The Low-key Evil Wizard BOSS-Chapter 52 - 48: Upper Ranker [Double-Ringeded Snake]

Chapter 52: Chapter 48: Upper Ranker [Double-Ringeded Snake]

The Dark Realm, Reality, the Border Region!

Bevis didn’t fully understand these new terms, but after his series of encounters in the sewers today, he’d come to realize they were becoming a terrifying and dreadful place.

And now, the terms Zorn was explaining made him even more certain he’d found the right person.

After collecting his thoughts for a moment, Zorn slowly began his explanation.

"Have you heard of the Upper Rankers?"

At Zorn’s words, Bevis and Isaac’s expressions turned grim. Evidently, they had.

Many legends contained rumors about the Upper Rankers.

For example, the establishment of the unprecedentedly powerful ancient civilization of the Krug Plateau Empire on the Saint Jia’en Misty Plateau was linked to three Upper Rankers.

Then there was the case of the Saintisman Empire, which was currently rising at an astonishing speed—there were faint traces of the Upper Rankers’ involvement there as well.

The Upper Rankers possessed many inconceivable abilities.

Most of them were formless beings.

They could not be touched or perceived, and no one knew what they looked like.

With the exception of an exceedingly small number of special beings, ordinary humans—even Transcendents—were incapable of comprehending their existence or their will.

After giving the two a moment to process this, Zorn spoke again in a low voice.

"The reason a terrifying environment—a Border Region between the Dark Realm and reality—has formed deep within the sewers..."

"...is because the Forbidden Blood of a fearsome Upper Ranker, the Double-Ringeded Snake, is seeping throughout them."

’An Upper Ranker—the Double-Ringeded Snake.’

’The dreaded Forbidden Blood.’

As the mystery buried deep within the terrifying darkness was revealed, Bevis’s mind reeled.

Of course, he knew the terrifying tales about the Upper Ranker, the Double-Ringeded Snake.

He knew the horror stories all too well.

Hundreds of years ago, the Double-Ringeded Snake came ashore from the ocean. Overnight, the residents of several coastal towns were utterly devoured.

Over the next six months, several small city-states were also corrupted.

Under the Double-Ringeded Snake’s corruption, the warped Snake-man Race was born, their numbers swelling into the tens of thousands.

They followed the formless Upper Ranker, the Double-Ringeded Snake, migrating north.

To this day, there are still snake pits built by the Snake-man Race in the mist-shrouded Northern Land.

Bevis was well aware that deep in the sewers of Ogrande City, there were traces of a mysterious organization that worshiped the Double-Ringeded Snake.

But he had never imagined that the terrifying Upper Ranker, the Double-Ringeded Snake, was sleeping right beneath their feet.

After the two had a moment to digest this news, Zorn slowly continued his explanation.

"If I’m not mistaken, on June sixth—the day the Rat Plague broke out—that insane Evil God Organization, the Forbidden Bloodline..."

"...unleashed the Forbidden Blood of the Upper Ranker, the Double-Ringeded Snake."

"The Forbidden Blood is even more terrifying than one might imagine."

"The sewers themselves are steeped in deep darkness. When the Forbidden Blood corrupted that darkness..."

"...the Dark Realm slowly began to seep in and invade."

"Now, the sewers have become a Border Region between the Dark Realm and reality."

"The area has taken on some of the strange powers of the Dark Realm."

"That’s why torches can’t illuminate anything too far away, and why the darkness even devours our voices."

"And as the Forbidden Blood spreads, curses and corruption fill the air."

"A terrifyingly bizarre environment has taken shape as a result."

"It’s as if the sewers are now a living thing, devouring any humans and Transcendents who enter."

Everything Zorn had just explained was information gathered as Transcendents continuously explored, unraveled the secrets of, and conquered the underground. All of it was declassified and could be shared.

It was also the tip of the iceberg, a first glimpse for many Transcendents into the hidden and terrifying entities of the Extraordinary World.

One can only imagine the shock Bevis felt hearing Zorn lay it all out.

After a long silence, Bevis finally looked at Zorn, his eyes filled with not only awe but also terror. He spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Then... how do we solve this problem?"

Hearing this, Zorn gave a slight smile.

