I Became the Ophidian of the Apocalypse - Chapter 59

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: HidingTurtle

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◈ I Became the Ophidian of the Apocalypse ◈

Chapter 59: Prime Snake

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059.

Greylim Territory.

Did the sky itself know the situation Greylim was in?

There were hardly any clear days, and the sky remained gloomy every day.

That day was especially overcast.

It would have been better if rain had simply poured down in a vicious downpour. Instead, it fell in such sparse drops that it was hard to tell whether it was mist or rain.

The soldiers' hair was damp with it.

"Prepare to march!"

At the commander's shout, the squad captains formed ranks with the soldiers under their command.

Every soldier looked fierce. Only those who had crossed the threshold of death at least once had gathered here. They were also people who had fought monsters before.

One thousand soldiers and one hundred knights.

That was the force setting out on this expedition.

There were a considerable number of knights compared to the soldiers. It showed that this expedition force had been formed from elites.

Zain was not joining the expedition.

Instead, Zain stood atop the wall that had been built as a barrier against the Great Forest, watching the soldiers assemble. Rainwater trickled down Zain's cheeks from wet bangs.

Zain's face had gone pale.

It was not because Zain could not join the expedition. Zain had noticed something suspicious.

'It's strange. Definitely strange.'

Why were they suddenly setting out on an expedition into the Great Forest?

If left alone, the monsters would fight and kill one another anyway. Were they really claiming they would clear out the nearby monsters for the territory's safety?

The monsters on the outskirts of the Great Forest were not particularly dangerous. The monsters deep within it did not come outside.

Was that not common knowledge?

Yet Gunter was preparing as though for war.

'The mages from the Magic Tower.'

Three elderly people in robes rather than armor stood beside Gunter.

No symbols representing the Magic Tower were embroidered on their robes, and they were not casting magic, but Zain was certain they were mages from the Magic Tower.

Those eccentric elders were immensely proud and horrendously greedy. Gunter could not have summoned them with personal funds.

Besides, a single Magic Tower mage held the same value as dozens of siege engines.

'Was this requested by the royal family?'

That was all Zain could guess.

The suspicious things did not end there.

Greylim Territory itself had changed.

An enormous amount of oil and gunpowder had been stockpiled. On top of that, all the young people and children had been sent away under the pretext of reclaiming undeveloped land.

What sort of damned land reclamation was that supposed to be?

The only people left in the villages were elderly people with little time left to live, or the sick.

Or the lord's family, still confined in the castle...

Just then, someone approached Zain.

"Sir, you look cold. Come warm yourself by the fire..."

"...I'm fine."

The person urging Zain to warm up was also elderly.

Normally, they would have been passing the time in a warm room. But after all their children left to reclaim the undeveloped lands, they had come outside to warm themselves by a fire and roast potatoes.

"Don't be like that. The potatoes are done. Please, come eat."

"..."

Zain had no appetite, but sat by the fire anyway.

The elder poked through the firewood with a piece of kindling and spoke.

"It feels like my dying day is near..."

"What are you talking about?"

"That's just how it feels. It must be time to die. It isn't just me. Every old soul left around here thinks the same."

Even the common elderly people left in the territory sensed that something ominous was happening.

For some reason, Zain became irritated.

"If it feels that ominous, then leave. If you feel something's wrong, hold hands with the other old folks and run away."

"Heh heh..."

The elder was not frightened by the knight's anger at all.

Zain had the feeling that even drawing a sword would not frighten them.

"Surviving this long without dying... I've felt terribly sorry to my children for that. Still, I'm very grateful that I got to send them away. My son and grandson, they both left. Yes, it's something I'm truly grateful for. To my lords..."

Zain felt a lump rise in his throat.

The expression "my lords" probably included Gunter, the Iron Lion Knights, and even Zain.

How could that elder lump everyone together as lords?

Zain was only an attendant knight who had not even been allowed to join the expedition.

"Zain!"

A knight appeared and thumped Zain on the back.

"You bastard, why the funeral face? You should be happy you're getting to sit this expedition out and have it easy."

The knight grinned broadly.

This knight was also a senior Iron Lion Knight who had survived battle alongside Gunter.

Several veteran knights had remained here.

That made it feel even more ominous.

"Get up and at least wave. The expedition's about to leave."

Bwoooooo!

Right then, a horn sounded to announce the departure.

"Open the gates!"

