Chapter 170

After reading the message, Ming Hu looked at Karot. Karot was smiling with satisfaction. Ming Hu opened the pet window and checked Karot’s information.
Name: Karot [Rich]
Level: 98
Power: 247
Agile: 197
Health: 386
Stamina: 2035
Wisdom: 1985
As the message said, your stamina was raised by 50.
“But… when I look at her prominence, why does she look so weak?
Comparing Karot’s stats to those of the awakened Prominus, Karot’s stats were much weaker, but that didn’t mean he was weak; he was strong enough to have killed his former self once.
“Let’s go.”
Turning away from Karot, Ming Hu began to walk outside again. With the man dead to Karot, there were no more humans or monsters in his way, and Ming Hu was soon out of the lab and out of the cave.
“Ouch.”
When I step outside, Lawton looks relieved.
“Stay inside.”
-Yes, my lord.
-Okay.
After emerging from the cave, Ming Hu first summoned Karotte and Prominence back, then retraced his steps with Lawton and made his way to the seaside restaurant Smiling Face.
“Ugh, Count!”
“No! Is the mayor here!”
Upon arriving at the Smiling Face, the staff NPCs at the entrance called out to Lawton. Lawton smiled broadly as he saw them recognize him. He then said
“Is Vegas inside?”
“Yes, I’ll tell them you’re here!”
As Lawton spoke, the servant said something and quickly began to run upstairs. When he reached the top, Lawton turned to Ming Hu and said, “I’m sorry.
“Let’s go!”
“Yes.”
Lawton took the lead and began to climb the stairs. Ming Hu followed behind Lawton and was able to reach Vegas’s room a short time later.
“You’re here…?”
Slightly unnerved by Lawton’s arrival, Vegas looked at Ming Hu with a questioning expression as he and Lawton entered the room. Feeling Vegas’s gaze, Ming Hu opened his mouth to speak.
“First of all, the Earl was kidnapped in that cave, and the Earl Lawton you know today is a fake.”
“…!”
Ming Hu’s words startled Vegas.
“Well, then.”
Vegas muttered, turning away from Ming Hu to look at Lawton.
“Tongue…brother!”
“Yes, brother.”
Lawton smiled as Vegas called out to him. They talked for a while, and Lawton’s expression turned serious. After a while, the conversation ended and Vegas approached Ming Hu.
“How did… What happened?”
In response to Vegas’ questions, Ming Hu explained what had happened so far.
“No. 247–so you’re saying that the Earl of Lawton is a slime?”
“Yes.”
“I see… Anyway, thank you very much.”
[You have completed the quest].
The quest completion message popped up, and Vegas continued.
“Can I ask you one more favor?”
“Sure.”
“Now that I know he’s fake. I’m going to go catch him now. However, based on what you said, I’m afraid people might get hurt trying to catch him… So, 247, can you help me catch the slime?”
<The Revealed Truth
Now that Vegas has realized that Count Lawton is a fake, he wants to capture the human slime, 247, right now. But he's worried that people will get hurt if he resists, so he needs you, the strong one, to take him down. Capture Mr. 247 and put everything back to normal!
Difficulty Level: B
Quest Reward: 500,000 Helioca's Merit
As Vegas finished speaking, a quest appeared.
"I guess this is it.
I looked at the quest and realized that I only needed to catch 247 to complete the quest from the Emperor.
"Yes, of course."
[You have accepted the quest].
"Thank you!"
The message appeared, and Vegas exclaimed with great gratitude, then turned back to Lawton, who was thinking about something with a serious expression on his face, exchanged a few words, and then turned back to Ming Hu and said, "I'm sorry.
"Let's go!"
Ming Hu followed Vegas and Lawton out of the smiling face, heading for Ride's city hall.
"Uh, Mr. Mayor, you just walked in…"
When they arrived at the front of the city hall, the guard in front of it looked at Lawton, then at the city hall, then back at Lawton. Realizing from the guard's reaction that 247 had just entered the city hall, Ming Hu, Vegas, and Lawton smiled and entered the city hall.
