Chapter 162
Chapter 162
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 162
Chapter Title: Dragon King Festival (3)
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A man in a black coat and bowler hat arrived at the entrance of In-su Village.
Squish—
His reinforced safety boots, plated with steel, sank into the mud covering the road.
A nauseating fishy stench that could make anyone retch, and fog thick enough to obscure vision. It wasn’t a welcoming environment for humans, but he felt a comforting familiarity, like returning home.
“Grulk—”
In truth, In-su Village was his hometown. Yongsu, a young deep one hybrid not even twenty years old since birth, took off his tightly pressed bowler hat and exhaled.
“Grulk— Grrruhk—”
Even though he hadn’t fully become a deep one yet, his glistening green skin was revealed. Yongsu had been born with a thicker strain of deep one blood than others.
He was the direct disciple of Bihee Jin-in, the village priest, and possessed such extraordinary talent that he was said to appear only once in a thousand.
That was why he had been bestowed the grandiose name Yongsu (Dragon Head).
“Grrruhk— Am I too late?”
The village was quiet. In-su Village was always a quiet place, but it shouldn’t be this silent today.
“The palanquin has already headed up the mountain. Grrruhk.”
Yongsu suddenly thought of Kim Shin-hwa and ground his teeth. A chilling crunch echoed through the fog.
Not only had he lost his cargo to a shallow trick, but afterward, he’d fallen into some absurd trap and suffered for days beyond the barrier.
It was the first humiliation since he’d become aware of his deep one blood. Yongsu couldn’t tolerate the fact that a mere human had made him feel this way.
‘But what I can’t tolerate even more is…….’
In the despair of having ruined the Dragon King Festival due to his own shortcomings, he had barely managed to contact the village. The news he heard then was absurd.
‘He came in my name? Even saved the sacrifice I couldn’t?’
Is he insane? Of course, he’d tricked humans that way a few times before…… But this time, Yongsu hadn’t done anything.
“Grulk, has he already been offered as sacrifice?”
It was a razor-thin timing.
If he hurried a bit, he could witness that mad wizard being offered up with his own eyes.
But then Yongsu spotted something strange. Humans were gathered in the center of the village.
What? Why are those slaves huddled there?
“Grulk! What are you doing! The ritual isn’t over—why are you gathered here!”
The elderly folk who had been gathered gasped at the sight of Yongsu and bowed their heads.
“U, uwaaak!”
“Wh-what!?”
“Spare us!”
What? What conspiracy are they plotting? Until the Dragon King Festival ends, humans aren’t allowed to leave their homes. It wasn’t exactly a taboo.
It was just a rule made because deep ones, excited by the Dragon King’s presence during the ritual, sometimes couldn’t hold back and devoured humans.
If you want to live, seal yourselves in your homes and hole up until the ritual ends.
“Grulk, grulk. What schemes are you up to here?”
“Th-that is……”
The elders exchanged glances with wretched expressions. You said it, didn’t you? You take responsibility. I only believed you. Damn, I must be crazy. Yongsu sensed their gazes and emotions converging in one direction.
“Grulk, you?”
An elder stepped forward from among the villagers.
He wasn’t someone with remarkable courage.
Tears welled in his eyes, and his legs shook violently. But even so, he bared his teeth.
“I, I, I…… W-we can’t take it anymore……”
Ah, another wannabe hero like last year? Last year it was at least a young one, but this time it’s an old man.
But he’s even less than last year. A pathetic elder who can’t even string words together. Yongsu raised his hand toward the elder, to poke and crush the stubborn livestock.
Kwaaaaaang!!
A horrific roar that shook heaven and earth came from somewhere.
It wasn’t just the sound. The ground actually trembled, and the air churned.
“Uwaaak!”, “A, aaaah!!”, “Uwaaa! God!!”, “The mountain’s exploding!?”
The elders, unable to withstand the shock and terror, rolled across the muddy village ground. An earthquake? What’s happening?
