Chapter 129: Rampager
Lost control? Klein's heart tightened as he nearly blurted out
his question.
Even though Dunn and Old Neil had frequently emphasized the
possibilities of losing control and the harm it caused, this was the
first time he was experiencing an incident like that. He felt a little
horrified, a little lost, a little scared, and a little saddened. He
felt extremely mixed emotions.
*"Among the cases that we... have to deal with annually, a quarter of
them were a result of Beyonders who lost control... And among the
quarter of cases, a large number of them are our teammates."*
Dunn's words flashed past Klein's mind, slowing his reaction.
Old Neil, who had experienced many incidents like this, immediately
asked, "Where is the Rampager? What do you need us to do?"
Klein was taken aback from hearing this. He had believed that a sleazy,
"half-retired personnel" like Old Neil would find an excuse to reject
Swain's request or extort a huge sum in exchange for his help. Never did
Klein expect Old Neil to participate without any hesitation, not minding
the differences between Nighthawks and Mandated Punishers.
Klein suddenly understood something when he looked at the serious Old
Neil. It didn't matter if they were Nighthawks, Mandated Punishers, or
Machinery Hivemind. Their aim was to stop supernatural powers from
harming the innocent and maintain peace and stability in Tingen. If they
were met with a dangerous and urgent situation, their sense of duty
would propel them to help without hesitation!
Swain answered succinctly, "Be my support!"
He didn't explain why the person lost control or where the Rampager was.
Instead, he made his way to the exit quickly.
This ex-captain of the Mandated Punishers was clearly an old alcoholic,
but Klein realized that he could not keep up with the man's pace. He
needed to break into a jog to ensure that he was not left behind.
He turned his head to look at Old Neil, only to see the old Mystery
Pryer break into a run.
The three of them didn't pay any attention to the gazes of the guards on
their way there. One of them had an old navy uniform draped over him,
another was in a dark classic robe, and the other in a black trench
coat. They charged out of the billiard room and into Evil Dragon Bar.
The customers who were drinking shifted their gazes from the rat-baiting
competition to Klein and company.
"Is that Boss Swain?"
"Where's he going in such a hurry?"
"Did someone default on their loan?"
Amidst the soft murmurs, some of the customers focused their attention
back to the cage. They once again broke into an uproar, venting the
stresses of their day. However, some of the more perceptive customers
felt a faint sense of unease.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Klein, Old Neil, and Swain ran across the road and entered the harbor
district.
"On that boat." Swain slowed down and pointed at a cargo ship not far
away. "Two Mandated Punishers are circling the Rampager, preventing him
from entering the Tussock River. Help me influence him and bring him
under control. Leave the rest to me."
Old Neil panted for air and said, "Alright, b-but you have to give me a
minute. Phew, a minute to recover."
Swain nodded and didn't say any more. He charged up to the ship and
joined the fight.
Upon hearing the sounds of combat on the ship, Old Neil looked at the
somewhat nervous Klein. He took out a piece of silver about the size of
a baby's palm from a hidden pocket near his waist. He then passed the
silver to Klein and said, "Slumber Charm. The incantation to activate
this amulet is the phrase 'Evernight' in ancient Hermes. After you
finish the incantation, inject your spirituality into the charm and then
throw it at the target after three seconds."
"Alright!" Klein extended his hand to receive the charm and felt moved.
This charm was carved with Hermes incantations on both sides, as well as
the corresponding symbols, Path Numbers, and the spell's
characteristics. He didn't need to activate his Spirit Vision to feel
the deep, serene power flowing within the charm.
Old Neil stood up straight and took out a similar charm from his hidden
pocket and held it in his palm. He joked as he walked toward the cargo
ship, "Do not be too nervous, relax and think about something else. For
example, I lent you that charm. If you're going to use it, remember to
make one for me in return. Of course, you can wait till next month, when
you receive a new quota of materials before you do so."
This... He really is the experienced Old Neil... Klein placed
the charm into his left pocket, reached into his holster, took out his
revolver, and adjusted the hammer and drum.
"I don't feel that nervous anymore..." He had a gun in one hand and his
cane in the other. He made his way up the steps with Old Neil and
boarded the cargo ship.
This cargo ship had obvious signs of age. Although it was powered by
steam and had a chimney, it retained its past fixtures such as its mast
and sails. Furthermore, only its surface and some other portions were
plated with metal; the remaining sections of the ship were still made of
wood.
As the sounds of the battle intensified, Klein and Old Neil suddenly
heard a loud noise amid the din while searching for a way to enter the
cabin.
The wooden cabin was instantly shattered, its fragments flying
everywhere. A figure fell through the hole and crashed onto the side of
the ship.
