Never Die Extra (Edited)
chapter-105

Evan D. Sherden, Hearing About the Legend (5)

Yo-Ma Great War was a classic series that had traditionally been well-received as a story, but Yo-Ma Great War 1, the beginning of the series, had a fairly simple structure. It was even said that the tension between the human world and the demons who opposed them was really fun.

It was highly praised for this point, but in the end, the argumentative composition followed a very traditional cliché, consisting of human warriors and demon kings.

‘So the Mahwa of Yo-Ma Great War 2 was a fresher event.’

Mahwa was such a name that made everyone’s teeth chatter even if one were to think about it. It was because they were one of the main curses that made Yo-Ma Great War 2 more tragic and more difficult.

The Mahwas were a combination of the aliens and monsters featured in all kinds of media.

It could be said that they were the creatures made by picking only the most malicious of attributes. They were demonic flowers that bloomed and spread like a flower seed of dandelion and grew by sucking up the vital energy of the place where they settled.

‘That’s why they were called Mahwa, which means ‘Evil flower’… It’s a terrible name if you think about it now. I really hope the production crew guys drink expired milk and get diarrhea!’

Whenever they settled on the ground, they sucked the whole energy out of it. If they fell on a rock, they sucked the energy out of it too. They absorbed the energy out of everything like leeches and parasites and spread like wildfire.

The flowers themselves were threatening enough, but the worst thing about them was that they could reproduce.

“The Mahwas became a true nightmare when they first appeared…”

“Animals, other monsters…… and they even devoured humans. Isn’t that right, Grandpa?”

“Yes, that’s right, kid.”

The Mahwas, who encroached on animals and monsters, were reborn by the fusion of their bodies. Even more horrible things appeared when the Mahwa tribe started fusing with the human bodies.

“It would’ve been nice if we could have dealt with them a little bit faster… When the Mahwa first appeared, everyone thought it was an infectious disease because those who were encroached on it sucked up their vital energy and suffered greatly. Seeing the death of flowers and trees in the area, the theory of a massive curse also started to emerge.”

Bernard Garcia, a young, energetic and superlative alchemist, was called by the lord of a local city to solve that.

And there he met him. A young man was brought in for killing all his family.

“But were the people he killed really his family members? It must have been because of the Mahwa.”

“… That’s right. After killing their brains by absorbing all of their energy, the Mahwas grew up inside them and took over their bodies. However, they cunningly tried to hide their identity and infiltrate human society. And finally… they tried to call out the Demon King by using humans as sacrifices for a large-scale ritual.”

Because they were using human bodies, their identity could not be revealed unless they received the purification magic from a high priest. So it was even trickier to find and hunt them.

“It was torture.”

“…It was a nightmare. But why are you talking as if you were the one who was there?”

“You know, Grandpa, I’m a very sensitive person.”

Among them, those who were still humans, those who had become monsters, and those who had to be saved… All of them were mixed together, creating a terrible kind of infusion.

Players who enjoyed the game had no way of knowing it at first, but the sense of urgency to make the right choice every moment and the tension that gently crept up their backs was truly outstanding. In extreme cases, some people saved their game every time they were able to save someone. Yeobanmin was one of them.

“It was really a tough fight. My friend who was my like-minded colleague gathered together to fight against the Mahwas and at the same time researched them… Eventually, I learned how to separate the Mahwas from humans and how to distinguish humans from Mahwa. Furthermore, we were able to inhibit and weaken their fertility rate by making a special type of medicine.”

It was said that Bernard studied with his friends, but in fact, it should have been considered Bernard’s victory. This was because Bernard, a genius alchemist, was the only one among them who could study something and create something new with the knowledge at the same time.

That was the exact reason Bernard appeared in the top two alchemists with Leo Arpeta, the main character, in Yo-Ma Great War 2. For this reason, Yo-Ma Great War 2 was the birthplace of a young hero and a great alchemist.

However, there was one flaw that Evan couldn’t even imagine in this great and wonderful story.

“But why couldn’t you annihilate them?” Evan groaned at Bernard and held his head as it was starting to ache. Bernard was also a little embarrassed. He coughed for no reason and then spoke,

“Because after we were able to differentiate among them, it wasn’t easy enough to kill them all. Moreover, too much time was wasted in the process of persuading the kings of other countries. The Silkline King actively helped us, and thanks to that, we were able to persuade the kings of other countries in some way… The real problem occurred in the south.”

