How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 240

The next trace was found a few days later, during the exploration of the third island.

We were searching the island until late afternoon when it started to rain, and we discovered a village with the same unsettling atmosphere as before.

The village’s appearance was also the same. It was as if the people had been meticulously removed, like sifting flour through a fine sieve. I felt it then, and it’s still incredibly strange.

“…….”

Kneeling, Taylor picked up a skeleton that was half-buried in the sand. Was it a leg bone? The shape wasn’t that of an animal or livestock.

As always, there was a pit in the plaza. And inside, it was filled with the bones of the dead, their spirits likely wandering the heavens with resentment.

Without a word, Taylor carefully placed the bone he had picked up into the pit. Then, he began to fill the pit with dirt using a shovel he had found nearby.

Should I comfort him?

Is there even a need? Let’s just let him mull it over and sort out his emotions on his own.

Turning away from Taylor, I looked for houses that hadn’t been searched yet, hoping there might be some groundbreaking clue.

“Cleaned up nicely.”

But it wasn’t as easy as I’d hoped. It was as if a giant vacuum cleaner had swept through, removing anything that could be a clue.

“So, something’s a bit strange.”

[Strange? What is it?]

Aphen, who heard my muttering, spoke up.

“Isn’t it odd? If they were going to exterminate all the residents regardless of the experiment’s outcome, why bother erasing the traces like this? They could have just burned the whole village down.”

[Because they need to reuse the facility?]

“That’s probably the most plausible conclusion right now.”

The infrastructure must be preserved. That meant there was a possibility that the experiment would be conducted once again on the same stage.

“If that’s the case, then the conclusion is that the experiment isn’t completely finished yet.”

If all the experiments were over, the stage would no longer be needed.

[So, that means the same experiment might be going on somewhere right now?]

“Maybe. The number of villages used as samples must be quite a few. The two villages we found must have been dropped midway. It seems they’re trying quite a variety of methods.”

[They’re really bad guys.]

“Just ‘bad’?”

They’re worse than just bad. All sorts of swear words welled up in my throat, but I suppressed them and leaned against the wall.

‘Let’s think more about it.’

What’s the current situation?

Trying to figure out the hideout of the rat-like cult.

What are the clues we’ve obtained?

Two villages where the damn experiment was completed.

What needs to be done in the future?

Find a village where the experiment is in progress, or find their hideout.

‘…….’

There’s no guarantee. It took several days just to search three islands. Lordain was right. This was close to finding a needle in a haystack. Even if the scope was narrowed, the haystack had only turned into a neighborhood playground, and it wasn’t very hopeful.

Is there enough time?

It’s only a matter of time before the news that those staying in the North were annihilated spreads. Then, the first thing they’ll suspect is the teleportation magic circle.

It won’t be difficult for them to guess that I’m coming to the South. Will I still be able to leisurely search islands like this then?

I became anxious.

Let’s calm down. It’s not like I didn’t know. It’s all within the expected range. What I need to do now is not worry, but deduce.

It was then, after racking my brain to the point of steaming, that I heard Taylor’s shout.

“Come and look at this!”

Taylor’s shout snapped me out of it.

Did he find something? But why is he suddenly speaking informally?

I quickly moved and headed back to the plaza. There, Taylor was kneeling and holding something.

“I found this. It seems it didn’t burn and remained.”

What Taylor was holding was a gold tooth that seemed to have survived the fire. I frowned, feeling drained.

“You’ve really struck gold.”

Taylor didn’t react to my sarcasm and whispered lowly.

“Don’t react, just listen. Someone is watching us.”

It felt like someone had poured ice water over my head. Despite the tingling sensation running down my spine, I acted nonchalantly.

“There’s nothing in the houses. Damn it, I should have searched here too. A gold tooth, I’m jealous.”

Then, I quickly asked with my lips, using a subtle form of lip-reading.

‘Direction?’

Taylor gestured lightly with his eyes. North. I asked again.

‘Number?’

“I found two more besides this one. It’s worth the trouble.”

Two people, huh.

I heightened my senses in the direction Taylor indicated. I could faintly feel a presence. After quickly racking my brain, I stood up.