Klein didn't have the luxury of time to evaluate the man's injuries. His
gaze was focused on the monster which was charging towards the hole.
The monster was over 1.8 meters in height and was wearing a tattered
shirt and trouser. Its ankles were covered with dark green scales, and a
layer of skin had formed between its fingers and toes, as if they were
the webbed limbs of an aquatic creature.
It had a head covered in wrinkles, still barely resembling a human. Its
scales were coated with a sticky fluid that continuously dripped onto
the floor.
Sizzle!
The sticky dark-green liquid corroded the deck slightly, leaving visible
marks behind.
Bam! Swain punched the monster from the side, causing it to
stagger two steps to the side.
Bam! Bam! Bam! Even with the ridiculous muscles Swain had, he
was clearly inferior to the monster. Despite having his punches and
kicks connect, they were unable to smash through its scales and cause
physical harm. Swain was momentarily reduced to a wretched state as he
staggered.
If not for Swain's astounding sense of balance and the efforts of the
other Mandated Punishers to shoot and suppress the monster, Klein
suspected that this blue-eyed elder would've been beaten to death by the
monster.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Swain took multiple steps back, then
advanced once again, like a moth to a flame.
But Klein could sense that he was accumulating something, waiting for
something.
Bam!
Swain was sent to retreat, his body obscuring another Mandated
Punisher's field of vision.
The monster took this chance to charge towards the opening.
It wanted to escape the ship and jump into the Tussock River!
Looking at the wrinkled, sticky head of the monster, Klein lifted his
right hand and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The silver demon hunting bullet hit the monster's body just as he
predicted. But it had only hit its scales and failed to fully penetrate
its body.
The monster let out a ear-piercing shriek before it exerted strength
with its feet and pounced at Klein.
When a stinking fishy smell hit him, Klein suddenly hunched down and
rolled to the side.
Clang! He felt the ship shake as fragments had hit it as well.
At the same time, he heard an old but deep voice recite an incantation
in ancient Hermes, "Evernight!"
Klein rolled over two more times. He couldn't care about his cane as he
lifted his head and revolver in a fluster. All he saw was Old Neil
tossing out his charm calmly, despite being incredibly close to the
monster.
The piece of silver was instantly swallowed by a dark red flame and
released the faint sound of an explosion.
A deep, serene power spread forth. The monster, who had almost destroyed
the side of the ship, rocked. Its movements became sluggish.
Swain charged out from the cabin. He approached the creature and pulled
back his arm, hitting the monster like a jackhammer. His punches
connected with the head of the monster.
But he could barely inflict a wound, let alone cause any fatal damage.
But Klein could sense that whatever the blue-eyed elder was accumulating
had finally reached its peak.
Boom! The monster seemed to recover. It flailed its arm and
made Swain take five steps back in retreat. Each of his steps caused
cracks to form on the deck.
Seeing that the monster was about to turn around and jump off the cargo
ship, Klein took out the Slumber Charm from his pocket in a hurry.
After which, he expertly recited the phrase in Ancient Hermes,
"Evernight!"
Suddenly, Klein felt the silver charm in his hand turn ice-cold, as if
it was made from snow.
He didn't think too much about it. He injected his spirituality into the
charm, then pulled his arm back before throwing it forward, sending the
charm flying towards the monster.
Meanwhile, the murloc-like monster had jumped into the air.
The dark red flames illuminated the surrounding darkness and the faint
explosion was like a prelude to a slumber as it quickly radiated
outwards.
Bam!
The monster fell onto the dock, squirming into a ball. It was
temporarily in a half-asleep state.
Klein was just about to rush to the side of the boat and shoot at the
monster's head when he suddenly saw Swain charge out and jump over, his
navy uniform already long gone.
He changed his posture in the air, his muscles tightening.
Using his spiritual perception, Klein could feel something that had been
suppressed erupt. Swain descended from the sky and slammed into the body
of the monster. He then straightened his back and landed a heavy fist on
the head of the monster.
Crack!
The monster's skull shattered into pieces. Dark red blood and grayish
brain matter laced with the green sticky liquid splattered all over the
ground.
"This is one of the abilities of a Folk of Rage?" Klein muttered to
himself as he stood near the broken side of the ship.
Old Neil held his left arm and leaned over to look at what had happened
below.
At that moment, Swain was standing straight. He stared at the monster
under his feet that had just lost its life.
He took out a metal flask and opened the lid. He drank a good half of
the liquor before tilting the flask, pouring the remaining liquor onto
the monster.
After finishing this, Swain looked like he had aged considerably, his
back hunching a little.
