Rogue Villain-Chapter 240: Lore

"Alright, I’ll do it. But what you’re asking of me is a little much."

Ackster retreated from his perching spot on the basket’s railing as he finally accepted Wilma’s mission.

"Don’t worry. For this kind of thing, you will naturally get your dues. In the first place, the Guild is only interested in the ruin’s historical value and ensuring that it’s safe. Of course, we would happily research anything you pull out from there. But it’s your stuff, still. Well, you will have to share with the other participant."

"Didn’t you say it was possibly very dangerous?"

"Yeah. But with your abilities and the other guy’s strength, there shouldn’t be a reason to worry. In fact, if he wanted to, I’m pretty sure your coworker for this assignment could do it on his own. It’s just that without at least two people, there’s a risk of destroying everything inside."

"Who is it?"

Ackster narrowed his eyes, feeling that Wilma was intentionally not divulging any details regarding his coworker.

"..."

’Coworker ’for this assignment’? Shouldn’t all of the Guild’s special forces operatives be my coworkers? So, it’s not another one like me?’

Ackster got a bad feeling. His Overhuman Senses and gut feeling were telling him that something was wrong. Wilma, avoiding his gaze and question, only confirmed what his senses were warning him of.

"Is it another adventurer?"

Wilma hesitantly tilted her head as she considered it before shaking it, denying Ackster’s guess.

"It would make my task easier if I know who I’m dealing with."

"You’ll find out when we get there."

"When you get there, you mean."

Ackster was once again about to jump.

"Ugh! Fine. But the Guild didn’t ask him to come. He just showed up on his own and said he wanted to get in. And he’s not exactly someone we can say no to..."

"No way...! The Dragon Slayer?"

"Ye—What, no. Kargas is a figurehead for the Guild and, aside from doing the bare minimum, just goes around hunting ’dragons.’"

"I guess that makes sense."

Ackster thought back to his encounter with Kargas. He didn’t seem fit to lead an organization of the Guild’s size.

"By the way—this is not me changing topic, I’ll get right back to that—when I was in the Land of Dragons, I ran into some guy, Tararat. I think he was called?"

"Seriously?" 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"Yeah. Anyway. I mentioned that Tararat’s voice sounded a little like Kargas’s, and he flipped. He then said that I was lucky to have heard Kargas’ voice since it won’t be long before it permanently leaves this world. Is it just me or is that...?"

"Yeah, no, that’s pretty bad. And Tararat just revealed that to you?"

"Well, he tried to kill me, too. This is courtesy from him, actually."

Ackster showed off his stump.

"I thought you said it was an experiment."

"It was. I made the best of my circumstances."

Wilma sighed. Ackster felt a little bad about lying to her. But if he wanted to either sharpen Kargas or Tararat as his blades against The Hero and the Dragon of Life, he would need them to step up their training a little. And what better training was there for the Dragon Slayer than to fight against the Land of Dragons? As for Tararat? He would need to put in a lot of work to defeat his natural enemy.

"Thanks for telling me. The Guildmaster has been a little difficult to contact lately, but I’ll put someone on it and see what the Land of Dragons is up to. They shouldn’t be planning anything, but Kargas is their biggest disgrace and shame. And it’s been long enough for them to forget about what made them banish him instead of killing him in the first place."

’Oh, lore. Nice.’

Ackster wanted to know more about the details of the relationship between Kargas and the Land of Dragons. But he should be thankful for what he got since he doubted Wilma would reveal all of that to him unless necessary. Still, Ackster could piece together a lot, such as the fact that he might not have been that far off when he told Kargas that he was a dragon.

"And so, who is it, then? Who’s in charge of offense during this ruin exploration?"

"You’ll know when you get there."

Wilma realized her mistake as soon as she spoke, and she grabbed onto Ackster’s shirt.

"Fuck! Alright, I’ll tell you, just get back in here!"

Wilma hauled the ridiculously heavy Ackster back into the basket and tossed him into a corner. She placed a foot on his stomach to make sure he stayed in place. Ackster could get rid of it if he really tried. But he had gotten what he wanted, so he stayed put.

"Damn, man! What have you been eating lately? It’s a wonder the balloon even flies with you in it."

"Okay, that’s just rude. I’m a healthy young man. It’s only natural I eat a lot."

"Natural, my ass. I know mountains that don’t weigh as much as you do."

"Aww, are you calling my muscles rock-solid? Thanks."

"I’m calling you heavy. Seriously. Is this a side effect of your training? Don’t recommend it to anyone, especially not women."

"I wasn’t going to. I also don’t think anyone can handle it. I’m pretty sure part of my weight comes from eating several hundred plates of food per sitting. Another part, I think, is from Nold’s secret technique. My skeleton is as dense as lead. It’s a wonder I can even swim."

"You’re still doing that? How’s it going?"

"Good. I need the next part."

"What do you mean?"

"I’ve already repeated the first stage until it barely has any effect. If I want to progress, I need the next part."

"You!"

Wilma kicked Ackster’s leg with more flair than force.

"Fucking!"

Wilma leaned down and grabbed Ackster’s cheeks, stretching them like slimes.

"Madman!"

Wilma stood up and went over to the basket’s opposite corner while grumbling and pulling her hair out.

"Please, for gods’ sakes, treasure yourself some more, Ackster! That technique is not something a sane person practices to completion!"

"You’re the one who gave it to me."

"I was hoping you would try it and learn that too much pain isn’t good for you."

"On the contrary, I would say. That pain, all the pain I’ve felt, is the reason I’m where I am right now."

Wilma looked straight into Ackster’s eyes while resting her forehead against the sides of her hands.

"What is it?"

"What is what?"

"You have some kind of pain-related skill, right? What rank is it?"

"My Pain Tolerance is SS rank."

"..."