Chapter 165
Chapter 165
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 165
Chapter Title: Dragon King Festival (6)
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*Churuk— Chururuk—*
The still-growing, pure white tentacles.
The tentacles branch out. Hideous teeth are revealed as maws split open here and there across them. Dozens—no, hundreds of mouths on the pale white tentacles sway, writhe, and squirm as they strain to devour Bihee.
*Kaduk— Kaduk— Kaduk—*
The grinding of hundreds of jaws in unison.
“Kraaaagh!”
Bihee thrashed wildly in desperation, but it was no use. He couldn’t escape the spawn of the Black Goat, the Dark Young. In any case, there wouldn’t be any more scenes worth calling a fight.
I scratched at the mask’s cheek for a moment before speaking.
“What was it you said to me earlier?”
I didn’t remember exactly since I’d heard it while out of it, but it was something like this.
“—‘Now I’ll shove you and your kind into the sea well. Got it?’ Was that it?”
He hadn’t been able to make good on his declaration, but I already had.
“Gruk, gruk—”
“Grrruk— Grrr—”
*Splash—*
*Splash— Splash—*
The Deep Ones, and their hybrids, were leaping into the sea well with fanatical zeal.
The sea well.
A massive well hidden inside the ritual hall.
To be precise, they’d probably built the structure around the location of the sea well. Like the safe in the village head’s house. And the same went for this village.
The ritual hall was just for show. The real important thing was that sea well.
*That’s no ordinary well.*
Local legends and the Deep Ones’ faith claimed it connected to the Western Sea. And that the Dragon King of the Western Sea would return through it?
*If that well was just a tunnel to the Western Sea, I wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble.*
The sea well was a kind of gate.
It didn’t connect to the Western Sea. It led to a place farther away, deeper down, darker still.
The Deep Ones’ true home, the deep, deep abyss.
Or perhaps to the resting place of the great Cthulhu.
“Kraaaah!! You monster! You vile demon! You can’t do this! The Dragon King will refuse it! The curse of the sea! The curse of the depths will cling to you!”
Oh, so Dagon would refuse the sacrifice of Deep Ones? Would he?
“Seven sacrifices as the number of stars, plus one more makes eight. A number that pleases the Dragon King, they say. To call the Dragon King to dry land, we repeat it eight more times, eight times eight, totaling sixty-four. How could the Dragon King refuse?”
“Gruk! Stop! Shut your mouth, human! How dare you! How dare you speak to the Dragon King like that! As if the Dragon King would even listen to you!”
“You’ll get yourself killed if you keep getting distracted.”
*Wooduk! Kaduk! Waduk!*
“Kraaagh!”
The Dark Young finally bit off Bihee’s left hand. Red blood gushed out in a spray.
Realizing what he should prioritize above all, Bihee resisted with everything he had.
“I’ll kill you! I’ll definitely kill you!”
Right, Deep Ones were inherently different from humans. They had innate vitality and unyielding willpower. Losing a hand wouldn’t subdue him.
*Kwang! Kwajik!*
Bihee swung his fist at the Dark Young and unleashed spells wildly. Whether his attacks worked or not, the Dark Young retracted its tentacles for a moment and hesitated.
Hope flickered across Bihee’s face. Was he thinking, *Yes! It’s working!*?
Hm, somehow I doubted it.
The hundreds of maws piercing the pale tentacles all opened at once.
“Hungry.” “Hungry.” “Hungry.” “Hungry.” “Hungry.” “Hungry.” “Hungry.” “Hungry.” “Hungry.” “Hungry.” “Hungry.” “Hungry.” “Hungry.” “Hungry.” “Hungry.” “Hungry.” “Hungry.” “Hungry.” “Hungry.”
“U, uwaaagh! Uwaaaagh!!”
It’s over. No need to watch any longer.
Before fully turning away, I extended my mana and yanked the crown off Bihee’s head.
*Whirip—*
Catching the crown, I stared at it for a moment.
