Apostle of the Void

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 17 - Short-Term Contract Worker(9)

Buuuuuum…!

As the Void Beasts assembled, the Giant Slime approached without a hint of caution.

“Did you think your surface could swallow my Void Beasts like last time? Fool! I specifically prepared Void Beasts that can tear through your surface! Su ja Heros!”

The void obeyed the ground command issued from above.

“The first-level Void Beast with an abnormally developed head and jaw!”

Six Void Beasts at the center of the formation merged into two powerful first-level beasts, their jaws snapping loudly as they emerged.

“Of course, two of them won’t be enough! We need cover to break through! Su ja Kunia! Come forth, mid-level unit!”

Ten Void Beasts at the forefront merged into five mid-level beasts.

Having already been in combat mode since their lower state, their venom sacs were already swollen and ready.

Arzen extended his finger, precisely designating the target for the Void Beasts.

“Fire at will! First, disable that slime’s surface!”

The venom shot out from the sacs, striking the surface of the slime directly.

The void swallowed the very existence of the alternate world.

The slime’s outer layer, the thickest and most resilient, contained the liquid in a formless mass.

“…!”

As holes pierced through that layer, wastewater erupted and splattered throughout the sewer.

Sensing its form begin to collapse, the slime trembled.

At that moment, Arzen was taken aback.

‘No, it’s not trembling! This creature focused the spilling wastewater towards me!’

This Giant Slime…!

It wasn’t just a dumb brute with size…!

‘It must have gained this size by winning countless battles…!’

In that moment of shock before the torrent of wastewater, Ill-Worker’s combat command shone through.

The mid-level beasts’ secondary fire widened the holes in the surface even more.

The wastewater aimed at Arzen was weakly sprayed across the ground.

‘Water jets are typically stronger with smaller holes.’

As the holes enlarged, the water pressure decreased, losing its strength.

“Now that the outer layer has collapsed, its frail body is revealed, Giant Slime! Third shot! The path to the core is through that opening!”

If the first attack was an indiscriminate barrage to penetrate its surface, the second shot was concentrated fire.

Arzen learned from various missions in the God's Guillotine that a slime can have up to three layers as it grows.

Even if the outer layer is torn, the middle layer remains; and if the middle is torn, the inner layer stays intact. Our target now is the middle layer.

“Where do you think you’re running? Not on my watch!”

The mid-level beasts relentlessly maintained a five-meter range, targeting the surface opening as the slime staggered backward.

“I won’t miss the moment the surface is pierced, and I’ll strike with the full force of the first-level beasts!”

The mid-level beasts exhausted their strength and perished after their three-shot volley, but it was no problem.

They fulfilled their mission.

According to the original plan, it was now the turn of the first-level beasts to break through at close range.

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‘Everything is going according to plan! The operation is functioning perfectly!’

Arzen felt a thrilling sense of battle.

I can feel it, my power…!

'I can feel my growth…!'

The power of the void I’ve honed over these 50 days has reached a level where I can toy with that Giant Slime.

“Rip it apart, first-level beast!”

The first-level beast charged at the slime, its fearsome jaws ready to tear into its surface as it plunged into the wastewater.

Of course, it was reckless!

As it ripped through the surface, the exploding wastewater exposed its body, causing it to dissolve. However, the second-level beast quickly took its place.

‘Alright, the second-level beast has pierced through to the inner layer! Now, if the mid-level beasts can hit that core, victory is mine!’

The mid-level beasts did not hesitate in the oncoming wave of wastewater.

In a straight line, they ruthlessly used their comrades as shields while charging forward.

Mid-level beast 1, down!

Mid-level beast 2, down!

Mid-level beast 3, down!

Mid-level beast 4, down!

Mid-level beast 5, down!

Mid-level beast 6, down!

Did the plan go awry with the last mid-level beast that was supposed to break the core also perishing?

‘No, that’s not it!’

The Giant Slime had shrunk significantly as its outer, middle, and inner layers collapsed.

However, due to the sheer size of its core, it was still nearly 1.5 times larger than Arzen.

That creature was now swelling up.

Like a beast preparing to swallow its prey!

With its inflated body, it lunged toward Arzen.

“Did you think you won just because the Void Beasts are all dead?”

Fool!

“Look ahead! Your body is drooping like torn rubber, and the path to your core is so clear!”

What the Void Beasts had created with their lives up to this point was a path!

A path for the queen’s arrival!

It was the so-called Honey Road, guiding the Void Beasts under the Apostle of the Void toward the queen’s honey pot!

“If it’s this clear to me, it’ll be even clearer to my worker bees!”

Buuuuuum… In an instant, the worker bee easily pierced through the holes in the surface and charged forward.

In one swift move, it engulfed the Giant Slime’s core in its larger-than-normal maw.

Then it performed an acrobatic maneuver, flying back out through the same hole.

“───────!”

It would be impressive to burst through to the other side, but the back surface was still intact, posing a high risk of the worker bee dissolving in the sludge.

‘The most delicious part belongs to the worker bee… this was a predetermined conclusion from the moment this plan was made!’

The Giant Slime's core was obliterated!

With a silent scream, characteristic of beings without vocal organs, it began to writhe uncontrollably.

