Infinite Mage Novel Chapter 1153

Unsolved case⑴

Melkidu, Dorian Village.

After entering the bar, Sirone and the others ordered a light meal and beer from the staff.

The name of the man who identified himself as a detective was Curtis.

He said that it had already been two years since he came from the Kingdom of Iron and entered Melkidu.

Food came out 10 minutes later.

“How do I pay?”

When Sirone asked, Curtis, who gulped down his beer, wiped his chin and said,

“Big. no need to pay Money doesn’t exist here. A killer’s haven.”

“then?”

“I’m just going out. As long as there are crime points, criminal activity is not recognized by people. If it’s a crime that bounces after drinking a glass of beer, 2P is consumed.”

” aha?”???

I roughly understood.

“It’s 5P to stab someone with a knife, so it’s quite expensive. Of course, the more you cycle, the more crime points you accumulate, so there will be no pressure later.”

Iruki asked.

“A cycle means that Melkidu is composed of an orbital shape?”

“yes. 2 tracks to be exact. It is divided into an outer track and an inner track. There are 468 blocks on the outer track, mostly missions. However, when you reach a certain block, you can enter the inner track.”

“What is the inner track like?”

“It is made up of 197 blocks, and you can strengthen Crime Dice or buy special items from the shop. The special feature is that the inner track can only turn once. It’s a structure where you unconditionally come out on the outer track when you complete the block. However, there is an exception here too, and it is when you enter Melkidu.” Eden asked.

“Isn’t this Melkidoo?”

“Of course, but the only place with a symbolism worthy of Melkidu is the core. The goal is for all players to collect points on the outer track, enter the inner track, and reach the core while doing one cycle there. If we don’t get to the core, we’ll get back out on the track and continue this mad killing spree.”

“Why are the murderers trying to get to the core? Is it to avoid tracking?”

“… … It’s not on that level.” Curtis grabbed his beer glass, thought for a moment, and then emptied the rest of his drink.

“I can’t tell you exactly because I’ve never been there myself. But I’ve heard rumors. It’s also because of that rumor that I’ve been on the track for two years.”

His eyes darkened.

“Twenty-seven years old, my daughter Edrina. I loved to travel. That day, too, I was excited about going to the beach with her friends. Remember she was no different than usual. Packing up, putting on makeup, kissing my wife and mine on the cheeks.”

‘It must have been a daughter.’

“I decided to go with my friends. everyone was friendly Nia, Belita, and Daisy. We were supposed to meet at Thief Square and leave, but “he’s gone.”

I read it on the overseas side of a newspaper when I was in Tormia’s magic school.

“okay. It was broad daylight. Nia and Belita lived downtown, Daisy lived uptown. Eyewitnesses said they saw my daughter in Seef Square. He looked very nervous, and according to another person’s testimony, he was reading something on the bulletin board in the plaza. But that’s where the information ends. Since then, my daughter has never been out in the world.”

“Could it be the work of an innocent criminal… …

“What do you think my job is? I’ve done all I can to investigate. but it’s no use What’s even more surprising is that my friends went missing at about the same time. Even in the same city, the square is two kilometers away.”

Curtis asked for a cigarette.

“I’ve been looking for it for three years. Back alleys of the underworld, human trafficking, sorcery, witchcraft and more. Then I heard rumors about Melkidoo and came all the way here.”

“You mean you can find your daughter’s whereabouts in Melkidoo?”

“Yes.”

He blew out a puff of cigarette smoke.

“Melkidoo’s core is where all the crimes that happened in the world are recorded. It is the headquarters of permanent US cases. As long as I can clear this killing game.”

“What is that… …

“Why is it a haven for murderers? If you clear this game, what you committed in real life will become a perfect crime. In other words, it becomes a permanent unsolved case.”

It didn’t sound logical.

“How does that happen? I don’t know if it’s an actual unsolved case, but there are eyewitnesses and evidence… … ah.”

A thought crossed my mind.

“Crime Point.”

Crimes committed using crime points in Melkidoo are not recognized.

“okay. I think what kind of system is this? It seems that the act of accumulating points while running around the track acts as a special force that can affect reality. Upon reaching the core, the killer can tamper with his records and step out into reality. In other words, you can commit new crimes in a safe state.”

Iruki said.

“It feels like Havitz’s vanishing. The properties of the hidden code will be similar. It seems to be a system that can apply the Crime Points collected here to reality, just like taking objects from Dreamo to reality.”

Curtis quit smoking.

“I will find my daughter no matter what. I’ll collect crime points and get into the core. It’s not easy. There are two ways to get in. Accumulate a lot of crime points, or get a lot of luck. They say you can enter the core regardless of crime points if you perform a special mission on the inner track. Of course, information is rarely shared, so it seems to be dismissed as false rumors now.”

‘The Devil’s Bible.’

It seemed that Giyorgi had nothing to do with his ability to escape the members of the Catacombs.

While I was deep in my thoughts sorting out the information I had heard from Curtis, the bar door opened.

“Buy some candles. Buy some candles.”

“uh?”

Nade opened his eyes wide.

“Who is that woman?”

He had been stabbed to death by a killer on the street just 30 minutes earlier.

Curtis turned around.

“Most of the players who played in Melkidoo are resurrected. Of course, there are event-based non-players who don’t respawn. Depending on the mission, the resurrection time is different.”

