Level Up Machine

Chapter 149 Preparations for the Expedition (2)

“What is that?”

Yeong-sik looked at her with deeply sunken eyes.

His body was mechanical.

And the creators of the monsters who used machines.

If he had not thought of any connection between them, it would be a lie.

“It’s still a difficult issue to give you an exact answer to.”

There were certainly many suspicious parts.

However, there were too few clues to pinpoint and speak about them clearly.

“Just because they use the same kind of power doesn’t necessarily mean they are related.”

“…That’s true.”

Park Si-a nodded.

It was hard to link Yeong-sik and the creators solely based on the fact that they both used machines.

If that were the case, what would it make of the summoners and natives who based all their power on magic?

“But I also don’t think there is no connection at all. It’s such a unique power.”

“You said you lost your memory before being summoned to the Elnote Continent, right?”

“Yes. That’s why it’s still hard to be sure of any connection with the creators.”

“Hmm… Then the only way is to hope that Yeong-sik recovers his memories.”

“Yes.”

Yeong-sik nodded with a bitter smile.

Recovering his lost memories.

Other than that, there was no way to clearly explain the current situation.

“Then, I’ll give you the highest-grade communication orb capable of long-distance contact. Please contact us if anything happens. We will send reinforcements immediately.”

“Oh, there’s one more thing I’d like to ask.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

This time, Yeong-sik asked her in a slightly cautious voice.

“Could you tell me about the legacy of the Ingrim Empire?”

“The legacy, you say?”

“Yes. Like the place where you found the materials that contained clues about the Tomb of the Forgotten.”

“Uh…”

At Yeong-sik’s words, Park Si-a looked troubled.

The legacy of the Ingrim Empire was treated as the most important information even within the guild, and she hadn’t shared it with Han-seong either.

“…Understood.”

After a long hesitation, Park Si-a finally opened her mouth with difficulty.

Maintaining the alliance with the Salvator Guild was essential for her goals.

If maintaining that relationship firmly meant sharing such information, she could talk about it as much as needed.

“If you go to the Hero’s Tomb, you will find the former imperial palace of the Ingrim Empire.”

“Are you talking about where the imperial palace once stood?”

“No. If you go there, you’ll see the imperial palace still standing intact.”

“Intact?” Yeong-sik tilted his head in confusion.

The Ingrim Empire had become a wasteland due to the Great War, so he couldn’t understand how an imperial palace could still exist.

“The palace is still protected by incredibly powerful magic. People can enter, but it cannot be damaged.”

“Hmm… What kind of power keeps it intact even through the Great War?”

“In fact, the reason we first went there was to find the source of that power. We thought if we could obtain it, we might find a clue to fight against the creators.”

Park Si-a sighed briefly and continued.

“To cut to the chase, we didn’t find the source of that power. All we found were documents in the king’s office.”

“…And those documents mentioned the Tomb of the Forgotten?”

“That’s right.”

Park Si-a spoke with deeply sunken eyes.

“I can’t say for sure what the source of that power is, but… it’s certainly not an ordinary relic. It might even be stronger than the legacy left by the Eight Heroes.”

It was a power that kept a castle intact through the Great War.

It was easy to guess it wasn’t an ordinary item.

“My personal opinion is… it’s at least an SSS-rank item.”

“Well, that’s just my personal guess.”

She finished with a bitter smile.

“That’s how we came across the clue to the Tomb of the Forgotten. I can’t tell you more than this.”

“Thank you.”

Yeong-sik slightly bowed his head to her.

‘The imperial palace of the Ingrim Empire.’

He thought he might find something if he went there.

“Then, I’ll be going now.”

“Yes. I’ll contact you if anything comes up.”

After finishing his conversation with Park Si-a, Yeong-sik stepped out of the Leviathan Guild.

* * *

“…Master, do you want to go to the center of the continent?”

“If possible. I have some business to take care of.”

Yeong-sik and Lucia, who had just left the Leviathan Guild, were now heading to the annex of the Leviathan Guild, which the Salvator Guild was using as their guild house.

Lucia asked him with a slightly anxious expression.

“Is it okay to ask why?”

“There are many reasons. One of them involves you, Lucia.”

