Chapter 278
Chapter 278
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 278
Chapter Title: Conqueror
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Thud. Thud.
The Conqueror's gaze twisted slightly as she approached slowly. What was she looking at?
Her eyes were fixed on the corpse of the [Guardian of Bongam Hall], sprawled amid the wreckage of the main hall.
At the same moment, ripples spread through the Conqueror's lake-calm mana.
[System: 'Enhanced Vigilance' activates.]
Yeah, I get it—no warning needed. I know it's dangerous.
I'd heard that the Evergreen Mountain Society and Bongam Hall were on friendly terms... but were they really that close? Was there even a setting like that?
Oh, right. In the game, the Guardian of Bongam Hall never died like this.
So that's why that detail never came up.
'Yeah, looks like it's being revealed right now.'
What if the [Old Voice] cult clashed with the [Evergreen Mountain Society]?
Accounting for a few variables, the [Old Voice] would win.
As long as the Conqueror wasn't with the [Evergreen Mountain Society].
'Now I finally understand the setup from the previous playthrough.'
Normally, I wouldn't have been here.
The [Old Voice] cultists would have burned the [Bongam Scriptures],
and upon witnessing that, the Conqueror would have sliced them all to pieces.
Then she'd have used the remaining fragments of the [Bongam Scriptures] to perform a ritual resurrecting the [Guardian of Bongam Hall].
My interference changed things a bit, but it probably wouldn't have altered her options much.
'First, let's cut down every bastard here. We can shed tears after they're all dead.'
Yeah, that's probably what she's thinking. Damn it.
If I keep stalling like this, I'll get hit with some ridiculous false charge.
"No, wait—"
"Out of my wayyy!"
A cultist suddenly bellowed and bolted for the main gate. Ah—damn it, why is this guy pulling this right now?!
Is he planning to escape while we're distracted? Pretty logical, actually. As he sprinted toward the gate, he triggered a spell.
[Fire Blast]
Whoosh!
Shing—
The Conqueror drew one of her twin swords.
In a speed nearly invisible to the eye—the sword light swirling around her scattered the incoming flames in a single breath.
"My warning came too late."
Clack.
The sword slid back into its sheath at her waist.
"Anyone who moves without my permission gets cut down. Applies retroactively, by the way."
"W-What? W-Wait—that sword—you, you're—not, you—hold on?"
Those were the cultist's last words.
Thud—
His head, severed from his body, hit the ground.
The head rolled across Bongam Hall's courtyard, blinking and gaping a few times before going still.
Splurt!
Only then did the body register its death, collapsing and gushing an enormous volume of blood.
'Unreal swordsmanship.'
"You're a mage too, huh."
"Yeah, pretty much."
She just said "too," right? The Conqueror was lumping me in with these cultist creeps.
"And that mask. And that sinister mana."
The Conqueror didn't finish her sentence, but I could guess what she'd left out.
'You're with the cult, aren't you?'
What should I say? Haha, cool mask, right?
No, scratch that. I took it off a cultist and now I'm cursed so I can't take it off. How about that? Sounds believable?
The Conqueror took another step toward me.
"Go ahead."
"......With what?"
"Your explanation."
"I already said—"
I'd planned to say, 'I took down the cultists here!' but she raised her hand, cutting me off.
"Kid, I can tell you're not one of these crawling vermin. But that's not reason enough not to cut you down. Give me a reason I should let you live."
"Grrrrrr—"
The moment she finished, a massive black hound shifted into attack position.
"Well—"
Because I'm stronger than you—yeah, that'd piss her off. As I scrambled for the right words, something suddenly blocked my vision.
[System: Penalty trait 'Shattered Mind' activates. You have 1 Madness point, so a random Madness manifests.]
Ah, midnight already.
Talk about the worst possible timing.
"Got nothing to say?"
"Ah, no! Just a sec—just a second! One minute—no, twenty seconds—no, five seconds!"