A grotesque yet beautiful and eerie crown engraved with waves, fish, the deep sea, and images of Dagon and the Deep Ones.
[Crown of Murky Waters (L-grade Magic Artifact): A crown imbued with the mana of the depths. Grants its owner the power to commune with the [Dragon King of the Turbid Sea]. An essential item for conducting the Dragon King Festival.
However, only children of the sea may use this item.
Further details require research.]
The [Ocarina of the Depths] had usage restrictions too, but this one had even more. You had to be a Deep One or hybrid, and possess aptitude as a shaman.
In short, a human wizard like me couldn’t use it.
*Not that I ever planned to.*
I needed someone else to use it in my place.
A way to stop the Dragon King Festival and liberate In-su Village.
With my memories restored, I could think of all sorts of methods. I could just destroy the well physically, or wipe out the Deep Ones and call it a day before escaping.
But those approaches...
“These stubborn Deep Ones would just end up making a second In-su Village or a second sea well.”
That was why the old Kim Shin-hwa’s recommended solution was to push forward with the Dragon King Festival. Subdue the high priest, install a new one, and steer the ritual in the direction I wanted.
“For that, I need a Deep One to play high priest. The village head’s a backup option... Yong-su, you still alive?”
There he is.
I spotted Yong-su amid the Deep Ones shuffling toward the well.
The green-skinned Deep One hybrid—a once-in-a-thousand genius, according to his backstory. He was Bihee’s disciple. In terms of aptitude, no one topped him.
“Hm, but he’s still like that.”
I’d injected him with Reddie’s fluids beforehand. To track him and make the follow-up easier.
*Looks like I didn’t need to bother.*
Yong-su was acting completely differently from the other Deep Ones. While they were drawn by Reddie’s song and hurling themselves into the sea well, Yong-su was still rolling on the muddy ground.
“Ah, uh— Aauuuh....”
The groans spilling from his mouth. Something’s off.
*What’s wrong with this idiot?*
Yong-su still had Reddie’s fluids in him. Through them, his thoughts flowed into my mind.
Pain—bleeding—loss—horrific agony from losing part of his body, the shock, and massive blood loss.
But Yong-su was a Deep One hybrid with overwhelmingly superior talent compared to the rest. Like Bihee said, Deep Ones didn’t go down from losing a few fingers.
“Uuuh.... Save me.... Save me....”
Despair—fear—madness—despondency—sorrow—helplessness. He’d come for revenge, only to lose both hands in one blow.
One blow? No, not even that.
To Yong-su, I’d just swatted casually, like shooing a fly. That gesture alone overloaded the spell he was controlling, causing it to explode entirely.
He hadn’t even landed an attack, and I hadn’t counterattacked.
Ah, I get it. I figured it out after checking Yong-su’s thoughts. I reached a conclusion.
*Looks like he’s got a ways to go before he dies.*
After all the crap he pulled on humans, now he was whining. I injected mana into the rolling Yong-su and activated a spell.
[Voice of Authority]
A voice carrying irresistible power and authority.
『What is your desire?』
“Ahh, Dragon King! Dragon King! I’ve longed to see you! To speak to you! O great Father of the Sea! I wish to make a wish to you. Dragon King of the Turbid Sea!”
Simple enough. I spoke again.
『Very well. Speak it. You may voice your wish.』
“That wicked wizard! Human! The vile wizard who dared to defile and humiliate the children of the sea in a human body—kill him! Grant me the power to kill him, punish him, and take revenge!”
Hm, tricky wish.
I spoke again.
『Think again. Is that truly your deepest desire? Is that the true wish you wanted to voice to the great Father of the Sea? Speak the real longing in your heart. Your filthy desires. The secrets you can’t tell others. The secret ambition you must one day fulfill. Speak it. What is it you truly want?』
“I, I....”
A faint noise stirred in Yong-su’s mind. Something trying to interfere? Not on my watch. No redirections or sudden variables. I spoke again, infusing it with power to suppress his mind and control his thoughts.