The most important reason was to investigate the mechanical monsters, but she was also one of the reasons included.

At his answer, Lucia trembled and looked at him.

“…Are you talking about me?”

“If we go there, we might find out why you lost your memory.”

Yeong-sik said with a faint smile on his lips.

Lucia stared at him with a blank expression at his words.

She hadn’t expected that he would care so much for someone he had met only a short time ago.

“Master…”

She looked at Yeong-sik’s back with a dreamy expression.

Yeong-sik, unaware of her gaze, continued walking.

“Then I’ll wash up and rest in my room. You should rest too, Lucia.”

“Yes, Master.”

Back at the guild house, Yeong-sik immediately took off his clothes and headed to the bathroom.

Lucia deeply bowed her head as she watched his back entering the bathroom.

As Yeong-sik entered the bath, a peculiar silence fell.

With a flushed face, Lucia picked up Yeong-sik’s discarded clothes.

“Haa, haa…”

Her breathing became rough. With a dazed expression, as if intoxicated, she brought his clothes to her nose.

“Snnff… Haa. Haa. Snnff.”

She deeply inhaled, savoring Yeong-sik’s scent lingering on the clothes.

Although Yeong-sik barely had any body odor due to not sweating, he couldn’t fool her superhuman sense of smell.

Recalling the conversation they had just had, her body heated up.

His gentle smile, as he looked at her, filled her mind.

“Ah, ah…”

A moan escaped Lucia’s lips. A tingling sensation spread throughout her body.

“Haa. Haa. Master’s scent… I love it… Just smelling his faint scent left on his clothes made her body burn.

Lucia crossed her legs tightly and began to lick his clothes.

“Haa… Snnff. Snnff.”

She mindlessly licked and sucked on Yeong-sik’s clothes.

“I can’t stand it anymore…”

She murmured in an excited voice.

Clutching Yeong-sik’s clothes, she dashed to her room.

“Phew. Maybe I’ll sleep first and hold the meeting tomorrow.”

Coming out of the bath, Yeong-sik murmured as he dried himself with a towel.

Before the expedition, it was necessary to hold a meeting with the guild members about what he had heard today.

But it was already late, and he was personally very tired, so he didn’t feel like holding the meeting right away.

‘I haven’t slept in weeks.’

The post-war tasks required were incredibly numerous.

Yeong-sik helped Tiria for almost several weeks without rest to handle the post-war matters.

One of the results of such efforts was framing the Abaddon Guild for the crimes committed by the Salvator Guild.

After changing into new clothes, Yeong-sik entered his room and lay down on the bed as if he had fainted, seeking sleep.

Even though he didn’t need much sleep, staying up for several weeks in a row had built up an unbearable fatigue.

-Creak.

As he fell into a deep sleep, the door opened slightly, and a violet figure approached him silently.

“Haa, haa… Master…”

The figure that sneaked into the room was Lucia.

She approached the sleeping Yeong-sik with a breathy voice.

Her eyes were unfocused as she entered the room.

* * *

“Ugh?”

The next morning, Yeong-sik woke up to the sunlight streaming through the window.

He raised his waist to get up.

-Clank.

“Huh?”

At that moment, he realized there was a chain around his neck.

It wasn’t just his neck. His arms and legs were also tightly bound by sturdy chains.

“Hehe. Did you wake up, Master?”

Only then did Yeong-sik notice Lucia sitting on top of him.

Wearing nothing but a white dress shirt, she looked down at him with a suggestive smile.

Yeong-sik looked up at her with a puzzled expression.

He couldn’t understand what was happening.

Lucia, with an excited look, licked her lips as she gazed at him.

“Haa, haa… I tried to hold back until you gave me an order, but I can’t hold back any longer, Master. Haa, just smelling your scent makes me so excited that I can’t stand it.”

She spoke as she caressed Yeong-sik’s chest with her hands.

“Give me everything, Master. I will serve you from head to toe. I’ll make you happy for the rest of your life. I’ll make you unable to live without me. Ah, I love you, Master. I love you so much. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you…”

An eerie voice, as if cursed, flowed from her mouth. Her unfocused pupils were directed at Yeong-sik.

Yeong-sik looked up at her with a bewildered expression.

What is this?