“Die under the fury of my Void Beasts who couldn’t leave a single name behind, you pathetic slime!”

Arzen called the worker bee to his side and widely spread the divine miracle, Shield of Radiance, in front of him.

Beyond that dazzling veil, the Giant Slime began to twist and turn.

And then, at the moment he heard the first pop of an explosion… a torrent of sludge flew through the light curtain.

It was the same principle as when rubber expands and explodes, causing the water inside to spray everywhere.

Without the core, the sludge lost its ability to contain itself as a single form, causing the filth inside the slime to explode.

‘The acidity and toxicity are so strong… it’s no wonder the Void Beasts were defeated.’

Even the Shield of Radiance was crackling wildly, spitting sparks everywhere.

Droplets of sludge splattered onto the ceiling, falling down like rain.

That alone was enough to begin dissolving the expensive cloak Arzen had bought.

As the hot and sharp sensation surged across his shoulder, Arzen cradled the worker bee gently with both hands.

“…….”

How much time had passed?

A stillness filled the space where the enormous, writhing presence had completely vanished.

Before long, the sound of rats began to echo.

“It’s over, worker bee. Ha ha ha! We’ve won!”

Finally able to breathe a sigh of relief, Arzen released the worker bee from his embrace.

But… something was off.

The worker bee was enveloped in a dark green glow, radiating a strange heat.

“What’s wrong with you?”

The shape of the worker bee twisted grotesquely, soon transforming into a key.

‘A key of unlocking?’

No, it was something even more peculiar than what he had seen before.

Its form was more complex, and it shone even more brilliantly.

‘Could it be related to swallowing the Giant Slime's core…?’

Arzen flipped through the scripture.

Then he realized this key was a master key.

‘What I learned last time is that a lock shines when it resonates with the key…!’

This key could even shine for locks sealed with chains.

‘Could it be? Could I actually use this? So soon!’

In a fervor of excitement, he hurriedly flipped to the later pages of the book featuring the Faceless Demon, only to let out a sigh.

‘Sigh, of course.’

Despairingly, it did not resonate with that lock.

It wasn’t a true master key.

Although the lock for the Faceless Demon didn’t respond, he could see a precursor chain connected to it flickering.

‘Hmm…?’

Arzen, almost entranced, turned the pages toward the location of the chain’s lock.

Due to the original lock and chain, he couldn't see inside.

But at the end, he caught a glimpse of an illustration peeking through the gaps between the chains.

Oddly, there was an illustration of the Faceless Demon.

Not just any ordinary illustration, but one that moved in a way that made the principles behind it incomprehensible.

‘But this illustration… is that an arm of a demon?’

In an empty void, a dimensional crack suddenly appeared, and the arm of a demon abruptly shot out in the illustration.

The illustration only repeated the motion of that moment.

‘Is it only summoning the arm of a demon?’

This was undoubtedly an impressive technique.

However, the fact that he couldn’t summon the demon’s actual body was somewhat disappointing.

Arzen fitted the master key onto his finger and turned it, flipping through the pages of the book.

‘I wonder what other techniques I can unlock.’

Yet...

‘The most delicious dish… I mean, having seen a demon, other techniques feel like mere minnows in comparison.’

As he casually flipped through the pages, he eventually found himself back at the beginning.

At that moment, Arzen doubted his eyes.

‘What’s going on here?’

The very first technique he had unlocked, the page for summoning the Void Beasts, also had a lock and chain on it.

‘Wait, could it be... did the Void Beasts’ legion get wiped out? Then I have to unlock this again with the key?’

Despair flooded his mind.

Did he really have to unlock this and then create all 22 of them again from scratch?

‘No, that’s just not right!’

This was crossing the line, Rodenkal… how hard did I work to raise them!

‘Huh?’

But something was different.

Unlike the others, this page’s lock and chain were translucent, revealing what was inside...

Every time the key touched the lock, the numbers inscribed inside changed like a trick.

44

When he pulled the key away from the lock, the number reverted back to 22.

His heart raced wildly.

The implications were clear: the summoning number for the Void Beasts would double, a staggering increase!

‘Two months—no, if I consider the time spent coming to Karshiko, it’s over three months of hard work, and now the number of Void Beasts is going to double in just one go?’

Crazy, this is insane...!

Arzen fell into a moment of joyous contemplation.

Despite being covered in sludge, he couldn’t help but smile.

“What should I do, worker bee? Should we take this opportunity to double the Void Legion?”

He asked the key, but whether in its Void form or not, a response was impossible.

This was a decision that the Apostle had to make.

‘If I use this key on the Void Legion, their abilities will become ridiculously powerful… clearly, this is the practical choice.’

But...

That being said...

Adventurers choose romance over practicality from the start...!

‘I can’t resist. There’s no way I can hold back.’

Thinking this, Arzen frantically flipped back through the pages.

‘How can I hold back? Even if it’s just an arm, how can I possibly resist summoning a demon!’

There was no hesitation left in the Apostle.

As soon as Arzen reached the relevant page, he immediately thrust the key into the lock, as if denying himself any more time to ponder.

The lock mechanism was released by the key, and it vanished into particles of the Void along with the attached chain.

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]