Chapter 323
Chapter 323
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 323
Chapter Title: Radiant Love
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“Wizard! What the hell is that hand!?”
I held up the grotesque hand where blackened dead flesh tangled wildly with mana stones that looked just like ruby gems.
“Cool, right?”
It had three thick fingers.
*Creak-*
Yeah, and it made this awesome sound every time it moved.
“Kim Shin-hwa. Are you being serious right now?”
Park Kwang-rim cut in with a worried voice.
“Kim, my man, this is bad.”
“Keee-”
Seo Cheon-seul and Red stared at me with pitiful expressions.
“Uh... Wizard.”
Even Jang Hyun-deok, who I’d always thought of as just a dimwit, frowned as he looked at my left hand.
“Ugh.”
Yeah, I was just talking big.
It was attached to my arm, sure, but honestly, it was pretty horrifying.
If I hadn’t attached it myself—or if not for the [Abyssal Madness] trait dominating my mind—I might’ve lost it and gone berserk right then.
“It’s a temporary patch job. Once we resolve this mess, I’ll find a way to fix it.”
“The Golden King will help us.”
Seo Cheon-seul brought up the Golden King with a serious look.
“Yeah, got it. For now, let’s prep for the next phase.”
As I said that, I glanced at the massive hands writhing where Cure Medical Care had stood.
“Next phase?”
“Yeah. It’s not over yet. Oh, right. What the hell did you even do?”
“You’re finally asking!”
Jang Hyun-deok proudly raised [Sword of the Flesh].
I’d wondered how he was standing on Red’s back—he’d used Heo Ji-hyun’s ability to weave magical threads fixing Park Kwang-rim and himself in place.
Not a bad application.
The crown he’d worn on his head was made of mana threads too. Wait, what’s that?
“Hey, what’s that? Did you get a hole in your head?”
“Ah! You’re just noticing now! I almost died!”
With that, Jang Hyun-deok started explaining what had happened to him.
* * *
*Screeech-*
Jang Hyun-deok, sensing Kim Shin-hwa’s crisis through his surreal supernatural ability, began operating the call ban with a very—extremely—super cool move.
Blood poured massively from the fatal, gruesome, dangerous wound on his head, but Super Magical Jang Hyun-deok came up with a brilliant idea through his amazing inspiration.
“Yeah, now...”
* * *
“Hey, stop. Just stop!”
This wasn’t the time to hear that explanation.
“No, why!”
“I can guess, so no need to explain.”
“Eh?”
The abyssal aura emanating from Jang Hyun-deok’s body.
This feeling was the [King in Yellow Robes]. That guy had sided with me.
He must’ve intercepted Jang Hyun-deok before [Source of Life] could act and shared his power.
‘Then this Super Magical Jang Hyun-deok state won’t last long either.’
I knew what was left on our side and what we could move. The problem was theirs.
“Kim, my man, what’s that monster doing now?”
“No clue. It seems pretty drained, though.”
*Grumble-*
The hands [Source of Life] had created were all gathered at the Cure Medical Care site, twitching in bizarre ways.
[Source of Life] hadn’t even properly descended. It had caused off-the-charts disaster thanks to its immense power, but it couldn’t rampage indefinitely.
It had lost [Soul Shackles], which extended that time a bit—
‘Wait, what about the [Mirror of Wisdom]?’
That thing Akiyama called the golden hairpin. I’d thought it was taken when it moved.
If it had the hairpin, all it needed for descent was [Sword of the Flesh].
Instead of hunkering down like that to stall, the logical move would be to attack us full-force.
‘Yet it’s stalling in this weird way...’
No message had popped up saying it acquired it either.
*Quake!*
It wasn’t just stockpiling power. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be impact sounds like that.
Huh? No way...
“Ah, damn it. I missed one because of the phobia.”
* * *
The massive hands created by [Source of Life] converged toward the heart of Cure Medical Care.
The place where it all began. Where Kim Shin-hwa, Seo Cheon-seul, and Yang Seo-ho had faced off—the spot with the massive hole bored into the Abyss.
Like waves—like the darkness of night—like despair, beautiful and despairing hands surged in.
In that forest of death, without a single gap to escape.
Yang Seo-ho screamed there.
“Uwaaaaaah! Uwaaaah! More! More! Come closer! Make me alive! Touch me! Or give me pain!”
Yang Seo-ho had gone mad.
The massive hands created by [Source of Life] rushed toward Yang Seo-ho from every direction.
Yang Seo-ho reached out to grasp the warm hands of love approaching her.
“I feel nothing! Hold my hand! Touch me!”
Her hand, filled with desperate hope and crushed longing—
Tore through the air, unleashing absurd shockwaves.
Immense destructive power from a mere human body.
A horrific might even abyssal beings couldn’t manifest without direct descent.
*Krakaboom!*
The hand Yang Seo-ho desperately extended exploded everything around it before touching anything.
Petals scattering futilely.
A storm of petals so beautiful and vivid they’d etch into your pupils just from looking—a surreal sight.
In that unrealistic scene, Yang Seo-ho screamed again.
“Why? Why can’t I touch them? Why? Why? Why? Where is this? Why am I here? Mom? Mom—where are you? Why—hahahahaha! Hahahaha!”
