Trait Hoarder-Chapter 287: The Machinery Witch (1)

The Machinery Witch — Part 1

I had almost gathered all the traits I needed.

Mutant, Mutant Muscle, Mutant Body, Mutant Heart, and Mutant Organs.

Only one final step remained.

[Mutant Brain]

Honestly, this was the hardest part.

It’s the brain, after all.

Most mutants already can’t maintain their sanity.

Usually, they end up becoming monsters driven only by instinct, rampaging until they are eventually hunted down.

And now, a mutated brain?

When their bodies are still as fragile as a human’s?

Eight or nine out of ten would die, and even the ones who survived would often turn into deranged lunatics.

They would become slightly more common after Episode 6, post-nuclear war, but I couldn’t afford to wait that long.

‘What should I do?’

After returning to the Seoul Mansion through the Grand Escape, I fell deep into thought.

There were no monsters I knew of with a mutated brain.

Which meant I had to find one.

Even if I had to search across all of Korea.

No, across the entire world if necessary.

To do that…

I made a phone call.

Was this my first time calling this person? Probably.

It had been months since we last contacted each other.

There was a good chance they would ignore the call.

Thankfully, the person picked up quickly.

[Well, well! Who do we have here! The pride of our association, the legend of our association, the greatest ability holder of our association! It’s none other than Director Kim of Sword Star!]

The person on the other end exclaimed excitedly.

It was the Hunter Association President.

When we first met, he was just called Director Kang, a Reinforced hunter whose hair had been retreating faster by the day.

“It’s been a while. I hope you’ve been well.”

[Of course! Oh my, aren’t you terribly busy these days, Warrior Kim? I heard there was quite a commotion in Gwangju.]

“It turned out that way. I’ve been running around taking care of it.”

[Ugh, those trash. What on earth are those people from the Old Father’s Cult thinking? If they want to stir up trouble, they should do it somewhere they hate, like Tokyo, not near Seoul.]

“Exactly. Anyway, I’m calling because I have a favor to ask.”

[A favor? Please, say no more! I owe you my life, Warrior Kim. I will repay that debt with all my heart and soul!]

I formally placed a request.

The goal: to find a being with the [Mutant Brain] trait.

No need to hunt them.

I just needed their location.

As soon as I knew where they were, I could fly over and copy the trait.

Of course, I couldn’t openly talk about traits, so I vaguely described it as searching for a being with a mutated brain.

[A being with a mutated brain… it doesn’t matter if it’s a lunatic, a monster, or a superhuman, right?]

“Yes. The Hunter Association should be able to coordinate with the World Hunter Association, correct? I’m requesting it because I think they might have some data.”

[I think we can find it quickly too. Please wait a moment while I access the database. Or would you like to come to the association? As soon as we find it, I’ll have a private jet ready for you.]

“That sounds good.”

It had been a while since I visited the Hunter Association.

Nothing had changed.

The building was still well-maintained, and the hunters were the same as before.

“Director Kim!”

The Association President approached me with a wide smile.

Almost as if he was about to hug me.

I smiled and extended my hand.

Pop, pop, camera flashes went off.

“You look well. Your level seems to have gone up too?”

“Hehe. I got a bit inspired after seeing you, Director Kim. I couldn’t spend my whole life stuck at Level 5, could I?”

It wasn’t just the Association President.

There were quite a few Level 5 hunters around.

In the past, hunters who reached Level 5 would usually quit and move on to something else.

Especially to one of the Five Great Conglomerates.

After all, the Five Great Conglomerates were a paradise for Reinforced types.

We chatted for a while in the Association President’s office.

We had once survived a crisis together, overcoming the former president’s conspiracy.

Memories of firing guns from an SUV, fleeing to Paju, meeting Gu Hyungwon, and catching the eye of the Legion Commander came flooding back.

Gu Hyungwon…

The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth, and I sipped my coffee aimlessly.

It didn’t take long.

The Association President’s prosthetic hand beeped and whirred with mechanical sounds.

He frowned slightly while staring into the air.

“This isn’t going to be as easy as I thought.”

“You couldn’t find anything?”

“No, we found something. Exactly three cases.”

He tapped his finger, and three files floated up into my Monarch’s Arcane Light.

[Chang Min]

Location: China

Traits: International Serial Killer

Status: Wanted

[Horned Monstrosity]

Location: United States

Traits: Mutant

Status: Resides in the Mojave Desert

[The Witch]

Location: Norway

Traits: Mutant

Status: Hiding in the Maze Forest

A serial killer, a mutated beast, and a witch.

“Not a single normal one among them.”

“Well, as you know, they all have mutated brains. Chang Min is a total psycho, and the Horned Monstrosity is a man-eating vulture. Both the Chinese Murim Alliance and the American Hunter Association have tried to hunt them down, but they always slip away.”

That made sense.

If they had survived with mutated brains, their intelligence must be off the charts.

I tapped the table, lost in thought.

