Chapter 166
Chapter 166
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 166
Chapter Title: Sea Well
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The key point is this.
Kim Shin-hwa's plan from the past still lingers in my mind.
‘Don’t hesitate. Just open the door.’
The Sea Well is a gate built for Dagon’s descent.
Open the door, and Dagon descends.
‘Even if I open it, Dagon’s side isn’t ready, so it can’t descend.’
That’s right.
The Deep Ones had completed the Sea Well and were waiting for the moment of Dagon’s descent—the day the stars align.
If I open it today and drain all the well’s power, Dagon won’t be able to descend.
‘From Dagon’s perspective, it’s like heading out to catch the bus on schedule, only for the bus to leave early on a whim.’
And the next one won’t come for another 1,000 years.
‘Opening the door will cause a ton of problems...’
‘But there’s no choice.’
‘This is the way to block it with the least damage.’
It’s a gateway connected to the Abyss.
Once it opens, something massive will happen.
‘For example...’
Grrrrr—kyarrr—kweeeeeek—
Something enormous is emitting massive mana from over there, crawling up the well. Either Dagon, startled by the sudden opening, sent one of its avatars—or some random monster nearby got spooked and crawled out.
I can block Dagon from emerging, but if I leave it alone, Deep Ones even stronger than Bihee could pour through that gate.
‘Something huge might slip through, but future me as the new god will handle that, right?’
Ugh. Past Kim Shin-hwa hadn’t decided exactly how to handle it. The plan was just something like, “Figure it out yourself!”
Whirrr—
And this is the solution I came up with.
The mana stone bomb leaves my hand, spinning wildly as it slices through the air.
It’s a crude device, reminiscent of a part from a Necrotic Golem.
‘Truth be told, I could achieve a similar effect without something like this.’
Whirrr—
The mana stone bomb flies in a parabola.
I can predict what happens in a few seconds. My brain pumps out adrenaline at an insane rate. Because of that, everything around me feels slowed down.
Whirrr—
It’s a device to convert pure mana stones into explosive force.
Naturally, its power grows exponentially with the number of mana stones.
That’s why I had Ddol-i cram in an enormous quantity.
But fuel isn’t just that.
First, the mana I embedded into the mana stone bomb.
And...
Groooar—
The Sea Well itself will serve as the energy source for the explosion.
The mana ripened by the Deep Ones over decades.
The dozens of Deep Ones I shoved in at once.
The Sea Well’s door is open. That well isn’t just a pit. It’s a gate linked to part of the Abyss.
Kwarrr—
An immense amount of abyssal mana overflows, visible to the naked eye.
Energy that lingered in the metaphysical world is dragged into the physical realm, transforming into something more intuitive and tangible. Like seawater, gold, fish, monsters, shock, explosion—
Some of it seeps into Yongsu’s body, the one who presided over the Dragon King Festival.
“Grraaaaaawr—”
Crack—snap—
Yongsu’s body, clearly an incomplete Deep One hybrid, undergoes dramatic changes. It mutates like time has been fast-forwarded. Scales tougher and harder than any Deep One’s, menacing claws, fluttering gills.
Yongsu hasn’t just become a full Deep One—he’s undergoing even greater changes. He’ll become the strongest Deep One ever, or like Jang Hyun-deok before, an avatar of Dagon.
“Red—”
Keee!
-Now!
I didn’t finish the sentence, but Red understood my intent. It absorbs the mana embedded in Yongsu’s body at tremendous speed.
“Kraaaagh!”
Yongsu’s body, which was about to grow further, contracts instead.
Kyaaaa—kraaaa—
The noises from the giant, dangerous monster(s) crawling up from the well’s bottom. Not just one or two. If those get out, it won’t just wreck Paju—it’ll turn the whole world upside down.
Clang!
Clang—clang—kaang—
The sound of the mana stone bomb hitting the well’s inner wall, bouncing, moving away. It sinks into the deep, deep well.
The mana stone bomb is about to detonate. It’s a shoddy device made with crude tech, but combined with everything listed so far, it’ll trigger a massive chain explosion.
[Sound Distortion]
-------------!!!
Boom? Thud? Kwarrrboom?
Did I hear something like that?
A horrific noise erupts, beyond human ears’ perception. Vibration. Shock. Earthquake. I reflexively muster mana to shield my body.
The mana stone bomb has gone off.
An explosive surge of immense shock and horrifying amounts of mana. Too much! Red’s absorption efficiency can’t handle that colossal mana. The unabsorbed mana converts to physical force all at once. Massive shock blasts outward! Argh, I’m gonna die!
[Protection Circle]
[Spell Enhancement: Maximized]
[Spell Enhancement: Multicast]
Tsss—
The Child of Darkness wraps tentacles around me.
-------------!!!
Kwarrrboom? Or tssspopopop?
Yongsu’s body launches away at invisible speeds.
I can’t perceive it with my ears, but the shock is so brutal it shreds my Protection Circle. If the Child of Darkness hadn’t guarded me, I couldn’t have endured it.
I send part of my consciousness to retrieve Red.
“Keee!”
Red flies out from Yongsu’s body toward me.
“Don’t come here! Just head to the village!”
I send mana to the Child of Darkness.
“Let’s bounce!”
Shhhrrr—
My spells enchant the Child of Darkness’s sturdy body. Speed boost, defense boost. Perfect. Time to run!
This village is about to vanish from the map!
Shhhrrrrr—
Wrapped in tentacles, I race down the mountain.
