Chapter 356
Chapter 356
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 356
Chapter Title: Silver Coffin
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“There it is!”
Crunch-crunch-crash!
The [fake Kim Shin-hwa] shatters in an instant.
I layer the spirit amplification effect from the [Butcher’s Hook] with the summon beast berserk ability of the [Underworld Silver Bell] to let another [fake Kim Shin-hwa] close in.
‘Now there are three [fake Kim Shin-hwas] left?’
I just need to buy a little more time.
Vreeeeem—
The skateboard carrying me glides through the pyramid’s interior.
“Why not fly?”
“Saving mana!”
It’s a pyramid, sure, but the structure brings to mind a wasp nest.
“Ughhh—”
“Groooan—”
Intermittent groans echo from all directions.
One person per pit. People bound head to toe in bandages lie there.
Living sacrifices, deprived of all sensation, having the mana of their flesh and souls drained away.
Riding the high-speed skateboard, I spread out my detection.
Vreeeeem—
The mana extracted from the people flows consistently in one direction along the mana conduits embedded in the walls.
“No, it’s not just from the people.”
It’s not built as a pyramid merely for thematic consistency. A structure shaped with ritual significance. It’s drawing up mana even from the surrounding ley lines.
What do they plan to do with this massive amount of mana?
‘Come to think of it, they didn’t use this mana even during the fight earlier.’
Jeong Hyun-ah, having consumed part of the [Scaled Schemer]’s body, had plenty of mana to begin with...
But if they’d attacked using this mana too, the fight would’ve ended in my defeat long ago.
In short, Jeong Hyun-ah—or whatever’s controlling Jeong Hyun-ah’s mind—values something more than beating me in this fight.
* * *
The pyramid’s dead center.
This has to be the exact middle, both horizontally and vertically.
“As expected, a coffin.”
A massive coffin made of pure silver.
And packed onto its surface: magical runes and bizarre hieroglyphs.
“What’s the purpose? They didn’t prepare this just to honor the dead, right?”
“Well, it’s the classic popular pattern.”
Egyptian theme, after all?
Distorted in the narrow [Cthulhu World] style, but the reason for making mummies is ultimately to resurrect the dead.
I lean down to examine the runes engraved on the coffin.
Not in a situation like this, but I’ve seen this thing a few times in the [Cthulhu World].
This is bullshit—it only shows up in the final chapter right before the ruin ending.
“And the silver was used to create a barrier protecting the precious body until the descent.”
Whooooom—
Ultra-dense compressed mana churns inside the coffin.
Impressively high-density compressed mana.
Plus, silver can serve as a shield to condense and concentrate mana.
“Who is it? Cheong-ho? Or Hyun-ah’s mom?”
“Doesn’t matter who. It was a lie anyway.”
As I say that, I place my hand on the runes arrayed on the coffin and push mana into them.
Crackle-crackle-pop—
Abstract sparks fly in all directions.
“Ugh—solid.”
Magical repulsion. A fierce will refusing entry to the unauthorized. A thirteen-layer composite barrier installed to enforce that will.
Sssslither—
Sssslither—shhhrrrr—
“Kim Shin-hwa. Stop.”
The voice of Jeong Hyun-ah—or the [Scaled Schemer]—comes from the darkness.
Hoping to reach Jeong Hyun-ah rather than the [Scaled Schemer], I ask,
“Miss, isn’t this a bit too dangerous for a high schooler’s hobby? Do you know what this is?”
“Ahh—Jeong Hyun-ah knows it well too. It’s the thing to fulfill her wish.”
Looks like the [Scaled Schemer] identity is stronger than Jeong Hyun-ah’s.
Sssslither—
A presence slowly shifting sideways in the darkness.
‘Preparing an attack.’
That presence is a feint. With a body ten meters long—and tentacles on the tail that can detach from the body.
True to its name, it loves schemes.
If it attacks, it’ll mix at least three patterns. Damn it, might as well be playing a versus action game.
