Chapter 31: Holy Relic (2)

'If there's one fortunate thing... it's that Tatiana Belov probably doesn't know that it's the Church of Morte's holy relic.'

If she knew, there's no reason she would have been chased by monsters and beasts while trying to escape.

In other words, it's safe to assume that Tatiana Belov doesn't know how to use the relic, nor does she realize that it's a holy relic of the Church of Morte.

'But... if by any chance she already knows, it becomes a serious problem.'

Even if the Church of Morte's holy relic is present, it doesn't guarantee safety for Ark.

'The effective range of the relic can only cover a single line of the front.'

Therefore, even if the relic is activated within Ark's vast frontline, monsters and beasts would simply gather at other lines outside its protective range.

This means that the burden on one line would be transferred to another, accelerating the collapse of Ark.

'Besides, the relic isn't even a perfect object.'

The power of the relic merely stimulates the instinctive fear of monsters and beasts.

It doesn't create an absolute safe zone.

There are plenty of loopholes, and monsters or beasts of a certain level simply ignore the relic's range altogether.

Therefore, even if the relic were used within Ark's vast territory, it wouldn't bring any real benefit.

'And there's one more major problem: the relic isn't that hard to use.'

If it accidentally activates, people within Ark would inevitably notice something strange, and the already severe internal conflict within Ark would reach its peak.

The War for the Sacred Relic.

This is one of the worst-case scenarios within one of The Defense's two main storylines, known as the Line Conflict.

'I have to meet Tatiana Belov.'

Or, if necessary, I must steal the relic from her by any means.

Whether through persuasion or force, this is no time to be picky about methods.

I looked through the scope toward the horizon.

Despite the ether storm that nearly triggered a makeshift Wave and the ensuing battle with the monster horde, a significant number of the Church of Morte remnants remained intact.

'As expected...'

They survived that from such a distance?

It was a disturbing sight, even after seeing it firsthand.

Of course, the lower-ranked followers had all been swept away by the first ether storm, but even so, the sheer number of the Church of Morte members left was overwhelming.

What made it even more horrifying was the fact that these were just a small fraction of The Church of Morte's overall force.

'Cockroach-like bastards.'

The Church of Morte.

The reason they managed to survive outside Ark wasn't just because of the relic's power.

The Church of Morte has an uncanny, tenacious vitality.

It's no wonder that The Defense players nicknamed them Morteroaches—no further explanation needed.

'Still, it's an ability I must obtain someday.'

As repulsive as their resilience is from an enemy's perspective, it's also one of the essential abilities needed to clear The Defense.

Of course, the process of obtaining it isn't easy, so I'll have to put it off for now...

'First, I have to go back.'

Right now, the priority isn't the Church of Morte or the abilities they possess.

Tatiana Belov.

I must take the holy relic from her.

* * *

Ark.

Even after the end of a massive war, the tension on Ark's frontline remained palpable.

Whoosh, crackle!

Flames roared, burning tirelessly around the clock.

The fire was from massive flamethrowers installed in Ark, incinerating the mountain-like heaps of monster and beast corpses.

The standard method for disposing of such corpses was burning.

It was the only way to handle the millions of monster carcasses sprawled across vast areas, especially since there wasn't any other practical solution.

Of course, some high-ranked monster or beast corpses were separately collected, but it was physically impossible to clear out millions of bodies by hand.

The backlash from this method wasn't small either, but there was no choice.

Leaving the monster and beast corpses untouched would contaminate the soil, eventually seeping underground and even affecting the groundwater.

Although Ark's water supply didn't solely rely on groundwater, the real problem lay elsewhere.

Soil contamination.

If the contamination started from the Ark front and spread to the surrounding land, even Ark's farmlands would eventually be tainted.

If the soil dies, agriculture and livestock farming die with it.

Losing food self-sufficiency means the downfall of humanity since Ark is the last bastion of mankind.

Strictly speaking, even burning the bodies doesn't completely prevent contamination—traces of monster blood and ashes still seep into the ground.

No matter how hard they tried, it was impossible to completely stop Ark's gradual pollution.

Little by little, bit by bit.

Ark was dying.

It was a losing battle.

That was Ark's fate.

Crackle...

The smoke, laced with radiation and countless toxic substances, rose high into the sky.

Because of this, massive barriers stretched along the walls of each line within Ark.

It was to prevent the smoke from entering Ark.