"Are you insane?"
"No, but I'm about to be—seriously, just a moment! For real! Hey, that hand! Why are you already grabbing your sword hilt?"
Damn it, for real. If you're gonna give me Madness, hurry up and do it, then get out of my sight!
[System: 'Madness - Cynophobia' afflicts your mind.]
Dogs?
Now?
Of all the phobias, this one?
"Ah, got it!"
"What the—"
"This shitty timing! It's all a scheme! What do you mean random?! You picked this on purpose because it's perfect right now! You bastard! I knew it! You sneaky shit! You've been watching the whole time!"
Can you blame me for cursing?
"No good."
Shing—
Whoa, she's drawing! She's drawing it!
"Grrrrrr—"
At the same time, that [Horror Spewing Sulfurous Fumes From Its Nostrils, Chewing Disasters In Its Maw, Shitting Out Death From Its Ass] beside the Conqueror let out a thunderous howl and charged.
['Evergreen Mountain Society Conqueror's' friend, 'Jjokko,' stimulates your Madness.]
Ah, cute name for the thing.
You bastard behind that message window— this funny to you? Huh? You think this is hilarious?
Swoosh—
The Conqueror blurred into motion, drawing one of the two swords at her waist—Tweety and Iceveil, was it?
Iceveil hurtled toward my neck. No questions asked. Too late for talk.
[Thunder Citadel]
Zzzap!
Tweety danced, and the lightning surging toward her dispersed.
Incredible!
[Protection Circle]
Slash—
The circle got sliced apart in one go.
The message about Madness stimulation popped up—and barely a second had passed.
['Madness - Cynophobia' manifests.]
[Leap]
I leaped backward—
[Fireball]
Firing a fireball while simultaneously casting two spells from angles she couldn't easily counter.
[Dancing Blades]
[Blade Mist]
How's that?
The fireball got shredded. Yeah, figured as much!
Shrrrrip—clatter clatter!
The real attack: dozens of magic blades and a storm of rising misty blades.
Slice—shwick—
Whoa, just hacking through with swords.
Another second gone.
[Mind stat attempts resistance to delirium.]
"Arroooo!"
From the side charged [The Being Born To Prove This World Is A Hell Of Injustice, Misfortune, Hatred, Sorrow, And Despair]. No—hold on, your name's Jjokko? Damn.
[L-Grade Accessory 'Mask of Carcosa' unique function, 'Dreamlike Blur,' activates.
// Dreamlike Blur: Auto-casts 'Blink' spell.]
The world spun.
I reappeared in Bongam Hall's main hall, but the Conqueror was already airborne toward me. Whoa, she predicted the Blink and used her gap-closer already? Pro gamer?
[Horn Strike]
Boom!
I frantically swung my hand to generate a shockwave, but she toed the empty air and leaped again.
Ah, so many tricks! No cooldown on that movement?
"Arroooo!"
As the Conqueror soared skyward, the [Distilled Essence Of The World's Every Vice And Injustice] hidden in her shadow lunged.
Another second.
[Mind check....... Fail]
Waaah—I hate this place! I hate this world! I hate this spot! I hate that horrific beast! I hate this situation! I hate Bongam Hall! I hate Sokcho! I hate the Conqueror! I hate the Old Voice cultists! I hate that I'm here! I hate this shitty plot! I hate everything dumping this nightmare on me! I hate that Nyarla-whatever trapping me from behind the message window! I hate you all enjoying the show right now!
Stop!
I'm getting out of here! I'm leaving! I'm not staying! I'm going! Far away, to the guaranteed future of Nostalgia! Going! Even farther! Come on, let's go! Escape! Anywhere without that monster! Away from the Conqueror! Leave Bongam Hall! Get out! Go somewhere else! Escape this horrific [Cthulhu World]! I'll break free no matter what!
* * *
How many seconds have passed now?
Darkness surrounds me, eerie glowing orbs floating before my eyes.