I need time. And I need to adjust the situation a bit more.
“Putting an abyssal being’s organs and a shoggoth inside to resurrect a human?”
What’s being made inside that silver coffin isn’t human.
The [Scaled Schemer]’s lung and the shoggoth I tossed in last time are in there.
No matter who Hyun-ah wants to revive—this won’t be human.
“That doesn’t matter. Hyun-ah will get what she wants in the end.”
I bare my teeth (though the mask hides it) and say,
“So you lied? You piece of trash.”
Meaning, once its true body descends, it can revive whoever Hyun-ah wants.
But the [Scaled Schemer] replies nonchalantly, off-topic.
“You’re accessing the runes?”
“Quick on the uptake.”
“How is it?”
“Well-made. Hard to crack.”
Runes built by an abyssal being. No way it’d be easy.
“Yes. As long as I’m linked to it, you can’t stop it. And—”
“Hey. Short version.”
“What?”
“I’m a sole proprietor, you know? I earn by the hour. My ten-minute break’s over—back to fixer duties. If you’ve got something to say, spit it out quick, don’t beat around the bush.”
“Kh—kheekh-”
Sssslither—
Unpleasant laughter and sly movements.
“If you don’t like me fulfilling Jeong Hyun-ah’s wish, then accept my entrails and become my servant.”
“Hmm—”
“Kim Shin-hwa. If saving Jeong Hyun-ah is your goal—your only choice is this. Serve me. Then I’ll release Hyun-ah since she’s unnecessary.”
“Release Hyun-ah?”
“I’ll never harm you. Is your wish to return where you came from? I’ll make it happen. Do you want greater power? You can have it.”
I try to scratch my head with my hook-handed left—
“Whoa—almost put another hole in my head.”
“Your answer?”
“Fine, I’ll answer. First, eating your guts as an initiation ritual? Physiologically off-putting. Second, you talk way too much, your tone’s annoying, you’ve got bad breath, you’re ugly. Plus, your personality’s too nasty to serve as a boss. And above all—”
“Above all?”
“As a sole proprietor—I can’t do business with a client who treats contract breaches like a joke.”
It had its contract partner (Jeong Hyun-ah) do all this work, and now it wants to reject it all and re-contract elsewhere?
This ethics-free horrific devil.
“There’s more than one way to use the feast’s sacrifice. If you won’t submit, I’ll just kill and eat you.”
“Kieeeek.”
“Kieeeek?”
“Cut the nagging and charge like a beast with a ‘kieeeek,’ you crocodile-headed freak.”
Boom!
The sound of a massive monster kicking off the stone floor and charging.
It doesn’t say kieeeek, huh.
Shhhrrrr—
Tentacles revealing themselves from left and right.
Snake-like shapes, but I’m over the phobia now.
Shhhrrrr—
Unpleasant thought waves trying to burrow into my mind.
Mental attack? [Abyss’s Madness] will block it automatically.
Anyway, three patterns at once, as expected.
Grrrrl—grrrrl—
Cheong-ho’s underlings rising one by one.
Ah, there’s a fourth pattern. But this works better!
I count in my head—
And activate spells.
[Blade Barrier]
[Thor’s Anvil]
[Winter’s Orb]
[Delayed Blast Fireball]
“Pathetic!”
Just swinging its tentacles shatters the blades with a crash.
One—
A breath of sand blasts toward the incoming lightning in the form of a massive hammer—canceled out.
Two—
Crunch-crackle!
Tch, ignores the cold outright?
But—the massive fireball compressing fiery power remains!
And three!
“Now, Baby!”
KABOOM!
“Now!” “Now!” “Now!” “Now!” “Now!” “Now!” “Now!” “Now!” “Now!”
An enormous bundle of tentacles pouring down, smashing through the ceiling.
Splaash!
[Dark Child], grown at least six times bigger by devouring everything while hidden.