The castle gates opened.

Led along by the senior knight, Zain also took up a saluting stance.

Silently, for a long time.

Gunter rode at the front of the formation.

Gunter turned back and looked up at the wall.

As always, Gunter's gaze was ice-cold.

When Gunter looked away, the knights and mages beside Gunter also turned to look behind them. They must have seen Zain and the knights saluting from atop the wall.

"What is it, Commander?" a knight asked Gunter.

"Nothing."

"Heh heh, look at Zain's face. Zain looks like death warmed over."

Only those who had fought through battle alongside Gunter could speak so casually.

"Zain's seemed distracted lately."

"That is true."

"...Is it really all right not to bring Zain along?"

There was an odd coldness in that casually tossed question.

"Leave Zain behind. Had Zain not become a knight, Zain would have inherited the family's duties and lived comfortably."

"If you say so."

"My lord!"

The last remark came from a Magic Tower mage.

The mage with two missing front teeth grinned and said, "Prepare two chickens and some gunpowder. I think I need to draw a magic circle here in advance."

"Do so."

Gunter remained calm, while the knight beside Gunter frowned.

"Ah, I've got a feeling this will be rough from the very start."

"Good."

Gunter smiled faintly.

"Prepare yourselves. This will certainly be the worst expedition."

* * *

Smack!

I coldly knocked away Father's tail as he tried to pat my head.

'Don't touch me.'

It wasn't that I was going through a late adolescence.

I'd fought with Father.

Swoosh.

'Ah, I said don't touch me!'

Father's tail smacked me in return.

I spun three times through the air before landing.

"Sss!"

When I got angry, Father flicked his tongue and made an angry face too.

If you want to make up, then see it through.

I was considering whether to use Overlord on him when Father sharply turned his head away first.

It left a bitter taste in my mouth.

The reason I was upset with Father was that he had slammed me into the ground with his tail. I thought at least ten of my ribs had broken. Without a potion, I could have died.

"Sss!"

Thinking about it made me angry all over again.

It was fortunate that I was used to getting hit by my father in my previous life. Otherwise, this would have been worth reporting as domestic violence!

-At least he apologizes.

...That was true.

At least Father in this life had apologized after hitting me.

-And it didn't look intentional. You're so petty...

It was possible that Father had not intentionally whipped me with his tail.

It had happened at dawn that morning.

When I woke up and came outside, Father was lying there with his eyes closed.

He looked asleep, but for once he had not disappeared and was right in front of me. Had he accidentally dozed off?

I had only become curious.

About Father's level, traits, skills, and so on.

I focused my eyes and peeked at Father's status window.

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【Polaris Serpent Lv. 100】

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Father was exactly Level 100.

Perhaps because he was asleep, I felt like I could see a little more than usual.

The moment I tried to focus harder to examine his traits and skills, Father snapped his eyes open.

Then, crash, I was slammed into the ground.

I only realized afterward that Father had struck me with his tail.

Well, that was what happened.

Things had become a little awkward, but we could not stay that way forever.

I looked at Father.

Father looked down at me with an unreadable gaze.

I nodded.

Father nodded back.

Yeah, this should do it.

'Advisor.'

"Yes, Boss..."

Gorilla acted as my bugler.

With her booming voice.

"Move oooout!"

The Beasts of the Zoo began to move.

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【Monster Leader】

You have tamed over 100 monsters.

Your control over monsters strengthens.

A natural authority emanates from you.

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The number of monsters in my group had finally passed 100.

We were still weaker than the Insect Legion and the primate group, but much had changed. Neither faction dared to underestimate us now.

The monkeys and insects had stopped attacking us too.

We had managed to survive safely until today.

The three-way balance of power had worked.

At last, the day had come when a Radiant Fruit would form on the root that had risen in the Central Zone.

Every group was gathering around the enormous central root.

I could see the monkey group and the insect group.

'There are disgustingly many of them.'

I was shocked and impressed.

The Insect Legion's overwhelming numbers were the reason.

Had that many insect monsters been hiding in the swamp? There had to be at least tens of thousands of them.

Ah, I could see the Giant Centipede over there too.

Between Insect King Riokk and the chimpanzee, the chimpanzee seemed a little stronger.

The Insect Legion, on the other hand, likely had the advantage in overall group strength through sheer numbers.

Thornbushes had grown around the huge central root.