"Am I dead?"
[System: Duration of 'Delirium: Desperate Flight' ends.]
"Nah, not that."
At least I'm alive.
I lay sprawled in some forest on Seoraksan.
[No targets nearby stimulating your Madness, so your mind stabilizes temporarily. Madness will re-manifest if you encounter its trigger or something reminiscent.]
"Whew, thanks a lot, you bastard."
My back hurts. Legs hurt. Can't get up. Ow ow—
No clue what happened during the escape, but my left middle, ring, and pinky fingers are twisted in awful directions.
"Ah, crap."
I can heal, but regenerating in this state would be worse.
Deep breath. Steel myself. Resolve. Ah. Damn damn damn.
[Heightened Senses]
[Invisible Hand]
[Hardening]
Crunch—
"Ughhhhh......"
Telekinesis forced the mangled fingers back into place.
Used [Heightened Senses] to force adrenaline, but it wasn't quite enough?
Chilling pain surged from my fingertips, multiplying the stars in my vision tenfold before fading.
[System: 'Rapid Recovery' activates.]
Fingers healing at high speed. What a wild life.
My good right hand patted my chest—felt the texture of the Bongam Scriptures under my clothes. Good, grabbed it amid the chaos.
Still lying down, I assessed my location and situation.
"Not much time passed. Maybe one? Or two, three o'clock?"
"Three."
A young woman's voice.
"Ah, thanks."
Turning my head while prone, I saw a bizarre woman standing against the dark forest. Age...... petite build. Not Curtain Call, FYI.
Mid-twenties? Late? Messy bob haircut. Could be early twenties or late teens.
But her outfit was seriously weird—
"No hospital around here, right?"
"Hospital?"
Mental hospital.
She wore a stark white restraint suit.
Belts everywhere, long sleeves sealed tight—no way to get hands or even fingers out.
A thick belt around her neck too, with a long leash attached to the center. So......
Like something you'd put on a [Quadrupedal Beast That's Lived Alongside Humans For Ages].
The neck belt and leash evoked an unpleasant image that made me shudder.
Deep breath. Deep breath.
No, it's a person. Human. Bipedal beast.
"If you didn't escape a hospital, why wander alone dressed like that?"
"Not alone. Came with my sister."
"Who's your sister?"
"Over there—right there."
Where?
I looked where her long sleeve pointed: trees trees trees, shadows shadows shadows, darkness darkness darkness.
"No idea what you're talking about."
"Dummy. Idiot."
"Usually called a genius mage."
"Genius mage? Then why are you lying here?"
"Ah, got screwed by some bastard's scheme—ended up in a mess."
"Bastard? Mess?"
"Thought things were going great, then out of nowhere this super sword-granny tries to kill me—slices right through spells."
"Ah? That's rough."
"Yeah...... thinking about it, maybe not that big a deal?"
True.
The Conqueror was a headache, but ultimately Conqueror-related stuff was a side event. My main plans weren't derailed.
I groaned, sitting up, finally getting a proper look at my conversation partner's face.
"What? It's you? Why are you here?"
"Huh? I just said—came with my sister."
"Yeah, you did say that."
I scratched my head, pondering, then stood with a short sigh.
"Getting up now?"
"Yeah. Rested enough—time to move."
"Going to fight the granny?"
"Nah. Got something more important."
"What if the spell-slicing granny attacks?"
"Tell her to slice away."
Sure, the super-granny who parries spells and lands three hits per second might chase—but if so, I'll just give her time to waste.
Some hiccups, but overall not bad.
Checked everything I needed to.
Retrieve [Flesh Sword] and the [Old Voice] can't summon the [Great Origin]. Meaning no more business in Sokcho.
Contact the people I sent elsewhere at dawn, decide next destination.
"Alright, let's go."
"Where?"
"You called her sister earlier, right? Moon Seung-hee? I'll take you to her. Follow me. Yi Sunbin."