

Like, a real lot.

It was undeniable to Declan that the sight felt strange.

An alien race like the Ember may have indeed invaded Mordran, but you wouldn’t find Embers casually strolling through the streets in broad daylight.

Only humans filled the streets back home.

Yet here, Declan was walking through a city filled with countless races that were obviously different from one another, and somehow, they seemed to coexist with more or less harmony.

It was a surreal feeling, but it wasn’t all good. There was also the obvious hierarchy.

Some races held other races in chains, dragging them along as they obediently followed behind.

What was even more unbelievable was that some of the races pulling these chained beings along could probably be flattened into paste by the very creatures they were dragging.

Yet that never happened.

It was almost like...Like a kid taming a tiger.

Declan couldn’t understand how something like that was even possible.

’I guess this would fit into that slavery stuff they used to talk about in history books,’ he mused quietly.

Apart from the people, there was much more to the city.

They used Notes to trade for food, meat, and other necessities.

And while some spoke Archon, many still used English, allowing Declan to understand their conversations as he walked past.

They didn’t seem to have much technological advancement at all.

Yet Declan couldn’t fathom how they had managed to construct such incredibly smooth buildings and floors without technology.

Their structures were smoother and more precise than most of the builds on Mordran, and he knew that construction technology was one of the most advanced fields on his planet.

As they continued farther into the city, they soon reached a road with fewer people trading and more beings in chains.

They were being dragged toward a massive dome-like building covered in purple runes, radiating arcane light that stretched high into the sky.

And among those being dragged toward the dome were the Ronkhasa Giants.

The moment Declan saw them, a notification flashed before his eyes.

[Congratulations on Completing the Mission. Find the Missing Ronkhasa Giant.]

’Done’, he mused quietly.

Adalman was still leading him forward, but Declan could already sense it.

Dozens of guards were marching behind them on the bridge, while powerful arcane waves emanated from inside the dome ahead, indicating that numerous guards were stationed there.

If he walked toward the Ronkhasa Giants now, he would be captured alongside them.

Understanding this, Declan paused for a moment.

Then he quietly retraced his steps.

And in the next instant, he vanished from the bridge, disappearing into the flowing stream beneath it.

"There’s the Ronkhasa Giant. You want to..."

Adalman was still speaking when he suddenly paused and his head snapped backward.

Declan was gone.

He dashed toward the edge of the bridge and looked down, spotting ripples spreading across the surface of the stream.

"Tch. I lost him!"

"Adalman, where is he...?"

The guards who had reached him asked and Adalman pointed down at the water.

They all looked down, only to see the river continuing to flow peacefully. The ripples had already calmed.

"You... you worthless thing! You let him escape!?"

PAAAAAK!

__________________

"Kekeke, sucker!"

A mocking snicker escaped Declan’s lips as he quietly swam forward through the stream.

That fool had led him forward, thinking he could capture him next, but he had failed, and Declan had slipped away.

The current carried him effortlessly until, moments later, he found himself approaching a waterfall.

It wasn’t particularly violent or especially wide, so Declan simply followed its descent, allowing the water to carry him steadily downward.

What Declan didn’t know was that midway through the ten-meter drop, a strange blue mist twisted like a soft vortex.

The moment he drifted into it, he vanished, never reaching the pool below.

Yet from his perspective, the sensation of falling simply continued, uninterrupted and completely disorienting.

More water surrounded him at the bottom, and he continued forward until he finally found land.

Quickly rushing forward, Declan’s head broke through the surface as he placed both hands on what he believed was solid ground, trying to pull himself out.

But in that moment, his expression changed as the surface beneath his hands suddenly sank.

Declan’s eyes widened upon the realization:

’This is no land.’

He immediately shot backward, dipping himself back into the water. Then his eyes widened when he saw what he had been standing on.

A gigantic fish tail, almost resembling that of a massive serpent, stretched for well over ten meters.

As Declan stared at it, the tail shifted and from its far end, a shape emerged, swimming directly toward him.

The sight completely petrified him.

It was a woman.

A woman with purple hair and purple eyes, with skin as smooth as glass and white as snow.

But she was no ordinary woman.

Her beautiful face was ruined by a monstrous maw that stretched almost to her ears, while a massive snake-like fish tail extended from beneath her waist.

"What the!? A mermaid!?"

A muted scream escaped Declan’s throat, reduced to nothing more than a rush of bubbles.

The creature halted, startled for a moment by his sudden appearance.

Then a slow, wicked smile curled across her face as she watched him desperately flee through the water.

She didn’t chase him. Instead, she opened her maw wide.

A monstrous suction force erupted from her mouth, dragging the entire mass of water toward her throat along with the helpless Declan.

’Devoured just after finally getting my shop activated!? Hell nah!’

Declan immediately made his decision:

A cube appeared in his grasp and he tightened his grip, resulting in nanotech rippling across his right palm.

His NanoPhoton Blaster.

Holding it downward, Declan’s palm expanded as the nanotech unfolded.

BOOOOOOOOOM!

A heavy explosion erupted as the photon detonated, the shockwave instantly launching Declan out of the sea.

The moment he escaped the water, his eyes rapidly swiveled around allowing him to spot an island in the distance.

In the next instant...

BOOOOOOOM!

BOOOOOOOM!

BOOOOOOOM!

Three more explosions followed with Declan using each blast to propel himself forward through the air at tremendous speed.

The blaster eventually exhausted its energy, and he landed back in the water.

But the island was already close.

He didn’t bother looking behind him, instead, swimming at full speed before launching himself onto the shore.

He collapsed onto the sand panting heavily. Declan looked toward the sea.

Nothing. Not even a single ripple disturbed the surface.

The fact that the monster hadn’t followed should have calmed him. Instead, it only heightened his caution.

A monster like that should have followed.

Still...

"Phewwwww..."

He exhaled in relief.

"FUUUUU!"

The sound of someone blowing air directly into his ear suddenly rang out.

Declan immediately jerked backward and he turned to look.

What he found was a woman on all fours, completely naked, with a grin spread across her face.

"You! Stay away!" he shouted, his hands immediately reaching for something.

All he grabbed was sand.

"Tehehehe..."

The woman slowly rose to her feet, giggling strangely. But the sight of her made Declan unconsciously squeeze his eyes shut.

She was naked.

[But she could be the monster.]

The panel flashed.

Declan immediately snapped his eyes again, only to close them once more.

He remained there with both hands covering his face, peeking through the small gaps between his fingers.

"Huh?"

The woman’s eyebrow rose at the strange sight.

"Can you... put on something?" Declan asked.

She looked down at herself. A wicked grin immediately crossed her face as she understood why he was asking.

Still, she casually waved one hand to the side.

A light-purple robe appeared around her body, concealing her features.

"You’re an inferior?" she asked.

She stepped toward Declan who backed away in a flash.

But then he was brought to a stop as his back slam into something soft.

He quickly turned around only to find a pair of eyes staring directly at him.

"What the!?"

Declan cursed in disbelief and immediately rushed backward.

When he turned around again, all he saw was an afterimage of the woman slowly breaking apart into motes of purple light.

’Fast. She’s insanely fast.’

Declan watched the woman cautiously.

She didn’t say anything.

She simply stared at him with an expression that was somehow both amused and predatory.

"Hey, uh... did you see the creature in the water?" Declan asked, pointing toward the sea.

The woman turned to look at it before turning back toward him.

"You mean the monster?"

Declan paused.

"It’s a woman with a fish tail," he explained.

Her face displayed confusion.

"Or a snake tail. I wasn’t sure. But she’s very huge!"

"A wo-man?"