Chapter 319
Chapter 319
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 319
Chapter Title: Judgment Success
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Congratulations. The judgment was a success.
Unfortunately, it can't be called a critical success, but you can perform the action you desire.
What result do you wish to create?
[L!U!C!A! : Bubble- bubbble-]
Very well.
I'll buy you some time until preparations are complete.
* * *
Rumble-rumble-roar-
A bizarre noise echoing from somewhere.
An earthquake? Or thunder cracking in a clear sky? Perhaps an ability someone activated—
Or maybe the growl of an abyssal entity trapped deep underground.
Ominous signs pressing in from all directions.
'I should have squeezed more information out of Akiyama. What a shame.'
Akiyama was cunning and powerful enough to claim the role of a chapter's main villain, but he had picked the wrong opponent.
A living, moving glitch born from the crude flaws in this shoddy [Cthulhu World]. An improper existence that could shatter every bit of data and planning the game had accounted for, simply by being alive and in motion.
"Hey, goblin."
It was that very Yang Seo-ho who now opened his mouth, addressing Seo Cheon-seul, who stood facing him down.
"What the hell are you doing right now?"
Seo Cheon-seul, receiving the question, raised his left hand gripping my neck— "Agh, don't do that!" —and declared boldly.
"I'm protecting this here Kim Sebang— Huh? What's wrong with Kim Sebang?"
I nearly had my head yanked off. If I hadn't hastily thrown up a mana shield, I might've died in the most ridiculous way imaginable.
Seo Cheon-seul spouted lines like that— poor guy— before releasing his grip and shoving me behind him.
"See that? This scrawny, pathetic Kim Sebang. That's why this body stands here: to shield this fragile friend from harm."
"Friend? Harm?"
Yang Seo-ho's face twisted in confusion once more.
"Oh, so I'm the harm, is that it?"
"Exactly. In this body's eyes, Kim Sebang is in grave danger."
Seo Cheon-seul, showing rare outright wariness.
"Hah—"
Yang Seo-ho dipped his head slightly and let out a sigh.
"Damn it, you and that other one."
Muttering under his breath, Yang Seo-ho lifted his gaze again and spoke to Seo Cheon-seul.
"You worthless phantom leeching off humanity's hope. You're no more fit for this land than he is. I'll smash you all to pieces."
"You dare—"
An insult aimed at [King Myriadgold], master of dreams, and the Thousand Gold Hall. A provocation Seo Cheon-seul could never let slide.
"Are you insulting Kim Sebang— the Thousand Gold Hall!"
Seo Cheon-seul shoved me further behind him and drew his diamond rod with both hands.
Rumble-rumble-roar-
Golden mana surging wildly from Seo Cheon-seul in all directions.
Grrr-roar!
This came from Yang Seo-ho's fist. Not the fist itself crying out, but the sound of it warping the air as it swung!
"Take this!"
Seo Cheon-seul's shadow scattered in every direction.
In an instant, he produced hundreds of clones, each wielding a diamond rod as they charged at Yang Seo-ho.
From front and back, left and right, above and below. Attacks raining in from every angle.
But Yang Seo-ho's strikes could intercept them all.
KABOOM!
Shockwaves erupting in every direction, front and back, left and right, above and below.
The already tattered Cure Medical Care buildings couldn't withstand the blasts— they groaned and accelerated their collapse.
Boom-boom-boom-boom-BOOM!
Amid it all, Seo Cheon-seul's clones dispersed in thick, acrid smoke.
A cheap illusion shattered? No— there was far too much smoke for that.
Whiiiiiir—
The smoke and dust filling the air twisted into a massive vortex, engulfing Yang Seo-ho.
BWOOOM!
The moment Yang Seo-ho's awareness shifted to the surrounding whirl—
"Bwahaha!"
A colossal golden pillar plummeted from sky to earth— straight at Yang Seo-ho.
A strike that would leave most foes unable to twitch a finger or toe, but Yang Seo-ho was no ordinary foe.
"Shallow trick—"
BWOOOM!
Where a normal enemy would be trapped immobile in the vortex, Yang Seo-ho's fist rocketed skyward once more—
Ugh, this is gonna make me dizzy.
[System: Penalty trait 'Feast's Offering' has been activated.]
Another message popped up simultaneously. An ominous presence stirring somewhere underground. Something was definitely underway.
"Stop it! You idiots!"
[Twisted Gaze] [Spell Cancel: Illusion]
[Distortion Field] [Protection Circle] [Binding Curse]
[Chains of Dominion] [Net of Nullification]
[Spell Enhancement: Maximized]
Ching-ching-ching!