“I’m jealous. I struck out today. If you’re going to search the pit more, I’ll go down first.”

Then, I naturally turned around. I hoped we just looked like treasure hunters or looters.

If so, I, who was alone, would be easy prey.

“It’s chilly since it’s raining.”

I pulled up the hood covering my head tightly, just in case my face could be seen. Then, I naturally placed my hand on my sword.

‘Light.’

[Got it.]

I sent a short signal to Aphen.

The presence was getting closer and closer. At the same time, a narrow path leading into the village appeared before my eyes. The forest started right from the entrance. It was the perfect place to think about an ambush.

I closed my eyes. Then, I continued to walk.

Is this what it feels like to walk on a cliff with your eyes closed? Tension and excitement mixed together as I stepped into the forest.

If they’re coming, it’s right now.

At the same time as I thought that, the calm atmosphere changed in an instant. The fiercely blooming killing intent was conveyed to me, and I drew my sword.

[Iyoop!]

At the same time, Aphen emitted a strong light. It was the light magic I had asked for in advance. It wasn’t a great magic, but it would be quite fatal to eyes adapted to the dim light.

On the other hand, I, who had been closing my eyes, could open my eyes and find them the moment the light subsided.

Black robes, black breastplate, black greaves, black gauntlets. The sinister appearance was a sight I had seen often in the North.

‘Unholy Knight.’

I kicked off the ground. At the same time, I squeezed out Mana Heart [a core of concentrated magical energy]. Blue energy bloomed on the sword like a snake crawling up.

Clang!

It was blocked. I thought I would be able to cut off one arm.

Of course, if I had used my full power, I would have landed a valid hit. But I held back because there was nothing to gain from simply killing them.

At the same time, I felt a strong energy nearby. Glancing sideways, I saw Taylor rushing in fiercely, emitting blue light from his eyes.

“You mustn’t kill them!”

It was a desperate request, but did they hear it?

Taylor was relentlessly emitting killing intent as if he had seen his parents’ enemy.

Feeling that it wasn’t a joke, the two Unholy Knights released their abilities early on.

Soon, they emitted red energy that contrasted with the blue and rushed at us. Thus, each of us became one-on-one.

Kang! Kaang! Kang!

Three clashes. From below to above, then from above to below, and finally, a mid-section cut while killing the reaction by stomping the foot.

A commoner would probably die from the first attack. A mediocre knight would block up to the second. If you were equal to me, you could block the third.

But what if you were stronger than me?

You would block all three and even counterattack.

Seeing the sword enlarging before my eyes, I fell backward as if collapsing.

Whoosh!

Feeling the sword wind brushing past the tip of my nose, I grabbed the ground with my hand and regained my posture with a backflip.

‘What.’

Why are they so strong?

The guys I met in the North were nothing more than small fries compared to the opponent in front of me…….

Ah, right. Those guys must have been small fries. That’s why they were stuck in a place like the North.

On the other hand, this place is the Southern Islands, which is no different from their base. So, wouldn’t there only be the real deal?

Standing up, I spoke to the guy staring at me in front of me.

“What’s your rank?”

I didn’t ask expecting an answer. But he pondered seriously and then shrugged.

“About 30th?”

“Liar.”

“Why would I lie to a guy who’s about to die?”

He has余裕 [Yoyu – Japanese for composure or余裕]. He’s different from the guys who had only achieved thorough obedience to orders like robots.

I’m sure. These guys are the real deal.

If I’m like this, what about Taylor?

Glancing sideways, I saw Taylor and the black knight fiercely exchanging blows.

Unlike the anger he showed at first, Taylor seemed to have sensed something strange and was fighting cautiously. It must be more difficult than he thought.

“To be distracted, how unpleasant.”

As I was crouching, he brought his sword down on me like chopping firewood.

Should I block it? Do I need to?

Jumping back to create distance, I took a stance with my sword forward.

“Are you really 30th?”

“No, actually, I’m 1st.”

“Liar.”

“You’re a guy who doesn’t believe anything I say.”

The guy who answered smoothly looked at the sword I was holding forward and chuckled.