Chang Min and the Horned Monstrosity…

They would be tough.

I could catch them if I really tried, using God’s Eye and Hyper Sense.

But it would still take time.

And they would definitely put up a fierce fight.

“What about the Witch?”

“She’s been hiding in the Maze Forest, but she seems unexpectedly benign. Apparently, she’s almost never harmed the local residents.”

“Even with a mutated brain?”

“We don’t know why. She lives near Oslo, Norway, and it seems that the Oslo residents have occasionally sought her out for prophecies or healing remedies over the years.”

How fascinating.

“But why do they call her a witch?”

“Because her appearance is grotesque. She doesn’t even look human. From what I’ve heard, her body is bizarrely fused with machines and flesh, making her look like a complete monster…”

I made my decision.

I would go find the witch.

Rather than playing hide and seek and engaging in a long chase, it would be better to confront someone whose location was fixed.

I could even take the trait without needing her consent.

I quickly stood up.

“Alright. Let’s head to Norway.”

“Um, about that. The Norwegian Hunter Association placed a condition. You’re not allowed to kill or harm the witch.”

“Hah, she really must be a good witch. That’s fine. I’m not planning to kill her. I’m not going to extract her brain either.”

The Association President looked visibly relieved.

“Of course, our Director Kim would never do something like that. Well then, shall we get going?”

“You’re coming too, President?”

“Hehe. I even uploaded Norwegian into my system for this day. I’ll be your guide, Director Kim!”

When I went to Sweden last time, English worked fine.

Maybe it’s a bit different in Norway?

Either way, I needed a ride on their plane.

I obediently followed the Association President.

The superhuman-exclusive private jet, which I had rented before, was waiting.

Kuaaaang!

The jet roared as it took off.

It was capable of reaching Mach 2.

But for me, who used to fly at Mach 5 with the Dragon Knight trait, Mach 2 felt like a snail’s pace.

It took four hours to fly from Seoul to Oslo.

I twisted around in the wide seat restlessly.

Meanwhile, I tapped on my Monarch’s Arcane Light instead of a smartphone to send a message to someone.

“Brother!”

“Brother!”

We arrived at the airport.

A man with a rugged face came running and hugged me tightly.

“How long has it been? I heard the news! You reached Level 8, didn’t you!”

A familiar face I had seen three times now.

In the Maze City of Aachen.

On the Vigrid Plains.

And now in Oslo.

Sigmund.

The Nordic warrior who had taught me the Sigurd Cultivation Technique.

The drunken fool I first met was long gone.

I awkwardly hugged Sigmund back.

“It’s been a while. Oh? You’ve reached Level 6 too?”

“Can’t you see, brother?”

“Congratulations to you too, Hjordis.”

“Hahaha.”

Hjordis, who bowed deeply, laughed brightly.

It wasn’t surprising for Sigmund, but Hjordis was truly unexpected.

Look at that.

She was holding two newborns in her arms.

Last time I saw her, she was four months pregnant.

How had she already reached Level 6 after giving birth?

Did she train while pregnant?

As expected of a Nordic warrior.

A true Viking shieldmaiden, a Valkyrie.

“Director Kim, these people are…”

The Association President gave me a strange look.

Hearing us call each other brothers, he must have thought we were distant relatives or something.

“They are my fellow disciples. In Nordic culture, warriors who train together are considered family.”

“Ah! That’s right, I’ve heard about that. Are you by any chance a warrior of the Sigurd lineage?”

“Ahem! I am Sigmund Sigurdsson!”

“Gasp! A direct descendant? What an honor! To meet the heir of the Dragon Slayer Sigurd in person!”

“Hmph! Hmph!”

Sigmund’s nose practically pointed to the sky.

“A Reinforced warrior with the eyes and heart of a true fighter. Welcome to Scandinavia, the eternal home of warriors and the land of the fiercest fighters! Tonight, let’s drink till we drop! Since a brother and friend have come from afar, we can’t face our forefathers, Dragon Slayer Sigurd and Swordmaster Sigmund, without getting utterly smashed!” 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

“Ooooh!”

“A festival!”

These people really loved to party.

In the past, I might have joined them, but I couldn’t afford that now.

The doomsday clock was ticking closer to midnight.

“Sorry, but I’m a bit busy. You’ve heard about what’s happening in Korea, right?”

“Ah, that?”

“Those lunatics.”

“Sealing off an entire city? Are they trying to perform a human sacrifice?”

“The Thor Cult is in an uproar. They say the Old Father might actually be resurrected.”

“Is that even possible?”

“Not with just a million people…”

“They must have crunched the numbers before attempting it.”

The black dome over Gwangju had become an international sensation.

The Nordic warriors, who had come along with the couple, chattered noisily.

Sigmund clicked his tongue regretfully.

“I see. It can’t be helped then. But the reason you came here must be because you need us, right?”

“Valhalla!”

“Valhalla awaits us!”

“We’re ready! Since you helped us on the Vigrid Plains, we shall help you now! Let’s go, brothers! War awaits!”