Craaaack!
I wedged myself between them— or rather, dozens of magic circles— and unleashed my spells.
I dispersed Seo Cheon-seul's illusion, twisted Yang Seo-ho's attack— and simultaneously activated protective spells and barriers—
[Mind Control: Pacifism] [Serenity Field] [Gentle Breeze]
I cast a few spells to soothe their minds with calm.
Zzzzzt! Crackle! Pababam!
Ugh, forced pacifism bounces right off, as expected.
Both had high magic resistance, and Yang Seo-ho's mind harbored a madness too deep for simple spells to suppress.
"I don't care in what order I kill you two."
"Kim Sebang, stay back with that frail body of yours—"
Voices turned toward me in unison.
I'd grabbed their attention for a moment, but the fight hadn't stopped.
They were still glaring at each other warily.
'Ah, man.'
Glancing up, I saw sinister stars in the grim darkness of the night sky streaking across with eerie speed.
The stars were shifting positions.
[System: Penalty trait 'Feast's Offering' has been activated.]
The message flickered repeatedly, appearing and vanishing. Nothing visibly changed beyond that.
We couldn't afford this pointless squabble any longer.
"This body—"
Seo Cheon-seul poised atop a half-collapsed wall, diamond rod aimed at Yang Seo-ho, about to say something.
"I know! You're trying to help me! I get it, so just hear me out first!"
"Hmm— something to say?"
"You said earlier you'd protect your friend, right?"
"Indeed."
"Then relax. Truth is, Yang Seo-ho and I go way back."
"Hmm?"
"What the hell are you talking about?"
I could feel both their attentions fully shift from each other to me.
Not bad.
"And you, Yang Seo-ho— you're no mindless rampaging killer. You're a civil servant with a clear purpose and duty, right? Am I wrong?"
"......So?"
"Even if someone's an enemy, you'd listen if they tipped you off to vital intel. Rational like that. And—"
"And?"
Yeah, now you're listening. I grinned and said it.
"Sis, we're close, aren't we?"
"......"
Yang Seo-ho stared at me with an expression screaming, *What the fuck is this guy?*
I had to redirect their focus before other thoughts crept in.
"So look over there! That thing! Check it out before you fight!"
I pointed at the gaping hole in the ceiling.
Seo Cheon-seul and Yang Seo-ho's gazes followed my finger.
There......
Whirrrrr—
A golden pillar floating midair, devouring surrounding mana.
Akiyama had used the [Mirror of Wisdom] to coat abyssal gold, granting it new powers.
By rights, Akiyama should've prepared for the [Source of Life]'s descent with the [Mirror of Wisdom].
So why make that?
'Golden hairpin, was it?'
A hairpin that didn't fit the theme at all?
Well, Cure Medical Care's CEO was the yokai Nue, also a shoggoth— theme didn't matter.
"Akiyama said it earlier, right? If that activates— it'll punch a hole to the abyss in this land."
"But the ritual's conductor—"
Akiyama, the ritual leader, was sealed, so isn't it over?
"No! Something's crawling up from underground right now! Until we plug that massive hole in the floor and smash that pillar, this ain't done!"
Grgrgrgrgr—
* * *
To think Kim Shin-hwa caught on.
[L!U!C!A! : Bubble- bubbble-]
Yes, you may begin now.
* * *
A perfect coincidence?
Or had it been lying in wait for the right moment, stirring to life now?
[System: Penalty trait 'Feast's Offering' has been activated.]
From the hole Akiyama had prepared over so long— with a *splurch*— grotesque monsters made of oozing slime and writhing tentacles burst forth.
"Splurch—"
"Splurrrrgle!"
Like microscopic protists bloated to massive size.
Even the smallest towered over 3 meters. The largest—
Grgrrrgle—
"Oh, that's quite massive."
Seo Cheon-seul grinned in delight at the 20-meter-long giant bootlace worm.
Boom!
Yang Seo-ho struck without hesitation.
KABOOM!
As always— her normal attacks morphed into absurdly powerful AoE blasts, obliterating dozens of monsters in one go.
Splat! Splatter! Splurch—
Fluorescent slime spraying everywhere.
"That all you were yapping about?"
Yang Seo-ho growled at me.
"No! This isn't the end! There's more! Block that hole! I'll pull down that pillar!"
Even as I shouted, I raised my mana in preparation for Yang Seo-ho attacking me...
To my surprise, she nodded readily.
"Fine. I'll plug this hole first, then deal with you."
KABOOM!
Her fist flew at the protists again.
Phew— crisis averted.