They seemed meant to keep others from approaching, but they were a barrier that would be smashed apart in no time if the monsters decided to cross.

The monkeys and insects surrounded the area, snarling as though they wanted to fight one another.

They would inevitably clash.

How tempting must the Radiant Fruit's scent be?

Insect King Riokk and the Silver Monkey were glaring at one another as well, as though they wanted to settle the match they had failed to finish before.

'Stop.'

"Stooop!"

We did not step between them.

Instead, I had the group stop a little ways back.

The monsters who had been terrified looked relieved.

We were a group with just enough strength. Not something they feared, but not something they could ignore either.

This time too, I would stubbornly aim to profit from their struggle.

*「A Radiant Fruit will soon form.」

I heard the message again.

I had also made sure Father drank plenty of Mana Potions.

The usually quiet Father spoke.

「We must have the fruit.」

Why had Father changed his mind after sleeping beneath a rock as though he had no interest in it?

It did not matter. I intended to get that fruit too.

'Mole.'

The Burrowing Mole had been enjoying the honor of riding on Gorilla's shoulder with me.

'Go.'

Following my command, the mole dug into the ground.

That little guy could dig like nothing else.

I considered how I could secure the fruit before the other two groups did.

It was certain they would clash eventually.

To profit from their struggle, would I not need to take down at least one of the two that survived the fight?

Pelerian and I put our heads together.

Out of hundreds of possibilities, what was the way for us to win?

In the end, we came up with one plan.

'It'll work, right?'

-It depends on how you do it.

That was true.

I had a reason for coming up with this plan.

'It doesn't seem that belonging to a group is a matter of Taming.'

At first, I had been mistaken.

I had thought I needed to successfully tame someone for them to become part of my group.

But I realized something at some point.

Bowbow, Big Head, and Big Eyes, whom I had definitely tamed, did not belong to my group.

I had never received shared experience points from them. It was not as though they had not hunted simply because they were still young.

On the other hand, Father, whom I had failed to tame, belonged to my group.

Thanks to the experience Father shared with me, I had already passed Level 20.

Then it was worth making a guess.

What about the Insect Legion?

Had that mindless Insect King Riokk tamed every other insect?

Had the Human-Faced Spider and the Giant Centipede been tamed by Insect King Riokk?

It did not seem likely.

That spider even seemed to despise Insect King Riokk, calling Insect King Riokk a monster.

Belonging to a group was probably a matter of whether you were under that monster's control.

You became part of a group by following the leader's commands and direction.

Just as Father followed my command.

Then I...

"Boss."

Gorilla called to me.

When I looked where she pointed, the mole was poking its little head out.

It had returned.

'Did you find it? Can we do this?'

The mole nodded.

Just in case, I verified it from another direction.

A purple parrot fluttered overhead.

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【One-Eyed Purple Parrot Lv. 12】

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It was a scouting monster I had recruited after the owl died.

Its purple feathers made it less noticeable while flying.

The parrot answered with harsh squawks.

"It's there! It's there!"

Then this gamble was worth trying.

I earnestly told Gorilla and Father to hold their positions and save their strength.

I could easily return using Emergency Return.

「Go.」

With Father's send-off, I crawled into the tunnel after the mole.

It was cramped, but wide enough to crawl through.

After we had gone on for a while, the mole suddenly stopped.

It pointed upward, then slipped into the space to the side.

'Go back.'

The mole quickly nodded and began to flee.

Now I had to make my way alone.

I climbed upward, to the surface.

And what waited for me there was...

Countless insects.

Scritch, clatter, tap. Tick, click. Bzzz, skitter. Chirp. Clack, clatter, clack. Scritch, clatter, tap. Tick, click. Bzzz, skitter. Chirp. Clack, clatter, clack. Scritch, clatter, tap. Tick, click. Bzzz, skitter. Chirp. Clack, clatter, clack. Scritch, clatter, tap. Tick, click. Bzzz, skitter. Chirp. Clack, clatter, clack.

I was in the middle of the Insect Legion's right-flank formation.

The insect monsters all turned to look at me.

Did this strange reptile look like prey to them?

I did not charge in and brawl with the insects.

That was because...

"Kreee!"

Centipede Mom was there, completely flustered.

She quickly made the surrounding insects withdraw.

The insects here definitely seemed to be under Centipede Mom's control.

That was fortunate.

I stood upright before her.

'Giant Centipede.'