"…Mr. Mayor, you must have just…"
"Uh…?"
As we walked into City Hall, the people working inside looked back and forth between the mayor's office and Lawton, each with a strange look in their eyes.
Jumbled
Ming Hu, Vegas, and Lawton unlocked the door to the mayor's office and walked inside.
"Vegas? How did you get here…!"
Once inside, 247 frowned when he saw Vegas. But when he spotted Lawton behind him, he was surprised.
Pincushion
Vegas slammed the door shut and locked it.
"…Hmph."
The door locks, and 247, looking surprised, finishes his thought and smiles wryly.
"Okay, now you know, how did you get out of there? Oh, I suppose there's no point in telling you, since you're already out, but…"
A slurred 247 raised his arms and continued.
"You shouldn't have come. Hmph."
Scat! Scat!
Extremely sharp-looking blades sprouted from both arms of 247.
"What are you guys doing here? You'd have to bring at least a few knights with you to capture me, and that poor servant behind you. Oh, no, he would have died in the war soon enough anyway. Better that way, eh?"
With that, 247 began to approach. Vegas and Lawton turned away from the approaching 247 to look at Ming Hu. Ming Hu, who was behind them, stepped forward, past Vegas and Lawton. 247 looked at Myung-Hoo as he stepped forward.
"Do you want to die first?"
Ming Hu looked at No. 247, who spoke to him with a wicked smile.
"Moving Strike."
"What the…!"
Moving in front of 247's face with a moving strike, Ming Hu threw a punch, and 247 blocked it with a puzzled look on his face.
Puck! Poof!
Soon, 247's body shattered into pieces, the debris spreading around him.
Poof.
The core of 247 fell to the ground. Ming Hu looked at the gathering wreckage of 247 and stomped on the core, crushing it. He turned around and smiled at Lawton and Vegas.
"Thank you."
Vegas and Lawton stared at Ming Hu for a moment, then smiled awkwardly at Ming Hu's words.
"Ah…yes. Thank you."
"Well done…"
* * * * *
The passageway connecting the Arpach Institute to Building 2.
Jumbled
A large man in a black robe was walking down the aisle.
Jab!
As he continued down the aisle, he stopped in his tracks at what he saw.
"Lampatz… Is he really dead?"
He looked at the corpse of the man who had gone by the name of Lampatz lying in the passageway, and muttered to himself, "Something's not right.
"I have… none left?"
Shaking his head, Sana fumbled in his bosom and pulled out a crystal ball. He fed mana into the crystal ball, activating it.
-find?
A moment later, the crystal ball emitted a red glow and spoke.
"Yes, I found it, it's dead, just like you said, but… something's wrong."
-What's wrong?
"I don't have any energy left."
-…energy?
"Yes, you are not mistaken."
At the man's words, the red light from the crystal ball disappeared. The man was stunned and quickly opened his mouth to speak, "The crystal ball began to turn black.
"See Master."
-Is it true that my energy is gone?
"Yes."
-Grigi.
With that, the crystal ball returned to its original color.
Siaak
A moment later, with a flash of light, a bony, skeletal old man who could have been a Lich warped in front of the man.
Chuck
When the old man appeared, he quickly bent his knees, bowed his head, and cried out.
"See Master."
"…"
At the man's shout, the old man wordlessly turned away from the man and looked at Lampatz's corpse. The old man's brow furrowed as he looked at Lampatz's corpse, and he muttered, "I'm sorry.
"What happened?"
"…"
But knowing that the old man wasn't asking him, he didn't say anything.
Sigh
The old man raised the staff he held in his right hand and pointed it at Lampatz's body. Black mana flowed from the staff and entered Lampatz's body.
Siaak
A moment later, the black mana that had entered Lampatz's body exited again and returned to the old man. As the black mana returned to the staff, the old man closed his eyes. With his eyes closed, the old man furrowed his brow and muttered something short.
"…Rich?"