NOVEL NEXT Volume 6 Chapter 20: Silverfish
Volume 6 Chapter 20: Silverfish
(Walson)
Mount Tsubo, inside a somewhat secluded private room.
I sat on one side of a small round table, watching a petite woman and Belle exchanging information in front of me.
When I first met this girl, I instantly knew that she is the [Vassal of The Earth]
She was a young woman, about 150 centimeters tall, with white hair tied into two braids, dressed in an unusually styled maid outfit.
Generally, when it comes to maid outfits, regardless of the style, the image that comes to mind about their dress is usually simple black and white. However, the one before me was wearing a maid outfit with a blue-gray base, and the apron part was a dull gray.
"Zakarina, this is Walson, the Mutant that I mentioned to you before." At this moment, Belle turned her gaze towards me, introducing me to this strange maid.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Goblin. I am Zakarina Lepisma, the esteemed chairman's personal maid. A pleasure... for you." She looked at me with a peculiar gaze, and I finally noticed the source of the strange atmosphere around her.
Her eyes—the whites of her eyes were black, with eerie white pupils.
"Uh, excuse me, my name is not Goblin." Despite her terrifying appearance, I didn't feel afraid of her.
[Zakarina Lepisma_LV107_HP 3014/3014_Status: [Blessing of the Earth]_Title: Vassal of The Earth]
From her status and title, I could tell she was also a Vassal. However, her level was impossible to ignore—not just over a hundred, but it's actually far surpassing Krista, the Vassal of the Flame!
As mentioned before, reincarnators (or "mutants") can sense a subtle yet undeniable connection with each other. I felt this with her as well.
—These mutants are indeed the reincarnation of mobs!
Lori Aivett, the "Wither," and Krista Eva, the "Skeleton Archer," are both girls who are originally mobs from the game Minecraft and reincarnated into this world alongside Steve [Me]. As for the one in front of me, I don't know what she is, but she certainly isn't anything benign, right?
"Your name doesn't matter; it's about the same anyway." Miss Zakarina said coldly, adding, "...to me."
Hmm, this person is really rude. Despite being both a servant of someone, Melan is courteous and polite to strangers, while this one is cold and arrogant, speaking rudely.
"Mr. Goblin, what was your Prototype Entity?"
"I don't know, Miss Zakarina," I replied, with a friendly tone tinged with a bit of annoyance. "Before we continue, isn't it a basic manner to introduce oneself first before asking about others?"
"That's true, but it's not that I must know, since it's not important... to me."
The atmosphere on the wooden table became extremely awkward. Belle sensed the tension and tried to smooth things over.
"Zakarina, what are you doing?" Belle spoke up.
Hearing this, Zakarina was visibly taken aback, then said in a low voice.
"... I don't know? For some reason, I instinctively dislike Mr. Goblin. Normally, when meeting new 'mutant' compatriots, I don't have this feeling."
I frowned; that explanation didn't make it any better.
"I apologize for my rudeness. My Prototype Entity is a book-eating insect. Additionally, if Mr. Goblin does not know his Prototype Entity, perhaps you could join the [Mutual Aid Society] and seek help from the chairman. She knows more than anyone else," Zakarina said, her attitude seeming somewhat... awkward?
No way, could she have the same expression issues that Grace had when she was little? Hmm, thinking of it this way makes it feel much better.
But a book-eating insect... could she be talking about a [Silverfish]? Indeed, a book-eating insect does exist in the real world, but the only mob that fits her description in minecraft is a [Silverfish].
Is she really a [Silverfish]? In minecraft, [Silverfish] is one of the weakest mobs rather than a threat, many players treat them as an annoying pest, just like a mosquito or a fly.
It's because [Silverfish] likes to hide in stones, launching unexpected ambushes when a player breaks the stone they hide in. And since they are small, they are difficult to kill, making them quite a nuisance.
But, the 100+ level in this girl doesn't fit with the characteristics of the [Silverfish] at all!