“Waaaaaah!”

No, what the hell are they talking about?

They had completely misunderstood.

Sigmund and Hjordis were Level 6.

The others were mostly Level 5.

They might have been decent fighters in the past, but now they were barely stronger than ordinary soldiers.

I hurriedly waved my hands.

“That’s not it.”

“Hmm? Then what? If not for battle, why would a warrior come here?”

“I sent a message. I came to see the Witch of the Maze Forest.”

“The Witch of the Maze Forest?”

“There are lots of witches in Norway’s wild forests, but I’ve never heard that name before…”

The warriors exchanged confused looks.

Hjordis stomped her foot as if she figured something out.

“Not the Witch of the Maze Forest, but a witch living in the Maze Forest!”

“Ah! That place!”

“You mean the Machinery Witch?”

“Now it makes sense.”

“You must be here for a prophecy, brother.”

“The Machinery Witch may look grotesque, but her prophecies are absolutely spot-on.”

The Machinery Witch?

It’s not even Deus Ex Machina—what a strange name.

“Why do you want to see the Machinery Witch? You have a favor to ask?”

“Something like that.”

I just needed to meet her.

But Sigmund and Hjordis both looked a bit uncomfortable.

“This is a problem…”

“If only you had come three days earlier.”

“The new moon has already passed.”

“The Machinery Witch only opens the Maze Forest during the new moon.”

“Once the new moon passes, the Maze Forest closes and no one can enter.”

“It’ll take almost four weeks for the next new moon.”

“Four weeks? That long?”

Are they insane?

The Sun Mage Tower Master had bought us 720 hours—about 30 days—by counterattacking the mana circuits.

I had already wasted a good chunk of that traveling to the Demonic Cult, Brazil, and the Arctic.

Even if I immediately met the witch and settled everything, it would be a tight schedule.

There was absolutely no time to waste four weeks!

“I don’t have time. I need to meet the witch right now.”

The Nordic warriors exchanged troubled glances.

“This is tricky…”

“What do we do?”

“Our brother is Level 8, so maybe he can break through the Maze Forest?”

“Probably not. Even Beowulf barely managed to get through it in the old days. Even if the witch now is different, the Maze Forest hasn’t changed, so it’ll still be tough for our brother.”

“If you force your way through, you’ll likely get cursed and be bedridden for a while.”

“Hey! Does our brother look that weak to you?”

“Even Beowulf suffered badly and only recovered after boiling and eating the heart of the Swamp Witch! Our brother is amazing, sure, but how is he supposed to overcome a curse that Beowulf himself couldn’t handle?”

A curse, huh?

If the price of breaking through the Maze Forest was merely a curse, then it wasn’t a problem.

I had [Indomitable] and the ability to evolve traits of the world into their superior forms.

“Then I’ll break through the Maze Forest.”

“Are you really sure, brother? You could die! Even Beowulf barely survived!”

“It’s fine. I can handle it. Whatever curse comes my way, I can deal with it.”

Beowulf.

The ancient Germanic hero.

There’s even a mana cultivation technique named after him, similar to the Sigurd Cultivation Technique.

I had chosen Sigurd’s method for its versatility, though.

“Just tell me where it is. I’ll leave immediately.”

“Urgh…”

Sigmund scratched his head roughly.

“A warrior has made up his mind, so we can’t stop him. It can’t be helped. Let’s go together.”

“Together?”

“Brother! How could we sit here sipping mead while sending you into danger alone? It’s unthinkable! Thor himself would kick my ass for that! I’m going with you! If you die, I die. If you’re cursed, I’m cursed. If you survive, we survive together!”

“Of course! That’s the spirit!”

“That’s the way of a Nordic warrior!”

“Even if we get cursed with impotence, brothers must share their fate!”

“Right! Even if cursed with… wait, you bastard!”

Sigmund grabbed the other Nordic warrior by the hair.

The warrior laughed even as clumps of hair were pulled out.

“I’m coming too.”

“Hjordis, you too? What about the kids?”

“I’ll leave them with these idiots.”

Hjordis handed the twins to the warrior whose hair was being pulled out.

The warrior looked bewildered.

“Why me? I was going to go with brother too!”

“That’s your punishment for cursing Sigmund. You’re lucky it’s not baldness—be grateful it’s just this!”

“Eek! No! I want to go too! I want to join the Maze Forest expedition!”

“Hmph. Just look after the kids.”

“Nooooo!”

The Nordic warrior screamed while hugging the babies tightly.

It was funny yet heartwarming how tenderly he cradled the little ones even as he cried.

“They’re quite the lively bunch.”

The Association President whispered to me in Korean.

“They really are.”

I just chuckled lightly.

And then we departed.

The Maze Forest wasn’t far from Oslo.

With dozens of flying cars soaring through the sky, we arrived in less than 30 minutes.

What greeted us were monstrous trees, tangled and twisted like hellish vines.