Monster Evolution System: I became a Rat-Chapter 86: Joseph Markin

Rosacer paused. His thoughts drifted, fragments of Eren’s words colliding with memories he could not fully grasp. After a moment, he looked up.

"What about the Dream God?" he asked.

Eren frowned, lines forming briefly on his brow. "What about him?"

Rosacer did not look away. "Which continent is he from?"

"Ah," Eren said, understanding dawning. "The Sanders Islands. They lie in the southern sea."

He nodded to himself, then continued, almost idly, as if recalling an old scent.

"Their fogbound cities produced an aromatic mist. It seeped into the streets, the homes, the lungs." His voice softened. "It induced sleep. Not ordinary sleep. Deep, lingering dreams."

"Sanders Islands," he went on, shifting topics abruptly, "are no longer as they once were."

His fingers tightened on the book.

"As you likely know, they have been engulfed by the Karmic Dungeon."

Eren then opened his book. "If there aren’t any more questions, let’s end the conversation here. I am quite busy, as you can see."

Rosacer gave a faint nod back.

Eren smiled. "If you want more information, read the books in aisle section 2A5."

He added playfully, "If you can read them."

Rosacer shot him a sharp look, then turned toward the aisles.

Eren gave a faint chuckle, then returned to his book.

As Rosacer moved through the aisles, he found many books and sections regarding topics he had never even heard of. They were titled Imperium of Salamander Frika, Sanctum of Foregond, Last Rites of Deathly Whispers, and many more.

Each was unheard of to him, yet they sparked interest within him.

Slowly, aisle after aisle, he reached section 2A5.

The books there told tales of the Sanders Islands and of a man named Joseph Markin. All the books were authored by Joseph Markin.

"Who has to be so self-obsessed to write books about himself?" Rosacer remarked, mocking the thought in his head.

He took a book from the shelf, Hounds and the Princess of Sander Island.

The alphabet was similar, but the words used were a little odd. He turned to the system, and it corrected itself.

[The script is Ergo-Ermanji, a variation of Ermanji used by sailors. Developed due to their muffled way of talking, they invented new words that require less mouth movement.]

Another window appeared without delay.

[Translating Ergo-Ermanji....]

{It was a new day when I realized that the hounds are not native to the islands. They were brought here by the princess’s helpers. Also, I am quite surprised that this island does not fish to live. Quite fascinating. I originally planned to find the mermaids, but now I had planned to stay on this island, for now I am more intrigued by it. Sander has six islands in total, with five of them uninhabited. Only one is lived on by the people. They call it Crescitlok, the Growing Realm. I originally thought it was a weird name, but I was soon introduced to the crops and vegetation that grow here at a rapid rate. In a single sleep, the crops sown will have grown. It was a miracle granted by their god, the Dream God.}

{With the Lake of Kawagorung, this place even has freshwater for domestic and irrigation purposes. Quite self-dependent too. Even though the island is foggy, the sun comes up at midday, with the fog and mist retreating back to the sea.}

{The Sun Emperor Imperium would never have guessed that this island near their sea was so useful. It could provide rations for their army in mere hours. But I will never tell them, for the monsters they are, they would ravage this land of its holy and divine gifts.}

The book continued with more accounts of Joseph’s travels and his endeavors in the Sander Islands, but there was not much regarding the mysterious princess without a kingdom, only mentions of her and her followers.

The strange thing Joseph noted was that the princess felt somewhat foreign, even to the natives of the western kingdom she claimed to come from.

Joseph wrote in his book that he believed the princess might be from the Eastern Continent, but her attire was too obscure to be attributed to any major kingdom or culture. She might have been from some small tribe, he guessed. Still, why she lied about her heritage from the western continent was something Joseph could not figure out.

Eventually, the book phased into his departure toward the mermaid of the Southern Sea, the Great Humorous Sea.

With waves mimicking the sound of laughter, the menacing sea awaited the traveler, and that was where the book ended.

Rosacer then turned to return the book. The sky still had the sun high above, and he had more time to read, so he quickly took another book from the shelf.

This one was titled Man and His Apostle: The Men in Black.

The system chimed without delay.

[Translating Ergo−Ermanji...]

{Into the darkness of the Ocean of Manshora, I traveled after my encounter with the mermaids. The Great Humorous Sea lay just a few miles ahead, yet I moved in fear, for I had witnessed something no man should ever see. In the depths of the Ocean of Manshora, my men and I, during our dive, encountered a ruined temple at the deepest part of the ocean. If not for my companion killing one of the mermaids to create the artifact that allowed us to venture into the water, we would not have been able to witness the sight before us. Even so, the pressure of the deep ocean was enormous. I felt like an ant being crushed to death beneath the sole of an ignorant man’s shoe. Heed my warning and never venture into the deep temple of Manshora, for it harbors a fear that should never be felt.}

Joseph never explained what he saw, only leaving behind his warning and his description of the dreadful nature of the Manshora Ocean.

Rosacer scratched his head in confusion. The book ended there. There were more books written by Joseph, but this was the latest to date.

He wondered why the book was titled Men in Black. Originally, he had thought Joseph would speak more about an organization that might have existed for centuries, but it seemed the title was merely a placeholder.

The content and the title of the book did not match.

Rosacer pushed the book back into the shelf and took another one. This one was titled Apologist and Heretic.

The system chimed once again, attempting to translate the content.

{Throughout my travels as an adventurer, I have never encountered a follower of Dawn who was not an apologist, nor a follower of Greed who was not a heretic. I sometimes wonder which of them is closer to the truth, if such a thing even exists. Makarthy and Hesurema are my companions, one a follower of Dawn and the other of Greed. I personally favor Makarthy more for his loyalty, but Hesurema has grown on me. He is a man who can do anything, and in that, he provides others a certain security they strive for. I am not a philosopher, but to me, a man’s ability guides his deeds. Hesurema, therefore, is the man I consider closer to the truth as I perceive it.

Anyhow, I encountered the true meaning of friendship through both of them. It was one morning in the Western Ocean, Kramkara. My men and I had come from the Northern Ocean, Shipura, and were completely exhausted, but our venture could not be stopped. This time, we were encircling the whole world. This was only the second ocean.

In Kramkara, Kraken and Harken Sharks are the most common enemies of sailors. The water itself comes second. These ferocious beasts never stop. They are hungry all the time, hunting all the time. It was early morning, the dew had not yet vaporized, when a massive Harken Shark plunged its teeth into the hull of our ship, Maryweather. It nearly snapped the ship in half. If not for Makarthy, who blinded the beast with his pale spear, and Hesurema, who stole the creature’s vitality using cursal maho, his uniquely gifted blood magic, we would have been lost.

The two of them hated each other, but when trouble struck, they fought together. Even when the Harken Shark nearly dragged Makarthy underwater, Hesurema leapt into the ocean to fight the beast. It was foolish, but in the end, we defeated it. Using its core as a resource, we repaired the ship with the very bones of the Harken Shark.}

The book continued to tell the tale of Joseph and his men, battling more monsters in Kramkara and eventually venturing into the hidden island of Samgho.

The book ended when the group finally reached the island. They were battered, yet every one of them was alive and well. Only the cook lost a finger when the ship was hit by a Leviathan while he was chopping vegetables to prepare the stew.

Rosacer closed the book and turned toward the window. Outside, the sun was going down, and the lights inside the library were slowly turning on.

He exhaled, pushed the book back onto the shelf, and turned toward the exit.