Apostle of the Void

Chapter 12 - Short-Term Contract Worker(4)

That day, Arzen got so carried away that he ended up defeating nearly twice as many slimes as usual.

This created a problem: he couldn\'t carry all the slime byproducts with him. Given the restrictions in the city, where the Grand Witch resided, he couldn’t bring along all the Voidlings, so two sacks were the limit for him.

‘Oh well, how much difference can it make?’

Exactly, what difference would it really make?

For now, he could only command 12 Voidlings, but Arzen was growing stronger by the day.

‘If I ever reach the level where I can control that faceless demon… I’ll probably be ranked Adamantine!’

By then, he’d reach a point where he couldn’t spend his money fast enough, no matter how hard he tried.

‘Phew, I got way too excited. It’s completely dark now.’

The usual bustling noise that would greet him was absent.

Occasionally, the drunken howls, sobs, or laughter from taverns spilled into the streets, but no one dared to bother Arzen, whose entire body reeked from the sewer.

‘1 a.m.… The adventurer’s guild is already closed. That’s unfortunate. Sure, the public baths are open 24/7, but...’

Of course, there was always a niche market. Some shady characters specialized in buying byproducts from late-returning adventurers like him.

Though, unlike the guild’s standard rates, these buyers always undercut the prices, leading to a loss.

‘How much of a difference could it really be, though…’

It seemed more sensible to just sell quickly and return to the inn, unlock the new oracle, and get some rest.

“Hm?”

The green city of Karshiko, being one of the Seven Great Cities, had magical street lamps, keeping the streets bright even at night.

Moths and night insects flitted around the glowing lamps as Arzen noticed a group of kids drawing on sheets of paper beneath one of them.

“...This is how mackerel looks.”

“Mackerel tastes good!”

“Sis is going to buy us mackerel!”

Wait a minute, these kids... they were unmistakable.

‘Aren’t these the siblings of that archer I saw earlier at City Hall?’

The kids were momentarily startled by the presence of a stranger. However, the eldest recognized Arzen and instructed the younger ones to greet him.

“It’s the public officer hyung. Say hello.”

“Hello.”

“Hello.”

This was not a route Arzen normally passed through.

‘Since I went up to the central sector and came back through that nearby passage…’

Milbiet had once mentioned that 3rd Street in the southwestern district was mostly home to the city’s poorer residents.

“What are you guys doing out here?”

“We’re waiting for our sister.”

“Sora’s an adventurer! Isn’t that cool?”

“She’s running a little late with today’s request!”

Hmm… whatever jobs she could get were probably insignificant.

\'Or… could they be?\'

Even so, being assigned to sewer duties means she’s somewhat acknowledged among the Iron Rank adventurers.

"Why are you out here waiting at night? It’s dangerous."

"We’re fine."

"Right, it’s your business."

As Arzen waved and walked away, the eldest sibling had the others bow in farewell once again.

‘Wait a minute…’

In that instant, like a lightning strike, an incredible idea flashed through Arzen\'s mind.

‘Those kids are super popular at City Hall!’

If he did something good for those kids, his work evaluation would skyrocket. He was certain of it.

‘This sewer cleaning job is a goldmine! If things go well, I could secure this contract every summer!’

He might even get promoted to a permanent position just below a civil servant.

Guaranteed retirement!

This could be the one shot that flips his life around from a temp to a full-time city worker.

‘But I don’t want to spend my own money. I’m barely making enough as it is.’

In that case, he might as well give them something that would’ve just become trash anyway.

‘Haha, haha, hahahaha! I’m a genius!’

Barely containing the laughter bubbling up from within, Arzen stopped in his tracks.

“What you do for the least of these, you do for me. The Light of Creation will surely remember and reward this.”

According to scripture, this was essentially like lending money to the creation’s providence!

‘A perfect win-win!’

He couldn’t stop grinning at the brilliance of his own plan.

After all, this stuff would’ve been sold off for cheap, and he was eager to get back to his place.

‘And since tossing it in the trash feels like a waste… this is pretty much just taking out the garbage!’

Arzen turned around.

The kids looked at him in confusion as he approached.

“Hey, you lot. You’re that archer’s siblings, right? I just remembered something.”

“Huh?”

“I did a job with your sister a while back.”

Their eyes lit up.

"Our sister’s an adventurer too?"

"That’s so cool!"

"Not your sister—your brother. Sure, I’m pretty, but let’s not get confused here. Anyway, there was a mistake with the payment, so your sister didn’t get her full share. I just found out about it today."

"Really? But she brought home a lot of money last time."

"What I say is always right. You want to argue with me?"

"Sorry, sir."

"When your sister gets home, give this to her. She’ll know what to do. Oh, and don’t eat it. It smells bad, so I’m sure you wouldn’t, but just in case."

He almost gave them a light smack on the head, but after dealing with filth all day, he figured it’d be inhumane to touch them with his dirty hands, so he held back.

"I’m off."

The kids peered into the bag, poking the gooey stuff inside with their fingers in curiosity.

‘I’ve planted the seed. The harvest will come soon enough! Now that the load’s off my back, I’ll head to the bathhouse… I’ll figure out that new technique… maybe tomorrow morning. I’m too tired.’

Just as he was thinking of his final tasks for the day, drowsiness began to creep in.

"Big brother!"

