Chapter 58

< 58. Capturing the Beast (1) >

Zone V, Street 42.

It was as run-down as Forest had said. Centered around a hill, shabby brick houses and shanties were densely packed, with irregularly placed garbage dumps scattered throughout, like pimples.

At first glance, the street's appearance was similar to that of Zones X and W. However, the difference was that there were far fewer people exuding hidden hostility and cunning. Instead, there were more people who appeared anxious and fearful.

Perhaps they could be compared to predators and prey?

“Are you a Martel affiliate?”

Oliver approached a man sitting at the entrance of the neighborhood and asked. The man was dressed relatively normally, but he still stood out from the locals. His clothes were clean, and his posture was straight and dignified. Most notably, his emotional state was the most alien. Perhaps due to the Chimera, the people here carried a certain degree of fear, whereas this man only seemed to harbor feelings of annoyance and irritation, as if he were an outsider who couldn't empathize with the neighborhood's worries. And his guess turned out to be correct.

"Who...?"

"My name is Dave. I was sent by Mr. Forest."

Following Forest's instructions, the man nodded.

These were affiliates hired by the Martel Research Institute, and Forest had instructed Oliver to find them first upon arrival. The first reason was to officially announce that Oliver had come to work, and the second was to obtain necessary supplies.

"Can you provide a sample?"

Sample. At the word, the man took something out of a container. It was fur.

"I can give it to you, but it won't be of much use. Already, someone with fur tried to track it, but either failed or died."

"I see."

Oliver answered briefly. Cant had advised him to keep his responses short to avoid unnecessary talk or revealing himself.

Being a resolver might seem to require courage at first glance, but in reality, it was the opposite. It was a job that required a lot of fear to last long, as one couldn't know what the other was thinking. And that statement didn't seem entirely wrong.

Because the man in front of him didn't show any emotional disturbance despite the Chimera not being caught, even though he had said it would be troublesome if it wasn't caught soon.

Was it just because he was hired?

"Why do you ask?"

"No, no, it's nothing."

"Here, take this."

The employee handed him a rod that looked like a fountain pen. There was a bright red button on top.

"Press this button to get the location. If you capture it, don't bring it here; just press this. We'll come to collect it."

"Yes, I understand."

Oliver answered obediently and took it, but on his way, the man stopped him and asked,

"I'm worried because you seem new to this. Are you going to be okay? Most people have already given up, and you might die for nothing."

"...Ah, yes, I'll be fine. Thank you for your concern."

Oliver answered politely and continued on his way.

The man stared at Oliver intently.

***

Not long after entering the neighborhood, he came across a steep hill.

The road was quite unfriendly, with many damaged areas making it very rough.

However, the biggest problem was the numerous side streets between buildings, making it almost a maze. A newcomer like Oliver would easily get lost. It seemed Cant's advice was correct.

Strength was essential in resolver work, but it wasn't enough on its own.

To achieve his goal, Oliver needed various other skills.

"Hmm... I'll start with something light as practice..."

Oliver muttered to himself and took out the sample he had received earlier.

The Chimera's fur.

No matter how complicated the roads were, he could track it with this.

Using the Sensitive Nose, he could find the Chimera's trail among countless scents.

However, he hesitated to use it directly.

He had experienced the burden of disease-type black magic when searching for Harmonica in the past.

It wasn't a pleasant experience.

Smelling many scents was more tiring than expected, and he might be restricted in his actions due to a headache.

So, Oliver decided to try another method.

"Minion."

He created a minion as naturally as breathing. With his other hand, he created a Sensitive Nose and gave it to the minion.

A meatball-like minion sprouted a human-like nose and started sniffing.

"Please find this scent."

Oliver took out the Chimera's fur and asked.

The minion sniffed the fur, looked around for a moment, and then started moving in one direction.

Oliver followed the minion, holding the extracted emotion in his hand.

Thud, thud, thud.

There were almost no people around, probably because it was a slum, but when he focused his eyes, he realized it wasn't just that.

People inside the buildings and on the streets were deliberately avoiding Oliver.

As if they didn't want to get involved in dangerous matters, they looked fearful and annoyed.

And what was strange was that this wasn't all.

The minion with the Sensitive Nose was tracking the scent as Oliver had asked, but it only found the Chimera's droppings and fur fragments, not the Chimera itself.

By the time Oliver realized it, he had entered deep into the slum, and a bad thought crossed his mind.

"...Was I lured?"

If he were an ordinary person, he would have denied it.

The Chimera was intelligent and cunning, but still an animal.

How could an animal lure a human?

However, beyond simple logic, there was also a matter of pride. Oliver, who didn't care much about pride, immediately took this seriously.

Because the scent trail kept leading to decoys, and the main body was nowhere to be seen.

Oliver paused the minion and fell into thought.

What should he do?

He considered focusing his eyes to conduct a wide search.