Old Neil sighed as he looked at the scene below. He whispered to Klein,
"I know this Mandated Punisher who lost control. He had followed Swain
for almost thirty years, once clearing water ghosts who had been killing
people on the shore. He also captured evil Beyonders who were trying to
escape through the Tussock River..."
He didn't continue, but Klein understood what he wanted to say: A guard
who had made many contributions and killed countless monsters ended up
becoming a monster himself.
This was not an isolated incident. It was a possible outcome that many
members of the Nighthawks, Mandated Punishers, or Machinery Hivemind
would one day face.
TL Note: Hi, CKtalon here, the translator of LoM. I've
included the author's notes before the book went Premium in China below.
Author's Notes:
It has been two months since LoM was first released, and it's time to go
Premium.
In the past two months, I nearly didn't say much in the Author's Notes
or interact much with you. The main reason is that I'm increasingly
convinced that the best communication between author and reader is
inside the novel. I will write whatever I wish to express or describe
inside the story, so there's no need for me to say anything else.
Yes, back to LoM, I probably had this idea to find the joy from first
coming into contact with web novels. That feeling of "wow, there can be
such a world" or "there's actually such a magical world."
Back then, every book presented a variety of different and interesting
worlds. It always exposed me to more, making me unable to extricate
myself from those worlds as they expand my imagination. Of course, it
has to do with me having little exposure to similar novels.
Therefore, when I felt that I had made sufficient preparations in
creating the framework of a relatively new world and an interesting and
amazing system, I began this book with uneasiness and courage.
With "acting" the 22 Pathways as core, with 220 potions and 220 "jobs,"
this is a part that I hope the most that can interest everyone. In
addition, it mixes in Cthulu mythos, SCP Foundation elements, and the
vibes of the first Industrial Revolution's era and a steampunk world.
I read many books and created many settings, but I know that what's most
important is to carefully tell this story. I took my time to tell it,
which is why the first volume's pace is extremely slow. It's also why
chapters consisting of more than 410,000+ Chinese characters (255,000+
English words) were released free. I wanted to honestly develop the plot
and accentuate the characters to portray the world. I didn't seek
so-called climaxes and presented the scenes in my heart to you.
Thanks to MAM's writing, I was able to have standards that can attract
others when writing slice of life parts, allowing me to be equipped with
the ability and writing flair needed to honestly tell a story.
In the past, I learned how to express, or it could be said that every
writer or author can innately express. But now, I feel that I've begun
restraining myself. Many a time, I would not describe it, but use
actions, speech and expressions to present the emotions, without any
inner monologue. I might not even use actions, speech, and expression,
just describing it coldly, like the chapter with the female lead
workers. It's also my wish to maintain standards at critical points in
LoM.
This book's various frameworks are probably the most complete one among
all my books. Look forward to how I handle everything.
This is my thoughts and attempts for this book. I hope everyone will
like it. I wish you can support me by paying for Premium chapters; after
all, I still need to make a livelihood. I still need to meet the demands
of my wife...
I've always been a normal person, and I've never had any doubts to that.
At the same time, I'm also a person who's very lazy and have many
personality problems.
I once thought of organizing my own fan club like other authors, but,
aiyah, it's really frustrating and tiring. Then, there was no more
'thens.'
I once thought of having a Weibo[Chinese Twitter.] to amass some popularity, but, aiyah,
it's really frustrating and tiring. Then, there was no more 'thens.'
I've already lost track of the last time I updated on Weibo.
I made a public WeChat account and attempted writing somethings, but,
aiyah, it's really frustrating and tiring. Then, there are updates only
once in a while.
I attempted to hire others to help me run the social media account, but
I always find it awkward and embarrassing seeing the content posted by
others. So, I stopped it.
*Phew, I wish to be a mediator for myself. Admit it, you are a lazy
person. You are a person who is flawed when it comes to social
interactions. You are a thin skinned person who wants face at the cost
of your life. You are a person who doesn't like getting disturbed by
various miscellaneous matters. You are just like it is to wash a pig is
to waste both water and soap.*
Perhaps, what I can do well and am willing to do well is to write
novels, the depiction of the story in my heart.
That is how I reconcile with myself, not to live on awkwardly or force
myself to become popular. For the public account, I'll post something
when I think of it. If there's nothing, forget it. Well, reconciliation
is just an artistic way of saying convincing. The accurate description
should be to live in self-abandonment. \Rubs hands nefariously.\
After this communication, we will have Premium chapters for the next
update. I'll make my plea here for you to support Premium and vote with
your Power Stones. There will be a mass release! Really, I have a
stockpile!
Well, there will at least be 5, maybe 6!