Chapter 87
Chapter 87
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: Chapter 2-1. Calypso's Nightmare
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Jinmu, whose flesh had been devoured by the specter, flexed his body contentedly before turning his gaze toward Yuda. With eyes flowing with strange magic, staring this way, he certainly gave off a different vibe, like a completely different person. No, he had to be a different person.
"Thanks, little one. Thanks to you, I've regained my body."
"You're talking as if it was yours from the start."
Possessed by the specter, he burst into laughter.
"Ki-haha! That's right. It's not my body! But it's the body stolen by that bastard—ah, let me correct that. The body stolen by 'us.' Doesn't it make sense for us to have this body?"
"How many of you are crammed in there? The voices overlapping are so eerie it's painful to listen to."
"Hmm—well, how many? Two hundred... three hundred, four hundred... four hundred seventy-two names. A lot squeezed into this little frame."
He shrugged his shoulders, as if to say, so what?
"Well, I've given my thanks—I've got things to do."
"Things to do?"
"Yeah, things to do! We're preparing the ritual to bring our great~ king and eternal sovereign, Lord Bel-Terza, to this land! It's almost at the final stage. Everything was nearly ready, but that Jinmu bastard pushed us out of the flesh at the worst possible moment."
"Bel-Terza? That name... isn't he the sixth lord of the demon realm? Wait, you're saying you're summoning such a dangerous being to this land?"
Jeanne interjected midway, and Jinmu let out a "Heh," opening his mouth in a grin.
"You know your stuff. But it'd be nice if you used honorifics with his name. He's on a whole different level from you."
At that moment, he coughed up blood with a hacking sound. Looking at the clump of blood splattered on the floor, he made a troubled expression.
"Hmm, this is bad... He could die right now and it wouldn't be strange. He was already on the brink of death anyway. If Jinmu pushes us out again in this state, it'll be trouble, so we should get going."
"You think I'll just let you go after hearing that absurd story about summoning a lord?"
He curled up the corner of his mouth in a smirk.
"What a coincidence. I wasn't planning on letting you go either. If you want to follow, come along. If you survive, that is. I'm curious if that's even possible, though. If you're lucky, you might even witness us completing the ritual."
He gave a light wave as if bidding farewell, then turned his back. The specters waiting behind him blocked the way. The specters, drooling at the sight of Yuda and Jeanne, kindly let out a light roar-like scream announcing the start as they began to approach.
They scattered in all directions, trying to maximize the distance between each other, clearly mindful of the Altemia's liberation skill used just moments ago. But with hundreds of specters spreading out from one spot, how much room could they make in this confined space?
Yuda hurled Altemia toward the clustered front, like prey. As soon as the liberation skill activated, a blood-red aura flowed out, shredding the specters like blades. The specters, torn to pieces, let out screams that felt like they would rupture eardrums. And with that as the signal, specters began reaching out from the walls, ceiling, and floor.
"Jeanne. You know we have to go, right?"
She didn't answer Yuda immediately, swinging her spear and slamming down her shield while stomping her foot. It wasn't that she hadn't heard amid the noisy battle sounds. But for the Blue Lance Knight, the weight of the name Jinmu demanded caution. After dealing with the endless onslaught of specters, Jeanne panted heavily. To give her time to catch her breath, Yuda scanned the surroundings for any remaining specters. Unlike her, Yuda suffered almost no physical drain thanks to Altemia's power. She still hadn't responded, her conflict plain to see.
But Yuda needed to break through it.
「Save Cheriu Village3.」
[You have entered the residence of Baekje's honorary noble, Count Jinmu. And you met him.]
[By fortune or lapse in vigilance, you met the true Count Jinmu, restored to his senses, and even exchanged words with him.]
[Thanks to that—or perhaps because he let his guard down—you inflicted a fatal wound on him when he wasn't controlling any specters.]
[Already frail, he was pierced by Altemia, which drained his life force, weakening his mental barriers once more. Seizing the chance, the specters harboring grudges against him repossessed his flesh.]
[He had already sent specters to the nearby village, possessing many people and bringing their living bodies to nearly complete the ritual to summon the great lord of death, 〈Bel-Terza〉.]
[Of course, one of the seven demon realm lords can't be summoned so easily.]
[It's uncertain if he would even respond. But the fallout from the failure would shred Count Jinmu's soul to pieces, the remaining specters would rampage and scatter everywhere, and the small pathway connected to the demon realm would linger here, turning the land into one overflowing with demonic beasts.]
[Closing it would require countless sacrifices. You can decide here.]
[Risk your life to stop Count Jinmu's ritual for fame no one will acknowledge?]
[Or retreat for safety?]
[No one will blame you either way.]
[You're just a passerby who happened upon this place.]
[But if you defeat Count Jinmu in this residence, it would be as good as completely saving Cheriu Village.]