The southern part of the continent or more precisely, Hoomi, located in the southeast, had four distinct seasons, and thanks to the fertile land and plenty of water, it was a huge agricultural country responsible for nearly half of the world’s food production.

With the development of international exchanges, the people of each country and the productivity of each country had improved greatly because Hoomi had a large stake in the production of crops.

“Hoomi is also late, but the worst was because of ‘Escarotti’. In other words, the situation became even more serious as the Rose Queen, the core and ruler of the Mahwa tribe, was there.”

“Oh!”

As Bernard just said, the final battle of Yo-Ma Great War 2 took place against Escarotti.

“You haven’t even met her!? No, tell me no.”

“If so, this world is already over. It’s not too late. I definitely met and grabbed the Rose Queen. I caught her…”

“…Then tell me what you missed,” Evan commanded him, much like a detective interrogating the suspect. Bernard replied with a sigh,

“The Demon King, who had been summoned incompletely after eating half of the Escarotti population, was somehow sent back, and the Rose Queen also reliably burned the roots but… In the process, I missed one of the Queen’s seeds.”

“Ah… ”

Evan shed a deep sigh. That meant that someday the Mahwa may appear again in the world! He learned that the current heroes couldn’t just play games strictly according to the storyline, as he saw Shine and Belois growing better than the original.

Evan thought it was a little unfair as to how Bernard had chosen to step back and let the next generation take care of it for him. The old man noticed this and immediately took on a defensive stance.

“You… Don’t stare at me like that. I have done my best. They sprayed a wide range of special medicines so that the Queen could never survive, and the Mahwa would not take root on this continent again, and even spread it with the help of all the priests. And it was actually effective. Otherwise, would this continent remain intact for decades?”

“I believe you. Then why?”

Bernard paused before speaking. “My friend found it one day while wandering the continent. The Mahwa variant, I mean.”

“Oh… ”

Evan’s sighs deepened. Yes, the vast majority of pathogens were not evolving in line with the development of drugs against them. But that only happened to the Mahwa!

Bernard also sighed upon seeing Evan’s reaction and spoke again, “What’s fortunate is that it was because they were so badly done by me that they were no longer parasitic to humans. The fertility of spores was also ridiculously reduced instead… If I say this, you will understand?”

“Animals and monsters?”

“Yes. They began to erode only monsters. They’re very slow, but they were definitely getting power. The great cause of the advent of the Demon King had already been thrown away, and only hatred for us remains, and it is evolving, specializing in killing humans.”

Evan was silent. Indeed, he now understood why Bernard hadn’t explained the matter so far.

Of course, this was a serious matter, but only because it was one of the events that almost destroyed humanity if it didn’t move right now, and it wasn’t just an event that showed room for a solution just because it moved actively.

“However, the future of mankind will be very difficult. Looking at you, anxious about the future, I wonder if your future would be to come in contact with the discovery of the Mahwa variant. Moreover, as my friends said they were coming here, I thought it would be time to tell them.”

Hearing this, Evan felt eager to get angry. Dungeons weren’t the only dangerous place; even the outside of them was. Evan’s earlier thought that the main story must be started could prove to be the least of his problems. This damn world has never been peaceful!

“You say there is something you want to consult with me. You probably want to ask about the drugs that were available when dealing with strains. I’m the one who bothers myself about this every time, even though I’ve already done my part in this thing.”

It was Bernard García of Yo-Ma Great War 2 who was the type to respond as if everything annoyed him but would do his best to help. Evan could still see this part of the old man’s personality.

That was why he didn’t doubt what Bernard said.

“I’ll help too.”

“You?”

“Will you let me?”

Although there was no information about the variant, the alchemy that Evan had accumulated so far was by no means a hoax. Just as he now deserved to study the Elixir, he would be of sufficient assistance to Bernard, who wanted to make a new drug.

“It will be hard.”

“Alchemy class is also hard. I also want to see your friend. And again, if you make a good medicine now, it’ll help us in dangerous situations later on. In fact, this is the most important reason.”

“Well then… Just do whatever you want to do.” At Evan’s resolute attitude, Bernard nodded in the end, laughing. Outwardly, Evan could see the happy exterior but knew that deep inside, the old man was worried. However, he decided not to say anything else.

Instead, he decided to ask questions about other things he was concerned about.

“So, what was really in that letter with the heart?”

“You don’t need to know, you bastard.”

Eventually, Bernard flicked Evan on the forehead again.