“What’s this supposed to be? Are you scared?”

“Yeah.”

“Judging from the fact that you’re using mana, you’re definitely not a treasure hunter……. Where are you guys from? Capital?”

It seems like he doesn’t know my face, so Peter’s disguise seems to be working.

Anyway, what should I do? It seems like there’s no answer with basic skills.

But I can’t run away. Now that I’ve been caught, I can’t let them live.

Well, there’s no choice. If I can’t do it with basic skills, I have no choice but to make up the difference with cheat skills.

Now that I’ve decided, I had to act quickly.

The second verse requires prior preparation. In that situation, the third verse is naturally impossible. Well, I can’t use it in the first place because Taylor is within range.

Then it’s pinpoint.

Summoning the Avatar, I opened my mouth lowly, feeling the sensation that I never get used to, no matter how many times I experience it.

「My sword is the wind」

Like a marionette moving according to the puppeteer’s skill, the Avatar of Bain Lindaier became my will.

At the same time, an Issun (一閃) [Issun – Japanese for a flash or instant] was unleashed.

My sword became a white flash and was fired.

Not a barrage against multiple targets, but a single strike with the maximum force condensed.

“What is this…….”

The face of the guy who had been full of 余裕 [Yoyu – Japanese for composure or 余裕] was distorted for the first time.

But it was too late. The flash had already pierced his heart.

Cough!

The guy spat out a handful of blood. But his eyes were somehow triumphant.

Even as I felt doubt about that, a burning pain surged in my thigh.

‘This bastard, he didn’t block and swung his sword.’

He must have thought it was impossible to block anyway, so he accepted death and launched a counterattack. It would have been a difficult decision to make in that short moment, he’s incredibly vicious.

Glancing down, I checked my leg.

Fortunately, it wasn’t cut deeply. But the mana carried on the sword was enough to be fatal on its own.

Regardless of my will, the strength in my leg gave way, and I ended up kneeling on one knee.

But it’s okay. I’ve taken care of one guy, so if I quickly help Taylor and capture the remaining guy in a 2:1…….

Thud!

At that moment, my sword was grabbed.

With a heart-stopping feeling, I turned my gaze to the front again. Before my eyes, I saw the guy with a blood-soaked smile, grabbing the blade that had pierced his heart.

“You, aren’t you dying?”

Blood was constantly spewing from his mouth. But even though his hands were becoming rags, he was still grabbing my sword and coming closer.

At that grotesque sight, I ended up missing the timing to pull my body away.

“Keuheuk…….”

As if squeezing out his last strength, the guy who had raised his red eyes to the fullest raised the sword he was holding in his remaining hand.

This, it seems like I’m screwed.

[Give me mana!]

‘You can even take my virginity!’

[I don’t need that!]

In an instant, mana squeezed out of Mana Heart [a core of concentrated magical energy], as if wringing out a wet rag, settled in Aphen.

After that, Aphen, which was dyed with a blazing white heat, quickly manifested magic.

[Weakened Fire Explosion Magic instead of speed!]

Puh-wuhng!

The upper body of the guy who had been holding the sword in front of me exploded from the inside out.

I was also caught up in the magic, and I felt a burning pain all over my body. It was fortunate that I quickly raised my hand to cover my face, or else my respiratory system would have been completely burned.

Hood-deuk!

Following that, the small fragmented pieces of the guy’s flesh and blood soaked my body. Some of them stubbornly squeezed into my mouth, and I felt the urge to vomit.

That’s how a storm barely passed, but there was no time to catch my breath. In my barely opened eyes, I saw Taylor, who was constantly being pushed back and bleeding in various places.

‘Ah, damn it.’

Using Aphen as a cane, I struggled to get up, and the first thing I did was break the ring that Pleta had given me. I just hoped that Jescal and Peter didn’t meet these guys during the exploration.

After that, I reached into the bag on my waist and took out an elixir. How many bottles would I have left if I used this one? Three bottles? I really don’t want to eat it even if I die.

Breaking the stopper and pouring the elixir into my mouth, I screamed in agony as my internal organs melted and headed towards Taylor.

“Kkwaaaaa!”