[System: Penalty trait 'Feast's Offering' has been activated.]
But the protists kept pouring out endlessly—
"Thousand Gold Leader!"
"Bwahaha! That all you got? Behold the golden dream that lights the night!"
KABOOM!
Numbers were high, but if those two got serious, they'd clear it in a minute.
[System: Penalty trait 'Feast's Offering' has been activated.]
The same message again.
This feels off.
"Hmm— really just— that much?"
Rumble-roar!!
"Ah."
In that instant, my senses caught a horrific aura.
A colossal malice I'd missed amid the surrounding noise until now.
[System: Penalty trait 'Feast's Offering' has been activated.]
[System: Penalty trait 'Feast's Offering' has been activated.]
[System: Penalty trait 'Feast's Offering' has been activated.]
[System: Penalty trait 'Feast's Offering' has been activated.]
Rumble-roar—
It was a massive hand blooming like a flower.
* * *
"Everyone, halt!"
Shin Woo-jin's warning blared through the megaphone.
"This is the Foreigner Management Agency and Busan Metropolitan City's police force! In the name of the Mayor of Busan Metropolitan City, we commence armed suppression!"
Shin Woo-jin's declaration.
The Busan police muttered things like 'Why's he invoking our mayor?' but no one was dumb enough to butt in openly.
"Waaaaah!"
"Grab 'em! Smash anyone who resists!"
Fortunately, no major resistance.
The earlier massive explosion had wiped out the fiercest ones.
Boom! Crunch-crack!
Unsettling vibrations and blasts kept coming from the Cure Medical Care ruins.
"Team leader...?"
Shin Woo-jin grimaced, an inexpressible unease stirring from the noise.
The trait Kim Shin-hwa called [Enhanced Vigilance] was prickling his senses. What the hell was happening?
Screeeeech—
Boom!!
"What!?"
Shin Woo-jin hurriedly extended his senses toward the sound. Outside the encirclement.
A crumpled call van—
Screeeeech—
Was barreling in from beyond the Foreigner Management Agency's perimeter.
"What is that!? Block it!"
"Yes, sir!"
Combat civil servants rushed with mobile barricades— but then.
KABOOM!
Bursting through the ground—
An impossibly beautiful ivory hand— no, hands—
Crunch-crack!
Gigantic hands long enough to reach a fifth-story building rose from the earth.
Riiiip!
"Ah— aaaah—!?"
The massive hands instantly wrapped around the call van carrying Jang Hyun-deok and Park Gwang-rim, lifting it.
Beauty and power beyond human comprehension.
Those witnessing it had their minds shatter in unison.
"Aaaah!? Aaaaaahhh!?"
Screams erupted everywhere.
* * *
Far off—
Not Busan, but Paju.
A basement somewhere in what was once another place but now called [Tanhyeon] due to the endlessly expanding anomaly.
Grind—
Splurch. Rip-crack.
Iron chains shattering and scattering.
"You can no longer hold me."
Dokgo Gyeom declared as he rose.
The fragment of [The Smiling One] that had restrained him until now laughed in Cheong-ho's voice.
"Kuhhuhu— Agreed. Do as you wish."
This should suffice.
[The Smiling One]'s mission wasn't to contain Dokgo Gyeom to the bitter end. The plan was to release him when containment became impossible.
"I'm going to rescue the Apostles of the Eternal Life Church."
Dokgo Gyeom stated this while glaring at [The Smiling One], who leered in Cheong-ho's form.
"I said do as you wish."
Dokgo Gyeom didn't reply— he activated his ability to warp space.
Whirrrrr—
A gate to Busan opened. But those awaiting Dokgo Gyeom's release weren't just Kim Shin-hwa and [The Smiling One].
Splurch!
"Urk!?"
Dokgo Gyeom spat in shock at the unforeseen turn.
A massive hand brimming with immense power— a radiant, beautiful hand— forced its way through the spatial rift, shredding Dokgo Gyeom's body.
KABOOM!!
Dokgo Gyeom's body fragmented and flew apart.
Blood rained down.
"W-What!? [Source of Life]? W-Why!?"
[The Smiling One], in Cheong-ho's body, recoiled in belated horror.
Before he could act, beautiful hands wrapped around and seized him.
"Kaaaaah! Let go! Release me!"
Splurch!
No escape. Overwhelming power manifested in the mortal plane by an abyssal entity borrowing the singularity's might. Power diminished by submission to the Feast's Offering couldn't resist.
In the end, he was dragged into the rift Dokgo Gyeom had opened.
*Burp*
With a satisfied belch-like sound, the gate to Busan sealed shut.