Seeker 108

Test

Chapter 108. Revenant

The attacks by Skeleton could happen at any time. The two dwarf warriors and I began our discussion in front of the entrance to the settlement. One of the dwarf warriors, Badon-san, started the conversation.

"First, let's review. Last night, someone broke into our treasure vault. In addition to that, the warrior Berga, who was guarding the settlement, went missing. And also, Gordon, a suspect in the incident, disappeared."

"Berga was the female dwarf who served as the gatekeeper, right? And Gordon, he was the gloomy dwarf carrying a bottle of alcohol, not detergent."

"For now, Yuzuki, let's move away from the detergent."

"Gordon was trying to attack Berga with a bottle of alcohol."

There was information that the gloomy dwarf named Gordon had a strong infatuation with Berga, the guard dwarf warrior. Whether he was involved in the incident or not was unknown.

The two dwarf warriors suspected that Gordon was the culprit behind this incident.

That's the recap so far.

The problem lies ahead.

Kazane-san asks the two dwarf warriors a question.

"If Gordon is the culprit of the incident, you mentioned something about a follower of an evil god earlier. What was that about?"

"Probably Gordon's accomplice... No, we should consider them as the mastermind who is manipulating Gordon."

That's the answer from the other dwarf warrior, Dodorga.

Dodorga continues, rubbing his chin beard with a stern expression.

"As you all know, the followers of the evil god Lathima, who governs games and pleasures, are the worst joy criminals who engage in heinous criminal activities under the guise of games. We should see it or that individual who tempted Gordon to break into the treasure vault and kidnap Berga. We don't know the specific methods, though."

Well, we've never heard of that evil god Lathima before.

There are probably various gods in this world, like benevolent gods and evil gods.

But delving too deep into that would be endless, and it doesn't seem too important, so let's skip it for now.

In short, the followers of that evil god are crazy and dangerous individuals who might be pulling the strings behind this incident. 

Since we can't see their faces, let's call them the enigmatic mastermind.

And so, there is a high possibility of a cooperative or exploitative relationship between the enigmatic mastermind and the gloomy dwarf Gordon. 

I feel like we're gradually starting to see the bigger picture. 

There is other intriguing information as well. 

For example...

"Do you know about this Revenant mentioned on that paper?" 

I asked Badon-san and Dodorga-san. 

The tied-the-tree paper mentioned that the female dwarf guard would transform into a Revenant without surviving the next night.

What exactly is a Revenant?

It might be common knowledge in this world.

But leaving behind important unanswered questions feels unsettling.

"Hmm, you don't know about Revenants. Well, even for warriors, it might not be common knowledge. A Revenant is..." 

Dodorga-san proceeded to explain to us what a Revenant is.

As we listened to the explanation, we all found ourselves breathless.

Kazane-san managed to speak with a trembling voice after hearing the story.

"A Revenant... a monster made from the bodies of warriors...?"

"Yes. It might be better to say adventurers for your humankind, rather than warriors."

Dodorga-san replied.

The true nature of a Revenant, as described by Dodorga-san, was horrifying. 

In the Dwarven tradition, they refer to them as warriors.

In the human world, they call it adventurers, and in our case, seekers. 

These monsters are created using the corpses as materials through special tools and rituals. 

They inherit almost all the abilities and strength of their former selves. 

If a seeker is at level 25, the resulting Revenant would be a powerful monster with capabilities close to a level 25 seeker.

While a normal human corpse would become a zombie when turned into a monster, a Seeker's corpse becomes a Revenant. 

Either way, it is grotesque.

But I felt a stronger sense of disgust and revulsion towards Revenants.

Moreover, the idea is that human corpses can turn into monsters in the first place.

It's just unimaginable.

Dodorga-san continued with his stern expression.

"If you are a practitioner of dark magic, you can create zombies or skeletons with just your skills and the materials. However, when it comes to Revenants, it's not that simple. To create a Revenant, you'll need a special tin staff called the Revenant Cane, possessing a strong power, is necessary. But among the stolen treasures from the vault, it was there. There is a high possibility that it fell into the hands of those cultists."

"Then... are you saying Berga was killed and turned into a Revenant...?" Yuzuki, too, displayed an uncharacteristically serious attitude. 

With a face that seemed on the verge of tears, she timidly asked the question. 

But Badon-san forcefully denied Yuzuki's concerns with strong words.

"We won't let that happen!... Creating a Revenant requires a wicked ritual that takes about a day. Being killed is the final step of that ritual. If those cultists intend to turn Berga into a Revenant, she should still be alive for another half day."

"Well then, we'll rescue her before the ritual is completed!"

"Yes. Those cultists have made a fatal mistake. Or perhaps, it's more accurate to say they have had some unfortunate luck. And for us, it's fortunate."

"Mistake and unfortunate luck? What do you mean...?"

When Kazane-san asked, Dodurga smirked.

"It's their misfortune and our fortune, you see..."

By the way, there was another special mission that had popped up this time. 

A while ago, a message board like this appeared.

───────────────────────

Special Mission: Defeat the Cultists in Cooperation with the Dwarf Warriors

Experience Points Earned Upon Mission Completion... 8000 Points

───────────────────────

Although we were planning to help regardless of the mission, receiving experience points wouldn't hurt. 

Moreover, 8000 points were quite a high amount of experience. 

We, along with Badon-san and Dodorga-san, devised a plan and immediately put it into action.