“Hmm.”

When they thought that they were not human, the hearts of Sirone and the others became much lighter.

“It is true that it is embarrassing. Even if it’s fake, the taste and reaction are the same as real people. At first, I cleared the mission by catching only the villains. This place is really the same as real society. But this method is less efficient. At some point, I became numb, just like other murderers.”

Perhaps that is the meaning of Melkidu’s existence.

“There are many other ways. You can set buildings on fire, or you can grind them down in the city with a multi-shot crossbow. But those crimes cost a lot of crime points. Didn’t the killer stab a passer-by with a knife he bought at a weapons store earlier? Because Dorian’s C-class missions don’t have great rewards. No matter how well you roll the dice, it’s hard to get more than 200P. That’s why I killed him in a way to save crime points.” Sirone understood.

“The reason you didn’t fight us was to save your points.”

“that’s right. When a crime attack occurs between players, the rule that automatically deducts points until one side reaches 0 is to prevent disputes between murderers. Who’s gonna play this game if we kill each other outright? There are people who just endure and fight. It is to steal the item.”

Nade asked.

“What if the points go to zero?”

“The whole world will know about the crimes committed so far. The guards will chase you. Imprisoned, paying a certain price and restarting from the starting point. To be clear, don’t go to such a stupid situation. you guys can’t do anything If you don’t have crime points, you can’t attack the guards.” Eden asked.

“How many crime points do you need for magic?”

“That is a very difficult question. I heard from 1.000P to 100,000 Oh. The reason I don’t know the details is because no one tells me my points. definitely remember Points are everything. There is no such thing as combat effectiveness between players. At the moment of collision, your points are deducted as much as the opponent’s points.”

A single mistake will result in the loss of all the points you have accumulated so far.

“So when you attack someone, you should only do it when you are 100 percent sure. Also, I’m not going to kill anyone just because I’m sure. If the opponent has an expensive item, if you have to kill the player with a special mission, or if you kill by personal desire regardless of points.”

Curtis rummaged through his pockets and slipped his Crime Dice between his fingers.

There were three in total, one octahedral and two hexahedral.

“If you go into the inner track in the beginning, I recommend strengthening your dice rather than buying items. Of course, items are essential in Melkidu, but they are not very effective in the beginning. Rather, it is just a prey for the point conglomerates.”

“okay.”

“It is also a game of time. Because if you don’t collect points as soon as possible, you will be eaten. Now I’m going to move to another block. If you have any questions, ask now.”

Sirone asked.

“Why did you help us? According to Mr. Curtis, isn’t this a waste of time? I am not an accomplice.”

“It’s not like that. But what I realized after running the track for two years is that I need a social network unexpectedly. As you know, the player’s move is determined by the dice. But that’s why we need to make more connections.”

I don’t know when or where we’ll meet.

“The fact that I have Crime Dice means that I have already cleared the Dorian Village mission. When you reach the starting point of Melkidoo, that is, the village from number 2 to number 12, where the first player jumps for the first time, they usually stay for one to two days. It’s good to be a veteran, but it’s hard to understand what’s inside.”

Sirone and the others understood.

“That means there is room for cooperation if we meet later on the same block.”

“I am not choosing anyone. you,

Aren’t they the ones who’ve been through all the maternity battles? You can tell by looking at the posture or the look in the eyes when encountering an enemy. A detective’s eye cannot be fooled. Let’s exchange information or items, or carry out cooperative missions. You’ll get more crime points.”

“yes. We will also collect the necessary information. I hope you find your daughter’s whereabouts.”

I liked the fact that he wasn’t a murderer.

“okay. May the dice god be with you. It’s a common greeting in Melkidu.”

Curtis took out a card with his left hand. “Fungshin. activate.”

The card glowed and evaporated, and three dice rolled across the bar floor.

The numbers 3, 2, 6 came to mind, and two Xs were added between them.

‘It’s multiplication. Did I use an item?’

As the three numbers add up to become 36, Curtis looked back at the group.

“Oh, one more tip. Get into the habit of always closing the door at Melkidu.”

As soon as he finished speaking, his body shone brightly and then disappeared like an explosion.

Iruki, who was staring at the empty beer glass, said.

“36 squares. Even though the god of dice turned away, he still goes far. So now Curtis is staying at block 42.”

Sirone stood up from her seat.

“It’s too much to chase with the dice we have. Well, it should be fine if we attack from the beginning.”

A system voice was heard.

– The bar owner is watching you.

“huh?”

When I turned my head to the counter, the owner was looking at the party with soft eyes.

‘Come to think of it… …

Victims of the killer were aware of the crime, unlike other non-players.

“Should I?”

Nade asked.

“It can’t be helped.”

one two…….

“Bounce!”

As the four of them ran to the exit at the same time, the owner raised his ax eye and chased after them.

“at there! You thieves!”

“Aaaaaaa!”

Remembering Curtis’ words, Sirone slammed the door as she went outside.

“ha. ha.” I looked around the door nervously, but the owner did not come out.

“what? Are you quiet?”

After exchanging glances with her friends, Sirone walks back and opens the door… … .

“welcome. This is the Dorian Tavern.” As usual, the owner was welcoming them at the counter with a smile.

Iruki murmured.

“It’s the perfect crime.”