The gills lined under Yongsu’s neck fluttered. Even at his young age, they had already formed completely and twitched sensitively, detecting some omen.
From the mountain? No, something happened at the altar?
Goosebumps rose on Yongsu’s green skin. What’s happening now?
Kwarurung, ururung!
A vivid blue light pierced the fog. Lightning.
Has the Dragon King become enraged? No, don’t tell me…… Don’t tell me……
“Wizard!? Grrruuuk! That wizard bastard!!”
Yongsu left the elders behind and dashed toward the mountain. Incredible speed, like an angry shark swimming upstream. With each step Yongsu took, the mud exploded with a bang.
“This can’t be……”
The elders rolling in the mud stared blankly in the direction Yongsu had vanished. Then they looked at each other.
One elder stood up and shouted.
“I-I told you! He, he’s going to……!”
Overwhelmed by emotion, the elder couldn’t speak at once, huddled for a moment, then continued.
“That one! He’s coming to save us! To fulfill our wishes!”
Cheers of “Waaaaah!” erupted from the elders who had been wallowing in In-su Village’s mud.
Yongsu raced in one breath to the altar site.
This is wrong! Something’s off! Why is this happening!
Explosions echoing from afar.
Creaking, grinding strange friction sounds.
Grulk, gruk from his kin.
Then, with a pop from afar, something flew toward him. Cannon? Missile? No, that’s! A deep one hybrid, Yongsu’s kin.
“Kraaaat!”
Yongsu poured mana into his legs and leaped.
With a splash-crackle, he jumped and caught the projectile hurtling without resistance. Tremendous momentum. Yongsu kicked a nearby tree to offset it and stop himself from flying off.
“Grulk! Hey, you okay? Snap out of it!”
“Grulk, grrr…… Yongsu, Lord Yongsu……!”
This one’s done for. Eyes crushed, limbs charred black. He won’t last long.
“Gruk, what the hell happened!”
“A monster……. Humans turned into monsters…….”
What does that even mean?
Humans turned into monsters? Yongsu carefully laid down his dying kin and leaped again. More explosions followed. Screams. Clanging of metal on metal.
He finally arrived at the altar.
An absurd scene unfolded before Yongsu’s eyes. Witnessing it, Yongsu let his limbs hang limp for a moment and muttered.
“Grrruuuh……”
It was a horrific slaughterhouse beyond words in any language he knew.
Monsters wearing human skins were butchering the deep ones. What the hell?
Kwaduduk!
A human with a massive metal maw tore off a deep one’s head whole.
Shaaak, susasak!
A human with large scythes sprouting from both arms sliced through a deep one’s body.
Tang, tatadatang!
A human with four arms fired guns from both hands wildly.
“Grulk! You puppet bastards!”
Bihee Jin-in, the deep one with a golden crown, roared as he grabbed the human clinging to him and tore it apart left and right. Shraaak! Wagujak!
The human skin ripped open, spilling out the junk inside. Bihee Jin-in slammed it to the ground. Kaduduk, wududuk!
“Grulk! You halfwit idiots! Get a grip! Who are you!”
At Bihee Jin-in’s shout, the deep ones regained their senses. Right, snap out of it! We are the children of the sea. The [Mighty Dragon King of the Murky Depths] protects us!
“Grulk! Gruk!”
“Grrruuuk! Gruk!”
“Gruk, gruk, gruk, grulk!”
Kwaduduk! Kwang! Waruruk—
Another one, a monster in human skin, shattered, spilling its innards.
‘Yeah! We can do this! We can drive them off!’
The power difference was overwhelming from the start. They had a hundred on their side. The enemy was just seven. These puppets were nothing!
But the biggest problem was……
‘Where the hell is that wizard?’
Yongsu rolled his eyes everywhere searching for Kim Shin-hwa’s hiding spot, then screamed.
“Graaaak!! Catch him!!”
Kim Shin-hwa, that bastard was charging into the altar!
