Episode 295 – Pig Hunt (1)
“They sure stay busy.”
Resting my chin on my hand at the window, I watched outside.
It had been three days since I settled here.
The movements of the Cleaners were simple.
They busily moved in and out of the rundown building across the way from morning till night.
It looked like they were exchanging information inside, but from here, I couldn't hear what they were saying.
I considered approaching discreetly when the opportunity arose, but soon gave up on the idea.
‘They’re too sharp to approach carelessly.’
Cleaners were hyenas that moved through the shadows.
Their senses were sharp, and they were always prepared for surveillance, making the risk of being caught too high.
‘Samuel’s been surprisingly good at staying on the run.’
Even if they tracked him, it seemed they couldn’t catch him easily.
I was curious about what was happening, but if they realized someone was tailing them, they might change their tracking method.
If any variables arose, it’d be a headache. Best to wait silently until they made a move.
‘That pig's still crouching too.’
I looked up at the top floor of the building.
It wasn’t far, so I could still sense his divine aura.
The pig moved exactly three times a day.
A cart covered in cloth would be brought inside at morning, noon, and evening.
There were traces of blood left behind the cart, which suggested it was carrying corpses.
Each time, Zarakan would move down to the dining area.
I could only hope the corpses weren’t human.
“Right on time again. Punctual as always.”
Seeing the cart covered in cloth being brought inside, I stood up.
Zarakan’s mealtime was like a brief moment of rest for me.
As I twisted my body and stretched, I heard movement behind me.
Ding-a-ling!
A clear chime echoed in the room.
Turning my head, I saw Lily ringing a bell with sparkling eyes.
Even Keros, who had been asleep, instantly sprang to attention in front of her.
He was drooling so much it reminded me of Pavlov’s dog—salivating at the sound of a bell.
A conditioned reflex.
“D-Did you call for me!?”
Hearing the bell, a staff member appeared.
His face tensed as he saw Lily and Keros.
Holding a small notepad, he cautiously handed over the menu. That’s when Lily’s rapid-fire ordering began.
“This, this, this. And this...!”
“J-Just a moment...?”
“This, this!!!”
Struggling to keep up, the staff member scribbled furiously, then even took Keros’s paw-ordered menu before vanishing in a cold sweat.
Three times a day.
Just like pig Zarakan, there was a little pig here that rang the mealtime bell at precise intervals.
The meals here seemed to suit Lily’s tastes quite well.
Soon, the round table was filled with food, and Lily, humming with joy, began to eat.
Clink, clatter—
The sounds of plates and utensils clashing.
It looked like she had summoned everything listed on the menu again today.
‘If it weren’t for the VIP bracelet, we’d be screwed.’
The VIP bracelet I received as a Dark Sales participant allowed me to use any lodging in Aintrier at half price.
It was part of their strategy to drain as much money as possible by keeping the rich in Aintrier longer.
Thanks to it, I was able to cover Lily’s massive food costs at a very low rate.
Looking at the bracelet made me think of Lord Azonet.
‘Since he hasn’t contacted me yet, I bet he’ll call on the last registration day.’
I had informed the Golden Mask of my lodging location through the staff.
Surely, the leaf’s information had reached Azonet’s ears, yet there was no reaction from him.
‘He’s testing the waters.’
Knowing Azonet well, I had no trouble reading his intentions.
The more important the item, the more he liked to wait until the very last minute to create urgency.
He was trying to apply pressure by waiting for the registration deadline.
But that wouldn’t work on me.
I knew better than anyone how much potential the leaf I worked on possessed.
‘He’s probably running numbers trying to squeeze the best terms out of me.’
With Azonet, negotiating always meant being ready to take a loss.
Azonet Vistas.
His ability was entirely focused on ‘money,’ and when it came to financial matters, few could beat him.
“Arthur, aren’t you eating?”
“...I’m fine.”
“If there’s anything you want, just say it. I’ll order it for you.”
Seeing Lily treat the bell so preciously made me chuckle.
To her, the meal bell must have seemed like a magical device that endlessly produced food.
As she fiddled with the bell and looked at me, she suddenly froze and let out a puzzled sound.
“Huh?!”
Her gaze turned toward the window, so I looked outside.
Nothing stood out.
“What is it?”
“It’s changing.”
“Changing?”
“The mana.”
Lily rose from her chair and hurried to the window, where she stared outside for a while.
A faint glow shimmered in her eyes.
Her ability—the Talent of the Full Moon—was reading the mana flowing through the air.
Soon, she located the source of the mana and pointed.
A massive castle rising in the heart of Aintrier.
The lord’s castle, where Lord Azonet resided.
“The mana flowing from that castle is wrapping around the entire city.”
“Wrapping? A barrier?”
“Seems like it.”
“What kind of barrier?”
She stared into space for a moment, then furrowed her brow and shook her head.
“I’m not sure. I’ve never seen anything like it before. It’s definitely not offensive. Doesn’t feel like a curse or mind magic either... what is it?”
I let her mumble to herself.
Gave her time to think it through quietly and turned my eyes back outside.