-------------!!!
Kwarrr? Or fwoom? Kwarrrboom? Or what?
An enormous volume of water erupts from the well. Horrific pressure. In 1 second? No, 0.1 seconds, the distillery shatters to pieces. A pristine white water column shoots toward the sky. It’s like a hole punched in the Earth.
The water surging far exceeds the well’s capacity. The ground splits, the mountain crumbles. Unable to withstand the hydraulic pressure and shock, the earth itself blasts skyward.
Like a volcano spewing lava, the ground heaves up, ejecting vast amounts of water.
“Snap—” “Snap—” “Snap—” “Snap—” “Snap—” “Snap—” “Snap—” “Snap—” “Snap—” “Snap—”
The Child of Darkness grinds its hundreds of mouths. A sight surreal enough to terrify even this otherworldly monster. Or is it excited? Anyway, kid, calm down. If we stay here, we’re dead!
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Shhhwoooo? Or kwarrr? Gushgushgush?
Water pours from the sky. Not rain. Trees snap, soil collapses.
Vast water bursts from cracked earth. It floods everywhere. A colossal tsunami engulfs the mountain, spilling outward.
Waves mixed with trees, soil, rocks, and Deep One corpses crash down. The real danger hasn’t even started.
‘The truly dangerous moment will be when that water column’s pressure weakens, right?’
The column still pierces the sky, threatening to reach space.
The instant that massive water returns to the ground—that’s when the true watery hell, the real flood, begins.
Gurgle! Boom! Crash!
“You did it!”
I shouted in exhilaration.
Some of the Necrotic Golems I’d sent ahead finished their task. The rest are heading to the village to gather the villagers.
Grrrr—
This is a mountain.
A massive wave chases us from behind, but it might soon become part of the sea or a huge lake—who knows—but right now, it’s a mountain.
Halfway up that mountain, a gigantic ship emerges perfectly positioned.
A massive sailing vessel the Deep Ones prepared for their Dragon King’s descent.
Originally, Dagon would’ve boarded that ship to slaughter every land creature. Ah—but too bad. Dagon missed the bus. He’ll catch the next one in about 1,000 years!
That ownerless ship will now be my precious lifeboat in this catastrophe.
Kwarrr!!
No matter how fast and tough the Child of Darkness’s body is, it has limits. The enormous wave tries to swallow us. Splashing spray. Bababababang! That’s water droplets pummeling my Protection Circle! Like shotgun blasts! Right behind us! We’re done for!
I pour massive mana into the Child of Darkness running in my stead and issue the command.
“Jump!”
Kaaaaang!
My vision rockets upward at insane speed. Horrific pressure on my spine and neck.
“Uwaaaah!!”
Without mana encasing my body, this leap alone would’ve snapped me like a twig.
At some point, the pressure eases. Time feels suspended, gravity gone. Sky. Mist. Weightlessness. A touch of euphoria. The leap’s apex.
Then we fall.
“Ugh—”
Vision blurs. The ship rushes closer at tremendous speed. The Necrotic Golems’ bizarre forms. Through a Necrotic Golem’s eyes, I see myself—because I’d split my consciousness to control it.
Kim Shin-hwa, falling wrapped in the Child of Darkness’s tentacles, clutches his mask with both hands, terrified it’ll come off. Hey, can’t I fall looking a bit cooler?
Thud!
“Hahk!”
We land on the ship. Three Necrotic Golems aboard: Tooth-and-Claw, Shooter, and a standard one under my direct consciousness control.
The Necrotic Golem opens its mouth and speaks in my voice.
“Good. You did great. Now I’m heading that way.”
“What?”
“Why?”
“No, go quick.”
“Yeah.”
Ridiculous. I’ve split my vision so much I’m talking to myself. A problem from thinking at hyper speeds independently? Is this okay?
Click—
The Necrotic Golem that spoke in my voice shifts demeanor. It starts controlling the other Necrotic Golems in the village.
Boom! Kaaaang!
Ugh, no time for that.
The ship starts getting swept by the waves. Normally, a ship on land hit by this force would shatter or capsize.
But this mana stone-powered vessel unleashes magical force, rising atop the horrific tsunami.
Kwarrr!!
“Uwaaagh, damn it!”
Of course, in the process, me and the Necrotic Golems nearly get flung off—
Shhhrrr!
—thanks to the Child of Darkness wrapping us in tentacles, no major issues.
“Uwaaaah!”
“The Dragon King! The Dragon King!!”
“Save us! Please save us!”
“Gurgle fhtagn! Gurgle fhtagn!”
Screams, wails, shock, desperate pleas. The villagers are in full panic. Some are even chanting prayers to Dagon and Cthulhu.
‘Can’t blame them.’
An earthquake like the world’s ending. A colossal water column stabbing the sky. Torrential rain like it’s torn the heavens.
Insubong Village, built on shaky ground, had already collapsed.
The villagers huddled at the center under Necrotic Golem protection.
The massive tsunami closes in. 20 seconds? No, 10, and those frail human bodies get swept away.
That’s when I, dwelling in the Necrotic Golem, thought:
‘Guess we jump.’
Consciousness splits again.
The Necrotic Golems rearrange limbs, increasing arm count.
The ground’s unstable—can we jump? No choice but to trust my judgment.
‘The me on the ship will support with magic, right?’
“......”
Watching myself from three perspectives, I realize—do I have a habit of shoving responsibility onto others without a plan?
Eh, whatever!
“Yeah, jump!”