『Yes. Speak. To the one you believe in, the one you offer faith to, the one who shaped you, who shared the sea’s power with you—your true father. What do you truly desire from the Dragon King of the Turbid Sea, ruler of murky waters?』
Yong-su slowly rose to his feet.
“I.... Using the power of the sea well.... Awaiting the descent.... Of the great Dragon King of the Turbid Sea.... In his true form....”
Yes, that was the true purpose of the Dragon King Festival.
Not an avatar, but his true body—the abyss entity itself descending to this land. For that, they built a village here, offered sacrifices, and waited for the special day.
The sea well had grown strong over time by devouring human flesh and souls, and today, thanks to me, it was gorging itself massively.
On the exact date ordained by Dagon—the Dragon King—the sea well would open its gate and bring Dagon’s true form into the world.
I placed the crown on Yong-su’s head and said,
『Then today is that day. By your wish, the sea well shall open its gate and bring forth what lies beyond. Go.』
Now, the only living Deep One—or hybrid—in the area was Yong-su. The rest had thrown themselves into the sea well. Those who couldn’t were lifeless lumps face-down in the mud.
But Dagon’s mana still lingered everywhere, filling the air with horrific mist. From within that mist came the sound of a single set of footsteps.
*Squelch— Squelch—*
In-su Village’s new high priest trudged through the sticky mud. Yong-su would voice his wish at the sea well and open the gate to the other side.
“Timing’s crucial.”
I beckoned to the necro-golems and issued orders.
“Alright, let’s go. Time to prep the villagers for evacuation.”
*Kiririk— Padduduk—*
The necro-golem bearing my consciousness directed the others as they raced down the mountain.
Then I beckoned to Reddie.
“Reddie, that’s enough. Great song—I didn’t know you could sing like that. See that green guy with the hat? Get inside him. And when I give the signal, eat everything edible.”
*Flududuk—*
“Kiii!”
To reiterate, the exact date. That day mattered.
Destroy the venue right before the masquerade, and it falls apart. If it’s not that day, their plan crumbles. Today, I’d fool the sea well.
Standing before the sea well, Yong-su spoke.
“O Dragon King who dwells in the turbid sea, who bestows enlightenment, who shifts forms with wind and clouds to grant eternal life to foolish mortals—I offer my deepest respects with all my heart.”
Yong-su spoke again. He was this village’s high priest, proxy for the Dragon King’s emissary.
“One wish. One wish. One wish. To the Dragon King who rains upon this dry land and summons waves to bless all with sacred seawater—one wish.”
And this genius Deep One hybrid spoke once more.
“By your mercy, O Dragon King, accept our utmost sincerity today as vast as the sea. Grant our wish. We offer the feast we prepared with all devotion to the Dragon King’s altar. Open the gate of the sea well.”
*Kururur—*
*Kururur—*
An ominous rumble from underground—no, from below the well.
Vibrations like the mountain collapsing.
Then, an enormous surge of mana and seawater pouring from the well.
*Kwarururuk!!*
*Kwarururu!!*
Absurd quantities of seawater erupted from the well.
[System: Exclusive trait ‘Feast Sacrifice’ activates.]
*It’s coming!*
Something was rising. Rising. Something was coming!
But today wasn’t the day. And yet, something was crawling out anyway. I’d expected this. It wouldn’t be Dagon’s true form. Something of a lower order.
Either way, an overwhelming monster was climbing up!
[From below the sea well....]
“Out of the way! I can’t see!”
*Pzzt!*
The message tried to say something, but I blasted it with lightning.
“Now! Dolly!!”
*Grrruk!!*
Dolly, waiting beside the well, opened its maw.
*Warururuk!!*
An enormous mass of magic stones was sucked into the well. Glittering magic stones. An insane amount. Had to be over ten billion credits worth? The stockpile Heo-ju had amassed was vanishing into the well.
*A bit of a waste.*
No time for that! I crammed my mana into the object in my hand—*Kwaruruk!*
—and hurled it at the well.
A glittering object arcing through the air.
A magic stone bomb.