Of course, while these barriers were up, troop movements were restricted, severely weakening Ark's defenses.

Fortunately, after a large-scale Wave, there was usually a gap before the next one, so it was manageable.

"Haa..."

Tatiana Belov stood atop the Navy Line's wall, blankly staring at the scene through the transparent barrier.

Sometimes, she would just stand there, watching the burning monster corpses, lost in thought.

It was like a kind of fire meditation.

Lately, two major issues had been troubling her.

The first was about the mysterious stranger who saved her—Carl Marcus.

The second was about an object her comrade had entrusted to her during their mission, risking his life to deliver it.

"Make sure... make sure you protect this."

It was the final request of a comrade who gave his life to hand her some object.

However, due to the urgency of the situation, she never learned what it was.

'What on earth is this?'

She looked at the small totem clutched in her hand.

At a glance, it seemed like a trinket made of animal bones, or perhaps a religious artifact of some kind.

After returning to Ark, she handed it over to the material researchers on Navy Line.

But the only answer she received was that they couldn't determine what it was.

Perhaps researchers from the White Line or Red Line could identify it, but she couldn't risk handing it over without knowing its exact nature.

"Haa..."

Another deep sigh slipped from her lips.

Her savior had labeled her an unwelcome night guest, and the item her comrade had died to deliver remained a complete mystery.

No wonder she felt so suffocated.

[Creak...]

Then, an eerie sound rang in her ears.

Again.

Lately, the ether reaction had been acting strange.

'I'm sure it's related to this somehow...'

Unfortunately, she couldn't find a connection between the ether anomaly and the mysterious totem.

'Come to think of it... maybe that man would know about something like this.'

Carl Marcus was a barbarian.

Surely, he might know something about this kind of religious artifact.

'But... he told me never to come looking for him again...'

Her gaze burned as she looked beyond the barrier.

Her worries only grew deeper.

* * *

Darkness settled in.

By the time I reached my hideout, dawn had already broken.

A whole day had passed.

'I need to rest...'

Soaking in the hot spring after a long time, I let my thoughts drift.

After several days of forced marches and intense battles, my body was completely exhausted.

How much time do I have left?

With a quick calculation, I figured that since I had stopped the makeshift Wave, the next one wouldn't come for at least a week.

'Roughly four to five days to work with.'

So, what are the options?

There were roughly two choices.

Persuasion or Theft.

'Persuasion, huh...'

Tatiana Belov owed me a favor.

If I played it right, I might be able to get the relic without trouble.

But there were risks.

'What if Tatiana Belov already knows the relic's purpose?'

If that's the case, no matter how much of a savior I am, she would never hand it over.

It would only expose my intent to seize the relic.

'Even if she doesn't know its purpose, she wouldn't easily hand over something obtained during a life-or-death mission to a stranger.'

The biggest problem was that I knew too little about Tatiana Belov.

Even though I was well-informed about Ark's key figures, Tatiana Belov was an exception.

A person who should have died.

Therefore, the information I had on her was extremely limited.

Navy Line Major. Level 3 Ether Adapter. Member of the Belov Family. Possibly the daughter of Anton Belov.

That was all I knew about Tatiana Belov.

Sure, I'd picked up on some side details—like how she seemed a bit naive but still knew to repay favors—but those weren't of much importance.

'Theft isn't easy either.'

If it were simple, I wouldn't even be considering persuasion.

But the reason I had to consider it was because sneaking into Ark wasn't exactly a walk in the park.

'Moreover, Tatiana Belov belongs to the Navy Line.'

The Navy Line is the frontline defense, covering stages 51 to 60.

Its soldiers are leagues ahead of the Red Line's guards in both experience and tenacity.

'At least it's fortunate that it's cleanup time right now.'

After a Wave, Ark activates barriers and incinerates monster corpses.

With massive fires and thick smoke everywhere, thermal sensors are useless, making it somewhat feasible to infiltrate.

Persuasion or Theft.

Harmony or Coercion.

Dialogue or Force.

One method involved risks, while the other didn't.

But from the start, my decision was practically made.

'...Alright.'

Having made up my mind, I stepped out of the hot spring.

There was no need to worry any longer since I'd chosen the path.

'Three days. I'll finish it within that time.'

I returned to my tent.

It was time to rest.

***

Read 110+ chapters ahead!

Patreon(.)com/SiRoasa