"This isn’t a problem that can be solved by just a few people."

"To have any hope of stopping this disaster, we’ll need Ogrande City and the Church to intervene."

"But we can still do our part."

With that, Zorn began to explain how to cope with the bizarre environment of the dark Border Region in the sewers.

This information was the key to getting back into the sewers.

"First, the darkness repels firelight."

"The brighter the flame burns, the more it’s suppressed by the thick darkness."

"In the Dark Realm, light is not permitted to travel."

"Perhaps you could go to the Spirit Witch Lady’s place and see if she has any potions that grant Dark Vision."

"Or you could wear an item that grants Dark Vision, like an eyeball necklace."

"That way, you’ll be able to travel through the darkness."

Bevis quickly took note of Zorn’s suggestions.

This was all crucial information for their return to the sewers.

"Second, the green miasma in there. Even Transcendents are easily corrupted by it."

"You’ll need to carry a corresponding Antitoxic Potion."

"The Spirit Witch Lady should have them as well."

"Oh, and if any of the city’s Transcendents are poisoned, you can use a similar potion to cure them. The effects should be quite good."

Today, Zorn had gone to the Witch’s Monastery and then to the Steam Potion Factory.

He had already set up the manufacturing and sales pipeline for the Antitoxic Potion.

The Antitoxic Potion wasn’t difficult to make. He estimated that by tonight, the Alchemist Vladimir would have mastered the formula and figured out the steam-powered industrial production process.

Tomorrow, or the day after at the latest, large batches of the Antitoxic Potion would be available at the Spirit Witch Lady’s shop, and they would be inexpensive—cheap and effective.

To that end, Zorn had even given Vladimir 2,000 gold pounds to purchase the necessary potion ingredients. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

This would be enough for the newly established Steam Factory to earn its first major profit.

Zorn’s explanation had undoubtedly given Bevis a clear path forward.

Faced with that terrifying darkness, he once again found the courage to fight back.

The terrifying plague rats were running rampant. As a Rat Catcher, he had to stamp them out. It was his duty, and more than that, it was the destiny that came with inheriting the Rat Catcher Sequence.

"Mr. Zorn, would you be willing to join us?"

"We have a good number of Rat Catchers on our side. We can hold back the rat swarms and track down the Rat King’s location."

Having received so much crucial information from Zorn, the Rat Catcher Bevis extended an invitation.

’Without a doubt, working with the Rat Catchers would be safer.’

’It could even be considered a shortcut to clearing the mission.’

’The Rat Catchers are the key group involved in the Rat Plague incident from start to finish.’

’And Isaac, the young Rat Catcher who would mature during this incident, was an existence favored by destiny itself.’

"Thank you very much for your invitation, Mr. Bevis."

Zorn smiled lightly.

"But as you can probably sense, I’ve only just advanced to Level Two. I need some time to consolidate my Sequence and Level."

’Of course, this was just an excuse. It wasn’t the right time to cooperate with the Rat Catchers yet.’

’He had just obtained the Giant Glutton’s Stomach and the Sun King’s Golden Skeleton, and there were also Extraordinary Artifacts being crafted that were waiting for him.’

’He needed time to digest these resources.’

A look of regret crossed Bevis’s face.

He knew Zorn’s strength all too well.

This was a man who could go toe-to-toe with the Rat King.

If they had a powerhouse like him on their team, they would be much stronger.

They could play a much bigger role in the Rat Plague and reap greater rewards.

After all, they weren’t the only group of Rat Catchers in Ogrande City.

Furthermore, now that the Ogrande City Rat Plague outbreak had made headlines across the Holy Land Continent, more and more Rat Catchers were arriving in the city by steam train.

"Although we can’t work together right now, I believe it won’t be long before an opportunity for cooperation arises."

Zorn stood up and said earnestly.

’Cooperation with the Rat Catchers was inevitable. After all, only they could find the Rat King’s Final Nest.’

’More accurately, the key was the path that involved the Rat Catcher, Isaac.’

’If he built a good relationship with them now, Zorn could directly join the Rat Catchers’ team in the future to harvest and devour the Rat King.’

Hearing this, the Rat Catcher Bevis nodded slightly.

"I hope that moment comes soon."