KABOOM!
“Graaaaaah!”
Its sheer mass alone is lethal.
Shhhrrrr!
Hundreds of tentacles instantly wrapping, twisting, tearing, crushing, chewing, and pounding the thing without pause.
“Graaaaaah! Let go! Let me go!”
Jeong Hyun-ah thrashes, smashing everything around.
“Eat!” “Eat!” “Eat!” “Eat!” “Eat!” “Eat!” “Eat!” “Eat!” “Eat!”
[Dark Child] clings with desperate ferocity.
Rumble-roar!
The two monsters’ clash roars like it could shatter the world any second.
Looks like it didn’t expect this?
Executing four attack patterns while dealing with the four attacks I made split its attention.
If it were a true abyssal being, this sleight-of-hand wouldn’t fool it—
But it’s just a part of the [Scaled Schemer].
“Take that!”
Fwoosh—
The [Delayed Blast Fireball] grows stronger the longer you wait instead of firing right away, concentrating mana over time.
On top of that—
[Spell Enhancement: Empower]
[Spell Enhancement: Chain Explosion]
[SSS-grade weapon Sa-in-chan-jeong-geom (Green Venom) unique function ‘Heavenly Flame Mark’ activates.
// Heavenly Flame Mark: All fire-type spell effects increased by 100%.]
“Ah, with Baby there, just fire it—!?”
“[Dark Child] immune to fire, explosion, acid, electricity, poison!”
KABOOOOOM!
Lethal flames engulf everything.
Scorching heat pours out—enough to set my mana-synced hoodie ablaze.
“No more need for any of this! I’ll kill you!”
[System: Penalty trait ‘Feast’s Sacrifice’ effect activates. ‘Abyssal Being: ????????????????’ rages at you.]
* * *
Ah, pissed off now.
“Hey, hold it together a bit longer. The one who snaps first loses, you know.”
Splaash!
The mana runes heading toward the silver coffin all redirect at once.
Jeong Hyun-ah—no, can’t call her that anymore.
The [Scaled Schemer], syncing with the entire pyramid’s runes and this area’s ley lines.
Rumble-roooar!!!
The pyramid collapses.
“Scary!” “Scary!” “Scary!” “Scary!” “Scary!” “Scary!” “Scary!” “Scary!” “Scary!”
A force that even scares [Dark Child] into fleeing.
Rumble-roooar!!
Waves surging from all sides.
The water I scattered outside.
Untethered from control, it’s prime mana for use as-is.
It absorbs that water too—forming a body of liquid and sand.
The [Scaled Schemer] mutates into a massive monster resembling a snake, crocodile, or giant dragon. No—[????????????????].
[System: ‘Abyssal Being: ????????????????’ reveals itself before your eyes.]
Rumble-roar!
An absurd size writhing around the entire pyramid.
A dragon of grotesquely repulsive colors.
[System: ‘????????????????’ unique trait ‘Decay’s ’ activates.]
[‘Decay’s ’ effect: Everything within 30km radius turns to sand. Additionally, madness is forcibly injected into your mind.]
30km radius?
That reaches Incheon. Ah, the Great Wall turning to sand is the real problem.
The pyramid instantly turns to sand and begins collapsing.
“Baby! Help me out!”
“Help Baby!” “Help Baby!” “Help Baby!” “Help Baby!” “Help Baby!” “Help Baby!” “Help Baby!” “Help Baby!”
Shhhrrrr!
Baby races back, startled by the abyssal being’s majesty, wraps around me, and grabs hold.
And one more.
Baby clutches the large object with me—fleeing the pouring sand.
I shout while held in Baby’s tentacles.
“You dumb crocodile-headed bastard! Felt good sucking up the water I left uncontrolled, huh? But what about this? You let go of its control too?”
What Baby’s wrapping around with me is the massive silver coffin from the pyramid’s center.
And my hand is still on the silver coffin.
Get it?
[Perception]