“Priest! That one’s heading to the altar!”
This wasn’t something to leave to others. I’ll catch him. Yongsu invoked the oceanic power bestowed by the great Dragon King and leaped.
Shwaaaak—
Moisture from the surroundings concentrated in his hands, forming waves. I’ll shove this power down that wizard’s throat!
“Oh, Yongsu? You’re here?”
Kim Shin-hwa gave Yongsu a brief wave. No, it’s not a wave.
Mana surged. Some intent and powerful influence burrowed in along with the bastard’s gesture. The oceanic power gathered in my hands roiled.
[Spell Overload]
Bang!
“!?”
Yongsu couldn’t comprehend what had happened for a moment. What? Sticky sensation. Sky’s visible. Am I lying down? Did I get hit by something? My hands feel weird. No, my hand’s gone? Raw dangling flesh and exposed white bone. Fingers completely missing.
‘Magic? He forcibly detonated my spell?’
From that distance, with just a gesture? Yongsu was hailed as the village’s greatest genius. At first, he thought it was just carelessness on his part, falling for a cheap trick. But is this even possible?
Yongsu looked at Kim Shin-hwa, feeling an indescribable dread.
Kwang! A deep one charging at Kim Shin-hwa soared into the sky.
“Dol-dol-ah! Quit sleeping and come out! Dol-dol-ah! Get over here!”
Grrruhk—
A heavy noise like grinding stone.
From the open altar door, a blunt rock……
Gurulung, kung! Kwang! Kung! Kwang!
‘Came charging out!?’
No, a massive stone altar? A rectangular hewn rock? What is that?
The village head rolling in the mud let out a scream of shock.
“Grrruhk! That, that thing!”
The head knew it. The item Kim Shin-hwa had given him as collateral. A stone chest imbued with tremendous mana. That thing could move?!
Kwaaaang!
The stone chest rampaged wildly, circling around Kim Shin-hwa. Kwagwagwang! Deep ones charging at Kim Shin-hwa couldn’t withstand the overwhelming weight and impact, bouncing off or shattering outright.
The head, slumped on the ground watching, felt a bizarre illusion. That horrific, massive stone chest…… It seemed like a giant dog excitedly reuniting with its owner?
The head shook off the absurd thought and yelled.
“Grulk, stop it! That thing has something inside!”
“Wait, you guys! Let me change clothes first!”
Giiiik—
The stone chest’s maw opened. A billowing jet-black robe flew out and settled on Kim Shin-hwa’s shoulders. Then sword, hook, ring, backpack, skateboard.
Finally, he donned a bizarre mask with four eye holes.
He took off the [Deep One Mask] he’d been wearing, tried to…… toss it, but pocketed it instead.
“Ahahahahaha!!”
Kim Shin-hwa burst into a madman’s horrific laughter.
Whoooosh—
Around Kim Shin-hwa, eerie whirlwinds gathered, ominous flames swam like will-o’-the-wisps, and deadly blue sparks converged.
Kim Shin-hwa began to slowly float into the air.
From the four eye holes in his mask, glaring yellow lights beamed out.
“Grulk, grrr……”
The head huddled in fear.
Immense mana. Terrifying! What the hell is that monster! That monster! That monster! I brought that monster into this village!?
“Dol-dol-ah, open the next compartment!”
The stone chest closed, then opened again.
At Kim Shin-hwa’s gesture, a massive amount of junk poured out: stone balls, giant scythes, massive pillars, axes, hammers, swords, rocket launchers, tires, unidentified metal scraps and machine parts.
They scattered and attached themselves to the other crumpled and shattered summoner golems.
Kadududuk, wudududuk!
Monsters in human shapes? No trace of human form remained now. Massive, horrific monstrosities lined up before the deep ones.
Kim Shin-hwa, floating in the air before the altar in a deranged pose, shouted at the deep ones.
“Alright, now let’s start the real Dragon King Festival, just like you wanted!”