The task was done.
It meant it was time to head back.
'Hmm.'
Before returning, I took a moment to swipe anything valuable from the hideout of the Bagos' brothers.
Honestly, I wanted to take everything, but my bag's capacity had its limits, so I couldn't help it.
'The plan to make it look like a monster attack is half ruined anyway.'
I fired way too many rounds during the fight with Esther.
Not just regular rounds, but even explosive rounds.
At this point, there was no way I could clean it all up, so I just decided to grab whatever I could and get out of here.
'Among all that stuff, the most valuable items should be in Bagos' secret vault.'
It wasn't difficult.
I already knew the layout of the Snake Cave perfectly.
'The location of Bagos' secret vault is...'
Retracing my memory, I moved to the deepest part of the cave where the vault was hidden.
At first glance, it looked like an ordinary cave wall.
But when I gently pressed the surface, the wall opened to reveal a mechanical device.
The opening mechanism was a simple combination of manipulating a few mechanical components in the correct order, so it wasn't hard.
Orderk, Orderk—
Thud—
At last, Bagos' secret vault revealed itself.
[...You sure know a lot, huh? Even knowing my name and finding this place. I didn't know about this either.]
"That's just how I am."
I didn't bother addressing her way of speaking.
There was no point in picking a fight over it since it would just make her even more persistent.
'What a nasty personality.'
Bagos, true to his reputation as a notorious bandit, had quite a few valuable items despite it being just the early stages.
The plasma sword from earlier was one of them, along with some equipment from the now-ruined Kronos.
'Ho...'
Inside Ark, credits were the primary currency, but outside, only tangible goods like bullets held value.
Naturally, Bagos' wealth consisted mostly of physical assets.
──────────────
[R-1 Plasma Sword] [★★★★★ (5 Stars)]
—An Ark standard plasma sword.
—Possesses strong cutting power.
—However, its energy efficiency is rather poor.
"View Details"
──────────────
──────────────
[CRN-017] [★★ (2 Stars)]
—A Kronos standard-issue automatic rifle.
—Faithful to the basics.
"View Details"
──────────────
──────────────
[CN-BOM-07] [★★★ (3 Stars)]
—A Kronos adhesive bomb.
—Explodes after a set time or upon manual detonation.
"View Details"
──────────────
I picked up some other useful stuff too.
'This could be sold to the Sandstorm Caravan... and this one to Ark. Some of these I could use myself.'
Honestly, I hadn't expected much in terms of extra income this early in the stages, but Bagos' stash was surprisingly well-stocked.
'That should do it.'
I felt I had taken everything worth taking, so I turned to leave.
There was no benefit to lingering in the Snake Cave any longer.
[...You're really scraping everything clean.]
"It's all ownerless now anyway."
[How shameless of you, Master.]
Esther's voice chimed sarcastically in my ear.
Ignoring her, I left the corpses of the Bagos' brothers behind and finally exited the Snake Cave.
For several reasons, I didn't want to stay there any longer.
'That thing might wake up.'
It wasn't just a vague feeling—there was a real reason I didn't want to hang around the Snake Cave.
"What was that memory you mentioned earlier?"
[...Huh? Memory? What memory?]
"You said you saw a memory earlier, didn't you?"
[Did I? I don't remember...]
"Don't play games with me."
When I pointed the HE2050 pistol at Esther, she flinched and raised her shoulders.
[Hey! I really don't remember! You blew my head off earlier, remember?]
That was true.
Even if beheading doesn't mean much to a specter, the fact remained that part of Esther had been lost.
'Doesn't sound like she's lying.'
It seemed that getting hit by GHOST-157 had wiped out part of Esther, including her memories.
It was unfortunate, but that was reality.
'Still, I can't just let her rummage through my mind again...'
Even though she was weakened now, she was still the Possessor, Esther—a first-class specter and a key member of the Shadow Order.
If I allowed her to freely access my memories, who knew what tricks she might pull?
While she couldn't directly affect my mind, she could still cause trouble if she got her hands on useful information.
'Maybe I really should meet with Kurilta.'
Strictly speaking, uncovering Karl Marcus' past wasn't an urgent priority.
I was just a bit curious, that's all.
Right now, I had plenty of more pressing tasks to deal with.
'First, I need to head back.'
The scuffle with Esther took more time than expected.
Considering the time it would take to return; it was going to be cutting it close before the next wave hit.
There was no time to be leisurely.
[You're heading back?]
"Yeah."
[I didn't expect to enter Ark this way... By the way, where are you from, Master?]
"I'm not from Ark."
[...What?]
Come to think of it, I hadn't mentioned my residence to Esther yet.
It probably wouldn't be news she'd take well, being a specter and all.
"I live in the Sacred Mountain, Noah."
[What the hell are you talking about...]
Esther's voice quivered.
Of course, I knew exactly what the Sacred Mountain, Noah, meant to a specter like her.