Hearing the eldest call out, Arzen turned to see the children waving at him with bright smiles.

“Thank you!”

“Good night, big brother!”

In that moment… a thought crossed his mind.

Perhaps this was what he looked like, rushing out to greet his father, waving his hand frantically, on the day he returned home…

Arzen gave a faint, weary smile.

‘Foolish kids… ridiculous...’

They were so innocent, so unaware of how the world really worked.

Did they think they’d just received some great favor?

In reality, everything he did was calculated for his own benefit—a simple win-win situation.

‘All this over a measly gift... honestly, it’s absurd...’

* * *

At the very edge of the civilized world lay the "Flowing Desert," a place that consumed life itself.

The corpses buried beneath its sands had long been drained of their essence, leaving only bleached bones behind.

A shadow with wings passed over the cursed land, and soon after, three figures materialized, bathed in sacred flame.

Their red dragon scales gleamed in the harsh light.

It was clear from their appearance that they were not mere humans—the guardians of the world, the Dragons , had taken on human form for a brief time.

The two on either side bore single horns, marking them as wyverns, the rank-and-file of the dragon legion.

But the figure in the center bore two horns—this was no ordinary dragon, but a true dragon, the leader of their legion.

"The rampage of the Abyss occurred here, Daughter of the Great Flame, Akirea."

The True Dragon’s fiery red hair, more dazzling than the flames themselves, blew in the wind as a thin line formed between her brows.

"There are so many human bodies, but no trace of the Abyss. It’s as if it simply vanished."

If there had been adventurers here, they would’ve left identification tags. But there was nothing—only an eerie absence.

"Last Flame, strange things are happening across the continent, and they all have one thing in common—ancient beings are reemerging. But here… there is no sign of any ancient presence."

Akirea swept her hand through the sands, pulling out something buried deep within.

"This isn’t just the desert draining life. These bones were already dissolved, leaving barely a trace behind."

The wyverns fell silent, and the True Dragon\'s eyes narrowed.

"Look, lava."

"Lava… the Abyss of the Kings…!"

"Yes, something great and terrible… but also unknowable is happening. From the depths of the world, the echoes of the ancient kings can be heard."

Akirea exhaled, a soft breath that carried the weight of ages, directing it toward the skeletal remains ensnared by the Abyss of the Kings.

Her breath became a raging flame, consuming the bones until only ash remained.

It was a funeral—a ritual of peace, performed to prevent the lifeless body from being devoured by the Abyss.

This was the world as it stood now—without light, and with the era of dragons coming to its end.

A funeral pyre lit by dragon fire was a rare and sacred act, one most could only dream of. Few would ever be granted such a ceremony.

And this fire… wasn’t even from a mere wyvern, but from a True Dragon. An honor that no one, no matter how worthy, could simply claim.

"The souls remaining in these bones are stained with desire and thoughts. It’s clear they secretly entered the gold zone; they must have been wicked individuals. You needn’t feel so sorry for them…"

Akirea smiled sadly at the wyvern\'s words.

"If not us, who would pity them? The judgment of souls belongs to the gods; we only need to do our part."

Akirea turned her gaze back to the desert, pulling the distant sights closer with the eyes of a dragon.

‘There are more than a few oddities here.’

From those bones, something was definitely…

So subtle that the wyverns didn’t notice, but Akirea felt the unmistakable power of the Anti-Dragon Barrier.

‘The Anti-Dragon Barrier. My father said it was a magic crafted specifically to combat dragons…’

Few can wield its power, but its effect is certain—it completely disrupts the perception and sensory signals of dragons.

‘If the scale of the barrier is vast…’

It could render the dragon kin entirely immobile within the barrier, a true weapon against dragons.

‘The appearance of this means that a select few are moving…’

Another strange thing was the presence of an unknown force that had erased the very existence of ancient beings.

‘Beyond the shadow of the Anti-Dragon Barrier, I can sense remnants of a power that silenced all the commotion here.’

Something similar to my father…

‘No, the essence feels similar, yet different…’

It felt like the two sides of a coin.

‘Could it be my father?’

It was a chilling thought, one that cut sharply through her instincts—this was impossible.

The father who raised Akirea like his own was a mortal.

He could not enjoy eternal life like the dragon kin, and he had long since returned to the earth.

- Akira, I leave everything to you from here on.

The smile…

It emerged from the distant memories of the past, only to shatter into pieces.

After swallowing that sorrow alone, Akirea turned to the wyverns to fulfill her promise to her father.

“Command the Red Pilgrims to uncover who has come here. Check if there are any survivors. If there are, bring them to me.”

* * *

"No matter how tired I am, I can’t stand this! Absolutely can’t!"

As soon as Arzen returned to the inn, he opened the scripture.

“Ready, little worker?”

As the little worker emerged from the void, it transformed into a key in his hand.

The situation was different this time.

The lock itself glowed with the same dark green light as the key.

Arzen pushed the key into the lock.

After taking a deep, tense breath, he tightened his grip on the key… and, unlike before, it began to turn to the right.

Clunk…!

The lock opened, radiating light, and vanished just like the void creatures had.

Swish…!

The central lock disappeared.

With that, the chains that had sealed the entire bookshelf also vanished.

‘With the obstacles gone, the new commands of the void are becoming clear to my eyes!’

‘Now, what’s the third skill?’