The quest. That alone was reason enough, the very purpose of coming here.
Thus, Yuda waited patiently for Jeanne's response. At that moment, the sound of many footsteps echoed.
Staggering figures approached from the end of the corridor. The magic lamps embedded in the ceiling illuminated the approaching ones brightly.
"Ghoul..."
Jeanne muttered upon seeing them.
People with grotesque forms, as if all moisture had been drained from their bodies, shambled forward. With mouths agape like their souls had fled, they moved sluggishly. Their clothing suggested they were villagers. Those countless footprints seen at the mansion's entrance belonged to them.
They included men and women, children, adults, and elders without distinction. Having been assaulted and killed by specters—already unjust—they now marched toward Yuda and Jeanne, denied even peaceful rest.
'Specters and now zombies too.'
Not zombies but ghouls, but either way, if he returned to the original world later, he'd probably watch zombie movies with a smile.
Clang.
Jeanne, who had been silently watching, stepped in front of Yuda with her shield raised.
"I'm sorry for the delay in answering. It's shameful. I can't believe I hesitated over this. I might die, but can I call myself a knight if I flee from someone attempting such deeds? I'll go with you, Yuda."
The ghouls finally entered recognition range of Yuda and Jeanne; the front ones lowered their stances and charged. Before Yuda could throw Altemia, Jeanne dashed forward first, shoving the ghouls back with her shield.
The mana-wrapped shield exploded on impact with a boom, sending them all flying. The charging ghouls collapsed in a heap, a spectacular sight. Raising her lance like a blunt weapon, she advanced, crushing the heads of writhing ghouls underfoot.
Crunch. They burst, but no blood sprayed. Only the gruesome sound of something breaking echoed. She pressed on alone. Yuda, stunned but quick to follow lest she get too far ahead. As if atoning for her earlier hesitation, her breakthrough power was ferocious.
She raised her lance overhead and slammed it down on the ghoul ahead. Crunch—the bones shattered, crushing it into the ground with enough force to crater the floor. Next, she blocked a ghoul charging from the left with her shield, slamming it into the wall and pinning it. Each blow was heavy; ghouls with bones shattered throughout couldn't budge. All Yuda had to do was follow behind, cleaning up any she missed. In moments, the ghouls were cleared. Those with severed legs or torsos writhed on the floor, but their movements were far too slow to reach Yuda and Jeanne.
"I'll pick up the pace a bit. You okay?"
"I'm fine, but are you, Jeanne?"
"This is no problem."
As if to say not to worry, she moved forward. But her breathing suggested otherwise; she looked quite exhausted. Continuous combat while wrapping mana around her weapons and armor would do that.
"Let's rest a bit. You look tired."
"No. He might finish preparations while we rest."
"Then I'll take the lead."
"...Understood."
She seemed to think for a moment before nodding readily. The corridor was longer than expected, and specters and ghouls kept appearing from somewhere until they reached the end. They'd taken down nearly two hundred ghouls, but with no blood spraying, it felt less like fighting humans and more like monsters. Jeanne was puzzled to find the end room empty.
"Did he teleport with magic?"
"Possible, but there should be a way down to the basement. A mage alone couldn't make a place like this."
Yuda rummaged through his game memories.
'Definitely three basement levels.'
Going from 1F to 2F required gimmicks, but 2F to 3F was simple. Yuda walked to the wall, reached toward the one with mass, and slid his hand along it. At one point, ripples spread from the wall, swallowing his hand. Unlike startled Jeanne, Yuda nonchalantly wiggled his fingers, then pushed his head in and out.
"This way. Let's go."
"......"
Jeanne seemed surprised at how easily Yuda found the path to the basement.
They found the stairs and descended to B2F, but aside from more lab equipment and books of unknown use, there was nothing noteworthy to guard against. The emptiness was disconcerting.
'This can't be right.'
Like the ghouls and specters on 1F, B2F should have had ghoul-possessed specters and a quasi-boss demonic beast. Yet it was too quiet. No traps from the start, but the demonic beasts that should have swarmed like starved men at food were absent.
'Why are the things that should be here... not here?'
Puzzled by the incomprehensible situation, Yuda walked the quiet corridor, then suddenly halted as realization dawned. It was simpler than thought.
'Damn, it's because I came too fast!'
The owner of this body he possessed wasn't Cain but Yuda. And Cain wasn't due here yet. At least dozens of days later would he slowly arrive, so of course the events for Cain's quest wouldn't happen while Yuda was doing it.
If Cain came then, the game's story and timeline would proceed as is. The village would be ruins, no encounter with that priest Arhil, and no sight of Count Jinmu leisurely sipping coffee with an intact ritual.
It was so obvious, yet he hadn't realized it—felt like an idiot.