Why is her level so high!?
Moreover, the girl in front of me seems to be a dwarf, and an ordinary dwarf at that00 hmm? So, besides their Minecraft Mob race, these reincarnators also have an original race of this world?. Like that Krista from before—she had two rabbit ears on her head, indicating she was probably from the Rabbitfolk despite her being a [Skeleton Archer].
"If circumstances allow, I might consider that," I said, keeping my answer reserved. As I mentioned before, I don't want to join any dubious organization.
"Let's put aside the small talk. We need to discuss the Elemental Guardian," Belle interrupted our conversation, forcibly steering it back to the main topic.
So, we exchanged information. Besides the current situation, Zakarina also brought some news from the surface world, which made things a bit complicated. I organized the information as follows:
First, the identity of the Elemental Guardian of Earth was confirmed. There's no mistake; the entity within the purple sun is indeed the Earth Elemental Guardian, and the Vassal of The Earth is this reincarnator named Zakarina.
Yes, she is an ordinary dwarf, and she comes from the surface world. This sounds ironic—the person chosen by the god worshipped by these underground people is not one of them but an outsider from above.
Zakarina said that upon her arrival in this city, she immediately attempted to contact the Earth Elemental Guardian, but the result was very strange.
Unlike other Elemental Guardians, the Cat God sleeps for 364 days a year. Even so, in the past, if there was no direct response to a Vassal of The Earth call, the Cat God would still create interesting phenomena in the underground world through dreams. However, the anomaly now is that Zakarina feels the Cat God seems to be trapped in a terrible nightmare and cannot wake up.
Being in this state for a long time could bring adverse effects to this town, or perhaps the effects have already begun, just not yet surfaced. In short, it's very likely that the Earth God is being eroded by something, and this needs urgent investigation.
Next is some information about the surface world.
The Flame Labyrinth, where we stayed previously, has now suffered a great calamity and has become a place of ice and fire. It's evident that this is the work of Krista and that "Dawn Hunter" individual.
Reincarnators are indeed monsters.
The next piece of information was very unexpected.
The Hero King has gone mad.
Yes, literally. I've mentioned before that there is a country in the west ruled by 2 Heroes. The king of that country, one of the Twin Heroes, has gone insane, rampaging like a madman towards the east, destroying cities along his path and heading towards the Braatio Empire.
Currently, many nations have formed a coalition to subdue the insane Hero King, aiming to stop him before he enters the Elf Empire.
Sitting next to me, Belle, the other of the Twin Heroes, turned pale upon hearing this news.
"Is that Hero King also a [Vassal of The Light[?"
"Yes, and he's much stronger than me." Belle stood up, pacing back and forth in the room with a stern face.
What!? Much stronger than Belle!? Doesn't that mean the coalition forces are walking into a death trap!?
"Zakarina, has the [Mutual Aid Society] sent anyone to handle this situation?"
"How? Since Alwin went mad, I had lost contact with Meine. Krista also disappeared after turning the Labyrinth City into a mess. As for the others, forget about it. The [Dawn Hunters] have been very active lately, keeping us overwhelmed," Zakarina said angrily. "So, I need to quickly deal with things here and go support them; otherwise, we won't have enough manpower."
"No, here's what we'll do, Zakarina. You go find Alwin. No matter why he's gone mad, he must be stopped," Belle interrupted Zakarina.
"You want me to abandon my Elemental Guardian?"
"No, Goblin and I will handle the situation here. Currently, you're the only one with the means to quickly reach and stop Alwin," Belle replied.
Damn, I knew I'd get dragged into this.
"Alright, I trust Belle and the [Vassal of The Forest] she trusts. I'll leave things here to you," Zakarina said after a long silence. "But, Mr. Goblin, if you fail, I will personally kill you."
No matter how high her level is, she can't stop an Enderman Teleportation, I can just ask Grace to teleport me to some far away place if she tried to do anything, so I'm not worried.