*Boom! Crunch!*
Yang Seo-ho wailed desperately, trying to interact with the hands closing in from all sides, but her hands touched nothing.
And beside such a her was the item Kim Shin-hwa sought.
The golden hairpin.
A special artifact wrapping the [Mirror of Wisdom] in gold infused with the curse of the deep sea. If [Source of Life] reclaimed it, it could substitute for the sacrifice in the ritual for descent—needing only medium and sacrifice.
Yang Seo-ho was lost in delirium from the madness induced by the abyssal being, but in her muddied consciousness like filthy sludge, the thought remained: she couldn’t let go of this item.
*Splash- Gurgle-*
That’s why [Source of Life] still hadn’t recovered the golden hairpin holding the [Mirror of Wisdom].
* * *
Kim Shin-hwa has grasped the situation.
He will now move there.
[L!U!C!A! : Bubble- Bubble- Bubble!!]
Resources are needed for that action.
[L!U!C!A! : Bubble- Bubblebubble-]
Very well. However, this information will also be transmitted to the sacrifice of the feast.
* * *
[System: Penalty trait ‘Sacrifice of the Feast’ has been activated.]
[‘Source of Life’’s unique trait ‘Gift of the Mother’ has been activated.]
New messages suddenly appeared.
“Khaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-!!!!”
The forest of hands itself let out a bizarre cry.
*Crackle!*
“Damn it, what’s this now?”
[Sentient beings who love ‘Source of Life’ begin to feel the impulse to become one with Mother. The ritual to summon the abyssal being ‘Source of Life’ continues. What is needed are a medium and sacrifice. Among those desiring to become one with Mother, one who fulfills the conditions may exist.]
『I shall grant your wishes! Gather here! My children! My children!』
“Aaaaaah—Mother! Mother!”
“I love you! I love you!”
“Luca! Luca! Luca! Luca!”
Uproar echoed from all directions.
*Crack! Crunch! Crash!*
“Uwaaak!? Wizard, that’s like back then...”
“Yeah, a familiar sight.”
It was enough to trigger Jang Hyun-deok’s trauma.
Cure Medical Care’s cultists surged toward Cure Medical Care en masse.
『I love you all! I love you! Return to my embrace. Come back to Mother’s bosom! I shall fulfill your desires! Nestle in my arms.』
“I love you! Make us one!”
“Aaaaaaaa!!” “Aaaaaaaa!!” “Aaaaaaaa!”
“Luca! Luca! Luca! Luca!”
The primal urge all living beings possessed swirled into a frenzy.
I want to become one with that great being who loves me!
And the mother of all things, possessing the traits of every creature in this world—[Source of Life]—granted the wishes of her children who followed her, who loved her.
Thus, those responding to [Source of Life]’s call weren’t just cultists. Among those who’d seen her form and fallen into delirium—those who felt love, obsession, attachment, fanaticism, faith toward her—all began the same actions.
“N-No way... Even the Foreigner Management Office officials...”
Park Kwang-rim’s lament.
“Ah, this is insane. We might not know about the medium, but it’s secured a sacrifice for sure.”
I scratched my head—ugh, almost used my left hand. I quickly lowered it and said to Seo Cheon-seul,
“Thousand Gold Captain! Block those guys! I’ll head in and secure the golden hairpin.”
“W-What about me?”
Jang Hyun-deok’s question.
“Give me that sword and run with Park Kwang-rim.”
“Eh? I can fight too!”
“If you get caught, game over. Run now!”
“Ah, trust me a little!”
Jang Hyun-deok flailed in protest. I scowled—
“Hey, wait a sec!”
Park Kwang-rim shouted.
“What? Kwang-rim, why?”
“I just confirmed something with my dowsing ability.”
“Hmm?”
“People who can help us are heading this way.”
Help us?
Who the hell would?
Park Kwang-rim explained who, and—
“Yeah. Even cultists wouldn’t tolerate another cult’s god rampaging like this.”
I agreed to his suggestion.
“Alright, let’s do that! Jang Hyun-deok! Go pick up those people with Park Kwang-rim!”
“Ah, got it!”
“Reddie, take care of that idiot and Park Kwang-rim!”
“Keee!”
“Hey, why am I the only idiot!?”
“Ah, whatever. Just go already! Thousand Gold Captain!”
“Bwahaha! Alright, here I go!”
As Seo Cheon-seul and I moved, [Source of Life] unleashed another massive roar shaking all of Busan.
『I shall fulfill your wishes! Those who wish to run faster will gain swifter legs. Those who desire greater strength will gain mightier arms. Grow swifter, stronger, wiser! This is the mark of the love I give you!』
*Grumble-*
“Krarrgh!”
“Kyarrgh!”
Radiant, immense love granted equally to all.
Her love mutated ordinary bodies into surreal monstrous forms.
“You damn dobuksis!”
*Smack!*
Hm, easy to distinguish.
Seo Cheon-seul classified those whose souls were stolen by the abyssal being, their flesh mutated, as dobuksis—enemies of goblins—and swung her Diamond Rod to send all charging at her flying.
Gripping [Sword of the Flesh], I headed toward Cure Medical Care.