I strained my eyes, but everything still looked the same.
“What exactly is supposed to be there...?”
All I could see were ordinary alleys and buildings clustered between them.
A peaceful cityscape beneath clear skies.
I didn’t have her kind of talent to sense and interpret energy, so of course I couldn’t see what she saw.
“Huh?!”
But while I couldn’t read energy like she could, I could detect the divine aura of a divine power user.
Zarakan, who had been inside the building’s restaurant, suddenly reacted fiercely and began to move.
It was the fastest movement I had seen from him yet.
Moments later—
BOOOOM!
Zarakan burst through the building entrance, his massive body shaking the air.
“Damn it, those mother—!”
For some reason, his face twisted in rage, gripping a hand axe tightly.
“I said not to bother me while I eat, but they ignored it, huh?!”
There was blood smeared on the back of his hand as he wiped his mouth.
Still chewing angrily, he grumbled through full cheeks.
What the hell had he been eating?
Startled by his violent appearance, the surrounding Cleaners rushed over and watched him carefully.
Then Zarakan shouted:
“Gather the scattered Cleaners! It’s time to hunt!”
“Yes, sir!”
“The signal’s come down. We move now.”
Zarakan began preparing quickly, his eyes fixed on the castle.
“Those greedy bastards. I’ll see you after the hunt.”
Gathering the Cleaners, Zarakan moved with tremendous speed.
His motion through the alleys was like lightning—nothing like the ‘pig’ I had come to expect.
As the Cleaners vanished, I immediately followed.
With Lily and Keros, I stood at the alley entrance where Zarakan had disappeared.
“Lily, what about the barrier?”
“It’s wrapped around the whole city. It’s active now.”
“What’s the effect?”
“Space is warped.”
“Space?”
A barrier that warped space—it was clearly targeting someone specific.
As soon as the barrier activated, Zarakan moved.
So who was the target of this barrier?
Samuel Barber.
A barrier meant to ensnare Samuel, the one who manipulates space.
That even Lord Azonet moved to catch just Samuel was unexpected, but based on Zarakan’s earlier orders, he clearly intended to hunt him.
‘If the pig ran out mid-meal, it means time is critical.’
We had to chase immediately.
“Keros, track him from a distance.”
“Woof!”
Keros sniffed the air and picked up the trail.
He’d once told me Zarakan smelled like rotting meat.
The stench was so strong that Keros could track him from a distance.
The pursuit was stealthy.
From afar, we relied on Keros’s nose; up close, I used my clairvoyant eyes to follow Zarakan’s divine aura.
We kept our distance to avoid being noticed.
Soon, we entered the shadowy back alleys—Aintrier’s underworld.
Because the Cleaners had rampaged through here with such ferocity, the alley was now deathly silent.
BOOM—
“Hmm?”
While tracking, we heard a crash in the distance.
Could it be that a battle with Samuel had begun?
No screams were heard, so perhaps not.
I sped up.
Soon, I stopped at the end of an alley.
Looking around, I saw no sign of Zarakan.
“He’s gone.”
If I got close enough, I could feel his aura—but now, for the first time, I had lost it.
I looked at Keros, who had his nose to the ground.
Sniff sniff sniff, he snuffled around as if tracing the earlier sound.
Then—
“Woof!?”
Keros barked, standing in front of a large warehouse.
On one side, a broad staircase led underground, and at the bottom was a massive iron door—now completely crushed.
Inside the shattered entrance, it was pitch black.
As I stepped closer, Lily clutched her nose and grimaced.
“Ugh! It reeks!”
A thick sewer stench wafted up.
This looked like a warehouse for managing Aintrier’s underground waterways.
The lower part of the warehouse was connected to the underground sewage system, where we found traces of the Cleaners.
‘Was Samuel hiding in the sewers?’
We passed the ruined door and rushed into the tunnel.
Though the path was dark, our senses were sharp enough to navigate it.
A damp chill lingered, and soon a faint light revealed a complex underground channel.
Water up to the waist flowed down the center, with narrow walkways on either side.
Following the path and the traces left behind—
Catch him———!
We heard Cleaners shouting from afar.
Along with screams and the clashing of weapons.
Combat.
Samuel was nearby.
“Cut off his ankles—!”
A familiar voice.
Zarakan’s voice echoed through the tunnel, brimming with bloodlust.
I wanted to help immediately, but the maze-like corridors made it impossible to tell which direction the voices came from.
I looked at Keros.
“Keros, how’s it look?”
Rotting sewer stench?
Or Zarakan’s rotting meat?
As I asked who stank worse, Keros blinked up at me.
“I’ll make it worth your while.”
He nodded and darted in one direction.
Thankfully, Zarakan’s stench was stronger.
I sighed and summoned the Bloodsucking Ring.
The bowstring absorbed blood and formed a glowing red arrow—Enchant: Piercing.
Vhuuung!
A blue light wrapped sharply around the arrow.
The bowstring drew tight.
Three days of waiting. Now it was time. Time to start the hunt.
Not for Cleaners, But for the pig.