Human and animal emotions were different, and it would certainly help in the search. However, he hesitated.

Cant had advised him to develop various skills if possible.

And Oliver thought it was a good idea.

He was torn between using a convenient method or trying a different search method to gain experience, when he heard an animal sound.

"Keeek!"

Oliver immediately ran in the direction of the sound.

It wasn't far, and there he found a skinny dog dying from being pierced by an unknown thorn, bleeding profusely.

It seemed as if the dog had been killed to lure Oliver there, and it wasn't just a delusion.

Kahhh!

A very alien sound, unlike any animal, accompanied the presence.

Oliver turned his head sharply and saw it.

The monstrous Chimera he had seen in black and white photos.

It was much larger than in the photos, with small wings like a chicken's on its back and threatening spines on its sides.

For a brief moment, he saw the spines on its sides extending as if preparing to shoot.

It was very intriguing.

An animal luring and ambushing a human.

He wondered if this was the power of magic.

"Kyaauuuu..."

"Huh?"

Something strange happened.

The fierce animal, which was about to attack, suddenly became terrified when it made eye contact with Oliver.

Its eyes widened, ears flattened, tail curled, and it crouched, losing its fighting spirit and desperately trying to escape.

Click, click.

Oliver instinctively struck the ground with his Quarterstaff to use Bind Shadow.

He thought it would be hard to capture it if he let it go.

Surprisingly, the Chimera, which had better senses than other animals, dodged the shadow tentacles with agility that didn't match its size.

It narrowly avoided them and even tried to escape to the rooftops using the terrain.

For some reason, it seemed to really dislike Oliver.

Fortunately, this worked to Oliver's advantage.

Click, click. [Black Cube]

Oliver created six black curtains.

As he had imagined, the black curtains connected seamlessly at the edges, forming a massive hexagonal prison.

Kyaah!

The Chimera, in a panic, resisted with the talons and teeth of a bird of prey, and even shot spines from its sides, displaying extreme aggression.

Oliver brought the Black Cube in front of him and examined the Chimera.

Fear, fear, fear.

Its emotional state was abnormal, as if it were facing a natural disaster.

It seemed it would hurt itself if left to thrash around, so Oliver took immediate action.

[Deep Sleep]

Oliver extracted the emotion and applied Deep Sleep to the tip of the Quarterstaff Cant had given him, then gently touched the Chimera.

He was told not to harm it, but he thought this would be okay.

Unlike his expectations, the Chimera resisted for a moment before gradually falling asleep.

Oliver confirmed three times that the Chimera was definitely asleep before taking out the device he had received earlier and pressing the red button.

If the man he met at the entrance was right, someone would come soon.

Now, all Oliver had to do was wait quietly until they arrived.

"..."

Oliver took a step back and examined the sleeping Chimera.

Capturing it wasn't particularly difficult, but the creature in front of him was truly fascinating.

A new form of animal, a combination of various animals.

The crude wings on its back seemed to indicate a failed experiment, but Oliver saw potential in it.

However, what was most impressive was how it had lured and ambushed him.

He wondered if magic could create something like this, when he noticed something.

It was faint, but he could see it.

"What is this...?"

Oliver reached out his hand toward the Chimera's body.

"What are you doing?"

He turned his head in the direction of the voice and saw the man he had met earlier.

Although his face was covered, Oliver could tell from his emotions that he was wary of Oliver touching the Chimera.

Oliver immediately withdrew his hand and apologized.

"Sorry... I thought there was a wound and wanted to check."

The man stared at Oliver, and Oliver didn't avoid his gaze.

This was also part of Cant's teachings: give trust but don't appear weak.

Fortunately, his advice worked, and the man averted his gaze first and asked,

"Where is it?"

"Here..."

"Hmm... Ah, that's fine."

"I'm glad."

The man looked up at Oliver again and gestured to his colleagues.

They took out a large sack and placed the Chimera inside, and Oliver could see mana flowing into the sack.

"Why are you doing that?"

"Is this the end of my job?"

"Yes. From now on, it's our job... Mr. Forest sent you, right?"

"Yes."

The man nodded and took out a notebook to write.

"Hmm, hmm... Well, they'll tell you, but we'll give you the reward as soon as possible. Maybe the intermediary will give it to you directly."

"Thank you."

"More importantly, you're impressive. Other resolvers either failed or were carried out... I've been waiting here for two weeks. I've been in this business for a long time."

"No, I was just lucky."

"Ah... You were lucky?"

"Yes."

Oliver nodded in agreement, keeping his answers brief.

He wasn't malicious, but the man was continuously gauging him and calculating in his head.

"...If it's okay, can I leave now?"

"Ah, of course."

As soon as the answer came, Oliver bowed politely and left. Then, the man called out to him again.

"Good job, Mr. Dave. If there's a chance, let's meet again."