"Well, I'm off."
[Wait! Hold on!]
*
Night had fallen.
I had no intention of camping out anywhere near Ark or the Sacred Mountain, Noah, so I kept moving without stopping, even at night.
Moving under the moonlight, I took care not to create any light in the middle of the night.
If I did, monsters would quickly swarm.
The atmosphere was eerie, like something straight out of a ghost story.
Sure enough, a ghost whispered next to me, proving that thought correct.
[Um... Master?]
"What."
She'd been yammering the whole way, and I was already tired of dealing with her.
[You don't really have to live in Sacred Mountain Noah, do you? I know a few cozy places...]
If I left her unchecked, she would probably keep chattering about this all night.
I figured I needed to put a firm stop to it.
"If you're talking about the Raymond Highlands, the old Kronos territory, or the Forgotten Temple, forget it. I have no intention of going there."
[How do you...]
The Shadow Order has several bases.
The Forgotten Temple is their main stronghold, and the other two are places they frequently use.
[...Master, what exactly are you? How do you know all that?]
The Shadow Order hadn't even started their full-scale activities at this point.
Naturally, there shouldn't be anyone who knew that information.
It made sense for Esther to be startled.
"Nothing you need to know."
[Ugh, that's so petty... We're going to be living under the same roof now, isn't this a bit much?]
She wasn't entirely wrong.
Sooner or later, Esther would naturally learn more about me.
It didn't really matter if I told her a little now.
But...
"It's a hassle."
[Ugh... You're so heartless.]
Esther put on an exaggeratedly pitiful expression, her silver eyebrows trembling.
Of course, I wasn't buying it.
"By the way, how long do you plan on staying in that physical form? There's no need for it."
As I pointed out, Esther had remained in her materialized form since being bound to me.
Even if she'd lost her strength, maintaining a physical form wasn't a big deal for a specter of her level.
Still, it was honestly just an eyesore.
Since she was already bound to me, there was no need for her to remain in physical form to stay by my side.
[I thought you might feel lonely traveling alone, so I figured I'd keep you company. Isn't that considerate of me?]
"No need. Besides, I'm not alone."
[Are you saying you're not lonely because I'm here with you? Is that it?]
Esther twisted her body bashfully as if she was embarrassed.
Of course, it was all just another one of her little tricks.
"No."
At my blunt answer, the bone parasite growled.
[Kiiik!]
Esther glanced at the bone parasite, finally noticing it, and shook her head.
Since she was bound to me, she naturally realized I wasn't a Skull Knight.
[...Oh, right. That little one was here. So cute—I just want to bite it.]
[Gik.]
I wasn't sure if they could actually communicate, but Esther and the bone parasite seemed to get along surprisingly well, like fellow monsters.
'Traveling like this is taking way too much time. I should probably secure a means of transportation soon.'
If possible, I wanted to get a silent hovering bike.
Unfortunately, that kind of vehicle was reserved for special units like the Ark's Tactical Strike Forces.
Of course, it wasn't entirely impossible to acquire one if I accumulated enough merits, but the cost was no joke.
Was it worth investing a hefty sum of merits in transportation? I couldn't help but feel uncertain.
'That might be my only option.'
Just as I was considering my next move and walking on, Esther muttered to herself.
[Something's strange...]
"What is."
[I feel like I'm forgetting something important... but I can't remember what.]
"Then don't talk about it."
It wasn't helpful in the slightest.
[No, I'm serious! It was really important!]
"Then what is it."
[That's the problem. I can't remember. Somebody blew my head off, after all...]
"Then don't bother."
Whatever it was, if it made her that uneasy, it probably wasn't something trivial.
But I needed to know what it was before I could plan a response.
'No way, it couldn't be that...'
A nagging feeling crept up on me.
I thought about how recklessly I had rampaged inside the Snake Cave earlier.
The biggest reason why I never considered the Snake Cave a safe place...
Was because it still had an owner.
[Ugh... I feel like I'm about to remember...]
While Esther kept grumbling, the ground suddenly began to shake.
Ku-gu-gu-gu-gu-gung───!!!
This wasn't a normal earthquake.
The turbulent movement of the surrounding ether proved it.
[Kiiik, kikikik───]
[Run away. Run away. Run away. Run away. Run away. Run away. Run away. Run away. Run away. Run away.]
[Scary... So scary...]
Ether roared around us as Esther spoke up.
[Ah, I remember now!]
"...That sure took long enough."
[The Snake Cave's owner is waking up! I'm sure of it!]
She was right.
If there was something in this area that could cause a massive tremor like this, there was only one answer.
Thud!
Ku-woong─!!
A colossal roar reverberated.
Kiiiiiiieeeeeeeee───!!!
An earth-shaking, horrific scream pierced through my ears.
[...Master, what do we do?]
Ouroboros.
The master of the Snake Cave had awakened from its long slumber.